Erfan Moradi, Mohammad Ehsani, Marjan Saffari and Rasool Norouzi Seyed Hosseini
This paper aims to identify factors that affect the sports tourism destination's competitiveness on a small island. Hence, this study looks at and evaluates these factors. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify factors that affect the sports tourism destination's competitiveness on a small island. Hence, this study looks at and evaluates these factors. The study then comes up with a model that clarifies the interrelationships between these factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors broke down the data analysis process into three steps. The first step was to conduct a literature review and use industry and academia experts' help to determine the essential aspects (fuzzy Delphi method). Then, a hierarchical model was developed, and the factors were categorised using the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach. Factors' driving and dependency power were also determined using MICMAC analysis.
Findings
This work has identified 13 key factors related to the sports tourism destination's competitiveness on a small island. For a small island like Kish Island, the two independent variables (government support and destination political stability) that define the institutional framework for the destination are most important. Building corresponding competitive and support strategies to address these two independent variables is thus beneficial.
Research limitations/implications
The research's results provide decision-makers, practitioners, and researchers with new insights into the hierarchical model of determinants. The study will fill the existing gap between theory and practice.
Practical implications
Sports tourism destination managers on small islands may benefit from the proposed model since the model will enable them to organise the managers' priorities better to enhance the managers' destinations' competitiveness and provide tourists with a more accurate depiction of the destination.
Originality/value
According to the authors' knowledge, the research design presented in this article has provided the first attempt to hierarchical analyse these factors and develop a model for sports tourism destination competitiveness on small islands and destinations with less-developed economies. This study fills the gap in the destination competitiveness and sports tourism literature by not only identifying the key influencing factors but also examining the interactions between these factors and providing empirical evidence supporting their relationships.
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Zhaleh Memari, Abbas Rezaei Pandari, Mohammad Ehsani and Shokufeh Mahmudi
To understand the football industry in its entirety, a supply chain management (SCM) approach is necessary. This includes the study of suppliers, consumers and their…
Abstract
Purpose
To understand the football industry in its entirety, a supply chain management (SCM) approach is necessary. This includes the study of suppliers, consumers and their collaborations. The purpose of this study was to present a business management model based on supply chain management.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 academic and executive football experts. After three steps of open, axial and selective coding based on grounded theory with a paradigmatic approach, the data were analysed, and a football supply chain management (FSCM) was developed. The proposed model includes three managerial components: upstream suppliers, the manufacturing firm, and downstream customers.
Findings
The football industry sector has three parts: upstream suppliers, manufacturing firm/football clubs and downstream customers. We proposed seven parts for the managerial processes of football supply chain management: event/match management, club management, resource and infrastructure management, customer relationship management, supplier relationship management, cash flow management and knowledge and information flow management. This model can be used for configuration, coordination and redesign of business operations as well as the development of models for evaluation of the football supply chain's performance.
Originality/value
The proposed model of a football supply chain management, with the existing literature and theoretical review, created a synergistic outcome. This synergy is presented in the linkage of the players in this chain and interactions between them. This view can improve the management of industry productivity and improve the products quality.
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Mohammad Yousefi, Maryam Farshidi, Mahmood Alizadeh Sani, Laleh Payahoo and Ali Ehsani
This paper aims to evaluate the microbial quality of some traditional cheese samples (sheep, cow and koopeh cheeses) consumed in northwest of Iran, and to detect…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the microbial quality of some traditional cheese samples (sheep, cow and koopeh cheeses) consumed in northwest of Iran, and to detect Shiga-like-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in cheese samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
Design/methodology/approach
Almost half of the project was based on counting the population of Staphylococcus aureus, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, also the other section was related to the isolation and the detection of the STEC and MRSA in cheese samples. The findings were compared with standard maximum and threshold values.
Findings
The results revealed that 36.99, 30.14 and 100% of cheeses exceeded the standard threshold value of E. coli (102), total coliforms (104) and S. aureus (102). However, total coliforms, in any of the cheese samples examined, did not reach the maximum value and only 24.66% of samples exceeded the maximum value of E. coli. Also, no significant difference (p > 0.05) in counts of each bacterial group examined in sheep, cow and koopeh cheeses was observed. The colony PCR method demonstrated the existence of 19 MRSA and 2 STEC isolates.
