Practitioners about environmental sustainability Research Project 2022

Running head: RESEARCH PROJECT
Consumers' Attitude towards industry practices
employed by practitioners about environmental
sustainability
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Statement of Originality
I hereby declare that the project titled “Consumers' Attitude towards industry
practices employed by practitioners about environmental sustainability” is my own
work and I have carried this out under the supervision of _________.
I also certify that the work is my own original work and the work has not been
submitted to any other university. The guidelines mentioned by the University has
been followed in the report. We have provided credit to the authors by citing their
work at all times.

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Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor, __________
who has supported and advised at all times throughout the course of the study. I
would also like to give special thanks to my unit coordinator, _________ for assisting
and encouraging me to take up this research topic. My special thanks to the
respondents for cooperative with me and helping me to complete this survey.

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Abstract
This report had evaluated the impact of attitude of consumers towards sustainability
industry practices in United Kingdom. The evaluation of the past data suggested that
majority of the companies in the United Kingdom had not set environmental
sustainability practices as their highest priority. On the other hand, the majority of the
consumers had developed negative perception on majority of the companies. This
highly affected their attitude which in turn affects the sales and business of these
companies. This literature review chapter had critically analysed the way sustainable
developing is essential for developing effective brand image into the minds of the
consumers. However, companies face significant issues in dealing with the
challenges faced by the organisations in implementing sustainability measures in all
aspect of the operation. Green marketing has been evaluated to understand the
need for the companies to market their offerings using green marketing strategies so
that the consumers develop positive attitude and behaviour towards company
offerings. The relationship between attitude and behaviour has been identified to
understand the way consumers behave based on the environmental sustainability
measures taken by organisations. The study had used a qualitative method to collect
data from 6 interviews among retail consumers in United Kingdom. The results
showed that there is directly proportional relationship between attitude and behaviour
towards the sustainability practices and business performance. The consumers that
had negative attitude are least expected to purchase product or services from
companies under the limelight.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................7
1.0 Introduction.........................................................................................................7
1.1 Background of the study.....................................................................................7
1.2 Research Problem..............................................................................................8
1.3 Rationale of the study.........................................................................................8
1.4 Research Objectives...........................................................................................9
1.5 Research Questions...........................................................................................9
1.6 Research Methodology.......................................................................................9
1.7 Research Structure.............................................................................................9
Figure 1: Structure of the research paper...........................................................10
Chapter 2: Literature Review......................................................................................11
2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................11
2.2 Sustainable development and branding...........................................................11
2.3 Green marketing and consumers.....................................................................13
2.4 The link between attitude and behaviour..........................................................15
2.5 Conceptual framework......................................................................................17
Figure 2: Conceptual Framework........................................................................17
2.6 Literature Gap...................................................................................................18
2.7 Summary...........................................................................................................18
Chapter 3: Research Methodology.............................................................................19
3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................19
3.2 Research Philosophy and Approach................................................................19
3.3 Research Design..............................................................................................21
3.3.1 Research Method...........................................................................................21
3.3.2 Research Reliability and Validity...................................................................22
3.3.3 Sampling Strategy and Sample size..............................................................23

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3.3.4 Data Collection and Analysis.........................................................................24
3.3.5 Ethical Consideration.....................................................................................25
Chapter 4: Data Findings and Analysis......................................................................26
4.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................26
4.1.1 Data................................................................................................................26
Table 1: Data.......................................................................................................30
4.2 Open Coding.....................................................................................................30
Table 2: Open coding..........................................................................................32
4.3 Axial and Selective Coding...............................................................................32
Table 3: Axial and Selective coding....................................................................32
Theme 1: Perceived seriousness towards environmental issues...........................32
Theme 2: Perceived responsibility towards the environment.................................33
Theme 3: Response towards green products and environmental marketing.........34
4.4 Summary...........................................................................................................35
Chapter 5: Conclusion................................................................................................36
5.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................36
5.2 Conclusion........................................................................................................36
5.3 Research Limitation..........................................................................................37
5.4 Future scope of the study.................................................................................38
References.................................................................................................................39
Appendices.................................................................................................................45
Appendix 1..............................................................................................................45
Appendix 2 (Interview Transcript)...........................................................................46

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List of Tables and Figures
Figure 1: Structure of the research paper..................................................................10
Figure 2: Conceptual Framework...............................................................................17
Table 1: Data..............................................................................................................30
Table 2: Open coding.................................................................................................32
Table 3: Axial and Selective coding...........................................................................32

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
This research report examines the attitude of the consumers towards the
environmental sustainability practices employed by marketers. The common trend
shows that business entities are forced to adapt to changes in the macro
environment within which they operate. This change in the operating is huge and has
significant impact on the overall industry and is known as megatrends. In this
context, adoption of sustainability practices in business has become one of the
primary imperative for business entities. This emergence of this trend is based on
the fact that depletion of natural resources has resulted in disproportion in respect to
the demand in the market. This realisation has dawned upon majority of the
companies operating in the global business environment where Price Waterhouse
coopers being one of the global business advisors has stated that it is essential for
companies to integrate sustainability practices in business in effective way so that it
directs decision making, practical action and strategy development.
1.1 Background of the study
Sustainability concept has created awareness among public that increase in
business operations were having significant negative impact on natural resources
and is limited. Initial study on the relationship of exponential growth in economy and
population in respect to limited natural resources (Shao, Taisch & Mier, 2017). This
research showed that companies were making use of natural resources in a highly
unsustainable way which would have severe consequences. This report received
criticism on the global level from various mainstream corporate communities.
However, with time realisation dawned upon majority of the companies that are able
to identify the realistic nature of the findings and the way the operations of various
business have hampered and negative affected the surrounding environment
(Steenis et al., 2017). Over the past decade, environmental sustainability has
appeared as one of the major issues in modern world due to the increase in ozone
layer depletion, degradation of land and acid rains. This has led to concern among
the consumers in respect to the refurbishment of balance in the ecosystem by
develop products that are friendly to the environment. This shows that significant
shift in the demand where the consumers started favouring green products and

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companies that have contributed effectively to the sustainability of their operating
environment. Green marketing is one of the concept which addressed the change in
the opinion of the consumers towards the product and have been focused on the
growing concern in environmental stability.
In respect to the attitude of the consumers in the United Kingdom, the recent
issue in Brexit has resulted in shift in concerns regarding sustainability issues.
However, still the majority of the consumers are concerned about environmental
sustainability. In a survey conducted by the Guardian, it has been seen that more
than 70% of the consumers think about the environment while making a purchase
(Image.guardian.co.uk, 2010). Moreover, these consumers are not impressed with
the current sustainability practices taken by the organisations and consider than
companies have not taken high priority on these matters. In terms of perception of
brands in UK, it can be seen that other than John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and
Waitrose, majority of the consumers have negative perception about them
(Image.guardian.co.uk, 2010). Tesco being one of the companies having the
strongest negative responses in the retail grocery sector and Barclays had the
highest negative perception in the financial sector. This perception definitely is
expected to affect the attitude of the consumers towards the company and the
products offered by them.
1.2 Research Problem
The evaluation of the past data suggests that majority of the companies in the
United Kingdom has not set environmental sustainability practices as their highest
priority. On the other hand, the majority of the consumers have negative perception
on majority of the companies. This highly affects their attitude which in turn affects
the sales and business of these companies. Therefore, it is highly important that
companies develop sustainable practices for changing the perception of consumers
towards brands. Therefore, it is essential to measure the current attitude of the
consumers towards the environmental sustainability measures taken by the
companies. This facilitates in understanding the impact of the change in consumer
attitude on business performances.

