Differentiating between gift giving and bribing in China: a guanxi perspective. Issue 4 (19th May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Peikai; Sun, Jian-Min; Taris, Toon W.
• Is Part Of: Ethics & behavior. Volume 32:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 307
• Page End: 325
• Publication Date: 2022-05-19
• Subjects: Guanxi -- gift giving -- bribe -- gift value -- motivation; Ethics -- Periodicals; 170.5
• DOI: 10.1080/10508422.2021.1896363
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1050-8422

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Although scholars have long been interested in distinguishing gift giving from bribery, the impact of the degree of guanxi between a giver and a recipient on this distinction remains unclear. Drawing on a bystander perspective, this paper investigates how people distinguish between two types of giving behavior: gift giving and bribing. In three studies, we examined how guanxi (Study 1, n = 143 Chinese students), the price of a present (Study 2, including 106 students and 55 employees), and the motivation for giving a present (Study 3, n = 33 Chinese students) influence people's perception of a present (i.e., as a gift or a bribe). The results largely supported our expectation that presents were more likely to be considered a bribe when guanxi utility was high, if the present held high economic value, and if the giving motivation was instrumental-oriented. Implications of our findings for future research and business practitioners in Chinese culture are discussed.