Management Research in Iran

Modeling Environmental Drivers Affecting the Empowerment of Knowledge-Based Firms in International Markets.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

khadijeh azizi 1
bijan rezaee 2
Yosef mohamadifar 3
nader naderi 3

1 PhD student in Entrepreneurship, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics and Accounting, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Corresponding Author, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics and Accounting, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics and Accounting, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

10.48311/mri.2026.28896
Abstract
This study develops a model of environmental drivers influencing the empowerment of knowledge-based companies (KBCs) for entry into and sustainable participation in international markets. Grounded in dynamic capabilities theory and informed by macro- and industry-level environmental perspectives, the research adopts a mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, inductive content analysis was conducted based on 34 semi-structured interviews with managers of knowledge-based firms, policymakers, and experts in the innovation ecosystem, leading to the identification and categorization of environmental drivers into nine principal themes. In the quantitative phase, a Fuzzy Delphi approach was employed with a panel of 20 academic and executive experts to validate and prioritize the identified factors. The results indicate that “Designing and Implementing Governmental Financial and Economic Mechanisms” is the most influential category (defuzzified score = 0.8661), while at the indicator level, “Designing Alternative Financial Mechanisms to Counter Sanctions” (0.8917) and “Developing Export-Oriented Fintech Tools” (0.8833) are among the highest-ranked factors, followed by “Trade Policy-Making and National Strategic Planning” and “Strengthening Diplomacy and International Relations” , whereas sustainability-oriented and green trade dimensions receive comparatively lower priority under current conditions. Overall, the findings suggest that the international empowerment of KBCs is a multi-layered process shaped by the interaction of environmental drivers and organizational capabilities, where financial and policy mechanisms appear to shape the sensing of international opportunities, technological infrastructures and economic diplomacy facilitate opportunity seizing, and institutional ecosystem development strengthens the transformation of resources and capabilities, collectively enhancing the resilience of KBCs in volatile international environments.

Keywords

Environmental Drivers
International Markets
Knowledge-Based Firms
Empowerment
Subjects
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Management Research in Iran
Volume 30, Issue 1
Spring 2026
Pages 109-131

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