Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop a model of export market orientation based on competitive intelligence in the era of the digital economy. Method: This study employed a qualitative approach, utilizing grounded theory as the research method. Sampling was conducted purposefully and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, involving a total of 15 managers and experts from selected exporting companies. The systematic research process comprised open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, facilitated by strategies such as analysis, questioning, comparison, reminders, schemas, and paradigms. During the coding process, revisions were made, and classifications were validated through feedback from the participants. Findings: The findings revealed the paradigmatic pattern of export market orientation based on competitive intelligence in the era of digital economy including six main categories of causal conditions, context, phenomenon or central category, intervening conditions, strategies and the consequences. Causal conditions have three sub-categories of learning abilities promotion of customer-oriented culture, knowledge of export technology and R background conditions include three sub-categories of competitive thinking, competitive export processes (technical evaluation) and competitive governance; intervening conditions include three sub-categories of market technical structure (new technologies), environmental uncertainty and global markets (export risks); the central phenomenon has three sub-categories of value chain (reward strategy), human resource empowerment and employee training (export intelligence); The strategies include three sub-categories of competitive value creation, development of export competitiveness and strategic evaluation of resources and competitive agility and strategic entrepreneurship; The results include three sub-categories of developing entrepreneurial activities, competitive advantage and promoting innovation and dynamic export capabilities. Conclusion: Based on the results, successful implementation of the export market orientation model, grounded in competitive intelligence, requires managers of exporting companies to develop a deeper understanding of the export market. This can be achieved by allocating greater effort to market-oriented activities. Furthermore, by emphasizing competitive intelligence, these companies can improve the perception of their services and create a positive association with their brand in the minds of international customers.
Mohammadi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.