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1 – 10 of 28Sara M. Martins, Fernando A.F. Ferreira, João J. M. Ferreira and Carla S.E. Marques
The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making…
Abstract
Purpose
The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making processes. Measuring quality of service in this sector is a complex decision problem since the perceptions of three main players need to be considered: patients, dentists and dental technicians. This study sought to develop an artificial-intelligence-based (AI-based) method for assessing service quality in the dental prosthesis sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Using strategic options development and analysis (SODA), which is grounded on cognitive mapping, and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH), a constructivist decision support system was designed to facilitate the assessment of service quality in the dental prosthesis sector. The system was tested, and the results were validated both by the members of an expert panel and by the vice-president of the Portuguese association of dental prosthesis technicians.
Findings
The methodological process developed in this study is extremely versatile and its practical application facilitated the development of an empirically robust evaluation model in this study context. Specifically, the profile analyses carried out in actual clinics allowed the cases in which improvements are needed to be identified.
Originality/value
Although already applied in the fields of AI and decision making, no prior work reporting the use of SODA and MACBETH for assessing service quality in the prosthodontics sector has been found.
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Talal Ali Mohamad, Anna Bastone, Fabian Bernhard and Francesco Schiavone
Digital transformation affected modern society influencing how businesses cooperate and produce value. In this context, Artificial Intelligence plays a critical role. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital transformation affected modern society influencing how businesses cooperate and produce value. In this context, Artificial Intelligence plays a critical role. This study aims to explore the role of Artificial Intelligence in organisational positioning within the market, influencing firms' competitiveness. In this vein, this research seeks to respond to the following research question: How does AI impact the competitive advantage of healthcare organizations?.
Design/methodology/approach
To tackle the research question, an explorative analysis using the case study method to investigate an international healthcare center in Dubai was conducted. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with the head and the members of the robotic surgery team in CMC Dubai to thoroughly understand what the components of the robotic approach are and how the arrangement before the introduction of this innovative technique while shedding light on the added value and the advantages of adopting such technique on both patient safety and patient satisfaction. Additionally, archival data and online documentation (e.g. industry reports, newspaper articles and internal documents) were analyzed to obtain data triangulation.
Findings
The results highlight three primary outcomes influenced by implementing AI in organizational processes: clinical, financial and technological outcomes. The study will offer interesting non-studied insights about the implementation of Artificial Intelligence tools in the healthcare sector and specifically robotic surgeries, and to which extent this will contribute and represent a competitive advantage. Results will hopefully insert a brick in the wall of the impact of AI tools on the quality and the results of surgical operations while emphasizing the benefits of integrating AI in surgical practice.
Originality/value
This study offers interesting theoretical and practical implications. It opens a new perspective to understand and manage AI tools in service. This research is not without limits providing valuable insights for future research.
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Rachela Levy, Michael Wiener, Bruce Rosen and Benjamin Gabbay
Documents how the Dental Service of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)successfully implemented private sector approaches to reimbursement andstaffing in a special project designed to…
Abstract
Documents how the Dental Service of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) successfully implemented private sector approaches to reimbursement and staffing in a special project designed to improve prosthodontic care for career military personnel. The innovative public‐private synthesis enabled the IDF to relieve bottlenecks and increase productivity while securing high levels of employee and patient satisfaction. The success of the innovation can be attributed, in part, to specific measures taken to adapt private sector practices to the culture and norms of the public sector and to integrate the new program into the broader organizational framework of the IDF Medical Corps. The recruitment of managers appropriate to the various stages of the organizational change cycle also played an important role in the project′s success. The study is based on in‐depth interviews of senior managers within the IDF medical corps, interviews of the managers directly involved in implementing the change, IDF budget reports and productivity analyses, and a survey of front‐line dentists. The analysis will be of interest to managers of public health care systems from around the world, who are looking to the private sector for innovative ideas on how to improve the efficiency of public programmes.
