Green Marketing

We are currently eating, sleeping and breathing a new found religion of everything green. At the very heart of responsibility is industry and commerce, with everyone now racing to create their environmental business strategy. In line with this awareness, there is much discussion about the green marketing opportunity as a means of jumping on this bandwagon. We need to find a sustainable marketing that actually delivers on green objectives, not green theming. Marketers need to give up the many strategies and approaches that made sense in pure commercial terms but which are unsustainable. True green marketing must go beyond the ad models where everything is another excuse to make a brand look good; we need a green marketing that does good

INTRODUCTION:
In recent times, the environment has emerged as a hot issue for societies, governments, in addition to business organizations. Its significance originates from escalating environmental degradation such as solid wastes, ozone depletion, global warming, and air pollution. It is observed that different activities of business organizations like sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and marketing have a negative impact on the environment and also considered to be the source of most of the environmental problems (Eltayeb, Zailani & Jayaraman, K, 2010). At present, customers are ever more aware of the seriousness of environmental degradation, resulting more ecologically consciousness and desire to purchase eco-friendly products and services, favoring businesses that prefer environmental practice (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Laroche et al., 2001; Roberts, 1996).

Why Green Marketing?

As resources are limited and human wants are unlimited, it is important for the marketers to utilize the resources efficiently without waste as well as to achieve the organization's objective. So green marketing is inevitable. There is growing interest among the consumers all over the world regarding protection of environment. Worldwide evidence indicates people are concerned about the environment and are changing their behavior. As a result of this, green marketing has emerged which speaks for growing market for sustainable and socially responsible products and services.( Chopra, S. Lakshmi (2007), "Turning Over
a New Leaf", Indian Management, Vol-64, April-2007)

Green marketing
According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe.Thus green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising.

The term "Green marketing" refers to the planning, development and promotion of products or services that satisfy the needs of consumers for quality, output, prices and service, without however a negative effect on the environment, with regard to the use of raw material, the consumption of energy etc (Davis, 1991; Kangis, 1992; Meffet and Kirchgeorg, 1994; Jain and Kaur, 2004; Peattie and Grane, 2005; Grant, 2008; Prideand Ferrell, 2008).

Other Similar Terms:

Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing.

Green marketing must satisfy two objectives:

1. improved environmental quality 2. customer satisfaction. The green products must have better environment quality tahn the products we normally use. If it is nat giving any thing better to environment it can not b termed as green product. In the same way green product must give better customer satisfaction.

History:
The term Green Marketing came into prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Dodds, John (2007). The American Marketing Association (AMA) held the first workshop on "Ecological Marketing" in 1975. Curtin, Emily (2006-09-14) The proceedings of this workshop resulted in one of the first books on green marketing entitled "Ecological Marketing".( Karl E., Henion; Thomas C. Kinnear (January 1976). "Ecological Marketing". Ecological Marketing. American Marketing Association. pp. 168. ) The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports started with the ice cream seller Ben & Jerry's where the financial report was supplemented by a greater view on the company's environmental impact. In 1987 a document prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need, this became known as the Brundtland Report and was another step towards widespread thinking on sustainability in everyday activity. Two tangible milestones for wave 1 of green marketing came in the form of published books, both of which were called Green Marketing. They were by Ken Peattie (1992) in the United Kingdom and byJacquelyn Ottman (1993) in the United States of America. ("Green Marketing: Challenges & Opportunities for the New Marketing Age") According to Jacquelyn Ottman, (author of "The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding" (Greenleaf Publishing[9] and Berrett-Koehler Publishers, February 2011)) from an organizational standpoint, environmental considerations should be integrated into all aspects of marketing new product development and communications and all points in between.( "Green Marketing")

The holistic nature of green also suggests that besides suppliers and retailers new stakeholders be enlisted, including educators, members of the community, regulators, and NGOs. Environmental issues should be balanced with primary customer needs. The past decade has shown that harnessing consumer power to effect positive environmental change is far easier said than done. The so-called "green consumer" movements in the U.S. and other countries have struggled to reach critical mass and to remain in the forefront of shoppers' minds. While public opinion polls taken since the late 1980s have shown consistently that a significant percentage of consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere profess a strong willingness to favor environmentally conscious products and companies, consumers' efforts to do so in real life have remained sketchy at best. One of green marketing's challenges is the lack of standards or public consensus about what constitutes "green," according to Joel Makower, a writer on green marketing. In essence, there is no definition of "how good is good enough" when it comes to a product or company making green marketing claims. This lack of consensusby consumers, marketers, activists, regulators, and influential peoplehas slowed the growth of green products, says Makower, because companies are often reluctant to promote their green attributes, and consumers are often skeptical about claims.

Evolution
The green marketing has evolved over a period of time. According to Peattie (2001), the evolution of green marketing has three phases. First phase was termed as"Ecological"green marketing, and during this period all marketing activities were concerned to help environment problems and provide remedies for environmental problems. Second phase was "Environmental"green marketing and the focus shifted on clean technology that involved designing of innovative new products, which take care of pollution and waste issues. Thirdphase was "Sustainable"green marketing. It came into prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000. Organic foods, cosmetics and toiletries (OCT) produced are the examples of the ecofriendly/environmental friendly products/brands. The organic constituents in the cosmetics categorically are considered as ecological/natural products and are marketed through the course and plan of green marketing strategy (Rajagopal, 2007).
Three keys to successful green marketing Show potential customers that you follow green business practices and you could reap more green on your bottom line. Green Marketing isn't just a catchphrase; it's a marketing strategy that can help you get more customers and make more money. But only if you do it right. For green marketing to be effective, you have to do three things; be genuine, educate your customers, and give them the opportunity to participate. 1) Being genuine means that a) that you are actually doing what you claim to be doing in your green marketing campaign and b) that the rest of your business policies are consistent with whatever you are doing that's environmentally friendly. Both these conditions have to be met for your business

to establish the kind of environmental credentials that will allow a green marketing campaign to succeed. 2) Educating your customers isn't just a matter of letting people know you're doing whatever you're doing to protect the environment, but also a matter of letting them know why it matters. Otherwise, for a significant portion of your target market, it's a case of "So what?" and your green marketing campaign goes nowhere. 3) Giving your customers an opportunity to participate means personalizing the benefits of your environmentally friendly actions, normally through letting the customer take part in positive environmental action.

Adoption of Green Marketing There are basically five reasons for which a marketer should go for the adoption of green marketing. They are -

Opportunities or competitive advantage Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) Government pressure Competitive pressure Cost or profit issues

Green washing:
Corporations are increasingly recognizing the benefits of green marketing, although there is often a thin line between doing so for its own benefit and for social responsibility reasons. The term greenwashing refers to all industries that adopt outwardly green acts with an underlying purpose to increase profits. The primary objective of greenwashing is to provide consumers with the feeling that the organization is taking the necessary steps to responsibly manage its ecological footprint. In reality, the company may be doing very little that is environmentally beneficial.(Orange, E. (2010): From eco-friendly to eco-intelligent. THE FUTURIST, SeptemberOctober 2010, 28-32) The term greenwashing was first used by environmentalist Jay Westerveld when objecting to hotelier's practice of placing notices in hotel rooms which asked their guests to reuse towels to save the environment. Westerveld noted that there was little else to suggest that the hoteliers were interested in reducing their environmental impacts, and that their interest in washing fewer towels seemed to be motivated by a concern to save costs rather than the environment. Since then greenwashing has become a central feature of debates about marketing communications and sustainability, with awards for greenwashing established and numerous campaigns, law and advices developed in an attempt to reduce or curb it.( Belz F., Peattie K.(2009): Sustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective. John Wiley & Sons)

Green Advertising
Environmental (or green) advertisements refer to all appeals that include ecological, environmental sustainability, or nature-friendly messages that target the needs and desires of environmentally concerned stakeholders (Zinkhan and Carlson, 1995).

Green brand:
A green brand identity is defined by a specific set of brand attributes and benefits related to the reduced environmental impact of the brand and its perception as being environmentally sound. A wellimplemented green brand identity should provide benefits to environmentally conscious consumers.(Roozen and De Pelsmacker, 1998)

Positioning as a green brand:

Positioning a brand as a green brand entails an active communication and differentiation of the brand from its competitors through its environmentally sound attributes. Ecologically sustainable products will not be commercially successful if green brand attributes are not effectively communicated (Pickett et al., 1995).

Green consumer:
Green consumer can defined as a person who is mindful of environment related issues and obligations and is supportive of environmental causes to the extent of switching allegiance from one product or supplier to another even if it entails higher cost (Business Dictionary.com, 2012).

Green consumerism:
Green consumerism refers to an attempt by individuals to protect themselves and the planet by buying only green products on the shelves (Ottman, 1992). Lee (2008) studied gender differences in green purchasing behaviour of adolescent consumers and found that female were the main green consumers.

Green Marketing and Sustainable Development

According to the World Commission on Environmental Development (1978), Sustainable Development is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. The common theme throughout this strategy of sustainable development, is the need to integrate economic and ecological considerations in decision making by making policies that conserve the quality of agricultural development and environmental protection. This is what the end product of green marketing is, environmental protection for the present and the future generation. The development of energy- efficient operations, better pollution controls, recyclable and biodegradable packaging, ecologically safe products are all part of green marketing which also leads to sustainable development

( International Conference on Computer Communication and Management ,Proc .of CSIT vol.5 (2011) (2011) IACSIT Press, Singapore, Article: The impact of Green Marketing on Customer satisfaction and Environmental safety Authors:Rashad Yazdanifard, Igbazua Erdoo Mercy )

Green Marketing in terms of Price, Product, Place and Promotion: A model of a green marketing-mix should, of course, contain all 4Ps:

Product: A producer should offer ecological products which not only must not contaminate the environment but should protect it and even liquidate existing environmental damages. Price: Prices for such products may be a little higher than conventional alternatives. But target groups like for example LOHAS are willing to pay extra for green products. Place: A distribution logistics is of crucial importance; main focus is on ecological packaging. Marketing local and seasonal products e.g. vegetables from regional farms is more easy to be marketed green than products imported. Promotion: A communication with the market should put stress on environmental aspects, for example that the company possesses a CP certificate or is ISO 14000 certified. This may be publicized to improve a firms image. Furthermore, the fact that a company spends expenditures on environmental protection should be advertised. Third, sponsoring the natural environment is also very important. And last but not least, ecological products will probably require special sales promotions. (Weinreich, Nedra)

Strategies
The marketing strategies for green marketing include:

Marketing Audit (including internal and external situation analysis) Develop a marketing plan outlining strategies with regard to 4 P's Implement marketing strategies Plan results evaluation

Stakeholders in Green Marketing Strategy:

Based on marketing literature, stakeholders play one of the most influencing roles in any organization and market. They influence all aspect of green strategy also in areas such as purchase of green product, nature of the product, the packaging, advertisement, promotion and also Green awareness programs. When a particular company wants to go green, the stakeholders are at the fore front of their green marketing strategy. Jaime Rivera-Camino said that stakeholders in green marketing include the

plant, various animals, plant species and the future generations. ( International Conference on Computer Communication and Management ,Proc .of CSIT vol.5 (2011) (2011) IACSIT Press, Singapore, Article: The impact of Green Marketing on Customer satisfaction and Environmental safety Authors:Rashad Yazdanifard, Igbazua Erdoo Mercy )

Customer Satisfaction and Green Marketing:

Customer satisfaction has been defined in two basic ways: as either an outcome or as a process. As an outcome, satisfying the end state resulting from the consumption experience .As a process, it is the perceptual evaluative and psychological process that contributes to satisfaction. The definition is varied with regards to their level of simplicity which includes; Product satisfaction Satisfaction with the purchase decision experience. Satisfaction with the performance attribute Satisfaction with the store or institution Satisfaction with pre-purchase experience.

Marketing literature suggests that there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction leads to attitudinal loyalty. It could be seen as the intension to purchase.Satisfaction is an outcome that occurs without comparing expectations . Customer satisfaction could also be defined as an evaluative response to perceived outcome of a particular consumption experience. It is an overall judgment on satisfaction, based on the assumption that satisfaction is the outcome of service quality . Many Authors believe that customers have a high level of involvement regarding environmental issuesas a consequence of growing environmental consciousness. Studies have shown the significant influence of environmental knowledge and consciousness on consumer environmental attitude. Consequently, companies that communicate their green product in their packaging, advertisement or manufacturing process, gain satisfied customers. Because of the green trend, companies that fail to go green are not failing to fail in their industry. Customers want to associate themselves with companies and products that are eco-friendly. ( International Conference on Computer Communication and Management ,Proc .of CSIT vol.5 (2011) (2011) IACSIT Press, Singapore, Article: The impact of Green Marketing on Customer satisfaction and Environmental safety Authors:Rashad Yazdanifard, Igbazua Erdoo Mercy )

DEGREES OF GREEN CONSUMER:

While certain research does suggest that the most predominant demographic in the green market is both men and women over the age of 55, there are varying degrees of green consumers in all demographics. These degrees are often referred to as shades of green.

DEEP GREENS:
Deep greens are the most loyal and the most willing to pay more for green products. They buy green or go home. These consumers make up 19 percent of the U.S. population.

MEDIUM GREENS:
Next down the ladder are the medium greens. These consumers embrace the environment, but usually only let it sway purchase decisions when such purchases add to their lifestyle and if the results of a green product are evident.

LIGHT GREENS:
The so-called agnostics of the green market are the light greens. Making up 16 percent of the U.S. population, these consumers will only buy green products if the products fit into their lifestyle and their budget. (Weinberg, Irv, and Carolyn Parrs. The Tao of Green Marketing. MarketingProfs: Marketing Resources for Marketing Professionals. 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Jan. 2010..)

MODEL

The realms of influence represent a hierarchy of where marketing activities are applied. These include:

A) Public: Companies, Markets, Political and Cultural Values B) Social: Identity, Group Affiliation, Meaning, and Branding C) Personal: Products and Practical Benefits
Going from the outer to inner circles, we have progressive degrees of green contribution with an associated marketing objective:

A) Green: Set New Standards Communicate B) Greener: Share Responsibility Collaborate C) Greenest: Support Innovation Culture Reshaped
The idea is that as we go from light to dark green, were moving from having only commercial objectives to an increasing amount of environmental and social objectives. Its going from basic compliance to proactive action to systemic innovation & transformation.

IMPORTANCE OF GOING GREEN:

As resources are limited and human wants are unlimited, it is important for the marketers to utilize the resources efficiently without waste as well as to achieve the organization's objective. So green marketing is inevitable. There is growing interest among the consumers all over the world regarding protection of environment. Worldwide evidence indicates people are concerned about the environment and are changing their behavior. As a result of this, green marketing has emerged which speaks for growing market for sustainable and socially responsible products and services.

BENEFITS OF GREEN MARKETING:

A green marketing approach has several benefits. First of all from a business perspective it is potentially profitable. While the organic sector is suffering, other green and ethical choices, such as local produce, Fair trade and animal welfare, are gaining ground (Carrigan and de Pelsmacker, 2009) Consumer research has indicated that in markets in which differences between the leading brands are marginal, eco-performance can act as a decision maker (Christensen, 1995; Peattie, 1999).This creates the potential for winwin situations in which companies can pursue strategies that benefit both the environment and the company (Elkington, 1994). Finally, green marketing, if performed with integrity ,is brand and corporate image enhancing, and likely to engender goodwill for public and media relations.

Marketing myopia:
Misjudging either or overemphasizing the environment protection at the expense of the customer satisfaction can be termed green marketing myopia. In 1960, Harvard business professor Theodore Levitt introduced the concept of marketing myopia in a now-famous and influential article in the Harvard Business Review. (Ottman, J.A. et al, "Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia", Environment, Vol-48, June-2006)

PROBLEMS WITH GREEN MARKETING: There are several issues and concerns to ponder when considering green marketing. First, green marketing often needs to be incentivized by the government, or the regulatory or business environment. However, such initiatives are limited both in scope and impact (Thgersen and Crompton, 2009). Furthermore, consumer doubts still persist about green product performance, exacerbated by the competing views expressed around the benefits of organic food(FSA, 2009; Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004). There is also an issue with exaggeration and over-estimation of the impact of green marketing efforts (Saha and Darnton, 2005).

Challenges Ahead
Green products require renewable and recyclable material, which is costly Requires a technology, which requires huge investment in R & D Water treatment technology, which is too costly Majority of the people are not aware of green products and their uses Majority of the consumers are not willing to pay a premium for green products

Some Cases
McDonald's restaurant's napkins, bags are made of recycled paper. Coca-Cola pumped syrup directly from tank instead of plastic which saved 68 million pound/year. Badarpur Thermal Power station of NTPC in Delhi is devising ways to utilize coal-ash that has

been a major source of air and water pollution.

Barauni refinery of IOC is taken steps for restricting air and water pollutants.

EXAMPLES: Electronics sector: Hewlett-Packard Company:

The consumer electronics sector provides room for using green marketing to attract new customers. One example of this is HP's promise to cut its global energy use 20 percent by the year 2010.To accomplish this reduction below 2005 levels, The Hewlett-Packard Company announced plans to deliver energy-efficient products and services and institute energy-efficient operating practices in its facilities worldwide.HP engaged in eco-marketing with its "Motherboard ad," which showcases the company's priorities of sustainability and energy efficiency. The company also flaunts its recycling program, which has recycled over one billion pounds of electronic waste since 1987. The reason for this type of advertising, according to Gary Elliot, HP Vice President of Brand Marketing, is that the company feels its customers are socially and environmentally conscious and would prefer to buy from a company that conducts business in a responsible way.

Toyota
Toyota, one of the world's largest auto manufacturers, unleashed their Prius model in 2000, and it has since become the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the United States. While the introduction of a hybrid vehicle is itself a sign that the company seeks to appeal to an environmentally conscious customer base, Toyota also engages in eco-marketing to promote its environmentally friendly image. In 2005, Toyota budgeted 50 million dollars into its hybrid vehicle advertising campaign, which dwarfed any other auto maker, according to Advertising Age. Another example of Toyota's eco-marketing came through a commercial that aired during the 2007 Super Bowl, showcasing Toyota's "Hybrid Synergy Drive." This system allows the driver to constantly monitor the amount of energy drawn from its electric motor, as opposed to the less eco-friendly gas motor. Toyota has engaged in eco-marketing by promoting products that allow consumers to drive in an environmentally conscious way.

Phillips's "Marathon" CFL lightbulb:

Philips Lighting's first shot at marketing a standalone compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb was Earth Light, at $15 each versus 75 cents for incandescent bulbs.The product had difficulty climbing out of its deep green niche. The company re-launched the product as "Marathon," underscoring its new "super long life" positioning and promise of saving $26 in energy costs over its five-year lifetime. Finally, with the U.S. EPA's Energy Star label to add credibility as well as new sensitivity to rising utility costs and

electricity shortages, sales climbed 12 percent in an otherwise flat market. (G. Fowler (2002-03-06). "Green
Sales Pitch Isn't Moving Many Products". Wall Street Journal.)

Car sharing services:

Car-sharing services address the longer-term solutions to consumer needs for better fuel savings and fewer traffic tie-ups and parking nightmares, to complement the environmental benefit of more open space and reduction of greenhouse gases.They may be thought of as a "time-sharing" system for cars. Consumers who drive less than 7,500 miles a year and do not need a car for work can save thousands of dollars annually by joining one of the many services springing up, including ZipCar (East Coast), I-GO Car (Chicago),Flex Car (Washington State), and Hour Car (Twin Cities). (http://hourcar.org.uk/)

Products & Services:

Now companies are offering more eco-friendly alternatives for their customers. Recycled products for example, are one of the most popular alternatives that can benefit the environment. These benefits include sustainable forestry, clean air, energy efficiency, water conservation, and a healthy office. One example, is the E-commerce business and office supply company Shoplet which offers a web tool that allows you to replace similar items in your shopping cart with greener products.(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_marketing)
Conclusion

Green marketing should not neglect the economic aspect of marketing. Marketers need to understand the implications of green marketing. If you think customers are not concerned about environmental issues or will not pay a premium for products that are more eco-responsible, think again. You must find an opportunity to enhance you product's performance and strengthen your customer's loyalty and command a higher price. Green marketing is still in its infancy and a lot of research is to be done on green marketing to fully explore its potential.(www.epa.qld.gov.au/sustainable_ industries)

ARTICLE TITLE: Consumer effects of environmental impact in product labeling

Purpose :

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of different levels of environmental information on key consumer metrics. More specically, it aims to evaluate environmentally benign products against those that have negative environmental impacts.

Hypothesis:
H1A. Positive environmental information will have a positive impact on consumer metrics relative to those products with negative environmental information. H1B. Products with negative environmental messages will have a negative impact on key consumer metrics relative to products with no (neutral) environmental information. H1C. Negative environmental information will have a greater impact on key consumer metrics than will positive environmental information

H2. There will be no signicant differences on key consumer metrics between products with positive environmental information and those with no(neutral) environmental information H3. There will be no signicant differences on key consumer metrics between environmental messages that provide more or less detail on the impacts of the ingredients. H4. The effects of environmental disclosure on consumer metrics will be greater for products that contain environmentally harmful ingredients and that may have a more direct health risk for the consumer.

Sample Characteristics:
Using a database provided by a local university,a web survey was distributed to 1,435 adults. Recipients were told they would be entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift certicates.329 completed surveys were received. A cross sectional research design is used in this study

Design/methodology/approach :
Multiple product categories and messages that varied from strongly negative to strongly positive were used to test whether the accuracy/completeness of the information changes consumers view of green products.

Findings :
The results show that consumer perception of product quality, value, and purchase intentions does not differ signicantly between products with positive environmental messages and those without any message. Products with positive environmental messages are viewed better than products with negative environmental messages. It is also found that the impact of environmental information is greater for consumable products.

Practical implications:
Clearly presented information can make a signicant difference in consumer evaluation of products. If green products highlighted the reasons why products free of harmful ingredients did not have a negative impact on the environment, and if non-green products were required to disclose the harmful impact of their ingredients, green products would be favorably perceived over the non-green alternative.

Originality/value Reference:

This project adds to the growing body of literature on environmental labeling,

and investigates the effects of different levels of environmental information on key consumer metrics.

(Norm Borin, Douglas C. Cerf, R. Krishnan, (2011),"Consumer effects of environmental impact in product labeling", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 28 Iss: 1 pp. 76 86)

ARTICLE TITLE: Evaluating the green advertising practices of international firms: a trend analysis
Paper type Research paper

Purpose

Consumer scepticism about the credibility of green advertising around the world is growing. The article aims to provide a comprehensive assessment and trend analysis of green advertising practices of international firms over a 20-year period.

Sample Characteristics:
The study identifies 473 international green advertisements during the 1988-2007 period and content-analyses them on five major axes: advertiser profile, targeting features, message aspects, copy characteristics, and situation points.

Design/methodology/approach

The study identifies 473 international green advertisements during the 1988-2007 period and content-analyses them on five major axes: advertiser profile, targeting features, message aspects, copy characteristics, and situation points.

Findings :
The content analysis reveals significant trends in all major areas examined and identifies important interaction effects between certain dimensions of green advertisements.

Limitations and future research:

The findings of this study should be viewed within the context of certain limitations, which could provide the basis for further research on the subject. First, as a result of the content analysis method used to evaluate international green advertisements, we could not trace various external factors (e.g. politicallegal, socio-economic, technological) with a potential effect on shaping firms green advertising strategies. Second, the content analysis did not enable us to measure the communication effectiveness of green advertisements. Third, it might be useful to combine the information collected for this study with secondary data pertaining to the performance of the specific company/product advertised. Here, research could carry out three types of analyses: (1) compare and contrast performance indicators (e.g. sales, market share, customer satisfaction) before and after the green advertisement is launched; (2) examine whether specific message, copy, and situation aspects of the green advertisement are conducive to superior market and/or financial performance ;and (3) identify potential moderating effects on the link between advertising characteristics and company performance. The focus of our study was on a single international advertising medium, The Economist. Thus, further research might incorporate additional international magazines, as well as draw comparisons between green advertisements appearing in international business magazines and those in international consumer magazines. Our study focused exclusively on international green advertisements, though further research could examine their effectiveness in comparison with non-green advertisements. In this context, it would also be useful to determine whether consumers in different countries consider environmental claims more convincing than product performance claims when making their purchasing decisions. Further research might also determine whether green or non-green advertisements are more effective among buyers who are environmentally conscious than among buyers who

Originality/value

Green advertising research mainly focuses on domestic rather than international advertisements; examines important issues in isolation from other issues; partially analyses message copy, and situation characteristics; and covers a short period. This study fills these gaps by systematically evaluating international green advertisements over a long period and using an integrated framework of analysis that is based on the extant literature. It also explores potential interaction effects between key dimensions describing these advertisements.

Reference:
(Leonidas C. Leonidou, Constantinos N. Leonidou, Dayananda Palihawadana, Magnus Hultman, (2011),"Evaluating the green advertising practices of international firms: a trend analysis", International Marketing Review, Vol. 28 Iss: 1 pp. 6 33)

Article: Conceptualization and anatomy of green destination brands

Purpose :

The purpose of this paper is to extend the concept of green brands to destinations and to examine the application and limitations of green destination brands for nations adopting this positioning strategy.

Sample Characteristics:
In-depth case study analysis of New Zealands destination brand to explain thepossibilities and problems of building green destination brands at a national level.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identies characteristics of green destination brands, drawing on established concepts in corporate branding, destination branding and green marketing. The paper demonstrates the application and limitations of the concept through an in-depth case study analysis of New Zealands destination brand to explain the possibilities and problems of building green destination brands at a national level.

Findings

The ndings suggest that a holistic, strategic approach to building a green destination brand which emphasizes and qualies the green essence of a nations brand is required to avoid the pitfalls, cynicism and criticisms of greenwashing.

Research limitations/implications

The research ndings are embedded in the context studied New Zealands destination brand. Additional case studies at multiple levels nations, regions, cities would offer a rich database to gain a better understanding of the concept and the implications of green destination branding

Practical implications :
Barriers to executing a credible green destination brand position are identied and the implications for destination marketing organizations and their stakeholders are discussed.

Originality/value

A conceptualization of green destination brands is provided and the application and limitations of the concept are demonstrated through an in-depth case study of a nation that has adopted this positioning strategy. Rather than taking a snapshot research approach, a historical perspective enabled the development of the destinations brand positioning strategy to be captured.

Reference:

(Andrea Insch, (2011),"Conceptualization and anatomy of green destination brands", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 5 Iss: 3 pp. 282 290)

ARTICLE: Determinants of Pakistani Consumers Green Purchase Behavior: Some Insights from a Developing Country
Abstract:
Many studies have been conducted about consumers' green purchase behavior (GPB) in Europe and North America. This research paper examines Pakistani consumers' intention to buy environmentally friendly products. The primary focus of this research paper was to examines and investigate the hypothesized relationship between predictor and criterion variable i.e. green purchase attitude (GPA) and green purchase intention (GPI). The second was to determine the relationship of criterion variable and outcome variable i.e. GPI and GPB. Finally, the third objective was to ascertain the moderating effect of perceived product price and quality (PPP&Q) between GPI and GPB. Survey was conducted in four university of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The target population for this study was theundergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students. The sample consisted of 400 participants and convenience random sampling was used. The results from this study showed that consumers are ready to buy green products more often, but as for as the price and quality is concern, green products must perform competitively just like the traditional products. Furthermore, this study also discusses how the present findings may help the Pakistani government and businesses/ green marketers to fine-tune their environmental program.

Theoretical Model :

Perceived Product Price and Quality

Green Purchase Attitude

Green Purchase Intention

Green Purchase Behavior

Research hypothesis :
1. 2. 3. GPA is positively correlated with GPI. GPI is positively correlated with GPB. PPP&Q moderates the relationship between GPI and GPB

Methodology :
Subject Survey was conducted in four university of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The universities were International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), Muhammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU), Quaid-iAzam University (QAU) and Foundation of Applied Science and Technology (FAST). The target population for this study was the under graduate, graduate and postgraduate students. The sample consisted of 400 participants, and due to time and cost constraints convenience random sampling was used to obtain data from these respondents. Procedure: Questionnaire was self administered. The research team visited each of these four universities. A total of four hundred questionnaires were distributed among the male and female respondents in four universities. Twenty three respondents did not complete their question papers. Therefore, researchers drop these twenty three uncompleted question papers. Three hundred and seventy seven were those respondents who completely filled their question papers. Out of four hundred questionnaires, 377 were selected to investigate the hypothesized relationship between the variables. Prior to further data collection, researcher conducted a pilot study to test the suitability of the instruments used in this study.

Data Analysis Technique:

Researcher used Correlation and regression matrix for the interpretation of data.

Findings:
According to the results of regression analysis, a hypothesis 1 was accepted. Furthermore, the result shows that a person GPA had the significant impact on customers GPIs According to the results of regression analysis, hypothesis 2 was accepted. GPI of a customer had the positive impact on customer GPB . PPP&Q is associated with higher level of his GPB .The interaction between GPI and PPP&Q was found to be significant. Results show moderating effect of PPP&Q on the relationship between GPI and GPB. This shows that competitive price and quality of a green product have positive impact on customers GPB, if they have high and positive intention to purchase them.

Limitation and Future Research :

In this research thesis, there are some limitations that deserve of future research. The first restriction is about the use of student samples, as researcher made this research in Pakistan using four universities under graduate, graduate and post graduate students as subject. Therefore, results must be used with caution. Though students are often being used as a substitute to what the actual customers think, but the generalizability of the results is a gray area of the current research. By considering this very limitation, future research might extend the list of other universities and colleges located in different cities to assess more accurate and reliable results. Secondly, the research did not identify the green products; as a result the respondents response might vary for different categories of green products. Future research should address this issue by considering focused green products.

Reference:
(Afzaal Ali, Athar Ali Khan, Israr Ahmed, Waseem Shahzad, Determinants of Pakistani Consumers Green Purchase Behavior: Some Insights from a Developing Country, International Journal of Business and Social Science , Vol. 2 No. 3 [Special Issue - January 2011)

ARTICLE: The Crux of Green Marketing: An Empirical Effusive Study

Abstract
No product on this planet has a nix impact on the business and environment one is surrounded by and therefore, green products/brands and environmental-friendly products/brands is the word used to express those products/brands that work to shield and care for atmosphere/environment by preserving the free energy and/or resources, in order to effectively manage to reduce the wastes from the environment as much as possible. By the topic, it is apparent that the study is all about green marketing and especially to assess the consumers perception about the products and brands, which are environmental-friendly i.e. whether green marketing really impresses an individual to buy the products/brands than a product/brand, which doesnt promote environmental-friendly positioning. This study focuses the Asian market, which is challenged by economic development and opportunity due to gain in energy prices, terrorism, environmental and climatic changes and consequences. A sufficient sample of 2000 users of green products were selected via judgmental sampling and inquired via online structured questionnaire. It was revealed by Multiple Regression test that the associate variables of Consumers Environmental Consciousness, which are Social Influence, Environmental Concern, and Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems, indeed affect an individuals Brand Perception/Preference. While, Environmental Attitude, which is the associate variable of Environmental Attitude and Brands Environmental Friendly Perception does not affect Brand Preference. However, when the data was split according to gender, EnvironmentalConcern and Brands Environmentally Friendly Perception affect Male, while SociaInfluence and Environmental Concern affect Female in their choice of green-marketeproduct/brand.

Research Model
On the basis of stated literature the following Research Model shows the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variable includes Consumers Environmental Consciousness, which was determined by the four sub variables Social Influence, Environmental Attitude, Environmental Concern and Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems and Brands Environmentally Friendly Perception. The dependent variable was Brand Preference

Consumers Environmental Consciousness

Social Influence

Environmental Attitude

Environmental Concern

Brand preference

Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems

Brands Environmentally Friendly Perception

Hypotheses :
H1: There is an effect of Social Influence on Brand Preference. H2: There is an effect of Environmental Concern on Brand Preference. H3: There is an effect of Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems on Brand Preference. H4: There is an effect of Environmental Attitude on Brand Preference. H5: There is an effect of Brands Environmental Friendliness on Brand Prefere

Research Methods : Method of Data Collection and Variables Specifications :

This research is an endeavor to find the effect of consumers environmental consciousness and brands environmentally friendly perception on brand preference. The personal survey was used as the method of data collection. The questionnaire which were used foe the survey was divided into four parts include; Consumers Environmental Consciousness, Brands Environmentally Friendly Perception, Brand Preference and Demographics. The Consumers Environmental Consciousness and Brands

Environmentally Friendly Perception were taken as the independent variables while, Brand Preference was the dependent variable.

Sampling Technique & Sample Size :

Convenience Sampling (a non- probability method of sampling) was adopted to collect data. This involves the sample being drawn from that part of the population which is close to hand. The advantages of Convenience Sampling include, convenience, less costly and less time consuming. The sample size was 200 respondents which includes the equal proportions of males and females.

Statistical Technique :
The data collected was categorical so, was converted to scale. The Econometrical technique used was Multiple Regression Analysis and Correlation.

Findings:
Environmental Attitude, which is the associate variable ofEnvironmental Attitude and Brands Environmental Friendly Perception does not affectBrand Preference. However, when the data was split according to gender, Environmental Concern and Brands Environmentally Friendly Perception affect Male, while SocialInfluence and Environmental Concern affect Female in their choice of greenmarketedproduct/brand.

Implications for future research:

As the concept of greening is getting more importance,future researcher can explore more aspects of brand positioning with greening concept.

Implications/Recommendations for Practitioners/management/ policy makers:

This paper concluded that the proxy of Consumers Environmental Consciousness that is Social Influence showed the positive effect on Brand Preference which implies that an individual whose social group is knowledgeable and discuss about the environmental issues and products would prefer green brands.

Limitations of the paper:

The reseach is cross sectional in nature, so its results can b changed over the time.

Reference:
(Muhammad Imtiaz Subhani, Syed Akif Hasan, Amber Osman, Saeeda Wazir Ali Rudhani; Article: The Crux of Green Marketing: An Empirical Effusive Study; European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 27, Number 3(2012))

Business Strategy Series

Emerald Article: Investigation of green marketing tools' effect on consumers' purchase behavior
Elham Rahbar, Nabsiah Abdul Wahid Abstract: In particular, the objective of this paper is to examine if the green marketing tools (i.e. environmental advertisement, eco-label and eco-brand) as a variable, affect the consumers actual purchasing behavior among Penangs consumers (state in Malaysia). Green marketing tools such as eco-label, eco-brand and environmental advertisement will make easier perception and awareness of green products attributes and characteristics, consequently, guiding them into purchasing environmentally-friendly products. Applying these policy tools plays an essential role to switch consumers actual purchasing behavior to buy environmental friendly products, therefore, reduce the negative impact of synthetic products on the environment. Studying the determinants of consumers green purchase behavior would benet green marketers. Although studies on the inuence of green marketing tools on purchase behavior has been the focus of some of recent studies, majority of them have been conducted in industrialized countries (Bleda and Valente, 2008; Chatterjee, 2009; Chan, 2004; Davis, 1993) but the ndings often contradict each other. Therefore, the ndings may only be relevant in certain cultural, time and geographical context. Due to the complexity in consumers green purchasing behavior, generalization is often not meaningful under different cultural and demographical context. According to Ottman (1992a, b) and Peattie (1992) demand and attitudes for green products is likely to be uneven across different market segments and cultures. Consequently, research on the effect of green marketing

tools on purchase behavior in emerging Asian markets is considered to be well-timed. Method-Sample and procedure The respondents in the current study were individual consumers in Penang. It was decided that the sample be formed by individuals over the age 18-years-old. The reason is individuals above this age are familiar with purchasing of products and are also empowered in their decisions for choosing the right items between many available choices, therefore, considerate to environmental issues in their purchasing behavior. The method of data collection was a structured questionnaire. The survey was distributed in some main shopping centers in Penang where people purchase their daily necessities from. A total 250 individuals in Penang participated in the present study. Findings In terms of Penangs consumer, as mentioned in the above paragraph, the result of the mean indicates that Penangs consumers believe that the environmental advertisements increases their knowledge about green products. Mass media, television and newspapers are two major media in Malaysia to acquire information by people (Mat Said et al., 2003) however, due to the lack of environmental advertisements in Malaysia; people are not familiar with most of the alternative products. In this study, the relationship between trust in eco-label, eco-brand and purchase behavior are found to be signicant. This means that the respondents trust in eco-label and eco-brand has a positive effect on consumers actual purchase behavior. Without consumers condence and trust of eco-label and ecobrand, it is very difcult to convince them to make purchase decisions. Implications for policy makers: The implication of this study to governmental policy is providing a few guidelines for government to formulate the green policies such as providing promotional incentives to those green products manufacturers who are truly green in their manufacturing processes, encouraging the public to buy products with eco-label. Secondly, government can raise campaigns to promote public awareness of eco-labels as it is proven in this study that trustfulness of eco-labels can exert a signicant inuence in green purchase behavior of consumers. With the increase awareness on eco labels, it would help in promoting green consumption among consumers. However, government should be monitoring the credibility and trustworthiness of messages carried in eco-labels. Besides, government should endeavor to inform citizens about the meaning and availability of the new eco-labels and eco-brands and the benets of using eco-labeled and eco-branded products to environment (Rios et al., 2006). Limitations and suggestion for future research While conducting this research, certain limitations were identied, with some suggestions for future studies; it may provide helpful insight to be considered in generating a new framework. First, this study was limited to consumers of Penang (one of the states of Malaysia) and did not cover all states in Malaysia. In future studies, it would be ideal to consider all states of Malaysia or at least some of the

larger states. Secondly, this study is conducted on general eco-brands. As such, future studies could focus on a specic eco-brand such as Body Shop or Himalaya for a better understanding by respondents. Additionally, choosing a specic eco-brand can provide respondents with the opportunity to compare eco-branded and the non eco-branded products thus generating a more reliable response. Reference: Elham Rahbar, Nabsiah Abdul Wahid, (2011),"Investigation of green marketing tools' effect on consumers' purchase behavior", Business Strategy Series, Vol. 12 Iss: 2 pp. 73 - 83

Green marketing strategies: an examination of stakeholders and the opportunities they present
J. Joseph Cronin, Jr & Jeffery S. Smith & Mark R. Gleim & Edward Ramirez & Jennifer Dawn Martinez Abstract As green marketing strategies become increasingly more important to firms adhering to a triple-bottom line performance evaluation, the present research seeks to better understand the role of green as a marketing strategy. Through an integration of the marketing, management, and operations literatures, an investigative framework is generated that identifies the various stakeholders potentially impacted through the environmentally friendly efforts of a firm. Specifically, the inter-connected nature of the core business disciplines of marketing, management (both strategy and human resources), and operations are examined as controllable functions within an organization from which strategies can be enacted to affect a firms stakeholders. The prior research in these areas is examined to identify potential research opportunities in marketing while also offering a series of representative research questions that can help guide future research in marketing. Conceptual framework and methodology As noted above, the goal of this article is to advance the marketing discipline in investigations addressing the concept of green marketing strategies. To guide our investigation, we generated an overarching model whereby research in the core business disciplines (i.e., marketing, management, and operations) is reviewed in order to identify the main themes that emerge. The themes are then integrated in order to determine what is known about each topic. We then employ a stakeholder analysis to determine how marketing research can address the gaps in the literature (i.e., what research opportunities exist) in terms of the 3P perspective. Conclusion

All the themes identified conclude with the ultimate goal of meeting the wants and needs of various stake holders. In particular, meeting the needs and wants of consumers is critical for firms that are attempting to compete on the basis of green. Without a greater understanding of stakeholder and consumer perceptions, firms are not likely to reap the financial rewards associated with green strategies. Thus, the resounding conclusion is that there is much left to be discussed and evaluated relative to the use of green marketing strategies to maximize the triple-bottom line performance demanded by stakeholders worldwide. Reference: J. Joseph Cronin, Jr & Jeffery S. Smith &Mark R. Gleim & Edward Ramirez & Jennifer Dawn Martinez(2011).Green marketing strategies: an examination of stakeholders and the opportunities they present. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. (2011) 39:158174

Stakeholder perceptions of green marketing: the effect of demand and supply integration
Jon F. Kirchoff and Chris Koch Bridget Satinover Nichols Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the stream of thought regarding the concept of demand and supply integration (DSI) within the domain of environmental responsibility and green marketing. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual application of theory to strategic-level concepts is used to develop propositions representing a theoretical approach to the integration of green marketing and green supply chain management (SCM). Findings Based on stakeholder theory, the authors propose that greater value will be perceived by customer stakeholders when the rm is able to successfully manage and coordinate demand (marketing) and supply (SCM) functions, ensuring that customer stakeholders receive what they are promised in regard to environmental products and services. For this relationship to offer competitive advantage and higher rm performance, the authors contend that it is necessary to better understand how customer stakeholders perceive rms environmental initiatives, and to investigate if the degree to which a rms demand and supply functions are integrated inuences these perceptions. Research limitations/implications Scholars will benet from ideas and questions put forth in this paper as it suggests specic avenues to pursue empirically in order to understand stakeholder perceptions of a rms environmental responsibility activities.

