فصلنامه مدیریت بازرگانی
سال پانزدهم شماره 57 (پاییز 1402)

This research examines the adaptation of human resources processes to align with marketing strategies based on the 34,000 model. The study investigates how this adaptation enhances knowledge of the contextual environment and the existing platform within the banking sector, an economic enterprise, in terms of market awareness and adaptability.
 
This study employs an applied research approach, with the findings applicable to the banking industry and human resources processes. The aim is to improve the alignment between human resources capabilities and market dynamics in the banking sector. The research strategy utilizes a multiple-case study design. Thematic analysis and triple coding techniques are employed for data analysis. Data collection is conducted through semi-structured interviews, with the interview questions validated by a team of experts. The research focuses on banks that have implemented human resources processes using the 34,000 model. Informed sampling is used to select the sample, consisting of four banks: Refah, Day, Karafarin, and Sina, chosen for their successful experience with the 34,000 models. MAXQDA software is utilized for coding and analysis. The interviews are coded in three stages within the software, resulting in the final codes.
 
By executing the coding procedures in alignment with the marketing domain and the framework of human resources operations, a systematically organized set of codes was generated and integrated into the designated table. These codes represent a comprehensive perspective that identifies the strengths and weaknesses within this field. The findings indicate that certain areas of human resources and marketing processes demonstrate satisfactory compliance, while other areas require further planning and implementation of compliance measures.
 
As economic institutions, banks heavily rely on market conditions. Therefore, adopting appropriate strategies and aligning human resources and its processes with the market sector can facilitate the achievement of organizational goals. The integration of marketing strategies is particularly crucial during scattered, preliminary, and intermediate stages, while studies have shown that human resource processes align well with marketing strategies during optimal and advanced stages. However, it is important to note, as mentioned by the interviewees, that the establishment of a written and specific plan is necessary to enhance compliance and facilitate operational conditions for banks and other organizations. The absence of clear and unknown regulations can complicate matters and potentially lead to issues within the banking sector.

Advertising is an inevitable part of modern capitalist consumer society, and by using advertising content, marketers attempt to provoke consumer engagement and create higher levels of consumer engagement with their brands. Increased consumer engagement is desirable because it is thought to be associated with positive outcomes such as stronger consumer-brand relationships and brand preference, increased satisfaction and loyalty, and more purchases. Advertisements reach consumers through various media such as the Internet (especially social media), radio, television, magazines, and newspapers. Since advertisers use completely different language; there are advantages in creating strange and controversial sentences in unusual ways, as well as communicating with the audience using simple and fluent language. Therefore, in recent years, especially with the significant growth of social media users, it has been inevitable for researchers to focus on the characteristics of engaging content. This study aims to identify and classify the characteristics of brand text messages across various media, such as social, print, and television, that influence conflict behavior, as previously examined in the research. The ultimate goal is to leverage these findings to develop a model for creating engaging content with the identified characteristics.

This study is classified as developmental-applied research, driven by its purpose and qualitative, given the type of data it examines. Furthermore, it adopts an analytical-descriptive approach, collecting qualitative data through the meta-synthesis research method. The articles were extracted from the Google Scholar search engine and were available in Elsevier, Science Direct, Emerald, and Springer electronic databases from 1996 to 2022. First, 86 articles were identified. After assessing parameters such as title, abstract, content, ease of access, and quality of the research method applied to them, the invalid articles were removed. Finally, 23 articles were recognized as suitable for coding were analyzed and reviewed.

In this study, through content analysis, from a total of 86 primary texts, 34 outstanding concepts were finally identified and classified into seven key categories and seven main dimensions or features, including persuasive, information, descriptive, memorability, readability, attention value, and selling power, for Involving texts were identified.

The dimensions of persuasion (comprising five key categories and 20 concepts) were found to have the most significant impact, followed by the dimensions of information (three key categories and 16 concepts) and descriptive (two key categories and 6 concepts), which were ranked next in order of importance.

The increasing complexity and transformation of the business environment resulting from the development of information technology as well as the advent of Web 2.0 interactive tools have led to the formation of networking and social media platforms. The trend towards changing processes in the field of marketing and e-commerce has not only influenced firms to adapt but has also made them more inclined to choose more aggressive tools and strategies to stay competitive and gain an advantage in this evolving environment. Meanwhile, the development of social commerce taking place in the context of widespread developments can impact choosing one of these tools. Social media has developed online platforms through which people can create, share, and exchange their experiences with others. They enable users to follow a variety of content through text, images, music, and video, and to share generated content in a variety of ways in addition to creating original content (Liao et al., 2022). Therefore, the media not only strengthen the connections between network users but also help companies to establish closer relationships with their consumers and, consequently, increase sales of products and services (Mou & Benyoucef, 2021).

This study is conducted primarily to provide a framework for the development of social commerce. This is a qualitative study in terms of strategy, a basic study in terms of purpose, and a descriptive study in terms of nature and method. In this study, the Barroso and Sandelowski (2007) meta-synthesis strategy was used to collect data, and the Braun and Clark (2006) thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data. The references were screened using the meta-synthesis approach. Out of a total of 221 related papers published between 2010 and 2020, 76 were carefully reviewed. The researchers used the Kappa coefficient to evaluate the reliability of the findings, and the triangulation method to validate research findings.

After analyzing the findings by the thematic analysis method, 33 basic themes, nine organizing themes, and three comprehensive themes were identified and labeled as "social value creation", "technological synergy", and "social normalization". According to the results, special attention should be paid to factors such as social trust-building, network marketing, shared value creation, controlled risk, content-oriented interactions, social support, social and value communication with the customer, exchange of cognitive-emotional experiences, platform support, interactive content production, social sharing, reproduction of social capital, and development of social interactions to develop social commerce.

Examining past findings showed that various factors are involved in the success and development of social business. This study, with a comprehensive approach, could manage to investigate the factors affecting the creation and development of social commerce systematically and, in the meantime, provide a framework for the development of this field.

In today's business landscape, organizations operate within a fiercely competitive environment. The ever-evolving dynamics of technology and the increasing complexity of environmental factors compel these organizations not only to survive but also to contemplate differentiation and the cultivation of distinctive attributes. This strategic approach enables them to outpace their competitors and seek avenues for greater profitability. In pursuit of this goal, one essential tool employed is the concept of a "brand signature." This strategic tool serves as an effective means for organizations to encapsulate and convey the desired attributes to their specific stakeholders in the global market. Accordingly, this study has been undertaken with the objective of formulating a brand signature model tailored for knowledge-based companies.

This study is qualitative applied research. The statistical population of the study consists of experts in branding and marketing managers of knowledge enterprises. These individuals were chosen through a purposive sampling method. Once 18 experts were identified, data analysis commenced, and the process of re-sampling persisted until theoretical saturation within the categories was achieved. The data collection methodology employed to identify the categories encompassed semi-structured and unstructured interviews. To check the validity, the Cresol model was used along with the content validity, the intra-coder, and inter-coder reliability.

In this study, a research model was developed using the grounded theory approach following the Strauss and Corbin method. Atlas. ti software was utilized to facilitate this process, employing open, axial, and selective coding methods to identify factors falling into categories such as causal, contextual, intervening, central, strategic, and consequential.

The study's outcomes encompassed the presentation of a model that incorporated causal, contextual, and intervening conditions. Additionally, the study introduced the concept of a phenomenon-centered approach, presented brand signature strategies, and identified their associated consequences. In this research, the brand signature model was presented based on the three axes of brand identity, brand personality, and name and logo. Further, the study’s findings revealed that the most important causal conditions that justify the brand signature include increasing competitors, diversity and multiplicity of brands, technological changes, identifying market opportunities, competitiveness, and updating the business environment. The results also showed that legal and managerial infrastructure, strategic factors, marketing information systems, and social responsibility stand as the most important factors playing an intervening role in justifying the brand signature. Therefore, managers are advised to implement three key strategies: brand awareness, advertising, and marketing strategies. Furthermore, managers can enhance brand awareness by reminding customers about the brand, providing informative content, organizing exhibitions, and conducting impactful virtual advertising campaigns. These efforts aim to introduce as many of their company's brands as possible to the target audience.

Numerous environmental challenges and issues have emerged, including the exacerbation of environmental pollution, particulate matter concerns, and problems related to water and air pollution. These challenges also extend to jeopardizing food security and pollution resulting from electronic waste disposal. In response to these issues, along with the intensifying pressure of public regulations and competition among a wide range of organizations, there is a growing need to prioritize environmental matters and consumer health. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of balancing these concerns with their traditional focus on profit and sales. Along with the companies that are determined to provide environmentally friendly products and consider this to be their duty and social responsibility, some companies try to deceive customers by claiming to produce green products. Some companies have used methods such as greenwashing to mislead consumers to benefit from the benefits of this claim by claiming to pay attention to environmental issues. The present research was conducted to present a model of the formation of the phenomenon of brand greenwashing in Iranian organizations. This study utilizes a mixed-method approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods within the inductive paradigm. In terms of its purpose, it adopts an inductive approach, while in its nature and method, it follows a sequential exploratory design.

The research's statistical population consisted of 15 marketing management professors from Iranian universities, all of whom specialized in the field of marketing and had published articles related to social marketing. The selection of participants followed the principle of theoretical adequacy, employing a purposeful sampling method. In the qualitative part, a semi-structured interview was used to collect data, the validity and reliability of which was confirmed using the CVR coefficient and the Kappa-Cohen test, and the data obtained from the interview were analyzed using the Atlas.ti software. The theme was analyzed based on coding. The indicators and components of brand greenwashing were identified from the codes obtained from these interviews. In the quantitative part, a pairwise comparison questionnaire of the interpretive structural approach was used to collect data, and its validity and reliability were confirmed using content validity and retesting, presented using the interpretive structural method of the greenwashing brand model.

The study's findings reveal the indicators and components of brand greenwashing and propose a five-level model to describe brand greenwashing. In the proposed model, the fifth level encompasses weaknesses or the absence of transparent laws, the presence of ambiguous regulations, pressures from both internal and external stakeholders, stringent standards, and a general lack of transparency. In the research model, the fourth level encompasses the creation of space for extensive media claims, the emergence of negative word-of-mouth advertising, legal restrictions for non-green products or practices, the imperative of documenting green claims, and strategies aimed at undermining competitors. The lack of mechanisms for evaluating green claims, covering the real weaknesses of green, superficiality and ignorance of customers about green activities, and brand deception form the third level of the developed model. magnifying and exaggerating the performance, creating an atmosphere of green mistrust, the short-term horizon of the brand, and taking advantage of the benefits of being green constitute the second level of the model. At the first level of the model, factors such as changes in customers' consumption patterns, the utilization of green laws for financial gain, the reduction of the company's long-term value, and the brand's weak performance are recognized.

The results indicate that companies are trying to convince their stakeholders to obtain financial resources (profitability) with the help of the greenwashing approach. Also, the results show that brand washing will ultimately lead to poor performance and a decrease in the value of the company in the long run. Based on the recorded findings, the obtained model suggests that the fifth level termed the foundational level, exerts the most significant influence on the subsequent levels of the model: the fourth, third, and second levels. These levels interact with their preceding ones and impact the following ones. Ultimately, the first level, known as the outcome level, is recognized as the most influential within the model.

Researchers have called the new century the century of communication and expansion of new businesses, in which users communicate with each other and share their products through social media platforms. In shared businesses, economic activities have different definitions. Respecting ethics and maintaining moral values is one of the essential issues in new businesses. Shared businesses have been welcomed by customers due to their non-face-to-face nature and virtual sales of products, and their ability to offer diverse and cheap products through sharing on the Internet. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of ethical leadership, responsibility, and fair behaviors on attracting and retaining customers in shared businesses.
 
The research is applied in terms of purpose. Its statistical population included all consumers of goods, services, and ideas in shared businesses, who used sharing platforms in the past year. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. It stood at 0.83. Due to the large size of the community, the sample size was determined to be 384 people through Cochran's formula for indeterminate communities. The questionnaire was randomly distributed among 384 customers of shared businesses in Tehran. To test the main hypotheses of the research, the structural equation model was used in the Lisrel software. To measure the compatibility of the proposed model and the data, model fitting was done. Also, the average, the standard deviation, and other required statistics were used for descriptive statistics.
Among the total of nine proposed hypotheses, three main hypotheses and six sub-hypotheses were confirmed. Also, the mediating role of satisfaction and purchase intention variables was proved.
 
According to the results, the customers of shared businesses buy the products of shared businesses in person and without physically observing the goods. These customers bear more risk compared to traditional business customers. Further studies about the ethical components of attracting and retaining customers in new shared businesses are needed. Ethical responsibility for respecting the rights of customers is a binding principle in shared businesses. Ethical behaviors in practice reflect the ethical and governance values of that company. Making ethical decisions when sharing products to attract and retain customers is more than a choice. The results of the research conducted in Tehran investigating the components of ethical leadership, responsibility, and fair behavior in attracting and retaining customers in shared businesses showed that ethical leadership has a positive effect on attracting and retaining customers in shared businesses. It seems that the nature of moral behavior can be seen in virtual environments as well.

The current research endeavors to formulate a native brand image model within the manufacturing and service sectors for materials and supplies essential to dairy product production.
 
This study adopts a developmental-applied approach and employs a descriptive-exploratory strategy in its research implementation. Regarding data collection methods, the research relied on a combination of library research and field studies, employing semi-structured interviews as the primary tool. Consequently, the data collected falls under the qualitative category. Additionally, the study is characterized as a single cross-sectional research design. Given the non-experimental nature of the research, the extent of researcher intervention in the research process remains minimal. The research's statistical population comprises experts in the Iranian dairy industry who possess specific qualifications, including holding an MSc degree or higher in brand management and marketing, substantial experience, and a strong familiarity with the dairy industry. The researchers carried out sampling with a purposeful judgmental approach and snowball method, up to the theoretical limit of data saturation. They selected 20 people (5 company managers, 9 marketing and sales managers, and 6 senior experts in the marketing department of companies) as a sample of research experts and interviewed them. As mentioned, the data measurement tool in this research, in addition to in-depth study of documents using the library method, included semi-structured interviews with experts. To ensure the validity and reliability of the results of the interview process, special criteria of qualitative research including credibility and confirmability were used. To enhance credibility, the researchers employed a review process involving the interview participants. To ensure confirmability in the final stage, the researchers submitted the identified categories to three of the original participants for review and approval, subsequently incorporating any suggested revisions. In addition,  a retest method was utilized to calculate the reliability of the interviews. In this regard, among the interviews conducted, researchers selected three interviews and coded each of them twice within 14 days. The statistical population included experts in the Iranian dairy industry with at least an MSc degree and who were familiar with the dairy industry. The statistical sample (20 individuals) was selected by a purposeful judgmental method. Data collection tools included library studies and semi-structured interviews with experts. The validity of the interview questions was confirmed by the content method and their reliability by the retest method (0.89). A data analysis was performed with a qualitative approach using data-based theorizing and the coding process in three stages open, axial, and selective coding.
 
Accordingly, the researchers described each component of the coding paradigm, drew the pattern of the brand image in the manufacturing and service industries of materials and supplies required for dairy products, and finally created the theory based on 13 judgments. The calculated paradigm model includes causal conditions (including brand capabilities), central category (brand performance), foundations (brand innovation), contextual conditions (brand modifiers), strategies (brand orientation), and consequences (brand value creation and brand image). Ultimately, the selected model conceptualized the relationships between the categories.
 
