An Examination to Explain the Mechanism of Employees’ Environment-Specific Behavior through CSR and Work Engagement from the Perspective of Stewardship Theory

Shilong Wei, Muhammad Safdar Sial, Ubaldo Comite, Phung Anh Thu, Daniel Badulescu and József Popp
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Shilong Wei: School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Muhammad Safdar Sial: Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Ubaldo Comite: Department of Business Sciences, University Giustino Fortunato, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Phung Anh Thu: Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300A Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
József Popp: Institute of Economic Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-20

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has emerged as an imperative for every sector globally. Yet, for a long time, the concept of CSR has been regarded from an organizational perspective. However, the importance of CSR in shaping the extra-role behavior of employees, such as their pro-environmental behavior (PEB-E), has been under-explored in the literature. Against this backdrop, the current study aims to investigate the impact of CSR on PEB-E with the mediating effect of work engagement (W.E) in the context of a emerging country. The study also employs stewardship theory as an alternate theory to explain the proposed relationships. The data of the current study were obtained from SME sector through a self-administered (paper-and-pencil method) questionnaire. A random sample of employees ( n = 398) from different SMEs was selected and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results of the current survey revealed that CSR directly and indirectly, via W.E, predicts PEB-E positively. The findings of the current study will be helpful for policymakers to understand that well-planned CSR activities, not only create positive repute for an SME, but also provide the underlying justification to its employees to be engaged in different environment-specific behaviors.

Keywords: CSR; SME sector; pro-environmental behavior; stewardship theory; work engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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