See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/297658922

State-of-the-art Green HRM System: Sustainability in the sports center in

Malaysia using a multi-methods approach and opportunities for future
research

Article  in  Journal of Cleaner Production · March 2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.105

CITATIONS READS

30 1,324

5 authors, including:

Hamed Gholami Ghasem Rezaei

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
17 PUBLICATIONS   67 CITATIONS    11 PUBLICATIONS   66 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Muhamad Zameri Mat Saman Safian Sharif

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
118 PUBLICATIONS   817 CITATIONS    200 PUBLICATIONS   2,527 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Green Machining on Titanium Alloy to Foster Environmental Sustainability View project

Metal Epoxy Composite (MEC) for Tooling Insert Application View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Hamed Gholami on 30 October 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

State-of-the-art Green HRM System: sustainability in the sports center

in Malaysia using a multi-methods approach and opportunities for
future research
Hamed Gholami a, *, Ghasem Rezaei a, Muhamad Zameri Mat Saman a, Safian Sharif a,
Norhayati Zakuan b
a
Department of Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Malaysia
b
Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Malaysia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: While sustainability in sports centers has recently been clarified to speed up the sustainable societal
Received 14 April 2015 transitions under the banner of “Sport for Sustainable Development”, it seems relatively small and in
Received in revised form need of movement to generate a significant outlook. In pursuit of this aim, the research for this paper was
23 February 2016
built upon the discussion concerning “Green Human Resource Management” practices, which emerged
Accepted 24 February 2016
Available online 7 March 2016
with the AbilityeMotivationeOpportunity theoretical lens to embed sustainability in such centers. It
specifies a system of the key practices to implement a cleaner sustainability strategy within the sports
center that has multiple effects at the macro, meso, and micro levels of society. In an attempt to address
Keywords:
Sport for sustainable development
the lack of research on such a system, a novel multi-methods approach was implemented in three
Sustainability in sports center sections. The first section led to identifying an initial seven-factor structure based on factor analysis of a
Green human resource management system pilot study with ninety-seven respondents from the green community of Johor Darul Ta'zim Football
Factor analysis Association. Next, interpretive structural modeling was performed using a survey of experts' judgment to
Interpretive structural equation modeling develop the initial structure. Finally, structural equation modeling was considered to test the developed
Green community model. Upon validation of the proposed model, the results revealed a seven-factor interpretive structural
equation model with four levels: “performance management”, and “player involvement and empower-
ment”; “culture and supportive climate”, and “pay and reward systems”; “attracting and selecting”; and
“training and development”, and “union role in player involvement and environmental management”.
The analyses indicated that there were strong relationships between these key practices throughout the
system. The system highlighted practices toward correlating “performance management”, and “player
involvement and empowerment”, which constitute the foundation for implementing the system. The
research findings highlighted the importance of this system in making the transition to the notion of
“sustainable center” in Johor Darul Ta'zim, as well as for other sports centers throughout Malaysia and
other parts of the world. Future research directions are also discussed.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abbreviations: SSD, sport for sustainable development; SD, sustainable development; CP, cleaner production; HR, human resource; HRM, human resource management;
GHRM, green human resource management; GHRMP, green human resource management practices; AMO, AbilityeMotivationeOpportunity; UN, United Nations; UNOSDP,
United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace; SDP IWG, Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group; IOC, International Olympic Committee;
UNEP, United Nations Environment Programme; EM, environmental management; PM, performance management; EI, environmental management; PPM, practice toward
performance management; PPIE, practice toward players' involvement and empowerment; PCSC, practice toward culture and supportive climate; PPRS, practice toward pay
and reward systems; PAS, practice toward attracting and selecting; PUR, practice toward union role in PI and EM; PTD, practice toward training and development; FA, factor
analysis; EFA, exploratory factor analysis; CFA, confirmatory factor analysis; SI, skew index; KI, kurtosis index; CR, composite reliability; AVE, average variance extracted; ISM,
interpretative structural modeling; MICMAC, matriced' impacts croises-multiplication applique' and classment; SEM, structural equation modeling; ISEM, interpretive
structural equation modeling; AGFI, adjusted goodness of fit index; CFI, comparative fit index; IFI, incremental fit index; NNFI, non-normed fit index; RMSEA, root mean
squared error of approximation; RMR, root mean residual square; JDT, Johor Darul Ta'zim.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ60 18 760 0824.
E-mail addresses: ghamed8@live.utm.my, hamedgholami10@gmail.com (H. Gholami).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.105
0959-6526/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
1. Introduction
Given the growing global interest in sport development to
speed up the transition to sustainable development (SD) and
societal well-being, an increasing number of sports communities
are committing themselves to make such a transition. These
include the United Nations (UN) agencies, Sport for Development
and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG), International
Olympic Committee (IOC), Right to Play, sportanddev.org, and
StreetFootballWorld. The definition of the United Nations Office
on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), based in Geneva
and supported by a Liaison Office in New York, clarifies the
crucial role of sport for sustainable development (SSD): “Sport is
an important enabler of sustainable development” (UNOSDP,
2014, 2015; UN, 2015). From the point of view of Brown et al.
(2003), Schulenkorf (2012) and Edwards (2013), sports pro-
grams are considered to be a confidence inspiring solution to
encourage communication, as they possess special “intrinsic po-
wer” to activate people, remove barriers between groups, and
change people's attitudes and behavior. Consequently, there has
been an enormous amount of attention on sport's potential as an
instrument for broader community development efforts, partic-
ularly outside of North America (Kidd, 2008; Coalter, 2010). In
this regard, as shared spaces to influence the formation of col-
lective identity, sports centers are often considered for the
development of sport (Shilbury et al., 2008), community capacity
building (Edwards, 2013), sustainable community development
(Glover and Bates, 2006; Schulenkorf, 2012), and, consequently,
the development of SSD (SDP IWG, 2008).
Due to the SD philosophy, which is a result of the growing
awareness of the global links between mounting environmental
problems, socioeconomic issues related to poverty and inequality,
concerns about a healthy future for humanity (Hopwood et al.,
2005), and long-term horizon, it is evident that organizations
need the support of human resource (HR) practices to implement
sustainability (Daily and Huang, 2001). In addition, this is of critical
importance in sports organizations due to the structure, nature and
attitude toward HR (Doherty, 1998; Hoye et al., 2006; Taylor et al.,
2008). Regarding the field of HR, it is observed that the theme
“Green Human Resource Management (GHRM)” has introduced
itself as a new window for research (see Table 1), and constitutes an
essential tool for implementing sustainability in HR (Renwick et al.,
2013) as well as for advancing organizational sustainability through
the alignment of both traditional HR practices with environmental
goals and the strategic dimensions for HR management (Jabbour
and de Sousa Jabbour, 2016).
It is believed that this research makes a valuable contribution to
the literature. As mentioned earlier, the populating number of
sports communities is becoming involved in SSD. Nonetheless,
many of the sports stakeholders and decision-makers are unaware
of these movements (Nicholls et al., 2011; Edwards, 2013), and,
until today, the role of sport has too often been ignored or dis-
respected (UNOSDP, 2014). Thus, the aim of this paper is to accel-
erate the process of moving toward corporate social responsibility
(CSR) for sustainable societal transitions through such CSR-related
initiatives, to enable organizations to fulfill their accountability to
society (Maon et al., 2010).
As argued by SDP IWG (2008), sports federations, associations,
organizations, and centers at the national and local level have been
at the forefront of the SSD since its inception. Many of these or-
ganizations have moved to a strategic approach, human resource
management (HRM), which is becoming increasingly important as
a sustained strategy to lead their organizations (Taylor et al., 2008;
Sarah Leberman, 2010). Although successful HRM has been equated
with profitability, long-term growth and success (Hoye et al., 2006),
143
only a minority of these organizations have formal HRM systems
(Taylor and Ho, 2005; Taylor and McGraw, 2006). To this end, this
study concentrates on state-of-the-art Green HRM, which aims at
developing the ability, motivation and opportunity of human re-
sources (Jackson et al., 2011; Renwick et al., 2013) to embed sus-
tainability in sports organizations through the alignment of HRM
practices.
Therefore, the research objective is to specify a system of Green
HRM practices in Johor Darul Ta'zim (also simply known as JDT)
center, a large public sports-intensive center in southern Malaysia,
which is moving toward becoming “sustainable” and complying
with the SSD agenda. The association was founded in 1972 (as
PKENJ FC) and currently plays in the top division in Malaysian
football (the Malaysian Super League) with the goals of 1) Com-
munity capacity building, 2) Having a strong socioeconomic sys-
tem, and 3) Sustainable community development, which may be a
“Blueprint” for football success in Malaysia.
The lack of research on the systematizing of Green HRM prac-
tices, in particular, in sports centers, is obvious, as there is little
published empirical and theoretical research on this matter.
Particularly, there are limited studies investigating what organi-
zational members in the sports organizations perceive about sus-
tainability. There are even fewer prior studies that have discussed
the issue of “sustainable center” in such organizations, and, to be
more exact, no previous studies have addressed Green HRM prac-
tices in sports centers from the perspective of human resources,
which constitute the most important stakeholders of the commu-
nity center. In doing so, this research has applied an innovative
approach e a multi-methods approach of factor analysis (FA),
interpretative structural modeling (ISM), and structural equation
modeling (SEM) e to provide a reliable system of Green HRM
practices based on experts' perspectives and JDT main members'
perceptions in support of these goals.
To meet these considerations, this article is structured as fol-
lows: Section 2 provides insight into CP-SD specific domains to
speed up the adaptation of cleaner production in this particular
aim, that is “SSD”; Section 3 proceeds with a literature review to
develop a better understanding of the role of sport and sports
centers; and Section 4 outlines the theoretical framework, pre-
senting how and why the Green HRM System has been adopted
for implementing sustainability strategy in sports centers. This
leads to formulating the study's research objective; Section 5
clarifies the synergistic framework for integration of the
research methods, which can contribute to the modeling process
in future research agenda; Section 6 comprehensively presents
the empirical results and discussion on the system; and Section 7
presents the final conclusions and recommendations for future
research.
2. Sustainable development and the role of cleaner
production
The notion of sustainable development is used as a synonym
for “long-term”, “durable”, “sound”, and “systematic” (Ehnert,
2009). The common formal introduction of this notion was per-
formed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN, 1980), which presented the World
Conservation Strategy (WCS) with “the overall aim of achieving
sustainable development through the conservation of living re-
sources”. The World Commission on Environment and Develop-
ment (WCED, 1987) popularly defined it in its very short form of
“SD” as “development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs”. According to the standpoint of Hopwood et al. (2005), the
concept of SD is the outcome of a growing consciousness of
Table 1

144
The summary of published studies on “Green HRM”.

Year Author(s) Title Journal Type of paper Objective(s)

2008 Renwick et al. Green HRM: A Review, Process Model, and University of Sheffield (Discussion Paper Series) Theoretically based To indicate a new view of the literature on the theme of
Research Agenda Green HRM, and to classify them so as to identify gaps,
issues, and scope for further research
2010 Jackson and Seo The greening of strategic HRM scholarship Organization Management Journal Theoretically based To propose several specific questions for extending
strategic HRM scholarship to display the urgent need for
practical solutions for achieving environmental
sustainability
2011 Jabbour How green are HRM practices, organizational Industrial and Commercial Training Empirically based To examine the level of greening of HRM practices,
culture, learning and teamwork? A Brazilian organizational culture, learning, and teamwork of
study companies operating in Brazil
2011 Jackson et al. State-of-the-art and future directions for green German Journal of Research in HRM Theoretically based To stimulate the field of HRM to extend its role in
human resource management: Introduction to pursuance of environmentally sustainable business
the Special Issue
2011 Muster and Schrader Green work-life balance: a new perspective for German Journal of Research in HRM Theoretically based To propose a new view of Green HRM by considering
green HRM employees in their twofold role as producers and
consumers

H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

2012 Renwick et al. Introduction to the Green (environmental) The International Journal of Human Resource Theoretically based To develop the literature in a distinctive direction by
human resource management special issue Management focusing attention on contemporary empirical and
theoretical contributions in HRM scholarship
2013 Renwick et al. Green human resource management: a review International Journal of Management Reviews Theoretically based To categorize the literature on the basis of Ability
and research agenda eMotivationeOpportunity theory and to reveal the role
that Green HRM processes play in people-management
practice
2013 Jabbour Environmental training in organizations: from a Resources, Conservation and Recycling Theoretically based To show the outcomes of a systematic literature review
literature review to a framework for future on environmental training in organizations
research
2013 Jabbour et al. Green teams: understanding their roles in the Journal of Cleaner Production Empirically based To examine the relationships between the main
environmental management of companies characteristics of green teams and the maturity level of
located in Brazil environmental management in Brazilian companies
2013 Wagner ‘Green’ human resource benefits: do they Journal of Business Ethics Empirically based To examine whether benefits arising for HRM from
matter as determinants of environmental environmental management activities drive
management system implementation? environmental management system implementation in
German firms
2014 Jackson et al. An aspirational framework for strategic human The Academy of Management Annals Theoretically based To propose an aspirational framework for strategic HRM
resource management scholarship
2014  et al.
Paille The impact of human resource management on Journal of Business Ethics Empirically based To examine the link between HRM and environmental
environmental performance: an employee- management by highlighting how employees are
level study involved at their own level in helping their companies
become greener in the Chinese context
2016 Tariq et al. Green employee empowerment: a systematic Quality & Quantity Theoretically based To explore the literature regarding motivating employees
literature review on state-of-art in green to pursue green tasks, as mediated by green employee
human resource management empowerment
2014 Guerci and Pedrini The consensus between Italian HR and The International Journal of Human Resource Empirically based To explore the level of consensus between the HR and
sustainability managers on HR management for Management sustainability managers in Italian companies committed
sustainability-driven change e towards a to sustainability
‘strong’ HR management system
2015 Jabbour et al. Green product development and performance Journal of Cleaner Production Empirically based To propose and test a conceptual model that describes the
of Brazilian firms: measuring the role of human technical aspects, human/organizational aspects of the
and technical aspects adoption of green product development practices and the
effect of these practices on firms' environmental,
operational and market performance of Brazilian
companies
2015 Zibarras and Coan HRM practices used to promote pro-
environmental behavior: a UK survey
2016 Jabbour and de Sousa Jabbour Green Human Resource Management and
Green Supply Chain Management: linking two
emerging agendas
2016 Guerci and Carollo A paradox view on green human resource
management: insights from the Italian context
2016b Guerci et al. Green and nongreen recruitment practices for
attracting job applicants: exploring
independent and interactive effects
2016a Guerci et al. Translating stakeholder pressures into
environmental performance e the mediating
role of green HRM practices
2016 Haddock-Millar et al. Green human resource management: a
comparative qualitative case study of a United
States multinational corporation
2016 Markey et al. Employee participation and carbon emissions
reduction in Australian workplaces
2016 O'Donohue and Torugsa The moderating effect of ‘Green’ HRM on the
association between proactive environmental
management and financial performance in
small firms
2016 Subramanian et al. Green competence framework: evidence from
China
2016 Renwick et al. Contemporary developments in Green
(environmental) HRM scholarship
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
Journal of Cleaner Production
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
Empirically based To examine the role of HRM factors in encouraging
employees to become more pro-environmental, which
may ultimately support successful environmental
management system implementation in the UK
organizations
Theoretically based To propose a synergistic and integrative framework for
Green Human Resource Management and Green Supply
Chain Management, and to offer a research agenda for
this integration
Empirically based To explore and examine HRM-related paradoxes
theoretical lens to Green HRM practices in Italian
companies
Empirically based To examine two specific issues: (1) the direct effects of
green recruiting practices, and (2) the interactive effect of
‘green’ and ‘nongreen’ recruitment practices, on
attracting applicants in Italy
Empirically based To test the relative effects of three Green HRM practices
(i.e. green hiring, green training and involvement, and
green performance management and compensation) on
H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
environmental issues from two specific external
stakeholders (i.e. customers and regulatory stakeholders)
and environmental performance in Italian firms
Empirically based To examine the similarities and differences in Green HRM
practices in three subsidiaries of a US restaurant chain
located in the UK, Sweden, and Germany
Empirically based To examine direct and representative forms of employee
participation, and their possible interaction, in the
adoption of carbon mitigation activities at the workplace
level in Australia
Empirically based To test the moderating effect of HRM on the association
between proactive environmental management and
financial performance in small firms in Australia
Empirically based To examine the influence of individual green
competencies on organizations' green practices and
performance objectives in key industries in China
Theoretically based To review the contemporary literature on Green HRM to
frame the seven papers appearing in this context and to
extend the concept through detailing a new research
agenda
145
146 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
universal connections between rising environmental problems,
the poverty and inequality relating to the socioeconomic issues,
and aspiration for a healthy future for humanity (Khalili et al.,
2015).
The clarification of the role of cleaner production (CP), which is
defined by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as
“the continuous application of an integrated environmental
strategy to processes, products and services to increase efficiency
and reduce risks to humans and the environment” (UNEP, 2014), in
the SD of modern and progressed societies has evolved over the
last two decades. Examples include a study progressed by
Kjaerheim (2005), which stated that CP would not ensure the
creation of a sustainable future as an individual choice. However,
the extraordinary pace toward the real destination is believed to
be expanding on the concept, thereby representing the accessi-
bility of sufficient funding over a long-term period. Encouraging
the adaptation of CP in a large number of small critical move-
ments, the application of CP in total quality control strategies, and
the capacity of CP in the design of environmental management
systems (Kjaerheim, 2005), and its potential to affect related so-
cial, economic and prosperity indicators (Khalili et al., 2015) it is
included in the recommended modifications. According to the key
role, increased CP training in the industry (supply chain), gov-
ernment, the private and public sectors, and academia have
received prior importance on the SD agenda. However, CP con-
siderations can be notable in sports organizations (e.g. Governance
section, Setting and Stage section, Tournament section and so on)
so that the universal essence of environmental, economic and
social problems and challenges are addressed by these institutions
on the SSD agenda. Moreover, the necessary effective cooperation
for developing, testing and assisting the multi-disciplinary stra-
tegies preplanned for promising intention of making progress
toward a sustainable society is observable in the urgency of
adopting the sustainability paradigm (Bonilla et al., 2010). The
motivation for designing the strategies is linked to the urgency
exemplified in this paper.
3. Sport for sustainable development (SSD)
The link between sports development and sports centers is an
obvious one, and since the perspective of sports centers is the most
natural to the authors of this paper, this section develops a better
understanding of the role of sport and sports centers under the
banner of “sport for sustainable development (SSD)”. It is believed
that the establishment of cleaner production, which possesses
adequate training and knowledge in CP-SD specific domains, can be
leveraged to design, development, and successful integration of
these organizations for the sake of SSD.
The application of sport is not a new concept for development.
As a part of the foreign policy program, developed nations have
used sports initiatives since World War I, which were designed to
accelerate the development of emerging nations (Burnett, 2001).
To make a step toward achieving development goals within the
United Nations (UN) system and by the Member States, the UN has
passed multiple resolutions calling for the increased uptake of
sport as a tool (UN, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2015). The numerous ways
in which sport is considered to promote societal transition,
address gender inequality, slow the spread of HIV/AIDS, and
develop intercultural dialogue is complemented by the documents
that are made publicly available by the Sport for Development
International Working Group (SDPIWG, 2006, 2008). UNEP has
also participated in the task force of the UN Secretary-General on
the use of sport for implementing the UN development goals since
2002 (UNEP, 2015).
These development practices have been applied by scholars to
construct a harmonious theoretical base for a better understanding.
In this regard, a more clarified definition of sport has culminated in
the “SSD” model. It supports the engagement between sport
practices and communities (through the exchange of local knowl-
edge with external information), and progressing broader sport
programs and politics, which result in direct social influences and
long-term community sustainability from the comprehensive
mixing of research and practice in this context (Lyras and Welty
Peachy, 2011; Schulenkorf, 2012; Edwards, 2013). However, there
is a growing consideration for peace, child and youth development,
gender, persons with disabilities, health, economic development
and the environment in the world of sports, as, in the declaration of
the 2030 development agenda, sport is recognized as an important
enabler of SD by the UN, with particular emphasis on sports
development (UNOSDP, 2014, 2015).
Sports development is “a process whereby effective opportu-
nities, processes, systems, and structures are set up to enable
people in all or particular groups and areas to take part in sport and
recreation or to improve their performance to whatever level they
desire” (Sotiriadou et al., 2008, p. 247). Shilbury et al. (2008) argue
that “the development of sport focuses on the need for sporting
organizations to ensure a sustainable future by attracting and
nurturing participants likely to progress through the system and
represent a sport at the elite level” (p. 218). The UN Millennium
development goals of strengthening education, increasing the level
of public health and community safety, and progressing social
cohesion have been the focus of many of these organizations (Kidd,
2008).
To this end, the arguments stated by researchers show that
there can be a better sports position for the sake of SSD by
“requiring sport organizations to rethink their goals and objectives
and introduce new organizational structures and processes”
(Kikulis et al., 1992, p. 362), applying principles of community ca-
pacity building (Edwards, 2013), implementing of strategic plan-
ning for sustainable community development (Schulenkorf, 2012),
and mobilizing these communities to contribute to SSD (SDP IWG,
2008).
As the discourse in this area is rather limited, an opportunity
exists for innovative research. Both structured systems and asso-
ciated policies relating to sports developments are being consid-
ered as fundamental to the sports system in many countries
(Shilbury et al., 2008). However, many countries have not
completed the task of refining the systems and policies required for
a sustainable sports system. To address this issue, it is hoped that
cleaner production centers and research/academic institutes, along
with radical associations and consultancies will embrace the power
of SSD and seize the opportunity to develop the right policy and
system change that will contribute to attaining the Millennium
Development Goals.
4. Green HRM system for adopting sustainability strategy at
all levels
Having a sustainable organizational strategy is considered to be
the most vital objective of the world community. At the heart of
these strategies, to assist society in the design and implementation
of short and long-term plans to accomplish the transition to truly
sustainable societal development has received notable consider-
ation. This is evident in the thorough investigation by Almeida et al.
(2015) of the 53 articles in the special volume of the Journal of
Cleaner Production, which indicated the urgent need for change
from unsustainable societal patterns to sustainable ones. Almeida
and her colleagues identified four levels in the hierarchy of stra-
tegies. From the top to the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid are
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
strategies at the global, national, sectoral, and individual levels,
respectively, for solving problems with special emphasis upon
sustainability strategies.
Many nations and institutions have been trying to define the
concept of “sustainability” and its relevance to their operations,
values, and functionality. However, as reported by Lozano and
Huisingh in 2011, in many cases, sustainability is perceived as
being highly “anthropocentric”, “compartmentalized”, and “lack-
ing completeness and continuity” (Lozano, 2008), and in many
other cases, there is a bias toward considering sustainability as
only pertaining to environmental sustainability. This emphasis is
due to the social issues being less developed than the environ-
mental ones (Lozano and Huisingh, 2011). In addition, sustain-
ability not only obliges members of society to fulfill their
responsibilities but also generates important competitive advan-
tage (Cohen et al., 2012). For this reason, organizations are
increasingly considering sustainability as a business strategy
because it can deliver larger stakeholder value, and provide access
to human capital as well as lead to better performance over time
(Ambec and Lanoie, 2008), which can improve the shared value for
both business and society (Porter and Kramer, 2011). Without
doubt, aspects of sustainability, like environmental stewardship,
workplace accountability, human rights protection and
good corporate citizenship, can progressively be part of the
social legitimacy of an organization, which can result in
advances in reputation, productivity, talent acquisition, employee
retention and engagement, cost effectiveness, risk avoidance,
innovation and market expansion, and access to human capital
(Cohen et al., 2012).
Since organizations have increasingly followed sustainability
strategies, a common vocabulary has appeared in this field under
the title of human resource management (HRM) (Ehnert, 2009;
Cohen et al., 2012), which has had a long and checkered his-
tory; from a “personnel” function to human relations, then labor
relations, after that industrial relations (1800e1970) (Deadrick
and Stone, 2014), more recently strategic HRM function
(1980 to recently), and, today, a “Green HRM” function (2008 to
present).
The theme of “Green Human Resource Management (GHRM)”,
which was coined by Renwick et al. (2008), Jackson and Seo
(2010), and Renwick et al. (2013), has established itself as a new
line of research with the aim of organizational environmental
management through aligning the HRM practices (Jackson and
Seo, 2010; Jabbour et al., 2015), as the Special Issues on the sub-
ject (e.g. Jackson et al., 2011; Renwick et al., 2012) made this
matter obvious. The GHRM practices involve both traditional “HR
practices” aligned with environmental goals and “strategic HRM”
dimensions. HR practices perform a critical role in the imple-
mentation and maintenance of environmental management sys-
tems (Daily and Huang, 2001; Daily et al., 2007; Jabbour and
Santos, 2008) and the development of products and innovations
with lower environmental impact (Govindarajulu and Daily, 2004).
Strategic HRM, which is defined by Jackson et al. (2014) as “HRM
systems (and/or subsystems) and their interrelationships with
other elements comprising an organizational system, including
the organization's external and internal environments, the multi-
ple players who enact HRM systems, and the multiple stake-
holders who evaluate the organization's effectiveness and
determine its long-term survival” (p. 2), emphasizes the need to
use HRM systems to improve organizational performance (Jackson
and Seo, 2010) and incorporate sustainability issues (Renwick
et al., 2013). These studies along with other studies, as systemat-
ically reviewed in Table 1, constitute the background to the area of
Green HRM. However, despite many studies that make novel
contributions to this theme, new research is needed (Renwick
147
et al., 2013, 2016; Jackson et al., 2014): to advance practices; and
to focus on systems thinking. Accordingly, the Renwick et al.
(2013) review and their specific GHRM practices were notably
biased in this context, especially for the empirical studies that are
more useful for the conceptual richness.
Based on Renwick et al. (2013), GHRM practices would help
place sustainability at the heart of HR management. According to
Ehnert (2009), sustainability in HRM can be defined as sustainable
performance of the organization; it can create the skills, motiva-
tion, value and trust to achieve a triple bottom line and thereby
pave the way to providing long-term health and sustainability of
both the internal and external stakeholders of the organization,
with rules that reflect equity, development and well-being, and
help support environmentally friendly practices. The sustainable
performance of the organization can be guaranteed by embedding
a sustainability strategy in the organization through employing HR
practices as well as the creation of a HRM system (Ehnert, 2009).
The abilityemotivationeopportunity (AMO) theory that was used
in an initial article published by Renwick et al. (2013), is based on a
conceptualization that demonstrates the effect of HR practices on
the performance of organizations (Appelbaum et al., 2000; Boselie
et al., 2005; Tariq et al., 2016). Based on Renwick et al. (2013), the
AMO theory proposes HRM practices that improve the human
assets of the organization through increasing human abilities,
which provides performance results, such as advanced produc-
tivity, minimized waste, excellent quality as well as profit. In
respect of the AMO concept, GHRM works by enhancing em-
ployees' ability by hiring and developing high-performing staff,
and increasing employees' inspiration and obligation through
methods like contingent rewards and efficient performance
management (PM). Furthermore, this method provides staff and
employees with the chance to be involved in knowledge-sharing
and problem-solving actions through environmental manage-
ment (EI) packages.
This research has evaluated each of these three essential
mechanisms of Green HRM practices based on the review of
Renwick et al. (2013) and their research agenda, in sports centers
due to the multiple effects at the macro (sport development),
meso (community development), and micro (human develop-
ment) levels of society (Burnett, 2001; Lyras and Peachey, 2011).
This may contribute to building the community capacity and
sustainable community development or “the interaction of hu-
man capital, organizational resources and social capital existing
within a given community that can be leveraged to solve collec-
tive problems and improve or maintain the well-being of a given
community” (Chaskin, 2001, p. 295). Sports centers can also act as
catalysts to protect and enhance the environment (UNEP, 2015).
Therefore, these organizations should consider the necessity of
not only having a holistic view of the roles and responsibilities
but also consider the long-term impacts of their decisions. In their
efforts to grow economically, the centers must take responsibility
for their influence on the society and the environment. In addi-
tion, scientists suggest that social and environmental duties will
probably pay off in terms of many tangible methods (Orlitzky
et al., 2003). This trend is usually stated as “the triple-bottom-
line” expression, which highlights the importance of going
beyond profitability and wealth creation as the sole measure of an
organization's contribution to society to include environmental
and social impacts (Norman and MacDonald, 2004; Hoye et al.,
2006).
In doing so, sports centers should successfully combine the local,
national and global strategies. HRM has been observed to be stra-
tegically significant and one of the fundamental approaches, and
previously published studies on the subject highlighted HRM ca-
pabilities as a strategy that has had a considerable impact on the
148 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

The literature study Identification of variables associated

consisting of a review of The standard scale
with Green HRM Practices
To provide the prime model

keywords design
Step1
FA based model;

Factor structure of Green HRM Practices

Amos Step2 SPSS

Modify Testing validity & reliability Reject

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Step3 Exploratory Factor Analysis

Application of interpretive structural modeling

Step 4
Establish conceptual
relationship between variables Expert opinion

Develop a Structural Self- Develop a

Interaction Matrix (SSIM) reachability matrix
To develop FA based model

Partition of reachability
ISM based model;

matrix into different level

Develop reachability
Develop diagraph matrix into conical form

Remove transitivity from

the diagraph

Is there any
Replace variable nodes with conceptual
relationship statements inconsistency

No
Modify

Reject

MICMAC Analysis to evaluate the drive power and dependence power of practices
To test ISM based model
SEM based model;

Interpretive structural
model testing
Step 5

Structure Equation Model Revise

A reliable and valid System of Green HRM Practices

Fig. 1. The methodological approach of FA-ISM-SEM for systematizing Green HRM practices.
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163 149

sustained success of the sports organizations (Doherty, 1998; Taylor
and Ho, 2005; Hoye et al., 2006; Taylor and McGraw, 2006; Taylor
et al., 2008). Also, it should successfully merge with the important
members and effect a transition and working system that creates
synergies and new solutions. Shilbury et al. (2008) argued that the
impact of specific system design concerning the sustained success
in the sports center constitutes a well-recognized stream of the
investigation.
The observations suggest that a systematic Green HRM within
organizations, in particular, sports organizations, can contribute to
implementing essential skills for greater sustainability that en-
hances a shared value for people, planet and profit, and delivers
lasting prosperity for all. Therefore, this research contributes to
specifying a system of Green HRM practices.
5. Methods
Within this context, the suggestions of 11 academic experts who
had football experience, including ISC football players (Interna-
tional Student Center team members), as well as having a higher-
education level in their careers were used; 72.73% of the total
respondents have undergone postgraduate (Ph.D.) study.
Table 2 summarizes the demographic profile of experts who
assisted in identifying an initial pool of items associated with
managing green human resources. The items were adapted from
the main ones in the core areas of GHRM, which were prepared and
extracted from the literature after a thorough review by Renwick
et al. (2013). The review was in accordance with the three speci-
fied broad aims: to Develop Green Abilities, to Motivate Green
Community, and to Provide Green Opportunities. Based on this
review and brainstorming done by the experts through yes/no type
questions in this step, from the 47 recognized items, 42 variables
were approved, as shown in Appendix 1.

5.2. Factor structure of green HRM practices

The orientation of this research is an applied research, from the
strategy point of view survey, the exploratory objective point of
The validity of the developed scale was confirmed by perform-
view e descriptive and single cross-sectional. It begins with the
ing the second step (Fig. 1). Besides content validity, construct
literature study consisting of a review of keywords and previous
validity is also acknowledged to be a means of measuring content
studies on solution tools. The data collection was done through
validity, which is too dependent on personal judgments. A principal
questionnaires and personal interviews according to the project
component factor analysis with varimax rotation e a method of
purpose of specifying a system of GHRM practices in respect of
exploratory factor analysis e using SPSS 22 was undertaken to
sports; namely, sports association, institutions, organizations and
assess the validity, as the factors are dependent on one another. The
centers, to develop a green community that can drive SSD. The
results were examined using confirmatory factor analysis. For this,
green community, in this context, is defined as the famous and
revered individuals who understand the concepts of SD, and are
equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills needed to Table 2
The demographic profile of participants.
develop SSD, such as Italy's Francesco Totti and Liberia's George
Weah, who help carry messages about health, motivation, and life Demographics Respondents Experts
skills to young people. They present qualities we all need: courage, (JDT teams members) (ISC team members)
application, refusal to submit to adversity and leadership. Their Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%)
potential as ambassadors, as promoters of sustainable ways of Gender (N ¼ 97) (N ¼ 11)
living, is enormous as the report of the German Federal Ministry for Male 97 100 11 100
the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in 2007, Female e e e e
entitled “Green Champions in Sport and Environment”, made
obvious. Age
Below 25 53 54.64 e e
To achieve this, factor analysis (FA) to form a smaller number of
26e35 36 37.11 11 100
coherent subscales, as well as a way to assess the reliability and 36e45 06 6.19 e e
validity of measurement scales (Carmines and Zeller, 1979); Above 46 01 1.03 e e
interpretative structural modeling (ISM), as proposed by Warfield Missing 01 1.03 e e
(1973), to develop a FA based model; and, finally, testing the ISM
Nationality
based model using structural equation modeling (SEM), which has
Malaysian 89 91.75 e e
recently become the most popular data analysis method among Non-Malaysian 08 8.25 11 100
empirical studies, have been applied in this study as the meth-
odological approach. Accordingly, the action taken must adhere to Current level of study
the steps outlined in Fig. 1, which is discussed in more detail Bachelors 19 19.59 e e
Masters e e 3 27.27
below.
PhD e e 8 72.73
Others 70 72.16 e e
Missing 08 8.25 e e
5.1. Identification of variables associated with green HRM practices
Current position
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the FA has been employed to survey a Player 86 88.7 11 100
set of questions of Green HRM practices (GHRMP). In developing Coach assistance 11 11.3 e e
this set of questions, the investigators used extensive library
studies on keywords. The keywords of sustainability and SD have Period of work in the current position
Less than 1 year 10 10.31 e e
attracted increasing interest in the field of business, manage-
More than 1 year 30 30.93 1 9.09
ment, and, recently, HRM, since the WCED published its report in or less than 2 years
1987 (Ehnert and Harry, 2012). In addition, the Green HRM More than 2 years 33 34.02 6 54.55
developed by Renwick et al. (2008) and merged with the AMO or less than 3 years
theory proposed by Appelbaum et al. (2000) are effective in More than 3 years 15 15.46 4 36.36
or less than 4 years
embedding sustainability strategy within organizations, espe- More than 4 years 07 7.22 e e
cially sports organizations due to the formation and orientation Missing 02 2.06 e e
toward HR.
Table 3

150
The factorial structure along with the normality, reliability, and validity of each factor using IBM®SPSS®Amos™22.

Rotated component matrixa CFAc

Variables Factors b
Communalities Total correlation a if item deleted Standardized loadingi

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

V19 0.721 0.690 0.630 0.940 0.739

V22 0.714 0.802 0.745 0.938 0.833
j j j
V21 0.655 0.725
V18 0.593 0.708 0.692 0.939 0.761
V20 0.581 0.617 0.696 0.939 0.765
j j j
V28 0.505 0.671
V27 0.671 0.670 0.638 0.940 0.726
V24 0.668 0.651 0.623 0.940 0.698
j j j
V26 0.591 0.705
V25 0.550 0.705 0.753 0.938 0.799
V23 0.521 0.587 0.625 0.940 0.687
j j j
V3 0.730 0.762
V1 0.691 0.643 0.500 0.942 0.789

H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

V4 0.560 0.547 0.599 0.940 0.693
V5 0.555 0.537 0.573 0.941 0.712
V2 0.503 0.589 0.605 0.940 0.678
V9 0.776 0.724 0.498 0.941 0.687
j j j
V12 0.667 0.731
V13 0.576 0.620 0.616 0.940 0.636
V7 0.510 0.686 0.675 0.939 0.779
V8 0.501 0.614 0.654 0.939 0.724
V36 0.705 0.654 0.593 0.940 0.700
V37 0.688 0.719 0.655 0.939 0.791
V40 0.606 0.647 0.654 0.940 0.738
j j j
V34 0.779 0.768
V29 0.630 0.577 0.544 0.941 0.749
V30 0.513 0.663 0.586 0.940 0.696
j j j
V33 0.508 0.698
V32 0.500 0.594 0.611 0.940 0.688
V42 0.626 0.581 0.477 0.942 0.648
j j j
V10 0.536 0.644
V41 0.513 0.669 0.572 0.941 0.769

Total Criteriak
Eigenvalues 13.307 1.718 1.381 1.317 1.226 1.187 1.060 >1.00
Variance (%) 41.584 5.369 4.316 4.115 3.830 3.709 3.313 66.237% Exceed 20% for 1st factor
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163 151

AMOS 22 software was used; the identified variables of GHRMP

were categorized into an articulated seven-factor model. This step
is explained in detail in the next parts.

5.2.1. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA)

EFA was carried out to look at the current fundamental structure
of GHRMP with 42 variables, as shown in Appendix 1. To be able to
determine the actual structure of the scale and to form a smaller
number of coherent subscales, varimax rotation was utilized, and
principal components factor analysis was applied to the obtained
scores from the answers given by the 97 respondents. Out of 120
distributed questionnaires in this stage of the research, a total of 97
completed questionnaires were deemed usable yielding a response
rate of 80.83%, including just the green community of JDT; a com-
munity consisting of famous and revered individuals in southern
Malaysia. A 5-point Likert scale (1 ¼ strongly disagree, 5 ¼ strongly
agree) was conducted to measure the variables. Notably, the overall
reliability of the questionnaire was measured with a Cronbach's of
The extraction method is principal component analysis. The rotation method is varimax with Kaiser Normalization, and the rotation converged in 16 iterations.
±1.96

±1.96

>0.3
>0.5
>0.6
>0.5

equals 0.954, which is an appropriate consideration. Table 2 sum-

<10
<3

marizes the demographic profile of the respondents in this stage of

the research.
Bartlett's test of sphericity and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO)
measure of sampling adequacy were applied to assess the factor-
ability of the data and ensure adequacy of sampling (Murovec
0.942

et al., 2012; Nejati and Nejati, 2013; Ugulu, 2013; Hou et al.,
24

2014). According to Nejati and Nejati, 2013, the minimum sug-

gested KMO index (which ranges from 0 to 1) for a good FA is 0.6,
0.669
0.575
0.670
0.506
3.12
0.89
0.14
0.56
0.30
0.60

and Bartlett's test of sphericity should be significant at p < 0.05 for

2

the FA to be considered suitable. In this study, Bartlett's test of

sphericity was significant (p ¼ 0.000), and the KMO index was
The factor loadings of less than 0.5 have not been printed and variables have been sorted by loadings on each factor.
0.559
0.706
0.754
0.506

measured to be 0.85, which show data that is highly appropriate

3.43
0.87
0.37
1.48
0.07
0.14
3

for EFA.
The criteria most frequently used in the process of identifying
The references are taken from Hair et al. (2010), Wong et al. (2012), Ugulu (2013), Nejati and Nejati (2013).

the total factor number to extract included eigenvalues, the

0.573
0.786
0.788
0.533
3.18
0.96
0.21
0.84
0.28
0.56

The average variance extracted (AVE) ¼ (standardized loading2)/[ (standardized loading2) þ 3 j].

percentage of contribution to the total variance and scree plot

3

(Hair et al., 2010; Gholami et al., 2015). The EFA on the GHRMP
extracted 11 factors with eigenvalues exceeding 1.0, which
The composite reliability (CR) ¼ [( standardized loading)2/( standardized loading)2 þ 3 j].
0.536
0.774
0.800
0.502

P
3.32
0.99
0.31
1.24
0.28
0.56

explained 69.297% of the total variance. The scree plot implied

4

that seven factors dropped sharply after which they started to

level off; the rotation was essential for seven factors. Therefore,
Z (KI) ¼ KI/√(24/N). All the coefficients are significant at the 0.05 significance level.
Z (SI) ¼ SI/√(6/N). All the coefficients are significant at the 0.05 significance level.
0.512
0.726
0.810
0.517

seven of eleven factors were accurately extracted by one variable

3.41
0.96
0.21
0.84
0.37
0.74

per each factor with a loading greater than 0.4. Ten variables
Standardized regression weights (all coefficients are significant at p < 0.001).
4

The total correlation (TC) between the second CFA variables and each factor.

were excluded because their factor loadings were less than 0.4
(Ugulu, 2013). In general, 10 of the 42 variables were deleted, and
P
0.669
0.817
0.819
0.531
3.14
0.97
0.04
0.16
0.35
0.70

the FA for rotation was rerun over the dataset with 32 variables.
4

Table 3 shows the final rotated component matrix of the obtained

P

scale.
0.601
0.856
0.857
0.601

Following the EFA, 32 out of the initial 42 variables with factor

3.29
1.05
0.41
1.65
0.40
0.80

loadings greater than 0.50 were retained forming seven distinct

4

factors with eigenvalues higher than 1.0. These were 13.307, 1.718,
1.381, 1.317, 1.226, 1.187, and 1.060, and explained 66.237% of the
Cronbach's alpha (a)

The variable excluded from the revised CFA.

Variables quantity

total variance. Table 3 shows the factorial structure along with the
P
The second confirmatory factor analysis.

variance and eigenvalues for each factor. Furthermore, the pro-

P

portion of explained variance by the prime factor should be more

than 20% in valid scales (Ugulu, 2013); it estimated 41.584% of the
Mean

AVEh
Z(KI)e
Z(SI)d

total variance, which is considered satisfactory (Table 3). This in-

CRg
S.D

TCf
KI
SI

dicates the presence of one major factor and support for prior ev-
idence concerning the internal consistency of the Green HRM
Reliability and validity

system.

5.2.2. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA): cross-validating initial

factor structure
Normality

CFA was performed to confirm the factorial structure of the

developed scale, as shown in Fig. 1. CFA using AMOS was first un-
c
d

h
a

i
j
k
b

dertaken to determine the fit between the hypothesized model

152 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

with 32 variables and the data. Various fit indices were utilized to reliability analysis through Cronbach's alpha for each factor was
test the adequacy of CFA model following the criteria set by re- carried out using SPSS, giving 0.856, 0.817, 0.726, 0.774, 0.786,
searchers, as summarized in Table 4. 0.706, and 0.575, respectively (Table 3). Moreover, the overall
The first CFA did not result in model fit indices, indicating the reliability of the variables was measured with the Cronbach's alpha
questionable fit of the model to the data and the need for some equaling 0.942. The reliability of the constructs was also evaluated
modification in the specification to obtain the best fitting model. using the composite reliability (CR) values, which refers to the
The output of CFA suggested regression paths (modification degree to which an observed instrument reflects an underlying
indices) of the pairs of variables that were extremely high. The factor. Each construct exceeding the recommended level of 0.6
content and nature of the variables were assessed and observed to (Wong et al., 2012) for the factor loadings for all dimensions was
overlap to some degree, accordingly, some of the variables within accepted (Table 3). Therefore, it may be mentioned how the in-
each pair e V3, V10, V12, V21, V26, V28, V33, and V34 e were strument with a crumb variable of 1 to variable 24 has high con-
excluded from the revised CFA. sistency, or even matches with regard to its use in the new version
Therefore, after excluding the eight variables of GHRMP, of the GHRMP scale as a sustainable standard scale. Furthermore,
confirmatory factor analysis with 24 variables was rerun to identify the total correlation score of all the variables within each reliability
the model that outlines the best fit to the obtained scale (see analysis exhibited acceptable outcomes, which are greater than
Table 3). Table 4 shows that all the values are above the suggested 0.30 (Ugulu, 2013), as shown in Table 3.
criteria for acceptable model fit, thereby confirming that the mea- The most direct method of validating the result is to move to a
surement model has displayed a good fit. All the path coefficients confirmatory perspective (Hair et al., 2010). A principal component
were found to be significant at p < 0.001, indicating a meaningful factor analysis with varimax rotation was used, and the results
contribution of each variable to the related factor. Thus, seven di- achieved were examined through CFA, as implemented in the
mensions of GHRMP were authorized to correlate to one another, as previous steps. In this regard, the chi-square difference test was
illustrated in Fig. 2. carried out to verify whether a significant difference existed be-
tween the primary and revised CFA models. The Dc2 value between
the revised CFA and primary CFA models was significant (p < 0.05),
5.3. Testing normality, reliability, and validity and a significant decrease in c2 shows that the model fit looks
better than it really is (Murovec et al., 2012). Furthermore, the
Descriptive analysis was completed on the factors of the model test statistics, scaled as “goodness-of-fit” statistics and
revised CFA model, and their mean and standard deviation are approximate fit indices, indicated an “acceptable” model fit
displayed in Table 3. All the mean scores are above the midpoint of (Table 4). Moreover, with regard to the suggestion of Hair et al.
3.1, ranging from 3.1 to 3.4 (Table 3); this indicates an overall (2010), Wong et al. (2012), Nejati and Nejati (2013), and Jakhar
positive response to the factors in the research. The standard (2015), convergent validity is a type of construct validity that as-
deviation values suggest a narrow spread around the mean. Uni- sesses the degree to which dimensional measures of the same
variate normality was assessed through the examination of the concept are correlated. The average variance extracted (AVE) is
skew index (SI) and kurtosis index (KI), with critical values under used to assess the convergent validity, which, for each construct,
3.0 and 10, respectively, indicative of acceptable normality (Wong should exceed the recommended level of 0.5. As shown in Table 3,
et al., 2012). These tests can assess the degree to which the the AVE for the factors was calculated at 0.601, 0.531, 0.517, 0.502,
skewness and peakedness of the distribution vary from the 0.533, 0.506 and 0.506, respectively. In addition, all the correlations
normal distribution. The most commonly used critical values are between seven factors were found to be significant at p < 0.001
±2.58 (p ¼ 0.01) and ±1.96, which corresponds to a 0.05 error level (Fig. 2). These examinations confirmed the acceptable results of
(Hair et al., 2010). In this study, the skew and kurtosis indexes and normality, reliability, and validity in respect of the FA based model.
also the calculated Z values for the SI and KI in all constructs are
suitable (Table 3). 5.3.1. Description of GHRMP dimensions
In this research, the Cronbach's alpha internal consistency co- Based on the valid and reliable scale of revised confirmatory
efficient was calculated to identify whether or not the variables of factor analysis, it was seen that variables constituting GHRMP were
GHRMP were consistent with each other (Nejati and Nejati, 2013; grouped under seven sub-factors (Fig. 2), and the nomination of
Ugulu, 2013). Following the results of the revised CFA, the these factors was determined according to an extensive literature
review on the topic (Table 1) based on the common characteristic of
the variables loaded on the same factor, as follows:
Table 4
The goodness of fit indices for models. The first factor included four variables (V18, V19, V20, and V22)
that focus on motivating green human resources that may be suc-
Fit indices Values Criteriaa
cessfully initiated to develop overall performance indicators for
Revised CFA Revised ISEM each environmental risk area (Renwick et al., 2013). Thus, this
Ratio of chi-square* to its 245.653/ 257.061/ <3 factor, with a total correlation score of 0.601 (mean ¼ 3.29 and
degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) 231 ¼ 1.063 241 ¼ 1.067 S.D ¼ 1.05), was named “Practice toward Performance Management
P (Probability level) 0.242 0.228 >0.05 (PPM)”.
Adjusted goodness of 0.845 0.835 >0.80
fit index (AGFI)
The second factor included four variables (V23, V24, V25, and
Comparative fit index (CFI) 0.986 0.984 >0.90 V27) that concentrate on motivating green human resources that is
Incremental fit index (IFI) 0.986 0.985 >0.90 consistent with a strategic approach to reward management, and is
Non-normed fit index (NNFI) 0.983 0.982 >0.90 defined as the alignment associated with pay practices and
Root mean squared error of 0.026 (0e0.05) 0.026 (0e0.05) <0.08
corporate objectives (Renwick et al., 2013). Therefore, this factor,
approximation (RMSEA
(90% confidence interval)) with a total correlation score of 0.669 (mean ¼ 3.14 and S.D ¼ 0.97),
P-ClOSE 0.946 0.947 >0.05 was named “Practice toward Pay and Reward Systems (PPRS)”.
*p < 0.05.
The third factor included four variables (V1, V2, V4 and V5) that
a
The references are taken from Hair et al. (2010); Wong et al. (2012); Murovec concentrate on how organizations select candidates consistent
et al. (2012); Nejati and Nejati (2013); Hou et al. (2014). with pro-environmental management (EM) stances/the impact
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163 153

Fig. 2. The unstandardized estimates of the FA based model; all coefficients are significant (p < 0.001).