Practical implications Managers will benet from the results of this paper by better understanding the benets of DSI in creating marketing campaigns for environmental products and services that stakeholders perceive as legitimate. Originality/value The authors introduce the concept of DSI to the green marketing and green SCM literature and position DSI within the broader rubric of environmental commitment in the rm. Paper type - Conceptual paper Reference: Jon F. Kirchoff and Chris Koch, Bridget Satinover Nichols(2011). Stakeholder perceptions of green marketing: the effect of demand and supply integration. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management Vol. 41 No. 7, 2011

The Impact of Media Exposure on Intention to Purchase Green Electronic Products amongst Lecturers
Iman Khalid A. Qader (Corresponding author) Prof. Yuserrie Bin Zainuddin Abstract The purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of green product purchase intention within the domain of green marketing, where all activities are designed to generate and to facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs or wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment. Therefore, this study intends to identify the influence of media exposure, on purchase intention of lead-free electronic products (green electronics) amongst lecturers. Through a self-administered questionnaire among 170 lecturers, from USM main campus and USM engineering campus the study found some revealing insights. Through the results of this study, media exposure had a significant positive influence on lecturers purchase intention. The theory of planned behavior Azjen (1985) supported the findings of this study for media exposure and purchase intention, which is related to the motivation part of the theory which includes information about a behavior, resulting in motivation to perform a certain behavior. Methodology Sample The population for this study consists of full time university lecturers from University Sains Malaysia which has been considered the second oldest university and has emerged as the countrys largest

universities in terms of academic programs, student enrollment, and infrastructure. Respondents will be full time university lecturers from the universitys main campus and from the universitys engineering campus, based on academic staff statistics obtained from the University chancellery on January (2007) there are 898 full time university academic staff working on main and engineering campus. Conclusion This study has shed some light on the problem of pollution, which is caused by the consumption of hightech electronic products and the disposal of these products at the end of the products life cycle. Hence, this study investigates the influence of media exposure on purchase intention amongst lecturers because lecturers are considered relatively heavy users of electronic products. Due to their profession and technological consumption their intention to purchase lead-free electronic products (green electronics) is the focus of the study. However, through a survey among lecturers working full time in USM main campus and USM engineering campus the study found some revealing insights. In terms of theoretical contribution, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) Azjen (1985) supported the findings of this study for media exposure, and purchase intention which is related to the motivation part of the theory which includes information about a behavior, leads to motivation to perform a behavior. Therefore, from the results of the study media exposure had a significant influence on purchase intention. In terms of practical contribution of this study, it is recommended that marketers should constantly monitor and evaluate the needs and concerns of university lecturers by taking into account lecturers exposure to the media. Hence increasing the dose of media will optimize consumer awareness towards environmental problems, and hence, influence positive attitudes, as media plays an important role in shaping consumers attitudes and their levels of participation in environmental actions and behaviours. Therefore, when catering for this segment of consumers the findings of the study should be taken into consideration. Reference: Iman Khalid A. Qader, Prof. Yuserrie Bin Zainuddin(2011). The Impact of Media Exposure on Intention to Purchase Green Electronic Products amongst Lecturers.International Journal of Business and Management Vol. 6, No. 3

What Drives Green Restaurant Patronage Intention?

Booi-Chen Tan & Peik-Foong Yeap Abstract The trends of corporate social responsibility and sustainability drive many firms to adopt green marketing practices through the development of products and services targeted to meet the demand of environmentally conscious consumers. Green movement enables firms to gain competitive advantages, improve ecological performance, reduce operational costs, and enhance corporate image.

However, the pressure to adopt environmental management practices in the food service sector is insignificant compared to the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. This disparity is evident despite of the fast growing number of restaurants and widespread habit of eating out, which bring with it an increasingly detrimental environmental impact. Currently, there is limited existing research on the demand for green practices within the food service sector from the consumers perspectives in Malaysia. This paper reviews the conceptual and empirical literatures and proposes a conceptual framework to examine how attitudes and pro-environmental behaviours influence consumers intention towards patronising green restaurants. In addition, the theoretical and practical implications are also put forward. Theoretical Implications Sun and Wilson (2008) suggested that both types of attitudes (general and specific) should be studied together in an empirical research, rather than isolating them. However, the combination of various attitude components as outlined in this study to predict a specific type of pro-environmental intention or behaviour is still limited within the context of green restaurants. The findings are expected to confirm which is the most appropriate attitude predictor on behaviour intention, to close the attitude-behaviour gap (Weigel and Newman, 1976; Roberts and Bacon, 1997). Other attempts have been made in the marketing and consumer behaviour literatures to identify determinants on pro-environmental behaviour as well as in a specific type of behaviour such as green purchase behaviour (Kim and Choi, 2005; Tilikidou, 2007; Ramayah et al., 2010). However, this study uses the pro-environmental behaviour as an independent variable rather than a dependent variable to predict the specific pro-envirommental intention. This yields an in-depth understanding on the association between the various type of environmental related behaviours, and serves as a good indication of potential customer segmentation criteria. Besides, Tilikidou and Delistavrou (2006) revealed that those who are engaged in one type of non-purchasing pro-environmental behavior are more likely to engage in another type as well, and Tilikidou (2007) suggested that the environmental related behaviourals should be combined together in a study, rather than isolating them. Conclusion The fast growing number of restaurants and widespread eating-out habits in Malaysia, effectively results in a significant aggravation on the environment. There is thus a high need for both academic and marketing researchers to focus their future studies more on the food service sector. This group of study has been largely neglected over the last few decades. Therefore, this study proposes a theoretical framework to examine the influence of environmental factors from three aspects of attitudes variables (i.e., attitude towards the environment, attitude towards green behaviours, and attitude towards restaurant green practices) as well as various aspects of pro-environmental behaviours/green behaviours on the behavioural intention to patronise green restaurants. Reference: Booi-Chen Tan,Peik-Foong Yeap(2011). What Drives Green Restaurant Patronage Intention. International Journal of Business and Management Vol. 7, No. 2; January 2012

Corporate Communications: An International Journal

Clare D'Souza, Mehdi Taghian, Peter Lamb(2006) Emerald Article:

An empirical study on the influence of environmental labels on consumers

Purpose Despite research studies indicating strong support for labelling information, uncertainty remains with respect to how labels influence consumers. This paper attempts to empirically investigate how consumers who differ in terms of environmentalism respond to labels. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected on an Australian sample using a structured questionnaire administered on the phone using quantum research (CATI) data collection services. A total of 155 questionnaires were completed and used for data analysis. The data were analysed using both descriptive measures and correlations between variables. Findings There appears to be a proportion of consumers that find product labels hard to understand. The research found that there are consumers who will buy green products even if they are lower in quality in comparison to alternative products, but would look for environmental information on labels. With respect to price sensitive green consumers, there appears to be a relationship between price sensitivity and always reading labels as well as indicating that there is sufficient information

on product labels to make informed purchase decisions. Research limitations/implications It was beyond the scope of the research to account for some of the utilitarian approaches to interpretation or in-depth comprehension of label information. The sample size of 155, although selected using a probability method, may, to some extent, limit the overall accuracy of the results. Practical implications The research offers some important information on different green consumer segments that would alert managers on how best to position environmental labels. Findings such as Satisfied with labels correlates with Labels are accurate, which suggests that businesses need to provide a clear, accurate and easily legible label design to encourage satisfaction with the accuracy of content and the communication aspects of a label. Originality/value The paper contributes to better understanding of green customers purchase intentions and the usefulness of ecological product labels. It offers some insights and assistance to businesses in planning their green product/labelling strategies. References Carlson, L., Grove, S. and Kangun, N. (1993), A content analysis of environmental advertising claims: a matrix method approach, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 27-40. Caswell, J. and Mojduszka, E. (1996), Using informational labelling to influence the market for quality in food products, Working Paper No. 2, Food Marketing Policy Centre, University of Connecticut. Chase, D. and Smith, T.K. (1992), Consumers keen on green but marketers dont deliver, Advertising Age, Vol. 63. Dagnoli, J. (1991), Consciously green, Advertising Age, Vol. 14.

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal

2006

Anthropology and consumer research: qualitative insights into green consumer behavior
Mark Tadajewski
Department of Accounting, Finance and Management, University of Essex, Colchester, UK, and

Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto
Management Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new qualitative method that is theoretically underpinned by cognitive anthropology. This research strategy is introduced to further advance the understanding of complex green consumer behavior in this case life-cycle analysis. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the contextual aspects of problem-solving behavior of green, environmentally concerned consumers. Cognitive anthropology develops a different, yet complementary, understanding of consumer cognition to a psychological approach. Through the concepts of practical thinking and bricolage, cognition and behavior are conceptualized on a contextual basis. Such an approach encourages a reassessment of how consumer research has traditionally conceptualized problem framing, information search, information processing and related

concepts. The paper draws upon in-depth, qualitative interviews with a wide range of green consumers from both the UK and Germany. Findings The findings provide some interesting clues regarding the nature of information search and information processing. In the sample, the green consumers of the top clusters were able to see and retrieve life-cycle information as it was offered by a shopping context and it was this context, as it is perceived by the bricoleur that ultimately limits information search and processing. Within the objective bounds of a choice context, skilful practical thinking and bricolage was shown in different degrees amongst the clusters, with considerable creativity shown in seeing lifecycle information. Research limitations/implications Given that the research outlined in this paper is monoparadigmatic, it is suggested that a future avenue for research in green consumer behavior would be the use of a multiple paradigm approach. Practical implications The paper outlines a stepping approach to marketing communications directed towards the green, or potentially green consumer, suggesting that some form of community based social marketing program might be a useful educational tool given the findings presented. Originality/value The introduction of a new research strategy cognitive anthropology to the study of green consumer behavior. Keywords Social anthropology, Consumer research, Green marketing Paper type Research paper Conclusion This paper has attempted to explore the contextual aspects of problem-solving behavior of green, environmentally concerned consumers. We have demonstrated that cognitive anthropology develops a different, yet complementary, understanding of consumer cognition in comparison to a psychological approach. By drawing theoretical sustenance

from cognitive anthropology, particularly from work such as Levi-Strausss (1966) The Savage Mind or Levy-Bruhls (1926) How Natives Think, we highlighted how issues of information search, information processing and problem solving are purposefully and logically negotiated in everyday life. Through the concepts of practical thinking and bricolage, cognition and behavior were conceptualized on a contextual basis, and this approach, however, exploratory it still remains at present, encouraged a reassessment of how consumer research has traditionally conceptualized problem framing, information search, information processing and related concepts such as expertise, familiarity and intelligence. As a movement in this direction we have outlined the theory informing cognitive anthropology that conceptualizes meaningful behavior in a radical, but intuitively appealing fashion, through the ideas of practical thinking and bricolage. Acognitive anthropological approach to consumer cognition does not assume bounded rationality or limited information processing, but instead demands that the researcher actually looks at how green and non-green consumers actually bind and also unbind their reasoning through the subjective perception and construction of their behavioral context. From the interviews, a complex picture of green consumer behavior was developed that would appear to suggest that marketing communications practitioners or others interested in speaking to this market adopt a leveling communications strategy. By this, we mean that environmental communications strategies should aim to overcome the cognitive barriers that impinge on consumer cognition and, in turn, prevent consumers from moving from the intent to purchase to the actual purchase of green products. In response, we suggest that green marketing communications should be factually based and pragmatic in outlook and tailored to the requirements of the different groups of consumers. The communications and message mix should be easily accessible to the target consumer on a step-by-step basis, through the use of a variety

of different marketing communication channels (i.e. leaflets, poster campaigns, television advertising and in-house seminars), with a range of different green communications delivered one after another. What is of paramount importance here is that the potential green consumer is not overburdened by information overload, while at the same time, those groups who do desire additional information can retrieve it, as and when they require it. Given the theoretical complexity of green shopping issues these should be introduced on a step-by-step basis with one potentially important avenue for exploration being a learning by doing strategy. One possible educational route that communications managers may want to pursue is some form of community based social marketing which entails encouraging experienced green consumers to work with recent converts to the virtues of green consumption and, for whom, they can function as an exemplar of the kinds of behavior easily incorporated and accomplished in everyday life (McKenzie-Mohr and Smith, 1999). While we have used cognitive psychology as our foil for discussing the value of cognitive anthropology both approaches conceptualize meaning in different, but not incommensurable ways, therefore, implying some degree of methodological complement between these paradigms. The challenge for future research in this area is to establish interdisciplinary communication across their respective territories if theories of cognition are to develop. One such avenue could be achieved through multiple paradigm research by using the positivist insights of cognitive psychology in parallel or sequentially with interpretive cognitive anthropology. Indeed, this potential meeting of minds is seen as a highly desirable strategy for theory building in marketing. We can only echo the recent call for more multiple paradigm research given its potential to foster greater comprehensiveness . . . relevance . . . and reflexivity

(Tadajewski, 2004, p. 325). So where one reviewer of this paper made reference to the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods, we propose that now marketing researchers are becoming more fluent in interpretive approaches, while retaining their literacy in more positivistic research approaches, that it is becoming feasible to undertake multiple paradigm research projects (Davies and Fitchett, 2005; Tadajewski, 2005, n.d.). The potential conflict that could arise here is less likely to be a function of the much vaunted incommensurability thesis, and more from the sheer intellectual demands that such research would require. This, however, remains the preserve of future researchers but as we have briefly indicated here, it would appear to be an important future direction for consumer research. References Alba, J.W. and Hutchinson, W.J. (1987), Dimensions of consumer expertise, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 13, pp. 411-54. Alba, J.W., Hutchinson, W.J. and Lynch, J.G. (1991), Memory and decision making, in Kassarjian, H.H. and Robertson, T.S. (Eds), Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 1-49. Allen, D. (1971), Anthropological insights into customer behavior, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 45-57.

International Marketing Review 2009

International integration: a hope for a greener China?

