Claudia Labarca | Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (original) (raw)
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Journal articles by Claudia Labarca
¿Qué ocurre con la confianza cuando los gobiernos locales se vuelven virtuales? Explorando los de... more ¿Qué ocurre con la confianza cuando los gobiernos locales se vuelven virtuales? Explorando los determinantes de la confianza en sitios web municipales en Chile This article explores the formation of trust among local Chilean government websites (municipalities) and their stakeholders, as well as their relationship with the real local government. The results show a prevalence in the trust of the virtual environment, the determining factors are therefore analyzed. The article is based on a mixed methodology: a survey to Internet users in Santiago, focus groups and interviews.
Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchange... more Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchanges. Blindspots are harmful omissions in strategy implementation due to reasons such as corporate inertia or management obsession in pursuing a certain vision mismatched with reality. This article outlines the main areas in which customer trust is under stress in Chilean business-to-consumer e-commerce and how e-buyers circumvent the problems that arise in those areas, from a Communications perspective. We not only discovered compensatory strategies devised by users to overcome those problems, but also some relevant corporate blindspots that should be addressed by retailers. Despite the strong growth of retail sales in emerging Latin American countries, Chilean e-commerce is relatively weak and problems of trust may be an important cause. Four areas of stress were outlined: previous perceptions about the firm, clarity and coherence of online information, personal data security, and delivery and post-sales services. Within these, inter-channel communication incoherence, lack of integration between retailers and outsourced logistics, and incoherent notions of trust emerged as the most important corporate blindspots harming the relationship with customers. On the other hand, we identified four compensatory strategies used by clients: selective auto-exposure, informal certifications, online/offline hybridization and anticipation/incorporation of other people experience.
There is academic consensus that trust facilitates economic cooperation since it helps to mobiliz... more There is academic consensus that trust facilitates economic cooperation since it helps to mobilize
resources, acts as a mechanism to cope with uncertainty, diminishes transaction costs and reduces
system complexity. In cross-cultural management, trust has been acknowledged as a facilitator of
economic relations. Nevertheless, its nature, definition and sources are still debated from antagonistic
and sometimes exclusive perspectives. Additionally, trust research has been pointed out as
acontextual, which limits trust understanding across the cultures that interact in a global economy.
This article attempts to enrich this debate by analysing the sources of trust within a cross-cultural
case study: the Sino-Chilean economic exchange. Using a qualitative methodology, and based on
empirical research, the article examines the contextual setting in which the Sino-Chilean relationship
is embedded and proposes sinicization as an alternative source for trust, understood here as a
rationally driven, restricted form of cultural adaptation adopted by the weakest party in the relationship,
which is able to embrace different perspectives on trust building.
Estudios Internacionales, 2009
This article suggests the need to incorporate so-called «soft variables» into the analysis of eco... more This article suggests the need to incorporate so-called «soft variables» into the analysis of economic development with a specific focus on concepts such as reputation and trust and reviews theoretical positions such as Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, and the recent theory of Competitive Identity or Nation Branding. The article also examines the case of Chile as a commercially open country that is subject to international competition with respect to its products, services, tourism, and in attracting foreign investment. It is within this context of a globalized Chile integrated into the world economic activity that variables such as reputation and trust appear as keys for its development.
Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchange... more Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchanges. Blindspots are harmful omissions in strategy implementation due to reasons such as corporate inertia or management obsession in pursuing a certain vision mismatched with reality. This article outlines the main areas in which customer trust is under stress in Chilean business-to-consumer e-commerce and how e-buyers circumvent the problems that arise in those areas, from a Communications perspective. We not only discovered compensatory strategies devised by users to overcome those problems, but also some relevant corporate blindspots that should be addressed by retailers. Despite the strong growth of retail sales in emerging Latin American countries, Chilean e-commerce is relatively weak and problems of trust may be an important cause. Four areas of stress were outlined: previous perceptions about the firm, clarity and coherence of online information, personal data security, and delivery and post-sales services. Within these, inter-channel communication incoherence, lack of integration between retailers and outsourced logistics, and incoherent notions of trust emerged as the most important corporate blindspots harming the relationship with customers. On the other hand, we identified four compensatory strategies used by clients: selective auto-exposure, informal certifications, online/offline hybridization and anticipation/incorporation of other people experience.
