Considering the unfortunate intensification of the Non-performing loans in Irans credits system makes it vital to study the current system shortcomings. Although many researchers have dealt with it theoretically, employing a critical approach through the different stakeholders’ views will be enlightening. Therefore, with the purpose of a keen revision through a critical approach, the present study scrutinizes the banking credit system according to Critical System Heuristics (CSH) in four issues of motivation, power, and knowledge and legitimation base. The process of perception and reflection of the beneficiaries (hidden) opinions happens using 12-boundary questions, in two forms of “what is” and “what ought to be”. Findings make

Conflict analysis as one of the most challenging and demanding issues within different fields of nowadays world, is generally characterized by two types of complexities: structural and behavioral. Therefore, scholars worldwide to tackle the mentioned complexities welcome a multi-methodology intervention. Consequently, this study focuses on the development and application of multi-methodological intervention benefiting from the advantages of Soft OR and Game theory to deal more effectively with the complex nature of a real-world problem. Accordingly, the paper contributes to JOURNEY making methodology through developing new concepts, making it richer information-wise, and thus more reliable. Moreover, it applied the proposed model for the Sa

This paper proposes a nature-inspired swarm-based metaheuristic for solving global optimization problems called Golden Eagle Optimizer (GEO). The core inspiration of GEO is the intelligence of golden eagles in tuning speed at different stages of their spiral trajectory for hunting. They show more propensity to cruise around and search for prey in the initial stages of hunting and more propensity to attack in the final stages. A golden eagle adjusts these two components to catch the best possible prey in feasible region the shortest possible time. This behavior is mathematically modeled to highlight exploration and exploitation for a global optimization method. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested and confirmed using 33 benchm

Performance-based budgeting has been a controversial topic over the past decades among budget professionals. Since the 1990s, a new wave of eagerness on performance-based budgeting has emerged among governments. In recent years, although utilization of performance-based budgeting has begun and various organizations have claimed the establishment of this system, its progress is not satisfactory. To evaluate the progress in establishing a performance based budgeting system, two budgeting maturity models have been presented. However, these two models cannot fully report the maturity of a performance-based budgeting system. By reviewing maturity reference models as well as two performance-based budgeting maturity models presented in budgeting l

A well-designed organizational structure is a cornerstone of achieving an organization’s goals while suiting the environmental challenges. Structural design models must be built in such a way as to understand the inherent complexity of the environment as well as that of stakeholders’ relationships. The viable system model (VSM), which is rooted in Organizational Cybernetics, is capable of understanding external and internal complexities of organizations. This approach is an outline for diagnosing and designing organizational structure. The fundamental idea of the VSM is that the existence of specific systems and their relations can lead an organization toward viability and survivability. This study employed the VSM to diagn

Manuscript type: Research paperResearch Aims: This paper aims to clarify the relationship between the green purchase behavior’s affecting factors as well as organizing them depending upon their driving and dependence power which ultimately leads to an ISM-based structural model. Design/methodology/approach: Thorough literature review and subsequent discussions with experts, antecedent factors of green purchase behavior are extracted, which are followed by ISM structural modeling. Research Findings: Interpretive structural modeling, justified a five-layer structure in which the role of government, social influence, and reference power are the cornerstones of green purchase behavior in Iran’s green market. Theoretical Contribution/Origina

This paper presents a novel multi-objective mean–variance mathematical programming approach to the dynamic pricing problem for seasonal products. The basic pricing scheme is a combination of phase-out pricing that gradually lowers the price over time and clearance pricing in which the end-of-season inventory is sold altogether at a lower price to a wholesaler in order to make room for the next season’s products. The model is then applied to a real-world case of a Jeans retailer in three different risk attitudes. Results show that the retailer should follow an almost fixed non-dynamic pricing strategy in the risk-taking attitudes, and a more flexible dynamic pricing strategy in risk-averse attitudes.

Nonlinear MUSA is an extension of MUSA, which employs a derived approach to analyze customer satisfaction and its determinants. It is a preference disaggregation approach, widely welcomed by scholars since 2002, following the principles of ordinal regression analysis. N-MUSA as a goal programing model, evaluates the level of satisfaction among some groups including customers, employees, etcetera according to their values and expressed preferences. Using simple satisfaction survey data, N-MUSA aggregates the different preferences in a unique satisfaction function. The main advantage of this approach is to consider and convert the qualitative form of customer judgments and preferences in an ordinal scale based on a simple questionnaire to an

Designing a business portfolio is one of the key decisions in developing corporate strategy. Most of the previous models are either non-quantitative or financial with an emphasis on optimizing a portfolio of investments or projects. This research represents a multi-objective optimization model that firstly, employs quantitative methods in strategic decision-making, and secondly, quantifies and considers non-financial, strategic variables in problem modeling. In this regard, links between businesses within a portfolio have been classified into four groups of market synergy, capabilities synergy, parenting costs, and sharing benefits, and have been structured as a conceptual model. Although the conceptual model can be applied to various indus

Objective: Performance based budgeting is an undeniable necessity for effective management of the country vital resources nowadays, which benefits all economic and social layers of the society if properly implemented. Accordingly, this has encouraged lots of studies and researches on PPB theories, concepts and models. This study deeply reviewed Iran’s PBB system within four basic issues, including motivation, knowledge, legitimacy and power through critical approach. Methods: Exploration in this system has been made using a critical (Emancipatory) approach called Critical Systems Heuristics. The process consists of reflecting the hidden views of the stakeholders using 12 boundary questions in two states of “being” which refers to the

The present research is aimed at analysis of the relationship between practices of human resource management and organizational commitment from a strategic point of view in retirement pension and funds organization of Oil industry. The study is an applied research and its data are collected through descriptive-survey methods and also in terms of data analysis, it is considered as a correlation study. The population of research includes the entire full-time employees of retirement pension and funds organization of Oil industry in Tehran and approximately 50 other cities in Iran. The research sample includes 248 employees of the aforementioned organization who were selected according to a simple random sampling method. Independent variables i

The present research is aimed at analysis of the relationship between practices of human resource management and organizational commitment from a strategic point of view in retirement pension and funds organization of Oil industry. The study is an applied research and its data are collected through descriptive-survey methods and also in terms of data analysis, it is considered as a correlation study. The population of research includes the entire full-time employees of retirement pension and funds organization of Oil industry in Tehran and approximately 50 other cities in Iran. The research sample includes 248 employees of the aforementioned organization who were selected according to a simple random sampling method. Independent variables i

This paper aims to discuss the effectiveness of Six Sigma through balanced scorecard in banking industry. Six Sigma is a powerful analytical technique which yields a dramatic reduction in defects, errors, or mistakes in production and service processes. So it can be useful to find defectives in financial institutions and banks while it can accompany with BSC to approach all organization aspects. Reaching this aim, this paper tries to survey the effectiveness of Six Sigma through balanced scorecard aspects in one of Iranian pioneer banks in deploying aforementioned methodologies. Respondents have been extracted among bank experts with various backgrounds who experienced both techniques in practice for at least four continues years. Findings