Haitao Yin
Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China and Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, and

Chunbo Ma
School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia and Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Abstract Purpose In recent years, trade up argument has gained momentum. It argues that international integration can benefit developing countries environments by fostering the adoption of voluntary environmental standards, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification. Based on this argument, a social marketing program that encourages greenness among buyers, especially downstream industrial buyers (for example, auto industry) in developed countries could motivate firms in developing countries go green. The purpose of this paper is to provide an investigation on whether trade up is a real hope, and what is required to make it real. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical modeling and case studies. Findings This paper finds that international trade does gear up the adoption of ISO 14001

standards in China through increasing pressures from international green customers. However, our analyses suggest that the adoption of ISO 14001 certification does not necessarily improve firms compliance with existing environmental regulations in China. The actual impact depends on how stringently environmental agency carries out inspections. We also find that in China, ISO 14001 certification motivates little, if any, environmental performance improvement beyond bottom-line environmental regulations. Research limitations/implications This finding suggests that the trade up argument as well as a social marketing strategy targeting international buyers (including downstream industries) need to be scrutinized carefully before being used to guide practice. Originality/value Few efforts have been made to explore the actual impacts of ISO 14001 certification in developing countries. This paper fills this gap. It provides empirical support for Andreasens argument that social marketing should be applied more broadly to achieve the desired impacts. Keywords International trade, Social marketing, Green marketing, Quality standards, Environmental regulations, China Paper type Research paper

Concluding remarks With a trade up view, Prakash and Potoski (2006) argued that international green buyers, most of which are in developed countries, could force the producers in developing nations to green their production process, therefore benefiting developing countries environment. Following this argument, a seemingly feasible social marketing strategy would be encouraging international buyers, especially downstream industries, to change their purchase preference. This paper suggests that this view might be too optimistic. Based on an in-depth case study of eight certification bodies, this paper finds that

international trade does gear up the adoption of ISO 14001 standards in China, which is consistent with findings from previous studies. However, as for the environmental impacts of ISO 14001 certification, this paper finds that: . The actual strength of ISO 14001 certification in promoting firms compliance with existing regulations is uncertain. It depends on how stringently environmental agency carries out inspections and enforces regulations. . ISO 14001 certification offers little, if any, environmental performance improvement beyond meeting bottom-line environmental regulations. This finding suggests that we need to treat the trade up argument as well as a social marketing strategy targeting international buyers (including downstream industries) with caution. For such a strategy to work, it requires a careful analysis of various stakeholders who have a role in the system. A successful social marketing strategy should start with a thorough analysis of stakeholders that could affect the outcome of interest. Social marketing researchers and practitioners normally fix their minds upon changing downstream players behaviors, for example, encouraging potential drunk driver to refrain from drinking and driving, or encouraging potential buyers to favor more environmental friendly product and production. In his new book Andreasen (2006) argued that such a downstream approach has hugely underestimated social marketings real potential. He suggested that social marketing principles and tools should be applied more broadly to influence such diverse audiences as legislator, community leaders, media executives, corporate managers, and health professionals. In light of our analysis of the adoption and implementation of ISO 14001 certification in China, more successes could be achieved if a social marketing program targeting environmental officials leads them to enforce regulation more rigorously, and a social marketing program targeting corporate managers leads them to implement ISO 14001 certification more faithfully (Yin and Schmeidler, 2008). Based on the trade up argument, scholars have suggested that in countries where

the domestic environmental protection regime is not developed, ISO 14001 appears, albeit incorrectly, to provide a complete solution on its own (Conway, 1996). Based on our findings, the authors contend that we need to treat these arguments with extra caution. A successful strategy has to prioritize enhancing environmental regulation systems[4], and meanwhile mobilizing all stakeholders including customers, environmental officials and corporate managers to go green through multiple carefully designed social marketing programs. This study has limitations upon which future research could make an improvement. While an in-depth case study of certification bodies is necessary to understand a complex phenomenon that is rarely studied and is the best approach given the data availability in China nowadays, it has limitations. The information gathered from certification bodies is already aggregated. This neglects the heterogeneity across facilities adopting ISO 14001 standards. Some recent studies (Barla, 2007; Yin and Schmeidler, 2008) show that the implementation and impact of ISO 14001 standards is very variable across adopting facilities. This limitation also suggests interesting research for the future. Future research may revisit the research questions of this study through studying individual facilities. Both statistical analysis and case study are necessary. It is of interest to discover what factors (especially market factors) have an impact on the linkage between the adoption of ISO 14001 standards and facilities environmental performance changes through statistical analyses. In themeanwhile, it requires an in-depth case study to get beneath the skin of adopting facilities to understand facilities strategic/organizational responses to ISO 14001 adoption and how green customers could play a role to ensure that actual environmental benefits result from ISO 14001 certification. All of these studies will

ultimately facilitate finding sound socialmarketing strategies which can help institutions like ISO 14001 certification to reach its full strength and therefore help developing countries to protect/improve their environment. References Adams, R. (1999), ISO 14001: a key ingredient of competitive edge, Environmental Law Management, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 103-4. Akerlof, G. (1970), The market for lemons: quality uncertainty and the market mechanism, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 84, pp. 488-500. Andreasen, A.R. (1994), Social marketing: its definition and domain, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 108-14. Andreasen, A.R. (2002), Marketing social marketing in the social change marketplace, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 3-13. Andreasen, A.R. (2006), Social Marketing in the 21st Century, Sage, Thousand Oaks,
CA.

Marketing Intelligence & Planning 2008

Marketing and sustainability

Peter Jones, Colin Clarke-Hill and Daphne Comfort
The Business School, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK, and

David Hillier
Centre for Police Science, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, UK

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to raise for debate among marketers the issue of the relationship between marketing and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach An opinion piece, that presents the views of four authors on the current state of the debate in this field. Findings There is little consensus on these matters. There are those who believe that marketing and sustainability simply cannot be reconciled, while there are others who argue that marketing can contribute to the development of sustainable consumption. Originality/value The paper opens up the debate on a subject that is clearly going to be high on the agenda for years to come. Keywords Sustainable development, Marketing, Green marketing, Environmental management Paper type Research paper Conclusion While marketing and sustainability might seem to be as different as chalk and cheese (Ethical Corporation, 2003) there is growing evidence that the two concepts have something to offer each other. On the one hand, an increasing number of companies publicly claim to be committed to an all-embracing definition of sustainable development of a marketing mix of sustainable goods and services. That said many of the sustainability commitments claimed by companies can be interpreted as being driven by business imperatives. Thus, while many of the environmental initiatives currently being by a number of the UKs prominent retailers are designed to reduce

energy and water consumption and waste emissions they also reduce costs. On the other hand there are claims that marketing offers important ways of changing consumer behaviour and in influencing attitudes and beliefs. However, the jury will surely be out for some time on whether marketing has the power to promote the sort of radical lifestyle changes that a truly sustainable future demands.

References Barr, S., Gilg, A. and Shaw, G. (2006), Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles: A Social Marketing Approach, University of Exeter, Exeter. Becker, C. (2004), Sustainable consumption: marketing and communications, available at: www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/sustainable_consumption/gc_pd_sc2004report.p df Brown, S. (1995), Postmodern Marketing, Routledge, London. Callicott, J.B. and Mumford, K. (1997), Ecological sustainability as a conservation concept, Conservation Biology, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 32-40. Charter, M., Peattie, K., Ottman, J. and Polonsky, M.J. (2006), Marketing and sustainability, available at: www.cfsd.org.uk/smart-know-net/links/smart-know-net.pdf

Marketing Intelligence & Planning 2008

Opportunities for green marketing: young consumers

Kaman Lee
School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify important factors that affect Hong Kong adolescent consumers green purchasing behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A total of 6,010 (2,975 males and 3,035 females) adolescents in Hong Kong were recruited through multi-staged random sampling. They were surveyed on their green purchasing behaviour, environmental attitude, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived environmental responsibility, perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour, social influence and concern for self-image in environmental protection. Findings Multiple regression analysis showed that social influence was the top predictor of Hong Kong adolescents green purchasing behaviour, followed by environmental concern as the second, concern for self-image in environmental protection as the third, and perceived environmental responsibility as the fourth top predictor. Research limitations/implications A major limitation of this study lies in the self-reported nature of the survey used. Future study should include some objective assessments (such as observations or other-reported survey) of the subjects green purchasing behaviour. Practical implications This paper is a useful source of information for international green marketers about what works and what does not in appealing to the young consumers in Hong Kong.

Originality/value This paper serves as a pioneer study to identify important factors in affecting young consumers green purchasing behaviour in the Hong Kong context. It offers practical guidelines to international green marketers planning to target the Asian markets. Keywords Hong Kong, Consumer behaviour, Green marketing, Adolescents, Individual psychology, Social responsibility Paper type Research paper Conclusion and implications The present study shows that the key to successful green marketing among adolescents in Hong Kong lies in four factors: (1) peer network (social influence); (2) emotional appeal (environmental concern); (3) image branding (concern for self-image in environmental protection); and (4) behavioural efficacy (perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour). These findings display quite a different pattern from those observed in adult samples, whereby green purchasing behaviours are more governed by rationality and cognition (e.g. environmental knowledge, assessment of product attributes, environmental information processing, etc.) (Peattie, 2001). This finding points to the importance of market segmentation because what works best for a market segment may not necessarily work the same for another group. Overall, the study shows that adolescents in Hong Kong displayed a quite promising market opportunity for green products. International green marketers are advised to consider adolescents as one of their potential targeted markets for the following reasons: . they have purchasing power; . they have influencing power on their parents and friends purchase decision; . they welcome new and innovative ideas; and . their anticipated life span is longer (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2003; Moschis and Moore, 1979). All these imply a potentially great marketing value-return in the long run. Applying the results to practical marketing planning, international green marketers are advised to consider the following points in future green marketing work. Firstly, green

marketing should use more buzz marketing to encourage adolescent consumers to talk about environmental messages to their peers and recommend good environmental products to their friends by word-of-mouth in the form of face-to-face or new media communications. Secondly, environmental marketing messages to Hong Kong adolescents should contain more emotional than rational appeal. Thirdly, it is very important for green marketers to associate a trendy and cool image with green products. They should aim at cultivating a feel good purchase experience among these young consumers (Peattie, 2001). Lastly, since it was found that adolescents perception of environmental responsibility also affects their purchase decisions, green marketing efforts in the future should also convey the message that each of us is responsible to save our earth. References Bakewell, C. and Mitchell, V. (2003), Generation Y female consumer decisionmaking styles, Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 95-106. Bandura, A. (1977), Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioural change, Psychological Review, Vol. 84, pp. 191-215. Brown, B.B. (1990), Peer groups and peer culture, in Feldman, S.S. and Elliott, C.R. (Eds), At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 171-96. Chan, R.Y.K. (2001), Determinants of Chinese consumers green purchase behaviour, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 389-413. Charter, M. and Polonsky, M.J. (1999), Green Marketing: A Global Perspective on Green Marketing Practices, Greenleaf Publications, Sheffield.

Marketing Intelligence & Planning

Emerald Article: An investigation of the effects of environmental claims in promotional messages for clothing brands Ian Phau, Denise Ong

Abstract Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumers respond to environmental claims of three types contained in promotional messages attributed to one respected green brand and one mainstream leisure clothing. Research has shown that these demands are closely related to lifestyle (Connolly and Prothero, 2003). Multiple factors are found to influence consumers in their adoption of green purchasing (DSouza et al., 2007). There is a research need to know if those are specific to product categories, geographical boundaries, or even to the medium via which the green message is transmitted. With a higher consumer awareness of environmental issues, many companies have jumped on the bandwagon by adopting overtly green strategies often making environmental claims in their advertising campaigns with the aim of gaining an edge over their competitors Concern about green issues spans an array of product categories, such as food (biodegradable packaging), hairspray (CFC-free), paint (biodegradable) and stationery (recycled paper).

Design/methodology/approach

A mall-intercept questionnaire-based survey in

one city in Australia collected responses from 380 respondents, who rated environmental claims contained in promotional messages delivered via garment tags attached to T-shirts. To test respondents reactions to the relationship of a brand perceived to be green to the credibility of its self-promotional messages. Sample and survey instrument Mall intercept interviewing was the chosen data collection method. The fieldwork was conducted in a large shopping complex in the metropolitan city of Perth in Western Australia. Every fifth individual crossing a designated imaginary line outside a major shopping centre within the mall was approached for interview. The questionnaire was in three parts. Section A collected demographic information.

Findings Shoppers responded more positively to product-related messages than causerelated messages. They found environmental claims to be more credible if attributed to the green brands than to the neutral brand.

Research limitations/implications

Future research might focus on the green

market segment rather than interacting with the general population, and devise niche marketing strategies to clothes retailers. There is also room for more vivid pro-green statements as test stimuli, perhaps generated by in-depth qualitative research. The reasons for the many contrasts with the major study by Kim and Damhorst (1999) are far from clear. Any future study should clarify in particular whether or notshoppers prefer green

products associated with an environmentally conscious brand or company over those offered by more mainstream manufacturers and suppliers. There is a potential problem of brand bias in this study, affecting the reliability ofrespondents answers. One solution might have been to screen out those who were interested only in environmentally sound products from a company with a green image. Future studies could also contain more direct and vivid statements in relation togreen clothing consumption, as stimuli. These could include such propositions as favouring clothing made by recycling environmentally unsound products, such as plastic bottles, as well as the usual arguments in favour of organic materials. In-depth qualitative research would play an important role in the design of such a study.

Practical implications

Though consumers are becoming increasingly green-minded,

the result is not necessarily more consumption of green products, but better consumption behavior in general. Retailers should build a store image that clearly transmits their green credentials, as a proxy for the quality and nature of merchandise they carry. A future study might actively focus on vigilant green consumers, using the methodological approach described here. The results from a study of this green segment would have many practical implications for retail planners, such as the possibility of niche marketing. The environmental concerns are increasingly becoming important. The situation of fresh water and sanitation in India is alarming. Excess consumption puts a strain on the resources for the tourism industry specially hotels. The firms should build up scenarios for future growth and consequent resource needs. Depleting water table in most parts of India would be a grave concern in near future. So the hotels would need to plan for resource limitations and would have to account for the same.

Originality/value

Relatively little is known about green brands and environmental

message appeals in clothes marketing, and no study has yet focused on Australia.

Reference
Marketing Intelligence & Plannin Vol. 25 No. 7, 2007 pp. 772-788 q Emerald Group Publishing Lim0263-4503 DOI 10.1108/02634500710834214

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Emerald Article: Exploring consumer attitude and behavior towards green Practices in the lodging industry in India Kamal Manaktola, Vinnie Jauhari

Abstract Purpose The study seeks to explore the factors which influence the consumer attitude and
behavior towards green practices in the lodging industry in India and also to explore the consumers intentions to pay for these practices. In the increasingly competitive environment, hotels must make an attempt to attract business from markets that are pro-green practices. The green hotel business is a growing niche because not only do these establishments differentiate themselves from the similar non-green hotels, but they also fulfill a need in the market for less environmentally damaging hotels. Ecofriendly hotel and green hotel are the terms that refer to a lodging establishment that has made a commitment to various ecologically sound practices such as saving water, saving energy, and reducing solid waste Environmental issues have become central to competitive success in tourism destinations and firms worldwide and thus must be of relevance for Indian hotels. To achieve general and environmental competitiveness on a global tourism market, Indian hotels must increase their environmental performance to satisfy environmental requirements of its target markets. According to Foster et al. (2000), the hospitality and tourism industry is under pressure to become more environmentally friendly from the following forces: . consumer demand; . increasing environmental regulation; . managerial concern with ethics; . customer satisfaction; . maintenance issues related to the physical plant; and . the need for aesthetics.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative and qualitative research

methodology using a questionnaire along with secondary research has been proposed. A structured questionnaire has been used using convenience-sampling techniques from National Capital Region in India. Correlation and factor analysis has been used to explore consumers attitudes and behavior towards green practices in the lodging industry.

