Managing Business in a Muslim Majority Country: A Case Study of Boycott Factors in Non-Muslim Families in Indonesia
Abstract
Business management in each country varied from one another based on their own characteristics, especially in Muslim-majority countries. The prolonged conflict between Israel and Palestine has led all countries to boycott Israeli products, whose movement is known globally as BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions). This quantitative study aims to determine the role of internal factors such as religiosity, self-enrichment, and ethnocentrism in influencing the intention to boycott Israeli-affiliated products. This study examines the willingness of non-Muslims in Indonesia to boycott Israeli-affiliated products. Four hundred respondents from 29 provinces in Indonesia and various backgrounds participated in this study. The analysis used structural equation modelling with partial least squares (SEM-PLS). The results showed that two factors positively influence boycott intentions: self-enhancement and ethnocentrism. Meanwhile, religious religiosity does not influence boycott intentions. The results of this study provide insights for international companies to provide complete transparency on their business operation related to humanistic and inclusive business practices if they want to be accepted by the Indonesian people.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abdelwahab, D., Jiménez, N. H., San-Martín, S., & Prodanova, J. (2020). Between love and boycott: a story of dual origin brands. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 24(3), 377–402. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-12-2019-0105
Abdul-Talib, A.-N., Abd-Latif, S.-A., & Ili-Salsabila Abd-Razak. (2016). A study on the boycott motivations of Malaysian Non-Muslims. Journal of Islamic Marketing Article, 4(1), 2013–2014.
Abdullah, Z., Anuar, M. M., & Yaacob, M. R. (2021). The Effects of Religiosity and Attitude on Consumer Boycotts. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(18). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i18/11432
Aceh, M. (2024). Total Ada 10 Merek Terafiliasi Israel yang Halal Diboikot Sesuai Irsyadat MUI, Ini Daftarnya. Majelis Permusyawaratan Aceh.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: an Introduction to Theory and Research. Addison Wesley, 5, 177–189.
Ajzen, I., & Madden, T. J. (1986). Prediction of Goal-Directed Behavior: Attitudes, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioral Control. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 22(5), 453–474. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(86)90045-4
Alicke, M., & Sedikides, C. (2009). Self-Enhancement and Self-Protection 1 Alicke, M., & Sedikides, C. (2009). Self-enhancement and self-protection: What they are and what they do. European Review of Social Psychology, 20, 1–48.
Annur, C. M. (2024). Gen Z Terdepan dalam Aksi Boikot Produk Pro Israel. DataBoks.
Arli, D., & Tjiptono, F. (2022). The effect of consumers’ religiosity on consumer ethics: the mediating role of ethical ideology. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 34(1), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2020-0590
Awaludin, A. A., Al-Khaidar, M. A., & Ratnasari, R. T. (2023). Opinion Leaders and Product Boycott Intentions: Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior in Support of Israel Boycott. Journal of Digital Marketing and Halal Industry, 5(2), 243–264. https://doi.org/10.21580/jdmhi.2023.5.2.20166
Bahar, K. (2023). Boikot Produk Sukses Besar, Israel Buntung Luar Biasa. Insertlive.Com.
Danilwan, Y., Dirhamsyah, & Pratama, I. (2020). The impact of consumer ethnocentrism, animosity and product judgment on the willingness to buy. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 22(2), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2020.22.2.05
Dijkstra, T. K., & Henseler, J. (2015). Consistent Partial Least Squares. MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2015/39.2.02
El-Saha, M. I. (2024). Boikot sebagai Jihad yang Sah. Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia.
Ettenson, R., & Klein, J. G. (2005). The fallout from French nuclear testing in the South Pacific: A longitudinal study of consumer boycotts. International Marketing Review, 22(2), 199–224. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330510593278
Fathoni, M. A., Rodoni, A., Al Arif, M. N. R., & Hidayah, N. (2025). Intention to participate in Islamic banking in Indonesia: Does socio-political identity matter? Journal of Islamic Marketing, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-12-2023-0397
Fatwa MUI. (2023). Fatwa MUI 2023.
Febriana, L., & Qurniati, A. (2021). Pendidikan agama Islam berbasis religiusitas. El Ta’dib: Journal of Islami Education, 1(1), 4–7. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v6i4.7162
Fitri, A., Fitriansyah, R., & Alfian, A. M. (2024). Muslim Consumer Intentions Towards Boycotted Products Affiliated with Israel in Indonesia. 4, 13926–13945. https://doi.org/10.31004/innovative.v4i3.11407
Ghozali, I. (2021). Structural Equation Modeling Dengan Metode Alternatif Partial Least Squares (PLS) (5th ed.). Badan Penerbit Undip.
Giacomin, M., & Jordan, C. (2017). Self-Enhancement Motives. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
Glock, & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and society in tension. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Hafiz, A., Suhaimi, A., & Sulaiman, Z. (2013). A Conceptual Model on Boycott Intention among Malaysian Youths-An Insight into McDonald’s. 315–320.
