Volume 12, Issue 2 (12-2025)
J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric 2025, 12(2): 105-114 |
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Khakzadian S M. (2025). Designing a Digital Entrepreneurship Model Based on Social Networks in Agricultural Knowledge-based Companies in Mazandaran Province. J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric. 12(2), 105-114. doi:10.61882/jea.2025.437
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-437-en.html
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-437-en.html
Department of Industrial Management (Entrepreneurship), Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran
Abstract: (192 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: In recent years, entrepreneurship, as a dynamic process for creating added value, has transformed the world of economy and industry, setting the wheels of employment in motion and causing the growth and dynamism of the economy of society. Today, entrepreneurship has undergone changes, including digital entrepreneurship, which is a new way of doing business that paves the way for economic development in developing countries. This emerging phenomenon is capable of providing numerous opportunities for entrepreneurial activity through digitalization. Today, with the increasing spread of technology, the global economy has also shifted its approach from a traditional economy to a knowledge-based economy. The driving force of such economies is knowledge-based companies that play an important role in economic growth and apply the digitization process in their businesses to compete globally. By utilizing digital technologies, they provide more customers with the opportunity to reorganize and establish communications. On the other hand, the growing trend of digital entrepreneurship and the launch and creation of digital entrepreneurial businesses in the world is due to the use of new technologies, including the Internet. Given the growing trend of Internet use, new capabilities are constantly being added to this phenomenon, and humanity is demanding new functions from it. Therefore, it can be predicted that social networks, as a function of the Internet, will be much more important for human life in the future. In social networks, entrepreneurs identify existing resources and find new ways to combine them with their own resources and knowledge. In Iran, however, it is still not clear to many businesses how they can use this tool to improve the level of services and products. In the current era, knowledge-based companies are known as the drivers of the economy of developed and developing countries. The performance of these companies, especially in the agricultural sector, has an impact on the future performance of the country's economy. Today, an economy based on knowledge and entrepreneurship is one of the important issues for the growth and development of various economic sectors in the world. In this regard, the agricultural sector, like other economic sectors, requires the use of knowledge, innovation, and technology for growth and development. Agriculture is one of the important economic sectors of countries and, as the first economic sector, has played a role in providing human life since ancient times and has roles, such as creating employment and income, and ensuring food security for the community. The agricultural sector has now become more knowledge-based, and one of the priorities of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology in the last 2 years has been to support the creation of knowledge-based companies in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this study aims to design a digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks in agricultural knowledge-based companies in Mazandaran Province.
Methods: The research method is of a developmental-applied type based on the objective and qualitative in terms of the method. Considering the research background and the opinions of 20 university professors and managers of agricultural knowledge-based companies, the components of the model were identified using the Delphi method. Then, the interpretative structural method and Mi'kmaq analysis were used using Excel software to design a digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks. The interpretive structural modeling method is an interactive learning process in which a set of different and interrelated elements is structured into a comprehensive, systematic model. This methodology helps create and direct the complex relationships between the elements of a system. One of the main logics of this method is that the elements that have a greater impact on other elements in a system are always of higher importance. The steps of interpretive structural modeling are: 1- Identifying variables, 2- Obtaining the structural self-interaction matrix, 3- Obtaining the initial achievement matrix, 4- Final achievement matrix, 5- Segmenting the achievement matrix, and 6- Drawing a diagram.
Results: Sixteen components of building trust between individuals, building friendship between individuals, creating partnership between individuals, spirit of information exchange, shared identity, empathy, business colleagues, friends, family members, strong relationships, weak relationships, social interactions, social capital, common language, common stories, and displaying instances in the form of four dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, structure of social relationships, and method of information transfer) were identified using the Delphi method. It also showed that the digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks has two levels, with the dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, and the structure of social relationships) being at the first level and the dimension (the information transfer method) at the second level. It should be noted that the dimensions at the higher level are less influential and are more influenced by the dimensions at the lower levels. Moreover, the results of the analysis of the influence and dependence of the variables showed that the dimension (method of information transfer) was in the independent cluster, and the dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, and the structure of social relationships) were in the dependent cluster.
