Sources and Dimensions of Trust in Service Relationships

Marketing

Centre for Marketing Working Paper

1998

In this chapter, we examine the role of trust in service marketing relationships, with particular focus on relationships between customers and service firms and their employees. First, we highlight why trust is particularly relevant to service marketing researchers and practitioners. Then we explore the role of four sources of trust: social norms, legal and regulatory systems, personality traits, and dyadic interactions. We also show that trust is likely to be a multi-dimensional construct. Lastly, we argue that each source of trust exerts a different influence on consumers in service consumption situations, and that different dimensions of trust may be influenced in different ways. Because of this different sources and dimensions should be exploited in different ways by service marketers striving to build trust in the service firm.

Centre for Marketing

98-503

Centre for Marketing Working Paper

No