Davoud Masoumi, Javad Hatami and Javad Pourkaremi
The purpose of this paper is to focus on mapping the ways in which HE institutions enhance faculty members’ professional development. More precisely, by introducing a case from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on mapping the ways in which HE institutions enhance faculty members’ professional development. More precisely, by introducing a case from one of the well-established universities in Iran, the authors aim to examine the focus of faculty development (FD) activities and how FD is conducted, with a view to shedding light on the challenges of and disparities between faculty roles and areas of FD in higher education (HE) in Iran as a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to explore and map the characteristics of FD and analyse the trends that Iranian HE institutions are experiencing in this area, a sequential explanatory multiple sources design, consisting of two distinct phases, was implemented (Creswell, 2012). In this design, the documents regarding the faculty professional development (decisions, agreements, The Job Structure Memorandum, and relevant documents and policies at the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and the studied HE institution) were analysed first. Next, field records were collected by means of a series semi-structured interviews with faculty members in the given HE setting.
Findings
The analysis of the collected data brought to the surface three themes, namely, FD: policies and procedures, faculties professional development in practice, and associated challenges and future prospects. These initial findings helped to understand if and how FD activities occur as well as map the challenges and complexities in faculties’ CPD in Iranian HE. Further, it discusses possible solutions to develop relevant and practical professional development.
Research limitations/implications
This case study is partly limited to a group of faculty members’ experiences and reflections on FD in one Iranian HE institution. Conducting additional surveys and observations with a large sample of the faculties and students may verify and consolidate the findings of the study and contribute to further insights on the ways faculties’ professional development can be transformed.
Practical implications
Taking into account the findings of the study, a dynamic framework for continued professional development of faculties in Iran is developed.
Originality/value
The findings of the study present valuable insights into the FD procedures, challenges and paradoxes that seem to shape FD in Iranian HE institutions. Moreover, the findings indicated much-needed structural modifications to simplify and harmonise the policies and procedures to harness profession development. To conclude, the initiatives and action plans that may contribute to FD and reshape the Iranian HE landscape is discussed. The applications and implications are also relevant for similar HE systems in developing countries.
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Ahmad Shahvaroughi, Hadi Bahrami Ehsan, Javad Hatami, Mohammad Ali Shahvaroughi and Rui M. Paulo
Eyewitness testimony can determine the outcome of criminal investigations. The cognitive interview (CI) has been widely used to collect informative and accurate accounts. However…
Abstract
Purpose
Eyewitness testimony can determine the outcome of criminal investigations. The cognitive interview (CI) has been widely used to collect informative and accurate accounts. However, face-to-face interviews have been restricted during the current pandemic, raising the need for using video-conferencing. The authors tested whether virtual interviews could produce elaborate accounts from eyewitnesses and if the CI superiority effect against a structured interview (SI) could be fully replicated online.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a 2 × 2 factorial design with interview condition (CI vs SI) and environment (face-to-face vs virtual) manipulated between-subjects. A total of 88 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Participants watched a mock robbery and were interviewed 48 h later using either the SI or the CI. Both interviews contained the same structure and interview phases but only the CI included its key cognitive mnemonics/ instructions. Both sessions were either face-to-face or online.
Findings
Participants interviewed with the CI recalled more information than participants interviewed with the SI, regardless of the interview environment. Both environments produced a comparable amount of recall. Report accuracy was high for all groups.
Practical implications
This can be crucial to inform police practices and research in this field by suggesting investigative interviews can be conducted virtually in situations such as the current pandemic or when time and resources do not allow for face-to-face interviewing.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study showing that the CI superiority effect can be replicated online and that a fully remote CI can produce elaborate accounts.
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Mohammad Javad Kazemi, Shahabeddin Hatami, Abdolreza Zare and Ali Parvaneh
This paper aims to study the lateral behavior of cold-formed steel walls with K-shaped bracing by finite element modeling.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the lateral behavior of cold-formed steel walls with K-shaped bracing by finite element modeling.
Design/methodology/approach
The braces which have the same section as those for studs and tracks are connected to the frame by screw connections. By pushover analysis, lateral performance of two frame categories, with different dimensions and bracing arrangements, is examined, and the force-displacement diagram and the ultimate strength of walls are extracted. Probable failure modes during lateral loading including distortional buckling of studs, buckling in braces and failure of connections are simulated in the numerical model, and some strengthening suggestions would be offered to prevent brittle failures and, therefore, to increase the lateral strength of the walls.
Findings
The strengthened walls are examined, and their seismic behavior is compared with the original walls. Finally, a parametric study is carried out to evaluate the effect of factors such as thickness of frame members, frame height and yield tension of members on lateral behavior of the shear walls.
Originality/value
In the present research, lateral strength and failure modes of nine types of cold-formed steel shear walls with different arrangements of K-shaped bracing are examined by non-linear finite element analysis, and a parametric study is carried out to extract the effect of the wall frame characteristics on the lateral behavior. Shear walls are classified into two series.
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Javad Gerami, Mohammad Reza Mozaffari, Peter Wanke and Yong Tan
This study aims to present the cost and revenue efficiency evaluation models in data envelopment analysis in the presence of fuzzy inputs, outputs and their prices that the prices…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the cost and revenue efficiency evaluation models in data envelopment analysis in the presence of fuzzy inputs, outputs and their prices that the prices are also fuzzy. This study applies the proposed approach in the energy sector of the oil industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a value-based technology according to fuzzy input-cost and revenue-output data, and based on this technology, the authors propose an approach to calculate fuzzy cost and revenue efficiency based on a directional distance function approach. These papers incorporated a decision-maker’s (DM) a priori knowledge into the fuzzy cost (revenue) efficiency analysis.
