Phenomenology of Trust Behaviour in China

Against the mainstream sociological inquiry in cross-cultural trust research, this dissertation adapts the cultural ecology lens deploys the humanistic philosophy, which taken theories from resource, climate and geographic studies to describe the differences in trust making between Chinese and Northern European people. The background literature covers the area of cross-cultural trust concept, traditional Chinese cultural concepts and international entrepreneurship. Using the phenomenological approach of inquiry, this research has examined the first hand experience of 12 Northern European entrepreneurs who have embarked their businesses in China through one-on-one interviews. The results identified the preservation of face, over-estimation of self-competence and problematic relational fit as the main causes of distrust in China; furthermore personal skills such as keeping a low profile and time forbearance are recommended for future western entrepreneurs who want to do business with China; and finally being personal and being vigilance are said to be the combinational method that will make the trust building work in China.