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Sustainability, encompassing the economy, the environment, and society in equal parts, is an increasingly prominent topic that is gaining in importance and awareness due to the climate crisis and the resulting urgent need for action. It is essential to simultaneously focus on the global and on the local scale in order to create a paradigm shift. This study addresses the attitude-behavior gap of employees in the daily operations within companies and evaluates how nudges can be implemented to narrow this gap. A literature review was conducted to understand the separate topics of sustainability, the attitude-behavior gap, and nudging. Based on these three topics and their interrelation, exemplary nudges on habits and on infrastructure to be applied in a company and modified to its needs are developed. The method of implementation of nudges cannot be generalized because (1) attitudes and behavior and their interrelation are individual and influenceable factors and (2) the corporate context and how nudges are communicated impact the effectiveness of the interventions. Investing in internal sustainability practices in combination with indispensable external practices leads companies to a holistic, authentic, and successful approach towards becoming a sustainable business.
Keywords: Attitude-Behavior Gap, Nudging, Corporate sustainability
Year after year, global warming, and plastic output increase, and massive volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are being released into the atmosphere. Even though humans are aware of their environmental impact, they do struggle to change their behavior. But what is the reason for this?
The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the factors that make it difficult for people to demonstrate pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and to form ideas from the field of nudging to assist in guiding humans to a better PEB. As a result, a meta-analysis was created from a multitude of papers on the issues of PEB and nudging. The proposals presented in this work serve as an impetus for future studies in the field of PEB nudging.
In the past years, the German pension system has been experiencing severe pressure. Demographic changes and the resulting implications for the German labor market have forced various pension reforms and reduced overall pension benefits.
In recent years, researchers have developed various approaches to improve retirement schemes around the world. Apart from pension reforms, many of those approaches are based on recent findings within behavioral science – namely the nudge theory, which briefly stated holds that behavior of individuals can be influenced in a positive way without restricting freedom of choice. Within this thesis, findings and approaches have been applied to various parts of the German pension system, giving suggestions on how to overcome issues of insufficient participation and savings and unfavorable investments.
Next to the hypothetical benefit of applying nudging to the German pension system, the approaches are discussed with perspective to their controversy. In the context of cultural research, theoretical and practical approaches are assessed for applicability in Germany. Although they might provide a foundation for improvement, the approaches are critically examined regarding their acceptance and effectiveness within the German culture.