Consumer myopia: a cross-cultural study about the attitude and sustainable behavior of university students

Abstract

PurposeThe present study has the general objective to verify the myopia level of Management students from different cultures.Design/methodology/approach For that purpose, the methodology chosen was, as for means, quantitative and qualitative, and as for purposes, exploratory and descriptive. The primary data were collected through questionnaires and interviews applied with Brazilian and German Management students.Findings Regarding the results, it was observed that the students of both countries have similar attitudes and behaviors concerning sustainability; moreover, it was verified moderate myopia concerning the environmental behavior of the students inside both universities despite cultural differences.Research limitations/implications The present study cannot generalize the results for the universe Brazil and Germany, one of the limitations of the study being the cult-unit researched. Only Management students of the two countries were studied, besides being sampled for convenience.Social implications In Bremen, the resource economy is cultural it was developed especially in the post-war periods with the restrictions imposed on the country. On the other side of the comparison, we have Fortaleza, a city in northeastern Brazil. The scourge of northeastern droughts has led the region to develop a culture of water and resource-saving.Originality/valueThe study empirically tested a new concept related to sustainability with people from two countries with different realities. The consumer myopia identifies the short-term view of consumers concerned only with their immediate personal satisfaction, and who do not envisage the possibility of allying this satisfaction with sustainability in the long term.