Identification and Classification of Entrepreneurial Thinking to the Issue of International Marketing Ecosystem Using Q Method

This study examines the mentality and ideas of entrepreneurs to the issue of international marketing ecosystem. This study is a mixed method exploratory research that has been conducted using Q methodology. The participants of this research include: 8 professors who were already familiar with the research topic as well as directors and managers of small and medium companies in Tehran who have enough experience in international markets. The discourse of the present study were collected from various resources and then were evaluated. From among 74 Q-phrases, only 43 were selected as the sample for the present study. After collecting data from sorted Q-phrases, the data were analyzed using Q-factor analysis. Distribution analysis showed that there could be two distinct paradigms of research among the participants about the scope of international marketing ecosystem elements that will encompass about 68/388 percent of the total variance explained. These two mental paradigms are "state and the culture" and "capital and infrastructure", respectively. The importance and prioritization factors were identified based on the mental models. Finally, the strategies for the use of these agents were proved to be effective on the success of entrepreneurial companies.