Books by Claudia Labarca
Muchos argumentos se han esgrimido para defender la idea de que el intercambio económico funciona... more Muchos argumentos se han esgrimido para defender la idea de que el intercambio económico funciona únicamente en base al mercado, sin que sea necesario considerar el rol de otros factores (o actores) en sus resultados.
NI hao Mr. Pérez, Buenos días Mr. Li se propone, sin embargo, revalorizar, a través de un caso de estudio emblemático y vital para la internacionalización y el desarrollo económico de Chile -las relaciones de negocio entre la República Popular China y Chile- la idea de que en relaciones de negocios interculturales existen consideraciones que no pueden dejarse de lado. La comunicación, el desarrollo de relaciones de confianza y de redes, así como también otros mecanismos de adaptación intercultural son no sólo necesarias, sino que imprescindibles para el éxito en los negocios. El libro defiende también el rol del Estado como agente institucional relevante en las relaciones económicas.
Basado en más de 90 entrevistas a actores críticos en la relación bilateral (académicos, funcionarios de gobierno, empresarios y ejecutivos de ambos países) realizadas en trabajos de campo en Shanghai, Beijing y Santiago de Chile se aborda, desde la voz de los propios participantes, las complejidades y dimensiones que presenta una relación de negocios intercultural, como la existente entre la RPC y Chile.
Un caso de estudio que demuestra que el negocio de hacer negocios no puede ser visto desde perspectivas reduccionistas y que, por el contrario, debe ser analizado desde una visión amplia y diversa.
Conference Presentations by Claudia Labarca
XVII Congreso de la Asociación de Historiadores Latinoamericanistas Europeos (AHILA) 8-13 Septemb... more XVII Congreso de la Asociación de Historiadores Latinoamericanistas Europeos (AHILA)
8-13 September 2014
Freie Universitat de Berlin, Alemania
Coautoría: Claudia Labarca (Facultad de Comunicaciones, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Papers by Claudia Labarca
The current research paper assesses how the narrative of Chilean businesspeople about China shape... more The current research paper assesses how the narrative of Chilean businesspeople about China shapes a new Orientalism Analyses on the role of non-state actors in foreign policy that have hitherto theorized about Orientalism as a narrative of hegemonic power. Hence, it has been instrumental to the efforts of imperialist powers to justify their mission civilisatrice. However, such conceptualization can seldom explain new complexities of international interactions at the height of globalization. Hence, we assessed the case of Chile, a small Latin American country, and its relationship with China, its largest trading partner. Through a discourse analysis of interviews with Chilean businesspeople engaged in the Chinese market, we could determine that Chile is building an Orientalist image of China. This new business Orientalism reinforces a relation of alterity based on commercial opportunities, traditional values, and natural dispositions. Hence, the perception of the Chinese Other amongst Chilean business people frames a new set of representations as part of the essentially commercial nature of current bilateral relations. It differs from previous frames, such as the racial bias frame of the early 20th century, or the anti-communist frame in reaction to Mao’s leadership. As in every narrative of alterity, there is not only a construction of the Other but also a definition of the Self. Consequently, this analysis constitutes a relevant case of the role of non-state actors in asymmetrical bilateral relations, where the non-state actors of the minor power build and act upon an Orientalist frame, which is not representative of its national status in the relation. This study emerges as a contribution on the relation amongst non-state actors in asymmetrical relations, where the smaller power’s business class acts on a negative prejudice of its interactions with its counterpart. The research builds upon the constructivist approach to international relations, linking the idea of Nation Branding with Orientalism in the case of Chile-China relations.