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1.3 Rationale of the study
This study aims to invoke awareness among all the organisations working in
United Kingdom regarding the perception of the consumers towards their
sustainability practices and how it is expected to impact the companies in respect to
performance. This is one of the most intriguing topics as it examines the one of the
biggest megatrends in the market and the results are expected to have some
positive influence on the operations. Moreover, it is expected to provide a better
understanding of the change in consumer buying behaviour based on the
sustainability practices.
1.4 Research Objectives
The objective of the research are follows:
 To critically evaluate the perception of the consumers towards environmental
sustainability practices adopted by business entities
 To highlight the impact of consumer attitude on business performance
 To recommend suitable strategies to improve the sustainability practices and
develop a positive brand image
1.5 Research Questions
Primary research question: What is the perception of the consumers towards
environmental sustainability practices adopted by business entities?
Secondary research question: What is impact of consumer attitude on business
performance?
1.6 Research Methodology
This study has chosen as a single research design where a survey
questionnaire has been used as a research instrument. The research collected
primary data and used qualitative content analysis to develop significant results. The
research has followed the Saunders research onion to design the overall plan for
selecting target respondents, collecting data and analysing it effectively. Research
has chosen as positivist view and deductive approach to address the objective and
goal in the research.

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1.7 Research Structure
The report has been divided into five chapters and each chapter has specific
purposes and helps in addressing all the aspect of a research paper. The first
chapter provides the overall outline of the research and describes the goals and
problem statement. The second chapter is the literature review that critically
evaluates past researches to understand the opinion of diverse authors and
addresses theoretical concepts to provide a conceptual framework suitable to the
study. Research methodology is the third chapter which describes the overall plan
for collecting data and performing analysis. Findings and analysis is the fourth
chapter which analyses the collected data to formulate valid findings and the last
chapter provides relevant conclusion by linking with the objectives.
Figure 1: Structure of the research paper
Source: (As created by author)
Chapter 5: Conclusion and
Recommendation
Chapter 4: Data Analysis
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Research Methodology

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter critically evaluates past literature on consumer perception and
attitude towards sustainability practices and other aspects. The arguments presented
by different authors have been presented as a means of understanding the gap in
the current literature. Sustainability has become one of the major agenda in the
global business due to the decades of exploitation made by various companies.
Moreover, the companies are being forced by various stakeholders to maintain
sustainability and improve profit margin at the sometime. Moreover, every operation
of companies are under major scrutiny and falls under immense criticism whenever
they stray from their role as a responsible corporate citizen.
2.2 Sustainable development and branding
The modern age is faced with various global challenges such as
environmental pollution, climate change and scarcity in food and water. This factors
have been a concern for majority of the nations and still there are companies that fail
to abide the environmental protection laws. Kumar and Christodoulopoulou, (2014)
states that the concept of sustainable development has been used widely in different
organisations. The concept of sustainable development has been defined initially in
the Brundtland commission which stated that sustainability is meeting the current
needs without hampering the needs of the future generation (Barkemeyer et al.,
2014). On the contrary, Geissdoerfer et al., (2017) defined sustainability as the
process of enhancing the quality of life of all human beings without affecting the
surrounding environment. Redclift, (2014) performed a critical review on
understanding the different definitions provided on sustainability suggested that all
the definitions are vague and there are multiple disagreements and lacks of
definitions that are operative in nature. Lehner and Halliday, (2014) also evaluated
past researches and found out that there is lack of clear reference and framework
which are critical for developing strategies for changing the behaviour and attitude of
the organisations. This has been made it harder for business organisations to
implement suitable sustainability frameworks for effectively contributing to the
environment.

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On the contrary, Bluszcz and Kijewska, (2015) claimed it is difficult to define
sustainability as in respect to logical reasoning, sustainability can only be achieved
through infinite operations. Barkemeyer et al., (2014) supported the challenges to
ideal and continuous growth by commenting that it is impossible to develop infinite
process of sustainable growth and it is impossible to achieve sustainability in terms
of the Brundtland definition in term of the logical reasoning. This means that
sustainable growth concept is not applicable to materialistic things. Ahmad and
Tahar, (2014) have supported this argument by considering sustainability activity to
be concepts that do not restrict the future choices while making decision in the
present. However, this inability of developing an effective definition of sustainable
development has resulted in the common agreement to the fact that it is
economically and morally wrong to consider the world as businesses that are on the
verge of being insolvent.
Therefore, it is essential to develop effective sustainable development
measures to address the environmental issues affecting the modern society. This
results in change in business models by various organisations. Traditional business
models were developed to ensure profit maximization which is the primary goal of
shareholders (Geissdoerfer et al., 2017). However, modern organisations in
business require an innovative business model which includes sustainable
development into their business model. There has been significant changes in the
expectations of the consumers and increase in competition in the global market. This
makes it important for companies to communicate with the consumers to identify
their expectations and respond effectively to the growing competition (Kumar and
Christodoulopoulou, 2014). This means that business entities are trying to provide
high quality products at lower prices but they should also consider the fact
considerable importance has to be given on social and environmental sustainability
of the companies. Lins, Servaes and Tamayo, (2017) states that current scenario
suggests that the success of a company is not defined by its financial performance
but its contribution to the society and surrounding environmental as a responsible
corporate citizen.
Verrier et al., (2014) states that companies have to go through multiple
challenges while developing sustainable practices within an organisation. The
majority of the companies make the mistake of publicly declaring their decision of

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going green which has negative impact on business due to the inconsistent and
negative attitude of employees towards the business processes. On the other hand,
attitude of the consumers also vary and some of them do not support the concept of
sustainability and value decisions that lead to outcomes that are tangible in nature.
Various suggest that sustainable marketing strategy is necessary for developing
positive impact into the minds of the consumers. On the contrary, Yoon et al., (2014)
performed a study in Seoul which showed that oral tradition has relevance and
affects the image and perception of the brand more than advertisement, publicity and
price. Therefore, it is essential for companies to reframe their existing identity and
developing the new identity by engaging employees in more effective way. Rehan,
(2014) states that a key role is played by the sustainable brand strategy as
sustainability of any brand depends on the sustainability of the product and the
brand. The above statement implies that branding sustainability can be identified at
the intersection between sustainability association and brand impact.
On the contrary, Kumar and Christodoulopoulou, (2014) claimed that
consumers choose brands which they personally prefer but over the years there has
been increase in awareness about green values and these factors may result in
change of consumer behaviour. In light of this context, Rakic and Rakic, (2015)
stated that recent trends show that there has been a change in the consumer
demand and preferences where high-quality products maintaining consistency with
the societal and environmental are being preferred more often. Therefore, for
managing market competitiveness organisations need to make changes and
incorporate green concepts into their business processes. A study conducted by
Atkinson and Rosenthal, (2014), established a positive relationship between
purchase intention of consumers and factors like green product, eco-label and
corporate. Martínez, (2015) postulated that for increasing the green brand equity,
companies have to improve their green trust, green satisfaction and green brand
image. The author also defined green trust as the will of the customers in being
dependent on the services and products of any organisation due to the faith
generated from environmental reliability. Green reliability is expected to have high
influence on the green purchase intention of the consumers. Chen, Lin and Chang,
(2014) states that the apprehensions, conceptions and impressions towards a
particular brand is critical for developing a green image of the brand. This is

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correlated to the eco-friendly and the sustainability concerns resulting in addressing
the gaols of the organisations.
2.3 Green marketing and consumers
Grimmer and Woolley, (2014) states that the concept of green marketing was
proposed in the early 70s of the nineteenth century which resulted in the
development of the ecological perspective in marketing. This resulted in the creation
of the responsible consumption theory and ecological recommendation of taking an
ecological approach at the micro level for linking the environmental concerns with the
product features due to the legislative pressures (Kumar & Ghodeswar, 2015). In the
late nineteenth century, there were massive debates regarding the purpose of
marketing in society and its contribution towards it. This has resulted in the
development of green marketing and sustainable marketing approaches and
implementation of these strategies all aspects of the organisational processes such
as green packaging, green logistics, green promotion and green pricing (Mishra &
Sharma, 2014). Past studies have evaluated the role of green marketing in
addressing the challenges in sustainable development and found out that these
strategies are effective in adopting strategies that helps in simultaneously managing
ecological protection and environmental growth (Grimmer and Woolley, 2014).
As stated by Kumar & Ghodeswar, (2015), companies have been choosing
means to develop products using environmental friendly measures to reduce the
environmental impact of industrialisation. According to Delafrooz, Taleghani and
Nouri, (2014), the core values of majority of the organisations are including green
packaging for reducing the harmful impact of industrial waste on the environment.
Various businesses are changing their packaging strategy to gain sustainable
competitive and create an eco-friendly perception into the minds of the consumers.
Eco labels have been considered to be one of the most effective strategies in
marketing greener products. Matthes, Wonneberger and Schmuck, (2014) claimed
that green promotion and marketing is one of the most controversial topics in
marketing as this concept has developed oversimplified solutions to dealing with
environmental degradation. However, it is necessary to acknowledge the effort
made by green marketing in incorporating the information on sustainability of
environment into the core values of the organisation. Grimmer and Woolley, (2014)

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argued that green marketing has been able to the quality of life by incorporating
ecological problems within the marketing activities of organisations.
Martínez, (2015) studied that in the past decade, companies have been
forced to abide by the environmental laws and regulations by the environmental
groups and have implemented green marketing strategies within the organisational
setting. Wu and Chen, (2014) defined consumerism as the process of protecting the
consumers from any malpractices in marketing and the keeping marketing activities
ethical. Over the years, the research has witnessed that the consumerism has
widened and environmental protection is one of the main agenda of modern day
consumerism (Delafrooz, Taleghani & Nouri, 2014). This is due to the increase in
concerns over the environmental degradation and other negative impacts. Lorek and
Spangenberg, (2014) opined that growth of green consumer and marketing is the
one of the biggest opportunities for current business entities in accordance to the
current scenario in the market. The identification of green consumers are
understand by the definition provided by Bondarenko et al., (2017). Green
consumers evades products which has harmful impact on any living organism and
the environment during the overall process of manufacturing, usage or consumers a
huge amount of non-renewable source of energy (Matthes, Wonneberger &
Schmuck, 2014). Moreover, it also includes factors such as unethical means of
testing on human or animal subjects. The number of green consumers are still
growing due to the increase in awareness among the modern day consumers.
Kushwaha and Sharma, (2016) states that extensive research over the past decades
have resulted in great depth of knowledge regarding environmental issues among
the customers due to the enhancement of environmental concerns among the
organisations. Nyilasy, Gangadharbatla and Paladino, (2014) agreed to the
statements made above by stating that there has been overwhelming increase in
awareness and consciousness among the population and resulted in introduction of
the corporate environmentalism concept.
2.4 The link between attitude and behaviour
Past consumer behaviourists have believed in the notion that prediction of
actions of any individual is possible through evaluation of their attitudes. Various
researchers have made multiple attempts to improve on the ability of examining the
predictive ability of actions of any individual (Sniehotta, Presseau & Araújo-Soares,

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(2014). These has been performed by identifying the factors that have been
classified into situational and dispositional. Gleicher et al., (2014) indicated that
attitude of the consumers is directly proportional to their possible behaviour and this
is associated with personal experience and knowledge. Kang and Hustvedt, (2014)
conducted a study to extensively examine the influence attitude and beliefs of the
consumers on the purchasing behaviour.
Furthermore, past researches on this given research topic showed that
attitude of the consumers have always been used to measure the behaviour of the
consumers but there are certain methodological issues which needs to be dealt with
(Montano & Kasprzyk, 2015). As stated by Gifford and Nilsson, (2014), attitudes and
behaviour of any individual has to be measured at the same level of
correspondence. The author has put forth a number of theories to elucidate the
overall process where behaviour is predicted by attitudes. As stated by the theory of
reasoned action, individual evaluate the consequences of their action before they
engage in a particular behaviour. This means that as per the theory, the attitude of
individuals are expected to have significant impact on developing an intent to act in a
certain way (Montano & Kasprzyk, 2015). Hassan, Shiu and Shaw, (2016) states that
people participate in processing which leads to the development of norms, intentions
and attitudes before resulting in expressing certain behaviour.
Abraham and Sheeran, (2017) states that the theory of reasoned action is not
the only theory to describe the overall process by which behaviour is predicted by
attitudes. Fazio (1986) has described a different theory which highlights attitude is
responsible for guiding the behaviour of any individual by generating spontaneous
and automated process instead of being deliberate or conscious (Payne & Dal Cin,
2015). This theory is quite different and contradictory to the theories prescribed by
other authors. The author commented that attitudes and behaviour are expected to
consistent in some of the instances. Kautonen, van Gelderen and Fink, 2015) agreed
to this theory and highlighted that this applies for the condition when perception is
being influenced by attitude. This means that a favourable attitude of any consumer
towards any products that the product has favourable attributes towards the
purchasing the product. On the other hand, Abraham and Sheeran, (2017) states
that the presence of any object is responsible for spontaneous triggering of attitudes
towards an object. Payne & Dal Cin, (2015) argued that even various theories have

