Core firm: opportunism and subsequent actor behaviour

Purpose Most current research investigates the strategies of core firms, ecological architecture, and regulations within business ecosystems. However, there is a relative lack of attention paid to inter-firm relationships, particularly the negative dynamics, from the perspective of subordinate firms (hereinafter referred to as “actors”) within the ecosystem. Drawing on the commitment-trust theory, this study explores the reasons actors continue to cooperate with core firms despite these firms' opportunistic behaviour within the Chinese context. This investigation introduces implicit factors such as core firm reputation and inadvertent knowledge leakage as moderators, aiming to elucidate the underlying reasons for this phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected, through a questionnaire survey, from 347 Chinese high technology-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that also assumed the role of actors in the ecosystems. Purposeful sampling was employed to ensure an adequate representation of the research target. Structural equation modeling was utilised to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that the opportunistic behaviour exhibited by core firms in the ecosystem significantly increases the likelihood of actors' propensity to leave. However, the presence of inadvertent knowledge leakage from core firms significantly negatively moderates this relationship, whereas core firm reputation does not exert a significant effect. Research limitations/implications This study focuses exclusively on nationally specialised and innovative SMEs; thus, future research should consider non-specialised and innovative SMEs within the Chinese context. Additionally, one could explore other variables influencing actors' propensity to leave, such as consumer purchasing behaviour predictions and intentional knowledge spillovers. Originality/value This study provides valuable insights from the actors' perspective by examining whether the adverse aspects of inter-firm relationships affect their intention to continue to cooperate as well as by investigating the underlying reasons for their seemingly contradictory behaviours within the business ecosystem. Unlike existing arguments that suggest actors' behaviour is constrained by explicit ecological regulations or mechanisms, this paper addresses implicit factors to elucidate these contradictory actions.