¿Qué ocurre con la confianza cuando los gobiernos locales se vuelven virtuales? Explorando los de... more ¿Qué ocurre con la confianza cuando los gobiernos locales se vuelven virtuales? Explorando los determinantes de la confianza en sitios web municipales en Chile This article explores the formation of trust among local Chilean government websites (municipalities) and their stakeholders, as well as their relationship with the real local government. The results show a prevalence in the trust of the virtual environment, the determining factors are therefore analyzed. The article is based on a mixed methodology: a survey to Internet users in Santiago, focus groups and interviews.
Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchange... more Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchanges. Blindspots are harmful omissions in strategy implementation due to reasons such as corporate inertia or management obsession in pursuing a certain vision mismatched with reality. This article outlines the main areas in which customer trust is under stress in Chilean business-to-consumer e-commerce and how e-buyers circumvent the problems that arise in those areas, from a Communications perspective. We not only discovered compensatory strategies devised by users to overcome those problems, but also some relevant corporate blindspots that should be addressed by retailers. Despite the strong growth of retail sales in emerging Latin American countries, Chilean e-commerce is relatively weak and problems of trust may be an important cause. Four areas of stress were outlined: previous perceptions about the firm, clarity and coherence of online information, personal data security, and delivery and post-sales services. Within these, inter-channel communication incoherence, lack of integration between retailers and outsourced logistics, and incoherent notions of trust emerged as the most important corporate blindspots harming the relationship with customers. On the other hand, we identified four compensatory strategies used by clients: selective auto-exposure, informal certifications, online/offline hybridization and anticipation/incorporation of other people experience.
There is academic consensus that trust facilitates economic cooperation since it helps to mobiliz... more There is academic consensus that trust facilitates economic cooperation since it helps to mobilize
resources, acts as a mechanism to cope with uncertainty, diminishes transaction costs and reduces
system complexity. In cross-cultural management, trust has been acknowledged as a facilitator of
economic relations. Nevertheless, its nature, definition and sources are still debated from antagonistic
and sometimes exclusive perspectives. Additionally, trust research has been pointed out as
acontextual, which limits trust understanding across the cultures that interact in a global economy.
This article attempts to enrich this debate by analysing the sources of trust within a cross-cultural
case study: the Sino-Chilean economic exchange. Using a qualitative methodology, and based on
empirical research, the article examines the contextual setting in which the Sino-Chilean relationship
is embedded and proposes sinicization as an alternative source for trust, understood here as a
rationally driven, restricted form of cultural adaptation adopted by the weakest party in the relationship,
which is able to embrace different perspectives on trust building.
Estudios Internacionales, 2009
This article suggests the need to incorporate so-called «soft variables» into the analysis of eco... more This article suggests the need to incorporate so-called «soft variables» into the analysis of economic development with a specific focus on concepts such as reputation and trust and reviews theoretical positions such as Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, and the recent theory of Competitive Identity or Nation Branding. The article also examines the case of Chile as a commercially open country that is subject to international competition with respect to its products, services, tourism, and in attracting foreign investment. It is within this context of a globalized Chile integrated into the world economic activity that variables such as reputation and trust appear as keys for its development.
Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchange... more Trust is an essential ingredient of constructive human relationships, including economic exchanges. Blindspots are harmful omissions in strategy implementation due to reasons such as corporate inertia or management obsession in pursuing a certain vision mismatched with reality. This article outlines the main areas in which customer trust is under stress in Chilean business-to-consumer e-commerce and how e-buyers circumvent the problems that arise in those areas, from a Communications perspective. We not only discovered compensatory strategies devised by users to overcome those problems, but also some relevant corporate blindspots that should be addressed by retailers. Despite the strong growth of retail sales in emerging Latin American countries, Chilean e-commerce is relatively weak and problems of trust may be an important cause. Four areas of stress were outlined: previous perceptions about the firm, clarity and coherence of online information, personal data security, and delivery and post-sales services. Within these, inter-channel communication incoherence, lack of integration between retailers and outsourced logistics, and incoherent notions of trust emerged as the most important corporate blindspots harming the relationship with customers. On the other hand, we identified four compensatory strategies used by clients: selective auto-exposure, informal certifications, online/offline hybridization and anticipation/incorporation of other people experience.
