Title: Does national culture impact consumer boycott prevalence? A multi-country study

Authors: Stefan Hoffmann

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, Kiel University, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany

Abstract: In many countries, the number of consumers who participate in boycotts has been increasing during the last decades. Boycotts can have a significant negative impact on firms because they impair sales figures, corporate reputation and stock prices. In this study, we theorise and empirically confirm that national culture determines the likelihood of consumer boycotts. Thus, our paper helps guide firms to international markets where there is less risk of boycott activity. Our analysis reveals that many cultural dimensions strongly co-vary with boycott prevalence. In particular, the risk of consumer boycotts rises with the practical scores of in-group collectivism. The paper outlines avenues for further research and provides multinational companies with guidelines to help predict boycott prevalence in the targeted markets.

Keywords: consumer boycotts; boycott prevalence; GLOBE; World Values Survey; market entry; national culture; cultural dimensions; multinational corporations; MNCs.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2014.059580

European Journal of International Management, 2014 Vol.8 No.2, pp.141 - 159

Published online: 14 Oct 2014 *

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