Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Information Systems and Technology

Advisor

Steve Roussas

Abstract

The rate of failure to manage e-waste and the business sectors' failure to produce more eco-friendly products is high. These failure rates cause companies to lose profits on expanding an eco-friendly customer market. The central research question addressed by this correlational design examined the quality, price, and brand loyalty of eco-friendly products related to customers' willingness to recycle e-products. Consumer and buying behavior theories served as the theoretical framework in this investigation. SurveyMonkey was used to distribute the researcher-developed survey to the participants for the collection of the data. The collection data instrument was validated by performing a pilot test using students of the subject organization. The final sample size consisted of 381 participants, 18-24 years old. The strength of the association between ranked variables was determined using Spearman correlation while the customer behavior relationships of interest were examined using ordinal regression. One of the key findings was that when customers had used a certain brand in the past, they were more likely to continue buying that brand, even when the price increased. However, another finding showed that some customers were not willing to recycle electronic devices even if more drop-off recycling facilities were available. The profitability of green product innovations due to brand loyalty, combined with a demonstration of social responsibility by a business, could create a powerful venue for positive social change. The socially-responsible activities of a business could promote awareness that green products and recycling of e-waste are important for an environmentally-secure future.

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