Management In Iran Research Articles

Trust in Humanitarian Aid From the Earthquake in 2017 to COVID-19 in Iran: A Policy Analysis.

The earthquake of November 2017, the great flood of April 2019, and the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 are 3 major emergencies in Iran during the last 3 years. A common issue in all of these crises seems to be the issue of "trust." Official authorities, including the Iranian President, ministers, and the judiciary system, tried to gain people's trust by either changing policies or developing new ones. In August 2019, the new law on crisis management in Iran went into effect and the issue of public donation has been considered, too. Also, in their response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Iranian officials ordered all sectors to cooperate with the Ministry of Health and provide it with all necessary facilities. Therefore, it seems that new policies are still needed to overcome mistrust in Iran at times of emergency. Developing a policy on donation management was the first step, and there are several factors that could have contributed to the perception of the mistrust and failure in emergency missions. Mistrust can be the result of different causes, including but not limited to lack of knowledge on capabilities and efficiencies of humanitarian organizations, engagement of a wide range of organizations from different categories, extension of mistrust of an organization to other emergency organizations in the area or all of operation, lack of unity in emergency response, and poor public relations.

Key informants’ perspectives on the challenges of municipal solid waste management in Iran: a mixed method study

Evaluation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management system seems necessary to promote urban services. The present study is aimed to identify and prioritize the problems and deficiencies of MSW management in Iran. This study has used a mixed-methods (Scoping review and Delphi technique) approach to achieve its goals. The results obtained by the scoping review showed that the average rate of Iran’s MSW generation in the last decade (2009–2019) was 0.745 kg/capita/day. The average of MSW composition was estimated to include: organic material (68.42%), paper and cardboard (7.31%), plastic (9.80%), pet (0.99%), metal (1.59%), rubber (1.09%), textile (3.02%), glass (2.33%), wood (0.97%), and others (4.48%). Also a scoping review of the current status of Iran’s MSW management showed that at present, Iran’s MSW management has both some strengths (such as collecting more than 90% of the total generated MSW) and lot of weaknesses such as lack of a systematic program for MSW reduction, weakness in source separation, low processing and recycling, unsanitary disposal of MSW, etc. According to the results of the Delphi technique, Iran’s main MSW management problems are: disregarding the investment for culturalization in the field of SWM and low effectiveness of the existing educational methods, disregarding the principles of integrated solid waste management hierarchy, imbalance in cost-efficiency in MSW systems, the existence of major deficits and weaknesses in recruitment and selection of staffs and the existence of additional non-expert human resources, lack of incongruity between the non-standard solid waste disposal crimes and their penalties, lack of executive guarantees for the proper implementation of the existing regulations, poor performance of the responsible organizations in the field of public education, as well as lack of effective cooperation among the responsible bodies in this field. Overall, consideration and elimination of priority problems and reinforcement the strengths of Iran’s MSW management system can be effective in improving the performance of this system.

Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of the Hazardous Wastes and their Management in Industries of Damghan City

Introduction: In recent years, unauthorized disposal of the hazardous wastes has threatened the human health and created many environmental problems in human societies. Given the direct and indirect hazards of these wastes, it is essential to collect information with regard to their appropriate management in Iran. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantity and quality of the hazardous waste and its management in industries of Damghan City in Iran.
 Methods: Initially, the list of industries in Damghan City was prepared. Later, the necessary coordination was made with the relevant organizations and active units were identified. After the field tours, information on the quality, quantity, and management of the hazardous wastes was collected by a questionnaire. 
 Results: The results showed that the total hazardous waste products in the investigated industries were 4795 kg per month; 36.36% of the industries produced toxic substances, 9.09% created corrosive substances, 36.36% flammable materials, and 18.18% resulted in reactive substances. None of the studied industrial units had a control system after disposal of the industrial hazardous waste. Furthermore, only 36.36% of the industries had specialized staff to collect and dispose the hazardous waste.
 Conclusion: To prevent environmental pollution and preserve the human health, a proper management system should be established for organizing the industrial wastes. Furthermore, identifying and gathering information about the industrial processes, raw materials, and waste products can be very useful in managing hazardous industrial wastes.

