Our current environmental situation requires serious attention. We can see the problems that our environment is facing everywhere, including air pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, hazardous waste disposal and water pollution. Today, consumers are aware that their individual consumption behaviour affects the environment and these consumers are more conscious of the seriousness of environmental degradation. Thus, consumers are increasingly engaging in environmentally friendly behaviour and are interested in supporting businesses that are engaging in green strategies. Green purchasing behaviour can help achieve a sustainable environment. Four factors that may influence green purchasing behaviour were examined in this study: perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived environmental responsibility, perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour and concern for self-image in environmental protection. Data were collected from Lebanon, and three factors were found to have positive effects on green purchasing behaviour. The results also indicated that the perceived seriousness of environmental problems was the main contributor to green purchasing behaviour.

Purpose -The purpose of the study is to employ the need theory to investigate whether a need for achievement has an effect on persistence behavior among entrepreneurs, and whether a need for achievement and business goals interact to influence such persistence. Design/methodology/approach -A longitudinal study of nascent entrepreneurs was conducted by a field survey in a metropolitan area of a mid-western state in the USA. Logistic regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings -Need for achievement is found to be positively related to entrepreneurial persistence. Business goals are found to moderate the relationship between need for achievement and persistence.Research limitations/implications -The time span between the two waves of data collection in the longitudinal study might have been too short.Practical implications -This study highlights the importance of matching need for achievement and business goals. For complex tasks, a strong need for achievement should be accompanied with moderate business goals if persistence is to occur. Venture capitalists and government agencies can improve entrepreneurial success by keeping a close eye on the match. Originality/value -Few studies have explored the issue of entrepreneurial persistence. The present study contributes to a better understanding of motivation and other variables that influence entrepreneurial persistence.

The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between environmental concern and attitude towards green purchasing behavior from a Lebanese consumer perspective. This study is based on socialization theory, which suggests that individual behavior is shaped by gender expectation in relation to the cultural context. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from Lebanese consumers with independent purchasing power. A total of 326 complete questionnaires were analyzed in this study. The moderating effect of gender was found to be significant and affect both environmental concern and attitude towards green purchasing behavior. The results of this study provide insights for both practitioners and scholars. The findings revealed that green marketers could benefit from increasing the level of environmental concern and attitude among both males and females. It is recommended that marketers, educators and policymakers understand the uniqueness of each market to promote green behavior. Future studies should examine the new social role of females and how it affects the green behavior.

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to highlight the historical roots of employee engagement and empirically examine the influence of self-efficacy on the three dimensions of employee engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 426 male and female respondents in the service industry from Lebanon was surveyed using a multi-scale measure composed of 25 items. Regression analysis was used to test the data for the hypothesized relationships between the variables. Findings -History of management continues to be the backbone of the so-called modern concepts. Although the term employee engagement was not used in scientific management or in the human relations movement, the characteristics were incorporated in these early schools. The three factors of employee engagement explained 78 per cent of the total variance of employee engagement construct and were significantly influenced by self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications -The first limitation of this study is the self-reported data, and the second limitation is the source from one industry (service), although different organizations were incorporated. Caution is advised against generalizations of the findings. Practical implications -The results of this study provide insights for both researchers and managers to better understand the relationship between three dimensions of employee engagement and self-efficacy from a non-Western context. The belief in one's own capabilities helps promote employee engagement. Social implications -Lebanon offers an interesting context; it is considered as the only Arab country that provides an interaction between the Western and Middle Eastern countries. Originality/value -This study aimed to trace the historical roots of employee engagement to the early management schools. Moreover, studies similar to the present investigation exist; however, this is the first time that a non-Western Arab sample was used to examine the influence of self-efficacy on the three dimensions of employee engagement.