Competition, cooperation, and performance: an empirical investigation of Chinese online sellers

This study examines the relationship between competition intensity, cooperation network, and performance in the context of electronic commerce. In particular, based on the framework of value net, we study both horizontal and vertical cooperation networks, and test the proposed model empirically. The empirical findings suggest that the more intense the competition, the more willing the sellers are to adopt the strategy of networking. Moreover, both the horizontal and vertical cooperation help to improve performance. The study has interesting theoretical and practical implications.