Effects of innovation types on firm performance Gunday, Gurhan; Ulusoy, Gunduz; Kilic, Kemal ...
International journal of production economics,
10/2011, Volume:
133, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Innovation is broadly seen as an essential component of competitiveness, embedded in the organizational structures, processes, products and services within a firm. The objective of this paper is to ...explore the effects of the organizational, process, product and marketing innovations on the different aspects of firm performance, including innovative, production, market and financial performances, based on an empirical study covering 184 manufacturing firms in Turkey. A theoretical framework is empirically tested identifying the relationships amid innovations and firm performance through an integrated innovation-performance analysis. The results reveal the positive effects of innovations on firm performance in manufacturing industries.
Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) along with fuzzy set theory has been used extensively in the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) process in which fuzzy numbers are utilized to represent human ...judgments more realistically. Over the past couple of decades, numerous articles have been published proposing algorithms through which priority vector (or weight vector) can be calculated from fuzzy comparison matrices. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive performance analysis of the most popular algorithms proposed in this domain in terms of accuracy of weights calculated from fuzzy comparison matrices. Such an analysis is much needed by the researchers and practitioners. However none is available. An experimental analysis is conducted and the performance of various algorithms are evaluated with varying three parameters i.e., the size of the comparison matrix, the level of fuzziness and the level of inconsistency. We found that modified Logarithmic Least Squares Method and Fuzzy Inverse of Column Sum Method (FICSM) generally outperformed other algorithms, while Fuzzy Extent Analysis (FEA) which is the most frequently used algorithm in the literature provides the least accurate results. Furthermore, it was observed that a modified version of FEA method significantly improved its performance.
We proposed a novel optimisation framework for drone-based operations which consists of the optimised Charging Station (CS) grid and the pathfinding heuristics for the drone. The proposed pathfinding ...heuristics are assessed for two different (triangular and square) CS grid configurations that are optimised for the drone range. We presented the case study of a boat rescue operation that is carried out in the sea. The minimisation of the "flight distance" and "number of chargings" are the objectives for the drone party and the minimisation of the "average waiting distance" (AWD) is the objective for the boat party. We studied the "single drone with many entities" case which is a form of Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP). We presented mathematical analysis and simulation results for the effectiveness of the pathfinding heuristic which we called the "red-grey path" heuristic. A novel and fast TSP heuristic was also proposed as part of the pathfinding heuristics and its performance was assessed.
Purpose - The purpose of this research is to examine the simultaneous effects of person-organization (P-O) and person-job (P-J) fit on job attitudes of five star hotels' managers in Turkey.Design ...methodology approach - Data were collected from managers of five star hotels via a web-based questionnaire. According to the data of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey has 299 ministry licensed five star hotels. Of the 299 hotel managers, 158 (52.8 percent) have participated in the research. Correlation and regression analyses were used to test the predicted relationships.Findings - The findings in this paper indicate that P-O P-J fit positively related to organizational commitment, job motivation and job satisfaction, and according to correlation analyses results, negatively related to organizational stress level of hotel managers.Research limitations implications - The findings contribute to an improved understanding of the influence of P-O and P-J fit on job attitudes of hotel managers. Results may not generalize to other cultural or national contexts.Originality value - Most past research has assessed only one type of fit, without controlling for the other. This paper has contributed to the literature by investigating the combined effects of P-O and P-J fit on organizational commitment, job motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational stress of managers in a five star hotel context. Managerial and theoretical implications of research findings are also discussed. This paper contributes to the literature by being one of the first to examine the effects of two different types of person-environment fit on job attitudes of Turkish hotels' managers.
Linguistic labels are an effective means of expressing qualitative assessments because they account for the uncertain nature of human preferences. However, to perform computations with linguistic ...labels, they must first be converted into numbers using a scale function. Within the context of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the most popular scale used to represent linguistic labels numerically is the linear 1–9 scale, which was proposed by Saaty. However, this scale has been criticized by several researchers, and various alternatives have been proposed. There is a growing interest in scale individualization rather than relying on a generic fixed scale because the perceptions of the decision maker regarding these linguistic labels are highly subjective. The methods proposed in the literature for scale individualization focus on minimizing transitivity errors (i.e., consistency). In this paper, we propose a novel, easy-to-learn, easy-to-implement, and computationally less demanding scale individualization approach based on compatibility. We also developed an experimental setup and introduced two new metrics that can be used by researchers that contribute to the theory of AHP. To assess the value of scale individualization in general and the performance of the proposed novel approach, numerical and two empirical studies were conducted. The results of the analyses demonstrate that scale individualization outperforms the conventional fixed-scale approach and validates the benefits of the proposed novel heuristic.
Background: Sarcopenia is an important problem for older adults, leading to morbidity and mortality; therefore, early detection with a precise method is essential. We aimed to investigate the role of ...bioelectrical impedance analysis–derived phase angle as a determinant of sarcopenia. Materials and Methods: A cross section of 263 community-dwelling and hospitalized older adults (>65 years) were assessed in terms of sarcopenia with bioelectrical indices and anthropometric measurements. Sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic groups were compared, and significant determinants of sarcopenia were further analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Forty patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The following were significant correlates of sarcopenia: female sex, low weight/height, low body mass index, decreased muscle strength, low calf circumference, low skeletal muscle mass/index, high impedance at 50 kHz, a history of hypertension, worse nutrition status, and low phase angle. Diagnostic parameters with well-known association were omitted, and sex, height, weight, body mass index, creatinine, nutrition status, phase angle, impedance at 50 kHz, and hypertension category were included in regression analysis. The following were independent associated factors with sarcopenia: phase angle (odds ratio OR: 0.59, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 0.40–0.87, P = .008), body mass index (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.77–0.93, P = .001) impedance at 50 kHz (OR: 1.010, 95% CI: 1.006–1.015, P < .001), and height (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88–0.97, P = .001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the optimal phase angle cutoff value to detect sarcopenia was ≤4.55º. Conclusions: Bioelectrical phase angle can be useful for diagnosis of sarcopenia.
