فصلنامه بهبود مدیریت
پیاپی 55 (بهار 1401)

Mobile phones utilize multiple technologies in order to provide services for users. USSD, is one of the most used technologies, which has been used by mobile phone users in recent years. The aim of this paper is to analyze evolution of its development and application in Iran from 2011 to 2021 by an institutional approach. Moreover, this study includes analysis on how institutional players influenced USSD technology development and utilization. Findings are categorized into four periods of introduction to the market, growth through the market, limitations and challenges, and stagnation. Each period is analyzed from practical, policy, business, economic and political aspects. To collect data, 10 experts were interviewed. Besides, documents, reports, events, media news, rules and regulations related to the USSD were analyzed. Findings indicate that over the first and second period, institutions and players have positive impact on scaling up the application of technology in the market. However, in the subsequent periods, USSD technology negatively affected by central bank restrictive regulations and reorientation of banking and payment service providers, resulting from a new powerful alternative namely mobile internet. Findings also present policy suggestions and implications for policy-making on how face new technologies as well as future research avenues for policy researchers.

Banking industry affected by economic transformation, internet development, and financial innovations. Hence, the banking industry requires urgent transformation and is seeking new growth avenues. On the other hand, blockchain technology is a disruptive technology that changes business models. Using distributed software architecture and advanced computing, blockchain can change the way information is exchanged between actors in the chain. Therefore, the research purpose is to identify the influential factors in the acceptance and then application of blockchain in Iran's banking industry. This research is applied and descriptive correlational method was used. The UTAUT - Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology – has been contextually used as the theoretical model of the research. Moreover, the statistical population of the research is all the employees in banking industry in Shiraz. For data analysis, structural equation modeling and Smart PLS software have been used. The results accentuated and proved the positive impacts of Performance expectancy, Effort expectancy, social influence and Individual factors on the intention to use blockchain technology. Moreover, the last but not least important factor, was the impact of Behavioral Intention on the actual use of blockchain technology. As a result, in Iran's banking system, the use of blockchain is being accepted as a way of rolling out economic constraints and making commercial payments.

Importance of the petroleum industry in the world economy, has led some countries to turn to this industry and with serious investment in this sector, achieve a position to play an important role as a global player. Examining the historical path of evolution of these players can be a way forward for countries that are on this path but have not been able to achieve a good position and other countries and companies that want to enter this industry. The petroleum industry in the world has evolved over different periods of time, with different drivers and various players that have emerged and grown based on the need for the development of this industry. The prominent influence of the petroleum industry on the world economy, politics and development has made the recognition of the analytical history of this industry a strategic requirement for its players. Therefore, this article seeks to follow the history and evolution of this industry in different periods of history from the past to the present and explain the emergence and formation of various players in the global petroleum industry. Then, the course of this evolution will be examined in different time periods based on the access of different players to the pillars of business of the petroleum industry, including access to oil and gas resources, management skills, financial strength and technological capability. Finally, by explaining the requirements of the global petroleum industry business in the present era, the conclusion is reached.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges of privatization of the banking industry and to identify the causes of its inefficiencies in the governance layer. To this end, in the theoretical framework of neo-institutionalist economics, Williamson's four-tier conceptual model became the basis of the analysis. Based on the selected model, the basic assumptions, ideas and goals of the government from the implementation of the privatization program, government policies to reform the institutional environment and government policies to achieve efficient governance structures on the way to market economy, and the results of these policies at the operational level. Both in terms of opinion and in terms of practice, based on content analysis, data related to the implementation of the privatization program were analyzed. The results showed that the roots of the inefficiency of the privatization program should be in the first priority in the fallacies in the basic assumptions and the expected goals of privatization in practice, in the second priority in the failure to fulfill the expected functions of the transfer of ownership in the privatization process. The basis of the expected functions of it, and in the third priority in the government's adherence to the style of economic governance with an acting approach instead of governing with a game-making and regulatory approach on the way from state economy to market economy. The results of these failures in the three layers of economic governance have led to the failure of the price mechanism in the market.

Joint product design and development is one of the effective strategies in reducing cost, time, risk and achieving complementary capabilities. On the other hand, due to the complexity of implementing the two processes of product design and development and partnership at the same time, this strategy has several influential factors without which one can not expect successful performance. Therefore, identifying critical success factors is one of the most important steps in planning and successful implementation in joint product design and development, because without understanding these factors, partners can not have proper planning for the partnership. This study seeks to identify and prioritize critical success factors in the design and development of a new joint product.In this regard, using literature and interviews with a number of relevant experts in the aerospace industry, several factors have been extracted and then finalized factors by fuzzy Delphi method and using the method of "fuzzy network analysis" is prioritized and with the method of "Demetil" their relationships are expressed.From the process point of view, the factors of "partnership evaluation", the factors of "internal of each partner" and the factors of "design teams" are one to three, respectively. "Mutual trust", "Defining plans and assigning tasks in the product development process", "Mediating institutions", "Developing exit strategies", "Senior management support", "Setting problem-solving and evaluation contracts", "Negotiation ability", " "Cognitive and organizational skills and flexibility" and "commitment of team members" are among the ten key factors of success.

The poultry industry provides 47 percent (34 percent chicken and 13 percent eggs) of the household animal protein sources. The poultry industry is highly dependent on foreign countries in terms of supply of line chickens and ancestors, supply of feed and vaccines. This dependence on food security has posed a serious challenge to the country in this area. These shortcomings can be technically remedied by relying on universities and knowledge-based companies. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the most important barriers to self-reliance in chicken supply and providing technological solutions for it. For this purpose, data were collected through documentary studies, in-depth semi-conducted interviews and the formation of focus groups and through the method of qualitative content analysis and review of 83 propositions, finally 6 main categories and 20 sub-categories were identified. The main categories were line chicken, import of inputs, chicken feed, vaccine production, indoor planting, rules and regulations. Finally, solutions to the challenges identified in these categories were provided.