Trust is one factor that has been strongly suggested
as having an important role in facilitating
closer buyer-supplier relationships by reducing the
tendency of firms to take advantage of each other.5
It is beyond the scope of this research to provide a
comprehensive review of the meaning of trust.6 For
the purposes of this research, trust in the buyersupplier
context is the belief that an actor: (1) can
be relied upon to fulfill obligations,7 (2) will
behave in a predictable manner, and (3) will act and
negotiate fairly when the possibility of exploitation
exists.8