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Competency oriented approach to human resources development is considered as one of important empowering strategies in successful organizations. In recent years, emotional and social managers’ competencies and relational competencies have been demonstrated by several research studies. The purpose of current study was to examine the impact of Emotional and Social Managers’ Competencies on improving the technical, contextual and behavioral employees’ competencies. Research method was descriptive – correlation and Employees of Fars gas organization was the research population from which 162 employees were selected based on cluster sampling method. Data was collected through two standard questionnaires, Emotional and Social Competencies (ESC) inventory by Boyatzis (2007) and employees Competencies with Based on the Eye Competency Model of the International Project Management Association (2010). Structural equation modeling (SEM) used to analyze the gathered data. Results show that that emotional and social managers’ Competencies predicts the technical, contextual and behavioral employees’ competencies.

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The contribution of the service sector in the global economy is rising nowadays and organizations are the key elements of this economical sector. The customer-orientation and attempting to enhance the performance are playing a fundamental role in the organizations success and effectiveness. The present study assesses the organizational effectiveness, using the structural equation modeling (SEM) statistical approach. As the main dependent variable, the organizational effectiveness has considered as a function of customer satisfaction and objectives attainment scales. Data was gathered from two customers population and managers population of the governmental banks of Dezfoul township, using two separate questionnaires. Based on the SEM approach, the 5 and 4 sub-scales of the customer satisfaction and objectives attainment scales were considered as observed variables. The same scales and the main dependent variable, effectiveness, were also defined as unobserved or latent variables and their interrelationship was then analysed constructing a second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model. Results confirmed the fitness and validity of all two measurment models for customer satisfaction and objectives attainment scales and also the second-order CFA for assessment of effectiveness, based on the gathered data. The precedence of the magnitude and significance of direct and indirect effects of the customer satisfaction and its sub-scales compared to the objectives attainment and its sub-scales on the organizational effectiveness is another part of results.

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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is well known as a pro-environmental technology in agriculture. Therefore, investigating adoption of IPM mechanisms is crucial for agricultural products such as pistachio in Iran. The main purpose of this study was to assess the role of factors affecting IPM adoption by pistachio growers in Kerman Province. Survey was the research method and it was executed using researchers-designed questionnaire. Totally, 225 pistachio growers were selected as sample size, using two-stages random cluster sampling method. Validity of the questionnaire items was entirely approved by a panel of experts. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used for reliability approval. Findings revealed that individual factors including age, education, farming experience, motivations, participation and innovative spirit in conjunction with economic factors such as income, and technological costs affect IPM adoption procedure. In addition, educational services along with IPM technical knowledge and environmental attitude positively changed IPM adoption. The result of structural equation modeling illustrated that education, innovative spirit, life motivation, welfare motivation, income, technological costs, educational services and IPM technical challenges can significantly predicte IPM technical knowledge by direct effects. Indeed, IPM technical knowledge promotes environmental attitude and directly improves IPM adoption. Some practical recommendations are presented based on the research findings.

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Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 up to at least the beginning of 2022, e-learning has largely replaced the face-to-face teaching method in Iran. Accepting web-based learning could be effective in the continuity of this method, at least in a hybrid one, even in normal circumstances. As such, the role of teachers’ perspectives in this regard should not be neglected. Due to the importance of this kind of technology in teaching a second language and the effect of teacher acceptance on the decision to use it, in this study, we examine 63 Persian as a Second language (PSL) teachers' acceptance of Web-based e-learning technology to explore the various factors that impact their intentions to use it. This study uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical foundation. The survey data obtained from 63 PSL teachers through previously tested and validated questionnaires are analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS. The results suggest that the perceived usefulness (PU) directly impacts behavioral intention (BI). Then, there is the motivation to use (MU) construct and the perceived ease of use (PEU), which could indirectly affect BI. The Internet self-efficacy (ISE) construct directly affects BI. Finally, the factor of computer anxiety has a negative effect on behavioral intentions to use web-based E-learning technologies through the factor of perceived ease of use. The research results show that perceived usefulness is the most influential factor in PSL teachers’ intention to use technology. It implies that PSL teachers would be more likely to continue to use Web-based E-learning technologies if they consider them useful.