Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD Student, Business Administration, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran
2 Faculty Member, Department of Business Administration, University of Mazandaran
3 Faculty Member, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi College, University of Tehran
Abstract
Given the growing role of knowledge-based firms in economic growth, job creation, and the development of new technologies, examining the factors influencing their competitiveness particularly in the field of information technology is of great significance in today’s Iranian economic landscape. This study aims to investigate the competitiveness of knowledge-based firms operating in the information technology sector by employing Porter’s Diamond Model. In terms of purpose, the research is applied in nature, and methodologically, it is qualitative and exploratory. The participants consisted of managers and experts from IT knowledge-based firms who were selected through purposive theoretical sampling. Data were collected through a review of relevant literature and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 participants and subsequently coded. The findings indicated that the extracted codes were classified into six main dimensions: Related and Supporting Industries (energy imbalance, quality of technological infrastructure, support from large industries, ...), factor conditions (marketing and branding capabilities, intelligent management, inter-firm networking, ...), strategy–structure–rivalry (rebranding for entry into foreign markets, unfair competition from state-owned and quasi-state-owned firms, ...), demand Conditions (expansion of emerging digital technologies, shortened product life cycles, saturation of the domestic market, ...), government (international interactions, access to governmental data, incentive policies, ...), and chance (sanctions, currency fluctuations, wars). Ultimately, this study presents a practical framework for analyzing and enhancing the competitiveness of IT knowledge-based firms in Iran and highlights that competitiveness results from the dynamic interplay between the environment and strategy.
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