فصلنامه مطالعات فرهنگی اجتماعی خراسان
سال هفدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 67، بهار 1402)

Global warming leads to increased heat waves, longer hot seasons, and shorter cold seasons (Short & Farmer, 2021, p. 1). The growing population of the world is currently facing the limited nature of resources, their severe destruction, and the loss of biodiversity. The need to reduce the environmental impacts of economic activities has been accepted by governments and societies around the world for years. Currently, various local, national, and international development agents have chosen different local development strategies in response to environmental challenges. One of the strategies is to green the economy through the development of green jobs and businesses that reduce the environmental impacts by reducing the consumption of energy and raw materials, limiting the production of greenhouse gases, minimizing waste and pollution, and protecting and restoring the ecosystem (Tănasie et al., 2022, p. 14). The most comprehensive global study of “Green Jobs,” Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, was conducted by the World Watch Institute and Cornell University affiliated with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) (Martínez-Cruz & Núñez, 2021, p. 2). According to international statistics, Iran is known as one of the countries with poor performance in the green growth index (efficient and sustainable use of resources, preservation of natural capital, green economic opportunities, and social inclusion). Also, Iran is one of the top countries in carbon dioxide emissions (Jafari Taraji et al., 2021, p. 2). The correction of this trend requires the investigation of energy consumption and pollution of various economic activities and the identification of economic opportunities for green businesses in different cities and regions. For this purpose and on a smaller scale than the national level, developing and creating green jobs in Birjand city can solve problems related to employment, pollution, and resource limitations, considering its high environmental potential in the use of solar and wind energy, limited water resources, and environmental damage. Therefore, it is necessary to study the future prospects in the field of green jobs.

This research, using a foresight approach, identifies the most critical factors influencing the future of sustainable green businesses in Birjand City and examines the extent and the manner of their interrelationships. The purpose of this research is practical, and the method of data collection is a combination of documentary and survey methods. The nature of this research is based on new methods of foresight, analytical and exploratory science, which was conducted by using a combination of quantitative and qualitative models. First, 40 primary variables in 10 general categories were identified by the Delphi method from 15 experts and academics in green jobs. Then, the primary variables were defined in the framework of the cross-impact matrix in Micmac software. According to the opinions of the experts, the variables were scored based on their impact and influence with numbers ranging from 0 to 3 in the cross-impact matrix. Finally, the key factors and drivers affecting the future of green businesses in Birjand were extracted.

To achieve the green jobs that any country needs, it is necessary to consider different sources in addition to the environmental conditions and characteristics of the society. After library studies and a survey of academics familiar with green jobs and the green economy approach, using an open-ended questionnaire, the sectors and areas that influence the development and creation of green jobs were identified and their components and variables were extracted. For this purpose, 40 primary variables of the research were identified in ten main categories, and their impact and influence were calculated in Micmac software. According to the results of Micmac, based on the opinions of experts, the situation of green jobs in Birjand city is somewhat unstable and the current conditions governing the development and creation of green jobs will change in the near future.

The research results showed that such factors as green management, the establishment of laws and regulations, and reduction (minimum waste and pollution) were identified as some of the most critical and influential drivers in explaining the future prospects of sustainable green businesses in Birjand city. The driving forces indicate that the basis of change in the city is based on policies. Considering that the public sector is dominant in the city along with the weak role of the private sector, it is the entry point for policies and the starting point for the public sector’s transformation. Green management is a set of comprehensive, targeted and continuous studies and actions that are carried out at different levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve and sustain the existing status of the organization to achieve green management and lead to the modification of the consumption pattern and reduction of waste production in the organization. Therefore, to sustain green businesses in Birjand, it is necessary for the managers of governmental and non-governmental organizations to take effective measures to modify the consumption pattern and reduce waste production, by establishing laws, regulations and by-laws from the national to local level, to promote the approach of modifying the consumption pattern and reducing waste production.

The concept of social responsibility of the university focuses more on the role and performance of the actors within the university institution, especially the professors and staff whose behavior and performance affect the opinion of its audience. In other words, due to the continuous cultural, economic, social and technological changes in today’s world, the educational, research and scientific needs of society have also changed, and this requires individuals and academic organizations to change and update their social responsibilities to fulfill more ethical and humanitarian work. The quality of work life of the organization’s employees, considering the increasing complexity of societies and labor markets and paying more attention to the nature of human resources, is of special importance in creating a suitable platform for strengthening the social responsibility of university staff. According to some experts, part of the stagnation of productivity and the reduction of product quality in some countries is caused by the shortcomings of the quality of work life and the changes that have occurred in the interests and priorities of employees. This study tries to examine to what extent the quality of work life of the employees in the academic units and centers of Payame Noor University in North Khorasan plays a mediating role in the relationship between the religious attitudes and social responsibility of the employees of this university.

This research is cross-sectional and applied (descriptive and correlational) with a quantitative approach and survey method. The statistical population of this research consists of all 152 professors and employees of the centers and units of Payame Noor University in North Khorasan who worked in the academic year 2018-2019, including official, contract and corporate employees. The sample size for this study has been determined based on the formula and table provided by Kerjesi and Morgan (1970), ensuring a professional and statistically sound approach to the research. Therefore, it includes 108 people from the academic and administrative staff of the university. Since the names of North Khorasan employees were available in the province’s administrative affairs department, systematic random sampling was used for sampling. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that included four sections: demographic or contextual items, items related to measuring social responsibility, religious attitude and quality of work life. The questionnaire had a total of 29 items to measure social responsibility (legal dimension 6 items, economic dimension 6 items, ethical dimension 8 items and altruistic dimension 9 items), 18 items to measure religious attitude (belief dimension 6 items, experiential dimension 6 items and consequential dimension 6 items) and 10 items to measure the quality of work life (the dimension of growth and development of human capabilities 4 items, the dimension of legalism 3 items and the dimension of the quality of the work environment 3 items). After preparing the names of 108 colleagues based on the ratio of the statistical population to the sample size (1.4), the necessary arrangements were made by automation and telephone correspondence, and the consent of the participants was obtained. The questionnaire forms were sent electronically and through WhatsApp.

The results indicate that there are significant relationships between some dimensions of religious attitudes and social responsibility. The correlation coefficients and the significance coefficients show the strength and direction of these relationships. There is a significant and positive relationship between the belief dimension of religious attitudes and social responsibility. The correlation coefficient is 0.186, which means that as the level of belief dimension increases, the level of social responsibility also increases. There is a significant and positive relationship between the experiential dimension of religious attitudes and social responsibility. The correlation coefficient is 0.246, which means that as the level of experiential dimension increases, the level of social responsibility also increases. There is a significant and positive relationship between the opportunity to grow and develop human capabilities and social responsibility. The correlation coefficient is 0.477, which means that as the level of growth opportunity increases, the level of social responsibility also increases.

The research results showed that the religious attitude of Payame Noor universities in North Khorasan had a significant direct effect on their social responsibility. These findings are consistent with the research results of Ghasemi, Badsar and Fathi (2015), Vakilifard and Hosseinpour (2014), Haghighatian, Hashemianfar and Moradi (2011), Su (2019) and Bramer, Williams and Zinkin (2007). According to the research findings, the higher the belief and experiential dimensions of the religious attitude of the staff, the higher their social responsibility, but there was no significant relationship between the consequential dimension of the religious attitude and social responsibility. The consequential dimension was actually a consequence of religiosity (Hasani & Mohammadi, 2018) and perhaps for this reason it did not have a meaningful relationship with social responsibility. Among the components of religious attitudes, the experiential aspect and then the belief aspect could strengthen the generalist and altruistic attitudes of the staff and thus explain the variance of their responsibility. It should be noted that in order to strengthen people’s religiosity, in addition to teaching religious teachings, advertising and holding religious ceremonies and rituals, the proper behavior and performance of managers and people who try to promote religiosity in the organization are very important. The research results also indicated the significant effect of the quality of work life on the social responsibility of the staff of Payame Noor Universities in North Khorasan. All three investigated components of the quality of work life, namely the quality of the work environment, legality and opportunities for growth and development of human capabilities, had a positive effect on the responsibility of staff. These findings are in line with the research results of Omidi and Alavi (2017), Mahdian, Taheri Goodarzi and Khorramimoghadam (2014). Actions such as recognizing the issues and problems of staff, providing a context for career advancement and observing fairness and law in the promotion of people, avoiding discrimination, training and empowering staff and giving enough autonomy to capable people, improving organizational communication and timely encouragement can improve quality. staff’s lives and of course increase their social responsibility. According to the research results, the variable of religious attitude did not have a significant effect on the quality of life. This result is consistent with the findings of Toloui and Sabour Esmaili (2013) and Karami and Hoseinpoor (2013). In this regard, it can be argued that the quality of work life of staff is more related to the quality of the work environment, a set of tasks or organizational functions, and the culture that governs the organization than it is influenced by their religious attitude. At the same time, it was also stated that the religious attitude of staff was able to show a significant effect on their social responsibility as an independent variable. The responsibility of staff at North Payame Noor Khorasan University was significantly affected by the quality of life and especially the quality of the work environment, rather than being affected by religious attitudes.

Universities can implement the desired model of organizational learning if employees establish close, deep, interactive and cooperation with each other and adopt co-creation approaches (Zhang et al., 2011, p. 52). Co-creation supports the processes of change and group formation and enhances organizational learning by stimulating intellectual, collaborative and discursive, creative and innovative activities among employees and achieving a learning organization. In academic and university environments, faculty members with a co-creative approach can share the necessary information through mutual dialogue in a transparent environment, interact with each other, and improve their skills from organizational learning. Such learning is not only dependent on tools and techniques; rather, it is attained with support, insight and collective and meaningful participation (Mastio Chew & Dovey, 2019, p. 296). However, most of the studies related to organizational learning have not considered the factor that strengthens and even creates it, that is, co-creation. Therefore, in the present study, the researcher aimed to analyze the role of co-creation components on organizational learning among the faculty members of Birjand University and examined four sub-objectives. Therefore, the present study aims at:investigating the predictive role of dialogue on organizational learning among faculty members of University of Birjand. examining the predictive role of access on organizational learning among faculty members of University of Birjand. analyzing the predictive role of flexibility on organizational learning among faculty members of University of Birjand. scrutinizing the predictive role of transparency on organizational learning among faculty members of University of Birjand.

The current research is applied and descriptive in terms of purpose and method, and survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the study consisted of all 341 faculty members of University of Birjand. The population included five groups of humanities, basic sciences, engineering, agriculture and art, and each group was considered as a separate stratum by using a proportional stratified sampling method. The percentage of faculty members in each group was calculated about the total faculty members of Birjand University. In the final stage, the questionnaires were distributed among a proportion of faculty members in each group, which was estimated in relation to the total faculty members, and distributed randomly. Considering the size of the statistical population in the study (341 people) and considering that the minimum sample size is 200 in structural equation modeling, 210 questionnaires were distributed among the population and finally, 186 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed. To measure the research variables, two questionnaires were used: a co-creation questionnaire (Taherpour, 2021) with a reliability coefficient of 0.91 and organizational learning questionnaire (Pham & Swireszek, 2006) with a reliability coefficient of 0.94. Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using SPSS software (version 23) and structural equation modeling was used to determine the relationship between co-creation and organizational learning.

First, Pearson’s correlation was used to examine the relationship between co-creation components and organizational learning. The results showed that all variables had a significant correlation with each other at the 0.01 level. The results also showed that co-creation predicted organizational learning. Co-creation had a positive and significant relationship with organizational learning at the 0.0001 level, with a standard coefficient of 0.78 and a t-statistic of 9.08. This means that on average, a one-unit increase or decrease in co-creation would lead to a 0.81-unit increase or decrease in organizational learning, respectively. Also, the fit of the research model was assessed by using the main absolute, parsimonious and comparative indices, which were all in an acceptable range. The normed fit index and the goodness of fit index (GFI) were both 0.94, the comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.94, and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.09, which is close to zero. Therefore, the proposed model had a good fit.

The results indicated that there was a positive and significant relationship between co-creation and organizational learning of faculty members. Co-creation, by facilitating dialogue among faculty members, provided opportunities for sharing ideas and work experiences. Co-creation enabled employees to talk about their work experiences with colleagues, and thus, to share knowledge, information, plans and new ideas. This created a path to enhance and improve the organization and led to the generation of new knowledge and better and more learning in the organization. Co-creation also provided access to scientific information for faculty members, and thus, professors communicated with each other and created a field of knowledge and information sharing, which resulted in organizational learning. Co-creation ensured that faculty members provided information in an authentic, accurate, complete and clear manner to other colleagues, which increased organizational learning. Co-creation, by using the flexibility component, provided the field of constructive communication for faculty members to achieve organizational goals and to cooperate to learn more in their specialized field. In general, it can be concluded that co-creation created and improved organizational learning by providing the necessary conditions and factors such as access, transparency, dialogue and flexibility.

Assessing the capacity to foster economic prosperity is a critical and constructive factor for planning and implementing any government’s long-term strategies within a region or society. Without an accurate evaluation of economic prosperity, governments and economic policymakers may encounter epistemological challenges within their economic communities. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of a region’s economic prosperity is essential for policy planning. Regions and villages serve as the primary levels of management and are the main implementers of government policies. In today’s world, the regional economy plays a significant role in management and development planning. The regional economy comprises various sectors, each possessing different capacities and capabilities. For regional development and national development planning, it is imperative not to make assumptions about investment, production, and employment being constant across all sectors. Optimal allocation of production facilities and resources requires consideration of regional potentials and capabilities in the production of goods and services in all national development plans. This approach can potentially increase the share of economic sectors in national production. Therefore, identifying drivers to create economic prosperity in the 9th region of land use planning is considered an important strategy for implementing economic development growth policies. Given the importance of this subject, this research aims to measure the capacity for creating economic prosperity in the 9th district using a multi-criteria decision-making method. The research seeks to assess which cities have a higher capacity and potential for creating economic prosperity in the 9th region. It also aims to determine the importance coefficient of different economic sectors from experts’ perspectives. The results indicate that agriculture, mining, services, and industry are highly significant in the region for economic prosperity.
The main objective of this study is to identify the drivers of economic prosperity among large cities (region 9 of land use planning) based on a multi-criteria decision-making model. This study is applied in terms of its objectives. The data collection methodology is based on library and documentary data, as well as questionnaires. The output from these questionnaires has been processed using Expert Choice software. The research approach is descriptive-analytical. The data used in this research are obtained from the Statistical Center of Iran. The study’s statistical population encompasses nine regions (South, North, and Razavi) and 52 counties within these regions. The research aims to rank these nine regions and 52 counties using the TOPSIS model and hierarchical analysis. The methodology for implementing this ranking process is detailed in the following sections.
 
The findings from the TOPSIS (AHP) model, based on the insights of twelve experts in the field of economic sciences and planning, indicate that the agriculture index, with a weight of 0.421, is ranked first. This is followed by the mining index with a weight of 0.277 in second place, and the service index with a weight of 0.157 in third place. The industry index, with a weight of 0.145, is positioned last. When excluding the added value of oil and gas, the cities are ranked as follows: Mashhad leads with a score of 0.593, followed by Khaf with a score of 0.463, and Zirkuh with a score of 0.414, placing them in first, second, and third places respectively. Conversely, the cities of Salehabad (score: 0.014), Sheshtamad (score: 0.002), and Kuhsorkh (score: 0.001) are ranked at the bottom.
 
This study aims to rank the potential for economic prosperity in the ninth region of Iran’s land use planning. The ranking is based on a multi-criteria decision-making model, utilizing four sub-economic indices from the country’s national accounts in 2020. These economic sub-indices are categorized into four sectors: agriculture, industry, mining, and services. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model was employed to weight these indices and determine their significance. Through pairwise comparison of the four indices and assigning weights based on expert opinions, it was determined that the agriculture sector received the highest weight of 0.421, followed by mining with a weight of 0.277. The service sector was assigned a lower weight of 0.157, while the industry sector received the lowest weight of 0.145.

Clark (2006) argues that wherever there is a successful development experience, there is also a specific culture that has a unique way of viewing humans, the world, human activity, noble work, and human mission on Earth. Southern Khorasan province is considered one of the least developed provinces in Iran, and there is a variety of opinions and views about the causes of this underdevelopment. While underdevelopment can be attributed to a variety of political, economic, and geographic factors, this research aims to investigate the role of culture in shaping underdevelopment by evaluating and measuring the role of dominant public cultural components in Southern Khorasan province. In essence, this research seeks to identify the key public cultural drivers that either hinder or support the province’s development process. To achieve this goal, the following three key questions will be addressed to some extent based on the information collected during the survey:What are the most important public cultural characteristics of Southern Khorasan that favor and promote development? What are the most important public cultural characteristics of Southern Khorasan that hinder development? To what extent have the province’s cultural capacities been used to promote development in Southern Khorasan?

This applied, descriptive-analytical research used a mixed-methods approach, including literature review, library research, and survey. The target population was experts on culture and development. The Cochran formula was used to estimate the sample size, which was determined to be 30. A simple random sampling method was used to select the sample. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was first validated by a group of experts (n = 8). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was then used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire, which yielded values of 0.78 and 0.89 for the characteristics of general culture in favor of development and as an obstacle to development, respectively. Once the questionnaires were distributed and collected, appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics (group t-test and Friedman test) were used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23 software.

The first and second questions were exploratory in nature and aimed to identify the cultural features and characteristics that support or hinder the development of the public culture. The data were collected from the elites and the survey respondents. The results showed that the top 10 traits and features of a public culture that fosters development were, in order of priority: 1. History of education and training regarding public culture, 2. The spirit of tolerance and acceptance (interaction between Shi’ite and Sunni), 3. Respect for the social order and the rights of others, 4. High sense of responsibility among the people, 5. Collective spirit for the development of the province, 6. Mutual respect and hospitality, 7. Self-governance of the people of the province, 8. The role of professional commitment or conscientiousness, 9. Observance of citizenship rights in the province, and 10. Adherence to customs and traditions.The results of the second question showed that the 10 most important features and characteristics of a public culture that impedes development were, in order of priority: 1. People’s local biases, 2. Tendency to save and reluctance to invest in construction and development projects, 3. People’s preference for non-native managers, 4. Excessive complacency of the people of the province, 5. Conservatism and caution (political caution), 6. Factional and group thinking, 7. Culture of confrontation and excessive compliments in the province, 8. Localism, 9. Law-abiding spirit, and 10. People’s lack of political knowledge and awareness.

The research results and findings show that: 1. The history of education and training in the field of public culture, 2. The spirit of tolerance and acceptance (interaction between Shia and Sunni), 3. Respect for the social order and the rights of others, and 4. High sense of responsibility among the people are some of the most important aspects of public culture in Southern Khorasan province that support and promote development. The greatest treasures of Southern Khorasan province are not only saffron, barberry, and jujube, but also “culture and politeness” of its people. However, along with the favorable factors for development, there are some aspects of public culture in the province that hinder development, one of the most important of which is people’s local prejudices. Local prejudices refer to a situation where people’s view of development is more based on their own interests than on the real needs of different geographical areas (a macro view of the province’s issues), resulting in bargaining and rent-seeking or people’s excessive attachment to a place (a partial and local view) that leads to unequal distribution of facilities, services, and resources in the territory. The second aspect of public culture that acts as a barrier to development in the province is the tendency to save and the reluctance to invest in construction and development projects. The third influential aspect as a barrier to development in the field of public culture is people’s preference for non-native managers in South Khorasan province. Also, the factors of excessive complacency of the people of the province and conservatism and caution (political caution) play a role as the fourth and fifth factors of underdevelopment of the province from the perspective of public culture.

