Linking self‐determined needs and word of mouth to consumer e‐waste disposal behaviour: A test of basic psychological needs theory

Abstract

E‐waste is recognized as the fastest growing waste stream in the world. It contains toxic substances such as heavy metals and flame retardants that are hazardous to human and ecological health. Despite these environmental and health hazards, the vast majority of consumers are reluctant to dispose of e‐waste and prefer to store obsolete products at home instead of returning them to manufacturers for recycling. To address this alarming problem, we use the basic psychological needs theory (BPNT) and word of mouth (WOM) to profile consumer behaviour changes and explain self‐reported consumer e‐waste disposal behaviours. Based on longitudinal survey data collected over two rounds from Pakistan, the findings support the role of BPNT. Particularly, the results show that positive WOM messages about e‐waste disposal significantly improve consumers' self‐determined needs that, in turn, fuel consumers' integrated motivation for e‐waste and subsequent e‐waste disposal behaviours. The implications of these findings for practitioners regarding consumer behavioural changes are discussed in‐depth.

How do I see myself? A systematic review of identities in pro‐environmental behaviour research

“…Consumer behaviours that are focused on harming the environment as little as possible (e.g., replacing your energy-lurking household appliance for an energy-efficient appliance, showering less long) or benefiting the environment (e.g.,refraining from purchasing Author Note: This research was supported by University of Bath research scholarship awarded to Dr Alina Mia Udall. environmentally harmful products, donating money to environmental charities) are typically regarded as "pro-environmental behaviour" (PEB; e.g., Gilal, Zhang, Gilal, & Gilal, 2019;Nguyen, Lobo, Nguyen, Phan, & Cao, 2016;Rahimah, Khalil, Cheng, Tran, & Panwar, 2018), as PEB is defined as those behaviours that "harms the environment as little as possible or even benefits the environment" (Steg & Vlek, 2009;p. 309).…”

“…An important way to reach a more sustainable society is to change individual consumption patterns among consumers (De Groot, Schubert, & Thøgersen, ; Schuitema & De Groot, ). Consumer behaviours that are focused on harming the environment as little as possible (e.g., replacing your energy‐lurking household appliance for an energy‐efficient appliance, showering less long) or benefiting the environment (e.g.,refraining from purchasing environmentally harmful products, donating money to environmental charities) are typically regarded as “pro‐environmental behaviour” (PEB; e.g., Gilal, Zhang, Gilal, & Gilal, ; Nguyen, Lobo, Nguyen, Phan, & Cao, ; Rahimah, Khalil, Cheng, Tran, & Panwar, ), as PEB is defined as those behaviours that “harms the environment as little as possible or even benefits the environment” (Steg & Vlek, ; p. 309). Therefore, the present research will focus on PEB, which includes a whole array of different consumer behaviours.…”

<p>Association between a teacher’s work passion and a student’s work passion: a moderated mediation model</p>

“…Like many cross-sectional studies,2,46,47 we adapted all scale items from prior research, and the instrument was pretested with 15 teacher-student dyads. We asked subjects to indicate their agreement/disagreement with the series of items given using a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree).…”

Promoting environmental performance through green human resource management practices in higher education institutions: A moderated mediation model

“…In management literature, green HRM is not the only domain related to green behaviors of individuals. There are other domains related to green behaviors, such as green marketing (Gilal, Zhang, Gilal, & Gilal, ), green accounting and finance (Bebbington & Gray, ; Owen, ), and green retailing (Lai, Cheng, & Tang, ). Environment‐friendly organizations can appeal to more responsible employees (Brekke & Nyborg, )—literature suggests individuals are more likely to join socially responsible organizations because the environmental commitment of an organization has a positive brand image and people ascribe more value to eco‐friendly organizations (Grolleau, Mzoughi, & Pekovic, ).…”