IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
Year:2011 | Volume:5 | Issue:20|Papers Count:12

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between work-family conflict and its antecedent variables. The research's dependent variables included work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). Independent variables were categorized into three groups including work-related (hours spent at work, role conflict, role ambiguity, perceived supervisor support, and working shifts), family-related (hours spent with family, marital status, spousal employment, number of children, and age of youngest child), and demographic (gender, age, tenure, and education) variables. The survey questionnaire, consisting of 38 questions, was administered to 333 operating room technicians of 10 Iranian hospitals to examine the correlations between these variables and also to investigate how much of the variance in work-family conflict can be explained by these variables. The results of correlation and regression analyses reveal that among work-related variables role conflict is positively associated with WIF. Supervisor support and working shift are also weekly related to WIF. None of the family-related variables were correlated with FIW. Among the demographic variables only gender was correlated with FIW but in the opposite direction from what was hypothesized, so that men experienced more FIW than women. The empirical evidence of the work-family conflict phenomenon in a different cultural setting might be of interest to researchers and practitioners.

This study aims to explore the relationship between managers' emotional intelligence and their subordinates' conflict resolution style in SMEs. A group of 42 managers among 230 employees from 8 small and mid-size enterprises in Iran completed the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire measured employees' conflict resolution style using OCCI scale and mangers' emotional intelligence using ESCI and TMMS scales. Exploratory factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multivariate regressions were used to analyze the data at individual and group level. Findings show that though hypothesized, employees' problem solving and aggression styles at group level and their nonconfrontation and convenience styles at individual level had no significant relationship with managers' emotional intelligence dimensions. Based on findings of this research, managers' emotional intelligence plays no significant role in conflict management style of their subordinates. Though not hypothesized we found a significant relationship between convenience style and tenure. Therefore, other factors like personal characteristics, conflict situation, and other characteristics of managers should be addressed in future research.

With rapid growth of information technology and existing competitive market in banking affairs in Iran, banks are concerned about customers adopting electronic banking. Internet banking (IB) is an applied conception of internet banking services. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of dimensions of the perceived risk of customers based on their intentions on adoption of IB. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results show that the time, performance, security, financial and privacy risks reduce customers' intentions to adopt IB. The social risk also has a small negative effect on IB adoption. Practical implications are discussed for banks which seek to reduce the aforementioned risks in adoption of IB by customers.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of brand credibility on customer loyalty. First, this study explores the effects of brand perception, including loyalty commitment, continuance commitment and satisfaction on customers' behavioral intentions (word of mouth recommendations and switching propensity) and second, it examines the effects of brand credibility on loyalty commitment. A sample of 768 employees from two large banks in Iran, Mellat Bank and Parsian Bank, participated in the study. Findings show that brand credibility plays a key role in improving customers' behavioral intentions. In other words, satisfied customers advertise for the bank through the word of mouth recommendations and this in turn decreases their own switching propensity. It is also found that increase in continuance commitment reduces switching propensity. Hence, managers should pay attention to brand credibility, consider the importance of brand role in customer relationship management, and design appropriate strategies and programs in order to develop more loyal customers.

The concept of perceived organizational support (POS) has received considerable attention in the literature. However, little attention has been paid to this construct within safety field of study. This study is designed to fill the void in our knowledge about the relationship between perceived organizational support and safety. This study is based on three premises: (1) Perceived organizational support for safety (POSS) is associated with safety-related events, (2) providing safety training increases workers’ perception of organizational support. A sample of employees working in a large manufacturing firm, Isfahan Steel Company, completed the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire included perceived organizational support for safety and safety-related events measures. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and correlation analyses. Results provided support for the research hypotheses. Findings suggest that improving employees’ perception of organizational support decreases safety-related events which in turn can reduce the frequency of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the organizations.

This article describes the degree to which Iran food industries use branding strategies. The main purpose of this study is to explore why food industries in Iran do not take advantage of branding techniques to promote sales and productivity. A group of customers of four food industries namely, Mahram, Tak Macaron, Pegah, and Shirin Asal were selected as the research sample. Data analysis shows that the top common factors that all these companies pay attention are price, commitment, and advertisement. The other factors such as leadership, product value, product identity, product value, product evaluation, competitive advantage and the name of the brand were less attended. Findings suggest that managers of these companies should choose a contingency strategy to find out which factors require more attention in order to use the indigenous branding model designed by Aaker to match their company in order to achieve organizational goals. Hence, practitioners and managers of food industries may benefit from findings presented here.