Hendel, Igal, Lach, S., & Spiegel, Y. (2017). Consumers’ activism: the cottage cheese boycott. He RAND Journal of Economics, 972–1003. https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.12212
Holdcroft, B. B. (2006). What is Religiosity. Journal of Catholic Education, 10(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.1001082013
Jamaluddine, Z., Abukmail, H., Aly, S., Campbell, O. M. R., & Checchi, F. (2025). Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture-recapture analysis. Lancet (London, England), 405(1), 469–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02678-3
Kemenag RI. (2022). Jumlah Penduduk Menurut Agama. Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. https://satudata.kemenag.go.id/dataset/detail/jumlah-penduduk-menurut-agama
Keser, E., & Sogutlu, R. (2023). Investigation of the Mediating Role of Consumer Boycott Participation Motives in the Effect of Consumer Cynicism on Consumer Boycott Behavior. Current Research in Social Sciences, 9(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.30613/curesosc.1261916
Khasanah, M. (2024). The impact of habit and halal involvement on the intention to purchase international branded food: evidence from Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2023-0289
Khraim, H. S. (2022). Exploring Factors Affecting Consumers’ Intentions to Boycott French Products in Jordan. Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics, 28(2020), 355–377. https://www.majcafe.com/exploring-factors-affecting-consumers-intentions-to-boycott-french-products-in-jordan/
Krishna, A., & Kim, S. (2019). Treating Ivanka unfairly: Understanding the impact of Presidential Tweeting on publics’ perceptions and intentions to buycott or boycott corporations. Corporate Communications, 24(4), 636–652. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-10-2018-0109
Lasarov, W., Hoffmann, S., & Orth, U. (2023). Vanishing Boycott Impetus: Why and How Consumer Participation in a Boycott Decreases Over Time. Journal of Business Ethics, 182(4), 1129–1154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04997-9
Marco Haan. (2022). The Competitive Effects of Consumer Boycotts. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics-Zeitschrift Fur Die Gesamte Staatswissenschaf. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1628/jite-2023-0024
Mirza, F., Ashraf, S., & Jahangir, H. B. (2020). The Impact of Religiously Motivated Consumer Boycotts on Product Judgment, Brand Image and Loyalty. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(11), 384–402. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v10-i11/7902
Muhamad, N., Khamarudin, M., & Fauzi, W. I. M. (2019). The role of religious motivation in an international consumer boycott. British Food Journal, 121(1), 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-02-2018-0118
Muhammad, N. (2023a). Kenapa Orang Indonesia Boikot Produk Pro Israel? Ini Surveinya. DataBoks.
Muhammad, N. (2023b). Kenapa Orang Indonesia Boikot Produk Pro Israel? Ini Surveinya. Databoks.Katadata.
Prakash Pandey, S., Ahmad, M. Y., & Gautam, A. (2020). An Analysis of Consumer Motivations for Boycott. 22(10), 2016–2038. https://jusst.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/An-Analysis-of-Consumer-Motivations-for-Boycott.pdf
Qoumas, Y. C., Hussain, R. B. B. M., & Rahim, R. A. B. A. (2024). the Dissemination of Religious Moderation Through the Policy of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 12(1), 147–176. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v12i1.27552
Rafdinal, W., Setiawardani, M., Raharso, S., & Hardiyanto, N. (2024). Brand loyalty model for halal fashion brands: integrating quality-loyalty model, information sources and religiosity-loyalty model. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 15(12), 3543–3563. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-08-2023-0244
Reuters. (2025). Studi: Korban Tewas Perang Gaza Bisa Tembus 40% Lebih Banyak. Voaindonesia.Com. https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/studi-korban-tewas-perang-gaza-bisa-tembus-40-lebih-banyak/7933189.html
Roswinanto, W., & Suwanda, S. N. (2023). Religious boycott in Indonesia: investigation of antecedents and the effect of religiosity dimensions. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14(1), 174–195. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-08-2020-0246
Sadiq, & Ahmad, M. S. (2023). Buying US products and services: religiosity, animosity, and ethnocentrism of young consumers. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-08-2021-0263
Sarstedt, M., M.Ringle, C., Smitch, D., Reams, R., & Hair, J. F. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): A useful tool for family business researchers. Journal of Bussiness Family Strategy, 51. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2014.01.002
Setiawan, D. E., & Stevanus, K. (2023). Significance of Islam Nusantara Values in an Indonesian Multicultural Society. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 18(1), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol18no1.17
Shamsudin, S. N., Abu Bakar, E., Osman, S., & Mohd Dali, N. R. S. (2025). Application of social cognitive theory and Islamic theory of consumer behavior in accessing Muslim behavior toward halal nutraceuticals. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 16(2), 651–667. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-08-2023-0245
Sleem, R. (2025). The ceasefire will not bring our lives back. Aljazeera.Com. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/1/19/the-ceasefire-will-not-bring-our-lives-back
Story, J., & Lynn, G. (2023). Ethnocentrism and Consumer Knowledge in the U.S. Auto Consumer. Journal of International Consumer Marketing?, 451–463. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2023.2176397
Supphellen, M., & Rittenburg, T. L. (2001). Consumer Ethnocentrism When Foreign Products Are Better. Psychology & Marketing, 18(9), 907–927. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.1035
Tariki, H. E., & Shukor, S. A. (2018). The Role of Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence and Religiosity on Consumer Willingness to Boycott among Malaysian Muslim Youth. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online Index Copernicus Value Impact Factor, 7(6), 1633–1637. https://doi.org/10.21275/ART20183564
Ulker-Demirel, E., Yuruk-Kayapinar, P., & Kayapinar, O. (2021). The role of consumer ethnocentrism on boycott behaviour: What if a domestic business behaves egregiously? Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 38(4), 354–368. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1600
United Nations. (2025). Demand for ceasefire in Gaza (Needs assessment for Gaza, Humanitarian and socioeconomic impact of Gaza war, UN response) – Secretary-General Report (A/79/739). United Nations: The Question of Palestine. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/demand-for-ceasefire-in-gaza-needs-assessment-for-gaza-humanitarian-and-socioeconomic-impact-of-gaza-war-un-response-secretary-general-report-a-79-739/#
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/iqtishadia.v18i1.31394
Copyright (c) 2025 Iqtishadia: Jurnal Kajian Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam
Iqtishadia Journal Indexed by :
Iqtishadia : Jurnal Kajian Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.