سید رضا جلال زاده

In today's competitive markets, brands are always trying to create a desirable image of their products and services to elicit more favorable tendencies in customers. Beyond the marketing efforts of brands, there is an important factor that can either strengthen or weaken these marketing efforts. This factor is related to the country of origin or manufacturer of a brand, which can have an impact on consumer behavior and perceptions of products and brands from that country. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the effect of the country of origin and manufacturer on consumer perceptions of the institutional environment of countries and purchasing decisions, taking into account the moderating role of beliefs arising from customer trust. This research is an applied study and, in terms of data collection method, is descriptive-correlational. A library approach was used to extract studies, and a field approach was used to collect statistical data, with the data collection tool being a questionnaire. The study population consisted of customers who own and purchase iPhones from the Apple brand in districts 1, 2, and 3 of Tehran. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were used to analyze the data, and the software used to analyze the data was SPSS and smart PLS. The results indicate that the country of origin of a brand has an impact on perceptions of the legitimacy and regulatory environment of that country. Additionally, the results show that the country of manufacture of a brand also has an impact on perceptions of the normative environment and regulatory environment of that country. On the other hand, perceptions of the legitimacy of the country of manufacture of a brand have an impact on customer preferences for a brand and a willingness to pay a higher price for a brand. However, the impact of the country of origin on customer purchasing decisions with the moderating role of beliefs in brand benevolence, honesty, and capability has not been confirmed.

This research aims to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of e-commerce in small and medium-sized companies using the push-pull framework and with a practical approach in companies that produce and sell building stones in Iran. This research is a descriptive survey correlation in terms of its practical purpose and method. The statistical population of this research is made up of all sellers and producers of construction stone in Tehran province, and with the help of G*Power software, a minimum sample size of 216 people was estimated; But for more certainty, 220 people were selected as samples. The partial least squares technique and Smart Pls software have been used to test research hypotheses. The results of the research show that pull and push variables have an effect on changing the behavior of the company from traditional retail to e-commerce. Perceived time savings by using e-commerce and perceived cost savings by using e-commerce affect supporting customers' information-seeking behavior. Understanding that small and medium-sized companies in the stone industry can provide better service quality and lower prices with the presence of e-commerce has an impact on the perceived value of e-commerce for small and medium-sized companies that produce and sell stones in the stone industry. An increase in sales due to expansion of market access, improvement of external market communication, quality of e-commerce site services, and customer support system on the website also affect understanding the attractiveness of e-commerce adoption for the company.