Assessment of the study

The focus in this section is on the validity of the entire qualitative research process. In this case, the evaluation process should take two different points of view: internal validity and external validity. Internal validity refers to harmony between the theoretical and conceptual definitions. According to Eskola & Suoranta (1998:214), internal validity shows deep understanding of the theoretical field.

The theoretical triangulation of sustainable green marketing is presented in this study from the perspective of multi-criteria decision making theory, ecophilosophy, and environmental policy, in such a way that sustainable and green marketing is separately examined from the perspectives of environmental philosophy and environmental policy. From this theoretical discussion, the central issues of damage thinking and values, life cycle analysis and EMAS affecting the operational chain for the marketing of SME ecoproducts have been incorporated in this study. These factors have been examined through the SME marketing opportunities for ecological products. Ecoproducts from the perspective of argumentation are essential components of the product definition and product development, process innovation, product design and branding. In this study, the core was small business entrepreneurship, and ecoproductization way of action, and the interlinked processes of change and the perception of this presentation differs from the traditional model of the marketing process (Kotler 2008:7). I used the marketing process to understand the logic and systematic analysis of multi-criteria decision theory (Keeney & Raiffa 1976, Lillich 1992). The key concept I used for identification was the concept of ecodesign. In this systematic new product development management I will return traditional marketing research field (Kotler 2008: 566-587) and I developed a new tool, EcoCuva Model for sustainable enterprising.

In order to be able to study sustainable green marketing from the SME perspective, I made the first theoretical framework from the environmental policy perspective, which encompasses all the research focuses of damage thinking. I addressed my understanding of the phenomenon from environmental management systems and the marketing perspective.

On this basis, a neutral concept of marketing was born; sustainable green marketing. Using sustainable green marketing, I was able to follow the upward direction of theoretical marketing discussions; sustainable and green.

Next, I created the entire research framework, which I still placed at the centre of the phenomenon. The central concept, SGM and the associated phenomenon, ecoproductization understanding, describing and analyzing the environmental management would refer management systems to provide a theoretical understanding and key literature, and thus open up the logic used in decision making. The theoretical section of the study showed utility value analysis-based studies that better described the marketing chain operations, in the background of which was Bronner’s (1978 & 2001) recommendation to use the utility value analysis in marketing. Austria also surveyed environmental tools used by SMEs, one of which was utility value analysis. Through these three directions, I received confirmation

of the compatibility of the use of the utility value analysis as a sustainable green marketing management tool. In addition, I discussed the theoretical and empirical applicability of the theoretical results with Raiffa and Thompson; because through environmental philosophy, I interpreted the research dilemma that was created from the harmfulness of confrontation and the emphasis of positivity in the solution for environmental friendliness. As a result of this study, I argue that a solution that emphasizes positivity is more suitable for the marketing of ecological products, but the environmental friendliness of the image is an insufficient argument for the marketing of ecological products and causes confusion in the current debate. The study of internal validity can be examined by comparing the damage thinking and positive thinking with one another. I made the final results of the study for the marketing of ecological products from the multi-criteria decision making perspective.

I was also able to show theoretically and empirically, that the management of environmental management systems is strictly limited to merely a product concept, but the applications are approved for the broader concepts such as ecodesign. The ecodesign concept has been accepted on the Directive level, so the arising of ecological concepts through marketing of the product may be formalized as a status value. This does not systematically support the concept of the product that is officially wanted to support the life cycle analysis. I used the ecodesign concept to assist the empirical research, and I was able to prove that cases with official status described marketing talk arising from production using different arguments than sustainable green marketing talk originating from the company’s operating environment. There were, therefore, two different descriptions suitable for the marketing of ecological products. The empirical research part confirmed the concept formed in the theory of the sustainable green marketing.

On the other hand, there was a weakness of empirical research in this study, but one of the cases were from Finland and the descriptions of the material could be included as part of an international ecological small business marketing practice. However, marketing strategies of organic farming have indicated identical problems (Hamm et al. 2002), so the marketing environment has also affected the harmonizing effect of regulation. In addition, the cases consisted of a single company and product description, but the number of cases was six, which is considered as a good indicator of the reliability in a case study.

The strength of the study can be regarded as the goal of understanding the structure of sustainable development marketing, but at the same time the handling of a single matter could not be extended over a wide area, although its effects were noticeable. Thus, for example, ecodesign carried more weight than branding, even if based on recent research branding emerges as key in value-based marketing. Therefore, in this case it would have been possible to further investigate the relationship of the brand and argumentation of an ecoproduct.

Another weakness of the study was the SME networks, and the lack of investigation into the relationship of community approved marketing arguments. This was research oriented selection and cropping, but their existence is recognized.

I conducted research in such a way that research can be replicated through a case study.

Case studies based on an analysis of the SME narrative stories are naturally different for different companies, but the following results are expressed in general terms. Empirical research results are not therefore linked to merely a single case.

External validity means that the interpretations made from the research material are qualified and this research can be replicated and generalized (Koskinen et al. 2005:253-277). The role of the researcher and interpretations made are central in external validity.

The validity of this study has been enhanced by using other research material besides the interviews for forming interpretations (Silverman 1993:156). The researcher has an active role in the interviews and was passive with other material. The research materials, interviews and other materials made it possible to understand the problems, interpretations and results of the research field. The empirical part of the theory found support for the research gap and reasoning, and the theory could be presented in a systematic way using the empirical results.

In this study, both the empirical and theoretical parts were mutually supportive.

The reliability and validity of this study is enhanced, as background material had been gathered from green and sustainable research, and from the development of the history of environmental management. This helped me to evaluate different resources and separate relevant information from irrelevant information. Even though the research field was complex, the research stakeholders have directed this work towards relevant practical issues.

On the other hand, it made this research task more challenging because practical work had been realized in different countries with multi-cultural people. This helped me to concretely take part in global sustainable development on its various levels – both in practice and intellectually.

Man-made delimitations would affect the reliability of the research results, and I regarded the extensive research field as a possibility to observe the subject matter comprehensively.

By approving the multidimensional operations model, I confronted the ethics, transparency, openness and clarity of sustainable development. Taking the development of sustainable green marketing this way forms a common vision of a better balance between humaneness and nature friendliness towards the environment.

The purpose of the qualitative part of this study was to develop a more profound understanding of sustainable green marketing by collecting interview data. Ecodesign and utility value analysis was evaluated by publishing a brief research report (Pallari 2004 and 2007), during the action research, two theses were made (Jämsä 2008 ja Vierimaa 2007) as a result of the development, as well as two published reports (Pallari 2009/a and 2009/b). New applications made for further research have increased the goal of validity. This study has been complied with the notion of Hammond, Keeney and Raiffa (2002), to publish user-friendly guides to support decision-making choices, because common practical experience can be used for publishing practical guides.

As a researcher, I have had the opportunity to engage in close cooperation between companies and environmental authorities, which have confirmed the interpretations of the practices. On the other hand, when applied in practice, and interpretations are tested, the necessary details for writing a doctoral dissertation are not always recognized. In other words, when you have seen the results of the work concretely, an uncertainty to present the issues arose. In the research, the direction and orientation have remained the same throughout the study, and no alterations needed to be made. I feel the research is contemporary, because it has been possible to observe the development of environmental marketing in a particularly positive way. The interest in ecological marketing has vastly increased during the course of this study.