Ali Mohammad Soltani, Seyed Habibollah Tabatabaeian, Payam Hanafizadeh and Jahanyar Bamdadsoofi
The purpose of this paper is to suggest indicators for evaluating Iran national nanotechnology plan at the policy and program levels. Governments are required to evaluate their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest indicators for evaluating Iran national nanotechnology plan at the policy and program levels. Governments are required to evaluate their policies to be accountable to their audience and to improve their policies. The evaluation of nanotechnology policies both in academic and governmental institutions has been mainly confined to measuring the research and development outputs, while explicit models are required for evaluating national nanotechnology policies and programs. In other words, although policies are translated into several activities, it does not mean that the evaluation of activities results in holistic policy evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
The present research uses a qualitative method to explore the process of developing a model for assessing nanotechnology policymaking in Iran. Expert opinions have been collected and analyzed by using local and international surveys to validate different elements of the model.
Findings
The model includes the evaluation time-frame, criteria and indicators for policy and program levels. Assessment at program and policy levels, as distinct from activity evaluation, measures the ultimate objectives of a policy intervention, based on which the outcome and impact indicators should be developed. This paper argues that the Iran national nanotechnology policy should be evaluated and revised triennially based on the model in which 46 outcome and impact indicators are included under three general criteria of appropriateness, efficiency and effectiveness. A number of these indicators should be evaluated annually or biannually.
Originality/value
The evaluation of nanotechnology plans has been mainly limited to assessing the research and development outputs that are related to the activity level. The main value of this work is developing outcome and impact indicators that are related to policy and program levels.
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Seyed Saeed Mazloomy Mahmoodabad, Ali Akbar Vaezi, Tahere Soltani, Azadeh Nadjarzadeh, Seyedeh Mahdieh Namayandeh, Mohammad Hossein Soltani and Hossien Fallahzadeh
Increased dietary salt content is one of the effective factors of hypertension and a major public health challenge globally. Although the positive effects of dietary salt…
Abstract
Purpose
Increased dietary salt content is one of the effective factors of hypertension and a major public health challenge globally. Although the positive effects of dietary salt reduction on health are universally accepted, people can hardly reduce their salt intake. The purpose of this study is to identify the inhibitory factors of dietary salt reduction among 20–65-year-old women in Yazd City, Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was conducted using a deductive content analysis approach based on the communication for the behavioral impact (COMBI) framework. The purposeful sampling method was applied with maximum variation in terms of different educational levels, age groups, occupational status and residential areas to select the participants. Snowball sampling was used to select health-care professionals. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions were conducted with 31 local women and 11 health-care professionals working in the City until data saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using Graneheim and Landsman’s method.
Findings
After data analysis, 617 initial codes were extracted over the perceived barriers. After merging similar codes, 223 codes were extracted. The barriers were classified into five main categories of family, personal, organizational, educational and socio-cultural barriers.
Originality/value
Based on the COMBI framework, the results demonstrated that the most important barriers for reducing salt intake were negative attitude toward restrictions on dietary salt intake, insufficient and incorrect beliefs about the health risk of salt, lack of family support, inadequate health literacy and low self-efficacy in Yazd City. Among these barriers, lack of family support was considered as the most effective factor in reducing salt consumption. So, by focusing on this area and providing the community with the required education, the amount of salt consumed by families can be reduced.
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Mohammad Ali Shenasa, Maryam Soltani, Victor Tang, Cory R. Weissman, Lawrence Gregory Appelbaum, Zafiris J. Daskalakis and Dhakshin Ramanathan
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-established treatment with efficacy for several psychiatric disorders and has yielded promising yet mixed data…
Abstract
Purpose
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-established treatment with efficacy for several psychiatric disorders and has yielded promising yet mixed data showing reductions in craving for substance use. Patients with substance use disorders and comorbid depression may encounter obstacles to receiving rTMS in outpatient settings for treatment of depression. In turn, implementation of rTMS in residential substance use programs would greatly benefit those with comorbid treatment resistant depression. This paper aims to provide recommendations for implementing rTMS within residential substance use treatment centers.
Design/methodology/approach
Using PubMed, the authors conducted a narrative review of manuscripts using various combinations of the following search terms: rTMS, depression, substance use and substance use disorder. The authors read manuscripts for their methodology, outcomes and adverse events to synthesize their results, which correspond to their recommendations for patient selection, safely implementing rTMS in residential substance use facilities and optimal rTMS protocols to start with.
Findings
Advantages of this approach include increased compliance, monitoring and access to care. Recommendations to safely incorporate rTMS in residential substance use disorder treatment centers revolve around selection of patients eligible for rTMS, allowing for sufficient time to elapse prior to commencing rTMS, monitoring for signs of recent substance use or withdrawal and using rTMS protocols compatible with the therapeutic programming of a treatment center.
