Understanding trust influencing factors in social media communication: A qualitative study

Based on five types of trust, this research explores trust influencing factors in peer-to-peer interpersonal communication, group communication and mass communication. Previous research has mainly focused on trust and the corresponding antecedents in electronic commerce communication and online collaboration. This study extends the literature on trust influencing factors in social media communication. A trust traffic light model is used to illustrate the importance of keywords, drawn from interviews with 115 participants who use WeChat frequently. Salient trust factors were found and further elaborated through qualitative analysis. Furthermore, we developed a trust cognitive onion model to illustrate the interactions of trust factors.     

The dual concept of consumer value in social media brand community: A trust transfer perspective

Companies are increasingly relying on social media brand communities to interact with consumers and achieve business values. Thus, it is essential to understand how companies can extract value from consumers in social media brand communities. We develop a model clarifying the dual concept of consumer value and illustrating how consumer-perceived value can be transformed into consumer-generated value from a trust transfer perspective. Specifically, we identify three types of consumer-perceived value: utilitarian, hedonic, and social. We capture consumer-generated value in terms of purchase intention and social media word of mouth. Using a two-wave survey, our results strongly support the research model. Specifically, the three types of consumer-perceived values positively affect consumer trust in social media brand communities, which in turn leads to trust in brand and in social media and, thereafter, consumers’ subsequent social media word of mouth and purchase intentions. Our study makes several contributions to the strategic information systems literature concerning leveraging social media brand communities into business strategies. Theoretically, our study expands the understanding of the dual concept of consumer value in social media brand communities through the trust transfer theory. Practically, our study delivers insights for companies into how social media brand communities can be used as a strategic tool for achieving business values.     

Effect of penitence on social media trust and privacy concerns: The case of Facebook

Abuse of information entrusted to organizations can result in a variety of privacy violations and trust concerns for consumers. In the event of violations, a social media brand or organization renders an apology – a form of social account – to alleviate users’ concerns and maintain user membership and engagement with the platform. To explore the link between apology offered by a social media brand or organization and the users’ trust dynamics in the brand’s services, we study how organizational integrity can contribute to reducing individuals’ privacy concerns whiles increasing or repairing their trust. Drawing on organizational behavioral integrity literature, our proposed research model suggests that the persuasiveness of an apology following a data breach affects users’ trust or spillover trust through their perceptions of the degree of alignment between the words in the apology and the actions of the violating entity. Based on a survey of Facebook users, our findings show that persuasiveness of an apology has a significant impact on users’ perceptions of the alignment between the social media brand’s (i.e. Facebook) words and subsequent actions. These perceptions impact social media brand trust (i.e. users’ trust in Facebook and allied services such as Instagram). We also find that, post data breach incidence, while integrity of the social media organization partially mediates the relationship between persuasive apology and users’ trust, it fully mediates the relationship between the persuasive apology and the privacy concerns expressed by the users. However, users’ privacy concerns do not contribute much to the repair of trust needed to maintain their membership.     

Leveraging social grouping for trust building in foreign electronic commerce firms: An exploratory study

Internet development has fueled e-commerce firms’ globalization efforts, but many have met with only limited success. This often stems from the foreign firms’ limited understanding of a focal country's local culture and idiosyncrasies. Foreign firms are usually viewed as out-group entities, which lowers consumers’ trust in them. The extent of such a phenomenon varies. In locations where people are more skeptical of out-groups, a critical question is whether it is possible to transform such foreign out-group firms into in-groups, specifically with the support of popular social networking media. Based on Social Identity Theory and Trust Transference Process, five strategies leveraging social grouping and social ties to build trust for foreign electronic commerce firms were proposed. A survey was conducted to examine their effectiveness. The results suggest that social-grouping strategies are useful for in-grouping foreign out-group entities to build trust, and the effectiveness of strategies is determined by the social similarity and psychological distance between the consumer and the endorser. This has important implications for scholars and practitioners, both local and abroad, to leverage social grouping to boost Internet sales.     

