www.sharexxx.net - free books & magazines

252 Pavlou
research showed that in B2B eCommerce, impersonal trust arising from the
dimension of credibility could be studied as an independent concept in its own right.
Viewing trust as a unidimensional construct may be a valid simplification when
analyzing long-term relationships (Doney and Cannon, 1997). However, given the
impersonal context of B2B eCommerce, this simplification underscores the importance
of credibility on vital outcomes of interfirm exchange relations (Ganesan,
1994).
Key Findings
This research is one of the first to address the importance of impersonal trust
in B2B eCommerce. In online interfirm exchange relations where familiarity trust in
not readily applicable, impersonal trust can still have beneficial outcomes, primarily
based on the dimension of credibility. The two dimensions of trust-credibility and
benevolence–are related constructs, although theoretically distinctive from each
other. While there is rich scholarly literature on the antecedents of familiarity trust,
no research has investigated the effect of an extensive set of antecedents of
impersonal trust. Not only does this study propose some precursors of impersonal
trust in B2B eCommerce, these antecedents are theoretically grounded in the
cognitive processes by which trust engenders. Whereas it may appear that
impersonal processes-competence, transference and calculative-are only weak
complements of the familiarity-based processes-intentionality and prediction, the
proposed impersonal processes seem to be critical in establishing trust and
generating favorable social and economic outcomes. Therefore, even if the notion
of studying impersonal trust independently is novel, its antecedents and consequences
are established based on solid ground.
Theoretical Implications
This research proposes that firms tend to make many decisions based on
objective evidence of competence, reliability and honesty (credibility). This finding
is in line with Williamson (1993) who argued that familiarity trust only exists at the
individual level, whereas business relations require institutional safeguards against
opportunism. Also, Ganesan (1994) showed that even in long-term interfirm
relationships, credibility was the sole determinant of long-term orientation. Therefore,
these findings call for reconceptualization of the role of interfirm trust and more
exhaustive research on the antecedents and consequences of the impersonal
concept of trust. Nevertheless, whereas the dimension of credibility is proposed to
induce favorable outcomes in interfirm exchange relations, it is not the purpose of
this chapter to undermine the importance of familiarity trust. However, while other
researchers argued that benevolence is the only stable form of trust (Granovetter,
Copyright © 2003, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written
permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited.