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The key factor for the success of total quality management programs in an organization is focusing on the customer. The purpose of this paper is to assess customer focus level following implementation of a quality improvement model in social security hospitals in Tehran Province.

This research was descriptive‐comparative in nature. The study population consisted of the implementers of quality improvement model in four Tehran social security hospitals. The data were gathered through a checklist addressing customer knowledge and customer satisfaction.

The research findings indicated that the average scores on customer knowledge in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 64.1, 61.2, 54.1, and 46.6, respectively. The average scores on customer satisfaction in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 67.7, 65, 59.4, and 50, respectively. The customer focus average scores in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 66.3, 63.3, 57.3, and 48.6, respectively. The total average scores on customer knowledge, satisfaction and customer focus in the investigated hospitals proved to be 56.4, 60.5, and 58.9, respectively.

The paper is of value in showing that implementation of the quality improvement model could considerably improve customer focus level.

This study aims to explore the moderating effect of communication barriers (CBs) on the relationship between knowledge sharing barriers (KSBs) and knowledge management (KM), considering the two enablers, technology and organizational culture, in the project context.

The authors adopted survey-based research approach. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), applying the SmartPLS 3.0 software.

The results show the significant and positive effect of both enablers (culture and technology) on KM. Furthermore, the authors identify significant relationship between KSBs and communications barriers. Finally, it elucidated the moderate effect of CBs.

The data are cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, which limits temporal interpretations of the associations between exploitative and exploratory learning and innovative strategies.

The results can guide organization toward cultural and technological issues supporting KM. Moreover, for project managers and practitioners it shows the importance to avoid communications barriers, driving efforts and resources to manage the flow of information efficiently, developing communication processes that integrate the project team and reducing CBs.

The study reveals complex paths that organizations take toward KM. The research findings show how CBs play a critical moderating role in the relationship between KSBs and KM.

This study aims to examine the role of returning Somali diaspora entrepreneurs on firm performance and their perceived environmental obstacles.

The paper draws on a broad literature review and covers a theoretical background to develop a research framework. It presents several propositions to be empirically tested to determine the influence of returnee entrepreneurs’ success and the challenges they face in the process.

The paper offers an overview of how Somali diaspora returnee entrepreneurs can use their resources to succeed in their business and the possible environmental uncertainties that could hinder them. The study highlights some under-researched areas and provides future research directions.

A research investigation is needed to test the proposed conceptual framework empirically. Further research is also recommended to use other predictors when investigating the perceived environmental uncertainty faced by returnee entrepreneurs.

In the diaspora entrepreneurship literature, returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict African countries did not get enough attention. Hence, the study will contribute theoretically to the literature.

The paper provides a conceptual framework that will help understand returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict states in Africa, paving the way for empirical studies on the topic.

Taiwan's semiconductor industry continues moving out to China, therefore Taiwan's semiconductor distributors must cooperate with the local distributors in China in order to survive. The purpose of this paper is to discover the key factors considered by Taiwan's semiconductor distributors when selecting partners in China.

This study summarizes the factors from the literatures and the experts' discussion, then develops a hierarchical structure. Using DEMATEL and MMDE to construct the causality of the dimensions, which are then taken as the basis for the development of the analytic network process (ANP) framework. Finally, it gets the weight values of various factors through the results of ANP, which serves as a proposal to discuss how Taiwan's professional semiconductor distributors select partners in China.

According to the weight of the ANP, results show that trust and commitment, scale, market share and corporate culture are factors that increase the possibility of collaboration.

China has become a favorite for foreign investments. Taiwan's semiconductor distributors must actively expand the China market in order to maintain their survival. This study focuses on Taiwan semiconductor distributors who want to invest and establish factories in China, and investigates the key factors that are involved in the selection of partners for Taiwan semiconductor distributors. The results can increase the chances of success among cooperative members.

This study aims to empirically investigate the factors that influence consumers' attitudes and intentions to use mobile wallets in the context of Somalia. Additionally, the study examines the role of attitude as a mediator between independent variables and the dependent variable.

A multidisciplinary model is proposed, building on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and other relevant research on factors influencing technology adoption. Data were collected using a questionnaire, and convenience sampling was employed to select the respondents. A total of 321 respondents participated in the survey. Fifteen hypotheses were formulated, and PLS-SEM and SPSS software were used to estimate and test the hypothesized model.

The results show that factors including attitude, lifestyle condition (LC), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) have a direct effect on the intention to use mobile wallets. However, facilitating conditions (FC), quality of internet connection (QIC), security (SEC) and trust do not have a direct effect on mobile wallet adoption. On the other hand, attitude mediates the relationship between facilitating conditions, lifestyle compatibility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, quality of internet connection, security and mobile wallet adoption. Consumer attitude does not mediate the relationship between trust and mobile wallet adoption.

This empirical study was conducted only in Mogadishu, thus limiting its geographic scope. Future research on mobile wallets should consider more cities in Somalia. The data were collected at a specific point in time. Given the rapidly changing rate of mobile wallet usage, a longitudinal study might be warranted. Additionally, other variables such as relative advantage, perceived benefits, risk and additional factors could be considered.

As lifestyle conditions, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness emerged as important constructs for mobile wallet acceptance, there is a need to develop the best ease of use, the most suitable conditions and the highest perceived usefulness. The findings have managerial implications that can help banks providing mobile wallet services to increase the usage and adoption of their services.

Mobile wallets have introduced new digital payment options for consumers while also providing businesses and marketers with enhanced opportunities to promote their products and services online. However, there is limited research on the adoption of mobile wallets in Somalia. This study may be the first in Somalia to investigate mobile wallet adoption with a larger sample size compared to previous studies. It also proposes and validates additional constructs not included in the original model.

The importance of champion leaders including tech-savvy leaders to digital government has been highlighted in the literature. Meanwhile, what was in the authors’ interest to explore was the role of business-savvy leaders or non-governmental digital champions as units of analysis, those who mobilized people's interest in digitalization and bypassed governmental barriers through this popular mobilization. They could be considered policy entrepreneurs for understanding policy change in the digitalization of the health sector. This study sought to shed light on the barriers and drivers of digital health in Iran.

The researchers conducted interviews with actors of digital health businesses in Iran, including the Health Information Technology Center affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) administrative body and authorities, private companies active in digital health and health service providers. The purposive sampling method was applied, and 15 experts with relevant and valuable experiences as well as maximum variation to obtain representativeness and rich data were interviewed. Trustworthiness criteria were also used to assure the quality of the results. The data were analyzed based on directed content analysis using the MAXQDA10 software.

It was found out how popular diffusion was effective to overcome barriers to health digitalization. Access to the internet and diffusion of information technology helped the net-enabled businesses to connect directly to people and provide services to them. Diffusion of these services forced the public sector to adjust itself, and thus MOHME banned digital consultation services because of the so-called “insecure and unknown physicians”, following the increased popularity of digital services diffusion, but they were not able to resist popular diffusion of new technology. Hence, it was allowed to work. The main barriers to telemedicine spreading in Iran have been divided into five main categories including government incapacity for digital health governance, conflict of interest, professional obligations for information transparency, protection of patients' rights and data security and privacy.

As a game changer in digital health governance in Iran, popular diffusion will determine the future of digital health. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first ones to explore digital health governance in relation to the private digital health business in Iran with a public policy approach.

This paper aims to provide a quantitative basis to analytically determine the ranking of the brand personality of Adidas, Asics, Nike, Puma and Saucony brands among Iranian customers via a conventional multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method.

Data for determining the importance of evaluation criteria and ranking of brands are gathered by means of distributing questionnaires among a group of Iranian customers of sport shoes, as well as some industrial experts. The fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) was used to rank the brands with regard to dependencies between criteria and alternatives.

The results indicate that FANP is a capable method which provides invaluable insights for strategic marketing decisions in the sport product industry. Results show Adidas has the best performance in the sports shoe market compared to the other four brands. In this study, it was found that expertise sophistication was the most important criterion among Aaker’s five main criteria.

The value of this paper is applying FANP decision-making method for ranking sport shoe brands. This method has not been commonly used in the area of marketing, hence it is added to the pool of techniques used in ranking brands. In addition, evaluation and ranking of brands can be very useful for both academic research and practice. Researchers can benchmark the competences of each brand through evaluating them, and industrialists can extract the competitive advantages of the selected brands.

Leadership is the ability to influence, guide and encourage employees to achieve organizational goals. Leadership has a significant role in organizations’ success or failure. Thus, this paper aims to develop a model to elucidate leadership practices in the Iranian health-care organizations (HCOs).

Qualitative approach was used in this study due to its explorative nature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 key managers and 30 professionals working at different HCOs. Inductive analysis was carried out using the grounded theory approach to develop an initial leadership model for HCOs. The proposed model subsequently was verified by an experts’ panel.

The proposed leadership model emerged from the Iranian HCOs encompasses six main categories: leader, followers, high-ups and peers, context, processes and outcomes. Leader, followers and contexts as main categories did also have further sub-categories.

Study findings are cautiously transferrable as it reflects the Iranian context. While the model was verified, it might still benefit from more and diverse views.

This model can be used by health-care policymakers and managers for improving managers’ leadership competencies and practices and enhancing health outcomes through motivating and mobilizing health-care resources toward achieving organizational goals.

This study aims to give an answer for “what is the current status of leadership in Iranian HCOs?” and “how can we reinforce the strengths and address the weaknesses?”

Effective maintenance management of medical equipment is one of the major issues for quality of care and cost-effectiveness especially in modern hospitals. An effective medical equipment maintenance management (MEMM) consists of adequate planning, management and implementation. This is essential for providing good health services and saving scarce resources. Considering the importance of the subject, the purpose of this paper is to extract the influential factors on MEMM using a qualitative approach.

Documents review and interviews were main methods for data collection. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 14 clinical engineers with different degree of education and job levels. Interviews were voice recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis approach (inductive and deductive) to identify the underlying themes and sub-themes.

Factors influencing an effective and efficient MEMM system categorized in seven themes and 19 sub-themes emerged. The themes included: “resources,” “quality control,” “information bank,” “education,” “service,” “inspection and preventive maintenance” and “design and implementation.”

The proposed framework provides a basis for a comprehensive and accurate assessment of medical equipment maintenance. The findings of this study could be used to improve the profitability of healthcare facilities and the reliability of medical equipment.

The purpose of this study is to summarize the available pool of literature on service quality to identify different dimensions of service quality in the healthcare industry and understand how it is measured. The study attempts to explore the research gaps in the literature about different service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction.

A systematic literature review process was followed to achieve the objectives of the study. Various inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select relevant research articles from 2000–2020 for the study, and a total of 100 research articles were selected.

The study identified 41 different dimensions of healthcare service quality measurement and classified these dimensions into four categories, namely servicescape, personnel, hospital administration and patients. It can be concluded that SERVQUAL is the most widely used service quality measurement tool.

The study identified that a majority of the researchers deduced a positive relationship between SERVQUAL dimensions and the quality of healthcare services. The findings of study will assist hospital executives in formulating effective strategies to ensure that patients receive superior quality healthcare services.