Cross-cultural differences in the development of trust in relational service exchange - an empirical analysis of the moderating role of uncertainly avoidance

Customer trust is of high importance for customer relationship management in services. While service providers increasingly provide their services globally, little is known about cross-cultural differences in the way customers develop trust in their service providers. The present paper fills this void by providing a research model that builds on the idea that cross-cultural differences in the development of trust can be explained by moderating effects of uncertainty avoidance. This view is supported by results of an empirical analysis conducted in the banking context in six countries. Managerial implications are derived and directions for further research are proposed.