Enacting Competitive Wars: Competitive Activity, Language Games, and Market Consequences

Research in industrial/organization economics and strategic management defines "competitive wars" as periods of intensified competitive activity, which tend to have negative performance consequences for the warring firms. Drawing on Wittgenstein's concept of "language games," we develop a model of competitive wars as a sociolinguistic process enacted through strategic actions, linguistic practices, and shifts in resource allocations. The model suggests that the war language game increases stakeholder involvement and enables the warring firms, oftentimes, to improve performance. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]