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been able to aid in predicting the behaviours from the attitude of individuals but in
case of environmental consumerism, these theories have led to further arguments.
Gleicher et al., (2014) states that there is lack of predictive ability of ethical
consumers due to the inconsistencies identified in past studies. This signifies that
there are discrepancies among behaviour, attitude, lack of validity and reliability
measurements and external variables impacts. Moreover, past studies show
significantly low correlation among the diverse levels of attitude behaviour specificity
and environmental behaviour.
The evaluation of the thesis papers from the past has also shown that there is
no relevant association between the pro environmental behaviours of individuals.
However, there are various inconsistencies and environmental consumerism
behaviour cannot be generalised and there is lack of addressing the specific
behavioural aspect. Paul, Modi and Patel, (2016) states that in order to address the
specific behaviour, attitude has to be measured in respect to the particular
environmental issues. According to Payne & Dal Cin, (2015), the relationship
between the environmental behaviour and attitudes depends on the personal and
situational factors.
2.5 Conceptual framework
The conceptual framework has been developed based on the past literature
review and essential elements identified to examine the impact of attitude and
behaviours on the consumers with respect to environmental sustainable purchase. In
the given framework, the research aims to evaluate the perception of the consumers
towards environmental practices. Similarly, the organisation also examines the
attitude, seriousness and perceived environmental responsibility towards industry
practices. The perception and attitude of the consumers towards the organisational
practices are expected to have direct impact on their purchasing behaviour.
Consumer
Attitude
Consumer
Perception Sustainable
Industry practices
Perceived
Environmental
Responsibility
Perceived
Seriousness

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Figure 2: Conceptual Framework
Source: (As created by the author)
2.6 Literature Gap
The analysis of the past research has shown that there is lack of literature on
the perception of the consumers on the industry practices implemented by various
organisations. The industry practices of various organisations affects the brand
image and perception of the consumers towards a particular brand. Moreover, the
theories developed to evaluate the attitude and behaviour link of consumers have
not been able to address the specific behaviour based on environmental issues.
Various authors have shown contradicting opinions in this respect and extensive
research is required to examine the perception, attitude and behaviour of the
consumers towards the environmental sustainability practices.
2.7 Summary
This literature review chapter has critically analysed the way sustainable
developing is essential for developing effective brand image into the minds of the
consumers. However, companies face significant issues in dealing with the
challenges faced by the organisations in implementing sustainability measures in all
aspect of the operation. Green marketing has been evaluated to understand the
need for the companies to market their offerings using green marketing strategies so
that the consumers develop positive attitude and behaviour towards company
offerings. The relationship between attitude and behaviour has been identified to
understand the way consumers behave based on the environmental sustainability
measures taken by organisations. However, there is contradicting opinions between
various authors as generalisation prediction of behaviour based on attitude is difficult
based on the current theory. The theories mentioned has not been able to provide
generalised findings and there are changes in behaviour based on personal and
situational context. The next chapter has developed methods of data collection and
analysis based on the literature gap identified to address the conceptual framework.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
Research methodology chapter provides detailed description of the data
collected and analysed based on the objective of the research. The research design
is also created based on the analysis of the literature review section. Saunders
research onion has been used to highlight the different methods, instruments and
frameworks used for gathering and evaluating data. Research onion describes the
six layers which comprises of philosophy, approach, design, sampling, data
collection and analysis and time frame of the study (Saunders et al., 2015).
Research methodology is responsible for developing a design which clearly indicates
the overall process of data collection and analysis along with the positives and
negatives associated with each of the method. Research conducted in majority of the
studies are applied research and this research has variety of implications in different
research fields. As stated by Saunders et al., (2015), research methodology is the
means of increasing understanding and awareness of the research problem. There
are multiple ways of deriving answers on the research questions and these methods
ranges between informal methods to highly scientific ways of following procedures
(Mackey & Gass, 2015). While performing a study it is crucial for the researcher to
follow a framework consisting of set philosophical assumptions, use methods and
frameworks that are tested for validity and reliability and is designed to objective and
unbiased.
3.2 Research Philosophy and Approach
Singh, (2015) states that research philosophy consists of sets of specific
assumptions, beliefs and values which has significant impact on the research
methods, questions and objectives. An ideal research philosophy consists of
assumptions that is necessary for shaping up the research and consists of
assumptions necessary for maintaining the objectivity of the research. Assumptions
are made at every phase of the research and is essential for streamlining the
research questions (Quinlan et al., 2019). This means that it is essential to be aware
of the assumptions and beliefs made in every stage of the research. Philosophical
orientation of a research stems from various assumptions such as positivism,
interpretivism, realism and pragmatism. In this research, the study has chosen the

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positivist view to formulate the philosophical assumptions. Generally, positivism
believes that knowledge developed from facts, observations and measurements are
trustworthy. As per the definition, it is used for quantification of data but it can also be
used for qualitative analysis of data. However, majority of the modern research uses
the post positivist view and rarely uses a positivist view, the use of positivist view can
be considered to be outdated. However, the initial version of the grounded theory
developed based on the post positivist view and positivist view can also be used to
use grounded theory, if necessary (Morgan, 2014). The perception of the researcher
that whether the findings can considered as actual entities does not have any
significant change to the choice between quantitative and qualitative methods.
However, positivist ontological and epistemological premises in qualitative research
results in a non-reflexive study which means that the study fails to take into
consideration that the researcher develops knowledge (Saunders et al., 2015). This
may constrain the interpretation of reality but careful use of qualitative methods can
lead to positive results in the research. Therefore, using positivism philosophy is
viable in this given research.
Padilla-Díaz, (2015) states that layers in research onion are all linked with
each other which implies all the stages are based on the suitability of the methods
and beliefs. Research approach consists of two parts, the process of data collection
and logical reasoning. There are mainly two types of approaches in research,
deductive and inductive. Deductive approach is mainly used for developing
hypothesis and testing those using statistical tools and techniques. It is essential for
measuring the causal relationship between two variables (Morgan, 2014). It also
helps in formulating generalisations from the research findings. On the other hand,
the inductive approach is for generating new theories and framework from the data
collected by analysing the patterns within it. The inductive approach starts with
observations and then moves from specific to general experiences (Alase, 2017).
The basic difference between inductive and deductive approach is that the inductive
approach moves from specific to general and the deductive approach moves from
general to specific. In this current study, a deductive approach has been chosen
because as per the research problem, past researches have not been able to identify
the specific attitudes and behavioural changes on environmental sustainability

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measures. The deductive approach has been used for coding and performing
qualitative data analysis.
3.3 Research Design
Ioannidis et al., (2014) stated that research design is the process of choosing
between qualitative and quantitative research methods. On the contrary, it can be
defined as the overall plan of gathering relevant data and evaluating it effectively.
Research design determines the overall process of data collection and analysis.
Mono method, multi method and mixed methods are used for collecting data. This
research has chosen a single research design for collecting the data and analysing it
effectively. Exploratory research design, explanatory research design and descriptive
research design are the three types of designs used in research (Creswell & Poth,
2017). Exploratory research design as the name suggest is used for exploring the
research problem and is used in studies where there is lack of research. The
exploratory research design forms the premises for performing conclusive research.
The descriptive research design is used for defining the research problem in depth
and provides a vivid description of the situation (Creswell & Poth, 2017). It is
essential for highlighting the various aspects of the phenomenon. Descriptive
research requires only one variable to perform the study where the main purpose of
the research is describing, explaining and validating the research findings. The
explanatory research design is also known as the causal research design and is
used for establishing cause and effect relationship between two variables. This
research has chosen an explanatory research design to identify the pattern in
relationship among attitude and behaviour of the consumers towards sustainable
industry practices. The research has discussed the different research methods,
sampling strategies, reliability and validity of data set and ethical aspect of the
research for drafting the overall plan of the research.
3.3.1 Research Method
This research has chosen semi-structured interview as the method of
collecting data. As stated by Jamshed, (2014), interview can be defined as the
purposeful discussion between two people or more. The purpose of using an
interview is to seek valid and reliable data as it is able to directly address the
research questions and objectives. Group interviews, semi structured and in-depth
are the three types of interviews. The interview method is based on the data that

