Individual Research Proposal

Individual Research Proposal Student Name Institutional Affiliation Date Individual Research Proposal Project Type: Dissertation Rationale Research Question: Why do businesses continue with greenwashing practices despite the knowledge such practices are ethically and environmentally detrimental? The rationale of the research lies in the negative implications of the persistence of greenwashing practices among businesses despite knowing that it is ethically and environmentally wrong. While increased awareness and regulatory efforts are supposed to curb greenwashing practices, businesses are still engaging in the practice without caring about the consequences of their actions. The research area is instrumental because of the increasing impact of environmental sustainability in today's business landscape. Businesses operate in a competitive space, especially with globalization which forces companies to compete on a global scale. With stiff competition, businesses seek to reduce their costs, increase marketing efforts, and maximize profits. Consumers have become more aware of the need for environmental sustainability in manufacturing. Due to increased awareness, consumers are more environmentally conscious and actively consider brands with responsible practices. Some businesses have resulted into making misleading or false claims about the environmental benefits of their products or services so that they can appear more environmentally friendly than they are. Greenwashing undermines trust and hinders genuine progress towards sustainability. While studies explore the concept and consequences of greenwashing, there is a gap in the understanding of the motivations behind its persistence in the corporate world. Critical Literature Review The consumer markets for consumer products, services, and firms have been increasing rapidly in the last decade. This is evident with the increasing demand for green products and services, with more clients preferring businesses that use green practices to produce. Riccolo (2021) indicates that more than 80% of millennials consider purchasing environmentally friendly products as critical in improving the quality of their lives, with 75% seeking ways to make their homes and lifestyles green. More millennials want to spend their money on products they believe do not harm the environment. These are willing to pay even premium prices for products they think are environmentally friendly (Gomes, Lopes, and Nogueira, 2023). Corporations are recognizing the needs of their clients and are making changes to meet such needs. Businesses are desperate to attract millennials and some are willing to do anything possible to appear as green, even where this is not the case. Corporations are striving to appeal to their clients, and in the process, they are not necessarily representing the true health information regarding their products. Some brands have resulted into misleading consumers into thinking that they offer environmentally friendly products and services, hence engaging in greenwashing. Greenwashing is a multifaceted concept with numerous authors proposing different definitions. Among them, Dahl (2010) offers a foundational understanding of greenwashing defining it as the act of making misleading claims regarding sustainability in an attempt to get more market share. The emergence of the term in the 1980s was due to the growing need for businesses to manage their images in the eyes of the public, which ultimately obscured the nature of their claim. Kahle and Gurel-Atay (2013) consider greenwashing as a misleading advertisement that seeks to promote a company’s goals or policies and hence increase the aggregate benefits. Parguel et al. (2015), consider greenwashing from the aspect of misleading clients about the environmental practices of a business or the environmental benefits of a product or service. With the increasing pressure for consumers to remain sustainable, some businesses could result in misleading messages to enhance their image to the public, presenting themselves as environmentally conscious or with products that are sustainable despite doing the opposite. Researchers agree that greenwashing is not a new phenomenon (Braga et al., 2019). However, it is increasing majorly because of the growing demand for green and organic products, despite the inadequate regulation, hence increasing the skepticism of consumers regarding green products. Researchers have proposed different motivations for greenwashing, highlighting the complexity of the issue. For instance, Yildirim (2023) indicates that the main motivation for greenwashing is the economic benefits that come with portraying a business as environmentally friendly. With the conservation of the environment becoming a major concern for consumers, businesses may want to appear more sustainable to gain the trust of environmentally conscious clients. When businesses market their products as "green," they are better placed to fetch higher prices from clients, and hence maximize their returns (Mishra and Sharma, 2014). Businesses thrive on their images and reputations in the eyes of the public to maintain trust, which translates into sales. This gives them a competitive advantage in the market since they can appeal to the niche segment. Businesses that market themselves as green have a competitive advantage in the market, especially wher...