NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE: THE ROLE OF AWARENESS, MOTIVATION, AND COMPETITION NETWORKS
(A2025-126297)

AUTHORS

Fernando Campayo-Sánchez, University of Alicante/ Marketing department; Francisco Mas-Ruiz, University of Alicante; JUAN LUIS NICOLAU, Virginia Tech University

ABSTRACT

This study advances the competitive dynamics literature by incorporating competitive comparison events. Drawing on the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) framework, we propose a theoretical model that examines how status differences, multimarket contact, and competitive networks shape the connection between a target firm’s awareness and its likelihood of responding competitively. Our findings confirm the proposed hypotheses, demonstrating that a target firm is more likely to counter a focal firm's comparative attack under specific conditions: when the focal firm holds higher status, when the firms engage in significant multimarket competition, when both firms are simultaneously targeted by other organizations when the target firm faces frequent comparisons over time, and when the target firm occupies a relatively peripheral position within a competitive comparison network.