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This paper aims to deploy the Six Sigma methodology to facilitate defect reduction and enhance the bottom-line results of an automotive industry.

Six Sigma is a business process improvement strategy widely used in manufacturing field for enhancing organizational performance. Six Sigma enables the attainment of defects reduction. In this study, the Six Sigma methodology has been developed with the integration of change management tools.

Six Sigma has been successfully implemented in the grinding process in automotive engine manufacturing organization. The proposed Six Sigma methodology has been applied to facilitate defect reduction. The developed methodology with linkage of DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) and change management techniques reduces defects.

The developed methodology has been implemented in an automotive industrial complex. In future, more number of studies could be conducted, i.e. for mistake proofing. Furthermore, advanced tools and techniques could be included in the methodology for increasing the effectiveness of change management.

The proposed Six Sigma methodology has been successfully implemented in a grinding process of automotive manufacturing organization; in future, the approach could be applied in different industrial sectors with addition of new tools and techniques for improving its effectiveness.

The Six Sigma methodology has been designed and implemented in the grinding process. Researchers have not treated Six Sigma in much detail in the automotive industry. Moreover, previous studies on Six Sigma have not dealt with the grinding process. Besides, most studies in the field of Six Sigma have focused only on DMAIC, but this study adds change management approach to DMAIC.

The main purpose of this paper is to review the related literature and propose a new decision‐support‐system (DSS) framework for marketing in the business‐to‐business (B2B) arena based on customer‐relationship management (CRM) and knowledge‐driven marketing to help related‐field graduate students and marketing managers.

Reviews a range of the most important works published between 1966 and 2004 in order to demonstrate both practical and theoretical aspects. The main method of this research is analytical and conceptual and the approach to this subject was to investigate the gap between marketing DSSs and analytical CRM.

Provides information about a customized marketing DSS in a B2B context, indicates related literature and frameworks and, finally, tests the ideas with a case study.

Outcomes and applications are identified for developing new activities in improving marketing decision making and marketing planning based on customer orientation and customer satisfaction.

Despite such interdependencies, the research in the fields of DSSs and CRM solutions has not adequately considered the integration of such systems. The novel contribution of this paper lies in integrating marketing DSSs and CRM with regard to knowledge‐driven marketing in B2B marketing, in both theoretical and practical aspects.

This study aims to systematically review the economic complexity literature to advance the knowledge on its contribution to building regional competitiveness.

In this study, we did a systematic review of 111 relevant papers. In this regard, we did a thematic analysis on all the collected papers, which led to a two-level processed approach. In the first level, the contributions of the reviewed articles have been classified into three main streams. In the second level, the findings under each contribution category are analyzed and explained. This approach led to a thematic network demonstrating economic complexity and the dynamics of regional competitiveness and a set of managerial and policy implications. We followed a multiple processed approach for the systematic review of 95 papers that reveals considerable contributions in three categories, including measurement techniques, criticisms and exploratory studies.

Despite some critiques and the undertaken evolution in measurement techniques of complexity, economic complexity has become a well-known method mainly for regions' competitiveness dynamics. Our review demonstrates a nested network of economic complexity dynamics that drives policy advice concerning countries' status in their development path. The provided set of policies includes guidelines for underdeveloped and developing countries and general policy implications, applicable for all regional contexts for building competitiveness dynamics.

This research contributes to the literature on competitiveness from the window of economic complexity. The study allows a deep understanding of regions' productive structure role in their development and competitiveness. A set of policies for building regional competitiveness is provided concerning the study's findings. The literature gaps are identified, and future research ideas are provided for using economic complexity methodologically and logically to boost regional competitiveness.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of betanin on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and Sirtuin6 (SIRT6) gene expression as well as the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) cytokine release in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls.

PBMCs isolated from whole blood of 50 patients with CAD and 48 healthy subjects aged 45 to 60 years were treated with 10 and 20 µM of betanin for 24 h. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess gene expression levels of AMPK, SIRT1 and SIRT6. The supernatants of the cultured cells were used to assess the IL-6 and TNF-α protein levels by ELISA.

Treatment with both doses of betanin significantly increased AMPK, SIRT1 and SIRT6 expression in PBMCs of CAD patients compared to control non-treated cells (p < 0.05). In PBMCs of healthy subjects, only treatment with high dose of betanin showed significant increase in AMPK (p = 0.007), SIRT1 (p = 0.013) and SIRT6 (p = 0.024) expression compared to control non-treated cells. Betanin (20 µM) also significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations in the culture supernatants of the CAD patients compared to control non-treated cells (p < 0.001).

Betanin could enhance AMPK, SIRT1 and SIRT6 gene expressions in PBMCs and represent a useful complementary treatment to reduce the proinflammatory status accompanied with CAD.