Dealing with “enemy-brothers”: Sunni Arab consumers’ animosity toward Iran and Turkey

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the causes and consequences of animosity that Sunni Arabs may harbor against Iran and Turkey – two regional powers and key players in the Middle East. Design/methodology/approach Using Jordanians as proxy for Sunni Arab consumers, data were collected from 218 respondents by means of an intercept survey. A systematic random sampling was used in selecting the respondents. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the role of religious/sectarian commitment (Sunni Islamic), ethnic identification (Arab), nationalism, patriotism and internationalism as potential sources of animosity of Sunni Arabs toward Iran and Turkey. Findings The findings show integrative/multiplicative impact of various social attributes on Sunni Arabs’ animosity toward Iran and Turkey and indicate a higher prevalence of animosity toward Iran than toward Turkey among the respondents. The findings also show how animosity decreases the likelihood of buying Iranian and Turkish products by Jordanian consumers. Research limitations/implications This paper, while unearthing interesting relationships among five antecedent variables, consumer animosity and purchase intentions, calls for further research to examine how the relationships between feelings of animosity and willingness to purchase products could be moderated by variables such as world-mindedness and foreign travel. Future researchers should also study how consumer animosity can be reduced. Practical implications The findings provide insights as to how foreign marketers can adjust their marketing strategies in the lucrative Arab market. Social implications The findings call for a more nuanced understanding of the role of religious/sectarian commitment, ethnicity, nationalism, patriotism and internationalism in causing and/or exacerbating animosity and consequently affecting purchase decisions of consumers. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature by measuring the hitherto unexamined role of intra-religious sectarian feelings in consumer animosity and purchase decisions and by analyzing the mediating role of consumer animosity between the five antecedent variables and willingness to purchase products from “enemy” countries.

An examination of ethnic-based consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity

“…This theory can explain the behavior of group members toward another group(s); as such, in our study, the ethnic Malay is the in-group, whereas the Chinese are the out-group. Similar studies previously on consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity also used SIT as their theoretical basis (Ganideh and Elahee, 2016;Sierra and McQuitty, 2007;Verlegh, 2007;Zeugner-Roth et al, 2015) to explain the conceptual roots of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity as the alternate antecedents to consumer behavior.…”

Consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity: A literature review

“…The benefit above remains highly important to the product manufacturers who are either incapable or unwilling to export their products. Finally, despite decades of research discussing the effects of both religion and religiosity on consumers' purchase choices (e.g., Abosag & Farah, 2014;Al Ganideh & Elahee, 2018;Deb & Sinha, 2016;Farah & El Samad, 2014;Farah & Newman, 2010), this field remains underexplored. Accordingly, identifying the links between religion, religiosity, and ethnocentrism could be the venue for further analyses bearing in mind the major difference between the two terms.…”

Personality Traits, Consumer Animosity, and Foreign Product Avoidance: The Moderating Role of Individual Cultural Characteristics

“…A number of scholars investigated the link between animosity and various social attributes, such as patriotism (Ganideh and Elahee 2018; Ishii 2009), exclusionism (Ishii 2009), dogmatism (Shoham et al 2006), nationalism (Ganideh and Elahee 2018; Shoham et al 2006), internationalism (Ganideh and Elahee 2018; Ishii 2009; Shoham et al 2006), and cosmopolitanism (Park and Yoon 2017). In general, their studies indicated that patriotism, dogmatism, nationalism, and exclusionism enhance consumer animosity, whereas cosmopolitanism and internationalism are negatively associated with antipathy toward foreign countries.…”

“…Many recent investigations (e.g., Funk et al 2010; Ganideh and Elahee 2018; Maher and Mady 2010) similarly found a negative link between consumer animosity and willingness to buy products from the disliked nation, and a few others suggested that consumer antipathy also influences product judgments (Huang, Phau, and Lin 2010; Ishii 2009), preference for domestic products/products from one’s in-group (Heinberg 2017; Shimp, Dunn, and Klein 2004), willingness to pay a price premium for products from one’s in-group (Shimp, Dunn, and Klein 2004), and country-of-origin image (Hoffmann, Mai, and Smirnova 2011). Notably, some studies (e.g., Klein, Ettenson, and Morris 1998; Klein 2002; Mostafa 2010) examined the effect of willingness to buy on product ownership and reported a strong association.…”

“…In contrast, individuals scoring low on openness are more down-to-earth, have a conservative outlook, and prefer the familiar to the novel (Goldberg 1993). Notably, individuals who score high on openness have more empathy for individuals from other cultures, which is likely to reduce their negative feelings toward a foreign country in a conflicting situation (Ganideh and Elahee 2018; Shoham et al 2006). Thus, we posit that: H 5 : The higher the level of openness of an individual, the lower his/her level of consumer animosity. …”