Designing a Marketing Policy Package in Free Trade Zones with an Efficiency Approach (Case Study: Arvand Free Trade Zone)

Abstract

This study aims to design a marketing policy package in free trade zones, specifically focusing on the Arvand Free Trade Zone. The statistical population for the meta-synthesis section comprises 415 articles on marketing policies, from which 47 articles were selected using the Barroso and Sandelowski method (2007). In the Delphi section, the statistical population includes all experts, academic faculty members, and members of the Free Trade Zone organizations, totaling 40 individuals, with 15 selected purposefully as the sample. Data collection tools in this study include the CASP questionnaire and Delphi rounds questionnaires. To obtain the reliability of the research instruments in the quantitative section, Cronbach's alpha method was used. Given the nature of the research, both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. Through the meta-synthesis method, 12 components and 56 indices were identified within the frameworks of political marketing strategic planning, strategic capabilities, operational capabilities, practical capabilities, internal capabilities, external capabilities, geographical aspects, social and cultural aspects, political aspects and political decision-making, government policies, economic aspects and economic management, and institutional contexts. Using the Delphi method and conducting two rounds, the components were reduced to 11 with 51 indices. Subsequently, considering the filtered policies of the free trade zones, a marketing policy proposal for the free trade zones was developed and designed in the form of mother policies (main actions), supportive barrier-removing policies, and supportive facilitating policies.