\\n\\n
Released this past November, the list is based on data collected from the Web of Science and highlights some of the world’s most influential scientific minds by naming the researchers whose publications over the previous decade have included a high number of Highly Cited Papers placing them among the top 1% most-cited.
\\n\\nWe wish to congratulate all of the researchers named and especially our authors on this amazing accomplishment! We are happy and proud to share in their success!
Note: Edited in March 2021
\\n"}]',published:!0,mainMedia:{caption:"Highly Cited",originalUrl:"/media/original/117"}},components:[{type:"htmlEditorComponent",content:'IntechOpen is proud to announce that 191 of our authors have made the Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researchers List for 2020, ranking them among the top 1% most-cited.
\n\nThroughout the years, the list has named a total of 261 IntechOpen authors as Highly Cited. Of those researchers, 69 have been featured on the list multiple times.
\n\n\n\nReleased this past November, the list is based on data collected from the Web of Science and highlights some of the world’s most influential scientific minds by naming the researchers whose publications over the previous decade have included a high number of Highly Cited Papers placing them among the top 1% most-cited.
\n\nWe wish to congratulate all of the researchers named and especially our authors on this amazing accomplishment! We are happy and proud to share in their success!
Note: Edited in March 2021
\n'}],latestNews:[{slug:"intechopen-supports-asapbio-s-new-initiative-publish-your-reviews-20220729",title:"IntechOpen Supports ASAPbio’s New Initiative Publish Your Reviews"},{slug:"webinar-introduction-to-open-science-wednesday-18-may-1-pm-cest-20220518",title:"Webinar: Introduction to Open Science | Wednesday 18 May, 1 PM CEST"},{slug:"step-in-the-right-direction-intechopen-launches-a-portfolio-of-open-science-journals-20220414",title:"Step in the Right Direction: IntechOpen Launches a Portfolio of Open Science Journals"},{slug:"let-s-meet-at-london-book-fair-5-7-april-2022-olympia-london-20220321",title:"Let’s meet at London Book Fair, 5-7 April 2022, Olympia London"},{slug:"50-books-published-as-part-of-intechopen-and-knowledge-unlatched-ku-collaboration-20220316",title:"50 Books published as part of IntechOpen and Knowledge Unlatched (KU) Collaboration"},{slug:"intechopen-joins-the-united-nations-sustainable-development-goals-publishers-compact-20221702",title:"IntechOpen joins the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact"},{slug:"intechopen-signs-exclusive-representation-agreement-with-lsr-libros-servicios-y-representaciones-s-a-de-c-v-20211123",title:"IntechOpen Signs Exclusive Representation Agreement with LSR Libros Servicios y Representaciones S.A. de C.V"},{slug:"intechopen-expands-partnership-with-research4life-20211110",title:"IntechOpen Expands Partnership with Research4Life"}]},book:{item:{type:"book",id:"10065",leadTitle:null,fullTitle:"Wavelet Theory",title:"Wavelet Theory",subtitle:null,reviewType:"peer-reviewed",abstract:"The wavelet is a powerful mathematical tool that plays an important role in science and technology. This book looks at some of the most creative and popular applications of wavelets including biomedical signal processing, image processing, communication signal processing, Internet of Things (IoT), acoustical signal processing, financial market data analysis, energy and power management, and COVID-19 pandemic measurements and calculations. The editor’s personal interest is the application of wavelet transform to identify time domain changes on signals and corresponding frequency components and in improving power amplifier behavior.",isbn:"978-1-83881-948-4",printIsbn:"978-1-83881-947-7",pdfIsbn:"978-1-83881-955-2",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.87895",price:139,priceEur:155,priceUsd:179,slug:"wavelet-theory",numberOfPages:398,isOpenForSubmission:!1,isInWos:null,isInBkci:!1,hash:"d8868e332169597ba2182d9b004d60de",bookSignature:"Somayeh Mohammady",publishedDate:"February 24th 2021",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10065.jpg",numberOfDownloads:9006,numberOfWosCitations:2,numberOfCrossrefCitations:14,numberOfCrossrefCitationsByBook:0,numberOfDimensionsCitations:20,numberOfDimensionsCitationsByBook:0,hasAltmetrics:1,numberOfTotalCitations:36,isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,dateEndFirstStepPublish:"June 2nd 2020",dateEndSecondStepPublish:"June 23rd 2020",dateEndThirdStepPublish:"August 22nd 2020",dateEndFourthStepPublish:"November 10th 2020",dateEndFifthStepPublish:"January 9th 2021",currentStepOfPublishingProcess:5,indexedIn:"1,2,3,4,5,6,7",editedByType:"Edited by",kuFlag:!1,featuredMarkup:null,editors:[{id:"109280",title:"Dr.",name:"Somayeh",middleName:null,surname:"Mohammady",slug:"somayeh-mohammady",fullName:"Somayeh Mohammady",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/109280/images/system/109280.jpg",biography:"Somayeh Mohammady holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering (Robotics), as well as an MSc and Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She has industrial experience working at Teta, Tabesh Tablou Company, and Symmid Corporation Sdn. Bhd. She also worked as a postdoctoral researcher from 2012 to 2019. Dr. Mohammady is a lecturer at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). Her research interests include power amplifier linearization, signals processing for multicarrier signals, and Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR), also known as Crest Factor Reduction (CFR).",institutionString:"Technological University Dublin",position:null,outsideEditionCount:0,totalCites:0,totalAuthoredChapters:"2",totalChapterViews:"0",totalEditedBooks:"3",institution:{name:"Technological University Dublin",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Ireland"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,coeditorOne:null,coeditorTwo:null,coeditorThree:null,coeditorFour:null,coeditorFive:null,topics:[{id:"974",title:"Signal Processing",slug:"applied-mathematics-signal-processing"}],chapters:[{id:"74096",title:"Time Frequency Analysis of Wavelet and Fourier Transform",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94521",slug:"time-frequency-analysis-of-wavelet-and-fourier-transform",totalDownloads:1284,totalCrossrefCites:6,totalDimensionsCites:8,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Signal processing has long been dominated by the Fourier transform. However, there is an alternate transform that has gained popularity recently and that is the wavelet transform. The wavelet transform has a long history starting in 1910 when Alfred Haar created it as an alternative to the Fourier transform. In 1940 Norman Ricker created the first continuous wavelet and proposed the term wavelet. Work in the field has proceeded in fits and starts across many different disciplines, until the 1990’s when the discrete wavelet transform was developed by Ingrid Daubechies. While the Fourier transform creates a representation of the signal in the frequency domain, the wavelet transform creates a representation of the signal in both the time and frequency domain, thereby allowing efficient access of localized information about the signal.",signatures:"Karlton Wirsing",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74096",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74096",authors:[{id:"325178",title:"Dr.",name:"Karlton",surname:"Wirsing",slug:"karlton-wirsing",fullName:"Karlton Wirsing"}],corrections:null},{id:"74371",title:"Wavelet Theory: Applications of the Wavelet",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94911",slug:"wavelet-theory-applications-of-the-wavelet",totalDownloads:466,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:1,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"In this Chapter, continuous Haar wavelet functions base and spline base have been discussed. Haar wavelet approximations are used for solving of differential equations (DEs). The numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and fractional differential equations (FrDEs) using Haar wavelet base and spline base have been discussed. Also, Haar wavelet base and collocation techniques are used to approximate the solution of Lane-Emden equation of fractional-order showing that the applicability and efficacy of Haar wavelet method. The numerical results have clearly shown the advantage and the efficiency of the techniques in terms of accuracy and computational time. Wavelet transform studied as a mathematical approach and the applications of wavelet transform in signal processing field have been discussed. The frequency content extracted by wavelet transform (WT) has been effectively used in revealing important features of 1D and 2D signals. This property proved very useful in speech and image recognition. Wavelet transform has been used for signal and image compression.",signatures:"Mohammed S. Mechee, Zahir M. Hussain and Zahrah Ismael Salman",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74371",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74371",authors:[{id:"323755",title:"Prof.",name:"Mohammed S Mechee",surname:"Mechee",slug:"mohammed-s-mechee-mechee",fullName:"Mohammed S Mechee Mechee"},{id:"324142",title:"Prof.",name:"Zahir",surname:"Hussain",slug:"zahir-hussain",fullName:"Zahir Hussain"},{id:"346621",title:"Dr.",name:"Zahrah Ismael",surname:"Salman",slug:"zahrah-ismael-salman",fullName:"Zahrah Ismael Salman"}],corrections:null},{id:"74766",title:"Wavelet Theory and Application in Communication and Signal Processing",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.95047",slug:"wavelet-theory-and-application-in-communication-and-signal-processing",totalDownloads:699,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:2,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Wavelet analysis is the recent development in applied mathematics. For several applications, Fourier analysis fails to provide tangible results due to non-stationary behavior of signals. In such situation, wavelet transforms can be used as a potential alternative. The book chapter starts with the description about importance of frequency domain representation with the concept of Fourier series and Fourier transform for periodic, aperiodic signals in continuous and discrete domain followed by shortcoming of Fourier transform. Further, Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) will be discussed to induce the concept of time frequency analysis. Explanation of Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) will be provided with the help of theoretical approach involving mathematical equations. Decomposition of 1D and 2D signals will be discussed suitable examples, leading to application concept. Wavelet based communication systems are becoming popular due to growing multimedia applications. Wavelet based Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technique and its merit also presented. Biomedical signal processing is an emerging field where wavelet provides considerable improvement in performance ranging from extraction of abnormal areas and improved feature extraction scheme for further processing. Advancement in multimedia systems together with the developments in wireless technologies demands effective data compression schemes. Wavelet transform along with EZW, SPIHT algorithms are discussed. The chapter will be a useful guide to undergraduate and post graduate who would like to conduct a research study that include wavelet transform and its usage.",signatures:"Nizar Al Bassam, Vidhyalavanya Ramachandran and Sumesh Eratt Parameswaran",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74766",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74766",authors:[{id:"209205",title:"Dr.",name:"Nizar",surname:"Albassam",slug:"nizar-albassam",fullName:"Nizar Albassam"},{id:"329233",title:"Dr.",name:"Sumesh",surname:"EP",slug:"sumesh-ep",fullName:"Sumesh EP"},{id:"335241",title:"Dr.",name:"Dr. Vidhya Lavanya",surname:"Ramachandran",slug:"dr.-vidhya-lavanya-ramachandran",fullName:"Dr. Vidhya Lavanya Ramachandran"}],corrections:null},{id:"74374",title:"Wavelet Based Multicarrier Modulation (MCM) Systems: PAPR Analysis",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94579",slug:"wavelet-based-multicarrier-modulation-mcm-systems-papr-analysis",totalDownloads:378,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:2,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a prominent system in transmitting multicarrier modulation (MCM) signals over selective fading channel. The system offers to attain a higher degree of bandwidth efficiency, higher data transmission, and robust to narrowband frequency interference. However, it incurs a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) where the signals work in the nonlinear region of the high-power amplifier (HPA) results in poor performance. Besides, an attractive dynamic wavelet analysis and its derivatives such as wavelet packet transform (WPT) demonstrates almost the same criteria as the OFDM in MCM system. Wavelet surpasses Fourier based analysis by inherent flexibility in terms of windows function for non-stationary signal. In wavelet-based MCM systems (wavelet OFDM (WOFDM) and Wavelet packet OFDM (WP-OFDM)), the constructed orthogonal modulation signals behaves similar to the fast Fourier transform (FFT) does in the conventional OFDM (C-OFDM) system. With no cyclic prefix (CP) need to be applied, these orthogonal signals hold higher bandwidth efficiency. Hence, this chapter presents a comprehensive study on the manipulation of specified parameters using WP-OFDM, WOFDM and C-OFDM signals together with various wavelets under the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel.",signatures:"Jamaluddin Zakaria and Mohd Fadzli Mohd Salleh",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74374",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74374",authors:[{id:"325304",title:"Associate Prof.",name:"Mohd Fadzli",surname:"Mohd Salleh",slug:"mohd-fadzli-mohd-salleh",fullName:"Mohd Fadzli Mohd Salleh"},{id:"325310",title:"Dr.",name:"Jamaluddin",surname:"Zakaria",slug:"jamaluddin-zakaria",fullName:"Jamaluddin Zakaria"}],corrections:null},{id:"74032",title:"Wavelets for EEG Analysis",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94398",slug:"wavelets-for-eeg-analysis",totalDownloads:1264,totalCrossrefCites:3,totalDimensionsCites:3,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"This chapter introduces the applications of wavelet for Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal analysis. First, the overview of EEG signal is discussed to the recording of raw EEG and widely used frequency bands in EEG studies. The chapter then progresses to discuss the common artefacts that contaminate EEG signal while recording. With a short overview of wavelet analysis techniques, namely; Continues Wavelet Transform (CWT), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), and Wavelet Packet Decomposition (WPD), the chapter demonstrates the richness of CWT over conventional time-frequency analysis technique e.g. Short-Time Fourier Transform. Lastly, artefact removal algorithms based on Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and wavelet are discussed and a comparative analysis is demonstrated. The techniques covered in this chapter show that wavelet analysis is well-suited for EEG signals for describing time-localised event. Due to similar nature, wavelet analysis is also suitable for other biomedical signals such as Electrocardiogram and Electromyogram.",signatures:"Nikesh Bajaj",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74032",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74032",authors:[{id:"326400",title:"Dr.",name:"Nikesh",surname:"Bajaj",slug:"nikesh-bajaj",fullName:"Nikesh Bajaj"}],corrections:null},{id:"74490",title:"Ultra-High Performance and Low-Cost Architecture of Discrete Wavelet Transforms",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94858",slug:"ultra-high-performance-and-low-cost-architecture-of-discrete-wavelet-transforms",totalDownloads:460,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"This work targets the challenging issue to produce high throughput and low-cost configurable architecture of Discrete wavelet transforms (DWT). More specifically, it proposes a new hardware architecture of the first and second generation of DWT using a modified multi-resolution tree. This approach is based on serializations and interleaving of data between different stages. The designed architecture is massively parallelized and sharing hardware between low-pass and high-pass filters in the wavelet transformation algorithm. Consequently, to process data in high speed and decrease hardware usage. The different steps of the post/pre-synthesis configurable algorithm are detailed in this paper. A modulization in VHDL at RTL level and implementation of the designed architecture on FPGA technology in a NexysVideo board (Artix 7 FPGA) are done in this work, where the performance, the configurability and the generic of our architecture are highly enhanced. The implementation results indicate that our proposed architectures provide a very high-speed data processing with low needed resources. As an example, with the parameters depth order equal 