Competitive Perspective Research Articles

Full Competition and Innovation

Economic science is built on the basis of the concept of competition. Classical School economists have not defined this concept with precision. The “Neoclassic Revolution” defined the concept of perfect competition as an ideal combination of productive resources accessible to all permanently (optimal size). Within this framework, competition ensures that suppliers will cover demand by matching market prices to both average and marginal costs corresponding to the optimal size. Large and persistent differences in profit and wage rates, when interpreted from a perfect competition perspective, will always be considered a sign of the absence of competition. Only an alternative concept of competition can modify such an interpretation. In this context, the objective of this work was to develop an alternative concept of full competition, which is formally formulated, to foster a more sustainable environment for the coexistence of enterprises of different sizes. The full competition definition assumes that firms maximize long-term benefits (fixed-capital amortization period) by trying to ensure full use of productive capacity and achieving relative advantages through innovation instead of merely adjusting prices to maximize short-term benefits. This approach provides a different explanation for inequalities in profit and wage rates, from simple adjustment in prices (perfect competition) to the search for new and better opportunities through innovation (full competition). This could change the meaning and scope of economic policies, which are influenced by both Neoclassical and Keynesian approaches, when addressing the entrepreneurial challenges of sustainable development.

Manufacturing and Fraud: Evidence from Price Competition and Lean Inventories

ABSTRACT We examine fraud from an industry competition perspective, oriented from inventory theory. We find that fraud occurs among manufacturers more than nonmanufacturers and that the association between price competition and fraud is significantly more pronounced in the manufacturing sector. Aggregating inventory and cash flow patterns to the industry level, we report that industry inventory imbalance rates, from either excessive stockpiling or inventory leanness, associate with increased future price competition, which subsequently associates with more fraud. However, for manufacturers, the industry-wide prevalence of either excess or leanness amplifies future price competition, which is observed as a U-shaped association that ultimately ties to more fraud. These effects are stronger when extreme leanness is the manufacturing industry’s standard. We also provide evidence that the association between price competition and fraud is comparable to managerial incentives’ association with fraud. Together, our findings contribute to the literature on price competition, inventory management, and corporate misconduct. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: M11; M21; M41; L60.

Low-carbon city pilot policies and urban carbon productivity improvement: An empirical analysis from the perspective of green competitiveness

In 2010, the Chinese government officially launched the Low-carbon city pilot policy (LCPP) to promote the construction of ecological civilization and drive green and low-carbon development. In this context, this paper examined the impact of the LCPP on the urban carbon productivity and its heterogeneity, using the difference-in-difference (DID) model with the panel data from 260 Chinese cities during the period from 2006 to 2019. The findings indicate that LCPP has exerted a long-term and significantly positive impact on the improvement of urban carbon productivity. Furthermore, this paper innovatively introduces the urban green competitiveness for mechanism analysis. The findings of mechanism test indicate that LCPP improves urban carbon productivity by enhancing the green competitiveness of pilot cities. Based on the above research results, this paper suggests that the government should further expand the scope of the pilot and strengthen the policy guidance. In particular, it is imperative for governments pay attention to the regional heterogeneity, formulate appropriate complementary measures and focus on providing long-term support for the low-carbon transition of cities.

The Creation of new autnonomous regions: Is this a solution for regional welfare ?

This research analyzes whether expansion is a solution based on a competitive perspective, with a focus on the Nagari expansion in West Pasaman Regency. We collected data for this research using a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with key informants from the Nagari government and local communities. The findings indicate that a nagari's expansion does not necessarily lead to its advancement. Many new nagari have not been optimal in managing resources, and there are ownership conflicts and competition between the parent region and newly emerging nagari, as well as the political transition process, which is hampering sustainable development. Therefore, while regional expansion offers new opportunities, the obstacles encountered underscore the necessity of assessing and enhancing policies to ensure the community's sustainable benefits and the attainment of Nagari autonomy.

