
Grades K-2, 3-5
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While precise numbers are not known, it is believed the number of boycotts has grown markedly in the past fifty years. Consumers seem to be besieged by requests from special interest groups to refrain from buying certain goods and services. In this lesson, students study how boycotts have been used throughout U.S. history to help promote economic, social and political change. After researching current boycott targets, students create promotional flyers providing a glimpse at the goals people today hope to achieve through this consumer market action. Students also consider what economic and non economic factors are likely to influence the effectiveness of a boycott.
Write the word “boycott” on the board. Ask students to jot down what they think the word means. Have a few students share their thoughts with the class. Use these ideas to establish a definition for the term. [A very simple definition of a boycott is an action where consumers refuse to buy from a certain retailer or producer in order to achieve a goal.]
Have students list any current or historic boycotts they have read or heard about. Discuss:
Project in front of the class the circular flow model illustrating economic interaction in the U.S. between households, business firms and government.
[NOTE: If students have not seen the model before, explain that it shows the ‘big picture’ – how key parts of the macro economy fit together. Households (consumers) and government provide businesses with payments in exchange for goods and services. Business firms and government make payments to households (workers and investors) in exchange for labor and other resources. Governments provide public goods and services to households and businesses in exchange for taxes. Each of the parts depends on and is influenced by the others.]
Referring to the model, discuss:
Tell students that when consumers boycott a product or business, they are exercising market power. This lesson examines how consumers – past and present – have used this powerful tool to force political, social and economic change.
Print off copies of the circular flow model for your students. As a class, have students modify the circular flow by writing on it to identify some of the groups affected by the boycott. Then, when they are finished, have them speculate as to why the boycott was or was not successful in achieving its aims. In other words, how did the boycott create the desired response or why did the boycott fail.
[NOTE: The discussion of others beyond the business that are impacted by a boycott is an excellent opportunity to discuss externalities – in this case, the positive or negative side effects on third parties not directly involved in the boycott. Employee layoffs, retailer sales losses, and declines in government tax revenue are all examples of third-party costs or negative externalities. Businesses with goods and service not targeted by the boycott may experience an increase in sales – a benefit referred to as a positive externality.]
**This is a teacher guided introduction and will most likely require a sizable amount of guidance regarding answering some of the above questions.
NOTE: Some teachers prefer to print worksheets in advance and distribute versus having students print out their own copies.
Activity 1: Boycotts – An Economic Tool For Change
Divide the class into five groups. Instruct each group to research one of the historical boycotts listed using the web links and worksheet provided. (The answer key to this worksheet can be found here). To make sure that all students participate in this activity, have students within each group count off from 1 to 9 – some students will probably have more than one number. Each student within a group is responsible for recording and reporting on the question(s) corresponding to their number(s).
Articles for the five historical boycotts:
To help students visualize negative and positive externalities of the boycott, you may want to provide each group with a print copy of The Circular Flow Model. Encourage them to illustrate on the model how third parties might be affected.
When student groups have finished recording answers on the boycott they were assigned, have them share their information with the class. As each group reports, direct students to record information on the other boycotts in the empty sections of their worksheets.
Activity 2: Boycott Targets Today
At any point in time, a multitude of businesses are boycott targets. Several Internet sites have been developed to help spread the word on and generate support for these consumer actions. Have students use these sites to find a boycott that they might support or would like to know more about.
Have students submit their choice to you for approval. Then have them create a flyer promoting the boycott. Elements of their public relations piece should include:
After the flyers have been organized and posted on the bulletin board, ask students:
While working on their flyers, students are asked to consider these additional questions in a THINK ABOUT IT section. Discuss:
Tell students that not all boycotts are successful. In 1984, the United Farm Workers launched a third table grape boycott that lasted 16 years before it was called off. The boycott is credited with eliminating five of the most toxic chemicals plaguing farm workers and their families but low pay, poor working conditions and mistreatment on the job continued.
NOTE: For more information, on the this strike, see UFW Ends Table Grape Boycott – But The Struggle Continues .
Write each of the items below on the board then discuss how each of the factors might influence the effectiveness of a boycott. As students respond, place a “+” or “-“ next to each to indicate whether the impact is positive or negative.
Just as the goals of consumer boycotts can stretch far beyond economic issues, a successful boycott campaign depends on the right combination of economic and non economic factors being in place. From an economic perspective, the availability of substitute products that are acceptable to consumers and the potential for a decline in sales and profits play a role. But the support of the media and the general public are also key. Agreement on the value of the boycott’s goals and the attention given the cause increase the chance of boycott success. Of course, the willingness and ability of a target to change also comes into play.
Have students:
Three rubrics are provided for assessment during this lesson to evaluate:
Grades K-2, 3-5
Grades 9-12
Grades 9-12
Grades 9-12