Practicing coopetition for food supply chain sustainability: a contextual perspective in the Norwegian fishing industry

Figures & data

Table 1. Review of published articles on coopetition for sustainability.

Author (s)	Research objective	Findings
Christ, Burritt, and Varsei (2017)	To identify potential benefits and problems of sustainability-based coopetition strategies using an actual coopetitive agreement between two companies in the Australian wine industry	Each cooperating company’s profitability increased due to the efficient use of transportation capacity. Improved environmental performance, particularly in terms of reduced carbon dioxide emissions from increased bulk shipments It is problematic to balance economic performance with other sustainability aspects (e.g. the environmental aspect). The importance of recognising and incorporating collaborative competition strategies into environmental and sustainability management debates, standards, guidelines, and codes The outcomes of coopetitive strategies depend on the market and environmental dynamics of the industry as they evolve.
Limoubpratum, Shee, and Ahsan (2014)	Investigates whether coopetition strategy can lead to sustainability in the transport industry.	The findings reveal coopetition strategies lead to improved economic, social and environmental performance
Jalali et al. (2021)	To investigate the impact of coopetition within a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) in the electronics industry.	Coopetition strategies increase the economic and environmental performance of all members within the closed-loop supply chain network. The study revealed scenarios (e.g. market demand and consumer preference) under which companies engage in coopetition strategies.
Mirzabeiki, Qile, and Sarpong (2022)	To identify drivers, facilitators, and barriers of coopetition for supply chain sustainability in various industries such as the food industry, transport etc.	Coopetition is an innovative type of interorganisational relationship to meet triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental) objectives to gain a competitive advantage Coopetition enables participating firms to develop rare capabilities.
Crick and Crick (2021)	To investigate whether coopetition strategy can lead to improved economic performance in the wine industry.	Coopetition strategies lead to improved economic performance The relationship between coopetiton and economic performance is contingent on competitive intensity and competitor orientation
Munten et al. (2021)	To investigate tensions related to coopetition for sustainable innovation in the automotive industry.	The study identified four broad tensions between competitive strategy and cooperation in striving towards sustainability at the firm and societal levels.

Figure 1. Embedded case study.

Table 2. Primary and secondary data collected.

Primary data								Secondary data
Firm	Details	Firm size	No. of Interviews	Interview length (Min.)	Transcribed Min	Transcribed pages	Interviewee (Code)	Internal & External sources
CASE A	A family-owned and operated company that owns and operates longline fisheries	Small	1	75	66	11	Manager, CA	Fisheries Act Sustainability reports (49 pages) Webpages (Cases-10 pages NSC (3 pages)) MRA (11 pages), FHS-WMR (6 pages) Standard guidelines (7 pages) Press release (2 pages) Articles of association (10 pages) Marine research institute (114 pages Marine Resource Act
CASE B	A longliner producing fillets on board, mainly of cod and haddock	Small	1	45	39	9	Director, CB
CASE C	A family-owned trawler that produce fillets on board	Small	1	65	58	12	Director, CC
CASE D	Sales agent	Small	2	90	75	18	Manager, CD; Director CD
Administrator	Administrator that represents the interest of vessels owner within the same association	N/A	1	60	56	11	Director, NFAS
Total			6	335	294	61

Acronyms: NSC- Norwegian Seafood Council; FHS-WMR- First-Hand sale of wild marine resources acts and regulations; MRA- Marine Resource Act

Figure 2. Analytical procedure.

Figure 3. Empirical framework.

Christ, Katherine L., Roger L. Burritt, and Mohsen Varsei. (2017). “Coopetition as a Potential Strategy for Corporate Sustainability.” Business Strategy and the Environment 26 (7):1029–1040. doi: 10.1002/bse.1967.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Limoubpratum, Chattharn, Himanshu Shee, and Kamrul Ahsan. (2014). “Sustainable Distribution through Coopetition Strategy.” International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications 18 (5):424–441. doi: 10.1080/13675567.2014.977236.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Jalali, H., A. Ansaripoor, V. Ramani, and D. G. Pietro. 2021. “Closed-loop Supply Chain Models with Coopetition Options.” International Journal of Production Research 1–29. doi:10.1080/00207543.2021.1910871.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Mirzabeiki, Vahid, Qile He, and David Sarpong. (2022). “Sustainability-driven Coopetition in Supply Chains as Strategic Capabilities: Drivers, Facilitators, and Barriers.” International Journal of Production Research:1–27. doi: 10.1080/00207543.2021.1988749.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Crick, James M., and Dave Crick. (2021). “Coopetition and family-owned Wine Producers.” Journal of Business Research 135:319–336. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.046.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Munten, Pauline, Joëlle Vanhamme, François Maon, Valérie Swaen, and Adam Lindgreen. (2021). “Addressing Tensions in Coopetition for Sustainable Innovation: Insights from the Automotive Industry.” Journal of Business Research 136:10–20. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.020.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar