سید علی بیگدلی

Religious features of Qom, the metropolis, are the dominant components in the city context of Qom, and make the urban management there of quite different from other cities.Thus, considering numerous  activists, some specific and various factors affecting the strategic management process in the said metropolis, the relationships among the factors such asactivists’ cooperation and consensus,the coordination among them,and  considering procedural and communicative issues related tothe strategic management process will be of a significant help in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the strategic management model fortheabove said city. This study validates the model designed by the research qualitative sector through employing a questionnaire and using a mixed method research design. To analyze the data obtained from 255 research subjects including urban management experts and managers, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used and then exploratory factor analysis, T and Friedman Tests were run. In this process, 6 factors (including 22 sub-factors) affecting on the strategic management of Qom religious metropolis were explored. Findings indicate that significant effect of environment, managerial institutional context, environmental actors and activists, environmental factors, the relation between environmental actors and activists, the relation between environmental factors and process related factors of managerial strategies of city, on the Qom strategic management. Among the effecting factors the relation between environmental factors is the most effecting one.

Strategic management of the religious metropolises due to owning specific features, a special condition is seen in these metropolises which causes the metropolis strategic management area to encounter some issues. This dissertation designs the strategic management model of Qom religious metropolis using qualitative research method and in-depth interviewing and group discussion. Carried out interviews with 17 experts of the urban management area and group discussion with 10 experts have scrutinized this issue using thematic analysis methods. The results obtained from the interviews and group discussions reflect that this religious metropolis has a managerial institutional ground and environment which is multiple and different from other metropolises. The activists and the main factors of strategic management area in this city are vast and various. Thus, comprehensive and complete attention to the environment and the ground and also activists is recommended. Two interactive and cooperative spaces between the activists and the main factors of the strategic management area of an aforementioned metropolis are being observed that cooperation and accompaniment between activists and coordination between factors seem indispensible. Moreover, paying attention to the procedural issues and also communication issues of the strategic management process for Qom religious metropolis is one of other findings of the research.