Consumer Shopping Behavior Model in Social Networks for the Clothing Industry

Today, we see the great impact of social networks on the purchase of many products in various industries. One of the industries that has been affected by social networks in recent years is the clothing industry. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the factors affecting the purchase of clothing in social networks and to develop a model of consumer shopping behavior in social networks for the clothing industry. In this research, a combined method has been used. In the qualitative section, through interviews with clothing sellers active in social networks, texts were prepared and coded, 46 concepts were identified, which were classified into four main categories and 16 sub-categories and presented in the form of a prototype. In the quantitative part, based on the initial model, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 385 clothing buyers in networks, and the final model of consumer purchasing behavior for purchasing clothing through social networks was presented. The results showed that individual factors, company-related factors and social and cultural factors directly and also with the mediating role of trust, had a significant effect on the consumer's decision to buy clothing, followed by a significant effect on loyalty, repurchase and Advise others to buy through social media

An Entropy (Shannon) Based Approach for Determining Importance Weights of Influencing Factors in Selecting Medical Tourism Destinations

Introduction: Medical tourism is currently accepted as a developing industry. It describes the act of leaving home for treatment and care abroad. There are several factors that influence choice of destination for patients in medical tourism. Identification of these factors and prioritization according to importance weights could help international healthcare providers develop their marketing strategy.Methods: In the first stage of this research, an extensive review was done on recently published studies in medical tourism to identify influential factors on selecting a destination for medical tourism. The review yielded fourteen factors. In the second stage, 40 related papers were selected and the content analysis method was used to calculate frequency of repetition for each factor in the 40 papers. Furthermore, by using the Shannon entropy formula, marginal entropy and importance weight were analyzed for each factor.Results: Results indicated that the most influential factors on selection of a destination for medical tourism were “quality of care,” “cost” and “promotional programs,” results that indicate common sense. The least influential factor was “employer encouragement programs,” an indication that most medical tourists make a personal choice to embark on medical tourism and employer encouragement programs had lower priority in the decision making process.Conclusion: This study highlights the most important influential factors on choice of destination among patients, internationally. According to these findings, hospitals providing a service internationally must provide a high quality service at affordable cost. Consideration of travelers’ priorities can be applied to develop performance and promotional activities that will attract more patients and increase medical treatment revenue in a country

Identify the Deep Thinking of the Iranian Political Market, Iran's Ideal Presidential Brand by Zaltman Metaphor Technique (ZMET)

In the political systems, competition between political actors with the aim of gaining power and influencing voters ‘decisions, depends on how they market their political activities. The lack of deep understanding of the people image towards the politicians and factors influencing public political and social behaviors create problem in achieving political goals. The purpose of the present study is to create a clear picture of the depth of the minds of the Iranian voters towards the ideal brand of the president in Iran. This research is conducted by a phenomenological approach and in order to determine the conceptual map of the ideal brand of the president has conducted in-depth interviews along with the ZMET technique. It should be noted that the statistical population of the present study is targeted from Iranian over the age of 18 who have at least participated in one presidential election. Also, after conducting 14 interviews, the researcher reached theoretical saturation and a consensus map of the ideal presidential brand was extracted. The central structures included in the consensus plan are: Advanced Iran, Economic Improvement, Development and Culture Improvement, Relaxation, Tourism Attention and Development, Committed, Justice-seeking, Global Communication, Environmental and Pragmatic, which should be included in market campaigns. Presidential policy to increase public participation in elections

Development of Market Intelligence Model in the Supply Chain of FMCG(Perishable) Products in Online Retailing

