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1 – 10 of 12Mehdi Dadkhah, Mehran Masdari, Mohammad Ali Vaziri and Mojtaba Tahani
In this paper, experimental and numerical results of a lambda wing have been compared. The purpose of this paper is to study the behaviour of lambda wings using a CFD tool and to…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, experimental and numerical results of a lambda wing have been compared. The purpose of this paper is to study the behaviour of lambda wings using a CFD tool and to consider different numerical models to obtain the most accurate results. As far as the consideration of numerical methods is concerned, the main focus is on the evaluation of computational methods for an accurate prediction of contingent leading edge vortices’ path and the flow separation occurring because of the burst of these vortices on the wing.
Design/methodology/approach
Experimental tests are performed in a closed-circuit wind tunnel at the Reynolds number of 6 × 105 and angles of attack (AOA) ranging from 0 to 10 degrees. Investigated turbulence models in this study are Reynolds Averaged Navior–Stokes (RANS) models in a steady state. To compare the accuracy of the turbulence models with respect to experimental results, sensitivity study of these models has been plotted in bar charts.
Findings
The results illustrate that the leading edge vortex on this lambda wing is unstable and disappears soon. The effect of this disappearance is obvious by an increase in local drag coefficient in the junction of inner and outer wings. Streamlines on the upper surface of the wing show that at AOA higher than 8 degrees, the absence of an intense leading edge vortex leads to a local flow separation on the outer wing and a reverse in the flow.
Research limitations/implications
Results obtained from the behaviour study of transition (TSS) turbulence model are more compatible with experimental findings. This model predicts the drag coefficient of the wing with the highest accuracy. Of all considered turbulence models, the Spalart model was not able to accurately predict the non-linearity of drag and pitching moment coefficients. Except for the TSS turbulence model, all other models are unable to predict the aerodynamic coefficients corresponding to AOA higher than 10 degrees.
Practical implications
The presented results in this paper include lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients in various AOA and also the distribution of aerodynamic coefficients along the span.
Originality/value
The presented results include lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients in various AOA and also aerodynamic coefficients distribution along the span.
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Jalil Vaziri and Mohammad Ali Beheshtinia
In today’s highly competitive business environment, the main approach of all businesses is to optimally provide customers’ requirements and gain their satisfaction and trust. The…
Abstract
Purpose
In today’s highly competitive business environment, the main approach of all businesses is to optimally provide customers’ requirements and gain their satisfaction and trust. The process of value creation for customers consists of value chain activities which are concentrated on providing maximum level of customers’ needs. The purpose of this paper is to propose a holistic model by which the quality, the transferred value to customers and the firm’s competitive advantage would be improved simultaneously under budget constraint.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a combination of several quality management (QM) tools including SERVQUAL, Kano’s model, quality function deployment and knapsack problem. Moreover, the triangular fuzzy logic is used throughout the model to address data uncertainty and increase the model flexibility. The proposed model includes five steps which are implemented in the case study of life-insurance services.
Findings
The lack of coordination and cooperation between the people working in the inherently related sections leads to incorrect decisions and also the failure in implementation of adopted decisions. Hence, the interface between quality and strategic management should be well considered in organizations. The model generates an integrated vision to the process of decision making in this interface. The framework has several significant outcomes which would be used by both researchers and practitioners.
Research limitations/implications
The study shows that the individual elements of decision-making process in the interface between quality and strategic management are related to each other, recommending the need to coordinated and consistent effort between different parts of a firm. The results are limited by the sample size and geography of the survey.
Originality/value
This paper is among the few in the literature that have presented a holistic and step-by-step approach to the decisions on the intersection between two areas of quality and strategic management, recommending the managers to not have insular look to the issues and try to make a sufficient and efficient relationship between the different sections. This study is an important step in reflecting these relations and the need to create an integrated decision model.