2, filter order equal 2, order quantization equal 5 and a parallel degree P = 16, we reach a bit rate around 3160 Mega samples per second with low used of logic elements (≈400) and logic registers (≈700).",signatures:"Mouhamad Chehaitly, Mohamed Tabaa, Fabrice Monteiro, Safa Saadaoui and Abbas Dandache",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74490",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74490",authors:[{id:"323340",title:"Dr.",name:"Mohamed",surname:"Tabaa",slug:"mohamed-tabaa",fullName:"Mohamed Tabaa"},{id:"323344",title:"Dr.",name:"Safa",surname:"Saadaoui",slug:"safa-saadaoui",fullName:"Safa Saadaoui"},{id:"323345",title:"Dr.",name:"Mouhamad",surname:"Chehaitly",slug:"mouhamad-chehaitly",fullName:"Mouhamad Chehaitly"},{id:"344628",title:"Dr.",name:"Fabrice",surname:"Monteiro",slug:"fabrice-monteiro",fullName:"Fabrice Monteiro"},{id:"344629",title:"Dr.",name:"Abbas",surname:"Dandache",slug:"abbas-dandache",fullName:"Abbas Dandache"}],corrections:null},{id:"74031",title:"Fault Detection, Diagnosis, and Isolation Strategy in Li-Ion Battery Management Systems of HEVs Using 1-D Wavelet Signal Analysis",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94554",slug:"fault-detection-diagnosis-and-isolation-strategy-in-li-ion-battery-management-systems-of-hevs-using-",totalDownloads:470,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Nowadays, the wavelet transformation and the 1-D wavelet technique provide valuable tools for signal processing, design, and analysis, in a wide range of control systems industrial applications, audio image and video compression, signal denoising, interpolation, image zooming, texture analysis, time-scale features extraction, multimedia, electrocardiogram signals analysis, and financial prediction. Based on this awareness of the vast applicability of 1-D wavelet in signal processing applications as a feature extraction tool, this paper aims to take advantage of its ability to extract different patterns from signal data sets collected from healthy and faulty input-output signals. It is beneficial for developing various techniques, such as coding, signal processing (denoising, filtering, reconstruction), prediction, diagnosis, detection and isolation of defects. The proposed case study intends to extend the applicability of these techniques to detect the failures that occur in the battery management control system, such as sensor failures to measure the current, voltage and temperature inside an HEV rechargeable battery, as an alternative to Kalman filtering estimation techniques. The MATLAB simulation results conducted on a MATLAB R2020a software platform demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in terms of detection accuracy, computation time, and robustness against measurement uncertainty.",signatures:"Nicolae Tudoroiu, Mohammed Zaheeruddin, Roxana-Elena Tudoroiu and Sorin Mihai Radu",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74031",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74031",authors:[{id:"239295",title:"Dr.Ing.",name:"Nicolae",surname:"Tudoroiu",slug:"nicolae-tudoroiu",fullName:"Nicolae Tudoroiu"},{id:"239611",title:"Dr.",name:"Sorin-Mihai",surname:"Radu",slug:"sorin-mihai-radu",fullName:"Sorin-Mihai Radu"},{id:"243050",title:"Dr.",name:"Mohamed",surname:"Zaheeruddin",slug:"mohamed-zaheeruddin",fullName:"Mohamed Zaheeruddin"},{id:"326060",title:"Dr.",name:"Roxana-Elena",surname:"Tudoroiu",slug:"roxana-elena-tudoroiu",fullName:"Roxana-Elena Tudoroiu"}],corrections:null},{id:"73918",title:"Industrial IoT Using Wavelet Transform",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.93879",slug:"industrial-iot-using-wavelet-transform",totalDownloads:359,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"For many years now, communication in the industrial sector has been characterized by a new trend of integrating the wireless concept through cyber-physical systems (CPS). This emergence, known as the Smart Factory, is based on the convergence of industrial trades and digital applications to create an intelligent manufacturing system. This will ensure high adaptability of production and more efficient resource input. It should be noted that data is the key element in the development of the Internet of Things ecosystem. Thanks to the IoT, the user can act in real time and in a digital way on his industrial environment, to optimize several processes such as production improvement, machine control, or optimization of supply chains in real time. The choice of the connectivity strategy is made according to several criteria and is based on the choice of the sensor. This mainly depends on location (indoor, outdoor, …), mobility, energy consumption, remote control, amount of data, sending frequency and security. In this chapter, we present an Industrial IoT architecture with two operating modes: MtO (Many-to-One) and OtM (One-to-Many). An optimal choice of the wavelet in terms of bit error rate is made to perform simulations in an industrial channel. A model of this channel is developed in order to simulate the performance of the communication architecture in an environment very close to industry. The optimization of the communication systems is ensured by error correcting codes.",signatures:"Mohamed Tabaa, Safa Saadaoui, Mouhamad Chehaitly, Aamre Khalil, Fabrice Monteiro and Abbas Dandache",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/73918",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/73918",authors:[{id:"323340",title:"Dr.",name:"Mohamed",surname:"Tabaa",slug:"mohamed-tabaa",fullName:"Mohamed Tabaa"},{id:"323344",title:"Dr.",name:"Safa",surname:"Saadaoui",slug:"safa-saadaoui",fullName:"Safa Saadaoui"},{id:"323345",title:"Dr.",name:"Mouhamad",surname:"Chehaitly",slug:"mouhamad-chehaitly",fullName:"Mouhamad Chehaitly"},{id:"323346",title:"Dr.",name:"Aamre",surname:"Khalil",slug:"aamre-khalil",fullName:"Aamre Khalil"},{id:"323347",title:"Prof.",name:"Fabrice",surname:"Monteiro",slug:"fabrice-monteiro",fullName:"Fabrice Monteiro"},{id:"323348",title:"Prof.",name:"Abbas",surname:"Dandache",slug:"abbas-dandache",fullName:"Abbas Dandache"}],corrections:null},{id:"74597",title:"Wavelet Transform for Signal Processing in Internet-of-Things (IoT)",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.95384",slug:"wavelet-transform-for-signal-processing-in-internet-of-things-iot-",totalDownloads:371,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:1,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"The primary contribution of this chapter is to provide an overview of different denoising methods used for signal processing in IoT networks from the perspectives of physical layer in the network. The chapter starts with the introduction to different kinds of noise that can be encountered in any kind of wireless communication networks, different kinds of wavelet transform and wavelet packet transform methods that can be used for denoising sensor signals in IoT networks and the different processing steps that are needed to be followed to accomplish wavelet packet transform for the sensor signals. Finally, a universal framework based on energy correlation analysis has been presented for denoising sensor signals in IoT networks, and such a framework can achieve considerable improvement in denoising performance reducing the effective noise correlation coefficient to 0.00001 or lower. Moreover, this method is found to be equally effective for Gaussian or impact noise or both.",signatures:"Indrakshi Dey and Shama Siddiqui",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74597",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74597",authors:[{id:"321151",title:"Dr.",name:"Indrakshi",surname:"Dey",slug:"indrakshi-dey",fullName:"Indrakshi Dey"}],corrections:null},{id:"74434",title:"The Discrete Quincunx Wavelet Packet Transform",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94970",slug:"the-discrete-quincunx-wavelet-packet-transform",totalDownloads:478,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"This chapter aims to present an efficient compression algorithm based on quincunx wavelet packet transform that can be applied on any image of size 128×128 or bigger. Therefore, a division process into sub-images of size 128×128 was applied on three gray-scale image databases, then pass each sub-image through the wavelet transform and a bit-level encoder, to finally compress the sub-image with respect to a fixed bit rate. The quality of the reconstructed image is evaluated using several parameters at a given bit rate. In order to improve the quality in sense of the evaluation quality, an exhaustive search has led to the best packet decomposition base. Two versions of the proposed compression scheme were performed; the optimal version is able to decrease the effect of block boundary artifacts (caused by the image division process) by 27.70% considering a natural image. This optimal version of the compression scheme was compared with JPEG standard using the quality evaluation parameters and visual observation. As a result, the proposed compression scheme presents a competitive performance to JPEG standard; where the proposed scheme performs a peak signal to noise ratio of 0.88dB over JPEG standard at a bit rate of 0.50bpp for a satellite image.",signatures:"Abdesselam Bassou",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74434",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74434",authors:[{id:"325295",title:"Prof.",name:"Abdesselam",surname:"Bassou",slug:"abdesselam-bassou",fullName:"Abdesselam Bassou"}],corrections:null},{id:"74347",title:"Uncertainty and the Oracle of Market Returns: Evidence from Wavelet Coherence Analysis",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.95032",slug:"uncertainty-and-the-oracle-of-market-returns-evidence-from-wavelet-coherence-analysis",totalDownloads:353,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Wavelet methodology is employed to investigate the statistical relationship between three well-accepted measures of uncertainty and both market and sector returns. Our primary goal is to determine whether uncertainty is sector specific. Although there are periods when the market works effectively as an oracle capturing uncertainty, we also find sector specific uncertainty. The wavelet equivalent of correlation, coherence, is used to determine the presence of sector specific uncertainty. We find that allowing localized information in the time frequency domain is critical for separating out sector specific uncertainty from market uncertainty.",signatures:"Joan Nix and Bruce D. McNevin",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/74347",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/74347",authors:[{id:"225668",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Joan",surname:"Nix",slug:"joan-nix",fullName:"Joan Nix"},{id:"323479",title:"Dr.",name:"Bruce",surname:"McNevin",slug:"bruce-mcnevin",fullName:"Bruce McNevin"}],corrections:null},{id:"75021",title:"Case Study: Coefficient Training in Paley-Wiener Space, FFT, and Wavelet Theory",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94865",slug:"case-study-coefficient-training-in-paley-wiener-space-fft-and-wavelet-theory",totalDownloads:364,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Bessel functions form an important class of special functions and are applied almost everywhere in mathematical physics. They are also called cylindrical functions, or cylindrical harmonics. This chapter is devoted to the construction of the generalized coherent state (GCS) and the theory of Bessel wavelets. The GCS is built by replacing the coefficient zn/n!,z∈C of the canonical CS by the cylindrical Bessel functions. Then, the Paley-Wiener space PW1 is discussed in the framework of a set of GCS related to the cylindrical Bessel functions and to the Legendre oscillator. We prove that the kernel of the finite Fourier transform (FFT) of L2-functions supported on −11 form a set of GCS. Otherwise, the wavelet transform is the special case of CS associated respectively with the Weyl-Heisenberg group (which gives the canonical CS) and with the affine group on the line. We recall the wavelet theory on R. As an application, we discuss the continuous Bessel wavelet. Thus, coherent state transformation (CST) and continuous Bessel wavelet transformation (CBWT) are defined. This chapter is mainly devoted to the application of the Bessel function.",signatures:"Kayupe Kikodio Patrick",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/75021",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/75021",authors:[{id:"325290",title:"Dr.",name:"Kayupe Kikodio",surname:"Patrick",slug:"kayupe-kikodio-patrick",fullName:"Kayupe Kikodio Patrick"}],corrections:null},{id:"74258",title:"Wavelet Filter Banks Using Allpass Filters",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94519",slug:"wavelet-filter-banks-using-allpass-filters",totalDownloads:366,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"Allpass filter is a computationally efficient versatile signal processing building block. The interconnection of allpass filters has found numerous applications in digital filtering and wavelets. In this chapter, we discuss several classes of wavelet filter banks by using allpass filters. Firstly, we describe two classes of orthogonal wavelet filter banks composed of two real allpass filters or a complex allpass filter, and then consider design of orthogonal filter banks without or with symmetry, respectively. Next, we present two classes of filter banks by using allpass filters in lifting scheme. One class is causal stable biorthogonal wavelet filter bank and another class is orthogonal wavelet filter bank, all with approximately linear phase response. 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In the development is shown some variations in the application of the Fleming function, in an attempt to identify the decomposition levels where the thresholding process must be more stringent and those where it can be more lenient, which increases its effectiveness in the removal of noisy coefficients. The proposed function and its variants demonstrate excellent results compared to other wavelet thresholding methods already described in the literature, including the famous Hard and Soft functions.",signatures:"Caio F.F.C. Cunha, Mariane R. Petraglia, André T. Carvalho and Antonio C.S. 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Wavelet analysis can be applied to practical problems that require a high degree of precision, for example, in the study and analysis of electromagnetic propagation in optical fibers, solutions of differential equations involving engineering problems, in the transmission of WiFi signals, in the treatment and analysis of biomedical images, detection of oil sources through the study of seismic signals.",signatures:"Paulo César Linhares da Silva",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/73428",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/73428",authors:[{id:"329037",title:"Prof.",name:"Paulo",surname:"Silva",slug:"paulo-silva",fullName:"Paulo Silva"}],corrections:null},{id:"74037",title:"Higher Order Haar Wavelet Method for Solving Differential Equations",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.94520",slug:"higher-order-haar-wavelet-method-for-solving-differential-equations",totalDownloads:438,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:1,hasAltmetrics:0,abstract:"The study is focused on the development, adaption and evaluation of the higher order Haar wavelet method (HOHWM) for solving differential equations. Accuracy and computational complexity are two measurable key characteristics of any numerical method. The HOHWM introduced recently by authors as an improvement of the widely used Haar wavelet method (HWM) has shown excellent accuracy and convergence results in the case of all model problems studied. 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The workflow of the manufacturing of prostheses via digital restorative dentistry can be divided into three steps: image acquisition, in which the structure inside the oral cavity is documented; CAD, the acquired images are imported to a computer program to design the desired restoration; and CAM, the restoration is manufactured from the desired material based on the design data. In the image acquisition stage, an intraoral scanner may be used to scan the oral cavity, or a stone model can be scanned after impression making and stone pouring procedure. In the CAD step, different software (S/W) modules can be used to design various types of prostheses, such as a crown, removable partial denture, complete denture, and implant surgical guide. The methods used in the CAM step include computerized numerical control (CNC) milling and 3D printing, which is also called as rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing. The milling process can be further split into the tool-path-calculation and milling processes; the former converts the path that the milling drill must pass through into numeric values to inform the latter process, the three-dimensional subtractive production of the designed prosthesis. 3D printing can be divided into the support positioning and slicing processes; the former entails the formation of supports to hold the designed prosthesis from below, while the latter refers to the actual printing of the designed prosthesis.
\nDental CAD/CAM systems are categorized according to how data is acquired and whether the restoration can be fabricated within the dental office on the same day. Hence, such the systems can be divided into in-office or in-lab systems, the former of which is further distinguished according to whether the dental office is equipped with a milling machine. The material used in an in-office system is relatively expensive because it uses a Mandrill type, which is used in small milling machines and manufactured exclusively for dental application; moreover, the material is also limited to manufacturing inlays and single crowns. However, it offers the advantage of being an all-in-one system that allows the finished product to be obtained within the dental office. An in-lab system involves transferring the data scanned from the patient to a laboratory equipped with the capacity to manufacture a range of prostheses. With traditional LAVA and Procera systems, the laboratory can produce zirconia crowns by scanning a plaster model with a desktop scanner; or the plaster modeling process can be precluded by directly acquiring a digital impression with an intraoral scanner, which further shortens the time required for the model preparation and allows the manufacture of the prosthetic to be completed at any laboratory in the world.
\nThe intraoral scanner was originally invented by Mörmann and Brandestini, and was first applied to patient care in 1985. The technology was confronted by the difficulty of accurately scanning a wide area: the intraoral scanner was limited by the size of the optical window of its scanner tip; spatial data of the oral cavity consequently needed to be aggregated to complete an image of the entire area. Recent advances in optical systems and image processing S/W have led to the gradual expansion of their applicability. Indications that were limited to just inlays or single crowns are now being used in larger cases, including longer fixed dental prostheses and implant prostheses, as well as various intraoral devices, such as implant surgical guides, individual trays for dentures, and metal frameworks of removable partial dentures. Accordingly, this chapter will examine the current state of using intraoral scanners in restorative dentistry for optical impressions and considerations when assessing the performance of intraoral scanners.
\nThe in-office system has a lengthy history that spans over 30 years since the introduction of CEREC in 1987. It now allows for the same-day manufacture and installation of dental restorations using a small dental milling machine. This system is also referred to as an all-in-one system since it is equipped with an intraoral scanner for image acquisition, CAD and tool-path calculation S/W for restoration design, and milling machine. Dentsply Sirona is the supplier of CEREC-branded products, and together with monochrome photography-based Bluecam, color video-based Omnicam, and the low-cost APOLLO Di, it offers various systems according to the different grades of intraoral scanners. In addition, the E4D dentist system that partially includes CEREC technology has continued to evolve, and now Planmeca supplies this intraoral scanner system called PlanScan. Carestream has introduced photography-based CS3500 and video-based CS3600 intraoral scanner systems. On account of being all-in-one systems, many are closed architecture systems with a limited ability to export scanned data for use in other S/W; however, there is a growing trend favoring open architecture systems.
\nCAD/CAM systems already feature a broad range of applications in dentistry, even without the added benefits of an intraoral scanner. The CNC milling process that allows for enlarged manufacture at the same magnification to overcome the properties of zirconia by showing change in volume during sintering is an outcome that has long since been integrated into dental practice. Desktop scanners used in laboratories to scan plaster models use a traditional method based on the principle of active triangulation; as a result, the image acquisition unit is fixed on the upper part of the scanner. It is consequentially difficult for the scanner to register areas where undercuts may occur, such as the sub-marginal area and proximal surface of the abutment teeth, which require die work to separate the abutment teeth after producing the plaster model (Figure 1). To ease the time constraints associated with pouring the plaster and separating the dies, attempts have been made to directly scan the impression without pouring plaster over the impression or acquiring data directly from the impression taken with a plastic tray by using a cone beam CT scanner, which is installed in most dental offices today. Difficulties with scanning thin, long teeth with impression scanning technique and low data-resolution images acquired by CT scanning still remain to be addressed. The latest trend in desktop scanners have evinced progress towards making scanning more convenient and efficient, and there is a change towards creating open designs that lack a door by using light sources with shorter wavelengths.
\nModel scanning process through the desktop scanner. Because of the undercut area, an abutment scan is required separately. It is necessary to perform the die trimming process of the stone model.
Ever since intraoral scanners became readily available in dentistry, they have played a role in the first step of workflow for the fabrication of prostheses. The acquired data can be sent instantaneously anywhere in the world, which offers the advantage of overcoming any temporal or spatial constraints. Because an intraoral scanner must acquire data from a limited space by imaging small structures in the oral cavity with many undercuts, it is based on a principle different than that which informs desktop scanners, which fix the image acquisition unit to the upper part of the scanner and use proprietary technology patented by the company that manufactured the scanner. The CEREC system featured a “closed system” in which all workflow takes place within the in-house system. After the introduction of iTero scanners (Align Technology Inc.) in 2006, which are based on an “open system” that acquires scanned data usable in various S/W, intraoral scanner became increasingly popular among clinical dentistry practices.
\nThe operating principles behind intraoral scanners include the active triangulation used mostly in the CEREC system and confocal microscopy chosen by iTero and Trios (3Shape) systems. The operating methods of intraoral scanners can be divided into image-stitching and video-sequencing methods. Intraoral scanners underwent rapid advances in hardware since the mid-2000s, which included various advances in anti-fog heating devices, color scanning, portable design, and video imaging methods. Advances in S/W have followed suit, including improvements in the stitching of scanned data and upgrades in intuitive scan S/W interfaces. Recently introduced intraoral scanners reflect endless improvements in their convenience and efficiency in actual clinical practice by making them smaller, wireless, light-weight, and cost-effective, as well as supporting database through cloud computing. Further, the availability of intraoral scanners has risen sharply owing to the reduction in patient discomfort and increased clinical efficiency of dentists.
\nWe have examined various scanning systems in restorative dentistry that apply CAD/CAM technology. Here, we will examine how digital technology is actually being used and applied based on actual clinical cases.
\nWhen the 3D positional relationships between teeth need to be determined for diagnosis and treatment planning in cases with poor occlusal relationship between upper and lower teeth, it is common to perform alginate impression taking, followed by the analysis of the diagnostic model mounted on the articulator. In particular, much information can be gained from the contact relation during lateral movement and relationship of the upper and lower molars from the distal-to-mesial direction that cannot be seen inside the oral cavity, a considerable amount of preparation time is required to build the plaster model and mount it, which makes it impossible to see the outcome on the same day the patient was admitted. However, using an intraoral scanner to obtain a digital impression of the region of interest allows the data to be used immediately for diagnosis without the delay required for plaster setting time. An oral examination was performed on a patient who was admitted to the department of prosthodontics after placement of three implants in the left upper molar region. The patient showed poor occlusion due to a buccally collapsed upper second molar, which is the antagonist tooth. In this case, it was difficult to decide whether to fabricate the implant restoration as is or to do so after restoring the occlusal relationship first by performing a root canal treatment on the collapsed opponent tooth and covering it with a single crown. By taking an optical impression on the day of diagnosis and importing it into CAD software, the superstructure was designed on top of the implant and the occlusal relationship with the opponent tooth could be assessed from the distal direction. This was helpful in determining the treatment plan during patient consultation on the day of the visit and the patient was highly satisfied after implant prosthesis was installed (Figure 2).
\nCases of using an intraoral scanner as a diagnostic tool. After taking a digital impression, the treatment plan was established by diagnosing the occlusal relationship in the distal direction, which obscures the interior of the patient’s oral cavity.
For esthetic restoration performed by acquiring data on anterior teeth via intraoral scanning, crowns may be fabricated via a direct wax-up of the cast to reproduce the 3D characteristics of teeth surface. The crown fabrication and installation involves 3D printing of a model based on data from intraoral scanning, wax-up on the die, investment and burn-out, and pressing of the esthetic material.
\nA male patient in his 20s was admitted for restoration of two upper central incisors at a stage when he was about to complete his orthodontic treatment. Because the orthodontic bracket remained on the labial surface of his anterior teeth, the impression body could not be removed once the impression material hardened with the traditional impression method using silicon impression material; blocking out the bottom portion of the bracket with utility wax would not allow the shape in that area to appear on the impression body. Accordingly, instead of using such method, digital impression was taken using intraoral scanner (Trios, 3shape). After designing the rapid prototype in a model builder program, the model was obtained by 3D printing. After assuring the esthetic surface texture of the anterior teeth via wax-up on the printed die, it was fabricated by investment and pressing with lithium disilicate (eMax, Ivoclar) (Figure 3).
\nA digital impression was taken to fabricate the prosthesis without removing the orthodontic bracket. After model fabrication by 3D printing, the detailed features of the anterior teeth surface were reproduced via a wax-up process, and the prosthesis fabricated by pressing using lithium disilicate was installed.
A female patient in her 30s visited the clinic for fabrication of a 5-unit fixed dental prosthesis. The patient was pleased with the shape of the provisional teeth and its shape was replicated for permanent restoration. The optical impression was obtained for abutment and provisional restoration and the restoration was designed by the “double scan” technique. While referencing the relationship between the opponent and adjacent teeth on the 3D printed model, porcelain was built on top of the zirconia coping to complete the final restoration (Figure 4).
\nThe outer appearance of the provisional restoration that the patient had become accustomed to from prolonged use after extraction was replicated via a double scan technique after optical impression.