Game-Theoretic Security Analysis in Heterogeneous IoT Networks: A Competition Perspective

Game-Theoretic Security Analysis in Heterogeneous IoT Networks: A Competition Perspective

Pricing of Halal Fashion Products in Facing Competition Reviewed From an Islamic Economic Perspective

This article discusses the pricing of halal fashion products in facing competition with an Islamic economic perspective. This study aims to analyze the pricing of halal fashion products in facing competition with an Islamic economic perspective. This study uses a literature review approach, namely reviewing related research to be used as a source of data in the study. The results of the study show that in determining the price of halal fashion products, namely by looking at production costs, halal certification, product quality, and distribution and marketing costs. In facing competition, a marketing strategy for Muslim fashion products is needed, preferably based on digital marketing in order to reach a wider market. In the competition perspective of Islamic economics, there are also several principles that need to be applied, namely healthy competition, honesty, good and sympathetic thinking, justice, and the prohibition of gharar and usury.

Unprecedented Anxiety and Depression among Young People: From the Perspective of Postmodern Consumer Culture

With the advancement of technology, young people today live in a society with highly developed material civilization. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more young people are facing serious problems of depression and anxiety. This article analyzes the reasons for unprecedented anxiety and depression among young people from the perspective of postmodern consumerism culture. On the one hand, postmodern consumerism culture has wrongly shaped the worldview of young people, making them prone to losing direction. On the other hand, postmodern consumerism culture forces young people to engage in excessive competition, which exacerbates their sense of frustration and makes them more prone to anxiety and depression. In response to these two reasons, the article proposes suggestions from the perspectives of cultural construction and competition to help young people alleviate anxiety and depression.

Supply Chain Integration Capability, Intra-Cluster Co-Opetition Strategy, and Breakthrough Innovation: The Moderating Effect of Environmental Turbulence

Under the frequent occurrence of external environmental risks and in the context of breakthrough innovations driving new quality productivity, this study explores the intrinsic mechanisms by which supply chain integration affects enterprise breakthrough innovation. Grounded in supply chain integration and breakthrough innovation theories, we used statistical methods to analyze data from a sample of 209 valid enterprises. The study systematically interprets these mechanisms from the perspective of competition and examines the moderating effect of external environmental turbulence on competitive strategy. The results demonstrate that supply chain integration capability significantly and positively influences breakthrough innovation, with vertical and horizontal competing strategies acting as mediators. Additionally, environmental turbulence positively moderates the relationship between supply chain integration capability and horizontal competing strategies. The results of the study are of great theoretical and practical significance in promoting the integration of enterprises’ supply chains and enhancing their sustainable innovation capabilities.

The Impact of R&D Investment on The Financialization of Enterprises —— Take The Manufacturing Industry as An Example

In recent years, the excessive investment of entity enterprises leads to the phenomenon of enterprise financialization, which makes the development of entity enterprises fall into a vicious circle. How to restrain the excessive financialization trend of enterprises and promote the high-quality development of real enterprises has become an urgent problem to be solved. Based on the financial data of listed companies in A-share manufacturing industry from 2008 to 2022, this paper studies the possible inhibitory effect of enterprise R&D investment on finalized investment from the perspective of asset allocation and market competition. The results show that R&D investment is significantly negatively correlated with the level of enterprise financialization, that is, R&D investment can restrain enterprise financialization to a certain extent. Further research shows that increasing cash holding and increasing market power are two intermediary paths for R&D investment to restrain the financialization of enterprises.

Critical Factors for SMEs’ Business Sustainability through the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound changes in the global economy, altering the dynamics between nature, people, government, and business. This transformation has particularly impacted Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). As vital contributors to the distribution of wealth and the foundation of numerous businesses worldwide, SMEs face various challenges in sustaining their operations in today’s competitive and globalized economy. The research aimed to explore the factors influencing the sustainability of SMEs from the Resource-Advantage Theory of Competition (RAToC) perspective. It applied a qualitative research through bibliometric analysis using Visualization of Similarities (VOS) viewer software with Scopus data from 2019 to 2023 and resulted in 560 relevant articles. The literature review reveals that successful SMEs in the post-COVID-19 era are capable of addressing challenges through innovation, adaptability, flexibility, and resource integration with a commitment to social responsibility. The keys to their success are the adept embrace of technological advancements, responsiveness to market changes, proactive seizing of new opportunities, and the cultivation of stakeholder engagement alongside prudent risk management. The research not only provides a nuanced understanding of dynamic strategies, but also offers profound insights into essential attributes, positioning SMEs to succeed within the continually evolving post-pandemic landscape. Therefore, it ensures their resilience and sustained growth in the future.

