Journal of value creating in Business Management

Abstract The purpose of the present study is to validate a model of the factors affecting the improvement of the commercialization of emerging technologies in the PVC industry using structural equation modeling (SEM). In terms of its objective, this research is applied; in terms of implementation, it is quantitative; and in terms of approach, it is classified as sequential exploratory research.The statistical population includes experts and managers مرتبط with the PVC industry who are active in the areas of production, technical operations, research and development, quality control, and senior industrial management. Given that the statistical population was considered unlimited, Cochran’s formula was used, and the sample size was determined to be 384 participants. The sampling method used in this study was simple random sampling.The research data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. For data analysis, SPSS and LISREL software were employed. The findings indicate that improved commercialization in this industry is a function of five key components: “technological capabilities and capacities,” “organizational and managerial factors,” “environmental pressures,” “market processes,” and “outcomes and achievements.”The results show that environmental pressures play the strongest inhibiting role when not managed properly, whereas technological capabilities and managerial support are the main drivers of successfully crossing the technology “valley of death.” This model helps managers and policymakers facilitate the path toward the commercial exploitation of innovations in the polymer sector through careful management of these drivers.

Abstract The aim of the current research is to identify the components of brand equity creation in Iran's garment industry. The research method is of a fundamental type with an exploratory purpose; and in terms of the implementation method, it is mixed (qualitative-quantitative). The statistical population in the qualitative section is made up of managers who are members of the Supreme Council of Iranian Clothing Brands, 16 of whom were selected based on the snowball method; and in the quantitative section, the statistical population is all customers who refer to Iranian clothing shopping centers, which due to the unlimited nature of the population, with Using Cochran's formula, 387 people were selected as the sample size by simple random sampling. Data collection was carried out by interviews in the qualitative part; and by a researcher-made questionnaire in the quantitative part, and the validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the professors' confirmation method, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. Coding, along with grand theory method was used in the qualitative data analysis; and SPSS and AMOS software in the quantitative part. According to the results obtained in this research, the four components of internal brand power, brand awareness, positive image of the brand, and perceived value are the most key components of creating brand value in Iran's clothing industry, and the obtained model has a good fit.
Introduction
In today's world, which is the world of consumerism, companies try to attract more audiences through different tricks, but in the end, it is the mind of the customer that determines the power of a brand and turns it from a simple brand to a brand (Rastgar et al., 2016). In other words, brand is a perceptual concept that is rooted in the realities of the product on the one hand, and expresses the perceptions and personal characteristics of the consumer on the other. In fact, the concept of brand is something beyond the product (Keller, 2012). Brands are defined by individuals, not companies. Because the inner feeling and perception of each person is different and in the end each person creates his own version of the brand; as a result, the brand is a completely relative concept that part of which is in the mind of the individual and other part in the mind of society (Moghaddam, 2023).
Customers are the most important and fundamental source of brand value determination. If a company can imitate the production processes and product features, it certainly cannot imitate the positive experiences and memories of customers that have been obtained from years of buying and consuming products. Thus, brand equity helps companies gain competitive advantages, and creating, maintaining, improving, and preserving brand equity is one of the most privileged abilities of a brand manager. Therefore, the higher the value of a brand, the more loyal customers and fans it will have (Mohabbat Talab & Rezvani, 2018). On the other hand, the fashion industry is one of the growing industries that is constantly changing and evolving. Considering that we live in the age of information and communication, people can easily access the latest information in various fields, including fashion (Solomon, 2019). Identifying the components of the brand equity in any industry can, in addition to increasing the credibility and reputation of the brand, help to make the market more competitive, change the mentality of mistrust of goods made in Iran - which clothes are not excluded - and provide a basis for revising the incorrect macro-policies in support of Iranian quality products, so as to a big step be taken to develop and strengthen the national brand in the clothing industry. In this research, we are looking for an answer to the question: how to identify the components of brand equity creation in Iran's clothing industry?
Theoretical Framework
Brand equity
The definition of the international marketing dictionary of brand equity defines the values, assets, funds and perceptions related to a product, service, or idea that are assigned to it and promoted by the creator of that product, service, or idea (Khalilnejad, 2021). After the correct implementation of branding and influence in the mind of the audience, the sum of the activities that lead to influence in the customer's heart and favor and customer's loyalty of the brand is called the brand equity (Hoseinzade & Baktash, 2018).
Amiri & Rezaei (2023) investigated the analysis of consumer buying behavior influenced by awareness of sustainability in the fashion industry (case study: clothing industry). The results showed that the cognitive component including knowledge and awareness, the emotional component including emotions and feelings, and the behavioral component including the purchase decision; as dimensions of attitude towards the concept of sustainability, affect the purchasing behavior of fashion industry consumers in the field of clothing.
Mohammadi et al, (2023) investigated the understanding of the phenomenon of brand courage in the fashion industry. The results showed that the model of brand courage phenomenon in the fashion industry includes five components: "brand-related features", "brand social actions", "advertising-related features", "competitor-related actions" and "customer-related actions".
Research methodology
The research method is of a fundamental type with an exploratory purpose; and in terms of the implementation method, it is mixed (qualitative-quantitative). The statistical population in the qualitative section is made up of managers who are members of the Supreme Council of Iranian Clothing Brands, 16 of whom were selected based on the snowball method; and in the quantitative section, the statistical population is all customers who refer to Iranian clothing shopping centers, which due to the unlimited nature of the population, with Using Cochran's formula, 387 people were selected as the sample size by simple random sampling. Data collection was carried out by interviews in the qualitative part; and by a researcher-made questionnaire in the quantitative part, and the validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the professors' confirmation method, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha.
Research findings
Coding, along with grand theory method was used in the qualitative data analysis; and SPSS and AMOS software in the quantitative part. According to the results obtained in this research, the four components of internal brand power, brand awareness, positive image of the brand, and perceived value are the most key components of creating brand value in Iran's clothing industry, and the obtained model has a good fit.
Conclusion
The current research was conducted with the aim of identifying the components of brand equity creation in Iran's clothing industry. The results of this research are aligned with the results of Amiri & Rezaei (2023), Mohammadi et al, (2023), Taleghani et al, (2022), Yazdani Kachuei et al, (2022), Rezaeian & Asgari (2021), Azimi et al, (2021), Ghorbani dolatabadi et al, (2021), Khademi et al, (2022), Ishaq & Di Maria (2020), Beig & Nika (2019), and Molse et al, (2019). Ishaq & Di Maria (2020) showed that sustainability in brand equity is effective in reducing consumer cynicism and removing significant flaws in the current conceptualization of brand equity.
According to the results of this research, the following suggestions are presented:
It is suggested that the supporting roles of the government to implement the brand equity model in Iran's garment industry should be further investigated.
It is suggested that the training needs of employees of Iranian clothing brands should be taken into consideration to improve the internal strength of the brand. Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge all individuals, institutions, and organizations that provided scientific, technical, administrative, or advisory support throughout this research and the preparation of this manuscript. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial, personal, professional, or institutional conflicts of interest relevant to this work. Data Availability Statement The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. AI Use Statement The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies were used in the preparation, writing, or editing of this manuscript. Funding The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other financial support were received during the conduct of this research or the preparation of this manuscript. Ethics Approval All procedures performed in this study were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible institutional and national research committee.

Abstract Abstract The aim of this research is the digital branding model of healthy agricultural products. The research method is applicable in terms of its purpose, and exploratory in terms of its descriptive and analytical nature. The qualitative research method was carried out using the data-based method and Max QDA software, and the code collection tool was a semi-structured interview in the form of a purposive sampling method, and theoretical saturation was achieved with 13 experts in this field. Also, with 82 open coding, 22 central and selective categories, the model of digital branding of healthy agricultural products in Iran was designed. Digital branding of healthy agricultural products is centered around the creation of brand meaning and brand power, which initiates under influence of casual conditions, and makes sense with different strategy of digital brand creation and brand power, and strengthens the brand culture in the target community by compiling and implementing a combination of brand-aligned marketing and integrated communication marketing, and visualizes the identity and personality of the digital brand of healthy agricultural products in the mind of the customer. The strategy under the influence of intervening factors is trying to fulfill the demand for food safety and health, and gains fame by fulfilling the promise of the brand and delivering a healthy product at a reasonable price, and repeated purchase of agricultural products by loyal customers requires more production and causes employment and rural economic prosperity. Extended Abstract Introduction Agriculture has existed since ancient times, and continues to be a vital area of ​​human activity today (Bahcecik et al., 2019). It also is the only source of food, an important supplier of raw materials for industry, as well as a significant market for production (Adamov et al., 2016). Agricultural trade plays an important role in the implementation of national goals and strategic goals of the country. Effectiveness, efficiency of labor productivity and support of employment, small and medium businesses and support of individual entrepreneurship, international cooperation and export have been established due to agricultural businesses. This issue, which is one of the most important and promising parts of the domestic economy, provides not only the food security of the country but also the social welfare of the people. In addition, agriculture plays a major role in shaping the country's export capacity and import substitution program. In recent years, agricultural trade has been developed in most industries in raw materials and feed production.  This has been facilitated by sanctions and the growing demand for safe and quality food products (Butova et al., 2019). The country of Iran is proficient in the production of agricultural products, and produces all kinds of agricultural and garden products every year; all Iranian products have a high capacity to be branded due to Iran's special climatic conditions and the country's four season, but unfortunately, many products that are at a high level in terms of quality are bought in bulk and exported to other countries and sold under the brand of these companies; therefore, the lack of a suitable brand is one of the weaknesses of Iran's agriculture, which demands that this sector be given a proper arrangement. Producers of healthy agricultural products should understand the potential of the Internet as a branding tool in the agricultural sector because the Internet can be a powerful branding tool for healthy agricultural products beyond labels and brochures. The use of the main components of Internet marketing, such as e-mail, online stores, websites, social networks, viral marketing and content increases the contact points with actual and potential customers and shortens the distance between the product supply and the consumer market, and enables receiving feedback from the brand community. In this research, an attempt has been made to answer the question: what is the pattern of digital branding of healthy agricultural products in Iran? Theoretical Framework The pressure to compete with other brands and differentiate with others creates motivation and creates the need for branding. Today, due to factors such as the increase of actors entering a sector, the changing demand of buyers and the increasing expectations of export markets; small business units are forced to review traditional business practices. In a competitive situation, the success of a product largely depends on the perception of its target audience. Branding can be critical to a company's long-term success, especially for companies that operate in markets with many clusters of buyers and sellers and few differentiated products (Ghafourian Shagerdi et al., 2019). Sharma et al., (2023)  in examining the adoption of digital branding among specialty dining startups in a post-pandemic environment concluded that digital branding plays an important role as an independent branding strategy and increases the performance of specialty dining startups in the post-pandemic era. In addition, it highlighted the significant mediating effect of digital support and awareness on digital brand adoption intention. Amidabad et al., (2023) in an article titled Designing a digital marketing model in the brand of online business companies, using a qualitative mixed approach. In the qualitative part of the research, the researcher-made fuzzy Delphi questionnaire was used. The experts were selected through purposive and non-probability sampling, and in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. In the quantitative part of the research, the fuzzy Delphi technique was used to screen the obtained indicators, then the interpretive structural modeling method was used to identify the causal relationships between the main research articles. Overall, the model obtained consists of 5 main categories, including digital marketing strategy, personalization, content marketing, interaction with consumers, and mixed digital marketing. Based on the results, it was shown that the digital marketing strategy is the most basic element of the model and is an external independent variable. This variable has an effect on content marketing, interaction with consumers, and mixed digital marketing. Marin & Nilă (2021) in a research titled Branding in the social network: the use of the LinkedIn network in personal brand communication, investigated the attitude of recruitment and human resources professionals towards the development of a personal brand in LinkedIn and the criteria used in the evaluation of a communication and marketing specialist. Quantitative research based on two questionnaires was used to understand the perceptions of the study participants. The results showed that social media networks are a useful tool for developing a personal brand, but communication and marketing professionals show moderate involvement. Similarly, recruitment professionals have high expectations while communication and marketing professionals use similar methods to present themselves. Shafiee et al., (2016) in a research entitled presenting a local branding model for online retail sales using the qualitative method of data-based theory, used theoretical sampling by using the qualitative method and conducting semi-structured interviews with knowledgeable people and experts in the field. After conducting interviews and collecting information, the codes obtained in different sections were analyzed, and after performing the three steps of open, central, and selective coding, the final model was obtained; which includes the sum of central categories, causal conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and finally, the consequences and results of branding. The results of the research show that the authentic brand prevents the effort to recognize other competitors. online payment through secure banking intermediaries increases trust in the digital brand. Methodology This research is designed based on the approach of basic constructivist theory, which is suitable for understanding the complex, problematic, and relativist nature. Data was collected through semi-structured interview on a sample. Marketing managers and digital branding experts and consultants were purposefully selected based on theoretical sampling criteria. Theoretical sampling means that participants are selected based on emergent analysis; and the theory that is created from the data is subsequently modified from the data obtained from subsequent participants. A total of 13 experts have been interviewed, and theoretical saturation was achieved with this number. Max QDA version 2020 software was used for qualitative analysis and coding of semi-structured interview data. Discussion and Results In this research, for the analysis of indicators and findings in the qualitative part, the data-based theory including three stages of coding was used. In the first stage, primary codes and concepts were extracted using the key points of the interviews. Then 22 main categories and 82 subcategories were extracted. The indicators were analyzed in 3 stages of open, axial, and selective coding. Max QDA 2020 software was used for data analysis, and a total of 113 codes were extracted from 13 interviews in the form of 22 main categories and 82 subcategories. According to the indicators obtained in the research process and the analyzes performed on them, the final model was obtained using the coding method. Conclusion Digital branding of healthy agricultural products is centered around the creation of brand meaning and brand power, which initiates under influence of casual conditions, and makes sense with different strategy of digital brand creation and brand power, and strengthens the brand culture in the target community and visualizes the identity and personality of the digital brand of healthy agricultural products in the mind of the customer. The strategy under the influence of intervening factors is trying to fulfill the demand for food safety and health, and gains fame by fulfilling the promise of the brand and delivering a healthy product at a reasonable price, and repeated purchase of agricultural products by loyal customers requires more production and causes employment and rural economic prosperity.

Abstract Abstract The purpose of the current research is the mixed effect of marketing on blockchain technology with the mediating role of perceived usefulness in the customers of Bank Melli Iran in Tehran. The research method is applicable in terms of purpose, and descriptive-survey based on the method of data collection. The statistical population of this research is all the customers of the Bank Melli Iran in Tehran in 2023. For this purpose, according to Cochran's formula, 384 people were selected as the sample size, 420 questionnaires were distributed among the customers of the Bank Melli Iran in Tehran by a simple random method, and 393 questionnaires were collected. The data collection tool of this research is a questionnaire. The validity of the research tool has been confirmed by performing the confirmatory factor analysis technique. The reliability of the current research questionnaire was measured by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which was 0.815. Also, to analyze the data, structural equation modeling method using Smart-PLS3 software has been used. The research results indicate that senior management support, supply chain integration, and innovation capability have a significant impact on blockchain technology. Also, supply chain risk has not affected blockchain technology. Finally, the role of the marketing mix on perceived usefulness is demonstrated. Also, the perceived usefulness is affective on blockchain technology. Extended Abstract                                           Introduction Blockchain is used for various technology concepts related to databases of value exchange, security and identity among others. Blockchain technology is very important for business today. This technology is constantly evolving. Leading companies in the field of information and communication technology use blockchain technology because of its high security (Akbari Ganjeh et al., 2022). In today's era, experts have called blockchain technology the second internet, which is capable of transforming a large number of current patterns. One of the sectors that can use blockchain is the banking industry. Blockchain is a developing technology and is actually a place in the web world that records the data and information of a group of people in files, but this information is not available in a single place, and people from different parts of the world trade and communicate to each other without any records. Also, the information stored in the blockchain is a digital collection of decentralized records that is not maintained by any person or organization (Ekramifard et al., 2020). The banking industry is the most important industry in the world. Today, banks in advanced countries act as professional consultants, experts in increasing the financial resources of companies, and collecting and exchanging the necessary information for their customers, and they are considered one of the economic drivers of every country. In modern banking, there are various components that affect the process of mobilizing monetary resources of banks and financial institutions. Determining and identifying the degree of influence and the type of connection of these components with the success of banks in mobilizing monetary resources is a very important issue. Today, the position and conditions of financial institutions and banks are different from each other, and it is possible that the factors affecting the provision of monetary resources are different even for each branch of a banking group, which has caused a close competitive atmosphere between them. Therefore, in this research, we tried to answer this question: what role does the marketing mix have on blockchain technology with the mediating role of perceived usefulness? Theoretical Framework Ahmadi et al., (2022) carried out a research titled marketing future research in the banking industry with a focus on blockchain technology. The findings showed that the drivers of marketing researchers' interest in digital financial technologies and blockchain and the development of decentralized banking had the highest priority and were selected for scenario planning. Hosseingholipour & Einabadi (2022) in a research addressed the effects of international sanctions on the international banking interactions of Iranian companies on the blockchain platform. The results showed that international sanctions in the international banking interactions of Iranian companies can be presented as an opportunity in the context of blockchain, and by using blockchain, international banking interactions can be implemented and managed in a more effective way. Da Silva & Moro (2021) in a research addressed blockchain technology as a factor of consumer trust: literature analysis using the method of texts. Their findings indicate the relationship between some blockchain features such as tracking and privacy with customer trust. For this reason, marketing, social and economic researchers are advised to focus on the use of blockchain to improve consumer trust. Ali, Ally & Dwivedi (2020) performed a systematic and analytical review of articles related to blockchain technology in the financial services industry. The proposed classification framework of this research has three components: financial advantages, challenges, and functions enabled by blockchain. Methodology The current research is an applicable research which has been implemented by descriptive-survey method of causal type. The statistical population of the research is the customers of Bank Melli Iran in Tehran in 2023; and to determine the number of samples, since the size of the population is unknown, Cochran's formula will be used to determine the sample size. Therefore, according to Cochran's formula for the unknown population size, the number of samples was 384 people, in which data have been quantitatively analyzed. It has also been analyzed using SPSS and Smart-PLS3 software. In order to collect and measure data, a 43-item questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale (1-completely disagree, 2-disagree, 3-I have no opinion, 4-agree and 5-completely agree) was used. Also, its validity has been confirmed by professors and experts, and its reliability by Cronbach's alpha coefficient.   