IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v136y2021icp110-126.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘To Trust or Not’: Impact of camouflage strategies on trust in the sharing economy

Author

Listed:
  • Venkateswaran, Viswanathan
  • S Kumar, Deepak
  • Gupta, Deepak

Abstract

Sharing economy businesses consider trust as core to their success. However, numerous reports indicate that these organizations are susceptible to malpractices and may adopt alternate deviant strategies such as camouflage. Based on the theoretical perspectives of interpersonal deception theory, stakeholder principle, and transparency theory, this study proposes and validates 'neutralize’ as a new type of camouflage strategy. We compare neutralize strategy with concealment, an adjacent camouflage strategy type, and study their respective impacts on organizational trustworthiness and trust. Our findings indicate that neutralize strategy offers a significant short-term upside potential along with a lower downside when detected. This result contrasts with concealment strategy, which brings no appreciable gain but carries significant downside risk if detected. From a trust perspective, this makes neutralize a dominant strategic choice for organizations. This research makes salient contributions by integrating three distinct literature streams related to organization response strategies, trust dynamics, and the sharing economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Venkateswaran, Viswanathan & S Kumar, Deepak & Gupta, Deepak, 2021. "‘To Trust or Not’: Impact of camouflage strategies on trust in the sharing economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 110-126.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:136:y:2021:i:c:p:110-126
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296321005087
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bart S. Vanneste & Phanish Puranam & Tobias Kretschmer, 2014. "Trust over time in exchange relationships: Meta-analysis and theory," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(12), pages 1891-1902, December.
    2. Ert, Eyal & Fleischer, Aliza & Magen, Nathan, 2016. "Trust and reputation in the sharing economy: The role of personal photos in Airbnb," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 62-73.
    3. Martin, Chris J., 2016. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of neoliberal capitalism?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 149-159.
    4. Michelle Greenwood & Harry Buren III, 2010. "Trust and Stakeholder Theory: Trustworthiness in the Organisation–Stakeholder Relationship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 425-438, September.
    5. Kingston, Christopher & Caballero, Gonzalo, 2009. "Comparing theories of institutional change," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 151-180, August.
    6. Davidson, Alexander & Habibi, Mohammad Reza & Laroche, Michel, 2018. "Materialism and the sharing economy: A cross-cultural study of American and Indian consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 364-372.
    7. Jo Crotty & Diane Holt, 2021. "Towards a typology of strategic corporate social responsibility through camouflage and courtship analogies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 980-991, May.
    8. ., 2021. "Regulating online video content: models and issues," Chapters, in: The Content, Impact, and Regulation of Streaming Video, chapter 7, pages 197-272, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Murillo, David & Buckland, Heloise & Val, Esther, 2017. "When the sharing economy becomes neoliberalism on steroids: Unravelling the controversies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 66-76.
    10. Barnes, Stuart J. & Mattsson, Jan, 2016. "Understanding current and future issues in collaborative consumption: A four-stage Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 200-211.
    11. Juan P Mendoza & Jacco L Wielhouwer, 2015. "Only the Carrot, Not the Stick: Incorporating Trust into the Enforcement of Regulation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-18, February.
    12. Belk, Russell, 2014. "You are what you can access: Sharing and collaborative consumption online," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1595-1600.
    13. Srikant, Chethan D., 2019. "Impression management strategies to gain regulatory approval," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 136-153.
    14. Wei-Chun Chou & Zengli Guo & Hao Guo & Liang Chen & Ge Zhang & Kaixin Liang & Ling Xie & Xianming Tan & Sara A. Gibson & Elena Rampanelli & Yan Wang & Stephanie A. Montgomery & W. June Brickey & Meng , 2021. "AIM2 in regulatory T cells restrains autoimmune diseases," Nature, Nature, vol. 591(7849), pages 300-305, March.
    15. Akhmedova, Anna & Marimon, Frederic & Mas-Machuca, Marta, 2020. "Winning strategies for customer loyalty in the sharing economy: A mixed-methods study," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 33-44.
    16. Sundararajan, Arun, 2016. "The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262034573, December.
    17. Clemens, Bruce W. & Douglas, Thomas J., 2005. "Understanding strategic responses to institutional pressures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1205-1213, September.
    18. Levinthal, D.A. & Fichman, M., 1991. "Honeymoons and the Liability of Adolescence : A New Perspective on Duration Dependence in Social Organizational Relationships," GSIA Working Papers 1991-34, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business.
    19. Lei Chen & Hui Li & Frank Hong Liu & Yue Zhou, 2021. "Bank regulation and systemic risk: cross country evidence," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 353-387, July.