Muchos argumentos se han esgrimido para defender la idea de que el intercambio económico funciona... more Muchos argumentos se han esgrimido para defender la idea de que el intercambio económico funciona únicamente en base al mercado, sin que sea necesario considerar el rol de otros factores (o actores) en sus resultados.
NI hao Mr. Pérez, Buenos días Mr. Li se propone, sin embargo, revalorizar, a través de un caso de estudio emblemático y vital para la internacionalización y el desarrollo económico de Chile -las relaciones de negocio entre la República Popular China y Chile- la idea de que en relaciones de negocios interculturales existen consideraciones que no pueden dejarse de lado. La comunicación, el desarrollo de relaciones de confianza y de redes, así como también otros mecanismos de adaptación intercultural son no sólo necesarias, sino que imprescindibles para el éxito en los negocios. El libro defiende también el rol del Estado como agente institucional relevante en las relaciones económicas.
Basado en más de 90 entrevistas a actores críticos en la relación bilateral (académicos, funcionarios de gobierno, empresarios y ejecutivos de ambos países) realizadas en trabajos de campo en Shanghai, Beijing y Santiago de Chile se aborda, desde la voz de los propios participantes, las complejidades y dimensiones que presenta una relación de negocios intercultural, como la existente entre la RPC y Chile.
Un caso de estudio que demuestra que el negocio de hacer negocios no puede ser visto desde perspectivas reduccionistas y que, por el contrario, debe ser analizado desde una visión amplia y diversa.
XVII Congreso de la Asociación de Historiadores Latinoamericanistas Europeos (AHILA) 8-13 Septemb... more XVII Congreso de la Asociación de Historiadores Latinoamericanistas Europeos (AHILA)
8-13 September 2014
Freie Universitat de Berlin, Alemania
Coautoría: Claudia Labarca (Facultad de Comunicaciones, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
The current research paper assesses how the narrative of Chilean businesspeople about China shape... more The current research paper assesses how the narrative of Chilean businesspeople about China shapes a new Orientalism Analyses on the role of non-state actors in foreign policy that have hitherto theorized about Orientalism as a narrative of hegemonic power. Hence, it has been instrumental to the efforts of imperialist powers to justify their mission civilisatrice. However, such conceptualization can seldom explain new complexities of international interactions at the height of globalization. Hence, we assessed the case of Chile, a small Latin American country, and its relationship with China, its largest trading partner. Through a discourse analysis of interviews with Chilean businesspeople engaged in the Chinese market, we could determine that Chile is building an Orientalist image of China. This new business Orientalism reinforces a relation of alterity based on commercial opportunities, traditional values, and natural dispositions. Hence, the perception of the Chinese Other amongst Chilean business people frames a new set of representations as part of the essentially commercial nature of current bilateral relations. It differs from previous frames, such as the racial bias frame of the early 20th century, or the anti-communist frame in reaction to Mao’s leadership. As in every narrative of alterity, there is not only a construction of the Other but also a definition of the Self. Consequently, this analysis constitutes a relevant case of the role of non-state actors in asymmetrical bilateral relations, where the non-state actors of the minor power build and act upon an Orientalist frame, which is not representative of its national status in the relation. This study emerges as a contribution on the relation amongst non-state actors in asymmetrical relations, where the smaller power’s business class acts on a negative prejudice of its interactions with its counterpart. The research builds upon the constructivist approach to international relations, linking the idea of Nation Branding with Orientalism in the case of Chile-China relations.