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Ana Luísa A. Vaz, Fernando A.F. Ferreira, Leandro F. Pereira, Ricardo J.C. Correia and Audrius Banaitis
The concept of smart city has recently become more topical in academic and policy discussions. This idea is considered a complex, non-consensual subject since its definition has…
Abstract
Purpose
The concept of smart city has recently become more topical in academic and policy discussions. This idea is considered a complex, non-consensual subject since its definition has not yet been agreed upon by most authors in the relevant fields. The need to identify and measure smart city indicators has also given rise to many different evaluation procedures. However, the available frameworks have yet to overcome challenges in structuring and measuring all the evaluation parameters of the cities in question. Thus, methods still need to be developed and applied that can structure criteria used to assess smart city success.
Design/methodology/approach
This study sought to show cognitive mapping's tangible usefulness as an expedient tool for strategic analysis, using smart cities as a complex object of study. To this end, various cognitive maps were constructed and compared using the Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) approach.
Findings
Cognitive mapping's advantages and limitations in the strategic visualization research context are analyzed and discussed.
Originality/value
The authors know of no prior work reporting comparative analysis of this methodological approach in the same research context.
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Richard Thomas Watson and Leyland F. Pitt
This vision article alerts service managers to the potential of cognitive computing to reframe their value propositions. Humans are bounded in three ways: perception, rationality…
Abstract
Purpose
This vision article alerts service managers to the potential of cognitive computing to reframe their value propositions. Humans are bounded in three ways: perception, rationality and physicality. Cognitive computing, hardware or software that transcends these three limits, offers many opportunities to improve the performance of service systems, in particular those focused on customer engagement. The intangibility spectrum is presented as a mental model for service managers to consider how to use cognitive computing to support augmenting their value proposition by moving across the spectrum.
Design/methodology/approach
Three frameworks are integrated: a five systems framework, a system's impact classification of types of cognitive computing and a tangibility spectrum.
Findings
Three examples illustrate the potential value of this integrative approach for service management.
Originality/value
This is the first integration of these frameworks, and two of them are the result of the first author's research.
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Secil Ozkan Ata, Canan Akay, Emre Mumcu and Nazim Ata
The purpose of this study is to test the shear-bond-strengths of auto-mixed and manual-mixed self-adhesive resin cement to dentin on long-term high-altitude pressure.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to test the shear-bond-strengths of auto-mixed and manual-mixed self-adhesive resin cement to dentin on long-term high-altitude pressure.
Design/methodology/approach
Human molars were embedded in acrylic resin. Sixty composite resin discs were obtained. The composite resin discs were bonded to dentin using hand-mixed and auto-mixed self-adhesive resin cement. After cementation, the samples were stored in artificial saliva and divided into two subgroups (n = 30), hypobaric pressure and the atmospheric pressure group. The specimen underwent three pressure cycles per day for 100 days. The failure types were evaluated after debonding with scanning electron microscopy. The shear bond strength was tested with Universal Testing Machine. Analysis of variances/Tukey post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis. Groups were also evaluated by the Weibull modulus.
Findings
Regardless of hypobaric pressure changes, the highest bond strength was examined in auto-mixed Panavia SA samples. A significant difference was found in both auto-mixed MaxCem EC and hand-mixed RelyX U200 group after exposure to hypobaric pressure compared to the control group.
Originality/value
The luting cement-type, mixing methods of cements and environmental pressure changes significantly influence the bond strengths. Dentists can use auto-mixed self-adhesive resins in patients likely to be exposed to hypobaric pressure.
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Ajay Noronha, Shreeranga Bhat, E.V. Gijo, Jiju Antony and Suma Bhat
The article evaluates the obstacles, lessons learned and managerial implications of deploying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a dental college hospital in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The article evaluates the obstacles, lessons learned and managerial implications of deploying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a dental college hospital in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The work adopts the action research (AR) methodology to establish a case study, which is carried out using the LSS define–measure–analyze–improve–control (DAMIC) approach in a dental college. It uses LSS tools to enhance the productivity and performance of the Conservative Dentistry Department of a dental college and to unravel the obstacles and success factors in applying it to the education and healthcare sector together.
Findings
The root cause for high turn-around time (TAT) is ascertained using LSS tools and techniques. The effective deployment of the solutions to the root causes of variation assists the dental college to reduce the TAT of the Conservative Dentistry process from an average of 63.9 min–36.5 min (i.e. 42.9% improvement), and the process Standard Deviation (SD) was reduced from 2.63 to 2 min. This, in turn, raises the sigma level from 0.48 to 3.23, a noteworthy successful story for this dental college.
