Exploring consumer boycott intelligence using a socio-cognitive approach

By Maya F. Farah, Andrew Newman. 2010

211 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Despite a worldwide growth in the number of boycott campaigns, the results of studies are inconclusive as the motives behind individual participation are still largely ignored. Drawing on a socio-cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, this research investigates whether the direct variables of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, help predict consumers' boycott intention. Conducted in Lebanon, this work employs a survey design administered to a randomized systematic sample of 500 Muslim and Christian consumers. The sample is split into two sub-samples reflecting the main religious groups in the Middle-East. Results show that although the Muslim participants appear more prone to participate in the boycott, still attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are all significant predictors of intentions in both communities with the attitudinal component carrying the most weight. This application of a social psychology theory to the consumers' passive resistance to purchasing yielded significant contributions at the theoretical, empirical, and managerial levels.

Subfields: Marketing, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e9afc2adc71403d64dc85d776ec5efa3adb554eb

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

1. Denise Pricl
2. Jörg Lindenmeier
3. Christoph Schleer

Citations in the corpus

• Consumer outrage: Emotional reactions to unethical corporate behavior ☆ (2012, background): “Additionally, empirical research on consumer boycotts neglects negative emotions as a catalyst of group action (e.g., Farah & Newman, 2010).”