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As Transformações Digitais são iniciativas que, com a pandemia da COVID-19, se tornaram ainda mais importantes para a competitividade das organizações. No entanto, estas iniciativas têm uma elevada taxa de insucesso, pois são processos complexos que exigem um planeamento e uma implementação cuidadosa e rigorosa. O principal objectivo desta dissertação é adaptar um binómio DTM (Digital Transformation Model)-DMM (Digital Maturity Model) às características das cooperativas de serviços. Para este objetivo, realizamos revisões sistemáticas de literatura de modo a identificar os DTMs e DMMs existentes. Os modelos são analisados e comparados (7 DTM e 20 DMM), e os mais completos são seleccionados. Em seguida, propomos vários pares DTM-DMM de entre os modelos mais completos, com base em características como a dimensão e o sector das organizações. Tendo em conta as cooperativas de serviços e as suas especificidades, seleccionamos o par considerado mais adequado para servir de base ao trabalho de adaptação. Esta adaptação é efetuada através da consulta da literatura e de especialistas em cooperativas, de modo a abranger as idiossincrasias deste tipo de organizações. Os resultados desta investigação têm implicações para a preparação e implementação de iniciativas de Transformação Digital no contexto das cooperativas de serviços. Os resultados apresentam duas ferramentas (DTM e DMM) adaptadas a este tipo de organização e que podem ser utilizadas numa abordagem combinada para o planeamento e a implementação de processos de TD rigorosos. Este têm o potencial de aumentar as taxas de sucesso da TD e, por conseguinte, melhorar a competitividade das cooperativas de serviços Digital Transformations are initiatives that, with the COVID-19 pandemic, became even more important for the competitiveness of organisations. However, these initiatives have a high failure rate, as they are complex processes that require careful and rigorous planning and implementation. The main objective of this dissertation is to adapt a DTM-DMM binomial to the characteristics of the cooperatives of services. For this objective, we perform systematic literature reviews to identify existing DTMs and DMMs. The models are analysed and compared (7 DTM and 20 DMM), and the most complete ones are selected. Next, we propose several DTM-DMM pairs from among the most complete models, based on characteristics such as the size and sector of organisations. Taking into account the cooperatives of services and their specificities, we select the pair considered most suitable for the basis of model adaptation. This adaptation is made by consulting the literature and cooperative experts, so that it covers the idiosyncrasies of this type of organisation. The results of this research have implications for the preparation and implementation of DT initiatives in the context of the cooperatives of services. The results present two tools (DTM and DMM) adapted to this type of organisation and that can be used in a combined approach for the planning and implementation of rigorous DT processes. This has the potential to increase DT success rates and therefore improve the competitiveness of the cooperatives of services.

This paper discusses the applications of data-driven technologies in managing healthcaredata services and information systems, as well as how they stimulate innovations to bringmajor improvements in the industry. The study explores the novel applications of digitaltechnologies such as Big Data, AI, 3D Printing, and Blockchain and the most challenging partsof data security, privacy, and interoperability in healthcare organisations. Whilst the numberof articles on this subject have been steadily increasing owing to the sweeping health crisis ofCOVID-19 Pandemic, there is absence of systematic literature review that comprehensivelyexplored the existing and potential applications of these digital data-driven innovations inresponse to the pandemic, and in handling healthcare data services. The review outlined sixprincipal facets namely: hospitals practices, clinical services, patients’ home, nursing homes,rural areas, and anywhere, which provided the useful insights and the journey involved inthe emergence of data-driven technologies for healthcare Practices. These facets are builtacross the multiple levels and unique conceptual standpoints indicated by 10 sub-themes.These themes were generated based on 77 articles (2010–2022) drawn from 40 leadingJournals. Overall, there is a considerable consensus across current literature that digital datadriven technologies extend far beyond mitigating the significant impacts of coronavirus onhealthcare industry. They have the potential to support and provide more responsive digitalsolutions to the data management crises that industry has been characterised, such as highdemands of rising aging populations with chronic diseases, child mortality and potentialimpacts of pandemics. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05462-8 Peer reviewed

Esta dissertação é um caso de estudo sobre a área de negócio Global Business Services da Siemens S.A, em Portugal. O caso procura responder à questão “Como é que a pandemia Covid-19 afectou a Siemens S.A, mais especificamente o departamento GBS, em termos de processos organizacionais e medidas sustentáveis adoptadas?”. Para responder a esta questão foram conduzidas cinco entrevistas, entre vários níveis de hierarquia, onde se analisa dois momentos temporais distintos: início da pandemia (Março 2020) e regresso à normalidade (meados de 2022). A estrutura pedagógica seguida por este estudo tem como principal objectivo proporcionar uma compreensão detalhada de como a empresa se reorganizou perante esta crise durante os dois momentos cronológicos. Uma vez que o estudo reflecte um exemplo da vida real, trata-se de um caso ilustrativo, não tendo como propósito colocar o leitor perante um dilema. O resultado alcançado permitiu concluir que a empresa, em termos estruturais e de processos, estava preparada para enfrentar esta crise. O facto de ser uma empresa tecnológica facilitou bastante o confronto com esta realidade desconhecida, pois permitiu que todos os trabalhadores tivessem as ferramentas necessárias para evitar interrupções do serviço prestado ao cliente. Foi ainda possível constatar que a forma como a organização comunicou a sua estratégia em relação ao modelo híbrido a adoptar teve impacto na gestão das equipas. Assim, um novo tema surgiu em debate, gerando ruido e discórdia, exigindo aos managers não só a capacidade de gerir operacionalmente as suas equipas, como também a nível emocional. This dissertation is a case study of Siemens S.A.'s Global Business Services business in Portugal. The case seeks to answer the question, "How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect Siemens S.A., specifically the GBS department, in terms of organizational processes and sustainable measures adopted?". Five interviews were conducted at various levels of the hierarchy to answer this question, analyzing two distinct temporal moments: the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020) and the return to normalcy (mid-2022). This study's pedagogical structure aims to provide a detailed understanding of how the company reorganized during the two chronological moments of the crisis. However, since the study is based on a real-life example, it is an illustrative case and is not intended to put the reader in a dilemma. The result made us conclude that the company was structurally and operationally prepared to face the crisis. Being a technological organization made confronting this unknown reality much easier because it provided all employees with the necessary tools to avoid customer service interruptions. However, it was also clear that how the organization communicated its strategy regarding the hybrid model to be used impacted team management. As a result, a new theme emerged in the debate, generating noise and discord and requiring managers to manage their teams operationally and emotionally.

Annex - Grau d’execució de les actuacions previstes (pàg. 99)

A presente dissertação explora o impacto da transformação digital na experiência do consumidor em ambiente de loja no setor do luxo. Partindo do objetivo traçado, delineou-se uma base teórica que enquadra o universo do luxo com os fatores que o diferenciam e explora igualmente a experiência do consumidor nas lojas físicas de luxo apresentando os principais traços das novas gerações de consumidores deste setor. Finalmente, conceptualiza-se o fenómeno da transformação digital e as suas variantes bem como as tendências mais relevantes para o progresso do ambiente de loja, e consequentemente da experiência dos consumidores de luxo. Tendo em conta a natureza da investigação, utilizou-se uma metodologia qualitativa, que através de entrevistas estruturadas e semiestruturadas, procurou recolher a perspetiva de duas dimensões distintas, mas essenciais para o retalho, ou seja, marcas e consumidores de luxo, no contexto português. Após apresentação e relacionamento entre temas de ambas as duas dimensões, constatamos que as lojas físicas continuam a ter uma relevância significativa para os consumidores ainda para mais num setor que se caracteriza por bens de valor elevado que necessitam de validação e visualização físicas por parte do consumidor aquando da compra. Apesar do avanço registado pelo canal online, ainda mais significativo após a pandemia Covid-19, são registados obstáculos à experiência que em nada se igualam à vivência numa loja física. A evolução tecnológica é reconhecida por ambas as partes, consumidores e marcas, mas a recetividade à sua presença não é consensual. A hiperpersonalização assume-se como uma prioridade e a conveniência que a tecnologia pode trazer no que toca a procedimentos de serviço é altamente exaltada. O futuro é seguramente digital, mas o caminho para a transformação digital ainda é longo e incerto. This dissertation explores the impact of digital transformation on the consumer experience in a store environment in the luxury sector. Based on the objective outlined, a theoretical basis was outlined that frames the universe of luxury with the factors that differentiate it and also explores the consumer experience in physical luxury stores, presenting the main aspects of the new generations of consumers in this sector. Finally, the phenomenon of digital transformation and its variants are conceptualized, as well as the most relevant trends for the progress of the store environment, and consequently of the experience of luxury consumers. Considering the nature of the research, a qualitative methodology was used, which, through structured and semi-structured interviews, sought to collect the perspective of two distinct dimensions, but essential for retail, that is, luxury brands and consumers, in the portuguese context. After the definition and correlation between themes of both dimensions, we found that physical stores continue to have a significant relevance for consumers, even more so in a sector that is characterized by high-value goods that need physical validation and visualization by the consumer upon purchase. Despite the progress registered by the online channel, even more significantly after the Covid-19 pandemic, obstacles to the experience are registered that in no way equal the experience in a physical store. Technological evolution is recognized by both parties, consumers, and brands, but the receptivity to its presence is not consensual. Hyperpersonalization is assumed as a priority and the convenience that technology can bring when it comes to service procedures is highly praised. The future is surely digital, but the path to digital transformation is still long and uncertain.

A era digital impôs um novo planeamento estratégico nas organizações, congruente com as necessidades que a internet veio irrogar, assim como com uma visão otimista sobre as possibilidades que as novas tecnologias permitem (Porter, 2001). Como refere Michael E. Porter, a transformação digital não foi nem é fundamentalmente sobre tecnologia, mas sobre pensamento estratégico, exigindo à Liderança a capacidade de reinventar e adaptar determinado negócio de forma a ultrapassar os desafios. Com o avanço tecnológico, a Indústria do Retalho, materializada neste estudo na figura dos centros comerciais, encontrou uma nova forma de se relacionar com os seus clientes. Através das várias ferramentas e plataformas digitais, criou oportunidades para simplificar e acelerar processos, assim como para analisar detalhadamente as novas necessidades do consumidor, promovendo, simultaneamente, um serviço mais personalizado e atento, e a capacidade de tomar decisões perante vários cenários de forma fundamentada. No fundo, a transformação digital tornou a indústria do retalho mais responsiva e sensível à mudança que se verifica constante. De forma transversal e profunda, a COVID-19 representa um desafio para as Organizações. Os centros comerciais verificaram, numa fase inicial, uma nítida diminuição do fluxo de consumidores e, em consequência, de vendas, obrigando a uma transformação mais acentuada do seu modelo de negócios no digital. Esta investigação centrou-se no contexto específico dos centros comerciais da Sonae Sierra. Através da aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas foi possível perceber que a COVID-19 acelerou os processos de transformação digital no setor, forçando a adoção de medidas digitais e uma reestruturação do modelo de negócio. No futuro, os centros comerciais deverão aproveitar as possibilidades que a complementaridade entre o espaço físico e digital oferece. Não só a estratégia omnicanal deve ser privilegiada, como o novo modelo de negócio deve assentar nos novos hábitos de consumo emergentes. Os espaços físicos devem, agora, proporcionar uma experiência de visita única, com espaço para o lazer, entretenimento e trabalho remoto. Adicionalmente, deverão ser mantidas, num cenário póspandémico, todas as medidas que favoreçam a segurança dos consumidores. The digital age has imposed a new strategic planning in organizations, congruent with the needs that the internet has brought, as well as with an optimistic vision about the possibilities that new technologies allow (Porter, 2001). As Michael E. Porter states, digital transformation was not and is not fundamentally about technology, but about strategic thinking, demanding from Leadership the ability to reinvent and adapt a given business to overcome the challenges. With technological advances, the Retail Industry, materialized in this study in the figure of shopping centers, has found a new way to relate with its customers. Through various digital tools and platforms, it has created opportunities to simplify and speed up processes, as well as to analyze in detail the new needs of the consumer, promoting, at the same time, a more personalized and attentive service, and the ability to make decisions based on several scenarios. In essence, digital transformation has made the Retail Industry more responsive and sensitive to constant change. In a transversal and profound way, COVID-19 represents a challenge to Organizations. Shopping Centers have seen, in an initial phase, a clear decrease in the flow of consumers and, consequently, in sales, forcing a more accentuated transformation of their business model in digital. This research therefore focused on the specific context of Sonae Sierra's Shopping Centers. Through the application of semi-structured interviews, it was possible to understand that COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation processes in the setor, forcing the adoption of digital measures and a restructuring of the business model. In the future, Shopping Centers should take advantage of the possibilities that the complementarity between physical and digital space offers. Not only should the omni-channel strategy be privileged, but the new business model should be based on the new emerging consumer habits. Physical spaces should now provide a unique visiting experience, with room for leisure, entertainment, and remote working. Additionally, all measures that favor consumer safety should be maintained in a post-pandemic scenario.

The COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated digital transformation, which has become an integral part of society and the survival of companies, a requirement of the modern world. Reacting to changes related to the pandemic required leadership skills from managers. Difficult decisions have been made in every organization, but the coronavirus has pushed decision making to the limit. This thesis is a case study where the research data was collected utilizing semi-structure interviews and managers of different departments within the case study were interviewed. The common perception of managers and employees on digitalization is that it brought many opportunities and benefits to employees' productivity. The accelerated digitalization has been appreciated and was received as important and necessary. Digitalization brought better ways of communication and increased transparency, which made it possible for employees to work more effective. New digital tools allowed better business processes. Nevertheless, digitalization had its minuses such as limited social interaction. Dependency on technology had increased causing a risk in maintaining work flow. From social perspective, employees found it difficult to disconnect from work. By that, it was meant work-life balance was affected. Based on the research outputs, digitalization has had a positive effect on employees' productivity working in service organizations (case study: Region Stockholm).

The COVID 19 crisis has highlighted the key role of the public health service (PHS), with its approximately 375 municipal health offices involved in the pandemic response. Here, in addition to a lack of human resources, the insufficient digital maturity of many public health departments posed a hurdle to effective and scalable infection reporting and contact tracing. In this article, we present the maturity model (MM) for the digitization of health offices, the development of which took place between January 2021 and February 2022 and was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health. It has been applied since the beginning of 2022 with the aim of strengthening the digitization of the PHS. The MM aims to guide public health departments step by step to increase their digital maturity to be prepared for future challenges. The MM was developed and evaluated based on qualitative interviews with employees of public health departments and other experts in the public health sector as well as in workshops and with a quantitative survey. The MM allows the measurement of digital maturity in eight dimensions, each of which is subdivided into two to five subdimensions. Within the subdimensions a classification is made on five different maturity levels. Currently, in addition to recording the digital maturity of individual health departments, the MM also serves as a management tool for planning digitization projects. The aim is to use the MM as a basis for promoting targeted communication between the health departments to exchange best practices for the different dimensions.

Water quality monitoring is essential for the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment. Monitoring coastal water quality is critical for the sustainable management and development of coastal resources as over one-third of the human population live in coastal areas. The health of our coasts, oceans, and cities highly depends on our changing climate and anthropogenic activities. Creating robust solutions to climate change and achieving coastal resilience requires interdisciplinary research by leveraging various datasets and techniques. The water quality monitoring techniques encompassed by this body of work aim to leverage satellite remote sensing to monitor water clarity and sea surface temperature for coral health and the second are a suite of microbiological techniques to monitor antibiotic resistance. The first two studies utilize remote sensing imagery to monitor water clarity and sea surface temperature (SST) in coastal Belize. The third and fourth studies use culture, amplification, and sequencing techniques to elucidate levels of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in two major cities—Los Angeles, CA, USA and Belize City, Belize. The final chapter captures the impact remote sensing modules and a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) can have on the confidence and self-efficacy of STEM and non-STEM students. The first chapter investigates water clarity changes using Aqua MODIS imagery during the COVID-19 anthropause. Here satellite derived Kd(490) (proxy for water clarity), marine traffic data, and climate model data were used to uncover significant improvements in water clarity during 2020 compared to the baseline period from 2002-2019 in areas with typically heavy marine traffic. In the second chapter, a Google Earth Engine and RStudio based toolkit is devised to combine Aqua MODIS-derived Kd(490) and SST into a coral vulnerability index for marine protected areas (MPAs) in Belize. Using the coral vulnerability index, Belizean MPAs were ranked based on the number of heat stress days and index scores to draw attention to MPAs that may need more intervention. Chapter three elucidates the impacts of land use and water reclamation plants on ARGs and ARB in the Los Angeles River watershed. The developed sampling sites were 2-3 orders of magnitude higher ARG concentrations compared to beaches and undeveloped areas. The fourth chapter uses multiple microbiology techniques to measure ARG and ARB levels in the Belize River, coastal lagoon, and Belize Barrier Reef. Belize City, in particular the sewage treatment lagoons and fish market, were found to contribute most to the resitome. The final chapter allowed students the opportunity to learn remote sensing to investigate environmental change and was found to increase their understanding of remote sensing and coding.