<p>  </p> <p>Interpersonal confrontations are a powerful prejudice reduction strategy. However, they often come with social costs, or negative interpersonal consequences, for the confronter (e.g., dislike; Czopp et al., 2006). Across three studies, the present research examines whether and how interpersonal trust reduces the social costs typically associated with confrontation. Study 1 showed that the more participants trusted their confronter, the less negative their evaluations of their partner. Negative other-directed affect mediated this effect. Study 2 provided causal evidence that trust buffered confrontation’s social costs: Participants who underwent a trust-building exercise with their confronter reported fewer social costs than participants who did not. Finally, Study 3 showed that the effect of trust on social costs extends to an ecologically valid context: Confrontees reported fewer social costs in dyads with greater pre-existing trust (i.e., friends) than dyads with less pre-existing trust (i.e., strangers). The effect of trust on social costs was again mediated by negative other-directed affect. Overall, the present research integrates the confrontation and close relationship literatures to provide theoretically-novel and practically-important insight on how to reduce confrontation-related social costs.</p>

Following changes in patterns of international migration, Swedish migration policy has witnessed a discursive shift from an attitude of multiculturalism to a focus on individual and civic integration. However problems of ethnic segregation and socio-economic exclusion of immigrants remain a serious challenge, especially in metropolitan areas. This research aims to shed light on how different configurations of social capital impact civic interactions and trust between young immigrants and Swedish residents, thus contributing towards, or hindering, a successful achievement of the goal of integration. Semi-structured interviews with students from an ethnically mixed school in Malmö were employed to gain primary data on social interactions between the two groups. In order to take into account other factors that can influence the youths' attitudes and action (such as the parents' social structure), the research also provides insights into three municipal projects aimed at increasing integration. The findings point towards the existence of distinct and separate social networks among the students, based on characteristics that can be attributes of social exclusion on the first place. Thus resulting in a perception of ‘difference’ regarding certain immigrant groups. On the other hand while all the three projects seem to result in positive outcomes of social structures by diffusion of information, at the same time it still seems that the most segregated do not benefit from them. These results provide the basis for a better understanding of potential ways of increasing trust and mutual understanding amongst the city residents.

Denna empiriska studie undersöker om det går att finna ett samband mellan förtroende och uppfattad transparens i e-handelsklimat. För att mäta förtroende tar studien hänsyn till Harrison McKnights förtroendekonstruktion för e-handel (Trusting beliefs) tillgänglig i hans studie (McKnight, Choudhury & Kacmar, 2002) För att mäta transparens har en transparenskonstruktion utformats (Perceived transparency). Begreppet transparens i studien har sitt ursprung i egen tolkning med tillhörande modell och konstruktion. I nuläget (Augusti,13) finns det få studier som behandlar transparens i e-handel. Beslutet att basera inriktningen på egna slutsatser har därför kännts nödvändigt. Studien anammar ett användarperspektiv då utgångspunkten i studien är att mäta hur en besökare uppfattar en e-butiks statiska presentation med fokus på transparens (lättillgänglighet, öppenhet, företagsidentitet och relevanta referenser). Metoden som tillämpas är kvantitativ och empirisk. Resultatet ger en indikation på att det kvantitativt går att mäta uppfattad transparens samt att det finns en korrelation mellan McKnights förtroendekonstruktion (Trusting beliefs) och studiens transparenskonstruktion (Perceiv- ed transparency) / This empirical study investigates whether it is possible to discern a relationship between trust and perceived transparency in the E-commerce environment. In order to measure trust, the study implements Harrison McKnight's trust-construct (Trusting beliefs) found in his research (McKnight, Choudhury & Kacmar, 2002). To measure perceived transparency, a transparency-construct has been formed. The concept of transparency in the shape it is mentioned in the study is originated in an own interpretation with associated model and construct. Today (August 2013) few studies within transparency has been published and yet none particularly in the e-commerce environment. The decision to base the study on own conclusions therefore felt necessary and also justified. The study adopts a user-perspective though the idea is to examine if it is possible to quantitatively measure how a visitor perceives an e-commerce site's static presentation with focus on transparency (accessibility, openness, company image and relevant references) The method used to answer the two hypotheses is quantitative and empirical. The result gives an indication that it is possible to measure the perceived transparency, and also shows that there exists a correlation between McKnight's trust-construct (Trusting beliefs) and the study's formed transparency-construct (Perceived trans- parency)

