Review of the Nexus Between Trust and Respect in Entrepreneurs’ Information-Seeking Behaviour

In an information-based society, having accurate and timely information can influence the success of entrepreneurs in their business. Often, due to limitations in their resources and capabilities, entrepreneurs rely on their social capital to satisfy their information need. Moreover, trust and respect are two fundamental factors that not only influence the information seeking behaviour (ISB) but also the inter-actions within the social capital of an entrepreneur. However, despite the significance and relevance of these concepts, there is a lack of systematic reviews regarding the nexus between trust and respect in entrepreneurs’ ISB. Consequently, this study aimed to conduct a literature review on the ISB of entrepreneurs with an emphasis on the roles trust and respect play in their decision-making when viewed through the lens of social capital theory (SCT). The review findings indicated that both trust and respect influence entrepreneurs’ ISB, especially in their decision-making in selecting their information sources. Entrepreneurs select in-formation sources that they trust, respect and feel respected by in return. The influence of trust and respect in entrepreneurial information source selection is also related to the seeker’s perception of the social cost/risk. Lastly, the review findings showed that when viewed through the lens of SCT, respect plays a key role in forming and nurturing trust within relationships. Based on the review findings, we also point out the gaps in the current entrepreneurship literature and suggest a number of themes for future research.