IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i10p3764-d176642.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Multi-Dimensional Approach of Green Marketing Competitive Advantage: A Perspective of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises from Western Cape, South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Rodney Duffett

    (Marketing Department, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Keizersgracht and Tennant Street, Cape Town 8000, South Africa)

  • Tudor Edu

    (Management-Marketing Department, Faculty of Management-Marketing, Romanian-American University, 1B Expozitiei Blvd., 1st District, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Norbert Haydam

    (Marketing Department, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Keizersgracht and Tennant Street, Cape Town 8000, South Africa)

  • Iliuta-Costel Negricea

    (Management-Marketing Department, Faculty of Management-Marketing, Romanian-American University, 1B Expozitiei Blvd., 1st District, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Rodica Zaharia

    (Department of International Business and Economics, Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 6 Piata Romana, 1st District, 010374 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

The study focuses on green competitive advantage from a multi-dimensional perspective, investigating the impact of green marketing tools and company descriptive variables on these dimensions. The data were collected from small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) from Western Cape/South Africa, an area marked by long-term water consumption restrictions. A qualitative approach was considered for variable tailoring to the SMMEs’ peculiarities, followed by a quantitative study, employing a sample of 237 companies, for testing each competitive advantage dimension against the established green marketing tools and company descriptive variables using logistic regressions. Each competitiveness variable was explained by at least one green marketing tool. Donating money and/or allocating time for environmental purposes explained three dependent variables, while selling biodegradable/recycled/refurbished products had an inverse relationship with two of them. Business type and number of operational years had a significant impact on three dimensions. This study enriches the literature by using green competitive advantage dimensions and not a latent factor, analyzing the impact of company descriptive variables as explanatory variables and prompting green strategies for small and medium businesses. The model could be improved by tests in other geographic areas, including green distribution and price variables and other descriptive factors (turnover, responsible investment and internationalization).

