Back to basics : the sustainable responses to COVID-19 pandemic
department or school: Management, Faculty of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Parker, Ariele
issued: 2023-04-30T07:00:00Z
issued: 2022
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The sustainable product market has experienced steady growth in the past decade in North America. It is estimated that this market could hit USD150 billion in the United States by the end of 2021 (Gelski, 2019). In Canada, 74% of consumers consider sustainability an important factor when making purchases (Ranken, 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic initiates a new round of dialogue of sustainable consumption and community resilience. The changing work-life pattern and the disrupted local and global supply chain forced both market agents and consumers to establish new strategies and practices to sustain and survive during the global pandemic. In this thesis, I seek to answer the primary research question: How do marketers and consumers develop resilience through sustainable marketing and consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic? This research has been conducted in partnership with a local lifestyle brand based in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The objectives of this research study include: (i) to identify market needs for sustainable goods in the Okanagan; (ii) to investigate the consumption of sustainable goods in the Okanagan; (iii) to examine the process of sourcing sustainable goods during the pandemic, and (iv) to examine the development of community and organizational resilience during the pandemic. Through a study consisting of interviews and participatory action research, I examine the new roles of marketers and consumers through the conceptualization of sustainability, pro-environmental and pro-social production and consumption that reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production). Our findings show that pro-social and pro-environmental consumers actively considered themselves as the “ambassadors” of sustainable and local products during the pandemic. Many local businesses also created innovative strategies to engage local and regional partners to pursue the sustainable goals during the pandemic. Buildin…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/81451
note: BACK TO BASICS: THE SUSTAINABLE RESPONSES TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC by Ariele Parker B.Mgmt, The University of British Columbia, 2012 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The College of Graduate Studies (Interdisciplinary Studies) (Sustainability) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) April 2022 © Ariele Parker, 2022 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Back to Basics: The Sustainable Responses to COVID-19 submitted by Ariele Parker in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies – Sustainability in The University of British Columbia – Okanagan campus Examining Committee: Dr. Eric Li, Faculty of Management Supervisor Dr. Karis Shearer, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Sarah Wilner, Faculty of Business & Economics Supervisory Committee Member Professor. Bernard Momer, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University Examiner iii Abstract The sustainable product market has experienced steady growth in the past decade in North America. It is estimated that this market could hit USD150 billion in the United States by the end of 2021 (Gelski, 2019). In Canada, 74% of consumers consider sustainability an important factor when making purchases (Ranken, 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic initiates a new round of dialogue of sustainable consumption and community resilience. The changing work-life pattern and the disrupted local and global supply chain forced both market agents and consumers to establish new strategies and practices to sustain and survive during the global pandemic. In this thesis, I seek to answer the primary research question: How do marketers and consumers develop resilience through sustainable marketing and consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic? This research has been conducted in partnership wit…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2022-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0413185
language: eng
degree discipline: Interdisciplinary Studies
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Li, Eric Ping Hung, 1978-
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/81451