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Coping with boycotts: An analysis and framework

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Saleh Al Shebil,
Abdul A Rasheed and
Hussam Al-Shammari
Saleh Al Shebil
Affiliation:
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Abdul A Rasheed
Affiliation:
Department of Management, College of Business, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
Hussam Al-Shammari
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
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Abstract

In recent years, consumer boycotts are increasingly being used by various activist groups to punish targeted countries. This paper develops an analytic framework to help managers formulate strategies to cope with country-of-origin-related consumer boycotts. Based on the two dimensions of brand–country association and boycott intensity, we propose four possible strategies. We discuss spillover effects wherein certain firms become unintended victims of boycotts due to misperceptions about their nationality. Also discussed are economic opportunities that boycotts present to potential new entrants.

Keywords

boycottsconsumer animosityspillover effects

Information

Type
Conceptual Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , May 2011, pp. 383 - 397
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2011

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