Costas Drossos and George Markakis
Characterizes the well known set‐representation of fuzzy sets (Négotia‐Ralescu), as a P(X)‐valued Boolean, Dedekind cut, and at the same time generalizes it to general Boolean…
Abstract
Characterizes the well known set‐representation of fuzzy sets (Négotia‐Ralescu), as a P(X)‐valued Boolean, Dedekind cut, and at the same time generalizes it to general Boolean algebras. Uses the theory of Boolean powers and Boolean‐valued Dedekind cuts.
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Wendel Alex Castro Silva, Lucas Jose Ferreira, Vera L. Cançado and Cristiana Fernandes De Muylder
This study aims to examine the impact of investment in innovation, market structure and competitive position on the supermarket value chain in the USA.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of investment in innovation, market structure and competitive position on the supermarket value chain in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used secondary data from Economatica® for the period 2010–2020, encompassing 83 firms within the US supermarket value chain, resulting in 913 observations for each model covariate. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling, using the partial least squares (PLS) approach, using SMARTPLS® software.
Findings
The results indicate that both market structure and investment in innovation have a significant impact on a firm’s competitive position. Specifically, a more concentrated market structure is associated with a weaker competitive position, whereas higher levels of investment in innovation correspond to a stronger competitive position. However, no significant relationship was found between investment in innovation and market structure.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to the Economatica® database, from which this paper selected a sample of firms within the US supermarket value chain. This paper recommend future research to compare data from other countries or sectors. For the three-dimensional model, this paper used constructs with indicators of investment, performance and market concentration; however, this paper suggests incorporating additional variables to enhance the model’s robustness.
Practical implications
An analysis of market structure and its impact on competitive positioning offers valuable insights for managers regarding the strategic dimensions of the supermarket industry. Integrating the effects of investment in innovation into business strategies can enhance long-term economic benefits. Adopting a value chain perspective further facilitates the examination of market equilibrium and competitive positioning within the supermarket industry.
Social implications
The findings of this study can help prevent the adoption of misguided strategies that fail to foster business growth. By highlighting the significant impact of innovation on performance, while considering the competitive dynamics within the supermarket industry, the study provides a deeper understanding of the risks faced by various firms across the value chain and the dual nature of competition within the sector. Moreover, it reinforces the relevance of research on economic sustainability and supports the development of effective growth strategies for firms.
Originality/value
While most studies focus on hypotheses examining the relationships between innovation and competitive positioning or between innovation and market structure, this study introduces a three-dimensional model that uses structural equation modeling to test these interconnections simultaneously. Furthermore, it extends the analysis by incorporating the value chain as a central component, using a diverse sample of firms directly linked to the core operations of the supermarket industry.
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George Raounas, Dimitris Apostolidis, Constantinos Lefcaditis and Emmanuel Markakis
Most non-financial companies in Greece do not have an ERM function nor present one in their organizational charts. The enterprise risk management is still more theory than…
Abstract
Most non-financial companies in Greece do not have an ERM function nor present one in their organizational charts. The enterprise risk management is still more theory than practice even for companies that have embraced it so far, and in general the enterprise risk management seems to be at its infancy in Greece with only some prominent and mature organizations showing the way forward. The aim of this study is to provide some reflections about risk disclosure in annual reports and accounting practices in Greece. Although companies in Greece do seem reluctant to apply ERM, during last years, non-financial information demonstrated to emerge within financial statements and annual reports, giving a broader perspective to risk.
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Efstratios Loizou, Fotios Chatzitheodoridis, Anastasios Michailidis, Meropi Tsakiri and Giorgos Theodossiou
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and employment, it is important to identify their upward and downward linkages and interrelations with the other sectors of the economy.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this and capture such relations in the economy, a general equilibrium model is used. In specific, input–output (I–O) analysis is used and a model is specifically built for the Greek economy to examine in detail the energy sectors. Multiplier and linkage analysis is performed to assess their dynamics in terms of output, household income and employment.
Findings
Results indicate that the three energy sectors’ multipliers and elasticities, though are not ranking in the first places, are enough high indicating their strong linkages in the economy and their potentials to enhance the economy’s total output, employment and household income.
Research limitations/implications
Further disaggregation of the economy’s energy sectors is needed to make clearer the separation among renewable and non-renewable sector, to identify and compare the dynamics and contribution of each category in the economy. Additionally, an environmental I–O model would indicate consequences on the environment and not just pure economic benefits.
Practical implications
Through the analysis, it can be seen that energy sectors and secondary energy products have the ability to drive a country’s economic activity through exports and intersectoral linkages, even if it is not a crude petroleum producing economy. Thus, knowledge of the economic impacts of such sectors is a valuable information.
Originality/value
The current study provides significant information of an economy’s energy sectors regarding their ability to support economic activity and employment. A general equilibrium model is used, examining the whole economy, to assess direct and indirect interrelationships.
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Halim Baş and Bilal Coşan
Today, the need for renewable energy is rising steadily. Various steps are being taken by nations to address the rising need. The developments occurring in proportion to the…
Abstract
Today, the need for renewable energy is rising steadily. Various steps are being taken by nations to address the rising need. The developments occurring in proportion to the industrial structures and economic levels of the countries, these efforts, the political structure of the country, some established patterns from the past, and many other external factors affect the use of renewable energy and therefore sustainable development, which has been one of the most important agendas since the early 1990s. In this study, it is examined whether certain characteristics of the Scandinavian Welfare Model affect the background of this successful image of Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, which rank in the top three positions in both the Global Energy Innovation Index and the Sustainable Development Report. As a result, although the use of fossil fuels increases the ecological footprint in the Scandinavian countries, which are evaluated as in the rest of the world, continuing the principles of innovation, trust, equality, openness, and sustainability with determination, the Nordic approach has not departed from the welfare state principle compatible with its own codes, unlike the transformations experienced by other welfare regimes, and has become a distinctive factor.
