Sustainability in Higher Education Procurement: The Role of Employee Paper Purchasing Decisions

Purchasing decisions can greatly influence the sustainability performance of organizations. Large organizations, including many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), have decentralized purchasing systems in which purchasing authority is widely distributed among many employees. Managing sustainability of procurement activities in these contexts is challenging since the outcome is dependent on the purchasing behaviors of many individuals. This study sought to explain the roles of behavioral attitudes and social norms in employee purchasing decisions for copy paper products. Employees at a major US university who purchased paper products were selected to participate in the study by completing an online questionnaire. Within the sustainable supply chain management and procurement fields of study, little research has been published on the impact of minor procurement on the sustainability performance of organizations. Likewise, little research has been dedicated to the purchasing decisions of staff level employees, with the bulk instead focused on senior level organizational buyers and supply managers. This research highlights the roles of administrative support employees and minor procurement decisions in sustainable supply chain management strategies of large organizations.