Developing a model of reciprocity in the importer–exporter relationship: The relative efficacy of economic versus social factors

The Impact of Benevolence in Computational Trust

“…Benevolence is considered by several scholars as a key element of close relationships and an antecedent of trustworthiness (e.g., [9,12,13,[16][17][18]). Benevolence is either a disposition to do good and an act of kindness, where the trustee has a feeling of goodwill toward the interacting partner excluding any intention of harming him given the opportunity to do so ( [12,13]).…”

“…Recent advances in the area of behavioral neurology and cognitive neuroscience relate the human amygdala with expressions of benevolence and normal interpersonal trust ( [18]). Benevolence is also being positively correlated with the recognition of kinship and physical resemblance (e.g., [23,17]) and with in-group awareness and cultural relatedness (e.g., [13,16,24]). All these studies propose that individuals have a disposition toward benevolence, with some individuals being more benevolent than others in identical situations.…”

“…Benevolence also develops in long-term and close relationships, where trust is reciprocated and positive affect circulates among those who express trust behaviorally, which may result in intense emotional investments being made ( [25]) and in the internalization of relational norms and values ( [16] Some authors consider that there is a different form of benevolence ('mutualistic' benevolence) that is motivated by the expectation of joint gain ( [23,26,16]), where the voluntary helping behaviors beyond the call of duty still exists. Most partners that establish ongoing trust relationships benefit from the benevolent actions of the other partner, and tend to act benevolently in order to maintain the relationship and continue profiting from these trust-based benefits (e.g., [12,27,26,28,16]).…”

“…Most partners that establish ongoing trust relationships benefit from the benevolent actions of the other partner, and tend to act benevolently in order to maintain the relationship and continue profiting from these trust-based benefits (e.g., [12,27,26,28,16]). In these relationships, the satisfaction of partners increase with the perception of the equity in the exchange and the perception of continuity of the relationship ( [12,28,16]). The partners probably do not risk investing in the development of new relationships if they already have several ongoing relationships ( [26]).…”

“…In the same way, the value they attach to a given trust relationship may diminish if they perceive that the likelihood of being trusted by somebody else is high ( [12]). If we add to the satisfaction with the relationship some form of utilitarianism -where individuals are more willing to rely on partners when they expect that the interaction with these partners brings more benefits than costs [28] -then we consider that the partners to the exchange developed a calculative commitment that eventually leads to the mutualistic form of benevolence ( [16]). …”