Policy-making in Science and Technology
H. Atapour; A. Hamdipour; P. Akbarzadeh
Abstract
The paper intends to investigate the viewpoints of faculty members of the University of Tabriz toward the social impact of their researches. We applied a survey method for the data collection, with the research population being academic staff, of which, 20% were selected using stratified quota sampling ...
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The paper intends to investigate the viewpoints of faculty members of the University of Tabriz toward the social impact of their researches. We applied a survey method for the data collection, with the research population being academic staff, of which, 20% were selected using stratified quota sampling method. As a whole, 153 faculty members of the University of Tabriz participated in this study. The results showed that the mean score of the self-assessment of the participating faculties was 8.72 and the mean of the research population was between 8.29 and 9.15 intervals with 95% confidence, which is the middle range of achievable scores. The self-assessment of major departments toward social impact has had a significant difference. It was found that "industry", "environment", "education", "policy and policy making" and "agriculture" are potential areas for the aforementioned faculties. Results also showed the higher the number of research contracts of faculty members with other organizations, the higher their self-assessment toward the social impact of their researches. Furthermore, some faculties having a working relationship with other organizations could assess the social impact of their researches more than those lacking such relationship. As such it was found that, encouraging the faculties to have working relationship and research contracts with other organizations could increase their attitude toward social impact. In other words, making them more engaged with real issues, including social could increase the impact of their researches.
Future Studies of Higher Education
F. Rajabian Gharib; S. Mohammadzadeh; M.S. harif Sharifzadeh
Abstract
In the future, the issue of university social responsibility (USR) will be expanded to a variety of domains of local, national and international communities. Since the social responsibility of higher education in the future transformation process requires a futuristic approach, the current study aims ...
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In the future, the issue of university social responsibility (USR) will be expanded to a variety of domains of local, national and international communities. Since the social responsibility of higher education in the future transformation process requires a futuristic approach, the current study aims to focus on the same in higher agricultural education. Three main steps were taken in the course of this study. First, based on the focus group approach, drivers of university social responsibility in higher agricultural education were identified. Then, using the interactive analysis method as well as MicMac software, five key drivers were selected from among the 14 identified divers. Key factors were defined with expert opinions based on the idea of scenario writing on 21 possible and probable situations in the future of university social responsibility. And then by forming 21x21 matrix and applying expert knowledge in assessing the impact of each situation on the occurrence or non-occurrence of other situation, 2 contrasting scenarios (Phoenix and Peacock) as strong ones and 104 scenarios with low and weak probably occurrences were extracted using ScenarioWizard 4.31 software. The phoenix scenario represents the realization of university social responsibility for sustainable local and regional development whereas the peacock scenario stresses that the university as a separate entity lacks social responsibility. In other words, these scenarios indicate the futuristic vision of the university’s social responsibility.
Higher Education
Z. Sadoughi
Abstract
The interdependence resulting from globalization and the common crisis individuals face make the cooperation among scholars and researchers of different disciplines inevitable. Since promoting the culture of peace has become a significant concern for researchers, managing the current complicated situation ...
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The interdependence resulting from globalization and the common crisis individuals face make the cooperation among scholars and researchers of different disciplines inevitable. Since promoting the culture of peace has become a significant concern for researchers, managing the current complicated situation needs a peaceful environment. Today, a wide range of studies emphasize the importance of peace believing it can bring calmness, security, stability as well as sustainability. Considering knowledge and awareness as primary concepts in shaping insights, attitudes, and peaceful behavior, the current paper has tried to study the role of a university in promoting the culture of peace. Through a qualitative method and semi-structured interviews with experts in the education domain, a hypothesis was discussed: "the university is an active actor in promoting the culture of peace through its functions (education, research, and social responsibility) and playing a crucial role in diplomacy institution." Based on theoretical and field studies findings, a sustainable university model was found to be an effective one for peace promotion, a university that institutionalizes sustainability in educational, research, and social services.
Architecture
H. Rahmani; M.R. Pourzargar; B. Mansouri
Abstract
The contemporary architectural knowledge is affected by the dominance of centrist hegemonies as well as the swarm of information technology that have captured the human soul and consequently led to the crystallization of new forms of individual creations other than the actual creativity. This study aims ...