from the EM motion on choice criteria, as well as processes
(Renwick et al., 2013). Thus, this factor, with a total correlation score
of 0.512 (mean ¼ 3.41 and S.D ¼ 0.96), was called “Practice toward
Attracting & Selecting (PAS)”.
The fourth factor included four variables (V7, V8, V9, and V13)
that focus on developing green abilities as well as assessing the
potential of developmental efforts (Renwick et al., 2013). Hence,
this factor, with a total correlation score of 0.536 (mean ¼ 3.32 and
S.D ¼ 0.99), was called “Practice toward Training & Development
(PTD)”.
The fifth factor included three variables (V36, V37, V40) that
focus on providing green opportunities, in other words, knowing
154 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
the connecting mechanisms between player involvement and good
organizational/player final results (Renwick et al., 2013). Thus, this
factor with a total correlation score of 0.573 (mean ¼ 3.18 and
S.D ¼ 0.96) was named “Practice toward Culture and Supportive
Climate (PCSC)”.
The sixth factor bundled three variables (V29, V30 and V32) that
focus on providing green opportunities that can distinguish effi-
cient green player involvement (PI) and environmental manage-
ment (EM) endeavors from ineffective ones, as well as can
determine the key design variables of effective Green PI endeavors
(Renwick et al., 2013). Therefore, this factor, with a total correlation
score of 0.559 (mean ¼ 3.43 and S.D ¼ 0.87), was named “Practice
toward Player Involvement and Empowerment (PPIE)”.
The seventh factor involved two variables (V41, and V42) that
concentrate on providing green opportunities and the impact
associated with the Green HRM system on organization's
overall performance (Renwick et al., 2013). Therefore, this factor,
with a total correlation score of 0.669 (mean ¼ 3.12 and S.D ¼ 0.89),
was called “Practice toward Union Role in PI and EM (PUR)”.
5.4. Application of ISM
Based on the above fallouts, the seven-factor structural model
through EFA was approved and confirmed by CFA. The portion of
factors for the measurement model is shown in Fig. 2, which pre-
sents the appropriateness of the GHRMP measuring model. In order
to develop our quantitative model, interpretive structural modeling
was used that allowed evaluation of the mutual influences of the
factors and explicit interactions to be made between them.
Therefore, the articulated seven-factor model of GHRMP obtained
by the FA approach is developed using ISM, as presented in Fig. 1.
5.4.1. Interpretative structural modeling (ISM)
Selecting the components of the model and making explicit
interactions between them are performed by structural modeling
(McLean and Paul, 1976). Imposing order and direction on the
complexity of the relationships among the elements of a system is
helped by the ISM approach (Sage, 1977), which was proposed and
developed by Warfield in 1973 and 1974, respectively. ISM is
frequently used to produce essential knowledge about complicated
situations, as well as to create a system for solving problems. It
enables researchers to develop a plan of the relationships between
many factors associated in a sophisticated manner as a system
(Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013). ISM is an organized application of
some primary graph model in a way that the conceptual and
computational advantages are used to clarify the complex design of
conceptual relations between the variables. The numerous actions
for implementing the ISM approach are taken out, and its logical
flow is demonstrated in the second section of Fig. 1, which shows
the research model developed in this study. To achieve this desired
model through interpretive structural modeling, in general, four
steps must be taken into account. These stages are as follows:
A) Identification of dimensions: Based on the FA approach, as
demonstrated in the first section of the methods, the identified
dimensions of GHRMP were substituted in seven dimensions
(Fig. 2).
B) Preparing the questionnaire and completion based on the
experts' opinion: A paired comparison questionnaire was designed
and distributed among ISC team members (Table 2) at the begin-
ning of the fourth step. The experts determined the relationships
between the dimensions in the questionnaire under the following
relations.
According to each of the questionnaires collected from the ex-
perts, a Structural Self-Interaction Matrix (SSIM) is made; the ul-
timate structural self-interactive matrix is formed from all
comments based on the maximum frequency (Table 5). To achieve
this matrix, the below relationships are used:
V: Factor i will help achieve Factor j;
A: Factor j will help achieve Factor i;
X: Factors i and j will help achieve each other;
O: Factors i and j are unrelated.
C) Data analysis: After obtaining the SSIM it must be converted
to an initial reachability matrix using numbers 0 and 1 (binary
matrix). This matrix is formed based on SSIM and using the re-
lationships below:
 If the cell (i, j) in SSIM has taken the symbol V, the related cell in
an initial reachability matrix will take number 1 and its Sym-
metry cell, i.e. (j, i) will take number 0.
 If the cell (i, j) in SSIM has taken the symbol A, the related cell in
an initial reachability matrix will take number 0 and its Sym-
metry cell, i.e. (j, i) will take number 1.
 If the cell (i, j) in SSIM has taken the symbol X, the related cell in
an initial reachability matrix will take number 1 and its Sym-
metry cell, i.e. (j, i) will take number 1.
 If the cell (i, j) in SSIM has taken the symbol O, the related cell in
an initial reachability matrix will take number 0 and its sym-
metry cell, i.e. (j, i) will take number 0.
Based on the transitivity rule (Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013),
which states that if factor A leads to factor B, and factor B leads to
factor C, then factor A necessarily leads to factor C. In the initial
reachability matrix, this relationship has not been examined. To fix
this problem, a final reachability matrix was formed. In this regard,
a mathematical relationship is used. Factors PPM, PPRS, and PCSC
lead to factor PAS and factor PAS leads to factor PTD; thus, factors
PPM, PPRS, and PCSC must be added to factor PTD as a transitive
element and so on. Thus, some elements of zero turned from zero
into one and were shown as 1*. As illustrated in Table 6, there is no
1*, referring to the reliability of experts' responsibility as premier
hypotheses. It should be noted that, in Table 6, the sum of each row
represents the drive power of each factor, that is, how much each
factor can affect other factors. Also, the sum of each column rep-
resents the dependence power on each dimension, that is, how
much each dimension can be affected by others.
D) Specifying relationships and level partitioning between
dimensions: As a result of the final reachability matrix that was
pointed out in the previous section, it is possible to level-partition
the factors analyzed as intended in the logical flow of the developed
research model (second section). To achieve this goal, the reach-
ability set and antecedent set (Warfield, 1974) for each factor are
identified from the final reachability matrix. Consequently, the
intersection set of these sets has been used for these factors. The
factor that is the same in both the intersection set and the reach-
ability set will attain the first priority (top-level factor in the ISM
hierarchy).
Table 5
The structural self-interaction matrix (SSIM).
i j
PUR PCSC PPIE PPRS PPM PTD
PAS X A X A A V
PTD X A X A X
PPM X V X V
PPRS V O A
PPIE X O
PCSC X
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163 155

Table 6
The final reachability matrix.
other factors. After that, with the identical procedure, the next level
of factor is found. This procedure continues until the levels of each
i j
factor are recognized. In this study, the factors along with their
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Driver power reachability set, antecedent set, intersection set, and levels were
PAS PTD PPM PPRS PPIE PCSC PUR completed within four iterations. These recognized levels help in
a. PAS 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 creating the digraph and the final model of the ISM. As shown in
b. PTD 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 4 Fig. 3, the “PPIE and PPM” factors are the infrastructure factors at
c. PPM 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7
level IV for formatting the ISM based model, as clarified from the
d. PPRS 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 4
e. PPIE 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 6 level partitions for factors given in Table 7. Hence, it forms the base
f. PCSC 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 of the ISM hierarchy.
g. PUR 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 6
Dependence power 6 7 4 3 5 3 7

5.4.2. MICMAC analysis

MICMAC is the short form of Matriced' Impacts croises-multi-
plication applique' and classment (cross-impact matrix multipli-
From Table 7, it is observed that the “PUR and PTD” factors are cation applied to classification), which was introduced by Godet
located at level I. The top-level factor in the hierarchy would not (1986). The MICMAC principle is based on the multiplication
assist the accomplishment of any other factors above its own level. properties of matrices (Kumar et al., 2013), and its objective is to
When the top-level factor is recognized, it is separated from the evaluate the drive power and dependence power of enablers
(Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013). This analysis is carried out to distin-
Table 7 guish the main enablers that generate the system in a variety of
The level partition of factors-final iteration. classes. In this regard, as shown in Fig. 4, the enablers are classified
Factors Reachability set Antecedent set Intersection set Levela into four different Quadrants according to their driving power and
dependence power, as follows:
b. PTD b.c.e.g. a.b.c.d.e,f.g. b.c.e.g. I
g. PUR a.b.c.e,f.g. a.b.c.d.e,f.g. a.b.c.e,f.g. I
a. PAS a.b.e.g. a.c.d.e,f.g. a.e.g. II 1. Autonomous enablers (Quadrant I): these types of enabler
d. PPRS a.b.d.g. c.d.e. d. III possess weak driving power and weak dependence. They do
f. PCSC a.b,f.g. c.f.g. f.g. III not have much influence on the system; thus, they are virtually
c. PPM a.b.c.d.e,f.g. b.c.e.g. b.c.e.g. IV
e. PPIE a.b.c.d.e.g. a.b.c.e.g. a.b.c.e.g. IV
isolated because they are relatively disconnected from the
a
system (Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013). There is no autonomous
The levels have been completed within 4 iterations.
factor in this case. The lack of this kind of factor in the present

Practice toward Union Role in

Practice toward Training and
Player Involvement and
Development
Environmental Management
(PTD)
(PUR)

Practice toward Attracting and Selecting (PAS)

Practice toward Culture and Practice toward Pay and Reward

Supportive Climate (PCSC) Systems (PPRS)

Practice toward Performance Practice toward Player

Management Involvement and Empowerment
(PPM) (PPIE)

Fig. 3. The ISM based model of Green HRM practices.

156 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
Fig. 4. The driving power and dependence power diagram of Green HRM practices.
research signifies that all the regarded factors play a substantial
role.
2. Dependent enablers (Quadrant II): this specific class contains
those enablers that have weak drive power but
strong dependence power. In this case, there is no dependent
factor.
3. Linkage enablers (Quadrant III): these enablers have strong
driving power as well as strong dependence. They are also un-
stable, and thus, any activity on them can have an impact on
others as well as a feedback impact on their own. As shown in
Fig. 4, factors PPM, PPIE, PAS, PUR, and PTD fell into the linkage
enabler; Green HRM System included five factors with strong
driving power and strong dependence e “PPM” is the dominant
factor with higher driving power among them.
4. Independent enablers (Quadrants IV): this kind of enabler has
strong driving power but weak dependence power. In this case,
there are two independent factors involved; namely PCSC and
PPRS. These factors are considered as sustainable factors
(Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013).
Finally, the diagram regarding driving power in contrast to
dependence power for the factors of Green HRM System was
designed as illustrated in Fig. 4. Retrieved from Table 6, there are
five factors in Quadrants III and two factors in Quadrants IV; the fall
of the key factors with strong driver power into the category of
independent or linkage criteria is observed (Ravi and Shankar,
2005; Vivek et al., 2008; Mathiyazhagan et al., 2013). Following
the MICMAC analysis, “PPM” was found to be a significant factor
with a driving power of 7 and a dependence power of 4 (higher
driving power and lower dependence power). Therefore, in Fig. 4, it
was located at a place corresponding to a driving power of 7 and a
dependence power of 4. In the same way, the rest of the factors
were positioned corresponding to their driving and dependence
power. More details of the final ISM based model for the GHRMP
factors are shown in Fig. 3.
5.5. Interpretive structural model testing
To move toward testing the authenticity of the recommended
model, a structural equation modeling (SEM) was used, which
allowed the suitability of the interpretive structural model to be
examined through the empirical dataset that was used for factor
analysis. Thus, in this section, the developed model obtained from
the ISM approach on the four-level Green HRM System is tested
using SEM, as shown in Fig. 1.
5.5.1. Structural equation modeling (SEM)
The term SEM approach refers to a series of statistical tech-
niques used to evaluate data (Hussey and Eagan, 2007), to estimate
the causal relationship between constructs and for testing the
structural models (Murovec et al., 2012). SEM uses a combination of
quantitative and qualitative data and has recently become the most
popular data analysis methods among empirical operation man-
agement researchers (Jakhar, 2015). One of the significant advan-
tages of SEM is its concurrent ability to be a dependent variable in
one set of relationships, and an independent variable in another set
of relationships (Hou et al., 2014). As our interpretive structural
model involves such multiple-path linkages, SEM was considered
to be a proper means for this analysis. The non-violation of
multivariate normality assumption was proven by testing the
response data. Thus, using maximum likelihood estimation was
preferred for the ISM analysis. In order to test the model, the
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163 157

statistics package AMOS 22 was used, which can be used for esti-
mating robust goodness-of-fit indicators, as well as for examining
the standardized residuals and modification indices for structural
models.
Fig. 5 presents an interesting mix of ISM and SEM, named by the
authors as the interpretive structural equation modeling (ISEM),
which includes the results of ISM hypotheses testing through SEM.
Concerning the suggestions of Hair et al. (2010), Wong et al. (2012),
Murovec et al. (2012), and Hou et al. (2014), several diagnostic
measures were tested to evaluate the ISEM model, as discussed
below.
To ensure a good model fit, various fit indices that had been
used for CFA were considered to test the adequacy of the ISEM
model, as shown in Table 4. The measures in the first ISEM did
not result in good fit indices. The results highlighted the need for
some modification to find the best fit model. The outputs of
ISEM suggested modification indices as well as an examination of
the standardized residuals (should be less than j2.5j), as the
patterns of large standardized residuals and/or large modification

