Understanding the Influences on Green Purchase Intention with Moderation by Sustainability Awareness

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 5)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Some of the literature cited remains outdated; it is advisable to revisit these sources. 

 

1. It is recommended to present the basic demographic information of participants in tabular form within the research methodology.
2. Before administering the formal questionnaire, it is advisable to conduct a predictive assessment of the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Enhancing the explanation of the procedural steps involved is suggested.
3. The questionnaire content utilized in this study is advised to be presented in tabular format to facilitate reader comprehension.
4. Some of the literature cited appears dated; it is recommended to integrate more recent relevant studies. For example: Mainieri, T.; Barnett, E. G.; Valdero, T.; Unipan, J. B.; Oskamp, S. (1997). Ramayah, T.; Lee, J.W.C.; Mohamad, O. (2010). Vermeir, I.; Verbeke, W. (2008)
5. The analysis results of this study regarding the influence of green purchasing attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on the green purchasing intentions of university students are consistent with previous research findings. It is suggested to provide a more elaborate explanation of what emerging issues this study addresses and what unique contributions it makes.
6. It is recommended to elucidate whether the model proposed in this study applies for generalization to similar research domains.

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 4)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, thank you for resubmitting yout paper. Below, you'll find my comments on how to improve the paper:

1. Why is it important to establish green purchasing intentions among university students? (Line 66)

2. What is the environmental impact of university students overconsumption? Why study them and not the general population?

3. Lines 66-73 are not written well enough to say that university students shall be targeted?

4. The awareness of sustainable consumption is not well introduced (lines 76-7).

5. What are the research questions?

6. Include the novelty of the study in the Introduction.

7. There is perceptual behavior Control and Perceived Behavioral Control, which one is it?

8. Write the method in past tense.

9. Lines 385-387 are not supported by the results. So lines 388-394 do not make sense.

10. I need more compared literature with other papers in the discussion section.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing is necessary.

Author Response

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Reviewer 3 Report (Previous Reviewer 3)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

Most of the comments included in the review were taken into account by the authors. I have no further comments on the content of the article.

Author Response

Thank you for agreeing to publish.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 4)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, thank you for your revised version. To this point the paper looks better and I have very small comments:

1. Line 34: Only 5% of the surveyed public use green consumption. (Please rephrase).

2. Line 54: Are the 3-5% values worldwide or only for a particular country or city? Please specify.

3. Line 61: Please put a citation for this sentence.

4. Lines 76-79: Improve the English Level.

5. Lines 401-406: Improve by adding: These results are in line with previous research...

6. Increase the discussion and literature. Maybe refer to the following papers:

"Exploring the Norm Activation Model Together with External Influences and Environmental Moral Values: The Case of Guayaquil, Ecuador"

"The Role of Personality in the Adoption of Pro-Environmental Behaviors through the Lens of the Value-Belief-Norm Theory"

Comments on the Quality of English Language

English shall be improved prio to publication.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the article. Please find the following comments:

1. The title lacks clarity. The authors initially proposed "Understanding the Influence of Green Purchase Intention among University Students: The Moderating Role of Sustainability Awareness," but I suggest a revised title: "Understanding the Nexus: Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Control in Green Entrepreneurial Intentions with Moderation by Sustainability Awareness."

2. The abstract lacks clarity and fails to clearly state the study's objectives, a crucial aspect for reader comprehension.

3. In the introduction, the transition from discussing green purchase and intention among the general population to focusing on students is abrupt. The rationale for this shift should be explained, addressing questions such as why students were chosen and their role as consumers in the economy.

4. In line 49, the introduction discusses only one variable (attitude) among the three (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control). It is essential to explain why these variables were chosen and their influence on green intention.

5. The introduction needs a more explicit identification of the research gap related to students and green intention. This includes motivations, research questions, issues specific to students, and the article's organization.

