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Download fileMaking SENS: exploring the antecedents and impact of store environmental stewardship climate
journal contribution
posted on 2015-06-30, 12:51 authored by Niek Hensen, Debbie Keeling, Ko de Ruyter, Martin Wetzels, Ad de JongRetailers increasingly recognize that environmental
responsibility is a strategic imperative. However, little research
has investigated or identified the factors that facilitate
the successful implementation of environmentally responsible
strategies across a network of customer-facing sales units
(stores). We propose that a store manager’s ability to lead by
example facilitates this process by fostering a supportive climate
for store environmental stewardship (SENS-climate). By
examining the influence of store managers’ actions on sales
associates’ perceptions of the SENS-climate, as well as the
subsequent impact on their performance—measured by margins,
as well as sales of green and regular products—this study
demonstrates that store managers can foster a SENS-climate by articulating their prioritization of environmental responsibility
in their operational decisions. These positive effects are
sustained by relational factors, such as the moderating effect
of the store manager–sales associate dyadic tenure. In contrast,
when store managers display high variability in their
environmental orientation, it hinders the development of
SENS-climate perceptions among sales associates. If sales
associates perceive an enabling SENS-climate, they achieve
higher margins and more green but fewer regular sales.
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