This study evaluates the economic and social power of rural women in Hamadan who manufacture rugs and factors affecting it. Survey method was applied through questionnaires to conduct the research. 404 female rug makers were selected from Hamedan province based on Krejcie & Morgan table. The results suggest that social ability mean of female rug weavers is higher than their economic potency. The results of regression analysis also showed that the variables of handmade rug’s size, availability of materials and tools of rug making, the level of related technical knowledge, and rug weaving time length during a day are among the most important factors of rural women’s economic ability which defines 42 percent of variance of their economic ability. Regarding social potency, the variables of job satisfaction, economic ability, level of related technical knowledge, and level of education explicate 43 percent of the variables of social ability. Considering the results of this research, strengthening the indicators affecting economic and social power of female rug makers especially indicators of availability of materials and tools of rug making, and related technical knowledge of rug making through holding courses to empower them is necessary.

The focus of this study is on how the technological capabilities of the latecomer firms accumulate in the catch-up process. Literature study suggests that no comprehensive and integrated model specifies the technological capabilities of each catch-up phase. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this research gap. The main contribution of this study is to identify the dedicated technological capabilities in each catch-up stage. By comparing and combining the current findings in the literature during the years 1980 to 2018 with the meta-synthesis method, the following question is investigated: "What are the technological capabilities at each phase of the catch-up process?" The main findings of this study include summarizing the technological capability definitions, introducing the main pillars of technological capability conceptualization, collecting various typologies of technological capability, comparing different phases of the catch-up process, extracting the hierarchical structure of technological capability, and assigning each technological capability to its dedicated phase.  Given the findings of this study and the specific contextual conditions of the firm, managers can customize this framework for improving technological capabilities. This firm-specific roadmap specifies which technological capabilities should be developed and upgraded at which time frame.

Many automotive firms around the world are turning to platform-based product development to respond to a wider range of customers and reduce costs concurrently, in other words, for mass customization. In the process of adopting such an approach, conceptualizing and identifying platform development capabilities is a crucial principle. So the main objective of this research is to conceptualize the product platform development capabilities by identifying the core module development capabilities and their integration capabilities in the automotive industry. In terms of purpose this research is an applied study and in terms of data type, it is a qualitative and exploratory case study research.The statistical population of this study was the Iranian automotive industry and the respondent community of experts from Iran Khodro and Saipa as well as academic specialists at the Automotive Engineering Faculty of Science and Technology University. The sampling was done in a purposive and judgmental manner with theoretical saturation. Content analysis was used to analyze the interviews and documents. Basic technical knowledge capability, needs and requirements engineering capability, system design and architecture capability, subsystem engineering capability and component development, system integration capability, and test and validation capability as core module development capability And organizational integration capability, supply chain integration capability, and technical integration capability were identified as integration capabilities. Finally, fuzzy Delphi technique was used to increase the validity of the identified Themes.

This research is proposed to detect the effective factors on the adoption of mobile banking services by using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Diffusion of Innovation Theory based on the advices from national banking specialists. The model divides the effective factors on the adoption of mobile banking services to the three parts: mobile banking technology, psychological, and demographic characteristics. In this research, we have used a descriptive-field study methodology by taking samples from 666 customers. Also, descriptive statistics analysis as well as statistical inferences are used to find out the effective factors on the adoption of mobile banking services. According to the results of this research, among different mobile banking technology characteristics, the compatibility variables, the cost of using the technology, trial ability and profitability were ranked by customers as effective factors on the adoption of mobile banking services. It is worth mentioning that the other factors such as complexity and perceived risk were not much important in using mobile banking services from the customer's perspective. Among the psychological characteristics, venturesomeness, and attitude toward change were ranked by customers as effective factors of using these facilities. The result shows that the opinion leadership was not an important factor for using mobile banking services.

This paper explores the relationship between the selected facets of small business managerial capabilities and their early stage performance. Every new venture has a certain potential to contribute to economic output, employment and renewal of the industrial structure. Research about the factors that influence the performance of emerging small businesses can play a key role in the development of public policy in this area. This study examines the impact of managerial capability on small business performance. Using a sample of small enterprises in Science and TechnologyParks, it was found that managerial capability had three dimensions: marketing management, financial/operations management, and technological capability. The positive relationship between the first two constructs and the performance variables help to identify the key management activities during start-up stage. The dominant catalyst appears to be marketing capability. Furthermore, the level of marketing capability was found to be associated with the proportion of financing secured from outside sources.

This study addresses two objectives. First, it examines the effect of knowledge integration capability (KIC) on technological innovation capabilities (TIC), namely process innovation and product innovation, and firm’s strategic performance (SP). Second to investigate the mediating role of product innovation capability in process innovation capability- SP relationship. In terms of objective, the current research is applied. This study was conducted using descriptive – correlation methodology. Simple random sampling (SRS) method was employed to the selection of the samples. The study population consisted of all active pharmaceutical firms in Islamic Republic of Iran. The sample size was 86 pharmaceutical firms. Correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique were employed to test of the research model and hypotheses. Data analysis showed that knowledge integration capability has a direct and significant effect on technological innovation capabilities and firm’s strategic performance. Finding also revealed that product innovation capability significantly affects the relationship between process innovation capability and firm’s strategic performance.

Capability is one of the core concepts in strategy literature. Moreover, it is widely used to explain why latecomer firms can’t succeed in design and development of complex systems. There has been many efforts and significant progress in regard of capability but it is conceptualization and usage in empirical researches are problematic yet. In this paper a framework for operationalization of capability concept has been developed. Using the proposed framework, the process of formation and evolution of design capability in a latecomer system integrator has been investigated through a case study. For this purpose, acquisition and improvement of knowledge, tools and skills as micro-foundations of design capability and their integration has been under focus. In addition to show usability of our proposed framework, this case study provides a better understanding of how a firm's context and motivation affects on formation and evolution of its capabilities. Results of this research, are also a good guide for managers in regard of their plans for acquisition and improvement of required micro-foundations and the way they are integrated as a capability.

Examining the training competency of the health care workers in training their clients and patients can lead to identification of the training problems, improving training qualities, and promoting the health of society as a whole. The current study which was conducted in the city of Mashhad aimed to determine the training competency of the urban health care workers in training the clients referring to these centers. In this cross sectional-descriptive study, 250 health care workers at Mashhad s’ urban health care centers were enrolled in the study using probability sampling. Data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of two parts; demographic data and training competency status. Data were analyzed using SPSSv.16 software and descriptive statistical tests (Frequency and cumulative frequency) and analytical tests (Spearman, correlative tests, Independent t-test, one way variance analysis). Significant level of difference was considered for measuring difference between demographic and training competency (P<0.05). The results of the study indicated that the training competency of 159 workers (5.63%) in health care centers were good and acceptable, and there was a significant difference between training competency of workers and individual differences such as work experience, age, educational degree, employment status, and job satisfaction of health workers. There were also significant differences between courses taken by the health workers to promote their educational level and educational workshops based on promoting educational skills and training competency (P<0.05). Although the training competency of health workers were very good, competency in areas such as training skills, development, performance, and professional responsibility were not satisfactory. Results of the current study provided appropriate data about training competency of the workers for managers of health care centers. Since the status of training competency of the workers can be assessed by managers and clients, it is suggested that for gaining more comprehensive information, training competency of the health workers be examined from the managers and clients point of view.