A robust AHP-DEA method for measuring the relative efficiency: An application of airport industry

Measuring the relative efficiency of similar units has been an important topic of research among many researchers. Data envelopment analysis has been one of the most important techniques for measuring the efficiency of different units. However, there are some limitations on using such technique and some people prefer to use other methods such as analytical hierarchy process to measure the relative efficiencies. Besides, uncertainty in the input data is another issue, which makes some misleading results. In this paper, we present an integrated robust DEA-AHP to measure the relative efficiency of similar units. The proposed model of this is believed to capable of presenting better results in terms of efficiency compared with exclusive usage of DEA or AHP. The implementation of the proposed model is demonstrated for a real-world case study of Airport industry and the results are analyzed

Evaluation of university performance using BSC and ANP

Measuring the relative performance of universities play important role on better educational planning. During the past few years, balanced scorecard (BSC) has become popular among researchers as a technique for measuring the performance of business units. This method studies a particular firm in terms of four different perspectives including internal processes, learning and growth, customer and financial figures. One primary concern on using such method is that this method does not consider the relative importance of these components. In this paper, we present a hybrid of BSC with analytical network process to measure the relative performance of an educational unit in Iran

An investigation of relation between organizational justice and professional commitment of staff: A case study of public organization in Kermanshah

This paper presents an empirical study to investigate the relationship between organizational justice and professional commitment in Kermanshah official organizations. The study uses 20 questions to measure professional commitment from a questionnaire originally developed by Spell et al. (2007) [Spell, C. S., & Arnold, T. J. (2007). A multi-level analysis of organizational justice climate, structure, and employee mental health. Journal of Management, 33(5), 724-751.]. In addition, the study adopts 12 questions from another questionnaire developed by Vallas (1999) [Vallas, S. P. (1999). Rethinking post‐Fordism: The meaning of workplace flexibility. Sociological theory, 17(1), 68-101.] to measure organizational justice. Cronbach alpha for organizational justice questionnaire and professional commitment are 0.81 and 0.89, respectively, which are well above the minimum acceptable level. Based on the results of this survey, there is a positive and meaningful relationship between organizational justice and professional commitment. The implementation of the linear regression analysis also reveals that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between inter-organizational justice and professional commitment. The study performs Freedman test to rank three components of organizational justice and the results indicate that interactional justice maintains the highest level of importance while distributive justice comes last in terms of priority

Performance evaluation of services quality in higher education institutions using modified SERVQUAL approach with grey analytic hierarchy process (G-AHP) and multilevel grey evaluation

In today’s climate of fierce competition, there is a necessity to pay especial attention on customer demands either in manufacturing or service sector. Managers in service sector are under pressure in terms of environmental factors, they focus on customers’ satisfaction and this has led to the continuous improvement in the performance of service organizations. Meanwhile, customers’ expectations should be properly understood and measured. There have been various efforts to measure the quality of services using the SERVQUAL model. In this study, we try to investigate the concepts and factors influencing the quality of services according to modified SERVQUAL model and then utilize the proposed model of Grey Analytic Hierarchy Process (G-AHP) and Multilevel Grey Evaluation in order to evaluate the quality of services in the framework of Grey Systems Theory (GST). In order to propose our method, we will conduct a case study of the performance of service quality in higher education institutions of Isfahan-Iran

Correlation of Hematologic Indices with CT-pulmonary Arterial Obstruction Index in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Emboli

Introduction: Acute Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is an imperative medical condition with a considerable global impact. Inflammation is deemed to take a notable part in the pathophysiology of this potentially fatal disorder. The aim of the current study was to predict acute PTE severity in helical pulmonary CT-angiography using easily accessible hematological complete blood count (CBC) indices.Methods: After exclusion of inflammatory conditions that may affect CBC parameters, a total of 69 consecutive patients with definite diagnosis of acute PTE according to pulmonary helical CT –angiography were recruited. Laboratory tests, including CBC parameters were performed on admission in the emergency unit, before initiation of any therapy. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and RDW to platelet ratio (RPR) were calculated in each case of acute PTE. Ultimately, CT pulmonary arterial obstruction index (PAOI) was assessed subsequent to pulmonary helical CT-angiography for each patient.Results: We found that NLR is positively correlated with acute PTE severity according to CT pulmonary arterial obstruction index (PAOI) (P < 0.01, r = 0.56); however, PLR, RDW and RPR did not appear to show such correlations (P > 0.05).Conclusions: NLR could be an easily calculated and capable index to predict severity of acute PTE in pulmonary CT-angiography. Consequently, NLR might be used in precise risk stratification when suspicious for acute PTE and in accurately triage of patients who would benefit greatly from urgent diagnostic and therapeutic interventions

National, sub-national, and risk-attributed burden of thyroid cancer in Iran from 1990 to 2019

