Building trust—Evidence from Vietnamese entrepreneurs

In the context of underdeveloped market institutions, entrepreneurs in a transition economy are forced to rely on trust-based partnerships. In the absence of effective market institutions and sufficient elapsed time, these entrepreneurial firms find a great need to actively and intentionally develop trust with their partners. The current literature, however, has virtually overlooked the possibility of trust being intentionally developed in interfirm relationships. This study develops a model that links trust development strategies, trust, and interfirm collaboration, and reports an empirical test of that model in Vietnam. The results support the general thesis that trust can be intentionally developed to facilitate interfirm relationships.