Developing and Validating Trust Measures for e-Commerce(Mcknight et al, 2002, ISR)

Introduction

1.Trust has traditionally been difficult to define and measure (Rousseau et al. 1998). Researchers have called the state of trust definitions a “confusing potpourri” (Shapiro 1987, p. 625), a “conceptual confusion” (Lewis and Weigert 1985, p. 975), and even a “conceptual morass” (Barber 1983, p. 1; Carnevale and Wechsler 1992, p. 473). Although some researchers have treated trust as a unitary concept (e.g., Rotter 1971), most now agree that trust is multidimensional

(Mayer et al. 1995, Rousseau et al. 1998).

Theory - Trust

2.  Trust is important because it helps consumers overcome perceptions of uncertainty and risk and engage in “trust-related behaviors” with Web-based vendors, such as sharing personal information or making purchases.

3. Initial trust (McKnight et al. 1998) refers to trust in an unfamiliar trustee, a relationship in which the actors do not yet have credible, meaningful information about, or affective bonds with, each other (Bigley and Pierce 1998). 

4. We apply an initial trust model because Web vendors need to engender sufficient trust to persuade first-time consumers to transact with them 

5.  In initial relationships, people use whatever information they have, such as perceptions of a Web site, to make trust inferences (McKnight et al. 1998).

6.  The cognitive- based trust literature posits that trusting beliefs may form quickly (before parties have meaningful information about each other) because of social categorization, reputation, illusions (irrational thinking), disposition,

institutional roles and structures, or out of the need to immediately cooperate on a task

7.  The knowledge-based trust literature (Blau 1964, Ring and Van de Ven 1994), on the other hand, indicates that trust develops gradually through experiential social exchange

8. Various types of trust have been proposed (Butler 1991, Cummings and Bromiley 1996, Mayer et al. 1995). Most researchers have defined trust according to their specific disciplinary worldview. Psychologists define trust as a tendency to trust others (Rotter 1971). Social psychologists define trust as a cognition about the trustee (Rempel et al. 1985). Sociologists define trust as a characteristic of the institutional environment. Many variants of the above types exist, including a significant number in e-commerce research (McKnight et al. 2001–2002).

9.  Institution-based trust is the sociological dimension of trust. It refers to an individual’s perceptions of the institutional environment—in this case, the Internet. Perceptions of the structural characteristics of the Internet, such as safety and security, can influence trusting beliefs and trusting intentions towards a specific vendor (Keen et al. 1999).

10.  Disposition to trust means a general propensity to trust others, which can also influence an individual’s beliefs and intentions towards a Web-based vendor and is, therefore, important to include in the model.