The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies, institutions, citizens, and students to rapidly change their behaviors and use virtual technologies to perform their usual working tasks. Though virtual technologies for learning were already present in most universities, the pandemic has forced virtual technologies to lead the way in order to continue teaching and learning for students and faculty around the world. Universities and teachers had to quickly adjust everything from their curriculum to their teaching styles in order to adapt to an online learning environment. Online learning is a complex issue and one that comes with both challenges and opportunities; there is plenty of room for growth, and further study is required to better understand how to improve online education. The Handbook of Research on Developing a Post-Pandemic Paradigm for Virtual Technologies in Higher Education is a comprehensive reference book that presents the testimonials of teachers and students with various degrees of experience with distance learning and their utilization of current virtual tools and applications for learning, as well as the impact of these technologies and their potential future use. With topics ranging from designing an online learning course to discussing group work in an online environment, this book is ideal for teachers, educational software developers, IT consultants, instructional designers, administrators, professors, researchers, lecturers, students, and all those who are interested in learning more about distance learning and all the positive and negative aspects that accompany it.

The increase in smartphone usage and new technologies embedded in smart devices have led to innovative developments and applications throughout a variety of industries. However, new techniques such as spatial augmented reality are becoming more affordable for business, allowing consumers to experience and interact with the world as they never have before. AR and VR have vast implications for management and can allow companies to increase their sustainability and reduce their CO2 footprint. Managerial Challenges and Social Impacts of Virtual and Augmented Reality is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the applications of VR, AR, and related technologies from the perspectives of managers and marketers in the industry and discusses the social impact of these technologies. While highlighting topics such as consumer analysis, privacy ethics, and relationship marketing, this book is ideally designed for managers, marketers, technology developers, managing directors, business professionals, academicians, students, and researchers seeking current studies on the evolution of interactive technology.

User opinions about service experiences have been extensively acknowledged to play a key role in influencing the consumption decisions of other customers. The widespread adoption of internet technologies has amplified enormously the volume and the potential impact of such customer-generated content in the form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Exploring the Power of Electronic Word-of-Mouth in the Services Industry is an essential research book that explores the importance of consumer perception and the influence of word-of-mouth in the digital world. Featuring a range of topics such as data mining, online engagement, and social media, this book is ideal for academicians, researchers, IT developers, marketers, managers, media specialists, and professionals.

This book features the latest research in the area of immersive technologies as presented at the 7th International Extended Reality (XR) Conference, held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2022. Bridging the gap between academia and industry, it showcases the latest advances in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR) and metaverse and their applications in various sectors such as business, marketing, retail, education, healthcare, tourism, events, fashion, entertainment, and gaming. The volume gathers selected research papers by prominent AR, VR, XR and metaverse scholars from around the world. Presenting the most significant topics and latest findings in the fields of augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and metaverse, it will be a valuable asset for academics and practitioners alike.

This book presents a selection of papers from the 2017 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'17), held between the 11st and 13th of April 2017 at Porto Santo Island, Madeira, Portugal. WorldCIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges involved in modern Information Systems and Technologies research, together with technological developments and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Software and Systems Modeling; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Human-Computer Interaction; Ethics, Computers & Security; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; and Information Technologies in Radiocommunications.

This book presents a selection of papers from the 2017 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'17), held between the 11st and 13th of April 2017 at Porto Santo Island, Madeira, Portugal. WorldCIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges involved in modern Information Systems and Technologies research, together with technological developments and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Software and Systems Modeling; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Human-Computer Interaction; Ethics, Computers & Security; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; and Information Technologies in Radiocommunications.

This book presents a selection of papers from the 2017 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'17), held between the 11st and 13th of April 2017 at Porto Santo Island, Madeira, Portugal. WorldCIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges involved in modern Information Systems and Technologies research, together with technological developments and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Software and Systems Modeling; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Human-Computer Interaction; Ethics, Computers & Security; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; and Information Technologies in Radiocommunications.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2016 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'16), held between the 22nd and 24th of March at Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. WorldCIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern Information Systems and Technologies research, together with their technological development and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Software and Systems Modeling; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Human-Computer Interaction; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; Information Technologies in Radiocommunications.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2016 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'16), held between the 22nd and 24th of March at Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. WorldCIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern Information Systems and Technologies research, together with their technological development and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Software and Systems Modeling; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Human-Computer Interaction; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; Information Technologies in Radiocommunications.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2015 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'15), held between the 1st and 3rd of April in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern Information Systems and Technologies research, technological development and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Big Data Analytics and Applications; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Multimedia Systems and Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Human-Computer Interaction; Health Informatics; Information Technologies in Education; Information Technologies in Radio communications.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2014 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'14), held between the 15th and 18th of April in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern Information Systems and Technologies research, technological development and applications.

The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Radar Technologies; Human-Computer Interaction; Health Informatics and Information Technologies in Education.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2014 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'14), held between the 15th and 18th of April in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent results and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern Information Systems and Technologies research, technological development and applications.

The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Radar Technologies; Human-Computer Interaction; Health Informatics and Information Technologies in Education.

This book contains a selection of articles from The 2013 World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST'13), a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, results, experiences and concerns in the several perspectives of Information Systems and Technologies. The main topics covered are: Information and Knowledge Management; Organizational Models and Information Systems; Intelligent and Decision Support Systems; Software Systems, Architectures, Applications and Tools; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Radar Technologies; and Human-Computer Interaction.

The increase in smartphone usage and new technologies embedded in smart devices have led to innovative developments and applications throughout a variety of industries. However, new techniques such as spatial augmented reality are becoming more affordable for business, allowing consumers to experience and interact with the world as they never have before. AR and VR have vast implications for management and can allow companies to increase their sustainability and reduce their CO2 footprint. Managerial Challenges and Social Impacts of Virtual and Augmented Reality is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the applications of VR, AR, and related technologies from the perspectives of managers and marketers in the industry and discusses the social impact of these technologies. While highlighting topics such as consumer analysis, privacy ethics, and relationship marketing, this book is ideally designed for managers, marketers, technology developers, managing directors, business professionals, academicians, students, and researchers seeking current studies on the evolution of interactive technology.

User opinions about service experiences have been extensively acknowledged to play a key role in influencing the consumption decisions of other customers. The widespread adoption of internet technologies has amplified enormously the volume and the potential impact of such customer-generated content in the form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Exploring the Power of Electronic Word-of-Mouth in the Services Industry is an essential research book that explores the importance of consumer perception and the influence of word-of-mouth in the digital world. Featuring a range of topics such as data mining, online engagement, and social media, this book is ideal for academicians, researchers, IT developers, marketers, managers, media specialists, and professionals.

Financial Statement Analysis and the Prediction of Financial Distress discusses the evolution of three main streams within the financial distress prediction literature: the set of dependent and explanatory variables used, the statistical methods of estimation, and the modeling of financial distress. Section 1 discusses concepts of financial distress. Section 2 discusses theories regarding the use of financial ratios as predictors of financial distress. Section 3 contains a brief review of the literature. Section 4 discusses the use of market price-based models of financial distress. Section 5 develops the statistical methods for empirical estimation of the probability of financial distress. Section 6 discusses the major empirical findings with respect to prediction of financial distress. Section 7 briefly summarizes some of the more relevant literature with respect to bond ratings. Section 8 presents some suggestions for future research and Section 9 presents concluding remarks.