Suggested Citation

  • Rodney Duffett & Tudor Edu & Norbert Haydam & Iliuta-Costel Negricea & Rodica Zaharia, 2018. "A Multi-Dimensional Approach of Green Marketing Competitive Advantage: A Perspective of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises from Western Cape, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-27, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3764-:d:176642
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3764/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3764/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. M J Taylor & N J Thrift, 1982. "Industrial Linkage and the Segmented Economy: 1. Some Theoretical Proposals," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 14(12), pages 1601-1613, December.
    2. José V. Frias‐Aceituno & Lázaro Rodríguez‐Ariza & Isabel M. Garcia‐Sánchez, 2014. "Explanatory Factors of Integrated Sustainability and Financial Reporting," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 56-72, January.
    3. Justyna Dyduch & Joanna Krasodomska, 2017. "Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: An Empirical Study of Polish Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-24, October.
    4. Lawrence Mpele LEKHANYA, 2014. "The Level of awareness of green marketing and its managerial implications amongst selected South African manufacturing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in KwaZulu–Natal," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 6(8), pages 625-635.
    5. Rosa Dangelico & Devashish Pujari, 2010. "Mainstreaming Green Product Innovation: Why and How Companies Integrate Environmental Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 471-486, September.
    6. Saeidi, Sayedeh Parastoo & Sofian, Saudah & Saeidi, Parvaneh & Saeidi, Sayyedeh Parisa & Saaeidi, Seyyed Alireza, 2015. "How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 341-350.
    7. Lorraine Uhlaner & Marta Berent-Braun & Ronald Jeurissen & Gerrit Wit, 2012. "Beyond Size: Predicting Engagement in Environmental Management Practices of Dutch SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(4), pages 411-429, September.
    8. Leonidas C. Leonidou & Paul Christodoulides & Lida P. Kyrgidou & Daydanda Palihawadana, 2017. "Internal Drivers and Performance Consequences of Small Firm Green Business Strategy: The Moderating Role of External Forces," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 585-606, February.
    9. Beatriz Junquera & Virginia Barba-Sánchez, 2018. "Environmental Proactivity and Firms’ Performance: Mediation Effect of Competitive Advantages in Spanish Wineries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-18, June.
    10. M J Taylor & N J Thrift, 1982. "Industrial Linkage and the Segmented Economy: 2. An Empirical Reinterpretation," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 14(12), pages 1615-1632, December.
    11. Andrea Revell & David Stokes & Hsin Chen, 2010. "Small businesses and the environment: turning over a new leaf?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(5), pages 273-288, July.
    12. Mike Simpson & Nick Taylor & Karen Barker, 2004. "Environmental responsibility in SMEs: does it deliver competitive advantage?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 156-171, May.
    13. Yu-Shan Chen & Shyh-Bao Lai & Chao-Tung Wen, 2006. "The Influence of Green Innovation Performance on Corporate Advantage in Taiwan," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(4), pages 331-339, September.
    14. Aseem Prakash, 2002. "Green marketing, public policy and managerial strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(5), pages 285-297, September.
    15. Majid, Kashef Abdul & Russell, Cristel Antonia, 2015. "Giving green a second thought: Modeling the value retention of green products in the secondary market," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 994-1002.
    16. Supriti Mishra & Damodar Suar, 2010. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Firm Performance of Indian Companies?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(4), pages 571-601, September.
    17. Gonçalves, Helena Martins & Lourenço, Tiago Ferreira & Silva, Graça Miranda, 2016. "Green buying behavior and the theory of consumption values: A fuzzy-set approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1484-1491.
    18. John R. Bryson & Rachel Lombardi, 2009. "Balancing product and process sustainability against business profitability: sustainability as a competitive strategy in the property development process," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(2), pages 97-107, February.
    19. Dominika Moravcikova & Anna Krizanova & Jana Kliestikova & Martina Rypakova, 2017. "Green Marketing as the Source of the Competitive Advantage of the Business," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-13, November.
    20. Maziriri E T & Chinomona E, 2016. "Modeling the Influence of Relationship Marketing, Green Marketing and Innovative Marketing on the Business Performance of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMES)," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 8(3), pages 127-139.
    21. Gheorghe Epura & Bianca Tesca?iu & Raluca Dania Todor & Karin-Andreea Sasu, 2017. "Responsible Consumption – Source of Competitive Advantages and Solution for Tourist Protection," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(45), pages 447-447, May.
    22. Hany Besada & Karolina Werner, 2015. "An assessment of the effects of Africa's water crisis on food security and management," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 120-133, March.
    23. Maignan, Isabelle & Ferrell, O. C., 2001. "Antecedents and benefits of corporate citizenship: an investigation of French businesses," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 37-51, January.
    24. Tudor Edu & Iliuta Costel Negricea, 2017. "CSR Market Positioning Constructs: From Planning to Action. Evidence from Romanian Internet Service Providers," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, in: Maria Aluchna & Samuel O. Idowu (ed.), The Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility, chapter 0, pages 117-137, Springer.
    25. Leonidas C. Leonidou & Paul Christodoulides & Lida P. Kyrgidou & Dayananda Palihawadana, 2017. "Erratum to: Internal Drivers and Performance Consequences of Small Firm Green Business Strategy: The Moderating Role of External Forces," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 607-607, February.
    26. Norbert Haydam & Theodor Purcarea & Tudor Edu & Iliuta Costel Negricea, 2017. "Explaining Satisfaction at a Foreign Tourism Destination – an Intra-Generational Approach. Evidence within Generation Y from South Africa and Romania," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(45), pages 528-528, May.
    27. Paul Shrivastava, 1995. "Environmental technologies and competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(S1), pages 183-200.
    28. Ching-Hsun Chang, 2011. "The Influence of Corporate Environmental Ethics on Competitive Advantage: The Mediation Role of Green Innovation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 361-370, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David Schüller & Karel Doubravský, 2019. "Fuzzy Similarity Used by Micro-Enterprises in Marketing Communication for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Jeong-Eun Park & Eungoo Kang, 2022. "The Mediating Role of Eco-Friendly Artwork for Urban Hotels to Attract Environmental Educated Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Rodney Duffett & Myles Wakeham, 2022. "Modeling a New Supplier Preference Paradigm: A Business-to-Business and African Developing Economy Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-27, December.