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Moein Farokhnia and Mohammad Ali Beheshtinia
Nowadays, many organizations use quality function deployment (QFD) in order to recognize their customers’ wants and arrange a set of corrective activities in order to satisfy…
Abstract
Purpose
Nowadays, many organizations use quality function deployment (QFD) in order to recognize their customers’ wants and arrange a set of corrective activities in order to satisfy these wants. In a competitive environment, two or more organizations cooperate in order to meet their customers’ wants. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new hybrid approach of QFD employing SERVQUAL method, named three-dimensional house of quality (3DHOQ) to help the cooperation between two organizations with common customers by determining some common corrective activities that would satisfy their customers’ wants.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to better explain the proposed model, it is implemented in Birjand International Airport and Iran Air airline. At first, the customers’ want in the airport and airline sections are identified and the SERVQUAL method is used to determine the final weight of these wants. Afterwards, the corrective activities for satisfying the customers’ wants are determined using the three-dimensional QDF; and then are given weights using the multi-dimensional relation matrix.
Findings
Results of this study show the customers’ wants in two sections of airport and airline, the importance of each customer want, the gap between customers’ perception and expectation of each want, the collective corrective activities required to satisfy the customers’ wants and the weight of these corrective activities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper helps the airline and airport sections have an analyzed list of their customers’ wants and a set of shared and unshared corrective activities to meet these wants.
Originality/value
This paper presents a simultaneous QFD analysis in the airport and airline sections. Moreover, a new hybrid approach employing SERVQUAL method, named 3DHOQ is introduced to determine the corrective activities of both organizations and their weights.
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Mohammad Ali Beheshtinia and Sedighe Omidi
This paper aims to propose a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique for performance evaluation of banks in which the banks are assessed and ranked according to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique for performance evaluation of banks in which the banks are assessed and ranked according to the criteria of the balanced scorecard (BSC) methodology and corporate social responsibility (CSR) views.
Design/methodology/approach
To clarify the performance of the proposed model, the MCDM technique was implemented in four banks in Iran as a pilot. First, proper criteria for banking industry are identified considering BSC and CSR. Consequently, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and modified digital logic (MDL) techniques are used to determine the weights of criteria. The banks are ranked by fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS) and fuzzy VIKOR (FVIKOR). Using a combination of these techniques, four methods, namely, AHP-FTOPSIS, AHP-FVIKOR, MDL-FTOPSIS and MDL-FVIKOR, are obtained, each of which provides a different set of rankings for banks. Eventually, the obtained ranks are integrated using the Copeland method.
Findings
The results showed that the return on investment, debt ratio and lower energy consumption criteria are the most important, and enhancement of brand value, increasing customer loyalty and environmental care criteria have the lowest percentage of importance. Also, the final bank ranking is determined by the proposed method.
Originality/value
This paper identifies 6 criteria and 25 sub-criteria for evaluating the banks considering BSC and CSR viewpoints including some new sub-criteria that has not been considered before. Moreover, these hybrid approaches and especially MDL techniques have not been used by previous researchers.
Mahdad Pourmadadkar, Mohammad Ali Beheshtinia and Kamran Ghods
The purpose of this paper is to introduce an integrated approach using failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM), mathematical modeling…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce an integrated approach using failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM), mathematical modeling and quality function deployment (QFD) techniques, for risk assessment and service quality enhancement in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as a treatment for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
Design/methodology/approach
First, the disruptions in the CABG process are identified and prioritized following FMEA instructions, using two MCDM techniques, called analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and TOPSIS. Consequently, several corrective activities are identified and weighted on the basis of QFD. Finally, a mathematical model is established to determine the most cost-effective activities for implementation. The approach is developed in a fuzzy environment to reflect the uncertainty and ambiguity of human reasoning.
Findings
Regarding the CABG process disruption, a total of 30 failure modes in four main categories were identified and prioritized. Moreover, eight corrective activities were devised and ranked according to their impact on the failure modes. Finally, considering a limited amount of budget, a sensitivity analysis on the mathematical model’s objective function indicated that using 30 percent of the total budget, required to implement all corrective activities, was enough to cover more than 70 percent of the effects of corrective activities on the failure modes.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the quality risk assessment knowledge by introducing an integrated approach to evaluate and improve healthcare services quality. Also, the case study conducted on the CABG process has not been done by other related studies in the literature.
