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- Title
Lying and Cheating the Company: The Positive and Negative Effects of Corporate Activism on Unethical Consumer Behavior.
- Authors
Kang, In-Hye; Kirmani, Amna
- Abstract
Companies are increasingly engaging in corporate activism, defined as taking a public stance on controversial sociopolitical issues. Whereas prior research focuses on consumers' brand perceptions, attitudes, and purchase behavior, we identify a novel consumer response to activism, unethical consumer behavior. Unethical behavior, such as lying or cheating a company, is prevalent and costly. Across five studies, we show that the effect of corporate activism on unethical behavior is moderated by consumers' political ideology and mediated by desire for punishment. When the company's activism stand is [incongruent/congruent] with the consumer's political ideology, consumers experience [increased/decreased] desire to punish the company, thereby [increasing/decreasing] unethical behavior toward the company. More importantly, we identify two moderators of this process. The effect is attenuated when the company's current stance is inconsistent with its political reputation and when the immorality of the unethical behavior is high.
- Subjects
BUSINESS &; politics; CONSUMER behavior; CONSUMER ethics; CONSUMER attitudes; IDEOLOGY; ACTIVISM; CUSTOMER experience
- Publication
Journal of Business Ethics, 2024, Vol 192, Issue 1, p39
- ISSN
0167-4544
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10551-023-05547-1