What Does Sustainability Mean? Knowledge Gleaned From Applying Mixed Methods Research to Wine Grape Growing

Abstract

We present outcomes from a mixed methods research project in agricultural sciences. An atypical methodology for sciences was developed as the only way to avoid embedded assumptions commonly seen in sustainability investigations. Eighty-three upper echelon participants from the wine grape industry participated in 14 focus groups in five countries: Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. Quantitative measures were compared with results from qualitatively coded participant utterances using two content analysis software tools: Leximancer and NVivo. This article presents the strategies and method applied in this investigation to define sustainability. A consensual sustainability definition prior to the establishment of assessment systems is essential. The model developed seems to be viable for similar sustainability investigations of individual organizations.

Keywords

mixed methods sustainability concept map assisted focus group method of enquiry viticulture

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