Amin Bagheri and Mohammad Yamani douzi sorkhabi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' social networking strategies based on learning values in the social context of Iranian universities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' social networking strategies based on learning values in the social context of Iranian universities.
Design/methodology/approach
This research has used the case study method to investigate students’ networked learning (NL) strategies among students of four different universities in the context of Iran. They were explored by semistructured in-depth interviews about the nature or current conditions of their study life. The data were analyzed by the qualitative analysis method based on the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin (1998).
Findings
The researchers in this study found the special concept of NL in the social context: “NL as a continuous process of thinking to understand the environment through multiple/ diverse careers of learning knowledge and skills for environmental modeling towards creating added-value.” According to this definition, various networked strategies were identified as follows: 1) interactive and multidimensional searching, 2) multidimensional studying and learning, 3) environmental and social management, 4) studying and social wandering.
Research limitations/implications
Designing dynamic curriculum, which integrates various careers of learning, multidimensional knowledge and abilities and subject matters with environmental events and social structures of the society. Given the exploratory nature of the research, the paper cannot provide empirically justified findings.
Originality/value
The research had identified diverse approaches of networking strategies, which do not appear just as a positive instrument to improve learning conditions. However, there is such an extreme degree of social wandering among students in universities that makes their efforts useless.
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Afsaneh Bagheri, Amin Alinezhad and Seyed Mojtaba Sajadi
Entrepreneurship educators have recently employed various computer- and game-based teaching methods to develop students’ entrepreneurship knowledge and competencies. However, our…
Abstract
Entrepreneurship educators have recently employed various computer- and game-based teaching methods to develop students’ entrepreneurship knowledge and competencies. However, our understanding of the learning outcomes (LOs) of such methods for students and specifically gamification teaching techniques is fragmented and underdeveloped. This chapter aimed to narrow the gap by systematically analyzing the peer-reviewed empirical studies on gamification and students’ entrepreneurship LOs (ELOs).
This study employed the systematic literature review method to examine the papers on the intersection between gamification and entrepreneurship education (EE). Some of 80 papers were retrieved from Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus databases and 16 papers were included in the final analysis. The papers were analyzed based on the key LOs that teaching entrepreneurship using gamification have for students.
This study found limited literature on the interrelationship between gamification and students’ ELOs. The majority of these studies suggested a positive association between gamification and students’ ELOs. These ELOs were classified into four key groups including cognitive, behavioral, social/interpersonal and skill-based LOs. This analysis explored the huge gap in empirical studies on the impact of gamification on students’ ELOs.
This exploratory study is limited to the systematic review of the empirical researches published in scientific journals. Of the numerous game-based and simulation teaching methods, this systematic analysis focused on gamification and its effects on cultivating entrepreneurial knowledge and competencies in students. Future studies should include published and unpublished papers in other sources (such as books, book chapters, working papers and theses) and other types of technology-based entrepreneurship teaching methods.
Educators and computer-based game designers may use the findings of this study to improve the effectiveness of gamified EE and training programs by connecting the objectives and content of the programs to students’ ELOs and examining if the programs create the intended ELOs in students.
This chapter is one of the first attempts that examines students’ LOs of gamification in EE. This chapter contributes to the limited validated knowledge and understanding of the impact of gamification on ELOs of students.
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Muslim Abdul Djalil, Muslim Amin, Halimin Herjanto, Mustafa Nourallah and Peter Öhman
This study investigates how entrepreneurial leadership fosters market orientation, bank innovativeness and bank performance; it also investigates how market orientation…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates how entrepreneurial leadership fosters market orientation, bank innovativeness and bank performance; it also investigates how market orientation contributes to brand orientation, bank innovativeness and bank performance.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 1500 questionnaires were distributed to 100 bank branches in Indonesia (500 to managers and 1000 to employees); 300 responses (20% response rate) were used for further statistical analysis.
Findings
The results confirmed the existence of relationships among entrepreneurial leadership, market orientation, bank innovativeness, brand orientation and bank performance. The role of entrepreneurial leadership in fostering market orientation, bank innovativeness, brand orientation and bank performance demonstrates that leaders can motivate employees to complete their tasks.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that entrepreneurial leadership, new ideas and innovative products and services can foster bank performance.
Originality/value
The emerging banking industry in Indonesia has witnessed changing market conditions. Banks will benefit from being more market-driven and diverse in their customer relationships to generate value.
