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Publications

Publications by Manuel Au-Yong Oliveira

2019

Microtransactions in the company’s and the player’s perspective: a manual and automatic analysis

Authors
Gusmão, P; Almeida, T; Lopes, F; Muryn, Y; Martins, J; Au Yong Oliveira, M;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
Microtransactions dominate today’s video game industry and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, despite all the controversy it brings. To approach this problem, we created a survey, shared it on several gaming forums (a total of 1661 answers were obtained), then we designed a theoretical model and based on that, an automatic analysis was performed to understand what microtransactions are adequate to certain types of videogames. In parallel, we also performed a manual analysis that helped us gain insights into player preferences. Through the manual analysis we can conclude that players show a greater tendency to spend on microtransactions in mobile games. On average, respondents spend more on microtransactions than on purchasing videogames per month; with this, we can understand why the market of microtransactions has been growing greatly in recent years. Players that have jobs spend more on time savers microtransactions, and this probably happens because of the lack of time these players have comparing to the rest and the fact that they have an income to spend. Players aged 25 and above have shown to be more inclined to spend money to remove advertisements from games; however, players under the age of 25 are more inclined to spend money on general microtransactions in contrast to their older counterparts. It is also noticeable the negative sentiment towards players that spend money on advantageous items. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

2018

A Presentation of the Storyline View of a Novel Research Method: BNML

Authors
Au Yong Oliveira, M; Moreira, F; Martins, J; Branco, F; Goncalves, R;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 17TH EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES (ECRM 2018)

Abstract
Students are getting better over time but perhaps it is, at the same time, getting ever more difficult to capture their attention in class, especially as regards research and research methodology. The Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML) has been used (Oliveira and Ferreira, 2011; Goncalves et al., 2013; Au-Yong-Oliveira et al., 2015; Goncalves et al., 2016) to portray and discuss research findings. With qualitative research, in particular, the research process may be more transparent, more objective and faster by following the rules of BNML. Throughout the first semester for 2017-18, and on a Strategy and Competitiveness course, at the master's level, the advantages of BNML were shown on several occasions. Students were required to present what was for most of them their first research case study. BNML uses both the narrative and pictorial representations to showcase and highlight research results. In the age of the smartphone, icons and emojis, students respond well to pictorial representations. However, on the other hand, one has to acknowledge that children go from doing drawings to represent everything in their lives to unexpectedly stopping giving drawings to their parents and siblings and friends on all occasions - including for Christmas and for birthdays. Therefore, it is still a challenge to get adult students to understand BNML, especially in large classes. What is still lacking is a handbook on how to use BNML - despite the existence of a number of publications on the topic. This article thus seeks to shed further light on this research tool. Sharper master's students, doing a dissertation and one-on-one with the lecturer, quickly comprehend and grasp the essence of BNML and its use of key words and game patterns to tell the research case story, over time. Movement and colour and emotion may all be seen in BNML - which remains intuitive, and thus true to qualitative and interpretive research. In Portugal, qualitative research is still not seen, by many researchers, to be a serious research method, especially by the more conservative of researchers, who favour the use of statistics and thus of "more scientific" quantitative research methods in management research. We hope to contribute to a change of mind-set with our article.

2019

Assessing the success behind the use of education management information systems in higher education

Authors
Martins, J; Branco, F; Goncalves, R; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Oliveira, T; Naranjo Zolotov, M; Cruz Jesus, F;

Publication
TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS

Abstract
The continuous use of dynamic and disruptive ICT as energizing elements of the educational process is a reality of current days, where millennials are the centre of an education paradigm in which students are much more inclined to use technologies than enrolling in a traditional nondigital course. Considering education management information systems (EMIS) capacities to collect, analyse, process and publish information and data, it is easy to perceive their relevance to both education organizations and students. Nevertheless, and despite EMIS complexity and inherent possibilities, the existing literature does not provide for a detailed characterization on the impact these systems might have on students' success. Thus, this research focuses on understanding the use of EMIS by students and the arising of net benefits; it introduces an EMIS success model which posits that to ensure net benefits for students, education institutions must safeguard that their education management information systems are of high quality, while at the same time students are maintained satisfied with the system and engage in continuous use. To assess the posed model, an empirical study has been performed, involving students from higher education institutions. Findings from the study allow us to perceive that, as information systems (IS) success models state, EMIS use and students' satisfaction are predictors of net benefits. This same model also claims that the available information quality and EMIS inherent service quality are also strong determinants of both continuous EMIS use and student satisfaction.

2020

A proposal for a 360 degrees information system model for private health care organizations

Authors
Magalhaes, D; Martins, J; Branco, F; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Goncalves, R; Moreira, F;

Publication
EXPERT SYSTEMS

Abstract
At a time when communication, new media, and digitalization are transversal to the whole of society, private health care organizations have the possibility of making their business processes evolve. The objective is thus to seize the benefits associated to the active use of patients' electronic health records (EHRs) as the basis for personalized health care. In order to initially validate the health care sector acceptance of a 360 degrees health care information system (HIS), focused on collecting patients' data to create the necessary knowledge for delivering personalized health care procedures and initiatives, a focus group involving a set of health-related professionals was performed. Despite recognizing the immense possibilities associated to EHR and its direct incorporation on a 360 degrees HIS, the referred professionals still highlighted their concerns relative to the maintenance of adequate security and privacy levels. With this in mind, a proposal for a 360 degrees HIS model is presented, and its main functional blocks are described with a focus on triggering patient/customer loyalty.

2019

Accessible software development: a conceptual model proposal

Authors
Sousa e Silva, JSE; Goncalves, R; Branco, F; Pereira, A; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Martins, J;

Publication
UNIVERSAL ACCESS IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Abstract
Equal access to all software and digital content should be a reality in the Digital Era. This argument is something defended both by existing regulations, norms and standards, and also business organizations and governments. Despite this acknowledgement, the reality is still far from the desired equality. For certain groups of disabled or impaired citizens, such as the visually impaired, the existence of e-accessibility compliance represents an opportunity to integrate, in a more simple and straightforward manner, their societies. Despite the existing poor results on e-accessibility compliance, the mentioned citizens insist on using digital devices in their daily lives. Even though, in the last decade, multiple standards and regulations have been published towards indicating how to develop accessible digital user interfaces, there are still two major issues surrounding its implementation: the complexity and disparity of the documents containing the abovementioned norms, and also the lack of e-accessibility know-how by software experts. With this in mind, a proposal for an accessible software development model that encompasses e-accessibility incorporation as one of the development process activities has been presented. This model might represent a very interesting support tool for software development organizations and a novel resource for learning and training institutions to be able to improve their computer science and informatics students' skills on e-accessibility.

2019

Blockchain in Collaborative Economy business models A comparative case study

Authors
Belezas, F; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Branco, F; Goncalves, R;

Publication
2019 14TH IBERIAN CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES (CISTI)

Abstract
In the last decade, we have witnessed the emergence of a new socioeconomic paradigm related to Internet-based virtual communities that promote practices of sharing the use or consumption of products and services: the collaborative economy. Despite growing research on the most diverse areas of the collaborative economy, research on the integration of blockchain systems into collaborative economy organizations is still rather limited. By the present investigation, purely explanatory and based on a comparative and interpretive case study, we intend to verify the susceptibility of the blockchain systems to foster the emergence of new business models. Due to the small number of organizations in the collaborative economy currently operating with blockchain-based business models, it will be important in future investigations to identify and study the influence of these systems on the business models of other organizations, in particular whether their adoption represents a source of competitive advantage.

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