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Mohammad Gharipour, Ehsan Masoud, Jamal Esmaeilzadeh Vafaei and Fateme Jahani Sadatmahalle
The advancement of medical care during the late 19th century and the rising importance of public health led to the creation of a healthcare infrastructure in Iran in the early…
Abstract
Purpose
The advancement of medical care during the late 19th century and the rising importance of public health led to the creation of a healthcare infrastructure in Iran in the early decades of the 20th century. The study focuses on the formation of this infrastructure through the study of historical materials as well as the study of case studies built in the Gilan region in the north of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper begins with a review of medical, sociological and historical resources, then turns to field studies and interviews as methods to focus on the medical transformations in the Gilan region.
Findings
This study offers four key findings: First of all, most studies tend to focus more on traditional medicine in Iran than on the initiation and spread of modern medicine. Secondly, foreign physicians and missionaries played an influential role in shaping the culture of Iranian hospital care. Thirdly, the interactions with and influences coming from Iran’s northern neighbors in Gilan transformed the province into an educated, freedom-seeking society. And finally, in its early stages, hospital construction in Iran followed local architectural traditions.
Originality/value
In the case of Gilan, the core structures of urban hospitals were similar in their pavilion typology to those that had been common in Gilan for centuries.
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Maha Shehadeh, Khaled Hussainey, Mohammad Alhadab and Qais Kilani
This research examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and governance structure on corporate narrative reporting (CNR) concerning Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies in Jordanian…
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and governance structure on corporate narrative reporting (CNR) concerning Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies in Jordanian commercial banks. The study aims to explore how these factors influence the extent and nature of disclosures in annual reports.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a comprehensive manual content analysis method to investigate the annual reports from all 15 Jordanian commercial banks from 2010 to 2022. This approach allows for the detailed examination of I4.0 disclosures, using a specially developed index to measure various disclosure dimensions. An ordinary least squares model is used to assess the determinants of CNR on I4.0, considering factors such as the pandemic’s impact and various governance attributes.
Findings
The findings indicate that both the COVID-19 pandemic and specific governance factors (e.g. board size and audit committee size) significantly enhance the disclosure of I4.0 technologies. The study reveals that during the pandemic, banks significantly increased their level of detailed disclosures about I4.0 strategies, challenges and benefits, reflecting a strategic response to the pandemic’s disruption.
Originality/value
This study introduces a novel I4.0 Reporting Index for banks, measuring disclosures across strategy implementation, business model transformation, challenges and benefits. It adds to the existing literature by offering insights into narrative reporting practices concerning I4.0 technologies within the banking sector and illuminates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these practices.
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Aboozar Ramezani, Seyed Javad Ghazimirsaeed, Fereydoon Azadeh, Mohammad Esmaeilpour Bandboni and Mohammad Hossein YektaKooshali
The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of Iranian university libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of Iranian university libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
This first systematic review and meta-analysis were based on the PRISMA guidelines by searching in national and international databases from 2003 to January 2017 with standard Persian and English keywords. Data searching, extracting and quality appraising were completed by two researchers, independently. Any unexpected documents were assessed by a third expert researcher. Data were extracted in accordance with the “Strength of the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology” checklist after the final selection of appraised documents. Random effects size based on Cochrane test and I2 were used for combining the obtained results from different studies together by considering the heterogeneity of studies.
Findings
Based on the meta-analysis conducted in 25 (6.42 percent) included studies, the total sample size was estimated. According to three dimensions of LibQUAL, findings of current information control, affect of service and the library as a place were estimated as 5.37 [CI95%: 5.02, 5.73], 6.91 [CI95%: 5.56, 6.26], and 5.46 percent [CI95%: 5.2, 5.73], respectively. Also, mean of service adequacy and superiority gap are equal to 0.07 [CI95%: −0.22, 0.36] and −2.06 [CI95%: −2.89, −1.23], respectively. There was a significant correlation between three dimensions of service quality and service superiority gap of LibQUAL and geographical regions of Iran (p<0.01). Also, a significant correlation was found between the gaps of services and three aspects of LibQUAL model and published years through a meta-regression test (p<0.01).
