Consumers may boycott firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, but little is known about when, why and how they would respond in this way. Based on psychological contract violation and discount principles, the purpose of this paper is to argue that timing and fit of CSR activities are the main dimensions of consumers’ psychological contract. It is posited that CSR activities would be boycotted if consumers perceived violation of their psychological contract, and their altruistic tendency would have a moderating effect on this mechanism.,This paper takes the form of an empirical study using a sample of 434 respondents through scene-questionnaire survey in central China.,It is found that (1) low fit or reactive CSR activities would induce consumers’ psychological contract violation, and the latter has a more significant influence; (2) perceived CSR is negatively related with consumers’ boycott behaviors, but CSR activities would be boycotted if consumers’ psychological contracts are violated; (3) the negative relationship between perceived CSR and consumers’ boycott behaviors would be strengthened by consumers’ altruistic tendency, and the positive relationship between consumers’ psychological contract violation and their boycott behaviors would also be strengthened by their altruistic tendency.,This paper has significant theoretical implications, as it answers the question that when, why and how CSR activities would be boycotted. Besides, it contributes to literature on psychological contract for applying it to CSR research field. Furthermore, the double-edged effect of consumers’ altruistic tendency extends literature on pro-social behaviors.,This paper is of interests to corporate management and academics who wish to understand when and why consumers would boycott CSR activities and the factors that would relax consumers’ negative responses.,This is the first paper that investigates when, why and how CSR activities would be boycotted from the perspective of consumers’ psychological contract violation.

中文翻译：

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消费者抵制企业社会责任：心理契约违约的调解作用

消费者可以抵制公司的企业社会责任（CSR）活动，但对于何时，为什么以及如何以这种方式做出反应知之甚少。基于心理契约违背和打折原则，本文的目的是认为企业社会责任活动的时机和契合度是消费者心理契约的主要维度。假设如果消费者意识到违反了他们的心理契约，他们的社会责任活动将被抵制，他们的利他主义倾向将对该机制产生调节作用。本文采用实证研究的形式，使用了434名受访者的场景，在华中地区的问卷调查中，发现：（1）低适应性或反应性的企业社会责任活动会诱发消费者的心理契约违规行为，后者的影响更大。（2）认知的CSR与消费者的抵制行为负相关，但如果违反了消费者的心理契约，则将抵制CSR活动；（3）消费者的利他趋势会增强认知的CSR与消费者抵制行为的负相关关系，消费者的利他趋势也会增强消费者的心理契约违规行为与抵制行为的正相关关系。具有重要的理论意义，因为它回答了何时，为什么以及如何抵制CSR活动的问题。此外，它为将心理契约应用于企业社会责任研究领域提供了文献资料。此外，消费者利他主义倾向的双重影响扩大了关于亲社会行为的文献。