Ideology and Ethics of Transitional Entrepreneurs: Legitimacy, Soft Law, and Overcoming a Distressed Economy

Purpose – Transitional entrepreneurship in distressed economies is a fairly new concept with respect to new ventures in such challenging economic environments. Formal institutional voids are sometimes held up as a reason for the difficulties present in distressed economies, along with exogenous shocks and other upheavals. In this research, the authors seek to contribute empirically and theoretically as to ways in which formal institutions voids can be filled by a culture developed by transitional entrepreneurs. Indeed, in transition economies, formal institutions need to be enhanced by informal institutions to control corruption and other misbehavior by authorities. Iranian economists emphasize these essential reforms to be able to manage current difficulties, yet top down policies cannot help transitional entrepreneurs benefit from the country’s value adding cultural heritage to informally address this. To study this, qualitative research methods were used to interpret transitional entrepreneurs’ ideology and ethical routines as the ingredients of a commercial culture that can establish soft law that substitutes for formal institutions. This helps to reduce the disfunctionality of formal institutions in distressed economies. Design/methodology/approach – A thematic analysis interviewing key Iranian entrepreneurs and economists is conducted. Also based on an interpretive paradigm, a hermeneutic cycle has been carried out on selected texts. Results have been verified throughout related literature as to come up with a solid synthesized interpreted outcome. Findings – This paper contributes to theory from a new perspective by discussing transitional entrepreneurship and navigating a distressed economy; in which, ideology and ethics as the ingredients of soft law (Newman and Posner, 2018) are discussed as the base to further develop a commercial culture that fills voids of formal institutions. The formal–informal institutional cycle in distressed economies as the major difficulty entrepreneurs face (Peng and Luo, 2000) is important, because they try to increasingly enhance their move toward a market orientation (Bruton et al., 2008). The authors contribute as to how transitional entrepreneurs can complete this process of adaptation and also the fact that those informal institutions do actually respond to those adaptations. The other contribution is to enrich theories about institutions from the point of view of culture. Knowing these facts helps transitional entrepreneurs, because in distressed communities, formal institutions’ function has an important effect on economic performance (Amoros, 2009). This research’s contributions shed light to help government leaders understand the pros and cons of their actions forced on the industry. As it has been characterized in this research, it can turn in to new formal set of legitimacies (Ahlstrom et al., 2008) to root out corruption and help set the economy on a path to innovation and new venture creation. Originality/value – Transitional entrepreneurs can depend on the less formal cultural-cognitive aspect of ethics and ideology. These entrepreneurs can be working on the burgeoning private sector, who want to connect with the outside effectively to overcome an economy in distress. Transitional entrepreneurs may face governmental institutional intermediaries as a barrier. Formal intermediaries tend to benefit from inefficiencies caused by hierarchal orders and will improve informality in order to overcome difficulties. In this research, institutional theory from the third pillar of the cultural-cognitive sheds light on transitional entrepreneurship in distressed economies, where inquiry is to fill voids of formal institutions as a process of possible linking between new generated soft law derived by beliefs, ideology and professional morality in order to influence (old) legitimacies. The research’s focus evolves on values transitional entrepreneurs utilize to build informal institutions and then impact further on formal institutions to handle distressed communities. This theoretical background expands on subsections to define conceptual building blocks for the study, essential aspects such as individuals as transitional entrepreneurs, the values they utilize to generate soft law, informal institutions and soft law, to manage voids in formal institutions and legitimacy building aspects in policy agenda setting for transitional entrepreneurship in distressed economies

Selective SLAM/CD150 Receptor-Detargeting of Canine Distemper Virus.

The envelope attachment (H)-protein of canine distemper virus (CDV) mediates receptor engagement and fusion-triggering; two key functions in viral cell entry and spread. Signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) and Nectin-4 (N4) act as morbilliviral entry receptors in immune and epithelial cells, respectively, which defines very similar pathogeneses. High incidence of brain disorders is however unique to CDV. The wild-type CDV-A75/17 strain (A75) preferentially infects glial cells and spreads from astrocyte-to-astrocyte without inducing massive fusion events, despite the fact that SLAM and N4 expressions remained below detection levels. To investigate whether an A75 H-microdomain required to interact with SLAM may additionally contribute to promote viral spread between astrocytes, we initially engineered a novel A75 H-protein variant (546-SYT/RNR-548) that lost SLAM-binding property and, consequently, lacked fusion-triggering activity specifically in SLAM-expressing cells. Collectively, this approach provides the molecular tool to decipher the role of the selected H-microdomain in supporting A75-spread in glial cells