Designing the Model of the Management of Mental Health Services

Introduction: Having mental health is necessary for the growth and prosperity of humans and as a result of the growth of societies.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to design a mental health management model in Iran.Methods: In this exploratory study, a review study was first performed to analyze the current state of mental health services in Iran and the world. Countries were selected to compare mental health management with Iran in 6 domains. 311 faculty members with mental health were completed by completing a questionnaire with 50 items in the study. Using the factor analysis, the final model was explained. Results: The effective domains in Iranian mental health services management were named in 8 areas: Mental Health in Particular, Key Centers and Task-Shifting, Human Resources and Specialists Training, Psychological Services for Children and Adolescents, Financial Resources and Hospital Services, Mental Health in PHC and Primary medical services, Policy-Making and Human Rights, Monitoring and Control, Community-Based Services. Conclusions: The proposed model of mental health services management in Iran consists of 8 domains, which is a comprehensive and multidimensional concept. Paying attention to its factors can lead to the successful management of mental health services in Iran.

Exploring the hydrogeochemical evolution of cold and thermal waters in the Sarein-Nir area, Iran using stable isotopes (δ18O and δD), geothermometry and multivariate statistical approaches

In recent years, water management in Iran has mostly focused on monitoring, understanding and mitigating issues of water quality. To understand the processes that can affect water quality, this study carried out a geochemical study on cold (5 well water samples and 6 cold springs) and thermal (9 hot springs) waters in the Sarein-Nir area in Iran. A total of 20 water samples were collected in July 2016, and physicochemical variables such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and major, minor and trace element concentrations were determined. Using multivariate statistics, the main geochemical processes and possible origin of selected trace elements were investigated. The maturity and mixing processes of the waters were investigated using stable isotope (δ18O and δD) and geothermometry techniques. It was found that water-rock interaction was the predominant process, and that denitrification and ion exchange processes also took place in the groundwater system of the area. Thermal waters had an elevated EC, whereas cold waters showed elevated pH and NO3 values, indicating the impact of anthropogenic activities on water quality. Alkalinity and temperature were recognized as the most important variables that control the release of trace elements into the groundwater. Most thermal water samples were immature and belonged to peripheral water types, indicating that these samples came in part from deep circulation. Geothermometry of the thermal waters showed that the springs of the Sarein region had high temperatures compared to the springs of the Nir region. Considering that the Sarein spring waters had lower deuterium ratios than spring waters in the Nir region, it was concluded that the recharge elevation of the Sarein springs was higher than that of the Nir springs.

From “Earthquake and safety” school drills to “safe school-resilient communities”: A continuous attempt for promoting community-based disaster risk management in Iran

In 1996, a nationwide program was formulated by the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) in Iran to be implemented in schools for increasing preparedness of students to potential earthquakes. Based on the so-called program “Earthquake and Safety” school drills, relevant education has been delivered to students on safety measures, self-protection and evacuation, followed by the annual drills. In 2015, this program was expanded by IIEES to communities living around safe schools. The main goal of this program called “Safe Schools-Resilient Communities” is to promote public participation in disaster management at local levels for increasing the resilience, developing local capacities for emergency response and adapting to conditions after a disaster. In this program, safe schools are considered as local bases for community-based disaster management. The main components of this plan includes preparing a series of instructions for earthquake risk assessment at local levels (including vulnerability check and diagnosis of weaknesses and strengths at each neighborhood) and developing institutional capacities at the selected safe schools to play necessary roles as centers for disaster risk reduction and management at each community. It also helps to build capacities for emergency response at each school in order to reduce earthquake impacts and to provide basic requirements for evacuees during the first few days after a disaster. In this paper, both programs and their achievements will be introduced and discussed.

Evaluating the effect of ocean-atmospheric indices on drought in Iran

This study investigated the relationship between ocean-atmospheric indices and drought in Iran. Using > 30-year precipitation data from 37 synoptic stations (ending 2015), standard precipitation index (SPI) was calculated for periods of 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, 15-, 18-, 24-, and 48-month time scales. A set of monthly ocean-atmospheric oscillations (OA) indices including Antarctic Oscillation (AAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation (AMO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO): (NINO 1.2, NINO 3, NINO 3.4, NINO 4, SOI), and Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMo) were also included in our analysis. The simultaneous relationship between SPI and ocean-atmospheric oscillations was investigated using Spearman’s correlation test. The cross correlation function (CCF) coefficient was also utilized to investigate their asynchronous relationships at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, 15-, 18-, 24-, 48-month lag time. Finally, the multivariate linear regression was used to model the end relationships among SPI time-scales and OA indices. AMO and NINO 4 had the most significant and most frequent relationship with SPI in the western and northern parts of Iran. Except for southeastern parts, AMO, NINO 3.4, and NINO 4 had the most significant and most frequent relationship with SPI. Moreover, results showed that asynchronous relationships outperformed simultaneous ones. AMO was recognized as the most important index in modeling the relationship between drought and OA indices across all stations with high potentials to be used for predicting climatic conditions and drought management in Iran.

