Investigating universities’ social-marketing initiatives that impact students’ pro-environmental behaviors
Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review
ISSN: 2752-9819
Article publication date: 2 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of universities' social marketing initiatives on students’ development of personal (altruistic, biospheric and egoistic) and social values, leading to their pro-environmental behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies quantitative deductive research. This study examined the value-belief-norms (VBN) theory, adding social values to the framework. This study took place in Egypt from January 2023 to March 2023. The population of focus was college students (whether at public or private universities). Students were requested to fill out the questionnaire by scanning a quick-response (QR) code, which linked to a Google Form. After data collection, 410 questionnaires were analyzed using statistical package for social science.
Findings
This study developed empirical evidence that clarifies that social marketing initiatives done by universities have the power to develop students’ personal and social values. Values trigger behavior change. Social values lead to students’ pro-environmental behaviors; personal egoistic values lead to students’ pro-environmental behaviors; personal biospheric values lead to students’ pro-environmental behaviors and personal altruistic values does not lead to students’ pro-environmental behaviors.
Originality/value
This study offers firsthand insight in understanding how social marketing is an effective tool to develop students’ values that are needed to inspire the right behaviors to preserve and protect the environment. This study builds upon the VBN theory, explaining the significant underlying environmental values that should be developed through universities’ non-academic initiatives (such as marketing activities) to inform behaviors needed to better the community, such as pro-environmental behaviors.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank family members (Medhat, Waffaa, Aya and Hoda) for the constant and endless support in the author’s academic and research career.
Citation
Negm, E. (2024), "Investigating universities’ social-marketing initiatives that impact students’ pro-environmental behaviors", Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MSAR-04-2023-0019
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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