Model for Sustainable Performance Improvement of Small and Medium-sized Food Industry Companies in Guilan Province

The purpose of this article is to design a model for improving the sustainable performance of small and medium food companies in Guilan Province. The aim is to provide managers and decision-makers with insights into the factors, challenges, and consequences associated with enhancing the sustainable performance of these companies in the current business environment. The article falls under the category of applied research in terms of its purpose, exploratory-descriptive research in nature, and field studies based on data collection. It is classified as qualitative research. The Grounded Theory method was employed to create a paradigm model, progressing through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The results of data analysis using Grounded Theory led to the identification of 13 main floors, 29 main categories, and 248 concepts. The paradigm model, developed through theoretical coding, encompasses six main classes: pivotal phenomenon (sustainable performance improvement), causal conditions (organizational survival, social and environmental obligation, gaining competitive advantage), contextual conditions (environmental factors, organizational factors), interfering conditions (environmental factors, organizational factors), and strategies (macro level, organizational level). Finally, the economic, social, and environmental consequences of achieving sustainable performance improvement were derived through the implementation of these strategies.