IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/caerpp/v4y2012i3p363-378.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Network strength, transaction‐specific investments, inter‐personal trust, and relationship satisfaction in Chinese agri‐food SMEs

Author

Listed:
  • Hualiang Lu
  • Shuyi Feng
  • Jacques H. Trienekens
  • S.W.F. Omta

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of network strength, transaction‐specific investments and inter‐personal trust on business relationship satisfaction for small‐and‐medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) involved in agri‐food processing and exporting in China. Design/methodology/approach - Survey data collected from 80 agri‐food SMEs in Jiangsu Province were used for empirical testing. The authors applied an ordered logit regression approach for model estimation. Findings - The results demonstrate that strongguanxinetworks, high level of transaction‐specific investments and inter‐personal trust significantly contribute to a high level of relationship satisfaction for agri‐food SMEs in China. In addition, inter‐personal trust shows a moderating effect on the relationship between transaction‐specific investments and relationship satisfaction. Practical implications - Business relationships play a critical role in the modern market environment. Relational arrangements (based onguanxiand inter‐personal trust) should be further enhanced in order to yield satisfied business relationships for SMEs in China. Originality/value - The paper extends our understanding of relationship (guanxi) marketing, as well as marketing practices for agri‐food SMEs in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Hualiang Lu & Shuyi Feng & Jacques H. Trienekens & S.W.F. Omta, 2012. "Network strength, transaction‐specific investments, inter‐personal trust, and relationship satisfaction in Chinese agri‐food SMEs," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 4(3), pages 363-378, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:caerpp:v:4:y:2012:i:3:p:363-378
    DOI: 10.1108/17561371211263374
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/17561371211263374/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/17561371211263374/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/17561371211263374?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hualiang Lu & Shuyi Feng & Jacques H. Trienekens & S.W.F. (Onno) Omta, 2008. "Performance in vegetable supply chains: the role of Guanxi networks and buyer-seller relationships," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 253-274.
    2. Willem Ziggers, Gerrit & Trienekens, Jacques, 1999. "Quality assurance in food and agribusiness supply chains: Developing successful partnerships," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 271-279, April.
    3. Erin Anderson & Barton Weitz, 1989. "Determinants of Continuity in Conventional Industrial Channel Dyads," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 8(4), pages 310-323.
    4. Nooteboom, B. & Berger, H. & Noorderhaven, N.G., 1997. "Effects of trust and governance on relational risk," Other publications TiSEM 8e83932e-064c-40e8-afe7-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Prashant Kale & Harbir Singh & Howard Perlmutter, 2000. "Learning and protection of proprietary assets in strategic alliances: building relational capital," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 217-237, March.
    6. Chenting Su & Zhilin Yang & Guijun Zhuang & Nan Zhou & Wenyu Dou, 2009. "Interpersonal influence as an alternative channel communication behavior in emerging markets: The case of China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(4), pages 668-689, May.
    7. Chao Chen & Xiao-Ping Chen, 2009. "Negative externalities of close guanxi within organizations," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 37-53, March.
    8. Standifird, Stephen S. & Marshall, R. Scott, 2000. "The transaction cost advantage of guanxi-based business practices," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 21-42, April.
    9. Wang, Yueping & Yao, Yang, 2002. "Market Reforms, Technological Capabilities and the Performance of Small Enterprises in China," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 18(1-3), pages 197-211, Feb.- May.
    10. Calum G. Turvey & Rong Kong & Xuexi Huo, 2010. "Borrowing amongst friends: the economics of informal credit in rural China," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 2(2), pages 133-147, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dušanka Gajdić & Željka Mesić & Kristina Petljak, 2021. "Preliminary Research about Producers’ Perceptions of Relationship Quality with Retailers in the Supply Chain of Organic Food Products in Croatia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-41, December.