6. Arguments related to students should be incorporated at the end of each section where hypotheses are developed.

7. Section 2.5 should be titled "Sustainability Awareness" instead of "Perceived Behavioral Control."

8. The section on "Sustainability Awareness" lacks clarity, especially in explaining how awareness moderates the relationship between subjective norms and green intention. It should be clarified, linking sustainability awareness, social support, and motivation to purchase green products.

9. The theoretical framework should discuss how sustainability awareness is represented in the theory of planned behavior.

10. Provide a more specific definition of sustainability awareness, referring to the measures used in the questionnaire.

11. Differentiate between green purchase and green consumption, clearly stating whether they are the same or distinct concepts.

12. Present hypotheses results in a single table for clarity.

13. Replace "Material and Method" with "Research Methodology." Specify the study type, sample details, duration, and rationale for selecting the students.

14. The discussion section is inadequately developed. Expand it by comparing findings with previous studies, particularly recent ones like "Improving Social Performance through Innovative Small Green Businesses: Knowledge Sharing and Green Entrepreneurial Intention as Antecedents (2023)" and "Examining the Relationship between Green Mindfulness, Spiritual Intelligence, and Environmental Self-Identity: Unveiling the Path to Green Entrepreneurial Intention (2023)."

15. Include the questionnaire used in the study in the appendix for replication purposes.

16. Ensure the article adheres to the journal guidelines and undergoes thorough proofreading.

Best wishes.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

needs improvement 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper has interesting implications for consumption in  China.

The paper uses the term "green purchase" without offering a definition or examples of what this term means.

This paper relies solely on one theory regarding consumption.  It takes the reader through Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, and extols this theory as the only one that could apply. 

The study consists of an online survey, which is problematic.  The survey sample is small – 149 students at three Chinese universities.

The conclusion begins as a “proof” which quickly changes to “one factor.”

The paper finds that the solution lies with school and governmental campaigns to raise awareness.  The paper does not suggest how forceful or coercive such programs would be. 

The study could make better use of a much larger group of respondents as well as considerations of other factors such as economics and the varieties of options that include green purchases.

Author Response

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Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

In the study, the authors analyze the current topic of consumer behavior regarding the purchase of ecological products in accordance with the goals and tasks of sustainable development. After reading the content of the study, I suggest that the authors supplement the content in subsections in order to improve the study. Below are detailed comments on the article:

1. The abstract should be supplemented with the purpose of the study conducted by the authors.

2. The introduction should specify precisely what the research problem is and what is the interpretative framework? Additionally, in this part we answer the questions: Why is the research problem important? What did the authors know about this problem before they undertook the research? How did the authors' research expand knowledge about purchasing ecological products by students?

3. In the Materials and Method chapter, the authors partially described only the research sample. However, it should still be supplemented with the characteristics of the respondents, the number of survey questions, distinguishing between open, closed and Likert scale questions, the date of the survey, and the correctness of the returned surveys. Moreover, the chapter lacks a description of the research method used (to interpret the conclusions).

4. The English language requires correction. The text mainly lacks characters and proper names written in capital letters.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English language requires correction. The text mainly lacks characters and proper names written in capital letters.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, thank you for your paper. I have some recommendations:

1. There is a lot of words repeated with similar literature. Level detected is 42% and some of the sources have repititions up to 6%. I understand since TPB is a very repeated theory used in the literature, however, please reduce the repeatance to values of less than 1% per citation/source.

2. Introduction: Please state what is considered green products for daily consumption.

In line 56 of page 2, you say it is important to establish green purchase intentions among university students, however, why university students are a good study group?

2. Literature Review: Sections 2.4 and 2.5 have the same name. 

Is sustainable awareness any different of environmental consciousness?

In section 2.5, your definitionof sustainable awareness is very similar to the new ecological paradigm. Please explain the difference.

Is it H4, H5, and H6 or only H4? There are three in the Figure , however only H4 is mentioned.

3. Materials and Methods: What you consider green products and green purchases? Are they bio-products? The concept of green purchasing is very broad and can give biases because every student may considerta different things for green purchasing.

