 Questioning guanxi: definition, classification and implicationsYing Fan International Business Review, 2002, vol. 11, issue 5, 543-561 Abstract: Despite the growing interests among both academics and practitioners in the west, the concept of guanxi is not much questioned and there is considerable confusion about its implications for business. This paper explores the nature of guanxi by using a multiple definition approach. It defines guanxi as the process of social interactions and argues that the existence of guanxi base (special relationship) does not produce guanxi. The paper classifies guanxi into three categories: family, helper and business; and critically examines the role of guanxi in business. The paper has drawn up some important conclusions. (1) The potential benefits of guanxi are mainly tactical rather than strategic. (2) Guanxi, as a personal asset, cannot be a source of competitive advantage. (3) The guanxi between a businessperson and a government official is inherently corrupt and ethically questionable. (4) As guanxi has an impact on the wider public, it should be studied in the context of all stakeholders. (5) It is more than likely that guanxi's role in business will eventually diminish as China moves towards an open market system. Keywords: Guanxi; Relationship; Business; ethics; China (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:iburev:v:11:y:2002:i:5:p:543-561 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article International Business Review is currently edited by P. Ghauri More articles in International Business Review from Elsevier |
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