Practical implications
The results obtained from the present study showed that users are relatively satisfied with the quality of services provided by Iranian university libraries. An improvement in the quality of library services can promote the scientific level of universities.
Originality/value
The results of the present systematic review and meta-analysis study demonstrate a vital connection between primary research studies and decision-making for policymakers in Iranian university libraries to increase quality services.
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Sharareh Farhad, Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki and Massoomeh Hedayati Marzbali
The study aims to evaluate the relationship among architectural identity, physical identity and neighborhood attachment in a residential neighborhood in the core of Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to evaluate the relationship among architectural identity, physical identity and neighborhood attachment in a residential neighborhood in the core of Sanandaj, Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study conducted a survey of 208 residents in a historic neighborhood. The study hypothesized the mediating role of physical identity on the relationship between architectural identity and neighborhood attachment. Structural equation modeling using analysis of a moment structures (AMOS) software was used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
Research findings show the reliability and validity of the proposed model. The results indicate a significant relationship between architectural and physical identity and a significant direct relationship between physical identity and neighborhood attachment. However, no significant direct relationship is found between architectural identity and neighborhood attachment, and only a significant indirect effect is found through physical identity. Therefore, architectural identity elements contribute to increasing physical identity and subsequently attach to the neighborhood.
Originality/value
Given the necessity for revitalizing the neighborhoods in the historical core of the cities to prevent the migration from old neighborhoods and the destruction of the valuable fabrics, establishing emotional relationships between residents and the place and improving interactions among residents is required. The mental values of residents change over time. Although the identification and use of identity elements in residential buildings is a significant way to revitalize the historic residential fabrics, only a few studies have experimentally assessed the impact of architectural identity elements in the creation of physical identity on the residents’ attachment to the historic neighborhood.
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Sashi Rekha Balakrishnan, Vasanthi Soundararajan and Satyanarayana Parayitam
As teachers are considered “knowledge workers,” the present study explores teacher performance in schools. A particular emphasis is given to assessing the performance of female…
Abstract
Purpose
As teachers are considered “knowledge workers,” the present study explores teacher performance in schools. A particular emphasis is given to assessing the performance of female teachers in the rural part of South India.
Design/methodology/approach
After collecting data from 563 female teachers from four blocks in Nilgiris District (Ooty, Kotagiri, Coonoor and Gudalur) consisting of 37 government schools in the southern part of India, all the female teachers were surveyed, and the data were analyzed after checking the instrument's psychometric properties by performing confirmatory factor analysis. Hierarchical regression was employed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings revealed that (1) empowerment, organizational communication and work–life balance (WLB) and recognition and rewards are positively and significantly related to teacher performance; (2) recognition and rewards moderate the relationship between (a) empowerment and performance, (b) organizational communication and performance, (c) WLB and performance, (d) organizational culture and performance and (e) quality of work-life (QWL) and performance.
Research limitations/implications
As with any survey research, common method bias and social desirability bias may be potential limitations. However, proper care is taken to minimize these biases. The findings from this study contribute to the growing literature on education and training. In addition, the study highlights the importance of creating a climate for empowerment, recognition and rewards to foster teacher performance.
Practical implications
The study helps administrators and policymakers to understand the antecedents of teacher performance and take necessary steps to motivate the teachers for superior performance.
Originality/value
The conceptual model the authors developed and tested is, according to the authors' knowledge, the first of the model's kind. A clear understanding of the predictors of teacher performance may guide the administrators and teaches in fostering performance in schools. The exclusive focus on female teachers is considered in this study because of the several problems the female teachers encounter in rural areas. Despite the disadvantages, female teachers perform well and contribute to students and the country as a whole.
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