Coopeting towards a sustainable food transition: The role of coopetition within the Finnish national protein cluster
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Date
2023
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Management and International Business (MIB)
Language
en
Pages
81+22
Series
Abstract
With increasing urgency, research has pointed out fundamental sustainability challenges threatening our ecosystems. Due to its environmental impact and significance to human development, the food system plays a central role in this dynamic and the discourse has recognized the need to strengthen the business of animal protein alternatives. As the nature of sustainability issues makes it difficult for single companies to deliver effective change on their own, inter-organizational relationships and concepts which can facilitate coordinated action, have gained relevance. However, sustainability literature has paid little attention to cooperation between competitors, termed coopetition, and research linking coopetition to sustainability remains scarce. This thesis contributes to this research gap by investigating the role of coopetition for sustainability in the Finnish plant protein industry. It aims to deepen the understanding of how businesses interact with competitors under the overarching goal of sustainable development through the case of the Finnish National Protein Cluster. In this thesis a singular, explorative case study was conducted, covering the Protein Cluster, a collaboration model combining environmental and economic targets with the objective to strengthen the plant protein value chain and speed up national cooperation among competing actors. Prior, a preliminary case selection identified the Cluster as a central arena for sustainability-related coopetition. The study utilized data collection through interviews and reviewing internal, archival material, which then was analysed through a thematic analysis to research the setting, state, and process of coopetition interactions within the case. The qualitative research process included the generation of code networks and was computer-assisted through the qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti. Focusing on coopetition on an ecosystem-cluster level, the thesis identified multiple layers on which tensions between competitors manifest, finding additional evidence that sustainability-related coopetition is especially complex – due to its paradoxical nature of integrating cooperation and competition principles and the inclusion of contradicting aspects of sustainability. According to the findings, third-party facilitation is managing and balancing these conflicting logics, taking on the essential role of enabling coopetition in the first place, while barriers and enablers of coopetition are found both on a company and personal level. Here the thesis located 14 barriers and 10 enablers within two main themes: Ignorance as a barrier and Hierarchy as a barrier. Furthermore, the study found nine different coopetition processes located in three themes, while uncovering the impact of companies’ different ways of working and organisational models on coopetition processes. The thesis contributes to the literature on coopetition for sustainability and coopetition on an ecosystem level by exploring coopetition interactions, including barriers, enablers, and facilitators, in the broader context. For practitioners, the study highlights the role of a coopetition mindset and capabilities, which help companies to continuously engage in coopetition and deliver success from it.Description
Thesis advisor
Halme, MinnaKeywords
coopetition, sustainability, business ecosystems, sustainability transitions