Effects of cultural ethnicity, firm size, and firm age on senior executives' trust in their overseas business partners: Evidence from China

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Jiang, Crystal X.; Chua, Roy Yj; Kotabe, Masaaki; Murray, Janet Y.
• 署名单位: Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Temple University; Bryant University; Harvard University; University of Missouri System; University of Missouri Saint Louis
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/jibs.2011.35
• 发表日期: 2011
• 页码: 1150-1173
• 关键词: trust; SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY; CHINA

摘要

We investigate trust relationships between senior business executives and their overseas partners. Drawing on the similarity-attraction paradigm, social categorization theory, and the distinction between cognition- and affect-based trust, we argue that executives trust their overseas partners differently, depending on the partners' cultural ethnicity. In a field survey of 108 Chinese senior executives, we found that these executives have higher affect-based trust in overseas partners of the same cultural ethnicity as themselves; cognition-based trust is associated with affect-based trust differently when overseas partners are of the same or different cultural ethnicity. We also examine the role of relative firm size and age in shaping intra-and intercultural trust. Relative firm size has a stronger negative effect on executives' cognition-based trust if their partners are of a different cultural ethnicity. Although firm age does not have a negative effect on executives' affect-based trust as hypothesized, we found firm age to be positively associated with affect-based trust for partners of the same cultural ethnicity. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of this pattern of inter-and intra-cultural trust on international business and networking (guanxi) dynamics in China. Journal of International Business Studies (2011) 42, 1150-1173. doi:10.1057/jibs.2011.35