Originality/value
This research showed a general overview of the bacterial quality of cheeses in northwest of Iran.
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Lila Rajabion, Karzan Wakil, Arshad Badfar, Mohammad Nazif and Ali Ehsani
Despite the importance of investigating the impact of cloud computing on the e-learning process, the relationship development between the two is not examined well. Thus, the main…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the importance of investigating the impact of cloud computing on the e-learning process, the relationship development between the two is not examined well. Thus, the main goal of this research is to assess how to improve the e-learning process by using cloud services. This paper aims to attempt to investigate the impact of cloud computing on e-learning development.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. For review-related work and statistical analysis of questionnaires, the SPSS 22 and SMART-PLS 3.2 software package are used.
Findings
The results from the study show that e-learning development is significantly influenced by the quality of services, cloud features, university readiness and users’ readiness.
Originality/value
The adoption of cloud technology within an instructional environment has the capacity of offering new opportunities for improvement and innovation for gaining knowledge of the process.
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Manoochehr Najmi, Rahim Ehsani, Ahmad Sharbatoghlie and Mohammad Saidi‐Mehrabad
The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated dynamic model, based on empirical findings, which can be used in research centers for evaluating the performance of research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated dynamic model, based on empirical findings, which can be used in research centers for evaluating the performance of research projects by using multiple attribute utility theory.
Design/methodology/approach
In developing the model, the measures by which the performance of research projects could be evaluated are identified by Delphi method and group decision making. These measures are categorized into three general success factors of time, cost and quality. Then a multi‐attribute utility function is applied to integrate these dimensions to determine the utility resulting from the performance of the project.
Findings
Through literature review it is evident that some evaluation techniques such as checklists, scoring models, analytical hierarchy process and engineering economic techniques have been developed for evaluating performance of projects. The present model complements and improves upon the existing models.
Research limitations/implications
The parameters of model are determined based on research center's policy but they may be changed for other research centers. So the model depends on the expert's view. The model is not considered advantageous in situations where project gets ahead of program.
Practical implications
The model is tested in an engineering research institute and the comparison is made with the results of the existing models.
Originality/value
The advantage of proposed model is its flexibility, dynamism and the capability to revise the model based on any changes in the objectives and policies of the research center.
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Ali Ehsani, Mohammad Ghasem Mahjani, Maryam Nasseri and Majid Jafarian
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the anti-corrosion behavior of polypyrrole (PPy) films in different states and presence of alumina nanoparticles synthesized by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the anti-corrosion behavior of polypyrrole (PPy) films in different states and presence of alumina nanoparticles synthesized by galvanostatic electropolymerization on stainless steel (SS) electrodes in an artificial seawater solution using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
Design/methodology/approach
The electrochemical measurements were used to examine the effects of PPy and its nanocomposite on the corrosion behavior of SS type 316L in artificial seawater. A standard electrochemical cell with three electrodes was used for the measurements. The electrochemical response of the coated electrodes in the doped and the undoped state was compared with that of a bare electrode. Corrosion rate information was obtained by the Tafel extrapolation method, where the intersection point of a cathodic and an anodic polarization curve provides both the corrosion potential and the corrosion current. EIS measurements confirmed the potentiodynamic and open circuit potential (OCP) results. The microstructure of the obtained films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy.
Findings
The results showed that the coated polymer films shifted the electrode potential toward more positive potentials, but this shift did not lead to passivation. However, a notable synergy was observed between PPy undoped film, oxygen reduction and iron dissolution. The potential of the SS remained in the active dissolution region, and it was not possible to produce a passive oxide layer in this region. PPy separates the metal dissolution process from the oxygen reduction process. This would prevent the local pH increase at the metal surface and subsequent delamination. The polarization curves, EOCP and impedance measurements showed that PPy undoped/Al2O3 layers show promise as good candidates for the corrosion protection of reactive metals.
Originality/value
This paper presents that electrodes coated with undoped PPy synthesized in the presence of dodecyl sulfate anions and Al2O3 nanoparticles offered a noticeable enhancement of protection against corrosion processes.