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the shift in naming patterns from religious (Arabic) to national (Iranian) names over the past three decades in Birjand. Various factors, including social, cultural, historical and political influences, as well as individuals’ awareness of the social-cultural function of names, are expected to significantly impact this tendency and influence the attitudes of parents and families. This study aims to explore the factors that have contributed to the preference for Iranian names for children in the last two decades, employing a social linguistics perspective within the specific context of Birjand. The research seeks to address the following research questions:What changes have occurred in the selection of names for girls and boys in families residing in Birjand over the past two decades? Which factors have played a significant role in shaping the attitudes of parents toward choosing Iranian names for their children in Birjand during the last two decades? The hypotheses of the current research are as follows:The selected names are changing, with a tendency towards national (Iranian) names over religious (Arabic) ones, and combined (national-religious) ones. Cultural, social, political and economic factors, as well as the level and type of education, social status, and the religious/non-religious background of the family are influential in changing attitudes. Extensive research has been conducted on the process of selecting names for newborns from the perspective of social linguistics in various countries, including Iran. These studies have provided interesting insights, examining aspects such as semantic meanings, religious and national identity, ethnicity, culture, and history. The present research focuses on the transformation of child naming from religious to national over the past three decades.

This research is a theoretical-documentary study. In the theoretical aspect, extensive studies were conducted in the field of social linguistics by searching scientific databases, digital libraries, and internet content and sources, yielding significant results. For the documentary aspect, data was collected from documents and registration books at the Civil Registration Organization of South Khorasan Province in Birjand city, specifically the names of individuals. The research data, including the names of girls and boys, were collected based on registered documents and records.The collected names were categorized as religious, national, and mixed (national and religious). The statistical population of this research includes all children’s names related to births from the beginning of 1991 to the end of 2020, registered in the Civil Registration Organization of Birjand city. The statistical sample under study includes the total number of names used in this period (including repeated names), which amounts to 171855 names of girls and boys.Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) with the help of SPSS software. Changes in naming in the studied community were addressed based on decades, followed by a comprehensive analysis of these three decades (the last 30 years). The analysis of names was based on three categories: religious names, national names, and mixed names (national-religious) registered in the Civil Registration Organization of Birjand.

The findings of the research include the names of boys and girls from the beginning of 1999 to the end of 2019 in Birjand city. The collected names were divided into three groups: national, religious and mixed (national-religious) names.

Based on the collected data and their analysis, it was concluded that the reason for choosing religious names in the sixties and seventies was the religious beliefs and sentiments in the families, as well as the spiritual-religious atmosphere prevailing in the first years of the Islamic Revolution and the ideals of this system. Parents chose religious names for their children based on the names of religious figures. In Birjand, due to reasons such as the religiosity of the families and the traditional lifestyle, most of the names were traditional-religious names in the first decades of the Islamic Revolution. Among the collected data, the presence of national-patriotic names was remarkably low and not much variety was observed. With the advancement of education level, socio-cultural, economic, political connections, etc., parents’ vision and attitude broadened, which led to a significant change in their attitude toward choosing names for their children. In the last two decades (the eighties and nineties in the Persian calander), especially in the nineties, they preferred national-patriotic names to religious names for their sons and daughters. The transformation, progress and expansion in the field of media and technology that is evident all over the world had a tremendous impact on this matter in Birjand city, which can be dramatically felt. As a result of these developments and extensive transformation and increasing the level of awareness of families in all cultural-social fields, the choice and use of national (Iranian) names increased significantly in the last two decades, especially in the nineties. Religious names showed a significant decline, however.