Malaysian consumer motivations on boycott participation

The purpose of this study is to examine the underlying motivations of consumer boycott and its relationship with boycott participation in Malaysian context based on the theory of pro-social behavior. This study examined the applicability of three main variables previously used in a boycott study based on a western context; namely 'Estimated Participation', 'Costs and Benefits' and 'Perceived Egregious Behavior'. This study also examined another related variable but previously untested in boycott context, 'Country Image' to investigate its effect on boycott participation. The research framework was tested on an on-going boycott in Malaysia against several multinational firms prompted by their direct/indirect involvement on Israel's atrocities against Palestine in the Middle East. Data were obtained from a total sample of 852 through self-administered questionnaire survey and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 17. Relationships between the variables were examined using multiple regression analysis. From the regression results, one (1) variable and two (2) constructs were not applicable to the Malaysian boycott context. The results of this study were then discussed followed by recommendations for future research directions