Goudarz Alibakhshi, Hossein Abdollahi and Behzad Nezakatgoo
This study aimed at exploring the antecedents of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' self-efficacy (SE). That is, the main purpose was to deeply delve into the main…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed at exploring the antecedents of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' self-efficacy (SE). That is, the main purpose was to deeply delve into the main variables and latent which lead to a high sense of SE among teachers of English as a foreign language.
Design/methodology/approach
A phenomenological inquiry was employed to explore the antecedents of language teachers from their eyes. In this study, the phenomenon is SE antecedents. The researchers employed this method to help identify the meaning behind the human experience as it is related to a phenomenon or notable collective occurrence. A semistructured interview checklist was developed, carefully worded, reviewed by five teacher educators known as experts in qualitative research methodology and teacher education and edited based on the experts' feedback
Findings
The findings showed that the antecedents of SE can be categorized into personal variables, educational variables and institutional variables. Personal variables include verbal intelligence, language proficiency and some other traits. The institutional variables include support from administration, support from colleagues, support from the community and quality of work life. The educational antecedents include preservice and in-service training courses. Preservice training courses included the following: the courses on general language skills, courses on teaching methods, practicum courses, etc.
Originality/value
This study was undertaken in a specific context and the participants are specific. Almost all studies on SE are quantitative, and this qualitative study explored the antecedents of teachers' SE from their own eyes. Some of the explored studies were not mentioned in any of the related studies.
Details
Keywords
Mohammad Reza Salimpour, Mohammad Hossein Karimi Darvanjooghi, Ali Abdollahi, Arash Karimipour and Marjan Goodarzi
A boiling surface with different initial roughness and under various nanoparticles volume fractions was studied in present work.
Abstract
Purpose
A boiling surface with different initial roughness and under various nanoparticles volume fractions was studied in present work.
Design/methodology/approach
Develop a correlation and sensitivity analysis.
Findings
The results showed that for small (7.3 nm) and much larger (about 2,000 nm) surface roughness, compared to nanoparticle size of around 25 nm, the heat transfer rate of nanofluid diminishes relative to that of base fluid. The results also demonstrated that the boiling heat transfer rate is reduced by increasing the concentration of nanoparticles. For larger boiling surface roughness (480 nm) and nanoparticles volume fractions of less than 0.1 Vol.%, the value of heat transfer increases with the increase of nanoparticles concentration; and for those of more than 0.1 Vol.%, heat transfer rate decreases by adding more nanoparticles, significantly.
Originality/value
Finally, an equation was presented for estimating the wall superheat and the Csf coefficient in terms of mentioned parameters.
Details
Keywords
Zhe Tian, Ali Abdollahi, Mahmoud Shariati, Atefeh Amindoust, Hossein Arasteh, Arash Karimipour, Marjan Goodarzi and Quang-Vu Bach
This paper aims to study the fluid flow and heat transfer through a spiral double-pipe heat exchanger. Nowadays using spiral double-pipe heat exchangers has become popular in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the fluid flow and heat transfer through a spiral double-pipe heat exchanger. Nowadays using spiral double-pipe heat exchangers has become popular in different industrial segments due to its complex and spiral structure, which causes an enhancement in heat transfer.
Design/methodology/approach
In these heat exchangers, by converting the fluid motion to the secondary motion, the heat transfer coefficient is greater than that of the straight double-pipe heat exchangers and cause increased heat transfer between fluids.
Findings
The present study, by using the Fluent software and nanofluid heat transfer simulation in a spiral double-tube heat exchanger, investigates the effects of operating parameters including fluid inlet velocity, volume fraction of nanoparticles, type of nanoparticles and fluid inlet temperature on heat transfer efficiency.
Originality/value
After presenting the results derived from the fluid numerical simulation and finding the optimal performance conditions using a genetic algorithm, it was found that water–Al2O3 and water–SiO2 nanofluids are the best choices for the Reynolds numbers ranging from 10,551 to 17,220 and 17,220 to 31,910, respectively.
Details
Keywords
Hossein Dehdarirad, Javad Ghazimirsaeid and Ammar Jalalimanesh
The purpose of this investigation is to identify, evaluate, integrate and summarize relevant and qualified papers through conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this investigation is to identify, evaluate, integrate and summarize relevant and qualified papers through conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) on the application of recommender systems (RSs) to suggest a scholarly publication venue for researcher's paper.
