A study on the boycott motivations of Malaysian non-Muslims

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine non-Muslim consumers’ willingness and motivation to boycott American-based companies operating in Malaysia, where Islam is prominent. The underlying base used in this study is an on-going boycott spurred by the Palestinian/Israel conflict in the Middle East.

Design/methodology/approach

Two products were selected based on their market presence: consumer familiarity and product affordability. A total of 340 completed questionnaires were obtained from non-Muslim university students and validated by partial least squares approach.

Findings

Three factors were found to be significant in predicting willingness to boycott, which were self-enhancement, perceived egregious behavior and country image.

Originality/value

This paper addresses boycott motivations from the context of Malaysian non-Muslims quantitatively, based on an issue strongly related to Muslims. The results may have some implications on multinational firms, non-government organizations, policymakers as well as consumers.

Citation

Abdul-Talib, A.-N., Abd-Latif, S.-A. and Abd-Razak, I.-S. (2016), "A study on the boycott motivations of Malaysian non-Muslims", Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 264-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-11-2014-0071