In general, the first five articles on the operations of
domestic SMEs emphasize the pivotal role that trust and
building good interpersonal relationships with stakeholders,
employees, customers and other business associates
can play in contributing to the success of SMEs in
emerging economies. The importance of trust and good
interpersonal relationships (in the form of social capital)
has been acknowledged in the Western management
literature as well. However, in industrialized countries,
other factors such as empowerment, transparency, professionalism,
accountability, and institutionalization tend
to gain prominence over trust and good interpersonal
relationships. In contrast, in EEs, where institutional laws
are either absent or less developed, trust and interpersonal
relationships take on extra significance in facilitating
organizational performance and, hence, success.
The final two papers in the special issue describe