Careful integration of robot, end‐effectors, peripheral hardware and software are crucial to successful robot applications.
Elisa Mussi, Michaela Servi, Flavio Facchini, Rocco Furferi and Yary Volpe
Among thoracic malformations, pectus deformities have the highest incidence and can result in a wide range of severe and mild clinical manifestations. Recently, the treatment of…
Abstract
Purpose
Among thoracic malformations, pectus deformities have the highest incidence and can result in a wide range of severe and mild clinical manifestations. Recently, the treatment of pectus deformities is shifting from traditional approaches toward customized solutions. This occurs by leveraging innovative rapid prototyping tools that allow for the design and fabrication of patient-specific treatments and medical devices. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive view of the growing literature in this area to analyze the progress made in this direction.
Design/methodology/approach
The search was performed on major search engines through keywords inherent to reverse engineering (RE) and additive manufacturing (AM) technologies applied to pectus deformities and related treatments, selecting 54 papers. These were analyzed according to the addressed pathology, the hardware and software tools used and/or implemented and their integration within the clinical pathway.
Findings
First, the analysis led to analyze and divide the papers according to how RE and AM technologies are applied for surgical and non-surgical treatments, pathological assessment and preoperative simulation and planning. Second, all papers were considered within the typical rapid prototyping framework consisting of the three phases of three-dimensional (3D) scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, to date, no survey has provided a comprehensive view of innovative and personalized treatment strategies for thoracic malformations; the present work fills this gap, allowing researchers in this field to have access to the most promising findings on the treatment and evaluation of pathology.
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The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is…
Abstract
The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is especially relevant in the context of Indonesian Airline companies. Therefore, many airline customers in Indonesia are still in doubt about it, or even do not use it. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for e-services adoption and empirically examines the factors influencing the airlines customers in Indonesia in using e-services offered by the Indonesian airline companies. Taking six Indonesian airline companies as a case example, the study investigated the antecedents of e-services usage of Indonesian airlines. This study further examined the impacts of motivation on customers in using e-services in the Indonesian context. Another important aim of this study was to investigate how ages, experiences and geographical areas moderate effects of e-services usage.
The study adopts a positivist research paradigm with a two-phase sequential mixed method design involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review, by combining acceptance and use of information technology theories, expectancy theory and the inter-organizational system motivation models. A qualitative field study via semi-structured interviews was then conducted to explore the present state among 15 respondents. The results of the interviews were analysed using content analysis yielding the final model of e-services usage. Eighteen antecedent factors hypotheses and three moderating factors hypotheses and 52-item questionnaire were developed. A focus group discussion of five respondents and a pilot study of 59 respondents resulted in final version of the questionnaire.
In the second phase, the main survey was conducted nationally to collect the research data among Indonesian airline customers who had already used Indonesian airline e-services. A total of 819 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data was then analysed using a partial least square (PLS) based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to produce the contributions of links in the e-services model (22% of all the variances in e-services usage, 37.8% in intention to use, 46.6% in motivation, 39.2% in outcome expectancy, and 37.7% in effort expectancy). Meanwhile, path coefficients and t-values demonstrated various different influences of antecedent factors towards e-services usage. Additionally, a multi-group analysis based on PLS is employed with mixed results. In the final findings, 14 hypotheses were supported and 7 hypotheses were not supported.
The major findings of this study have confirmed that motivation has the strongest contribution in e-services usage. In addition, motivation affects e-services usage both directly and indirectly through intention-to-use. This study provides contributions to the existing knowledge of e-services models, and practical applications of IT usage. Most importantly, an understanding of antecedents of e-services adoption will provide guidelines for stakeholders in developing better e-services and strategies in order to promote and encourage more customers to use e-services. Finally, the accomplishment of this study can be expanded through possible adaptations in other industries and other geographical contexts.
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WITH the approach of the European Management Conference at Torquay and the news that The Work Study Society will be holding a one‐day Conference in London on October 14th and…
Abstract
WITH the approach of the European Management Conference at Torquay and the news that The Work Study Society will be holding a one‐day Conference in London on October 14th and another in Hereford on November 25th it looks as if work study men will have plenty of opportunities of exchanging points of view this autumn.
MANY indications of the growing importance of work study as an aid to increased productivity will be in evidence at the Third Annual Production Exhibition and Convention (Olympia…
Abstract
MANY indications of the growing importance of work study as an aid to increased productivity will be in evidence at the Third Annual Production Exhibition and Convention (Olympia, May 12–21) where many of the improved methods displayed by upwards of a hundred firms and organisations are the direct or indirect results of the application of work study techniques.
IT is always an exhilarating experience to hear John Garnett speak. In recent years I have listened to him on very many occasions and never known the fascination to fail. Whether…
Abstract
IT is always an exhilarating experience to hear John Garnett speak. In recent years I have listened to him on very many occasions and never known the fascination to fail. Whether in a set speech or when summing up the points made by others there is a power and authority in his staccato sentences.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel model of a call center that must treat calls with distinctly different service depending on whether they orginate from VIP or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel model of a call center that must treat calls with distinctly different service depending on whether they orginate from VIP or regular customers. VIP calls must be responded to immediately but regular calls can be routed to a retrial queue if the operators are busy.
Design/methodology/approach
This study’s proposed model can easily reveal the optimal arrangement of operators while minimizing computational time and without losing any precision of the performance measure when dealing with a call center with more operators.
Findings
Based on the results of the comparison between the exact method and the proposed approximation method, the approach shows that the larger the number of operators or inbound calls, the smaller the error between the two methods.
Originality/value
This investigation presents a computational method and management cost function intended to identify the optimal number of operators for a call center. Because of computational limitations, many operators could not be easily analyzed using the exact method. For the manager of a call center, the sooner the optimal solution is found, the faster business strategies are deployed. This study develops an approximation method and compares it with the exact method.
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Explores the segmentation by service marketers of the consumermarket on the basis of service quality expectations. Measures consumerexpectations and various quality dimensions for…
Abstract
Explores the segmentation by service marketers of the consumer market on the basis of service quality expectations. Measures consumer expectations and various quality dimensions for three commonly purchased professional and three non‐professional services. Evaluates the effect of various consumers′ demographic characteristics on service quality expectations. Concludes with a discussion of research and managerial implications.
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THE following list of contracts placed by the Air Ministry during July is extracted from the August issue of The Ministry of Labour Gazette :—
OUR leading article last month was headed “Automation or Extinction”. We were told, not directly (for whether through shyness or lack of conviction we know not, they never got in…
Abstract
OUR leading article last month was headed “Automation or Extinction”. We were told, not directly (for whether through shyness or lack of conviction we know not, they never got in touch with us themselves) the TUC found no favour in it. Apparently while they don't mind us advocating shorter hours so that everybody who wants to can have at least a share in the employment that is available, they object to our underlining the fact that while Union chiefs wanted prices of their goods to be cut (in this case, steel; but the principle applies to everything) they neglected to say how this could be done.