UNDERSTANDING WORD RESPONSES IN COMPETITIVE DYNAMICS
挑战了竞争动态研究中“不行动即不作为”的隐含假设，基于意识、动机和能力三个驱动因素，构建框架解释企业为何有时用行动、有时用言语、有时两者并用回应对手攻击，并预测攻击幅度和复杂度组合下言语回应的发生条件。
We explore the role of word responses in the competitive engagements of rival firms. Different from action responses, word responses are language issued by a firm in public forums and in response to a rival’s attack. We challenge an implicit assumption in extant competitive dynamics research that firms do nothing if they do not respond to attacks with actions. Drawing from the three drivers of competitive response (awareness, motivation, and capability), we build a framework to theorize why firms sometimes use actions, sometimes use words, and sometimes use both in response to a rival’s attack. By placing two frequently studied characteristics of attacks (attack magnitude and attack complexity) in a 2 × 2 matrix, we predict that word responses are more likely when attacks are not of low magnitude and low complexity. By integrating word responses into the traditional action-response perspective, we hope to develop a more complete understanding of competitive engagement among rival firms.