Trust as the basis of Partnership between small Enterprises and banks

The presented study touches upon two groups of problems that significantly affect the development of the Russian economy. The first of them is the creation of conditions for the expansion and formation of small business, which, in particular, is a priority area of one of the national projects. The second problem is the establishment of relations of interfirm trust in the domestic business environment, which is in demand in various sectors of the economy and has become, for example, the dominant topic of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Hence, the paper aims to form, on the basis of trust relations, a model of interaction between small enterprises and banks, which makes it easier to obtain loans. The object of the paper is intercorporate (B2B) trust, and the subject is the improvement of relationships between small businesses and banks on the basis of trust. The methodological basis of the study is an integral approach that combines both institutional and sociological views on the phenomenon of trust, and the traditional economic analysis of the relationship between banks and their clients, small enterprises. The analysis showed, on the one hand, the complexity of the relationship between banks and small enterprises, and on the other hand, the prospects of these clients for banks. There was also demonstrated the role of the B2B trust as a tool for establishing steady mutually beneficial contacts of the subjects under consideration. The author concluded that the model of partnership between small enterprises and banks, based on the establishment of relations of trust between the parties, will stimulate investment processes in small business and support its development. The study presents the organizational solutions for the establishment of the proposed model.

When “trust” becomes more or less salient for alliance performance? Contextual effects of mutual influence, international scope, and coopetition

Extant research on strategic alliances has established that contractual controls do not provide a complete safeguard to avert an alliance failure, and that alliance governance needs to be reinforced with relational norms such as trust. However, there is scant research evidence available on whether interfirm trust can be significant under the trying contexts the alliances typically face like rivalry, power conflicts, and cultural or institutional barriers. Employing a relational exchange perspective, we examined whether the espoused positive effect of interfirm trust on alliance performance is moderated by mutual influence and coopetition between partners, and the international dimension of an alliance. Based on the survey and archival data on 223 strategic alliances, we found that interfirm trust was quite significant to alliance performance and that the link between trust and performance was more salient in alliances with high mutual influence and coopetition, whereas it was less salient and weaker in international alliances.

Trust , Knowledge Similarity and Cooperation in Coopetitive Strategic Alliances

Cooperative relationships between rival firms, which engage in interfirm strategic alliances, assume active transfer, reception and recombination of competencies and co-production of novel knowledge. These processes facilitate joint technological development and improve the participating firms’ competitiveness. Nevertheless, competitive interactions between the partners can impede the achievement of the alliance’s cooperative objectives. This paper investigates the impact of trusting attitudes developed between the partners on the effectiveness of interfirm collaboration under conditions of competitive rivalry in the broader industrial environment and similarity of initial knowledge at the partners’ disposal. It offers a number of hypotheses, which determine the interrelationships between the levels of interfirm trust, transaction costs associated with transferring knowledge and the successful attainment of alliance goals. The paper pays specific attention to the effects arising from the commonality of knowledge possessed by cooperating rivals. It also analyzes the influence of particular types of coopetitive strategic alliances on the success of collaborative arrangements under the conditions of knowledge commonality among the partners.

Acquisition negotiation: the influence of accounting on trust development

Purpose This study aims to explore the influence of accounting on trust development in the context of an acquisition negotiation process at the pre-merger stage. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a case study research method. Data have been gathered from an acquisition process of two Finnish companies through 18 semi-structured field interviews with the seller’s, the buyer’s and the merged companies’ top management and external advisors who participated in the process. Findings The study shows how accounting operated as a trust-building mechanism and served as a substitute for personal-based trust. Accounting assisted the negotiators to surface their initial positive beliefs about the acquisition outcome. Progressively, these positive beliefs outweighed negotiators’ initial negative beliefs regarding the acquisition process. Additionally, accounting enabled the negotiators to show risky behaviors via escalating commitment to the acquisition through ad hoc calculations and continuous discussions. Originality/value This study adds to the limited prior research examining interfirm trust and the influence of accounting on trust development during acquisition negotiations.