The effect of greenwashing on online consumer engagement: A comparative study in France, Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom

İbrahim Topal; Sima Nart; Cüneyt Akar; Alptekin Erkollar

doi:10.1002/bse.2380

journal article Aug 30, 2019

The effect of greenwashing on online consumer engagement: A comparative study in France, Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom

İbrahim Topal

Sima Nart Cüneyt Akar

Alptekin Erkollar

Business Strategy and the Environment Vol. 29 No. 2 pp. 465-480 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/bse.2380

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of the Volkswagen emission crisis in 2015, the biggest greenwashing event in recent years, on the online consumer engagement of Facebook brand pages was investigated in France, Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. These countries have been selected for the reason that Volkswagen sales and diesel‐engine cars and the use of social media are quite common. For 6 years in these four countries, the likes, comments, and shares made by consumers on the Facebook brand page of Volkswagen have been examined. The monthly dataset covers January 2012 to December 2017. The obtained data were analyzed with autoregressive–moving average models. Despite a globally positive approach to green products, countries' attitudes toward greenwashing have been significantly different. The findings showed that online consumer engagement was negative in the United Kingdom and Turkey and in a positive direction in Germany, whereas there was no change in France in the fourth quarter of 2015.

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Details

Published: Aug 30, 2019
Vol/Issue: 29(2)
Pages: 465-480
License: View

Authors

�

İbrahim Topal

National Defense University Yalova Turkey

S

Sima Nart

Sakarya University Sakarya Turkey

C

Cüneyt Akar

Bandirma Onyedi Eylül University Balikesir Turkey

A

Alptekin Erkollar

ETCOP Austria

Cite This Article

İbrahim Topal, Sima Nart, Cüneyt Akar, et al. (2019). The effect of greenwashing on online consumer engagement: A comparative study in France, Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(2), 465-480. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2380

The effect of greenwashing on online consumer engagement: A comparative study in France, Germany, Turkey, and the United Kingdom

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