Abstract
The importance of e-commerce continues to grow in retail, providing companies with a critical tool to improve marketing and commercial strategies. In this context, understanding the distribution channels and the new business models becomes a fundamental issue for both researchers and business managers. This paper has two priority objectives. First is the accomplishment of a specific recent literature review survey on the theme of e-commerce platforms adoption that will support the next step. Second is to propose an adoption model that characterizes Discount and Outlet Platforms (DOP) adoption. The last contribution is distributed in the form of practical and theoretical implications, as well as future lines of action for possible investigations. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
The data volume in organizations has grown at an ever-increasing rate and part of it is associated with the operation of the network infrastructure used to support systems and applications. Given the importance of this infrastructure for organizations and the large amount of data that their operation originates, it is fundamental to manage and monitor it so that it can perform well. The previous concern is transversal to higher education institutions, where the research team assumed as important the development of a BI/SSBI system for the Informatics and Communications Services of the institution where it operates (UTAD), which allows the managing of all data volume; that enables it to be transformed into information and knowledge, which are fundamental resources to support decision-making processes. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of a BI/SSBI system in the described context, therefore a system of this type is presented, along with the adopted technologies, the performed tests and the obtained results. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
The smart places are vulnerable with corrupted or compromised data, with the false integration of new devices, and devices with firmware versions inconsistent. These risks worsen with the increasing volume and diversity of data, devices, infrastructures and users connected to the Web. The systematic review of the literature were selected 190 documents, which reveals the growing interest on the theme of blockchain technology with the publication of 14 documents in 2014 to about 100 already in 2017. The articles focused on the areas bitcoin (about 40%), IoT (about 30%), financial (about 15%), cryptocurrencies, electronic government (about 12%), smart contracts, smart cities, business (with about 10% each) and health (about 5%). This perspective confirms the generic model study data supported in blockchain technology for smart places, especially when applied to smart cities and the specific field of the mobility ecosystem, with the use of the new concepts of the application of blockchain in IoT, smart contracts and e-governance. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
The ambition to create start-ups with exponential valuations is the goal of many entrepreneurs. How may one create the so-called unicorns (start-ups with a valuation in excess of one billion US dollars)? Our study involved interviews and a focus group and a theoretical model was created. Business plans are surprisingly seen to be less important than is normally perceived, as is a higher education degree. The research also points to variables such as one’s DNA, experience, implementation capacity, intrinsic motivation, vision and timing, and the ability to seek feedback and learn from mistakes and not just from success. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
With the constant ICT evolution, the way users interact with e-commerce platforms (EC) is changing and there are constantly emerging new needs both from customers, such as the possibility of customization and individual personalization, and from business operators. As argued by existing literature, EC is a very relevant tool for the overall development of territories, especially those with inherent constraints, such as low-density regions. This work seeks to propose, through a functional and technical analysis, an electronic commerce platform of tourism products and services that allows both the traditional commercialization of products and, in parallel, the negotiation in (almost) real time of tourism products and services, idealized by customers themselves, to which operators can reply via the platform itself.

Abstract
Considering the importance associated with e-commerce website accessibility and usability, a study on one of the most relevant Portuguese e-commerce websites has been performed using both automatic and manual assessment procedures. In an initial stage, we evaluated the chosen website with a Web accessibility and usability automatic tool called SortSite; after that, we performed a manual evaluation to verify each previously detected error and present possible solutions to overcome those faults. In a third phase, three usability specialists have been used to perform a heuristic evaluation of the chosen website. Finally, user tests with blind people were carried out in order to fully assess the compliance with accessibility and usability guidelines and standards. The results showed that the platform had a good score regarding the automatic evaluation; however, when the heuristic and manual evaluations were performed, some accessibility and usability problems were discovered. Moreover, the user test results showed bad marks regarding efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction by the group of participants. As a conclusion, we highlight user interaction problems and propose seven recommendations focused on enhancing accessibility and usability of not only the evaluated e-commerce website, but also of other similar ones.