Development and Validation of a Social Marketing Model for Improving the Environmental Performance of Iranian Oil Companies Using an Integrated ISM–SEM–IPA Approach

Abstract

The present study aimed to design and validate an environmentally friendly social marketing model for oil companies. In terms of purpose, this research was applied, and in terms of methodology, it adopted a mixed-methods (qualitative–quantitative) approach designed based on Saunders’ Research Onion model. In the qualitative phase, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) was used to identify and level the influential factors, whereas in the quantitative phase, the validity of the model was examined using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). The statistical population in the qualitative phase consisted of 15 university professors and experts from the oil industry, while the quantitative population comprised 220 experts from the National Iranian Oil Company, from whom 184 usable questionnaires were ultimately collected. Data collection instruments included semi-structured interviews, an ISM questionnaire, and a researcher-developed questionnaire. The findings indicated that the main factors of the model included compliance with environmental requirements throughout all stages of product development, corporate social responsibility, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, government support, potential competitive capacity, managers’ commitment to and knowledge of corporate social responsibility, green marketing, green human resource development and management, corporate productivity, efficiency, and profitability, and organizational culture. Furthermore, the final model was classified into four hierarchical levels, with managers’ commitment and knowledge and organizational culture identified as fundamental factors, while green marketing, stakeholder satisfaction, and organizational productivity were identified as the ultimate outcomes of the model. The MICMAC analysis also showed that organizational culture and managerial commitment possessed the greatest driving power, whereas stakeholder satisfaction, green marketing, and profitability exhibited the highest dependence. In the validation phase, the findings indicated that the model possessed satisfactory convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability, and that the model fit indices were within acceptable ranges. Moreover, the Importance–Performance Map Analysis showed that all major relationships in the model were located in the high-importance/high-performance quadrant, with the relationships associated with environmental requirements and competitive capacity demonstrating the greatest strategic importance. Overall, the findings demonstrate that developing environmentally friendly social marketing in the oil industry requires strengthening organizational culture, managerial commitment, corporate social responsibility, and green marketing strategies in order to achieve sustainable development and competitive advantage.