Abstract:

This paper provides a psychological and economic analysis of the development of ecology in a free market as observed in Germany in the last decade. The problems involved in simply defining what ecology means and the resulting question of how to measure corresponding market shares are discussed. The analysis continues with recent findings about the purchasing process of products with special ecological quantities addressing the special meaning of social influence on decisions in that area. Further this paper offers a summary of the most important findings for planning in countries and companies which must face the question of how to make ‘the beauty of nature’ and ‘the nature of their business’ a happy couple again.