4. Discussion: Discussion needs to be improved. Currently, it is just a validationon the findings, however, I'd like to see some new information coming out from it. 

In one paragraph you say the sustainability awareness weakens the positive influence between perceive behavioral control and green purchase intention, however, the explanation of the price is not very assertive. How can a student that is more awared of sustainability be more affected to acquire these products due to the price and those with less level of awareness do not care?

Additionally, I recommend one paper for you to consider in your paper: 

Understanding citizens’ environmental concern and their pro-environmental behaviours and attitudes and their influence on energy use

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

English need minor editions.

Author Response

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Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1. The exposition in the Introduction chapter appears somewhat lacking. It is imperative to underscore the rationale behind exclusively employing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the conceptual framework. Are there alternative theories that may be pertinent to the subject matter?

2. Why is college students’ green purchasing intention important? Please indicate whether the participants are representative. Can the results be generalized and extrapolated to other situations?

3. Provide a comprehensive elucidation of the process and methods employed in the sampling procedure. Detail the rationale behind the chosen sampling techniques and expound on their appropriateness for the research context.

4. Why are the titles of 2.4 and 2.5 the same? Clarify the congruence in titles between sections 2.4 and 2.5. It is recommended to ensure distinct and purposeful titles for each section.

5. Delve into a detailed exposition of the procedures undertaken to assess the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Articulate the methods employed to ensure the trustworthiness and robustness of the survey instrument.

6. Some references appear dated; it is advisable to integrate recent research findings to enhance the currency and relevance of the scholarly contributions.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear author, 

Thanks for the improvements you have made, but still, some points have been missed by you, such as:

 

1) The theoretical framework should discuss intensely how sustainability awareness is linked to the theory of planned behaviour.

 

2) The discussion section needs to be more adequately developed. Expand it by comparing findings with previous studies, particularly recent ones like "Improving Social Performance through Innovative Small Green Businesses: Knowledge Sharing and Green Entrepreneurial Intention as Antecedents (2023)" and "Examining the Relationship between Green Mindfulness, Spiritual Intelligence, and Environmental Self-Identity: Unveiling the Path to Green Entrepreneurial Intention (2023)."

There is no conclusion section for the article.

3) Please do not mix implications with findings; these are two separate sections.

4) Please provide a separate section for the conclusion.

5) Specify the study type, sample details, duration, and rationale for selecting the students.

 

Thanks 

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, eventhough the paper has been improved, there still remains a big level of plagia with some sources more than 7%.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor english editing necessary.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

All relevant comments have been revised and are recommended for publication.

Author Response

Thank you for your approval!

 

Round 3

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

While I was expecting better work for the discussion section, as it should never be combined with the implications, this is the maximum the authors can do.

Author Response

Thank you very much!

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, thank you very much for allowing us to review your article. I habe some suggestions that would help make your article better:

In line 87 you say that in the literature "the difference between consumer's positive attitudes..." but then you don't mention the difference.

I believe that the problem statement should go before the description of TPB.

What is the green attitude-behavior gap? Line 88, and did you avoid it in your study?

The problem as it is mentionned doesn't make the study necessary.

Why the target should be university students? You give some arguments but without any literature support.

Students may not gave the monetary ressources for green consumption - should be discussed.

Lines 100 and 101 are repeated.

Introduction should present the objectives of the study at the end.

Lines 174-176 have nothing to do with the paragraph. Why sustainability awareness should be included in the theoretical framework?

Are you using perceived or perceptual behavioral control?

You should put the date of publishing when you cite. Lu et al. (XXX) etc.

The proposed conceptual model is very basic and doesn't present originality. What is the novelty of your research?

Change girls to women.

Is it household registration or student registration?

Items 2 and 3 of sustainable awareness look very similar.

I'd like to see the factor loadings of the items for each construct.

English level should be very much improved.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

English level is weak