Sustainability in Information and Communication Technologies

Information and communication technologies (ICT) can provide added value in an organizational context in order to enhance the definition of business support strategies. The purpose of the chapter is to focus on the contribution of ICT to implement a sustainability policy in the organizations, in the context of the sustainable development goals to improve cooperation and promote development. In this context, the principles of the Karlskrona Manifesto are applied to the development of software systems. The methodology focused on the literature review of the domain and on a case study, in order to analyze the impact of ICT as an engine of sustainability in organizations. The main conclusions focus on the analysis of the impact of established practices in organizations to design and develop sustainable software systems. The results point to a greater consciousness of the potential effects of software systems on sustainability, which will improve management practices, reducing the quantity of material to be recycled, and aligning organizational strategies with Green IT.

Methodological Approach to Systematization of Business Continuity in Organizations

The underlying concept of business continuity is that an organization must have the strategic and tactical capability to plan and respond to business incidents and interruptions, in order to continue business operations at an acceptable predefined level. This chapter proposed an approach to business continuity management in an organization through the definition and implementation of a set of four related phases. The authors integrate the main guidelines, based on the literature review and on good practices and concerns, referred to in the ISO standards and on ITIL, CMMI, and COBIT frameworks. This approach will allow organizations to address the most relevant activities for the development of a business continuity management program. By implementing each of the phase activities, the organization will have a systematic overview of the steps required for an optimized planning and response to business incidents and disruptions, supported by the strategy defined framed within their needs.

Legalistic Entrepreneurship in the Digital World

This study aims to explain the legalistic entrepreneurship by introducing the type of legalistic entrepreneurship that transforms compliance with laws into entrepreneurship action, and answer the question of how information and communication facilities brought by the digital world can be turned into opportunities in the face of legal obstacles. In this chapter, the concept and components of legalism, the conceptual framework of legalistic entrepreneurship, processes, personal characteristics of legalistic entrepreneurs are explained. In the conclusion section, recommendations are made to policymakers, entrepreneurs, and academicians on virtual commerce and initiatives to be developed in the digital environment and legalistic entrepreneurship.

Accessibility Solutions for Visually Impaired Persons

This chapter aims to address a study in which it is intended to conceptualize, develop, and evaluate an aggregation platform of accessible solutions target to Portuguese people with visual impairment, incorporating not only an information layer but also a training layer using, for example, explanatory videos and tutorials. The platform contents will be nourished through a logic of volunteering and be available through an interactive television (iTV) application and a web/mobile application accessible to visually impaired users. In this chapter, a state-of-the-art survey is made to identify types of digital solutions target to visually impaired users. Based on this survey, an analysis is made to understand what features and functionalities the proposed platform can integrate and how it can become a powerful solution for people with visual impairment. In addition to the state-of-the-art survey and its analysis, the chapter includes the identification and description of the system architecture that will support the proposed platform.

Comparative WebGIS Software Study

The rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT) has supported many changes in many areas over the last decade. One of the most successful ICT technologies to emerge was geographic information systems (GIS). These systems allow people to see the world differently, mapping the position and quantity of things, mapping the density of people and objects, and mapping any changes that occur. GIS also allows us to find out what is happening within a specific area or nearby. They can be used in various ways and across diverse areas thus becoming an important area of research. Regarding this chapter, the advantages and disadvantages involved in the use of GIS, especially WebGis or geoportals, were explored and presented, as well as a detailed comparative study in what concers to the main WebGis software solutions in terms of characteristics and functionalities. The main goal of the chapter was to provide users with a list of important recommendations that could help them in the process of choosing a WebGIS software, both in terms of free and proprietary solutions.

Leveraging Entrepreneurial Ambition Through Innovative Technologies and Knowledge Transfer Within a National Defense Technological and Industrial Base

While active agents of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, governments can play a crucial role as catalysts of entrepreneurial ambition as they develop modern defense capabilities, and in the process, by focusing on technological innovation and knowledge transfer. The supporting argument to this claim lies in the assumption that by exploiting the potential of these innovative technologies, namely their dual-use capacity and spillover effect, they may prove to have a contagion effect in new business formation. Drawing on secondary data, namely a literature review, this chapter raises the discussion for further research on how governments', as active agents of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, can leverage entrepreneurship while developing superior defence capabilities. By linking the development of these capabilities, through an innovative national technological industrial base (DTIB), to new business formation, the notion that entrepreneurship is far from being rooted in a commercially competitive market setting alone is equally reinforced in the context of the chapter.

Digital Economy and Cloud

This chapter aims to present the trends and challenges healthcare organizations will face as a result of the digital revolution. In particular, the healthcare industry needs to look for a new strategic focus, acquiring new specialties, and establishing new ways of working, defined in new business models in which cloud computing technology will be increasingly present. Understanding what cloud computing is is the first step to better understand the challenges and trends ahead.

Successful Practices in ICT Team Building in International Projects

The purpose of the chapter is to address the importance of building the project team in order to contribute to maximize the number of project success histories in an international context. The design science research methodology allowed, based on the literature review on the thematic domain, to elaborate a reference framework in order to obtain the scientific validation of the work. The main conclusions focus on presenting the added value of the team building in the implementation and adaptation of software products. The need to define strategies when setting up the teams is emphasized, so that specialists are incorporated in the various domains, taking into account the specificity of the country in which the project will take place. Thus, the definition of team formation policies is considered a differentiating factor, in order to include the knowledge in the domains of the culture of the country, organizational culture and current legal and fiscal frameworks as well as the interpersonal relations component.

Interactive TV as Part of Crossmedia Systems in Order to Enhance Informal Learning

Crossmedia systems are becoming the trend due to technological advances, better interfaces design, and changes in user habits. Due to the use of different devices as part of the same crossmedia system, which allow supporting a multiplicity of contexts of use, useful when considering learning scenarios, new research opportunities and challenges have arisen in the design of these systems. This chapter addresses the effective design of crossmedia systems and interfaces with a particular emphasis on iTV, PC, and mobile devices, through the eiTV application, designed and developed to illustrate and explore this paradigm, based on cognitive and affective aspects that influence user experience. The eiTV application is capable to create, access, and share personalized informal learning environments (created as additional information to the video being watched), via iTV, PC, and mobile devices (the preferred or most adequate device in each context of use).

Concept of Approach to Optimize ICT Management Practices

The rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT) has led to changes in business processes, namely in public services or in local administration. Currently, customer expectations are focused on an incremental modernization that may imply greater mobility, cost reduction, and response times. This chapter describes a multidisciplinary and integrative approach considering the specificity of the Portuguese local administration. The proposed approach assumes of continuous improvement within the scope of integrated and sustained governance, which is based on the alignment of ICT with business. Thus, it is recommended that the contributions of the approach are the optimization of practices established in the domains of sustainability, human capital, increased productivity, optimization of information security practices, and improvement of environmental quality, promoting alignment with Green IT.