فصلنامه مدیریت بازرگانی
سال پانزدهم شماره 56 (تابستان 1402)

The development of technology and science of artificial intelligence has led to an increase in the use of avatars in marketing on a large scale, while the concept and scientific model of avatar marketing has not been identified in previous research. In addition, the growth of one-dimensional graphic and artistic approaches to the structure of avatars has caused the nature of avatars and their communication styles with customers to be formed only on the visual axes and mental fantasies of their designers, most of which are rooted in brand logos or nostalgic advertising structures. This is while avatars, like brands, are considered alive and should have an acceptable and standard basis and principles that are formed from the concepts of marketing, branding, and effective communication with customers. Given that there are no guidelines for designing or using avatars for business purposes and the digital branding of businesses, there is a research gap around the main concept of avatars in marketing and how to create and use them. This study aims to conceptualize and present an avatar marketing model constructed in Iran.
 
This study is an exploratory, fundamental, and applied piece of research, ontologically based on the interpretive paradigm. It is qualitative, based on the Strauss and Corbin approach. Library studies and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the required data. The statistical population included all experts in new concepts of marketing and art management who have several years of teaching experience in this field as full professors or associate professors. Snowball sampling was used to obtain the representative sample.
 
 
This study could successfully identify the main features of avatars in marketing, based on behavioral realism and visual realism for consumer perception. This study could successfully identify the main features of avatars in marketing based on their behavioral realism and visual realism affecting consumer perception. The study considers the context, intervention, main phenomenon, strategies, and consequences of avatar use in marketing.
 
The results showed that avatars can simulate human behavior in marketing using data science and artificial intelligence. Avatars can enhance the accuracy of customer interactions during unplanned conditions and processes, leading to improved performance in marketing products and services. Business owners and brands interested in using modern technologies for targeted and intelligent marketing purposes should consider entering the avatar marketing scene to gain insights into the tastes and interests of their target market customers. Based on the discovered behavioral and cultural characteristics, they can design avatars that align with these characteristics to improve the effectiveness of marketing their brand's products and services

Turbulence and environmental dynamics along with disruptive innovations have made the issue of initiative strategic change more important for companies. The role of organizational management in initiative strategic change has been the subject of numerous previous studies with scattered results. This study is to conduct a meta-study and categorize the factors introduced by previous research about the role of organizational management in initiative strategic changes. By providing this objective, more and more researchers can face the multi-dimensional phenomenon of change, and executives can better manage change. 

The philosophical basis of the current research is interpretative and its orientation is developmental. Also, the research approach is based on the induction of library studies that pursue descriptive-exploratory goals. To fulfill the purpose of the article, the systematic review method was chosen which is suitable for summarizing and creating a macro map of the research topic. Therefore, for Investigating the Role of Organizational Management in Implementing Initiative Strategic Changes, according to the systematic review protocol, the articles available in the period from 1990 to January 21, 2021, were reviewed. Finally, 57 articles were found to be eligible for review, the content of these 57 articles was carefully studied and the required data was collected. Finally, the thematic analysis method was used to analyze the mentioned data.

The systematic review divided the organization's management into three parts: the board of directors, the CEO, and the senior, middle, and operational management team. The role of the board of directors includes two components: "composition of the board of directors" and "centrality of the board of directors". The CEO's role comprises two components: "CEO's dignity and position in the organization" and "CEO's tendencies and attitudes". Also, based on the findings, the role of the "senior, middle and operational management team of the organization" has three components: "service compensation", "combination of the senior, middle and operational management team" and "dialectical feature of comparison and adaptation". Each of the mentioned components includes indicators that are mentioned in the text of the article. 

The growth and life of any organization depend on ensuring that its managers play the correct role in implementing strategies, especially Initiative strategic changes. This study sought to help organizations with achieving this confidence.  For this purpose, it systematically reviewed the role of organizational management in initiating strategic changes and creating an integrated view of the results of research in this field. Finally, by studying the current research, managers can play their role correctly in facing innovative strategic changes in the competitive world of business and lead their organizations to sustainable superior performance with transformative leadership. Also, the results of this article can be reviewed and criticized by all researchers interested in the field of strategic changes to create a safer path for managers of organizations.

Strategic renewal in an ecosystem seeks to promote sustainable economic growth policies and increase corporate responsibility. It focuses on the environmental activities and challenges of the company in industries and policies. It is also used to improve the organization's strategies over time. Strategic renewal for corporate sustainability is a complex, ongoing, and challenging process in business. The evolutionary nature of ecosystems allows all players and stakeholders to evolve dynamically and continuously and to influence each other. Considering the significance of sustainability and its impact on economic prosperity, social welfare, and environmental protection, alongside the critical role of strategic renewal in driving corporate sustainability initiatives, this study is to provide a model of a strategic renewal ecosystem with a particular emphasis on corporate sustainability. 

