CONSUMER GREEN BEHAVIOUR IN GHANAIAN SOFT DRINK INDUSTRY: A STUDY AMONG COCA-COLA CONSUMERS

BY

SEFEWU EMMANUEL SELORM

(4131330021)

A PROJECT REPORT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES EDUCATION, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA IN

PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MARKETING STUDIES

MAY 2016

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of consumer green behaviour on

purchasing Coca Cola products in Ghana. The study was guided by two objectives; to find

out the factors that will contribute to consumer green behaviour and to identify demographic

profile of Coca Cola consumers. A qualitative method and online question delivery system

was adopted. This research however, focused on all undergraduate students of University of

Winneba, Kumasi-Campus. Due to problems posed by online questionnaires such as

cooperation problems and incomplete filling of questionnaires only 90 valid questionnaires

forms the basis of this research. The research revealed that the key factors that are likely to

influence consumer’s green behaviour are pro-environmental behaviour, environmental

knowledge, environmental attitude, and their purchasing power. The findings also revealed

that Coca-Cola consumers are youth with females dominating its consumption. These are

individuals who have positive association with the brand and have consumed Coca-Cola for

more than ten years. The research concluded that respondents are willing to pay more in

buying green products that promotes good health, environmentally friendly and promotes

organizational ethical behaviour. When people become more environment friendly and more

conscious about what they consume and how they live to protect the environment or at least

to damage it less, going green and adopting green marketing strategies are more important for

companies to get competitive advantage and to meet these new demands of consumers. In

order to apply green marketing strategies correctly in the organization, firms need to

understand people’s green purchasing behaviours and reasons behind them.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGE

Table of Contents vii

List of Tables x

List of Figures xi

List of Abbreviations xii

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 3

1.3 Objectives of the Study 4

1.4 Research Questions 4

1.5 Significance of the Study 4

1.6 Delimitation of the Research 5

1.7 Limitations of Study 5

1.8 Organization of the Study 6

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction 7

2.1 Theoretical Review 7

2.1.1 Definition and Concepts of Green Marketing 7

2.1.2 Definition of Green Consumer Behavior 8

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2.1.3 Strategy for Green Marketing 9

2.2 Factors Influencing Green Marketing 9

2.2.1 Pro-Environmental behaviour 9

2.2.2 Environmental Knowledge 10

2.2.3 Environmental Attitude 11

2.2.4 Social Influence 11

2.2.5 Eco-labels 12

2.2.6 Purchasing Power and Income 12

2.3 Empirical Review 13

2.4 Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) 14

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

3.0 Introduction 17

3.1 Research Design 17

3.2 Population 18

3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique 18

3.4 Data Collection 18

3.5 Data Gathering Instruments 19

3.6 The Questionnaire 19

3.7 Data Collection Procedure 20

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CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS

4.0 Introduction 22

4.1 Demographic Profile of Coca-Cola Consumers 22

4.2 Key Factors Influencing Green Purchase Behaviour 24

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary of Findings 28

5.2 Conclusion 29

5.3 Recommendations 30

REFERENCES 31

APPENDIX 37

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Coca-Cola Consumers 23

Table 2: Key Factors Influencing Green Purchase Behaviour 25

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE PAGE

Figure 1: Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) 15

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AMA American Marketing Association

TPB Theory of Planned Behaviour

PBC Perceived Behavioural Control

6

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY

1.0 Introduction

This chapter seeks to provide a general view of the research and it’s important by introducing

the background of the study, statement of the problem, research question and objective of the

study, significance of the study, limitation of the study and the organization of the study.

1.1Background

The hypothetical nature of the marketing environment has given rise to companies finding

and developing more competitive ways of providing superior services to their clientele. Over

the years, marketing practitioners and research has transcended from production concepts into

products, selling concepts, marketing concepts into societal marketing. In today’s business,

companies are becoming more and more committed to environmental issues due to tougher

environmental legislation, economic and other influences as well as an increasing concern

about the environment among the general public (Ina Landua, 2008).As society becomes

more concerned with the natural environment, business has begun to modify their behavior in

attempt to address society concerns. Some businesses have been quick to accept concepts like

environmental management system and waste minimization, and have integrated issues into

all organizational activities. Green marketing, in general, is the promotion of different types

of goods and services that are considered to be environmentally harmless and promotes good

health. These products, are generally designed using natural or recycled resources, and are

said to have little to zero negative effect on the ecosystem of the planet. Goods that meet

these criteria are often referred to as biodegradable. In addition, eco-brands, eco-labels, and

environmental advertisements are added green marketing gears that will allow the easier

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perception and awareness of green products features and attributes that will consequently

guide buyers to products that are environmentally friendly. Innumerable businesses that

promotes their products as green has continually grew (Mansvelt, 2011).

Unfortunately, majority of people believe that green marketing refers solely to the promotion

or advertising of product with environmental characteristics, terms like phosphate free,

recyclable, refillable, ozone friendly, and environmental friendly are sum of the things

consumers most often associate with green marketing. It is evident from extant literature that

eco-friendly category of consumers is a segment which is evolving at a good pace but one

remarkable point emphasizing the behaviour of such class of consumers is that they also vary

significantly in terms of their acceptance of environmentally sustainable products (Datta,

2011). Thus green marketing incorporates abroad rate of activities including product

modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes as well as modifying

advertising.

Ghana has however seen few emerging companies managing their product and operations to

protect the environment from proliferation such as, ‘pure-water’ sachets, rubber bags, bottles

and canned containers. Albeit, government interventions and continuous effort to provide a

safe environment to its citizens the amount of environmental pollution is at increasing rate.

This document however seeks to explore relevant determinants of green products and

consumers purchasing intentions.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

Over the past few years, the demand for green products has been growing significantly due to

the increased interest in the environment. Consumers today are increasingly “thinking green”

and are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. The increasing numbers of

consumers who prefer and are willing to buy these products are subjected to the buying

process. Consumers have different buying behaviors and these behaviors are constantly

changing as a result of the availability of best alternatives to choose from. An emerging trend

in the soft drink industry and its implications on health is redefining consumer taste and

preferences (Puravankara 2007). Though many organizations have focused attention in

tailoring their resources to design innovative products, the demand for environmentally

sustained products is at increasing rate (Ottman, 2007). Focusing on these needs requires both

organizations’ internal and external resources (Teeceet al, 1997; Gregory Ludwig and Jon

Pemberton, 2011). Consumers today are increasingly becoming health concern due to the

danger posed by carbonates and juice (Euromonitor, 2014). Sports and energy drinks are

increasing in volume and value growth due to increasing health awareness going to the gym

and jogging trend (ibid).

Many researchers have contributed to understand key factors that contributes to consumer

green behavior such as Sarumathi 2014; Uchema and Ndubisi, 2013, Mei, Ling and Piew,

2012; Tobler 2011) whilst a number of Researchers have also identified factors as influencing

this process such as; environmental knowledge, perceived product price and quality,

company’s environmental reputation, environmental concerns and credibility of

environmental advertising (Mostafa, 2006; D’Souza et al., 2007; Schwepker and Cornwell,

1991; Phau and Ong, 2007; and Thøgersen J, 2000). Green marketing however, when done

truthfully, can give a company a significant competitive edge (Schubert, 2008). It has become

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prevalent to know the factors that create customers desire to purchase a product. However,

this research seeks to contribute knowledge on existing literature to explore the extent of

consumer green behavior towards the purchase of Coca Cola drinks.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to examine the impact of consumer green behavior on

purchasing Coca Cola products in Ghana.

The specific objectives of the study are;

1. To find out the factors that will contribute to consumer green behavior

2. To find out demographic characteristics of Coca-Cola consumers

1.4 Research Questions:

1. What factors will affect consumers’ buying behavior for green product?

2. How will demographic profile of Coca Cola consumers be described?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study is immensely significant in diverse ways to business/marketing practitioners,

policy makers and stakeholders. To the management of Coca Cola Ghana, the findings and

results will provide a more reliable scientific measure and perspective for describing and

evaluating the overall future changes in consumer taste and preference towards Cola Product.

To policy makers like government agencies such as the Ministry of local government and

rural development, the finding and results of this study will provide invaluable insights and a

more reliable guide to monitoring the intentions of consumer greener’s towards purchasing

environmentally friendly products.

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To stakeholders like investors, shareholders, employees, pressure groups, consumer

associations, among others, the study will provide invaluable information that will allow

them to provide useful suggestions to the improvement and manufacturing of

environmentally friendly products. The study will also provide an empirical data for future

researchers and students working on similar case.

1.6 Delimitation of the Research

This research concentrated on the consumer point of view only as it is often the case in

previous studies about green attitudes and purchase behaviors. This report will not focus on

durable goods because the decision making process is more complex and the purchase is not

so frequent. It however concentrated on consumable goods as it is mostly the major cause of

Ghanaian environmental pollutions. Concerning the data collection, the research approach

focused on online questionnaire delivered to respondents in the University of Education

Winneba, Kumasi campus comprising degree students only.

1.7 Limitations of Study

The sample adopted for the study was convenience and unscientific. This was due to

challenges posed by online questionnaire method adopted for this survey which include

incompletion of questionnaire and cooperation problem. This however affected the sample

used for this research out of estimated sample of 250 respondents only. This study is not

limited to any specific industry. It considers green marketing as a global phenomenon. It does

not examine or question actions done behind marketing. Purpose of this variation is to bring

as diverse perspective of green marketing as possible. The study was expected to have high

cost implication. This cost went into transportation to and from research site, cost of material

such as electronic data among others. All these were expected to affect the study in one way

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or the other.However, this did not affect the study much as raw data collected will be used

most. The time available to do the research was limited; hence this in a way has negative

impact on the research.

1.8: Organization of the Study

The study is in five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the background of the study, statement of

the problem, research question and objective of the study, significance of the study,

delimitations and limitations and the organization of the study. Chapter 2, presents a

summary of the existing theoretical and empirical literature. Chapter 3 deliberates on the

methodology used for the study. Chapter 4 presents the empirical results obtained during the

study and lastly, chapter 5 is devoted to the summary of the various findings of the study and

their implications. It also highlights the limitations of the study and makes recommendations

for future research.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

This chapter seeks to explore relevant literatures in understanding consumer green behavior

with their purchasing intentions considering both theoretical and empirical view of the topic.

It however considers articles and journals written on green marketing in understanding the

concept.

2.1: Theoretical Review

2.1.1Definition and Concepts of Green Marketing

Sarumathi (2014) states that the term green marketing started to be considerable topic in the

early 1990s and in the Europe some products were defined as environmentally hazardous and

thus, new products which are harming the environment less had gained a seat as ‘green’ in

the business world.Polonsky (1994) also stated that societieshavestarted to become more

aware of importance of protecting the natural environment and now companies are looking

for a way to comply with these new concerns of societies. Mohajan (2012) argues that

increasing the awareness in the global climate changes possess a pressure to behave green

and thus, companies need to have green marketing programs in order to give response to this

demand. AMA (2009); defines green marketing as “the marketing of products that are

presumed to be environmentally safe and the efforts by organizations to produce, promote,

package, and reclaim products in a manner that is sensitive or responsive to ecological

concerns.”

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Although green marketing is getting so important to companies and new area that they need

to work on it, it can also be seen that green marketing has faced few problems. One of these

problems is that the rate of true green campaigns is only five per cent. This is because of the

fact that the essential control system and standardization cannot be provided

yet,accordingtoMohanasundaram (2012); “the firms using green marketing must ensure that

their activities are not misleading to consumers or industry, and do not breach any of the

regulations or laws dealing with environmental marketing. Also it is seen as a problem by

Shukla and Gupta (2012) that although consumers know the importance of green products

and want to associate with them, it is known that there are many people who have confusion

about those products and distrust regarding credibility of green products.

2.1.2Definition of Green Consumer Behavior

Lao (2014) defined green consumer as “consumers’ endeavor to protect eco environment

during purchase, use and disposal and minimize the negative effects exerted on the

environment.” This concept also can be defined as “to be one who avoids any product which

may cause damage to any living organism, cause deterioration of the environment during

process of manufacturing or during process of usage, consume a large amount of

nonrenewable energy, involves unethical testing on animals or human subjects.”(Elkington,

1994).Meanwhile, according to Vazifehdoustaet al (2013) green purchasing refers to

“theaffirmative selection and acquisition of products and services that

most effectively minimize negative environmental impacts over their life

cycle of manufacturing, transportation,use and recycling ordisposal.” They

also reported in their article that green purchasing is to

considerenvironmental issues and take care of it when deciding buying a

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product. Thus, green purchasing behavior is “the act of consuming

products that are conservable, beneficial for the environment, and

responding to environmental concern (Lee 2009; Sarumathi 2014).

2.1.3 Strategy for Green Marketing

While societies are becoming more conscious towards green purchasing,

building green marketing strategies are more significant for the

companies. According to Ottman (2011), firms need to go green because

of the fact that increasing consumer demand for greenness possesses

opportunities. She reported (2011) that these opportunities are higher

profit, new sources for innovation, enhancing brand image and supporting

the morale of employees.Meanwhile, “in developed countries, being‐green is

a strategy for organization to be successful in gaining market share,

expanding market size and extending to international green marketing

(Bing et al, 2011). Mohanasundaram (2012) indicated that to build green

marketing strategies, firms firstly need to have information about its

customer and make sure that if their customers do not have enough

knowledge about the issues their product attempts to address, secondly

companies need to educate about what they do to damage less the

environment and why it matters. And then, firms’ activities need to be

consistent. If they’re acting environmentally friendly, this needs to be

applied to whole organization and to be totally transparent.

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2.2 Factors Influencing Green Marketing

2.2.1 Pro-Environmental behaviour

According to Sivek& Hungerford (1989), “pro-environmental behavior is the action of an

individual or group that advocates the sustainable or diminished use of natural resources”.

Even though, many theorists have admitted that it is very difficult to measure the actual

behavior of an individual, (Fishbein&Ajzen, 1975) theory of reason action argued that the

best predictor of behavior is the intention to perform the behavior. According to them, apart

from the individual’s subjective norms and beliefs which are likely to influence their pro-

environmental behavior other external factors play a vital role which include: attitude of the

individual towards the environment in general, his previous experience with the place and the

attachment that is developed from these experiences and the satisfaction with the

environmental quality of a particular place. This implies that individuals who behave pro-

environmentally or have the intention to do so one way or the other are likely to exhibits pro-

environmental actions.

2.2.2 Environmental Knowledge

The term ecological literacy suggests knowledge about the general environment. That is,

environmental knowledge is defined as the state of an individual’s knowledge about an issue

impacts significantly upon his or her decision making process (Nik Abdul Rashid, 2009).

According to Cheah and Phau (2011), environmental knowledge evolves in two forms: one is

that consumers have to be educated to understand the general impact of product on the

environment and other is consumer knowledge of the product itself being produced in an eco-

friendly way (D’Souza et al., 2006). Even though an individual has increased the level of

literacy on environmentally products does not automatically result in purchasing of green

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products but where consumer have a favourable or fair knowledge about the environmental

product they are more likely to adopt green products.

2.2.3 Environmental Attitude

Nik Abdul Rashid (2009) defined environmental attitude as “a learned predisposition to

respond consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to the environment”.

According to Lee, 2008, environmental attitude is as the individuals’ value judgment of

environmental protection which taps on the individuals’ cognitive assessment of the value of

the environmental protection. Attitude, as opposed to knowledge and behavior, is the most

significant predictor of consumers’ willingness to pay more for ecologically favorable

products (Laroche et. al., 2001). A study from Mostafa (2007) tested the issue of green

purchase intention among Egyptian consumers and the result shows that consumers’ attitude

towards green purchase can influence their green purchase intention and directly affects their

actual green purchase behavior. Moreover, the survey conducted by Laroche, Bergeron and

Barbaro-Forleo (2001) strongly showed that pro-environmental attitude is positively related

to consumer willingness to buy for a product that guarantees environmental and health safety.

2.2.4 Social Influence

The behavior of consumers is highly influenced by social factors, such as the consumer’s

small groups, groups, family and social roles and status (Kotler& Armstrong (2006, p13).

Deutsch and Gerard (1955) assert that social influence is a state where someone adapts to the

expectations of another and/or accept information obtained from another as evidence about

realism. Lee (2008) discovered that social influence was the top indicator for Hong Kong’s

young consumers purchasing behavior. In addition, Kalafatis, et al. (1999) also argued that

social influence was most influential force underpinning the UK respondent’s purchasing

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intention towards green products. This assertion was further expounded that Beardern et al.,

(1989) cited byCheah and Phau, (2011), that individual’s behavior is a critical determinant of

influencing others behavior. Social or personal influence avails its self in the form of word of

mouth, modeling, advising, social persuasion, family groups, environmental communities,

powerful bodies in the society and so on, through these individuals either a positive or

negative impression can be generated therefore it is important to green manufactures and

organizations and powerful roles in the society to understand and share the effect/benefits of

using green products.

2.2.5 Eco-labels

Rotherham (1999) defined eco-label as synonymous descriptors that refer to information on a

product that provide about the environmental impacts associated with the production or use

of the product. The environmental labels are progressively being used by marketers to

promote the identity of green products (D’Souza et. al., 2006). Nik Abdul Rashid’s (2009)

study showed that awareness of eco-label has a positive effect between knowledge of green

product and consumer’s intention to purchase. Adding that eco-labels were attractive

instruments informing consumers about the environmental impact of their purchasing

decisions. However, studies conducted by (Leire&Thidell, 2005) indicate that although the

functions of labels were recognized by some consumers but this does not automatically cause

them to green purchasing decisions.

2.2.6 Purchasing Power and Income

According to Kotler and Armstrong (1993,p5.) people have almost unlimited want but limited

resource. Thus, when these wants are backed by buying power, then want become demand. It

therefore suggests that the willingness of consumers to buy green product is tied to their

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purchasing power and for that matter, their income level. Straughan and Roberts (1999),

Income is generally thought to be positively related to environmental sensitivity. Income is

one of the variables that have been evaluated in the past investigations. The most common

justification for this belief is that individuals can, at higher income levels, bear the marginal

increase in costs associated with supporting green causes and favoring green product

offerings.

2.3: Empirical Review

Sarumathi (2014) indicated that consumers who feel man must live in balance with nature

choose products that create less pollution, make efforts to recycle, limit their use of products

made from scarce resources, and, in general, attempt to make ecologically correct decisions

about the products they buy. These behaviors do not suggest the consumer is not using a

product all together, but instead is choosing products and activities that will have less

impact on the environment. This is consistent with the desire to preserve the balance of nature

and fear for the results of not remaining in balance captured in the factor. The findings also

showed that marketers who want to sell products made (wholly or partially) from recycled

materials are advised to stress that, as responsible consumers or citizens. Approach in this

study said that it could also succeed fully implemented by selling products that can be refilled

reused, or require a returnable deposit for the container.

Findings in study of Eze and Ndubisi (2013) pointed out that green marketing would benefit

marketers as they provide some insights into the motives of green consumers, characteristics

of markets for green products, and current market trends for green products, and said that

marketers can perpetuate the importance of green behavior by conveying social norms and by

increasing the use of societal pressure to shape attitude and behavior towards green products

favorably.In their researches stated that understanding what will motivate consumers to

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increase their involvement in pro-environmental decisions is important for marketers in

designing effective communication, whether it be through messages that draw on self-

interest, concern for others, or the intrinsic value for the environment; and whether those

messages are structured using rational cognitive arguments, emotional cues or a combination

of the two.

According to Bing et al (2011), consumers’ concerns about food safety significantly

influence their attitude towards green labeled food and buying behaviors. Also, consumers’

concerns about food safety are positively associated with green label. Their study also

indicate that consumers will keep a vigilant eye on food safety issue resulted from a series of

food security crisis, they tend to purchase food products with green label in order to reduce

health risks and environment deterioration. Their finds showed that price and quality

positively affect consumers’ attitude towards green-labeled food in terms of taste, nutrition

level, and reduction of health risk, which obviously indicated that quality becomes a main

concern of consumers.

2.4: Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991)

The theory of reasoned action propounded by Ajzen and Fishbein (1975, 1980) paved the

path for the theory of planned behaviour by Ajzen (1991). The theory of Planned Behaviour

(TPB) has been used in this study for examining the purchasing behaviour towards

environmentally sustainable products. The theory of planned behaviour enables us with a

complete framework for exploring the factors which influence the decision to engage in

behaviour related to environmental issues such as recycling (Boldero, 1995; Chan, 1998) and

the same can be applied in systematically understanding different factors affecting the

purchase behaviour for environmentally sustainable products.TPB includes a third variable

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known as Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) which indicates the ability of a person to

undertake the behaviour under consideration under the assumption that individual behaves in

a rational manner considering the ramification of his or her actions (Ramayah, Lee & Lim,

2012).

Figure 1: Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991)

Considering the environmental behaviour of an individual, there are many contextual factors

which affect the motivation of the individuals to engage in such behaviour (Stern, 1999;

Thogersen, 2005). An individual aspiring to engage in recycling, for example, needs

availability of recycling facility and similarly an individual intending to reduce pollution due

to abundance of cars on road needs a good quality public transport as a replacement so that he

or she could adopt and display his or her behaviour in line with the awareness towards the

environment (Santos, 2008; Van Diepen&Voogd, 2001). The fact remains that the severity of

the constraints in many cases may outweigh the motivation to bring about environmental

changes (Corraliza&Berenguer, 2000). This highlights the importance of considering factors

related to perceived behavioral control such as control on availability and perceived

consumer effectiveness in addition to intra-personal variables such as attitude and subjective

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norm (Steg&Vlek, 2009). There are many ways in which contextual factors may affect the

intention and behaviour. These may affect the behaviour directly apart from affecting it in

conjunction with attitude and subjective norm.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter treats the methodology that was adopted for the entire study. It consists of

research design, research population, sample and sampling techniques, data collection

instruments, administration of the instrument, validity and reliability of the research

instrument, method of data analysis and the problems that was encountered on the field in the

course of this study.

3.1 Research Design

A research design is a framework for conducting marketing research (Malhotra, 1996). A

good research design will ensure that the information collected will be consistent with the

purpose of the study and that the procedures regarding data collection is accurate and

efficient (Kinnear & Taylor, 1996). A quantitative approach and survey was adopted for the

study. Data collection was conducted through a survey questionnaire comprising closed

ended questions. The questions were comprehensive and constructed or designed easily for

respondents to understand and respond. Quantitative method was chosen to make it easy for

conversion of information obtained into statistical models for general analyses to be made

and the research questions to be answered base on the statistical models. The use of online

questionnaire was adopted since the research is based on social issues and meeting

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respondents face to face will be a problem. This was particularly chosen to make the data

collection streamlined as well as to reduce costs of printing and collection of data and makes

it more convenient for participants to take the survey online in their respectful homes.

3.2 Population

The target population for the purpose of this study consisted of Coca Cola consumers in the

University of Education, Kumasi campus Ghana as they represent cross section of the

domestic users of Coca Cola drinks. With a current student population of about 3,512

representing Post-Graduate students, Bachelor’s Degrees, Sub-Degrees and Diploma

students. The research will be based only on Bachelor Degree students since they represent

the only population presents at the time the study conducted. However, this research

considers the target population because of their diverse ethnicity and regional background

which if very useful in this survey to determine their green marketing behavior.

3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique

A simple random sampling method was used. This was to ensure that every member of the

population had equal chance of being part of the sample, and also according to Zikmund

(2000) it is difficult to determine the size of the sample, and in order to make the right

decision different factors must be considered. The study however considered 100

undergraduate students as a sample for this study, due to cost difficulties in response to

questionnaires.

3.4 Data Collection

Data can be classified as either primary or secondary in nature. Secondary data essentially

includes information found within books, journal articles, websites and catalogues and which

provides information which may have been collected for other purposes (Ghauri&Grønhaug,

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2005). Primary data on the other hand is gathered in the event that secondary data is not

available to answer a specific research problem the researcher seeks to solve.This form of

data can be gathered in numerous ways such as through observations, experiments, surveys,

and interviews, depending on the research design/approach adopted for the study

(Ghauri&Grønhaug, 2005).

3.5 Data Gathering Instruments

A self-administered, structured questionnaire was developed. According to Kumekpor

(2002), self-administered questionnaire is less expensive than sending interviewers to the

field, especially when respondents are scattered over a wide area. Also, no interviewer

controls the sequence of questions. This allows respondents to skip some questions and come

back to them later. In addition, the respondent has ample time to reflect over questions before

filling in his/her answers. The advantages of self-administered questionnaire stated are the

reasons for the selection of the method for collection of the quantitative data.

3.6 The Questionnaire

A self-administered, structured questionnaire was developed, pre-tested to a sample of thirty

(25) respondents and after adjustments were made to get more effective instrument, it was

finally administered to the target population through personal contact by researchers for three

(3) days. Again, respondents were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement to

statements about their purchase behaviour on green marketing. Their responses were based

on a likert-scale as adopted by previous research; Ooi Jen Mei1, KwekChoon Ling1 & Tan

Hoi Piew (2012); &Uchenna Cyril Eze and Nelson OlyNdubisi (2013). The researcher was

guided by the conceptual model in this report to design relevant questions in response to

stated indicators as factors influencing green behavior.

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Each respondent was given a questionnaire consisting of a set of twenty-five (25) questions

that were useful to the researchers stated objectives. The first part of the questionnaire

indicates three (4) questions on respondents’ profile, which was designed to collect

information regarding the respondents’ gender, age and years of Coca-Cola purchase. The

second part consist of 16 questions on various factors that are likely to influence green

behaviour; consumer green behavior, environmental knowledge, environmental attitude, peer

influence, pro-environmental behavior, eco-labels, intentions to purchase green

environmental friendly products and ability to pay more.

3.7 Data Collection Procedure

Sources of the data were both secondary and primary sources. The secondary source of the

data was literature from any credible source that was relevant to the study objectives. This

included published books, working papers, articles from journals and others. A self-

administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents as

recommended for a large survey (Saunders et al 2000; Cooper & Schindler 2006; Malhotra&

Birks 2007). The questions sought respondents’ feelings about overall green purchasing

intentions.

The questionnaire was structured in such way to extract the desired data to be tested. The first

section of the questionnaire consisted of a total of three questions which mainly sought to

discover the respondents’ bio data or demographic profile. The second section also consisted

of a total of 16 questions aimed to test conceptual models in the literature review.The items

of the questionnaire in this study were adopted from different sources in existing literature. In

the questionnaire, respondents were asked to state the extent to which they agree or disagree

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with questions pertaining to the following variables (1) consumer green behavior (2)

environmental knowledge (3) environmental attitude (4) social influence (5) pro-

environmental behavior (6) eco-label (7) intention to purchase green products (8) purchasing

power. Their response agreement was scaled from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree.

The online responds were then screened and evaluated to check for mistakes such as

inconsistency, incompleteness, or missing data, which may have affected the analysis. Out of

the 100 responses received only 90 responses were useful and served as a sample for this

research.Also, the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and were subjected to some

analysis techniques such as descriptive statistics and frequencies.

27

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS

4.0 Introduction

The main purpose of this research is to explore consumer green behavior in the Ghanaian soft

drink industry with a study among Student’s in University of Education Winneba, Kumasi-

Campus. This chapter deals with empirical evidence from the stated questions raised from the

research questions comprising what factors will affect consumers’ buying behavior for green

product and how will demographic profile of Coca Cola consumers be described.

4.1 Demographic Profile of Coca-Cola Consumers

The survey seeks to identify demographic profile of Coca-Cola to determine their influence

on green products as depicted in table 1 below. The study revealed that respondents between

the age group of 46-55years and 56+years are less sensitive to Coca-Cola and more focus on

products that promotes good health and environmentally friendly. Whilst majority of Coca-

Cola consumers are females, Coca-Cola is enjoyed by individuals below 25years to 46-

45years.Out of a total of 100 samples considered only 90 questionnaires were valid indicating

43.3% males as against 56.7% females respectively. This was due to incomplete filling of

questionnaires.

28

Table 1 DemographicCharacteristics of Coca-Cola Consumers

Item Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender

Male 3943.3

Female 5156.7

Age distribution of respondents

Below 25years 6471.1

25-35years 22 24.1

36-45years 44.4

46-55years

56+.years

Years of Coca Cola purchase of respondents

Less than a year 1213.3

1-5years 55.6

5-10years 22 24.4

10years+ 5156.7

Source: Field Survey 2016

The table above demonstrates demographic profile of respondents indicating their gender, age

category and years of contact with Coca-Cola drinks. The table also shows that none of the

respondents falls in the age category of 46-55 and 56+. In terms of consumption of Coca Cola

products, most of the respondents are between 25-35years and below 25 years indicating

24.1% against 71.1% respectively. The results also indicate that consumers in the age

category of 46-55 & 56+ are more focused on their health and less sensitive to carbonated

drinks. However, 4.4% of respondents are one-time consumers and falls in age category of

36-45 years.

The research also sorts to determine customers’ relationship with Coca-Cola brand. Out of 90

valid responses 94.4% of the population represents loyal consumer of Coca Cola products.

Their purchasing behaviour on green products may be expressed in terms of innovation and

29

environmental greenness of the product. However, 5.6% of the population represents Coca-

Cola’s niche market or one time consumers.

4.2 Key Factors Influencing Green Purchase Behaviour.

This section seeks to test key factors that are likely to influence customers purchasing

behaviour for green product as indicated in the literature. This indicator however has been

grouped under construct with their respective frequency. Respondents however are to express

their views on a likert-scale from 1-5 to determine how they agree or disagrees with exposed

questions. Table 2 below is a summary of respondents’ assessment on pro-environmental

behaviour, environmental knowledge, environmental attitude, social influence, eco-label,

intention to purchase green products and their purchasing power. Three questions where

developed as C1depicts. The result indicates that 55% of the population have good attitude

towards buying soft drinks that are not harmful to the environment. Whilst 33.3% neither

agree nor disagrees, 55.2% agree they buy soft drinks whose package provides opportunity

for reuse. However 61.1% of the respondent will consider where a product will truly meet

their satisfaction as the soft drink promises. Meanwhile, 27.8% are unable to tell if they care

so much about satisfaction. Customers view on the environment from C2 indicates that 74.4

of the respondents strongly agreed protecting the environment it’s important for human life.

