Research Questions: Environmental consideration has influenced managerial decisions and has required from firms to develop an organizational culture that focus on the environmental issues. Despite the importance of adopting a business philosophy that take into account the ecological concerns few studies have examined the relationship between market orientation and environmental practices. This thesis contributes to fill this gap by addressing the following questions: 1) Does the introduction of the environmental facilities help firms towards green innovation? 2) Is Green marketing strategy of firms positively associated with the augment in performance? 3) Does green marketing communication affect positively corporate image? Research Objectives: My aim is to investigate if firms´ green strategy can encourage innovation; enhance corporate reputation and increase overall performance. Research approach and methodology: The assesment of companies green initiatives and the effects on their performance have been achieved through the content of annual and sustainability reports as well as interviews with business managers. Findings: The investigation indicates that when implementing an effective green strategy firms will improve their managerial and organizational performance and such improvements can contribute positively to their financial outcome. The better use of the resources via the introduction of the environmental facilities by firms indeed can help them towards green innovation. Add to that, communicating environmental practices also seems to be an important tool to enhance brand reputation. Thus this study agrees with some authors who affirm that integrating environmental issues into business activities firms´ can increase efficiency and competitiveness while reducing environmental impact. Concluding remarks: The core lesson learned from this scientic work is that the response of the firms in prioritizing the implementation of eco-friendly practices is linked with their perception of current environmental trends. The most firms reinvent themselves by adopting more reuse, recycle, reduce, re-design, green training, green marketing, etc more eco-oriented they seems to be.

Darbo objektas – žaliojo marketingo raiška kuriant visuomenei draugišką aplinką. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti žaliojo marketingo taikymo kuriant visuomenei draugišką aplinką galimybes. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. išnagrinėti žaliojo marketingo sampratą, ypatumus ir atsiradimo prielaidas; 2. išanalizuoti žaliojo marketingo perspektyvas Lietuvos turizmo sferoje; 3. nustatyti žaliojo marketingo vaidmenį kuriant visuomenei draugišką aplinką Lietuvoje. Tyrimo metodai: Mokslinės literatūros analizė, situacijos analizė, anketinė apklausa. Tyrimo rezultatai/Išvados: 1. Žaliojo marketingo perspektyvos Lietuvos turizmo sferoje yra gan didelės, atsižvelgiant į tai, kad žaliasis marketingas organizacijoje siejasi su visa įmonės veikla ir jos filosofija. Organizacijos, besiremiančios ekologine koncepcija, dėmesys turi būti nukreiptas trijų išorės suinteresuotųjų šalių link: vartotojų, visuomenės ir aplinkos, o turizmo sferos organizacijos šioje srityje turi daugiausia galimybių. Nors žaliasis marketingas vaidina svarbų vaidmenį laisvalaikio organizavime, tačiau šioje srityje labai daug kas priklauso ir nuo privataus ir valstybinio sektoriaus bendradarbiavimo pateikiant informaciją, bei skleisti tausojančio ir ekoturizmo idėjas. 2. Atlikus teorinę žaliojo marketingo vaidmens draugiškos aplinkos kūrimui analizę, galima teigti, kad žaliasis marketingas savo prigimtimi ir pobūdžiu bei veiklos kryptimis yra vienas efektyviausių instrumentų kuriant visuomenei draugišką aplinką. 3. Atlikus tyrimą... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Žaliojo marketingo taikymas kuriant visuomenei draugišką aplinką.

The focus of this paper is to present an exploratory study on the level of awareness regarding green marketing and its managerial implications, among selected, South African Manufacturing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), in the province of KwaZulu–Natal (KZN). The concept of green marketing and thought provoking managerial implications are still an issue of concern in the South African manufacturing sector. The study aimed to explore the awareness levels about green marketing by selected South African manufacturing SMMEs in KZN, and the resulting managerial implications. Primary data was collected from 84 manufacturing SMMEs. This research was quantitative in nature and a questionnaire was used to collect data from SMMEs owners/managers in KZN. Findings of the research indicate that SMMEs in the study are aware of green marketing and its managerial implications. It further reveals that SMMEs’ owners/managers indicate that the South African Environmental Act and Consumer Protection Act are additional factors that influence their businesses operations. The paper will benefit SMMEs owners/managers, SMMEs marketing managers, and affiliated stakeholders, by introducing a new understanding of green marketing and how to cope with the demand of new green marketing strategies. Most work on the Green Zone has concentrated on green products, with little emphasis on green marketing and its implications. The findings are limited by the study’s exploratory, quantitative nature and small sample. Generalisation should be done with care and further research, with a large sample and consideration of other provinces, is therefore recommended.

