In this work, a variety of highly substituted quinolines were readily synthesized via Friedlander annulation using Br?nsted acid silica-based sulfonic acid as a modified catalyst under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. This efficient procedure has the advantages of giving the target compounds in high yields, short reaction times, simple workup procedure, reusability of the catalyst, and environmentally benign conditions.

The purpose of conducting this research is to establish a conceptual model to improve the performance of new product development in organizations regarding variables of disruptive innovation, team vision, knowledge management, and fuzzy-front end. In this research, the structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to study the model. Also, the explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis are used to extract dimensions of fuzzy-front end and disruptive innovation variables. Research data have been gathered from 109 experts of development and research department of Iran Khodro manufacturing company. The results of research show that disruptive innovation may have very impressive effects on new product development performance. Also, team approach has direct effect on fuzzy-front end. On the other hand, knowledge management has a key role in new product development and organizations can increase the efficiency of new product development by managing their knowledge and sharing them and guarantee the organization success.

One of the primary tools for asset evaluation on stock market is to use price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. The method is simple and has become popular among many investors for buy/sell decisions. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review on recent advances on the use of P/E ratio for measuring other firms’ characteristics. The survey has reviewed several studies on the relationship between P/E ratio and stock performance, estimation of transaction data, insider transaction, future growth, firm size, interest ratio, book-to-market equity, etc.

In the present paper, the differential transformation method is employed to develop a semi-analytical solution for free transverse vibration of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with arbitrary boundary conditions. The small scale effect is taken into consideration via Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory while the transverse shear deformation effects and rotary inertia are taken into account in presented Timoshenko beam theory. Through variational formulation and the Hamilton & apos; s principle the governing differential equations and the boundary conditions are derived and then solved by a semi-analytical method called differential transformation method (DTM) for various frequency modes of beams and different edge conditions. Comparisons made between the present results and results reported by well-known references for special cases treated before, have confirmed accuracy and efficiency of the presented approach. The effects of several parameters such as transverse shear deformation effects, slenderness ratios, boundary conditions and small scale on vibration characteristics of SWCNT are examined. The present study illustrates that the vibration characteristics of an SWCNT are strongly dependent on the small scale parameters.

This study examines how preferences for honesty affect two-period audit policy. We categorize the audited as either fully honest (i.e. the ethical) or self-interested and rational (i.e. the economic) to deal with the issue of audit policy. As a result, we find the conditional audit policy will be an optimal audit policy only if the incentive for the economic to cheat is sufficiently large and the proportion of the ethical in all audited is relatively moderate,. Otherwise, the conditional audit policy will be dominated by other audit policy. These results suggest that firms are likely able to design a more efficient audit policy if they take into account the honesty preferences of the audited.

Now-a-days, the offer of credit period to the retailer for settling the account for the units purchased by the supplier is considered to be the most beneficial policy. In this article, an attempt is made to formulate an economic order quantity model under fuzzy environment where delay in payment for the retailer is permissible. The demand rate, ordering cost and selling price per item are taken as triangular fuzzy numbers. The ?-cut representation method is used to calculate the optimum cycle time and total optimum cost. The optimum cycle time and total optimum cost in fuzzy sense is de-fuzzified using the centre of gravity method.

This paper presents the application of the new method in the process of making the decisions on the scooters selection. The Fuzzy AHP method was used to obtain the weight coefficients of criteria, on the basis of which the alternatives were evaluated. The selection of criteria for evaluating scooters was based on an analysis of available manufacturer website. The evaluation and selection of scooters was carried out using a new multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method. The present study tries to identify the attributes like kerb weight, mileage, top speed, fuel tank capacity and price playing prominent role in the buying behavior of the working women while purchasing scooters. Fuzzy-AHP method has been used to obtain the relative weights of the criteria, on the basis of which the alternatives are evaluated using new MCDM. The TOPSIS and MABAC methods were tested under the same conditions. The stability of the result obtained by this method is established through a sensitivity analysis.

This paper presents the application of the new method in the process of making the decisions on the scooters selection. The Fuzzy AHP method was used to obtain the weight coefficients of criteria, on the basis of which the alternatives were evaluated. The selection of criteria for evaluating scooters was based on an analysis of available manufacturer website. The evaluation and selection of scooters was carried out using a new multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method. The present study tries to identify the attributes like kerb weight, mileage, top speed, fuel tank capacity and price playing prominent role in the buying behavior of the working women while purchasing scooters. Fuzzy-AHP method has been used to obtain the relative weights of the criteria, on the basis of which the alternatives are evaluated using new MCDM. The TOPSIS and MABAC methods were tested under the same conditions. The stability of the result obtained by this method is established through a sensitivity analysis.

This paper investigates the role of quality of supply chain components on brand promise. The dimensions of supply chain relationships include: communication, cooperation, commitment, independence, adaptability and reliability. The study uses the questionnaire developed by Fynes et al. (2005) [Fynes, B., Voss, C., & de B?rca, S. (2005). The impact of supply chain relationship quality on quality performance. International Journal of Production Economics, 96(3), 339-354.]. The population of the study includes all auto part makers and the study chooses a sample of 384 people for the study. Using structural equation modeling, the study has confirmed that all six components influence positively on brand promise.

In today’s climate of fierce competition, there is a necessity to pay especial attention on customer demands either in manufacturing or service sector. Managers in service sector are under pressure in terms of environmental factors, they focus on customers’ satisfaction and this has led to the continuous improvement in the performance of service organizations. Meanwhile, customers’ expectations should be properly understood and measured. There have been various efforts to measure the quality of services using the SERVQUAL model. In this study, we try to investigate the concepts and factors influencing the quality of services according to modified SERVQUAL model and then utilize the proposed model of Grey Analytic Hierarchy Process (G-AHP) and Multilevel Grey Evaluation in order to evaluate the quality of services in the framework of Grey Systems Theory (GST). In order to propose our method, we will conduct a case study of the performance of service quality in higher education institutions of Isfahan-Iran.