Because an intraoral scanner is a device that reproduces a 3D structure based on images, functional impression that selectively presses the tissues or border molding that physically takes an impression of the maximum vestibular depth without impeding the movement of the cheeks and tongue by moving the neighboring muscles is impossible. Moreover, because an edentulous arch does not have 3D features, continuously stitching small images determined by the size of the scanner tip can introduce multiple errors and the tissue surface being shiny makes it even more difficult. Therefore, instead of using an intraoral scanner, a desktop scanner obtaining image of master cast made from a traditional functional impression is recommended for cases of removable dentures.
\nConcerning a 74-year-old male patient who wanted a mandibular partial denture, zirconia surveyed restoration fabricated by milling based on a design that considered the path of insertion and removal of the denture in CAD S/W after digital intraoral scanning (iTero, Aligntech) was installed into the oral cavity of the patient. Subsequently, a master cast was obtained by functional impression taking, which was scanned and the design S/W, exclusive for partial dentures (Freeform, SensAble), was used for electronic surveying to determine the optimal path of insertion and removal by adjusting the inclination of the cast in consideration of the amount of undercut in the entire arch in a virtual space. To design the metal structure, the area that would be covered with the denture base was determined and the finish line was set after forming a lingual bar major connector. A rest was designed and a butt-joint was added. After designing the lattice-structure of the minor connector that joins the denture base to the major connector, a retentive arm determined via electronic surveying was added to the undercut area of the retentive tip to complete the framework design. After reviewing the overall design, sprues for the metal casting were also designed. Plastic material that could be burned out was used for 3D printing to invest and cast the metal structure, after which the denture was completed by a traditional denture curing process for installation (Figure 5). The function of the retentive arm operated clearly during denture installation and removal due to electronic surveying. This system uses a unique input tool called a haptic interface. Once the mouse arrow touched the polygon wall, the arrow could not move any farther inward through a forced feedback effect, whereby the 3D shape of the teeth model could be formed with tactile feedback.
\nA surveyed restoration was fabricated according to the path of insertion and removal of denture shown on data obtained from intraoral scanning. After using burn-out resin to print the framework structure designed by electronic surveying, the partial denture was fabricated by investment casting.
For the digital complete denture, a model scanning is mainly performed. Several companies have introduced systems that shorten patient visits by integrating treatment steps. Denture base resin materials must prevent discoloration and contamination while functioning inside the oral cavity for an extended period. Therefore, the materials must have particles that are smooth and densely packed. Heat-curing resin has therefore been used as the material for a complete and partial denture base. To withstand the packing pressure of resin, a frame with plaster material and metal flask are made. Subsequently, the complete curing of resin is induced by boiling it in a water tank. In the digital process, the denture profile can be milled or 3D printed after CAD design. Companies that manufacture and supply digital complete dentures use their own proprietary methods to overcome these limitations, including the use of hard resin with densely packed particles, milling a resin disk block that is larger than the complete denture being fabricated. Another attempt involves 3D printing the flask itself, which functions as a negative mold of the denture base through the traditional packing and curing process. After designing the denture, a try-in denture may be provided to check whether the denture fits the lips and facial shape of the patient. Moreover, to improve communication between the dentist and lab technician with regard to denture design, webpages are available with interfaces allowing the dentist to check and freely modify the design once the alignment of the prosthetic has been completed (Figure 6).
\nThe individual tray was designed and 3D printed on the edentulous data obtained by the intraoral scanner, and the functional impression was made. The complete denture module was used to design the shape of the tooth array and the denture base. The denture base was machined with a milling machine, and then the artificial teeth which are the same as the library were bonded on it.
When fabricating a computer-guided implant surgical template, guides with replication of radiographic template tissue surface obtained from CT data have poor internal adaptation due to limitations in the resolution on CBCT, which can lead to poor stability during the surgery and diminish the accuracy of implant placement. These deficiencies can be improved by matching the cast scan or intraoral scan data with CT results. A 52-year-old male patient visited the clinic, wanting three implants in his lower right molar region. The implant placement was planned by matching the data obtained from iTero intraoral scanner and CBCT. A surgical guide was fabricated using a 3D printed wax model. Because the fabrication used high-resolution data, the guide functioned stably during the procedure, despite the fact that it was a dentulous case that did not use a separate fixing pin. After implant healing, the digital intraoral impression was made and the customized abutment and superstructure were fabricated (Figure 7).
\nThe CBCT and intraoral digital impression data were matched to establish an implant plan that avoided the inferior alveolar nerve. A computer-guided implant surgical template was made on the 3D-printed model to assist the surgery. Digital impression taken after healing was used to fabricate the customized abutment and superstructure.
The digital workflow for fabricating implant prosthesis is easier than fabricating restoration for natural teeth. For the latter, the crown margin must be scanned precisely, whereas with implants, after connecting a digital impression coping or scan body on the implant, only the shape of the scan body needs to be accurately captured; the margin between the abutment and superstructure is accurately aligned by the computer. When forming an occlusal relationship in the implant case, the implant restoration should be fabricated to minimize interference in lateral movement. A digital impression (Trios) was obtained for the fabrication of an implant superstructure in a 56-year-old male patient with overdeveloped masseter muscles. To ensure the patient was guided to centric occlusion when taking an optical impression of the buccal bite, the scan was performed with the occlusal point marked by articulating paper. Because a color intraoral scanner was used, the occlusal point appeared on the occlusal surface in a colored display mode. By comparing the pattern of occlusal point distribution and the markings of the distance of the computer-generated occlusal alignment by buccal bite, it was determined that both data indicated the same occlusal points; otherwise, the positional adjustment handle could have been used to finely adjust the relation between the maxilla and mandible. The articulator function can be used by aligning the maxilla and mandible on the occlusal plane of a virtual articulator. In the present case, group-function occlusion with a large premolar cusp inclination was identified and the area with early contact by implant prosthesis during eccentric movement was adjusted in the CAD software to allow fabrication of prosthesis with minimal lateral pressure (Figure 8).
\nThe color function of the digital intraoral scanner was used to compare the marked occlusal points and computer-generated occlusal alignment in testing the accuracy of occlusal registration. A virtual articulator was used to adjust the cusp angle in a patient with an overdeveloped masseter muscle to ensure that excessive lateral force was not exerted on the implant.
When a digital impression is obtained via an intraoral scanner, the outcome is 3D data consisting of a set of triangles or polygons, which are the smallest units that form a plane. The data are imported to dental CAD S/W to design the prosthesis and the final product is obtained through the CAM process, but because the scanned data cannot be physically handled, consideration should be given as to whether a separate model should be built for any additional work. Producing a working model of the digital impression usually involves CNC milling or 3D printing.
\nThe methods for using the digital impression data from an intraoral scanner can be divided into three types depending on whether production of a model is needed (Figure 9). First is the model-free production method, in which only the prosthesis is fabricated and the process of model production is omitted; this is employed when only a small area is being restored. Second is the method by which a model is built to complete the final form of the prosthesis or for fitting. As the reference for porcelain firing, a model may be used to test the fit of a prosthesis against opposing and adjacent teeth. The last method is the active use of a separately built model. It is used in cases for direct wax-up to reproduce the fine details of the 3D characteristics of anterior teeth surfaces. The prosthesis would be fabricated by the traditional method of direct wax-up on the die of the model built by milling or 3D printing.
\nMethods for using a digital impression data from an intraoral scanner according to the need for modeling.
With the gradual expansion of the clinical application of monolithic zirconia or full-contour zirconia crown without the build-up of feldspathic porcelain, the clinical technique of model-free prosthesis fabrication using an intraoral scanner has gained broader use (Figure 10). Formerly, the lack of knowledge concerning coloration techniques and shallow penetration of coloring material resulted in unsatisfactory esthetic outcomes due to the opaque-white color of zirconia appearing after occlusal adjustment. However, as a result of deeper color penetration and the introduction of more transparent, naturalistic zirconia blocks, this problem has practically disappeared.
\nCase of fabrication of prosthesis based on model-free concept.
There are differences in tooth preparation design depending on the clinician, especially axial-wall taper and rounding of the abutment teeth edges. Therefore, when starting the model-free clinical process for the first time, it is necessary to adjust the values of the parameters for the inner surface of zirconia crown inputted into the prosthesis design S/W to match the teeth preparation tendencies of the clinician. When the internal gap of restorations fabricated by inputting several different CAD parameters were measured, the restorations fabricated by means of the model-free workflow exhibited a marginal gap that was slightly higher than 100 microns, which would be within the clinically allowable range as reported by McLean et al. The line angle and occlusal surface showed large internal gaps, just like zirconia crowns fabricated by in-lab process using a model scanner. In addition, the margins of the zirconia crowns fabricated via the model-free workflow showed a slightly over-contoured tendency as compared to the conventional emergence profile. In such a case, plaque retention below the margin occurs more readily and the likelihood of gingival inflammation increases as well. The reasons for over-contouring in the margins of the crown are as follows: Because the thin portion of the zirconia crown margin may break off during fabrication if the amount of abutment tooth preparation is insufficient, the crown is milled to leave enough thickness so that the thickness can be adjusted manually relative to the die of the stone cast. However, in the model-free concept, the work is based on intraoral scan data. The traditional silicon impression material can express the contour of the tooth root on the stone die to a certain degree by penetrating up to 5 mm below the margin of the abutment tooth; whereas the intraoral-scanner method is based on an imaging technique, and the undercut below the margin does not scan very well. Therefore, there is no root contour that can be referenced during the CAD process, and the root contour is insufficiently reproduced in the die milled/printed, limiting the ability to refine the marginal area of the zirconia crown that was fabricated with extra thickness. In other words, the root contour below the margin of the impression body must be registered to a certain degree to allow for a prosthetic design with a naturalistic emergence profile; however, the digital impression taken with an intraoral scanner does not register enough of the area below the margin when compared with the traditional silicon impression. Therefore, when using a model-free workflow with an intraoral scanner, clinicians need to consider these points and reaching an understanding with the laboratory.
\nThe cases that require a physical model are those that require additional finishing work after the fabrication of coping. In such cases, the intraoral scan data may be sent separately to the model production center. Both CNC milling and rapid prototyping can be applied to model production. The milling process uses a polyurethane block with wear resistance against subsequent wax-up work, while rapid prototyping by 3D printing also uses comparable resin as the material. As 3D printers have become readily available for in-office use and are supplied with model building materials, many dental offices are starting to print models in the office.
\nModel production requires the scanned data to be processed. An example using Model builder (3shape, Denmark) S/W is as follows (Figure 11). First, any area unrelated to the area being restored or the movable tissue away from the alveolar bone are deleted to reduce the overall size of and optimize the data. By setting the position of the scanned dental arch to match the occlusal plane of the virtual articulator and checking the occlusal relationship automatically aligned by the lateral bite scan acquired together with the upper and lower jaw scan, the position of the upper and lower jaw is carefully revised on CAD when necessary. After setting the margin line of abutment teeth to separate the die portion from the other parts of the model, the path of insertion and removal is determined to match the direction of adjacent teeth. After aligning the finished model to appear in the center of the simple articulator, sending data to a 3D printer or milling machine for output can yield the shape of the simple articulator, while also reproducing the occlusion that the patient had at the time of intraoral scanning by physically holding the upper and lower jaw models in hand. Although limited in scope, such model building S/W helps to inform the revision of data, which can be used to modify the impression of the abutment teeth in the marginal area that may not have been acquired well. Such work may be performed in cases where the patient cannot return to the dental office and the prosthesis must be fabricated immediately. Data are not perfect immediately after the acquisition of digital impression with an intraoral scanner, and the data must therefore be reviewed before the patient returns to home to make sure that important parts, including the margins, have been imaged properly.
\nProcessing of intraoral scan data for model building.
Models built by milling or printing are usually used in cases of porcelain fused to zirconia restoration. It is also used in implant restoration cases where the implant prosthesis is generally fabricated as an abutment-superstructure dual structure. If pretreatment is needed to check a model due to the range of the prosthesis being too large, a model can be built separately and used accordingly.
\nIn addition to the indirect purpose of using a model to check the fit of prostheses fabricated by CAD/CAM process, it can be used for wax-up on top of a die model. The reason for its separate categorization is because only the steps from impression taking to model building are performed digitally, while all subsequent processes follow a traditional workflow. Although most of the processes in restorative dentistry are performed digitally, there are still limitations in expressing the fine surface texture of the anterior teeth by milling or printing, and materials used for milling have limitations in expressing various color characteristics. To overcome these deficiencies, the final restoration can be fabricated by a wax-up of the die. If optical impression of the marginal area was properly obtained, a favorable clinical outcome may be expected. However, in cases that require the reproduction of very thin bevels in the margins, such as with gold inlay, it should be avoided: there are limitations to the availability of ultra-high-resolution scanners that can register such fine details of tooth shape or equipment and mill or print fine details at the inlay-bevel level. Moreover, a meta-analysis by Chochlidakis et al. that reviewed the fit of 339 digital and analog restorations reported that digitally fabricated restorations showed a comparable level of marginal fit as restorations fabricated by traditional methods. However, restorations fabricated by the model-free method using intraoral scan data were more accurate than those fabricated on 3D printed or milled model. This is because equipment errors that may occur during the model building process can be disregarded when compared to the model-free workflow; moreover, solutions to this problem can continually be improved as the precision of the equipment advances in the future (Figure 12) [1].
