Differences in coopetition due to firm size

The concept of cooperation and competition, coopetition, has been a growing phenomenon in the past 20 years. Firstly, this paper explains the general concept of coopetition, its advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, this paper explores coopetitive relationships between companies with similar and different sizes, namely (1) SME-SME, (2) large enterprise-large enterprise and (3) SME-large enterprise. A comparison of drivers, advantages and disadvantages of these three relationships is made in order to establish whether there are differences, based on a combination of a literature review and empirical research. Overall, this study finds that many drivers, advantages and disadvantages are similar for all three coopetitive relationships, however this study also found key differences. Additionally, within the similarities there are some differences in the exact way different company sizes exploit the advantages of coopetition. This study can aid managers in coopetition decision making by providing a comparison of available relationship forms, allowing managers to choose the optimal coopetitive relationship for their needs and reap the maximum benefits of this relationship.