Scientific Journal of Rescue Relief
Volume:15 Issue: 1, Spring 2023

The present study aimed to identify the factors affecting the effective In-Service training of employees at the Red Crescent Society of Zanjan province.

This mixed methods research was conducted in two stages. Firstly, the factors affecting the effectiveness of in-service training of employees at the Red Crescent of Zanjan Province were determined through semi-structured interviews with 15 experts in this field (experts and managers of the Red Crescent Society of Zanjan Province). Thereafter, the opinions of 234 Red Crescent employees about these factors were assessed via a Likert scale questionnaire.

Based on the results, the factors affecting the effectiveness of  In-Service training among the employees at Red Crescent Society of Zanjan Province included support and supervision, organizational climate and learning organization, change of attitude and thinking, rules and regulations, processes, technical equipment and technology, as well as professional knowledge and skills.

The results pointed out that, in general, all the factors affecting the effectiveness of training were identified and explained in three categories: structural, behavioral, and environmental.

INTRODUCTION:

 The phenomenon of organizational insentience has been one of the main challenges in recent years and refers to a situation in which the employees of an organization have become indifferent to their organizational environment. The current research was conducted to investigate the causes and contexts of the formation of organizational insentience in the Red Crescent Society of Tehran province, Iran.

This applied study was conducted based on the descriptive-correlation method of data collection. The statistical population of this research included all the managers of Red Crescent Organization in Tehran province in 2021. The samples (n=90) were selected using Cochran's statistical formula and stratified random sampling. The required data were collected using a researcher made organizational insentience questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were checked and confirmed. The collected data were analyzed in Smart PLS software using structural equation modeling with partial least squares approach.

The results of the research showed that causal conditions had a direct, positive, and significant effect on the central category with a standard beta coefficient of 0.725, t=17.625, and P=0.001 at the level of one percent error. Moreover, contextual conditions with a beta coefficient of 0.410, t=3.107, and P=0.002 had a direct, positive, and significant effect on the category of strategies at the level of one percent error. Intervening conditions had a direct, positive, and significant effect on strategies at the level of one percent error (standard beta coefficient=0.221, t=3.008, and P=0.003). The central category had a direct, positive, and significant effect on the strategy category with a beta coefficient of 0.334, t=2.282, and P=0.023 at the five percent error level. Based on the results, at one percent error level, the strategies presented in the research had a direct, positive, and significant effect on the outcomes (standard beta coefficient=0.347, t=3.769, and P=0.000). In total, the results showed the existence of organizational insentience in the Red Crescent Organization of Tehran province, which can be reduced by applying appropriate methods.

According to the findings, by reducing the sense of meaninglessness, double standards, eliminating organizational discrimination, applying appropriate procedures in strategies and their implementation, paying attention to the structural dimensions of the Red Crescent Society in Tehran province, and implementing meritocracy management, it would be possible to increase organizational social capital, the level of interest, commitment, and responsibility of employees towards the Society and work, organizational independence, organizational justice, the atmosphere of trust, and supportive behaviors from the Society and employees. By adopting these measures, a step would be taken toward preventing the formation of organizational insentience in the Red Crescent Society of Tehran province.

The use of executive coaching has become increasingly popular in the organizational world in the past few decades and is considered a key intervention that increases the capabilities of managers at the professional, individual, and organizational levels. This study aimed to identify the indicators, components, and dimensions of the effectiveness of executive coaching in the Red Crescent Society of Iran.

This descriptive study was conducted based on an applied research method. The required data were collected using exploratory interviews with 20 experts and activists in the field of human resources education. The obtained data were then analyzed using conventional content analysis, as well as open, axial, and selective coding strategies.

According to the findings of the research, orientation, sociability, regularity, empowerment, personality traits, and infrastructure conditions are among the most important factors affecting executive coaching in the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Moreover, two new constructs, namely formal and informal institutions were identified for the first time in the coaching literature as effective factors in the development of executive coaching.

This study paved the way for filling in some gaps in executive coaching literature. Unlike many previously conducted studies that have only evaluated the effectiveness of executive coaching, this study identified the set of factors related to the individual, organizational, and institutional levels, as well as infrastructural conditions affecting executive coaching. Moreover, the results led to the addition of two new constructs, such as formal and informal institutions, to the literature on coaching in general and executive coaching in particular.

