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Technological catch-up is an important and key component of the development process of countries that are behind the leading countries in the world in terms of technology and economy. Subsequent countries can enter the global competitive environment from the opportunities created by the emergence of new technologies. The purpose of this study is to identify the key factors affecting the catch-up process in the Iranian banking software industry and to investigate their effectiveness and prioritization. The research method used is a mixed method that in the qualitative part of the content analysis and in the quantitative part of the confirmatory factor analysis has been used. In this regard, the main influential factors were identified using the thematic analysis method and semi-structured interviews, and 55 themes were identified which were classified in the theme network. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the effectiveness of all identified factors was confirmed. Among the effective factors at the enterprise level, appropriate security platforms, among the effective factors at the industry level, increase interaction and communication with users and regular customers, and among the effective factors at the national level, the interaction and communication factor for producing, disseminating and using knowledge. New ones have the highest impact.

Though being 30 years old, coopetition, is still earning popularity and represents a fresh, beneficial, but paradoxical approach to inter-organizational relations. The increasing interest is gradually filling the pool of coopetition knowledge with new and interesting qualitative findings and quantitative results. Nonetheless, if we search in this pool of empirical evidence, we will not find many theoretical works, especially those devoted to definitions, conceptualization, typology, or recognition of the foundations of coopetition phenomenon. Our reviewing paper taps into these cognitive gaps using the interpretative and descriptive revision of the theoretical underpinnings of coopetition concept. Our literature review reveals 10 main reference theories with the dominant relevance of three ones, namely game theory, resource-based view, and network approach. Identification of the theoretical lenses allowed us to develop two categorizations of theoretical rooting of coopetition. One is based on the approach to reasoning the adoption of coopetition strategy (i.e., economic, organizational, and inter-organizational) and the second considering the function of coopetition theory development (i.e., preparing, encouraging, and managing). Finally, by integrating these categorizations, reinforced by the process view to coopetition phenomenon, this paper offers a comprehensive configuration of theoretical lenses pointing at three sets of theories—construction, development, and maintenance theories—useful when improving coopetition across its life cycle.

This view can be used as a strategic competitive advantage in order to improve the service mechanism both at the level of governance and at the level of public and private organizations. One of the most important types of services is "cultural services", in which the multiplicity of actors in the field of system, administration, services, culture, and their lack of proper organization, have led to parallelism and reduced productivity. Despite the great importance of cultural services, there is no appropriate and scientific structure and framework for organizing actors in this field. The purpose of this study is to investigate the structure and knowledge of the existing framework of the system of administrating cultural services and design an improved model of management of cultural services. The data collection method in this study is survey and interview tools. The method of data analysis is theme analysis, which was used to identify 13 main problems of the cultural services management system in the current situation. Another method used to analyze the data due to the dynamic complexity of the problem and its behavioral complexity is the soft systems methodology and fuzzy mapping, which were used to establish relationships between solutions and the final model of the administrative system of services and culture in the service chain management system.

Objective: Bank-fintech collaboration scenario has become one of the new topics in the study of innovation and financial technology businesses. Yet, there has been no research into Iranian Banks collaboration scenarios as traditional financial institutions in the face of the rapid growth of fintechs that is the purpose of this research. Methods: To develop scenarios, mixed-method research is employed. In this regard, drivers, wildcards, and weak signals of Iranian bank-fintech collaboration were listed by thematic analysis of 15 interviews of fintech ecosystem experts. Then with 33 scholars and practitioners’ participation, factors affecting collaboration were listed, successively confirmed with a one-sample t-test, and prioritized with fuzzy Topsis. Furthermore, future scenarios were developed based on Global Business Network, by distributing the questionnaire among 144 senior bank managers from 16 Iranian banks. Results: Legal development of fintech types and establishment of e-KYC are recognized as two key uncertainties, and subsequently the four scenarios were described: identity scenario, sine scenario, floor and ceiling scenario, and logarithm scenario. Then, private plugin services and Public API Banking Providers were proposed as robust banks’ strategies in collaboration with fintechs. Conclusion: To adopt a suitable scenario and realize the robust strategies, strategic themes were identified and categorized into three areas: national governance, partnership network, and technology management. Eventually, with the expert interview, the results were confirmed.

The aviation industry is considered as a critical strategic industry in complex product systems for the national economy and security. The main purpose of this paper is the institutional analysis of the actors’ roles in the implementation process of two national technology megaprojects in Iran aviation industry. By examining the backgrounds and experiences of late comer countries in megaprojects of designing and developing products, a framework of actors and their measures in each stage of these megaprojects has been presented. The present study strategy is dual case study, its orientation is applied, its purpose is descriptive and its approach is qualitative. The primary data gathering tool is interviews with 14 experienced experts who were involved in two studied megaprojects in the field of aviation which was conducted in the second half of 2019. In order to collect secondary data, the whole available documents and evidence regarding to Iran aviation industry, and especially the two studied megaprojects have been used. The method of data analysis is through content analysis and axial coding. According to the findings of this study, national technology megaprojects are complex and multi-stage processes. Therefore, their implementations require cooperation and coordination among an extensive network of different institutions such as public and private sectors, universities and research centers. The results of this research could be used by policy makers and responsible institutions for better planning and effective management of national megaprojects in the field of aviation.

This study aims to tackle the distribution network of small and medium industries in the sohan industry to investigate the status of the sohan system distribution network, find the existing pathologies in the industry and provide solutions to improve the distribution network. In this research, by reviewing the theoretical bases of the distribution network and using the experts ' experiments, we identified the criteria of distribution network pathology. The statistical population of the study includes manufacturers, experts and activists of Sohan Industry Distribution Network in Qom, the total of the people who interviewed them was 9 people and complete a questionnaire of 17. Using the FARE method, we measured the criteria. In order to identify the damages in the industry, the importance-performance matrix was used. Findings from the research show that in the matrix analysis - the importance of performance among 25 indicators for the distribution of the sohan industry, six indicators of filing quality in the distribution network, the ability to deliver sohan in low volumes, flexibility in transport and inventory cost were considered in the first quarter of the importance - performance matrix which was considered as the damage in the sohan industry. Also by analyzing the data from the interview, using theme analysis method, some solutions have been proposed to improve the damage identified in the sohan distribution network.

Background and Objectives: The drug distribution network is one of the most important pillars of the Iranian pharmaceutical system which plays a vital role in rapid and easy access to drugs. The purpose of this article is to evaluate drug distribution system in Iran and also to provide the suggestions for improvement. Material and Methods: In terms of purpose, the present study is among the applied researches and in terms of data collection method, it is a multi-method study that has used a quantitative and qualitative approach. Data collection tools were structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews and also data evaluation was performed by thematic analysis. The study population includes pharmaceutical industry activists. To select the sample among industry players, snowball sampling method was used. Initially, existing drug distribution system was documented, current potentialities and flows in the network were identified and they were drawn by Bizagi Modeler. Then, distribution network evaluation indicators were extracted from relevant literature. Also, status of these indicators was evaluated by using a questionnaire. By using factor relationship technique (FARE), the priorities of these indicators were determined. Finally, existing bottlenecks were diagnosed by thematic analysis. Ultimately, guidelines to tackle such bottlenecks were provided. Results: In this study, 11 complications were identified for the drug distribution network. Drug unavailability or shortage, supply of near-expiration drugs, supply of counterfeit drugs, improper sale of over-the-counter drugs, black market activity and drug trafficking, sharp price fluctuations, insufficient interaction with consumption pharmacist, high distribution costs, low distribution network performance in emergency deliveries, long time to search and find drugs (in case of certain drugs) and low quality of response and consumer complaints seem to be some of the complications identified in this study. Conclusion: Investments on measuring patients' needs correctly, supporting drug retailing competitive brands development, improving drug distribution system information comprehensive system throughout the country within needs measurement loops, network inventory, production and importation, improving the utilization of modern tools and technologies such as internet–based sales, seller-free shops, establishing electronic files for patients and similar ones, utilizing direct sale methods and fostering the roles of potentialities such as insurance in planning, decision making and monitoring drug distribution system countrywide are some of the solutions obtained from this research that are used to improve the drug distribution system in the country.

The turbulent and dynamic environment of today's business world has become increasingly challenging for organizations operating in different business areas. In such a situation, in order to get rid of these conditions, moving forward and towards the perspective of the new horizons of prosperity and survival is the dream of many of them. In the meantime, according to the specific circumstances and requirements that govern each institution or organization, and in order to achieve their desired productivity, they use certain strategies and programs that outsourcing is one of these strategies. Today, organizations are outsourcing to boost competitive ability and profit and focus on their competitive edge. In this research, a mathematical programming approach is proposed to optimize the issue of outsourcing in the supply chain. In this approach, at first the mathematical model of the problem showed and then in order to solve the problem of the theory of Markov chains described. The objective function of the problem involves minimizing the cost of purchasing, outsourcing and lost demand. In order to solve the problem, three genetic metamorphic algorithms, gray wolves and antlion have been used. After examining the numerical expressions, Gray wolf's algorithm has the highest level of performance. In order to expand the applied dimensions of research in real-world conditions, a company (MPEICO) that manufactures insulators is considered as the case study..

The turbulent and dynamic environment of today's business world has become increasingly challenging for organizations operating in different business areas. In such a situation, in order to get rid of these conditions, moving forward and towards the perspective of the new horizons of prosperity and survival is the dream of many of them. In the meantime, according to the specific circumstances and requirements that govern each institution or organization, and in order to achieve their desired productivity, they use certain strategies and programs that outsourcing is one of these strategies. Today, organizations are outsourcing to boost competitive ability and profit and focus on their competitive edge.In this research, a mathematical programming approach is proposed to optimize the issue of outsourcing in the supply chain. In this approach, at first the mathematical model of the problem showed and then in order to solve the problem of the theory of Markov chains described. The objective function of the problem involves minimizing the cost of purchasing, outsourcing and lost demand. In order to solve the problem, three genetic metamorphic algorithms, gray wolves and ant lion have been used. After examining the numerical expressions, Gray wolf's algorithm has the highest level of performance. In order to expand the applied dimensions of research in real-world conditions, a company (MPEICO) that manufactures insulators is considered as the case study

Objective: Risk in the supply chain is disturbing it. In order to reduce the effects of risk, the supply chain must be designed in such a way that it can efficiently and effectively respond to environmental changes. Electrical industry is an important part of the economy of the country and any risk and disruption in it can lead to irreparable costs to the production and inter-dependent industries. It is necessary that the supply chain has a high resilience. Therefore, the aim of this research is to design a model for assessing the resilience of the electricity supply chain. Methods: In this research, a theme analysis approach mixed with factor analysis approached was used to design a model for assessing the resilience of the supply chain of the electricity industry. Results: The research findings were obtained through interviews with 15 experts (experienced experts in electrical engineering with a master's degree or higher, with the necessary experience and knowledge in this field) and a model to analyze the resilience of the power supply chain was designed using the theme analysis approach. Then, the relationship among the variables were analyzed through factor analysis using Smart PL software and collecting 323 questionnaires. Conclusion: The results of the research showed that the effective measures on supply chain resonance in the electricity industry are divided into two general categories of internal and external criteria. Among internal criteria, three important dimensions of process issues, flexibility and agility are found and in the category of external criteria, the dimensions of the issues of actors, economic issues and environmental issues are important and effective.