IntroductionToday, the strategic importance of information is obvious to all businesses. In addition, the competitive environment of each company is constantly changing. The Spring 2020 event was a testament to this fact. Due to the health and economic crisis caused by the emergence and spread of an unknown virus, various teams found it difficult to convey their advertising messages, campaigns and services. They could no longer rely on their assumptions about what customers buy and why and how they buy it (Johnson, 2020). Access to rich information for businesses that operate both in the field of e-commerce and in the retail sector of perishables is crucial. These products have a short life cycle and should be consumed faster. If the market intelligence model is properly designed for such businesses based on the supply chain of perishables, then managers will be able to correctly identify their customers, competitors and the business environment and run their business more successfully and grow as a result. In Iran, not much research has been conducted to provide a model that simultaneously addresses the aspects related to supply chain, market intelligence and online retail of fast-moving (perishable) products. and each of the models or patterns in the literature address one aspect of the issue. If market intelligence is at the service of the supply chain, it can create opportunities to reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction through collaborative decisions. Based on what was presented in the introduction, the main question of the research is extracted as follows.Research QuestionRQ1: what are dimensions and components of Market Intelligence model in the supply chain of FMCG (perishables) products in online retailing.Literature ReviewThe concept of market intelligence has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Various experts have defined market intelligence in some way: market intelligence is formed through detailed and accurate information about business environment in general, consumer needs and preferences, technology and changes in the business environment that can affect buyers. (Hedin,2014). Market intelligence enables small businesses to identify market attractiveness and create value and drive innovation (Del Vecchio, 2018).   2.1. Supply Market IntelligenceThe relationship between market intelligence and supply chain can be found under concept of supply market intelligence. (SMI). Market intelligence is a process for gaining competitive advantage and reducing risk by increasing knowledge about market dynamics and includes market intelligence, process and price benchmarking to evaluate sourcing performance, competitive sourcing identifying strategic opportunities in markets that lead to lower prices ,emerging supply channels and markets (Hanfield,,2010).   2.2. Organization Information Processing Theory (OIPT)One of the theories which is the basis for market intelligence and business intelligence is organization information processing theory (OIPT), which was introduced by Galbraith in late 1973. According to Galbraith, when uncertainty is low, organizations can be managed by relying on rules and programs and hierarchical referrals but in situations where the organization is facing high uncertainty, the need for information processing increases and there are two general solutions in this regard: organizations must either reduce the need for information processing or increase information processing capabilities by investing in information systems (Galbraith, 1974).2.3. Market OrientationThe root of market intelligence can also be traced to a concept called market orientation. The concept of market orientation has been developed from two perspectives: behavioral perspective and market intelligence perspective. According to Kohli and Jaworski, market orientation is a set of behaviors or activities related to market intelligence, dissemination of market intelligence among different units of the organization and responsiveness based on it (Kohli & Jaworski, 1990). According to Narver and Slater, Market Intelligence has three main components: customer orientation, competitiveness, and cross-sectoral coordination. In short, market orientation states that customer orientation helps companies to understand the needs and wants of their customers and take basic steps to meet them. Competitiveness will enable companies to create more value for customers than competitors and thus achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.  The role of market intelligence is in collecting, analyzing and disseminating this information (Narver & Slater, 1990). MethodologyIn this study mixed method approach has been adopted. First, in order to achieve the research objectives and identify the indicators of market intelligence in the supply chain of perishable products (fruits and vegetables), the seven-step approach of Sandelowski and  Barroso’s (2003) meta-synthesis method was used. The statistical population covers the research published in 3 databases of ProQuest, Science Direct and Google Scholar during the period time of 2010-2021 for keywords of market intelligence and supply market intelligence. For other keywords, different period time was applied. In the second part, to obtain additional indicators, semi-structured interviews were conducted by an exploratory approach. In this regard, interviews were conducted with experts in the field of retail of fast-moving and perishable products, service providers of fruits in Iran’s e-commerce environment. ResultsIn order to achieve the most relevant research to enter the meta-synthesis process, criteria for inclusion and exclusion of research were considered.. A total of 1654 studies were reviewed, of which 276 studies had related topics, and with elimination of duplicated studies, There were 202 researches available, of which 113 had abstracts, 48 ​​had content and 31 had appropriate quality and analysis method. In order to combine the findings of the research, the approach of Sandelowski and Barroso has been followed, in the sense that after careful study of studies and articles, codes have been identified from their texts and the researcher has formed a classification based on it and Similar classifications were placed on the topic that best described it. The sample of Codes, concepts and category identified in meta-synthesis phase is illustrated in table 1.Table 1. An example of coding in meta-synthesis processCodesConceptCategoryCustomer Demographic InformationCustomer InsightCustomer & Market Insight Customer personalizationCustomer interests and NeedsFocus group sessions with customersCustomer EngagementCall Center interaction with customerCustomers surveysThe coding process at the meta-synthesis stage led to the identification of 5 categories (supply chain intelligence, market and customer insight, business intelligence, social business intelligence and competitive intelligence), 23 concepts and 5 categories.In the second phase of the research, the new items identified in the theme analysis of semi-structured interviews with experts which included Order, Co-Branding, Customer Club, and Financial Issues. By comparing and combining the dimensions and components obtained in the two qualitative stages of the research, the market intelligence model for perishable products in the field of online retail was presented in the form of the model presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. Supply market intelligence (research model) In order to validate the model, the conditions for establishing reliability and validity (convergent and divergent validity) and fit indices must be met according to Table 2.  