The current study adopts a developmental approach in terms of its purpose, aiming to propose advancements and improvements. It also utilizes a descriptive approach for data collection, seeking to gather comprehensive information. It uses the Meta-synthesis method, which involves synthesizing and analyzing existing research findings to derive meaningful insights. The sampling population includes all the articles and studies that were conducted in the field of strategic renewal and corporate sustainability and were searched in reliable scientific databases in the period of 2000-2021. After the evaluation of 397 articles searched with CASP tools,46 articles were selected as the research sample. Then their content was analyzed and the concepts and categories were obtained. The importance and the concepts were determined by Shannon's entropy method. 

According to the findings of the study, 55 concepts were identified in categories including internal factors of organization, external factors of organization, and environmental factors. The categories of participatory management and leadership, internal and external stakeholders, environmental conditions and regulations, environmental uncertainty, networking, strategic communication, purposeful organizational culture, organization, and management of the organizational structure, and dynamic capabilities were the most important factors, respectively. 

In the face of uncertainty, many organizations encounter the challenge of sustaining their position. Strategic renewal serves as a means to foster innovation and ensure the continued vitality of organizations. On the one hand, strategic modernization, due to its entrepreneurial nature, will affect sustainable economic growth policies and increase the responsibility of companies. On the other hand, identifying ecosystem players with a hybrid approach will enable managers to implement strategic renewal for sustainability more quickly. To ensure the success of strategic renovation to sustain the company, the organization must align and integrate the renovation ecosystem through continuous collaboration to maintain communication between the ecosystem players. In general, this research tried to provide managers and researchers with a holistic understanding of renewal from an ecosystem perspective. It also aimed to facilitate progress toward sustainability objectives for all stakeholders involved

The significance of internal branding in achieving effective and successful organizational branding cannot be overstated, yet research in this area is limited. This study aims to address this gap by utilizing a meta-synthesis approach to systematically analyze and categorize internal branding tactics, techniques, and strategies, resulting in a model that can be practically applied within organizations.
 
The current research is conducted on the meta-synthesis approach. It is a qualitative approach to present a synthesis of research findings to create a conceptual framework and summarize concepts for easier access for use in future empirical research. According to the purpose of the research, first, 356 selected articles among which 68 valid articles were examined. The population study included all articles published in Latin and Persian magazines in reliable scientific databases, from 2010 to 2022.
 
Using the content analysis method on 68 selected articles, in total two main categories including “strategies and solutions” and “tools” were extracted. The study could identify 12 concepts including strategies for institutionalizing ideologies in the organization, strategies for institutionalizing values ​​of the organization, interaction strategies with external stakeholders, employee matching strategies with the brand, leadership strategies, brand-oriented strategies at the macro level, etc. Also, 63 codes were discovered and labeled in this research.
 
 
The findings of this study are crucial for organizations looking to implement effective internal branding strategies. By categorizing strategies and tools into two perspectives (internal and external) and determining the level of organizational change required for their implementation, the study provides a practical framework for organizations to follow. Furthermore, the proposed four-part format for implementing these strategies and tools ensures that organizations can implement changes in a structured and organized manner. The study also highlights the importance of aligning employee strategies with brand and leadership strategies, which can have a significant impact on the success of internal branding initiatives.  The fact that the proposed model has been validated by experts and university professors further strengthens its credibility and usefulness for organizations. Overall, this research model offers a comprehensive view of internal branding strategies, tools, and solutions, which can provide organizations with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Organizations can benefit from this research by improving their understanding and depth of knowledge in the field of internal branding and ultimately improving their overall performance.

The current concern about food product consumption and demand for green products highlights the need to pay attention to their pricing. The main purpose of this study is to measure the impact of price tags and green labels on the purchase intention of different population groups.
 
The present study is applied in terms of purpose and experimental in terms of method. Initially, a website was designed and a food product (hamburger) was offered to the customers in two modes of green and normal, at both high and low prices. The statistical samples who were selected from social networks visited these retailers and received a questionnaire link on the website page. They expressed their intention to buy the selected product through the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed through one-way ANOVA and factor analysis.
 
Based on the obtained results, in groups who chose high-priced green products, the average purchase intention level to buy green products was higher. Accordingly, higher prices of green products were acceptable to consumers i.e., consumers' perceptions of the relationship between price, quality, or the features added to the product. Further, the average intention to buy green products by individuals who chose more expensive green products was higher compared to the intention level of those who bought non-green products at lower price levels. However, there was no difference in the average intention of the customers who bought green products at lower prices compared to the intention of those who purchased non-green products at higher prices. In addition, differences in price levels, considering the interaction of green characteristics, directly affected the intention to buy green products. No difference was observed in purchase intention in the male and female groups, but there was a significant difference in purchase intention of the product among customers with different educational and income levels.
 
