...: social distance, relative power and ranking. PT predicts that maintaining politeness is more of a priority if power is unequal and relational distance is greater. When power is unequal the lower power person will be less willing to risk offending the more powerful person. Individuals with equal power...

... distance and power differential mediated this relationship as predicted by politeness theory. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, a 2 × 2 × 2 design was implemented manipulating the variables face (positive and negative), relational distance (business and personal) and power...