Build it green : To create entry barriers with green marketing

Master thesis in marketing, 15 credits, School of business and economics, Linnaeus University, Växjö, 4FE02E, spring 2011 Author: Emma Johansson Tutor: Åsa Devine Title: Build it green – To create entry barriers with green marketing Background: In the beginning of the 21st century sustainability have become of higher importance for companies. One tool to manage sustainability is green marketing; an approach through which companies can gain competitive advantage. But is it possible to influence the market structure by using green marketing and is it possible to make it difficult for new actors to enter the market? Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate how companies can use green marketing to create entry barriers. Delimitations: This thesis is delimited to investigate the work of creating entry barriers, not to measure the effect of it. Furthermore the empirical research only includes companies on the Swedish market. Method: To investigate how companies use green marketing in relation to entry barriers today a quantitative approach was used and an electronic questionnaire was conducted. Conclusion: For established companies to protect their position on the market it is important to not only concentrate on the barriers most commonly related to green marketing. Rather green companies can establish a wide spectrum of barriers related to green marketing in order to make it more difficult for new entrants to establish themselves. Suggestions for further research: The next step to make within the field of green marketing as a barrier to entry is to investigate the effect of the barriers examined in this research. It is also necessary to do industry specific researches to investigate if some barriers are more important for certain industries. Keywords: Entry barriers, environmental commitment, green entry barriers, green marketing, strategic barriers to entry, structural barriers to entry, sustainability.