Fig. 5. The interpretive structural equation model of Green HRM practices in the JDT center (All paths are significant at 0.001 or better, and (*) denoting paths that are significant at
0.05 or better.).
158 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
indices in ISEM indicate changes in the interpretive structural
model that may lead to model improvement (Hair et al., 2010).
Therefore, model respecification should be considered. Based on
the residuals and modification indices information from the
initial ISEM model, a respecification of the Green HRM system
was examined along with strong theoretical and empirical
support.
Fig. 5 shows the revised ISEM model, in this analysis the P-
value was significantly significant and assessment of the fit
indices suggested an adequate model fit, as shown in Table 4. In
order to explore the model differences, the chi-square difference
test was carried out to verify whether a significant difference
existed between ISEM and revised ISEM in the strength of path
coefficients. In this regard, the Dc2 value between the revised
ISEM and initial ISEM models was significant at the 0.05 signifi-
cance level. Unexpectedly, only PPM 4 PPIE, PPIE / PCSC,
PPIE / PPRS, PPRS / PAS, PAS / PUR, PPRS / PTD,
PTD / PUR with standardized path coefficients of 0.91
(p < 0.001), 0.86 (p < 0.001), 0.95 (p < 0.001), 0.87 (p < 0.001),
0.50 (p < 0.05), 0.97 (p < 0.001), 0.42 (p < 0.05), respectively,
were found to be significantly different (Fig. 5). Standardized path
coefficients with values near to one are considered to have large
values impact (Wong et al., 2012). However, the other hypotheses
of experts were not directly affected in this respecification. At this
point, measurement items' descriptive statistics, standardized
loading, and standardized residuals matrix are presented in
Appendix 2. In the symmetric matrix displayed in Appendix 2,
each residual is divided by an estimate of its standard error and
all of them have a standard normal distribution that is less than
two in absolute value.
6. Results and discussion
The results of this research are categorized into three sections
according to the project purpose e specifying the system of
Green HRM practices. To achieve this, two questionnaires were
developed according to the experience and knowledge of
the actual respondents in the first section, and the expertise
of academic leaders (experts) in a variety of disciplines (engi-
neering and management) in the second section, as profiled in
Table 2.
In the first section, factor analysis (FA) was performed in order
to design a new scale, to form a smaller number of coherent
subscales, and to assess the reliability and validity of measure-
ment scales (Fig. 1). In this regard, a three-step instrument
development process was generated: 1) an extensive literature
review of research on keywords, development of variables pool,
identification of variables associated with GHRMP and taking the
opinions of experts on various variables to improve content. 2) A
pilot study on 97 people to reveal the primary factor structure
using the EFA, administration of the final draft of the instrument
to establish data and a cross-validation study to confirm the
seven-factor model. 3) Ensuring the reliability and validity of the
evidence.
The content validity of the GHRM System was investigated using
the FA approach with varimax rotation. The results of the EFA
showed the seven factors and 34 variables of the instrument that
assessed “PPM, PPIE, PCSC, PPRS, PAS, PUR, and PTD” (Table 3). It
was decided to exclude any variable with a factor loading of less
than 0.40. In the literature, a value of 0.50 or higher is suggested for
variable loadings. However, in this study, a more conservative cut-
off score (0.40) was considered to differentiate among the scales
of the instrument in this preliminary development of the scale. It
may seem that some of the variability is unaccounted for, however,
66.237% explained variability was considered as sufficient expla-
nation of variance (Table 3).
The CFA revealed that all the path coefficients were high and
significant at p < 0.001, representing a meaningful contribution of
each variable to the corresponding scale (Fig. 2). Conducting two
confirmatory factor analyses with the Dc2 value significant at the
0.05 significance level on the seven-factor model, was found to
illustrate a good fit with acceptable fit indices (CMIN/DF ¼ 1.063,
p-value ¼ 0.242, P-ClOSE ¼ 0.946, AGFI ¼ 0.845, TLI ¼ 0.983,
IFI ¼ 0.986, CFI ¼ 0.986, and RMSEA ¼ 0.026 (0e0.05)), as shown in
Table 4. The second CFA provided evidence for the construct val-
idity of the GHRM System with the sample of JDT team members.
Besides content and construct validity, average variance extracted
(AVE) was used to assess the convergent validity. This ranged from
0.502 to 0.601, which is above the threshold value of 0.5 (Table 3).
Indeed, the above fallouts support the factorial validity of the
GHRM System.
Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients (a) and the composite
reliability (CR) for the seven-factor structure were also examined.
The measures ranged from 0.575 to 0.856 for Cronbach's alpha
(a), which is above the threshold value of 0.5, and from 0.670 to
0.857 for CR, which is above the threshold value of 0.6 (Table 3).
This indicates high reliability for all the constructs. Moreover, in
the revised CFA, the factor loadings of the variables in the seven
constructs are above 0.50 (Table 3), and all the factor loadings are
significant at p < 0.001 (Fig. 2). Finally, at the end of the three
steps, this instrument, which consisted of 7 factors underlying 24
variables with responses recorded on a five-point Likert scale, is
considered to be a new standard version of the Green HRM Sys-
tem scale to be examined in the future work within this field of
study.
The above results illustrate that the GHRM System is internally
consistent, reliable and valid for interpreting. The second section
that can be mentioned here, is the transformation of an articulated
model of the system into a visible and well-defined system using
interpretative structural modeling (ISM), as presented in Fig. 1. This
approach can show conceptual relations between the GHRM
practices in a graphic display through expert's opinion, and it can
reduce the complexity through level partitioning between the di-
mensions. In this regard, the GHRM System consists of four levels
(Table 7): “Practice toward Performance Management (PPM) and
Practice toward Player Involvement and Empowerment (PPIE)”,
which are located at the level IV as a foundation for the imple-
mentation of the system; “Practice toward Culture and Supportive
Climate (PCSC) and Practice toward Pay and Reward Systems
(PPRS)”, which are located at level III; “Practice toward Attracting
and Selecting (PAS)” at level II; and “Practice toward Union Role in
Player Involvement and Environmental Management (PUR)” and
“Practice toward Training and Development (PTD)” factors are also
located at the top of the ISM hierarchy (level I), as clearly shown in
Fig. 3. Moreover, The MICMAC analysis revealed that all the factors
fell into the category of independent or linkage criteria (Fig. 4),
representing a meaningful contribution of each factor for driving
the system. It is interesting to note that “Practice toward Culture
and Supportive Climate (PCSC)” and “Practice toward Pay and
Reward Systems (PPRS)”, which were revealed in level II of the ISM
hierarchy, are known to be independent enablers as well as stable
factors with lower dependence power (Fig. 4). However, analysis of
the ISM illustrated that PPM can be considered to be a significant
factor among the rest of them with higher driving power and lower
dependence power. Therefore, it should be in the first priority of
management schedules.
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
Finally, the structural equation modeling (SEM) was consid-
ered to be an appropriate tool to test the proposed interpretive
structural model involving such multiple-path linkages (Fig. 1). In
this regard, the interpretive structural equation modeling (ISEM),
which is an interesting mix of qualitative analysis (ISM) and
quantitative analysis (SEM), illustrated goodness-of-fit indices for
ISEM model after revision (c2/df ¼ 1.067, P-value ¼ 0.228, P-
CLOSE ¼ 0.947, AGFI ¼ 0.835, CFI ¼ 0.984, NNFI ¼ 0.982,
IFI ¼ 0.985, RMSEA ¼ 0.026 (0.000, 0.050) and RMR ¼ 0.05), as
presented in Table 4. Furthermore, the standardized loading and
standardized residuals were found to be acceptable as tabulated
in Appendix 2. It should be noted that the output of ISEM, as
shown in Fig. 5, presented regression paths (modification
indices) of four pairs of items (e3ee22, e5ee18, e6ee16, and
e13ee14), which are significant and interpretable according to
the ISM analysis.
The results showed reasonably good overall model fit, and the
hypothesized relationships were generally supported (Fig. 5), i.e.
“Practice toward Performance Management” as a foundation of
GHRMP system correlated with “Practice toward Player Involve-
ment and Empowerment” was significantly different from zero at
the 0.001 level with a strong standardized path coefficient (stan-
dard error ¼ 0.091). Following, “Practice toward Union Role in
Player Involvement and Environmental Management”, which is at
the top of hierarchy, was found to be significantly influenced by
both the “Practice toward Training and Development” and “Prac-
tice toward Attracting and Selecting”, resulting in a squared
multiple correlation (R2) of 0.771. In other words, the model
explained 77.1% of the variance in “Practice toward Union Role in
Player Involvement and Environmental Management”, whereby a
value of 50% or greater is considered appropriate (Wong et al.,
2012). “Practice toward Training and Development” was signifi-
cantly determined by “Practice toward Pay and Reward Systems”,
resulting in an R2 ¼ 0.946, which is placed at the top of the hi-
erarchy and was a significant influence on “Practice toward Union
Role in Player Involvement and Environmental Management”.
“Practice toward Attracting and Selecting” was significantly
determined by “Practice toward Pay and Reward Systems” and the
percentage of variance explained was 75.1% (R2 ¼ 0.751). “Practice
toward Culture and Supportive Climate” was significantly deter-
mined by “Practice toward Player Involvement and Empower-
ment”, resulting in an R2 ¼ 0.741. “Practice toward Pay and Reward
Systems”, which was a significant influence on both “Practice to-
ward Attracting and Selecting” and “Practice toward Training and
Development” at the 0.001 level, was significantly determined by
“Practice toward Player Involvement and Empowerment”
(R2 ¼ 0.895). In reality, the JDT will be able to apply these factors
through the full accomplishment of “PPM and PPIE” factors. Hence,
the authors would like to attract the attention toward “Perfor-
mance Management” for upcoming research in getting the green
potential for research concentrating on the “motivating green
community” aspects. However, this can result in the integration of
“Players' involvement and Empowerment” in order to develop the
training of players to achieve a “Union Role in Players' involve-
ment and Environmental Management” for a great transition on
JDT's overall organization's performance in implementing sus-
tainability strategy. Generally, the model presented by ISEM
evaluates not only the information provided by the model fit
measures and other diagnostics but also determines the level of
theoretical support provided by the results and any potential
model respecifications that would provide an improvement in the
model. Thus, the Green HRM System will be able to provide a
thorough map for JDT top managers in the long term, as shown in
159
Fig. 5. However, the good difference in the fit between the ISEM
and the CFA models and several key diagnostics suggested an
improvement to the model. This change improved the model fit, so
testing this model with new data to examine its generalizability is
considered necessary.
7. Conclusion and recommendations
The increasing interest in universal health, global economics
and environmental developments has spread in many countries
leading in a movement toward the civilized enhanced well-being
of humans and environmental restitution. The clarification of the
role of “sport for sustainable development” is obvious, particu-
larly during the last decade. The primary purpose of this study
was the creation of a sustainable future through sports devel-
opment by sustainability in sports centers due to its unique in-
tellectual contributor to sustainable societal transitions. In this
regard, the cleaner production that possesses adequate training
and knowledge in CP-SD specific domains can be leveraged to
move ahead.
This study presented the state-of-the-art Green HRM System; a
system that combines the well-known strategies with experts'
perspectives and green community perceptions in an aspirational
framework to create synergies in embedding sustainability strategy
into the sports center. In doing so, this paper provided the FA-ISM-
SEM synergistic integrative approach that can contribute to the
modeling process and the creation of integrated systems in future
research agenda.
The results revealed that there were strong relationships be-
tween the practices of Green HRM in the system. In general, ac-
cording to the system outcomes, the seven-factor interpretive
structural equation model consists of four levels, which were
assessed 1) practice toward correlating “performance manage-
ment” and “player involvement and empowerment”, which found
the foundation for implementation of the system and suggests the
urgency to involve green community in performance manage-
ment, 2) practice toward “culture and supportive climate” and
“pay and reward systems”, 3) practice toward “attracting and
selecting”, and 4) practice toward “training and development” and
“union role in player involvement and environmental manage-
ment”. However, the results indicate that there can be a better
sports center on the right track to becoming “sustainable” and
complying with SSD agenda through the proper implementation
of this system.
The findings highlighted the significant role of Green HRM
System in promoting the implementation of cleaner sustainabil-
ity strategy within organizations, which may positively lead to
both employee's well-being and enhanced long-term organiza-
tional performance. In fact, the system enables HRM to redirect
itself as well as the organization in embedding sustainability
strategy. In particular, the research findings highlighted the
importance of this system in Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) Football
Association, as well as for other sports centers throughout
Malaysia and other parts of the world, in making the transition
to the notion of a “sustainable center”; a center that may
contribute to the economic, social, and environmental develop-
ment, and seeks to embed human values into the fabric of
people's lives.
Irrespective of compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs, the Green HRM System, which was
developed and validated in a sports center in one part of the
world, is a strategic tool for sustainability strategy development
that meets the needs of the present. The main recommendation
160 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

for future studies is to examine the Green HRM System gener- creation of “Sustainability Management” with the common goal
alizability in other contexts (e.g. different countries, centers, and of shaping a sustainable economy, society, and environment in
groups of people) through the testing of the validity and reli- sports centers.
ability of the system indicators, hypotheses and well-founded To address these issues, it is also recommended that the Journal
models with new larger datasets in detail. of Cleaner Production espouses the “Sports Special Issues” and
The new version of the GHRMP standard scale involved seven seizes the opportunity to speed up the sustainable societal transi-
factors along with twenty-four variables with responses recorded tions under the banner of “Sport for Sustainable Development
on a five-point Likert scale. It is recommended that the well- (SSD)”.
documented model be used for future studies in the national
arena. It is suggested that the Football Association of Malaysia
Acknowledgments
(FAM) and Ministry of Youth and Sports (Malaysia) address these
issues as they can contribute to achieving national success as well
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Education
as to attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
(MOE) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for funding this
Some of the points for further research arising from this
work through International Doctoral Fellowship (IDF), funding
research include: (1) to deploy the quality functions for estab-
number UTM.J.10.01/13.14/1/128 (201202M10062) as well as Johor
lishing “voice of the green community (VOGC)” within the Green
Darul Ta'zim (JDT) football team players and managers who assis-
HRM System setting that lead to sustainability in the system's
ted throughout the research.
in-depth process; (2) to analyze the Green HRM System in
“supply chain management (SCM)” that may contribute to the
capacity of sports centers to invest in community capacity Appendix 1. The initial variables of Green HRM practices in
building, sustainable community development, and corporate the JDT center.
social responsibility; and (3) to better link the Green HRM Sys-
tem and sustainability strategies that would contribute to the

