Dependence Asymmetry, Structural Trust, and Relational Behaviors in Chinese Seller-Buyer Relationships

People typically say "I trust you", with an implication that they will adopt bonding behaviours with the trustees. No attempt, however, is made to establish further "In which aspects I trust you." Given the multidimensional nature of trust (e.g., benevolence-based trust versus competence-based trust) this project will develop a conceptual model to decompose trust and examine dependence asymmetry as one antecedent of structural trust, and the different patterns of relational behaviour as the consequence of such structural trust in marketing channels. The conceptual model will shed light on why firms induce calculative trust and how they adopt relational behaviour to mitigate risks associated with dependence relationships. The researchers will empirically test the model in a China context. Implications of the findings will be discussed.