23RESEARCH PROJECT
needs to be collected and the questionnaire to be used. The main advantage of
using a semi structured interview is the fact that it offers variation can be used in the
sequence of the questions. In this method, questions and themes are generated
based on the context and the research objective. The implication of this method is
that the overall process of interview is made flexible and helps in developing flow in
the conversation (Palinkas et al., 2015). The questions can be asked to the
interviewee at the right time and moment based on the flow of the conversation.
The purpose of the research is the measurement of the attitude and behaviour
of the consumers towards sustainable industry practices. The research has divided
the data collected into themes and it is based on method of content analysis. The
themes generated are based on the selective coding performed in the research.
3.3.2 Research Reliability and Validity
Reliability is the ability of the research to replicate the results using same data
set. Reliability measures the reproducibility of the methods which measures scale
reliability, internal reliability, test rated reliability and others. Validity is the measure of
the appropriateness of the methods and instruments used in the research. In case of
quantitative studies, research uses external validity, internal validity, objectivity and
reliability (Pandey & Patnaik, 2014). However, these methods are suitable while
performing a quantitative study and is not applicable for qualitative studies. It is quite
difficult to measure the validity and reliability of qualitative data as the data is
subjective in nature. Therefore, different criteria are required to measure the
reliability and validity of the data collected. Credibility, transferability, confirmability
and dependability are chosen criteria for evaluating the reliability and validity of the
data collected (Cope, 2014). Credibility identifies the extent to which the actual
meaning of the participants are represented by the research. It is used to establish
confidence in the truth of the data collected. In case of qualitative research, research
purposes intended leads to credibility and consistent with the research.
Transferability measures that whether the results are applicable in other
context or not. It is measure of external validity and examines the extent to which
the results can be used in future practices, theories and research. In respect to
positivist view, it determines the extent to which the data collected can extrapolated
in respect to the overall population in the research (Pandey & Patnaik, 2014).

24RESEARCH PROJECT
Confirmability can be defined as the extent to which the results are functions of the
participants and conditions. This means that the research needs to demonstrate that
results are linked to the conclusion in such a way that the data can be replicated.
This implies that the research needs to report the steps taken to reflect and manage
the impact of the philosophical assumptions in respect to the epistemological and
ontological position of the study (Simon & Goes, 2016). On the other hand,
dependability can be defined as the extent to which the research findings are
consistent and reliable. It is most relevant to conservation and ecological science.
The above mentioned criteria has facilitated in setting the tone of the research and
the data collected and analysed has conformed to the above criteria.
3.3.3 Sampling Strategy and Sample size
Gentles et al., (2015) states that it is impracticable in the research to select
the whole population as the research participants and research elements has to be
selected which would represent the overall population. Sampling is used for using
the timeframe and the overall cost of the research. Sampling process commences
with choosing the target population in the research (Robinson, 2014). Target
population can be defined as the population that has information relevant to the
research. The main purpose of the research to examine the attitude and behaviour of
the consumers on the sustainability industry practices so the study has chosen the
consumers in the United Kingdom as the target respondent.
The next step in the research is choosing the sampling frame and it chooses
samples from the overall population in the research. The sampling frame determines
the respondents that can contribute effectively to the research (Gentles et al., 2015).
The sampling frame consists of the consumers in the retail industry in United
Kingdom, especially in London. These consumers have varied demographics and
consists of students, young professionals and middle age consumers. This has
helped in gathering data from a diversified group of people.
Sampling size selection is the next step in the research and the current
research has chosen 10 consumers in London. This interviews lasted for 20 to 30
minutes and has helped in gathering relevant data to the research. The number of
respondents have been kept small as large number of qualitative responses results
in redundant data. In this context, Gentles et al., (2015) stated that no new thoughts

25RESEARCH PROJECT
were generated after interview was conducted with 40 respondents and maximum of
10 respondents are required for developing new thoughts and insights. This is due to
the fact that London can be considered to be the economic capital of the country and
opinion of the consumers in this city were expected highly relevant of the research.
The final step is choosing the sampling technique and it is the most critical aspect of
sampling strategy. Probabilistic and non-probabilistic are the two types of sampling
method in the research. However, this research has chosen the non-probabilistic
sampling method to select respondent. It focuses on the personal judgment of the
researcher rather than focusing on random selecting probabilistic method. The
validity of this method is high and is generally used in opinion polls and market
research. The research has generic purposive sampling in this research as it helps in
selecting respondents based on the objective of the research.
3.3.4 Data Collection and Analysis
Primary and secondary data collection are two types of data collection. This
research has chosen primary qualitative data. The qualitative data has been
collected using a open-ended semi structured asked to the consumers in the United
Kingdom retail industry (St. Pierre & Jackson, 2014). The interviews were conducted
personally by going around all the popular shopping districts in London and data has
been collected from respondents making purchase from different retail stores. This
has helped in making the sample population diverse in the study. The interview data
has also been recorded for thorough examination.
The study uses coding as the process of analysing the data where open
coding, axial coding and selective coding has been used. The study has used
content analysis to develop themes that are relevant to the objective and research
question. The process starts with open coding where the data collected has been
coded based on the responses by identifying patterns and implications (Chowdhury,
2015). This based on the meanings that are emerging from the data collected. These
open codes form the basis of performing axial coding (St. Pierre & Jackson, 2014).
Axial coding is used to measure the relationship between the open codes developed
in the research (Chowdhury, 2015). Axial coding is essential for measuring the
degree of association between variables. The final step is implementing selective
coding in the research. The selective coding is used to evaluate the codes by link
with the core values of the study.

26RESEARCH PROJECT
3.3.5 Ethical Consideration
This research has adhered to all the prescribed rules and regulations
mentioned in the study. The research followed the data protection act of 1998 so
that privacy and anonymity of the respondents can be maintained. Similarly, the
research has made sure that none of the questions consists offensive or
discriminatory language by following the Market Research Society code of conduct
(Roberts, 2015). The study used an informed consent to make sure that the
participation is voluntary and none of the respondents have been forced to take part
in the interview. It also made sure that all of the respondents were provided
knowledge about the purpose of the research and they were provided option of
leaving the interview at any point, if they felt uncomfortable. The study has made
sure that confidentiality, anonymity, consent, privacy and deception were considered
at every stage of the research. Finally, the research has avoided plagiarism,
fabrication and falsification of the data collected.

