Non-Market Hostility: Conceptualizing Non-Market Players' Aggression on Firms

Abstract

Competitive dynamics research does not offer a cohesive theory that explains and predicts why, how, and where non-market players attack firms and disrupt competitiveness. The purpose of this manuscript is to offer a general framework that addresses the components of non-market hostility, or non-market players' attacks on firms. We argue that non-market players, motivated by social inefficiencies, unleash direct and indirect non-market hostility on visible firms with reputations for high social (in) efficiency through media, government, and corporate interfaces. Finally, we explore implications for researchers and managers and offer directions for future research.