Designing a Qualitative Model for Business Process Management in Sports Service Startups in Iran

Abstract

The aim of this research was to design a model for business process management in sports service startups in Iran. The research methodology was qualitative, using a grounded theory approach. The statistical population of the study consisted of managers and experts knowledgeable in the relevant field. The researcher’s criteria for sampling from the population included individuals familiar with the literature on sports startups, those with published books or research articles, and individuals with teaching experience or professional background in any of the aforementioned areas. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The results from the qualitative section revealed that the causal conditions involved 12 open codes and 4 conceptual codes, the contextual conditions included 14 open codes and 4 conceptual codes, intervening conditions were composed of 14 open codes and 4 conceptual codes, strategies included 15 open codes and 5 conceptual codes, and the outcomes comprised 13 open codes and 4 conceptual codes. Based on the findings, it is recommended that sports businesses focus on the production and distribution of valuable, relevant, and goal-aligned content by employing specialized professionals such as sociologists, media experts, virtual space consultants, strategists, and content marketers, thereby fostering customer attraction, retention, and engagement.