27RESEARCH PROJECT
CHAPTER 4: DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction
This chapter has provided a detailed description of the research finding by
using content analysis. Open coding, axial coding and selective coding has been
used to develop themes and analyse the data based the responses of the
participants. Moreover, initially the study planned to interview 10 respondents but
after conducting 6 interviews, the study was unable to collect new data. Therefore, in
order to reduce the redundancy of data collected, the study has focused on data
collected from six respondents.
4.1.1 Data
Question Data
1. Do you agree that sustainability
industry practices are important in
modern business organisation? Why?
Yes, it is important because protecting
the environment and contributing
effectively to the surrounding
environment is mandatory for all
corporate organisations.
Yes, there is a serious issue and the
drastic change in weather conditions
and pollution level are causing
diseases. We need to keep the world
habitable.
Yes, it is important because protecting
the environment and contributing
effectively to the surrounding
environment is mandatory for all
corporate organisations.
I do, all the companies have already
done enough damage to the
surrounding environment and they need
to stop.
Yes, we have to be more responsible
towards our resources and surrounding

28RESEARCH PROJECT
environment. We have to be more
respectful for saving the future for the
next generation
2. Does sustainability practices of
different organisations in United
Kingdom affect your purchasing
behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I like to purchase greener
products that have less harmful impact
on the environment. I do not want to be
part of something this is harmful to our
ecological environment
Yes, it does. I do not want to associated
with organisations that are money
making machines
Yes, it does. I like to purchase greener
products that have less harmful impact
on the environment. I do not want to be
part of something this is harmful to our
ecological environment
Yes, I will not purchase product if I
found that the product is developed by
causing harm to the environment. I
purchase green labelled products in
majority of the cases.
Yes, it does. I follow all the companies
that are doing well for the society and
ecology. The pollution and global
warming is witnessed by everyone here
in London and we all want to contribute
some way or the other. I take
responsibility and purchase green
products and check every product
before purchasing it.
3. What is your perception and
attitude towards modern industry
sustainability practices?
Some of the organisations are doing
their best to develop greener products
by using green practices. I constantly

29RESEARCH PROJECT
follow these organisations as they are
doing well for the society and ecology. I
do not want to be associated with
companies that are only thinking about
increasing their profit margin.
We have a serious responsibility of
protecting our environment as it
necessary for us to live and for the
future generation. We can’t be so selfish
and destroy everything before the future
generations have the chance to live.
Environmental protection schemes and
ecological practices has to be
implemented by all companies.
However, some companies are just
using it to cover up their malpractices
and I do not believe all of them. The
majority are doing it because they are
forced to do it and very few are
committed to it.
Some of the organisations are doing
their best to develop greener products
by using green practices. I constantly
follow these organisations as they are
doing well for the society and ecology. I
do not want to be associated with
companies that are only thinking about
increasing their profit margin.
Majority of them are doing it to evade
tax and reap benefits and there are very
few organisations actually doing
anything to protect the environment.
Well, there are very few that have
generated positive image into the minds

30RESEARCH PROJECT
of the consumers. These practices are
only a burden to majority of the
organisations and they are always
searching for loopholes. However, there
are few companies that are contributing
to the society.
4. Do you think that attitude of
customers towards brands affect
business sales?
Some of the organisations are doing
their best to develop greener products
by using green practices. I constantly
follow these organisations as they are
doing well for the society and ecology. I
do not want to be associated with
companies that are only thinking about
increasing their profit margin.
It does and I make sure to avoid brands
that are not contributing to the society
It does for me, I choose products that
are ethically produced and has followed
the environmental rules and regulation.
Company reputation is something that
helps in choose a product and
companies having adequate sustainable
business practices develop good image
into the minds of the consumers
It does for me, I choose products that
are ethically produced and has followed
the environmental rules and regulation.
Company reputation is something that
helps in choose a product and
companies having adequate sustainable
business practices develop good image
into the minds of the consumers.

31RESEARCH PROJECT
5. How can companies be more
effective in developing positive attitude
into the minds of the consumers?
Organisations need to focus on
improving their technological abilities to
reach higher level of sustainability. I
follow various brands on social media
and companies that are making effort to
developing sustainable practices will
result in positive attitude.
Firstly, they need to be active about
these strategies and they should not do
it only because the rules and regulations
are forcing them to do so. They need to
stop running after increasing their profit
and help the society for a change
Organisations need to focus on
improving their technological abilities to
reach higher level of sustainability. I
follow various brands on social media
and companies that are making effort to
developing sustainable practices will
result in positive attitude.
Table 1: Data
Source: As created by author
4.2 Open Coding
Examples of participants words Open codes
protecting the environment and
contributing effectively to the
surrounding environment is
mandatory, need to keep the world
habitable,
Wanting to protect the environment
Purchase greener products that Greener product purchase

32RESEARCH PROJECT
have less harmful impact on the
environment, money making
machines, I will not purchase
product if I found that the
product is developed by causing
harm to the environment. I
purchase green labelled
products in majority of the
cases.
I constantly follow these
organisations as they are doing
well for the society and ecology,
serious responsibility of
protecting our environment,
there are very few that have
generated positive image into
the minds of the consumers.
These practices are only a
burden to majority of the
organisations and they are
always searching for loopholes.
However, there are few
companies that are contributing
to the society
Supporting responsible organisations
ethically produced and has
followed the environmental rules
and regulation, avoid brands,
companies face sales drop once
they are put under any kind of
controversy, We buy products
by relating with the brand and
negative attitude will have
significant impact on sales. I
Avoiding controversial companies and
support ethically produced products

33RESEARCH PROJECT
avoid retail outlets that are not
selling greener products and I
have a significant role and
responsibility in protecting my
surrounding.
technological abilities to reach
higher level of sustainability, not
do it only because the rules and
regulations are forcing them,
Wanting to provide better responsibility
Table 2: Open coding
Source: As created by author
4.3 Axial and Selective Coding
Open coding Axial coding Selective coding
Wanting to protect the
environment
Purchasing green
products as wanting to
protect the environment
Perceived seriousness
towards environmental
issuesGreener product
purchase
Supporting responsible
organisations
Supporting responsible
organisations by avoiding
controversial companies
Perceived responsibility
towards the environment
Avoiding controversial
companies and support
ethically produced
products
Wanting to be responsible Responsibility and
environmental protection
Response towards green
products and
environmental marketing
Wanting to protect the
environment
Table 3: Axial and Selective coding
Source: As created by author
Theme 1: Perceived seriousness towards environmental issues
The analysis of the past data shows that majority of the interviewees were
serious about the environmental issues faced by the global market. These
interviewees were aware of the seriousness of the problems faced and wants to

34RESEARCH PROJECT
contribute effectively to the ecological protection. One of the respondent said that
“We have a serious responsibility of protecting our environment as it necessary for
us to live and for the future generation. We can’t be so selfish and destroy
everything before the future generations have the chance to live. Environmental
protection schemes and ecological practices has to be implemented by all
companies. However, some companies are just using it to cover up their
malpractices and I do not believe all of them. The majority are doing it because they
are forced to do it and very few are committed to it. ”. The above statement shows
that these consumers are quite serious about the concerns and wants to protect the
environment for their future generation. The attitude and behaviour of these
consumers are depicted by the perceived seriousness they witness while developing
the product. However, it can be seen that media, both traditional and online media
play a significant role in it. These media platforms provide all the information to these
consumers and the quality of the information they gather affects their seriousness as
consumers. Different consumers perceive information differently but due to the
increase in awareness regarding this environmental degradation, the majority of
them have taken things seriously.
The interview with all the respondents have also shown that all the consumers
aware of the current scenario in the market, in terms of sustainability practices.
Irrespective of the gender of the respondent, every consumer is equally concerned
about the industry practices taken by various business entities. It can be seen that
consumers that are more than the others are going for green products.
Theme 2: Perceived responsibility towards the environment
The response from the interview shows that majority of the consumers have
high sense of responsibility in positively contributing to the environment. These
consumers want to buy green products and always check on the packaging and
marketing strategy implemented by the organisations. In this study, the findings of
the study shows that the most of the consumer observe the activities of retail
organisations very closely. Moreover, in case of controversies and other events, the
consumers are motivated to stop purchase from such companies. A respondent
stated “I choose products that are ethically produced and has followed the
environmental rules and regulation.” which implies that consumers check products if
they are ethically produced or not. The consumers are highly concerned about the