    20. Kougiannou, Nadia K. & O'Meara Wallis, Matthew, 2020. "‘Chimneys don't belch out carnations!’ The (in)tolerance of corporate hypocrisy: A case study of trust and community engagement strategies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 348-362.
    21. Rajiv Krishnan Kozhikode, 2016. "Dormancy as a Strategic Response to Detrimental Public Policy," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(1), pages 189-206, February.
    22. Higgins, Colin & Tang, Samuel & Stubbs, Wendy, 2020. "On managing hypocrisy: The transparency of sustainability reports," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 395-407.
    23. Song Keng Law, 2021. "Regulation and Development of the General Insurance Industry," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Monetary Authority of Singapore (ed.), RESILIENCE DYNAMISM TRUST 50 Landmark Statements by MAS Leaders, chapter 17, pages 175-182, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alamoudi, Hawazen & Shaikh, Aijaz A. & Alharthi, Majed & Dash, Ganesh, 2023. "With great power comes great responsibilities – Examining platform-based mechanisms and institutional trust in rideshare services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Akbari, Morteza & Foroudi, Pantea & Khodayari, Maryam & Zaman Fashami, Rahime & Shahabaldini parizi, Zahra & Shahriari, Elmira, 2022. "Sharing Your Assets: A Holistic Review of Sharing Economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 604-625.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Akbari, Morteza & Foroudi, Pantea & Khodayari, Maryam & Zaman Fashami, Rahime & Shahabaldini parizi, Zahra & Shahriari, Elmira, 2022. "Sharing Your Assets: A Holistic Review of Sharing Economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 604-625.
    2. Francesco Pasimeni, 2020. "The Origin of the Sharing Economy Meets the Legacy of Fractional Ownership," SPRU Working Paper Series 2020-19, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    3. Murillo, David & Buckland, Heloise & Val, Esther, 2017. "When the sharing economy becomes neoliberalism on steroids: Unravelling the controversies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 66-76.
    4. Steven Kane Curtis & Matthias Lehner, 2019. "Defining the Sharing Economy for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-25, January.
    5. Wei, Xiaoyong & Lo, Chris.K.Y. & Jung, Sojin & Choi, Tsan-Ming, 2021. "From co-consumption to co-production: A systematic review and research synthesis of collaborative consumption practices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 282-294.
    6. Andreas Reuschl & Victor Tiberius & Matthias Filser & Yixin Qiu, 2022. "Value configurations in sharing economy business models," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 89-112, January.
    7. Meisam Ranjbari & Gustavo Morales-Alonso & Ruth Carrasco-Gallego, 2018. "Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    8. Hossain, Mokter & Mozahem, Najib Ali, 2022. "Drivers’ perceptions of the sharing economy for transport services," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    9. Karl Taeuscher, 2019. "Uncertainty kills the long tail: demand concentration in peer-to-peer marketplaces," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 29(4), pages 649-660, December.
    10. Thomas Clauss & Peter Harengel & Marianne Hock, 2019. "The perception of value of platform-based business models in the sharing economy: determining the drivers of user loyalty," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 605-634, June.
    11. Rojanakit, Patcharapar & Torres de Oliveira, Rui & Dulleck, Uwe, 2022. "The sharing economy: A critical review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1317-1334.
    12. Florian Hawlitschek & Nicole Stofberg & Timm Teubner & Patrick Tu & Christof Weinhardt, 2018. "How Corporate Sharewashing Practices Undermine Consumer Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.
    13. Gugerell, Katharina & Penker, Marianne & Kieninger, Pia, 2019. "What are participants of cow sharing arrangements actually sharing? A property rights analysis on cow sharing arrangements in the European Alps," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    14. Sirkeci Kübra & Arıkan Esra, 2021. "The Infinite Wardrobe: Female Consumers’ Value Perceptions Regarding Collaborative Consumption of Apparel," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 16(2), pages 150-170, December.
    15. Yuya Mitake & Atsuto Nagayama & Yusuke Tsutsui & Yoshiki Shimomura, 2022. "Exploring Motivations and Barriers to Participate in Skill-Sharing Service: Insights from Case Study in Western Part of Tokyo," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-21, April.
    16. Anne Bäro & Felix Toepler & Timo Meynhardt & Vivek K. Velamuri, 2022. "Participating in the sharing economy: The role of individual characteristics," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(8), pages 3715-3735, December.
    17. Wilhelms, Mark-Philipp & Henkel, Sven & Falk, Tomas, 2017. "To earn is not enough: A means-end analysis to uncover peer-providers' participation motives in peer-to-peer carsharing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 38-47.
    18. Asad Mohsin & Jorge Lengler, 2021. "Airbnb Hospitality: Exploring Users and Non-Users’ Perceptions and Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-20, September.
    19. Patrizia Gazzola & Elena‐Mădălina Vătămănescu & Andreia Gabriela Andrei & Chiara Marrapodi, 2019. "Users' motivations to participate in the sharing economy: Moving from profits toward sustainable development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 741-751, July.
    20. Lim, Weng Marc, 2020. "The sharing economy: A marketing perspective," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 4-13.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:136:y:2021:i:c:p:110-126. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.