Perceived drivers of green practices adoption: A conceptual framework

Abstract

With respect to the rapidly increasing importance of environmental issues, there is a need for businesses from various industries, including the food service industry, to implement initiatives to go green. In Malaysia, green fast-food restaurants are a growing niche. Being green is a strategy to differentiate a business from other competitors in the industry. Being green also indicates a positive response to consumers' demand for environmentally friendly organizations. The food service industry, however, appears to be less inclined to adopt green practices than other industries. Most of the literature on green practices investigates the subject matter from consumers' perspective, rather than from organizations' perspective. This paper provides a conceptual framework on the adoption of the drivers of green practices for fast-food restaurants, with institutional theory as its underlying base. In this paper, perceived internal (i.e., normative pressure) and external drivers (i.e., coercive pressure and mimetic pressure) are considered to be the drivers. Normative pressure is represented by pressure from employees and manager's attributes; coercive pressure is represented by regulatory pressure and customer pressure; and mimetic pressure is pressure from competitors. The results of the findings are expected to indicate whether internal and external factors drive the adoption of green practices for fast-food restaurants in Malaysia.