    4. Beata Zatwarnicka-Madura & Robert Nowacki & Iwona Wojciechowska, 2022. "Influencer Marketing as a Tool in Modern Communication—Possibilities of Use in Green Energy Promotion amongst Poland’s Generation Z," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.
    5. Yang Chen & Aleksy Kwilinski & Olena Chygryn & Oleksii Lyulyov & Tetyana Pimonenko, 2021. "The Green Competitiveness of Enterprises: Justifying the Quality Criteria of Digital Marketing Communication Channels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Alin Stancu & Alina Filip & Mihai Ioan Roșca & Daniela Ioniță & Raluca Căplescu & Andrei Cânda & Laura Daniela Roșca, 2020. "Value Creation Attributes—Clustering Strategic Options for Romanian SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Talent Moyo & Rodney Duffett & Brendon Knott, 2022. "An Analysis of Cause-Related and Social Marketing Strategies in the South African Sport Management Industry," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, June.
    8. Petrus Venter & Rodney Duffett, 2022. "A Framework for a Generic Retail Charter: A Guide towards Sustainability and Stakeholder Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-29, November.
    9. Eijaz Ahmed Khan & Pradip Royhan & M. Ashiqur Rahman & Mohammed Mizanur Rahman & Ahmed Mostafa, 2019. "The Impact of Enviropreneurial Orientation on Small Firms’ Business Performance: The Mediation of Green Marketing Mix and Eco-Labeling Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Ayça Kubra Hizarci‐Payne & İlayda İpek & Gülüzar Kurt Gümüş, 2021. "How environmental innovation influences firm performance: A meta‐analytic review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1174-1190, February.
    11. Ana Maria Mihaela Iordache & Alexandru Ionescu & Vlad Gabriel Cârstea & Hanna Chung & Nicoleta Rossela Dumitru & Bogdan Glăvan, 2023. "Scenarios to Improve E-Commerce SMEs Activity Based on Their Classification: A Case Study on Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-19, August.
    12. Skackauskiene Ilona & Vilkaite-Vaitone Neringa, 2019. "Methodological Perspective of Evaluation of Green Marketing Performance," Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 33(1), pages 183-191, January.
    13. Adina-Iuliana Jigani & Camelia Delcea & Corina Ioanăș, 2020. "Consumers’ Behavior in Selective Waste Collection: A Case Study Regarding the Determinants from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-35, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mert Gürlek & Muharrem Tuna, 2018. "Reinforcing competitive advantage through green organizational culture and green innovation," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(7-8), pages 467-491, June.
    2. Faisal Mahmood & Faisal Qadeer & Usman Sattar & Antonio Ariza-Montes & Maria Saleem & Jaffar Aman, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firms’ Financial Performance: A New Insight," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Tariq, Adeel & Badir, Yuosre F. & Tariq, Waqas & Bhutta, Umair Saeed, 2017. "Drivers and consequences of green product and process innovation: A systematic review, conceptual framework, and future outlook," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 8-23.
    4. Elisabeth Albertini, 2019. "The Contribution of Management Control Systems to Environmental Capabilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1163-1180, November.
    5. Elisabeth Albertini, 2019. "The Contribution of Management Control Systems to Environmental Capabilities," Post-Print halshs-02007194, HAL.
    6. Jiawen Chen & Linlin Liu, 2018. "Profiting from Green Innovation: The Moderating Effect of Competitive Strategy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Saeidi, Sayedeh Parastoo & Sofian, Saudah & Saeidi, Parvaneh & Saeidi, Sayyedeh Parisa & Saaeidi, Seyyed Alireza, 2015. "How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 341-350.
    8. Hariyani, Dharmendra & Mishra, Sanjeev & Hariyani, Poonam & Sharma, Milind Kumar, 2023. "Drivers and motives for sustainable manufacturing system," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(1).
    9. Abdullah F. Alnaim & Nadia Abdelhamid Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed & Bahadur Ali Soomro, 2022. "Environmental Challenges and Green Innovation Strategy: A Vigorous Development of Greener Dynamics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, August.
    10. Feng Zhang & Lei Zhu, 2019. "Enhancing corporate sustainable development: Stakeholder pressures, organizational learning, and green innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1012-1026, September.
    11. Na Wang & Jinshan Zhang & Xiue Zhang & Wei Wang, 2022. "How to Improve Green Innovation Performance: A Conditional Process Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, March.
    12. Ying Guo & Lifang Wang, 2022. "Environmental Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance: The Role of Environmental Innovation and Stakeholder Pressure," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440211, February.
    13. Achi, Awele & Adeola, Ogechi & Achi, Francis Chukwuedo, 2022. "CSR and green process innovation as antecedents of micro, small, and medium enterprise performance: Moderating role of perceived environmental volatility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 771-781.
    14. Wenhao Song & Hongyan Yu, 2018. "Green Innovation Strategy and Green Innovation: The Roles of Green Creativity and Green Organizational Identity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(2), pages 135-150, March.
    15. Meini Han & Han Lin & Jiangyan Wang & Yunzhen Wang & Wan Jiang, 2019. "Turning corporate environmental ethics into firm performance: The role of green marketing programs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 929-938, September.
    16. Han Lin & Lu Chen & Ming Yuan & Mingchuan Yu & Ye Mao & Fuwen Tao, 2021. "The eco‐friendly side of narcissism: The case of green marketing," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1111-1122, November.
    17. Chotia, Varun & Cheng, Yue & Agarwal, Reeti & Vishnoi, Sushant Kumar, 2024. "AI-enabled Green Business Strategy: Path to carbon neutrality via environmental performance and green process innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    18. Mohammad Wasiq & Mustafa Kamal & Nazim Ali, 2023. "Factors Influencing Green Innovation Adoption and Its Impact on the Sustainability Performance of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Thi Thu Hien Phan & Hiep Xuan Tran & Trung Thanh Le & Ninh Nguyen & Simon Pervan & Manh Dung Tran, 2020. "The Relationship between Sustainable Development Practices and Financial Performance: A Case Study of Textile Firms in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-20, July.
    20. Yuan Wu & Jin Zhang & Shoulin Liu & Lianrui Ma, 2022. "Does Government-Led Publicity Enhance Corporate Green Behavior? Empirical Evidence from Green Xuanguan in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-32, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3764-:d:176642. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.