Abstract
Industrial pollution is of both national and international concern in the context where one country’s emissions contribute to the problem of global warming. Existing studies have focused on government and regulations rather than on employees. The context of this study is in respect of 472 workers in seven Chinese energy companies in Shanxi province in China, one of the biggest coal mining regions and a region most responsible for environmental pollution. The key findings are two-fold: first, employees’ values were positively correlated with attitudes toward the environment, which also correlates with perceived corporate citizenship; second, the ownership type of the firm had a significant influence on corporate citizenship, employee values and their attitudes toward environment. Contrary to existing beliefs, State-owned enterprises in China have much poorer ratings on all the three constructs compared to privately owned companies. The results highlight the role of the government and policy makers in shaping employees’ attitudes toward the environment, and in turn the corporate citizenship of the Chinese energy industry.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benton, R.: 1994, ‘Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes of Undergraduate Business Students Compared to Non-Business Students’, Business and Society 33(2), 191-211.
Chan, G., P. Lee, and L.-H. Chan: 2008, ‘China’s Environmental Governance: The Domestic-International Nexus’, Third World Quarterly 29(2), 291-314.
Chan, H.S., K.-k. Wong, K.C. Cheung, and J.M.-k. Lo: 1995, ‘The Implementation Gap in Environmental Management in China: The Case of Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, and Nanjing’, Public Administration Review 55(4), 333-340.
Chen, Y.-S.: 2008, ‘The Driver of Green Innovation and Green Image: Green Core Competence’, Journal of Business Ethics 81(3), 531-543.
C.I.A.: 2006, ‘The World Factbook: China’, Central Intelligence Agency, https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html. Last updated October 17, accessed Nov 3 2006.
Collier, J.: 1995, The Corporate Environment, the Financial Consequences for Business (Prentice Hall, London).
Egri, C.P. and S. Herman: 2000, ‘Leadership in North American Environmental Sector: Values, Leadership Style, and Contexts of Environmental Leaders and Their Organizations ‘, Academy of Management Journal 43(4), 571-604.
Emmott, B.: 2008, ‘China Can Learn from Japan on Cleaning up the Environment’, McKinsey Quarterly 4, 124-129.
Farh, J.-L., C.-B. Zhong, and D.W. Organ: 2004, ‘Organizational Citizenship Behavior in the People’s Republic of China’, Organization Science 15(2), 241-253.
Flannery, B.L. and D.R. May: 1994, ‘Prominent Factors Influencing Environmental Leadership: Application of a Theoretical Model in the Waste Management Industry’, Leadership Quarterly 5, 201-222.
Fryxell, G.E. and C.W.H. Lo: 2003, ‘The Influence of Environmental Knowledge and Values on Managerial Behaviours on Behalf of the Environment: An Empirical Examination’, Journal of Business Ethics 46(1), 45-69.
Fryxell, G.E. and A. Szeto: 2002, ‘The Influence of Motivations for Seeking ISO Certification on Ems Effectiveness: An Empirical Study of Certified Facilities in Hong Kong’, Journal of Environmental Management Accounting 65(3), 223-238.
Garbrenya, W.K. and K.K. Hwang. 1996, ‘Chinese Social Interaction: Harmony and Hierarchy on the Good Earth’, in M.H. Bond (ed.), The Handbook of Chinese Psychology (Oxford University Press, Hong Kong), pp. 309-321.
Hemingway, C.A.: 2005, ‘Personal Values as a Catalyst for Corporate Social Entrepreneurship’, Journal of Business Ethics 60, 233–249.
Ho, P.: 2001, ‘Greening without Conflict? Environmentalism, NGOs and Civil Society in China’, Development & Change 32(5), 893–921.
Hosmer, L.T.: 1987, The Ethics of Management (Irwin, Homewood, IL).
Lerner, S.: 1998, Eco-Pioneers: Practical Visionaries Solving Today’s Environmental Problems. (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA).
Maignan, I., O.C. Ferrell, and G.T.M. Hult: 1999, ‘Corporate Citizenship: Cultural Antecedents and Business Benefits,’ Journal of Academy of Marketing Science 27(4), 455-469.
Peterson, D.K.: 2004, ‘The Relationship between Perceptions of Corporate Citizenship and Organizational Commitment.’ Business & Society 43(3), 296-319.
Schaper, M.: 2002, ‘Small Firms and Environmental Management: Predictors of Green Publishing in Western Australian Pharmacies’, International Small Business Journal 20(3), 235-249.
Schwartz, S.H. 1992, ‘Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theory and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries’, in M. Zanna (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Academic Press, New York), pp. 1-65.
Schwartz, S.H.: 1994, ‘Are There Universal Aspects in the Structure and Contents of Human Values?’ Journal of Social Issues 50(4), 19-45.
Schwartz, S.H.: 1999, ‘A Theory of Cultural Values and Some Implications for Work’, Applied Psychology: An Integrated Review, 48(1), 23–47.
U.N.: 2006, ‘China: Environment and Energy’, United Nations in China, http://www.unchina.org/theme/html/environment.shtml. Accessed Nov 2006.
Van Rooij, B.: 2006, ‘Implementation of Chinese Environmental Law: Regular Enforcement and Political Campaigns’, Development & Change 37(1): 57-74.
Wong, K.-K.: 2005, ‘Greening of the Chinese Mind: Environmentalism with Chinese Characteristics’, Asian Pacific Review 12(2), 39-57.
Wong, Y.-T., H.-Y. Ngo, and C.-S. Wong: 2006, ‘Perceived Organizational Justice, Trust, and OCB: A Study of Chinese Workers in Joint Ventures and State-Owned Enterprises’, Journal of World Business 41(4), 344-355.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chun, R. Ethical Values and Environmentalism in China: Comparing Employees from State-Owned and Private Firms. J Bus Ethics 84 (Suppl 3), 341–348 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0202-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0202-1