An updated exploration of the burden of thyroid cancer across a country is always required for making correct decisions. The objective of this study is to present the thyroid cancer burden and attributed burden to the high Body Mass Index (BMI) in Iran at national and sub-national levels from 1990 to 2019. The data was obtained from the GBD 2019 study estimates. To explain the pattern of changes in incidence from 1990 to 2019, decomposition analysis was conducted. Besides, the attribution of high BMI in the thyroid cancer DALYs and deaths were obtained. The age-standardized incidence rate of thyroid cancer was 1.57 (95% UI: 1.33–1.86) in 1990 and increased 131% (53–191) until 2019. The age-standardized prevalence rate of thyroid cancer was 30.19 (18.75–34.55) in 2019 which increased 164% (77–246) from 11.44 (9.38–13.85) in 1990. In 2019, the death rate, and Disability-adjusted life years of thyroid cancer was 0.49 (0.36–0.53), and 13.16 (8.93–14.62), respectively. These numbers also increased since 1990. The DALYs and deaths attributable to high BMI was 1.91 (0.95–3.11) and 0.07 (0.04–0.11), respectively. The thyroid cancer burden and high BMI attributed burden has increased from 1990 to 2019 in Iran. This study and similar studies’ results can be used for accurate resource allocation for efficient management and all potential risks’ modification for thyroid cancer with a cost-conscious view

Burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer in North Africa and Middle East countries, 1990 to 2019: Results from the GBD study 2019

ObjectiveTo provide estimates on the regional and national burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer and its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019 in the North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region.Methods and materialsThe Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 data were used. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), death, incidence, and prevalence rates were categorized by sex and age groups in the NAME region, in 21 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Decomposition analysis was performed to calculate the proportion of responsible factors in the emergence of new cases. Data are presented as point estimates with their 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs).ResultsIn the NAME region, TBL cancer caused 15,396 and 57,114 deaths in women and men, respectively, in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased by 0.7% (95% UI -20.6 to 24.1) and reached 16.8 per 100,000 (14.9 to 19.0) in 2019. All the age-standardized indices had a decreasing trend in men and an increasing trend in women from 1990 to 2019. Turkey (34.9 per 100,000 [27.6 to 43.5]) and Sudan (8.0 per 100,000 [5.2 to 12.5]) had the highest and lowest age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPRs) in 2019, respectively. The highest and lowest absolute slopes of change in ASPR, from 1990 to 2019, were seen in Bahrain (-50.0% (-63.6 to -31.7)) and the United Arab Emirates (-1.2% (-34.1 to 53.8)), respectively. The number of deaths attributable to risk factors was 58,816 (51,709 to 67,323) in 2019 and increased by 136.5%. Decomposition analysis showed that population growth and age structure change positively contributed to new incident cases. More than 80% of DALYs could be decreased by controlling risk factors, particularly tobacco use.ConclusionThe incidence, prevalence, and DALY rates of TBL cancer increased, and the death rate remained unchanged from 1990 to 2019. All the indices and contribution of risk factors decreased in men but increased in women. Tobacco is still the leading risk factor. Early diagnosis and tobacco cessation policies should be improved

An empirical study for ranking risk factors using linear assignment: A case study of road construction

Road construction projects are considered as the most important governmental issues since there are normally heavy investments required in such projects. There is also shortage of financial resources in governmental budget, which makes the asset allocation more challenging. One primary step in reducing the cost is to determine different risks associated with execution of such project activities. In this study, we present some important risk factors associated with road construction in two levels for a real-world case study of rail-road industry located between two cities of Esfahan and Deligan. The first group of risk factors includes the probability and the effects for various attributes including cost, time, quality and performance. The second group of risk factors includes socio-economical factors as well as political and managerial aspects. The study finds 21 main risk factors as well as 193 sub risk factors. The factors are ranked using groups decision-making method called linear assignment. The preliminary results indicate that the road construction projects could finish faster with better outcome should we carefully consider risk factors and attempt to reduce their impacts

The investigation of the relation between job involvement and organizational commitment

This paper investigates the relationship between job involvement and organizational commitment among lower-level employees in Iranian automaker industry. In this study, job involvement is an independent variable, organizational commitment is dependent variable, and the analysis is performed using 100 randomly selected data through a questionnaire, which consists of four-parts. The study gathers biographical and occupational data using a self-designed 40-item questionnaire. The survey measures job involvement using Kanungo’s 10-item 5-point rating scale and organizational commitment is measured based on Mowday’s 15-item 5-point scale. The study uses different statistical techniques including Pearson Product Moment Correlation Technique and Multiple Regression Analysis. The results indicate that job involvement is strongly associated with organizational commitment. The paper therefore suggests that managers must put in all their efforts to promote job involvement in their companies