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- Business process automation in SMEsPublication . Moreira, Silvia; São Mamede, Henrique; Santos, ArnaldoBusiness Process Automation has been gaining increasing im- portance in the management of companies and organizations since it reduces the time needed to carry out routine tasks, freeing employees for other more crea- tive and exciting things. The use of process automation seems to be a growing trend in the business's operational restructuring, combined with digital trans- formation. It can be applied in the most varied business areas. Organizations from any sector of activity can also adopt it. Given these benefits, the granted success in transforming business processes would be expected. However, 30 to 50% of automation initiatives with Robotic Process Automation technology fail. In this work, a set of guidelines will be proposed that will constitute, after validation, a framework capable of guiding organizations, with a focus on SMEs, in the procedure of automating their processes, thus obtaining the maxi- mum return of this transformation.
- Process automation using RPA: a literature reviewPublication . Moreira, Silvia; São Mamede, Henrique; Santos, ArnaldoBusiness process automation has been gaining more and more space in the management of organizations, since it translates into a reduction in the execution time of routine tasks in an organization, freeing up employees for other more creative and interesting tasks. However, it is important to check what types of processes are eligible, benefits, and challenges in the adoption of RPA technology. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a growing trend in business process restructuring, combined with digital transformation. This technology can be applied in various areas of business processes, and by organizations from any sector of activity. This work, through a literature review, aims to clarify the RPA's concept, the benefits found in this adoption, the main characteristics that the processes must have to be eligible, and the main barriers encountered for successful RPA adoption. In short, this preliminary literature review aims to contribute to the organization's clarification of RPA adoption.
- Integrated language translation IoT devices: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Santo, Andre; Santos, Arnaldo; São Mamede, HenriqueIoT devices that perform translation are often closed proprietary systems which offer no, or very limited, possibilities of being freely integrated with other IoT devices or systems/platforms and cannot be easily updated. The objective of this paper is to offer a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach to find and synthesise articles on IoT applications in machine translation and potential integration and interoperability functionalities, along with challenges that arise from it. This research identified IoT based projects/devices that implemented machine translation solutions, including ones that resorted to low-cost devices such as the raspberry pi, as well as challenges faced by IoT devices when it comes to integration/interoperability. The findings in this paper provide a way to become more familiar with IoT based machine translation devices/projects and IoT integration/interoperability challenges, as well as proposing new paths for research.
- The role of digital marketing in increasing SMEs' competitivenessPublication . Silva, Rui Pedro; São Mamede, Henrique; Santos, ArnaldoWith the significant increase of technology-based newer competitors and the digital economy reshaping the global economic environment, it is undoubtful that the market is becoming aggressively more demanding for small and medium enterprises, which is a strong driver of their need to adopt new digital technologies and transform their businesses. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the online engagement of consumers, and that also means that digital transformation might not only be about the digitalization of internal processes and reshaping of business models but as well, and not least relevant, the Strategies used by SMEs to position themselves in the market and maximize the value of digital marketing to regain competitiveness and reposition their products.
- Information security threat assessment using social engineering in the organizational context: literature reviewPublication . Lopes, António; Reis, Leonilde; São Mamede, Henrique; Santos, ArnaldoCurrently, due to the value and diversity of data that organizations use and produce in their activity, it is extremely important to protect this asset. Security flaws can arise due to several factors and whenever it is difficult to gain access to the desired information, because of technological barriers. In this case, attacks are redirected to the exploitation of human beings vulnerabilities, through various techniques. The objective of this work focuses on literature review, studying the underlying theme of Social Engineering, as it uses human trust, convincing someone of something fake, using various interactions and different vectors to gain access to private information. The research work will be supported by Design Science Research, due to the possibility of construction, evaluation, and subsequent validation of the artifact. The contribute of a framework proposal for preventing social engineering attacks in organizations and provide the best recommendations, guiding, and supporting the stakeholders in the selection and definition of controls that guarantee the security of organizational information and avoid possible attacks by Social Engineering. It is expected that the practical ef-fects of the future work will result in a reduction in the number of attacks using Social Engineering, greater individual and collective preparation to deal with this problem and, over time, the incentive to continued expansion of the adoption of these artifacts at the organizational level.
- The research context of artificial intelligence and gamification to improve student engagement and attendance in higher educationPublication . Limonova, Viktoriya; Santos, Arnaldo; São Mamede, Henrique; Filipe, VítorA significant concern that is widely discussed in the field of Higher Education is declining student participation. In several institutions, attendance is optional, allowing students to attend lectures at their convenience. This study proposes the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Gamification to improve student engagement and attendance rates. The initiative combines advanced technological strategies with conventional educational methodologies to enhance the lecture experience. The initiative is significant as formal lectures often witness dwindling student interest and frequent absenteeism, undermining the educational process and student's future career prospects. This combination has the potential to revolutionise Higher Education by providing a more interactive and engaging learning experience. While gamification has positively impacted learning in various contexts, integration with Artificial Intelligence is a game-changer, paving the way for a modernised educational experience. This innovative exploration of the AI-gamification blend sets the stage for future research and the implementation of updated academic strategies, ultimately addressing student engagement and attendance. This position paper presents the bases and foundations for understanding the problem of student attendance and engagement and the role of AI and gamification in Higher Education in alleviating it.
