Trust: an intercultural comparison of consumer perceptions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine trust and posit that consumers perceive the trustworthiness of companies from a particular country differently. Design/methodology/approach – An accepted US model of trust across cultures is tested. A survey questionnaire is used to collect the data from Taiwanese consumers. Findings – The paper finds that Taiwanese consumers have different levels of trust toward companies from European, North American, and Asian countries. Research limitations/implications – This study demonstrates that consumers have differential perceptions of the trustworthiness of foreign firms. Further research is needed to determine if the model explains trust equally well in other cultures. Practical implications – Understanding factors (e.g. trust, costs, and values of product) that influence the success of trading relationships is important to every multinational corporation. Originality/value – This paper explores the connection between perceptual trust of one particular country's trading partners, various indicators of corruption such as Hofstede's cultural components, the perception of corruption by Transparency International, and various trade activities.