Identity bias in negative word of mouth following irresponsible corporate behavior

dc.contributor.authorAntonetti, Paolo
dc.contributor.authorMaklan, Stan
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-16T16:43:43Z
dc.date.available2019-12-16T16:43:43Z
dc.date.issued2016-03-09
dc.description.abstractCurrent research has documented how cases of irresponsible corporate behavior generate negative reactions from consumers and other stakeholders. Existing research, however, has not examined empirically whether the characteristics of the victims of corporate malfeasance contribute to shaping individual reactions. This study examines, through four experimental surveys, the role played by the national identity of the people affected on consumers’ intentions to spread negative word of mouth (WOM). It is shown that national identity influences individual reactions indirectly; mediated by perceived similarity and sympathy. Consumers perceive foreign victims as different from the self and this reduces the sympathy experienced towards them. Sympathy is an emotion that shapes consumer reactions and regulates WOM. The study identifies two moderating processes of this effect. Individuals who score high on collective narcissism are most likely to be strongly biased against foreign victims. In-group bias is also moderated by the perceived severity of the crisis. When a case is perceived as very serious, perceived similarity plays a less important role in generating sympathy because consumers focus on the perceived suffering of the victims. Hence, in-group bias is stronger in cases perceived as having minor consequences. The paper contributes to the literature on corporate social irresponsibility and offers implications for both scholars and managers.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationAntonetti P, Maklan S. Identity bias in negative word of mouth following irresponsible corporate behavior. Volume 149, Issue 4, June 2018, pp. 1005–1023en_UK
dc.identifier.cris4512796
dc.identifier.issn0167-4544
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3095-9
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/14848
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherSpringeren_UK
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/*
dc.subjectIn-group biasen_UK
dc.subjectNational identityen_UK
dc.subjectSympathyen_UK
dc.subjectNegative word of mouthen_UK
dc.subjectCorporate social responsibilityen_UK
dc.subjectCorporate social irresponsibilityen_UK
dc.titleIdentity bias in negative word of mouth following irresponsible corporate behavioren_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
negative_word_of_mouth-2016.pdf
Size:
4.01 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.63 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: