Centre for Research in Digital Services

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Publications

Service robots in the hospitality industry: The case of Henn-na hotel, Japan

Publication . Reis, João Carlos Gonçalves dos; Melão, Nuno; Salvadorinho, Juliana; Soares, Bárbara; Rosete, Ana

Services are changing at an impressive pace boosted by the technological advances felt in Robotics, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that have uncovered new research opportunities. Our objective is to contribute to the literature by exploring the pros and cons of the use of service robots in the hospitality industry and to practice, by presenting the architectural and technological characteristics of a fully automated plant based on a relevant case. To achieve such goal, this article uses a systematic literature review to assess the state-of-the-art, characterize the unit of analysis, and find new avenues for further research. The results indicate that, in high customer contact settings, service robots tend to outperform humans when performing standardized tasks, because of their mechanical and analytical nature. Evidence also shows that, in some cases, service robots have not yet achieved the desired technological maturity to proficiently replace humans. In other words, the technology is not quite there yet, but this does not contradict the fact that new robot technologies, enabled by AI, will be able to replace the employees’ empathetic intelligence. In practical terms, organizations are facing challenges where they have to decide whether service robots are capable of completely replacing human labor or if they should rather invest in balanced options, such as human-robot systems, that seem to be a much more rational choice today.

2020Journal article

Open access

Using Social Networks in Personnel Selection: A Survey of Human Resource Professionals

Publication . Melão, Nuno; Reis, João

Although the analysis of social media to aid decision making in Human Resource (HR) selection is becoming commonplace, there is little empirical research on this phenomenon. This study reports on the use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) by HR professionals to assist applicant selection. It employs a survey methodology based on a cross-sectional questionnaire which was administered to a sample of 10 000 professionals in Portugal. The response rate was 10.5% and the results show that 41% of the respondents use SNS in employee selection. The most used SNS are LinkedIn (89%) and Facebook (58%), and the evaluation of applicant profiles usually takes place before the first interview. Around three quarters of participants indicate to assess applicants by forming a general impression of their adjustment to the organization. The most regularly inferred constructs from profiles are work experience, education and training, written communication skills, maturity and professionalism. Respondents infer more often the outcome person-organization adjustment. The conclusion is that for many Portuguese organizations SNS seem to be a useful complementary tool to the most conventional personnel selection techniques.

2020Conference object

Open access

Artificial Intelligence Research and Its Contributions to the European Union’s Political Governance: Comparative Study between Member States

Publication . Reis, João; Santo, Paula; Melão, Nuno

In the last six decades, many advances have been made in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Bearing in mind that AI technologies are influencing societies and political systems di erently, it can be useful to understand what are the common issues between similar states in the European Union and how these political systems can collaborate with each other, seeking synergies, finding opportunities and saving costs. Therefore, we carried out an exploratory research among similar states of the European Union, in terms of scientific research in areas of AI technologies, namely: Portugal, Greece, Austria, Belgium and Sweden. A key finding of this research is that intelligent decision support systems (IDSS) are essential for the political decision-making process, since politics normally deals with complex and multifaceted decisions, which involve trade-o s between di erent stakeholders. As public health is becoming increasingly relevant in the field of the European Union, the IDSSs can provide relevant contributions, as it may allow sharing critical information and assist in the political decision-making process, especially in response to crisis situations.

2020Journal article

Open access