The study uses a structured questionnaire, which has been developed to study the attitude and behavior of consumers on green practices. The questionnaire was pre-tested with a sample of 15 respondents and minor modifications were made in the questions wherein the statements were ambiguous. The convenience sampling was used to overcome the constraints of time and budgets.

Findings The consumers using hotel services are conscious about environmentally friendly
practices in India. They patronize the hotels that have adapted green practices though not compromising on service quality. The consumers would prefer to use lodging that follows these practices but are not willing to pay extra for these services. Indian hotels have the competitive advantage over similar products if they follow green practices. Consumer attitude towards expectations on use of green practices in the lodging industry. Consumer behavior towards green practices in the lodging industry in India. Relation between consumer attitude and behavior towards green practices in lodging industry.

Practical implications

The hotels would have to invest in environmentally friendly

practices and look at long-term gains. The government needs to acknowledge and institutionalize the practice by instituting rewards and offering benefits in taxes. The implication of the above findings is that a firms visible subscription to ISO 9000 or environmental partnership and training imparted to employees could influence a consumers to stay in the environmental friendly hotel. The second factor comprised a waste disposal and active system installed to check leakages in the property. So the consumer looks for actual evidence of serious commitment to an environmental cause before deciding to stay in the hotels.

Research limitations/implications
As the study points out that the majority of the consumers are not willing to pay for such environmental friendly practices despite a positive disposition towards the same. Only 40 percent are willing to pay to a tune of 4-6 percent. A lodging firm needs to look at long-term benefits emanating out of a conservative use of resources. The government could pass some of the benefits for initial two to three years for expenditures incurred on energy saving devices and measures. A very limited research documented on Indian hospitality industry has prompted the authors to identify customers behavior towards eco-friendly hospitality lodging practices.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to bring out facts regarding customer buying

behavior towards green practices in the Indian hotel industry. The resource scenario in India is grim with regard to the water and sanitation. The tourism industry has a big responsibility in ensuring that business models adopted are sustainable in the long run and hence the need to imbibe green practices as a preferred business model.

Reference
Kamal Manaktola, Vinnie Jauhari, (2007),"Exploring consumer attitude and behaviour towards green practices in the lodging industry in India", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 19 Iss: 5 pp. 364 - 377

International Journal of Operations & Production Management

Emerald Article: Greening the automotive supply chain: a relationship perspective
Dayna Simpson, Damien Power, Daniel Samson

Abstract Purpose This study seeks to explore the moderating impact of relationship conditions
existingbetween a customer and its suppliers on the uptake and effectiveness of the customers environmental performance requirements (otherwise known as green-supply). Organizations have become increasingly aware of the propensity for environmentalpollution incidents within their supply network to cost them in penalties, cleanup and consumer backlash. As a result, minimum standards of environmental performance have become increasingly prevalent in the purchasing contracts or guidelines of multinational corporations for their local and global suppliers (Bowen et al. , 2001a; Zhu and Sarkis, 2004). This relatively new expectation for upstream suppliers goes beyond the more traditional requirements of their customers to reduce costs and improve quality and service (Lambert and Cooper, 2000). Prominent examples of such activity include Starbucks Responsible Sourcing Guidelines (Starbucks, 2005), Ford Motor Companys requirement for all suppliers to certify to the ISO14001 management standard and the inclusion of supplier activities in statements of

environmental responsibility for Toyota, BMW and Mitsubishi (Young and Kielkiewicz-Young, 2001). This research seeks to extend the small but growing body of knowledge surrounding the introduction of environmental performance requirements into supply contracts or statements of supply chain stewardship. The major contribution of this research will be not just to explore the existence and application of such requirements but to explore the inuence of specic exchange conditions on their uptake and effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach The study assesses the extent to which a suppliers

environmental performance is inuenced by its customers environmental performance requirements when specic relationship conditions (investment, contracting and monitoring routines) are taken into account. Data were collected through a survey of rst and second tier component manufacturers in the Australian automotive industry and analysed using linear regression and MMR. Following Snow and Thomas (1994) and Wacker (1998), this study used a mixed method approach to the development of new theory, to better develop the studys hypotheses and ground a set of constructs for empirical testing. An initial study was undertaken involving preliminary discussions with operations managers and purchasing managers at six rst tier automotive component supplier rms in the Australian manufacturing base. These discussions involved semi-structured interviews and shop-oor tours (after Yin, 2003). This was followed by an industry survey mailed out to an up-to-date mailing list of rst and second tier suppliers in the Australian automotive industry.

Findings Suppliers were found to be more responsive to their customers environmental

performance requirements where increasing levels of relationship-specic investment occurred. As the level of investment in the customer-supplier relationship increased, suppliers become less likely to believe that they would be penalized for non-compliance with the customers environmental performance requirements. The major nding of this research was that the customers environmental performance requirements can have a positive inuence on a suppliers strategic level of commitment toward its environmental responsibilities. The presence of relationship conditions that promote greater levels of nancial commitment between the supplier and the customer relationshipspecic investment is expected to increase this inuence. Increasing levels of the suppliers strategic environmental commitment is in turn expected to have a positive impact on the suppliers environmental performance. The ndings described in this study support the importance of asset-specic investments in the relationship between a customers environmental performance requirements and their potential to improve the suppliers commitment to its environmental responsibilities. Without Investment the supplier appears much less likely to be responsive to the customers requirements for environment-related performance improvements. These ndings are supported by observations made during earlier discussions with operations managers in Australian automotive component supplier rms such that suppliers were desirous of emulating or adopting their customers environmental practices especially where the supply relationship was described by the supplier as being most critical to their rms survival.

Research limitations/implications Survey data were collected in 2004 and are limited
to the Australian automotive industry. The sample size available for the regression analysis also precluded the use of more comprehensive analytic techniques. The conduct of this research is limited to the Australian automotive industry and its constituents. Although this industry is populated by a number of global assemblers and many organizations supplying internationally, the studys participants operated and resided within the Australian cultural context. Equally, this industry operates and supplies almost entirely toward the provision of only automotive goods. The analysis and ndings of this research should be considered with respect to this context. The quantitative ndings describe the results of an analysis based on 55 organizations that responded to an industry-wide survey (out of a possible 397 organizations). Whilst it is still possible to detect signicant effects and make reasonable assumptions with respect to hypotheses with a sample of this size, it limits the ability to establish any causality or more complex relationship (i.e. mediation or path models).

Equally the sample size is too small to analyze any more complex scenarios such as a path scenario or latent constructs. The techniques used aim to explore basic relationships and maximize condence in the potential for causality only.

Practical implications The research offers new insight into the issue of how rms might
improve the environmental performance of suppliers and the sustainability of their supply chain. A practical application of these ndings may be that customers consider the application of any program of green-supply in a hierarchical manner such that critical or strategic suppliers receive more intensive assistance or development with their environmental performance. Nonstrategic suppliers, particularly those that provide more commodity goods or are sourced on a market basis, could be required to certify to a basic level of compliance such as an industry management standard (ISO14001)

Originality/value Virtually no research exists on the actual effectiveness of green supply

requirements when placed in context with the realities of inter-organizational dynamics. The ndings suggest that traditional operations theory on inter-organizational performance improvement is just as relevant to the use of environmental performance requirements.

Reference
Dayna Simpson, Damien Power, Daniel Samson, (2007),"Greening the automotive supply chain: a relationship perspective", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 27 Iss: 1 pp. 28 - 48 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01443570710714529

Re-evaluating green marketing strategy: a stakeholder perspective

Jaime Rivera-Camino

Departamento de Economa de Empresa, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Abstract Purpose
The present study aims to examine the inuence of stakeholders on green marketing strategy (GMS). Marketing literature recognizes that stakeholders play a signicant role in inuencing organizations and markets, but has not targeted a single integrated approach to examine the relationship between stakeholder management and GMS. As the challenge of environmental pressures is added to the business and academic agenda, several studies based on the strategic management literature have beenclaunched to determine the predictors of corporate environmental response (Aragon-Correa, 1998; Bowen, 2002; Sharma, 1997). Although there is still limited understanding as to why a rm adopts environmental management practices (Klassen, 2001), previous research on organizations suggests that stakeholder pressures are citical drivers of corporate environmental response (Berry and Rondinelli, 1998;Hoffman and Ventresca, 2002). The purpose of the present study is to examine the inuence of stakeholders on GMSs in a sample of Spanish rms. The paper begins with a summary of the theory behind the hypotheses. It then describes the chosen methodology and the main features of the sample. The results are then presented and analyzed. This is followed by a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the study and proposed future areas of research. The present research therefore addresses this gap by developing a three-step typology based on the green marketing concept (GMC). The number of steps of the proposed typology is based on the traditional literature of marketing concept implementation (see Lambin, 2000) and on the classic model of production-sales-marketing (Keith, 1960). A similar three-step approach was adopted by Menon and Menon (1997), whose framework of tactical, quasi-strategic, and strategic approaches linked marketing strategy to social issues. The proposed typology also integrates the steps of marketing strategies proposed by Miles and Snow (1978) in the defenderanalyzer-prospector classication.

Design/methodology/approach This research comprised several phases, including

the development of a typology of GMS, an analysis of how managers prioritize stakeholders, a study of the inuence of stakeholders on GMS, and an analysis of the inuence of the organizational context on managers perception of the stakeholders. The hypotheses were validated using multivariate co relational techniques.

The use of GMC in the proposed typology is justied because this concept is environmentally sensitive and responsive to the environmental interest and concerns of consumers and other interest groups (Walker and Hanson, 1998) and it conceptually guides the implementation of environmental strategies using a marketing mix of: green products/services; communication; price; and distribution (Bohlen et al., 1993; Davies, 1993; Kangun et al., 1991; Polonsky, 1994; Pride and Ferrel, 1993). The present operationalization of GMC is based on the following actions of strategic marketing management: i. ii. iii. an analysis of the potential of green markets; actions oriented towards satisfying green market needs; and an analysis of competitors green behavior.

These three actions are key steps in the process of developing and implementing a marketing strategy (Hooley et al., 2004). In addition, analysis of green consumer behavior is included because it is a crucial factor in industrial policy (Giuliettia et al., 2001), and consumer demand for goods ultimately leads to environmental problems (Polonsky, 1994). At the operative level of marketing management, the GMC was operationalized using the following marketing-mix actions: politics of green product design; distribution with green criteria; pricing of green products; and green publicity and green sponsoring.

Findings The study identied the stakeholders associated with GMS and their impact on
the strategy adopted by the rms, and established how this is moderated by the rms own economic sector and organizational characteristics.

Research limitations/implications Future studies might replicate and extend the

research in other industries and countries to ascertain whether environmental concerns have different effects in other contexts. This study has empirically examined the relationship between stakeholder management and GMSs in a sample of Spanish rms. Because there has been little research in this eld, a wide range of literature was reviewed to develop a testable typology of GMS and a classication of relevant stakeholders. As a result, the study has identied the stakeholders associated with GMS

and their impact on the strategyvadopted by the rms. Moreover, the study has established how this impact is moderated by the rms own economic sector and organizational characteristics. The present study has focused on the relationship between GMSs and stakeholders, but has not ruled out the possibility that other organizational strategies might also have the same results. It is also possible that the environmentally reactive rms in this study developed proactive corporate strategies in other functional areas. Future studies might explore the links between GMS and other functional typologies (for example, operations). One of the problems encountered in the present research was that the study relied on self-reported measures provided by managers. Response bias might therefore have inuenced the evaluation of variables. Another limitation was the use of single-source data for both independent and dependent measures. These are recurrent methodological weaknesses in much of the research on corporate strategies. Another possible limitation was the use of environmental managers as key informants. Although environmental managers know about environmental activity, they might not be involved in leveraging this information in marketing activities. On the other hand, marketers are unlikely to be familiar with the environmental intricacies of their rms activities; indeed, some relevant environmental information might not even be available within the rm (Polonsky and Ottman, 1998a). Another limitation involved the nature of the sample companies used in the present research, as compared with those studied in much of the literature used to support the present research. Much of the literature reviewed for this study related to green marketing or marketing, usually in a consumer context. The relative lack of literature on such green industrial marketing could encourage future research to delve more deeply into environmental marketing strategies in the industrial market. The use of aggregate-level data is another limitation of our study since composite variables can mask signican variances within a rms GMS. Our opinion is that since this study uses a co relational research design, future studies should be based on structural equation modeling to fully exploit the information provided by the items that compose the measures. Finally, green marketing management could be advanced by developing a classication of environmental strategies and relevant stakeholder groups in different industries, and in different market dynamics.

Practical implications The surveys on GMS and stakeholder perception undertaken in

the present survey are a potential source of information for managers because they can be used as a self-diagnostic tool to determine if a rms attitude to the environment is reactive or proactive. The results of the present research support the importance of managerial perceptions in assessing the inuence of stakeholders, and strengthen stakeholder theory. The research also contributes to a comprehensive theory of the rm, in that it tests whether perceived and organizational variables inuence rms proactive environmental behavior. As Rowley (1997) has pointed out, any theory of rms requires reciprocal explanations as to how stakeholders inuence

organizations and how rms respond to these inuences. In this sense, the present results support the basic premise of institutional theory that rms tend to conform with social inuences in their environments in order to gain support and legitimacy (Baum and Oliver, 1991). The results also support the use of a resource-based view of the rm in the area of corporate environmental strategies (e.g. Hart, 1995). GMS is a corporate response that embodies a complementary asset, because rms gain competitive advantage by implementing environmental management test practices (Christmann, 2000), and strengthen their organizational use of resources and capabilities to develop them. This study also has implications for general management and for environmentalvmarketing management in particular. Although the present study did not address thevrelationship between corporate greening and an organizations environmental performance, it nonetheless provides useful information for future studies on the differential impact of GMS proles on a rms environmental performance. The study also found that the surveys on GMS and stakeholder perception undertaken in the present survey are a potential source of information for managers, because they can be used as a self-diagnostic tool to determine if a rms attitude to the environment is reactive or proactive. Because stakeholders react to environmental initiatives, the success of these actions will depend on a rms ability to identify and satisfy stakeholder needs better than its competitors.

