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The purpose of this paper is to present a formal verification method to prove the correctness of social customer relationship management (CRM)-based service composition approach. The correctness of the proposed approach is analyzed to evaluate the customer behavioral interactions for discovering, selecting and composing social CRM-based services. In addition, a Kripke structure-based verification method is presented for verifying the behavioral models of the proposed approach.

Evaluating the customer behavioral interactions using the social CRM-based service composition approach is an important issue. In addition, formal verification has an important role in assessing the social CRM-based service composition. However, model checking can be efficient as a verification method to evaluate the functional properties of the social CRM-based service composition approach.

The results of model checking satisfied the logical problems in the proposed behavior model analysis. In the statistical testing, the proposed URM mechanism supported the four knowledge creation process conditions. It was also shown that the percentage of state reachability in the URM with KCP conditions is higher than the URM mechanism without supporting KCP conditions.

The comparison of time and memory consumption of the model checking method shows that the social CRM-based service composition approach covers knowledge process features, which makes it an efficient method.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between corporate environmental disclosure quality (EDQ) and earnings quality (EQ).

The paper uses earnings persistence and accruals quality as a measures of EQ. The paper also uses panel data regression to examine the association between EDQ and EQ for a sample of 107 Iran non-financial firms. Two different theoretical frameworks are used to clarify whether and to what extent an association may exist as an explicit relationship between EDQ and EQ.

After controlling for several firm-specific characteristics, the results show that between 2011 and 2016, there has been a significant positive relationship between EDQ and EQ.

This study sheds light on the relevance of regulating corporate reporting within a setting where companies are already voluntarily reporting on environmental information. Findings have implications for policymakers who have mandated or considering mandating environmental reporting. To the policymakers, in particular, this study highlights the need for incorporating, within the listing rules, minimum requirements in relation to the nature and content of environmental reports.

The findings have implications for stakeholders in terms of effective information quality. The findings are important as more environmentally responsible firms may provide higher quality, more reliable and more transparent information to meet the ethical expectations of stakeholders.

This is the first study in Iran that considered the impact of EDQ on EQ. This study contributes to the literature on the relationship between EDQ and EQ by showing that the EDQ in Iran is associated with the EQ.

This study aims to link environmental disclosure quality (EDQ) to firm performance and examine the moderating role of board independence in this relationship.

Drawing on agency theory and stakeholder theory, the authors developed and tested hypotheses using original survey data from 720 firm-year observations collected from 120 Iranian companies over six years between 2011 and 2016. In this paper, they conducted static and dynamic panel data analysis.

After correcting for endogeneity bias, the results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between EDQ and firm performance. The results also showed that board independence significantly reinforces the positive effect of EDQ on performance, and firms with more independent board members are involved environmental disclosure for improved performance. This is consistent with agency theory, which posits that a more independent board of directors can better monitor the CEO and reduce incentives for pursuing personal interests, which in turn improves performance. The results are robust after performing sensitivity tests.

This paper takes the perspective of corporate governance to empirically examine the effect of EDQ on firm performance. This study makes a contribution to the literature by showing that board independence moderates the effects of EDQ on firm performance.

The evidence supports the emphasis that recent policy statements have put on increasing the number of independent directors on corporate boards. This study offers insights to policymakers interested in enhancing the monitoring role of corporate boards.

The study adds value to the understanding of the effect of the EDQ on performance and how board independence influences this relationship, particularly in an emerging economy like Iran.

The purpose of this study is to propose a model to evaluate the performance of organizational units considering intellectual capital (IC) and employee loyalty approach applying principal component analysis and data envelopment analysis (PCA-DEA) method.

Organization units are considered as decision-making units, IC components including human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and customer capital are inputs and employee loyalty is output. The principal component analysis was used to converts inputs and outputs into the independent variables. As a return to scale is variable, a modified envelopment input-oriented BCC model applied to obtain the efficiency of organization units. Also, all units of organization are ranked. Eventually, sensitivity analysis performed to show how input variables influence on output variable.

Operation, design and construction, production planning, internal affairs, quality control and security were recognized as efficient units. Also, units of operation, internal affairs and quality control ranked first to third, and the human resource unit earned the last rank. In addition, results of sensitivity analysis on input variables showed that the order of impact intensity is: customer capital, HC and SC, respectively.

Existence a framework for the development of human resource strategies and prioritization in the allocation of organizational resources to improve the performance of the organization considering human resources is vital. Most of the previous studies, just have examined the impact of IC on different dimensions of organizational performance. Meanwhile, evaluating the performance of IC with employee loyalty approach, using PCA-DEA simultaneously can evaluate and measure the impact of IC on the performance of the organization and its units regarding employee loyalty, which has a significant impact on improving the organization’s level of IC and human resource management.

There is a developing interest in flexible sensors, especially in the new and intelligent generation of textiles. The purpose of this paper is to fabricate a flexible capacitive sensor on a PET fabric and to investigate some affecting factor on its performance.

PET fabric, coated with graphite or with graphite/PEDOT:PSS, was applied as electrodes. Two types of electrospun nanoweb layers from polyamide and polyvinyl alcohol polymers were used as dielectrics. Some factors including electrode area, fabric conductivity, fabric roughness, dielectric thickness, dielectric insulation type and vertical pressure were considered as independent variables. The capacity of the sensor and its detection threshold considered as the outcome (response) variables. Control samples were fabricated by using aluminum plates and cellulosic layer as electrodes and dielectric, respectively.

Results showed that post-coating with PEDOT:PSS would improve the conductivity of electrodes up to 300 Ω in comparison with just graphite-coated samples. It was also found that either by improving the conductivity or increasing the area of electrode plates the sensitivity of sample would be increased in pressure stimulating tests.

The fabric sensor showed remarkable response toward pressure with a lower detection threshold of 30mN/cm² (obtained capacity ~ 4×104 pF) in comparison with aluminum electrode sensors.

Despite promising conceptual developments in value co-creation behaviors, the scholarly attention afforded to the importance of the university website features in strengthening the university brand image and reputation through students’ value co-creation behaviors is limited. University website features are conceptualized as a hierarchical construct with three dimensions: usability, availability and information. This study aims to investigate the effect of university website features and value co-creation behaviors of students on promoting brand image and brand reputation at Islamic Azad University in Iran.

This study is quantitative. Using convenience sampling techniques, a responsive group of 384 students was chosen from the Islamic Azad University of Tehran in Iran. Survey methods were used for data collection. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the derived hypotheses.

The findings of this study indicated that website features have a positive effect on fostering value co-creation behaviors (participation and citizenship behavior), and participation behavior, in turn, improves university brand image and reputation. At the same time, among value co-creation behaviors, citizenship behavior has no impact on the university’s brand image. Finally, the brand image formed through website features and participation behavior positively affects brand reputation.

This study was conducted in the higher education (HE) sector in one cosmopolitan Iranian city (i.e. Tehran), to which Iranians from other cities travel for studying. Thus, the results of this survey include a variety of subcultures. In the future, a study that incorporates all major metropolitan cities of Iran may increase the generalizability of the findings. Unrelated to the purpose of this study, a future research study may extend the currently studied geographical dimensions and examine the antecedents of university brand reputation across different nations using a cross-cultural approach.

Pragmatically, the findings of this study urge university policymakers, information technology managers and marketers to consider the university website’s unique role in assisting co-creation behavior, which in turn promotes university brand image and reputation in the HE market. One of the ways to assess a university’s brand image and reputation is through the university ranking system. Ascending the ranking system can allow a university to attract qualified students.

These findings contribute to the marketing literature by empirically validating the three elements in the website features construct, providing intelligence on how website features can drive value co-creation behaviors, brand image and reputation. Also, results revealed that the brand image of universities positively affects brand reputation. This study highlights the importance of national and international rankings of universities and students’ sensitivity to such rankings. Undoubtedly, this is evident in Iranian students’ behavior in selecting their university.