Effects of various characteristics of social commerce (s-commerce) on consumers’ trust and trust performance

The development of social networking sites (SNSs) has given rise to a new e-commerce paradigm called social commerce (s-commerce). S-commerce is a subset of e-commerce and uses SNSs for social interactions and user contributions to facilitate the online buying and selling of various products and services. Recent years have witnessed the rapid growth of s-commerce in Korea, but this growth has involved a number of transaction-related issues such as no delivery and the delivery of wrong items. In particular, consumers’ trust has become a crucial factor in the success of s-commerce firms, requiring these firms to make more effort to gain this trust. In this regard, this study identifies the key factors in s-commerce [reputation, size, information quality, transaction safety, communication, economic feasibility, and word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals], that is, the characteristics of s-commerce influencing Korean consumers’ trust in s-commerce. In addition, the study assesses the effects of trust on trust performance (purchase intentions and WOM intentions). The results of an empirical analysis based on a sample of 371 s-commerce users indicate that all the characteristics of s-commerce (except for economic feasibility) had significant effects on trust and that trust had significant effects on purchase and WOM intentions. The results have important implications for s-commerce firms wishing to develop a successful business model for providing their customers with trustworthy services.     

An integrated view of particularized trust in social commerce: An empirical investigation

With the prevalence of social media and social networking, social commerce is becoming increasingly popular in both business and research areas. As in other types of e-commerce context, trust is also indispensable in social commerce. In this study, two types of trust have been discussed. This study represents an initial attempt to provide an integrated view of particularized trust in social commerce, including particularized trust antecedents, trust transfer and trust performance, so as to promote trust formation in social commerce. Using data collected from 614 social commerce users, we demonstrate that trust disposition, quality-assured shared information, familiarity and endorsement by other members are four antecedents of particularized trust. The results also indicate particularized trust can be transferred into system trust, and particularized trust only exerts positive effect on social WOM intention while system trust only exerts positive effect on social shopping intention. Furthermore, we prove perceived similarity can strengthen the relationship between trust disposition and particularized trust as well as the relationship between quality-assured shared information and particularized trust.     

信任视角下学术出版中同行评审的信任危机及其应对策略

【目的】 从系统论视角出发,分析学术出版过程中出现的信任危机,提出应对危机的策略,从理论和技术上提高同行评审工作质量,提升同行评审的信任度。【方法】 以文献调查和案例分析为主要方法,综述已有的关于同行评审现状和问题研究以及信任危机的相关理论,结合案例,从社会、经济、文化等不同角度剖析同行评审体系存在信任危机的原因,最后针对同行评审体系的问题和各方面原因,结合目前国内外的创新尝试,提出应对策略。【结果】 社会转型时期,同行评审主体之间缺乏完全信任,传媒影响加剧了同行评审参与主体之间的信任危机,同行评审客观性与审稿人主观性之间矛盾不可调和使同行评审信任危机无法消除。【结论】 通过设立同行评审内部的监督机制、重视传媒影响、完善网络同行评审系统平台,巩固同行评审信任,促进学术出版的长远发展。     

Determinants of trust in computer-mediated offshore software-outsourcing collaboration

Vendors and clients collaborate on outsourcing projects through virtual teams. Trust is an important indicator of mutual relationships that lead to successful projects. This study’s objective is to investigate the determinants of trust in different stages of collaboration during offshore software-development outsourcing. Using a case study approach to collect data, we find that reputation, a cognition-based trust factor, influences clients’ trust in vendors in the team-forming stage. Responsible team climate, a knowledge-based trust factor, impacts clients’ trust in vendors in the team-storming and norming stages of software design and development. Structural assurance, an institutional trust factor, encourages vendors’ trust in clients in the same team-storming and norming stages of software design and development. Benefit, a calculative-based trust factor, influences vendors’ trust in clients in the team-performing stage of software delivery and implementation. Our research findings have implications for software-outsourcing collaboration theories and practices and may have implications beyond that sphere, including team building in multiple contexts and environments.     

The evolution of trust in information technology alliances

As strategic alliances become an increasingly important weapon for companies in achieving a competitive advantage, an important subject of investigation has become those factors that contribute to the success of the alliance. Trust between the alliance partners has been proposed to be one of those critical success factors. The high levels of uncertainty and interdependence that characterizes high technology alliances make trust particularly important in these contexts. Very little is known, however, about the process of trust creation or erosion in strategic alliances. This study addresses this shortcoming in cross-sectional trust research by utilizing a longitudinal survey design to examine the antecedents and outcomes of trust formation between strategic alliance partners. We contrast a transaction cost economics view of trust with a social exchange perspective to more fully explore what may influence changes in the level of trust between partners. Results suggest that the development of trust was not a function of the formal incentive systems that transaction cost economists deem necessary to prevent opportunistic behavior. Conversely, factors from social exchange theory – communication, shared values, and relationship equity – provide a more thorough explanation of what contributes to the development of higher levels of organizational trust. Finally, this study provides evidence that as trust increases between partners, the alliance benefits by displaying higher levels of dependence, higher levels of partner learning, and higher levels of performance.     

