فصلنامه مدیریت بازرگانی
سال پانزدهم شماره 55 (بهار 1402)

In the past decade, various businesses were launched due to the development of information and communication technologies and the increasing popularity of the internet. Furthermore, traditional retailers were encouraged to launch online channels and become multi-channel retailers to gain a competitive edge. Virtual and online technologies prepared a platform for various organizations and companies to deliver their services and products to their customers. Pricing the same products in different channels is currently one of the most significant factors influencing the competitiveness of retailers and multi-channel companies. Since consumers have different perceptions of prices and respond differently in various sales channels, identifying the influential factors on pricing in multi-channel companies can help pricing managers of companies.

This study is a systematic literature review analysis. All related research up to 2019, including 203 documents, was gathered. From among them, 86 top ones were selected as the source of analysis. The coding method was used to analyze the gathered data.

After coding the research, duplicate codes were removed, and 49 codes were selected. In the next stage, 49 codes were consolidated into nine concepts, and finally, the codes were grouped into four categories. The categories and concepts include retail characteristics (channel characteristics, company characteristics, after-sales support), usage characteristics (situational and demographic factors), product characteristics (types of goods), and imposing factors (hidden and obvious costs and environmental factors measures).

Any price difference should have a logical reason, and it should be used as a segmentation tool to create value for customers. Although any pricing policy impacts consumers' purchasing intention, the adopted policies should not harm the fairness perception. When setting the pricing strategy, multi-channel retailers should pay special attention to the perception of price fairness and formulate their strategies based on improving consumer perception. The identified categories present some useful suggestions for choosing the optimal pricing strategy in multi-channel retailers. For example, taking into account the characteristics of customer features; since women, married people, and younger people buy more items from online channels, higher pricing of the same products on the online channel than offline is acceptable for the target customers in this category. Regarding product characteristics, customers prefer to test some products such as clothes or perfume before buying, and they prefer to visit the physical store. These kinds of goods can be sold at a higher price in the offline channel than the online channel. Also, based on retailer characteristics, if it is difficult for customers to access physical stores, and the customer prefers to buy from the online store, goods can be offered at a higher price in the online store.

Due to the limited study and research in the field of startup branding, the purpose of this research is to investigate the process and factors affecting brand creation in startups. It seeks to examine the importance of branding startups and their strategies.

This research investigates the branding of 10 Iranian startups in different industries through multiple-case studies and conducting interviews with managers. Data gathered from interviews, organizational documents, and meeting notes were analyzed by the MAXQDA software. Data collection in this research was done using semi-structured interviews, and according to the purpose of this research, i.e. to identify the process and factors affecting branding in startups, an interview protocol was used to provide the possibility of gathering information under the guidance of the researcher. In other words, the interview was designed to provide access to three types of information: 1. background regarding the type and activity of the startups, 2. their views and tendency towards branding, and 3. Their branding activities.

This study confirms some of the findings of previous research. However, new findings are presented in this study. In the brand plan section, the findings of this research almost align with the theory. Theoretical and empirical findings show that brand design dimensions play an important role for startups due to their influence on company communication. In particular, empirical findings show that the logo design and name of a startup can be divided into two groups including internal goals and external goals. Based on the findings of this research, common patterns were observed in the branding process in the form of three themes including brand orientation, brand design, and branding activities. The branding process has various elements that should not be ignored to enhance brand equity. The findings show that branding is important to all startups, and they do take measures to improve it. The findings of this research are also different from the extant literature; activities such as public relations and sponsorship, using social media, and partnering with other companies were studied in this research, while they were not mentioned in earlier studies.

The most prominent features of startup companies are the lack of time, knowledge, capital, and human resources. Therefore, branding seems to be an important factor in the growth of a startup. In this study, it was emphasized that a brand is influenced by its visual dimensions. This study emphasizes the role of public relations and social media, participation in events, and partnerships with other companies, the importance of individuals and their personal brand in the company as branding activities.

Today, responding to social and environmental challenges as well as the economic aspects is a major strategic concern for businesses. In the digital age, the lifestyle of customers has changed; therefore, businesses are struggling to present their products and services in novel digital ways to the new generation of consumers. To meet such challenges, every business needs to rely on its internal capabilities, update its internal capabilities based on external changes, and get out of the static state. The purpose of this study is to provide a model for business innovation in line with the sustainability and developments of the digital age based on the dynamic capabilities of businesses. Previous research did not investigate the required dynamic capabilities for creating sustainable digital business models. In addition, earlier models were presented statically. None of them considered the sequence and relationship of related capabilities. The present study tries to resolve this scientific gap.

This is a mixed methods study (both qualitative and quantitative). In the qualitative phase, meta-synthesis and content analysis were used and in the quantitative stage, the quantitative method of Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) was adopted.

The proposed model by this study consists of three approaches, four aspects, 16 dimensions, and 37 components, which are based on quantitative modeling of 16 dimensions in four main levels of "Sustainable Computing", "Sustainable Execution", "Sustainable Engagement" and "Sustainable Results", respectively. Because earlier models were presented in a standing and non-process manner, the sequence and relationship of the components related to all were not determined. This study eliminates this scientific gap.