Design/methodology/approach
To identify the relevant papers published up to August 11, 2018, an SLR study on four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore and ScienceDirect) was conducted. We pursued the guidelines presented by Kitchenham and Charters (2007) for performing SLRs in software engineering. The papers were analyzed based on data sources, RSs classes, techniques/methods/algorithms, datasets, evaluation methodologies and metrics, as well as future directions.
Findings
A total of 32 papers were identified. The most data sources exploited in these papers were textual (title/abstract/keywords) and co-authorship data. The RS classes in the selected papers were almost equally used. DBLP was the main dataset utilized. Cosine similarity, social network analysis (SNA) and term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF–IDF) algorithm were frequently used. In terms of evaluation methodologies, 24 papers applied only offline evaluations. Furthermore, precision, accuracy and recall metrics were the popular performance metrics. In the reviewed papers, “use more datasets” and “new algorithms” were frequently mentioned in the future work part as well as conclusions.
Originality/value
Given that a review study has not been conducted in this area, this paper can provide an insight into the current status in this area and may also contribute to future research in this field.
Details
Keywords
Yeping Peng, Ghasem Bahrami, Hossein Khodadadi, Alireza Karimi, Ahmad Soleimani, Arash Karimipour and Sara Rostami
The purpose of this study is simulation of of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells are promising power sources for use in power plants and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is simulation of of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells are promising power sources for use in power plants and vehicles. These fuel cells provide a high level of energy efficiency at low temperature without any pollution. The convection inside the cell plays a key role in the electrochemical reactions and the performance of the cell. Accordingly, the transport processes in these cells have been investigated thoroughly in previous studies that also carried out functional modeling.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-phase model was used to study the limitations of the reactions and their impact on the performance of the cell. The governing equations (conservation of mass, momentum and particle transport) were solved by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) (ANSYS fluent) using appropriate source terms. The two-phase flow in the fuel cell was simulated three-dimensionally under steady-state conditions. The flow of water inside the cell was also simulated at high-current density.
Findings
The simulation results suggested that the porosity of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is one of the most important design parameters with a significant impact on the current density limitation and, consequently, on the cell performance.
Originality/value
This study was mainly focused on the two-phase analysis of the steady flow in the fuel cell and on investigating the impacts of a two-phase flow on the performance of the cell and also on the flow in the GDL, the membrane and the catalyst layer using the CFD.
Details
Keywords
Darshana Girish Kulkarni, Girish Ramesh Kulkarni, Punit Saurabh and Samik Shome
The COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted the health tourism industry. This study aims to examine the research undertaken on health tourism during COVID-19.
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted the health tourism industry. This study aims to examine the research undertaken on health tourism during COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric analysis was performed using 211 documents written by 645 authors between 2020 and 2024. The databases used for this analysis are SCOPUS, Web of Science and PubMed. The study was conducted using the Biblioshiny application for R software. Various analyses, including citation analysis, keyword analysis, thematic mapping and evolution and collaboration analysis, were conducted to get a comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID-19 on health tourism.
Findings
The findings suggest that medical tourism was the major area of focus for researchers during COVID-19, whereas wellness tourism was studied in the later stages of the pandemic and is considered important for coping with the negative effects of COVID-19. The thematic review indicates that pre-pandemic research focused on strategies that accelerate the growth of the health tourism sector, whereas during and post-pandemic, the focus was on studying the impact of COVID-19 on the survival and recovery of the sector. Overall, health tourism was considered instrumental in the post-pandemic revival of the tourism industry.
Research limitations/implications
The bibliometric analysis is limited to only four years, as the focus was on studying health tourism during COVID-19. Hence, the study offers more precise insights into the research focus on health tourism during a pandemic. The current study offers limited insights into the post-pandemic scenario as the research is still emerging.
Practical implications
There is a significant opportunity for future research on post-COVID-19 recovery strategies, wherein this research will be helpful for researchers, particularly from emerging countries and countries with high dependence on health, medical and wellness tourism. The thematic analysis provides a valuable comparison of pre-, during and post-pandemic research.
Social implications
The research indicates an opportunity to study the policies and strategies adopted by various countries regarding the health tourism sector in the post-COVID-19 era. The research also highlights the interwoven, intricate, interdisciplinary nature of health tourism in relation to public and mental health and the need for collaborative efforts.
Originality/value
The study provides critical insights and new directions for future research by highlighting the crucial role of health tourism in mitigating the impact of COVID-19.
Details
Keywords
Hossein Mansouri, Abdullah Rasaee Rad, Rodoula H. Tsiotsou and Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin
The study aims to identify critical factors that influence football fans’ support of their favorite team by examining the impact of social responsibility, brand credibility and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to identify critical factors that influence football fans’ support of their favorite team by examining the impact of social responsibility, brand credibility and team brand equity on patronage intentions of professional football teams.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey collected data from 331 football fans of the Persian Gulf Premier League (PGPL) in Iran. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The findings revealed that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is able to influence brand equity, brand credibility and patronage intentions. Also, brand equity and brand credibility were found to be positively related to patronage intentions. In addition to that, the findings show that brand equity and team credibility partially mediate the relationship between CSR and patronage intentions.
Practical implications
The findings provide valuable insights to sports teams/club managers aiming to attract new fans and retain current ones by investing in CSR and enhancing brand credibility and equity. Strategies to integrate CSR into relationship marketing and brand management are outlined.
Originality/value
This study empirically highlights the critical role of adhering to CSR and the effects of brand credibility and equity in enhancing patronage intentions among football team fans.
Details
Keywords
Masoud Mozaffari, Annunziata D’Orazio, Arash Karimipour, Ali Abdollahi and Mohammad Reza Safaei
The purpose of this paper is to improve the lattice Boltzmann method’s ability to simulate a microflow under constant heat flux.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the lattice Boltzmann method’s ability to simulate a microflow under constant heat flux.
Design/methodology/approach
Develop the thermal lattice Boltzmann method based on double population of hydrodynamic and thermal distribution functions.
Findings
The buoyancy forces, caused by gravity, can change the hydrodynamic properties of the flow. As a result, the gravity term was included in the Boltzmann equation as an external force, and the equations were rewritten under new conditions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first attempt to investigate mixed-convection heat transfer in an inclined microchannel in a slip flow regime.
Details
Keywords
Ayman Bahjat Abdallah, Bara' Omar Al Bourini and Hussam Mohd Al-Shorman
The present study investigates the impact of supply chain disruption orientation (SCDO) on four supply chain disruption (SCD) mitigation strategies: supply chain integration…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study investigates the impact of supply chain disruption orientation (SCDO) on four supply chain disruption (SCD) mitigation strategies: supply chain integration (SCI), supply chain agility (SCA), supply chain visibility (SCV) and supply chain redundancy (SCR). It also examines the impact of the four mitigation strategies on SCD. The impact of the latter on business performance (BP) is also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs an empirical approach through survey research methodology. It analyzes data collected from 304 managers from pharmaceutical distribution companies in Jordan. Appropriate validity and reliability tests were employed for the study constructs. Path analysis using AMOS software was performed to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
SCDO was found to positively affect all SCD mitigation strategies. Furthermore, among the four mitigation strategies examined, SCV exhibited the highest significant impact in reducing SCD, followed by SCA and then SCR. However, the results revealed that SCI did not significantly impact SCD. Additionally, SCD proved to be negatively and significantly related to BP.
Originality/value
The present study fills a gap in the literature regarding the management of SCDs in pharmaceutical supply chains (SCs) generally and SCs of pharmaceutical distribution companies specifically. It also addresses an under-investigated area in the literature concerning the role of SCDO in promoting the adoption of SCD mitigation strategies.
Details
Keywords
Mahdi Moradi, Mahdi Salehi, Hossein Tarighi and Mahdi Saravani
Independent auditors play an important role in increasing the reliability of financial information by giving their professional opinion on the financial statements of business…
Abstract
Purpose
Independent auditors play an important role in increasing the reliability of financial information by giving their professional opinion on the financial statements of business units. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the audit adjustments and financing of companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample of the study includes 173 Iranian companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) between 2010 and 2017.
Findings
There is no significant association between the profit incremental audit adjustments (Disagreement) and financing of companies in the current year and the following year through a loan. Furthermore, there is no meaningful relationship between the earnings downward/upward audit adjustments (Disagreement) and the financing of companies in the current year and the following year through ordinary stocks. However, there is a meaningful relationship between the profit downward audit adjustments (Disagreement) and the financing of firms in the current year through a loan. In general, as Iran's economy is facing severe economic sanctions, the existence of a high inflation rate has led to a steady increase in the stock prices of Iranian companies; hence, investors regardless of audit reports prefer to invest their money in the stock market so that it does not lose its purchasing power. Under these disaster economic circumstances, creditors are less willing to lend to companies with lower profits.
Originality/value
The results of the current study extend the knowledge of previous studies as financial pressures from economic sanctions have both positive and negative psychological effects on corporate financing.