Drivers

Purpose- Nowadays, the smart growth approach plays a significant role in sustainable rural development. This approach seeks to improve the quality of human life and respond to socio-economic, environmental and physical problems and issues and can pave the way for rural management in order to make optimal use of facilities and solve rural problems. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the drivers of the effect of smart growth approach on sustainable development of rural settlements in Jiroft County. Design/methodology/approach- This study is applied research and it is descriptive-analytical in terms of nature. Data has been collected through documentary and field study. To extract the key drivers of the effect of smart growth approach on sustainable development of rural settlements in Jiroft county, a questionnaire has been prepared in the form of a Micmac questionnaire and distributed and completed among the sample community. 36 questionnaires were considered for rural experts, relevant organizations. The data analysis and structural analysis of the effect of smart growth approach indicators on the sustainable development of rural settlements were conducted using Micmac software. Finding- The results showed that among the 57 studied factors, 14 key effective drivers were identified that according to the high score of direct and indirect effect, factors such as utilizing existing infrastructure to increase villagers' employment and income, (direct (+10) indirect (+7205), improving land and housing prices in rural areas, direct (+9) indirect (+6959), villagers' satisfaction of increasing rural relations with outside (city and other villages), direct (+8) indirect (+8356) have the most effect compared to other drivers.

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of drivers and values associated with luxury sports brands on consumer behavior, considering different levels of brand equity. The study adopts a correlational design with practical implications. The target population includes all customers of luxury sports brands in Mazandaran province. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, a statistical sample size of 384 was determined for a large population. To achieve this sample size, 420 questionnaires were distributed, and 392 valid responses were analyzed. Data collection was conducted using a quantitative approach through the administration of four researcher-developed questionnaires, which assessed stimuli, luxury brand values, consumer behavioral reactions, and brand equity. The validity of the questionnaires was established via factor analysis, while reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were employed to characterize the statistical population, examine the frequency and distribution of data, define variables, and generate related charts and tables. Hypothesis testing, model construction, and other necessary analyses were performed using LISREL for factor analysis and SPSS for inferential statistics, alongside model fitting software. The findings reveal that the values associated with luxury sports brands significantly influence consumer behavior, contingent on varying levels of brand equity. It is recommended that managers of organizations and companies involved in producing both sports and non-sports brands focus on enhancing brand equity by offering high-quality luxury products that create positive experiences and appeal for consumers.