Evaluating the Provision of Botnet Defences using Translational Research Concepts.

Botnet research frequently draws on concepts from other fields. An example is the use of epidemiological models when studying botnet propagation, which facilitate an understanding of bot spread dynamics and the exploration of behavioural theory. Whilst the literature is rich with these models, it is lacking in work aimed at connecting the insights of theoretical research with day-to-day practice. To address this, we look at botnets through the lens of implementation science, a discipline from the field of translational research in health care, which is designed to evaluate the implementation process. In this paper, we explore key concepts of implementation science, and propose a framework-based approach to improve the provision of security measures to network entities. We demonstrate the approach using existing propagation models, and discuss the role of implementation science in malware defence

Information security behaviour of smartphone users: An empirical study on the students of University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Smartphone is the most popular electronic device in the present world. Along with the use of internet, smartphone has made revolution in the information communication technology sector. The current operating systems of smartphones allow to download mobile applications providing diverse types of features and functions. At the present days, the use of smartphone increases to a large extent that it is impossible to think a single day without using the smartphones. The widespread use of smartphones has introduced new types of information security threats, risks and vulnerabilities. The risky user behaviours, non-implementation of security counter measures and storage, and transmission of the vast amount of sensitive information in the smartphones are causing massive information security problems. Security of information is greatly depending on the information security behaviour of the users. Moreover, Information security behaviour has a direct impact to secure the information in the use of smartphone. In this study, the information security behaviour of the students of university of Dhaka, Bangladesh in the use of smartphone has been explored. This study will help to raise information security awareness among the students and encourage the authority to adopt appropriate strategy, policy and develop necessary training program to resolve information security risks in the use of smartphones. However, further research can be conducted by inclusion of a large sample size out of the students of other universities also

User-centred design of flexible hypermedia for a mobile guide: Reflections on the hyperaudio experience

A user-centred design approach involves end-users from the very beginning. Considering users at the early stages compels designers to think in terms of utility and usability and helps develop the system on what is actually needed. This paper discusses the case of HyperAudio, a context-sensitive adaptive and mobile guide to museums developed in the late 90s. User requirements were collected via a survey to understand visitors’ profiles and visit styles in Natural Science museums. The knowledge acquired supported the specification of system requirements, helping defining user model, data structure and adaptive behaviour of the system. User requirements guided the design decisions on what could be implemented by using simple adaptable triggers and what instead needed more sophisticated adaptive techniques, a fundamental choice when all the computation must be done on a PDA. Graphical and interactive environments for developing and testing complex adaptive systems are discussed as a further step towards an iterative design that considers the user interaction a central point. The paper discusses how such an environment allows designers and developers to experiment with different system’s behaviours and to widely test it under realistic conditions by simulation of the actual context evolving over time. The understanding gained in HyperAudio is then considered in the perspective of the developments that followed that first experience: our findings seem still valid despite the passed time

SEAMLESS UPDATES – HOW SECURITY AND FEATURE UPDATE DELIVERY STRATEGIES AFFECT CONTINUANCE INTENTIONS WITH DIGITAL APPLICATIONS

Although updates have become the rule rather than the exception in modern digital ecosystems, to date they have received little attention in the IS post-adoption literature. We therefore draw on the IS continuance literature and expectation-confirmation theory to investigate, how different delivery strategies of security and feature updates impact users’ continuance intentions (CI). Based on an online experiment with 282 participants, we find a positive effect of security updates on users’ CI only if users are notified after successful implementation. Feature updates, in contrast, elicit a positive effect on users’ CI if they are at least announced before or after successful implementation. We also find that this positive effect of ex-ante announced feature updates diminishes if users have the choice to consume the update or not. In essence, our findings contribute to IS research by extending the mostly monolithic view of information systems by showing how an alterable information system might influence users’ attitudes and behaviors during use. For practitioners, we show that it seems to be beneficial to inform users about updates, even though a silent integration has become possible with modern digital ecosystems, and that updates should be applied consistently. Directions for further research are discussed

