Effects of Emotions and Ethics on Pro-Environmental Behavior of University Employees: A Model Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Over the last few years, many activities conducted by university employees have contributed greatly to the global rise of greenhouse gases responsible for the warming of the planet. This phenomenon can be attributed primarily to altering lifestyle, consumption, and portability patterns. Even though there is a significant applicability, understanding the factors determining the pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of university employees is lacking. Thus, this study extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain PEB among university employees. Ten hypotheses were suggested regarding the relations between the initial TPB constructs, environmental ethics, and emotional intelligence. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 302 university employees from six Malaysian higher educational institutions listed in the UI Green Matrix 2016. The findings revealed that environmental ethics significantly affected attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. Furthermore, pro-environmental behavioral intentions (PEIs) were directly influenced by attitude and perceived behavioral control, while emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between PEIs and PEB. Moving forward, this study will provide new insights into the literature of university employees’ PEB using an expanded TPB model.

Predicting Pre-service teachers’ intention to implement education for sustainable development: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

“…Above all, regarding extending TPB, some researchers have argued that TPB indicators are insufficient for predicting the expected behavioral intentions and need to be extended to support conceptual models for predicting behavioral intentions (Park & Smith, 2007). Aziz et al, (2021) added environmental ethics and emotional intelligence to the TPB to explain university employees' pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Chen and Tung (2014) extended the TPB model with perceived moral obligation and environmental concern to formulate behavioral intention.…”

“…For example, Aziz et al, (2021) added environmental ethics and emotional intelligence to the TPB to explain university employees' pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Also, Chen and Tung (2014) extended the TPB model with perceived moral obligation and environmental concern to formulate behavioral intention.…”

The Role of CSR and Ethical Leadership to Shape Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior in the Era of Industry 4.0. A Case of the Banking Sector

“…The employees feel that their organization is benefiting society and the environment and hence want to return their organization positively by performing different discretionary roles towards the environment. Scholars such as Yuriev et al [73], Aziz et al [74], and Ateş [75] have also acknowledged the importance of TPB in shaping the pro-environmental behavior of employees in the era of industry 4.0 positively. Hence, in accordance with the theory of planned behavior, CSR activities of the organization are favorably appraised by employees, and, consequently, are coined into the company favorably.…”

Assessing Crisis Management Competencies: A Case Study of Pasir Gudang City Council

“…Meanwhile, in the public sector, the term generally refers to unforeseen or unplanned events due to any reason. It may cause damages, death, or financial loss to the organisation or community (Auf Der Heide, 1989;Drabek & McEntire, 2003;Aziz et al 2021).…”