Talk about the value of customer trust in a company. Cite instances of brands or businesses you trust and those you don't based on the firms you patronize. Describe what makes you feel trustworthy or suspicious. What transpires when customer confidence is eroded, and how can a business effectively recover from that loss?

You are a new member of the marketing organization for a 10-year-old, rapidly growingretailer with $2.7 billion in annual sales and 85 stores located in half a dozen southern states.You were hired away from Macy’s with a nice salary increase and were promised an oppor-tunity to influence the e-commerce plans of your new employer. The retailer has been a some-what reluctant participant in B2C e-commerce with its own Web site since 2006.“Everybodyelse is doing it so I guess we should too”has been the firm’s attitude. Results have been dis-appointing, with the little additional sales generated barely offsetting the cost to outsource theWeb hosting of the site. The Web site is currently viewed as another link in the company’smultichannel marketing approach. You are convinced that e-commerce could play a muchbigger role in your firm’s future and have asked for a few minutes with the VP of Marketing topresent your ideas. What would you say?

What is the "free rider" problem and how does it relate to interest group membership? According to sponsorship theory, how might interest groups try to overcome this problem?