Development-based trust: proposing and validating a new trust measurement model for buyer-seller relationships

José Mauro Da Costa Hernandez,Claudia Cincotto Dos Santos

doi:10.1590/s1807-76922010000200005

José Mauro Da Costa Hernandez, Claudia Cincotto Dos Santos

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1807-76922010000200005

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Abstract

This study proposes and validates a trust measurement model for buyer-seller relationships. Baptized as development-based trust, the model encompasses three dimensions of trust: calculus-based, knowledge-based and identification-based. In addition to recognizing that trust is a multidimensional construct, the model also assumes that trust can evolve to take on a different character depending on the stage of the relationship. In order to test the proposed model and compare it to the characteristic-based trust measurement model, the measure most frequently used in the buyer-seller relationship literature, data were collected from 238 clients of an IT product wholesaler. The results show that the scales are valid and reliable and the proposed development-based trust measurement model is superior to the characteristic-based trust measurement model in terms of its ability to explain certain variables of interest in buyer-seller relationships (long-term relationship orientation, information sharing, behavioral loyalty and future intentions). Implications for practice, limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Highlights

The study of trust among marketing channels has a long tradition in the marketing literature that spans over at least two decades
Dwyer, Schurr and Oh (1987) are usually referred to as the first authors to recognize the ultimate importance of including trust in the empirical models of marketing channel relationships, it was probably Morgan and Hunt (1994) that encouraged other studies in this area
Several authors demonstrated that trust in the exchange partner leads to longer and more stable relationships, stimulates long-term orientation, reduces the incidence of conflict and uncertainty and boosts both satisfaction with the relationship, commitment and future purchase intentions (Anderson & Narus, 1990; Anderson & Weitz, 1989; Doney & Cannon, 1997; Farrelly & Quester, 2003; Ganesan, 1994; Morgan & Hunt, 1994; Zhao & Cavusgil, 2006)

Summary

Introduction

The study of trust among marketing channels has a long tradition in the marketing literature that spans over at least two decades. Despite the importance of trust in channel marketing relationships, what we see after carefully revisiting studies in this field is that there is still widespread disagreement as to both the definition and measurement of this construct. This disagreement leads to a myriad of trust measures, casting suspicion on whether the trust measures used in these studies do measure trust. Trust has usually been defined as an expectation concerning the behavior of a prospective trustee (Anderson & Narus 1990; Pavlou, 2002; Selnes, 1998), the most widely used measure is based on beliefs about the exchange partner characteristics (Doney & Cannon, 1997; Morgan & Hunt, 1994)

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