The network of relief centers, which is a connected set of relief centers, rescue points, and rescue routes, is of utmost importance during an earthquake. This study aimed to model this network to identify the aid-receiving points and rescue routes, followed by the development of plans to improve the aid-giving process during an earthquake.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted based on an applied research method and a quantitative approach. The required data were obtained through the library method (documents). The data used in this study included location information of relief centers (hospitals, crisis management centers, Red Crescent centers) and the transportation routes among them. These pieces of information were collected from related plans and documents. The obtained data related to the location of relief centers were analyzed using Spatial Analysis, and Network Analysis tools were utilized to analyze the transportation routes among the relief centers.

The findings in this study revealed the right places for receiving aid and the rescue routes that deliver aid from the aid-giving to the aid-receiving centers in the central zone of Tehran in the shortest time. Moreover, the relief centers were ranked based on their importance during a crisis.

The results of this study show the number of required aid-receiving points in the central zone of Tehran through which the aid needed during a crisis can be delivered from rescue centers. The findings revealed which relief centers played a more significant role during an earthquake. The identification of these points and routes makes the provision of special planning possible during an earthquake.

Virtual education and learning exert diverse effects on courses of different natures. Moreover, considering that the prime goal pursued by universities of applied sciences and technology is to focus on skills enhancement, the method of presentation, and the tools used. The teaching method should be designed appropriately and evaluated in terms of effectiveness. The current research, focusing on the effect of virtual education on practical and theoretical courses, seeks to assess the impact of virtual education on the achievement of the goals of the University of Applied Sciences and technology during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Applied Science Higher Education Institute Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This applied research was conducted based on a descriptive-survey design. The data collection tools were information and data, library resources, and a researcher-made questionnaire.

Based on the results and the means obtained for each item, holding question and answer sessions with the highest number of good and very good items ranked first. On the other hand, uploading videos and photos to the system and providing links to related resources ranked in last place.

According to the experience of virtual education in recent years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of hybrid methods, including online and face-to-face teaching, is recommended for teaching in skill-oriented higher education centers.

Women's empowerment has been introduced as a mechanism to improve the quality of women's work and personal life, one of the basic principles of protecting human rights and eradicating poverty. This study aimed to investigate the effect of social capital, social support, and Internet use on the empowerment of working women with a mediating role in socioeconomic status.

In this descriptive survey study, 4,000 women were studied working in the RCS of Tehran province, Iran. About 384 samples were selected due to Cochran's formula by a simple random method. The required data were collected using some questionnaires, namely the Social Capital (Hoff and Heisman, 2009), subjective assessment of the socioeconomic status (Nabavi et al., 2007), Social Support (Sherburne and Stewart, 1991), the researcher-made questionnaire of Internet Use and Women’s Empowerment. 

The results showed that social capital, social support, and the use of the Internet had a direct impact on the empowerment of women, and socioeconomic status played a mediating role in the relationship between social capital and empowerment. It was also found that socioeconomic status played a mediating role in the relationship between social support and the empowerment of working women.

According to the results, attention to the components of social capital, social support, and the use of the Internet and cyberspace provided the basis for the empowerment of working women, while in this process the key role of women's socioeconomic status should not be overlooked. However, managers' attention to strengthening organizational trust and women's participation in decision-making, providing conditions for good communication, training, and promoting women's media literacy, would increase the socioeconomic status proportionately and  improve women's empowerment.

According to the flood records in Mazandaran province, this region is regarded as one of the flood-prone regions of the country, and due to the floods, it has suffered many casualties and financial losses. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the settlements at risk of flooding as one of the main goals of this research.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted based on extensive and exploratory research approaches. The required data were collected from monthly discharge and the maximum instantaneous discharge in the stations of Mazandaran province along with the population statistics of the provincial cities, as well as the statistics of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization concerning the floods. Accordingly, the statistics of hydrometric stations from 1971 to 2021 of Iran's water resources management main company, the population statistics of the province based on the census of 2015, and the statistics of floods that occurred from the beginning to 2021 have been used in this study. Flood return periods were obtained in the study stations in different statistical distributions using Hyfa software. Finally, Arc GIS software (version 10.3) was used to zone floods in Mazandaran province.

Based on the results, about 1013 square kilometers of the province's surface accounting for 4.25% of its total area is located in the boundaries of large floods that have a return period of 50 to 100 years. Moreover, due to the high altitude, rainy-snowy events, and the significant amount of precipitation in Sarab (Dali Chai and Lar basins) and Payab, Haraz basin has a significant runoff rate discharge so that about 500 to 600 liters of water flow from this basin annually per square meter.

According to the obtained results, strategies have been proposed to increase resilience against flood risk using different methods.