Seeking trust

I’ve set up this blog to follow the progress of my dissertation. I’m studying Business Management Student at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and since I have a keen interest in both Marketing and charities, I’ve decided to undertake a research project that captures both areas.

While researching for an assignment in Consumer Behaviour, I came across the article Influencing the online onsumer’s behavior: the Web experience by Efthymios Constantinides in Internet Research (Volume 14, Number 2, 2004, pp. 111-126). One element that caught my interest was Trust:

“Subjects like hacking, fraud, spam and online scams frequently make headlines, raising security concerns as well as skepticism and mistrust. The physical distance, lack of personal contact and the anonymity of the Internet are also factors further increasing the consumers’ anxiety and risk perceptions. Online firms, especially those lacking strong brand recognition and physical presence, should not underestimate the importance of trust as a Web experience element.

The multi-dimensional character of online trust makes it a complicated issue and despite considerable research attention several online trust issues are still very little explored.”

So here I am, seeking trust.