Title: The process of trust creation between business partners at the golf course: a long-term process

Authors: Yvette Taminiau; Aaltje Wiersma

Addresses: Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Organization Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands ' TMG Media Group, Basisweg 30, 1043 AP Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract: Literature on management, as well as practical experience and various scientific studies, indicates that informal and personal interaction is of crucial importance in the world of business. Locations away from the office provide the proper circumstances for a close bond to be developed. This is particularly true for events (such as informal dinners and outdoor activities like golf). Such settings are regularly used to strengthen and consolidate long-term, trust-based relationships. In the long run, these might lead to business deals. Because these settings are so distinct from the usual professional settings, it is possible to raise personal matters and to have a conversation on far less rigid terms. This study, which focuses on the instrumentality of social relations, shows that informality in business relations is a way to create long-term, trust-based relationships between (potential) business partners at the golf course in the Netherlands.

Keywords: business partners; business relations; golf course; informal relationships; long-term relationships; trust creation; personal interaction; The Netherlands.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSBA.2016.083329

International Journal of Strategic Business Alliances, 2016 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.245 - 265

Accepted: 04 Jan 2017
Published online: 23 Mar 2017 *

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