Table 2. Conditions for establishing Reliability & ValidityindicatorsAllowable ValidityReliabilityComposite Reliability > 0.7 and Cronbach's alpha>0.6Convergent validityLoading Factor >0.5CR>AVEAVE>0/5Rho_A>0/6Discriminate validityAVE>MSVFit Indices‌GOF>0/36SRMR0/9Descriptive statistics and central indicators such as mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis for each of the components and dimensions and indicators are reported in the above table 3.Table 3. Sample of Descriptive indicators and first-order confirmatory factor analysis The reliability index was evaluated by measuring the factor loads and the reliability of the latent variables was evaluated by the compositional reliability . Cronbach's alpha results, compositional  reliability and are shown in Table 4.Table 4. Sample of Cronbach's alpha results, composite reliability and convergent validityDimensionComponentsCronbach’s AlphaCA>0/6rho_A>06Composite ReliabilityCR>0/7Average variance extractedAVE>0/5Supply chain intelligenceSuppliers club & insight0/6920/7150/8650/762Service Provider Portal0/9250/9260/9380/656Competitive intelligenceResponse to Competition0/8440/8480/8950/682Tactical competition0/8910/8940/9330/822Customer & Market InsightCustomer Engagement0/9000/9000/9380/834Social Business IntelligenceCompetitive insight in social network0/7160/7160/8760/779Social Customer Interaction0/8450/8450/9280/866According to Table4, the Cronbach's alpha value for all variables is greater than the appropriate limit of 0.6 . Also the value of the compositional reliability coefficient for each variable is more than the desired limit of 0.7. In this model, the convergent validity of the model variables is all higher than 0.5, all of which are at an appropriate level.     ConclusionIn this study, the aim was to develop a market intelligence model in the supply chain of perishable products in the field of online retailing. Handfield (Handfield, 2006), introduced the supply market intelligence concept and considered business intelligence and market intelligence as the information drivers of  supply chain processes. According to the meta-synthesis of literature and analysis of semi-structured interviews with 14 experts, the components of each of the proposed dimensions were identified and social business intelligence and supply chain intelligence were identified as new dimensions of supply market intelligence model. In fact, a complete and optimal supply chain should include those activities that the customers value ​​and are willing to pay for the resulting services or products. Therefore, understanding customer behavior is very important. What is very important in the supply chain is that supply is aligned with demand across the supply chain, so a better understanding of suppliers and end customers is the best way to reduce costs in the supply chain., As a summary, the identified dimensions and the importance and role of each in the supply market intelligence model is discussed. - Supply chain intelligence. In this dimension, the components related to the to the links that make up the chain (logistics, sourcing, service provider gateway ...) should be considered to ensure that these links work efficiently. In e-commerce, logistics and service provider portals (such as website or mobile App) are very important because they are the connection point with customers and if the delivery is not done properly, especially for perishable products, in addition to customer dissatisfaction will cause product waste. Also, the service provider portals should have appropriate features such as speed, graphics, user friendliness, user experience, security, providing complementary services, ease of payment and other important features to make users and customers will revisit the website.- Market and customer insights. In this dimension, 4p components and customers are defined. It is crucial to identify market trends as well as the position that the business has with its customers. In fact, depending on the type of product and service that customers are willing to pay for, supply chain processes can be restructured. - Competitive intelligence. The way competitors market their products and services and the scanning of the external business environment are crucial in shaping the business supply chain. According to the resource-based view theory, a service should be defined in the supply chain that cannot be easily copied or provided by competitors and brings a competitive advantage to the firm, and this requires knowledge of the technologies adopted by competitors and the type of service and price offered by them.- Business intelligence. One of the important dimensions of the supply market intelligence model is business intelligence. In fact, the revenue model, sales volume, statistics and financial information and value that the retailer has created for itself, and the and the evaluation of incentives provided in the form of discount plans, provide insight to managers to focus on those products and services in the supply chain that they bring better and more to the business, and according to these factors, the company's revenue model can be defined.- Social business intelligence. Social networks have had a significant impact in the last decade. Social customers are able to share information with countless members of these networks, so analyzing social customer relationships and current trends in these networks and analyzing the performance of competitors in these networks is very important. In fact, these networks have created a new potential market for businesses and require their own sourcing and marketing.Based on what was covered in this study, it can be concluded that those businesses that operate in the field of online retailing, always need to find themselves in the path of information flow, which is an attempt to reduce uncertainty

