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Withholding Consumption: A Social Dilemma Perspective on Consumer Boycotts

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  • Sen, Sankar
  • Gurhan-Canli, Zeynep
  • Morwitz, Vicki
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    Abstract

    This article draws on social dilemma theory and reference group theory to understand the individual boycott decision and tests the predictions stemming from this conceptualization in two experiments. Consistent with our predictions, consumers' likelihood of participating in both economic and social-issue boycotts is jointly determined by their perceptions of the boycott's likelihood of success, their susceptibility to normative social influences, and the costs they incur in boycotting. Consumers' success perceptions are, in turn, determined by their expectations of overall participation and efficacy, as well as the message frame inherent in proboycott communications. Two key determinants of consumers' boycotting costs are their preference for the boycotted product and their access to its substitutes. More specifically, consumers who are more susceptible to the normative influence exerted by the reference group of potential boycotters are more influenced by expected overall participation rates in their boycott likelihood. Copyright 2001 by the University of Chicago.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Article provided by University of Chicago Press in its journal Journal of Consumer Research.

    Volume (Year): 28 (2001)
    Issue (Month): 3 (December)
    Pages: 399-417

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    Handle: RePEc:ucp:jconrs:v:28:y:2001:i:3:p:399-417

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    Web page: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JCR/

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    Cited by:
    1. Sonia Capelli & Legrand Pascal & William Sabadie, 2011. "Communication de crise : Le cas d'un appel au boycott," Post-Print halshs-00620097, HAL.
    2. Farah, Maya F. & Newman, Andrew J., 2010. "Exploring consumer boycott intelligence using a socio-cognitive approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 347-355, April.
    3. Braunsberger, Karin & Buckler, Brian, 2011. "What motivates consumers to participate in boycotts: Lessons from the ongoing Canadian seafood boycott," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 96-102, January.
    4. Carmen Valor, 2008. "Can Consumers Buy Responsibly? Analysis and Solutions for Market Failures," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 315-326, September.
    5. Malcolm Smith & Qianpin Li, 2010. "The boycott model of foreign product purchase: an empirical test in China," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 18(2), pages 106-130, July.
    6. SandIkcI, Özlem & Ekici, Ahmet, 2009. "Politically motivated brand rejection," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 208-217, February.
    7. C. Bhattacharya & Daniel Korschun & Sankar Sen, 2009. "Strengthening Stakeholder–Company Relationships Through Mutually Beneficial Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(2), pages 257-272, April.
    8. Andrew Grodner & Thomas Kniesner, 2005. "Labor Supply with Social Interactions: Econometric Estimates and Their Tax Policy Implications," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 69, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    9. Starr, Martha A., 2009. "The social economics of ethical consumption: Theoretical considerations and empirical evidence," The Journal of Socio-Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 916-925, December.
    10. Kleijnen, Mirella & Lee, Nick & Wetzels, Martin, 2009. "An exploration of consumer resistance to innovation and its antecedents," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 344-357, June.
    11. Yuksel, Ulku & Mryteza, Victoria, 2009. "An evaluation of strategic responses to consumer boycotts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 248-259, February.
    12. Gould, Stephen J. & Kramer, Thomas, 2009. ""What's it Worth to Me?" Three interpretive studies of the relative roles of task-oriented and reflexive processes in separate versus joint value construction," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 840-858, December.
    13. Hoffmann, Stefan & Müller, Stefan, 2009. "Consumer boycotts due to factory relocation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 239-247, February.
    14. Iyer, Rajesh & Muncy, James A., 2009. "Purpose and object of anti-consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 160-168, February.

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