Virtuous Entrepreneurs: A Rethinking of the Way to Create Relational Trust in a Global Economy

Abstract

Globalisation has changed the economic environment in which firms operate. Doing business in a globalised world implies paying attention to the multiple strands of interconnections that occur through the markets. The new scenarios bring new challenges to the entrepreneurs who have to deal with unfamiliar contexts, foreign cultures and different religions. In such environments virtuous entrepreneurs, that is those whose personal virtues make them trustworthy in the business arena, seem to develop and achieve better business relationships. In this paper, the main interdependences that exist between the globalised economy and the international entrepreneurship phenomenon are analysed along with the theoretical ways through which virtuous entrepreneurs could develop a genuine trust in their interpersonal relationships.