As a result of global competitiveness and a continuously changing business environment, organisations are constantly seeking for ways and means to enhance their profitability. The current organisational trend for businesses to gain competitive advantage is to restructure them to leaner and more flexible organisations. Businesses are striving to increase shareholder value by increasing performance through corporate restructuring to obtain an increase in efficiency and production. Unfortunately restructuring affects employees and could result in uncertainty with potential side effects in the work environment that could influence the employees‘ trust within the organisation. Damage to institutional trust, or trustworthiness as perceived by employees, could affect how employees engage within the organisation and impact on the profitability of such an organisation. A quantitative research study was conducted to determine if corporate restructuring affects institutional trust. It also investigated the relationship between institutional trust and employee engagement to determine if corporate restructuring affects employee engagement. The main findings of the research are that corporate restructuring has a profound impact on institutional trust and that damage to institutional trust affects how employees engage within the organisation. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background & Objective: Higher levels of institutional trust have been associated with increased health care utilization, greater adherence to treatment plans, better treatment outcomes, and improved overall health. Though numerous studies have documented the influence of institutional trust on important outcomes, there has been little attention to understanding approaches to improve patient institutional trust. This project sought to identify approaches to improve patient trust in health systems. Methods: The project used group concept mapping (GCM) to directly engage 18 insured individuals living within the Upper Darby community with at least one visit to a primary care provider within the last two years to elicit their perspectives on ways to improve patient trust. Participants first brainstormed in a group setting to develop a list of ideas about how systems could improve trust, then each participant sorted the idea into thematic domains and rated the statements based on both importance and feasibility. Results: Four primary domains for improving institutional trust emerged: privacy, patient-provider relationship, respect for patients, and health system guidelines. Overall, participants rated the “privacy” domain as the most feasible and important. The average overall cluster rankings varied based on age, where the aggregate importance ratings for individuals below the age of 40 rated were higher for the “respect for patients” cluster. Conclusion: We identify four domains that are important to our population for improving patient trust of health systems, with multiple actionable items within each domain. We suggest that efforts to improve trust of health systems will be most effective if designed to directly impact these domains. Next steps involve exploring the importance of these domains across other populations and developing interventions. / Public Health

The role of trust in market exchange has been of consistent interest to marketing researchers over the past decade. Many researches in marketing have shown that customer trust in a company and its representatives can positively influence customer loyalty. However, a customer¡¦s deal with a particular product/service provider can also be influenced by the customer¡¦s trust in the broader marketplace¡Xfor example, trust in those who regulate the market and trust in the professionals who populate the marketplace. Drawing from a number of disciplines in addition to marketing, we identify three types of trust (Institutional Trust, Role Trust, Generalized Trust) in the broader marketplace that might influence trust (interpersonal trust, firm-specific trust) between two exchange partners. Using survey results collected from direct sellers of Taiwan¡¦s direct selling companies, we test competing theories about the influence of this trust. Our results show that the influence of broad-scope trust on customer loyalty is not direct, but is mediated by narrow-scope trust. Because the substitutional view implies a direct relationship between broad-scope trust and customer loyalty, this finding supports the foundational view of the relationship between broad-scope and narrow-scope trust.

Um elemento que tem caracterizado países democráticos é a desconfiança institucional. Bancos de dados de pesquisas realizadas em todo o mundo mostram que os cidadãos não têm depositado confiança nas instituições políticas e nos políticos. Para justificar tal comportamento, usualmente são consideradas várias causas como a corrupção, a apatia da própria população e a falha dos governos em propiciar políticas públicas que vão ao encontro das necessidades dos cidadãos. Entretanto, o descrédito na política e nas suas instituições tem base não apenas nessas questões mas também na tributação. Como o impacto do pagamento de impostos no comportamento da população é pouco estudado na América Latina, esta dissertação propôs uma análise sobre a percepção do pagamento tributário e a sua influência na confiança institucional dos porto-alegrenses, com vista a verificar a manutenção do seu Contrato Social. Para averiguar tal questão, foram utilizados dados de pesquisa tipo survey realizada em Porto Alegre/RS, no ano de 2003. A partir desta pesquisa, foi construído um índice de percepção dos impostos para confrontá-lo com dados sobre confiança da população estudada. Os principais resultados alcançados mostraram que os cidadãos porto-alegrenses percebem elementos de manutenção do Contrato Social e têm a sua confiança institucional influenciada pela sua percepção do pagamento tributário / An element that has characterized democratic countries is institutional distrust. Survey research data conducted globally show that the citizens are growingly distrustful of political institutions and politicians. Such behavior is justified based upon corruption, citizen’s apathy and government’s failure in providing public policies design to meet the needs of the citizens. However, the discredit in politics and political institutions are not only explained by those factors but also on how taxes influence the daily life of citizens. As the impact of taxes in the population’s behavior has rarely been studied in Latin America, this dissertation analyzes porto alegrenses’ perceptions about tax payment’s and its influence in their political trust. We basically examine how the relationship between these two dimensions contribute, or not, to the maintenance of the Social Contract. In order to answer this question a survey research was conducted in Porto Alegre/RS, in 2003. An index of perception of tax payment was constructed and then crossed with institutional trust. The results indicate porto-alegrenses demonstrate and support the Social Contract. However, this trust is negatively influenced by the perception of excessive tax payments.

