A RESEARCH QUARTERLY IN MILITARY MANAGEMENT
Year:2013 | Volume:12 | Issue:48|Papers Count:6

Knowledge and Technology are now identified as the most fundamental indices of development as knowledge acquisition is the main means to gain real independence, which seems possible in the light of research. As a theoretical endeavor, research has dominated its umbrella of significance over the activities of military organizations. It seems, however, no comprehensive assessment has been conducted on the trend of non-industrial research in the army. In a bid to apply BSC and survey strategy map as to the non-industrial research in the army suffering from relative inefficiencies and irregularities, this study was conducted based on the Iranian Prospective Development Document and Law of the Army. As an applied-developmental research in kind and a case study in methodology, this study employed a sample of 385 out of 900 member population. To this end, for each perspective raised in the strategy map, a number of strategic objectives and consequently appropriate scales of measurement were designed. The findings revealed that majority of the objectives suffer from undesirable status (i.e. yellow or red), and the performance assessment as well as the cause-effect relationship showed that the organizational inefficiency originates from an ill definition of the cause-effect relationship on one hand and inefficiency in the strategic objectives of prime importance from the financial views and the stakeholders on the other.

Main areas of elaborating the perspectives of western military experts on the future wars and their characteristics revolve around the issues such as knowing enemy, futurology and predicting the defense requirements which have to be done in the course of contact with colony-seeking enemies.As a qualitative research based on content and corpus analysis, the study tried to characterize the future wars from the western military experts' perspectives extracted from the USA military manual and their statements. The analysis revealed that the future wars will be mainly virtual, mobile, software-based and intellectual. More specifically, such wars are characterized as quick and decisive operations, allied and combined, effective, power synchronization, non-linear, employment of special forces, comprehensive analysis of intelligence, simultaneous clash at three areas, preventive operations, sustainment under any circumstances, extended battlefield, focus on psychic operations, attack on the focal points, level offense, precise air and missile attack, time management, reduction of war costs, managing nations tolerance threshold and changes in the type of maneuver. Majority of the western military experts try to present themselves as the dominant power through presenting their military might, capacities, technology, and scientific, industrial and military authority. But it is a misconception since it is the power of motivation, spirit of seeking martyrdom and wills of the nations in support of their governments, which decide the equation of hostility and war.

Given the strategic position of Iran in the Middle East and continuation of external threats taking various protective measures as to the population focal points (urban areas) is of crucial importance. To this end, inactive defense can be counted as a counter susceptibility measure. One of the main prerequisites of such a measure is sound site selection in urban populated focal points and critical areas which can prevent casualties and financial damage in case of threat specially that of military type. These preventive measures depend largely on geomorphologic parameters. Geomorphologically, the southern Zagross and north of Hormoz Strait are characterized by intensive layers and many breakages and faults that such natural characteristics facilitate the establishment of suitable inactive defensive sites in order to establish population areas. While explaining the relationship between the geomorphologic and inactive defense parameters, this study attempted to identify appropriate sites for population deployment and investigate the existing urban areas in terms of geomorphologic criteria of the target areas. Topographic, geological maps along with the satellite pictures from the region were used as instruments. Furthermore, a number of experts answered a questionnaire and attended an interview on the variable of inactive defense oriented site selection. The study resulted in appropriate site selection through AHP hierarchical mechanism. Meanwhile an Arc GIS based map was developed as to the population deployment focal points. So, the findings support the fact that the area of study enjoys sound geomorphologic capacities (slope, height, slope direction, lithology and faults) for inactive defense. This is not only suitable for population deployment, but also it enjoys a better condition from the coastline towards the depth of the northern area. Meanwhile, the present site selection for majority of the cities does not match the inactive defense standards.

In a bid to model creativity and innovation based on the statements of Imam Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, for the military universities of the Iranian Army, this study was conducted. AS an exploratory applied research, this study was done based on the corpus analysis of the Supreme Leader’s statements and questioning some academicians, expert in creativity and innovation. Both the corpus and the participating experts were selected based on purposeful random sampling. Data collected through a corpus analysis and a questionnaire revealed that a model accommodating three parameters, including value parameter (Islamic attitude, orientation and intention), individual parameter (individual competency, personality and motivation), and organizational parameter (organizational objectives, strategies, structure, culture, technology, management of human resources and educational system) fits better for such universities.

Site selection is a fundamental and strategic decision which significantly affects various aspects of organizational behavior in both the short-term and long-term and its consequences are either irreversible or costly. On the other hand, sound site selection plays a crucial role in organization’s accomplishments, creation and sustainment of competitive advantage and meeting the objectives and strategies. There are various factors, both qualitative and quantitative parameters, in the process of site selection which require group-work and collective wisdom. Systematic involvement of collective wisdom and purposeful consideration of these parameters in the process of respective decision-making require efficient and comprehensive models. This study characterizes the process of decision-making in site selection for a military industry infrastructure for which the pertinent parameters are identified and gradually involved in the process of group work decision making. This process exercises an exploratory approach where by the decision makers are led from extensive options to certain better suggestions. It also secures that in this process legal, inactive defense, cost, human and performance considerations of the industry will be taken into account step by step, based on collective wisdom and corresponds with their relative significance in site selection process. Therefore, a comparative survey of two sites including the present site (weapon industry) and the two other suggested sites (Mechanic and Imam Ali sites) was done, relative weight of each criteria was estimated, then final balanced advantages of each criteria was estimated where by the two sites were scored equally. In other words, each choice is characterized by both merits and demerits but enjoy equal desirability.

Review of the literature shows that major parts of learning happen informally but actually a lot of investments are made for the purpose of formal learning. As an applied in purpose and descriptive-field study in method, this study was an attempt to investigate these two issues comparatively. For this purpose, 195 students sampled based on simple-random method from among the students population of Imam Ali University answered Shelli and Song (2008) Questionnaire customized a bit to meet the purpose. The data analyzed through Friedman's rank test and Wilcoxon's matched-pair test revealed that informal learning correlates more than the formal one does with students learning process. Meanwhile, socio-human source of interaction has the highest effects on students' learning.