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Reza Moshrefi, Mohammad Ghassem Mahjani, Ali Ehsani and Majid Jafarian
This paper aims to investigate the galvanic corrosion of titanium/L 316 stainless steel, by electrochemical noise (EN), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the galvanic corrosion of titanium/L 316 stainless steel, by electrochemical noise (EN), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and anode/cathode area ratio effect on the galvanic behavior of the couple.
Design/methodology/approach
The EN measurement was employed to examine effects of anode to cathode area ratio on the galvanic corrosion behavior between stainless steel L 316 and titanium in artificial seawater. Current noise and potential noise were monitored simultaneously using a three‐electrode configuration under open‐circuit condition. The noise resistance was evaluated as the ratio of the standard deviation of the potential to that of the current noise after removing the DC component. The time‐series noise patterns were transformed into frequency domain by fast Fourier transformation and then their power spectrum densities (PSDs) at specified frequency were determined and compared with the EIS and polarization results.
Findings
The EN, EIS and polarization results were in agreement. Galvanic corrosion density increase and galvanic potential moved slowly to negative direction with decrease in anode/cathode area ratio. The results showed that the slope of PSD of the current (i.e the “roll off”) was rising slowly where the anode/cathode area ratio was declined. The relationship between polarization resistance (Rp) and noise resistance (Rn) was investigated. Rt was determined by EIS for samples, and its value compared with Rp and Rn. The result indicates that galvanic corrosion has an inversely relation with anode/cathode area ratio that exposed to aggressive environment.
Originality/value
This paper presents the application of noise analysis to demonstrate galvanic corrosion and the effect of area ratio anode/cathode on current density and galvanic potential.
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Nazanin Tahssili and Mohammad Ali Shahhoseini
This study aims to examine the customer’s perception of corporate social responsibility within the automotive market in Tehran, Iran, and whether it leads to a purchasing behavior…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the customer’s perception of corporate social responsibility within the automotive market in Tehran, Iran, and whether it leads to a purchasing behavior directly or indirectly through support intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 235 customers of luxury and mid-range-priced automobiles were surveyed and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method.
Findings
Regarding luxury car owners, the authors concluded that both economical and ethical perceptions are indirectly related to purchasing behavior. Concerning mid-range-priced car buyers, both philanthropic and economical perceptions have a direct relationship with purchasing behavior, while the legal perception has an indirect relationship with purchasing behavior. The results show that Iranian car manufacturers and foreign car dealerships for both luxury and mid-range customers should focus on their economical responsibilities. The results show that luxury car manufacturers and dealerships should act ethically. With the importance of the philanthropic dimension for customers of mid-range cars, car dealerships dealing with mid-range-priced cars should focus more on their philanthropic activities. This study can help companies find better solutions to adjust their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies to the consumers’ beliefs, gain a competitive advantage in the market and fill the knowledge gap regarding Iranian consumers.
Originality/value
Although some research has been conducted on consumer perception and response regarding CSR in both developed and developing countries, no studies on consumer perception toward CSR have been carried out in Iran.
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One of the concepts most commonly evoked in order to characterize and explain the zig-zag trajectory of political dynamics in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been the “middle…
Abstract
One of the concepts most commonly evoked in order to characterize and explain the zig-zag trajectory of political dynamics in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been the “middle class.” Yet there is no scholarly consensus on a fundamental approach to identification and measurement of the middle class. Rather, the category of the middle class is both a category of analysis – long debated within social theory – as well as a category of practice – routinely deployed in political behavior and social distinction. In order to better conceptualize and understand the formation and role of Iran's middle classes in the country's sociopolitical dynamics, theories of class formation in the global South should be rearticulated away from a reified notion of the middle class as a transhistorical subject. To do so, this chapter is divided into four sections. First, internal debates over the role of Iran's middle classes in the country's recent political history are assessed and data from the 2016 Iran Social Survey is used to test a long-standing demographic assumption on the class dynamics of electoral behavior. Second, the tradition of theorizing the social power of middle classes is reassessed, drawing on the growing scholarly attention to the heterogenous origins and differentiated internal composition of middle classes across the global South. Third, a typology is proposed of four middle classes across the twentieth century shaped by varying state attempts at “catch-up” development. These types are then applied in a revisionist telling of the making and unmaking of middle classes in postrevolutionary Iran. Finally, implications of this framework beyond Iran are sketched out for global waves of protest in the twenty-first century.