Impact of ethics and etiquette in a dynamic business relationship across business lifecycles

Purpose In today’s complex economic environment, enterprise relationships are volatile and competitive. Globally, business ethics and etiquette are crucial for fostering relationships and long-term success. This study explores the impact of business ethics and etiquette on inter-firm trust, commitment, and reciprocity at different business lifecycles. Design/methodology/approach A total of 3,860 responses from 92 countries were collected via an online survey. Through confirmatory factor analyses, two distinct business ethics factors and seven business etiquette factors were identified. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that these factors significantly impact inter-firm relationships. Findings The study concludes that throughout the business relationship lifecycle, business ethics and etiquette positively affect general reciprocity. At the maintenance stage, business ethics is an important factor affecting inter-firm relationships however, its significance wanes at the dissolution stage. Research limitations/implications This study concludes the general state of ethics in business relationships. However, there are still shortcomings in the analysis of business ethics in specific countries. Practical implications The study offers enterprises practical advice on establishing and preserving healthy business relationships by adhering to ethics and etiquette throughout various stages. Originality/value This study combines stakeholder theory and social exchange theory, applying them to the research of business relationships. Furthermore, this study delves into the varying importance of ethics and etiquette across the four business life cycle stages, offering a fresh perspective and empirical evidence for examining inter-enterprise relationships.