Search results
1 – 10 of 352The purpose of this study is to explore the potential and growth of big data across several industries between 2016 and 2020. This study aims to analyze the behavior of interest…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential and growth of big data across several industries between 2016 and 2020. This study aims to analyze the behavior of interest in big data within the community and to identify areas with the greatest potential for future big data adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses Google Trends to characterize the community’s interest in big data. Community interest is measured on a scale of 0–100 from weekly observations over the past five years. A total of 16 industries were considered to explore the relative interest in big data for each industry.
Findings
The findings revealed that big data has been of high interest to the community over the past five years, particularly in the manufacturing, computers and electronics industries. However, over the 2020s the interest in the theme decreased by more than 15%, especially in the areas where big data typically had the greatest potential interest. In contrast, areas with less potential interest in big data such as real estate, sport and travel have registered an average growth of less than 10%.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is original in complementing the traditional survey approaches launched among the business communities to discover the potential of big data in specific industries. The knowledge of big data growth potential is relevant for players in the field to identify saturation and emerging opportunities for big data adoption.
Details
Keywords
Nazar Poritskiy, Flávio Oliveira and Fernando Almeida
The implementation of European data protection is a challenge for businesses and has imposed legal, technical and organizational changes for companies. This study aims to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
The implementation of European data protection is a challenge for businesses and has imposed legal, technical and organizational changes for companies. This study aims to explore the benefits and challenges that companies operating in the information technology (IT) sector have experienced in applying the European data protection. Additionally, this study aims to explore whether the benefits and challenges faced by these companies were different considering their dimension and the state of implementation of the regulation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a quantitative methodology, based on a survey conducted with Portuguese IT companies. The survey is composed of 30 questions divided into three sections, namely, control data; assessment; and benefits and challenges. The survey was created on Google Drive and distributed among Portuguese IT companies between March and April of 2019. The data were analyzed using the Stata software using descriptive and inferential analysis techniques using the ANOVA one-way test.
Findings
A total of 286 responses were received. The main benefits identified by the application of European data protection include increased confidence and legal clarification. On the other hand, the main challenges include the execution of audits to systems and processes and the application of the right to erasure. The findings allow us to conclude that the state of implementation of the general data protection regulation (GDPR), and the type of company are discriminating factors in the perception of benefits and challenges.
Research limitations/implications
This study has essentially practical implications. Based on the synthesis of the benefits and challenges posed by the adoption of European data protection, it is possible to assess the relative importance and impact of the benefits and challenges faced by companies in the IT sector. However, this study does not explore the type of challenges that are placed at each stage of the adoption of European data protection and does not take into account the specificities of the activities carried out by each of these companies.
Originality/value
The implementation of the GDPR is still in an initial phase. This study is pioneering in synthesizing the main benefits and challenges of its adoption considering the companies operating in the IT sector. Furthermore, this study explores the impact of the size of the company and the status of implementation of the GDPR on the perception of the established benefits and challenges.
Details
Keywords
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the European Union (EU) through heavy pressure on health services, business activity and people's life. To mitigate these effects…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the European Union (EU) through heavy pressure on health services, business activity and people's life. To mitigate these effects, government agencies, civil society and the private sector are working together in proposing innovative initiatives. In this sense, this study aims to characterize and explore the relevance of these projects to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
The Observatory of Public Sector Innovation provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development was considered to enable the identification and exploration of innovative projects to combat COVID-19. A methodology based on mixed methods is adopted to initially identify quantitatively the distribution of these projects, followed by a qualitative approach based on thematic analysis that allows exploring their relevance.
Findings
A total of 206 initiatives in the EU have been identified. The distribution of these projects is quite asymmetric, with Portugal and Austria totaling 33.52% of these projects. Most of these projects focus on the areas of public health, infection detection and control, virtual education, local commerce, digital services literacy, volunteering and solidarity and hackathons.
Originality/value
This work is relevant to identifying and understanding the various areas in which COVID-19 initiatives have been developed. This information is of great relevance for the actors involved in this process to be able to replicate these initiatives in their national, regional and local contexts.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to propose an architecture and presents the implementation of a unified chatbot that faces the challenges of heterogeneous communication channels. This approach…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose an architecture and presents the implementation of a unified chatbot that faces the challenges of heterogeneous communication channels. This approach enables the interaction with the chatbot to be carried out over multiple communication media on a single platform.
Design/methodology/approach
The chatbot was embedded in a unified communications framework. Furthermore, it has been developed and tested using the information and communications technology (ICT)Core platform. Three test scenarios have been considered in the context of a digital marketing company, which include the use of multiple channels such as text, audio and e-mail. Usability and empirical tests were performed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data.
Findings
The results indicate that the proposed model improves the completion rate and enables the chatbot to interact with the customer by capturing information over multiple channels. The findings also reveal that digital marketing organizations can use a unified chatbot in their marketing campaigns, which contributes to improving the quality of customer interaction, message personalization and continuous learning throughout the process.
Originality/value
While the use of a chatbot is a relatively common practice among companies, its integration into unified communications networks is an emerging topic. Proposals for integration into a unified communication channel have mainly focused on access to the same account and conversations from multiple devices or access platforms. This approach, while useful, does not allow for the integration of information from multiple sources. Alternatively, an integrated architecture is suggested in which a chatbot obtains knowledge from multiple sources and uses it to increase the quality of communication with the customer.
Details
Keywords
Cláudia Ascenção, Henrique Teixeira, João Gonçalves and Fernando Almeida
Security in large-scale agile is a crucial aspect that should be carefully addressed to ensure the protection of sensitive data, systems and user privacy. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Security in large-scale agile is a crucial aspect that should be carefully addressed to ensure the protection of sensitive data, systems and user privacy. This study aims to identify and characterize the security practices that can be applied in managing large-scale agile projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study is carried out through 18 interviews with 6 software development companies based in Portugal. Professionals who play the roles of Product Owner, Scrum Master and Scrum Member were interviewed. A thematic analysis was applied to identify deductive and inductive security practices.
Findings
The findings identified a total of 15 security practices, of which 8 are deductive themes and 7 are inductive. Most common security practices in large-scale agile include penetration testing, sensitive data management, automated testing, threat modeling and the implementation of a DevSecOps approach.
Originality/value
The results of this study extend the knowledge about large-scale security practices and offer relevant practical contributions for organizations that are migrating to large-scale agile environments. By incorporating security practices at every stage of the agile development lifecycle and fostering a security-conscious culture, organizations can effectively address security challenges in large-scale agile environments.
Details
Keywords
Filipe Ferreira, Pedro Briga, Sérgio Ramos Teixeira and Fernando Almeida
This study aims to present an innovative sandbox platform that implements a decision support system (DSS) to assess the sustainable development goals (SDGs) addressed at the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present an innovative sandbox platform that implements a decision support system (DSS) to assess the sustainable development goals (SDGs) addressed at the municipal level. It intends to determine the relative importance of each SDG in municipalities and explore the synergies that can be discovered among them.
Design/methodology/approach
Participatory action research is used to develop a DSS and an algorithm designated as discrete heavy fuzzy was also developed, which extends the Apriori algorithm to include discrete quantitative assessments of the level of SDG compliance by each project. A scenario consisting of three municipalities in Portugal (i.e. Porto, Loulé and Castelo de Vide) was chosen to demonstrate the implementation of the sandbox platform and to interpret the observed results.
Findings
The results reveal significant differences in the typology of SDGs addressed by each municipality. It was found that municipal sustainable projects are strongly influenced by the contextual factors of each municipality. Porto has projects that address the first five SDGs. Loulé appears projects that promote innovation, the fight against climate change and the development of sustainable cities. Castelo de Vida has initiatives related to innovation and infrastructure and decent work and economic growth.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides knowledge about the relative importance of the SDGs in Portuguese municipalities and explores the synergies among them. The proposed sandbox platform fills the gaps of the ODSlocal Webtool by proposing a dynamic and interactive approach for the exploration of quantitative indicators regarding the implementation status of the SDGs established in the 2030 Agenda.
Originality/value
This study provides knowledge about the relative importance of the SDGs and the various synergies that exist between them considering the Portuguese municipalities. The sandbox platform presented and developed within this study allows filling the gaps of the ODSlocal Webtool that gathers essentially qualitative information about each project and offers a dynamic and interactive exploration with quantitative indicators of the implementation status of the SDGs established in the 2030 Agenda.
Details
Keywords
Fernando Carvalho de Almeida, Humbert Lesca and Adolpho W.P. Canton
Knowledge about competitive environments is a determinant factor for the success of a firm, as it may allow it to anticipate threats and opportunities in its market. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge about competitive environments is a determinant factor for the success of a firm, as it may allow it to anticipate threats and opportunities in its market. This study aims to explore variables that enable or prevent an employee’s intrinsic motivation to share knowledge. It studies the collection and sharing of information that may be a signal of future competitive moves in competitive intelligence (CI) processes.
Design/methodology/approach
Canonical correlation was used by utilizing survey data from a company. The study was based on the self-determination theory relating intrinsic motivation to behavior.
Findings
The study confirms the importance of different aspects motivating knowledge sharing behavior, such as information system’s support, top management support and information feed-back.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to one company, respecting the limitations of a case study, but external validation was impossible to test. Findings showed a strong correlation of some variables with intrinsic motivation and are coherent with other studies in the knowledge sharing field.
