The Green Symphony: A Phenomenological Study of Environmental Awareness and Green Purchase Decisions Among Women in MSMEs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59971/meta-journal.v3i4.438Keywords:
Environmental Awareness, Green Purchase Decision, Women, MSMES, PhenomenologyAbstract
This study aims to explore the environmental awareness of women who are owners and employees of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Makassar City and its influence on their green product purchase decisions. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, this research involved six participants selected through purposive sampling: three MSME owners and three employees who actively make purchasing decisions related to business operations. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document review. Thematic analysis following the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model was employed, with data validity ensured through source triangulation and member checking. The findings reveal four major themes: (1) multilevel environmental awareness encompassing individual, social, and institutional dimensions; (2) green purchase decision-making process driven by intrinsic values and contextual factors; (3) barriers to green consumption including price sensitivity, limited product availability, and information asymmetry; and (4) the role of women's leadership within MSME ecosystems as catalysts for sustainable consumption practices. This research contributes theoretically to the green consumer behavior literature by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and value-belief-norm theory within an Indonesian MSME context. Practically, the findings have implications for sustainability-oriented human resource management in small enterprises and inform policy frameworks supporting green economic transformation in emerging markets.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I., & Sheikh, S. (2021). Action versus inaction: Anticipated affect in the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51(6), 547–560. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12751
Makassar City Central Statistics Agency. (2023). Makassar in 2023 figures. BPS Makassar City.
Barbarossa, C., De Pelsmacker, P., Moons, I., & Marcati, A. (2022). The effects of perceived greenwashing on brand trust and purchase intention. Journal of Cleaner Production, 369, 133302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133302
Chan, H. W., Pong, V., & Tam, K. P. (2022). Cross-national variation of gender differences in environmental concern: Testing the hypothesis of social role and feminist perspectives. Environment and Behavior, 54(1), 81–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916520974800
Chen, Y., Chang, C., & Lin, Y. (2021). Green transformational leadership and green performance: The roles of green mindfulness and green self-efficacy. Sustainability, 13(13), 7461. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137461
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dangelico, R. M., Alvino, L., & Fraccascia, L. (2022). Investigating the antecedents of consumer behavioral intention for sustainable products: Can an app make a difference? Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(4), 1440–1455. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2963
Garg, N., & Verma, A. (2023). Understanding green purchase behavior in emerging economies: A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 391, 136209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136209
Ghali-Zinoubi, Z. (2023). Determinants of consumer environmental awareness and green purchasing behavior: A review and future directions. Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, 10, 100133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2023.100133
Hwang, J., & Choi, J. K. (2022). An investigation of the antecedents and consequences of green behavior among consumers in the foodservice industry. Sustainability, 14(3), 1606. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031606
Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. (2021). Predictors of young consumer's green purchase behaviour. Management of Environmental Quality, 32(1), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-05-2020-0107
Kim, M., & Hall, C. M. (2021). Increasing customer's involvement in sustainable consumption through green marketing: Environmental concerns and green trust. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 47, 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.03.008
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (2022). Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions, and emerging confluences revisited. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (6th ed., pp. 179–215). SAGE Publications.
Lim, W. M., Aggarwal, A., & Dandotiya, R. (2022). The ethics of marketing research and its challenges and opportunities in the information age. Journal of Business Research, 149, 826–838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.064
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Mostafa, M. M. (2022). A knowledge domain visualization and bibliometric analysis of thirty years of green marketing research. Journal of Business Research, 140, 172–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.058
Ogiemwonyi, O., Harun, A. B., Alam, M. N., Karim, A. M., & Hamawandy, N. M. (2021). The relationship between green marketing mix strategies and consumer behavior: A case of Malaysia. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 25(2), 90–104.
Prakash, G., Choudhary, S., Kumar, A., Garza-Reyes, J. A., Khan, S. A. R., & Panda, T. K. (2022). Do altruistic and egoistic values influence consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions towards eco-friendly packaged products? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, 102921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102921
Sheehan, K. B., & Atkinson, L. (2022). A literature review of sustainability in advertising from 2000 to 2020. Journal of Advertising, 51(5), 565–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2022.2074552
Wang, B., Wu, C., Huang, Y., & Kua, H. W. (2022). Green consumption behavior and its drivers from the perspective of sustainable livelihoods: A case study of rural residents in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 335, 130273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.130273
Zhu, Q., Li, Y., Geng, Y., & Qi, Y. (2022). The role of women in driving green purchase intentions: Evidence from a Chinese perspective. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 30, 885–895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2022.01.025