High quality health-care delivery is not only the governments’ responsibility but also every prisoner’s right. Health care in prison and, particularly, of Iranian prisoners is increasingly important topic because of the rising number of the prison population. This paper aims to explore health-care managers’ perspectives and experiences of prisons and the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons.

A qualitative research design was conducted in Iran from October 2018 to August 2019. The participants consisted of 51 health-care managers (50 men and one woman) from Iranian prisons. A combination of face-to-face (N = 42) and telephonic (N = 9) semi-structured interviews were used because of the geographical distribution of the respondents. The first part of the interview guide consisted of demographic characteristics, and the second part consisted of three main open ended-questions. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic descriptive analysis was used to interpret the data.

The barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons were categorized into four main topics: human resources, financing, facilities and barriers related to the health-care delivery process. Data synthesis identified the following themes for barriers to human resources: barriers to human resources planning (with eight sub-themes); barriers to education (with three sub-themes); and motivational barriers (with seven sub-themes). Moreover, barriers to financing consisted of five sub-themes. The barriers to facilities consisted of barriers related to physical infrastructures (with two sub-themes) and barriers related to equipment (with six sub-themes). Finally, barriers to the health-care delivery process included the following themes: communication barriers (with six sub-themes); legal barriers (with five sub-themes); and environmental-demographic factors (with seven sub-themes).

Identifying the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons plays a critical role in the improvement of planning, decision-making and the health-care delivery process.

This study investigates the effect of university website features and value co-creation behaviors of students on promoting brand image and brand reputation at Islamic Azad University in Iran.

The study is quantitative. Using convenience sampling techniques, a responsive group of 384 students was chosen from the Islamic Azad University of Tehran in Iran. Survey methods were used for data collection. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to test the derived hypotheses.

The present research findings indicated that website features have a positive effect on fostering value co-creation behaviors (participation and citizenship behavior), and participation behavior, in turn, improves university's brand image and reputation. At the same time, among value co-creation behaviors, citizenship behavior has no impact on the university's brand image. Finally, the brand image formed through website features and participation behavior positively affects brand reputation.

These findings contribute to the marketing literature by empirically validating the three elements in the website features construct, providing intelligence on how website features can drive value co-creation behaviors, brand image and reputation.

The present study focused on examining the effects of a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading program on promoting the receptive skills of Iranian university students.

In the quantitative section of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study, a pretest-posttest design was used to compare the performance of three groups of Iranian university students in terms of their degrees of improvement in receptive proficiency. Besides, the differences in the levels of motivation among the learners were sought. The three classes under study included linear text extensive reading for the first experimental group, a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group for the other and a control group. The qualitative phase of this study included a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire.

Analysis of the results revealed that the multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group outperformed the two other groups in terms of proficiency in receptive skills. They also had a higher level of motivation for reading. The findings of the qualitative phase showed that the participants preferred working with multimedia material rather than working with linear texts, or, in other words, printed books. University EFL instructors may be the most beneficiaries of the present study, as they can gain insights into applying Internet-based extensive reading programs into their courses.

Although some studies have been carried out in this area, the paper provides its readers with a new procedure and methodology.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of gender in the commission of white collar crimes and investigate it in five countries: Norway, Portugal, America, India and Iran.

Descriptive analytical method is used in this article.

A total of five observations were examined about the rank and percentage of women's participation in white-collar crimes, namely, from Norway (rank 3, 7%), USA (rank 26, 5%), Portugal (29th rank, 13%), India (rank 135, 11%) and Iran (rank 143, 5%). As is visually obvious, there seems to be no relationship between the level of gender equality and the percentage of women involved in white-collar crimes. However, according to Hobbs, in most research, the issue of gender and its effect on the occurrence of white-collar crimes have not been addressed, but by using the limited statistics and limited information available, it can be concluded that a small number of women have committed this crime. According to global crime reports, only 15 out of 200 prosecutions for white-collar crimes involve women.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this article is original and has been submitted only to this journal and has not been submitted to another journal at the same time.