Incorporating Attributional Theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action Within an Affective Events Theory Framework to Produce a Contingency Predictive Model of Consumer Reactions to Organizational Mishaps

Abstract

Being able to predict consumers' reactions to mishaps would greatly benefit crisis management. The limited research available in this area generally uses either attribution theory or the theory of reasoned action. In this paper we critically analyze the appropriateness of these two theoretical frameworks for research in this area. We conclude that generalization of these theories to the context of consumer response to organizational mishaps (for which neither was intended), yields an unsatisfactory description of the processes involved. In view of these criticisms, we incorporate aspects of both theories within an affective events theory framework to develop an integrated model aimed at the organizational mishap context.