Search

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify, in the context of virtual social networks (VSNs), other types of boycott which have not yet been addressed in the literature. We relate the boycott(s) emerged on the VSNs with those found in the literature (economic, religious, of minorities, ecological and labor boycott), and verify the motivation that must be unique to such context. Design/methodology/approach – Grounded theory was used in triangulation with netnography (interacting with 183 customers), non-participant observation (68 postings/47 complaints, from 2009 to 2012) and in-depth interview (15 consumers). Findings – A new classification of boycott was proposed, which emerged on the basis of company service quality, named “relational boycott”, which can generate additional acts of repudiation, such as interaction, unity of the group and encouragement of third parties. Research limitations/implications – The model of relational boycott proposed was not empirically tested, but insights for future test are provided. Practical implications – A model of how the relational boycott is structured is provided, being a deliberate, primary act of the consumer resulting from the management problems of a company generating backlash actions. Social implications – Since boycott represents a mechanism of protesting, it is a way that consumers pressure companies to provide better services and products, which may improve consumer’s wellbeing in the long range. Originality/value – A new type of boycott emerges in the research, named relational boycott, structured in a model that can be tested empirically.

Esta tese apresenta uma temática que ainda tem sido pouco abordada nos estudos de comportamento do consumidor: o boicote. O boicote é analisado neste estudo como o ato do consumidor deixar de comprar de uma empresa em resposta a um contexto que se choca com os seus valores ou expectativas. Assim, o trabalho está dividido em dois estudos. O Estudo 1 analisou o ambiente das redes sociais virtuais para verificar se este lócus se apresentava como oportuno para o entendimento do comportamento dos consumidores em relação ao boicote. Por meio da Netnografia, a Observação Não-Participante e a Entrevista em Profundidade na coleta de dados, verificou-se que além do ambiente virtual apresentar informações relevantes sobre o boicote do consumidor, um tipo de boicote não discutido na literatura foi encontrado a partir da verificação empírica: o boicote relacional – um ato de repúdio do consumidor que emerge de um relacionamento frustrado ou da tentativa de um relacionamento de um cliente com uma empresa. Assim, o Estudo 1 apresenta uma contribuição à taxonomia de boicote do consumidor na literatura. O Estudo 2 utiliza o método experimental de desenho (fatorial 2x2x2), com uma amostra de 240 respondentes, para analisar o impacto de três variáveis (Responsabilidade Social Corporativa - RSC, Gênero e Tipo de Bem) nas variáveis Percepção de Eficácia do Boicote (EB) do estudo de Klein, Smith e John (2004) e Intenção de Boicotar (IB). PEB é percepção sobre a reflexão do consumidor sobre em relação ao boicote como uma estratégia individual para que uma empresa mude suas ações, decisões e estratégias de atuação e IB é a intenção final do consumidor em relação ao boicote. São apresentadas seis hipóteses e os resultados apontam que Responsabilidade Social Corporativa impacta tanto na Percepção de Eficácia do Boicote (PEB) quanto na Intenção em Boicotar (IB); que Gênero não é estatisticamente significante em PEB e IB; e que Tipo de Bem impacta IB, mas não impacta PEB. Esta tese apresenta, para os dois estudos, insights para a área de comportamento do consumidor e lacunas a serem analisadas por outros pesquisadores que se interessem pela temática. This thesis introduces an issue which has not been very much explored in the area of consumers’ behavior: the boycott. The boycott has been analyzed in this research, as consumer leaving his behavior of buying in a company in reply to a context that not fits in his values or expectations. Thus, the investigation is divided into two researches. The first one analyzed the social networking environment in order to check whether this virtual world was appropriate for the understanding of the consumers’ behavior in relation to boycott. By the use of Netnography, the Non-Participating Observation and the Depth Interview in data collection, it has been seen that, besides the virtual environment contain relevant information about consumers’ boycott, another type of boycott, not discussed in the literature, was found following an empirical verification perspective: the relational boycott – an act of consumers’ repudiation emerges from a frustrated relationship or relationship attempt with a company. Study 1 therefore presents the contribution to the consumers’ boycott taxonomy in the literature. The second study makes use of factorial experiment (2x2x2) and the sample was 240 respondents to analyze the impact of three independent variables can be analyzed (Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR, Gender and Types of Goods – the normal or luxury ones) within the dependable variables Boycott Effectiveness (KLEIN; SMITH; JOHN, 2004) and the Intention to Boycott (BI). BEP (Boycott Effectiveness Perception) is a perception about the reflection of consumer over relation to the boycott as an individual strategy for a company changes its actions in decisions and strategies, and Boycott Intention (BI) is the final intention of consumer in relation to the boycott. Six hypotheses are presented and the results shows that Social Corporate Responsibility impacts either (BEP) Boycott Effectiveness Perception as interaction in boycotting (BI) which Gender is not ecstatically significant in BEP and BI; and that Type of Good Impacts (GI), but does not impact BEP. This thesis shows that on both studies there are insights for behavior consumer area and gaps which still need to be analyzed by other researchers who are in interested in the issue.

In Brazil, studies on consumer boycott still feature some gaps, including theoretical ones. Our article aims to present the significant difference between male and female perception of guilt in the specific case of a multinational company which sells products in Brazil. To achieve that goal, the boycott motivations scale (KLEIN; SMITH; JOHN, 2004) was validated by means of 218 respondents from two universities located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Using regression, a difference among genders was found based on one of the validation factors of the scale (perception of guilt). The results show that out of the four factors found by the Factorial Analysis, only the “perception of guilt” factor proved to be significant for the difference of means between men and women (p