Meanwhile 24.4% of the respondents believe that most health problem is

associated with consumption of coca cola products. 30% of the

respondents however agree consumption of coca cola products causes

environmental pollution. The results testify that few of the respondents

are aware of their action towards the environment representing 3.3% who

strongly agree protecting the environment is important for human life.

30

Table 2. Key Factors Influencing Green Purchase BehaviourConstruct Percentage

SD D N A SA TotalC1. Pro-environmental Green behaviorI prefer buying soft drinks that are not harmful to the environment

2.2 2.3 33.3 37.8 23.3 100

I usually buy soft drinks whose package provides opportunity for reuse

3.3 5.6 38.9 30 22.2 100

When buying a product, I consider whether the product will be able to truly meet my needs according to what the soft drink promises consumers

1.1 10 27.8 31.1 30 100

C2. Environment Knowledge

Protecting the environment is important for human lifeMost human health problems are associated with the consumption of Coca Cola drinksPractically most of the pollution in the environment is caused by production and consumption of Coca ColaC3. Environmental attitudeI have negative attitude towards purchasing soft drinks that pollutes and destroys the environmentI consider it a wise decision to buy Coca-Cola because they are environmentally friendlyI believe protecting the environment is a good behaviourC4. Social influenceIn deciding about purchasing soft drinks that are environmental friendly, I usually ask friends view of the productMy friends and love ones encourages me to buy Coca Cola because they are environmentally friendlyC5. Eco-labelsWhen buying product, I look for product labels that indicate that the product is certified as environmentally friendly or goodFor most soft drinks, I usually examine the labels to find out whether it is harmful to human lifeC6. Intention to purchase green productsI will consider buying soft drinks that are less pollutingOver the next few months, I will consider switching to other brands because of environmental reasonsC7. Respondents Purchasing Power and IncomeIt is acceptable to pay 10% more of goods that are produced, processed and packaged in an environmentally friendly way

3.3

5.6

12.2

11.1

11.1

2.2

15.6

11.1

3.3

6.7

2.2

8.9

5.6

23.3

23.3

27.8

24.4

1.1

38.9

22.2

15.6

18.9

7.8

11.1

6.7

2.2

23.3

23.3

40

34.3

8.9

32.2

26.7

35.6

24.4

25.6

34.4

27.8

20

24.4

30

14.4

22.2

25.6

7.8

36.7

31.1

32.2

44.4

33.3

36.7

74.4

23.3

11.1

56

7.8

62.2

5.6

3.3

14.4

17.8

20

12.2

36.7

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Key abbreviation and meaning:SA; Strongly Disagree, D; Disagree, N; Neutral, A; Agree and SA; Strongly

31

The result also indicates that 62.2% of respondents see it a good decision in protecting the

environment they live in. Albeit 40% have negative attitude towards purchasing soft drinks

that pollutes and destroys the environment, 34.3% either disagree or agree to buy Coca Cola

because they are environmentally friendly as against 22.2% who responded positively.

Hence we can testify to the hypothesis that, consumers are becoming aware of complication

possess by carbonated drinks hence a need to have a positive knowledge about

environmentally sustainable products. The research also seeks to find out whether peer

influence will determine consumer green purchase behaviour. As depicted in table 2, two

questions were developed. First, whether customers seek their friends view in buying soft

drinks that are environmentally friendly and whether their friends encourage them to buy

Coca Cola because they are environmentally friendly. The result indicates that few of the

respondents ask friends about a product before buying representing 5.6% & 7.8% of the

population who strongly agree and agree respectively. However, we can deduce that social

influence is not considered in consumer’s green purchase behaviour. Meanwhile, 36.7% of

the respondents buy Coca Cola because their friends and love ones encourages them because

they are environmentally friendly.

The research also seeks to find out the relationship between people’s literacy on eco-labels in

their purchase behaviour. Results indicate that most respondents consider product labels to

determine product contents and its health benefits representing 45.5% of respondents who

agrees. Whilst 35.6% either disagree or agree in looking out for certified environmental

friendly products, 50% of the respondents considers eco-label of soft drinks to know

whetherit’s safe for human health. The finding also attests to a study by Puravankara, (2007).

64.4% of respondents will consider buying soft drinks that are less polluting and deciding

whether to remain loyal to Coca Cola products 45.5% agrees switching to other brand in

32

search of variety since most health product of Coca-Cola is sold in developed

country.Finally, the research concluded that 60% of respondents are willing to purchase

products that are produced, processed and packaged in an environmentally friendly way.

While 27.3% has not made their decision to pay 10% more for such product, 11% of the

respondents disagreed.

33

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The main purpose of this research is to explore consumer green behavior in the Ghanaian soft

drink industry with a study among Coca-Cola consumers. The study however focused on

University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi-Campus as a target population. This chapter is

made up of the summary of the main findings, conclusion and recommendations.

5.1 Summary of Findings

The main purpose of this research is to determine consumer green behaviour in Ghanaian soft

drink industry. This was to determine how consumer greener’s can help in producing healthy

products that are safe for human consumption and environmentally friendly. This research

however was guided by two objectives. Thus, to find out factors that will contribute to

consumer green behaviour and to find out demographic profile of Coca-Colaconsumers.The

study revealed that the most important determinate to influence consumers green buying

behaviour are, pro-environmental behavior, environmental knowledge, environmental

attitude, eco-label and Purchasing power and income. The study also indicates that Coca Cola

consumers understand the need to protect the environment; hence, they are continuously

selecting environmentally friendly products that promote good health. However,respondents

are willing to pay more for products that are produced, processed and packaged in an

environmentally friendly way.