Originality/value
This paper details the challenges and benefits of implementing rTMS for patients with dual diagnosis and provides recommendations to safely do so. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a novel and unpublished endeavor.
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Satar Rezaei, Mohammad Hajizadeh, Ali Kazemi Karyani, Shahin Soltani, Heshmatollah Asadi, Mohammad Bazyar, Zahra Mohammadi, Neshat Kazemzadeh and Bijan Nouri
Appropriate access to formally-trained health workers for people living in rural and underdeveloped areas is a continuing challenge worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Appropriate access to formally-trained health workers for people living in rural and underdeveloped areas is a continuing challenge worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the willingness of formally-trained health workers to practice in underdeveloped areas and its main determinants among medical students in the western provinces of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 753 medical students from four provinces in western Iran (Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan and Kurdistan) were surveyed cross-sectionally in 2017. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, willingness to practice in underdeveloped areas, intrinsic (e.g. desire to help others and self-interest in medicine) and extrinsic (e.g. the high income of physicians and social prestige) motivations of the study population. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the main determinants of willingness to practice in underdeveloped areas among medical students after their graduation.
Findings
The results indicated that 58.3 percent of students were willing to practice in underdeveloped areas. While 59 percent of the study population had a strong extrinsic motivation to study medicine, the remaining 41 percent of the study population had a strong intrinsic motivation to study medicine. The logistic regression results indicated that low parental professional and educational status, an experience of living in rural areas and having strong intrinsic motivation were associated with greater willingness to practice in underdeveloped areas.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate the willingness to practice in underdeveloped areas and its main determinants among medical students in the west of Iran.
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Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Shayan Naghdi Khanachah and Shirin Papoli
The purpose of this study paper is to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the knowledge flow in high-tech industries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study paper is to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the knowledge flow in high-tech industries.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection method. This research has been done in a qualitative–quantitative method. In the qualitative part, due to the nature of the data in this study, expert interviews have been used. The sample studied in this research includes 35 managers and expert professors with experience in the field of knowledge management working in universities and high-tech industries who have been selected by the method of snowball. In the quantitative part, the questionnaire tool and DANP multivariate decision-making method have been used.
Findings
In this study, a multicriteria decision-making technique using a combination of DEMATEL and ANP (DANP) was used to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the knowledge flow in high-tech industries. In this study, the factors affecting the knowledge flow, including 8 main factors and 31 subfactors, were selected. Human resources, organizational structure, organizational culture, knowledge communication, knowledge management tools, knowledge characteristics, laws, policies and regulations and financial resources were effective in improving knowledge flow, respectively.
Originality/value
By studying the research, it was found that the study area is limited, and the previous work has remained at the level of documentation and little practical use has been done. In previous research, the discussion of knowledge flow has not been very open, and doing incomplete work causes limited experiences and increases cost and time wastage, and parallel work may also occur. Therefore, to complete the knowledge management circle and fully achieve the research objectives, as well as to make available and transfer the experiences of people working in this field and also to save time and reduce costs, the contents and factors of previous models have been counted. It is designed for high-tech industries, a model for the flow of knowledge.
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Ehsan Rashidzadeh, Seyyed Mohammad Hadji Molana, Roya Soltani and Ashkan Hafezalkotob
Delivery management of perishable products such as blood in a supply chain is a considerable issue such that the last-mile delivery, which refers to deliver goods to the end user…
Abstract
Purpose
Delivery management of perishable products such as blood in a supply chain is a considerable issue such that the last-mile delivery, which refers to deliver goods to the end user as fast as possible takes into account as one of the most important, expensive and, polluting segments in the entire supply chain. Regardless of economic challenges, the last-mile delivery faces social and environmental barriers to continuing operations while complying with environmental and social standards, therefore incorporating sustainability into last-mile logistic strategy is no longer an option but rather a necessity. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to consider a last-mile delivery in a blood supply chain in terms of using appropriate technologies such as drones to assess sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors discuss the impact of drone technology on last-mile delivery and its importance in achieving sustainability. They focus on the effect of using drones on CO2 emission, costs and social benefits by proposing a multi-objective mathematical model to assess sustainability in the last-mile delivery. A preemptive fuzzy goal programming approach to solve the model and measure the achievement degree of sustainability is conducted by using a numerical example to show the capability and usefulness of the suggested model, solution approach and, impact of drone technology in achieving all three aspects of sustainability.
Findings
The findings illustrate the achievement degree of sustainability in the delivery of blood based on locating distribution centers and allocating drones. Moreover, a comparison between drones and conventional vehicles is carried out to show the preference of using drones in reaching sustainability. A sensitivity analysis on aspects of sustainability and specifications of drone technology is conducted for validating the obtained results and distinguishing the most dominant aspect and parameters in enhancing the achievement degree of sustainability.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has considered the assessment of sustainability in the last-mile delivery of blood supply chain with a focus on drone technology.
