Typology and Effects of Co‐opetition in Buyer–Supplier Relationships: Evidence from the Chinese Home Appliance Industry (供应链关系中竞合分类及其影响：来自中国家电业的实证研究)

Abstract

English Abstract: Building on the co‐opetition perspective, this study takes a unified approach to examine relationship benefits and transaction costs in buyer–supplier relationships. We argue that buyer–supplier vertical dyads fall into one of four distinct co‐opetition types based on their respective degrees of cooperation and competition. Each co‐opetition situation then corresponds to unique levels of relationship benefits and transaction costs. A sample of 225 supplier–buyer dyads from the Chinese home appliance industry confirms that competition has a positive effect on transaction costs and a negative effect on relationship benefits, while cooperation stimulates greater relationship benefits but affects transaction costs mainly at low competition levels. The results advance prior research on buyer–supplier relationships and co‐opetition and offer valuable avenues for future research.

Chinese Abstract: 基于竞合的观点，本文采用了一个整合的模型对供应链关系中的关系收益和交易成本进行了研究。本文认为，依据双方合作和竞争程度的不同，买卖双方间的交易关系可以划分为四种不同的竞合关系类型，且每种竞合类型分别对应不同的关系收益和交易成本水平。利用来自中国家电行业225对买卖双方的配对样本，本文发现，买卖双方间的竞争对交易成本有正向作用，对关系收益有负面影响；而双方间的合作会促进关系收益的提高，但只在竞争水平较低时，合作才会对交易成本产生影响。本文研究发展了以往关于买卖双方关系和竞合的相关文献，并指明了有价值的未来研究发展方向。

Keywords: buyer–supplier relationships, co‐opetition, relationship benefits, transaction costs, 买卖关系, 竞合, 关系收益, 交易成本