\nFor crowns and bridges fabricated on a model built by intraoral scan data, restorations by traditional methods can be fabricated, but there are limitations in expressing narrow bevels in gold inlays due to insufficient resolution.
With the emergence of 3D digital scanners, existing impression acquisition technique is being replaced with digital technology. While intraoral scanners, various CAD S/W, milling machines, and 3D printers are needed to create a digital office, acquiring such expensive equipment can be a burden for private clinics. Therefore, it is prudent for clinicians to obtain various details concerning the accuracy and clinical efficacy of intraoral scanners before investing. The points that dentists should consider when selecting an intraoral scanner can be categorized as shown in the figure (Figure 13). The accuracy of an intraoral scanner can be determined by assessing the following aspects: resolution, accuracy of the range of the quadrant arch, accuracy of the range of the full arch, accuracy of the range of the individual tooth, and accuracy of color reproduction. For hardware characteristics of an intraoral scanner, the following factors can be assessed: scanner-wand size, the need for a scan spray or powder, the maximum depth of field recognized by the scanner, anti-fog function, and durability based on the sterilization of the scanner tip. With respect to clinical efficacy, the following should be considered for actual clinical application: ease-of-operating of the S/W interface; ability to find the scan position or direction during mid-scan; whether the scanned data can be exported to a standard format of an .stl file; the learning curve for assuring the accuracy of data, shortening the scan time, and becoming familiar with the intraoral scanner; and cost-effectiveness of the equipment.
\nCriteria that dentists should consider when selecting an intraoral scanner.
The most important criterion for an intraoral scanner is accuracy. Currently, the accuracy of intraoral scanners is sufficient in cases limited to a quadrant, but caution should be taken with long restorations that extend beyond the median line. In a questionnaire surveying preferences in digital impression acquisition after using two types of intraoral scanners (image stitching versus video sequencing), the responses were predominantly positive regardless of the type of intraoral scanner. Such preference was even higher in the age group that was more familiar with digital technology; based on such high preference, it is expected that intraoral scanners will be increasingly implemented and actively used in dentistry [2].
\nAn intraoral scanner collects intraoral images of the patient and recombines the images as a 3D object. While this procedure is being executed, the computer limits the data resolution in the scan S/W. A polygon formed by three points serves as a criterion for assessing the resolution of scanned data. The higher the number of polygons, the higher the resolution. Assessment has been performed by using intraoral scanners to scan the upper central incisor abutment tooth that was prepared for crown. When the polygons that formed the surface of the model were counted, different scanner systems showed variance in the number of polygons to express the same tooth shape (from 6000 to 400,000 polygons). A higher number of polygons is more favorable for expressing sharp lines in the tooth margin. In addition to the number of polygons, the shape of the polygons is also important. Images with uniformly-sized equilateral triangles lead to faster processing speeds during CAD work and a lower probability of errors than do those with many long, needle-like polygons found between more regular planes (Figure 14) [3].
\nData acquired with various intraoral scanners for the same abutment tooth. It can be confirmed that the size, shape, and distribution of the polygons vary according to the systems.
When fabricating a fixed dental prosthesis for natural teeth by using an intraoral scanner, the ability to scan by differentiating the fine gap between the gingiva and abutment tooth margin is an important feature. When gaps ranging in size between 50 and 1000 microns were created and scanned with intraoral scanners, scanners evinced different levels of performance: some were unable to differentiate gaps smaller than 300 microns, whereas others were able to detect 50-micron gaps. Accordingly, it is advantageous to use the latter in clinical practice.
\nWhen the jig presented in ISO 12836 was scanned to test the performance of various intraoral scanners, most intraoral scanners, excluding True definition (3 M LAVA), could not scan geometric shapes. Intraoral scanners have a limited optical window size and can perform a scan only when the target object fills more than half of the optical window. Moreover, the algorithm in the system automatically deletes the image when nearby oral tissues, such as the lips or tongue, are included in the scan, which often prevents the intraoral scanners from producing normal images of repetitive shapes that can be easily aligned. Accordingly, it may be unreasonable to use ISO 12836 as the testing standard for intraoral scanners.
\nIn addition, trueness and precision should be calculated and considered together when assessing the accuracy of intraoral scanners; when the archer shot all arrows inside the bull’s eye, both the trueness and precision is good; if the arrows are concentrated in other areas, such as the second target, precision may be good, but trueness would be poor; if the arrows are observed in the third target, trueness may be good, but precision would be poor; when the arrows are spread apart, both trueness and precision would be poor.
\nCrowns, 3-unit fixed dental prostheses, and inlay abutment teeth were fabricated using a commercial high-precision milling machine to assess the intraoral scan data for the unilateral dental arch. Compared to the E4D Dentist and Zfx Intrascan, Fastscan, iTero, and Trios intraoral scanners evinced better accuracy in most cases. Systems that use active triangulation among their scan principles or spray powder showed high accuracy, while there were no statistically significant differences between image stitching and video sequencing methods [4].
\nWhen anterior teeth, including canines, are scanned, arch form distortion may occur. Patzelt et al. mentioned widening and narrowing of the molar region, while a clinical trial by Park et al. observed molar distortion and changes in anterior incisal length [5, 6]. Ender and Mehl reported that accuracy may vary according to scanning strategies, while Ahn et al. reported that differences in accuracy were found when the scan direction and order were changed when scanning a complete-arch orthodontic model [7, 8]. For this same reason, intraoral scanner companies specify that the recommended scanning strategy should be used during the whole dentition scan.
\nBecause of the limited optical window size, image recombination errors in the scan S/W of intraoral scanners may occur under certain conditions. When mandibular anterior teeth with the same size and shape were aligned by varying the interdental gap and scanned using iTero and Trios, both systems detected arch form distortion; the variance where the distortion occurred appeared to be due to differences in the optical system and recombination algorithm of the systems [9].
\nPark et al. reported on the accuracy of full dentition scan data when a bracket was installed for orthodontic treatment. Each intraoral scanner varied in its ability to reproduce different types of brackets with various materials. In particular, lingual orthodontics with the bracket mounted on the lingual side achieved lower accuracy than did buccal orthodontics; the extent of decrease in accuracy varied among intraoral scanners [10]. Fortunately, there was very little difference in accuracy based on the presence or absence of orthodontic wire. However, even in this, differences in performance among intraoral scanner systems were found [11].
\nPark et al. reported on the complete-arch scan accuracy of nine different intraoral scanners. A high-precision industrial scanner with an accuracy of <10 microns and over 100,000 scan points was used as the reference in assessing the trueness and precision of intraoral scanners. Various cases of abutment teeth that can be encountered in clinical practice were fabricated precisely with the industrial milling machine to build phantom models that were used in the study. For qualitative assessment on the differences in trueness, comparison of color maps showed that the distortion of the full dentition was not significant in most recently introduced intraoral scanner systems, whereas systems that have been on the market relatively longer showed poorer accuracy; this finding may have been due to differences in the optical system and 3D recombination function of their respective S/W. When the polygon pattern was analyzed at the same position and angle for a more detailed comparison, the results showed that the intraoral structure was differentially expressed. Similar to the deformation of the impression body observed when an impression is obtained using a traditional silicon impression material, such scan errors can also occur in a digital impression body. Therefore, it is recommended that clinicians should consider the possibility of such an error and personally check the important areas in completing the scan. While some intraoral scanner systems were able to accurately reproduce intraoral conditions, other systems were not able to do so. Fortunately, most of the recently introduced systems show clear and accurate results [3].
\nOne of the most common questions concerning the use of an intraoral scanner is how much occlusal adjustment is needed when a crown is fabricated. Although it varies by system, occlusion between the upper and lower jaw is in most cases registered by scanning the buccal bite under maximum intercuspation. For comparative assessment on the accuracy of a buccal bite scan, metal cylinders with various lengths were used to create a space between the teeth on the measurement side, and a buccal bite scan from the opposite side was acquired. Here, occlusal reproducibility of the intraoral scanners was measured by comparing the amount of interdental spacing on the measurement side against the reference scan. The bite was registered higher or lower depending on the system, and the extent of such differences varied. Therefore, when using intraoral scanners in clinical practice, it would be necessary to assess the accuracy of a buccal bite scan [12]. When the buccal bite-scan accuracy was compared in implant cases, the results also showed differences according to the systems used [13]. In addition to such variance in the performance of the intraoral scanners themselves, it should also be kept in mind that the final prosthesis height may become inaccurate if the patient does not bite down with centric occlusion.
\nDepending on the principle on which the intraoral scanner system is based, the scan distance or depth recognized by the scanner can vary. When the abutment tooth is too long or the gap from adjacent teeth is too narrow, the intraoral scanner must be lowered and rotated to the side to scan that area, since the focal length is limited. In doing so, if the S/W that superimposes the data has poor performance, it is difficult to obtain an image of the target area with a single scan and the scan time may be prolonged. When six different intraoral scanner systems were used to acquire digital impressions of various inlay cavities with narrow and deep cavities to assess the depth performance of intraoral scanners, the results showed that the pulpal floor depths of the cavities were different than the actual depths. If the cavity is shallow, the fabricated inlay is also thin and gap is filled with cement, which increases the possibility of inlay fracture after long-term use. If the cavity is deep, inlay with high occlusion is fabricated, which requires more time for occlusal adjustment. The bottom surface and lower corners of the inlay cavity box that are difficult to approach with an intraoral scanner on account of their being too close to adjacent teeth show various patterns of scan errors depending on the intraoral scanner system.
\nRecently introduced intraoral scanners feature polychrome systems that display mapping of natural color texture. Therefore, whether the color information obtained from intraoral scanning can replace the tooth shade selection process when restoring anterior teeth is worth consideration. Color differences in images obtained from digital intraoral scans and clinical photography were compared against a reference obtained from spectrophotometer to investigate clinical applicability. The color shade information obtained from intraoral scan data tended to be slightly bluer than the actual color shade and would thus be problematic to use as absolute data. However, since it is useful as a color map of teeth with white lines or brown spots, it would be best employed as a supplement [14].
\nEach intraoral scanner system has its own proprietary operating principle, as each manufacturer has registered patents for the operating principles of its own intraoral scanners; thus, the products are developed to not infringe on existing patents. Moreover, the scanner wands also have different shapes and sizes; recently, there has been a trend towards producing lighter scanners with smaller scanner tips that has led to reduced patient discomfort and shorter scanning times. Indeed, intraoral scanners with scanner tips about the size of a handpiece used for tooth preparation—or even smaller—have been introduced. However, as the size of the optical window becomes smaller, more images need to be stitched together; moreover, because the amount of surrounding structures needed for stitching decreases, the accuracy of the scanned data decreases. S/W development would therefore need to develop in tandem with the decrease in hardware size to use small intraoral scanners with high accuracy that can easily scan the distal surface of most posterior molars in clinical practice.
\nThe need for spray or powder during scanning is another H/W characteristic related to the performance of intraoral scanners. Powder is used to increase the recognition rate of scanners by balancing the reflective conditions of materials with different surface reflectance rates. Nedelcu et al. reported that applying an excessive amount of powder does not have a statistically significantly negative effect on accuracy [15]. However, in actual clinical practice, it is difficult to apply the powder to hard-to-reach areas inside the narrow oral cavity, such as the distal surface of most posterior molars. Moreover, in cases wherein it is difficult to control how much powder is being applied due to the applicator used, an excessive amount of powder may accumulate to cause the scan data to appear differently than the actual condition. In healthy young adults with active saliva secretion, if saliva covers the area where powder was applied, powder may clump together to affect the scan results. Since there are reports indicating that fine and ultrafine particles contained in scanning spray may be harmful to respiratory tract, using powder-free intraoral scanner system is recommended whenever possible. Meanwhile, many manufacturers are introducing intraoral scanners that do not need scanning spray and can overcome the problem of scattered reflection.
\nThe maximum depth of field recognized by the scanner has a significant influence on the intraoral scanning process. If the range of depth is shorter, systems that terminate the scan if the surface being scanned does not maintain a certain distance from the scanner tip require close attention and are difficult to use, meaning the learning curve becomes very steep. If the scan can be performed without any problem when the scanner tip touches the teeth or even when the distance becomes longer, then the clinical efficacy of such an intraoral scanner would increase.
