Competitiveness

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of commercial and operational factors on competitiveness improvement of Shahid Beheshti Port (SBP) in Chabahar in attracting shipping lines. The research method is applied in terms of purpose. Initially, the researcher conducted the qualitative phase to identify important variables, create a typology, or make new theories. To reach the saturation stage, 15 people were interviewed. Then, after identifying emerging classifications using qualitative data, a questionnaire was developed through the Delphi technique, and thus, the quantitative phase began. To test its items, patterning of the structural equation model was used via Lisrel software. Findings showed that commercial factors affecting SBP competitiveness improvement included financial capital and customer capital, port costs and tax burden, market efficiency and market performance. In addition, technical-developmental infrastructures, technological infrastructures, warehousing activities, loading and unloading operations, customs activities and services, communication and distribution networks, trust and safety in port activities, and port logistics features were the operational factors affecting this competitiveness. It was discovered that existence of abundant capacities and potentials in various transportation departments of SBP, quantitative and qualitative increase of equipment, as well as the development of new capacities in infrastructure and fleet of railways, roads, offshore and port loading/unloading equipment have relatively improved levels of loading/unloading in SBP, which can be attributed to successful execution of measures taken to develop competitiveness in SBP.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a general concept where companies voluntarily decide to adopt social, economic and environmental responsibilities for a better society and environment. Researchers in the management field have created various CSR models and theories. Moreover, enterprises are working out to strength its competitiveness performance though adopting CSR approaches. For that, decision makers in an enterprise have to target the most appropriate CSR approach that fit with the environment and the nature of their enterprise. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been presented through the article in order to help an organization take decision toward the most convenient CSR method according to many characteristics and criteria.

The aim of this research paper was to determine the role of urban space design on cities competitiveness in the process of globalization. In the era of globalization and with the rush of investors to find attractive places for investment, cities are becoming the focal points for investors and the urban managers, who need to present a variety of attractions to draw financial capital and be able to compete with other cities. But, it seems these days, capital and time is wasted due to the lack of coherent theoretical foundations regarding the role of urban design professionals in making cities and urban spaces more attractive. This study explains and discusses the role of urban design in the process of making cities attractive in order to compete, by using a descriptive approach and by studying and reviewing relevant scientific resources and researches. The outcome of this study shows that today the relationship between urban design and urban economic conditions are reversed, and this phenomenon, based on the aims that have been mentioned in this article, has created a new model of urban space management in order to attract investors and develop urban growth.

Mismatch of territories under authority of local governments with urban-regional activity domains, on one hand, has caused numerous problems and, on the other hand, has hindered taking maximum advantage of regional capacities and partial and competitive advantages. Hence, application of a new regionalism approach, which focuses on shared planning and management by all stakeholder groups within the pertinent domain, may help solve such problems. In this regard, this paper aims to investigate legal grounds of new regionalism, generally, in Iran and, particularly, in Qeshm Island, and its requirements for increasing competitiveness and creativity in Qeshm Island. Hence, underlying concepts of new regionalism and their relation with a creative city are investigated at first step. Next, legal grounds of new regionalism within national laws and organizational goals and missions of Qeshm Free Trade Zone Organization (FTZO) are investigated. Finally, a comparative study of new regionalism related issues and goals of Qeshm FTZO is provided. Results indicate that such an approach has been referred to both in national codes and goals and missions of Qeshm Free Trade Zone Organization. Moreover, new regionalism can lead to increased quality of life by considering concepts of smart growth, social justice, and environmental justice which can result in attracting creative classes of citizens and building up a creative city. Furthermore, this approach can increase competitiveness in Qeshm Island through making use of its partial and competitive advantages and facilitating laws and regulations with regard to economic activities and foreign investment.

This study was conducted to evaluate the competitiveness and loyalty between the Internets and has been in the insurance industry. The questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaires were distributed among 93 Iranian insurance company clients. In order to analyze the data and present the results of SPSS software and structural equation is utilized. The results of this study indicate that the Internet and the Competitiveness and loyalty based on statistical correlation have been made accordingly, all the assumptions in the research that indicates a significant relationship between the Internet and the loyalty and competitiveness component is approved.

The main purpose of this study is structural-interpretive modeling of industrial brand competitiveness in the petrochemical industry. This research is a qualitative-quantitative mixed exploratory research. The statistical population in the qualitative part of the research includes faculty members and experts in the field of industrial management, marketing and industrial brand, professors familiar with the subject of research and managers and deputies with experience in petrochemical companies in the country using 16 snowball sampling method were chosen. In a small part, the statistical community includes personnel (managers, deputies and experts) of the marketing and sales department of petrochemical companies in the country. For sampling, due to the small size of the statistical population and the irreversibility of the questionnaires has been used the whole number and the whole population has been considered as a sample in a small part (N = 255). The research tool in the qualitative part of the interview is semi-structured and in the quantitative part the researcher has made a questionnaire. For data analysis in the qualitative part, fuzzy Delphi theme and technique analysis has been used and in the quantitative part, ISM technique has been used for data analysis. In the qualitative part of the research, a total of 14 variables were identified as factors affecting the competitiveness of the industrial brand.