Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD Student, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran.
3
Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
4
Professor of Business administration Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences University of Mazandaran
10.22108/nmrj.2026.147125.3254
Abstract
Purpose: The development of fourth-generation technologies has significantly transformed the tourism industry. Consequently, equipping marketing managers with the competencies required for this new generation of marketing has become essential. Accordingly, the present study aims to design a competency framework for fourth-generation marketing managers in the tourism sector.
Methodology: This research is applied in nature and exploratory in terms of data collection, conducted through a qualitative approach. The participants included 15 experts in digital marketing within the tourism industry, selected using the snowball sampling method. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Grounded theory was employed for data analysis, using open, axial, and selective coding with the help of Maxqda software.
Findings: Based on the findings, 154 open codes, 34 subcategories, and 14 main categories were extracted from the interviews. These were organized into six dimensions of the paradigm model as follows:
Causal Conditions (Technological and Organizational Factors)
Contextual Conditions (Infrastructure and Market Environment)
Core Category (Ethical Competence, Tourism Marketing, Leadership, and Digital Skills)
Intervening Conditions (Macro-Institutional and Macro-Environmental Factors)
Strategies (Intra-Organizational and Networking Approaches)
Consequences (Market and Performance Outcomes)
Conclusion: The findings of this study offer strategic insights for managers and researchers into the development of marketing competencies in the tourism industry amid the emergence of fourth-generation marketing.
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