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The Business of Boycotting: Having Your Chicken and Eating It Too

Author

Listed:
  • Alan Tomhave

    (Youngstown State University)

  • Mark Vopat

    (Youngstown State University)

Abstract

We assume that there are certain causes that are morally wrong, worth speaking out against, and working to overcome, e.g., opposition to same sex marriage. This seems to suggest that we should also be boycotting certain businesses; particularly those whose owners advocate such views. Ideally, for the boycotter, this will end up silencing certain views (political or otherwise), but this seems to cause two basic problems. First, it appears initially to be coercive, because it threatens the existence of the business. Second, it runs counter to the intuition that we should not force unpopular opinions out of the marketplace of ideas. Boycotting is by its very nature a coercive act, and thus we have to carefully consider what types of actions may warrant this type of coercive action. In this paper, we will argue that an organized boycott is justified if and only if the actions taken by the company have negative consequences that outweigh the negative outcome of the boycott.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan Tomhave & Mark Vopat, 2018. "The Business of Boycotting: Having Your Chicken and Eating It Too," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 123-132, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:152:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3336-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3336-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mary Stoll, 2009. "Boycott Basics: Moral Guidelines for Corporate Decision Making," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 3-10, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Angela Carradus & Ricardo Zozimo & Allan Discua Cruz, 2020. "Exploring a Faith-Led Open-Systems Perspective of Stewardship in Family Businesses," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 701-714, May.
    2. Yimin Cheng & Xiaoyu Zhou & Kai Yao, 2023. "LGBT-Inclusive Representation in Entertainment Products and Its Market Response: Evidence from Field and Lab," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(4), pages 1189-1209, April.
    3. 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).

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