Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTS

Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering - Mälardalen University 

Title: Consumers Behaviour & Corporate Crises                     

Supervisor: Lucia Crevani

Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Crises, Black box Model, Stimulus, Moderators, Response

Research questions: - Is there a relation between moderators, i.e. demographics, consumer confidence and organizational image and consumer response of students once a corporate crisis has taken place?

- Which stimuli are most influential for students at Mälardalen University, once a corporate crisis has taken place? 

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate and describe how a crisis can influence the consumer behaviour of students in the food and retail industry.

Method: A quantitative study in the form of a survey was used and distributed to students by convenience sampling at Mälardalen University.

Conclusion: The study showed that the media is the main stimulus creating awareness of a crisis, whereas the most vital reference group, influencing the behaviour of students, is the Associative group. Boycotts can be influenced by gender and confidence, whereas buying behaviour is influenced by gender, age and confidence.