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This study aims to formulate exploratory scenarios of the textile industry in Iran based on MICMAC and soft operational research methods.

In this study, to formulate plausible scenarios, literature reviews and external experts’ opinions of this field have been gathered through the Delphi approach and uncertainty questionnaires. After the utilization of the most important uncertainties, the textile industry’s plausible scenarios have been mapped with the help of experts through co-thinking workshops. Results show that two factors, including the business atmosphere and membership in World Trade Organization (WTO), play a more important role than the other factors. These two factors were considered for the formulation of the scenario. To formulate plausible scenarios, soft systems methodology, which is a kind of soft operational research methods, is applied.

Based on the results, four scenarios are presented. These scenarios include the Elysium scenario, Hades scenario, Tatarus scenario and Sisyphus scenario. In the Elysium scenario, the business atmosphere has improved and Iran has been granted membership of the WTO. In Hades scenario, Iran has joined the WTO, but due to the government’s weakness and inactivity and key decision-makers, the required preparations have not been made. In the Tatarus scenario, Iran is not a WTO member and the business atmosphere is disastrous. In the Sisyphus scenario, the government takes reasonable actions toward a better business environment.

Formulating plausible scenarios of the textile industry is an excellent contribution to the key beneficiaries and actors of this industry so they can present flexible preparation-based programs in the face of circumstances. Future study of the textile industry familiarizes the actors and beneficiaries of this industry with the procedures and the driving forces that influence this industry’s future and it will ascertain various scenarios for the actors of this field.

The purpose of this study is to formulate exploratory scenarios of Operations Research through the critical uncertainty approach and Soft Systems Methodology.

In this study, to formulate plausible scenarios, the discipline of operation research internal and external experts’ opinions of this field have been gathered through Delphi approach and uncertainty questionnaires. After use of the most important uncertainties, plausible scenarios of operations research have been mapped with the help of experts through co-thinking workshops.

Four scenarios are presented in this study. These scenarios include Solar System, Esfandiar's Eye, Rival’s Setraps and Legendary Simurgh. Naturally, the imagination of such a unitary future for all academic communities is an expectation far from reality, and given the conditions of each of these futures or any integration of them is imaginable.

Operations Research models have been faced with variously multiple changes since its emergence until now. Investigation into the future of operations research on the necessity for his planning has not received a reasonable notice in the literature. Sporadic activities that have been carried out are also lacking in the necessary methodology. Also, there has been no research about future study using the soft Operation Research tools (Soft Systems Methodology).

The purpose of this study is to evaluate maintenance strategies based on fuzzy decision-making trial evaluation and laboratory (DEMATEL) and fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) in the petrochemical industry.

This study proposes a hybrid-structured multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method based on fuzzy Delphi, fuzzy DEMATEL and fuzzy ANP as a structured methodology to assist decision makers in strategic maintenance. The fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) is applied to refine the effective criteria, fuzzy DEMATEL is applied for defining the direction and relationships between criteria and Fuzzy ANP is used for the selection of optimized maintenance strategy.

The results identify “strategic management complexity” as the top criterion. The predictive maintenance (PdM) with the highest priority is the best strategy. It is followed by reliability-centered (RCM), condition-based (CBM), total productive (TPM), predictive (PM) and corrective maintenance (CM).

Today, companies act in an atmosphere that is known with the features of uncertainty. In this atmosphere, only those companies can survive that have a strategy based on presenting the quality services and products to their customers. Similarly, maintenance as a system plays a vital role in availability and the quality of products, which creates value for customers. The selection of maintenance strategy is a kind of MCDM problem, which includes consideration of different factors. This article considers a broad category of alternates, including CM, PM, TPM, CBM, RCM and PdM.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between getting quality awards by companies and their financial performance in Iran's business.

In the first step, the relationship between awards scores and financial performance by canonical correlation analysis was examined. Then, binary and multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the degree of impact of each financial performance measure on getting quality awards. Finally, two forecasting functions were explored: the probability of achieving quality awards and the probability of achieving different levels of these awards.

Based on the analyzed data of 112 companies through canonical correlation analysis, there was a weak relationship between financial performance and getting quality awards. Also, by using logistic regression, no result was found to prove the impact of financial performance measures on getting Iran's national quality awards. It can be concluded that conceptually, deployment of excellence organizational models will not result in favorable outcomes, especially in the financial scope. Also, practically, excellence models have not been well deployed in Iranian companies, or these models do not fit to Iran's business environment. Organizational culture may not be consistent with quality.

Quality awards are given to qualified companies following the establishment of models of excellence such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). The main novelty of this research is to clarify the relationship between getting quality awards by companies and their financial performance in Iran's business.