This research endeavors to formulate a native brand image model within the manufacturing and service sectors for materials and requirements in the dairy product industry. Utilizing an exploratory approach and data-driven theorizing, the researchers tried to delineate the brand image framework in these sectors through a three-stage process encompassing open, axial, and selective coding, resulting in the formulation of 13 key judgments. Future studies are recommended to transform these theoretical propositions into research hypotheses and validate them through quantitative methodology, employing a structural equation modeling approach. Based on the present research findings, the causal conditions affecting the research paradigmatic model include "brand capabilities" which itself consists of two parts: "marketing capabilities" and "organizational capabilities". Identified marketing capabilities include brand status and market share, marketing mixes, internet marketing services, brand reputation, and having a specific advertising slogan. Organizational capabilities also include fast transportation facilities, strong (management, financial, human, information) brand support, a stable competitive advantage, a strong supply chain, and creating a sustainable value chain. The researchers also considered brand performance as the central category of the research model; classifying it into three areas: "customer-related performance", "brand social performance", and "brand corporate performance". They emphasized "brand innovation" as a platform for brand performance developers, which includes market innovation and innovation in processes.  They also considered brand orientation as a strategy to promote brand value creation and image, which includes competitive orientation and product/service orientation. They considered brand value creation and brand image as the consequences of the paradigmatic model; emphasizing value creation in both material and immaterial domains and brand image in both customers and competitors. Drawing from the presented model, the researchers elucidated the various components, including causal conditions (comprising brand capabilities), the central category (entailing brand performance), contexts (involving brand innovation), contextual conditions (encompassing brand modifiers), strategies (pertaining to brand orientation), and consequences (relating to both brand value creation and brand image) within the paradigmatic model. Ultimately, the researchers formulated the theoretical relationships between these categories in the selected model.

In the digital age, we currently inhabit, our daily interactions are heavily mediated by social media, offering us a swift and efficient means of communication. It is for this reason that businesses of all sizes, including small, medium, and large enterprises, regard social media as both a valuable and indispensable channel for marketing. Social media marketing is a part of the digital marketing process that uses content creation in social networks to achieve businesses' marketing and branding goals. This research aims to investigate the effect of self-disclosure, privacy concerns, and satisfaction levels on peace of mind in social media marketing.

The present study, in terms of its purpose, falls within the realm of applied research and can be categorized as a correlational descriptive investigation. Philosophically, it adopts a deductive approach and aligns with the positivist paradigm. Additionally, it takes the form of a cross-sectional study. The population of this research includes all customers of Digikala, the largest and most well-known e-commerce platform in Iran, in Karaj city. The Cochran formula was used to minimize the required sample size for the research, which amounted to 384 participants. Considering the limitations of data collection, a questionnaire was designed electronically, and the data was collected from the population through email and social networks. The social media platforms examined in this research encompassed Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The survey sought the participation of an audience with prior experience purchasing and using Digikala, inviting them to contribute by completing the questionnaire. The Jacobsen et al. (2020) questionnaire was used to measure the variables of the research. A 5-point Likert scale was used to answer the questions (from 1= completely disagree to 5= completely agree). In this study, the opinions of the experts, and specialists were used to check and determine the validity of the questions, and Cronbach's alpha was used to check the reliability of the questions. The reliability of all variables was higher than 0.7. Hypotheses were tested by the structural equation method using partial least squares (PLS) software.

The descriptive findings of the study indicated that the majority of participants fell within the age groups of 36-50 years (59%), 20-36 years (21%), and 50 years and above (20%). Regarding educational levels, participants included those with diplomas and associate degrees (17 percent), and bachelor's degrees (29 percent), with the majority having attained a master's degree (54 percent). Inferential findings showed that privacy concerns have a positive effect on the variables (self-disclosure, satisfaction, and peace of mind in marketing). Also, self-disclosure was proven to have a positive effect on peace of mind. Satisfaction has a positive effect on the peace of mind in marketing, too.

Utilizing social media as a means of disseminating public information is a vital and constructive use of these platforms. Furthermore, it is essential to facilitate the expression of personal feelings and experiences within the realm of social networks.