Procedural Justice and the Risks of Consumer Voting

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kim, Tami; John, Leslie K.; Rogers, Todd; Norton, Michael, I
• 署名单位: University of Virginia; Harvard University; Harvard University
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2018.3181
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 5234-5251
• 关键词: consumer empowerment; voting; procedural justice; implicit promises

摘要

Firms are increasingly giving consumers the vote. Eight studies show that, when firms empower consumers to vote, consumers infer a series of implicit promises-even in the absence of explicit promises. We identify three implicit promises to which consumers react negatively when violated: representation (Experiments 1A-1C), consistency (Experiment 2), and nonsuppression (Experiment 3). However, when firms honor these implicit promises, voting can mitigate the disappointment that arises from receiving an undesired outcome (Experiment 4). Finally, Experiment 5 identifies one instance when suppressing the vote outcome is condoned: when voters believe that the process of voting has resulted in an unacceptable outcome. More generally, we show that procedural justice plays a key mediating role in determining the relative success or failure of various empowerment initiatives-from soliciting feedback to voting. Taken together, we offer insight into how firms can realize the benefits of empowerment strategies while mitigating their risks.