Perspectives of the tourism development in terms of water crisis (case study of Iran)

The objectives of this paper are to clarify how valuable natural resources associated with tourism industry are; to assess efficiency of the relation between water resources and sustainable development of tourism industry; to promote ecofriendly skills of visitors in order to have an interactive relationship with tourism assets; to maximize economic, social and environmental benefits for both local communities and tourists; to find out the value of Iran’s experience with tourism development with conservation of natural resources for other countries, in particular for Ukraine. Methodology. The research used statistical methods (based on the goals declared in the 20YPPT & SDP plans, Iranian population forecasts, the number of international and domestic tourists in the country is determined before 2025, the amount of water needed for the tourism sector is calculated according to statistics, the amount of available water per capita is calculated and its rate of decline is specified, the volume of water for the domestic sector and necessary for tourists is determined), the study of documents and interviews with experts within Delphi regarding the method of systematic sampling. Results. The authors calculated the predicted values of the influx of foreign and domestic tourists for the period of 2016-2025 based on goals declared in 20YPPT & SDP plans, Iranian population forecasts. Therefore, 7.8 million foreign and 51 million domestic tourists were expected in 2016, and 27.95 million and 53.5 million, respectively in 2025. The volumes of water consumption in the tourism sector are predicted in three scenarios: water use is stable and the same with local residents; water use is twice as much as that of local residents; water use is in parallel with global demand growth rates of 4-8% per year. According to the first scenario, the share of the tourism sector in water use will increase from 6.15% to 19.5%, according to the second one – from 19.1 to 69% and according to the third one – from 7.1% to 37.1%. The first scenario is defined as optimal, the second one is identified as crisis, and the third is considered. The average amount of water required for the tourism sector, taking into account unaccounted water (from 0.53 billion cubic meters in 2016 to 1.24 billion cubic meters in 2025) was also determined. Scientific novelty. In the study, based on 20YPIT and SDP plans, the volume of tourist flows in Iran was predicted, the volume of water consumption in the tourism sector in Iran was predicted in three scenarios, and a conceptual model of the consequences of unplanned water management in Iran’s tourism for 2016-2025 was developed. Practical significance. This study explains the nature of the impact of the tourism sector on water resources until 2025, determines the exact amount of water that tourists may need in these years, which makes it possible to make effective decisions by identifying weaknesses and opportunities.

Service innovation and firm performance: operational experiences in uncertain environments

Innovation is one of the main factors affecting the firms' performance; however, it is less investigated in service firms. This study aims to assess the effect of service innovation on firms' performance in uncertain environments when the market orientation capabilities can help firms to operate more efficiently. Data was collected from travel agency managers in Iran. The results revealed that in stable environments, service innovation affects firm performance indirectly via quality of service and customer satisfaction. But having considered environmental uncertainties, service innovation showed a direct effect on firm performance in addition to indirect effects. Moreover, market sensing and customer linking capabilities are moderating the relationship between service innovation and firm performance in uncertain environments.

Evaluation results of national hospital accreditation program in Iran: The view of hospital managers

BackgroundAccreditation programs have a crucial role in improving the safety and effectiveness of hospital services. Many factors contribute to achieve accreditation goals. This study evaluated the national Iranian hospital accreditation program from the view of hospital managers in Iran. MethodsThe study was conducted in 2015 using a validated questionnaire designed to collect feedback concerning accreditation processes and impacts. In total, 547 managers were surveyed using a stratified random sampling method. A 5-degree scale Likert from totally disagree=1 to totally agree=5 has been used for the evaluation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. ResultsApproximately half of hospital managers were satisfied with the accreditation standards and surveying methods. The reason for their dissatisfaction was the high number of measures (2.38). The main challenges to the accreditation method were reported inadequate surveyor training (2.94) their satisfaction with the infrastructure was low because of a lack of hospital resources. Nonetheless, the accreditation program was perceived as being successful in improving patient safety (3.80), patient compliance (3.72), and error reduction (3.53). ConclusionAn effective accreditation program requires reducing the number of standards and making them clearer as well as the infrastructure for the implementation of accreditation such as sufficient and sustainable funds, enough human resources and equipment should be provided. Appropriate surveyors should be selected and trained professionally to ensure inter-rater reliability among them.