    2. Peng Tong & Chao Zhao & Huaqing Wang, 2019. "Research on the Survival and Sustainable Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in China under the Background of Low-Carbon Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Trienekens, Jacques & Velzen, Mariska van & Lees, Nic & Saunders, Caroline & Pascucci, Stefano, . "Governance of market-oriented fresh food value chains: export chains from New Zealand," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 21(2).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. En Xie & Yuan Li & Zhongfeng Su & Hock-Hai Teo, 2010. "The Determinants of Local Suppliers’ Trust Towards Foreign Buyers," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 585-611, October.
    2. Fan, Ying & Wu, Jing & Yang, Zan, 2017. "Informal borrowing and home purchase: Evidence from urban China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 108-118.
    3. Hualiang Lu & Shuyi Feng & Jacques H. Trienekens & S.W.F. (Onno) Omta, 2008. "Performance in vegetable supply chains: the role of Guanxi networks and buyer-seller relationships," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 253-274.
    4. Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak‐Bialowolska, 2021. "Good credit, bad credit: The differential role of the sources of debt in life satisfaction," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 967-994, September.
    5. Manuela, Presutti & Cristina, Boari & Molina-Morales, Francesco Xavier, 2021. "I need you, but do I love you? Strong ties and innovation in supplier–customer relations," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 790-801.
    6. Beugelsdijk, S. & Koen, C.I. & Noorderhaven, N.G., 2004. "Organizational Culture and Relationship Skills," Other publications TiSEM 29a52938-acd6-4261-841f-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. repec:dgr:rugsom:03g23 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Inkpen, Andrew C. & Currall, Steven C., 1998. "The nature, antecedents, and consequences of joint venture trust," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Contractor, Farok J. & Woodley, James A., 2015. "How the alliance pie is split: Value appropriation by each partner in cross-border technology transfer alliances," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 535-547.
    10. Griessmair, Michele & Hussain, Dildar & Windsperger, Josef, 2014. "Trust and the tendency towards multi-unit franchising: A relational governance view," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 2337-2345.
    11. Calum Turvey & Xiaolan Xu & Rong Kong & Ying Cao, 2014. "Attitudinal Asymmetries and the Lender-Borrower Relationship: Survey Results on Farm Lending in Shandong, China," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 46(2), pages 115-135, October.
    12. Kang, Inwon & Han, Shin & Shin, Geon-Cheol, 2014. "A process leading to strategic alliance outcome: The case of IT companies in China, Japan and Korea," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1127-1138.
    13. Juan Manuel Ramon-Jeronimo & Raquel Florez-Lopez & Maria Angeles Ramon-Jeronimo, 2017. "Understanding the Generation of Value along Supply Chains: Balancing Control Information and Relational Governance Mechanisms in Downstream and Upstream Relationships," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-31, August.
    14. Vijayasarathy, Leo R., 2010. "Supply integration: An investigation of its multi-dimensionality and relational antecedents," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 489-505, April.
    15. Jiang, Meishan & Paudel, Krishna P. & Mi, Yunsheng & Li, Jingrong, 2023. "Farmland transfer and rural financial structure: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    16. Xue, Jinjie & Yuan, Hongping & Shi, Benshan, 2016. "Investigating partners' opportunistic behavior in joint ventures in China: The role of transaction costs and relational exchanges," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 6067-6078.
    17. Jiang Du & Miao Zeng & Zhengjuan Xie & Shikun Wang, 2019. "Power of Agricultural Credit in Farmland Abandonment: Evidence from Rural China," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Taoyong Su & Yuzhu Yu & Yongheng Chen & Jian Zhang, 2019. "The Experience, Dilemma, and Solutions of Sustainable Development of Inclusive Finance in Rural China: Based on the Perspective of Synergy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    19. Fang Jia & Zhilin Yang, 2021. "Perceptual difference of dependence and trust in marketing channel: reconsideration of dependence measurement," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(1), pages 78-104, February.
    20. Abosag, Ibrahim & Yen, Dorothy Ai-wan & Barnes, Bradley R. & Gadalla, Eman, 2021. "Rethinking guanxi and performance: Understanding the dark side of Sino–U.S. business relationships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    21. Jochen Schweitzer, 2016. "How Contracts And Culture Mediate Joint Transactions Of Innovation Partnerships," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(01), pages 1-33, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eme:caerpp:v:4:y:2012:i:3:p:363-378. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.