A selection of interesting articles we found recently considering pro-environment behaviour.
Corporate greening, exchange process among co-workers, and ethics of care: an empirical study on the determinants of pro-environmental behaviors at coworkers-level
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between perceived co-worker support, commitment to colleagues, job satisfaction, intention to help others, and pro-environmental behaviour with the emphasis on eco-helping, with a view to determining the extent to which peer relationships encourage employees to engage in pro-environmental behaviours at work.

This paper is framed by adopting social exchange theory through the lens of ethics of care. Data from a sample of 449 employees showed that receiving support from peers triggers an exchange process that encourages eco-helping among colleagues. The implications of the findings are discussed in the light of the social exchange literature.

Find out more at: Pascal Paillé, Jorge Humberto Mejía-Morelos, Anne Marché-Paillé, Chih Chieh Chen & Yang Chen. 2016. Corporate greening, exchange process among co-workers, and ethics of care: an empirical study on the determinants of pro-environmental behaviors at coworkers-level.
Journal of Business Ethics, 136(3), 655-673. 

 

CSR initiatives and their effects on consumption of green products 
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) research has focused often on the business returns of corporate social initiatives but less on their possible social returns. Simona Romani and her team study an actual company–consumer partnership CSR initiative promoting ecologically correct and conscious consumption of bottled mineral water.

They conduct a survey on adult consumers to test the hypotheses that consumer scepticism toward the company–consumer partnership CSR initiative and the moral emotion of elevation mediate the relationship between company CSR motives perceived by consumers and consumer behavioural responses following this CSR initiative. Favourable consumer behavioural responses, in turn, relate positively to consumer support of other green products. The results provide scholars and managers with means of improving their understanding and handling of company–consumer partnership CSR initiatives.

For more detail: Simona Romani, Silvia Grappi & Richard P. Bagozzi. 2016. Corporate Socially Responsible Initiatives and Their Effects on Consumption of Green Products.
Journal of Business Ethics, 135(2), 253-264. 

 

Environmental management systems influence financial performance 
This study utilises hierarchical regression analysis to explore how environmental management systems (EMSs) influence financial performance through customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, and the moderating effects of switching cost. The originality of the present research is to unpack the “black box” through which a firm can profit from EMSs.

The empirical results indicate that EMSs have positive and significant impacts on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and financial performance. In addition, switching cost negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between EMSs and customer satisfaction, but does not significantly moderates the relationship between EMSs and customer loyalty. The results also demonstrate that customer satisfaction and customer loyalty partially mediate the relationship between EMSs and financial performance.

Our findings highlight that customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and switching cost play important roles for a firm to profit from EMSs.

For the full paper: Taiwen Feng & Dan Wang. 2016. The Influence of Environmental Management Systems on Financial Performance: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis. 
Journal of Business Ethics, 135(2), 265-278.

 

The drivers of climate change innovations: evidence from the Australian wine industry 
This study examined the drivers of climate change innovations and the effects of these innovations on firm outcomes in a sample of 203 firms in the South Australian wine cluster. The results of structural equation modelling analysis suggest that absorptive capacity has a direct effect on climate change innovations, and stimulates knowledge exchanges (KEs) between firms in the cluster. KEs between firms in the cluster in turn directly affect the climate change innovations.

The findings suggest a perhaps counterintuitive interrelationship between firm- and cluster-level impacts, in which KEs between firms in the cluster play a partial mediating role in the innovation process. The study further finds that climate change innovations are related to firm performance (FP) and reductions in greenhouse gases (GHGs): mitigative innovations lead to greater GHG reductions while adaptive innovations impact on FP. Contributions of the findings are discussed, as are future research directions.

For details see: Jeremy Galbreath, David Charles & Eddie Oczkowski. 2016. The Drivers of Climate Change Innovations: Evidence from the Australian Wine Industry.
Journal of Business Ethics, 135(2), 217-231.

 

Managing physical impacts of climate change: an attentional perspective on corporate adaptation
Based on a study of the oil and gas industry, this article examines how physical impacts of climate change become events that firms notice and interpret in a way that leads to an active response to adapt to these impacts. Theoretically, the study draws on the attention-based view to highlight the potential biases that might occur as a consequence of firms’ preconceptions as well as organizational structure and context.

In the empirical analysis, the article derives a model that explains the influence of the attentional process on how awareness and perceived vulnerability lead firms to adopt either routine or non-routine measures to adapt to climate change. The article also explores the relevant underlying factors of awareness and perceived vulnerability. The findings suggest that how firms channel attention to climate events has a distinctive influence on the measures firms take to cope with physical impacts. The article concludes with implications for research, management practice, and policy makers.

Read the full article for free: Jonatan Pinkse & Federica Gasbarro. 2016. Managing Physical Impacts of Climate Change: An Attentional Perspective on Corporate Adaptation.
Business & Society, first published on-line on May 13, 2016 as doi:10.1177/0007650316648688.

 

Citizens of the (green) world? Cosmopolitan orientation and sustainability 
Contemporary consumer markets are characterized by both a heightened need for sustainability and an increasingly cosmopolitan lifestyle. This article bridges these two trends and studies two untapped questions: (1) How do cosmopolitan consumers relate to sustainable behaviour? and (2) How should environmental messages be framed to successfully target cosmopolitan consumers?

Four studies in three countries show that high-cosmopolitan consumers demonstrate environmental concern and engage in sustainable behaviour. To successfully target this promising segment with sustainable products or messages to promote sustainable behaviour, marketers and public policymakers should highlight the benefit of these products/behaviours for the global (rather than the local) environment.

However, the findings also show that high-cosmopolitan consumers can be successfully targeted to support local environmental initiatives when activating their local identification. The article offers implications for businesses, non-government organizations, and public policymakers in designing effective messages to promote sustainable behaviour.

Find more details at: Amir Grinstein & Petra Riefler. 2015. Citizens of the (green) world? Cosmopolitan orientation and sustainability.
Journal of International Business Studies, 46(6), 694-714.