Abstract: Corporate hypocrisy has become a typical corporate crisis event, but there is litle research on how enterprises should take measures to reduce the negative impact ofcorporate hypocrisy. Through three successive experimental studies, this paper answers the question of whether stealing thunder(that is, enterprises disclose crisis information themselves)can reduce the negative impact of corporate hypocrisy, and reveals the influence mechanism and possible boundary conditions. In the first study, it is found that stealing thunder can significantly reduce consumer boycotts caused by corporate hypocrisy, and the type of corporate hypocrisy plays a moderating role. Specifically, under a moral hypocrisy crisis, stealing thunder has no significant effect, while under a behavioral hypocrisy crisis, stealing thunder has a significant effect. In the second study, it is found that psychological contract violation plays a mediating role in the interactive impact process between stealing thunder and corporate hypocrisy type on consumer boycotts. In the third study, it is found that the CSR history of enterprises serves as a boundary condition for the interactive impact process between stealing thunder and corporate hypocrisy type on consumer boycotts. For enterprises with a long CSR history in a certain field, regardless of the type of corporate hypocrisy crisis they face in this field, stealing thunder has a significant effect. For enterprises with a short CSR history, stealing thunder will only play a role in a behavioral hypocrisy crisis. This paper deepens and expands research in the field of corporate hypocrisy, and enriches the scope and conditions for the application of stealing thunder. At the same time, it also provides important management enlightenment for enterprises to properly deal with a crisis of corporate hypocrisy and correctly fulfll their social responsibilities.

Key words: corporate hypocrisy, stealing thunder, consumer boycott, psychological contract violation, CSR history