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Smart technologies have brought changes in the supply chain. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of the Internet of Things on the intelligent management of the supply chain, which evaluates the relationships between variables and their impact and effectiveness with the fuzzy cognitive mapping method. The statistical population is academic experts and active experts in the drug distribution company in Bushehr province. After identifying the components from the background of the research, an interview was conducted. Then the questionnaire was presented to 10 experts and experts and it was analyzed in several stages, and finally, the main factors of the use of Internet of Things in the supply chain were determined in 9 categories of criteria and 41 sub-criteria. The criteria include: intelligent management of inventory and warehousing, intelligent management of operations, intelligent management of information, intelligent management of products, intelligent management of costs, intelligent management of corporate productivity, intelligent management of customers and drug suppliers, intelligent management of sales and marketing, and intelligent management of the environment.The results showed that intelligent information management was obtained as the most important indicator; Because it affects all indicators. intelligent management of customers, intelligent management of sales and marketing, and intelligent management of operations are the second most influential. Therefore, managers of the drug distribution industry should use Internet of Things technology to intelligently manage information in their organization, improve relationships with customers, improve operations and focus on the sales process, and optimize supply chain processes and profitability.

The producer can warehouse the perishable items and reuse them in the production line by creating an appropriate cooperation relationship and sharing information related to demand and stocks in order to provide the field to save money, reduce the environmental population, and use natural resources less. Therefore, it is also necessary to use the concept of the supply chain of perishable items in the supply chain. In this study a new approach will be provided to develop the agility of the supply chain to establish an integrated and agile supply chain to create an informational and operational linking bridge between different sections of the supply chain. Hence, a multi-objective mathematical model will be presented considering the maximization of the level of agility, the minimization of the perishing of goods, minimization of the time of distributing goods by systemizing the retail distribution system and since the agile supply chain model is considered as difficult problems, Epsilon- Constraint method and Benders Exact Solution method will be used to develop this research. Benders method is a decomposition algorithm that creates smaller sections of agility in solving the model by decomposing the mathematical model. First, the model is evaluated, and a problem is designed to assess the performance of the proposed model, and it is solved by using GAMS and CPLEX solver. Then the validity of the provided model is analyzed by the approach of the meta-heuristic algorithm Moka.

The increased knowledge about environment and decline in reservoirs of fossil resources has led the industry to enhance and produce other sustainable fuels by using renewable, which are environmentally acceptable. Biofuel is a kind of fuel derived from biomass resources. Biomass is also the source of fossil fuels that are used today; however, this biomass has been formed over long years. The reduction in fossil fuel resources and the destructive effect of these fuels on the environment have made researchers replace such resources. Therefore, the extant study presented a multi-objective mathematical model for a biofuel sustainable supply chain, by consideration of demand uncertainty. Finally, the research developed the mathematical model considering uncertainty and using Bertsimas and Sim Robustness Approach. According to the proposed model, sustainability objectives were discussed and investigated, including economic, social, and environmental issues. Ultimately, the presented model was confirmed by using the epsilon constrained method (ε constrained method) and the model was validated using the integrated ε constrained-Benders Approach.

Purpose: This study aims to locate the Customer Order Decoupling Point (CODP) based on supply chain typology using Make to Stock (MTS) and Make to Order (MTO) approaches for standard and innovative products in the Bushehr Polymer industry.Design/methodology/approach: Two mathematical models have been proposed that seek to minimize the costs of mass production, customized production, and transportation costs. To solve and simulate the models, MATLAB R2019a software has been used. Then, the indicators and requirements of pulling and pushing production management strategies have been extracted and calculated.Findings: The results indicated that the polymerization stages of the products include six stages: casting, molding, extrusion, bonding, cutting, and forming. Also, findings indicated that the optimal locating of (CODP) for polymer products is in the pushing production area and the cutting and molding stage. The determined optimal location indicated that the producer will have the lowest cost at this location for future production. It was inferred that the (CODP) point is based on the supply chain typology approach in the cutting and mass production area. Considering the nature of the linear model minimization of this research, the total cost index (C) indicated the lowest value in this area.Research limitations/implications: Due to the unique characteristics of the case study, the results of this research cannot be generalized to other industries. The covid-19 pandemic resulted in difficult access to data. The lack of research-related studies was another limitation. It was recommended to examine the position (CODP) in the LARG, sustainable and robust supply chain. Also, it was suggested to perform similar research in other industries and compare the results. Practical implications: Most of the company's products were located in the mass production area or standard products, hence, the company must maintain its profit margin by focusing and relying on this area. On the other hand, it should be noted that in the current economic situation, accepting separate orders outside the normal production conditions, not only does not benefit the company but also leads to the loss of the available resources spent on production lines. The supply chain typology of polymer products outlined that the values of the variables of the studied model in a period of 12 months can be calculated based on the point of separation of the customer order.Originality/value: This study removes additional and ineffective patterns in the literature and enumerates the necessary indicators to determine the point of CODP. The innovation aspect of this study is the typological approach of the polymer supply chain and identifying its six steps for determining the CODP point to manage cost and time.

Objective: Over the past decade, there have always been new paradigms in supply chain design. The green supply chain is a new concept that helps organizations deal with unexpected disruptions and minimize environmental impacts. The main purpose of this study is to present a multi-objective optimization model for a green-resilient supply chain network in cement industries. Dashtestan cement industries have been selected for validation and implementation of the model.Methods: After reviewing the theoretical foundations and experimental background, the network was designed. Then, an appropriate mathematical model was developed and validated by a case study. In this study, scenarios were defined in two modes of production surplus and non-production surplus. Data analysis in each scenario was performed with MATLAB software. The CPLEX solver was also used to solve the model.Results: The results showed that Dashtestan Cement Company's production surplus has no effect on supply chain resilience. Also, it can be concluded that if there is a production surplus, the cost of carbon dioxide emissions is less than the one in the absence of surplus production.Conclusion: The company's production level has little effect on the cost of carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of that in the designed network is mostly due to the carbon emission rate in the production nodes and arcs. Therefore, the reduction of carbon footprint in these parts of the network should be considered.

There have been various approaches to the supply chain such as lean, agile, robustness, sustainability, resilient, and green that each one focuses on supply chain from specific aspect. One of the new approaches to the supply chain is an integration of Lean, Agile, Resilient, and Green (LARG) that benefiting from the advantages of different approaches and avoiding their disadvantages. The present study proposes a model to design and evaluate LARG-based supply chain in Iran automotive industry using the concept of Axiomatic Design (AD) in a Hesitant Fuzzy (HF) environment. The study process consisted of two stages: designing stage and evaluating stage. In the first stage, the Functional Requirements (FR) and chain Design Parameters (DP) identified in the LARG supply chain based on the Delphi technique and literature review. Based on independence axiom, it should be considered that whether the satisfaction of one FR by the related DPs affects the quality of the other FR or not, which is examined based on the design matrix. In the second stage an integration of information axiom, the Best-Worst Method (BWM), and hesitant fuzzy logic was used to evaluate four supply chains in Iran automotive industry. The weight of supply chain criteria, the utility rate of desired supply chain criteria, and the current status for each supply chain criteria identified in this stage. The results indicated that the excellent LARG supply chain was consisted of 13 indicators. The model also revealed that the excellent supply chain was contained less information axiom and complexity.

A formidable challenge facing cement industries in Boushehr Province is the management of supply chain sustainability in a way to promote its overall performance and productivity. The present study aimed to scrutinize the impact of LARG competitive strategies on this supply chain sustainability and prioritize them. Initially, the conceptual model of the study was developed through an extensive literature review and identification of prerequisite LARG competitive strategies including tolerance, purity, agility and greenness alongside economic, social and environmental responsibility dimensions of sustainability. The research population comprised 220 employees and managers at Boushehr cement industries out of whom a sample of 140 was randomly recruited based on Cochran formula. The research data were collected using two questionnaires and were analyzed via Factor Analysis. The findings verified the significant and positive impact of all LARG competitive strategies on supply chain sustainability of the cement industries in Bushehr. The findings accentuate the fact that managers in Boushehr cement industries should take into account appropriate risk management strategies to thrive under competitive conditions.

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of green marketing strategies on competitive advantage cooperative companies in Bushehr city in 2019. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and survey-analytical in terms of research method. It is also considered as a cross-sectional research. Statistical population of this research included 1374 managers, assistants and experts of cooperative companies in Bushehr city. Sample size included 300 people selected by Cochran formula using simple random sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect. The questionnaire consisted of 32 items and was assessed using a five-point Likert scale. To assess the validity of the questionnaire, two types of rational validity and construct validity were considered. Also, the results of combined reliability showed that all components had a combined reliability greater than 0.7. To investigate the conceptual model confirmatory factor analysis and testing of research hypotheses, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) method have been used using SmartPLS2 software. Results showed that green product, green pricing, green suppliers, green advertising, research and development of green, green distribution and green packaging strategies, has positive and significant effect on competitive advantage of cooperative companies in Bushehr city.

