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1 – 10 of 12Esmaeil Aliabadi, Ali Ebrahim Nejad and Mahdi Heidari
The purpose of our study is to examine the functioning of internal capital markets (ICMs) within business groups in Iran. We document how the ultimate owner's economic interests…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of our study is to examine the functioning of internal capital markets (ICMs) within business groups in Iran. We document how the ultimate owner's economic interests in affiliated firms influence their investment and dividend policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using hand-collected data on the ownership structures of Iranian firms, we first identify group-affiliated firms using Almeida et al.’s (2011) method. Having identified business groups, we test a number of hypotheses concerning the dynamics of the ICMs and the implications of the ultimate owner’s incentives for affiliated firms’ behavior.
Findings
We first demonstrate that investments of group-affiliated firms are less sensitive to their own cash flow (as compared to stand-alone firms) but are sensitive to the cash flows of other firms affiliated with the same group near or at the bottom of the ownership structure. We next find significant variation in dividend policy within groups, with notably higher dividends for firms close to the ultimate owner. Furthermore, we find that higher investments by firms close to the owner lead to lower dividends by firms positioned far from the owner, but the reverse does not hold.
Originality/value
We are the first to examine the effect of group-affiliated firms’ investments on the dividend policies of other firms based on their position within the group. Our findings illuminate how business groups prioritize funding investments in their closely held firms over paying dividends to outside investors in firms positioned farther from the group owner.
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Mahdi Ashoori, Ghanbarali Sheikhzadeh and Soroush Sadripour
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of using a ceiling fan with central heating system in the winter on thermal comfort and heat transfer rate in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of using a ceiling fan with central heating system in the winter on thermal comfort and heat transfer rate in a three-dimensional numerically.
Design/methodology/approach
The geometry had certain dimensions, and an occupant was modeled to be in the room. In models which were used, the flow was turbulent, and turbulence models were used for simulating turbulence. Between all the models, k-ε model had best matching.
Findings
Results show that using the ceiling fan during the winter had an efficient and considerable effect on improving the thermal comfort and energy saving inside buildings. By the use of ceiling fan, the effective room temperature has increased by 2.5°C. Furthermore, results show that by using ceiling fan in the winter, the predicted mean vote and the predicted percentage dissatisfied indexes improved. At the end, the case Room 11-0.05-15 with temperature of 87°C for radiator and normal fan velocity of o.25m/s were the optimal model that caused the complete thermal comfort and reduced energy consumption up to 28 per cent.
Originality/value
In the present study, the effects of using the ceiling fans on human comfort condition and heat transfer field during the winter (heating system) are studied. Following are the goals for all models: getting the appropriate temperature for radiator so that thermal comfort condition can be applied at the height of 75 cm of the room, velocity for fan so that air speed can be 0.25m/s at the height of 2 m or lower of the room and position to place the fan.
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Tahereh Sadeghloo, Hamdollah Sojasi Qeidari, Mahdi Salehi and Amin Faal Jalali
The purpose of the current study is to investigate the public and private financing obstacles to medium- and small-scale entrepreneurs in rural areas in Iran.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to investigate the public and private financing obstacles to medium- and small-scale entrepreneurs in rural areas in Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive analytic research method is used for collecting field data among 5,770 owners of entrepreneurial businesses located in rural areas of Mashhad in 2015.
Findings
The results showed that there are numerous public and private obstacles in rural entrepreneurship financing in Iran, which are the main factors for short-term loan repayment in public sector, and in the private sector, they result in entrepreneurs’ lack of access to the source of financing. Moreover, there are a variety of financing methods for entrepreneurship in rural areas, among which personal resources and borrowings are the most important ones. Thus, lack of serious and persistent governmental support from local entrepreneurs causes many entrepreneurial failures at the early stages of entrepreneurial activity in villages of Iran.
Originality/value
So far, few studies have been conducted on the subject of the study; hence, the results of the current study may be helpful to the developing nations.
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Narges Adibsereshki, Mahdi Abdollahzadeh Rafi, Maryam Hassanzadeh Aval and Hassan Tahan
Anxiety disorders have a high prevalence in children. Those children with anxious symptoms are more likely to experience significant disruption in their lives. This disruption can…
Abstract
Purpose
Anxiety disorders have a high prevalence in children. Those children with anxious symptoms are more likely to experience significant disruption in their lives. This disruption can interrupt or even stop a child from participating in a variety of typical childhood experiences. It is understood that genetic and environmental factors may cause this disorder. The purpose of this paper is to focus on environmental factors, namely, the mediating role of maladaptive schemas in mothers’ child-rearing and childhood anxiety disorders.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used correlation-modeling to assess the analysis. The sample included 326 students (aged 9-12 years old) and their mothers. The parenting style (Baumrind, 1973), Early Maladaptive Schema (Rijkeboer and de Boo, 2010), and anxiety disorders (Muris et al., 2006) questionnaires were used in this study.
