Consumer Boycotts in Switzerland 1994-2004: Typologies and Strategies

This paper suggests that consumer boycotts target irresponsible behaviors of corporations toward consumer, political, and social issues. After identifying the characteristics of consumer boycotts’ best practices, the paper documents the results of a field study conducted on consumer boycotts in Switzerland. Results reveal its peculiarities compared to the reality in the United States, where empirical works in this field are mainly conducted. Moreover, the paper provides evidence of consumer boycotts’ weaknesses and strengths in Switzerland and emphasizes the principles that should be considered by boycotters to reach the consumer boycott best practices.