Causality, effectiveness and business performance: A fuzzy approach

Effectiveness and causality as two fundamental decision logics of growing research areas in the field of entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of causality and dimensions of effectiveness (experimentation, tolerable losses, flexibility and pre-commitment) on business performance with a fuzzy approach. In this study, in addition to causally examining the necessary and sufficient conditions in the formation of business performance, effective combinations of causality and dimensions of effectiveness in the formation of business performance have been investigated. This research is applied from the perspective of the purpose and the data are collected by descriptive-correlation method. The statistical population of the study, according to the statistics of Tehran Computer Guild Organization, includes 170 startup businesses in Tehran that have been operating for three years. Based on Cochran's formula, a statistical sample of 118 was calculated, 120 samples were collected by random sampling method and analyzed by fsQCA3 and SPSS24 software. According to the findings, among the various causes and dimensions of effectiveness, one dimension is a necessary condition and five dimensions are sufficient conditions for business performance. Finally, two types of complex and complex causal pathways were identified, each of which introduced four different combinations of causation and effect-making dimensions in the direction of business performance.