\nBecause the scanner tip of intraoral scanners consists of a mirror and a glass window, fogging can occur on the optical window when the tip is suddenly inserted into the oral cavity; this can interfere with the scan and slow the scanning speed. To prevent fogging, the scanner tip is heated with a heat wire or air is blown into it. Systems with a heat wire require a waiting time to allow the scanner tip to be sufficiently heated, while systems with airflow can dry the inside of the oral cavity. Lastly, most intraoral scanners feature the ability of changing the scanner tip for sterilization, and thus, durability of the scanner tip based on EO gas or autoclave sterilization must be considered. Small cracks may form on the glass window after 20–30 rounds of sterilization, and images acquired thereafter would contain noise, which may slow the scanning speed and require replacement of the scanner tip.
\nWith good S/W support, the intraoral scanner system can offer convenience and high efficacy in clinical practice. With respect to such clinical efficacy, ease-of-operation of the graphic user interface (GUI) of the scan S/W itself can be helpful. Input of patient and abutment tooth information must not be unwieldy, and the system must allow all necessary information to be inputted without omission. Further, it must be easy to send the data obtained after completion of scanning to the design center. Recently, many intraoral scanner manufacturers allow for the uploading of data to a cloud server and the notification of the design center. Since scanned data can be viewed in a 3D orientation via a web browser or a separate application, it has become possible to relay work instructions while viewing the data when consulting with the lab technician –not only in the office but also while on the move.
\nSystems with an excellent S/W recombination algorithm feature a higher clinical efficacy. During digital impression acquisition, additional scans are needed for areas that were not scanned properly. When applying the intraoral scanner to the areas that require additional scanning, and scanning of surrounding area is re-initiated, systems should be able to find the area again quickly and accurately. In particular, when scanning natural tooth abutment, it is effective to scan the mesial and distal surfaces by rotating the intraoral scanner to a 90° angle from the dentition. Systems that reinitiate the scan by automatically recognizing the rotated direction after the scanning is halted are more convenient to use in clinical practice. This is possible if the system has a function that recognizes the change in angle within the algorithm that searches and matches previously scanned data. In addition, intraoral scanners that use video sequencing add data in real-time, and thus, when moving tissues that contact the teeth, the area around the teeth may become messy and contain unwanted data that require deletion from the screen and necessitate the performance of additional scans. To address this issue, systems with an “undo” function that regresses a few seconds to a point prior to the displacement of the tissues being added to the scanned data have been introduced.
\nRecently, dental CAD S/W with a variety of functions have been introduced; however, whether the operator can export scan data from the intraoral scan system easily as the standard format of .stl is an important point to consider before using them. Many manufacturers of intraoral scanner systems emphasize that their scanners are based on an open architecture. However, there were cases of reduced resolution in which only low-resolution data marred by an unexpected decrease in the number of polygons in the data were exported; inverted surface shell in which the scanned data were converted to an inverted form, rendering them unusable for CAD work; and loss of bite information in which the positional relationships of the maxillary and mandibular data returned to their original points and data on the inter-arch relationship were lost.
\nLastly, the learning time required to become familiar with handling the intraoral scanner to shorten the intraoral scanning time and increasing the accuracy of scanned data should be considered. Kim et al. reported the results from an in vivo study that investigated the learning curve for intraoral scanners. A total of 29 volunteers who wished to learn how to use an intraoral scanner participated in 10 sessions of digital impression acquisition lessons over 4 days. Because the volunteers had used an intraoral scanner for the first time, they made several errors, including widening of the posterior arch, lengthening of anterior length, and not combining two or more dental arch fragments together. If the problem could not be resolved by the erase and add scan function, the scan was started again from the beginning. Based on these results, the learning curve was derived. The analysis divided the participants into the groups that used intraoral scanners with image stitching versus video sequencing; both groups showed that adequate learning was achieved after repeated practice. The former achieved a higher learning rate since scanning was difficult, but even after 10 rounds of lessons, scan time was longer than that of the video-sequencing group [16].
\nLim et al. reported on the assessment of changes in data accuracy after repeated practice scanning compete-arch maxillary and mandibular dentition using the two of the same intraoral scanners. In the group that used the difficult image-stitching method, repeated practice influenced the accuracy of scanned data, indicating that practice must be invested to use the method in clinical practice. The group using video sequencing demonstrated a weak learning effect with better accuracy of scanned data relative to the other group. This group was not influenced by clinical experience or the oral structure of the patient, suggesting that video sequencing can be used more easily in clinical practice [6].
\nAlthough intraoral scanners have many advantages, there are many unresolved issues with respect to impression acquisition time. Unlike implant cases where the margin between the customized abutment and zirconia crown is arbitrarily set by a computer, impressions cannot be acquired accurately if the margin is not exposed in natural teeth cases. Therefore, the same processes as conventional technique, such as the insertion of a gingival cord and controlling saliva and bleeding, must be performed. Unlike the traditional method of waiting after injecting the impression material, images must be acquired continuously with an intraoral scanner, which necessitates supervision and, hence, more man-hours. As a method for overcoming such limitations, the dentist and dental hygienist must cooperate. Following the insertion of the gingival cord or while the patient is waiting, the dental hygienist can acquire a preliminary scan. Subsequently, the dentist can delete data from the abutment tooth area and perform a precision scan in only that area. By utilizing functions that are only possible by digital method, such limitations can thus be overcome. In addition, the development of next-generation intraoral scanners that feature the application of ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography is underway. If a digital impression can be acquired easily without having to control bleeding via the gingival cord immediately after tooth preparation, then intraoral scanners will become an essential tool to all dental offices.
\nCompared to the traditional prosthesis fabrication process, the advantages of intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM include the simplification of the work process; qualitative standardization of the lab process; effective and informed communication between dentist and lab technician; improved work efficiency; and permanent preservation of patient data that can be re-used when necessary. Indeed, there was a case in which a patient for whom we fabricated a partial denture contacted us to tell us that the denture has been lost. This was a case that underwent digital workflow, and the metal framework design was therefore stored in the hospital database. Accordingly, the metal frame was 3D printed and cast to prepare in advance of the patient’s arrival to the hospital. As a result, the denture-fabrication time was halved.
\nToday, intraoral scanner technology has become more advanced, its interface has become more convenient, and the price of equipment has become more reasonable. As a result, it is becoming increasingly used in dentistry. Because there are many advantages that can be gained should clinical dentistry adopt a digital workflow, there is a bright future for digital dentistry.
\nThis work was supported by the Yonsei University College of Dentistry (6-2018-0012).
\nNone.
Since the 1970s, globalization, deregulation and technological change triggered a rapid expansion of multinational corporations (MNCs) to every corner of the planet. By the year 2000, some 63,000 multinational companies with more than 690,000 foreign affiliates accounted for 25% of world production [2]. These “new Leviathans” became increasingly powerful and nation states lost their capacity to regulate them [3, 4]. Corporations took advantage of regulatory arbitrage, relocating to low tax jurisdictions and lax regulations on labor and environment. Multinationals structured global value chains by relocating purchase, sales, support and product development activities to locations where they could be done better, faster or cheaper [5].
\nIn domestic business environments, national laws and traditions establish a shared ethical framework on what businesses can and cannot do. A French company operating in France knows that it must comply with well-established labor, environmental and governance rules backed by reliable enforcement mechanisms. However, in its overseas operations, the company often faces substandard regulatory frameworks and weak enforcement mechanisms, which present the opportunity of obtaining benefits through practices that would be unacceptable at home. Many dilemmas arise about the moral legitimacy of capturing such benefits.
\nIn this chapter, I review the challenges that economic globalization and technological change are posing to multinational corporations (MNCs).
\nFirst, I will present the new set of moral dilemmas that arise in labor standards, marketing practices, environment, corruption and human rights, as companies operate across diverse cultural and legal frameworks. Second, I will review the answers that governments, corporations and civil society actors have developed to assist managers in international decision making. Third, I will review how business ethicists have adapted moral frameworks such as libertarianism, utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics to address the specific challenges of global business.
\nIn the 1960s and 1970s, companies in developed economies began to relocate production facilities and contracting in emerging countries to cut labor costs [6]. Offshoring raised the number moral dilemmas in the issue of sweatshops [7, 8, 9, 10]. Some argue that sweatshops violate duties of justice because the company offers lower pay and working conditions to employees in the host country for the same kind of work. Others believe that sweatshops ought to be encouraged because they are a necessary first step for economic development in emerging countries [11].
\nChild labor is an especially critical issue in such debates. Managers from a Western multinational would not even think about hiring children in their home country since it would be both illegal and offensive to the moral sense of the community. In some emerging economies, however, child labor is common and even essential for the subsistence of the child. Does this make hiring children morally acceptable?
\nOther dilemmas involve differences in worker safety standards. The SS United States was one of the most luxurious cruise ships of the 1950s. In the 1990s, the company decided to have it refurbished which required removing asbestos from the vessel. Conducting the task under US strict worker safety norms had a cost of $100 million. The company decided to outsource the job in Turkey, where the cost was only $2 million. Since finally the Turkish authorities would not allow it for fear that workers would get cancer, the ship was towed to the Russian port of Sevastopol, where asbestos were removed for even less, thanks to even lower standards in worker safety.
\nTechnological progress triggered exponential growth in human ability to alter the environment. While this has countless benefits, it also raises a number of dilemmas about the use of natural resources in societies with poor environmental regulations [12].
\nTexaco was accused of making irreversible damage to the Ecuador rainforest because of the use of low standards in the 1970s and 1980s. A similar case happened in southern Argentina’s shale gas field of Vaca Muerta. Protests have arisen against the activities of oil companies YPF and Chevron for using allegedly low environmental standards in fracking [13].
\nIn the late 1990s, the Finnish company Botnia planned the construction of a pulp mill in the city of Fray Bentos (Uruguay), on the shores of the Uruguay River near the border with Argentina. The project was heavily resisted by environmental advocacy groups. Botnia was accused of making extra profits by following lower environmental standards than in the home country.
\nAnother frequent international environmental dilemma is related to toxic waste. It is estimated that a considerable part of China’s arable land is polluted with lead, zinc and other heavy metals exported from developed economies. Old computers that are discarded in the United States usually end up in China, where the cost of disposal is 90% lower [14]. Some emerging economies have sought to attract foreign direct investment by lowering environmental standards, in a phenomenon known as “race to the bottom” and the creation of countries that work as “pollution havens”.
\nCorporations sometimes face dilemmas linked to operations in countries with governments accused of violating human rights.
\nA high-profile case was IBM scandal of doing business with the Nazis. In the 1930s and 1940s, IBM provided Hollerith punch cards to the Third Reich, which were used in the operational management of extermination camps [15].
\nIn the 1970s, Polaroid stopped selling equipment to the government in apartheid South Africa when it learned that cameras were used to make IDs for the surveillance of dissidents. In 1993, Levi Strauss and Co. canceled contracts in China due to the systematic violation of human rights perpetrated by the government.
\nMore recently, Google accepted the Chinese government’s request to censor keywords like Tiananmen Square and Dalai Lama in its search engine. The CEO Eric Schmidt stated: “I think it is arrogant to enter a country where we are starting our operations and tell the country how to govern itself” [16].
\nPrinciples of international law hold that corporations ought to respect the customs and culture of the communities where they operate [17]. Traditional values can be lost to the homogenizing trends introduced by globally integrated production processes and product promotion. Some amount of change is inevitable and certain local practices may not deserve protection if they violate important minimum global norms. However, when should a norm be respected because of cultural diversity considerations and when should it be ignored because it violates a global minimum?
\nA paradigmatic case occurs with gender equality. It is frequent that anti-discrimination standards clash with traditional customs or religious practice. Western corporations, which typically promote gender equality at home, often find themselves operating in societies intolerant against women. In Saudi Arabia, for example, gender separation is almost total and women are forbidden by law to practice many professions.
\nWhile companies usually justify discriminatory practices out of respect for local traditions, these arguments can be problematic: “As in Saudi Arabia today, South Africa maintained a system where a broad segment of society was discriminated against in all walks of life and under the authority of men without any fear of being considered responsible for their actions. The only difference was that the victims in South Africa were black; In Saudi Arabia, are women” [18].
\nIn some cases, softer ways of discrimination exist. While Mexico does not have formal restrictions against women in the labor market, a widespread macho culture often operates as a glass ceiling [19]. Corporations face an unwritten rule that holds that women should not be in charge of a male team. Using the gender equality standard of the home country (not considering gender as relevant for defining team leadership) could be costly for the company, as employees may not perceive a female boss as a legitimate authority. However, respecting local traditions and denying promotion to a talented executive solely because of gender considerations would seem a violation of the principle of equal opportunity.
