Business, Marketing, and Finance Open

This study aims to identify the barriers to financing knowledge-based businesses, with an emphasis on the role of the banking system. The research method is qualitative and grounded theory-based. The statistical population consists of all banks that provided credit and facilities to knowledge-based companies, including the following banks: Shahr Bank, Bank Melli, Bank Mellat, Bank Resalat, Bank Saderat, Bank of Industry and Mine, and Export Development Bank of Iran. Sampling was conducted purposively and non-randomly. The research instrument was semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 experts and specialists in financing knowledge-based businesses. In addition, document analysis was used to identify dimensions, characteristics, facilitating and inhibiting factors, and appropriate methods for financing knowledge-based businesses. To ensure validity and reliability, the Lincoln and Guba evaluation method was applied. The interviews were reviewed multiple times, and initial concepts were extracted through content analysis. Based on the conducted analyses, the identified barriers to financing knowledge-based businesses, emphasizing the role of the banking system, include causal conditions such as factors influencing financing knowledge-based businesses (laws and regulations, structure and organization, monitoring and evaluation), contextual conditions such as supportive programs, the central phenomenon of collaboration, intervening conditions such as effective management, strategies such as investment, and outcomes including collaboration and networking, attracting investments, market development, increased production capacity, and technological advancement.

Companies and organizations must be accountable for the environmental impacts of their activities toward future generations. Given the widespread effects of human activities on the environment, including climate change, air and water pollution, and the destruction of ecosystems, companies and organizations bear a significant responsibility for the future of the planet. The objective of this study is to explain and rank the behavioral indicators of auditors based on environmental responsibility. The research method is mixed (qualitative and quantitative) and was conducted in the year 2024. In the qualitative part, interviews were conducted with 15 experts, and theoretical saturation was achieved using grounded theory. In the quantitative part, the Friedman test was used to rank the indicators. Additionally, to validate the indicators, a researcher-designed questionnaire was distributed among 384 university professors and professionals in the field, including faculty members, financial managers, and auditors from the Iranian Court of Audit, using SPSS software. This study identifies 11 components and 39 indicators. The components are as follows: Professional ethics (four indicators), stakeholder consideration (three indicators), environmental standards (three indicators), sustainable development (four indicators), environmental culture (three indicators), evaluation and monitoring (four indicators), sustainability reporting (three indicators), professional competence (five indicators), individual attitudes and values (four indicators), individual responsibility (two indicators), and education and learning (four indicators). Auditors play a key role in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of companies and organizations by assessing their environmental performance. Through thorough examination and transparent reporting, auditors provide a powerful tool for increasing public and stakeholder trust in organizations. This process not only promotes transparency but also helps organizations improve their performance and achieve sustainable environmental goals. This type of assessment, conducted by trained professionals, encompasses various dimensions of environmental impact and provides solutions for improving performance.

The present study aimed to propose a digital transformation model for chain stores in Iran, focusing on Shahrvand chain stores. The research was applied in terms of purpose, utilized a sequential mixed-methods exploratory approach for data collection, adopted a pragmatic paradigm, and used qualitative content analysis with a grounded theory approach in the qualitative phase. In the quantitative phase, it employed a descriptive-analytical survey/correlational design. The qualitative population included theoretical experts (university professors specializing in business) and practical experts (relevant managers of Shahrvand chain stores). Using the principle of saturation and purposive sampling, 20 interviewees were selected. The quantitative population consisted of all employees of Shahrvand chain stores. Using the minimum sample size calculation for confirmatory factor analysis and a multi-stage sampling method, 250 employees were chosen. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase and researcher-developed questionnaires to validate the model from both expert and respondent perspectives in the quantitative phase. The validity and reliability of the tools were examined and confirmed in both qualitative and quantitative phases. Data analysis methods included thematic analysis using Maxqda-V18 software in the qualitative phase and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis (confirmatory factor analysis and one-sample t-test) using SPSS-V27 and SmartPLS-V3 in the quantitative phase. The findings revealed that the dimensions of digital transformation include digital user experience, inventory management, and digital marketing. Causal conditions were identified as information technology infrastructure, human resources, digital marketing strategies, and after-sales services. Strategies comprised digital technologies and software, customer service improvement, and organizational culture. Contexts involved process digitization and the analysis of logistics service quality. Outcomes included changes in customer behavior, impacts on internal operations, shifts in organizational culture, and effects on competitiveness. Finally, barriers included financial resource shortages, cultural and organizational resistance, and a lack of technical skills. The results also indicated that all relationships within the model components were significant. Ultimately, based on the identified factors, the research model was proposed, and findings demonstrated both internal and external validity based on feedback from qualitative participants and quantitative respondents.

Stock price crash refers to a large, negative, abnormal, and sudden change in stock returns occurring in the absence of a major economic event. As it endangers the primary objective of individual investments, which is to generate profit, its escalation can lead to investor pessimism and capital withdrawal from the stock market. Considering this, the aim of this article is to present a model of the impact of tax avoidance, discretionary accruals, and financial constraints on stock price crash risk. This research is correlational in nature, utilizing regression analysis to determine model coefficients. Furthermore, based on its purpose, this research is categorized as applied research. The statistical population of this study includes all companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period from 2012 to 2021, comprising 1,250 firm-year observations. The results indicate that corporate governance moderates the effect of tax avoidance on the future stock price crash risk. Additionally, corporate governance also moderates the effect of discretionary accruals on future stock price crash risk. Discretionary accruals have a significant effect on future stock price crash risk, and financial constraints also have a significant effect on future stock price crash risk. The findings reveal that corporate governance, as a moderating variable, does not influence the relationship between financial constraints and stock price crash risk.

This study aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of economic diplomacy for Iranian businesses in global markets. Employing a qualitative research design, the study involved semi-structured interviews with 24 participants, including business executives, policymakers, trade experts, and diplomats based in Tehran. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, and the transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVivo software. The study identified seven key challenges, including political and economic sanctions, bureaucratic inefficiencies, limited diplomatic networks, cultural barriers, high global competition, resource deficiencies, and unstable domestic policies. Conversely, six major opportunities were highlighted, such as Iran’s strategic geographic location, growing domestic industries, the potential for international trade agreements, leveraging cultural diplomacy, technology adoption, and expanding non-oil exports. The findings underscore the dual nature of economic diplomacy as both an obstacle and a tool for fostering international business. Economic diplomacy for Iranian businesses operates within a complex landscape of constraints and possibilities. While sanctions and bureaucratic inefficiencies pose significant hurdles, opportunities such as geographic positioning, regional trade integration, and technology-driven solutions provide pathways for growth. To harness these opportunities, Iranian policymakers and businesses must adopt coordinated governance frameworks, expand diplomatic outreach, and embrace corporate and public diplomacy strategies.

In today's highly competitive airline market, maintaining long-term relationships with customers has become a key factor for business success. Improving and expanding internal marketing as a marketing approach fosters an organizational culture that is the most effective form of creating organizational commitment and is influenced by the quality of service delivery to customers. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to propose a localized internal marketing model for Baghdad International Airport in Iraq and examine the effect of this variable on employee commitment in this organization. Therefore, the present study is developmental and was conducted using an exploratory-analytical approach. In the qualitative phase, the study employed the Delphi strategy, while in the quantitative phase, it used a survey strategy. The qualitative phase utilized a systematic literature review, and field data in the quantitative phase were collected through questionnaires. The study population in the first phase consisted of aviation industry experts in Iraq, while in the second phase, the population included employees of Baghdad International Airport. Analyzing the opinions of a 16-member expert panel in the qualitative phase led to the identification of five components of internal marketing: soft development, welfare system, comprehensive support, top-down communication, and bottom-up communication. In addition to the validation of this conceptual construct through survey data from a sample of 281 individuals, structural equation modeling demonstrated the significant direct impact of internal marketing on organizational commitment. Furthermore, internal marketing also had a significant effect on organizational commitment through the improvement of service quality. Moreover, the results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that cultural alignment significantly moderates the effect of service quality on organizational commitment.

The present study aims to explore the relationship between outputs in the environmental management accounting system of companies and economic development indicators in the desert and Gulf regions of the country. This research is classified as applied research and, in terms of methodology, is descriptive and exploratory, conducted in both qualitative and quantitative phases. In the first phase (qualitative), the study was exploratory in nature, using qualitative data. In the second phase (quantitative), it was explanatory with regard to its objective, applied in terms of its results, and utilized quantitative data. The statistical population consisted of senior managers, middle managers within relevant domains, university professors, and informed economic actors. The research was conducted during 2021–2023. In the qualitative section, data were analyzed and scrutinized. The outcome of this process was six main components forming a paradigmatic model of economic growth based on management accounting and environmental accounting indicators in desert and Gulf regions. Subsequently, the subcategories associated with each main component were explained separately. In the quantitative section, a survey was conducted using a sample of 415 participants, from which 384 complete and error-free questionnaires were selected. In addition to descriptive statistics, findings from structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated the final model and the extent to which it could be generalized. Interviews were conducted with various individuals related to the research topic. Among the 16 interviewees, 4 were women, and 12 were men, with service experience ranging from 10 to 21 years in the target population. The findings indicated that causal conditions significantly influenced the central phenomenon, which in turn affected strategies. Similarly, intervening and contextual conditions had a meaningful impact on strategies, and strategies significantly influenced outcomes. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between the environmental impacts of corporate activities and economic development indicators in both the desert and Gulf regions. The environmental impacts of corporate activities on economic development indicators were more intense in the Gulf regions compared to the desert regions. The application of growth-oriented environmental management accounting techniques in companies can mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of corporate activities on economic development indicators. However, these techniques do not exhibit differing effects on the relationship between environmental impacts and economic development indicators across the two regions.

The presence of a strong and efficient board of directors in companies strengthens the control environment. It can be expected that the auditor's assessment of audit risk and audit procedures will be reduced, leading to decreased audit costs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of board of directors' reforms on audit fees. This study employed a descriptive, ex-post facto research method and is classified as applied research in terms of purpose. The statistical population included all active companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 2018 to 2022, totaling 603 companies. Using a systematic elimination method, a sample size of 180 companies was selected as a census sample. Data were collected from audited financial statements published on the Codal website, Rahavard Novin software, and the Securities and Exchange Organization website, and extracted using panel data methods. Data analysis was performed using regression tests with Excel and EViews software. The results of the study showed that board of directors' reforms do not affect audit fees, but company size has a significant impact on audit fees. Consequently, it can be concluded that there are other factors and variables influencing audit fees that require further investigation and research.