The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a widely used multi-criteria decision-making method to address a variety of problems in the presence of conflicting or uncertain criteria. One of the key issue ...associated with AHP lies in the conversion of human intuition into the numerical values. To address this problem, the integration of fuzzy set theory into classical AHP has emerged as a popular approach. Fuzzy AHP (FAHP) methods represent human preferences using fuzzy numbers to incorporate vague or imprecise information, which allows FAHP methods to capture the inherent fuzziness of human decision-making. FAHP have gained attention from both researchers and practitioners, however, the effectiveness of FAHP methods is still debated. This study conducted a thorough numerical and empirical study to evaluate the efficacy of representing preferences and judgments in the form of fuzzy numbers in the AHP framework. The findings of this study showed that, in general, classical AHP methods yield significantly better
(
P
≤
0.05
)
results compared to existing FAHP methods. However, the study also found that there may be some potential benefits to using the FAHP approach, which warrant further investigation.
Abstract Objective We assessed the antioxidant activity of dexmedetomidine (Dex) administered during the ischemic period in a rabbit model of mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury using ...biochemical and histopathological methods. Methods A total of 24 male New Zealand white rabbits weighing between 2.5 and 3.0 kg were randomly divided into three groups: the sham group (Group S, n = 8), the I/R group (Group I/R, n = 8), and the I/R plus Dex treatment group (Group Dex, n = 8). In the I/R group, ischemia was achieved with 60 min of mesenteric occlusion. The sham group provided normal basal values. The rabbits in Group I/R were operated to achieve I/R. Group Dex received intravenous Dex 30 min after the commencement of reperfusion (10 μg/kg Dex was infused within 10 min, and then a maintenance dose of 10 μg/kg/h Dex was infused intravenously). For the measurement of tissue malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, lipid hydroperoxide levels, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and myeloperoxidase activity levels in the renal tissue samples of animals, the rabbits in each group were sacrificed 3 h after reperfusion. The histopathological examination scores were determined using the intestinal and renal tissues. Results The mean malondialdehyde, total oxidant status, myeloperoxidase, and lipid hydroperoxide levels were significantly higher in Group I/R than in Groups S and Dex ( P < 0.05). There also were significant decreases in the mean total antioxidant status, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities in Group I/R compared with Groups S and Dex ( P < 0.05). The histopathological examination scores of the intestinal and renal tissues were significantly higher in Group I/R compared with Groups S and Dex ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Dex treatment may have biochemical and histopathological benefits by preventing I/R-related cellular damage of intestinal and renal tissues as shown in an experimental mesenteric ischemia model. The preference to use Dex for anesthesia during the mesenteric ischemia procedure may attenuate I/R injury in intestinal and renal tissues.
Summary
This open-labeled phase II, efficacy-finding study evaluated the efficiency and safety of
Pistacia terebinthus
soap in metastatic colorectal cancer patients who developed cetuximab induced ...skin toxicity. Patients who received cetuximab plus chemotherapy and developed Grade 2 or 3 skin toxicity were treated twice daily with a soap made of oil extracted from
Pistacia terebinthus
. During treatment, no topical or oral antibiotics, corticosteroids or other moisturizers were used. Patients were examined 1 week later and their photographs were taken. Fifteen mCRC patients who developed skin toxicity while receiving first-line CTX in combination with chemotherapy were included into the study. Eight patients were male and the median age was 58 (25–70). Sixty percent of the patients (n:9) had Grade 3 skin toxicity. Complete response rates in patients with Grade 2 and Grade 3 skin toxicities were 100 and 33 %, respectively. In the remaining patients with Grade 3 toxicity the skin toxicity regressed to Grade 1. The objective response rate was 100 %, and no delay, dose reduction or discontinuation of CTX treatment due to skin toxicity was necessary. Skin toxicity reoccurred in all patients when patients stopped administering the soap and therefore they used it throughout the cetuximab treatment.
Pistacia terebinthus
soap seemed to be used safely and effectively in the treatment of skin toxicity induced by Cetuximab.
Purpose: It is a question whether masked hypertension (MH) leads to end-organ damage in the geriatric age group. The aim of this study is to evaluate the associations between MH and end-organ damage ...such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and proteinuria in geriatric population.
Materials and methods: One hundred and two patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic were included in the study. These patients were also included in the GMASH-Cog study in 2016, which examined the relationship between MH and cognitive function. All patients underwent ambulatory blood pressure measurement procedures. Cardiac functions of all patients were determined by echocardiography. Spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) was measured in all patients.
Results: Forty four of 102 patients (43%) were diagnosed with MH. ACR was 9.61 mg/gr in the MH group and 7.12 mg/gr in the normal group (p = .021). In addition, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was found to be higher in the MH group than in the normal group. Mean LVMI scores were 107.76 ± 16.37 in patients with MH and 100.39 ± 19.32 in the normotensive group (p = .046).
Conclusion: MH is associated with end-organ damage in geriatric patients. Urinary albumin excretion and LVH which are the parameters of end-organ damage were significantly higher in MH patients. MH may cause end-organ damage and should not be overlooked in geriatric patients.
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