Entrepreneur Behavior and Word of Mouth: The Roles of Consumer Self-Construal and Perceived Entrepreneur Social Responsibility

Scholars are aware that entrepreneur-related word of mouth (WOM)—that is, the social transmission of information regarding entrepreneurs' behaviors—influences entrepreneurs' reputation and corporate image. Yet, little is known about the factors that drive the creation and dissemination of entrepreneur-related WOM. In two distinct experimental studies, this paper attempts to fill this gap by showing that consumers are more inclined to spread this form of WOM when entrepreneurs' behaviors are associated with warmth rather than competence. Importantly, this effect is significant only for consumers with higher (vs. lower) chronic (Study 1) or induced (Study 2) interdependent self-construal; the effect is further mediated by perceptions of the entrepreneur's social responsibility. The paper concludes with a discussion of its theoretical and practical implications, as well as avenues for future research.