Iranian Journal of Management Studies
Volume:16 Issue: 4, Autumn 2023

Customer perceptions and purchasing intentions are influenced significantly by the framing of advertising messages. Hence, the work was undertaken to investigate and comprehend the research gaps by examining the "Framing Effect" to find whether a negatively framed (Loss frame) or positively framed (Gain frame) message can effectively increase the purchase intention of consumers (college-going young adults and mothers having young children till age 10). Findings suggest that negative-framed messages are more effective on college-going young adults and positive-frame are effective on mothers in exhibiting greater propensities towards purchase intention of organic food. Ethical consciousness, health consciousness, environmental concern, and subjective norm are found to moderate the effect of organic food consumption on purchase intention. This study provides useful insights by identifying the significance of the framing effect as a critical influence that can shape and impact the purchase intention of organic food by affecting the reasoning process of consumers.

When individuals encounter conflicting cognitions, the motivation to mitigate the dissonance can result in a modification of one of their cognitions. Altering attitudes is one approach to achieving this objective, serving as a strategy to alleviate cognitive dissonance by adjusting cognitions associated with the attitude. This study aims to construct an interpretive structural model of attitude change grounded in cognitive dissonance within the railway transportation industry. Employing a mixed research design, the qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with experts, while the quantitative phase encompassed the development and distribution of a paired questionnaire among the statistical population of the railway transportation industry. During the qualitative phase, the theme technique yielded 6 overarching themes and 36 organizing themes. These themes were subsequently subjected to analysis using the interpretative structural modeling technique, categorizing them as autonomous, dependent, linked, and independent variables. One of the limitations of this study is the absence of similar research conducted in Iran.

Recent studies show that the risk profile of U.S. value firms deteriorate significantly during economic downturns while growth firms show much less sensitivity under similar conditions. It is unclear whether value and growth firms behave similarly in other financial markets, particularly those representing emerging economies where growth firms are under-represented and typically unable to attract capital at favorable terms. In this paper, we investigate the risk dynamics of value and growth firms in the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) over multiple periods of stable and adverse economic conditions during the 1999 -2021 period. We find that during economic downturns, the risk profile of value firms deteriorates more substantially than that of growth firms in the financial market of Iran. More importantly, such differences are not dependent on the choice of the equity return model. Value firms have also delivered lower operating profits and maintained a higher degree of operating leverage than those of growth firms during both stable and adverse economic conditions. Overall, these results provide additional and more systemic support for the differential behavior of value and growth firms initially documented by earlier studies using U.S. data. The differential risk and return dynamics of value and growth firms in the Iranian financial market have important policy implications for economic development in other emerging economies exposed to dramatic social, economic, and geopolitical changes.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between corporate stakeholder management and audit fees. In addition, the impact of management compensation and audit quality has been tested on this relationship. This article uses regression analysis to test its hypotheses to a sample of 1,626 firms -year observations in the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during 2011-2020. Results show a negative association between stakeholder management and audit fees. It can be concluded that effective stakeholder management reduces client risks. This finding is also consistent with agency theory that predicts agency problems lead to higher audit fees and vice versa. We also find that more management compensation and higher audit quality strengthen the negative association between stakeholder management and audit fees. Therefore, these variables can be considered important mechanisms to strengthen more effective stakeholder management. This study is the first study that empirically examines the association between stakeholder management and audit fees. Moreover, the moderating impact of management compensation and audit quality has been tested on the association between stakeholder management and audit fees. Finally, we use an interdisciplinary approach and use management literature to contribute to audit fee literature.

This study aims to determine consumer-brand relationships in the hospitality industry. The data gathered for the purpose of this research adds to our understanding of consumer-brand relationships as a novel generation marketing tool. This data was generated through a structured questionnaire; a total of 250 customers who used profiles of five (5) hotels were surveyed. These hotels were all ranked five stars and located in Tehran, Iran. The data was examined using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings revealed that the hospitality industry has positive intentions to adopt consumer-brand relationships in order to enhance relationship quality and achieve satisfaction and brand loyalty. The study expands upon existing research on the components of consumer-brand relationships. Furthermore, the partially supported mediation outcome of brand satisfaction is also addressed. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the creation of ecological values through the extraction of customer ideas from social networks through the interaction of the digital business ecosystem with the analytical-cloud and mobile-social ecosystems. The hierarchical PLS method, reflective–formative Type II, use for quantitative analysis with a two-step SEM approach. In the second-order analysis, the relationship between the variables and components of the clusters obtained from the review of the subject literature was measured quantitatively. Later in the first-order analysis, the interaction of ecosystems in creating ecological value is tested through research hypotheses. The reports provided for the analysis phase of the tests, while assessing the structural validity of the research model, include the testing of hypotheses at two levels. The results of quantitative tests based on experts' opinions state that the interaction of ecosystems provides ecological value.

