Summary: Alternatives To Consumer Boycotting

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4. Alternatives to Consumer Boycotting Boycotting, as defined in the Merriam-Webster online Dictionary and Thesaurus (Merriam-Webster, 2013), is a protest action by a group of stakeholders which is manifested as a determined refusal to have dealings with an identified entity (or entities) as a means of expressing disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions. Consumer boycotting, which is considered as a type of social change ethical consumerism, can be further described as the decision made by a consumer, or group of consumers, to withhold trade from one or a number of retailers or service providers based on ethical considerations (Hussain, 2011: 2). In summary, this action allows consumers to exert financial pressure on others …show more content…

Although the two share many similar characteristics, they differ considerably in action. Where boycotting is the refusal to buy certain goods or services, “buycotting” is an effort to make a point of spending money on a product or service in the order to affirm specific practices of a business (Pezzullo, 2011:124-145). Although “buycotting” may be perceived as an alternative to boycotting (i.e. reinforcing support or approval to a particular company or group of companies), the objectives remain relatively the same – the use of buying power to exert pressure on companies based on moral or ethical values (Hussain, 2011:16). 4.2. Factors attributing to boycott action failure Despite the numerous successes that consumer boycotts have yielded, such as the abortion of Shell Oil’s 1995 planned sinking of a 14 500 ton oil platform in the North Atlantic Sea and protests against animal testing of cosmetic products, they can also prove to be unsuccessful if certain elements are not present (Delacote, 2011: 18-19). These deciding factors can be listed as follows (Delacote, 2011: …show more content…

Only a coordinated effort to change society would lead to consumer purchases having meaningful impact on social practices. 4.3. Alternatives to boycott action Although boycotts have proven to be successful in many instances, there are alternative methods of non-violent protest which could also be employed in order to instigate social change. These methods can be separated into three main groups, namely Protest and Persuasion, Non-cooperation, and Nonviolent Intervention (War Resister’s International, 2009: 36). Protest and Persuasion comprises of non-violent demonstrations (such as picketing) and petitions, Non-cooperation encompasses boycotts and Non-violent Intervention includes sit-ins and blockades (War Resister’s International, 2009: 46). The War Resister’s International (2009: 52) also propose embarking on media campaigns, using local and international print media, television, radio and social media to create an awareness and garner

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