Managing Channel Relations in China: An Exploratory Study

Matthyssens, Paul; Faes, Wouter

doi:10.1016/s1474-7979(05)16008-6

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, it is exactly because of the low-levels of institutional trust that its consideration is imperative in this situation. This supports the contention of Kriz and Fang (2003) and Matthyssens and Faes (2006) that xinren (interpersonal trust) is crucial in business relationships in China. Additionally, research by Chua et al (2009) and Leek et al (2006) identifies trust as an important relationship process variable in different cultures: Chua et al (2009) note the significant difference between Chinese and American managers whilst Leek et al (2006) investigated relationships in the UK, France and Finland and they contend that it could be usefully used for portfolio analysis, thereby supporting the decision to include it as a separate variable for portfolio analysis.…”

Section: Trustsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The inter-relationship between trust and guanxi These findings support the pioneering work of Matthyssens and Faes (2006) that shows that trust building is the central element in Chinese business relationships and that it is interpersonal trust that strengthens and deepens business relationships -guanxi simply illustrates the existence of a tie -it does not illustrate the depth of the tie or relationship. In the case study reported here there are examples of how interpersonal trust is being developed in order to strengthen business relationships, see for example the reported concerns about repayment terms -meeting payment requirements can be seen as a critical element in developing trust.…”

Section: Market Factorssupporting

confidence: 56%

“…Yau et al (2000, p. 16) argue that developing and cultivating personal relationships is "a common preoccupation and a form of social investment" in China. Matthyssens and Faes (2006) and Kriz and Fang (2003) present an alternative scenario, suggesting that xinren (deep trust) is the critical factor determining relationship success, with guanxi merely acting as the door opener.…”

Section: Guanxi In a Chinese Business Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The case also demonstrates that trust takes considerable time to develop (but it can be destroyed in an instant if it is not carefully protected -see again issue related to making payments on time). There are also examples of how trust has to be developed at different levels in the organisation (as suggested by both Kriz and Fang (2003) and Matthyssens and Faes (2006)). Western firms in particular may find it difficult to understand that trust in this context is complex and the various levels of trust need careful attention, in particular the role of inter-personal trust is central and is perhaps something that western firms are cautious about as they may fear that it brings them into close contact with the darker side of guanxi such as favouritism or even corruption, e.g.…”

Section: Market Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bjö rkman and Kock (1995), Ambler et al (1999), Matthyssens and Faes (2006), Trimarchi et al (2010); to date little research has been undertaken into the role of relationship management and portfolios in China. This exploratory research is intended to redress this situation by investigating how business-to-business relationship management manifests in the Chinese context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship portfolios and guanxi in Chinese business strategy

Zolkiewski

Feng

2011

Jnl of Bus & Indus Marketing

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to investigate relationship portfolio management in a Chinese context. It has an electronic component manufacturing company active in China's business-to-business markets as its focus. Design/methodology/approach -As the research was exploratory, a qualitative approach to data collection was taken. This involved taking a case study approach and conducting a number of individual depth interviews with a range of sales engineers and sales managers. Findings -The findings showed that although some of the relationship portfolio dimensions used in Western research were mentioned by the interviewees, the most important dimensions in a Chinese context are sales volume, customer's strategic importance, and trust. Additionally, emphasis on a network perspective is needed and it was found that although guanxi is important in a Chinese business context, it is a supporting factor rather than a dimension of customer assessment.Research limitations/implications -The research was exploratory in nature and the findings should not be generalised to the population as a whole. Practical implications -The findings stress the importance of considering cultural elements such as the importance of personal trust and understanding network effects when doing business in China. They also show that relationships portfolio analysis can be transferred to culturally dissimilar contexts. Originality/value -This research was conducted in mainland China among Chinese nationals and provides insight into the elements they consider important in business relationships.

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Section: Trustsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Market Factorssupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Guanxi In a Chinese Business Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Market Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship portfolios and guanxi in Chinese business strategy

Zolkiewski

Feng

2011

Jnl of Bus & Indus Marketing

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A meta-analytic review of influence strategies in marketing channel relationships

Johnston

Cheng

2017

J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci.

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Influence strategies (ISs) are a dominant topic in channel research. However, the literature lacks a consensus on when noncoercive and coercive strategies are more valuable or damaging to partnership quality, and their judicious applications remain unclear. Mainly based on social exchange perspectives, we review and conceptualize several contingency factors in the IS-partnership quality relationships in this metaanalysis. The moderating results generally suggest that the stronger positive impacts of noncoercive ISs result from a higher appreciation for supportive attempts, whereas the higher negative sensitivity to coercive ISs can be attributed to the low acceptability of forceful influences. We determine degrees of appreciation and acceptability by the perceived significance of benefits/damages, expectations, and tolerance levels for both strategies. Also, we synthesize and metaanalyze the key outcomes and antecedents of both strategies in an integrated framework. The direct-effect results indicate that the choice of effectively applying both strategies necessitates a tradeoff between goals and priorities.

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