Practical implications
Firms introducing knowledge sharing processes should pay attention to the importance of information system support. The relationship with people involved is also important, as in supporting their collaborations and giving feed-back to contributions. Sustaining intrinsic motivation seems a fundamental aspect to the process’ success.
Originality/value
The study indicates the relation of different variables of motivation with motivation. It explores knowledge sharing in a CI process, an important process in firms nowadays. It shows important aspects that ensure continuity of knowledge sharing as informational feed-back and top management support. Canonical correlation was also used, a technique not frequently explored and useful to study correlation among groups of variables.
Details
Keywords
Fernando Almeida, Andrew John Kennedy, Brook Lin and Irina V. Nowak
This study aims to demonstrate the values and effects of innovation becomes a challenge when selecting clear and correlating measures. While there is extensive research in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to demonstrate the values and effects of innovation becomes a challenge when selecting clear and correlating measures. While there is extensive research in the area of innovation measurement, there is a lack of consistent quantifiable measures that organizations can use. The International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP) has partnered with Spigit to crowdsource innovation measures via the Innovation Measurement Standard (IMS) challenge with IAOIP members and the global public to determine the various ways innovation is measured across industries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed-methods approach and a sequential exploratory design to analyze the data collected during the IMS challenge. In the first phase, the qualitative methodology was used to analyze innovation measures submitted during the IMS challenge and participants’ interactions and comments. In the second phase, the innovation measures were analyzed quantitatively to identify the most prominent measures.
Findings
A total of 73 innovation measures were collected during the challenge. In total, 18 top measures were ranked based on the participants’ votes, and the top five measures were selected as the winning measures of the challenge. These five measures included intelligent failure rate, financial results of innovation, the results brought to the company, the number of innovative ideas selected for action and innovation portfolio balancing.
Originality/value
This study is the first to select the innovation metrics while considering their relevance to the community of innovators that included academics, CEOs, consultants, innovation managers, etc. Another original factor of this work is the crowdsourcing approach used to identify innovation measures. This approach allowed us to explore multiple perspectives on the significance of each submitted measure.
Details
Keywords
Cristina Guimarães, Vasco Amorim and Fernando Almeida
Responsible innovation assessment tools (RIATs) are key instruments that can help organizations, associations and individuals measure responsible innovation. Accordingly, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Responsible innovation assessment tools (RIATs) are key instruments that can help organizations, associations and individuals measure responsible innovation. Accordingly, this study aims to review the current status of research on responsible innovation and, in particular, of studies that either present the relevance of RIATs or provide empirical evidence of their adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review is conducted to identify and review how RIATs are being addressed in academic research and the applications that are proposed. A systematic process is implemented using the Web of Science and Scopus bibliographic databases, aiming not only to summarize existing studies, but also to include a perspective on gaps and future research.
Findings
A total of 119 publications were identified and included in the review process. The study identifies that RIATs have attracted growing interest from the scientific community, with a greater predominance of studies involving qualitative and mixed methods. A well-balanced mix of conceptual and exploratory studies is also registered, with a greater predominance of analysis of RIATs application domains in the past years, with greater incidence in the finance, water, energy, construction, manufacturing and health sectors.
Originality/value
This study is pioneering in identifying 16 dimensions and 60 sub-dimensions for measuring responsible innovation. It also suggests the need to include multidimensional perspectives and individuals with interdisciplinary competencies in this process.
Details
Keywords
José Teixeira, Sandro Alves, Pedro Mariz and Fernando Almeida
The current student selection process for short-term mobility actions under the Erasmus + program (i.e. intensive programs and blended intensive programs) is based exclusively on…
Abstract
Purpose
The current student selection process for short-term mobility actions under the Erasmus + program (i.e. intensive programs and blended intensive programs) is based exclusively on the students' order of enrolment and their grades. This study offers an alternative approach using the analytic hierarchy process based on a four-layer model that collects information about the specificities of each project and the profile of the students and also promotes greater inclusion and homogenization of the project teams.
Design/methodology/approach
A decision support system was built by decomposing it into three stages: the predesign stage, in which the problem is characterized, and the user requirements are identified; the design stage, in which the models, the database and the interfaces are formulated; and the field stage, in which six test scenarios were built to validate the proposed solution.
Findings
The results show that this model can be applied with various selection criteria among students and consider both their hard and soft skills. It can also be applied to help build teams in which the students' knowledge is aligned with the technical skills required by the projects.
Originality/value
The proposed approach is innovative in that it responds to the emerging challenge of short-term European mobility programs that aim to involve students with multidisciplinary competencies. The solution considers both hard and soft skills in the selection of students, which allows changing the student selection paradigm and obtaining potentially more homogeneous multicultural teams with greater learning potential.
Details