مجید اشرفی

Rising inflation in recent years has caused financial distress and many problems for companies. Most of these problems are affected by life cycle stages. One way out of these problems is to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Therefore, our aim in this study is to investigate the effect of CSR performance on financial distress over the life cycle of the company for a period of 10 years. Data collection was done through the website of the Tehran Stock Exchange and related software for a sample of 112 companies during the period 2009 to 2019. The mathematical method (directional distance function) is used to evaluate the CSR performance, and the models of Berger et al., Almida, Campello, and Altman are used to measure financial distress. The research hypotheses are tested using panel data and fixed effects by multivariate regression statistical method. The results show that CSR performance alone does not affect financial distress. The combination of CSR and life cycle in the growth and maturity phases has a significant and negative effect on financial distress. The CSR performance and life cycle together reduce financial distress. The combination of CSR performance and life cycle in the recession phase has a positive and significant effect on financial distress and in the fall phase, does not affect it. Given that companies compete more in the phase of growth and maturity than other phases of the life cycle, they also pay more attention to CSR. Therefore, according to these results, it can be concluded that the life cycle of the company and the CSR performance together, reduce financial distress.

Purpose : The present study aimed to present an interpretive structural model based on DEMATEL for the Entrepreneur University among top universities in the northern region of Iran. Methodology : This study was applied in terms of objective and combined (qualitative and quantitative) in terms of implementation method. The research population in the qualitative section were documents and texts of the Entrepreneurship University and experts in this field that 35 documents and texts and 30 experts were selected as samples according to the principle of theoretical saturation by purposive sampling method. The research population in the quantitative section consisted of the same 30 experts who rated the components. The research tools included text review, semi-structured interview, and 77-item researcher-made questionnaire that their psychometric indices were confirmed. Data were analyzed by Delphi methods and interpretive structural modeling based on DEMATEL in SPSS-23 and LISREL. Findings: The results showed that the Entrepreneurship University included 77 concepts, 24 sub-components in 6 main components. So that among the 6 main components, three components of infrastructure (with four sub-components), management (with five sub-components), and communication with the population (with four sub-components) were identified as effective variables, and three components of services (with three sub-components), knowledge-based entrepreneurship (with five sub-components) and output and outcome (with three sub-components) were identified as affected variables. The results of DEMATEL-based interpretive structural modeling showed that in the first level with 10 components, the component of commercialization of knowledge and research and revenue generation from advanced technology, in the second level with 7 components, the component of entrepreneurial research, R&D, and dissemination of academic results, in the third level with 14 components, the component of entrepreneurial research, R&D and dissemination of academic results, and in the fourth level with 1 component, the core component of strong leadership and change in structural and managerial dimensions were at a higher level. Conclusion : According to the results of the present study, planners and higher education professionals can take advantage of the results of this study and plan for the improvement and growth of the Entrepreneur University through the effective components identified in it.