The impact of trust and changes in trust: A national comparison of individual adoptions of information and communication technologies and related phenomenon

Trust has been shown to play an important role in the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) on an individual and firm level, but has received relatively little attention on a national level. In this paper we examine the impact of generalized trust, as measured by the World Value Survey, on the adoption of ICT products and related phenomena (e.g., such issues as Telecommuting and services such as E-Government Readiness), at a national level, while controlling for a nation's wealth. Because national trust levels having changed over time, we also examine how the rate of change in trust has impacted the adoption of ICT and ICT related phenomenon. Our findings provide strong empirical support for the argument that trust impacts national level adoption. The results are robust as we consider multiple variables and data sources. We also show that changes in trust rates are generally associated with corresponding changes in ICT adoptions.     

The effects of information literacy on trust in government websites: Evidence from an online experiment

Information and communication technologies in use in government systems can bring about expected benefits only when citizens are willing and able to use such systems. Previous studies from various disciplines provided a fundamental understanding of human behavior with technology adoption that focused mainly on the technical and supply sides of this adoption. We argue that it is necessary to move away from an assumption that users form a homogeneous group under the phenomenon of the digital divide. Having conducted an online experiment, this study empirically examined the effects of personal factors, particularly the perceived information literacy, and the perceived information overload, on the user’s perceptions on the usefulness and trust in a government website. We find that the higher an individual perceives one’s information literacy, the more he or she trusts the website, and this is mediated by one’s perceived information overload (negatively) and perceived usefulness (positively). This research provides a more balanced understanding of the behavior of e-government adoption, supplemented with the details of citizen engagement factors, and specifies meaningful practical implications for successful e-government policies.     

The effects of trust assurances on consumers’ initial online trust: A two-stage decision-making process perspective

This research examines the effects of type and displaying phase of trust assurances on consumers’ initial trust in an online retailer. We propose a two-stage formation process of initial online trust. The main effects of trust assurances on initial trust and the interaction between type and displaying phase of trust assurances are explored. We conducted a laboratory experiment to test our hypotheses. The results demonstrate that there exist positive effects of displaying trust assurances on initial trust. In particular, general trust assurances perform better when displayed in the information-searching stage, while specific trust assurances lead to higher initial trust when displayed in the choice stage. In the context of providing trust assurances, consumers’ knowledge of trust assurances exerts a direct and positive effect on initial trust. High knowledge level of trust assurances helps to generate the advantage of displaying assurances in the right stage. These findings have several important implications for research and practice.     

From ambivalence to trust: Using blockchain in customer loyalty programs

Global initiatives on climate protection and national sustainability policies are accelerating the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Many electricity suppliers are engaged in efforts to monetize this transition with ‘green’ services and products, such as Green Electricity Tariffs. These promise customers that their supply includes a specific share of green electricity, yet since electricity suppliers often fail to deliver on those promises, many customers have lost trust in their suppliers. Further information asymmetries may not only exacerbate this loss of trust, but also spark distrust and lead to an overall feeling of ambivalence. Eventually, ambivalent customers may feel inclined to switch suppliers. To prevent this domino effect, electricity suppliers must eliminate ambivalence by increasing customer trust and reducing customer distrust. Here, we discuss how these challenges can be met with a customer loyalty program built on blockchain technology. We developed the program following a Design Science Research approach that facilitated refinement in four iteration and evaluation cycles. Our results indicate that the developed customer loyalty program restores trust, reduces distrust, and resolves customer ambivalence by providing four features: improved customer agency, sufficient and verifiable information, appropriate levels of usability, and unobstructed data access.     

Manager communication and workplace trust: Understanding manager and employee perceptions in the e-world

Today's business environment is populated with individuals who are digitally connected to clients, contractors, managers, and employees. Traditionally, the ways and behaviors of managers had developed and thrived within face-to-face work environments, but as computer-mediated technologies continue to change the boundaries of the business community, permit alternative worksites to increase, and the traditional workday to disappear, the role of the manager has changed. This article focuses on the communication behaviors between managers and their employees, and how these behaviors have changed as digital communication methods have become mainstream within organizations today. The variables of interest are manager communication and workplace trust. The intended outcome is to uncover the expectations that have yet to be agreed upon within the manager–employee e-relationship.     

