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Articles on Boycotts

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A large billboard featuring Colin Kaepernick stands on top of a Nike store at Union Square in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Online outrage can benefit brands that take stances on social issues

Brands are increasingly taking stances on contentious social issues and facing mass outrage on social media. New research shows that this outrage can benefit brands.
A closed Mango store in a shopping mall in St. Petersburg, Russia. The company temporarily suspended operations in Russia in March to protest the invasion of Ukraine, joining a global corporate boycott against the country. (Shutterstock)

Companies leaving Russia are caving to public pressure, not actually making a difference

We should demand greater social responsibility from businesses, but pressuring them to undertake responsibilities that only governments can address is the wrong way to get there.
In this 2015 photo, Ensaf Haidar, wife of the jailed Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi, shows a portrait of her husband in France. The arrest of Badawi’s sister is at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia that will significantly affect trade between the two countries. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz)

The major trade implications of the Canada-Saudi Arabia spat

The diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia could have serious economic ramifications as well. When diplomatic ties are cut, research shows trade suffers significantly.
China hopes to make more microprocessor chips in China, which makes it a great industry to lead a boycott. AP Photo

Boycott China and avoid a trade war

If companies in key industries collectively shunned the Chinese market, that would force China’s leaders to take notice, with less risk of blowback.
Students who walked out of school protest against gun violence in front of the White House. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

Why is the NRA boycott working so quickly?

The lightning-quick corporate response to demands for a boycott against the NRA shows that companies can’t escape politics in an age saturated with social media.

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