- Business process automation in SMEs: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Moreira, Sílvia; Santos, Arnaldo; São Mamede, Henrique; SantosBusiness Process Automation has been gaining increasing importance in the management of companies and organizations since it reduces the time needed to carry out routine tasks, freeing employees for other, more creative and exciting things. It can be applied in the most varied business areas. Organizations from any sector of activity can also adopt it. Given these benefits, the granted success in transforming business processes would be expected. However, automation initiatives still fail. Adopting this technology can raise social, technological, ethical, methodical, and organizational issues. These facts have triggered the necessity for a summary that could extract more information about how to implement Business Process Automation (BPA), attending to the administrative processes, especially when applied in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study aims not only to review the available literature on how to implement BPA but also to typify the processes that can be automated, which technologies or tools exist for making that change, and influence factors in the procedure of BPA. We have covered more than 300 research papers published between 2016 and 2023 in reputable scientific data sources like Scopus, Web of Science/Clarivate, and ScienceDirect/Elsevier. The review revealed some paths for BPA, with some common steps. In addition, some common process characteristics fundamental to automation are exposed, as well as factors that are critical to an organization for successful automation. The results indicate that BPA is an established area in Business Process Management related to technologies/tools like Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or Cognitive-Robotic Process Automation (C-RPA), Workflow Management Systems (WfMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Blockchain. As far as we observed, this Systematic Literature Review(SLR) is a unique study that covers all the environmental variables for applying automation in business processes.
- Common techniques, success attack factors and obstacles to social engineering: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Lopes, António; São Mamede, Henrique; Reis, Leonilde; Santos, ArnaldoKnowledge of Social Engineering is crucial to prevent potential attacks related to organizational Information Security. The objective of this paper aims to identify the most common social engineering techniques, success attack factors, and obstacles, as well as the good practices and frameworks that could be adopted concerning their mitigation. As an analysis methodology, a Systematic Literature Review was carried out. The findings revealed that the discussion about SE attacks has increased and that the most imminent threat is phishing. Exploiting human vulnerabilities is a growing threat when the attack is not carried out directly through technical means. There continue to be more technical attacks than non-technical attacks. Encouraging organizational security prevention, like training, education, technical controls, process development, defense in detail, and the development of security policies, should be considered mitigating factors for the negative impact of SE attacks. Most SE frameworks/models are focused on attack techniques and methods, mostly on technical components, decorating human factor. As a novelty, we found the opportunity to develop a new framework that could improve coverage of the gaps found, supported on security international standards, that could help and support researchers in developing their work, understanding open research topics, and providing a clearer understanding of this type of threat.
- Framework for adaptive serious gamesPublication . Pistono, Alvaro Marcos Antonio de Araujo; Baptista, Ricardo José Vieira; São Mamede, Henrique; Santos, ArnaldoProfessional training presents a significant challenge for organizations, particularly in captivating and engaging employees in these learning initiatives. With the ever‐evolving landscape of workplace education, various learning modes have emerged within organizations, and e‐learning stands out as a prominent choice. This increasingly cost‐effective and adaptable solution has revolutionized training by facilitating numerous learning activities, including the seamless integration of educational games driven by cutting‐edge technologies. However, incorporating serious games into educational and professional settings introduces its own set of challenges, particularly in quantifying their tangible impact on learning and assessing their adaptability across diverse contexts. Organizations require a consistent framework to guide best practices in implementing e‐learning combined with serious games in professional training. The primary objective of this research is to bridge this gap. Rooted in the methodology of Design Science Research, it aims to provide a comprehensive framework for creating and assessing adaptive serious games that achieve desired learning and engagement outcomes. The overarching goal is to enhance the teaching–learning process in professional training, ultimately elevating student engagement and boosting learning outcomes to new heights. The proposal is grounded in a review of literature, expert insights, and user experiences with Serious Games in professional training, considering learning outcomes and forms of adaptation as essential characteristics for developing or evaluating Serious Games. The result is a framework designed to guide learners toward improved learning outcomes and increased engagement. The proposal underwent evaluation through triangulation, involving focus groups and expert interviews. Additionally, it was utilized in the development and assessment of a Serious Game, offering new insights and application suggestions. This experiment provided an evaluation of the framework based on real courses. In summary, this investigation contributes to the development of evidence‐based approaches for the effective use of Serious Games in professional training.