A Progressive Multilevel Model for Selecting Medical Tourism Destinations: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: The overall objective of this study was to design a progressive multilevel model using the Delphi method for selecting a medical tourism destination which includes three levels of decision making: the destination country, then the destination city, and finally, the healthcare center in the selected city. This model can be used as a new area of research for further planning in Iran’s growing medical tourism industry. Methods: This study is a descriptive, practical research using a qualitative approach. In the preliminary stage, an extensive review of the literature was performed, and the Delphi method was used to identify factors influencing the selection of Iran as a medical tourism destination. Experts participating in the Delphi panel reached consensuses after applying three rounds. Analysis of the data from the Delphi panel resulted in the construction of a multilevel model for selecting a medical tourism destination. Results: The outcome of this research was a constructed multilevel model for selecting a medical tourism destination. The model indicates all factors influencing the selection of each level of destination. It also includes two stages of decision making (medical tourism and information search), which come before the selection of three levels of destination. Conclusion: Iran’s political and economic situations after the imposition of sanctions and its problems in providing banking services for medical tourists are among the factors influencing medical tourists not to choose Iran as their destination. Government support, planned promotional activities, and JCI accreditations could increase the attraction of medical tourists to Iran

Factors Influencing Growth or Decline of Brand Performance in the Healthcare Industry: a case study in Shiraz hospitals

Background: In the competitive healthcare market, maintaining and developing a market share is the result of brand performance. Therefore, studying factors influencing decline or growth of brand performance is an important topic in hospital marketing strategies. Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive and applied study included individuals who received inpatient services during a 9- month period (March, 2017 to December, 2017) at one hospital in Shiraz. Cluster and convenient sampling was done and 396 ones were selected. The collected data were analyzed through Smart PLS software. Results: Hospital brand value was to a large extent influenced by brand association, perceived quality, brand trust, relationship commitment, brand loyalty, reputation and social responsibility. Hospital reputation from the patients' viewpoint with an impact of 0.875 and patients’ loyalty to hospital brand with an impact of 0.843 had the most important roles in enhancing hospital brand value. The factor of brand specific value affected hospitals brand performance with impact of 0.842. Relative Goodness of Fit (GOF) equal to 0.925 and R squares equal to 0.839 for hospital brand value and 0.725 for brand performance indicated that this model was valid for measuring hospital brand value and performance. Conclusion: Hospitals can improve their brand value and also other performance indicators through essential measures related to promotion of factors influencing the decline or growth of hospital brand performance such as service quality, association, trust, relationship commitment, loyalty, reputation and social responsibility