Discussion and Results The results of the analysis of demographic variables, Cronbach's alpha coefficient value and composite reliability for each construct, the values ​​of factor loadings between constructs and the average extracted variance of the research variables, the results of the coefficient of determination and the Stone-Geisser coefficient for the endogenous construct, the output of the software in the effectiveness coefficients, the software output in significant coefficients and the impact coefficients, the value of the test statistic and the results of the research hypotheses and anti-value values ​​and effect intensity of mediating variables were given. Conclusion The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of marketing mix on blockchain technology with the mediating role of perceived usefulness, on the basis of which 7 hypotheses were investigated, and the effect of all factors on blockchain technology was confirmed except for the fourth hypothesis: the impact of supply chain risk on blockchain technology. Based on the first research hypothesis: marketing mix has a significant effect on perceived usefulness. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the marketing mix of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, their perceived usefulness will also increase. Therefore, since the marketing mix has an effect on perceived usefulness, they should pay special attention to indicators such as product marketing, price marketing, channel marketing, advertising activities, and individual image. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Lin, Wang & Hwang (2010) showed that marketing mix affects perceived usefulness. Based on the second hypothesis of the research: the support of senior management has a significant impact on blockchain technology. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the support of the senior management of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, the use of blockchain technology will also increase. Therefore, since senior management's support has an impact on blockchain technology, they should pay special attention to indicators such as attention and active response, confirmation of access to resources, willingness to accept risks, and motivating employees. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Wong et al., (2020) showed that top management support affects blockchain technology. Based on the third hypothesis of the research: supply chain integration has a significant impact on blockchain technology. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the integration of the supply chain of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, the use of blockchain technology will also increase. Therefore, since the integration of the supply chain affects blockchain technology, they should pay special attention to indicators such as understanding the needs of employees, information sharing, cooperation and coordination and strategic alliance, public and private partnerships, and sharing knowledge and innovation. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Chiarini, Belvedere & Grando (2020) showed that supply chain integration affects blockchain technology. Based on the fourth research hypothesis: supply chain risk has a significant impact on blockchain technology. This hypothesis, based on statistical analysis, has not been confirmed. In other words, it can be predicted that if the supply chain risk of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran increases, the use of blockchain technology will not change. Therefore, since supply chain risk does not affect blockchain technology, it is necessary to pay attention to indicators such as delays in delivery and selection of products, storage capacity and inappropriate delivery, demand fluctuations, poor forecasting, labor shortages, closures, and price fluctuations. Contrary to the result obtained in this hypothesis, Wang et al., (2020) concluded in their research that supply chain risk has a positive and significant relationship with blockchain technology. Based on the fifth hypothesis of the research: innovation capability has a significant impact on blockchain technology. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the innovation ability of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, the use of blockchain technology will also increase. Therefore, since the ability to innovate affects blockchain technology, it is necessary to pay special attention to indicators such as using innovative techniques, regular improvement in operations, adopting innovative and technical solutions, using standard and simple operations, and protecting against risks. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Wang et al., (2020) showed that innovation ability affects blockchain technology. Based on the sixth hypothesis of the research: perceived usefulness has a significant impact on blockchain technology. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the perceived usefulness of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, the use of blockchain technology will also increase. Therefore, since perceived usefulness affects blockchain technology, they should pay special attention to indicators such as obtaining information, saving money, being helpful, and being useful. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Lin, Wang & Hwang (2010) showed that perceived usefulness affects blockchain technology. Based on the seventh hypothesis of the research: there is a significant relationship between the marketing mix of blockchain technology and the mediating role of perceived usefulness. This hypothesis has been confirmed based on statistical analysis. In other words, it can be predicted that if the marketing mix of Bank Melli Iran customers in Tehran is improved, the use of blockchain technology with the role of mediating perceived usefulness will also increase. Therefore, since the marketing mix has an effect on blockchain technology with the mediating role of perceived usefulness, they should pay special attention to indicators such as product marketing, price marketing, channel marketing, advertising measures, and the image of a person. In line with the result obtained in this hypothesis, Lin, Wang & Hwang (2010) showed that marketing mix affects blockchain technology with the mediating role of perceived usefulness.