Barbara Borusiak, Bartlomiej Pieranski, Aleksandra Gaweł, David B López Lluch, Krisztián Kis, Sándor Nagy, Jozsef Gal, Anna Mravcová, Jana Gálová, Blazenka Knezevic, Pavel Kotyza, Lubos Smutka and Karel Malec
Increasing the need for education for sustainable development in universities requires an understanding of the predictors of students’ environmental concern (EC). In this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Increasing the need for education for sustainable development in universities requires an understanding of the predictors of students’ environmental concern (EC). In this paper, the authors focus on the EC of business students because of their future responsibility for business operations regarding the exploitation of natural resources. The aim of the study is to examine the predictors of business students’ environmental concern.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the Norm Activation Model as the theoretical framework, this study hypothesizes the model of EC with two main predictors: ascription of responsibility for the environment (AOR), driven by locus of control and self-efficacy (LC/SE), and awareness of positive consequences of consumption reduction on the environment (AOC), driven by perceived environmental knowledge. Structural equation modelling was applied to confirm the conceptual model based on the responses of business students from six countries (Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Spain) collected through an online survey.
Findings
The environmental concern of business students is predicted both by the ascription of responsibility and by awareness of consequences; however, the ascription of responsibility is a stronger predictor of EC. A strong impact was found for internal locus of control and self-efficacy on AOR, as well as a weaker influence of perceived environmental knowledge on AOC.
Originality/value
Sustainability education dedicated to business students should provide environmental knowledge and strengthen their internal locus of control and self-efficacy in an environmental context.
Details
Keywords
Germano Veiga, Pedro Malaca, J. Norberto Pires and Klas Nilsson
The growing complexity of industrial robot work‐cells calls for the use of advanced orchestration techniques to promote flexibility and reusability. This paper aims to present a…
Abstract
Purpose
The growing complexity of industrial robot work‐cells calls for the use of advanced orchestration techniques to promote flexibility and reusability. This paper aims to present a solution based on service‐oriented platforms that endorses the separation of concerns, coordination and execution.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper starts with the evaluation of available tools for the orchestration and service generation. Endorsing the missing features depicted in that evaluation, the paper describes developments of concepts and software and the evaluation made.
Findings
From the early evaluations made in this paper, the SCXML‐based purposed language is more adapted to the industrial robotic cell scenario than existing alternatives. The generation of services allow the integration without knowledge from any programming language.
Practical implications
This approach's main drawback, as described by some users, was the lack of some programming features: simple math operations and conditional statements.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils two partially unsolved problems: adequate languages for orchestration of service oriented on the device level and purposes techniques for the specification of services using robot programming languages.