Influencing Factors on Export Target Market Selection in Iranian Electrical Industry

One of the most important concepts of international marketing is export target market selection which is the first stage of internationalization process. This paper studies the factors influencing export target market selection in Iranian electrical industry. The factors categorized in 6 dimensions such as politics, market potential, economics, culture, infrastructure and legal and were tested and prioritized from experienced exporter’s perspective. Top managers of exporting companies in the electrical industry were surveyed through census method. The ranking method was used for analyzing the data. The results showed that market potential is the most important dimension in target market selection. Legal, politics, infrastructure, economics are respectively ranked as influential dimensions. Culture dimension is reported ineffective in selecting Iranian electrical industry’s target markets

Investigation of Individual Motivational Factors on Online Shopping

Today, businesses are getting into electronics, but despite impressive growth, global online sales figures are small and in Iran individuals have little desire to purchase from e-retailers. Therefore an attempt should be made in order to identify factors that have an impact on online shopping and Internet sales. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual motivational factors on online shopping. Research methodology was descriptive of survey type and Allameh Tabatabaee University students who at least purchased once in the past three months were selected by using relative classified sampling method and sampling size was 374. Koo, Kim & Lee (2007) model was used in this study. Kolmogorov-Smirnoff, Pearson correlation coefficient tests and confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyze the data. The results contrast the previous researches including Koo, Kim & Lee (2007). The findings showed that if managers could increase the possibility of frequent purchases by providing high quality information for their customers, their willingness to return to the site will be increased. In this regard, we suggest to the managers of e-retailers to reinforce the feeling of excitement in the life of customers.. On the other hand in order to respond to the need of establishing social relationships among individuals, chat features, and….should be provided

The Effect of Consumer’s Perceived Quality, Satiation and Satisfaction on Switching Intention (Case under study: Italian Restaurants in Tehran)

Maintaining customer interest to repurchase is an important issue in today's competitive market of Italian restaurants in Tehran. Therefore, determining the reasons that caused switching intention in customers, can be leading to arrange marketing purposes. So this research intends to evaluate effect of perceived quality, satiation and satisfaction on switching intention and to examine moderating role of involvement in relationship of satisfaction and switching intention. This study defined the population as all Italian restaurant customers who dined more than one time at a specific restaurant of Tehran in past month. Cluster random sampling was used and 391 questionnaires were collected. SEM was used for testing the direct assumptions and Interactive variable for moderating one. The results showed that perceived quality hasn’t considerable effect on switching intention; But has a negative effect on satiation and positive effect on satisfaction. Satiation and satisfaction have positive and negative impact on switching intention, respectively. Furthermore, involvement moderates the effect of satisfaction on switching, in a negative way

Performance Implications of Sales & Marketing Strategy

Recently in marketing literature sales function is viewed in a strategic level and recent work elevates sales strategy from a tactical component to a more strategic component. But what is sales strategy and how it affects sales performance in relation to internal and external environment? The aim of this study is to identify sales strategy and moderating effects of internal and external environment and the effects of antecedent of sales strategy (marketing strategy) on sales performance. This study is a mixed research that composites a qualitative and a quantitative methods. The population entails sales managers, marketing managers or other marketing experts of companies in food industries that are members of Tehran stock exchange. The sample volumes in qualitative study were 26 and in quantitative study were 66 people. Analyses of survey and secondary data provide evidence that sales and marketing strategy have positive and meaningful relationships on sales performance while transformational leadership, competitive intensity and technological turbulence were found to exert significant moderating effects on this relationship. Also the moderating effects of demand uncertainty were not found to be significant