Owner & Primary Publisher: University of Tehran; Journal of Rural Research 2008-7373 12 2 2021 08 23 Identifying and Evaluating the Value Chain of Rural Businesses with Branding Potential (Case Study: Turkmen Sahra of Golestan Province) Identifying and Evaluating the Value Chain of Rural Businesses with Branding Potential (Case Study: Turkmen Sahra of Golestan Province) 218 231 77733 10.22059/jrur.2020.302145.1499 FA Hosien Sadin PhD Graduate, Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-9467-3112 Mahdi PourTaheri Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-6388-8823 Abdolreza Eftekhari Professor, Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2020 05 06 The present study examines rural businesses based on two approaches of branding and value chain as a way to activate businesses to increase productivity and achieve competitiveness. This article is a descriptive-analytical study based on probability and targeted methods in sampling and data collection. In order to analyze the data, the sum of mean scores, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, techniques of weighted summation and multi-criteria decision making (ARAS) have been used. The statistical population of the study included 220 university professors, experts of government departments and rural managers; they are made up of district heads, representatives of district councils, and representatives of villagers and business owners. The results show that among the explanatory indicators of brand products in rural areas, the satisfaction index with a weight of 0.095 is in the first place, and adaptability with a weight of 0.091 and quality orientation with a weight of 0.086 are in the next ranks. And among the common businesses and products of the region; cotton farming with a coefficient of 0.971 is in the first priority, carpet weaving with a coefficient of 0.966 is in the second priority, traditional food with a coefficient of 0.952 is in the third priority, horse breeding with a coefficient of 0.943 is in the fourth priority and ecotourism resorts with a coefficient of 0.924 are in the fifth place for branding planning. Also, the results of value chain analysis indicate that as a complementary tool for branding, activities can be identified and categorized using various business operations to determine marketing strategies and pricing policies. The present study examines rural businesses based on two approaches of branding and value chain as a way to activate businesses to increase productivity and achieve competitiveness. This article is a descriptive-analytical study based on probability and targeted methods in sampling and data collection. In order to analyze the data, the sum of mean scores, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, techniques of weighted summation and multi-criteria decision making (ARAS) have been used. The statistical population of the study included 220 university professors, experts of government departments and rural managers; they are made up of district heads, representatives of district councils, and representatives of villagers and business owners. The results show that among the explanatory indicators of brand products in rural areas, the satisfaction index with a weight of 0.095 is in the first place, and adaptability with a weight of 0.091 and quality orientation with a weight of 0.086 are in the next ranks. And among the common businesses and products of the region; cotton farming with a coefficient of 0.971 is in the first priority, carpet weaving with a coefficient of 0.966 is in the second priority, traditional food with a coefficient of 0.952 is in the third priority, horse breeding with a coefficient of 0.943 is in the fourth priority and ecotourism resorts with a coefficient of 0.924 are in the fifth place for branding planning. Also, the results of value chain analysis indicate that as a complementary tool for branding, activities can be identified and categorized using various business operations to determine marketing strategies and pricing policies. https://jrur.ut.ac.ir/article_77733_36be5aa426e24c1f0c48baa196569fdd.pdf