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION (IRAN COMPUTER HARDWARE INDUSTRY)

In this quantitative article research first, the main factors in customer satisfaction in online environment of Iran in hardware industry with process based-view are identified. Secondly relationships between identified factors in online environment of Iran and customer satisfaction are investigatedOnline Environment, Customer satisfaction, and Process Based-View

Determining and assessing the risks of commercial and recreational complex building projects in developing countries : a survey of experts in Iran

Purpose: As construction of commercial and recreational complex building projects (CRCBPs) is one of the most important issues in many developing countries and requires a very high cost of implementation, it is important to identify and prioritize the risks of such projects. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify and rank the risks of CRCBPs by studying the case of the “Hamedanian Memorial,” a CRCBP in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: To pursue this aim, a descriptive-survey method was used. The statistical population of the study consists of 30 experienced experts (consultants, contractors and employers) of the “Hamedanian Memorial” project selected according to the Cochran formula and minimum population census. A questionnaire was used as the data collection tool, administered in all stages of risk identification and evaluation, and was devised by using library and field methods based on the literature and research background, as well as interviewing experts in the risk identification and evaluation stages. Kendall’s coefficient of agreement was used to validate the experts’ opinions in the risk identification stage. The ranking in qualitative evaluation was done based on the risk intensity and the cumulative risk index. Findings: The results show that the risks are associated with exchange rate fluctuation, inflation fluctuation, access to skilled workers, contractors’ claims and foreign threats from international relations. Originality/value: The results and findings of the present study can be of interest to the executives of large commercial, leisure, public and private projects in developing and developed countries; understanding risks can significantly improve the decision-making process of CRCBPs

Effective Management of Energy Internet in Renewable Hybrid Microgrids : A Secured Data Driven Resilient Architecture

This paper proposes a two-layer in-depth secured management architecture for the optimal operation of energy internet in hybrid microgrids considering wind turbines, photovoltaics, fuel cell unit, and microturbines. In the physical layer of the proposed architecture, the operation of the grid is formulated as a single objective problem that is solved using teacher learning-based optimization (TLBO). Regarding the cyber layer of the proposed architecture, a two-level intrusion detection system (IDS) is proposed to detect various cyber-attacks (i.e. Sybil attacks, spoofing attacks, false data injection attacks) on wireless-based advanced metering infrastructures. The sequential probability ratio testing (SPRT) approach is utilized in both levels of the proposed IDS to detect cyber-attacks based on a sequence of anomalies rather than only one piece of evidence. The feasibility and performance of the proposed architecture are examined on IEEE 33-bus test system and the results are provided for both islanded and grid-connected operation modes.©2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Učinak atorvastatina na debljinu arterijske intime medije u bolesnika s ishemijskim moždanim udarom

Occlusion of the initial segment of internal carotid artery is the most common reason for vascular events in the brain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oneyear treatment with atorvastatin on intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries as a measure of atherosclerosis in stroke patients. In this prospective interventional study, 44 patients with ischemic stroke were investigated. Patients were treated with atorvastatin 40 mg once a day for one year. IMT of carotid arteries was measured by extracranial Doppler ultrasonography in the distal part of the common carotid artery at the beginning of the study, at 6 months and one year of treatment with atorvastatin. The IMT of both right and left carotid arteries decreased after 6- and 12-month atorvastatin treatment. Based on the results of this study, long-term administration of atorvastatin was associated with reduction in carotid artery IMT in patients with ischemic stroke. Such a decrease in IMT may prevent subsequent stroke or cardiovascular events in these patients.Blokada početnog dijela interne karotidne arterije najčešći je razlog vaskularnih ispada u mozgu. Namjera ovoga istraživanja bila je ispitati učinak jednogodišnje terapije atorvastatinom na debljinu intime medije (intima-media thickness, IMT) karotidnih arterija kao mjere ateroskleroze kod bolesnika s moždanim udarom. U ovoj prospektivnoj intervencijskoj studiji ispitana su 44 bolesnika s ishemijskim moždanim udarom. Bolesnici su liječeni atorvastatinom, 40 mg jedanput na dan kroz jednu godinu. IMT karotidnih arterija mjeren je ekstrakranijskom Doppler ultrasonografijom u distalnom dijelu zajedničke karotidne arterije na početku istraživanja te nakon 6 mjeseci i 12 mjeseci liječenja atorvastatinom. Zabilježeno je sniženje IMT i u desnoj i u lijevoj karotidnoj arteriji nakon 6 mjeseci i 12 mjeseci liječenja atorvastatinom. Rezultati ovoga istraživanja pokazuju da je dugotrajno uzimanje atorvastatina bilo udruženo sa smanjenjem IMT karotidnih arterija u bolesnika s ishemijskim moždanim udarom. Takvo sniženje IMT moglo bi spriječiti naknadni moždani udar ili kardiovaskularne ispade kod ovih bolesnika