Assessment of sustainability indicators for Iranian fisheries management (case study of Persian Gulf)

The Persian Gulf Iranian fishery, just like many marine fisheries, needs sustainable management. The assessment of the sustainability of the fishery requires the development of a set of local indicators. This paper used an integrated multi-criteria participatory framework as a decision-making approach, to evaluate sustainability relating to ecological, economic, social, technological, and management dimensions. The indicators were modified from appropriate tools such as Rapfish and other reference studies. The determination of the importance of sustainability indicators was performed based on local stakeholders’ opinions in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Three groups of stakeholders in this field have included fishers, managers, and researchers. Also, cognitive mapping as a soft methodology was applied to useful tools, for the assessment of the perceived linkage among indicators. The result of the assessment was analyzed and provided an overview for understanding the decision-making process and how to achieve sustainable fishery management in Iran.

Understanding librarians’ knowledge sharing behavior: The role of organizational climate, motivational drives and leadership empowerment

Library managers in Iran have always been concerned with a low level of knowledge sharing among librarians. Identifying effective factors on librarians' knowledge sharing behavior helps us to understand and improve the situation. Organizational factors are one group of these factors. The effect of organizational climate, employees' motivational drives, and leadership empowerment on the subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior among librarians in public libraries in Iran was studied. A conceptual model was designed in light of the Theory of Reasoned Action. Ten hypotheses were formulated. Data were collected by using a questionnaire and were analyzed using structural equations models. The findings showed that constructive organizational climate and positive motivational drives in public libraries, as well as personal and organizational knowledge sources strengthened by the librarians' ability of leadership have a positive and significant effect on subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior. Such conditions facilitate the process of knowledge sharing in public library environments. Moreover, the study highlights the effect of the librarians' leadership empowerment on their attitude to knowledge sharing behavior by motivational drives.

Competencies Gap in Hospital Management in Tehran, Iran: A Cross-sectional Survey

Competent managers are essential to the efficient, effective and responsive of hospitals. This study aims to determine the competencies gaps in hospital management. This cross-sectional survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire among 127 hospital managers in the Iran. The questionnaire included 61 items and 11 dimensions. Participants were completed on a five-point scale ranging the level of importance that each proposed competency had in their job and to indicate their proficiency in each skill. Managers felt most competent in terms of legal and ethical issues, health delivery, planning, change management. People management, leadership and strategic management and problem-solving were rated as being most important for the efficient and effective management of hospitals. The gaps were highest for people management (–0.97), leadership and strategic management (–0.82) and problem-solving (–0.80). The least skill gaps were in the areas of legal and ethical issues (–0.31), health service delivery (–0.32) and change management (–0.43). The findings of this study reflect the reality of the management in Iran and the needs of managers and will be helpful in the conceptualization, design and delivery of hospital management programmes aimed at improving current and future management and management capacity in the hospital in Iran.

The challenges of hepatitis C management in Iran: A qualitative study with patients.

The patient's perspective concerning the treatment process and the knowledge of the challenges and problems that they encounter can help to improve their treatment conditions. The present study aimed at analyzing the experiences of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients in Iran and the challenges encountered during the management and treatment process. Semi-structured in-depth and face-to-face interviews were conducted. The criteria for selecting patients were as follows: HCV-positive subjects, with confirmed diagnosis of HCV, and under treatment. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. MAXQDA Ver11 software was used to better manage data. This study is based on the "Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research" (COREQ) checklist. Twenty-one HCV patients were interviewed. The mean age of participants was 36.14 ± 11.29 years. Seven themes with 20 subthemes emerged from the content analysis of the interviews, namely, (a) disease-related stigma, (b) lack of knowledge, (c) psychological problems, (d) financial problems, (e) complications of treatment, (f) lack of family and community support, and (g) health-care system. The findings of this study showed that a range of economic, social, and cultural problems could affect the treatment of HCV patients. Health policy and decision makers should try to provide them with a better management.

Status of Human resources management in Iran’s health sector and the path to development: A qualitative study

Status of Human resources management in Iran’s health sector and the path to development: A qualitative study

Impacts of land use changes and climate variability on transboundary Hirmand River using SWAT

Abstract Many river basins are facing a reduction of flows which might be attributed to changes in climate and human activities. This issue is very important in transboundary river basins, where already existing conflicts about shared water resources between riparian countries can easily escalate. The decrease of streamflow in the transboundary Hirmand (Helmand) River is one of the main challenges for water resources management in Iran and Afghanistan. This research aims to quantify the causes of this problem which has a direct impact on the dryness of the Hamoun wetlands being an international Ramsar site. To achieve this, the land use changes in the Middle Helmand Basin (MHB) in Afghanistan were evaluated for three time periods between 1990 and 2011 using remote sensing data and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model for understanding watershed response to environmental changes. It was concluded that the total irrigated area in the region has increased from 103,000 ha in 1990 to 122,000 ha in 2001 and 167,000 ha in 2011 (62% increase). According to the results, the average annual discharge when adapting the land use during the simulations was 4,787 million cubic meters (MCM)/year and while employing the land use of 1990 from the beginning of the simulations, the average annual discharge was 5,133 MCM/year. Therefore, the agricultural developments in the Helmand basin decreased the discharge with about 346 MCM/year accompanying an increase of 64,000 ha in an irrigated area in MHB after 1990. Notably, the impact of land use change increases significantly for more recent periods and causes a reduction of 810 MCM in annual streamflow for the MHB. The amount of water depletion (i.e. actual evapotranspiration) per hectare has increased from 5,690 in 1985 to 7,320 m3 in 2012. The applied methodology of this study is useful to cope with such a data scarcity region. It can help quantify the impact of land use change on the region and formulates strategies that can improve the situation between Iran and Afghanistan.