Findings
The results showed a relationship between parenting styles of mothers and childhood anxiety disorders, a significant correlation between childhood maladaptive schemas and childhood anxiety disorders, a relation between child-rearing styles and childhood maladaptive schemas, and finally a mediating role on childhood anxiety disorders and mothers’ child-rearing styles for some childhood maladaptive schemas.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the knowledge base of the importance of children’s mental health. The paper analyzes the relationship of mothers’ parenting styles and children’s anxiety. It also focuses on maladaptive schemas as a mediator and its relationship with childhood anxiety disorders.
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Maryam Larikaman, Mahdi Salehi and Nour-Mohammad Yaghubi
This study aims to investigate blockchain technology (BT) and its opportunities and weaknesses in Iran's tax system; it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate blockchain technology (BT) and its opportunities and weaknesses in Iran's tax system; it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when incorporated into Iran's tax system.
Design/methodology/approach
The statistical population consists of all the employees and managers working in tax administration, and 674 participants were selected as the sample size via Cochran sampling. The partial least square tests are used to investigate the impact of the independent variable on dependent ones.
Findings
The results show that BT positively affects three components of tax, including value-added tax, tax on shipping goods and income tax. BT’s advantages and opportunities positively affect these taxation types, while its threats negatively affect the opportunities and challenges in Iran’s tax system; this study provides helpful insights and develops the knowledge. Furthermore, this is among the initiatives addressing BT’s opportunities and challenges in three discriminative taxation sectors, including value-added tax, tax on shipping goods and payroll tax.
Originality/value
Since no study has addressed BT’s opportunities and weaknesses in Iran’s tax system, it addresses the opportunities and challenges of BT when incorporated into Iran’s tax system.
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Mansour Soufi, Mehdi Fadaei, Mahdi Homayounfar, Hamed Gheibdoust and Hamidreza Rezaee Kelidbari
The construction industry contributes to economic development by providing physical equipment and infrastructures. However, it also generates some undesirable outputs such as…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry contributes to economic development by providing physical equipment and infrastructures. However, it also generates some undesirable outputs such as waste and environmental pollution, especially in developing countries. Due to the importance of the green supply chain management (GSCM) philosophy, for solving these problems, the current study aims to evaluate the drivers of GSCM adoption in the construction industry of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a descriptive and practical methodology. The participated experts in the study include senior managers of the construction department in Rasht municipality who had relevant academic education and suitable experiences in urban and industrial construction. The experts took part in both qualitative and quantitative phases of the research, namely verification of the drivers extracted from literature and ranking them in ascending order. In the quantitative phase, Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) as a new multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) method is used to evaluate the drivers of GSCM adoption using MATLAB software.
Findings
The results show that environmental management systems, green product design and innovational capability with weights of 0.347, 0.218 and 0.143 are the most significant sub-drivers, respectively. The less important factor is an investment in environmental technology.
Originality/value
This study evaluated the motivational factors of GSCM in the construction industry. The findings help governments, companies and green supply chain (GSC) managers to improve their knowledge about GSCM and make the best decisions to decrease environmental pollution.
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Mahdi Salehi, Hamdollah Sojasi Qeidari and Ahmad Asgari
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of the targeted subsidies plan in the rural and agricultural sectors of Iran and its impact on the government’s…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of the targeted subsidies plan in the rural and agricultural sectors of Iran and its impact on the government’s sales income, operating cash flow (OCF) and receivables collection ratio.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the panel data approach, the authors examine their hypotheses on a sample of six provinces of Iran, including Khorasan Razavi, Khorasan Jonoubi, Kerman, Semnan, Kermanshah and Kurdistan, during 2009-2013.
Findings
The findings indicate that the implementation of the targeted subsidies plan leads to increased actual electricity sales in the rural sector. Further, while the coefficient on OCF in the estimated model suggests a significant and positive relationship between the OCF and the implementation of the targeted subsidies plan, the coefficient on receivables collection ratio demonstrates a significant but negative association. Contrary to the government’s primary expectations, the results do not provide any support for the reduction of electricity consumption.
Originality/value
The current study is apparently the first study which conducted on the subject under study.
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