Extracting associations and drawing the mind map of Iran Khodro customers applying Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique

Subject Areas : Production Management

maryam darvishi ¹ (Department of Business Management, OmidIyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, OmidIyeh, Iran)
saman azizi ² (Department of Business Management, OmidIyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, OmidIyeh, Iran)
jabber mohammad moosaee ³ (Department of Business Management, OmidIyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, OmidIyeh, Iran)

Received: 2022-04-23 Accepted : 2022-11-05 Published : 2022-08-23

Keywords: Zaltman Technique, Mental Associations Network, Iran Khodro Automotive Company,

Abstract :

The purpose of this study is to provide a map for the mental associations of customers of Iran Khodro products. In this method, Zaltmann's (Zimet) metaphorical technique has been used. The study is applied in terms of purpose, also in terms of data type is qualitative phenomenological research that has been prepared to provide a model or map to extract the perceptions and mental associations of consumers of Iran Khodro products. This is survey research and all people who have experienced using Iran Khodro products constitute the statistical population of the research. In this order, 20 people were deeply and carefully examined. In this project, a saturation point was made in an interview with the twelfth person. After collecting information and analyzing them in three stages of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, the mental model of consumers was drawn using MAXQDA software. The results obtained in this study showed that the mental associations of consumers of Iran Khodro products in five main categories include lack of equipment and appearance features, poor safety and performance, poor service and lack of economic efficiency, monopoly, and mismanagement of the automotive industry and the top domestic automaker.