Department of Marketing

Home Country Bias in the Moral Obligation to Boycott Offshoring Companies

This paper examines the motivations of consumers who boycott companies that announce offshore factory relocations. Study 1 confirms that negative empathic emotions, perceived efficacy, and attribution of responsibility explain how strongly consumers feel morally obligated to boycott. Moral obligation is a mediator that raises boycott intention. In Study 2, a 2 (attribution) x 2 (origin) factorial experiment demonstrates that internal attribution evokes moral obligation only if the target is foreign. Managers should be aware that consumers consider what managers are doing (relocating factories), why they are doing it (attribution of responsibility), and who is doing it (member of national in-group/out-group).

Hoffmann, S. (2013). Home Country Bias in the Moral Obligation to Boycott Offshoring Companies, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 21 (4), 371-388.