35RESEARCH PROJECT
environmental rules and regulation and criticised them effectively. “We have a
serious responsibility of protecting our environment as it necessary for us to live and
for the future generation. We can’t be so selfish and destroy everything before the
future generations have the chance to live.”, this is also a classic example which
shows that awareness and responsibility of the consumers towards ecological
protection and sustainability. In comparison to the literature review, it can be seen
that sustainability is one of the critical aspects of success for organisations and
consumers have emphasised on developing sustainability practices. While analysing
the link between attitude and behaviour, past research shows that attitude of the
consumers is directly proportional to their possible behaviour and this is associated
with personal experience and knowledge. The analysis of the data shows that
attitude of the consumers affect their behaviour and consumers having negative
attitude and perception towards a product will result in negative behaviour towards
the organisation. As per one of the interviewee, “I do not want to be associated with
companies that are only thinking about increasing their profit margin”, this statement
is itself explanatory where it can be seen the respondent has negative attitude
towards the companies and this attitude will result in negative purchasing behaviour.
This means that consumers that have already developed negative attitude are
expected to show negative behaviour and vice versa. Another interviewee said, “ I
make sure to avoid brands that are not contributing to the society”, which shows that
consumers’ action is to avoid a brand based on their industry practices. The morale
and ethical value generated among the consumers in London is significantly higher
and they are more concerned about ecological protection due to the change in
modern organisational setting. Moreover, the environmental protection and other
regulations are stringent which has resulted in increase in awareness and
responsibility among the consumers.
Theme 3: Response towards green products and environmental marketing
The evaluation of the response of the consumers towards green products and
green marketing is significantly positively. The modern day consumers are inclined
towards sustainable and green labelled products. This means that the consumers
are significantly influenced by the green marketing and products offered by various
companies in the market. One of the interviewee suggested that “I like to purchase
greener products that have less harmful impact on the environment. I do not want to

36RESEARCH PROJECT
be part of something this is harmful to our ecological environment ”. This means that
consumers are searching for green labelled and the demand for organic and green
products are expected to increase due to the change in the attitude of the consumers
towards the products. The value development process is having significant impact
on the formation of action and attitude towards this practices. These attitude affect
behaviour in real life situations. Attitude has direct influence on affective function
and cognitive function and this means that there is need of changing the perception
of the consumers towards the brand and product offered by using green marketing
and sustainable industry practices. This will facilitate in affecting their decision
making ability and consumers change their behaviour as per the theory of reasoned
action. The findings show that majority of the consumers have high expectation of all
the companies operating in United Kingdom to adhere to the environmental laws and
act positively to contribute to the society. Companies can be use these behaviour of
the consumers to understand and identify the way consumer react to the different
sustainability approaches.
4.4 Summary
This chapter has critically evaluated the content collected to perform coding
on the data. The research has used open coding, axial coding and selective to
develop the themes used in the research. It can be seen that media, both traditional
and online media play a significant role in it. These media platforms provide all the
information to these consumers and the quality of the information they gather affects
their seriousness as consumers. Different consumers perceive information differently
but due to the increase in awareness regarding this environmental degradation, the
majority of them have taken things seriously. The morale and ethical value
generated among the consumers in London is significantly higher and they are more
concerned about ecological protection due to the change in modern organisational
setting. Moreover, the environmental protection and other regulations are stringent
which has resulted in increase in awareness and responsibility among the
consumers. The value development process is having significant impact on the
formation of action and attitude towards this practices. These attitude affect
behaviour in real life situations. Attitude has direct influence on affective function
and cognitive function and this means that there is need of changing the perception

37RESEARCH PROJECT
of the consumers towards the brand and product offered by using green marketing
and sustainable industry practices.

38RESEARCH PROJECT
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
5.1 Introduction
This chapter provides an overall description of the research performed along
with the findings in the study. The purpose of the chapter is linking the objectives of
the research with the results to develop relevant conclusion. Sustainability is one of
the most important concept in the research and this study has critically evaluated the
impact of these practices on the attitude of the consumers and business
performance. The common trend shows that business entities are forced to adapt to
changes in the macro environment within which they operate. This change in the
operating is huge and has significant impact on the overall industry and is known as
megatrends. In this context, adoption of sustainability practices in business has
become one of the primary imperative for business entities. This emergence of this
trend is based on the fact that depletion of natural resources has resulted in
disproportion in respect to the demand in the market.
5.2 Conclusion
What is the perception of the consumers towards environmental sustainability
practices adopted by business entities?
The analysis of the findings showed that consumers have significant positive
response towards sustainability practices. However, majority of the consumers do
not have trust on the companies due to their long history of exploitation. As per some
of the consumers, “Majority of them are doing it to evade tax and reap benefits and
there are very few organisations actually doing anything to protect the environment”,
which highlight the lack of trust among the consumers regarding the environmental
practices. However, this could be true in some of the cases as companies are trying
to implement these strategies due to the pressure from the stakeholders such as
government, consumers and board of directors. On the contrary, it can be seen that
the consumer that has developed trust on a particular brand in respect to their
sustainability practices are expected to stay loyal. The analysis of the past data
shows that majority of the interviewees were serious about the environmental issues
faced by the global market. These interviewees were aware of the seriousness of the
problems faced and wants to contribute effectively to the ecological protection. One
of the respondent said that “We have a serious responsibility of protecting our

39RESEARCH PROJECT
environment as it necessary for us to live and for the future generation. We can’t be
so selfish and destroy everything before the future generations have the chance to
live. Environmental protection schemes and ecological practices has to be
implemented by all companies. However, some companies are just using it to cover
up their malpractices and I do not believe all of them. The majority are doing it
because they are forced to do it and very few are committed to it. ”. The above
statement shows that these consumers are quite serious about the concerns and
wants to protect the environment for their future generation. The attitude and
behaviour of these consumers are depicted by the perceived seriousness they
witness while developing the product. However, it can be seen that media, both
traditional and online media play a significant role in it. These media platforms
provide all the information to these consumers and the quality of the information they
gather affects their seriousness as consumers. Different consumers perceive
information differently but due to the increase in awareness regarding this
environmental degradation, the majority of them have taken things seriously.
What is impact of consumer attitude on business performance?
The analysis of the impact of consumer attitude on the business performance
shows that there is a direct relationship where positive relationship leads to positive
business performance and vice versa. One of the interviewee suggested that “I like
to purchase greener products that have less harmful impact on the environment. I do
not want to be part of something this is harmful to our ecological environment ”. This
means that consumers are searching for green labelled and the demand for organic
and green products are expected to increase due to the change in the attitude of the
consumers towards the products. The value development process is having
significant impact on the formation of action and attitude towards this practices.
These attitude affect behaviour in real life situations. Attitude has direct influence on
affective function and cognitive function and this means that there is need of
changing the perception of the consumers towards the brand and product offered by
using green marketing and sustainable industry practices. This shows clearly that
consumers will not make purchase of products that are harmful or being produced
unsustainably.

