درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- In many development programs in the third world, the expansion of small home businesses in rural areas has been mentioned as an efficient solution to advance the rural development process and improve the living conditions and income of rural residents. Therefore, the aim of this study is to prioritize the challenges of home business in rural areas of Sari County. Design/methodology/approach - The present study is an applied and descriptive-analytical, for which the method of documentary and survey (questionnaire) were used. The statistical population of the research consists of experts of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Mazandaran Province and the Industry, Mine and Trade organization and the Agricultural Jihad organization in Sari County. Fifteen people were selected as a statistical sample. Six factors of economic and financial, infrastructure, education and innovation, insurance and law, marketing and skills were considered as home business challenges in rural areas of Sari County. In order to analyze the data, the combined DEMATEL method and interpretive structural modeling were used. Findings- The results showed that education and innovation, insurance and law and skills barriers are at the highest level of the model, and economic and financial, marketing, and infrastructure barriers are at the lowest level of the model. According to MICMAC analysis, economic and financial, and marketing barriers with strong impact and weak dependence were identified as the most important challenges for home businesses in rural areas of Sari County. Research limitations/implications - The absence of a comprehensive database for home businesses, especially in rural areas, poor cooperation of experts in completing the questionnaires is the limitation of this study. Creating and organizing a database of home-based businesses are suggested, especially in rural areas that have been less studied and arranging the study platform for other research in this field. Practical implications - Supporting home-based businesses based on local and indigenous capacities and knowledge is a solution that not only promotes the production and creates jobs for the villagers, but also has positive social consequences. Originality/value- The results of this research can be a guiding tool in the executive organizations in charge of issuing home business licenses (Agricultural Jihad Organization, Industry, Mining, and Trade Organization and Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization) and institutions supporting the vulnerable and poor groups (Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Welfare Organization). It could also help the managers implement the prosperity of home businesses as effectively as possible.

Purpose - Achieving balanced development and spatial justice with much emphasis on competitive advantages has been constantly the main concern among planners and policy-makers to reduce inefficiency, inequality, polarization, and fragmentation in the spatial structure of different countries. Fulfilling such goals demands the knowledge of local potentials and the way to exploit them in a correct manner. Therefore, this study aimed to identify competitive advantages and levels of living in the study area, and then assess the effective drivers of balanced regional development (BRD) based on local competitiveness using future studies. Design/methodology/approach- An analytical-exploratory applied method was used to reflect on the rural areas and the researchers working on regional planning in Ardabil Township, Iran, were the statistical population. The sample size was thus determined to be 30 individuals using the snowball sampling method (via theoretical saturation). The data were also collected by a Delphi questionnaire, library method, documents, statistics, and initiatives. To analyze the data, Micmac software, the Geographic Information System (GIS software), Microsoft EXCEL, and the Morris method were employed. Finding- Analyzing the research findings associated with the variables as determinants with direct influence showed that among 23 variables in this study, 13 cases were within direct influence-dependence scope or condition but only 12 variables prioritized respectively as policy stability, executive regulations/procedures, price stability and predictability and intervention logic, monopoly prevention, unfair concessions or rents and competitions, removal of administrative barriers to business through delegation approach, effective deterrence of criminal laws and prosecutions in the judicial system, innovation/initiative flow, prevention of biased perceptions of laws by relevant stakeholders, distribution system and marketing status, effective market demand, administrative procedures and business information transparency, willingness to buy foreign goods, as well as auditing and taxing regulations/procedures as determinants had the highest influential power, that is, they constituted the drivers of BRD. Research limitations/implications - Among the most important limitations of the present study was no access to the statistics of all cases and the unwillingness of a number of executive organizations and bodies in Ardabil Township to cooperate. Furthermore, the pivot strategies in this research were established based on local development and BRD strategies. Practical implications - To meet the objectives of BRD planning in the rural areas of Ardabil Township, the key role of the 12 main variables mentioned here should be taken into account. Such variables have high influence and low dependence on BRD improvements in the study area and they are of top priority in planning for BRD based on local competitiveness in the rural areas of Ardabil County, Iran. Originality/Value - Little research has thus far assessed the effective drivers of BRD based on local competitiveness using future studies. Amongst the advantages of the present study, the comprehensiveness and impediment of its research criteria stand out.