Um elemento que tem caracterizado países democráticos é a desconfiança institucional. Bancos de dados de pesquisas realizadas em todo o mundo mostram que os cidadãos não têm depositado confiança nas instituições políticas e nos políticos. Para justificar tal comportamento, usualmente são consideradas várias causas como a corrupção, a apatia da própria população e a falha dos governos em propiciar políticas públicas que vão ao encontro das necessidades dos cidadãos. Entretanto, o descrédito na política e nas suas instituições tem base não apenas nessas questões mas também na tributação. Como o impacto do pagamento de impostos no comportamento da população é pouco estudado na América Latina, esta dissertação propôs uma análise sobre a percepção do pagamento tributário e a sua influência na confiança institucional dos porto-alegrenses, com vista a verificar a manutenção do seu Contrato Social. Para averiguar tal questão, foram utilizados dados de pesquisa tipo survey realizada em Porto Alegre/RS, no ano de 2003. A partir desta pesquisa, foi construído um índice de percepção dos impostos para confrontá-lo com dados sobre confiança da população estudada. Os principais resultados alcançados mostraram que os cidadãos porto-alegrenses percebem elementos de manutenção do Contrato Social e têm a sua confiança institucional influenciada pela sua percepção do pagamento tributário / An element that has characterized democratic countries is institutional distrust. Survey research data conducted globally show that the citizens are growingly distrustful of political institutions and politicians. Such behavior is justified based upon corruption, citizen’s apathy and government’s failure in providing public policies design to meet the needs of the citizens. However, the discredit in politics and political institutions are not only explained by those factors but also on how taxes influence the daily life of citizens. As the impact of taxes in the population’s behavior has rarely been studied in Latin America, this dissertation analyzes porto alegrenses’ perceptions about tax payment’s and its influence in their political trust. We basically examine how the relationship between these two dimensions contribute, or not, to the maintenance of the Social Contract. In order to answer this question a survey research was conducted in Porto Alegre/RS, in 2003. An index of perception of tax payment was constructed and then crossed with institutional trust. The results indicate porto-alegrenses demonstrate and support the Social Contract. However, this trust is negatively influenced by the perception of excessive tax payments.

This article attempts to observe the existence of certain similarities between trust that can be established between individuals and their local political institution, with habitual ways of relating that adjoin political clientelism. Certain similarities that point to question whether clientelism can be accommodated as a way to build relationships, create links and bring the individual to the political institution. The local political institution will be studied, and observe how relations have been builtin two districts of the same geographical area, through qualitative and quantitative tools. It will be noted that the usual way of relating learned still present and mobilizes the ways of acting individuals / therefore links with clientelistic characteristics are plausible to generate trust relationships. / El presente artículo trata de observar la existencia de ciertas similitudes entre las relaciones de confianza que puedan establecerse entre los individuos y su institución política local, con formas habituales de relacionarse que lindan con el clientelismo político. Se observarán ciertas semejanzas que apuntan a cuestionar si el clientelismo puede tener cabida como una forma de establecer relaciones, crear vínculos y acercar la institución política al individuo. Se observará la construcción de relaciones y vínculos en dos distritos de un mismo estrato zonal en Lima Metropolitana, a través de herramientas cualitativas y cuantitativas. Se notará que la forma habitual de relacionarse aprendida sigue presente y moviliza las formas de actuar a los individuos / por tanto los vínculos con características clientelaresson plausibles de generar relaciones de confianza.

