More than Just a Feeling: A Research Agenda for the Study of Consumer Emotions following Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSI)

Abstract

Research on how consumers react to Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSI) has expanded significantly over the last few years. Scholars have identified the emotions caused by CSI information as an important area of research, since emotions drive consumer behavior. This article proposes a research agenda comprising five topics for future research that promise to advance research in this domain. First, research should develop theoretical explanations that clarify the specific role played by individual discrete emotions. Second, while existing research focuses predominantly on negative emotions, future studies could consider how positive emotions that are independent of the crisis might influence reactions to CSI. Third, scholars could explore in more depth the role that emotions play in avoidance responses, since past research has tended to focus predominantly on consumer aggression and retaliation. Fourth, research would benefit from integrating the current cross-sectional approach with a study of emotional dynamics both at the intrapersonal and at the interpersonal level. Finally, research should integrate dominant psychological perspectives with sociocultural conceptualizations of emotions. The article reviews each topic and proposes specific research questions for each of the areas identified.