Iranian Journal of Management Studies
Volume:14 Issue: 1, Winter 2021

Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods can significantly increase organizational efficiency if appropriately used. The primary goal of process capability studies is to obtain critical information about processes to render them even more effective. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for proper implementation of SPC studies, including the design of the sampling procedure and intervals as well as process capability indices. Some of the most essential process capability indices in the literature were reviewed to develop a methodology to utilize process capability indices within the SPC framework. The current study presents an efficiency-oriented criterion designed for measuring SPC implementation productivity. The framework is applied to the windshield installation process of an Iranian automobile assembly line. The process was sampled in various sessions. Results verify that the implemented SPC framework could successfully improve the process and that the proposed framework could significantly address bottleneck in the process and enhance the quality level of the process from satisfactory to excellent according to the reference values of process capability indices. Managerial insights are also drawn from results.

Consumers have been spoiled by the quality of Halal products available on the market. However, existing literature has lacked recognition for consumer Halal cosmetic products. Therefore, this study enhances the body of knowledge about consumer attitude and intention to purchase Halal cosmetic products. Specifically, this article will discuss the moderating effect positioning has on attitude with purchase intention and subjective norms and purchase intention. While this study focuses on cosmetic products, it will also help to clarify situations of less favourable attitudes for Halal cosmetics compared to Halal food products. The study analyses a total of 359 valid questionnaires using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The analyses reveal that attitude and subjective norms have positive relationships with purchase intention for cosmetic products. This study confirms a significant relationship for baseline variables of Theory of Reason Action with consumer purchase intention. Product positioning is significantly prominent as a moderator in assessing the influence of attitude on consumer purchase intention. Halal cosmetic products have been well positioned in the market. In general, the findings provide a consumer perspective for Halal cosmetic product positioning that influences the purchase intention and moderates its relationship with attitude. Research limitations/implications – The study only focus on the consumers of Halal cosmetics by empirically validating the role of attitude and positioning on the prediction of purchase intention. Additionally, it proves the moderating role of positioning in the relationship between attitude and purchase intention. Thus, the perspective of consumers from other industries might provide different results. Practical implications – The study proves the importance of Halal positioning in influencing consumers attitudes towards Halal cosmetic products. Thus, marketing practitioners should leverage on a Halal positioning strategy to achieve competitive advantage.

It is expected that more accounting conservation (environmental uncertainty) reduces manager optimism. Prior research, however, has struggled to establish this relation empirically. Moreover, some evidence points to the possibility that the manager optimism is lower for firms with more accounting conservation. In this paper, the author examine the link between accounting conservation, environmental uncertainty, and manager optimism, as well as the link between accounting conservation, manager optimism, and the cost of capital. First, it is established that more accounting conservation could lead to a decrease in manager optimism. Second, I tried to show that manager optimism changes the cost of capital in the accounting conservation quintile. Consistent with a negative relationship between accounting conservation and manager optimism, and with the dominating effect of managers' optimism , the article documented a positive association between managers' optimism and the cost of capital for firms whose shares trade in low accounting conservation.

One of the substantial challenges in marketing efforts is determining optimal markets, specifically in market segmentation. The problem is more controversial in electronic commerce and electronic marketing. Consumer behaviour is influenced by different factors and thus varies in different time periods. These dynamic impacts lead to the uncertain behaviour of consumers and therefore harden the target market determination. Real time decision making is a crucial task for obtaining competitive advantage. Decision Support Systems (DSSs) can be an appropriate process for taking real time decisions. DSSs are classified as information system based computational systems helping in decision making supporting business decision making and facilitate data collection and processing within market analysis. In this paper, different markets exist that are supplied by a producer. The producers need to find out which markets provide more profits for more marketing focuses. All consumers’ transactions are recorded in databases as unstructured data. Then, neural network is employed for large amount of data processing. Outputs are inserted to an economic producer behaviour mathematical model and integrated with a proposed dynamic program to find the optimal chain of markets. The sensitivity analysis is performed using pricing concept. The applicability of the model is illustrated in a numerical example.

Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) are individuals’ perceptions of the traits and behaviors characterizing leaders. Four studies investigated the reliabilities and different types of validities for a scale developed to measure Iranian Implicit leadership Theories (IILTs). Study 1 used a qualitative method to extract the implicit theories of ideal leadership after interviewing 27 experts. The IILTs are represented by a first-order eight-factor model (Inspiring, Supportive, Accountable, Emotionally Mature, Decisive, Self-protective, Deceptive and Narrow-minded), and a second-order two-factor model (Prototypes and Anti-prototypes). In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the factor structure and further refine and examine the internal consistencies of the discovered factors. The analysis proved the factor structure of IILTs. Study 3 tested the convergent and discriminant validities of the developed scale for IILTs, and the results supported the validity of the developed scale. Study 4 investigated incremental and criterion validities via using two variables of LMX and job satisfaction. These studies provide convergent evidence that IILTs is a valid scale to be used in research. Ultimately, future research venues and practical implications are discussed.

Cooperative advertising is a cost-sharing mechanism in which a part of retailers' advertising investments are financed by the manufacturers. In recent years, investment among advertising options has become a difficult marketing issue. In this paper, the cooperative advertising problem with advertising options is investigated in a two-period horizon in which the market share in the second period depends on the decisions made in the first period. The problem is solved for two cases of the absence and presence of cooperative advertising contract, and the results are compared. The solution to the problem is presented using the concepts of the Nash equilibrium, Stackelberg game, stochastic games, and dynamic programming. The computational results using numerical examples show that if the cooperative advertising contract is offered in the win-win condition, the players’ profit will increase significantly.

Financial failure prediction models have been developed by using Logistic Regression (LR) analysis from traditional statistical methods and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which is a mathematically based nonparametric method over the financial reports of the companies traded in The Istanbul Stock Exchange National 100 Index (BIST 100) between the years 2014-2016. In the development of these models, the variables included in the model are as important as the method applied. For this reason, the gray relational analysis method has been considered in determining the indicators that affect the financial situation of the companies. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the LR model, which is one of the prediction models, has a higher rate of prediction power than the data envelopment analysis in predicting the financial failure of the companies. However, DEA is also an easy and fast method for predicting financial failures, and is recommended to companies on the indicators that they need to improve in order to be successful. As a result of the study, it has been found that both methods are feasible in the prediction of financial failure, but these methods also have different advantages and disadvantages.

This paper presents a new mathematical model for a production system through a scheduling problem considering a material handling system as an intelligent transportation system by automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The traditional systems cannot respond to the changes and customer’s demands and for this reason, a flexible production system is used. Therefore, for this purpose, automated transportation systems are used for more flexibility in production. Thus, several AGVs are considered to perform various jobs among different machines and warehouses. In this production system, there are possibilities of failure and breakdown of AGVs and machines simultaneously. A modified rate is considered for determining the maintenance duration time as a percentage of the setup time when the maintenance time is dependent on the total setup time of machines and the total transfer jobs time of AGVs. Hence, we consider the probability of breakdown of AGVs and machines simultaneously and show the effect of these problems. The objective function is to minimize the maximum completion time (i.e., makespan or Cmax), the tardiness penalty, and the total transportation cost bearing in mind that the impact of new constraints with mathematical innovation on how failure and repair time are affected by the entire production scheduling. The proposed model belongs to mixed-integer linear programming (MILP). Finally, several small-sized problems are generated and solved by the CEPLEX solver of GAMS software to show the efficiency of the proposed model.

The role of intra-industry trade has been emphasized in international commerce since the 1960s. Innovation and government size, which affect goods and services production and government presence in international commerce, have also been highlighted since then. This study examines the influence of these two factors on international trade and estimates their effects in linear and logistic transformation models from the years 2000 to 2016 using HS four-digit codes. This research focuses on 20 main import and export industries of Iran and selected commercial partners. The authors estimate the model using the bidirectional panel data method and analyze the data using Stata 15 software. Results indicate that in both models there is a U-shaped relationship (non-linear) between innovation and intra-industry trade. However, government size increases intra-industry trade in these models. Linder variables decrease intra-industry trade but GDP per capita increases intra-industry trade. Other control variables (geographical distance and membership in economic organizations) show the expected impact on intra-industry trade.

The present study aims to assess the relationship between some corporate factors and managerial entrenchment in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2011-2017. Panel data regression models were used to test the hypotheses. The obtained results indicated that four corporate factors, namely real earnings management, predictable earnings management, institutional ownership, and board independence, have a significant relationship with the managerial entrenchment. In this study, the mixed index of managerial entrenchment is calculated using the principal component analysis based on four governance mechanisms of the percentage of shares available to the CEO, CEO duality, CEO compensation logarithm, and CEO tenure. This process has made the present study distinct from the previous ones, in which individual indexes were used for evaluating the entrenchment.