Influence, Trust and Trade in the Keiretsu of Toyota: A Centrality Analysis

Abstract

Many constructs such as influence, trust and trade can be considered as important in network organizations. Here we examine trust by measuring 'influence' as forms of cross-shareholdings and use inter-firm trade as a proxy for interdependence. We introduce the Keiretsu of Toyota, a typical network organization, and focus on a theoretical discussion based an analysis using centrality index graph theory. The centrality indexes of transactions and cross-shareholdings have been measured. We discuss the implications of the centrality measurement results with reference to influence, trust and interdependence, and clarify the associations between transactions and crossshareholding.© 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.