Based on the results of this study, to innovate a business model, in addition to designing the business based on social and environmental sustainability components as well as digital technologies, it is necessary to pay attention to a new component called sustainable engagement. The concept indicates the need to pay attention to the empathy of businesses with society and the environment in addition to customers. Therefore, it is necessary for different businesses to pay attention to the mechanisms of creating sustainable engagement from the beginning of business design as a first step in their business design. For this purpose, it is necessary for business managers to acquire the skills and knowledge of design thinking in business. In addition, due to the increasing speed of environmental changes, it is necessary for businesses to consider agility and learning by doing in their business design. In addition, the digital technology factor is the most independent and influential. The economic, social, and environmental sustainability factors come with the least influence but the most dependence on other factors. The proposed model by this study can be used as a business model canvas to redesign and innovate the business model of large companies and start-ups that seek sustainability in the digital age based on dynamic capabilities.

A growing number of businesses develop their corporate social responsibility in response to various social, environmental, and economic pressures. Responsible practice is problematic since businesses usually employ many disparate responsible plans and initiatives instead of a comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. It is thus crucial that companies carefully integrate CSR into their corporate strategies. This article intended to examine the integration of CSR strategies in three food companies in Iran, namely Nestle, Bell, and Sina Food Holding. 

Methodology:

The research used a qualitative methodology to address the multidimensional and dynamic nature of the topic. An exploratory multiple case study was used to analyze Nestle, Bel, and Sina Holdings in terms of stakeholder engagement, the level of integration of corporate governance with social responsibility measures, and the level of social reporting. To compare and identify the level of integration of CSR strategies in the three companies, the study employed Molteni’s proposed model for the development of CSR in the corporate strategy, which consists of five stages: informal and defensive CSR, charitable CSR, systemic CSR, innovative CSR, and dominant CSR. 

Findings:

The results showed that multinational companies such as Nestle and Bell possess a high level of stakeholder engagement as well as an integrated and internalized level of integration of corporate governance with responsible measures, so such companies are at the dominant stage of Molteni’s model, with responsible measures becoming a dominant culture of corporate strategy. However, the level of stakeholder engagement was more limited in the case of Sina Food Holding, where the integration of corporate governance with social responsibility measures could be modeled as the instrumental legitimacy. Therefore, Sina Food Holding was found to be at the systemic stage of Molteni’s model. In fact, despite Sina Holding’s philosophy of elimination of deprivation in the field of management and governance, there is no alignment between its strategies and its social initiatives, as well as between the internal integration of the governance system with the company's social responsibility measures. Especially at the level of subsidiaries, the discussion of corporate social responsibility is limited to charities and the concepts of classical social responsibility. 

Conclusion:

Many companies are considering responsible strategies as a substantial component of their overall business strategy, along with the traditional functions such as marketing, branding, research and development, innovation, and operations. Many Iranian companies experience a situation similar to that of Sina Food Holding owing to various reasons and challenges, be they structural, cultural, motivational, etc. In this situation, if companies seek their own survival and that of the society, they must raise their status to the dominant stage of social responsibility. Compared to Sina Food Holding, the international context of Nestlé and Bell and their social awareness are among the important elements observed in developing responsible and social goals.

Grey markets are unofficial markets where economic players indulge in trading securities and other commodities. They are shaped whenever a suspended stock or commodity, neither purchased nor sold by players, is brought to the market. Such commodities would be traded even before the official trading initiates. The issue is prevalent in developing and emerging markets. Accordingly, this study seeks to explore the formation of grey markets resulting from economic fluctuations and customs gaps, with a specific focus on the Samsung home appliances market in Iran.
 

The present study, applied-developmental, is an applied-developmental one and is qualitative-quantitative in terms of its exploratory nature. Its statistical sample, in the qualitative phase, includes 20 experts in the field of grey markets in the home appliances industry, selected using a judgmental/purposive approach and snowball sampling. The statistical sample, in the quantitative phase, includes 13 experts in the field of grey markets in the home appliances industry, selected purposefully. To collect the required data both in the qualitative phase of the interview and the quantitative phase, a pairwise comparison questionnaire was distributed among the respondents. The data theory approach was adopted to analyze the collected data in the qualitative part, and the fuzzy Dematel approach was used in the quantitative phase.
 

The obtained results of fuzzy Dematel analysis, proved cross-border markets with 23.2332 interactions to have the highest priority; i.e. they need to be more scrutinized and investigated by researchers and policymakers. Besides, the smuggling of goods with the interaction of 22.2800 had the second priority. Based on the achieved findings, more attention must be paid to the customs to prevent such issues which could directly shape grey markets. Next, the fluctuations of economic indicators with the interaction of 22.772 got the third priority. The fluctuations were mainly caused by the socio-political stability or instability of the country in a certain period. Finally, the stagnation of the home appliances markets with 22.292 interactions took the fourth priority.
 