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Lila Rajabion, Karzan Wakil, Arshad Badfar, Mohammad Nazif and Ali Ehsani
Despite the importance of investigating the impact of cloud computing on the e-learning process, the relationship development between the two is not examined well. Thus, the main…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the importance of investigating the impact of cloud computing on the e-learning process, the relationship development between the two is not examined well. Thus, the main goal of this research is to assess how to improve the e-learning process by using cloud services. This paper aims to attempt to investigate the impact of cloud computing on e-learning development.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. For review-related work and statistical analysis of questionnaires, the SPSS 22 and SMART-PLS 3.2 software package are used.
Findings
The results from the study show that e-learning development is significantly influenced by the quality of services, cloud features, university readiness and users’ readiness.
Originality/value
The adoption of cloud technology within an instructional environment has the capacity of offering new opportunities for improvement and innovation for gaining knowledge of the process.
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Muhamad Aizuddin Ibrahim, Wan Mohd Adzim Wan Mohd Zain, Nur Shahirah Mior Shariffuddin, Muaz Azinuddin, Muhammad Nur Hidayat Mohd Salim and Nur Hanifa Zainul
This study investigates how tourists’ local food consumption value, local food experiential value and food culture differences influence food destination image, with food…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates how tourists’ local food consumption value, local food experiential value and food culture differences influence food destination image, with food destination attractiveness acting as the mediator. The moderating role of social media influencers is also analysed within this interrelationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a quantitative research design and purposive sampling to collect data. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses, with 312 food tourists participating.
Findings
The results indicate that tourists’ local food consumption value, tourists’ local food experiential value and tourists’ food culture differences positively influence food destination attractiveness, which, in turn, mediates their impact on food destination image. However, the moderating role of social media influencers has a significant but negative effect on the relationship between food destination attractiveness and food destination image.
Practical implications
The research findings indicate that, by considering factors such as overall consumption experiences, cultural differences and social media management, destination stakeholders can capitalise on local food to enhance destination attractiveness and image significantly.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the significance of food consumption experiences and their values in tourism while highlighting the critical role of local food culture differences in enhancing each destination’s attractiveness and image. Additionally, it emphasises the subtle influence of social media influencers in promoting destinations, particularly within the context of food tourism.
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Satinder Singh, Sarabjeet Singh and Tanveer Kajla
Purpose: The study aims to explore the wider acceptance of blockchain technology and growing faith in this technology among all business domains to mitigate the chances of fraud…
Abstract
Purpose: The study aims to explore the wider acceptance of blockchain technology and growing faith in this technology among all business domains to mitigate the chances of fraud in various sectors.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors focus on studies conducted during 2015–2022 using keywords such as blockchain, fraud detection and financial domain for Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The SLR approach entails two databases, namely, Scopus and IEEE Xplore, to seek relevant articles covering the effectiveness of blockchain technology in controlling financial fraud.
Findings: The findings of the research explored different types of business domains using blockchains in detecting fraud. They examined their effectiveness in other sectors such as insurance, banks, online transactions, real estate, credit card usage, etc.
Practical Implications: The results of this research highlight (1) the real-life applications of blockchain technology to secure the gateway for online transactions; (2) people from diverse backgrounds with different business objectives can strongly rely on blockchains to prevent fraud.
Originality/Value: The SLR conducted in this study assists in the identification of future avenues with practical implications, making researchers aware of the work so far carried out for checking the effectiveness of blockchain; however, it does not ignore the possibility of zero to less effectiveness in some businesses which is yet to be explored.
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Farzana Akbari, Mahdi Salehi and Mohammad Ali Bagherpour Vlashani
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of managerial ability on tax avoidance in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) and OTC by classifying the income smoother and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of managerial ability on tax avoidance in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) and OTC by classifying the income smoother and non-income smoother companies based on the theoretical approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
To measure the managerial ability the data envelopment analysis is applied based on the accounting data, company and industry characteristics. In this research, hypotheses are tested for the first time by three statistical methods, namely classical regression models, mixed effect multilevel models, and Bayesian multilevel models, which have never been addressed in Persian accounting research studies. The hypotheses are estimated during a 12-year period from 2004 to 2015 in TSE and OTC. In this research, according to Lucas’s critique, structural change test is used in order to control macroeconomic and political variables affecting the results of the study.
Findings
The results of hypothesis testing by employing three statistical methods suggest that only one hypothesis of this investigation is significant, which shows the significant association of type of market’s impact (exchange of OTC) on the relationship between managerial ability and tax avoidance.
Originality/value
Each company’s performance is affected by various factors. The study intends to mention that the performance of listed companies in the stock market depends heavily on its financial reports. And investors with perceived perception by the reports, can indirectly squeeze their stock indexes with their sudden sale of stocks, and question the company’s performance with losses to the company.