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Publications

Publications by CEGI

2023

Configurational model for the process of alignment in technology implementations

Authors
Rodrigues, JC; Barros, AC; Claro, J;

Publication
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Abstract
The full realization of the potential of a technology requires good understanding of its imple-mentation. During implementations, lack of compatibility between technology and its adopters require dynamic sequences of alignment. This process is understood to be central to the success in technology assimilation. This paper proposes a configurational model to explain and predict the alignment process during technology implementations, derived from a multiple case research of the implementation of a retinopathy screening program in networks of healthcare providers. It builds on and expands previous research capturing in a holistic way the alignment process and its nature of adaptation over time.

2023

The Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence-based Solutions by Store Assistants in Food Retail

Authors
Morais, SP; Rodrigues, JC;

Publication
Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Innovation: Shaping the Future, ICE 2023

Abstract
The technological development of recent years has impacted the way companies, workers, and customers organize and interact with each other. Food retail stands out amongst the most affected sectors. New technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), lead to the emergence of a new retail concept, Smart Retailing, bringing benefits, not only for the retailer, but also for the consumer. In addition, they impact the jobs, in particular, store assistants' job. Despite the growing academic interest in these topics, the acceptance and impact of AI-based solutions on store assistants is scarcely studied. This work aims, therefore, to study the acceptance and perception of AI-based solutions by store assistants in food retail. Qualitative research was performed, having carried out 20 interviews with food retail store assistants that already work with AI-based solutions. Results show that store assistants are aware of what AI is and in which solutions it is used. They perceive these solutions as being beneficial for the performance of their duties, complementing their work instead of replacing them. They are willing to use these solutions and perceive them as being easy and intuitive to use. This study contributes with a starting point for future research on the topic. © 2023 IEEE.

2023

Hybrid MCDM and simulation-optimization for strategic supplier selection

Authors
Saputro, TE; Figueira, G; Almada-Lobo, B;

Publication
EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS

Abstract
Supplier selection for strategic items requires a comprehensive framework dealing with qualitative and quantitative aspects of a company's competitive priorities and supply risk, decision scope, and uncertainty. In order to address these aspects, this study aims to tackle supplier selection for strategic items with a multi-sourcing, taking into account multi-criteria, incorporating uncertainty of decision-makers judgment and supplier-buyer parameters, and integrating with inventory management which the past studies have not addressed well. We develop a novel two-phase solution approach based on integrated multi-criteria decision -making (MCDM) and multi-objective simulation-optimization (S-O). First, MCDM methods, including fuzzy AHP and interval TOPSIS, are applied to calculate suppliers' scores, incorporating uncertain decision makers' judgment. S-O then combines the (quantitative) cost-related criteria and considers supply disruptions and uncertain supplier-buyer parameters. By running this approach on data generated based on previous studies, we evaluate the impact of the decision maker's and the objective's weight, which are considered important in supplier selection.

2023

A Memetic Algorithm for the multi-product Production Routing Problem

Authors
Rodrigues, LF; Dos Santos, MO; Almada-Lobo, B;

Publication
COMPUTERS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Abstract
This article addresses the Production Routing Problem (PRP), which consists of determining, in an integrated way, production and inventory planning, and vehicle routing to minimize the costs involved. In the problem, a plant is responsible for producing several types of products to meet the known demand of a set of customers using a homogeneous fleet of vehicles over the planning horizon. In the literature, evolutionary approaches have not been explored in depth for the PRP, specifically for the problem with multiple products. Thus, this work mitigates this gap, presenting a novel Memetic Algorithm and testing its effectiveness on randomly generated sets of instances, comparing the results obtained with a commercial optimization solver. In our solution approach, several classic operators from the literature were implemented. Furthermore, we propose four novel genetic operators. In addition, we evaluated the proposed method's performance in classical instances of literature considering a single item. The computational experiments were carried out to assess the impact of the numerous parameter combinations involving the metaheuristic, and, from statistical analyses, we evidence the proposed technique's robustness. Computational experiments showed that our proposed method outperforms the commercial solver Gurobi in determining feasibly high-quality solutions, mainly on large instances for the PRP with multiple items.

2023

Predicting the future: introducing business analytics to endoscopy units

Authors
Pinho, R; Veloso, R; Estevinho, MM; Rodrigues, T; Almada Lobo, B; Amorim Lopes, M; Freitas, T;

Publication
REVISTA ESPANOLA DE ENFERMEDADES DIGESTIVAS

Abstract
Background and aims: currently, most endoscopy software only provides limited statistics of past procedures, while none allows patterns to be extrapolated. To overcome this need, the authors applied business analytic models to pre-dict future demand and the need for endoscopists in a ter-tiary hospital Endoscopy Unit. Methods: a query to the endoscopy database was per-formed to retrieve demand from 2015 to 2021. The graphi-cal inspection allowed inferring of trends and seasonality, perceiving the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and se-lecting the best forecasting models. Considering COVID-19's impact in the second quarter of 2020, data for esoph-agogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy was estimated using linear regression of historical data. The actual demand in the first two quarters of 2022 was used to validate the models. Results: during the study period, 53,886 procedures were requested. The best forecasting models were: a) simple sea-sonal exponential smoothing for EGD, colonoscopy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG); b) double ex-ponential smoothing for capsule endoscopy and deep en-teroscopy; and c) simple exponential smoothing for endo-scopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). The mean average percent-age error ranged from 6.1 % (EGD) to 33.5 % (deep en - teroscopy). Overall, 8,788 procedures were predicted for 2022. The actual demand in the first two quarters of 2022 was within the predicted range. Considering the usual time allocation for each technique, 3.2 full-time equivalent en-doscopists (40 hours-dedication to endoscopy) will be re-quired to perform all procedures in 2022. Conclusions: the incorporation of business analytics into the endoscopy software and clinical practice may enhance resource allocation, improving patient-focused deci-sion-making and healthcare quality.

2023

Robust supply chain design with suppliers as system integrators: an aerospace case study

Authors
Cunha, NFE; Gan, TS; Curcio, E; Amorim, P; Almada Lobo, B; Grunow, M;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH

Abstract
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have sought new supply chain paradigms that allowed them to focus on core activities, i.e. overall product design and commercialisation. This pursuit led to partnerships with a new generation of tier-1 strategic suppliers acting as integrators. Integrators are not only responsible for system supply, but also for system design. However, critical integrators were not able to live up to their new roles, which led to costly delays in development and production. These failures highlight the ineptitude of current risk management practices employed by OEMs. To support OEMs in implementing a more differentiated and suitable approach to the use of integrators, this paper proposes a mathematical programming model for Supply Chain Design (SCD). Instead of looking at the introduction of integrators as a dichotomous decision, the model suggests the optimal number of integrators, i.e. systems, and individual part suppliers. We propose new measures for integration risk, which build upon current risk assessment practices. Robust optimisation is used to study the effect of uncertainty over baseline risk values. All approaches were tested using both randomly generated instances and real data from a large European OEM in the aerospace industry.

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