Abstract
Despite allocating significant institutional resources to establishing consumer trust, organizations often unintentionally fail to ensure that the social contract between the organization and its customers is upheld and that trust is the center of every transaction. This paper seeks to answer the questions of what role, if any, do organizations play in improving consumer competence and trust, and what substantive role can human resource development professionals play in that effort? Five consumer learning strategies using adult learning principles are set forth along with a decision-making framework that can support an organizational change in the power relationship between vulnerable consumers and organizations. The proposed decision-making framework is intended to serve as a starting point for human resource development professionals and organizations as they examine their strategies to determine how they may be changed to meet the needs of less powerful consumers and build trust.
Recommended Citation
Malik, Rubina F.; Gupte, Gouri; Edmondson, Brandy; and Edmondson, Vickie Cox
(2017)
"Building Consumer Competence and Trust: HRD Professionals as Champions of Change,"
Journal of the North American Management Society: Vol. 11:
No.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/jnams/vol11/iss1/2