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Arash Shahin, Elham Bagheri Iraj and Hossein Vaez Shahrestani
The purpose of this paper is to develop the C-shaped quality function deployment (QFD) 3D Matrix for service applications.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop the C-shaped quality function deployment (QFD) 3D Matrix for service applications.
Design/methodology/approach
The C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix proposed by Vezzetti et al. (2016) has been developed for simultaneous analysis of the relationships among three sets of factors of customer requirements, service design characteristics and service performance indicators. The three sets of factors have been determined and based on their interrelationships, 3D and concurrent houses of quality have been formed. Then, service design characteristics and service performance indicators have been prioritized. The obtained priorities have been also compared with traditional concurrent model of QFD.
Findings
The findings obtained from the traditional and developed approach seem different, implying that applying the C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix provides a more real perspective of concurrent engineering and the results in different set of priorities of service factors.
Research limitations/implications
The case study was limited to banking services. If the developed approach is used in other institutes, the prioritization of service design characteristics and service performance indicators might be changed.
Originality/value
Compared to Vezzetti et al. (2016) who proposed the C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix for analyzing interrelationships among two customers and a provider, or two providers and a customer, in this paper, the C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix has been developed for analyzing interrelationships among three sets of factors of customer requirements, service design characteristics and service performance indicators.
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Amin TermehYousefi, Samira Bagheri and Nahrizul Adib
Biotechnology is closely associated to microfluidics. During the last decade, designs of microfluidic devices such as geometries and scales have been modified and improved…
Abstract
Purpose
Biotechnology is closely associated to microfluidics. During the last decade, designs of microfluidic devices such as geometries and scales have been modified and improved according to the applications for better performance. Numerous sensor technologies existing in the industry has potential use for clinical applications. Fabrication techniques of microfluidics initially rooted from the electromechanical systems (EMS) technology.
Design/methodology/approach
In this review, we emphasized on the most available manufacture approaches to fabricate microchannels, their applications and the properties which make them unique components in biological studies.
Findings
Major fundamental and technological advances demonstrate the enhancing of capabilities and improving the reliability of biosensors based on microfluidic. Several researchers have been reported verity of methods to fabricate different devices based on EMS technology due to the electroconductivity properties and their small size of them. Therefore, controlled fabrication method of MEMS plays an important role to design and fabricate a highly selective detection of medical devices in a variety of biological fluids. Stable, tight and reliable monitoring devices for biological components still remains a massive challenge and several studies focused on MEMS to fabricate simple and easy monitoring devices.
Originality/value
This paper is not submitted or under review in any other journal.
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SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi, Behnam Farhoudi, Elnaz Shahmohamadi, Mehrnaz Rasoolinejad, Maliheh Hasannezhad, Mohammad Rasool Rashidi, Omid Dadras, Ali Moradi, Zohal Parmoon, Hooman Ebrahimi and Ali Asadollahi-Amin
Hepatitis C is one of the major health issues in both developed and developing countries. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is more common in prisoners than in the general…
Abstract
Purpose
Hepatitis C is one of the major health issues in both developed and developing countries. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is more common in prisoners than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV and its associated risk factors in Iranian male prisoners in Tehran.
Design/methodology/approach
In this cross-sectional study, the authors investigated the frequency and risk factors of hepatitis C infection among male prisoners in the Great Tehran Prison. Information on risk factors including the length of imprisonment, previous history of imprisonment, history of drug injection, history of tattooing, history of piercing, history of high-risk sex and family history of hepatitis C were extracted from patients’ records. To evaluate HCV status, blood samples were collected and tested.
Findings
In this study, 179 participants were included. Nine participants (5.0%, 95% CI, 2.3-9.3) were positive for hepatitis C. HCV infection was not significantly associated with age, marital status, education, previous history of imprisonment, length of imprisonment, piercing and high-risk sex; however, there was a significant association between a history of tattooing and a history of injecting drug use and Hepatitis C.
Originality/value
The prevalence of hepatitis C among male prisoners in Great Tehran Prison was 5% in this study, similar to recent studies on prisoners in Tehran. A history of drug injections as well as tattooing were the most important risk factors for hepatitis C in male prisoners.
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Mohammed Awad Alshahrani, Muhammad Zafar Yaqub, Murad Ali, Imane El Hakimi and Mohammad Asif Salam
Building on social cognitive theory and self-determination theory, this study aims to discern the innovative work behaviors of organizational employees as the process by which…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on social cognitive theory and self-determination theory, this study aims to discern the innovative work behaviors of organizational employees as the process by which they generate, develop and implement new and valuable ideas, practices, products or procedures shaped by entrepreneurial leadership by reinforcing intrinsic motivation and creative self-efficacy under the boundary condition of a firm’s innovative climate.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used partial least squares-based structural equation modeling on a sample of 203 employees of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Saudi Arabia.
