Does industry experience positively moderate the quadratic relationship between coopetition and financial performance? Evidence from the New Zealand wine sector

Earlier research has established that a positive relationship exists between coopetition (the interplay between cooperation and competition) and financial performance. However, certain studies have investigated this link as being linear and/or without potential moderating factors. Consequently, under resource-based theory (and its association with the relational view), this current study evaluates the non-linear (quadratic - inverted U-shaped) relationship between coopetition and financial performance under different degrees of industry experience. Survey data collection took place via a sample of 101 wine producers in New Zealand (passing all major assessments of reliability and validity, including common method variance and endogeneity bias). Additionally, 20 semi-structured interviews explored the in-depth meanings behind the statistical results. Specifically, the findings indicated that coopetition exhibited a quadratic relationship with financial performance. Furthermore, industry experience positively moderated this association, as it helps decision-makers to yield mutually beneficial performance outcomes. Collectively, this study contributes to knowledge by evaluating the complexities of coopetition strategies and their impact on financial performance. This investigation ends with some practitioner implications, alongside a series of limitations and avenues for future research.