The global warming phenomenon and its environmental impacts have seen the emergence of the green consumer who has become more aware of their power of demand through their consumption choices as they express their own attitudes, values, thoughts, feelings and behaviours in this regard. Organisations have taken cognisance of these trends and taken steps to exploit the opportunity by developing goods and services aimed at meeting the demands of the new consumer. This, in spite of the fact that knowledge of the variables, specifically green consumer profiles, awareness, knowledge and trust in influencing purchasing behaviour remains incomplete. The purpose of this treatise was to determine a clearer understanding of the relevance of these variables to enable marketers to craft more effective marketing strategies, thereby unlocking the profit potential of the green consumer. A model for green product purchasing behaviour was proposed based on extant literature and an empirical evaluation. An empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of 597 consumers over the age of 18 within the Fast Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG) sector in South Africa. The main goal was to establish the relationships of the hypothesised model between the independent variables of green consumer profiles, green product trust, green product awareness and green product knowledge with the dependant variable green product purchase behaviour. There was a high prevalence of African and European female respondents in the 26 to 55 age group, living and working in the coastal areas of South Africa, predominantly Port Elizabeth, earning an income between 10 000 and 30 000 rand per month. The sample was consistent with the psychographic profile of the green consumer as described in the literature, which is characterised as a consumer that takes personal responsibility for environmental solutions, who believes they can make a contribution to solving environmental issues, incorporates green living into daily lives, considers environmental issues when making purchasing decisions, is knowledgeable of, deliberately seeks out and is prepared to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products. When analysing the relationships and the significances of the differences of the independent variables to the dependant variable in the hypothesised model, it was established that the independent variables green consumer profiles, green product awareness and green product trust were significantly related to the dependent variable. A MODEL FOR GREEN PRODUCT PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR green product purchase behaviour. This was in line with and supported the reviewed literature in this regard. It was also established that green product knowledge did not reflect any significant relationship to green product purchase behaviour. This finding did not correspond with the literature as significant relationships with green product knowledge and general environmental behaviour including green product purchase behaviours have been established therein. The findings further demonstrated that the independent variable green consumer profiles displayed the most significant relationship to green product purchase behaviour, followed by green product awareness and then green product trust. When considering the significance in the differences in strengths of these relationships it was noted that although green product awareness and trust may influence green product purchase behaviours it was a combination of psychographic variables reflecting a consumer’s general attitudes and beliefs towards the green agenda that displays the most significant relationship to green product purchase behaviour. Despite the fact that the study was limited to the South African FMCG sector, the profile of the green consumer in the literature was dated, the cause and effect relationships between the variables were not tested and the fact that the hypothesised model was limited to only four independent variables, the above findings may, from a marketing perspective, have practical application for marketing strategies aimed at increasing green product purchasing behaviour. The results imply that directing green marketing initiatives to consumers that are most inclined to purchase and consume green goods or services being those that fall within the biographical and psychographic parameters outlined in this treatise will result in the desired outcomes. Furthermore, marketers should also pursue initiatives that are known to support and increase the amount of green product trust that consumers have in green products, green communications and the organisation. Marketers can also benefit from well formulated green awareness campaigns as the success of these campaigns will yield greater green product awareness which could increase green product purchase behaviours and purchases of green products still further.

Abstract Title:  Communication of Green Marketing Strategies for Creating Consumer Awareness: A study of grocery retail sector of Sweden.  Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the process of green marketing communication (preferred communication channels and messages) to create the customers awareness about eco-friendly products. Method: The study is done on three major grocery stores; Coop, ICA and Willys in Sweden. Triangulation, both qualitative and quantitative research, is used to achieve accurate results. Primary data is collected from interviews with respondents from companies and a customer survey. Results & Conclusions: The main findings are firstly: for grocery stores, point-of-sale and newspaper are preferred communication channels for green marketing communication. Secondly: The most suitable contents of communication messages for green marketing are health issues and environmental protection. Thirdly: Customers want to know about the process of certifying the eco-labels to eco-friendly products. Fourthly: Information function, information of eco-friendly products that is conveyed through green marketing communication to inform persuade and motivate the customers, and sustainability image (green reputation) of companies can create customer awareness. Lastly: Green marketing communication itself brings green reputation for companies. Suggestions for future research: This study is limited to advertising contents of green marketing communication. For further research, green marketing communication through personal relations, visual identification and sponsorships should be studied to create customer awareness. This study could be extended to other industries to seek more generalizable results. The results of current study indicate that ecolabels on eco-friendly products needs to be further explored. Hence, further studies can be done with regard how to make the customers aware about the process of certification of eco-labels to eco-friendly products. Contribution: This study contributes to existing literature by connecting the process of green marketing communication with customer awareness. Keywords: Green marketing communication, communication channels, communication messages, eco-labels.