Findings
This study shows that the proposed approach obtains the components of fuzzy numbers corresponding to fuzzy cost efficiency scores in the interval [0, 1] corresponding to each of the decision-making units (DMUs). The models presented in this paper satisfies the most important properties: translation invariance, translation invariance, handle with negative data. The proposed approach obtains the fuzzy efficient targets corresponding to each DMU.
Originality/value
In the proposed approach, by selecting the appropriate direction vector in the model, we can incorporate preference information of the DM in the process of evaluating fuzzy cost or revenue efficiency and this shows the efficiency of the method and the advantages of the proposed model in a fully fuzzy environment.
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Seyedmohammad Mousavisani, Javad Khalesi, Hossein Golbaharan, Mohammad Sepehr and D.D. Ganji
The purpose of this paper is to find the approximate solutions of unsteady squeezing nanofluid flow and heat transfer between two parallel plates in the presence of variable heat…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find the approximate solutions of unsteady squeezing nanofluid flow and heat transfer between two parallel plates in the presence of variable heat source, viscous dissipation and inclined magnetic field using collocation method (CM).
Design/methodology/approach
The partial governing equations are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations by using appropriate transformations and then are solved analytically by using the CM.
Findings
It is observed that the enhancing values of aligned angle of the magnetic causes a reduction in temperature distribution. It is also seen that the effect of nanoparticle volume fraction is significant on the temperature but negligible on the velocity profile.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has been carried out considering the combined effects of inclined Lorentz forces and variable heat source on squeezing flow and heat transfer of nanofluid between the infinite parallel plates.
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Peter Wanke, Sahar Ostovan, Mohammad Reza Mozaffari, Javad Gerami and Yong Tan
This paper aims to present two-stage network models in the presence of stochastic ratio data.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present two-stage network models in the presence of stochastic ratio data.
Design/methodology/approach
Black-box, free-link and fix-link techniques are used to apply the internal relations of the two-stage network. A deterministic linear programming model is derived from a stochastic two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model by assuming that some basic stochastic elements are related to the inputs, outputs and intermediate products. The linkages between the overall process and the two subprocesses are proposed. The authors obtain the relation between the efficiency scores obtained from the stochastic two stage network DEA-ratio considering three different strategies involving black box, free-link and fix-link. The authors applied their proposed approach to 11 airlines in Iran.
Findings
In most of the scenarios, when alpha in particular takes any value between 0.1 and 0.4, three models from Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes (1978), free-link and fix-link generate similar efficiency scores for the decision-making units (DMUs), While a relatively higher degree of variations in efficiency scores among the DMUs is generated when the alpha takes the value of 0.5. Comparing the results when the alpha takes the value of 0.1–0.4, the DMUs have the same ranking in terms of their efficiency scores.
Originality/value
The authors innovatively propose a deterministic linear programming model, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the internal relationships of a two-stage network are analyzed by different techniques. The comparison of the results would be able to provide insights from both the policy perspective as well as the methodological perspective.
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The president, who was re-elected in May for a second four-year term, on August 8 announced his new cabinet for parliamentary confirmation. Half the 18 ministers are holdovers…
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB223739
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Sudipta Ghosh, Madhab Chandra Mandal and Amitava Ray
Supplier selection (SS) is one of the prime competencies in a sourcing decision. Taking into account the key role played by suppliers in facilitating the implementation of green…
Abstract
Purpose
Supplier selection (SS) is one of the prime competencies in a sourcing decision. Taking into account the key role played by suppliers in facilitating the implementation of green supply chain management (GSCM), it is somewhat surprising that very little research attention has been imparted to the development of a strategic sourcing model for GSCM. This research aims to develop a strategic sourcing framework in which supplier organizations are prioritized and ranked based on their GSCM performance. Accordingly, the benchmark organization is identified and its strategy is explored for GSCM performance improvement.
Design/methodology/approach
The research develops an innovative GSCM performance evaluation framework using six parameters, namely, investment in corporate social responsibility, investment in research and development, utilization of renewable energy, total energy consumption, total carbon-di-oxide emissions and total waste generation. An integrated multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is proposed in which the entropy method calculates criteria weights. The Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) and the Grey relational analysis (GRA) methods are used to rank supplier organizations based on their performance scores. A real-world case of green supplier selection (GSS) is considered in which five leading India-based automobile manufacturing organizations (Supplier 1, Supplier 2, Supplier 3, Supplier 4 and Supplier 5) are selected. Surveys with industry experts at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels are carried out to collect relevant data.
Findings
The results reveal that total carbon dioxide emission is the most influential parameter, as it gains the highest weight. On the contrary, investment in research and development, and total waste generation have no significant impact on GSCM performance. Results show that Supplier 5 secures the top rank. Hence, it is the benchmark organization.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed methodology offers an easy and comprehensive approach to sourcing decisions in the field of GSCM. The entropy weight-based COPRAS and GRA methods offer an error-free channel of decision-making and can be proficiently used to outrank various industrial sectors based on their GSCM performances. This research is specific to the automobile manufacturing supply chain. Therefore, research outcomes may vary across supply chains with distinct characteristics.
Practical implications
The basic propositions of this research are based on a real-world case. Hence, the research findings are practically feasible. The less significant parameters identified in this study would enable managers to impart more attention to vulnerable areas for improvement. This research may help policymakers identify the influential parameters for effective GSCM implementation. As this research considers all aspects of sustainability, the strategies of the benchmark supplier have a direct impact on organizations' overall sustainability. The study would enable practitioners to make various strategies for GSCM performance improvement and to develop a cleaner production system.
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in the consideration of both economic, social, environmental and operational aspects of sustainability for assessing the GSCM performance of supplier organizations. Quantitative criteria are considered so that vagueness can be removed from the decision. The use of an integrated grey-based approach for developing a strategic sourcing model is another unique feature of this study.