According to the findings, marketers should be careful in the pricing of green products to increase the likelihood of their customers’ intention to buy. They are advised to provide strategies to ensure the quality of green products. One of these strategies is using valid green certificates on product packaging that indicate the quality of green products in domestic and international markets. Since no difference was found among male and female consumers in terms of intention to buy green products at high or low prices, marketers are advised to focus on other demographic features that may affect consumers' purchasing intention.

One of the most important factors for employees' success is focusing on the positive outcome of each situation, according to which they increase their trust and commitment. Hence, those who are positively focused can act very boldly and continue their efforts until achieving the desired result. The Pygmalion effect is a psychological principle related to the effective management of people. If employees think that their organization will be successful, they may subconsciously take action on this issue. As a sales manager, your ability to develop and retain sales representatives is critical to your company's performance and future success. Retaining employees in sales is still an important issue. Also, when salespeople are gaining skills to prepare for and succeed in their role, they are more likely to be job-satisfied and feel that their employer values their work. These factors reduce the likelihood of their willingness to resign. Holliday Chain Store as an enterprise is no exception to this rule. For this purpose, this study investigates the Pygmalion effect in branch managers on improving the sales performance of employees in the named chain store.
 
It is an experimental, cross-sectional, and controlled clinical trial study. The statistical population of the present study includes 22 employees of a Holiday branch in Tehran. They were randomly divided into two groups; 11 in the experimental group and 11 in the control group. The standard sales performance questionnaire of Venezuela et al. (2014) was used to collect the needed data. In this study, the opinions of the supervisor, experts, and management specialists were used to check and determine the validity of the questions, and Cronbach's alpha was used to check their reliability. A high percentage of the alpha value indicated the reliability of the questions. Hypotheses were tested using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analysis (ANKWA) using SPSS software.
 
The results showed that the Pygmalion effect in managers of Holliday store branches on improving the sales performance of employees (characteristics of sales role, sales force skills, the value of customer life cycle, and customer orientation) is positive and significant.
 
The results showed that the Pygmalion effect in Holliday’s branch managers has a significant and positive influence on improving the sales performance of employees (sales role characteristics, sales force skills, customer lifetime value, and customer orientation).  Also, the Pygmalion effect impacts business and manager-employee relations (teacher-student). A manager who knows the skills and talents of his subordinates can help them achieve their goals. The relationship between managers and employees (teacher-student) is an example of the Pygmalion Effect on strengthening and improving the skills of people in business and effectively recognizing their skills and using them to achieve the set goals. Also, according to the beta value of this variable, the Pygmalion effect in managers has a positive relationship with the customer lifetime value of sales employees, in other words, the continuous presence of managers in such periods can strengthen the value cycle of sales employees' customers. Individuals' tendencies are formed based on their direct perceptions of the conditions of expectations that others have about them. As a result, it is recommended to identify hidden talents and skills of employees by holding group training courses and activities with the presence of sales staff and to achieve this goal by focusing and promoting these positive skills throughout the journey. Create better changes in the sales performance of employees

Innovation is an important factor influencing customers' desire to co-create value. Innovation can stimulate the motive and interest of organizations (here hotels) to co-create value with their customers. Hence, innovation is an antecedent variable affecting customers' desire to co-create service experiences. The present research is to design a service innovation model based on customer value co-creation in the hospitality industry of Iran.
 
The present research is a fundamental and exploratory one. To collect data, a semi-structured in-depth interview was used along with library studies. The population of the research included those active in the hospitality service, marketing experts, and academic professors. To choose the experts, the snowball sampling method was applied. The selected 14 experts were interviewed according to the data adequacy.
 
Analyzing the interviews, final codes were extracted including 87 concepts and 29 main items. Finally, using the systematic approach in the data-based theory, the identified codes were classified into six core classifications including central phenomenon, causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences.
 
 
The results identified the causal items as the development of online communication infrastructures, the adaptation of hotel processes and services to the customer tastes and needs, open innovation, and competition dynamism. The central items included obtaining productive knowledge, customer perception of superior services, visualization of customer experience, customer suggestions for improvement, verbal advertisement, customer-to-customer interaction, customer interaction with the service provider, and customer interaction with the physical and social service environment. The strategic items included launching a customer club, service innovativeness, market orientation, and development of interaction with customers. The contextual items included hotel structure, communication structure, cultural capital, and team orientation. The intervening items included political factors, social-cultural factors, economic factors, management barriers, and lack of support by government and public institutions. The consequential items included improvement of service quality, reduction of expenses and increase in incomes, customer retention, and service development. Hence, special attention must be given to these items to succeed in the service innovation based on customer value co-creation.