TOWARDS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF SUSTAINABLE MARKETING: ANALYSIS OF SELECTED CROATIAN FIRMS

Ariana Nefat () and Kristina Afric Rakitovac ()
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Ariana Nefat: Juraj Dobrila University of Pula
Kristina Afric Rakitovac: Juraj Dobrila University of Pula

Economic Thought and Practice, 2013, vol. 22, issue 2, 499-514

Abstract: Considering the influence of marketing system on the environment, sustainability and sustainable marketing are becoming an imperative of business performance. The aim of the current paper is to present the theoretical background and to determine, on the sample of top ten Croatian socially responsible firms according to the CSR Index, sustainable marketing approaches and strategies that may be useful for achieving competitive advantage. The present survey-based study shows that firms follow certain aspects of sustainability integrated into their vision or mission and everyday activities. The primary factors of competitive advantage refer to human resources and continuous innovations. The strategy of primary importance refers to differentiation. The firms included in this study mostly consider that their socially responsible behaviour improves their relations with stakeholders. It has been concluded that the above-stated firms, through implementing theoretical suppositions of sustainable marketing, have the potential to achieve competitive advantage through all aspects of sustainability.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainable development; social responsibility; sustainable marketing; competitive advanatage; business strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M14 M31 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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