Involvement matters
Navigating the value–action gap in business students’ sustainability transformation expectations—a cross-country Kano study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6454625 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Guido Grunwald (0000-0003-4648-3370), Ali Kara (0000-0003-4050-4222), John E Spillan (0000-0003-1198-1564) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2035-2057 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainability Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1862-4057 • E-ISSN: 1862-4065 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11625-025-01681-z |
| OpenAlex | W4409525204 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 86 |
The value–action gap (VAG) refers to the disparity between individuals’ expressed beliefs and their actual behaviors in sustainability contexts. While previous research has focused on past or present evaluations of sustainable consumer behavior, this study aims to investigate the VAG among business students regarding their future-oriented sustainability expectations from Higher Education Institutions. Specifically, this study examines (1) the VAG in these students’ expectations, (2) the role of their interest in or involvement with sustainability in shaping the VAG, and (3) potential differences in the VAG based on students’ expectations of basic, performance, and excitement sustainability requirements. Data for the study were collected through an online survey of 239 business students in the USA and Germany. The Theory of Attractive Quality framework and the Kano analysis were used to identify students’ sustainability expectations, categorizing requirements based on non-linear and qualitative assessments. Our findings reveal larger VAGs in the German context across all sustainability attributes examined. Increased student involvement correlates with a smaller VAG, irrespective of the country. The VAG varies across different types of expectations, with the smallest observed for basic needs. Monitoring students’ sustainability expectations, analyzing their interest in and engagement with sustainability issues, and establishing realistic expectations are crucial for reducing the VAG. It is advisable to prioritize sustainability attributes that facilitate direct student participation, such as integrating sustainability concepts into student research. Future research on the VAG should explore variations in students’ personal, ethical, religious, social, demographic, and political orientations through segmentation
Action (physics · Business · Corporate social responsibility · Creating shared value · Economics · International business · Management · Political science · Public relations · Sustainability · Sustainability organizations · Sustainability science · Sustainable Business · Sustainable development · Transformation (genetics · Value (mathematics · Chemistry · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Mathematics · Sustainability in Higher Education · Ecology
Advances In Experimental Social Psychology
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Exploring attitude–behavior gap in sustainable consumption
The impacts of higher education institutions on sustainable development
Protection motivation theory and pro‐environmental behaviour
How to SHIFT Consumer Behaviors to be More Sustainable
Sustainable universities – a study of critical success factors for participatory approaches
Dissonance in students' perceptions of sustainable development and sustainability
Towards closing the attitude-intention-behavior gap in green consumption
Greening due to environmental education? Environmental knowledge, attitudes, consumer behavior and everyday pro-environmental activities of Hungarian high school and university students
Gray Shades of Green
Sustainability at universities
Fostering the incorporation of sustainable development in higher education. Lessons learned from a change management perspective
Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education
Lost in translation
Integrating problem- and project-based learning into sustainability programs
Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking
The theory of planned behavior
A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction Decisions
Using the theory of planned behavior to understand the students’ pro-environmental behavior
The relationship between the incorporation of sustainability in higher education and the student’s behavior
Responsible Management Education as Socialization
Greenwashing and education
Walking the Eco-Talk Movement
Towards coherence on sustainability in education
Living labs in the context of the UN sustainable development goals
Intrapersonal capacities for sustainability
Promoting sustainability education through hands-on approaches
The patterns of curriculum change processes that embed sustainability in higher education institutions
Towards a sustainable future with education
Exploring the environmental value action gap in education research
Benchmarking the environmental values and attitudes of students in New Zealand's post‐compulsory education
Sustainability behaviors among college students
Sustainable Food Consumption
The cultural dimensions of sustainable development
An Investigation of the Relationships between Beliefs about an Object and the Attitude toward that Object
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management
Relations between Values, Attitudes, and Behavioral Intentions
Dimensionalizing Cultures
Measuring the Involvement Construct
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |