Title: The effects of guanxi on supply chains: the role of culture

Authors: Chi Zhang; Seock-Jin Hong; Marc Ohana

Addresses: Management Department, Kedge Business School, Domaine De Luminy, Marseille, France ' Marketing, Logistics and Operations Management Department, College of Business, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA ' Management Department, Kedge Business School, Talence, France

Abstract: With the intensification of Sino-Western trade, recent studies recognise the importance of guanxi (Chinese interpersonal relations) in international supply chain management. However, there are different types of guanxi, and this study aims to deepen our understanding of the effects of expressive and instrumental guanxi on supply chain performance among buyers with different cultural orientations. Drawing on survey data from 200 Chinese manufacturers conducting overseas business, we find that the mediated relationship between expressive guanxi and supply chain performance through affect-based trust is stronger for collectivist buyers, whereas the mediated relationship between instrumental guanxi and supply chain performance through cognition-based trust is stronger for individualist buyers. Therefore, this study not only sheds light on the effects of two types of guanxi on supply chain performance, but also unveils the moderating role of individualist/collectivist culture on the mediated relationship between guanxi and supply chain performance through affect-based and cognition-based trust.

Keywords: guanxi; affect-based trust; cognition-based trust; culture; buyer-supplier relationships; supply chain management.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2026.153173

European Journal of International Management, 2026 Vol.29 No.1, pp.114 - 135

Received: 25 Sep 2020
Accepted: 17 Dec 2020
Published online: 29 Apr 2026 *

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