Leonidou, CN orcid.org/0000-0003-1831-9733 and Skarmeas, D (2017) Gray Shades of Green: Causes and Consequences of Green Skepticism. Journal of Business Ethics, 144 (2). pp. 401-415. ISSN 0167-4544
Abstract
Consumer skepticism of corporate environmental activities is on the rise. Yet research on this timely, intriguing, and important topic is scarce for both academics and practitioners. Building on attribution theory, we develop and test a theoretically anchored model that explains the sources and consequences of green skepticism. The study findings reveal that consumers’ perceptions of industry norms, corporate social responsibility, and corporate history are important factors that explain why consumers assign different motives to corporate environmental actions. In addition, the results show that while intrinsic motives exert a strong negative effect on green skepticism, extrinsic motives have no discernible effect. Furthermore, the findings indicate that green skepticism prompts consumers to seek more information about the products, sparks negative word of mouth to friends and acquaintances, and forestalls purchase intentions. The study offers several implications for corporate and public policy makers and presents fruitful research directions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Business Ethics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2829-4 |
Keywords: | Attribution theory; Green skepticism; Information seeking; Negative WOM; Purchase intentions; Sustainability |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Marketing Division (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Oct 2015 11:05 |
Last Modified: | 14 Sep 2017 18:44 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2829-4 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10551-015-2829-4 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:90557 |