Trust in Market Relationships

Trust in Market Relationships illustrates that the importance of trust in a commercial arena has intensified as markets have become more complex. As business relationships become ever critical for a firm's economic results in highly competitive markets, and trust represents the basic platform for the development of successful long-term collaborations. Sandro Castaldo attempts to order the analytical complexity and myriad perspectives that characterise research on trust. He aims not to simplify this complexity, but to present guidelines for an interpretative model of trust, and to define fundamental concepts for trust management strategies. Issues explored include: the nature of trust, the relevance of trust to firms' intangible assets and value creation; dimensions of trust in marketing studies; psychological, sociological and organizational studies and the transactional cost theory; trust determinants, consequences and evolutionary processes and cycles. With its wide literature review and complete field overview, this multi-disciplinary approach to the complex facets of trust in market relationships will strongly appeal to those with an interest in marketing, trust management and organizational studies.