Conclusion: Finally, it can be concluded that, given that the information transfer method is at the second level and an independent cluster, it is considered the infrastructure and basic foundation of digital entrepreneurship based on social networks in agricultural knowledge-based companies.
Background: In recent years, entrepreneurship, as a dynamic process for creating added value, has transformed the world of economy and industry, setting the wheels of employment in motion and causing the growth and dynamism of the economy of society. Today, entrepreneurship has undergone changes, including digital entrepreneurship, which is a new way of doing business that paves the way for economic development in developing countries. This emerging phenomenon is capable of providing numerous opportunities for entrepreneurial activity through digitalization. Today, with the increasing spread of technology, the global economy has also shifted its approach from a traditional economy to a knowledge-based economy. The driving force of such economies is knowledge-based companies that play an important role in economic growth and apply the digitization process in their businesses to compete globally. By utilizing digital technologies, they provide more customers with the opportunity to reorganize and establish communications. On the other hand, the growing trend of digital entrepreneurship and the launch and creation of digital entrepreneurial businesses in the world is due to the use of new technologies, including the Internet. Given the growing trend of Internet use, new capabilities are constantly being added to this phenomenon, and humanity is demanding new functions from it. Therefore, it can be predicted that social networks, as a function of the Internet, will be much more important for human life in the future. In social networks, entrepreneurs identify existing resources and find new ways to combine them with their own resources and knowledge. In Iran, however, it is still not clear to many businesses how they can use this tool to improve the level of services and products. In the current era, knowledge-based companies are known as the drivers of the economy of developed and developing countries. The performance of these companies, especially in the agricultural sector, has an impact on the future performance of the country's economy. Today, an economy based on knowledge and entrepreneurship is one of the important issues for the growth and development of various economic sectors in the world. In this regard, the agricultural sector, like other economic sectors, requires the use of knowledge, innovation, and technology for growth and development. Agriculture is one of the important economic sectors of countries and, as the first economic sector, has played a role in providing human life since ancient times and has roles, such as creating employment and income, and ensuring food security for the community. The agricultural sector has now become more knowledge-based, and one of the priorities of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology in the last 2 years has been to support the creation of knowledge-based companies in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this study aims to design a digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks in agricultural knowledge-based companies in Mazandaran Province.
Methods: The research method is of a developmental-applied type based on the objective and qualitative in terms of the method. Considering the research background and the opinions of 20 university professors and managers of agricultural knowledge-based companies, the components of the model were identified using the Delphi method. Then, the interpretative structural method and Mi'kmaq analysis were used using Excel software to design a digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks. The interpretive structural modeling method is an interactive learning process in which a set of different and interrelated elements is structured into a comprehensive, systematic model. This methodology helps create and direct the complex relationships between the elements of a system. One of the main logics of this method is that the elements that have a greater impact on other elements in a system are always of higher importance. The steps of interpretive structural modeling are: 1- Identifying variables, 2- Obtaining the structural self-interaction matrix, 3- Obtaining the initial achievement matrix, 4- Final achievement matrix, 5- Segmenting the achievement matrix, and 6- Drawing a diagram.
Results: Sixteen components of building trust between individuals, building friendship between individuals, creating partnership between individuals, spirit of information exchange, shared identity, empathy, business colleagues, friends, family members, strong relationships, weak relationships, social interactions, social capital, common language, common stories, and displaying instances in the form of four dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, structure of social relationships, and method of information transfer) were identified using the Delphi method. It also showed that the digital entrepreneurship model based on social networks has two levels, with the dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, and the structure of social relationships) being at the first level and the dimension (the information transfer method) at the second level. It should be noted that the dimensions at the higher level are less influential and are more influenced by the dimensions at the lower levels. Moreover, the results of the analysis of the influence and dependence of the variables showed that the dimension (method of information transfer) was in the independent cluster, and the dimensions (content of social relationships, social sources of information, and the structure of social relationships) were in the dependent cluster.
Conclusion: Finally, it can be concluded that, given that the information transfer method is at the second level and an independent cluster, it is considered the infrastructure and basic foundation of digital entrepreneurship based on social networks in agricultural knowledge-based companies.
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