Title: The role of need for self-expression and arousal to commit university students for environmental responsibility behaviours

Authors: Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro; Dong-Mo Koo; Michael Breazeale

Addresses: Business Research Unit (BRU/UNIDE), Marketing, Operations and General Management Department, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av. Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal ' School of Management, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, 702-701 Daegu, Republic of Korea ' College of Business, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9582, 39762 Mississippi State, MS, USA

Abstract: University social responsibility as recycling and environmental protection attitude is a core issue in higher education. However, scarce research examines the factors that influence individuals' commitment to recycling and environmental preservation, and even less explores how that commitment can lead to preferential behaviour, word of mouth and willingness to sacrifice for recycling and environmental preservation. This study examines the roles of need for self-expression and arousal to explain commitment and whether commitment leads to those behaviours. The study is duplicated in three countries, each representing different cultural dimensions. Data collected from participants at universities in South Korea, USA and Portugal inform a model that supports the majority of the hypotheses and points out some interesting differences in the ways that recycling and environmental preservation should be presented in various cultures to achieve buy-in and behaviour change.

Keywords: recycling; environmental preservation; commitment; arousal; self-expression; willingness to sacrifice; multi-cultural.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2018.089071

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2018 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.62 - 79

Received: 10 Feb 2016
Accepted: 23 Jun 2016
Published online: 05 Jan 2018 *

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