Abstract

Abstract
The growth of the internet is giving rise to the overall importance of digital marketing for business management. In fact, digital marketing is widely accepted as an essential component of business management, and its share of the marketing budget is getting bigger. Still, digital marketing professionals deal with some resistance, especially from small and medium companies from more traditional sectors and from businesses struggling with limited budgets for marketing and communication. Entrepreneurs and startup managers are expected to have a clear acknowledgement of digital marketing tools' benefits, which is confirmed in this study. However, budget constraints limit their willingness to spend money on digital marketing and to hire specialized personnel. This chapter provides valuable cues for digital marketing practitioners and companies that intend to approach startups.

Abstract

Abstract
The evolution of electricity markets towards local energy trading models, including peer-To-peer transactions, is bringing by multiple challenges for the involved players. In particular, small consumers, prosumers and generators, with no experience on participating in competitive energy markets, are not prepared for facing such an environment. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a decision support solution for small players negotiations in local transactions. The collaborative reinforcement learning concept is applied to combine different learning processes and reached an enhanced final decision for players actions in bilateral negotiations. The reinforcement learning process is based on the application of the Q-Learning algorithm; and the continuous combination of the different learning results applies and compares several collaborative learning algorithms, namely BEST-Q, Average (AVE)-Q; Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-Q, and Weighted Strategy Sharing (WSS)-Q and uses a model to aggregate these results. Results show that the collaborative learning process enables players' to correctly identify the negotiation strategy to apply in each moment, context and against each opponent. © 2019 IEEE.

Abstract
Social media are essentially changing the way firms communicate, create and collaborate in and for innovation. In this special issue introductory article, we take stock of the robust multi-faceted nature of research and practice at the intersection of social media (SM) and innovation. We introduce the nine papers included in this special issue and highlight the rich variety of their contribution with reference to our organising framework. Diagnosing from a strategic perspective, we position SM strategy in and for innovation as an overlapping interaction between dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, reconfiguration) and the level of stakeholder engagement (macro, meso, micro). We explain how each interaction holds distinctive synergy in an open and collaborative innovation process. This organising framework shows how the malleable nature of SM creates opportunities for firms to engage widely distributed knowledge sources, enhance innovation capabilities and empower internal human resources towards an open and collaborative culture. Yet, we warn that all is not as rosy as it seems and a purposeful and coherent strategy that delivers distinctive ‘co-ownership’ experiences is quintessential ingredient to realise profits from SM use in innovation.

Abstract
Medical training is an intricate and long process, which is compulsory to medical practice and often lasts up to twelve years for some specialties. Health stakeholders recognise that an adequate planning is crucial for health systems to deliver necessary care services. However, proper planning needs to account for complexity related with the setting of medical school vacancies and of residency programs, which are highly influenced by multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives and views, as well as by the specificities of medical training. Aiming at building comprehensive models with a potential to assist health decision-makers, this article develops a multi-methodological framework to assist the planning of medical training under such a complex environment. It combines the structuring of the objectives and specificities of the medical training problem with a Soft Systems Methodology through the CATWOE (Customer, Actor, Transformation, Weltanschauung, Owner, Environment) approach, and the formulation of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model that considers all relevant aspects. Considering the specificities of countries based on a National Health Service structure, a multi -objective planning model emerges, informing on how many vacancies should be opened/closed per year in medical schools and in each specialty. This model aims at (i) minimizing imbalances between medical demand and supply; (ii) minimizing costs; and (iii) maximizing equity across medical specialties. A case study in Portugal is explored so as to illustrate the applicability of the proposed multi-methodology, showing the relevance of proper structuring for planning models having the potential to inform health decision-makers and planners in practice.