An Integrated B2B Guanxi Model: A Taiwan Perspective

Abstract Due to the uniqueness of Chinese culture, relationship marketing cannot be interpreted directly from the extant theories developed in Western society. Using qualitative research, the study constructed an integrated model of B2B gaunxi and proposed seven observations through the interviews with Taiwanese small and medium enterprises. The proposed model describes a complete process of building guanxi with five levels: evaluation of the target firm, channels for building guanxi, exchange of B2B guanxi, evaluation of guanxi quality, and evaluation of guanxi performance, which can be applied for developing business relationships in China. The use of interviewees’ real dialogs provides a “hands on/real world” view of the role of guanxi for building and maintaining business relationships, which have here-to-fore been treated in comparatively esoteric ways.