Purpose

Customers often trace a product-harm crisis to the deviant firm's capability- or character-relevant issues. This study examines how capability- and character-based stigma associated with product-harm crises influence foreign customers' product preferences (i.e. brand affect and purchase intention) for other firms from the same country of origin.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative survey data are used to test hypotheses with a structural equation model.

Findings

The authors find that negative capability judgment significantly affects foreign customers' product preferences for other firms from the same country of origin, whereas negative character judgment does not. However, customers' national animosity and product knowledge moderate the stigma spillover effects. Specifically, national animosity and product knowledge weaken the spillover effects of capability-based stigma but strengthen those of character-based stigma.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could examine strategies for uninvolved firms to avoid the stigma-by-association effect. Moreover, due to the lack of resources to collect data, this study does not investigate how customers' generalized favorability and familiarity with crisis-stricken firms and uninvolved firms moderate the stigma-by-association effect.

Originality/value

The findings of this study advance our knowledge on product-harm crises and the stigma-by-association effect.

中文翻译：

---

外国客户对产品危害危机的看法如何影响他们转移基于能力和性格的污名？

目的

客户经常将产品损害危机追溯到偏离公司的能力或性格相关问题。本研究考察了与产品伤害危机相关的基于能力和性格的污名如何影响外国客户对来自同一原产国的其他公司的产品偏好（即品牌影响和购买意愿）。

设计/方法/方法

定性调查数据用于使用结构方程模型检验假设。

发现

作者发现，负面能力判断显着影响外国客户对来自同一原产国的其他公司的产品偏好，而负面性格判断则不会。然而，客户的民族仇恨和产品知识缓和了污名溢出效应。具体而言，民族仇恨和产品知识削弱了基于能力的污名的溢出效应，但加强了基于性格的污名的溢出效应。

研究限制/影响

未来的研究可以检查未参与公司的策略，以避免关联效应。此外，由于缺乏收集数据的资源，本研究没有调查客户对受危机影响的公司和未参与公司的普遍好感度和熟悉度如何缓解关联污名效应。

原创性/价值

这项研究的结果提高了我们对产品危害危机和关联污名效应的认识。