The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship among Internet of Things (IoT) application factors in supply chain of home appliances industry using Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM). The statistical population consisted of experts in home appliance business in Bushehr province. These experts were aware of the concept of IoT and supply chain management, out of which 10 were selected. First, after reviewing the literature 38 factors were identified and then using Delphi technique and experts opinion these factors were classified into 9 groups including: product, operational processes, inventory, economics, suppliers, technical support, information, customer, and organization mission. Using Fuzzy Cognitive Map, the results show that all relationship between IoT application factors was positive and information as the most important factor that directly effects on all other factors. The results also show that customer factor was placed in the second ranked. So, home appliance industry managers should increase their competitive ability by better planning and automating processes, optimizing operations, improving customer services, and increasing capital return across the supply chain.

This study aimed to analyze the relationship among Humanized Flexible Manufacturing System (HFMS) enablers in auto-manufacturing Industries using the Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) approach. The theoretical foundation of the study was set and consolidated through a comprehensive literature review and based on views from 10 experts in Iran auto-manufacturing companies. The research population comprised 20 auto-manufacturing industry experts familiar with the HFMS system and 320 employees at car manufacturing companies including Iran Khodro, Pars, and Zagros, Saipa, Kerman, Bahman and Modiran Khodro companies. A sample of 10 from the experts and 174 from the employees were randomly selected using Cochran Formula. The relationship among the HFMS system enablers was investigated by analyzing verbal tags in the form of FCM. The findings revealed that the most important flexible HFMS system enablers comprised employees’ commitment, availability of trained personnel, top management involvement and commitment, effective long-term planning, sound favourable financial condition, reduced maintenance cost, organizational work culture, employees’ satisfaction, provision of incentives and rewards and operational and control techniques. The findings underscore the key role of human factor in the FMS and signify the need for developing a road map in car-manufacturing companies that can be employed to prevent the loss of resources including human resources and updat the company’s objectives and perspectives in the strategic planning process.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is considered as a key factor to achieve goals such as creating competitive advantage, product quality improvement and increasing profitability in the cement industry. The main purpose of this research is to determine competitive positioning for LARG supply chain in the iranian cement industry and to do Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) for its related strategic requirements (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). A survey-descriptive research method was applied and an available sample includes 11 Iranian cement companies were selected. First, with reviewing related literature and using the Delphi Method (DM), the strategic requirements of LARG supply chain in the cement industry identified. In the next step, the importance of each strategic requirement determined using SWARA technique. Then the results of applying Internal/External Factors Evaluation (IFE/EFE) matrix showed that to achieve the suitable position in the LARG supply chain for the Iranian cement industry an aggressive strategy should be taken. In the final step, applying Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix showed all requirements for aggressive strategy except exporting opportunities and cooperation culture in the supply chain that were in quadrant one, evaluated in quadrant II (keep up the good work). Finally, some suggestions presented toward improving LARG supply chain performance in the Iranian cement industry.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is considered a strategic factor for the better attainment of organizational goals such as enhanced competitiveness, improved product quality and increased profitability in cement industry. This research aims at competitive positioning of LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industry and its strategic requirements (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Oportunities and Threats) Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). A survey-descriptive research method was applied and an available sample which includes 11 Iranian cement companies were selected. First, using literature review and Delphi Method (DM), strategic requirements of LARG supply chain in the cement industry were identified. In the next step, the importance of strategic requirements was determined using SWARA method. Then, the results of applying Internal/External Factors Evaluation (IFE/EFE) matrix showed that the suitable position for LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industry would be an aggressive strategy. In the final step, applying Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix showed all requirements for the aggressive strategy, except exporting opportunities and cooperation culture in supply chain, were evaluated in quadrant II (keep up the good work). Finally some suggestions are presented toward improving LARG supply chain performance in Iranian cement industry. Introductıon: Supply Chain Management (SCM) is considered a strategic factor for the better attainment of organizational goals such as enhanced competitiveness, improved product quality and increased profitability. SCM is a value chain management from the supplier of a supplier to the customer of a customer of a company with the aim of attaining an overall value. Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green are now at the forefront in management methods and SCM (Espadinha–Cruz et al., 2011). The trade-offs between these managerial paradigms (LARG) are actual issues and may help supply chains to become more efficient, streamlined and sustainable. The supply chain as a network is expected to provide the right products and services on time with the required specifications at the right place to the customer. The main purpose of this research is a competitive positioning of LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industry and its strategic requirements (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Oportunities and Threats) Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Materıals and Methods: A survey-descriptive research method was applied and an available sample which includes 11 Iranian cement companies were selected. First, using literature review and Delphi Method (DM), strategic requirements of LARG supply chain in the cement industry were identified. In the next step, the importance of strategic requirements was determined using SWARA method. Then we used the Strategic Position and Action Evaluation Matrix (SPACE MATRIX) to select an appropriate strategy for LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industry. In the SPACE matrix, we assessed Iranian cement industries across four dimensions including: Industry Attractiveness (IA), Environmental Stability (ES), Competitive Advantage (CA) and Financial Strength (FS). The SPACE diagram showed favourable positions in all four dimensions. In the final step, an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix was applied. Results And Dıscussıon: The results (as shown in Fig. 1) of applying SPACE matrix revealed that the suitable position for LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industry would be an aggressive strategy as it leverages its strengths into the opportunities. In other words, Strengths-Opportunities (SO) strategies are based on using a firm’s internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities and threats. Fig. 1- SPACE Matrix for positioning of LARG supply chain in Iranian cement industries In order to determine the performance level, mean values of strategic requirements were calculated via 1 to 5 lykert continum questionnaire completed by cement experts. Also, we used SWARA method to determine the importance of strategic requirements. Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix showed all requirements for the aggressive strategy, except exporting opportunities and cooperation culture in supply chain, were evaluated in quadrant II (keep up the good work). Conclusıons:This study proposes a competitive positioning for LARG supply chain in the Iranian cement industry and its strategic requirements importance-performance analysis. In the SPACE matrix we assessed Iranian cement industries across four dimensions including: industry attractiveness, environmental stability, competitive advantage and financial strength. The SPACE diagram showed that Iranian cement industries can pursue an aggressive strategy as it has a strong competitive position in the market with rapid growth. The two big concerns in this competitive positioning are: 1) Avoid complacency – it seems that business is too easy but threats may come from new markets or as technology makes different sectors to converge; and 2) Avoid running foul of anticompetition policies. A business that is too strong may be able to attract the attention of regulators and especially if it uses predatory pricing aimed at driving competitors out of business. Applying Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix clarified that all strenghts and opportunities were important. While there are gaps between performance level and strategic requirements importance, the improvement process will be continued. This study showed that integration of LARG supply chain competitive positioning in the Iranian cement industry and IPA model, can help Iranian decision makers in strategic planning for the SCM performance improvement. Iranian cement industries are also blessed because it has a good competitive advantage in an industry which is considered to be attractive. So, among the strategic choices, develop new local markets strategy has the first priority, followed by the; Increase production capacity, Export markets development and Product diversification. References Azevedo, S. G., Carvalho, H., & Cruz-Machado, V. (2016). LARG index: a benchmarking tool for improving the leanness, agility, resilience and greenness of the automotive supply chain. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 23(6), 1472-1499. Espadinha-Cruz, P., Grilo, A., Puga-Leal, R., & Cruz-Machado, V. (2011). A Model for Evaluating Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green Practices Interoperability in Supply Chains. Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE IEEM (978-1-4577-0739-1/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE). 1209-1231. Jamali, G., Karimi Asl, E., Zolfani, S. H., & Šaparauskas, J. (2017). Analysing LARG supply chain management competitive strategies in Iranian cement industries. Ekonomika a Management, XX(3),70-83.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the supply chain agility of businesses that support the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries with the equipment they require. According to the literature, through questionnaires, the factors affecting the supply chain agility have been identified. The statistical population of the study was 200 experts and managers in businesses that provide equipment for the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries. The confirmatory factors were analyzed using the LISREL software, and a test of goodness of fitness was conducted on the model. The results show that certain factors significantly affect the agility of the supply chains. These factor include top managers’ vision, integration, human resources, flexibility, response speed, cost, innovation and learning, continuous improvement, integration of strategies, recognizing customer's requirements, sensitivity to markets and customers, customers’ satisfaction, information infrastructures, access to information, and technological innovations. Finally, according to the research results, some applicable suggestions are presented for improvement of supply chain agility in businesses that provide equipment for the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries.

