Trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide empirically derived insights into trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context of a household service.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology comprises an innovative mixed methods design encompassing a videographic animated film portraying a potential “slice of life” household service-system scenario that was subsequently incorporated into a quantitative survey. A total of 400 responses were then used to examine trust dimensions and their hypothesised predictors.

Findings

Findings suggest trust is two-dimensional, with “online networking competency”, “perceptions of risk”, “propensity to trust technology in general” and “concerns about security” being significant predictors. Surprisingly, “concerns about privacy” do not have a significant effect.

Originality/value

The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, from a theoretical perspective, the paper offers empirical insights into trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context of a household service. Secondly, and from a pragmatic perspective, the model derived from this study may aid practitioners in developing trust strategies and trust management systems within such contexts.

Citation

Garry, T. and Harwood, T. (2019), "Trust and its predictors within a cyber-physical system context", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 407-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2018-0007