فصلنامه بهبود مدیریت
پیاپی 62 (زمستان 1402)

The apparel industry is among the income-generating and entrepreneurial ones in the global and national arena. The purpose of this paper is to explain the challenges facing Iran in the production and distribution of clothing and to provide policy packages to solve them. In this research, data were collected through the literature review and semi-directed in-depth interviews and investigated using qualitative content analysis. 191 propositions were classified into 31 sub-categories and rendered to form 6 main categories. The main categories are "resource-based view", "government advocation", "technology and machinery", "effective supply chain", "branding" and "design and fashion". Then, to finalize and validate the challenges and policy packages, focus groups were formed. Among the important challenges are insufficient government intervention and support to play a regulatory role, inefficient supply chain and infrastructure, and weakness in fashion design and presentation. The proposed policy packages can be mentioned as fighting against smuggling, developing a platform for the integration of the apparel chain, creating a comprehensive brand in the field of designing and direct supply of clothing, developing financing tools (capital market, bonds), developing the export of knowledge-based products and services, development of the scale and market of knowledge-based products and services, the application of augmented reality technology in online sales, the creation and development of accelerators and specialized innovation centers, the first production of cost-effective and economical machines and parts, the creation of clothing production industrial centers, and elimination of tax discrimination throughout the apparel.

Production strategies provide organizations with a set of tools to take appropriate steps in path of presence in domestic and foreign markets by using a combination of them. Meanwhile, heavy vehicle industry, as one of the productive and entrepreneurial industries of country, can improve its export performance in Middle East region by choosing appropriate competitive priorities. This research seeks to help in this direction by explaining a suitable model for export of Iranian heavy vehicles. Statistical population of this research includes heavy vehicle manufacturing companies in Iran. Also, due to limited number of members of statistical population of research, census method was used and all members were investigated. In this research, after extracting initial conceptual framework from research literature, using a questionnaire approved by experts, conceptual model was tested using structural equation and using Smart-PLS software. For this purpose, validation of measurement model and the structural model was carried out, and localized structural relations model of export of Iranian heavy vehicles was developed. The findings of this research, in addition to showing that manufacturers of heavy vehicles in our country, should pay attention to competitive priorities of flexibility and deliverability in order to improve their export performance; it suggested measures and implementation plans related to improving performance of each of priorities. Also, this research determined that current export performance of Iran's heavy vehicles is not in a good condition and according to some indicators, it has a weak condition and according to some other indicators, it has an average condition.

Due to the existence of multiple complexities, space industries use different models for innovation than manufacturing industries with small projects. Non use the open innovation model suitable and compatible with the complexities in the country's space industry leads to the reduction of effective innovation. In this research, an attempt has been made to present the typology of the open innovation models of the world's space industries by using the meta- synthesis methodology and the review of reliable international sources. Accurately understanding the type of open innovation needed by the country's space industry is a fundamental step in planning the move towards a developed space country. Finally, in this article, 68 optional codes, 25 categories and 5 key themes and 3 species extracted in the research are presented. Open innovation based on crowdsourcing, open innovation based on joint collaborations, and open innovation based on outsourcing are the types identified in this research. In this research, it was found that open innovation in leading space organizations is more based on the use of crowdsourcing to solve problems rather than solely on the basis of outsourcing. Emerging space organizations are also more likely to take advantage of joint corporation with industry and university rather than contracting independently with industry or university.

The oil and gas industry in Iran's economy is plagued by chronic challenges and problems. It seems that the root solutions in facing these challenges are fundamental shifts and systems innovations, and not superficial and temporary fixes. However, most research on this industry lacks a transformative approach that will not result in anything other than consolidating and reinforcing the existing situation. In this research, the emerging field of transition studies, specifically the multi-level approach, has been adopted to investigate fundamental transformations in the oil and gas industry of Iran. Therefore, a case study is used as the research strategy, and data from the related articles and documents as well as the findings from the nineteen semi-structured interviews with experts in Iran's oil and gas industry are selected as the data sources. Accordingly, by examining the challenges and opportunities facing the oil and gas industry at different levels, this research seeks to explore the transition pathways of this industry in the horizon of 1450 (2072 in Georgian Calendar) with regard to the general policies on the economy of resistance. By analyzing the transition pathways drawing on the multi-level approach, it was found that the transformation and reconfiguration pathways are more likely to occur in the Iranian oil and gas industry. In this regard, the paper concludes with some related policies and actions under these two paths.

Supporting innovation in firms is one of the critical policy issues in technology and innovation policy. In this regard, "innovation agencies" - generally public institutions - are founded in different countries to design and implement technology and innovation policy tools. Hence, the purpose of this research is to present a framework and investigate the functions of the Iran Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-based Economy (VPST) as the national innovation agency. The temporal boundary of our paper includes 2016 to 2022 and the spatial boundary is the activities and actions of VPST. We collected data through 21 semi-structured interviews, documents, and policy reports, then we analyzed data by content analysis. Based on our findings, the 8 main functions of innovation agencies, as well as VPST include supporting research and technology development; supporting networking and infrastructure formation and maturity of innovation ecosystem; supporting commercialization and shaping market for technology and innovation; empowering technological, knowledge-based firms and startups; strengthening technology and innovation diplomacy and international circulation of experts; supporting exports and strengthening export capabilities; financing technology and innovation; and lastly technology and innovation policy intelligence. Considering the institutional gaps and context of Iran, VPST has played a more significant role in functions such as regulation and financing, including IPO, compared to other international innovation agencies. While in some functions, such as technological cooperation and foreign investment, VPST is less engaged compared to its international counterparts. The results of this research contain recommendations for policymakers as well as future research.

The purpose of this study is to design a model for the development of technological innovations in the automotive industry in Iran. Case study: Ecosystem of clusters of research and development of commercial vehicles of Iran Khodro Industrial Group. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the qualitative section. The interviewees were experts from Iran Khodro Diesel Company and were purposefully selected. Data analysis was performed using the Grounded theory method and with the approach of Strauss and Corbin. In this process, 131 codes, 78 concepts and 34 categories were identified, which were created in the form of 5 axes. In the quantitative validation part of the model, the structural equation modeling method was used. First, questionnaires were developed and their validity and reliability were examined. Then, they were distributed among the statistical sample. The statistical sample was 80 managers and experts in Iran Khodro Diesel. Based on the data analysis of the questionnaire, due to the abnormality of the data distribution, the research model was tested and approved by the partial least squares method using Smart PLS software version 2. Based on these analyzes, the effect of causal conditions on the main phenomenon is equal to 0.534, the effect of the main phenomenon on the strategy is equal to 0.628, the effect of intervening conditions on the strategy is equal to 0.473, the effect of intervening conditions on the strategy is equal to 0.752 And the effect of strategy on outcome is 0.641.