Title: Global citizenship identification and willingness to protest unethical corporations

Authors: Stephen Reysen; Iva Katzarska-Miller; Shonda Gibson; Ida Mohebpour; Jennifer Flanagan

Addresses: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429, USA ' Transylvania University, 300 North Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508-1797, USA ' Institutional Effectiveness and Research, Texas A&M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429, USA ' Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429, USA ' College of Business, Texas A&M University-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429, USA

Abstract: In two studies, we examined the association between global citizenship identification and willingness to protest a corporation. In Study 1, participants rated their degree of identification with global citizens, read about an ethical or unethical company, and rated willingness to protest the company. The results showed that identification with global citizens was positively associated with willingness to protest an unethical, but not ethical, company. In Study 2, participants read about an ingroup (or outgroup) company committing unethical actions against an ingroup (or outgroup) country. The results showed a general trend of highly identified global citizens endorsing willingness to protest. When the ingroup was harmed, low identified global citizens endorsed protest behaviours when an outgroup was the perpetrator, but not when an ingroup company caused harm. Together, the results support the notion that social justice, as reflected in willingness to protest, is a component of global citizen identity group content.

Keywords: global citizen; identification; protest; social identity; social justice.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2017.084352

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2017 Vol.18 No.4, pp.480 - 492

Received: 12 Jan 2016
Accepted: 12 Feb 2016
Published online: 06 Jun 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article