Rectal adenocarcinoma in an 9 year old girl. A case report

Rectal adenocarcinoma is rare in children. The patient described here is a 9-year-old girl who presented with rectorrhagia. Her problem started 3 months ago and she had been treated for infectious diarrhea. A colonoscopy was performed 3 months after the onset of symptoms and a non-pedunculated polyp in the rectum was noted and resected. After the colonoscopy signs and symptoms of peritonitis developed and in laparotomy a rectal perforation was noted and a biopsy from rectal mucosa was taken. The result of biopsy was adenocarcinoma. Then a low anterior resection of rectum with protective ileostomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy was performed. During a 15 month follow-up the patient had no problems and no clinical, radiological or laboratory signs or symptoms of recurrence was found. However rectal adenocarcinoma is rare but it should be considered in the differentialdiagnosis of intestinal problems

Assessment of Toxoplasma Seropositivity in Children Suffering from Anxiety Disorders.

peer reviewed[en] OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in children with anxiety disorders. MATERIALS & METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between Sep 2012 and May 2013 in Pediatrics Clinic of Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Children were assessed clinically. Diagnosis of patients with anxiety disorders was based on DSM-4 system, performed by child psychiatrist. Then their anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were measured. A questionnaire was verbally administered to all individuals' parents including demographic information and questions about life style, family history, medical history, economic situation, residence, nutritional patterns and contact with animals. RESULTS: Ninety-six male and female cases with a mean age of 8.56±2.5 and 8.42±1.9 yr underwent analysis. Anti- T. gondii IgG antibody was found in one case of each group. There was no significant difference between case and control groups for serum Toxoplasma IgG antibody (P=0.14). No case individuals had Anti- T. gondii IgM antibody, while it was found in one control individual. No significant difference was seen between case and control groups for Toxoplasma IgM antibody (P=0.27). CONCLUSION: Toxoplasmosis has no direct effect on the incidence of anxiety disorders. More studies are needed with a larger volume of individuals in future

Assessment of Toxoplasma Seropositivity in Children Suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

peer reviewedBackground: Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is suggested to be a risk factor for many psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among children. Previous studies have assessed the correlation between ADHD and infectious diseases like toxoplasmosis. So we aimed to investigate the possible correlation between Toxoplasma seropositivity and ADHD in children. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study children with signs of ADHD were regarded as patients and underwent clinical assessments. Diagnosis of these patients was based on DSM-IV-TR system which was performed by a pediatric psychiatrist. Forty-eight Children without signs of ADHD or other psychic disorders were considered as control, and 48 patients were considered as case group. Parents were asked to answer a questionnaire including demographic, pregnancy and habitual questions. Blood samples were taken from all individuals and assessed for anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies. Results: Ninety-six male and female patients with a mean age of 8.12 years underwent analysis. Seropositivity rate for anti-T.gondii IgG antibody was 4.2% in the case and 2.1% in control individuals (P=0.92). Anti-T.gondii IgM antibodies were not found in control individuals while it was found in 2.1% of case individuals (P=0.74). There was no statistically significant association between seroprevalence of IgM (P=0.74) and IgG (P=0.92) antibodies and ADHD in study individuals. Conclusion: Our findings showed that the toxoplasmosis seropositivity has no significant difference between children with and without ADHD. Further studies are needed with a larger amount of individuals. [GMJ. 2016;5(4):188-93