Purpose: 

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and examine the impact of perceived social media marketing to customer engagement and brand loyalty. An attempt has been made to explore and report the intervening role of customer engagement between social media marketing and brand loyalty among online purchasers.

Design/methodology/approach: 

 A self-administered and structured questionnaire was developed and administered to a random sample of 233 online shoppers who purchased products/services online in the last 30 days. The study deployed the PLS – SEM to test the conceptual model since it is less stringent in working with non-normal data.

Findings:

 Social media marketing has a significant positive impact on the customer engagement, which result in high brand loyalty among the online shoppers in the Maldives. The study reported that the customer engagement intervenes the relationship between social media marketing and brand loyalty as a mediator and not as a moderator.  The study also identified a partial mediation of customer engagement among various customer groups based on their demographics.

Originality/value: 

This study re- confirms the relevance of social media in modern day marketing decisions.  It provides insights to the marketers to understand the potential of social media marketing in enhancing customer engagement and attaining brand loyalty.

In a recent competitive and challenging market, supply chain management has faced many challenges due to rapid technological changes, new products and variable customer tastes. Therefore, supply chain management seems to require more vigilance and speed leading to the formation of the concept of the agile supply chain. Since supply chain management plays a significant role in food industries and due to the specific nature of the food companies as well as the importance of their supply chain agility, the main purpose of the current study is to evaluate and prioritize the success key factors for agile supply chains in food companies. In this regard, a D-ANP method is employed as a hybrid decision-making method considering the Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). The results reveal that among 17 factors of success for agile supply chains in these companies, employee skill development, utilizing robust scheduling systems in distribution and process integration are the highest priority.

This paper aims to investigate the role of accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital in improving the quality of accounting information which covers reliability, relevance, comparability, and consistency. The sample of this research paper is the industrial companies in Sulaymaniyah, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG). Accordingly, a hypothesis has been developed that accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital play a significant role in improving the relevance, reliability, comparability, and consistency of accounting information. The hypotheses were tested through a questionnaire that has been distributed among 350 employees. It was analyzed by using a stratified sampling methodology. The research methodology comprised demographic analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital have a significant and positive effect on the relevance, reliability, comparability, and consistency of accounting information. The research is limited to industrial companies in Sulaymaniyah, KRG. Thus, the findings cannot be comprehensive unless the other scholars further considered various companies, philosophies, agricultural or trading companies.

The global tourism industry demands fresh ideas and complementary initiatives for sustained growth and resilience, particularly in the wake of recent COVID-19-related restrictions and lockdowns that have disproportionately impacted travel, tourism, and hospitality worldwide. These necessary innovations can encompass non-technological elements such as organizational or business models, as well as technological components including digital technologies, e-tourism, travel apps, and more. This research seeks to introduce a novel theoretical framework aimed at revitalizing the regional tourism sector in the prominent travel destination of Tungurahua province in Ecuador. The goal is to provide enhanced tourism experiences that deliver added value and prevent further stagnation and decline within both the local and regional tourism industries. Through a combination of comprehensive face-to-face meetings and surveys, this study engaged industry professionals, tourism experts, tourists, government representatives, and key stakeholders associated with enhancing tourism in Tungurahua. Our findings indicate that a fresh, synergistic, and collaborative approach among tourism stakeholders holds the potential to generate innovative tourist services and solutions. This collective effort seeks to address the ongoing challenges confronted by the global tourism, hospitality, and travel sectors. The proposed tailored tourism offerings, products, innovations, and promotional strategies primarily draw upon advanced technology. Ultimately, these innovations and adaptive strategies, guided by dynamic mindsets, forecasts, and technological advancements, have the potential to foster long-term growth in tourism for Tungurahua.

