From systematic literature review to a conceptual framework for consumer disposal behavior towards personal communication devices

Abstract

Personal communication devices have made their way into each and every household. The complex nature of e-waste, and its generation at an amplified pace calls for serious attention of policy makers, managers, educators and researchers. The paper presents a structured literature review of peer-reviewed journal publications in the research area of disposal behavior of consumers with respect to their personal electronics. Also, it discusses the concepts and theoretical underpinnings to understand consumer disposal behavior based on extensive literature review. These theoretical foundations further help in framing the hypothesis and proposing the conceptual model. The proposed model is based on Theory of Planned Behavior. It studies the relationship between the core constructs: attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, and includes awareness of consequences derived from the Value-Belief-Norm Theory. The model will also prove useful in understanding the impact of environmentally responsible disposal intention of personal electronics and its relationship with actual behavior. The role of external influences in the form of moderators is also taken into consideration while developing the model. It is expected that the research will help provide useful insights to literature on environmentally responsible disposal.