40RESEARCH PROJECT
5.3 Research Limitation
The main limitation of the research is that the study has used a qualitative
approach along with positivism philosophy. Positivist ontological and epistemological
premises in qualitative research results in a non-reflexive study which means that the
study fails to take into consideration that the researcher develops knowledge. This
may constrain the interpretation of reality. Moreover, the research has used a single
research design to collect data and analyse it. This means that all the dimensions in
the research cannot be addressed such as moderating variables can be used. The
quantitative study could have understand the opinion of the consumers as per their
gender and educational background. Moreover, the use of explanatory research
design without any statistical analysis has resulted in results that may not hold true
for studies in other countries. This means that the study has failed to perform
statistical analysis to examine the relationship in a more generalised way.
5.4 Future scope of the study
The research has future scope of implementing quantitative analysis by using
a mixed method where both quantitative and qualitative data. This will facilitate in
using a larger sample size which will cover all the aspect in the research. Similarly,
the non -reflexive nature of the research can be changed by using a pragmatic
approach. Therefore, in future a larger scale of research can be performed to
analyse consumers across various industries and classifying them for better
generalised concept.

41RESEARCH PROJECT
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47RESEARCH PROJECT
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Interview Questionnaire
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry practices?
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?

48RESEARCH PROJECT
Appendix 2 (Interview Transcript)
Respondent 1
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
Yes, it is important because protecting the environment and contributing effectively
to the surrounding environment is mandatory for all corporate organisations.
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I like to purchase greener products that have less harmful impact on the
environment. I do not want to be part of something this is harmful to our ecological
environment
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
Some of the organisations are doing their best to develop greener products by using
green practices. I constantly follow these organisations as they are doing well for the
society and ecology. I do not want to be associated with companies that are only
thinking about increasing their profit margin.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
It does for me, I choose products that are ethically produced and has followed the
environmental rules and regulation. Company reputation is something that helps in
choose a product and companies having adequate sustainable business practices
develop good image into the minds of the consumers.
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
Organisations need to focus on improving their technological abilities to reach higher
level of sustainability. I follow various brands on social media and companies that
are making effort to developing sustainable practices will result in positive attitude.

49RESEARCH PROJECT
Respondent 2
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
Yes, there is a serious issue and the drastic change in weather conditions and
pollution level are causing diseases. We need to keep the world habitable.
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I do not want to associated with organisations that are money making
machines
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
We have a serious responsibility of protecting our environment as it necessary for us
to live and for the future generation. We can’t be so selfish and destroy everything
before the future generations have the chance to live. Environmental protection
schemes and ecological practices has to be implemented by all companies.
However, some companies are just using it to cover up their malpractices and I do
not believe all of them. The majority are doing it because they are forced to do it and
very few are committed to it.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
It does and I make sure to avoid brands that are not contributing to the society
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
Firstly, they need to be active about these strategies and they should not do it only
because the rules and regulations are forcing them to do so. They need to stop
running after increasing their profit and help the society for a change

50RESEARCH PROJECT
Respondent 3
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
Yes, it is important because protecting the environment and contributing effectively
to the surrounding environment is mandatory for all corporate organisations.
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I like to purchase greener products that have less harmful impact on the
environment. I do not want to be part of something this is harmful to our ecological
environment
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
Some of the organisations are doing their best to develop greener products by using
green practices. I constantly follow these organisations as they are doing well for the
society and ecology. I do not want to be associated with companies that are only
thinking about increasing their profit margin.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
It does for me, I choose products that are ethically produced and has followed the
environmental rules and regulation. Company reputation is something that helps in
choose a product and companies having adequate sustainable business practices
develop good image into the minds of the consumers.
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
Organisations need to focus on improving their technological abilities to reach higher
level of sustainability. I follow various brands on social media and companies that
are making effort to developing sustainable practices will result in positive attitude.

51RESEARCH PROJECT
Respondent 4
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
I do, all the companies have already done enough damage to the surrounding
environment and they need to stop.
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, I will not purchase product if I found that the product is developed by causing
harm to the environment. I purchase green labelled products in majority of the cases.
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
Majority of them are doing it to evade tax and reap benefits and there are very few
organisations actually doing anything to protect the environment.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
We buy products by relating with the brand and negative attitude will have significant
impact on sales. I avoid retail outlets that are not selling greener products and I have
a significant role and responsibility in protecting my surrounding.
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
The companies should develop a separate team to maintain the sustainability
practices.

52RESEARCH PROJECT
Respondent 5
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
Yes, we have to be more responsible towards our resources and surrounding
environment. We have to be more respectful for saving the future for the next
generation
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I follow all the companies that are doing well for the society and
ecology. The pollution and global warming is witnessed by everyone here in London
and we all want to contribute some way or the other. I take responsibility and
purchase green products and check every product before purchasing it.
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
Well, there are very few that have generated positive image into the minds of the
consumers. These practices are only a burden to majority of the organisations and
they are always searching for loopholes. However, there are few companies that are
contributing to the society.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
It does, companies face sales drop once they are put under any kind of controversy.
Modern consumers are smart and have access to wide area of information and they
are making sure to contribute effectively to the society.
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
They need to selflessly contribute to the environmental protection measures and
stop thinking about creating positive image. Companies that are true to their purpose
will always have support from the consumers.

53RESEARCH PROJECT
Respondent 6
1. Do you agree that sustainability industry practices are important in modern
business organisation? Why?
Yes, it is important because protecting the environment and contributing effectively
to the surrounding environment is mandatory for all corporate organisations.
2. Does sustainability practices of different organisations in United Kingdom affect
your purchasing behaviour? Why?
Yes, it does. I like to purchase greener products that have less harmful impact on the
environment. I do not want to be part of something this is harmful to our ecological
environment
3. What is your perception and attitude towards modern industry sustainability
practices?
Some of the organisations are doing their best to develop greener products by using
green practices. I constantly follow these organisations as they are doing well for the
society and ecology. I do not want to be associated with companies that are only
thinking about increasing their profit margin.
4. Do you think that attitude of customers towards brands affect business sales?
It does for me, I choose products that are ethically produced and has followed the
environmental rules and regulation. Company reputation is something that helps in
choose a product and companies having adequate sustainable business practices
develop good image into the minds of the consumers.
5. How can companies be more effective in developing positive attitude into the
minds of the consumers?
Organisations need to focus on improving their technological abilities to reach higher
level of sustainability. I follow various brands on social media and companies that
are making effort to developing sustainable practices will result in positive attitude.