Social capital in Southeast Asian business relationships

Abstract

Social capital is the glue and the lubricant facilitating network behavior [Anderson, A. & Jack, S. (2002). The articulation of social capital in entrepreneurial networks: a glue or a lubricant?. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 14, 193-210.]. The purpose of this paper is to add to the current literature on social capital by investigating social capital structures, opportunity, motivation and ability within export relationships in Thailand. We conceptualize social capital following Adler and Kwon [Adler, P. & Kwon, S-W. (2002). Social Capital: Prospects for a New Concept. Academy of Management Review, 27 (1), 17-40.] and use interview data to further explore the construct. Our results indicate that the social structures from which social capital is drawn are not independent for large overlaps are present. Opportunity, motivation and ability are linked with a common thread of trust. The research highlights implications for managers wishing to develop social capital or use social capital as a marketing strategy.