Threat, Coping, and Cost: Protection Motivation in the Context of Consumer Complaining

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Bolkan, San
In: Communication Research, 45, 2018, 6, S. 840-861
veröffentlicht:
SAGE Publications
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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weitere Informationen
Umfang: 840-861
ISSN: 1552-3810
0093-6502
DOI: 10.1177/0093650215600492
veröffentlicht in: Communication Research
Sprache: Englisch
Schlagwörter:
Kollektion: SAGE Publications (CrossRef)
Inhaltsangabe

<jats:p> Despite doing their best to keep customers satisfied, organizations can upset their patrons when expectations go unmet. When these organizational failures occur, consumers sometimes complain directly to companies. This type of behavior may be considered adaptive insofar as it helps individuals rectify their problems and allows organizations to fix issues for others as well. However, not all consumers complain to companies when they experience dissatisfaction; instead, many people choose to engage in less adaptive behaviors such as spreading negative word of mouth or withholding their patronage. This study was conducted to examine how variables related to protection motivation theory (i.e., threat, coping, and cost) relate to consumers’ choices regarding complaint behaviors. Four hundred fifty-four participants were solicited online to respond to hypothetical scenarios regarding organizational failures. The data indicated participants’ perceptions of threat and cost interacted to predict complaining behavior. Results are discussed as they pertain to organizational practices. </jats:p>