علیرضا محمدی

Background: The university is a thoughtful, knowledgeable and innovative institution in society and it is expected that by performing its duties and missions, it can take effective steps in achieving the goals of society and always lead the country towards progress. Therefore, it is very important to study the level of attention to the concept of social responsibility in universities. The present study examines the pattern of social responsibility as a component of educational ethics. Method: This study was applied in terms of purpose and quantitative in terms of approach. The research method was descriptive survey. The research community consisted of 180 faculty members, deputies and administrators of Islamic Azad University who were selected as a sample using Cochran's formula and stratified random sampling of 123 of them. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using descriptive indices of mean, standard deviation, bootstrapping method and t-test using PLS3 software. Results: All components of social responsibility played a significant role in explaining the model at a significance level of 5%. In addition, it can be stated that scientific, educational and public responsibility have had more effects on social responsibility than other components. Their effects are reported to be 0.24 and 0.21, respectively. Organizational responsibility and technology, on the other hand, have the least effect on social responsibility compared to other components. Their effect is 0.105 and 0.11, respectively. Conclusion: Paying attention to the components identified in this study, including moral, environmental, social, scientific, educational and economic components in the Islamic Azad University can play a key role in the social responsibility of the university, as an effective educational institution. Article number: 51

Purpose - Achieving balanced development and spatial justice with much emphasis on competitive advantages has been constantly the main concern among planners and policy-makers to reduce inefficiency, inequality, polarization, and fragmentation in the spatial structure of different countries. Fulfilling such goals demands the knowledge of local potentials and the way to exploit them in a correct manner. Therefore, this study aimed to identify competitive advantages and levels of living in the study area, and then assess the effective drivers of balanced regional development (BRD) based on local competitiveness using future studies. Design/methodology/approach- An analytical-exploratory applied method was used to reflect on the rural areas and the researchers working on regional planning in Ardabil Township, Iran, were the statistical population. The sample size was thus determined to be 30 individuals using the snowball sampling method (via theoretical saturation). The data were also collected by a Delphi questionnaire, library method, documents, statistics, and initiatives. To analyze the data, Micmac software, the Geographic Information System (GIS software), Microsoft EXCEL, and the Morris method were employed. Finding- Analyzing the research findings associated with the variables as determinants with direct influence showed that among 23 variables in this study, 13 cases were within direct influence-dependence scope or condition but only 12 variables prioritized respectively as policy stability, executive regulations/procedures, price stability and predictability and intervention logic, monopoly prevention, unfair concessions or rents and competitions, removal of administrative barriers to business through delegation approach, effective deterrence of criminal laws and prosecutions in the judicial system, innovation/initiative flow, prevention of biased perceptions of laws by relevant stakeholders, distribution system and marketing status, effective market demand, administrative procedures and business information transparency, willingness to buy foreign goods, as well as auditing and taxing regulations/procedures as determinants had the highest influential power, that is, they constituted the drivers of BRD. Research limitations/implications - Among the most important limitations of the present study was no access to the statistics of all cases and the unwillingness of a number of executive organizations and bodies in Ardabil Township to cooperate. Furthermore, the pivot strategies in this research were established based on local development and BRD strategies. Practical implications - To meet the objectives of BRD planning in the rural areas of Ardabil Township, the key role of the 12 main variables mentioned here should be taken into account. Such variables have high influence and low dependence on BRD improvements in the study area and they are of top priority in planning for BRD based on local competitiveness in the rural areas of Ardabil County, Iran. Originality/Value - Little research has thus far assessed the effective drivers of BRD based on local competitiveness using future studies. Amongst the advantages of the present study, the comprehensiveness and impediment of its research criteria stand out.