Citizens trust in the police is important because it allows the police to maintain law and order, which is of great importance for the function of any society. Previous studies have found a correlation between quality of government and citizens level of trust in police. The aim of this study is to explore the importance of quality of government as an explanatory factor for trust in police and to compare it to other explanatory factors that have been shown to be of importance such as social trust, economic inequality and GDP per capita. It also compares individual factors in countries with low- as well as high levels of quality of government. This cross-country study uses publicly available data from both ESS round 9 and data from the Quality of government institute. The main findings show that social trust has a higher explanatory value than quality of government and the correlations between individual factors differ slightly in countries with high- and low quality of government.

<p>Certain factors associated with online video communication have negative effects on the quality of an interaction. One’s propensity to trust others or reciprocate trust with others online may be influenced by these factors of video-mediated communication. I investigated the effects of two such factors on pro-social behaviours in two separate experiments. In the first experiment I assessed levels of reciprocation in the presence of absence of a web-camera, to see if the presence of a camera was a sufficient enough cue of observation to induce trustworthy behaviours. In the second experiment I tested the effect eye gaze had on trusting and trustworthy behaviours. Results from the current research suggest that direct eye gaze is an important factor in deciding whom to trust and with whom to reciprocate trust. The current research introduces methodological changes that help to combat high levels of variability in participant responses. Future directions for research on eye gaze and other factors of video-mediated communication are discussed.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Societal risks to disasters are continually increasing and the scope of policy issues surrounding emergency management in the United States remains inundated with a number of challenges. Examining the connection between social capital and political trust is paramount as prior studies have documented that if communal networks are disrupted, there will be a lasting negative impact upon the community. As such, there are specific events that cause added strain which make certain time periods for examining levels of resiliency relevant. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred on April 20, 2010, represents a large-scale, technological disaster. Not only was there a loss of human life, but a number of social and political impacts also exist with the oil having spewed out into the water. For instance, residents living along the Northern Gulf Coast do represent a heterogeneous population, which span across several geographical boundaries and represent a diverse range of cultures. Further, the economic interests of impacted residents were also likely torn between the oil and gas industry and the fishing and seafood industry, given that many individuals may have been concurrently employed full-time as oil rig workers and supplemented their financial income and/or quality of life as commercial fishermen. The goal of this research is to investigate how social capital and political trust significantly affect communal resiliency among those impacted by the oil spill. Results from this study will extend the limited understanding on the role of disaster responsibility in emergency management. Findings reveal that group belonging as related to race, education, and income significantly impact quality of life and trust in government which, in turn, influences the perception of disaster responsibility. Specifically, when trust goes down, a higher percentage of respondents indicate that the victims themselves should assume the majority of responsibility for taking care of themselves and their families following a disaster. Perhaps, individuals who are the least trusting or most cynical of the federal government feel that victims are better off taking care of themselves and their families in the aftermath of disaster given the storied history of disaster response.

Interpersonal trust is dynamic and can be easily changed. Understanding why and how changes in interpersonal trust occur is important because trust affects a wide range of organizational outcomes. Because employees’ attitudes and behaviors in the workplace are apt to change in response to notable events, this dissertation examines what, why, and how events cause changes in trust. More specifically, I first define negative [positive] trust-related events as events that either negatively [positively] disconfirm trustors’ prior expectation or events that confirm trustors’ prior negative [positive] expectation towards trustees, and argue that negative [positive] trust-related events can lead to decreases [increases] in trust. Moreover, building on dual-system theory (Morgeson, Mitchell, & Liu, 2015), affect infusion theory (Forgas, 1994, 1995), and the integrative model of trust (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995), I propose that trust-related events trigger changes in trust through both changes in emotional reactions and cognitive assessments of trustees’ trustworthiness. Next, drawing from Monge’s (1990) typology of dynamic processes and event-system theory, I focus on two specific components of changes (i.e., magnitude and permanence) and propose that the effects of events on each component are contingent on the characteristics of the events (e.g., criticality, proximity, and timing). I examine all hypotheses using a trust game-based experimental study (Study 1) and a five-wave longitudinal field study (Study 2). The results of Study 1 suggest that positive trust-related events trigger increases in trust, while negative trust-related events trigger decreases in trust. Both effects are mediated through changes in emotions and trustworthiness evaluations. Further, event confirmation affects the magnitude of changes in trust transmitted through changes in trustworthiness evaluations. Specifically, changes in trust are larger when the events are considered as more disconfirming, unexpected, or surprising. Study 2 partially replicates the findings of Study 1 regarding the effects of positive events, such that trust increases in response to positive events through increases in trustworthiness evaluations. However, Study 2 fails to find support for the impact of negative events, nor the moderating roles of event confirmation or event criticality on the magnitude of change. Study 2 also extends to examine the permanence of changes in trust after trust-related events. The results suggest that the positive influence diminishes over the observed three weeks, and the trends are similar regardless of event criticality, proximity, or timing. This dissertation provides important implications to managers and organizations on how to prevent potential decreases in trust and how to enhance trust. Limitations and future directions are also discussed. / Business Administration/Human Resource Management

