Co‐opetition: a source of international opportunities in Finnish SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study international opportunities gained through co‐opetitive relations in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as to examine the influence of different levels of co‐opetition on international opportunities.Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve the purpose, multiple in‐depth case studies are conducted in four SMEs.Findings – The results reveal a paradigm shift in competition in an international context. Co‐opetition has provided international opportunities for the case companies, though to varying degrees and character. Furthermore, international opportunities can be found in strong and weak cooperation‐dominated relations as well as in equal relations between competitors. However, the different levels of co‐opetition influence the characteristics of the international opportunities in terms of continuity and scope.Research limitations/implications – The results highlight the importance of taking co‐opetitive relations in general as well a...

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