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Organizational Trustworthiness: An International Perspective

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Abstract

Although trust has been widely recognized as a vital component ofrelationships and a critical element to the success of organizations,the literature describing trust and trustworthiness is known for itsvarying perspectives and its inconsistencies. Trustworthiness has beenidentified as a condition precedent to the development of trust.Building upon the established constructs of interpersonaltrustworthiness, we propose a related model containing the sevenconstructs of Competence, Legal Compliance, Responsibility to Inform,Quality Assurance, Procedural Fairness, Interactional Cour-tesy, andFinancial Balance. Citing evidence from trust-related literature, weidentify the utility of these seven constructs in encompassingorganizational trustworthiness as a subjectively perceived aspect oforganizational effectiveness. We analyzed questionnaire data andconducted comparative world-region analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, School of Business Administration, University of Houston, Victoria, 77901, U.S.A.

    Cam Caldwell

  2. Department of Management and International Business, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, 50311-4505, U.S.A.

    Stephen E. Clapham

Authors
  1. Cam Caldwell
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  2. Stephen E. Clapham
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Caldwell, C., Clapham, S.E. Organizational Trustworthiness: An International Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics 47, 349–364 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027370104302

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