Originality/value

Results show that the organizational greening process is not a linear, one-dimensional progression, rather an uneven process in which several GMS proles prioritize different stakeholders. The results also reveal that underlying perceptual, behavioral, and organizational factors inuence GMS implementation.

Reference
European Journal of Marketing Vol. 41 No. 11/12, 2007 pp. 1328-1358 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0309-0566 DOI 10.1108/03090560710821206

Journal title: Journal of Consumer Marketing Article title: Hybrid car purchase intentions: a cross-cultural analysis

(Jason D. Oliver-East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA) (Seung-Hee Lee-School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA)

Paper type: Research paper

Abstract:

This paper aims to compare US and Korean consumers intentions to purchase a hybrid car i.e. a high involvement, environmentally friendly product. It tries to examine how social factors and culture shape intentions to purchase a hybrid car using survey datafrom 1,083 US drivers and 783 Korean drivers. Environmentally friendly, or green, products are designed to minimize the environmental impact when they are consumed. Green products are interesting to firms because green issues and social responsibility are becoming important to consumers. Generally, a companys efforts toward social responsibility, including environmental sustainability, will lead consumers to give their products more favourable evaluations than products from less responsible organizations (Brown and Dacin, 1997). It also illuminate green consumption behaviours, more needs to be done acrossproduct categories that are more expensive, reflect more on the consumers image, have a higher social risk, and/or require more research prior to purchase. It is also important to understand how culture impacts decision making regarding high involvement, environmentally friendly products. The automobile category is expected to be high involvement because automobile choice is relevant to consumer values and is consumed in a riskier, social setting (Corfman, 1991). Higher involvement is also generated because automobiles relate to social identity and status, giving decisions about cars a great deal of importance in a social context (Janssen and Jager, 2002). The cross-cultural perspective is motivated by the expectation that the importance of the decision-making variables associated with the consumption of environmentally friendly products willvary, depending on cultural orientations. The study examines socially relevant

decision making variables that are related to intentions to purchase a high involvement environmentally friendly product, hybrid cars, in a more collectivist country (Korea) and a more individualist country (the USA). The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between consumer factors and consumer intentions to purchase a hybrid car. To do this, we analyse the results of a survey of 1,073 drivers from the USA and 783 drivers from Korea.
Methodology: Sample characteristics/sample type/sample size:

Online survey questionnaires from 1,083 US drivers and 783 Korean drivers.
Data analysis technique:

PLS-Partial Least Squares Regression analysis.

Findings:

Self-image congruence and propensity to seek information about green products have strong positive relationshipswith intentions to purchase a hybrid car among consumers from both countries.

Perceived social value associated with the consumption of hybrid carsalso has a strong positive relationship with intentions to purchase a hybrid car among Korean and US consumers.

Social value associated with green products, in general, has a negative relationship with US consumer hybrid purchase intentions.

Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

Future research can include additional factors that would affect hybrid purchase. Individual interviews with consumers should be conducted to further identify their

motivations. Future research can include additional factors that would affect hybrid purchase intentions.

Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

This study gives marketers insights from two different cultures on consumer intentions to purchase a highinvolvement, environmentally friendly product. Marketers should communicate the social value of product ownership within their marketing messages. Marketers should encourage positive word-of-mouth and develop eventsamong consumers in offline or online communities. Marketers should also identify consumers who seek information about green products by looking at their participation in web sites and readership of consumer reports.
Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

This paper increases knowledge about the impact of social and cultural factors on decision making regarding hybrid cars.
Limitations of the paper/thesis:

Confining the present study to respondents with internet access is acknowledged as a possible limitation.

Lack of generalizability feature is there.

Reference:

Oliver, J., & Lee, S.-H. (2010). Hybrid car purchase intentions: a cross-cultural analysis. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(2), 96 - 103.

Journal title: Journal of Consumer Marketing Article title:New or recycled products: how much are consumers willing to pay?

(Leila HamzaouiEssoussi&Jonathan D. Linton) (Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada)
Abstract:

This paper aims to consider the price premiumthat consumers state they are willing to pay for products with reused or recycled content.It also aims to address the effect of the impact of product category on consumers willingness to pay premium prices.Concerns about the natural environment in general have caused companies as well as consumers to try to minimize the damages inflicted to the natural environment. There has been a continued increase in interest in the natural environment.Research to date on the factors influencing consumption of recycled products shows that: Recycling and consumption of recycled products are seenby consumers as a means to leave the environment as it is (Guagnano, 2001); and recycled products are positively evaluated by consumers. Research to date on the factors influencing consumption of recycled products shows that: recycling and consumption of recycled products are seen by consumers as a means to leave the environment as itis (Guagnano, 2001); and recycled products are positively evaluated by consumers. The literature to date, while interesting offers little insight into consumers WTP for recycled products, or whether the recycled aspect incorporated into some products has a significant impact on consumer WTP. This research addresses the issue of the impact of the product category on consumers WTP premium prices

for recycled products versus new/conventional products.Citizens identify environmental protection as a priority for governmental policies (Davis et al., 1995) and this interest has led to an increase in ethical production and recycling for both consumer and non-consumer products (Browne et al.,2000; Finisterra do Paco et al., 2009).
Methodology: Sample characteristics/sample type/sample size:

The detailed method of data collection that was used by Ranasinghe and Russell (1993) in their study of economic risk analysis; was initially followed. This method was adopted andapplied to a pilot study of 7 products (paper, single use camera, toner cartridge, tire, auto part, cell phoneand printer/fax) in a class of graduate students. But it was confusing, soa new survey was created that considered the highest price one was willing to pay to purchase a remanufactured product instead of a new product.Willingness to pay was studied for seven different product categories (n=49). 49 graduate students. The sample consists of student volunteers from classes in three different graduate programsenvironmental economics: 20 students, master in environmental law: 10 students, business administration: 19 students, and environmental law: 10 students.
Findings:

Perceived functional risk is an important determinant of the price that consumers are willing to pay for products that have recycled orreused content. It was also found that consumers will switch from a recycled product to a new product within a smaller range of price for products withhigh functional risk.

Sensitivity to environmental issues shifts consumer behaviour towards supporting the growth and diffusion of green marketing and ecologically-conscious consumer behaviour including: consumer preference for greener firms, increase in demand for greener products, greater acceptance of recycled products (Mobley et al., 1995; Tsen et al., 2006).

H1. Recycled products versus new/conventional products do not have the same value supported Value or WTP is compared for purchasing product with new vs. recycled or reused materials. For seven different products, 49 respondents showed a statistically significantdifference for WTP. Tests were conducted usinga paired samples test.

H2. Consumers WTP premium price for recycled products is product specific supportedValue or WTP for products with recycled or reused content was compared to each other using a paired sample test to see if the WTP was different for purchasing the equivalent of $100 worth of new product. The maximum price that 49 consumers were willing-to-pay for two different products was compared with each other using a paired samples test. It wasfound that 11 out of a possible 21 pairs of the seven products under consideration had a statistically significant difference.

H3. The level of functional risk associated with the product category influences consumers WTP premium price supported. The difference in the relative value for a set of seven products, new versus recycled product versus product was consideredon a pair-wise basis. The lower the level of functional risk associated with theproduct, the greater the WTP for the product was there. Consumers are willing to pay a price that is higher for recycled paper than all the other products considered. Similarly, consumers are willing to pay a higher price for a reused single use camera, another product with relatively low perceived functional use than a refurbished printer/fax,refurbished cell phone, or refurbished auto part. The WTP for recycled paper is, however, higher at a statistically significant level due to the lower perceived functional risk ofpaper. The difference in WTP between a single use camera and a re-treaded tire or a toner cartridge is not statistically significant. The price that consumers are willing-to-pay fortoner cartridges is higher, at a statistically significant level, than the price of refurbished cell phones and auto parts. The WTP of consumers for the ten other product-pairs do notoffer a difference that is statistically significant.

H4. Switching behaviour in WTP is stronger for high functional risk versus low functional risk productssupported. The difference in price between always purchasing a recycledproduct and a new product was considered. Consumers switch from purchasing

to not purchasing recycled products over a small price range, if the product hasa higher functional risk. This hypothesis is supported by a statistically significant difference in the ranges between product pairs for 11 out of the 21 possible pairings. Recycled paper, the product with the lowest functional risk has a switching range with a larger price differential than any other product. Our product with the next lowest functional risk, the single use camera, has a switching range that is larger than: refurbished printer/fax, refurbished cell phones, refurbished auto parts and refilled toner cartridges. Finally, the re-treaded tire has a switching range that has a statistically significantly lower switching range. Further inquiry into these patterns in the data suggests that the low switching range isbased on a perception of increased functional risk among certain consumers.

Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

The study is exploratory, while it serves its purpose by raising initial questions and finding that this is a complexarea that is worth studying. Additional work is clearly required to consider the wide range of potentially relevant variables and a sampling plan thatensures an understanding of the generalizability of findings across the population within a region and across regions. Future samples should and will need to be larger in order to allow for the consideration of product-related and consumer-related variables. The associated effects of change in perception of a firms corporate identity, and specific psycho-social variables that affect consumer perceptions and decision making and variables that is critical to understanding functional risk.

Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

A technique for understanding consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) is provided and insights into differences are offeredbetween products in terms of WTP for greener products. Practitioners can use this technique to determine the price range and indirectly the profitabilityof a version of their product based on recycled or reused content. Citizens identify environmental protection as a priority forgovernmental policies (Davis et al., 1995) and this interest hasled to an increase in ethical production and recycling forboth consumer and non-consumer products (Browne et al.,2000; Finisterra do Paco et al., 2009). Recycling presentsopportunities for job creation and for better social behaviour(Ewadinger and Mouw, 2005; Farrell Tucker, 2006; Weeks,2006). As markets for greener products continue to expand(Prakash, 2000), many managers view greener productpreferences as creating new niches and opportunities forproduct differentiation (Tsen et al., 2006) The most convincing support of thegrowing influence of the ecologically-friendly consumer is theincrease in the number of individuals that are willing to paymore for environmentally friendly products. Although an established stream of research exists on thetopic of green marketing, the consumer decision process ofbuying environmentally friendly products is not wellunderstood.
Implications from the perspective of the consumer:

Conventional products and recycled products do not have the same value for consumers. In other words, recycled components of a product affect the evaluation of that product and thus the consumers WTP for that product. This is an area that calls for additional study, since even a brief glance at the results suggest that tremendous variation is possible on a product-toproduct and person-to-person basis. The results of this study suggest that product evaluation depends on the product category and is reflected in consumers WTP for the different products studied here. Consumers are more willing to pay premium prices for recycled paper and single use cameras than for toner, cell phones and auto parts. This suggests that although consumers might feel very positive about green products in general, theyare considering the recycled aspect differently depending on the product category.

Consumers show a much lower WTP for products thatpresent a high level of functional risk. In the case of theperception of a high level of functional risk for products thatinvolve recycled content, consumers expect a large pricediscount in relationship to new/conventional products.
Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

An understanding of WTP for products with recycled or reused content is developed. This is important as legislation in many countries aims at diverting disposed product from waste dumps to consumers.

Limitations of the paper/thesis:

The study is exploratory, while it serves its purpose by raising initial questions and finding that this is a complex area that is worth studying. This study did not consider product branding. Moreover, generalizability of findings across the population within a region and across regions is not there.
Reference:

Essoussi, L. H., & Linton, J. (2010). New or recycled products: how much are consumers willing to pay? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(5), 458 - 468.

Journal title: Society and Business Review Article title: Green products and corporate strategy: an empirical investigation

(Clare DSouza, School of Business, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia

Mehdi Taghian, Deakin Business School, Malvern, Australia PeterLamb, La Trobe University AlburyWodonga, Wodonga, Australia, and RomanPeretiatkos,La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia)
Paper type: Research paper
Abstract:

The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of multiple factors on the green purchase intention of customers in Australia.Environmental protection is a vital management function, it is perceived as being instrumental in the development of a positive corporate image and an important element to the success of a business enterprise. Not only does environmental responsiveness help organizations to remain competitive and increase market share (Chan, 2001; Fitzgerald, 1993; Porter and Van der Linde, 1995a) but also there is some evidence showing increases in customer loyalty. It appears that it is good business practice to be green as this strategy has a tendency to promote profitability, improve employee motivation and commitment in addition to customer loyalty (Forte and Lamont, 1998). While various writers in the area of green marketing are questioning the influence of practicing environmentalism in business (Wasik, 1996; Drumwright, 1994), consequent to the accelerating number of green

consumers globally, marketers have continued to grapple with the question of understanding consumers buying intention towards green products. The factors that, potentially, influence consumers perception may be able to provide some additional understanding of purchase intentions. These factors that aid in perception formation may not, individually, explain a comprehensive understanding of a brands performance and may camouflage the interaction and the cross-influences of all factors when considered in combination (Feldwick, 1996). Thus, to achieve a more realistic view of consumers intention to purchase green products it may need to consider the key influential factors together rather than consider them individually. The following environmental factors have been identified that may contribute to the perception formation of the consumer about green products. These factors include: corporate perception, corporate regulatory compliance, product labels, packaging, and ingredients, consumers past experience with the product and the products price and quality. Consequently, this study aims to investigate consumer perception formationtowards green products and discuss its implications on corporate strategies. It makes an attempt to propose a model that facilitates the measurement of the contribution of the above key environmental factors in forming consumers perception about green products. This perception may be defined as a formative latent variable representing the contribution and interaction of the key environmental factors. The overall measure of consumers perception will then be associated with the consumers intention to purchase green products. This is undertaken to enable an understanding of the effectiveness of green perception, secondly, to indicate the possible ways of influencing those predictors of green perception in order to facilitate the achievement of the intended outcome, i.e. the intention to buy green products.
Methodology: Sample characteristics/sample type/sample size:

Survey of metropolitan and regional households in Victoria, Australia was conducted.A conceptual model is proposed and was subjected to empirical verification with the use of a

survey of metropolitan and regional households in Victoria, Australia. The data were analysed using both descriptive measures and exploratory factor analysis to identify and validate the items contributing to each component in the model. The unit of analysis was determined as the main buyers of food from supermarkets irrespective of gender in a household. It was considered that the person responsible for buying from supermarkets would represent the perception of the whole family about green products in their purchase behaviour. The sampling frame used was the telephone directory of Victoria (Australia) including both metropolitan and regional areas. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered on thephone over a weekend using Quantum Research (CATI)data collection services. A total of 155 questionnaires were completed and were used for data analysis. The sample selection was based on random telephone dialling. All measurements were subjective assessments by the respondents using a seven-point Likert-type scale.The selected samplesmain characteristics were female (79%), 35-54 years old (49%), married (65%) with children (47%), secondary school educated (60%), and employed (50%).
Data analysis technique:

AMOS structural modelling was used to estimate the measure of respondents overall perception of green products and their intention to purchase.
Findings:

The results indicate that customers corporate perception with respect to companies placing higher priority on profitability than on reducing pollution and regulatory protection were the significant predictors of customers negative overall perception toward green products. The only positive contribution to customers perception was their past experience with the product. Other factors including the perception of green products, product labels, packaging, and product ingredients did not appear to influence customers perception. The results also indicate that customers are not tolerant of lower quality and higher prices of green products.
Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

Longitudinal studies could be conducted to enable investigation of the resulting variation in the relative strength and influence of individual predictors to the construct of the overall perception about environmentally safe products overtime. It would also be beneficial to investigate the influence of demographic and cultural influences on the perception formation of customers.
Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

The knowledge of the overall perception formation about green products and its predictors provides management with the facility to identify and implement strategies that may better influence the change of attitude by customers. Corporations can also benefit from the identification of the types of information required to enable management to influence this process of perception formation. It will help management to build a strong competitive advantage for the product;to develop and project a positive corporate image;to benefit from the support of the employees; and to meet customers expectations, improve market share and achieve longer term profit potentials.
Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

The present findings contributes to an understanding of the antecedents of green purchasing and highlight that green customers rely more on personal experience with the product than the information provided by the marketer.
Limitations of the paper/thesis:

Customers environmental concerns are manifested in their intentions to purchase rather than in their actual purchase behaviour. Sample is small.This is a cross-sectional study and does not reflect customers change of perception overtime.
Reference:

D'Souza, C., Taghian, M., Lamb, P., & Peretiatkos, R. (2006). Green products and corporate strategy: an empirical investigation. Society and Business Review, 1(2), 144 - 157.

Journal title: Sustainable Development Article title: Sustainable Consumption: Green Consumer Behaviour when Purchasing Products

(William Young-Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, UK) (Kumju Hwang-Department of Business Administration, College of Business Administration, Chonnam National University, South Korea) (Seonaidh McDonald-Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, UK) (Caroline J. Oates-Management School, University of Sheffield, UK) Paper type: Research paper
Abstract:

The attitudebehaviour gap or valuesaction gap is where 30% of consumers report that they are very concerned about environmental issues but they are struggling to translate this into purchases. For example, the market share for ethical foods remains at 5 per cent of sales. This

paper investigates the purchasing process for green consumers in relation to consumer technology products in the UK. Data were collected from 81 self-declared green consumers through in depth interviews on recent purchases of technology products. A green consumer purchasing model and success criteria for closing the gap between green consumers values and their behaviour are developed. The paper concludes that incentives and single issue labels (like the current energy rating label) would help consumers concentrate their limited efforts. More fundamentally, being green needs time and space in peoples lives that is not available in increasingly busy lifestyles. Eachpurchase has ethical, resource, waste and community impact implications. When individuals consider theadoption of sustainable lifestyles, they engage with an increasingly complex decision-making process.These everyday decisions on practical environmental or ethical solutions often result in trade-offs between conflictingissues and result in a motivational and practical complexity of green consumption(Moisander, 2007).The aim of this paper is to attempt to discover the micro-purchase decision process of green consumers. Thiswill be done through interviews of self-declared green consumers from Yorkshire in the UK. The product focusis consumer technology products.We wanted to investigate how green consumers decided which technology product to purchase and what factorsinfluenced this purchase decision process.Faierset al. (2007) have also produceda useful categorization and review of consumer behaviour theories that relate to the critical internal andexternal factors influencing consumer choice in respect of energy use. The categories are (1) Consumer choice; (2) Needs, values and attitudes; (3) Learning; (4) Social learning; (5) Buying process;

(6) Categorization of consumers and (7) Product attributes and categorization. Dobson (2007) argues that behaviour change towards sustainable development that is driven by environmental citizenship considerations is more likely to last than behaviour driven by financial incentives. He states that attitudes work at a deeper level than behaviour, but that behaviour change is what most environmental policy is aimed at, especially the UK governments sustainable development strategy, detailing fiscal incentives. Environmental citizenship works at a deeper level by asking people to reflect on the attitudes that inform their behaviour. The paper tries to analyse why green values have a weaker influence on the decision making process when actually purchasing a product is vital in understanding and changing consumer behaviour towards sustainable consumption.
Methodology: Sample characteristics/sample type/sample size:

Data were collected from 81 self-declared green consumers through in depth interviews from Yorkshire in the UK,on recent purchases of technology products to explore consumers actual purchasing behaviour and reasoning for this behaviour.

Data analysis technique:

Cognitive mapping is used to record, manage and analyse the interview data using Decision Explorer software.Additional analysis of the interview data is also conducted,which comprises of3components: data reduction, data display and drawing conclusions.

Findings:

Incentives and single issue labels would help consumers concentrate their limited efforts.Being green needs time and space in peoples lives that is not available in increasingly busy lifestyles. Green consumers can use their buying power to make a difference, but at a high cost in terms of effort and time, which is a significant barrier. These consumers need help from government in the form of incentives and single issue labels to show them where they should be concentrating their limited efforts. More fundamentally, being green needs time and space in peoples lives that is not available in increasingly busy lifestyles. Therefore, there need to be coherent sustainable production and consumption policies across government departments, not just green advice to consumers.

Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

There is still a lot of research to done to understand and help behaviour change towards sustainability. They should look under different policy scenarios in a range of different socioeconomic and geographical locations to tease out the influence of context on decision making.Other research could analyse more fully the conflicts between different ethical values and how they are reconciled. There is still a lot of research to done to understand and help behaviour change towards sustainability.

Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

Government, company and NGO policies need to strengthen these success factors for green consumers to close the attitudebehaviour gap. There are also good recommendations for companies wanting to market their product`s environmental attributes single issue green labels for the most significant environmental aspect for that product need to be developed for different product types. This is in order to focus purchasing behaviour on reducing the most important environmental impacts.

Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

Each purchase has ethical, resource, waste and community impact implications. When individuals consider the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, they engage with an increasingly complex decision-making process.Hence,it is of vital importance to understand that process.Moreover,there has been a growing interest in informing consumers about the environmental aspects to take into account when buying products.
Limitations of the paper/thesis:

The socio-economic, infrastructure and cultural context of the purchase is important but was not explored by this study due to limited time and resources. Conclusion is limited to geographical, product range and consumer type studied.
Reference:

Young, W., Hwang, K., & Seonaidh McDonald, C. O. (2010). Sustainable Consumption: Green ConsumerBehaviour when Purchasing Products. Sustainable Development, 2031.

Journal title: Marketing Intelligence & Planning Article title: Green value added

Patrick Hartmann & Vanessa Apaolaza Ibanez (Universidad delPas Vasco University of the Basque Country, Vizcaya, Spain)
Abstract:

To provoke thought, and perhaps responses, to a radical view of green marketing andits place in society.Green marketplaces are developing in many parts of the world, delivering productsto the green consumer socio-demographic segment: those consumers who make their buying decisions at least partly on the basis of personal environmental criteria. Specialized green producers and retailers have emerged, and are competing for the patronage of this segment with a number of mainstream companies that have also launched initiatives targeting green consumers. To a certain extent, then, green marketing and advertising may have become somewhat more grown up. We will analyse some of the causes for this state of affairs and offer an opinion on possible future research and marketing practice aimed at improving the situation. We have assumed, of course, that thinking marketing academics and practitioners agree with us that consumer behaviour must become more environmentally responsible, and that it is the job of marketing strategists and planners to bring that change about.Kalset al. (1999) identify the human love of nature as a motivational mechanism to protect natural habitats and environments.There is another way to look at the motivation for environmental behaviour patterns, centred on the individual cost-benefit analysis inherent in human decisionmaking. As behavioural choices imply costs but can deliver benefits, the consumer will behave in an environmentally sound manner if to do so seem likely to deliver sufficient benefit to make up for the higher price of green products or the inconveniences involved in recycling or saving energy.
Research Methodology/design/approach:

This paper is essentially an essay but, based on a careful review of the relevant literature, several empirical studies conducted by the authors themselves, and some practical experience in green marketing.
Findings:

The key challenge for green marketers has been in the past and will be more so in the future to strengthen individuals perception of the individual benefits to be gained from going greenby adding more and stronger emotional values to green brands. Future green marketing research

should extend its analysis to the emotional motivations and benefits associated with environmentally responsible consumption behaviour.
Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

This essay is not based on a specific empirical study; it expresses a personal point of view. Green branding is a promising topic for future research.Future green marketing research should extend its analysis to the motivational basis of environmental behaviour.The branding of nature seems to us to be a promising direction for both research and practice. An important futureresearch aim could be to analyse the individual benefits inherent in green forms of social behaviour.
Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

The study can form the basis of a potentially valuable toolkit for planning marketing and communication strategies for green products and services.That toolkit needs to be especially effective against the huge marketing budgets of the global corporations that dominate most markets with products that are seldom particularly environmentally friendly.
Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

The role of emotional benefits, particularly those based on the hypothetical human affinity with nature, has scarcely been attended to until now, in the field of green marketing.
Limitations of the paper/thesis:

This essay is not based on a specific empirical study; it expresses a personal point of view, albeit well-grounded in theory and practice.
Reference:

Hartmann, P., & Ibez, V. A. (2006). Green value added. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 24(7), 673 - 680.

Journal title: ANZMAC Article title: Green Marketing in the Top Publicly Traded Australian Organizations

(Michael Jay Polonsky, Deakin University SussieMorrish, University of Canterbury,

Morgan Miles, Georgia Southern University)

Abstract:

This paper examines the inclusion of sustainability into marketing activities of the topAustralian firms. The results found that almost half of organisations (46%) did not integrate sustainability or environmental issues into their mission statement. Of those that did include sustainability in their mission, few then integrated environmental issues into other areas of their activities, as reported on their corporate web sites. This suggests that while sustainability is frequently talked about within organisations as being important, it does not necessarily translate in to a strategic integration across activities. Firms might therefore be using environmental issues tactically, which could unfortunately result in superficial attempts at becoming environmentally sustainable.There is little doubt that environmental issues are transforming business practice and consumer behaviour worldwide, and include governmental regulations, as well as voluntary initiatives by businesses and consumers designed to minimize the environmental impact of their economic activities. While some authors suggest that a greener approach to marketing is a path towards competitive advantage (Ginsburg and Bloom 2004; Miles and Covin 2000; Porter and Reinhardt 2007); others go further and note that the greening of commerce is essential for the very survival of mankind (Hawkin 1993; Lovins 2008).The present study evaluates the degree of the adoption of green marketing across the marketingmix activities of the top firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) based on a content analysis of each corporations web site and annual report. This study assesses if corporations that incorporate corporate greening in their mission statements also mention how this green approach is operationalized in their discussion of the marketing mix activities of the firm.
Methodology: Sample characteristics/sample type/sample size:

45 largest publically traded Australian firms were selected as sample for study. The categorizations of organizations based on their adoption of green marketing has been typically

based on surveys of the corporations themselves (Sharma 2000), review of corporate documentation (Milne and Adler 1999), or surveys of organizations stakeholders (RiveraCamino 2007). Somewhat based on Milne and Adlers (1999) use of corporate documents (from the firms web-site) the present study utilized a content analysis of the corporate web-sites of the 50 largest publicly traded firms in Australia. These firms were selected as they have information available in the public domain due to regulatory demands. In this study publicly listed subsidiaries were included with the parent, and financial investment trusts were excluded from the study, resulting in forty-five Australian firms being assessed. Each firms web site was analysed through a step-wise process. First, the web sites were scanned to determine if there was information revealed by the firm on how the environment has impacted its mission statement andmarketing mix.
Data analysis technique:

Content analysis was undertaken to identify whether, and if so to the extent that, green issueswere integrated into the corporations mission statement and marketing mix.This analysis involved a simple summary of the results of how many of the top publicly listed firms incorporated sustainability in their mission statements and annual reports, and in their marketing mixactivities.
Findings:

Only 29 of the top 45 firms (i.e.64.5%)had integrated sustainability into their corporate mission or into any of their marketing mix. there were also a substantial number of firms that did seem to have strategically embraced sustainability.They have chosen not to communicate these changes. They may fear that they will be assessed more harshly by stakeholders, should there be any environmental problems. It may also be that they prefer to let their market actions speak for themselves.Greening is still seen as a tactical tool rather than a strategic one.
Implications/Recommendations for future researchers:

Future research needs to explore the issue further and the degree to which actions are strategic quasistrategic and tactical can be assessed.There has been less research examining how firms have integrated green marketing across other marketing mix activates such as price.
Implications/Recommendations for management/leadership and practitioners:

Greener approach to marketing is a path towards competitive advantage.Greening is something that should be integrated into corporate philosophy, which can then be used to leverage the firms position within the market place.
Originality of the paper/thesis or Value of the study findings:

This study can serve as a basis to develop a typology of sustainable organizations, in regards to their levels of integrated green marketing.
Reference:

Polonsky, M. J., Morrish, S., & Miles, M. (2009). Green Marketing in the Top Publicly Traded Australian Organizations. ANZMAC, 1-9.