Um elemento que tem caracterizado países democráticos é a desconfiança institucional. Bancos de dados de pesquisas realizadas em todo o mundo mostram que os cidadãos não têm depositado confiança nas instituições políticas e nos políticos. Para justificar tal comportamento, usualmente são consideradas várias causas como a corrupção, a apatia da própria população e a falha dos governos em propiciar políticas públicas que vão ao encontro das necessidades dos cidadãos. Entretanto, o descrédito na política e nas suas instituições tem base não apenas nessas questões mas também na tributação. Como o impacto do pagamento de impostos no comportamento da população é pouco estudado na América Latina, esta dissertação propôs uma análise sobre a percepção do pagamento tributário e a sua influência na confiança institucional dos porto-alegrenses, com vista a verificar a manutenção do seu Contrato Social. Para averiguar tal questão, foram utilizados dados de pesquisa tipo survey realizada em Porto Alegre/RS, no ano de 2003. A partir desta pesquisa, foi construído um índice de percepção dos impostos para confrontá-lo com dados sobre confiança da população estudada. Os principais resultados alcançados mostraram que os cidadãos porto-alegrenses percebem elementos de manutenção do Contrato Social e têm a sua confiança institucional influenciada pela sua percepção do pagamento tributário / An element that has characterized democratic countries is institutional distrust. Survey research data conducted globally show that the citizens are growingly distrustful of political institutions and politicians. Such behavior is justified based upon corruption, citizen’s apathy and government’s failure in providing public policies design to meet the needs of the citizens. However, the discredit in politics and political institutions are not only explained by those factors but also on how taxes influence the daily life of citizens. As the impact of taxes in the population’s behavior has rarely been studied in Latin America, this dissertation analyzes porto alegrenses’ perceptions about tax payment’s and its influence in their political trust. We basically examine how the relationship between these two dimensions contribute, or not, to the maintenance of the Social Contract. In order to answer this question a survey research was conducted in Porto Alegre/RS, in 2003. An index of perception of tax payment was constructed and then crossed with institutional trust. The results indicate porto-alegrenses demonstrate and support the Social Contract. However, this trust is negatively influenced by the perception of excessive tax payments.

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) on trust and organizational innovation on micro and macro levels. Since earlier studies of M&As have focused mostly on financial aspects, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of non-financial and organizational aspects of M&As including trust and organizational innovation, especially through microfoundational explanation. According to this, trust is studied by focusing on two specific aspects: interpersonal trust (on individual level) and institutional trust (on the firm level). The organizational innovation is defined as a single concept but is studied both on individual and firm level. The research is conducted by focusing on eight Northern European companies that have gone through M&As and the related data is collected by using qualitative surveys, which included both free-text fields and the opinion scales. The empirics of this study show that M&As have affected trust and organizational innovation through six main factors (CIRCUS) which include communication, employees’ influence, resources, workplace cohesion, capabilities utilization,and streamlining the working methods. Based on this, the findings of the study indicate thatthere is a clear connection between trust and organizational innovation and that the M&As arehaving negative effects on both.

Beyond the material consequences, violence can have a great psychological impact on the individual. Violence can cause institutional and interpersonal distrust, and in turn harm economic growth and political stability. As of today, there is more knowledge about the consequences of trust than its determinants, and longitudinal studies are scarce. This paper exploits survey data and disaggregated data on violence from Mexico, a country which since 2007 has experienced a rapid increase in violence. With the use of a Linear Fixed Effects Model, I analyse the impact of municipal level violence on trust in crime-related institutions and in other individuals. I find a significant relationship, robust across different model specifications, between exposure to battles and trust in the federal, state, and municipal police forces. This positive effect is also found for battles involving police forces. Furthermore, I find evidence of a negative relationship between riots and interpersonal trust.

Having a large amount of social and institutional trust is a goal for big democratic states like Sweden. Women have more confidence in the Swedish judiciary, but the trust can vary along different class variables such as gender, age, education level, income level, and political opinion. Using data from the European Social Survey, this paper is a quantitative study of those various class factors in connection to women's trust in the judiciary and the police. By analyzing the variables in both a bivariate standard linear regression and a multivariate regression analysis, this thesis's purpose is to see how the variables collaborate. The data were analyzed with Putnam and Rothstein's theory about social trust, institutional trust, and Bourdieu's class theory.  Results show that not all variables affect a woman's trust in the judiciary and police. Their income and education level have a strong significant correlation with a woman's trust in the judiciary. Only the income variable has a significant correlation with confidence for the police when all variables are used in the analysis. The other variables have little to no correlation with the dependent variables and are not significant.