The role of the namayande in Iran's textile industry

The Iranian textile industry still remains important as one of the largest sources of employment within the non-petroleum sector, although it no longe r plays the large role it used in the country's economy (having been replac ed by petroleum as the economy's primary industry). The subject of this study are middlemen known as namayande in the Iranian t extile industry who plays a very important role in the operations of the in numerable small and medium-sized private firms. When private firms import m aterials from abroad, namayande make the connections between them and forei gn sellers. These middlemen are not local sales agents of foreign companies as is usually the case; rather the namayande specialize in purchasing good s for local buyers. This study will point out some of the reasons why the namayande exist, and examine the present state of Iran's textile industry along with the particu lar management problems found within the firms' operations.