Year:2011 | Volume:5 | Issue:14|Papers Count:9

Continuous performance improvement in a dynamic supply chain has become an important issue for suppliers, producers, and retailers who want to be able to compete and look for a sustainable competitiveness environment. The existing literature on supply chain puts more emphasis on quantitative factors than on other factors. This focus on quantitative has cuased and ignorance of the qualitative factors which generally affect the creation and invigoration of competitive advantages. In this study it has been attempted to examine the qualitative factors which affect the supply chain management (e.g. plant location, supply chain uncertainty, and manufacturing practices) via Bhatnagar and S. Sohal performance evaluation models, and to introduce some solutions to improve the performance. Data has been collected through Questionnaires and the research hypotheses have been examined by regression statistical method. Results show that the factors affecting petrochemical industry supply chain performance are plant location, supply chain uncertainty, and manufacturing practices.

Balanced Score Card model is a comprehensive system for evaluating the performance of different phenomena and entities. Application of Balanced Score Card model requires identification and development of the key indices for performance evaluation. Seeking to identify the key indices for performance evaluation, in the present study, it has been attempted to fuse Balanced Score Card model with Yger’s Fuzzy Screening. We have used this eclectic model to develop the Balanced Score Card model for evaluating brand equity of Iran Khodro. According to the results, from the viewpoint of environment 3 indices, from the viewpoint of finance 5 indices, from the viewpoint of growth and learning 7 indices, from the viewpoint of internal business processes 7 indices, and from the customer’s viewpoint 12 indices are among the key indices of Balanced Score Card model for evaluating the brand equity of Iran Khodro. The merit of this eclectic model is that experts can present, in linguistic terms, their priorities concerning the hierarchical importance of the key indices for the evaluation process. They can also agree on the indices according to their degree of importance.

This paper proposes a new method for precise calculation of the progress of projects with the aim of increasing accuracy and flexibility of project control. The merit of this method is that it is not only accepted by all the project components, but also it ensures the integrity of the project and its uniform scheduling. To achieve this purpose, project activities are weighted by group analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique of order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)-which are two types of the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM)-and after being normalized they are used to achieve upper levels of reality, flexibility and accuracy in the field of progress measurement. Finally, for proving the validity of the method and its advantage over other methods, it is practically applied to a case study. The results are graphically illustrated by S-curve and statistically shown by analysis of variance.

Nowadays, the role of customer satisfaction in maintaining and developing market share is a key point in any organization success. Therefore, this research through applying SERVQUAL approach, attempts to identify strength and weak points of after-sales service of Iran Khodro. For this reason, a measure is first developed to measure Iran Khodro’s after sales service through SERVQUAL approach. The research data was gathered by distributing 230 questionnaires among those who have SAMAND auto in Yazd province. Through an exploratory factor analysis, nine factors such as: reliability, faire, trust and justice, honesty, access, to inform, competence and morals, possibilities, and adornment were identified. Also, the validity of the research conceptual model was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Then, it was attempted through drawing a map for quality elements, the critical success and failure factor of Iran Khodro’s after-sales service is identified. The results indicate the critical success factors are as follows: validity, access, reliability, faire (comfortable delivery process) and adornment (personnel). The critical failure factors are as follows: possibilities, honesty, trust and justice, adornment (a place for customer relaxing), faire (respect to customer time) and to inform (giving enough information on selling/delivering time).

In this paper the significant importance of cost estimation process in successful accomplishment of projects and its overlap with other areas and processes of project management will be studied and examined. In this regard, the success and effectiveness of Iranian Central Oil Field Company (ICOFC), as one of the largest oil and gas industries of Iran, in implementing cost estimation process is examined via Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM). Analysis of gathered data from ICOFC and comparative study of the derived results with PMMM standards demonstrate that the studied organization is at level four of maturity in cost estimation process. In addition, respective practices and solutions for improving maturity level of cost estimation process and increasing project success as well as an interactive framework of cost estimation in project management environment is provided for further studies.

Up to now, a lot studies have been done about the relationship between TQM and the different organizational performances, but it has been done a little studies concerning the relationship between TQM and R&D. Therefore, this research is going to study the impacts of TQM on R&D performance with regard to quality and innovation. In other words, this research includes identifying the way of applying the principles of TQM in R&D division as well as studying the impacts of TQM on R&D performance. Concerning TQM, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (six criteria) and concerning R&D, two criteria (quality and innovation) have been used. The needed data has been gathered from 128 manufacturing companies in Markazi Province. Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques has been used to analyze the gathered data. The research results show the studied companies have effectively used the principles of TQM in their R&D division. Finally, it can be said that TQM has applying ability in all divisions of an organization.

The problem of stock selection has always occupied the mind of specialists and stockholders. One of the main features of capital market is uncertainty. All investors seek to observe the essential criteria in investment decision in order to make the best possible choice. The judgments of decision makers include their knowledge expressed by linguistic terms. In this article, a fuzzy multi attribute decision making model has been designed for ranking stocks in Tehran exchange market. The model is a combination of fuzzy TOPSIS method and fuzzy base method. We have studied 21 companies in Tehran stock exchange. Accordingly, Khark Petrochemical Co. and Abadan Petrochemical Co. stood first in the ranking.

A brand is a mechanism for achieving competitive advantages for a firm. Brand equity, which has become an important marketing concept since 1980s, is the added value endowed by the brand name .Consumer-based brand equity is a multidimensional construct consisting of various attitudinal and/or behavioral components. Considering Aaker’s model (1991), this study begins with a study of the effect of brand loyalty on brand equity. Since loyalty is affected by the three factors of awareness, associations and perceived quality, the next section examines the effect of these three factors on brand loyalty and on brand equity. For data analysis and examination of the theory, SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) has been used. The results showed that  brand loyalty, brand awareness, associations, and perceived quality have significant direct effects on brand equity, and that perceived quality has a significant direct effect on brand loyalty.

Today, organizations seek to identify and apply effective methods and models for generating loyalty. They seek to satisfy the customers beyond their own expectation and to achieve loyalty through long-standing and profitable contact. In this study of customer loyalty model in insurance industry, the relation between the quality of tangible and intangible services and customers’ attitudinal and behavioral loyalty has been studied. The survey population is customers of Karafarin Insurance Company in Mashhad, Iran. 188 holders of the three classes of property, liability, and personal insurance were randomly chosen. Data were analyzed via path analysis method, using Smart-PLS software. Results show that the proposed model fits the data. Moreover, not only the relation between service quality and customers’ satisfaction but also the inevitable role of customers’ satisfaction in generating attitudinal and behavioral loyalty has been demonstrated.