Corporate Social Responsibility Motive Attributions and Green Behaviors: Moderating Effect of Green Intrinsic Motivation

Changqin Yin, Jie Tan () and Yi Deng
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Changqin Yin: School of Management, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430024, China
Jie Tan: School of Management, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518055, China
Yi Deng: School of Management, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430024, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-26

Abstract: Employee green behavior plays an important role in the realization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals, and the employee motive attribution of CSR can affect employee green behavior. Therefore, it is important to understand how CSR motive attribution affects their green behavior. However, existing studies rarely establish a direct link between CSR motive attribution and green behavior. Based on the attribution theory, we establish a framework to explore the impact of CSR motive attributions on employees’ green behaviors. To examine our theoretical model and research hypotheses, we conducted an experimental study (Study 1) and a multi-wave survey study (Study 2). The combined results show that (substantive and symbolic) CSR motive attributions positively influence in-role green behavior; however, for extra-role green behavior, substantive CSR motive attribution positively influences it, while symbolic CSR motive attribution negatively influences it. Green intrinsic motivation positively moderates the relationship between CSR motive attributions and in-role green behavior and positively moderates the relationship between substantive CSR motive attribution and extra-role green behavior but negatively moderates the relationship between symbolic CSR motive attribution and extra-role green behavior. This research contributes to the literature related to micro-CSR and provides explanations for the favorable and unfavorable environmental results brought on by substantive and symbolic CSR, respectively.

Keywords: substantive CSR motive attribution; symbolic CSR motive attribution; in-role green behavior; extra-role green behavior; green intrinsic motivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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