Expression of Green Marketing Developing the Conception of Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

Significant changes of business environment thatimpact not only the activity of companies but the shift ofthe basic values and attitudes of the society have beenobserved recently. The changes within the activity ofcompanies are expressed through the increase ofcompetition within the dynamic market and the change ofneeds and expectations held by consumers and otherstakeholders. It has been noticed that consumers more andmore often prefer eco-friendly, safe and “clean” productsthat do not pollute the environment. The changing attitudesof consumers regarding environmental protection, ecology,social responsibility and the change of consumption habitsforce enterprises to look for new alternatives of activities,where the main principles of corporate socialresponsibility would be integrated.Recent theoretical as well as practical scientificstudies confirm the importance of the development of thecorporate social responsibility conception and of itsintegration into different areas of company activity. Interms of marketing, such changes determine the need toknow the new, so called green, consumer and to adaptmarketing decisions to the focus on ascertaining theexpectations and satisfying the needs of such a consumer.The article assents to the attitude that it is possible toimplement corporate social responsibility in the aspect ofsatisfaction of consumer needs by applying differentmarketing theories and conceptions. As an increasingamount of attention is given to the questions of greenmarketing in scientific literature, this area of marketingtheory is chosen as the main research object of the article.Based on this it is stated that seeking to fully satisfy theneeds of one of the main stakeholders of an enterprise –consumers, it is purposeful to analyse green marketingpriorities, which would resound the essential ideas ofcorporate social responsibility.The main green marketing priorities of an enterprise,analysed in the article, encompass the recognition ofexpectations and satisfaction of the needs of greenconsumers, envisagement of the reaction to greenmarketing decisions, identification of trust in eco-friendlyproducts and prediction of effectiveness of promotionmeans.The interpretation of quantitative research results,presented in the article, reveals the expression ofmarketing priorities based on the example of Lithuanianfemale consumers of eco-friendly food products. It shouldbe noted that although female consumers of eco-friendlyfood products are resolved to pay more for an eco-friendlyproduct, they are sensitive to price, believe in the highquality of an eco-friendly product and give priority to theneeds of environmental protection. It becomes clear thatthe reliability of an eco-friendly product is associated withthe familiarity of a product brand, with safety andenvironmental consideration; the safety of an eco-friendlyproduct and positive word-of-mouth recommendations areespecially significant for the reliability. Summarizing thepriorities of the application of promotion means, it wasdetermined that public relations should be treated as themost effective means of promotion.The performed theoretical and empirical researchtestifies the necessity of green marketing studies and theneed for the identification of its priorities and theirinclusion in the development of the corporate socialresponsibility conception.