The demographic characteristics of Coca-Cola consumers revealed that the company’s

product is mostly consumed by females. Age distribution of consumers also indicates the

ageing group will not prefer Coca-Cola drinks since their more focused on their health.

34

Meanwhile, Coca Cola consumers are youth dominating a large portion of the population

who are brand loyalist and will choose Coca-Cola irrespective of price. These individuals

have however, been with the company for more than ten years.

5.2 Conclusion

The research concluded that respondents are willing to pay more in buying green marketing

products. The reasons being lack of environmental education and concerns about how an

individual action affects the environment they stay. When people become more environment

friendly and more conscious about what they consume and how they live to protect the

environment or at least to damage it less, going green and adopting green marketing

strategies are more important for companies to get competitive advantage and to meet these

new demands of consumers. In order to apply green marketing strategies correctly in the

organization, firms need to understand people’s green purchasing behaviors and reasons

behind them.Therefore, this report focused on describing factors affecting Coca-Cola’s

consumers green buying behavior and tried to get answers about which factors play an

important role in those behaviors of consumers. It however concludes that the key factors that

likely to influence Students in University of Education Winneba, Kumasi campus are pro-

environmental behaviour, environmental knowledge, environmental attitude, and their

purchasing power.

35

5.3 Recommendations

Other researchers can consider consumer green purchase behaviour as a general phenomenon

among Ghanaian which will give a better understanding of the concept as seen in this

presents research. There is a need to also consider the limitations in the sample sizes.

However, the following recommendation will help Coca-Cola to better serve its customers:

1. According to the study, the percentage of people who believe that Coke is

environmental friendly is are few, therefore the company has to channel it

advertisement to change the perception of its customers on how to dispose its package

after usage.

2. Most respondents have drunk Coke for over ten years which represents a strong

customer brand customer association. However, the company can use its green

marketing strategy to create favourable customer brand equity as a way to attract

people who do not drink Coke or drink for less than a year.

3. It is important for the company to see green marketing and green behavior of

consumers as a way of making profit. Thus, research results showed that respondents

are willing to pay more for products that are environmentally friendly and promotes

good health therefore a need to introduce healthier products into the market.

36

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42

APPENDIX A

ONLINE QUESTIONAIRES FOR CONSUMER

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA, KUMASI CAMPUS

Dear consumer, this questionnaire is designed to collect information’s about your purchasing

behaviour and intentions on green products, your identity will not be disclosed so feel free to

responds to the questions on this questionnaire.

SECTION A RESPONENTS PROFILE

1. Please indicate your gender. [ ] male [ ]female

2. Please what is your age group? [ ] below 25yrs [ ] 25-35yrs [ ] 36-45yrs [ ]46-55 [ ] 56+

3. Please how long have you been purchasing Coca-Cola drinks [ ] less than a year [ ] 1-5years [ ] 5-10years [ ]10years+

SECTION B

State the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following about your

perception of toothpaste that are environmentally friendly (not harmful to the environment-

air, water, human life and animals.

1-strongly disagree 2- disagree 3-neutral 4-agree 5-strongly agree

STATEMENT Tick one from 1-5

CONSUMER GREEN (POR-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR)

1. I prefer buying soft drinks that are not harmful to the environment

1 2 3 4 5

2. I usually buy soft drinks whose package provides opportunity for reuse

1 2 3 4 5

3. When buying a product, I consider whether the product will be able to truly meet my needs according to what the

1 2 3 4 5

43

toothpaste promises consumers.

ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

4. Protecting the environment is important for human life 1 2 3 4 5

5. Most human health problems are associated with the consumption of Coca-Cola products

1 2 3 4 5

6. Practically most of the pollution in the environment is caused by production and consumption of Coca-Cola drink

1 2 3 4 5

ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITTUDE

7. I have negative attitude towards purchasing soft drinks that pollutes and destroys the environment

1 2 3 4 5

8. I consider it a wise decision to buy Coca-Cola drinks that are environmentally friendly

1 2 3 4 5

9. I believe protecting the environment is a good behaviour 1 2 3 4 5

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

10. My friends and Love ones encourage me to buy Coca-Cola because they are environmentally friendly

1 2 3 4 5

11. In deciding about purchasing soft drinks that are environmentally friendly, I usually ask friends view of the product

1 2 3 4 5

ECO-LABLES

12. When buying product I look for product labels that indicate that the product is certified as environmentally friendly or good

1 2 3 4 5

13. For most soft drinks, I usually examine the labels to find out whether it is harmful to human life

1 2 3 4 5

INTENTION TO PURCHASE GREEN PRODUCTS

14. I will consider buying soft drinks that are less polluting 1 2 3 4 5

15. Over the next few months, I will consider switching to other brands because of environmental reasons

1 2 3 4 5

44

PURCHASING POWER AND INCOME

16. It is acceptable to pay 10% more for goods that are produced, processed, and packaged in an environmentally friendly way

1 2 3 4 5

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

45