Index of Paper Presentations for the Parallel Sessions - Academy of ...

INTRODUCTIONPeople in various parts of the world are becoming more and more concerned about the hazardous impacts ofenvironmental degradation (Dagnoli, 1991; Levin, 1991; Li, 1997; Martin and Simintiras, 1995; Rice, Wongtada andLeelakulthanit, 1996) observed in terms of global warming, depletion of stratospheric ozone layer, acid rain anddesertification etc. (Ramlogan, 1997). At the beginning of the twenty-first century, these social and environmentalconsequences of the unquestioning pursuit of economic growth have become increasingly clear (Peattie and Charter,2006) and as the environment continues to worsen, it has become a persistent public concern both in developed anddeveloping economies.In the present scenario, the heightened environmental concerns and resulting response to them are not simplyconfined to the environmental policies and government initiatives, businesses too have joined the bandwagon termedas green movement, and are becoming more committed to environmental issues in their business decisions. But,profit driven firms are usually motivated to adopt the concept of green marketing in their businesses, providedconsumers demonstrate a high degree of environmental attitude and hence translate this into environmental friendlypurchasing commitment. Their increased concern for the environment and the resultant demand for green productscan act as a pressure point on business firms to turn green and start marketing green products.Moreover, consumers themselves are also the contributors to environmental degradation and pollution. According tosome studies consumption activities of private households contribute thirty to forty per cent of current environmentaldegradation (Grunert, 1993). Therefore, any environmentally responsible behavior on their part can go a long way inmitigating the problem of depletion of natural resources and bringing down pollution levels that have reachedalarming heights.Thus, it is imperative for a business firm to successfully identify and target such segments of consumers, generallyreferred as ‗green consumer segments‘, who exhibit some kind of pro-environment behavior in their use andconsumption related activities. Researchers are particularly interested in investigating important antecedentsdetermining the green purchasing behavior, so that those industries which have yet to develop or market eco-friendlyproduct options could determine their market feasibility and identify profitable segments.