Analyzing Governance Failures in Iran's Petrochemical Programs: A Grounded Theory Study with Sustainable Development Approach

Abstract

Field surveys and reports from research institutions indicate that petrochemical industry programs have faced numerous challenges, including severe time and cost overruns and low investment returns, revealing fundamental governance deficiencies. Sustainable development requires proper planning and organizational frameworks to achieve its objectives, making effective governance indispensable. Given the substantial investments in infrastructure programs and the importance of related research, there is a demonstrated need for studies that analyze inefficient governance phenomena in the petrochemical industry using empirical field data and identify their specific components. This research employs a qualitative grounded theory methodology through semi-structured interviews with key industry stakeholders. The research strategy is Theory Building from Multi Case Study, and data analysis was carried out with a grounded theory approach in the form of coding, during which main and sub-categories were identified. The achievement of this research can be used as a model in line with sustainable development policies in the three dimensions of social, economic and environmental in petrochemical program.