The impact of port green competitiveness on the hinterland economy: A case study of China.

In the global trade landscape, ports are not only critical nodes for the transportation of goods but also increasingly recognized as key factors driving sustainable development through their green competitiveness. This paper takes a green competitiveness perspective to delve into the interactive relationship between port development and the hinterland economy, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation and policy recommendations for the green development of ports. An evaluation index system for green competitiveness of ports was constructed, and a combination of the Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) and the Entropy Weighted-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (EW-TOPSIS) method was employed to quantitatively measure and assess the 25 major coastal ports and their hinterland economic systems in China. The study reveals that the overall green competitiveness of these major coastal ports is on the rise, yet notable disparities exist among individual ports. Regionally, the green competitiveness of the Yangtze River Delta port group stands out, while that of the Bohai Rim, southeastern, Pearl River Delta, and southwestern coastal port groups is relatively low. Empirical analysis conducted in this paper demonstrates the positive impact of port green competitiveness on the hinterland economic system, particularly its significant role in enhancing the total and quality aspects of the hinterland economy. Furthermore, it was found that the green competitiveness of ports exerts a more pronounced promotional effect on the hinterland economies of the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta port groups compared to that on the Bohai Rim, southeastern, and southwestern coastal port groups. The results of this paper also hold important guiding value for optimizing the allocation of port resources, promoting port technological innovation, and improving port environmental management, contributing to the harmonious coexistence and long-term development of ports and their hinterlands.

Integrated Micro-Destination: A Conceptual Framework

The purpose of this research is to develop a different perspective on the classification of the concept of destination, which is one of the important components of the tourism sector, by introducing the concept of 'integrated micro-destination' and evaluating its importance for the tourism sector, especially concerning destinations. In the study, the concept of destination is first defined, and a new concept is developed from a marketing and competitiveness perspective based on the geographical and size criteria used in destination classifications. The theoretical framework of destination classifications is examined, and it is observed in the literature review that the overall competitiveness of a holistic macro-destination is influenced by the competitiveness within its various micro-destinations. The factors affecting the integrated micro destination concept were evaluated from both the prosody and consumer perspectives.

An Analysis of Bilateral Trade Relation between Turkey and Russia: Challenges and Opportunities of Russia-Ukraine War

Purpose: This study examines Turkey's bilateral trade intercourse with Russia in order to identify potentialities and problems for Turkey caused by the Russia-Ukraine War. Method/Design/Methodology/Approach: In the course of the study, with the help of descriptive statistics and calculations of trade indices such as trade intensity and trade complementarity indices, the current state of Russian-Turkish trade was examined. Afterwards, commodity sectors in which supply is expected to fall due to international companies’ suspension of businesses were identified. Next, the revealed comparative advantage index and its dynamic form were calculated to assess Turkey's potentialities to export commodities of the identified sectors to Russia and to highlight commodities groups where export policy should be improved. Thus, the study considers Russia and Turkey not as competitors, but as partners. Findings: It has been concluded that the countries have tight-connections and, to a certain extent, are dependent on one another. Both Russia and Turkey can benefit from further intensifying bilateral trade and improving partnership in other spheres as well. Originality: There is substantial literature comparing Russia and Turkey with other countries, trade blocks or with each other, mainly these two countries are counterposed from a competition perspective. This article, on the contrary, evaluates how cooperation and bilateral trade can improve the economic situation of both Russia and Turkey.

