Nevertheless, the findings of the current investigation
must be evaluated, taking into account the
potential limitations of the research design. This
study employed a cross-sectional, single-source survey method, which raises concern over the
effects of common method variance. To curtail this
potential problem, the scales in the actual survey
were ordered so that the dependent variable of
interest (trust) did not precede the independent
variables (Podsakoff & Organ, 1986). It should also
be noted that some non-significant relations were
also observed in the analysis. Therefore it appears
that common method variance is not a likely
explanation for the results obtained. A related
limitation is that it is not possible to infer causality,
owing to the cross-sectional nature of the data.
Future research that utilises longitudinal designs
with appropriate time lags would be greatly contributory.