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Alfonso Alfonsi and Maresa Berliri
This chapter, based on a sociological approach, addresses the ethical issues of surveillance research from the perspective of the profound transformations that science and…
Abstract
This chapter, based on a sociological approach, addresses the ethical issues of surveillance research from the perspective of the profound transformations that science and innovation are undergoing, as part of a broader shift from modern to post-modern society, affecting also other major social institutions (such as government, religion, family, and public administration). The change occurring in the science and technology system is characterised by diminishing authority, uncertainty about internal mechanisms and standards, and a declining and increasingly difficult access to resources. Such changes, also related to globalisation and new digital technologies, have transformed the way research is conducted and disseminated. Research is now more open and its results more easily accessible to citizens.
Scientific research is also put under increased public scrutiny, while, at the same time, public distrust and disaffection towards science is rising. In such a context, it is more important than ever to make sure that research activities are not compromised by fraudulent and unethical practices. The legitimate expectations of citizens to enjoy their rights, including the ability to protect their private sphere, are growing. Scientific and technological development is deeply interrelated with the widespread awareness of these rights and the possibility of exercising them, but it produces also new risks, while a widespread sense of insecurity increases. The digital revolution, while improving people’s quality of life, offers at the same time new opportunities for crime and terrorism, which in turn has produced a demand to strengthen security systems through increasingly advanced and intrusive surveillance technologies. Misconduct in the field of surveillance may not only undermine the quality of research, but also further impair society’s trust in research and science as well as in the State and its institutions.
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Argues the importance of foreign aid for industrial developmentprogrammes in Africa. Suggests desirable management and administrativeobjectives and outcomes of foreign aid for…
Abstract
Argues the importance of foreign aid for industrial development programmes in Africa. Suggests desirable management and administrative objectives and outcomes of foreign aid for industrial development in terms of discussion of the strategic adaptation to foreign aid culture and “tame” industrial development base in Africa. Argues that African countries should make effective use of foreign aid received from the developed countries. But for this to take place, African countries should examine foreign aid in terms of commodities that can be bought and sold. Suggests that foreign aid should be “project‐tied” and its implementation closely monitored. Discusses the effects of foreign aid on industrial development in Africa.
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The purpose of this article is to develop a critical and extended understanding of practices in organizations from a phenomenological point of view. It explores the relevance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to develop a critical and extended understanding of practices in organizations from a phenomenological point of view. It explores the relevance of Merleau-Ponty's advanced phenomenology and ontology for understanding the role of the lived body and the embodiment of practices and change in organizational lifeworlds.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the literature review and phenomenology, the role of embodied and relational dimension, the concept of an emergent and responsive “inter-practice” in organizations is developed systematically.
Findings
Based on the phenomenological and relational approach, the concept of (inter-)practice allows an extended more integral and processual understanding of the role of bodily and embodied practices in organizational lifeworlds as emerging events. The concept of inter-practice(ing) contributes to conceiving of new ways of approaching how responsive and improvisational practicing, related to change, coevolves within a multidimensional nexus of organizations.
Research limitations/implications
Specific theoretical and methodological implications for exploring and enacting relational practices as well as limitations are offered.
Practical implications
Some specific practical implications are provided that facilitate and enable embodied practices in organizational contexts.
Social implications
The responsive inter-practice is seen as embedded in sociality and social interactions and links to sociocultural and political as well as ethical dimensions are discussed.
Originality/value
By extending the existing discourse and using an embodied approach, the paper proposes a novel orientation for reinterpreting practice that allows explorations of the emergence and realization of alternative, ingenious and more suitable forms of practicing and change in organizations.
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George Koulierakis, Anastasia Dermatis, Nair-Tonia Vassilakou, Elpida Pavi, Dimitris Zavras and John Kyriopoulos
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key determinants of dietary choices of the Greek population during a period of financial austerity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key determinants of dietary choices of the Greek population during a period of financial austerity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from the 2016 “Health and Welfare” Greek national cross-sectional survey, in a representative sample of 2,003 individuals, were examined. The survey was conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews. Sociodemographic characteristics and diet knowledge were examined as potential determinants of four dietary behaviours (fruit, fish, red meat and fast food consumption).
Findings
Findings showed significant gender differences against men (64.4% were overweight and obese; 57.6% and 18.4% reported red meat and fast food consumption more than twice a week, respectively). Age and financial affordability were the most significant determinants of fruit consumption. Fish consumption was determined by age, financial affordability, and family status (unmarried, living with the parents). Gender, age, family status (unmarried, living alone), employment status (unemployed) and social support affected red meat consumption. Finally, factors influencing fast food consumption were gender, age and employment status (unemployed).
Originality/value
This research incorporates unique and original insight in the determinants of healthy dietary choices during the austerity measures in Greece. Findings could contribute to a better understanding of the main factors that influence healthy eating and help develop policies to encourage healthy dietary lifestyles for the general public.