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The Hugging Team: The Role of Technology in Business Networking Practices

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ECSCW 2011: Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 24-28 September 2011, Aarhus Denmark

Abstract

Technological devices for social networking are produced in droves and networking through media seems to be the way of getting ahead in business. We examine what role technology plays in the creation, development and maintenance of business relationships among entrepreneurs in Copenhagen. We find that mediated communication is useful in all stages of relational maintenance but only in a supportive role in relational development where co-presence and shared personal experiences take center-stage, generating trust necessary for business relationships to work. These trust-developing experiences take effort and hard work and although they can be successfully supported and even facilitated through the use of communication technologies, they need not be replaced or made simpler. The difficulties of creating these experiences make working business relationships viable in the uncertain and risky world of entrepreneurship.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IT University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Anne Thorsø Sørensen & Irina Shklovski

Authors
  1. Anne Thorsø Sørensen
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  2. Irina Shklovski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Thorsø Sørensen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aabogade 34, Aarhus N., 8200, Denmark

    Susanne Bødker

  2. , Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, 34 Aabogade, Aarhus, DK- 8200, Denmark

    Niels Olof Bouvin

  3. , Information Systems and New Media, University of Siegen, Hölderlinstr. 3, Siegen, 57068, Germany

    Volker Wulf

  4. Dept. Computer Science &, Information Systems, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Luigina Ciolfi

  5. , Information Systems Department, University of Maryland, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, 21250, USA

    Wayne Lutters

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Sørensen, A.T., Shklovski, I. (2011). The Hugging Team: The Role of Technology in Business Networking Practices. In: Bødker, S., Bouvin, N., Wulf, V., Ciolfi, L., Lutters, W. (eds) ECSCW 2011: Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 24-28 September 2011, Aarhus Denmark. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-913-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-913-0_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-85729-912-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-85729-913-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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