How does embeddedness—spatial and relational—influence interfirm tie reinitiation when trust is violated? The taken-for-granted relationship between prior ties and repeat tie formation becomes complex when trust violations are introduced. Two divergent schools of thought emerge: an “embeddedness as a buffer” logic, wherein embedded partners may be more forgiving, versus an “et tu Brute” logic, wherein embedded partners feel betrayed. We tackle this theoretical tension by examining brokerage relationships. When spatially or relationally embedded, focal firm–broker ties further enhance trust but the ensuing higher expectations also make embedded trust more brittle due to the broker’s divided loyalties, resulting in a steeper decline in trust after a violation. Our central hypotheses thus highlight a paradox of embeddedness: while spatial and relational trust foster repeat ties under normal circumstances, it takes proportionately longer for such embedded ties to be reinitiated when trust is violated. We use a unique hand-collected data set in the global dry cargo shipping industry with voyage-level data on 3,618 exchanges between a Copenhagen-based shipowner–operator (the focal firm) and 235 shipbrokers from 2011 to 2018 and a Weibull hazard rate estimator. We find support for the paradox of embeddedness when trust is violated in brokerage relationships.

中文翻译：

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空间和关系嵌入的悖论：信任违规后的关系重新启动

当信任被违反时，嵌入性（空间和关系）如何影响企业间关系的重新启动？当信任违规发生时，先前的联系和重复的联系形成之间的理所当然的关系变得复杂。出现了两种不同的思想流派：“嵌入作为缓冲”逻辑，其中嵌入的合作伙伴可能更宽容，而“et tu Brute”逻辑，其中嵌入的合作伙伴感到被背叛。我们通过研究经纪关系来解决这种理论张力。当在空间或关系上嵌入时，焦点公司与经纪人的联系进一步增强了信任，但随之而来的更高期望也使嵌入的信任更加脆弱，因为经纪人的忠诚度不同，导致违规后信任度急剧下降。因此，我们的中心假设强调了嵌入性的悖论：虽然空间和关系信任在正常情况下促进了重复的联系，但当信任被违反时，重新启动这种嵌入的联系需要相应更长的时间。我们使用全球干货航运行业独特的手工收集数据集，其中包含 2011 年至 2018 年哥本哈根船东运营商（焦点公司）与 235 家船舶经纪人之间 3,618 次交易的航次数据以及威布尔危险率估计器。当经纪关系中的信任受到侵犯时，我们发现嵌入性悖论得到了支持。