An empirical investigation of the role of e-communication in international collaborations

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    This chapter addresses the role of e-communication in international collaborations by examining its usage, cultural implications, and impact on trust building. Theoretically, this study is informed by social constructionism (Gergen, 1999; Goffman, 1959). Empirical insights were generated from the qualitative case study of WinCo which was an international collaboration between a UK-based wine and spirits multinational company and their distributors. The findings suggest that different e-communication channels are often used by collaborating partners to enhance the breadth and depth of their communication. New participants tend to enhance the skills of e-communication usage through self-learning, formal educational programs, and support from the company's employee development team. The widespread usage of e-communication impacts on partners' trust building in terms of their mutual perceptions of one another's competence and social bonding. National culture also affects partners' use of e-communication in international collaborative practice.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationHandbook of Research on Global Supply Chain Management
    EditorsBryan Christiansen
    Place of PublicationHershey, PA.
    Pages85-104
    Number of pages20
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 30 Jan 2016

    Keywords

    • international collaboration
    • e-communication
    • trust
    • national culture
    • information communication technology
    • convergence
    • divergence
    • crossvergence

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