Relationships between Providers and Users of Market Research: The Dynamics of Trust within and between Organizations

Abstract

The authors investigate the role of trust between knowledge users and knowledge providers. The kind of knowledge of special concern is formal market research. Users include marketing and nonmarketing managers; providers include marketing researchers within a user's own firm and those external to the firm. A theory of the relationships centering on personal trust is developed to examine (1) how users’ trust in researchers influences various relationship processes and the use of market research and (2) how the relationships vary when examined across dyads. The relationships were tested in a sample of 779 users and providers of market research information. Results indicate that trust and perceived quality of interaction contribute most significantly to research utilization, with trust having indirect effects through other relationship processes, as opposed to important direct effects on research utilization. Deeper levels of exchange, including researcher involvement in the research process and user commitment to the research relationship, however, have little effect on research use. Finally, the relationships in the model show few differences depending on whether the producer and user share marketing or research orientations. Interorganizational dyads, however, generally exhibit stronger model relationships than intraorganizational dyads.

The Drivers of Green Brand Equity: Green Brand Image, Green Satisfaction, and Green Trust

“…Trust is one of the topics that have attracted 310 Yu-Shan Chen major interest in the academic community. This is due to the fact that trust is thought as a strategic action in the marketing field and an essential ingredient in the success of relationships (Flavián et al, 2005;Moorman et al, 1992). Furthermore, to trust a brand implicitly implies that there is a high probability or expectancy for its consumers such that the brand would obtain positive evaluation.…”

“…Considering brand trust as expectancy, it is based on the consumer's belief that the brand is consistent, competent, honest, and responsible (Doney and Cannon, 1997). Social exchange theory indicated that customer trust would enhance the social embeddedness of the consumerprovider relationship to further increase the customer's commitment to the relationship (Grayson and Ambler, 1999;Moorman et al, 1992;Singh and Sirdeshmukh, 2000). Brand equity is considered as a relational market-based asset, and it is attached to a brand and embeds in the relationships with its customers (Srivastava et al, 1998).…”

Using competitive intelligence: Antecedents and consequences

“…Based on business literature (Deshpandé & Zaltman, 1982;Maltz & Kohli, 1996;Menon & Varadarajan, 1992;Menon, Wilcox, & Maltz, 1999;Moorman, Deshpandé, & Zaltman, 1993;Moorman, Zaltman, & Deshpandé, 1992), a model was developed of some of the major antecedents and consequences of CI usage in firms. The model is summarized in Figure 1 and the definitions of each construct are provided in Table 2.…”

The influence of organizational market orientation on individual-level market-oriented cognitions

“…Establishing and maintaining a customer-driven organization in a business environment characterized by shorter product-life cycles, heightened global competition, changing supplier relationships, and new strategic alliances has fueled an increasing managerial and academic interest in the effective use of market information (Deshpande, 1982;Deshpande & Zaltman, 1982, 1984, 1987Menon & Varadarajan, 1992;Moorman, Zaltman, & Deshpande, 1992;Myers, Massy, & Greyser, 1980). Indeed, organizational generation, dissemination, and responsiveness to market intelligence are conceived as integral elements of a market orientation (Narver & Slater, 1990;Slater & Narver, 1994).…”

“…The first stream has examined the nature of the research problem, the nature of the information, characteristics of the organization, the relationship between research results and the user of research, and the relationship between the researcher and the user of research findings (e.g., Deshpande & Zaltman, 1982, 1984, 1987Lee, Acito, & Day, 1987;Moorman, Deshpande, & Zaltman, 1993;Moorman, Zaltman, & Deshpande, 1992).…”