Abstract:
The study proposes a framework that links tacit marketing knowledge and entrepreneursâ¿¿ human and social capital. When accessibility of the general knowledge of expertise and professional business in a society is low, Chinese entrepreneurs find it hard and costly to acquire the necessary know-how knowledge for business operation. With a strong awareness of the low level of institutional trust in the current transition economy, Chinese entrepreneurs develop interpersonal trusting relationship to gain social support. Chinese entrepreneurs in SMEs thus depend on their own resources of human capital and abilities of social capital to acquire tacit knowledge. Both industry-specific experiences, industry-related training of specific human capital; and formal education of entrepreneursâ¿¿ general human capital facilitate Chinese entrepreneursâ¿¿ acquisition of tacit marketing knowledge. Through the trust and trustworthiness, the quality of relationships in business networks creates the personal relational resource for tacit knowledge reciprocity.