The intense competitiveness of the tourism industry requires firms to develop diverse strategies that allow them to maintain their market positions. This study’s primary aim was thus to comparatively analyse the moderating effect of structural capital in the relationship between innovation and pioneering behaviour in tourism firms in Arequipa and Cusco (Peru), both of which have been declared World Heritage cities. A quantitative approach was employed, for which 159 surveys were administered to managers of tourism companies, and the non-parametric partial least squares technique was used in the data analysis. The results revealed a direct effect of innovation capability on pioneering behaviour in these southern Peruvian cities. Additionally, structural capital had a direct effect on pioneering behaviour that was significant and non-significant in Cusco and Arequipa, respectively. Furthermore, the moderator effect was found to be divergent in both cities. Based on these results, we conclude that firms in cultural tourism destinations should bolster their innovation capability and develop a network of inter-organisational contacts to enhance their pioneering behaviour in the tourism industry.

The aim of this research is to expand the corpus of knowledge relating to the antecedents and outcomes of brand forgiveness among Islamic banking customers in Malaysia. Despite a plethora of research that has examined the linkage between brand transgression and brand forgiveness, the current study further strengthen research in this domain by integrating the role of transgression severity, religiosity, and behavioral intention as one research model. Data was collected from 211 customers who encountered unfavorable experience with Islamic banking services by using purposive and retrospective experience sampling technique. PLS-SEM approach was utilized by using SmartPLS software for data analysis. The findings demonstrate the significant role of two brand transgression dimensions (image incongruence and corporate wrongdoing), transgression severity, and religiosity on brand forgiveness. Brand forgiveness was also found to significantly related to behavioral intention. However, one dimension of brand transgression (negative past experience) did not significantly influence brand forgiveness. The findings offer novel insights for extant literature on negative brand relationship, as well as theoretical and practical implications regarding the antecedents and outcomes of brand forgiveness. Limitations and suggestions that can be considered by future studies are also highlighted in this paper.

One of the sectors worst affected by the pandemic is the tourism sector. The present study conducted a bibliometric analysis on the theme ‘COVID-19 and destination marketing’. It was found that China, Spain, and the USA have conducted maximum research on the theme above. According to Bradford’s law, Sustainability (Switzerland), the Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, and Current Issues in Tourism were the top journals publishing papers related to the theme. Kin J was the most productive author. Journal clustering revealed the formation of three clusters namely tourism, health /environmental, and technical clusters. Amid the pandemic, extensive research was conducted on tourism destinations, development, and perception. Researchers may shift their focus from their themes. Human rights and tourism were COVID-19's driving themes. These issues have been thoroughly explored in the literature and may direct researchers' attention toward a thorough assessment of the literature. Tourism, climate change, and the leisure industry were grouped under a specific theme for COVID-19. To characterize COVID-19-induced destination marketing and its behaviors, more research is needed to comprehend the intricacies of this theme. Ecotourism and sustainable tourism are promising areas for future research.

This paper applied the Measure of Attractiveness of Investment (MAI) as a representative indicator to enable investors to choose stocks according to attractiveness measured by some financial ratios of companies. It is integrated with  as the inherent risk of the market to construct a portfolio accounting for the companies’ fundamental strength and the investment’s long-term character. One may not know what the future investment environment will look like, but one can be better prepared for whatever comes through taking into account the uncertainty. The underlying key contribution of this study is related to the integration of MAI and  to construct a portfolio based on the companies’ fundamental ratios and attractiveness of investments’ long-term measures under uncertain conditions. To overcome the uncertainty, the Bertism and Sim algorithm is utilized which has some advantages such as linearity and the possibility of the adjusting protection level regarding the uncertainty degree. The empirical example shows that the proposed approach can be well implemented to deal with portfolio selection in uncertain conditions.

Based on a resource-based view and contingency-based approach, the current research investigated the link between several internal and external factors, export entrepreneurship and export performance, considering the moderating impact of psychic distance and network capacities. A random sample of 296 export managers was chosen to collect the research data, which were examined through PLS structural equation modeling. Findings demonstrated that export-learning-orientation and export entrepreneurship positively affect export performance. Moreover, export commitment and competitive intensity were the key attributes and predictors of export entrepreneurship. Psychic distance did not affect export entrepreneurship directly but had a negative moderating impact on the link between export-learning-orientation and export performance. Moreover, the moderating effect of network capacities on the link between export entrepreneurship on export performance was confirmed. Evidence from this study suggests that export entrepreneurship is multifactorial, driven by a variety of internal and external factors that are primarily contextual. Export managers of SMEs can use above findings in their decision-making and actions about the firms' export activity to enhance export performance.