An Exploratory Study of Co-opetitive Relationships among Providers of Android Application Stores

• Main Authors: MelissaHung, 洪慧芳
• Other Authors: Dung-Chun Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/69854947150996249732

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 電信管理研究所 === 100 === The global proliferation of smartphones and tablets is creating a huge industry of mobile applications, which, in turn, gives rise to a number of Android application stores aiming to become the main entry point for the consumption and distribution of Android applications. By using qualitative research, this study explores and analyzes why and how the providers of Android application stores – Google, mobile device manufacturers, mobile network operators (MNOs), independent web portals, and application developers – engage in co-opetitive relationships with one another. Even though these providers are cooperating with one another to proliferate adoption of Android OS, Android devices, and Android applications, they are also competing against one another to capitalize on and earn revenue from the development and distribution of Android applications. Evolving over time and dynamic in nature, these co-opetitive relationships are instrumental in the distribution process of Android applications. This study provides timely and relevant insights into and four propositions regarding co-opetition in the mobile application store industry, enabling researchers to better understand co-opetitive relationships among the providers of Android application stores and to have starting points for future empirical research.