Pathology of Handicraft Products Challenges in Fars Province with an Emphasis on Shiraz Brand in Global Markets

Handicrafts are one of the valuable cultural capitals of a nation with high economic and entrepreneurial capabilities. Nowadays, handicrafts have been neglected due to modern development, and unfortunately, there is no accurate knowledge of their status and challenges across the country, and their contribution to the country's economy cannot be accurately determined. The purpose of this research is to identify and prioritize the challenges of handicraft products in Fars Province and present necessary solutions. This is an applied study in terms of research method and descriptive survey in nature. The research was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods. In the qualitative section, desk research and interviews with handicraft managers and experts in Fars Province were used to establish theoretical foundations and concepts and identify the challenges of handicrafts. The Gray Delphi method was employed to confirm the identified challenges. In the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire on a Likert scale was adopted to collect the information and data required to prioritize the challenges and problems faced by handicraft industries in Fars Province. The statistical population in the qualitative section consists of six handicraft experts in the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Fars Province in the research subject area, who were purposefully selected based on their mastery and awareness of the subject using the snowball [sampling] technique. The statistical population in the quantitative section consists of managers and experts of handicrafts in Fars Province, along with artists, artisans, and handicrafts activists from various sectors. They were selected using the purposive non-random sampling method. Handicraft challenges were prioritized using the Friedman method in SPSS software. The results indicated that the components of "political problems and lack of full relationships with countries with high purchasing power," "heavy costs of participating in domestic and foreign exhibitions," and "emergence of powerful competitors like China and India" ranked first to third, respectively. The results can lead to improved decision-making and planning for the development of handicrafts, thereby promoting their prosperity in Shiraz and Fars Province in both national and international arenas.

کلیدواژه ها:

Handicrafts ، Packaging ، Pathology ، Branding ، Grey Delphi