Siew Eu-Gene, Yeow Paul H P, Yen Yuen Yee, Loo Wee Hong
School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
School of Business and Management, RMIT, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 3;20(6):e0323622. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323622. eCollection 2025.
Computers can have an adverse effect on the environment throughout the consumption stages of their acquisition, use, and disposal. Previous studies have predominantly focused on specific stages of consumption, leading to limited research on the utilization of the values-belief-norm (VBN) model in conjunction with consumer attributes like environmental knowledge, habits, and self-identity to forecast green computer behavior across all three stages of consumption. Consequently, the aim of this research is to identify and compare the VBN factors and consumer attributes that influence green computer behavior during the three consumption stages. An understanding of the differences in the antecedents at each stage can help in the development of a holistic pro-environmental intervention to mitigate the harmful environmental effects of computer consumption. An analysis of the data collected from survey questionnaires administered to Malaysian computer consumers reveals that different factors are prominent at each stage of consumption. Self-identity is only important during computer acquisition, while habits are only important during computer use. Although environmental knowledge and VBN factors are significant at all phases, the effects differ at each stage. Environmental knowledge is the most important factor at the acquisition stage. As for the VBN factors, the ascription of responsibility is the most important factor at the acquisition stage, while the ascription of responsibility and awareness of consequences are the most important factors at the use stage. Personal norms are the most important factor at the computer disposal stage and are the most important predictor of computer disposal behavior. The outcomes of this research can help manufacturers, marketers, government policymakers, and academics engage with consumers to promote green computer behavior. The novelty of this research is in comparison of the antecedents of consumer green computer behavior at each stage of consumption.
计算机在其获取、使用和处置的整个消费阶段都会对环境产生不利影响。以往的研究主要集中在消费的特定阶段，导致结合环境知识、习惯和自我认同等消费者属性，利用价值观-信念-规范（VBN）模型来预测计算机在所有三个消费阶段的绿色行为的研究有限。因此，本研究的目的是识别和比较在三个消费阶段影响绿色计算机行为的VBN因素和消费者属性。了解每个阶段前因的差异有助于制定全面的环保干预措施，以减轻计算机消费对环境的有害影响。对马来西亚计算机消费者进行的调查问卷收集的数据进行分析后发现，在每个消费阶段突出的因素各不相同。自我认同仅在计算机获取阶段重要，而习惯仅在计算机使用阶段重要。虽然环境知识和VBN因素在所有阶段都很重要，但在每个阶段的影响有所不同。环境知识在获取阶段是最重要的因素。至于VBN因素，责任归属在获取阶段是最重要的因素，而责任归属和后果意识在使用阶段是最重要的因素。个人规范在计算机处置阶段是最重要的因素，并且是计算机处置行为最重要的预测指标。本研究的结果可以帮助制造商、营销人员、政府政策制定者和学者与消费者互动，以促进绿色计算机行为。本研究的新颖之处在于比较了消费者绿色计算机行为在每个消费阶段的前因。