Adoption strategies of E-commerce consumer credit services: A dual-channel competition perspective

This paper investigates the adoption strategy of e-commerce consumer credit services (e-CCS) and its impact on pricing strategies of a dual-channel system consisting of a wholesale platform, an agency platform, and a common supplier. We analyze the interaction between e-CCS strategies and channel modes by constructing a game model with four subgame scenarios: neither channel implements e-CCS (NN), only the wholesale channel provides e-CCS (IN), only the agency channel offers e-CCS (NI), both channels launch e-CCS (II). Our findings reveal that channel forms and e-CCS features significantly influence the adoption of e-CCS. Interestingly, the key influencing factors vary among decision makers. Specifically, the wholesale platform is willing to launch e-CCS as long as the demand benefit is prominent, while the agency platform only offers the service when the bad debt risk rate is mild. Moreover, when the agency platform provides e-CCS, the supplier accepts to use it only when there is a substantial demand benefit. Counterintuitively, we also find that the adoption of e-CCS can generate a positive spillover effect on the rival platform, leading to a “win-win” situation. In addition, we examine the impact of e-CCS on pricing decisions. Our findings indicate that the supplier and the wholesale platform may adopt distinct pricing strategies to address higher bad debt risk. Finally, we demonstrate the robustness of our main findings to investigate the impact of competition intensity, the correlation between demand benefit and price, negative externalities on demand benefit, and consumer heterogeneity on e-CCS.

Research on the impact of environmental regulation on enterprise high-quality development

Economic high-quality development requires the harmonious integration of economic growth and environmental protection. Enterprises are not only an important force in achieving economic high-quality development, but also the main source of environmental pollution. The government bears the main responsibility for environmental management, and its behavior will inevitably affect the production decisions of enterprises. This study explores the impact of environmental regulation on enterprise high-quality development, using a sample of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2013 to 2021. The study finds a U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and enterprise high-quality development. This relationship is more significant in the samples of state-owned enterprises, heavily polluting enterprises, and local governments that rely less on tax revenues from key enterprises. The mechanism analysis from the perspectives of enterprises shows that environmental regulation promotes enterprise high-quality development by driving them to increase green investment, propel green innovation, and enhance environmental responsibility. Analyses from the perspective of government competition reveals that the pressure from high levels of government will slow the arrival of the turning point of environmental regulation, whereas public pressure and competition pressure from peer governments will accelerate it. This study provides some micro paths for the realization of economic high-quality development.

A Jurisprudential Review of Business Competition Practices on the Shopee Platform

The rapid development of technology has transformed conventional business practices, with digital platforms such as Shopee providing innovative features, such as live streaming and flash sales. However, these features have the potential to enable unfair business competition. This study examines the impact of live streaming on Shopee Live and Toko Saya flash sales on a Shopee platform from the perspective of business competition. Using a qualitative approach, this study focuses on the policies and practices surrounding these features. The findings reveal that while certain promotional practices are legitimate, the ongoing practice of providing conditional discounts and low prices may violate business competition laws and principles of business competition jurisprudence in Islam. Sellers and buyers have indicated that these practices are not based on the principles of honesty and balance and can be detrimental to smaller businesses with limited capital. This study highlights the need for businesses to prioritize moral ethics and adhere to religious and state rules to create a fair and competitive market that protects consumer rights. As digital platforms continue to grow, it is crucial to address the potential for unhealthy business competition and to ensure that all parties, including conventional business actors, can participate fairly in the market.

Brief report: Social comparison, hypercompetitiveness, and indirect aggression: Associations with loneliness and mental health.

Indirect aggression is commonly used in adulthood, but most researchers have focused on this behavior in romantic relationships or from an intrasexual competition perspective. Therefore, we aimed to understand the social characteristics and mental health correlates of indirect aggression by combining perspectives from developmental psychopathology and evolutionary psychology. We examined: (1) whether social characteristics (social comparison, hypercompetitiveness) contributed to indirect aggression (perpetration, victimization) and (2) whether there were indirect effects from indirect aggression (perpetration, victimization) to mental health difficulties through loneliness. In a cross-sectional sample of 475 young adults (57.7% women, 51.6% White, Mage = 20.2, SDage = 2.18), path analyses revealed that social comparison predicted indirect aggression victimization, which indirectly predicted mental health difficulties (depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms) through loneliness. In contrast, indirect aggression perpetration was only predicted by hypercompetitiveness. The findings highlight that reframing cognitions associated with social comparison could help prevent indirect aggression and mental health difficulties among young people.