Apitourism is a form of tourism that deals with the culture and traditions of rural communities and can be considered one of the most sustainable methods of development and tourism. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the key factors and plausible scenarios of Iranian apitourism in the future.

This study is applied research. For this purpose, first, by examining the theoretical foundations and interviewing experts, the key factors affecting the future of Iranian apitourism were identified. Then, using a binomial test, these factors were screened. Both critical uncertainty and DEMATEL techniques were used to select the final drivers.

Two drivers of “apitourism information system and promotional activities” and “organizing ecological infrastructure” were selected for scenario planning using critical uncertainty and DEMATEL techniques. According to these two drivers, four golden beehive, expectancy, anonymous bee and black beehive scenarios were developed. Each scenario represents a situation for apitourism in the future. According to the criteria of trend compliance, fact-based plausibility and compliance with current data, the “Black Beehive” scenario was selected as the most likely scenario. The “Golden Beehive” scenario shows the best case in terms of apitourism information system and implementation of promotional activities and organizing and providing ecological infrastructure. The “Black Beehive” scenario, on the other hand, describes an isolated and vulnerable system.

Developing plausible Iranian apitourism scenarios helps key stakeholders and actors develop flexible plans for various situations.

The main purpose of this paper is to predicate financial distress using the worst-practice-frontier data envelopment analysis (WPF-DEA) model and artificial neural network.

In this study, a neural network technique was used to forecast inputs and outputs in the future time-period. Using a WPF-DEA model, financially distressed companies were identified based on the worst performance, and an improvement solution was provided for those decision-making units.

This study’s findings show that dynamic WPF-DEA has high predictability in corporate financial distress, and it can be used with high confidence. Based on the future time-period results, JOUSH & OXYGEN was predicted to be a financially distressed company in the two future time-periods.

In recent decades, globalization, technological changes and a competitive space have increased uncertainty in the economic environment. In such circumstances, economic growth certainly depends on correct decision-making and optimal allocation of resources. It can be done by introducing appropriate tools and models for assessing corporate financial conditions, including financial distress and bankruptcy.

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are experiencing exponential growth due to environmental concerns, unlimited and ubiquitous solar energy, and starting-to-make-sense panel costs. Alongside designing more efficient solar panels, installing solar trackers and special circuitry for optimizing power delivery to the load according to a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm are other ways of increasing efficiency. However, it is critical for any efficiency increase to account for the power consumption of any amendments. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a novel tracker while using MPPT to boost the PV system's actual efficiency accounting for the involved costs.

The proposition is an experimental pneumatic dual-axis solar tracker using light-dependent resistor (LDR) sensors. Due to its embedded energy storage, the pneumatic tracker offers a low duty-cycle operation leading to tracking energy conservation, fewer maintenance needs and scalability potential. While MPPT assures maximum load power delivery, the solar PV's actual delivered power is calculated for the first time, accounting for the solar tracking and MPPT power costs.

The experiments' results show an increase of 37.6% in total and 35.3% in actual power production for the proposed solar tracking system compared to the fixed panel system, with an MPPT efficiency of 90%. Thus, the pneumatic tracking system offers low tracking-energy consumption and good actual power efficiency. Also, the newly proposed pneumatic stimulant can significantly simplify the tracking mechanism and benefit from several advantages that come along with it.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work proposes, for the first time, a single-motor pneumatic dual-axis tracker with less implementation cost, less frequent operation switching and scalability potential, to be developed in future works. Also, the pneumatic proposal delivers high actual power efficiency for the first time to be addressed.

