مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

entertainment activities–—such as eating, drinking, sightseeing, exchanging gifts, and sporting with clients–—are a popular business practice worldwide. While some studies (e.g., Steidlmeier, 1999) have considered client entertainment corruptive, few firms have totally banned it. Entertainment is widely used by business managers as an important facilitator in building business relationships and promoting sales (see Beltramini, 2002).

Client entertainment’s role in facilitating business relationships in modern societies can be traced back to antiquity. Throughout human history, eating, drinking, and various forms of entertainment activities have served a broader role in social and economic interactions (Kipnis, 1996). For example, Pacific Islanders, Northwestern American Indians, and Asian Eskimos practiced a ritual called potlatch–—a ceremony of banqueting, dancing, and gift exchange–—to facilitate transactions and exchange favors. Similarly, Mayans used banquets as an occasion for resolving disputes, exchanging gifts, arranging transactions, and nurturing social relations (LeCount, 2001; Mauss, 1925/1990).

In industrialized societies, although most business transactions are guided by market rules and legal restraints, entertainment is still prevalent in facilitating business relationships. Entertainment practices play an enabling role by strengthening trust, promoting reciprocal behavior, and building long-term relationships, all three of which are favorable for developing high-quality business relationships (see Carrier, 1991).