According to the achieved results, economic fluctuations and lack of supervision at border checkpoints end in the formation, emergence, and extension of grey markets. Besides, the lack of effective border controls sets the ground proper for unauthorized or illegal distributors to transport or smuggle Samsung products into Iran, helping the formation of grey and parallel markets.

ObjectiveThe tendency to use luxury cosmetic products is increasing in Iran, and Telegram has become a channel for offering and selling such products. Considering that the quality of online services is essential for the success of online businesses, this study sought to design a model of customer emotions' impact on their online purchase intention and impulsive buying behavior in terms of luxury cosmetic products. The model was intended to emphasize the role of customer-perceived online service quality. MethodologyIn this study, a mixed research method with qualitative and quantitative approaches was used. In the first phase, a qualitative study was conducted to identify customer emotions and perceived online service quality dimensions in Telegram groups made for selling luxury cosmetic products. The statistic population consisted of active customers with high experience in buying luxury cosmetic products from Telegram groups. A purposive non-probability sampling method was applied to select 23 interviewees, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Thematic analysis was then used to analyze the gathered data. The statistical population in the quantitative phase consisted of the customers of Telegram groups selling luxury cosmetics. The sample size was estimated to be 385, which was provided based on available nonrandom sampling. A structural equation model under the PLS software was also used to analyze the collected data.  FindingsThe data obtained from the qualitative method were coded and classified as “group quality”, “transaction-related service quality”, and “interaction quality”. Also, the test of hypotheses in the quantitative phase of the research confirmed the validity of the proposed model. ConclusionThe findings also confirmed the effect of customers’ emotional dimensions on perceived online service quality dimensions. It was also found that the dimensions of perceived online service quality have a significant effect on online purchase intentions and impulsive buying behaviors of the customers. Finally, the effect of perceived online service quality dimensions on customers’ online purchase intentions and impulsive buying behaviors was confirmed by the mediating variable of perceived online service quality. Based on the findings of the current research on luxury cosmetic brands, in Iran, the positive dimensions of customer emotions have a greater impact on all three dimensions of perceived online service quality (i.e., group quality, transaction-related services, and interaction quality), compared to than the negative dimensions. Also, among the dimensions of perceived online service quality, transaction-related services have the greatest impact on customer purchase intention and impulsive buying behavior. To improve customer purchase intention and impulsive buying behavior and to increase business profit in consequence, online sales managers and the Telegram groups are advised to ensure customer satisfaction and positive emotions through their proper performance during transactions.

The present study aims to explain the behavioral pattern of utility service consumers toward engagement in online brand communities. Many companies seek to attract and communicate more with customers; therefore, they try to strengthen their relationships with customers by creating online brand communities and customer engagement. Utility companies are affected by this trend in recent years while, compared to hedging companies, they face more challenges in this area. In the extant literature, few studies have investigated the types of behavioral responses of utilitarian service consumers in online brand communities. Therefore, this study seeks to develop a behavioral model for utility service consumers to ensure their engagement. It divides the consumers based on their behavioral differences and by examining each category of them separately in an independent phase.
 
The required data for this study were collected through purposive sampling, dealing with two groups of consumers with different behavioral responses to engagement in online brand communities. The study continued through conducting semi-structured interviews and using the content analysis method. In its first phase, participants were consumers of one of the three Internet service providers in Iran (namely Shuttle, Hi Web, and Mobinnet) who had to connect with the online brand communities but did not desire to engage. Data were collected from 12 consumers. In the second phase of the study, participants were consumers from one of the same three Internet service providers (i.e., Shuttle, Hi Web, and Mobinnet) that had connected and engaged in the online brand communities of one of the mentioned companies. Data were collected from 10 of these individuals. Next, the data obtained from the two phases were coded by the thematic analysis approach. Eventually, the final model of consumer engagement in online brand communities was extracted.
 
Dimensions and components of consumer engagement in online brand communities include brand-related factors (i.e., brand position in the consumer's mind and brand satisfaction), individual factors (i.e., possibility of presenting the ideal self, consumer attitude towards people with a high level of engagement, perceived usefulness of the engagement, consumer involvement with the product, consumer motivation from the occurrence of engagement and consumer openness), social factors (i.e., quality of community members' interactions with each other and content source), and factors related to the online brand community (i.e., the extent to which consumer expectations from communities are met, community commitment to interactions with consumer and the attractiveness of the content).
 
The research results underlined the role of the mentioned components in consumers of utilitarian service toward engagement in online brand communities. The dimensions and components identified were expressed in a final figure. The six components of brand position in the consumer's mind, brand satisfaction, consumer involvement with the product, perceived usefulness, community commitment to interactions with consumers, and attractiveness of the content were repeated in the findings of two phases, highlighting the relative importance of these factors compared to other factors. Therefore, brand managers should pay special attention to these components. These findings help managers better understand consumers’ behavior and design or refine their communication strategies accordingly.