Research limitations/implications
While the results and recommendations of this research are focused on a single case study, it is to be noted that the case study is carried out with new users of LSS tools and techniques, especially with the assistance of interns. This indicates the applicability of LSS in dental colleges; thus, the adopted modality can be further refined to fit India's education and hospital sector together.
Originality/value
This article explains the implementation of LSS from an aspiring user viewpoint to assist dental colleges and policymakers in improving competitiveness. In addition, the medical education sector can introduce an LSS course in the existing programme to leverage the potential of this methodology to bring synergy and collaborative research between data-based thinking and the medical field based on the findings of this study. The most important contribution of this article is the illustration of the design of experiments (DOE) in the dental college process.
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Rana I. Mahmood, Harraa S. Mohammed-Salih, Ata’a Ghazi, Hikmat J. Abdulbaqi and Jameel R. Al-Obaidi
In the developing field of nano-materials synthesis, copper oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are deemed to be one of the most significant transition metal oxides because of their…
Abstract
Purpose
In the developing field of nano-materials synthesis, copper oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are deemed to be one of the most significant transition metal oxides because of their intriguing characteristics. Its synthesis employing green chemistry principles has become a key source for next-generation antibiotics attributed to its features such as environmental friendliness, ease of use and affordability. Because they are more environmentally benign, plants have been employed to create metallic NPs. These plant extracts serve as capping, stabilising or hydrolytic agents and enable a regulated synthesis as well.
Design/methodology/approach
Organic chemical solvents are harmful and entail intense conditions during nanoparticle synthesis. The copper oxide NPs (CuO-NPs) synthesised by employing the green chemistry principle showed potential antitumor properties. Green synthesised CuO-NPs are regarded to be a strong contender for applications in the pharmacological, biomedical and environmental fields.
Findings
The aim of this study is to evaluate the anticancer potential of CuO-NPs plant extracts to isolate and characterise the active anticancer principles as well as to yield more effective, affordable, and safer cancer therapies.
Originality/value
This review article highlights the copper oxide nanoparticle's biomedical applications such as anticancer, antimicrobial, dental and drug delivery properties, future research perspectives and direction are also discussed.
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Wendell E. Dunn and Scott Shane
This case describes how eight entrepreneurs discover different opportunities for new businesses to exploit a single technological invention. The case focuses on the process of…
Abstract
This case describes how eight entrepreneurs discover different opportunities for new businesses to exploit a single technological invention. The case focuses on the process of entrepreneurial discovery and its implications for the creation of new firms. Many of the teaching materials on entrepreneurship assume that entrepreneurs have already discovered an opportunity. While these materials provide useful information about the process of creating new enterprises, they miss the crucial first step in the entrepreneurial process: identifying an opportunity. The case illustrates the theoretical concept of the role of information in the discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities. It can be used in a class on entrepreneurship or management of technology.
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Secil Ozkan Ata, Canan Akay and Nazim Ata
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the environmental pressure changes on the bond strength between zirconia ceramics and adhesive resin cement.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the environmental pressure changes on the bond strength between zirconia ceramics and adhesive resin cement.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 40 rectangular-shaped zirconium-oxide ceramic specimens were prepared. For surface modification, all zirconia specimens were sandblasted with 50 μm alumina particles. The composite resin discs were bonded to modified zirconia surfaces with resin cement. The specimens were divided into four groups; hyperbaric, hypobaric, hyperbaric + hypobaric and control group. The specimen underwent pressure cycles for 30 days. The shear bond strength test was performed by using the universal testing machine, and failures of the debonded samples were examined with scanning electron microscopy and light microscope.
Findings
No significant difference in bond strength was found between the hyperbaric, hypobaric and control groups after 30 days (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the hyperbaric + hypobaric group compared to the control group (p = 0.022). Also, the Weibull modulus was highest in control group and lowest in the hyperbaric + hypobaric group.
Originality/value
Barometric changes due to flying followed by diving may have an adverse effect on the retention of zirconia ceramics. Care should be taken in the selection of materials for dental treatment of people who are exposed to environmental pressure changes.
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