Corporate social responsibility and competitive advantage : relationships and mechanisms

Purpose: This study is intended to gain insight into the association of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementations and the achievement of competitive advantage focusing on the mediation role of company reputation (CR) in this relationship. Design/Methodology/Approach: Semi-structured interview technique was used to confirm the validity of the research model. In addition, the purposive sampling method has been used targeting senior decision makers in different well-known 5-star hotels and resorts in Jordan. A total of three hundred (300) questionnaires were distributed. While two hundred and forty (240) questionnaires were retrieved from respondents, two hundred and eleven (211) questionnaires were valid and usable. Findings: The results elucidated the mechanism of CSR and competitive advantage relationship. Although the results confirmed the positive (direct and indirect) effect of the social, the legal, and the ethical dimensions of (CSR) on competitive advantage, data analysis did not support any significant impact for the environmental dimension on competitive advantage (CA) through the company reputation (CR) as a mediator variable. Practical Implications: This study raises awareness of (CSR) implementations in service-oriented developing economies through highlighting the mechanism and relationships of CSR and competitive advantage. It is hoped that, it will contribute to generate interest towards the concept of ``Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility`` (ECSR), as a strategic alternative at the aim of the achievement of competitive advantage. Originality/Value: The study goes beyond examining the causal relationship between (CSR) and competitive advantage. It focuses on achieving a deep understanding of this relationship by exploring the mechanisms of its work through illustrating the mediation role of reputation.peer-reviewe

Investigation of the peroxide value of oils used in bistros (West of Iran)

Abstract Frying food is one of the most admired methods to make instant cuisine among people because of its taste and color, as well as the crispy texture creation. Hydrogen peroxide which is the result of frying, causes various diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, cardiac and cerebral ischemia, aging and liver disorders. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the amount of peroxide in the oils used in bistros in western Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in the restaurants in western Iran. In this study, 81 samples of consumable oils gathered according to the standard of 493 Iranian Institute of Standards and Industrial Research. After transferring the samples to the laboratory, there peroxide value was measured according to the standard number 4179 and data was entered in Excel and SPSS version 16 for further analyses. Out of 81 samples, 59% (48 samples) from consumable samples at the standard level and 41% (33 samples) of the non-consumable samples higher than the standard rate of the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran. While cooking, the consumable oil average peroxide value was 5.72, without a night and day breakdown (in general). In addition, the lowest and highest peroxide oxidation was 0 and 29 mEq/kg. According to Mann-Whitney test, there was no significant difference between the amounts of peroxide in consumable oils. Some evidence shows the non-compliance with hygiene issues that are related to oil consumption. This requires more supervision and continuous sampling and testing. © 2018, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

Chemical coagulation efficiency in removal of water turbidity

Health promotion and protection of environment constantly depends on providing clean water. Water turbidity caused by suspended particles and colloids in it. So the aim of this study was to review the efficiency of chemical coagulation in removal of water turbidity.In this study all the present articles were searched in internal databases including Iran medex, Irandoc and SID and external databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, scientific database of World Health Organization (Medicos / WHO / EMR), free journal access guide (Open Access Journal Directory of), PubMed using the Key words of coagulants, chemical coagulation, total water turbidity, the articles were searched and 268 articles were extracted and 25 articles that were completely relevance with the topic was reviewed. Including inorganic polymer coagulants advantages of high efficiency compared to conventional coagulants extensively in a range of pH, and better performance at various temperatures, especially at low temperatures is the Among the advantages of polymeric inorganic coagulants efficiently compared to conventional coagulants is appropriate efficient in an extensively range of pH, and better performance at various temperatures especially at low temperatures.Based on the studies, it was concluded that the use of chemical coagulation is an effective way to reduce water turbidity and the use of poly aluminum chloride due to low sludge production, reduction of PH to a limited extent, creation of large fluke, less residual and high rate of sedimentation in water is greater than other coagulants. © 2018, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

The Effect of Feeding of Crushed Thyme (Thymus valgaris L) on Growth, Blood Constituents, Gastrointestinal Tract and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens

The effect of feeding of different levels of thyme (Thymus valgaris L) on performance, blood constituents, gastrointestinal tract and carcass characteristics was studied in broiler chickens. An experiment of five dietary treatment groups with different levels of thyme was conducted in broiler chickens from 1 to 42 days of age. Dietary thyme significantly increased body weight and body weight gain, and improved feed conversion ratio. The serum levels of glucose, total protein, and globulin were significantly increased by the addition of thyme. The serum levels of triglyceride and cholesterol were significantly decreased. The lengths of gastrointestinal tract segments were decreased by feeding 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% thyme. The same levels of thyme improved dressing and breast percentage of female broilers, and 1.5% and 2.0% thyme feedings improved significantly the leg and wing percentage. Same trends were observed in male broilers. These findings suggest that thyme can be used as a natural growth promoter in broiler rations particularly at 1.5% and 2.0% level

Effect of adding crushed Pimpinella anisum, Nigella sativa seeds and Thymus vulgaris mixture to antibiotics-free rations of vaccinated and non-vaccinated male broilers on growth performance, antibody titer and haematological profile

This research explores an experimental study conducted to investigate the effect of crushed Pimpinella anisum (PA), Nigella sativa (NS) seeds and Thymus vulgaris (TV) mixture as a feed additive on growth performance and mortality rate (MR), selected antibodies titer (Ab’s) and blood hematological profile of vaccinated and non-vaccinated Lohman male broiler chicks fed free-antibiotics ration. A total of 400 one-day old chicks were distributed into 16 groups (4 treatment x 4 replicates x 25chicks). The experiment lasted from one to 42 days of age. The statistical findings of this experiment prove that the use of medicinal plants mixture improves live body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and MR of vaccinated male broilers at 21 and 42 days of age. antibodies titer against infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease of non-vaccinated and vaccinated male broilers were significantly improved at 21 and 42 days as a result of the addition of medicinal plant mixture to the basal ration. Concerning Newcastle disease, the use of PA, NS and TV mixture did not reflect in any additional improvement of Ab's than vaccines did. The addition of medicinal plants mixture increases WBC's, RBC's, thrombocytes count and Hb concentration of vaccinated and non-vaccinated male broilers at 21 days of age. Meanwhile, heterophils, lymphocytes and monocytes of vaccinated male broilers (VMB) were significantly improved by adding medicinal plant mixture to their basal diet. Moreover, at 42 days of age the use of PA, NS seeds and TV mixture indicate significant increase in total WBC’s, lymphocytes and monocytes and monocytes count of VMB and non-vaccinated male broiler (NVMB). No significant differences were noticed in RBC’s and Hct as a result of feeding crushed medicinal plants mixture

Explicit finite-difference time domain for nonlinear analysis of waveguide modes

The Finite Difference Time Domain Technique is at present the most widely used tool employed in the study of light propagation in various photonic waveguide structure. In this paper we derived an explicit finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for solving the wave equation in a four optical waveguiding rectangular structure. We derive the stability condition to achieve the stability in nonlinear media region, we also check that the wave equation used is consistence and convergent with the approximate finite difference equation. Our method is tested against some previous problems and we find a high degree of accuracy, moreover it is easy for programming. Numerical results are illustrated for a rectangular waveguide with four layers, where one of these layers is a nonlinear medium

Efficient finite-difference time-domain approach for calculating nonlinear waveguide modes

This paper proposes an explicit finite-difference timedomain (FDTD) method for solving the wave equation in nonlinear optical waveguiding rectangular structure. The validity of the proposed technique is demonstrated through its applications on a rectangular four layers waveguide structure where one layer is a nonlinear medium. The stability conditions are also derived and tested

The effect of mobile-wallet service dimensions on customer satisfaction and loyalty: An empirical study

AbstractElectronic payment options have mostly superseded traditional cash payment methods. The growth of digital wallets, e-commerce, mobile payments, and other unusual payment methods has moved the global economy one step closer to a cashless society. Therefore, this study aims to understand how mobile-wallet service quality dimensions affect customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as to explore users’ experiences with these wallets. The dimensions of the mobile wallet adopted were service quality, ease of use, usefulness, cost, and security. A quantitative approach was used, and a questionnaire was utilized and distributed based on a convenience sample of 557 respondents who were located in Jordan. The statistical techniques of AMOS and SPSS have been applied. The analysis results supported all the main hypotheses, arguing that mobile-wallet service quality leads to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, mobile wallet service dimensions have an impact on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it found that the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived security dimensions have no impact on customer satisfaction. Moreover, perceived ease of use and perceived security dimensions have no impact on customer loyalty. The study recommended the need for m-wallet providers to support m-wallets and other electronic services to enhance the possibility of good control over their technological tools to improve service quality, reduce costs, improve security, develop the relationship between the organization and its customers, and learn more about their desires and aspirations