The strategic use of Gamification in brands’ CRM

The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the strategic impact of Gamification in brands’ and retailers’ CRM strategy, with a deep focus on loyalty and reward programs. Having this in mind, the main research questions of this dissertation aim to understand if there are certain characteristics in Gamification that generate value for the end-user and if Gamification can be a source of sustained competitive advantage for firms in the retailing industry. With a view to be able to answer the two research questions, a “Gamification in CRM processes” is proposed, aiming at enumerating the main functionalities of Gamification that may have an impact in a CRM strategy. Through an online survey, taken by 191 people from 25 different nationalities, it is possible to confirm that consumers are interested in participating in a gamified platform and in providing relevant data to brands and retailers in order to receive personalized offers. Moreover, it is also ascertained that Gamification has a potential to increase brand loyalty levels. Gamers’ Tacit Knowledge is then identified as a strategic resource that can be obtained by a gamified application. When applying the RBV framework it is possible to conclude that Gamers’ Tacit Knowledge is a VRIN resource, since it is related to a deep organizational learning and to continuous innovation. This is mainly explained by the nature of a Gamified application - based on human interaction and subject to network externalities, which increases the switching costs to current and potential competitors, and provides companies with a knowledge advantage over their competitors. Gamification can, indeed, create value for brands and be a source of sustained competitive advantage.O principal objectivo desta dissertação é analisar o impacto estratégico de Gamification nas estratégias de CRM (Customer Relationship Management) de marcas e retalhistas, tendo especial enfoque em programas de fidelidade e recompensas. Deste modo, as principais questões da investigação pretendem compreender se existem características numa estratégia de Gamification capazes de geral valor para o consumidor final, e se Gamification pode ser uma fonte de vantagem competitiva sustentável para as empresas que operam na indústria retalhista. Tendo em vista a resposta a estas duas questões de investigação, é proposto o modelo “Gamification em processos de CRM”, que visa enumerar as principais funcionalidades de Gamification que podem ter um impacto numa estratégia de CRM. Através de um questionário online, respondido por 191 pessoas de 25 nacionalidades distintas, é possível confirmar que os consumidores estão interessados em participar em plataformas gamificadas e em providenciar informação relevante a marcas e retalhistas, de modo a receberem ofertas personalizadas. Adicionalmente, é ainda verficado que Gamification possuir potencial para aumentar os níveis de fidelidade a uma marca. Conhecimento tácito é identificado como um recurso estratégico que pode ser extraído de uma plataforma gamificada. Com a aplicação do modelo RBV é, então, possível concluir que o conhecimento tácito é um recurso VRIN, uma vez que se encontra relacionado com um processo de aprendizagem organizacional e com inovação contínua. Isto é maioritariamente explicado pela própria natureza de uma plataforma gamificada - baseada na interacção humana e sujeita a efeitos de rede,o que aumenta os custos de mudança para concorrentes existentes e potenciais, e faz com que as empresas tenham uma vantagem no conhecimento face a concorrentes. De facto, Gamification pode criar valor para marcas e ser uma fonte de vantagem competitiva sustentável

A qualitative study of stakeholders' perspectives on the social network service environment

Over two billion people are using the Internet at present, assisted by the mediating activities of software agents which deal with the diversity and complexity of information. There are, however, ethical issues due to the monitoring-and-surveillance, data mining and autonomous nature of software agents. Considering the context, this study aims to comprehend stakeholders' perspectives on the social network service environment in order to identify the main considerations for the design of software agents in social network services in the near future. Twenty-one stakeholders, belonging to three key stakeholder groups, were recruited using a purposive sampling strategy for unstandardised semi-structured e-mail interviews. The interview data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis method. It was possible to identify three main considerations for the design of software agents in social network services, which were classified into the following categories: comprehensive understanding of users' perception of privacy, user type recognition algorithms for software agent development and existing software agents enhancement

Virtual pedagogical model: development scenarios

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Understanding the Participatory News Consumer

Analyzes survey findings on the impact of social media and mobile connectivity on news consumption behavior by demographics and political affiliation. Examines sources; topics; participation by sharing, commenting on, or creating news; and views on media

Anticipatory Mobile Computing: A Survey of the State of the Art and Research Challenges

Today's mobile phones are far from mere communication devices they were ten years ago. Equipped with sophisticated sensors and advanced computing hardware, phones can be used to infer users' location, activity, social setting and more. As devices become increasingly intelligent, their capabilities evolve beyond inferring context to predicting it, and then reasoning and acting upon the predicted context. This article provides an overview of the current state of the art in mobile sensing and context prediction paving the way for full-fledged anticipatory mobile computing. We present a survey of phenomena that mobile phones can infer and predict, and offer a description of machine learning techniques used for such predictions. We then discuss proactive decision making and decision delivery via the user-device feedback loop. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of anticipatory mobile computing.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figure