The rapid expansion of dental service organizations (DSOs) continues to disrupt the traditional dental practice model and there was a 12.2% increase in DSOs between 2015 and 2016. Some solo and small group dental practice owners lack strategies to adapt their businesses to be successful in newly competitive markets including DSOs. Grounded in systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to explore strategies dental practice owners use to adapt their businesses to be successful in newly competitive markets. The participants included 3 solo and 2 small group dental practice owners in central Kentucky who demonstrated success in developing and leveraging strategies to be successful in newly competitive markets. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The 3 major themes identified were patient care and experience, patient and community relationships, and adaptation and innovation. The application of effective strategies identified in this study may have implications for positive social change by enabling dental practitioners to continue to provide access to outstanding dental care in the communities they serve. A second implication for positive social change is the potential economic benefits to the community through employing dentists and clinical staff, providing commerce to suppliers and business service providers, and tax contributions to the city, state, and U.S. federal government.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:52:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6322.pdf: 3129798 bytes, checksum: 0f67544fa8edc0e7dc6d6f9efb2ed75f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-08 / The importance of supply management for the medical-dental equipaments assemblers due to its contribution to the success of their business strategies, since more efficient delivery operations ensure the profitability of these companies. Such operations are based on the supply of parts and components with the desired quality in the required quantity, on schedule and at competitive costs. This paper analyzes the supply management of a medical-dental equipaments assembler, aiming to propose improvements in the practices currently adopted and thereby increase the performance of this important role at the company studied. To fulfill this objective, first developed a theoretical framework in order to develop a thorough knowledge of the subject, studied the industry and also to establish a conceptual framework focused on field research. Was then carried out a case study in the exploratory character of the analyzed company. The description of the results involved a comparison of the practices adopted in the enterprise with the theory of supply management, allowing the proposition of improvements, as gaps, which should provide the elevation of performing this important function in the company studied were found. / A gestão de suprimentos para as empresas montadoras da indústria médico-odontológica é importante, contribuindo para o êxito de suas estratégias de negócio, já que operações de fornecimento mais eficientes garantem a lucratividade dessas empresas. Tais operações se fundamentam no suprimento de peças e componentes com a qualidade desejada, na quantidade requerida, no prazo estipulado e com custos competitivos. Neste trabalho realiza-se uma análise da gestão de suprimentos de uma montadora de equipamentos médico-odontológicos, visando propor melhorias para as práticas de gestão atualmente adotadas e, com isso, elevar o desempenho dessa importante função na empresa estudada. Para o cumprimento desse objetivo, primeiramente, é apresentado um referencial teórico com o intuito de desenvolver um conhecimento aprofundado do tema de pesquisa e estabelecer uma estrutura conceitual para a realização da pesquisa de campo. Para desenvolver a pesquisa, optou-se pelo estudo de caso de caráter exploratório na empresa estudada. A descrição dos resultados envolveu uma comparação da pratica de gestão adotada na empresa com a teoria da gestão de suprimentos, permitindo a proposição de melhorias, à medida que foram encontradas lacunas, que devem propiciar a elevação do desempenho dessa importante função na empresa estudada.