In a business to business context, the adoption of a disruptive technology can introduce great risks and benefits for all involved parties. In order to investigate the issues surrounding disruptive technology adoption, this dissertation analyzes the roles of buyers, suppliers, and employees within the adoption process. First, it is found that interorganizational trust has a positive impact on the likelihood of disruptive technology adoption, thus benefitting incumbent suppliers. Second, pre-existing interorganizational trust is shown to lead to lower quality adoption decisions from the buyers' perspective. Finally, employees are found to be less likely to accept disruptive technologies, as compared to incremental technologies. The influence of buyer, supplier, and employee relationships are complex and are explored in further detail in the following studies. / Business Administration/Marketing

Environmental policy debates are gaining momentum in the public square from scholars and citizens alike. From all sides of the debate, a growing consensus is emerging that advocates a shift in the environmental regulatory system in the United States from one that emphasizes command and control regulations to one that advocates collaboration between the regulator and regulatee. Although this dialogue is expanding, the research literature largely remains silent on a critical component of the environmental regulatory system — the individuals on the front-lines. Most notably, these front-line workers are environmental compliance inspectors and the individuals that inspectors deal with at regulated facilities. Inspectors and facility personnel are largely responsible for the implementation of environmental regulation in the U.S., yet they are overlooked in the discussion of regulation, past and present. These key actors are of tremendous significance and must be considered in discussions of environmental policy. In particular, the interactions of these two important groups of actors merit exploration. This research examines the interactions of inspectors and facility personnel in Virginia and investigates contentions that the relationships in the environmental regulatory system lack trust. One-on-one interviews were conducted with nearly four dozen inspectors and facility personnel in Virginia to seek answers to the question: How does trust factor into the relationships between environmental compliance inspectors and facility personnel in Virginia? In contrast to presumptions in the literature, this study finds evidence of positive relationships between these two seeming adversaries and asserts that trust is present in these interactions. Accordingly, there are potentially significant implications of these findings for future environmental policy. These implications include the realization that the relationships are positive, that there may indeed be differences between relationships at the state versus federal level and the experiences at one level dominate prevailing perceptions, and that traditional assumptions of command and control regulations may not be as valid as previously thought. / Ph. D.

The goal of this research was to create a decentralized trust-based access control (TBAC) system for a dynamic collaborative environment (DCE). By building a privilege management infrastructure (PMI) based on trust, user access was determined using behavior grading without the need for pre-configured, centrally managed role hierarchies or permission sets. The PMI provided TBAC suitable for deployment in a rapidly assembled, highly fluid, collaborative environment. DCEs were assembled and changed membership as required to achieve the goals of the group. A feature of these environments was that there was no way of knowing who would join the group, no way of refusing anyone entry into group, and no way of determining how long members would remain in the group. DCEs were formed quickly to enable participants to share information while, at the same time, allowing them to retain control over the resources that they brought with them to the coalition. This research progressed the state of the art in the fields of access control and trust management. The Trust Management System developed through this research effectively implemented a decentralized access control scheme. Each resource owner independently evaluated the reputation and risk of network members to make access decisions. Because the PMI system used past behavior as an indication of future performance, no a priori user or resource configuration was required. / Ph. D.