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The contemporary architectural knowledge is affected by the dominance of centrist hegemonies as well as the swarm of information technology that have captured the human soul and consequently led to the crystallization of new forms of individual creations other than the actual creativity. This study aims at changing the learning process of human architect by freeing the mind from the accumulated information and reading of effective teachings handed down through human lived experiences that embrace spirit and emotions. This study has been carried out through a documentary research method to identify the relationship of humans with the environment and examine the works of phenomenologists in the domains of human, mind and imagination as well as the within-border roots contributing to connect humans with native phenomenon such as literature. Going through ontology and Axialism attitudes, we could infer the lost facets of “how to become human”. The intellectual-philosophical movement of phenomenology, which emerged at the dawn of the twentieth century, considered lived experience as the basis of ontology. Thereafter, it was rerouted from pure philosophy to the realm of “thought” hence, it found its way into schools of architecture by establishing a multi-faceted link between disciplines and lived experiences. The findings revealed the self-discovered process of “human architect” in acquiring experiences toward creating human architectural phenomena. This was studied from two aspects: reading rich sources and within-border roots; and learning of “how to think” as a universal viewpoint. The reading of Hafez’s poetry and his lived experience in the process of learning architecture contributes to self-discovery and mental purification and human, in this way, gains consciousness.
Political Sciences
F. Zolfagharian
Abstract
The human perspective has a direct impact on the environment. In the modern era, man has considered himself in the place of God and has dominated the nature that has resulted in encroachment upon its privacy and disruption of its cycle. During antiquity, man always defined himself within the universe ...
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The human perspective has a direct impact on the environment. In the modern era, man has considered himself in the place of God and has dominated the nature that has resulted in encroachment upon its privacy and disruption of its cycle. During antiquity, man always defined himself within the universe and had firm belief that the cycle of nature could not and should not be disrupted. The manner of man’s interactions with nature and the environment has been varied and sometimes contradictory in different periods. The existence of a bio-centric view and the acceptance of the principle that man is part of nature and his life depends on the surroundings, has led to behavioral occurrence based on the respect for nature and the environment. Ancient Iranians, too, as one of the world’s first civilizations, have always been at the forefront of human and environmental issues. The laws governing the ancient world were based on belief patterns, and the governing policies of that time were based on the notion of the protection of the environmental elements of soil, water, plants and animals. In this article, apart from examining the bio-centric perspective on the remaining myths from ancient Iran, as well as exploring the sources of Zoroastrianism and the Avesta, the relationship between the policies of kings and rulers and environmental ideas is discussed. This article shows that ancient Iranians with a bio-centric attitude and using religious propositions tried to satisfy the four elements of nature and emphasized its preservation.
Economics
S. Nowroozi; M.H. Ranjbar; J. Asadnia
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the information content of quarterly earnings announcements of firms in Tehran Stock Exchange's information needs of stakeholders and investigate influential factors on it and then propose optimal model. To provide a measure of how much value-relevant information ...
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The aim of this study is to investigate the information content of quarterly earnings announcements of firms in Tehran Stock Exchange's information needs of stakeholders and investigate influential factors on it and then propose optimal model. To provide a measure of how much value-relevant information is provided at earnings releases, we calculate the adjusted R2 from a regression of calendar-year returns on returns in each of the four seven-day announcement “event windows” during the year. In order to investigate more, we investigate the factors affecting this information content. Therefore, the financial data of 106 firms for the period between the years 1385 to 1389 were analyzed. Results showed that announcement of quarterly earnings an average of 9 to 17 percent of total annual information that affect stock prices of companies and this indicates that the primary role of announcement of quarterly earnings for investors and other stakeholders is not to provide timely information, but it increase the reliability of other sources of information that issue timelier. Also other results of this study show that there are a significant positive relation between the information content of quarterly earnings announcements and some variables such as growth opportunities and quality and nature of earnings and a negative and significant relationship with the size, financial leverage and age of firm. Finally optimal model of research are propose in below:
