IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v305y2023i1p300-311.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Firm response to ethically motivated boycotts

Author

Listed:
  • Giat, Yahel
  • Manes, Eran

Abstract

We develop an asymmetrically two-sided location model to investigate how firms react to ethically motivated boycotts. We model ethicality as a continuous spectrum between zero (no ethicality) and one (absolute ethicality). Customers are assumed to be distributed such that their density decreases the higher they are in the ethical spectrum. Boycotting is used as a strategic tool, and customers will boycott only if this increases their total utility, which comprises a positive utility from consumption and a disutiity from doing business with an unethical firm. We study the optimal location of a monopolist and compare it with the central planner’s optimal location. The analysis characterizes the threshold ratio of ethically concerned to ethically indifferent customers above which the monopoly or the central planner will (partially) yield to boycott threats. Furthermore, the monopolist will always locate below the social optimum. We describe when the difference between the two are the greatest, implying conditions about when government intervention may be beneficial. In a market with multiple firms we show that if consumers engage in buycotting in addition to boycotting then there is no pure strategy equilibrium outcome. Absent buycotting, however, equilibrium is demonstrated when customer disutility is sufficiently high. The numerical illustration demonstrates that the monopolist will locate above the average customer only if the customer disutility is sufficiently high.

Suggested Citation

  • Giat, Yahel & Manes, Eran, 2023. "Firm response to ethically motivated boycotts," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(1), pages 300-311.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:305:y:2023:i:1:p:300-311
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2022.05.031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221722004052
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2022.05.031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xefteris, Dimitrios, 2013. "Equilibria in unidirectional spatial models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 119(2), pages 146-149.
    2. Robert Innes, 2006. "A Theory of Consumer Boycotts under Symmetric Information and Imperfect Competition," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(511), pages 355-381, April.
    3. Nilssen, Tore & Sorgard, Lars, 2002. "A public firm challenged by entry: duplication or diversity?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 259-274, March.
    4. Mahmutogullari, Ali Irfan & Kara, Bahar Y., 2016. "Hub location under competition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 250(1), pages 214-225.
    5. Menezes, Mozart B.C. & da Silveira, Giovani J.C. & Drezner, Zvi, 2016. "Democratic elections and centralized decisions: Condorcet and Approval Voting compared with Median and Coverage locations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 253(1), pages 195-203.
    6. Meike Schulte & Sreejith Balasubramanian & Cody Morris Paris, 2021. "Blood Diamonds and Ethical Consumerism: An Empirical Investigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    7. Neureiter, Michael & Bhattacharya, C.B., 2021. "Why do boycotts sometimes increase sales? Consumer activism in the age of political polarization," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(5), pages 611-620.
    8. Ormerod, Richard J. & Ulrich, Werner, 2013. "Operational research and ethics: A literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 228(2), pages 291-307.
    9. Raj, Alok & Modak, Nikunja Mohan & Kelle, Peter & Singh, Bharati, 2021. "Analysis of a dyadic sustainable supply chain under asymmetric information," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 289(2), pages 582-594.
    10. Tobias Hahn & Noël Albert, 2017. "Strong Reciprocity in Consumer Boycotts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 509-524, October.
    11. Delacote, Philippe & Montagné-Huck, Claire, 2012. "Political consumerism and public policy: Good complements against market failures?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 188-193.
    12. Xie, Chunyan & Bagozzi, Richard P. & Grønhaug, Kjell, 2019. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer brand advocacy: The role of moral emotions, attitudes, and individual differences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 514-530.
    13. Wenxuan Shan & Qianqian Yan & Chao Chen & Mengjie Zhang & Baozhen Yao & Xuemei Fu, 2019. "Optimization of competitive facility location for chain stores," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 273(1), pages 187-205, February.
    14. Adriaan Hendrik van der Weijde & Erik T. Verhoef & Vincent A. C. van den Berg, 2014. "A Hotelling Model with Price-sensitive Demand and Asymmetric Distance Costs The Case of Strategic Transport Scheduling," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 48(2), pages 261-277, May.
    15. Giannakis, Mihalis & Papadopoulos, Thanos, 2016. "Supply chain sustainability: A risk management approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(P4), pages 455-470.
    16. Thanh Hoai Nguyen & Hai Quynh Ngo & Pham Ngoc Nha Ngo & Gi-Du Kang, 2018. "Understanding the Motivations Influencing Ecological Boycott Participation: An Exploratory Study in Viet Nam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, December.
    17. Vladimir Marianov & H. A. Eiselt, 2016. "On agglomeration in competitive location models," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 246(1), pages 31-55, November.
    18. da Silva Rocha, André Barreira & Salomão, Gabriel Meyer, 2019. "Environmental policy regulation and corporate compliance in evolutionary game models with well-mixed and structured populations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 279(2), pages 486-501.
    19. Dilek, Hande & Karaer, Özgen & Nadar, Emre, 2018. "Retail location competition under carbon penalty," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(1), pages 146-158.
    20. Guo, Xiurui & Liu, Haifeng & Mao, Xianqiang & Jin, Jianjun & Chen, Dongsheng & Cheng, Shuiyuan, 2014. "Willingness to pay for renewable electricity: A contingent valuation study in Beijing, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 340-347.
    21. Wan, Qin & Yang, Shilei & Shi, Victor & Qiu, Martin, 2021. "Optimal strategies of mobile targeting promotion under competition," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    22. Yates, Andrew J., 1997. "Hotelling and the New York stock exchange," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 107-110, September.
    23. Giat, Yahel, 2019. "A location model for boycotting with an application to kosher certification," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(3), pages 1109-1118.
    24. Yu, Min & Cruz, Jose M. & Li, Dong Michelle, 2019. "The sustainable supply chain network competition with environmental tax policies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 218-231.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giat, Yahel, 2019. "A location model for boycotting with an application to kosher certification," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(3), pages 1109-1118.
    2. Alyahya, Mansour & Agag, Gomaa & Aliedan, Meqbel & Abdelmoety, Ziad H., 2023. "A cross-cultural investigation of the relationship between eco-innovation and customers boycott behaviour," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    3. Eiselt, H.A. & Marianov, Vladimir, 2020. "Maximizing political vote in multiple districts," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Yi Zheng, 2020. "Non-organized boycott: alliance advantage and free riding incentives in uneven wars of attrition," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(1), pages 123-141, March.
    5. Rong Liu & Jiawei Yang & Jifei Wu, 2022. "When Big Data Backfires: The Impact of a Perceived Privacy Breach by Pharmaceutical E-Retailers on Customer Boycott Intention in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-13, April.
    6. Zhang, Qi & Wang, Wenyuan & Peng, Yun & Zhang, Junyi & Guo, Zijian, 2018. "A game-theoretical model of port competition on intermodal network and pricing strategy," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 19-39.
    7. Kress, Dominik & Pesch, Erwin, 2012. "Sequential competitive location on networks," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 217(3), pages 483-499.
    8. Carrión-Flores, Carmen E. & Innes, Robert, 2010. "Environmental innovation and environmental performance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 27-42, January.
    9. Aurora García‐Gallego & Nikolaos Georgantzís, 2009. "Market Effects of Changes in Consumers' Social Responsibility," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 235-262, March.
    10. Mónica de Castro-Pardo & Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez & José María Martín-Martín & João C. Azevedo, 2019. "Planning for Democracy in Protected Rural Areas: Application of a Voting Method in a Spanish-Portuguese Reserve," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-17, October.
    11. Belhadi, Amine & Kamble, Sachin S. & Mani, Venkatesh & Venkatesh, V.G. & Shi, Yangyan, 2021. "Behavioral mechanisms influencing sustainable supply chain governance decision-making from a dyadic buyer-supplier perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    12. Salehi-Amiri, Amirhossein & Zahedi, Ali & Akbapour, Navid & Hajiaghaei-Keshteli, Mostafa, 2021. "Designing a sustainable closed-loop supply chain network for walnut industry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    13. Mahdi Bashiri & Benny Tjahjono & Jordon Lazell & Jennifer Ferreira & Tomy Perdana, 2021. "The Dynamics of Sustainability Risks in the Global Coffee Supply Chain: A Case of Indonesia–UK," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    14. Anita Fajczak-Kowalska & Anna Misztal & Magdalena Kowalska, 2021. "Energy, Pollution, and Transport Taxes as Instruments of Sustainable Development of Manufacturing Enterprises in Emerging Economies in the European Union," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2B), pages 724-742.
    15. Papanagnou, Christos & Seiler, Andreas & Spanaki, Konstantina & Papadopoulos, Thanos & Bourlakis, Michael, 2022. "Data-driven digital transformation for emergency situations: The case of the UK retail sector," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    16. Hugo Herrera & Nuno Videira & Hubert P.L.M. Korzilius & Kathya Lorena Cordova‐Pozo & Marleen H.F. McCardle‐Keurentjes, 2022. "Reflecting on factors influencing long‐lasting organisational effects of group model‐building interventions," System Dynamics Review, System Dynamics Society, vol. 38(2), pages 190-209, April.
    17. Qazi, Abroon & Dickson, Alex & Quigley, John & Gaudenzi, Barbara, 2018. "Supply chain risk network management: A Bayesian belief network and expected utility based approach for managing supply chain risks," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 24-42.
    18. Cuadras-Morató Xavier & Raya Josep Maria, 2016. "Boycott or Buycott?: Internal Politics and Consumer Choices," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 16(1), pages 185-218, January.
    19. Fang, Xingming & Wang, Lu & Sun, Chuanwang & Zheng, Xuemei & Wei, Jing, 2021. "Gap between words and actions: Empirical study on consistency of residents supporting renewable energy development in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).
    20. Yi Zheng & Huchang Liao & Xue Yang, 2016. "Stochastic Pricing and Order Model with Transportation Mode Selection for Low-Carbon Retailers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:305:y:2023:i:1:p:300-311. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.