Keberkesanan penyampaian sesuatu maklumat memerlukan individu, alat mahupun saluran yang unggul dan bersesuaian. Usaha ini haruslah dirancang dan dipertimbangkan dengan teliti oleh pihak tertentu agar setiap apa yang ingin disampaikan dan dilaksanakan itu dapat diberigakan dengan mudah dan berkesan. Dari itu, penggunaan bahasa retorik dilihat sebagai batu loncatan yang memberikan keyakinan dan tahap keberkesanan yang tinggi bagi sesebuah wacana yang disampaikan tersebut. Kewibawaan retorik sebagai seni yang mempengaruhi bukan sahaja berperanan untuk memperkukuhkan kekuasaan mahupun mempengaruhi fikiran dan emosi orang lain namun sebaliknya mampu menstimulasikan keseimbangan hubungan sosial yang terbentuk melalui sistem pemerintahan sesebuah negara. Melalui penyelidikan ini, setiap ciri khas retorik dapat diketengahkan dengan menghuraikan peranan dan fungsi-fungsi yang dimainkan oleh jenis-jenis retorik dalam penulisan sesebuah wacana. Hal ini khusus bagi mengilustrasikan idea, gagasan mahupun suatu fakta terhadap sesuatu pendekatan dengan cara yang kreatif dan terbaik. Di samping itu, keutamaan bagi penerapan bahasa retorik dalam perutusan kerajaan seharusnya dapat diperkasakan sewajarnya dengan menjadikannya sebagai anjakan paradigma ke arah perpaduan dan nilai kesaksamaan dalam masyarakat. Justeru, kajian ini memanfaatkan Teori Retorik Moden oleh Enos dan Brown (1993) sebagai landasan utama dalam menganalisis sejumlah 20 perutusan rasmi berkaitan jangkitan covid-19 di Negara Brunei Darussalam. Berdasarkan pemerhatian dan penganalisisan yang dijalankan, hanya empat jenis retorik yang diaplikasikan dalam wacana tersebut. Kesimpulan statistik merangkumi 34% teknik pendedahan, 30% teknik penerangan, 33% teknik pemujukan dan hanya 3% bagi teknik penghujahan. Dapatan penyelidikan ini membuktikan bahawa penggunaan bahasa retorik dalam perutusan rasmi kerajaan adalah amat penting dalam memperkukuhkan sistem pemerintahan negara serta mampu melestarikan cara hidup yang relevan dan berkualiti.

The effectiveness of delivering information requiresindividuals, tools or channels that are superior and appropriate. This effort must be planned and considered carefully so that everything that is to be conveyed and implemented can be conveyed easily and effectively. Therefore, the use of rhetorical language is regarded as a stepping stone that provides confidence and a higher level of effectiveness. `Rhetoric as an influential art not only plays a role in strengthening power or influencing the thoughts and emotions of others but also stimulate sthe balance of social relations. Through this research, each rhetorical feature is highlighted to discuss its role and functions in the discourse. Using Enos and Brown’s Modern Rhetorical Theory (1993), a total of 20 official conferences on the latest developments of the spread of covid-19 infection were discussed. Findings have shown that there were four main types of rhetoric, i.e. Statistical conclusions which include 34% of expository techniques, 30% of descriptive, 33% of persuasion and only 3% for argumentation techniques. This also implies that rhetoric language is very important in ensuring the dissemination of knowledge among the institution and people is effective and and transparent.

This study examines the importance of English Mobile Learning research as a foundation for lifelong and sustainable education from different points of view, including those of technology innovation experts, psychologists and educators. It aims to explore the current status and relevant research trends through the application of bibliometric mapping and bibliometric analysis.

For this study, all Web of Science records (in total 5,343) from 2000 to 2020 in the field of English Mobile Learning were analyzed using the VOSviewer and CiteSpace software tools. The WoS built-in functions, including “Refine” and “Analyze,” were employed to perform the bibliometric analysis. The study further analyzed a sample of the five most-cited articles to identify the previous studies with the highest quality or impact.

The results showed that research in English Mobile Learning is growing quickly and steadily with a noticeable emphasis on various device-based technologies and applications. The study also discusses the key implications for research institutions, education policymakers and academicians, and identifies the most prominent avenues for future research on English Mobile Learning. Moreover, the results shared in this review highlight the most important and emerging areas of research in the field.

This article is the most recent bibliographic review of literature that particularly addresses the English Mobile Learning research during the past two decades.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the considerable Ag₂SO₄ content on the electrical and dielectric properties of (AgPO₃)_1−x(Ag₂SO₄)_x ion glass system as well as to extract thermodynamic parameters.

Glass samples of (AgPO₃)_1-x(Ag₂SO₄)_x with different mole ratios of Ag₂SO₄ [x = 0.00, 0.10,0.15,0.20 and 0.25] have been synthesized and used. X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis were used to investigate structural and thermal properties, and then the electrical characterizations of the bulk glasses were performed in different frequency and temperature range.

For different ratios of Ag₂SO₄ on AgPO₃, the bulk conductivity is enhanced with increasing the amount of Ag₂SO₄ until the composition of x = 0.20, after which the conductivity decreases. The general behavior of both ε’ and ε” decreases with increasing frequency and increases with increasing temperature. Complex impedance analysis studied by Z‘−Z’ and Cole–Cole plot at different temperatures revealed that bulk resistance decreases with temperature.

The calculated values of activation free energy, enthalpy and entropy change for different compositions of (AgPO₃)_1-x(Ag₂SO₄)_x showed an increase in activation energy and enthalpy when Ag₂SO₄ ratio is increased in (AgPO₃)_1-x(Ag₂SO₄)_x composition up to 20%, and then there is a decrease in their values at x = 25%, which may be explained based on non-bridging oxygen.