Explaining Dynamic Marketing Capabilities Driven by Climate Change: An Exploratory Investigation of B2B Firms

Projections on the severity of climate change-related disruptions and displacements are becoming increasingly alarming over time (DiBella, 2020). Since climate change-related hazards have large impacts on a vast range of businesses, from individual traders to multinational companies (Canevari-Luzardo, 2020; Goldstein et al., 2019; Neise et al., 2018; Schneider, 2014; Surminski, 2013; Surminski et al., 2018), direct and indirect losses (e.g., damage to personnel, assets, and stocks) have been inflicted on businesses. Therefore, in environments where climate change has led to environmental uncertainty, it seems necessary for organizations to create new marketing strategies and capabilities to address this issue. However, considering the consequences of climate change, no research has yet identified the dynamic marketing capabilities based on climate change. On the other hand, past research has focused on B2B marketing capabilities in developed countries such as the United States (Mariadoss et al., 2011; Krush et al., 2015), the United Kingdom (Kaleka & Morgan, 2019; Yu et al., 2014), Australia (Merrilees et al., 2011; O'Cass & Weerawardena, 2010), and Germany (Helm et al., 2020; Wilden et al., 2019). As a result, the findings of these studies cannot be generalized to developing countries (Kamboj & Rahman, 2015; Mora Cortez & Johnston, 2018), where there are some of the most serious vulnerabilities to climate change (Odell et al., 2018). Additionally, since marketing is a contextual discipline (Sheth, 2011), the required marketing capabilities that drive firms' long-term performance can vary across countries and industries (Mora Cortez & Johnston, 2018). This is particularly relevant in Iran, which is one of the countries facing unprecedented problems related to climate change, including the drying up of lakes and rivers, dust storms, unprecedented temperatures, droughts, and floods (Vaghefi et al., 2019). Therefore, this research was conducted to fill these research gaps and to answer the question: "What is the conceptual framework of dynamic marketing capabilities driven by climate change?"
 
To provide a conceptual framework of dynamic B2B marketing capabilities based on climate change, a thematic analysis method, which is a qualitative method for organizing and describing existing data by identifying underlying themes, was used to analyze the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). This approach was chosen because qualitative research findings provide a rich and accurate picture of the studied phenomenon. Among the different methods of data collection in this research, the semi-structured interview method was used online via a webcam.
 
In this section, the analysis process of the data obtained from the interviews was examined based on the three-step method of thematic analysis. This research outlined the framework of dynamic marketing capabilities driven by climate change, identifying 109 basic codes and 8 sub-themes, which are categorized into 3 main themes: product development management, supply chain management, and customer relationship management based on climate change.
 
Since climate change has caused many transformations and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, fires, and storms, businesses that view climate change only as a social responsibility are doomed to failure. The consequences of climate change lead to many disruptions and problems for businesses. The results of this research indicate that addressing climate change requires both significant and minor changes. Businesses that engage with climate change must provide a roadmap for change because their survival depends on managers' attention to the risks and opportunities presented by climate change. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to develop new marketing capabilities based on climate change to mitigate the effects of risks and capitalize on the productivity opportunities arising from climate change.