Negative word-of-mouth in the context of sustainability: The impact of sustainability scandals on consumers

Sen E., CAVDAR AKSOY N.

Journal of Cleaner Production, cilt.497, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 497
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145147
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Cleaner Production
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Chimica, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, INSPEC, Metadex, Pollution Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Collectivism, Economic sustainability, Environmental sustainability, Negative emotion, Negative word-of-mouth, Social sustainability, Sustainability
  • Galatasaray Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Sustainability remains a key focus in business and marketing, yet motivations behind sustainable consumer behavior across different dimensions are still underexplored. To explore this gap, our research investigates word-of-mouth (WOM) intention by conceptualizing a model of collectivism as a crucial cultural orientation and the mediating effect of negative emotions (NE) as psychological drivers under the three-sided sustainability perspective. The research model includes collectivism as the exogenous variable, negative WOM intention as the endogenous variable, and negative emotions as the mediator. Three well-known brands involved in sustainability scandals were selected, and three online surveys were conducted to test four hypotheses. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. Findings revealed that collectivism was positively related to negative WOM intention only in the social sustainability scandal case. The relationship between collectivism and negative emotions was significant for all cases except the economic sustainability, while negative emotions were positively related to negative WOM intention in all cases. Lastly, negative emotions mediated the relationships between collectivism and negative WOM intention in environmental and social sustainability cases. All these findings contribute to the emotion and culture literature within sustainability and provide practical insights for managers dealing with brand scandals across a three-sided sustainability perspective.