Issues related to structures of goods and information are frequently discussed in the logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) literature. But, only few contributions are exploring the financial structures associated with supply chains. This paper presents a framework to identify the appropriate financing source used for supply chain. It is extensively noticed that although various financing sources are available today; issue in choosing the proper one in order to decrease the cost of capital investment with the most effectiveness, still remain in supply chains. In this paper, the proposed framework includes three main developmental phases: (1) identification of financing sources, (2) determination of factors effective on choosing the best financing source in a supply chain, and (3) conducting a numerical study with a questionnaire survey by PROMETHEE approach in the supply chain of downstream oil industries in Iran to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method of the survey. Results show that financing through the capital market is the best choice in the supply chain of the survey.

Abstract: The implementation of government legislation, social responsibility, environmental concerns regarding the reduction of waste, hazardous material and other consumer residuals have made the competition between the firms stricter than ever and nowadays firms that want to survive need a more productive and innovative approach toward the financial aspects of their businesses.his paper presents a conceptual supply chain model integrating financial and physical flows. The main idea of this paper is to identify financial tools and show the usefulness of them in order to increase the competitiveness of the supply chain as a whole in the volatile markets. In doing so, we consider the role of a financial service provider and try to incorporate the effects of supply chain finance concept on the working capital i.e. liquidity of the member entities. So, the main contribution of this research is to address an innovative approach to model financial flows in supply chain and to introduce the financial tools (supply chain finance practices) in the supply chain framework employing Economic Value Added and cash-to-cash cycle as performance measures and finally devise a conceptual agent-based model and show how agent based modeling can be beneficial in this field.

New product development is a modern approach to deal with the environmental changes and an introduction to enter the competitive atmosphere is a challenging condition. By realizing the critical aspects of success of the new product and selecting a compatible model of variables in these aspects, companies may create a unique context for developing the product; but whether in terms of the multiplicity of the decision-making choices or the inherent conflicts of the response atmosphere’s variables, the complexities of the current world have caused disruption and inefficiency in the field of optimal selection and decision making. The aim of this study is to identify the critical aspects of development of the new product in the Sedan automobile class and to offer a morphological model of that by investigating the ideas and comments of the experts and scholars. In this regard, by using the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method, the proposed method assesses the mode of the organization; and with the General Morphological Analysis, it assesses and searches for the most compatible decision-making variables to find the fully optimal and compatible solutions. After studying the subject literature, seven critical aspects are selected for the product development and three purposes are chosen for limiting the morphological model. Finally, four fully compatible configurations and one configuration are proposed with the entrance of the aspects determined from the output of IPA method. The innovative solution in solving the morphological model and its integration with IPA method are considered as the innovations of this study.

Making the right decision about doing activities in-house vs. outsourcing is one of the important management decisions. The considerable effect of this decision on organizational performance and responsiveness is supported by theoretical and empirical evidence. In this study, using the experts’ knowledge extraction and modeling, we have designed a logical framework for deciding about outsourcing in governing organizations and accordingly an expert system has been developed. As an applied research a descriptive approach and case study method have been used. Objectives, inevitable circumstances, requirements, background conditions and facilitators have been identified as the underlying components of the system. The system provides a recommendation for each activity and prioritizes them based on readiness for outsourcing. An implementation in IT department of a sample organization is provided and the results are analyzed. In the end, the proposed system for activities of IT Management was carried out in one of the organizations and consequently the obtained outputs and results were analyzed.

Decision makers usually prefer to express their preferences by linguistic variables. Classic fuzzy sets allowed expressing these preferences using a single linguistic value. Considering inevitable hesitancy of decision makers, hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets allowed them to express individual evaluation using several linguistic values. Therefore, these sets improve the ability of humans to determine believes using their own language. Considering this feature, in this paper a method upon linear assignment method is proposed to solve group decision making problems using this kind of information, when criteria weights are known or unknown. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated in a numerical example and the results are compared with other methods to delineate the models efficiency. Following a logical and well-known mathematical logic along with simplicity of execution are the main advantages of the proposed method.