Trust in Face-to-Face and Electronic Negotiation in Buyer–Supplier Relationships: A Laboratory Study

The purpose of this chapter is to study the role of pre-existing trust as a key factor for successful buyer–supplier relationships in electronic versus face-to-face negotiation mechanisms. It is known that e-sourcing can damage the buyer–supplier relationship, whereas face-to-face discussions can help elicit collaboration intentions and build trust. However, it is less recognized whether having established a prior trusting relationship can positively affect outcomes and strengthen the relationship even when electronic mechanisms are used. We explore such an issue by conducting a laboratory study which compares three negotiation mechanisms (i.e., face-to-face negotiation, e-mail negotiation, and e-reverse auction) across two pre-existing levels of buyer–supplier trust (i.e., high-trust and low-trust) in terms of their impact on perceived relational outcomes. Results confirm that higher pre-existing trust is linked to higher relational outcomes than low pre-existing trust; face-to-face negotiation is associated with higher supplier’s perceived trust and satisfaction in dealing with the buyer compared to the e-mail negotiation and e-reverse auction. Furthermore, in the context of high pre-existing trust e-reverse auctions may not necessarily undermine existing relationship

Desarrollando un marco para el liderazgo ético

Interest in ethical leadership from academics and practitioners has grown enormously in recent years. This article addresses this literature through a framework that identifies three interlocking questions. First, who are ethical leaders and what are their characteristics? Second, how do ethical leaders do what they do? Third, why do leaders do as they do and what are the outcomes of ethical leadership? Different dimensions to ethical leadership are examined and presented as three interlocking circles; Virtues, Purposes and Practices. This framework presents an integrated approach to ethical leadership and argues that future research take this holistic framework and apply it to different sectors or contexts