Why publics terminate their relationship with organizations: exploring antecedents of relationship dissolution in South Korea

Abstract

Although it is important to extend the knowledge about the relationship dissolution from relationship management perspective, there is little attention to why and how individual members of publics decide to end their relationship with an organization in the field of public relations. The purpose of this study was to explore antecedents of relationship dissolution in the context of consumer–corporation relationship. In particular, the researchers focused on the antecedents that lead to relationship termination. A survey of 1111 Korean respondents was conducted to test research hypotheses. The results revealed that distrust and dissatisfaction had significant effects on relationship termination either directly or indirectly. The mediating effects of publics’ negative communication behavior among dissatisfaction, distrust, and dissolution were also significant in this study. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.