The main purpose of this paper was to analyze open innovation dimensions based on IT development in knowledge-based firms using a combination of BSC, FANP and DEMATEL. Beginning with an overview of the related literature, criteria of open innovation were identified for knowledge-based firms, then, with the benefit of 15 experts, we considered 14 of those criteria. All selected criteria classified according to the four perspectives of the balanced scorecard (BSC) aspects framework. In the next step, criteria weights calculated using fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) technique. Finally, a super matrix developed to measure criteria interrelationships using DEMATEL technique. The results showed that customer criterion with a weight of 0.3, was the most important one influencing the open innovation in knowledge-based firms for the development of information technology. Learning criterion with 0.29, internal process criterion with 0.24 and financial criterion with a total weight of 0.17 were the next priorities.

The main purpose of this paper was to measure relationships between factorsaffecting corporate entrepreneurship in Bushehr cooperative companies usingDEMATEL technique. A descriptive survey research was applied. Population includedall 60 experts familiar with the corporate entrepreneurship in Bushehr cooperativecompanies and a 45 experts sample were selected by the use of simple randomsampling. Data gathering tool was a paired questionnaire which has been completedbased on expert's judgments. Excel software was used to analyze the research data. Tenaffectivecriteria on corporate entrepreneurship in Bushehr cooperative companies wereidentified through reviewed literature. These criteria modified using a structured Likertquestionnaire due to the expert opinions. In the next step relationships between factorswere measured and their impacts were identified and calculated applying DEMATELtechnique. Results showed that the most important factors affecting corporateentrepreneurship in Bushehr cooperative companies included: organizational culture,entrepreneurship moral, organization strategy, management support, marketing skill,opportunity orientation, communications system, profitability, risk acceptance andauthority.

Many auditors are now encountering agile management methodologies for the first time. In some cases, this can cause problems for the audit process because the methodology is very different from traditional approaches. Aside from the difficulties faced by the auditor, an ineffective audit can have a negative effect on an agile project by giving a false impression of its progress. Much has been written on agility issues in organizations of various sizes. However, there have been very few studies that attempt to delineate critical issues that drive importance-performance analyzing (IPA) among an organization. This paper aims to propose an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) on Factors Affecting Agility of Iranian Auditing Organizations.

Supply chain management as a vital challenge to the Cement industry and developing infrastructure as a whole has been posed by scholars. This research is an attempt to investigate LARG supply chain management as a comprehensive approach to consider simultaneously four basic relevant strategies namely Lean, Agile, Resilience and Green. Using a survey methodology and gathering data from twenty one experts in cement industry, every strategy has been weighted by SWARA and VIKOR techniques. Then results were compared utilizing COPRAS- techniques. Finally, the average score was led to conclusion that in the cement industry the most important strategy are resilience, green, agile and lean respectively. At the end a set of useful guidelines were developed and recommended to the managers.

University course timetabling is a complex optimizationproblem. There are many components like departments, faculties, rooms,and students making the problem huge and difficult to solve. Eachcomponent enforces a set of normally conflicting constraints on thesolution space. The problem will be solved if courses are scheduled indifferent rooms and within some specific time slots such that a set ofconstraints are satisfied. In this paper, a graph-based hyper-heuristic isproposed to find a solution to the problem. This is a two tiers modelingapproach combining hyper heuristic with graph coloring technique. Theupper tier heuristic is used to select a suitable heuristic to find a feasiblesolution on the lower tier. To find the suitability of the proposedapproach, it has been applied to a real world case. The proposed approachwas able to satisfy all the hard and soft constraints. Based on the researchfindings, it can be concluded that a graph-based hyper heuristic approachis a suitable and computationally efficient method to find a solution touniversity course timetabling problem.

Ignoring the delicacy of risk management in IT projects, not only is a cause that goals are not achieved, but may lead to project failure. Meanwhile identifying the most important factors affecting risks of IT projects and assessing their relationships play an essential role in management decisions. The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the relations between factors affecting risk of Mellat Bank IT Projects in Bushehr province using fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory )DEMATEL( techniques. For the same reason we studied the most available literature on the issue and identified 23 major factors and found the importance of each one from the viewpoint of experts. By this, 8 factors which are most influential were identified and then the second questionnaire was developed for applying fuzzy DEMATEL method and was issued to a group of 15 chosen experts to find the causal relation among these eight factors and to find the most important factors affect on implementing Mellat Bank IT Projects in Bushehr province. The results show that unskillful employees and lack of knowledge in human resources, resource monopoly, lack of reliability in data storage, and absence of a control system in implementing an IT project are the most factors affecting risk of Mellat Bank IT Projects in Bushehr province.