Chapter V
Limitations and suggestions for future
research
5.1 Limitations
5.1.1 Results limitation
All the results, of this study, have to be taken with caution.
Indeed, the researcher has based its results and conclusions on a basis of 150
respondents, which do not represent the whole population. In addition, the
researcher has tried to get answers from different profile; however it appears
that the majority of the respondents were students and that could modify the
results. Indeed, getting answers from only a specific part of the population
could not give representative results for the whole population that's why the
researcher wanted these results to be taken with caution. The researcher wanted
to make some comments about the recommendations. Those recommendations were
established mostly because of these study findings and, as a consequence, these
recommendations can't be applied to all businesses. Those are general
recommendations and of course some changes could be necessary according to
business size, activity etc. Due to the limited number of answers, the
researcher suggests that those conclusions and the following recommendations
can't be generalized to the entire population. These are general indications
for businesses and don't have the pretentiousness to fit all businesses and be
able to solve problems of green products commercialization and purchasing. This
study has permitted to highlight the determinants for green consumption with a
limited sample; therefore the results have to be treated with caution.
5.1.2 Material limitation
In addition, if the researcher had more time, she would be
able to got answers from a larger sample; this would permits to get more
accurate responses. Moreover, the researcher would be able to choose other way
to gather information. The researcher has used, only, an online questionnaire
in order to gather information and, it is not the most accurate choice as it
has various disadvantages. As the researcher has explained in the methodology's
part, with online questionnaire the potential respondents must have an email
address or internet access and know how to use it in order to answer the
questionnaire. Secondly there can be an age / gender bias due to varying
experience with internet. Lastly, with online questionnaire we may not include
non-internet users.
Due to a lack of time, the researcher has found that online
questionnaire was the best choice for gathering the data. If the researcher had
more time, she would be able to gather information with for example, face to
face interview and focus group. Concerning the sampling, the researcher was
hesitated between two types; with more time, the researcher would be able to do
a quota sampling. This sampling would permits to obtain representative of the
overall population by divided it by the most important variables. This is quick
and easy to set up.
5.1.3 Initial against accomplished objectives
The initial objectives of this study were to highlight if the
socio-demographics characteristics could be seen as determinant in the
consumption of green product. The researcher has been able to reach this
objective as all the initial hypotheses have been test. However, the researcher
wanted initially to get a larger sample and wanted to use different way for
gathering the information, like face to face interview or focus group. Those
gathering techniques would allow the researcher to obtain information on their
opinions, attitudes and experiences or to explain their expectations against
green products. It is therefore a rapid qualitative method of inquiry.
The researcher was unable to do that due to the constraints that
were explained previously. This hadn't an impact of the initial objectives but
certainly this permits to explain the gap between the researcher first
assumptions and the findings. Additionally, the researcher wanted initially to
draw a green consumer profile. However, it rapidly appears that it was not
possible. Due to the findings it clearly appear to the researcher that green
consumer seem to be too heterogeneous in order to establish a specific profile.
With this sample it was not possible, that's why further research has to be
conducted in order to see if it is possible to draw a specific profile for
green consumers.
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