Professor Behzad Foroughi: Marketing for a Better World
Stepping into a person’s room tells you more than a conversation ever could. After five years at I-Shou University, you might expect Professor Behzad Foroughi’s workspace to be overflowing with papers. Instead, you find clear shelves and quiet order. This minimalist mirrors the way he thinks: focused, intentional and devoted to what truly matters.
This discipline shows in his work, which has been widely published over the years. In 2025, his dedication earned him a major distinction: Named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University.
“Being recognised is an honour,” he said, “but more importantly, it motivates me to keep working to create positive change.”
The Students' Favourite Professor
Ask students at the International College who their favourite professor is, many will give the same name: Professor Behzad. Ask any IBA senior about choosing courses, their advice comes immediately: “Take Professor Behzad’s Marketing class.”
Semester after semester, his classes are always full. There have even been moments when a larger room had to be requested because too many students wanted to join his class. His popularity is not about easy grades or flashy lectures. It is the energy he brings, the sincerity he teaches with, and the way he makes every student feel seen.
“Teaching is my favourite hobby,” he once said. The students believe him because they feel it.
Marketing, AI, and Sustainability: Research That Shapes the Future
Behind the vibrant classes and crowded lecture halls is a quiet thinker with questions far bigger than any single course. In recent years, professor Behzad Foroughi devoted his research to understanding how technology, especially, artificial intelligence shapes human behaviour, sustainability, and even everyday choices.
One of his important publications in 2025, “Determinants of Generative AI in Promoting Green Purchasing Behaviour: A Hybrid Partial Least Squares – Artificial Neural Network Approach” (Business Strategy and the Environment, Q1), explores how AI can encourage consumers to choose environmentally friendly products. The findings highlight that interactive, responsive AI improves environmental awareness and creates a stronger sense of personal responsibility.
He also examined how people interact with AI chatbots in “Why Users Continue E-Commerce Chatbots? Insights from PLS-fsQCA-NCA Approach” (Service Industries Journal, Q1). The findings reveal that system quality, usefulness, and ease of use matter deeply. At the same time, personal traits like social avoidance can surprisingly enhance positive experiences.
His research extends even further, covering:
How university students adopt virtual reality in higher education
What motivates academic staff to use ChatGPT and AI tools in teaching
How emerging technologies influence long-term learning and social sustainability
Across all his papers runs a single, consistent message: technology does more than change what we do, it quietly shapes who we become. It guides us toward wiser decisions, better habits, and more sustainable values.
Impact Through Research and Teaching
In 2025, Professor Behzad Foroughi published 65 publications and accumulated 572 citations (Elsevier Data Repository). He currently serves as Associate Editor of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration and continues to research the intersection of marketing, AI, and sustainability.
But numbers, titles, and distinctions only tell part of the story. What truly drives him forward is something far simpler but deeper: the hope of leaving something impactful behind, for both his students and the world. Marketing is not a mere academic field, nor are AI and sustainability just another trend.
“See every purchase as a vote,” he reminded us.
A vote for the future. A vote for the better world we choose to build through marketing and AI.
And as our professor Behzad returns to his work, quietly connecting ideas and life purpose, you realise that his greatest impact lives in the students he inspires, the values he nurtures, and the belief he spreads that thoughtful choices, even the smallest ones, can change the world.
“Each choice supports certain values and pushes companies to do better. If we choose responsibly, we create a ripple effect that influences businesses, society, and the planet.”