Mohammad Reza Shokouhi, Mohammad Torabi, Rasoul Salimi and Parisa Hajiloo
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers are often faced with a range of ethical dilemmas in their line of work that require moral courage to make a quick and ethical decision…
Abstract
Purpose
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers are often faced with a range of ethical dilemmas in their line of work that require moral courage to make a quick and ethical decision. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of professional moral courage (PMC) in EMS providers and its relationship with their demographic characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
In 2022, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 175 EMS providers at the Hamadan Emergency Medical Center. The study utilized an available sampling method. Data was collected using a demographic information form and Sekerka's moral courage questionnaire, which was distributed electronically. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 26 software with descriptive and analytic tests.
Findings
According to the findings, the average age of the participants was 34.57 ± 3.46 years. The majority of participants were married (50.3%), had work experience ranging from 8 to 14 years (49.7%), and held a degree in emergency medicine (52.6%). The participants displayed a high level of PMC, with an average score of 62.5 ± 8.14. Notably, age, work experience, educational level, and employment status were all found to have a significant relationship with moral courage (p < 0.05) among the demographic characteristics.
Research limitations/implications
The study has a limitation in terms of the sampling method employed, which may impact the generalizability of the results. Another limitation, by a narrow margin, is that the sample size is smaller than what was estimated. Furthermore, using various measurement tools to assess PMC might lead to varying outcomes. Consequently, it is recommended that future research incorporates random sampling and devises a dedicated psychometric instrument to assess the PMC of EMS providers.
Originality/value
The results revealed a positive correlation between work experience and PMC among providers. This can be attributed to the challenges and outcomes they have encountered throughout their careers. Moreover, EMS providers with higher educational qualifications and job stability demonstrated higher levels of moral courage.
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Yasmeen Abu Sumaqa, Sajeda Alhamory, Manar Abu-Abbas, Ahmad Rayan, Mutaz Foad Alradaydeh, Nour Alrida, Omymah Zain Alddin Al-Rajabi, Mohammad Y. Alzaatreh, Anas H. Khalifeh, Saleh Al Omar and Manal Mohamed Abd EINaeem
The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceived level of Jordanian nurses’ competencies in offering care to the community during a disaster.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceived level of Jordanian nurses’ competencies in offering care to the community during a disaster.
Design/methodology/approach
A correlational descriptive design was used to assess nurses’ competencies in offering care for the community during a disaster.
Findings
A total of 370 nurses (55 % males) aged 25−55 agreed to participate. The mean score of competencies of nurses who offer care to the community during the disaster was 2.11 (SD = 0.59) points. The results of correlation coefficient tests revealed a significant positive correlation between stated competencies level and nurses’ sex, receiving disaster education and training with rpb (371) = 0.13, p < 0.01; rpb (598) = 0.15, p = 0.004; rpb (598) = 0.21, p < 0.001, respectively. Furthermore, the “care of communities” subscale had a weak positive correlation with the.
Originality/value
Nurses play a critical role in disaster response. However, there was a gap in nurses’ competencies for disaster, which shows there is a crucial need to include disaster management courses in the nursing curriculum and update disaster management courses in hospitals based on nurses’ needs to improve their competencies during disasters.
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Mohammad Gharipour, Ehsan Masoud, Jamal Esmaeilzadeh Vafaei and Fateme Jahani Sadatmahalle
The advancement of medical care during the late 19th century and the rising importance of public health led to the creation of a healthcare infrastructure in Iran in the early…
Abstract
Purpose
The advancement of medical care during the late 19th century and the rising importance of public health led to the creation of a healthcare infrastructure in Iran in the early decades of the 20th century. The study focuses on the formation of this infrastructure through the study of historical materials as well as the study of case studies built in the Gilan region in the north of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper begins with a review of medical, sociological and historical resources, then turns to field studies and interviews as methods to focus on the medical transformations in the Gilan region.
Findings
This study offers four key findings: First of all, most studies tend to focus more on traditional medicine in Iran than on the initiation and spread of modern medicine. Secondly, foreign physicians and missionaries played an influential role in shaping the culture of Iranian hospital care. Thirdly, the interactions with and influences coming from Iran’s northern neighbors in Gilan transformed the province into an educated, freedom-seeking society. And finally, in its early stages, hospital construction in Iran followed local architectural traditions.
Originality/value
In the case of Gilan, the core structures of urban hospitals were similar in their pavilion typology to those that had been common in Gilan for centuries.
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Fatemeh Amini, Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi and Jamshid Yazdani Charati
This study aims to compare the social support among patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to compare the social support among patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals.
Design/methodology/approach
Using convince sampling, the authors recruited 80 patients (schizophrenia, n = 40; methamphetamine dependency, n = 40) and their companions (healthy individuals, n = 40) who were referred to a psychiatric hospital in a cross-sectional study in Sari, Iran. In in-person interviews, the authors collected data on demographic characteristics and measured social support using a standardized questionnaire.
Findings
The three groups were similar regarding age and marital status, but different in gender distribution (p = 0.001). The average social support score was 58.0 in the schizophrenia group and 42.3 in the methamphetamine-dependent group, both significantly lower than 63.6 in the healthy group (p = 0.001). The social support scores in schizophrenia and methamphetamine-dependent groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy group across all subgroups of gender (p < 0.04), age (p < 0.05) and marital status (p < 0.001). The methamphetamine-dependent group had the lowest score overall and across all demographic groups and social support subdomains.
Research limitations/implications
This study had two main limitations. First, the study samples were from one city and one hospital in the north of Iran and so may not be generalizable to other population and settings. Second, the authors did not study the causes or predictors of low social support like social stigma which should be studied in future studies.
Originality/value
Despite the limitations, this study found low social support for people diagnosed with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency. Intervention to increase social support for them, especially for those with substance use, is required.
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Samira Jalili, Mohammad Amerzadeh, Saeideh Moosavi, Abdollah Keshavarz, Rouhollah Zaboli, Seyed Saeed Tabatabaee and Rohollah Kalhor
Strategic orientation is one of the critical principles affecting the marketing and strategy selection of an organization’s activities, reflecting the strategic tendencies…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic orientation is one of the critical principles affecting the marketing and strategy selection of an organization’s activities, reflecting the strategic tendencies implemented by the organization to create behaviours, leading to organizational efficiency and better employee performance. Therefore, this paper aims to study the relationship between strategic orientation and performance in Qazvin teaching hospitals through green supply chain management (SCM) to improve employees' performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a descriptive– analytical and cross-sectional study. The total number of employees in medical centres was 2,256 people. According to Morgan’s table, the required number of samples was 328, including 10% of the sample loss. The questionnaire was given to 365 staff in different hospitals in proportion to the number of staff. Two statistical software, SPSS24 and AMOS23, were used to evaluate the results.
Findings
All three variables were relatively moderate in the hospitals. The results of evaluating the structural model of the research showed that all the studied hypotheses were significant, except for the relationship between organizational performance and strategic orientation hypothesis. The results also show that this model had a good fit.
Practical implications
The findings can lead to saving the environment, creating a better social image and reducing costs and profitability, allowing managers to know the strategic orientations rather than depending on institutional pressure issues and monitoring guidelines.
Originality/value
Considering the significant relationship between the dimensions of green SCM and the hospitals’ performance, the authors suggest: establishing multilateral co-operation in environmental issues, improving the environmental status of hospitals, reducing waste rates and paying attention to social responsibility of hospitals. In addition, the findings help hospital management to comprehensively understand the strategies for implementing green SCM procedures.
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Siavash Moayedi, Jamal Zamani and Mohammad Salehi
This paper aims to provide a full introduction, new classification, comparison and investigation of the challenges as well as applications of layerless 3D printing, which is one…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a full introduction, new classification, comparison and investigation of the challenges as well as applications of layerless 3D printing, which is one of the industry 4.0 pioneers.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the significance and novelty of uniform 3D printing, more than 250 publications were collected and reviewed in an unbiased and clear manner.
Findings
As a result, the majority of uniform parts printed in polymer form are known up to this point. In a novel division for better researchers’ comprehension, uniform printing systems were classified into three categories: oxygen inhibition (OI), liquid lubrication (LL) and photon penetration (PP), and each was thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, these three approaches were evaluated in terms of printing speed, precision and accuracy, manufacturing scale and cost.
Originality/value
The parameters of each approach were compared independently, and then a practical comparison was conducted among these three approaches. Finally, a variety of technologies, opportunities, challenges and advantages of each significant method, as well as a future outlook for layerless rapid prototyping, are presented.
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Meera Peethambaran and Mohammad Faraz Naim
This study aims to unravel the black-box mechanism between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and the multifaceted well-being construct, flourishing-at-work (FAW). Moreover…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to unravel the black-box mechanism between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and the multifaceted well-being construct, flourishing-at-work (FAW). Moreover, this paper aims to bring in a positive psychological mechanism that can reduce the potential negative impact of HPWS on FAW.
Design/methodology/approach
A synthesis analysis of existing literature was carried out to formulate managerial and practical propositions.
Findings
Drawing upon the theoretical foundations of social exchange theory, conservation of resource theory, signalling theory and resource-based view (RBV), this study proposes a conceptual framework that connects HPWS, psychological capital (PsyCap), employee work passion (EWP), organisational trust (OT) and flourishing-at-work (FAW) with the possible moderating effect of OT in the relationship between HPWS and PsyCap.
Practical implications
Although the proposed conceptual framework is not empirically validated, the study provides several significant practical implications in terms of the integrated framework consisting of HPWS, PsyCap, OT, EWP and FAW.