Leadership effectiveness of hospital managers in Iran: a qualitative study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the leadership effectiveness of hospital managers in Iran. Design/methodology/approach Top managers (15), middle managers (10) and operational managers (5) of public, private or social security hospitals in Tehran participated in a qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed and then analyzed via MAXQDA 10 software. Findings The findings were categorized into two main themes of internal and external factors with eight sub-themes. The most important internal factors that had an influence on the leadership of the hospital managers were intra-organizational relations, manager’s personality traits, knowledge, attitude and skills of the manager. The most important external factors included extra-organizational relations, macro-level health policies, access to special financial resources, and social, economic and political factors. Research limitations/implications The results call for a need to understand and analyze the socioeconomic factors influencing managers’ leadership while adopting appropriate strategies. Practical implications The results of the current study can help design training programs for hospital managers, and suggest criteria for appointing hospital managers across the country and this can enhance the effectiveness of their leadership. Health sector policymakers and decision makers should reform the programs that target training and empowerment of hospital managers so that the right people with the right competencies will hold such positions. Social implications The results of this study showed that leadership effectiveness is also influenced by social and external factors. On the other hand, the effectiveness of management leadership can play a significant role in the quality of care provided to the community, patient satisfaction and in hospital social performance through the appropriate management of all hospital resources. Such factors should also be considered in training and appointing hospital managers. Originality/value Although there are several studies on hospital managers’ leadership worldwide, this study is the first to investigate the leadership effectiveness of hospital managers in Iran.

Northern Ireland, Brexit, and the Interpretation of Self-Determination

The legitimacy of the partition of Ireland has been inextricably bound up with interpretations of self-determination. The creation of Northern Ireland following the First World War was just about defensible in terms of the understanding of the principle of national self-determination prevalent at the time. But in the context of the post-colonial emphasis on territory in establishing who was entitled to self-determination, Northern Ireland’s status as a conditional part of the United Kingdom appeared anomalous and facilitated the province’s portrayal as a colonial leftover. The Troubles compounded Northern Ireland’s lack of international legitimacy. In the 1990s there were further changes, including a post–Cold War easing of the anathema against secession. This and other alterations in the interpretation of self-determination meant that Northern Ireland no longer stood out as a relic of imperialism, creating the space for the acceptance of Northern Ireland as an internationally legitimate political entity under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. This favorable external environment for the settlement did not endure. Of the external challenges to the accord, the most serious is Brexit. Its implementation would end what was taken for granted in the 1998 accord, that British and Irish management of the Northern Ireland problem would continue to be facilitated by the two countries’ common interests arising from their membership of the European Union. The article explores the implications of this potential disruption and its bearing on the issue of Irish self-determination.

Two-Decade Experience of Crimean-Conge Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Management in Iran

Two-Decade Experience of Crimean-Conge Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Management in Iran

Current status and future perspectives of solid waste management in Iran: a critical overview of Iranian metropolitan cities.

By growing urban population, Iran faces numerous environmental issues and solid waste management is on the top of these problems. Studies showed that a daily average of 700-1000g of wastes are produced per person in Iran, in which organic waste accounts for a significant amount. On the other hand, hospital waste represents a part of the wastes, which need careful consideration from the environmental point of view. In the present study, the amount, composition, and management of urban and hospital wastes were evaluated in 7 Iranian metropolises, which account for about 30% of the population and produce about 35% of the country wastes. Based on prior surveys, landfill method is the current main method for waste management in these cities, which is generally not completely sanitary and therefore causes many environmental problems. The other common methods for waste management in these cities are composting of organic wastes, and the use of waste conversion methods to energy. However, the latter is ongoing only in Tehran which also includes some limitations. Therefore, the study also evaluated the future perspectives and feasibility of waste-to-energy conversion as a promising economic route for waste disposal.