Consumer Moral Reputation Toward the Affected Company During a Company Culpable Product Harm Crisis: How Gender and Culture Matter?

Abstract

Despite large body of research on product harm crisis, wide spreading of crises in the market place induce the study to scrutinize this burning issue through a new empirical angle. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how culture and gender shape consumers’ moral reputation toward the troubled company during a company culpable crisis. A questionnaire containing a hypothetical crisis scenario was distributed among 200 Chinese and Sri Lankan respondents. ANOVA revealed a detrimental effect of crisis on consumers’ moral reputation toward the affected company. Gender further triggers this link, when combines with culture. However, detrimental moral reputation toward the troubled company is comparatively lower with respect to male respondents and Chinese culture. This study provides useful theoretical and managerial implications and future research directions for a sustainable marketing environment.