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Environmental Behaviour (environmental + behaviour)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	77%

Selected Abstracts

Environmental behaviour in Chicago automotive repair micro-enterprises (MEPs)

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2008
Debby F. Mir
Abstract This study analyzes the relationship between internal and external factors that influence environmental behaviour in traditional service micro-enterprises, focusing on Chicago motor vehicle repair (MVR) firms five years after the Clean Break amnesty program and subsequent inspections of MVR firms. The survey explored the influence of firm and manager characteristics, government intervention, and market and social pressures and opportunities on environmental awareness and action. Environmental action was significantly higher in older firms (more experienced owners) and in auto-refinishing firms practicing spray painting. While awareness levels were mixed for dealerships and franchises (contracted to larger organizations), environmental action was good for six out of the seven firms, which may reflect expectations for higher professional rather than environmental standards. However, environmental awareness and behaviour levels were mixed for trade association members. Owners obtain most environmental information from suppliers and government agencies, but confuse government responsibilities and attribute greater authority to non-environmental agencies. Finally, micro-enterprises avoid voluntary environmental compliance programs and prefer targeted enforcement and insurance requirements that promote a level playing field. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Public policy and corporate environmental behaviour: a broader view

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2008
Runa Sarkar
Abstract Corporate strategies to manage the business,ecological environment interface have evolved against the backdrop of regulatory pressures and stakeholder activism. Despite its relevance with respect to sustainable development, a well developed theory encompassing all aspects of corporate environmental behaviour, especially incorporating incentive compatible public policy measures, is yet to be developed. This paper is a step in this direction, aiming to assimilate contributions related to different aspects of corporate environmental behaviour, capturing the transition from environmental management to environmental strategy. In the process we identify areas where there is a need for further research. We find that there is plenty of scope in developing more complex models to explain a manager's rationale for adopting sustainable strategies in the backdrop of the policy regime, and in conducting more empirical (both descriptive and quantitative) work to obtain clearer insights into managerial decisions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Preference for green packaging in consumer product choices , Do consumers care?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 5 2008
Joonas Rokka
Abstract In this paper, consumer environmental choice is studied by analysing the relative importance of green packaging when compared with other relevant product attributes. The empirical study is based on a choice-based conjoint analysis of preferences for functional drink products of a sample of 330 consumers using these products. Our choice-based approach on environmental behaviour brings new insights to previous research, which predominantly relies on attitude models. Results indicate that consumers differ in their preferences for packaging, brand, price and convenience of use of daily products. In addition, various distinctive consumer segments can be identified on the market. Contrary to several previous studies, we found that the largest consumer segment, one-third of consumers, favoured environmentally labelled packaging as the most important criteria in their choice. The findings emphasize the increasing importance of ethical and environmental dimension in product choices. We also propose that the attention in environmental consumer research should be shifted from general attitude studies towards the study of actual product choices. [source]

Application of life cycle assessment to improve the environmental performance of a ceramic tile packaging system

PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006
M. D. Bovea
Abstract The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the environmental performance of the process currently used to package and palletize ceramic floor and wall tiles, and to propose and analyse improvements from an environmental point of view. After developing a life cycle inventory of the primary and tertiary packaging, the life cycle assessment was applied according to mandatory and optional elements of ISO 14042. The results are presented in three parts: the first quantifies the environmental behaviour of the current packaging system, the second examines strategies focused on minimizing the environmental burdens of such critical elements, and the third quantifies the environmental improvements, compared with the initial situation, that are obtained with the application of each improvement. The simultaneous incorporation of all the proposed improvements into the packaging system can reduce impact within the 18,45% range, depending on the impact method that is applied. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Factors affecting corporate environmental strategy in Spanish industrial firms

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2009
Elena Fraj-Andrés
Abstract During the last 30 years, environmental issues have become very important for governments, consumers and companies. Firms, aware of their environmental responsibilities, have started to show an important commitment to society and the natural environment, developing environmentally friendly strategies. However, the factors that determine the choice of environmental strategies are still unclear. They range from ethical motivations to social, legislative and competitive factors. This study analyses the main antecedents that influence firms' ecological behaviour, distinguishing between environmental orientation and environmental strategies. The hypotheses proposed in this study are analysed by means of a structural equation model on a sample of 235 industrial firms. The results reveal that competitive motivations and management commitment are the most important factors explaining why firms incorporate environmental issues into their strategic planning process. Moreover, management commitment is a critical factor for firms because managers' perception about customers' ecological concern directly influences firms' environmental behaviour. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Governance from below: contesting corporate environmentalism in Durban, South Africa

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2009
James Van Alstine
Abstract Multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in developing countries face increasing social and environmental risk. Previous work on how MNCs seek to mitigate these risks has often failed to recognize the complexity and interaction between international, home and host country governance mechanisms. Here, however, changes in corporate environmental behaviour at the site level are evaluated in terms of the dynamics of local and cross-scale institutionalization processes. The subject of the paper is the contestation of industrial pollution at Shell's Sapref oil refinery in Durban, South Africa. Using a novel research design, institutional and organizational theory is combined with social network analysis to explore how and why Sapref's environmental performance has changed over time. The analysis highlights mechanisms of institutional change and how MNC environmental performance can be contested and constructed from the bottom up, thus calling into question the effectiveness of the global environmental governance processes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Corporate environmentalism strategy in the Spanish consumer product sector: a typology of firms

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 6 2008
Isabel Buil-Carrasco
Abstract In recent years, the protection of the environment has gained a growing importance. Accordingly, small and large firms have become aware of their responsibility and begun to develop environmental strategies as an enterprising challenge. In such a situation, this study describes firms' environmental orientation and its impact on the design of corporate and marketing strategies in the Spanish consumer product sector. The purpose of this paper is to identify different groups of firms according to their environmental behaviour. The information was obtained through 81 personal interviews with firms in the final consumer product sector. With the data obtained we have conducted several exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and a cluster analysis. Findings have proved that there is a specific firm type characterized by certain variables: influence of external forces; environmental orientation; corporative and marketing strategies; size; macro-sector and, if existing, the environment department. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]