Originality/value
This study represents a pioneering contribution by proposing an indirect relationship between HPWS and FAW. Moreover, none of the studies so far have unleashed the black-box mechanism between HPWS and FAW. The study provides a set of propositions that explain the relationships between the study variables, which enrich the understanding of strategic human resource management practices and their potential effects on employee well-being.
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Mojtaba Ahmadi, Mohammad Babamiri and Mehrane Shabani
The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-criteria-based scoring model to upgrade the work stress prevention checkpoints to a stress-management tool for estimating the risk…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-criteria-based scoring model to upgrade the work stress prevention checkpoints to a stress-management tool for estimating the risk score of the workplace’s stressors and prioritizing the control solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
A Panel of ten experts was formed and capitalized on Fuzzy Delphi, Fuzzy DEMATEL, and SWARA methods to discover the decision criteria, obtain the weights of the checkpoints’ dimensions, and develop the system to be used in an organization. The developed tool is finally applied in an organization as a case study.
Findings
Five criteria, namely Intellectual, Physical, Emotional, Behavioral, and Organizational reactions were found with respect to which the dimensions were prioritized. Generally, the heaviest weight belonged to “Job demand” by 0.13, followed by “Work-life balance and working times”, “Social support”, “Leadership and justice at work”, “Job control”, and “Job security” with weights of 0.118, 0.116, 0.114, 0.11, and 0.1, respectively. The “information and communication” had the lowest weight by 0.062.
Practical implications
It was found that multiple stress-related factors have different importance that can be considered in work-related stress (WRS) assessments. To this end, combining MCDM methods is a suitable approach to determine the factors’ importance coefficients.
Originality/value
This tool allows an organization to control work stress on the basis of one particular criterion or multiple criteria. The case study results showed that this tool makes the implementation of corrective measures much easier to manage based on the risk level of each dimension.
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Mohammad Ghazanfari Shabankareh, Ali Shesh Bulookii and Mojtaba Kord
This study aims to examine the methods of converting the threats caused by sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical industry to economic opportunities and investigating the growth rate…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the methods of converting the threats caused by sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical industry to economic opportunities and investigating the growth rate of Iran’s petrochemical industry during sanctions.
Design/methodology/approach
The present research was descriptive-exploratory and the research method was based on a mixed research strategy. In the qualitative part, two methods of content analysis and semistructured interview were used and in the quantitative part, the survey method was used. The participants of the qualitative part were the content of all related published researches that have been published in the past 20 years and to conduct a semistructured interview with experts that were selected by nonprobability sampling method. In the quantitative part, the statistical population, there were including managers, supervisors and experts active in the Iran’s petrochemical industry (especially in Asaluyeh area of Iran), the sampling method was nonprobability of the type available.
Findings
The findings of the research showed that the potential risks resulting from the sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical industry from the review of the selected researches include 5 main risks (marketing, financial, supply and procurement, technological and production) and 26 related subrisks. Also, the ranking of the mentioned risks showed that among the main risks, the highest rank is related to the financial risk and among the subrisks, the increase in transaction costs and disruption in the implementation of contractual obligations have the highest rank.
Research limitations/implications
The investigation of the growth rate of Iran’s petrochemical industry during the sanctions in terms of performance (production, export and foreign exchange) showed that the amount of production has gone through a growing trend during the period under review (it has grown by more than 68%). Also, the amount of exports in the investigated time period has been growing (it has grown by more than 70%) and finally, the amount of foreign exchange in this time period has experienced growth (more than 58% growth).
Originality/value
Introducing and examining methods of turning threats into economic opportunities in Iran’s petrochemical industry under the shadow of sanctions, which can be used in other active industries under sanctions in the energy field.
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Maryam Larikaman, Mahdi Salehi and Nour-Mohammad Yaghubi
This study aims to investigate blockchain technology (BT) and its opportunities and weaknesses in Iran's tax system; it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate blockchain technology (BT) and its opportunities and weaknesses in Iran's tax system; it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when incorporated into Iran's tax system.
Design/methodology/approach
The statistical population consists of all the employees and managers working in tax administration, and 674 participants were selected as the sample size via Cochran sampling. The partial least square tests are used to investigate the impact of the independent variable on dependent ones.
Findings
The results show that BT positively affects three components of tax, including value-added tax, tax on shipping goods and income tax. BT’s advantages and opportunities positively affect these taxation types, while its threats negatively affect the opportunities and challenges in Iran’s tax system; this study provides helpful insights and develops the knowledge. Furthermore, this is among the initiatives addressing BT’s opportunities and challenges in three discriminative taxation sectors, including value-added tax, tax on shipping goods and payroll tax.
Originality/value
Since no study has addressed BT’s opportunities and weaknesses in Iran’s tax system, it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when incorporated into Iran’s tax system.