The influence of national culture on dissolution communication strategies in Western versus Asian business relationships: a theoretical model

Abstract

Identifies the communication strategies available to companies when dissolving cross‐cultural inter‐organisational relationships to achieve effective (cooperative) outcomes. First, addresses the importance of communication dissolution, and proposes a typology of available communication strategies. Second, emphasises the importance of understanding cultural diversity in business relationships in general and dissolution in particular. Third, proposes two related theoretical frameworks. The first addresses different conflict management styles that bridge the gap between dissolution communication strategies and the cultural context in which the actors are embedded. The second is a theoretical model for analysing dissolution process in a cross‐cultural business relationship context. Proposes the independent variable, culture, as providing a frame of reference by which meaning and intent are assigned by the foreign company to the communications of the terminating company (disengager), thus affecting the choice of dissolution strategy.