\nSometimes, cultural diversity dilemmas manifest themselves in marketing decisions. Developed countries usually have strict regulations against dangerous substances such as tobacco. As change in customer preferences and health laws generated a decline in cigarette consumption in developed economies, tobacco companies shifted their attention and marketing dollars to emerging markets with different regulatory standards.
\nFor example, US tobacco executives had to decide how to market tobacco in Egypt, where the minimum legal age to buy cigarettes is 14. Should the company use the home standard (abstain from marketing tobacco to people under 18) or the host standard? Is the 14-year-old threshold from Egypt below some global minimum or the result of cultural preferences about the age at which people should be responsible for choosing whether to smoke or not?
\nCorruption is a concept that agglomerates practices ranging from multi-million dollar payments to high government officials to a few dollars bribe to a low-level bureaucrat. It is estimated that over $1 trillion are paid in bribes annually, which squanders public resources and deprives millions of food, education and other government services to which they are entitled.
\nBribery in foreign operations was not always considered morally wrong. Some even saw it as a normal operating expense when doing business in emerging economies. German corporate law, while severely punishing bribery at home, considered foreign bribes as tax deductible expenses [20]. Attitudes toward bribery changed in the late 1970s after the US Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which outlawed paying bribes abroad for American companies.
\nIt is beyond doubt that bribing foreign officials to win a contract is immoral. However, less clarity exists in other situations. For example, is it acceptable to bribe a low-level bureaucrat to speed up a procedure he is supposed to do anyway? Small payments are tolerated in some countries and even rationalized by the need to supplement the meager salaries earned by public officials [21, 22]. It is not always clear, however, what should count as a “small payment”. In April 2012, it was reported that Walmart paid more than $24 million to Mexican officials to speed up permits to open new branches. Payments were made to expedite a process that officials should have executed anyway. Is $24 million a “small payment” for a company the size of Walmart? [23].
\nIn some cases, cultural differences exist in the appropriate relationship between a company and its stakeholders. Following China’s integration in the global economy, scholars became interested by the ethical status of guanxi, informal networks of favor exchange between companies and public officials. Since it is not a specific payment for a particular service, guanxi does not fit into the conventional definition of bribery. Advocates of guanxi argue that the definition of bribery is based on a Western concept of impartiality that is not necessarily shared by all cultures. Critics contend that guanxi is similar to Western mafia practices of “today you scratch my back and tomorrow I will scratch yours”. It is unclear whether these exchanges of favors constitute a form of corruption or whether it is a legitimate way of doing business in the Chinese market [24, 25].
\nAs ethical dilemmas in international business became more widespread and complex, governments, civil society associations and corporations began to develop policies and agreements as a response.
\nThe response of governments to the new scenario of international business was an attempt to manage the globalization process by creating transnational norms for corporations.
\nIn 1977, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was an early example of national regulation with international reach, since it affected the activities of American companies abroad. Enacted in the aftermath of the Enron and Worldcom frauds, the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act established a set of ethical standards to be followed by every firm doing business in the USA. Because of the sheer size of the US economy, American regulators are in position of influencing corporate behavior around the world. Smaller societies, however, are vulnerable. Tight labor or environmental regulations may lead to capital flight to countries with lower standards.
\nOver the years, there has been growing awareness of the difficulties for nation states to solve a problem that is essentially global. This is why governments have sought regional and global agreements such as the Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises [26] and the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work [27].
\nIn 1999, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan launched the Global Compact, establishing a set of principles on human rights, labor, environment and corruption taken from commitments made by governments at different UN pacts, such as the Universal Declaration (1948), the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992), the International Labor Organization’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998) and the UN Convention Against Corruption (2003) [28].
\nIn general, these initiatives only achieved limited results because no body exists with transnational political authority and enforcement capability. The difficulty of finding common intercultural values and the pressures of special interests to keep global economy free of regulation also affected the efficacy of government initiatives to influence corporate behavior [29].
\nOn September 2015, a number of countries adopted the sustainable development goals (SDGs), a set of 17 global goals which cover a broad range of social issues like poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality and social justice to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are likely to become an important source of guidelines for the behavior of multinational corporations in years to come [30].
\nGlobal civil society actors have had some success in enforcing sanctions on companies engaging in unethical behavior, mostly through activism against abusive practices. Soft law influences corporate behavior, not through legal sanctions, but through awareness campaigns and boycotts [31].
\nNike faced international scandal when it was reported that its clothing was manufactured through a network of abusive contractors in Southeast Asia. After a 9-year boycott by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), in 1998 Mitsubishi agreed to replace wood-based paper with an eco-friendly one [32].
\nIn addition to boycotts triggered by specific situations, the global civil society has developed more formal attempts to create socially responsible standards. The fair trade movement created a fair trade certificate that guarantees that a product was not produced under abusive conditions and that a fair price was paid for raw materials.
\nFair trade started in 1986 in the Max Havelaar Foundation in the Netherlands. After a beginning in the coffee industry, it expanded to honey, bananas, tea and orange juice. It gained important traction in 2000 when Starbucks announced the introduction of a blend of fair trade coffee [33].
\nThe Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was created in 1997 by a project of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies and the United Nations Environment Program. This non-profit organization developed the most widely used standard for controlling corporate sustainability practices. The GRI framework aims to increase the consistency and comprehensiveness of sustainability reports, requiring companies to present abundant information in terms of corporate strategy, operational profile and management systems, as well as data on 50 performance indicators related to its economic activity and environmental impact.
\nIn 2000, some 50 organizations used GRI principles to report their sustainability performance. The number grew progressively to the present day, in which it is estimated that more than 4000 companies from more than 60 countries use them. Firms participating in the United Nations Global Compact are required to submit reports following GRI guidelines. In return, they have the right to use the Global Compact seal on their products, which establishes them as socially responsible companies to consumers and other stakeholders.
\nWhile philanthropy and charity were always present in the business world, the idea that corporations have a moral obligation toward stakeholders beyond shareholders is quite recent. Corporate leaders began paying attention to corporate citizenship in the late 1990s, following waves of anti-globalization protests.
\nThe main response of corporations to the moral challenges of globalization has been the development of global codes of ethics. The majority of individual company codes and industry-wide standards emerged after the mid-1970s. In the US, many came as a response to foreign bribery scandals while others reacted to broadly calls for greater social responsibility.
\nCodes of conduct help clarify internal policies and procedures, promote a common company identity among a diverse international workforce and communicate standards to external stakeholders. Voluntary codes can help encourage appropriate conduct and reduce pressures for mandatory government action.
\nEnderle developed a taxonomy of four typical philosophies that guide policy when domestic and foreign standards differ [34].
\nThe Foreign Type adapts the practices of the subsidiaries to the laws and customs of the host country under the notion of “when in Rome, do as the Romans”. The Imperial Type keeps home standards virtually unchanged. In the Interconnected Type, the company does not consider itself as being of a particular nationality but of a certain region, such as the European Union. In its foreign operations, it uses the region’s standards. Finally, Global Type companies do not believe that belonging to a country is relevant for the practice of international business. These companies consider the fact that the parent company is, say, in the USA does not generate any obligation to abide to US standards. An American company could use European standards on environmental issues and other rules for labor issues.
\nIn addition to individual codes of ethics, corporations also developed voluntary agreements on standards for international business. In 1978, a group of US companies adhered to the Sullivan Principles for their operations in South Africa. They agreed not to respect the discriminatory labor laws of apartheid and to put pressure on the South African government for their abolition. The Sullivan Principles were a model for other voluntary codes such as the Caux Round Table, created in 1986 by former executives of multinational corporations in the USA, Europe and Japan.
\nIn 1994, this organization proposed an international code of ethics based on principles of search for the common good and human dignity. It offers behavioral guidelines for consumers, employees, investors, suppliers, competitors and local communities (Figure 1) [35].
\nAnswers from practitioners to the moral dilemmas of global business. Source: Own Elaboration.
Even though philosophers of all time have reflected about the morality of economic activity, business ethics as an academic field only started in the 1960s. As corporations gained global influence, awareness increased about the risks posed by their activities on the environment, consumers and workers. Bowie argues that the field was born in November 1974, when the first business ethics conference was held at the University of Kansas [36]. In that context, business schools developed their first programs in ethics and social responsibility, generally focused on the study of interactions between laws and business.
\nIn the early 1970s, philosophical ethics entered business schools and concepts such as utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics started to be applied to corporate behavior. The pioneers, in general, faced a cold reception in the academy. Colleagues in philosophy departments did not perceive business as a philosophically interesting activity. Colleagues in business schools were skeptical about what a moral philosopher could bring to the moral common sense of executives.
\nThe relevance of business ethics was helped by the publication of John Rawls’
Management scholars started to address these issues in the 1980s with the seminal book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach (1984) where Edward Freeman introduced stakeholder theory. This theory emphasized the moral and socio-political dimensions of decision making, in particular the consideration of the rights and interests of the different stakeholders of an organization, and not only the shareholders [40]. This movement was connected to the rise of corporate social responsibility among practitioners.
\nThe deepening of globalization and the international expansion of corporations generated moral dilemmas of increasing complexity. The common sense of executives became insufficient to make complex decisions about gender discrimination in foreign cultures or about drug testing in developing countries.
\nThe first book to offer a systematic treatment of such issues was The Ethics of International Business [41] which uses a social contract device to elucidate the rules that a socially responsible multinational should follow. In Competing with Integrity in International Business, De George presents 10 moral principles that every company must meet anywhere in the world, including respect for human rights, local cultures and cooperation with government [42].
\nInternational business ethics research was deeply influenced by stakeholder theory [43]. This requires answering a series of questions about who the stakeholders are, what interests should be considered, and the nature of the balance to be reached. All this was conceptualized through the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility [44, 45, 46].
\nAccording to this model, a multinational has four types of global responsibilities toward their stakeholders.
\nFirst, to generate economic performance. Companies are expected to produce goods and services on a global scale and to sell them globally for a profit.
\nSecond, they have the responsibility of following the law in countries where they operate.
\nThird, when the law is not appropriate to guide the ethical behavior, the corporation has an obligation to do what is right. Ethical responsibilities include practices and activities that are expected or prohibited in a society, but are not codified in the law: rules, standards and expectations of what employees, customers, shareholders and the global community regard as fair, equitable and consistent with the protection of stakeholders’ moral rights.
\nFourth, corporations have a philanthropic responsibility that reflects a society’s expectation about the involvement of companies in activities that are not required by the law nor generally expected by ethics.
\nInternational business ethics investigates the third level of the Corporate Social Responsibility Pyramid: ethical responsibilities that are desirable or prohibited, but are not necessarily codified in law. Theoretical developments for answering this question were based on the adaptation of traditional ethical theories such as libertarianism, utilitarianism, Kantian deontology and virtue ethics to the new challenges posed by globalization (Figure 2).
\nThe CSR pyramid illustrates the different levels of corporate responsibility. Source: Carroll (1991).
The libertarian perspective only accepts the economic and legal levels of the CSR Pyramid and only considers the shareholder as a valid stakeholder. While it has not been defended as a single theoretical framework in the field of business ethics, the view may be summarized by a famous Milton Friedman’s argument in an article published in the New York Times Magazine [47].
\nAccording to Friedman, in a democratic society, the majority of citizens determine the laws that govern corporate behavior. Executives are agents of the shareholders and the only common interest that shareholders have is to make money. As an agent, any commitment to anything else than providing returns for shareholders within the rules of the game means that the manager is spending money that is not his, whether that is of the customer (through price increases), the employees (by means of lower wages) or the shareholder (through lower profits). In Friedman’s argument, this would constitute a form of taxation without representation because managers are not democratically elected.
\nFrom this follows the famous Friedman’s libertarian definition on the obligation of business: “there is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud” [48].
\nThe Texaco oil company faced a famous scandal after being accused of several oil spills in Ecuador over decades starting in the 1970s. Critics argued that Texaco ignored oil industry standards by dumping untreated waste directly into rivers and streams. The company replied with a libertarian argument: it had always operated in full compliance with Ecuador law and with the approval of Ecuador government. The problem, from a libertarian perspective, is that when Texaco started its operations in the 1970s, the country was under military rule. After democracy returned, it still was a highly corrupt country and it was unclear that the “rules of the game” really reflected the people’s will.
\nGenerally speaking, the libertarian argument assumes that the “rules of the game” are created by democratic governments where the majority of citizens determine the laws that govern corporate behavior. However, many dilemmas in international business ethics arise from the fact that companies operate in non-democratic countries where laws are not the result of popular consent and where enforcement systems are weak.
\nHolding the government of Ecuador, the sole responsible for the consequences of Texaco’s operations merely because Texaco operated lawfully is to set an extraordinarily low standard for the conduct of multinational corporations. It would imply that corporations should not be regarded as morally responsible for any behavior so long as the government in power legally sanctioned the conduct.