Variable

1. JDT administrators believe that their organization uses requirement profiles to find ideal players for each position.
2. JDT administrators believe that their organization systematically analyzes key figures for the relevant players (younger generation figures, etc.).
3. JDT administrators believe that their organization invests significant resources in instruments/initiatives intended to enhance the attractiveness of the
organization in the players' market.
4. JDT administrators believe that their organization is not afraid to get qualified players from the competitors.
5. JDT administrators believe that their organization attaches great importance to assessment centers as a means of player selection.
6. JDT administrators believe that at least one person in their organization is responsible for promoting and preserving the health of players.
7. JDT administrators believe that their organizations recognize qualified (expert) players' potential and give them a priority.
8. JDT administrators believe that their organization assigns qualified players in matches analysis or temporary assignments as a manner of consulting.
9. JDT administrators believe that qualified players can help to coach and to mentor young players in their organization.
10. JDT administrators believe that their organization encourages players to develop a sense of responsibility.
11. JDT administrators believe that players should participate in most of the organization's decisions.
12. JDT administrators have established processes to acquire knowledge about players and their competitors.
13. JDT administrators have provided channels to enable ongoing two-way communication with qualified players.
14. JDT administrators believe that the capacity for communication learning between players and managers is an essential key to the achievement of competitive
advantage.
15. JDT administrators believe that communication learning is necessary for improvement and efficiency at all levels.
16. JDT administrators believe that players' learning is an investment, not an expense.
17. JDT administrators provide organizational learning for improving the organization's performance to achieve the target in the long term.
18. JDT administrators use the feedback of players' relationship to improve quality.
19. JDT administrators have accurate standards for monitoring the process of dealing with the players.
20. JDT administrators have clear goals in relation to the players' satisfaction.
21. JDT administrators consider the players' relationship management as a mutual benefit.
22. JDT administrators consider the continuous evaluation of performance management based on players' satisfaction and competitive environment.
23. Managers share all important information that could affect the decision taking.
24. The players' complaints are attended to rapidly.
25. We feel this club is looking out for our interests.
26. We can be relied on to keep the administrators' promises.
27. We have a strong sense of loyalty to this team.
28. We want to remain a player for this club because we genuinely enjoy our relationship with them.
29. We see ourselves involved in the design of the organization's future directions.
30. The Players' contribution of original ideas is valued.
31. I understand how my work impacts the organization's business goals.
32. The senior management shares with the lower levels its view on the organization's future.
33. The view of the organization and its aim is shared at all levels of the organization.
34. Senior management and players trust each other.
35. Communication between senior leaders and employees is good in this center.
36. There is an agreement of our “organizational vision” for managing the human resource.
37. There is a “common purpose” in human resource management.
38. The players' information management team is rewarded for good performance.
39. I am satisfied with the culture of my team.
40. JDT's organizational culture stimulates the acquisition of knowledge and transmission between players.
41. JDT has qualified (expert) players and resources needed to succeed in human resource management strategy.
42. Managers believe that training programs are designed to help the management and players' developmental skills to manage the human resources appropriately.
Appendix 2. The measurement variables' descriptive statistics and standardized residual matrix.

Construct Variable Min Max Mean S.D Standardized residual Standardized

loadinga
V41 V42 V32 V30 V29 V40 V37 V36 V8 V7 V13 V9 V2 V5 V4 V1 V23 V25 V24 V27 V20 V18 V22 V19

PUR
V41 1 5 3.40 0.920 0.007 0.719
V42 1 5 3.32 0.823 0.007 0.004 0.565
PPIE
V32 1 5 3.41 0.863 0.068 0.303 0.04 0.653
V30 1 5 3.40 0.862 1.320 0.635 0.323 000 0.627
V29 2 5 3.46 0.890 0.695 0.608 0.450 0.917 000 0.675
PCSC 1 5
V40 1 5 3.27 0.884 0.312 0.016 0.353 0.932 0.43 000 0.736
V37 1 5 3.10 0.984 0.289 0.468 0.05 0.63 0.260 0.23 0.09 0.786
V36 1 5 3.15 1.024 0.500 0.562 0.27 0.229 0.32 0.29 0.307 000 0.718
PTD
V8 1 5 3.33 0.932 0.284 0.293 0.725 0.126 0.206 0.025 0.91 0.44 0.01 0.720
V7 1 5 3.21 1.050 1.170 0.975 0.738 0.945 0.592 0.05 0.51 0.98 0.058 000 0.735
V13 1 5 3.40 1.086 0.078 0.516 0.59 0.09 0.64 0.11 0.21 0.079 0.085 0.33 000 0.660
V9 1 5 3.34 0.900 1.113 0.072 0.964 1.142 0.47 0.03 0.077 0.586 0.322 0.558 000 000 0.605
PAS
V2 1 5 3.52 0.914 0.684 0.037 0.789 0.033 0.309 0.836 0.72 0.422 0.055 0.03 0.347 0.355 000 0.685
V5 1 5 3.13 1.086 0.052 0.285 0.387 0.18 1.005 0.905 0.33 0.049 0.07 0.21 0.642 0.798 0.76 000 0.618
V4 2 5 3.43 0.802 0.339 0.489 0.155 0.369 0.719 0.737 0.309 0.005 0.85 0.90 0.75 0.466 0.152 0.197 000 0.687
V1 1 5 3.57 0.967 0.092 0.676 0.49 0.758 0.376 0.799 0.230 0.798 0.65 1.01 0.56 0.004 0.166 0.011 0.369 000 0.670
PPRS
V23 1 5 3.10 0.860 0.869 0.539 0.277 0.70 0.70 1.366 1.213 0.146 0.61 0.85 0.54 0.64 0.334 0.46 1.109 0.201 000 0.650
V25 1 5 2.95 1.121 0.729 0.103 0.38 0.38 0.51 0.062 0.50 0.22 0.22 0.247 0.068 0.22 0.46 0.347 0.10 0.29 0.15 000 0.801
V24 1 5 3.13 0.920 0.720 0.056 1.00 1.06 0.01 0.080 0.571 0.606 0.007 0.07 0.645 0.81 0.080 0.605 0.17 0.11 0.365 0.147 0.011 0.681
V27 1 5 3.38 0.906 0.006 0.160 0.37 1.23 0.22 0.05 0.30 0.35 0.072 0.500 0.06 0.44 0.83 0.84 0.43 0.58 0.695 0.063 0.504 0.06 0.703
PPM
V20 1 5 3.20 1.067 0.397 0.027 0.00 0.51 0.480 0.607 0.037 0.42 0.918 0.135 0.044 0.996 0.367 0.862 0.295 0.202 0.76 0.425 1.00 0.21 000 0.761
V18 1 5 3.31 1.103 0.108 0.253 0.07 0.265 0.69 0.16 0.104 0.116 0.475 0.741 0.005 0.240 0.06 1.052 0.559 0.841 0.650 0.650 0.18 0.334 0.12 0.058 0.756
V22 1 5 3.44 1.000 0.027 0.185 0.70 0.167 0.52 0.305 0.45 0.04 0.302 0.062 0.255 0.52 0.13 0.825 0.310 1.286 0.141 0.292 0.26 0.22 0.24 0.132 000 0.828
V19 1 5 3.23 1.046 0.357 0.209 0.37 0.238 0.192 0.00 0.35 0.57 0.441 0.16 0.017 0.10 0.83 0.640 0.49 0.31 0.55 0.13 0.71 1.33 0.388 0.30 0.35 000 0.746
a
All the coefficients are significant at p < 0.001.
162 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163

References Hou, D., Al-Tabbaa, A., Chen, H., Mamic, I., 2014. Factor analysis and structural
equation modelling of sustainable behaviour in contaminated land remedia-
tion. J. Clean. Prod. 84, 439e449.
Almeida, C.M.V.B., Agostinho, F., Giannetti, B.F., Huisingh, D., 2015. Integrating
Hoye, R., Smith, A., Westerbeek, H., Stewart, B., Nicholson, M., 2006. Sport Manage-
cleaner production into sustainability strategies: an introduction to this special
ment: Principles and Applications. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
volume. J. Clean. Prod. 96, 1e9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.11.083.
Hussey, D.M., Eagan, P.D., 2007. Using structural equation modeling to test envi-
Ambec, S., Lanoie, P., 2008. Does it pay to be green? A systematic overview. Acad.
ronmental performance in small and medium-sized manufacturers: can SEM
Manag. Perspect. 22, 45e62.
help SMEs? J. Clean. Prod. 15 (4), 303e312.
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., Kalleberg, A., 2000. Manufacturing Advantage:
IUCN, 1980. World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sus-
Why High-performance Work Systems Pay Off. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
tainable Development. International Union for Conservation of Nature and
NY.
Natural Resources, United Nations Environment Program and World Wildlife
Bonilla, S.H., Almeida, C., Giannetti, B., Huisingh, D., 2010. The roles of cleaner
Fund, Gland, Switzerland.
production in the sustainable development of modern societies: an introduc-
Jabbour, C.J.C., de Sousa Jabbour, A.B.L., 2016. Green human resource management
tion to this special issue. J. Clean. Prod. 18, 1e5.
and green supply chain management: linking two emerging agendas. J. Clean.
Boselie, J.P., Dietz, G., Boon, C., 2005. Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and
Prod. 112, 1824e1833.
performance research. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 15 (3), 67e94.
Jabbour, C.J.C., 2011. How green are HRM practices, organizational culture, learning
Brown, K.T., Brown, T.N., Jackson, J.S., Sellers, R.M., Manuel, W.J., 2003. Teammates
and teamwork? A Brazilian study. Ind. Commer. Train. 43 (2), 98e105.
on and off the field?. Contact with Black teammates and the racial attitudes of
Jabbour, C.J.C., 2013. Environmental training in organisations: from a literature
White student athletes. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 33 (7), 1379e1403.
review to a framework for future research. Resour. Conser. Recycl. 74, 144e155.
Burnett, C., 2001. Social impact assessment and sport development: social spin-offs
Jabbour, C.J.C., Jugend, D., de Sousa Jabbour, A.B.L., Gunasekaran, A., Latan, H., 2015.
of the Australia-South Africa junior sport programme. Int. Rev. Sociol. Sport 36
Green product development and performance of Brazilian firms: measuring the
(1), 41e57.
role of human and technical aspects. J. Clean. Prod. 87, 442e451.
Carmines, E.G., Zeller, R.A., 1979. Reliability and Validity Assessment. Sage, Beverly
Jabbour, C.J.C., Santos, F.C.A., 2008. Relationships between human resource di-
Hills, CA.
mensions and environmental management in companies: proposal of a model.
Chaskin, R.J., 2001. Building community capacity a definitional framework and case
J. Clean. Prod. 16 (1), 51e58.
studies from a comprehensive community initiative. Urban Aff. Rev. 36 (3),
Jabbour, C.J.C., Santos, F.C.A., Fonseca, S.A., Nagano, M.S., 2013. Green teams: un-
291e323.
derstanding their roles in the environmental management of companies
Coalter, F., 2010. The politics of sport-for-development: limited focus programmes
located in Brazil. J. Clean. Prod. 46, 58e66.
and broad gauge problems? Int. Rev. Sociol. Sport 45 (3), 295e314.
Jackson, S.E., Seo, J., 2010. The greening of strategic HRM scholarship. Organ. Manag.
Cohen, E., Taylor, S., Muller-Camen, M., 2012. HRM's Role in Corporate Social and
J. 7 (4), 278e290.
Environmental Sustainability. SHRM Report.
Jackson, S.E., Renwick, D.W., Jabbour, C.J.C., Muller-Camen, M., 2011. State-of-the-art
Daily, B., Bishop, J.W., Steiner, R., 2007. The mediating role of EMS teamwork as it
and future directions for green human resource management: introduction to
pertains to HR factors and perceived environmental performance. J. Appl. Bus.
the special issue. Z. Personalforsch./Ger. J. Res. Hum. Resour. Manag. 25 (2),
Res. 23 (1), 95e110.
99e116.
Daily, B.F., Huang, S., 2001. Achieving sustainability through attention to human
Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S., Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic
resource factors in environmental management. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 21
human resource management. Acad. Manag. Ann. 8 (1), 1e56.
(12), 1539e1552.
Jakhar, S.K., 2015. Performance evaluation and a flow allocation decision model for a
Deadrick, D.L., Stone, D.L., 2014. Human resource management: past, present, and
sustainable supply chain of an apparel industry. J. Clean. Prod. 87, 391e413.
future. Hum. Resour. Manag. Rev. 24 (3), 193e195.
Khalili, N.R., et al., 2015. From cleaner production to sustainable development: the
Doherty, A.J., 1998. Managing our human resources: a review of organisational
role of academia. J. Clean. Prod. 96, 30e43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
behaviour in sport. Sport Manag. Rev. 1 (1), 1e24.
j.jclepro.2014.01.099.
Edwards, M.B., 2013. The role of sport in community capacity building: an exami-
Kidd, B., 2008. A new social movement: sport for development and peace. Sport
nation of sport for development research and practice. Sport Manag. Rev. http://
Soc. 11 (4), 370e380.
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2013.08.008.
Kikulis, L.M., Slack, T., Hinings, B., 1992. Institutionally specific design archetypes: a
Ehnert, I., Harry, W., 2012. Recent developments and future prospects on sustain-
framework for understanding change in national sport organizations. Int. Rev.
able human resource management: introduction to the special issue. Manag.
Sociol. Sport 27 (4), 343e368.
Rev. 23 (3), 221e238.
Kjaerheim, G., 2005. Cleaner production and sustainability. J. Clean. Prod. 13 (4),
Ehnert, I., 2009. Sustainable Human Resource Management: A Conceptual and
329e339.
Exploratory Analysis from A Paradox Perspective. Physica-Verlag, Heidelberg.
Kumar, S., Luthra, S., Haleem, A., 2013. Customer involvement in greening the
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear
supply chain: an interpretive structural modeling methodology. J. Ind. Eng. Int.
Safety, 2007. Green Champions in Sport and Environment. Berlin, Germany.
9 (1), 1e13.
Available at: http://www.un.org./wcm/content/site/sport/home/unplayers/
Lozano, R., Huisingh, D., 2011. Inter-linking issues and dimensions in sustainability
fundsprogrammesagencies/unep (accessed 20.12.14).
reporting. J. Clean. Prod. 19 (2), 99e107.
Gholami, H., Saman, M.Z.M., Sharif, S., Zakuan, N., 2015. A CRM strategic leadership
Lozano, R., 2008. Envisioning sustainability three-dimensionally. J. Clean. Prod. 16
towards sustainable development in student relationship management: SD in
(17), 1838e1846.
higher education. Procedia Manuf. 2, 51e60.
Lyras, A., Welty Peachey, J., 2011. Integrating sport-for-development theory and
Glover, T.D., Bates, N.R., 2006. Recapturing a sense of neighbourhood since lost:
praxis. Sport Manag. Rev. 14, 311e326.
nostalgia and the formation of first string, a community team Inc. Leisure Stud.
Maon, F., Lindgreen, A., Swaen, V., 2010. Organizational stages and cultural phases:
25 (3), 329e351.
a critical review and a consolidative model of corporate social responsibility
Godet, M., 1986. Introduction to la prospective: seven key ideas and one scenario
development. Int. J. Manag. Rev. 12 (1), 20e38.
method. Futures 18 (2), 134e157.
Markey, R., McIvor, J., Wright, C.F., 2016. Employee participation and carbon emis-
Govindarajulu, N., Daily, B.F., 2004. Motivating employees for environmental
sions reduction in Australian workplaces. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2),
improvement. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 104 (4), 364e372.
173e191.
Guerci, M., Carollo, L., 2016. A paradox view on green human resource manage-
Mathiyazhagan, K., Govindan, K., Noorul Haq, A., Geng, Y., 2013. An ISM approach
ment: insights from the Italian context. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2),
for the barrier analysis in implementing green supply chain management.
212e238.
J. Clean. Prod. 47, 283e297.
Guerci, M., Pedrini, M., 2014. The consensus between Italian HR and sustainability
McLean, M., Paul, S., 1976. The importance of model structure. Futures 8 (1), 40e51.
managers on HR management for sustainability-driven change e towards a
Murovec, N., Erker, R.S., Prodan, I., 2012. Determinants of environmental in-
‘strong’ HR management system. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 25 (13),
vestments: testing the structural model. J. Clean. Prod. 37, 265e277.
1787e1814.
Muster, V., Schrader, U., 2011. Green work-life balance: a new perspective for green
Guerci, M., Longoni, A., Luzzini, D., 2016a. Translating stakeholder pressures into
HRM. Z. Personalforsch./German J. Res. Hum. Resour. Manag. 25 (2), 140e156.
environmental performance e the mediating role of green HRM practices. Int. J.
Nejati, M., Nejati, M., 2013. Assessment of sustainable university factors from the
Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 262e289.
perspective of university students. J. Clean. Prod. 48, 101e107.
Guerci, M., Montanari, F., Scapolan, A., Epifanio, A., 2016b. Green and nongreen
Nicholls, S., Giles, A.R., Sethna, C., 2011. Perpetuating the ‘lack of evidence’ discourse
recruitment practices for attracting job applicants: exploring independent and
in sport for development: privileged voices, unheard stories and subjugated
interactive effects. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 129e150.
knowledge. Int. Rev. Sociol. Sport 46 (3), 249e264.
Haddock-Millar, J., Sanyal, C., Müller-Camen, M., 2016. Green human resource
Norman, W., MacDonald, C., 2004. Getting to the bottom of “triple bottom line”. Bus.
management: a comparative qualitative case study of a United States multi-
Ethics Q. 14 (2), 243e262.
national corporation. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 192e211.
O'Donohue, W., Torugsa, N., 2016. The moderating effect of ‘Green’ HRM on the
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E., 2010. Multivariate Data Analysis: A
association between proactive environmental management and financial per-
Global Perspective, seventh ed. Pearson-Hall International, Upper Saddle River,
formance in small firms. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 239e261.
New Jersey.
Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F.L., Rynes, S.L., 2003. Corporate social and financial perfor-
Hopwood, B., Mellor, M., O'Brien, G., 2005. Sustainable development: mapping
mance: a meta analysis. Organ. Stud. 24 (3), 403e441.
different approaches. Sustain. Dev. 13 (1), 38e52.
 H. Gholami et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 124 (2016) 142e163
Paille, P., Chen, Y., Boiral, O., Jin, J., 2014. The impact of human resource manage-
ment on environmental performance: an employee-level study. J. Bus. Ethics
121 (3), 451e466.
Porter, M.E., Kramer, M.R., 2011. Creating shared value. Harv. Bus. Rev. 89 (1/2),
62e77.
Ravi, V., Shankar, R., 2005. Analysis of interactions among the barriers of reverse
logistics. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 72 (8), 1011e1029.
Renwick, D., Jabbour, C.J.C., Muller-Camen, M., Redman, T., Wilkinson, A., 2012.
Introduction to the Green (environmental) human resource management spe-
cial issue. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 23, 3498e3499.
Renwick, D., Redman, T., Maguire, S., 2008. Green HRM: A Review, Process Model, and
Research Agenda. University of Sheffield Management School Discussion Paper.
Renwick, D., Redman, T., Maguire, S., 2013. Green human resource management: a
review and research agenda. Int. J. Manag. Rev. 15 (1), 1e14.
Renwick, D.W., Jabbour, C.J., Muller-Camen, M., Redman, T., Wilkinson, A., 2016.
Contemporary developments in Green (environmental) HRM scholarship. Int. J.
Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 114e128.
Sage, A.P., 1977. Interpretive Structural Modeling: Methodology for Large Scale
Systems. Mc-Graw-Hill, New York, pp. 91e164.
Sarah Leberman, 2010. Managing People in Sport Organizations: A Strategic Human
Resource Management Perspective, T. Taylor, A. Doherty, P. McGraw.
Butterworth-Heinemann, Lineacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford, UK (2008), p.
303, ISBN: 978-0-7506-8229-9. Sport Manag. Rev. 13 (3), 305e306.
Schulenkorf, N., 2012. Sustainable community development through sport and
events: a conceptual framework for sport-for development projects. Sport
Manag. Rev. 15, 1e12.
SDP IWG, 2006. From Practice to Policy. Right to Play, Toronto, ON. Available at:
http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/pdfs/SDP%20IWG/
Right%20to%20Play_From%20Practice%20to%20Policy_Book_page%201-11.pdf
(accessed 25.11.14).
SDP IWG, 2008. Harnessing the Power of Sport for Development and Peace: Rec-
ommendations to Governments. Right to Play, Toronto, ON. Available at: http://
www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/pdfs/SDP%20IWG/Final%
20SDP%20IWG%20Report.pdf (accessed 25.11.14).
Shilbury, D., Sotiriadou, K., Green, B.C., 2008. Sport development systems, policies
and pathways: an introduction to the special issue. Sport Manag. Rev. 11 (3),
217e223.
Sotiriadou, K., Shilbury, D., Quick, S., 2008. The attraction, retention/transition, and
nurturing process of sport development: some Australian evidence. J. Sport
Manag. 22 (3), 247e272.
Subramanian, N., Abdulrahman, M.D., Wu, L., Nath, P., 2016. Green competence
framework: evidence from China. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 27 (2), 151e172.
Tariq, S., Jan, F.A., Ahmad, M.S., 2016. Green employee empowerment: a systematic
literature review on state-of-art in green human resource management. Qual.
Quantity 50 (1), 237e269.
Taylor, T., Ho, C., 2005. Global human resource management influences on local
sport organisations. Int. J. Sport Manag. Mark. 1 (1e2), 110e126.
Taylor, T., McGraw, P., 2006. Exploring human resource management practices in
nonprofit sport organisations. Sport Manag. Rev. 9 (3), 229e251.
Taylor, T., Doherty, A., McGraw, P., 2008. Managing People in Sport Organizations. A
Strategic Human Resource Management Perspective. Elsevier Butterworth-
Heinemann, Oxford.
View publication stats
163
Ugulu, I., 2013. Confirmatory factor analysis for testing validity and reliability of
traditional knowledge scale to measure university students attitudes. Educ. Res.
Rev. 8 (16), 1399e1408.
UN, 2001. Resolution 56/75 ‘Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport and
the Olympic Ideal. 56th Session. Agenda item 23, 10 January 2002. United Na-
tions, New York. Available at: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?
symbol¼A/RES/56/75&Lang¼E (accessed 30.10.14.).
UN, 2003. Sport for Development and Peace: Toward Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals e Report from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force
on Sport for Development and Peace. United Nations, New York. Available at:
http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/pdfs/Reports/2003_
interagency_report_ENGLISH.pdf (accessed 30.10.14.).
UN, 2009. Resolution 63/135: Sport as a Means to Promote Health, Education,
Development and Peace. 63rd Session. Agenda item 42. 3 March 2009. United
Nations, New York. Available at: http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/
shared/sport/pdfs/Resolutions/A-RES-63-135/2008-12-11_A-RES-63-135_EN.
pdf (accessed 30.10.14.).
UN, 2015. Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Agenda items 15 and 116. 18 September 2015. United Nations, New York.
Available at: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol¼A/70/L.
1&referer¼/english/&Lang¼E (accessed 10.10.15.).
UNOSDP, 2014. Annual Report 2014. Available at: https://www.un.org/wcm/
webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/Documents/Annual%20Report%202014/
UNOSDP%20Annual%20Report%202014%20web.pdf (accessed 01.02.15.).
Vivek, S.D., Banwet, D.K., Shankar, R., 2008. Analysis of interactions among core,
transaction and relationship-specific investments: the case of offshoring.
J. Oper. Manag. 26 (2), 180e197.
Wagner, M., 2013. ‘Green’ human resource benefits: do they matter as determinants
of environmental management system implementation? J. Bus. Ethics 114 (3),
443e456.
Warfield, J.D., 1973. Assault on Complexity. In: Battelle Monograph Number 3.
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, pp. 13e14.
Warfield, J.W., 1974. Developing interconnected matrices in structural modeling.
IEEE Trans. Syst. Men Cybern. 4 (1), 51e81.
WCED, 1987. Our Common Future, third ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Wong, K.T., Teo, T., Russo, S., 2012. Influence of gender and computer teaching
efficacy on computer acceptance among Malaysian student teachers: an
extended technology acceptance model. Australas. J. Educ. Technol. 28 (7),
1190e1207.
Zibarras, L.D., Coan, P., 2015. HRM practices used to promote pro-environmental
behavior: a UK survey. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 26 (16), 2121e2142.
Web references
UNEP, 2014. Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production. Available at: http://www.
unep.fr/scp/cp/ (accessed 27.07.14.).
UNEP, 2015. Sport and the Environment. Available at: http://www.unep.org/sport_
env/about.aspx (accessed 30.09.15.).
UNOSDP, 2015. Sport and the Sustainable Development Goals. Available at: http://
www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sport/home/sport/sportandsdgs (accessed
01.10.15.).