Social media platforms and social enterprise: Bibliometric analysis and systematic review

A considerable number of contributions at the intersection of social media platforms and social entrepreneurship has been witnessed over the past decade. The multi-disciplinary nature of current literature necessitates integrative insights on the topic. We thus undertake a two-pronged approach – bibliometric analysis followed by systematic review – to map the extant literature in a structured, objective, and quantitative way. We contribute to the literature as we (i) offer a classification of the literature in three clusters, namely ‘social media platforms, social collaboration and social marketing’, ‘social media platforms and crowdfunding, and ‘social media platforms and crowdsourcing’; (ii) analyze recent research development in each cluster, methodological development, countries co-authorship and evolution of research in the area; and (iii) propose a conceptual framework -accompanied by research propositions- that provides an overview of the literature at the intersection of social media platforms, various social entrepreneurial practices and their influence on the social enterprise performance. Our review culminates with numerous impactful research avenues for scholarly progression in the area. From a practical standpoint, this review integrates scattered findings into one body, allowing the practitioners and policymakers to discern the role of social media platforms in dealing with emerging societal problems and increasing operational efficiencies of social enterprises (SEs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of its kind, offering unique perspectives at the nexus of social media platforms and SE’s performance.     

Creativity, trust and systematic processes in product development

This paper addresses the challenge of striking a balance between, on one hand, mitigating uncertainty through the existence of systematic processes and structures and, on the other, stimulating creativity through allowable variation in work processes and structures. Both objectives are fundamental aspects of product development work. Our main finding is that both objectives can be achieved simultaneously. We introduce trust as a mediating variable. We show first, that being systematic in the processes for obtaining information and applying explicit organizational rules and structures in product development work creates an atmosphere of trust in the organization. Second, we show that trust increases creativity. The paper contributes to an understanding of how and why trust is important in product development organizations and of how trust can be actively managed. Above all, the paper contributes to the understanding of how uncertainty and creativity should be managed in organizations conducting product development.     

A meta-analysis of the impact of trust on technology acceptance model: Investigation of moderating influence of subject and context type

The technology acceptance model (TAM) has proven to be one of the most powerful theories to explain user's technology adoption. Among many external variables incorporated into TAM, trust is considered to be an important factor that influences the user's online behavior, especially in the e-commerce context. This study conducts a meta-analysis based on the previous TAM studies in an attempt to make well-grounded statements on the role of trust. Furthermore, the paper examines those TAM studies by considering moderating effects of subject type (students or non-students) and context type (commercial or non-commercial). Results indicate a significant influence of trust on TAM constructs. Moderating effects are found for most pair-wise relationships. The findings yield implications for both researchers and service providers.     

Examining the moderating effect of inconsistent reviews and its gender differences on consumers’ online shopping decision

The prevalence of social media has provided consumers with many opportunities to post online reviews on a wide range of products on the Internet. In this study, we attempt to investigate the moderating effect of inconsistent reviews (i.e., a mix of positive and negative reviews) on consumers’ purchase decision. We further examine whether the effect will differ from female to male consumers.     

The open kimono: How Intel balances trust and power to maintain platform leadership

A small group of companies including Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco have used “platform leadership” with great effect as a means for driving innovation and accelerating market growth within their respective industries. Prior research in this area emphasizes that trust plays a critical role in the success of this strategy. However, many of the categorizations of trust discussed in the literature tend to ignore or undervalue the fact that trust and power are often functionally equivalent, and that the coercion of weaker partners is sometimes misdiagnosed as collaboration. In this paper, I use case study data focusing on Intel's shift from ceramic/wire-bonded packaging to organic/C4 packaging to characterize the relationships between Intel and its suppliers, and to determine if these links are based on power in addition to trust. The case study shows that Intel's platform leadership strategy is built on a balance of both trust and a relatively benevolent form of power that is exemplified by the company's “open kimono” principle, through which Intel insists that suppliers share detailed financial data and highly proprietary technical information to achieve mutually advantageous objectives. By explaining more completely the nature of these inter-firm linkages, this paper usefully extends our understanding of how platform leadership is maintained by Intel, and contributes to the literature by showing how trust and power can be used simultaneously within an inter-firm relationship in a way that benefits all of the stakeholders.     

A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of trust in mobile commerce

Awareness of antecedents and consequences of trust in m-commerce can enable m-commerce service providers to design suitable marketing strategies. Present study conducted a meta-analysis of 118 related empirical studies. The results indicate that antecedents namely perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, system quality, information quality, service quality, user interface, perceived risk, perceived security, structural assurance, ubiquity, and disposition to trust, while consequences namely attitude, user satisfaction, behavioral intention, and loyalty have significant relationship with trust in m-commerce. Further, all the relationships were found to be moderated by culture except perceived ease of use, disposition to trust, and attitude.