\nInitially developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill and with over 200 years of history, utilitarianism is a durable ethical theory that is also an important foundation for economics and social policy [49, 50]. It was adapted to international business ethics by Gerard Elfstrom [51]. In its simplest form, utilitarianism holds that ethically correct decisions need to comply with the Utility Principle, which prescribes maximizing benefits and minimizing damages to all stakeholders.
\nFacing a dilemma, the utilitarian moral decision-making process goes as follows [52]:
Identify all the relevant alternative actions,
List all the stakeholders who will be affected by the alternative courses of action,
Assess how the stakeholders will be affected by the alternative actions, computing the balance of benefit to harm for each stakeholder affected by each act,
Choose the act which maximizes utility (which results in the greatest total balance of benefit to harm).
Pastin and Hooker [53] use a utilitarian argument against the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Maitland [54] presents utilitarian considerations on behalf of sweatshop manufacturing since it tends to benefit citizens of developing societies.
\nCard and Krueger [55] build on utilitarian thinking when they argue that corporations could raise sweatshop wages to the subsistence level without sacrificing profitability. According to the Utility Principle, this would be the right decision as it tends to improve the situation of workers without harming shareholders. Arguments against the Child Labor Deterrence Act, which sought to prohibit the importation of products made from child labor into the United States, were also made on utilitarian grounds. According to the argument, the law would harm stakeholders such as the owners of the Bangladesh clothing industry (because they would lose the American market) and the children employed in the factories (because they would lose their only source of income) [56].
\nWhile we lack space here to review its different varieties, generally speaking, utilitarian perspectives have typically faced three main complications: difficulties for stakeholder identification, difficulties in defining the expected result of different courses of action and lack of consideration for individual rights that might conflict with the Utility Principle.
\nFirst, it is not always easy to determine who are the stakeholders affected by a decision, which makes it difficult to measure the balance between benefits and damages. In the case of the Child Labor Deterrence Act, are children the only stakeholder who will be affected if the clothing industries close in Bangladesh? Should the children’s families count as a stakeholder too, since they rely on the working children for economic support? Whether one considers or not the family as a stakeholder has an impact in the utilitarian calculation of benefits and harm, and as a consequence, may end justifying a completely different decision.
\nSecond, the morally correct decision depends on the expected result of different courses of action. However, the outcome of each alternative is usually hard to predict. Depending on the empirical assumptions and the probability the decision maker attributes to each scenario, the Utility Principle might suggest diametrically opposed decisions. How are factory owners expected to react to the Child Labor Deterrence Act? Will they close the factories and leave thousands of children out of work? Or will factory owners hire adults (which cost a bit more) and absorb a small reduction in profits? If more adults have income, will their children go to school and improve their future opportunities through education? Making a moral decision requires answering a number of highly speculative questions about expected outcomes.
\nThird, when comparing the benefits and costs of a decision, utilitarianism may not properly consider individual rights. This is usually a problem in clinical testing dilemmas. Let us imagine a pharma company that is developing a drug for curing a deadly disease in children. Having the tests done in a country with lower standards could greatly accelerate the release of the drug, potentially saving the life of millions. The cost would probably be a handful of preventable deaths in an emerging country. Some could argue, from an utilitarian point of view, that the benefits of conducting the tests far outweigh their cost. Hence, it would be morally permissible. Critics, however, argue that this utilitarian calculation is unfair toward the subjects in the emerging country. Generally speaking, an important problem of utilitarian thinking is that promoting the greatest good for the greatest number can affect fundamental rights of minorities [57].
\nBowie [58] pioneered the introduction of Kantian thinking in business ethics. Building on this work, Evan and Freeman developed a Kantian model for stakeholder management. Bowie [59] made the first comprehensive and systematic effort to apply Kantian ethics in business, in combination with contemporary theories of organization and strategic management.
\nKantian morality is based on the premise that humans are autonomous beings that have an intrinsic dignity and universal rights. Kant proposes the categorical imperative as a test for assessing whether the principles upon which an action is based are morally acceptable. Kant offers different formulations of the categorical imperative [60].
\nThe formulation “work only according to a maxim such that you can want at the same time that it becomes universal law” can be applied to bribery. If bribery (secret payments to gain an advantage over others) became a universal behavioral law, then the practice of making secret payments to gain advantages would make no sense. Since they fail the categorical imperative test, bribes are immoral.
\nThe formulation “work as if, through your maxims, you were always a legislative member in a universal kingdom of ends”, translated to business, may mean that organizational structures should treat all people with equal dignity and respect. From this formulation arise obligations such as the consideration of all the interest groups affected by the decisions, the establishment of relations of justice and in cases where it is necessary to benefit one group over another that the decision is not taken with an Utilitarian parameter such as the number of members of each group.
\nKantian deontology advises managers to identify the rights of the different groups affected by a decision and to choose a course of action that does not violate any. Because of its non-consequentialist nature, Kantian ethics avoids the problem of the aggregation of benefits and damages that affects utilitarian models.
\nPharmaceutical companies must sometimes decide to test new therapeutic methods in societies with weak health regulations. From a utilitarian perspective, the risk of a few deaths in a developing country could be justified if it leads to accelerating the launch of a new therapy with the potential to save millions. From Kantian morality, however, this option would be illegitimate because it does not respect the dignity of the individuals who will be subjected to the tests [61]. Kantian arguments were frequently used to defend the right of employees not to be discriminated against, of consumers not to be deceived and of communities to enjoy a healthy environment.
\nHowever, Kantian ethics has also faced a number of criticisms. Different people can come up with different answers regarding the universalization of action maxims. Depending on the assumptions, many alternative formulations of rights could be made between different stakeholders [62]. Some argue that Kantian ethics is too speculative, demanding and unrealistic to apply in organizational contexts. Solomon believes that Kantian concepts are inadequate to address the specific context of business and the particular roles people play in companies: “people do not do ethics that way” [63].
\nVirtue ethics is a venerable tradition that can be traced back to Plato and Aristotle in the West and to Confucius in the East. Recently, this stream of thought aroused a renewed interest, mostly due to the work of MacIntyre [64]. In the early 1990s, Solomon [65, 66] introduced Aristotelian ethics in the organizational field.
\nVirtue ethics starts with the idea that the basis for moral judgments is not the isolated individual but the community. A corporation is, above all, a community where managers fulfill roles with specific obligations. In many cases, there are no general rules on how to behave. Dilemmas cannot be solved with the instrumental reason, as if it were the resolution of a technical problem through the application of a universal law to a particular case. It is necessary to resort to practical reason, good judgment, or as Aristotle called it, phronesis.
\nThe manager’s ability to make the ethically correct decision depends on his or her character. There are different virtues of character relevant to business, including honesty, courage, generosity, tolerance, integrity and prudence. Virtues are not static character traits that a manager possesses or does not possess. They are enduring traits that are cultivated through experience in the resolution of ethical dilemmas. In every situation where the executive is confronted with an ethically complex decision, virtue ethics suggests identifying what virtue is at stake and then asking what a virtuous person would do.
\nAs the manager acquires this habit of thinking, his character will develop and his habits of ethical decision making will become more successful. To the extent that more members of the corporation go through this process and acquire the virtues of good character, the organization as a whole will tend to the common good [67].
\nVirtue ethics’ approach seems well adapted to the concrete ethical situations that managers can find in organizations. The theory is able to solve cases where rules seem difficult to apply or when two or more rules suggest courses of action inconsistent with each other. Instead of generating a discussion about which rule has priority over the others (a debate for which executives, because of their training and interests, are often poorly prepared) virtue ethics diverts attention from the principles to the agent. The key question is not what principle or rule is applicable, but what virtue is at stake and what would a virtuous person do.
\nVirtue ethics has faced two kinds of criticism. First the situationist critique questions the moral psychology assumptions underlying the model of virtuous man. Virtue ethics assumes that actions are a result of character, and that the development of good character results in better moral decision making. Doris [68], however, notes that character traits are less durable than what this model implies. Evidence indicates that small changes in the environment significantly affect decision making and that decisions depend little on the character of the person and much of the situation in which they are made. If this were true, then it would be false that the development of virtues tends to improve ethical decision making, a basic assumption of virtue ethics.
\nSecond, while the focus on the agent may solve a number of problems of rule-based approaches such as utilitarianism and Kantian ethics, the downside is that it is only applicable to individual managers. Corporations, however, also need moral guidance for the development of global codes of ethics. Utilitarian and Kantian approaches, despite their difficulties, are capable of offering criteria of good corporate behavior on which to build globally applicable rules. Virtue ethics, on the contrary, is unable to provide answers to dilemmas at the level of the corporation in relation to business in society. Solomon argues: “a problem with virtue ethics is that it tends to be provincial and ethnocentric. It thereby requires the language of rights and some sense of utility as a corrective”.
\nMelé [69] believes that some basic rational principles from Personalist ethics could be used as guidelines for virtuous behavior. Melé proposes two principles: the Personalist Principle, including respect and love for people, which prescribes respect of workers and consumers, and forbids exploitation, manipulation and deceptive behavior in commercial transactions; the Common Good Principle, which captures the social dimension of human beings, requires that managers and employees do whatever is necessary to contribute to situational needs and goals of an organization.
\nWhile Melé’s proposal is valuable in trying to introduce some principles into virtue ethics, it is still at an early stage of research. At this point, the principles are too general and abstract. It remains unclear that Melé’s proposal could correct the excessively situationalist character of virtue ethics, which makes it unable to provide rules for moral guidance in decision making (Figure 3).
\nDifferent answers from traditional ethical theory to dilemmas in international business. Source: Own elaboration.
Economic globalization and technological change are posing new ethical challenges to multinational corporations. As companies operate across diverse cultural and legal frameworks, moral dilemmas arise in labor standards, marketing practices, environment, corruption and human rights. In this chapter, I have reviewed the response of governments, corporations and civil society associations to the new moral dilemmas of globalization. Then, I have introduced the answers developed within the academic field of international business ethics.
\nVelasquez [70] applied all traditional ethical theories to a dilemma faced by a North American multinational doing business in Jamaica during the 1970s. He found that none of the existing theories provided an adequate answer. Theories were too abstract, presented inconsistent choices or made suggestions that were counterintuitive to moral common sense.
\nOther, more recent, frameworks have arisen during the 1990s, such as Integrative Social Contracts Theory, a contractarian approach to business ethics. Up to this point, however, no theory can provide a fully satisfactory solution for the dilemmas managers have to face. Much progress is to be done in developing better tools for managerial moral decision making in global business.
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In fact, it is quite common the production of microspheres and microcapsules designed for drug delivery systems. This review describes the different stages of the mechanism of the spray-drying process: atomization, droplet-to-particle conversion and particle collection. In particular, this work addresses the diversity of available atomizers, the drying kinetics and the importance of the configuration of the drying chamber, and the efficiency of the collection devices. The final properties of the dried products are influenced by a variety of factors, namely the spray dryer design, the feed characteristics and the processing parameters. The impact of those variables in optimizing both the spray-drying process and the synthesis of dried particles with desirable characteristics is discussed. 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In the case of nonbiodegradable inorganic compounds, bioremediation takes the form of bioaccumulation or conversion of one toxic species to a less toxic form for example Cr(VI) is converted to less toxic (III). Bioremediation is considered an environmentally friendly way for pollution clean-up. Microbial clean up can be applied in situ (in place of contamination) or ex situ (off the site of contamination). In situ remediation in the natural environment is deemed slow and often times difficult to control and optimize the different parameters affecting the bioremediation. To this end, use of engineered bioreactors is preferred. Engineered bioreactors providing for optimum conditions for microbial growth and biodegradation have been developed for use in bioremediation processes to achieve the different desired remediation goals. Bioreactors in use range in mode of operation from batch, continuous, and fed batch bioreactors and are designed to optimize microbial processes in relationship to contaminated media and nature of pollutant. Designed bioreactors for bioremediation range from packed, stirred tanks, airlift, slurry phase, and partitioning phase reactors amongst others.",book:{id:"7727",slug:"biotechnology-and-bioengineering",title:"Biotechnology and Bioengineering",fullTitle:"Biotechnology and Bioengineering"},signatures:"Memory Tekere",authors:[{id:"231753",title:"Prof.",name:"Memory",middleName:null,surname:"Tekere",slug:"memory-tekere",fullName:"Memory Tekere"}]},{id:"67432",title:"Microencapsulation and Its Uses in Food Science and Technology: A Review",slug:"microencapsulation-and-its-uses-in-food-science-and-technology-a-review",totalDownloads:1909,totalCrossrefCites:7,totalDimensionsCites:13,abstract:"Microencapsulation is a group of technologies aiming to produce small particles called microcapsules that can be released at a specific speed under certain conditions. 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