Trust Transfer in Sharing Economy

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. Sharing Economy

2.2. Trust and its Dimensions

3. Trust Transfer - A Review

3.1. Literature Review

3.1.1. Methodology of Literature Review

3.1.2. Trust Transfer Mechanism

3.1.3. Trust Transfer Theory

3.1.3.1. Trust Transfer from an Entity

3.1.3.2. Trust Transfer from a Context

3.2. Trust Transfer in the Sharing Economy

3.2.1. Trust Transfer Situation

3.2.2. Existing Trust Transfer Solutions

4. Research Model

4.1. Control Variables

5. Methodology: Study Design

5.1. Preliminary Questionnaire

5.2. The Online Survey

6. Study Results

7. Discussion

7.1. Limitations

7.2. Future Research

8. Conclusion

9. Declaration

Appendix

A. Construct Items

B. Interface of the online survey

C. Alternative Construct Items Using ”Within” Design

D. The Research Model - Study Results only with Significant Paths

E. Discriminant Validity - Crossloadings

References

Research Objectives and Key Topics

This thesis investigates the mechanisms of trust transfer within the sharing economy, specifically focusing on how trust established on one Peer-to-Peer (P2P) platform can be transferred to another to prevent users from having to build their reputation from scratch. The research evaluates whether "imported" ratings from established platforms impact the perceived trustworthiness of service providers and how this relates to overall user intent.

• The role of "imported" trust versus "immanent" trust in sharing economy platforms.
• Application of the three-dimensional scale of trust (ability, benevolence, integrity) in a P2P context.
• Evaluation of existing trust-transfer solutions and the potential for a universal reputation model.
• Structural equation modeling to analyze the impact of various factors on the intention to use P2P services.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. Introduction: Introduces the growth of the sharing economy and identifies the core problem of lacking trust transference across independent P2P platforms.

2. Theoretical Background: Defines the sharing economy and examines the multidimensional nature of trust, specifically focusing on ability, integrity, and benevolence.

3. Trust Transfer - A Review: Provides a comprehensive literature review on trust transfer mechanisms, theories, and existing practical solutions like reputation dashboards.

4. Research Model: Develops a conceptual framework and hypotheses linking imported ratings, perceived reputation, and overall trust in providers to usage intention.

5. Methodology: Study Design: Outlines the qualitative preliminary survey and the quantitative online survey conducted with 139 participants across four P2P platforms.

6. Study Results: Presents the empirical findings derived from PLS-SEM analysis, validating the model and assessing the impact of different trust variables.

7. Discussion: Interprets the study results, reflects on the implications for trust transfer theory, and acknowledges the study's limitations.

8. Conclusion: Summarizes the key contributions, confirming that imported trust significantly affects perceived reputation in the sharing economy.

Keywords

Sharing economy, Trust transfer, Reputation, Peer-to-Peer, Immanent rating, Imported rating, Ability, Integrity, Benevolence, Structural Equation Modeling, Trustworthiness, P2P platforms, Online reputation, User intention.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this bachelor thesis?

The thesis focuses on trust transferability between different sharing economy platforms, aiming to determine if users can leverage their established reputation from one platform to another.

Which theoretical concept is used to define trust?

The work employs a multidimensional model of trust, specifically using the three dimensions: ability, benevolence, and integrity.

What is the primary research goal?

The primary goal is to examine whether and how trust can be transferred between P2P platforms so that new users do not have to rebuild their reputation from scratch.

What research methodology was employed?

The author conducted a preliminary qualitative survey followed by a quantitative online survey using Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 139 participants.

What are the main components analyzed in the research model?

The model analyzes the impact of "immanent ratings" and "imported ratings" on perceived reputation, and how these subsequently affect a consumer’s overall trust in a provider and their intention to use the service.

Which keywords best characterize this work?

Key terms include sharing economy, trust transfer, reputation, peer-to-peer (P2P), and user trust dimensions.

How do "immanent" and "imported" ratings differ?

Immanent ratings represent the inherent trust within a specific platform, while imported ratings are reputation scores brought in from external platforms to be used in a new context.

What are the key findings regarding trust transfer?

The study provides empirical evidence that imported ratings significantly and positively affect the perceived reputation of a provider, supporting the potential for trust transferability.

Did the study find any gender-based differences?

The research attempted to differentiate between male and female users as well as experienced and inexperienced users, but no significant effects were observed.

What recommendation is made for future research?

Future research is encouraged to include additional reputation elements like textual reviews and to develop a construct of "fitness" or "similarity" between platforms to better measure the effectiveness of trust transfer.