Haze Management Competition and Industrial Green Transformation

To clarify the relationship between haze management competition and industrial green transformation, this paper is based on the theoretical perspectives of local government competition and environmental federalism, the specific form of haze governance competition is analyzed by applying the two-region spatial Durbin model, and then the impact of haze governance competition on industrial green transformation and its transmission mechanism is explored by constructing a spatial panel linkage model and adopting the generalized spatial three-stage least squares method. The empirical results show that, with the profound changes in the performance appraisal system since the 18th National Congress, the interaction of environmental governance strategies between geographically adjacent provinces is imitative. In contrast, that which is between economically adjacent provinces is a “race to the top”, and haze governance is conducive to promoting the development of industrial green transformation. Further research found that the competition of haze governance is heterogeneous, and smog control in the eastern region contributes to the green transformation of local industries, while smog control in the central and western regions inhibits their industrial green transformation, and haze governance mainly enhances industrial green transformation through the innovation compensation effect, the human capital effect, and the industrial structure optimization effect. Therefore, the central government should carry out overall planning for the industry, and local governments should strengthen the joint prevention and control of haze and promote technological innovation, to improve environmental quality and realize high-quality economic development.

Unlocking Africa’s development potential: insights from the perspective of global hierarchy and competition

Science and technology have had great leaps since World War II. However, many African countries have remained very poor. To understand this issue, we employ a new metric, the revealed comparative wealth (RCW), to critically assess economic development in all African countries. The yearly ranking of RCW for all the countries in the world reveals a global hierarchy with many African countries moving to the lower end of the hierarchy, indicating worsened relative underdevelopment in Africa. Analysis of the temporal variations of RCW reveals a salient mechanism for the underdevelopment in Africa — over 30 African countries have their RCW strongly negatively correlated with advanced economies. One main factor contributing to this phenomenon, inferred from international trade data analysis, is the partition of labor and differences in industrial structure — most African countries are at the very bottom of the various value chains, including only providing raw materials to the better-developed countries. The inferior positions in the global hierarchy for the African nations are found to be partly instigated by colonialism and enhanced by neo-colonialism. To unlock Africa’s development potential, African nations must diversify their economic activity, unleash people’s creativity about economic development, and make the best efforts to accumulate capital to make further development possible. A prerequisite for achieving the last is to use foreign capital and cooperate with multinational corporations more wisely, including securing better deals with profit allocation resulting from foreign investment.

The faster or richer the response, the better performance? An empirical analysis of online healthcare platforms from a competitive perspective

The emergence of online healthcare platforms has changed the competitive environment among physicians. However, little is known about how physicians can improve their performance in this new environment. Platforms also face challenges in comprehending the competitive mechanisms among physicians, which might hinder them from formulating strategic managerial decisions that foster sustained growth. In this light, we extract medical service-related information from physicians' response behavioral data on a prominent healthcare platform, and empirically investigate the factors affecting physicians' online performance from a competitive perspective as well as the gender differences in these effects. The results indicate that physicians' responses significantly impact their online performance, revealing a competitive relationship between physicians and their colleagues in the same department. Specifically, a fast response time and informative responses are positively correlated with the focal physician's performance, whereas colleagues' informative responses negatively impact the focal physician's performance, and this relationship is mediated by the focal physician's response informativeness. Nevertheless, there is no significant correlation between colleagues' response time and the focal physician's performance. The results also unveil that gender moderates the effect of response informativeness on the focal physician's performance. Specifically, colleagues' response informativeness has a more significant impact on male physicians' performance than on female physicians' performance, suggesting a greater propensity for competition among male physicians. Our findings could offer decision support for enhancing physician performance and healthcare platform management.