The Antecedents and Consequences of Defensive Attributions inProduct-Harm Crises

This study examines the defensive attribution hypothesis in the context of a product-harm crisis. A high severity product-harm crisis results in more blame to the company and less blame to the consumer than does a low severity crisis, although this attributional pattern is more evident when the crisis is associated with an unfamiliar brand. A model then reveals personal vulnerability to be an antecedent of perceived severity, which in turn is an antecedent of blame to the company. The model further reveals blame to the company predicts negative attitudes to brand, decreased purchase intentions, and negative product recommendations.