Findings
This study found that entrepreneurial leadership improves employees’ innovative work behavior by successively enhancing their intrinsic motivation and creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, the analysis confirmed that a firm’s innovative climate significantly moderates the strength of the indirect mediation effect between entrepreneurial leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior through sequential mediation.
Practical implications
The findings of this study yield substantial theoretical and practical implications resulting from a fine-grained understanding of the instrumentality of entrepreneurial leadership in fostering employees’ innovative work behavior. Effectively orchestrating these psychological mechanisms could enable entrepreneurial leaders to alleviate their behaviors.
Originality/value
This is an original study that outlines the importance of aligning entrepreneurial leadership and an innovative climate to shape intrinsic motivation and creative self-efficacy in employees’ innovative work behavior. It demonstrates how entrepreneurial leadership enhances innovative work behavior through the sequential mediation of intrinsic motivation and creative self-efficacy under the boundary condition of an innovative climate.
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In real life, excitations are highly non-stationary in frequency and amplitude, which easily induces resonant vibration to structural responses. Conventional control algorithms in…
Abstract
Purpose
In real life, excitations are highly non-stationary in frequency and amplitude, which easily induces resonant vibration to structural responses. Conventional control algorithms in this case cannot guarantee cost-effective control effort and efficient structural response alleviation. To this end, this paper proposes a novel adaptive linear quadratic regulator (LQR) by integrating wavelet transform and genetic algorithm (GA).
Design/methodology/approach
In each time interval, multiresolution analysis of real-time structural responses returns filtered time signals dominated by different frequency bands. Minimization of cost function in each frequency band obtains control law and gain matrix that depend on temporal-frequency band, so suppressing resonance-induced filtered response signal can be directly achieved by regulating gain matrix in the temporal-frequency band, leading to emphasizing cost-function weights on control and state. To efficiently subdivide gain matrices in resonant and normal frequency bands, the cost-function weights are optimized by a developed procedure associated to genetic algorithm. Single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) and multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structures subjected to near- and far-fault ground motions are studied.
Findings
Resonant band requires a larger control force than non-resonant band to decay resonance-induced peak responses. The time-varying cost-function weights generate control force more cost-effective than time-invariant ones. The scheme outperforms existing control algorithms and attains the trade-off between response suppression and control force under non-stationary excitations.
Originality/value
Proposed control law allocates control force amounts depending upon resonant or non-resonant band in each time interval. Cost-function weights and wavelet decomposition level are formulated in an elegant manner. Genetic algorithm-based optimization cost-efficiently results in minimizing structural responses.
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Alireza Amini, Masood Khodadadi, Amin Nikbakht and Fatemeh Nemati
Nowadays, the tourism industry is considered the largest and most diverse industry in the world, which can play a significant role in the economic growth and development of a…
Abstract
Purpose
Nowadays, the tourism industry is considered the largest and most diverse industry in the world, which can play a significant role in the economic growth and development of a country as the main source of income and employment. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to focus on evaluating the competitiveness indicators of Shiraz city tourism destination based on a combined model.
Design/methodology/approach
For this purpose, a questionnaire with 78 questions was used to evaluate the indicators, in which a total of 1,432 tourists participated, including 927 domestic tourists and 505 international tourists. The collected data were analyzed to determine the hierarchical relationship between the indicators using equation structural modeling.
Findings
The research findings indicate that the most effective and influential indicators in the field of tourism competitiveness are natural and handmade resources, and the most influential factors are demand conditions and cultural and natural resources. In this hierarchy, each factor affects its previous level and influences the next level.
Originality/value
This study offers significant potential for uncovering credible and robust approaches to further investigate the contextualization of tourism competitiveness on both national and international scales, thereby generating valuable new insights. By conceptualizing the diverse dimensions of tourism competitiveness and delving into the variations in its impacts across multiple levels, this research not only challenges existing notions but also aids destinations in maintaining and enhancing their market position and share over time. This study offers valuable insights and practical implications for both researchers and practitioners in the field of urban tourism. It enhances the understanding of destination competitiveness, informs policy decisions, facilitates benchmarking and best practices, guides strategic decision-making and promotes sustainable tourism development.