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Articles on Boycott

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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.
Scottish Artists for Ukraine demonstrate at the Russian consulate, Edinburgh, against the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Picture date: Wednesday March 9, 2022. Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images

Boycotting Russian products might feel right, but can individual consumers really make a difference?

New Zealand consumers are using boycotts of Russian products as a way to voice their disapproval of the war in Ukraine. But is this the best or only way for individuals to be heard?
Activists wearing masks of IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose in front of the Olympic Rings during a street protest in India against the holding of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

A broadcast boycott is the last chance to mount serious resistance against the Beijing Olympic Games

Olympic broadcasters can help Canadians support the Uyghurs, Tibetans, pro-democracy advocates and others fighting for their human rights in China by cancelling their Olympic coverage.
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.
Spanish activists protest against retailers using factories in a building in Bangladesh which collapsed, killing more than 600 people. Reuters/Albert Gea

How divestment campaigns can change the rules in a profit-driven world

“Shaming campaigns” have been successful in attracting attention to transnational issues like inhumane working conditions and environmental degradation. But shaming guilty corporations is only the first step.

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