Abstract
The concept of social capital helps to explain relations within and between companies but has not crystallized yet. As such, the nature, development, and effects of such relations remain elusive. How is social capital created, how is it put to use, and how is it maintained? Can it decline, and if so, how? We argue that the concept of social capital remains a black box as the mechanisms that constitute it remain underdeveloped and that it is a black hole as many empirical phenomena are attributed to its presence. We use and develop the literature on gift exchange to provide a firmer theoretical basis for the concept of social capital.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 315-329 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Business Ethics |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 14 Dec 2008 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Exclusion
- Gift exchange
- Inclusion
- Social capital
- Social relations
- Trust
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Economics and Econometrics
- Law