The development of trust over time in the Tunisian Automotive Sector

This paper examines how trust develops over time in business relationships between a number of Tunisian SMEs operating in the automotive sector. Trust has long been considered as a core element of relationship quality, which in turn has a moderating role in affecting the negotiation process between the actors. Our paper is based on a qualitative study of ten relationships in the Tunisian automotive industry. We take a monadic view, having interviewed local spare-parts resellers about their relationships with their wholesalers. Given the relatively simplistic structure of the automotive spare-parts industry, the mutual integration of needs between wholesalers and the resellers is relatively easily understood. The decision to undertake the research in Tunisia is twofold. On the one hand, there is a paucity of research based in the Maghreb countries, and hence a need to understand how business operates in this region. On the other hand, the Tunisian market structure is relatively simple, with most spare-parts being imported because of the low level of local production. Our results show that there is a mutual but not symmetric or balanced influence of trust on the behavior of the partners involved. The influence of the different parties is dependent on the power architecture, the history of the relationship and the network position of the actors. We find that different kinds of trust play different roles over the dynamics of the relationship. Perceived trust is more important at the emergent stage of a relationship, and experienced trust becomes more important in the established relationships. The perceive trust creates the possibility of building trust, and when mutual trust exists between the parties, it motivates them to maintain the relationship

A comprehensive review of knowledge mapping techniques

Knowledge mapping is one of the most popular techniques used to identify knowledge in organizations. Using knowledge mapping techniques; a large and complex set of knowledge resources can be acquired and navigated more easily. Knowledge mapping has attracted the senior managers' attention as an assessment tool in recent years and is expected to measure deep conceptual understanding and allow experts in organizations to characterize relationships between concepts within a domain visually. Here the very critical issue is how to identify and choose an appropriate knowledge mapping technique. This paper aims to explore the different types of knowledge mapping techniques and give a general idea of their target contexts to have the way for choosing the appropriate map. It attempts to illustrate which techniques are appropriate, why and where they can be applied, and how these mapping techniques can be managed. The paper is based on the comprehensive review of papers on knowledge mapping techniques. In addition, this paper attempts to further clarify the differences among these knowledge mapping techniques and the main purpose for using each. Eventually, it is recommended that experts must understand the purpose for which the map is being developed before proceeding to activities related to any knowledge management dimensions; in order to the appropriate knowledge mapping technique