A Survey of Training Needs of Poultry Cooperative Managing Directors and the Variables Involved: A Case Study of Khorasan-e- Razavi Province

Today, Training is considered to be a main policy of cooperative sector in view of its undisputed necessity for managers. Considering some shortcomings observed in the performance of the managers of poultry cooperatives, the current research paper is an attempt to identify their training needs as well as the variables involved during 2009. The statistical population consists of 96 functional poultry cooperatives which were fully included with no sampling required. Data were gathered using questionnaire and interview and were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (Spearman and Kruskul Walis). According to descriptive results, the average age of the managers was 40; the effectiveness of the trainings previously held was evaluated as "very poor". Also, literacy of members and profitability of the cooperatives were found to be "average" and "poor" respectively. The prioritization of the managers' training needs indicated the extra significance of specialized training over general one. In terms of inferential statistical information, significant correlation was discovered at the confidence level of 95% between the literacy level of members and the effectiveness of the previously held  training courses. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between years of managerial experience, profitability of the cooperative, being of local background, being a dual-career from one hand and training needs on the other

A new hybrid decision making system for supplier selection

The objective of this paper is to develop a hybrid decision making system using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and linguistic fuzzy models for selecting the best supplier in the presence of multiple decision makers. In this hybrid system, first the weights of selected criteria are obtained from each of the decision makers as linguistic fuzzy numbers within the framework of group decision making. Then, to select the best supplier, absolute weight restriction (AWR) model is incorporated into the DEA model. A real case study demonstrates the application of the model

Evidence for enhanced collagen type III deposition focally in the territorial matrix of osteoarthritic hip articular cartilage.

To determine if type III collagen is concentrated in the chymotrypsin-extractable collagen pool from osteoarthritic articular cartilage to assess its potential as a biomarker of Osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenic mechanisms