Co-opetition between the cricket franchises in South Africa

Abstract

The study is related to the business of sport. The purpose of this study was to explore the business strategy of co-opetition within the cricket franchises in South Africa. Brandenburger and Nalebuff (1996) defined co-opetition as the combination of forms of cooperation and competition between companies. Stein and Ginevicius (2010) recently conducted research related to co-opetition and believed that the most successful contribution so far has been the book “Coopetition” by Brandenburger and Nalebuff (1996). However, they also argued that the book has fundamental structural and methodological flaws. There is limited research on co-opetition within a sports context. Future research could develop and conduct empirical studies related to the drivers, dynamics, and outcomes of co-opetition (Park, 2010). The research examined the conditions in which cricket franchises engage in co-opetition and how they achieve positive outcomes through co-opetition. The drivers and the players of co-opetition within the franchises were also investigated. Qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with the CEOs of the cricket franchises were carried out. A “Co-opetition Ecosystem” model was derived from the interviews and literature.