Strategic Management Analysis of IT Businesses in Highly Uncertain and Internationally Restricted Environments

IT businesses operating in highly uncertain and internationally restricted environments face strategic challenges fundamentally different from those in open, globally integrated markets. This thesis examines how sanctions, limited access to global technologies, financial restrictions, and infrastructural barriers reshape the strategic landscape for IT firms, particularly within the Iranian market. Drawing upon Resource Dependence Theory, Technical Debt, and Path Dependency, the study investigates the trade-off between short-term survival-driven innovation and long-term strategic harm. Using a mixed methods approach combining semi-structured interviews with a structured survey, the research identifies key constraints and documents the adaptive solutions implemented by firms. The findings reveal a persistent tension between crisis-driven improvisation and sustainable strategic development. While internal workarounds ensure operational continuity, they simultaneously generate significant technical debt, lock firms into inflexible technological trajectories, and reduce long-term competitiveness. Ultimately, this thesis provides an analytical model linking survival-centered strategies to long-term organizational pathology, offering strategic recommendations to guide policymakers and IT leaders toward more informed and resilient decision-making in restricted environments.