M.Sc. / Corporations are beginning to realize that they are members of the wider community and must therefore behave in an environmentally responsible fashion. This translates into corporations that believe that they must fulfill environmental objectives in conjunction with profit related objectives. The recognition that a corporation is embedded within its surrounding environment has profound implications for the way that its business operations are conducted. No longer are the actions taken within the corporation considered to be separate from the external environment, and no longer are events unfolding outside the corporation considered to have no impact on the internal structure and functioning of the company. According to this mode of thought, everything is linked and interconnected. In recognition, smart corporations have initiated social, economic and environmental practices (Anon, 2002a) and incorporated these three components in to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). The Triple Bottom Line was designed to promote the objectives of sustainable development (Elkington, 2003) by considering a holistic approach to business. Because sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity, organisations that aim for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line but against the triple bottom line i.e. economy, society and the environment. It is also true that a corporation, which is not socially or environmentally sustainable in the long term, is unlikely to be financially sustainable in the long term (Elkington, 2003). The main aim of this study is to investigate how the natural environment can play an integral role in the implementation of the TBL. Five main issues relevant to the TBL are investigated in the problem statement, to determine how the environment can possibly form an integral part of the TBL and thus justify the implementation of the TBL in a corporation’s business strategy. Each main issue is then broken down into a number of specific support questions for analysis. The 16 support questions were then individually analysed to determine whether or not the environment could in fact play an integral role in the implementation of the TBL. The five main issues of investigation and the 16 sub-questions showed that the environment could play an integral role in the implementation of the TBL in any corporation.

Globally, the market for green products and services is worth billions of dollars and is growing year on year at an increasing rate. The following study investigated the congruence between brand image and brand identity within the green marketing space, focusing specifically on Pick ‘n Pay’s Green Line of environmentally friendly household cleaning products.Through interviewing Pick ‘n Pay’s brand manager for their Green Line and one hundred shoppers at Pick ‘n Pay’s on Nicol store in Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa, the brand identity and brand image were both respectively characterised. Data was also gathered from the shoppers to allow the brand loyalty and brand equity generated to be determined.This research identified that for Pick ‘n Pay’s Green Line to generate positive brand loyalty and brand equity:<ul><li> A strong alignment between brand image and brand identity must be achieved;</li><li> There must be a strong believability of the green claims made; and</li><li> The credibility (trustworthiness) of the green claims must be sound.</il></ul>A model designed specifically to illustrate and summarise the findings of the research is later presented with the aim of providing brand managers who oversee products with green credentials a quick and simple guide to ensure all is being done to ensure that brand loyalty and brand equity for their products may be maximized. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The purpose of this study is to analyze if green marketing influences customer satisfaction significantly in the hotel industry in Umeå. Several green practices are tested to create an overall picture of the behavior on the market. These are Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Waste Management, Food Management and Labeling. Primary data was collected through a survey. A questionnaire has been distributed in two hotels in the city. The data was then analyzed by using the Spearman Correlation and the ordinal logistic regression model. Additionally, the influence of demographic variables on the relationship between green marketing and customer satisfaction has been tested through a moderation analysis. The findings show that green marketing does not necessarily lead to positive outcomes. To implement green marketing successfully the customers’ wants and needs have to be understood. Most importantly, the guests have to see the green efforts and be informed about what the hotels are doing to minimize their environmental impact. If guests are not aware of the efforts they are less likely to have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. This study adds to the existing literature by providing a view of the behavior of the hotel industry in Sweden, specifically Umeå. The importance of careful and extensive implementation of green marketing is stressed. Theoretical and practical recommendations are given.

The demand for sustainability in the cosmetics industry has gained significant attention inrecent years due to the growing environmental concerns and increased consumer awareness. Consumers are increasingly considering the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions, leading to a shift in attitudes towards greener consumption and driving the concept of green marketing. However, navigating the complexities of sustainability in the cosmetics industry is a challenge, as natural does not always equate to sustainability, and companies may resort to greenwashing to capitalize on consumer trust. This thesis examines theoretical and managerial challenges in the cosmetics industry, including consumer preferences, purchase intentions, and brand loyalty. Furthermore it addresses consumer behavior and their role in this question. By addressing these issues, this study aims to shed light on the importance of sustainability in cosmetics and provide insights for both consumers and businesses in their pursuit of a more sustainable future. Furthermore, the thesis uses a qualitative method to explore and research the themes in question. The empirical findings were collected through semi structured interviews with consumers of the cosmetic industry. The results were examined and compared with the existing literature to determine their similarities and differences. The conclusion of this thesis discusses how consumers in fact do assume that natural products are more sustainable than other alternatives. However, literature findings prove that this is not the case which is discussed in the analysis as well.

Although marketing has been prevalent for many decades, the concept of green marketing remains relatively novel to both consumers and businesses. In the light of the evolving global climate, and escalating concerns regarding sustainability, businesses are compelled to explore new approaches. Among various industries, the hotel industry has been affected one of the most, particularly in recent years. Both green and conventional hotels have been facing challenges stemming from sustainability. A particular emphasis has been on fulfilling market demands. Consequently, hotels need to contemplate how to effectively communicate their ongoing changes in their sustainability practices. This is where marketing assumes a pivotal role. Given the nascent nature of green marketing and its lack of standardised definition, this research endeavours to open hotel managers` interpretations of green marketing in Sweden. The author conducts an in-depth examination and analysis of the websites of four prominent hotel chains - Scandic Hotels, Nordic Choice Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group and Ligula Hospitality Group. To enhance comprehension, ten interviews with managers from the mentioned hotels in Sweden are also conducted and analysed. To address the research questions, this paper employs discourse analysis as a methodological framework. The study encompasses spoken and written text analysis utilising Fairclough's Discourse Analysis Framework on different levels, as well as visual analysis from the theoretical perspective of Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen.