In the last decade there has been substantial growth in interest related to environmentalism and sustainability on the global stage. As each international market adapts to this emerging demand for environmental awareness in business operations, a priority must be placed on first understanding the implications of existing cultural beliefs and norms. In January 2010, Coppervale Enterprises Inc. tasked a group of four students from Western Washington University’s International Business program to develop a market research medium that could effectively help our organization to better understand the business opportunities that exist relating to energy efficiency and sustainability consulting as we expand into global markets. In particular, Coppervale is interested to learn how we can tailor our sustainability services to best suit potential international clients’ needs within their own unique cultural frameworks.

The Western business students accepted our challenge and worked for the next three months to design a research methodology to approach this objective. There are two primary features that characterize the student’s market research model. The first feature includes a personal values, beliefs, and norms survey. The purpose of the survey is to elicit responses from actual subjects regarding their tendency to internalize and act on sustainable behaviors based on their pre-existing personal values, beliefs, and norms. The second feature is the development of regional profiles through a cultural assessment. The purpose of the regional cultural assessment is to function as a lens by which to review the feedback from the survey participants in the context of that participant’s cultural framework.

The survey was designed using the foundations of the peer-reviewed social-psychological theory, the Value-Belief-Norm Theory (VBN) by Paul C. Stern et al., to investigate how a person’s pre-existing values and beliefs can predispose them to adopt “pro-environmental” personal norms and behaviors. The VBN theory tests for four value sets including: altruism, egoism, traditionalism, and openness to change. Participants that score high on questions related to altruism and openness to change are considered more likely to adopt “pro-environmental personal norms”.  Those that score high on questions related to egoism and traditionalism tend to favor personal interests over environmental or societal interests.  The students based their questions for the survey off of the four value categories from the VBN theory, in addition to questions relating to the participant’s “awareness of consequences” and “ascription of responsibility”, or acceptance of personal responsibility for their contribution to environmental degradation. The survey questions are culturally sensitive and broad enough to be answered by any subject in any region.

The second feature of the market research model involved desktop research and profiling to understand the general cultural values and norms within North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Asia, and Oceania. These cultural assessments were determined using primary and secondary research from journal articles, government databases and statistics ranking national energy consumption habits. Cultural values and practices within each region were identified using the Hofstede Model of Cultural Dimensions by Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede. From the information the students gathered, several initial assumptions were formed as to how responsive each region would be to Coppervale’s energy efficiency and sustainability services. These assessments also provide a lens by which to review participant’s survey responses in light of their cultural context.

Both features of the model acting together will identify which regions and global markets will offer the most opportunities for Coppervale to develop future business relationships. The results of the model will also allow Coppervale to tailor their service package to potential clients based on their cultural awareness and willingness to adopt certain sustainability initiatives. The Western student’s regional cultural assessment already provides a number of insights related to a region’s interest in adopting sustainability initiatives. In part 2 of our blog, we will touch on some of the initial findings from the international business student’s desktop research.

Co-Authored by: Susan Salgado, Western Washington University

Photo credit: eschipul via Flickr CC