Raquel Guiné, Ana Cristina Ferrão, Manuela Ferreira, Paula Correia, Ana Paula Cardoso, João Duarte, Ivana Rumbak, Abdel-Moneim Shehata, Elena Vittadini and Maria Papageorgiou
This study to investigate several issues related to food choice and consumption patterns in different countries, including health-related factors; economic and availability…
Abstract
Purpose
This study to investigate several issues related to food choice and consumption patterns in different countries, including health-related factors; economic and availability aspects; emotional determinants; social, cultural and religious influences; marketing and advertising campaigns; and finally environmental concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study was based on a questionnaire that was exclusively prepared for the project, and which was applied to collect data in different countries, in particular Croatia, Egypt, Italy, Greece and Portugal, which are typically associated with the Mediterranean diet (MD).
Findings
The results obtained allowed, in general, to conclude that in all five countries the motivations related to health as well as environment and politics were the more relevant to determine people’s eating habits (scores varying from 0.3 to 0.7). Women were more influenced by eating motivations than men, and people with moderate exercise were more susceptible to health and environmental motivations and less to emotional, social or marketing motivations (p < 0.001 in all cases). It was also observed that people who adopted a special diet were more prone to eating motivations and that the emotional motivations were more pronounced in people with eating disorders (p < 0.001). Finally, people without chronic diseases or allergies were even more influenced by health motivations than those who actually suffered from these health problems (p < 0.001 in both cases).
Originality/value
This work is important because of the multinational coverage, thus allowing to evaluate the most relevant factors that influenced the food choices of the populations around the Mediterranean Sea, sharing the common link to the MD. The study allowed concluding that, in general, the food choices were primarily determined by health factors and also by concerns related to the environment and sustainability as well as by political influences.
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Konstantinos Kontoangelos, Antonis Maillis, Maria Maltezou, Sofia Tsiori and Charalambos C. Papageorgiou
The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (di George syndrome) is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders. The clinical features of the syndrome are distinct facial appearance…
Abstract
The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (di George syndrome) is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders. The clinical features of the syndrome are distinct facial appearance, velopharyngeal insufficiency, conotruncal heart disease, parathyroid and immune dysfunction; however, little is known about possible neurodegenerative diseases. We describe the case of an 18-year old patient suffering from 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Since adolescence, he presented with behavioral disorders, recommended treatment with 2 mg aloperidin and he presented cervical dystonia and emergence of torticollis and trunk dystonia. Antipsychotic medications either accelerate or reveal dys-tonic symptoms.
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Maria Prodromou and George Papageorgiou
The purpose of this paper is to investigate aspects of organizational culture among the nursing staff of public mental health services organizations in Cyprus. Specifically…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate aspects of organizational culture among the nursing staff of public mental health services organizations in Cyprus. Specifically, highlights are provided of possible differences on the attitudes of nurses regarding actual and desired aspects of organizational culture with respect to demographic characteristics such as gender, years of service and experience.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive explanatory type survey study was conducted in all public mental health services organizations of Cyprus. Specifically, a questionnaire was given to a representative sample of the nursing population, and data were collected and analyzed. The survey questionnaire was based on the organizational culture profile (OCP) methodology. Statistical analysis was carried out using correlational analysis, t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Findings
Results showed that there are significant discrepancies between the actual organizational culture and what is desired by staff members of public mental health services organizations in Cyprus. Further, significant differences are identified between actual and desired organizational culture moderated by the type of work, which is determined by the workplace.
Originality/value
Even though, organizational culture is a major research topic little has been done in the context of public mental healthcare organizations. Further, for the case of Cyprus, it is the first time that such a study is carried out. The results presented in this paper may provide the foundation for measures to be taken for improving the existing operation of public mental healthcare organizations.
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Maria Socratous, Georgia Thrasyvoulou and Christiana Stylianou
This paper aims to explore how technological developments can position Cyprus at the forefront of sustainable tourism through the perspectives of key policymakers. It examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how technological developments can position Cyprus at the forefront of sustainable tourism through the perspectives of key policymakers. It examines the potential impacts, challenges and opportunities of integrating technological developments in the Cyprus tourism industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research methodology was employed, using a focus group comprising nine key policymakers from the tourism industry in Cyprus. A thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data.
Findings
The findings underscore significant challenges in implementing technological advancements in Cyprus, including the need for substantial investments, bureaucratic processes and reliance on outdated systems. However, there is a clear recognition of the importance of technological developments, with many innovative ideas being proposed to overcome obstacles and drive progress in sustainable tourism.
Originality/value
This paper provides a unique perspective by focusing on the role of technology in promoting sustainable tourism in Cyprus through the lens of key policymakers. Its value lies in exploring specific challenges and opportunities in integrating technology into the tourism sector, particularly within the context of a small island nation. The study offers practical solutions for overcoming barriers, emphasising the importance of stakeholder collaboration and investment in technological advancements to enhance Cyprus as a destination that has many aspects to offer in sustainable tourism.
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George Papageorgiou, Vasilios Loulis, Andreas Efstathiades and Alexander N. Ness
The decision to buy a holiday home depends on a number of social, cultural, economic and demographic factors. These factors are related to home and environmental characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
The decision to buy a holiday home depends on a number of social, cultural, economic and demographic factors. These factors are related to home and environmental characteristics as well as demographic characteristics of buyers. The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors that shape the decision to purchase a holiday home in Greece.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the results of a survey, involving a representative sample of potential buyers of holiday homes in Greece.
Findings
According to the research results, buying a holiday home in Greece is mainly an investment decision for the future and is determined by the value and characteristics of the house, the hidden costs and the factors that shape the external economic environment. (1) Further, the analysis has shown that there is a limited use of electronic channels in the real estate market in Greece with further potential of development.
Originality/value
The investigation focuses on the characteristics of the house, the variables of the external environment, (2) considering any obstacles or catalysts, such as the use of electronic channels. Even though similar studies have been conducted worldwide on the topic, very few have been carried out in Greece which lately has gone through major market changes.
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Maria Lichrou, Lisa O’Malley and Maurice Patterson
Strategic analyses of Mediterranean destinations have well documented the impacts of mass tourism, including high levels of seasonality and landscape degradation as a result of…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic analyses of Mediterranean destinations have well documented the impacts of mass tourism, including high levels of seasonality and landscape degradation as a result of the “anarchic” nature of tourism development in these destinations. The lack of a strategic framework is widely recognised in academic and popular discourse. What is often missing, however, is local voice and attention to the local particularities that have shaped the course of tourism development in these places. Focusing on narratives of people living and working in Santorini, Greece, this paper aims to examine tourism development as a particular cultural experience of development.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted narrative interviews with 22 local residents and entrepreneurs. Participants belonged to different occupational sectors and age groups. These are supplemented with secondary data, consisting of books, guides, documentaries and online news articles on Santorini.
Findings
The analysis and interpretation by the authors identify remembered, experienced and imagined phases of tourism development, which we label as romancing tourism, disenchantment and reimagining tourism.
Research limitations/implications
Professionalisation has certainly allowed the improvement of quality standards, but in transforming hosts into service providers, a distance and objectivity is created that results in a loss of authenticity. Authenticity is not just about what the tourists seek but also about what a place is or can be, and the “sense of place” that residents have and use in their everyday lives.
Social implications
Local narratives offer insights into the particularities of tourism development and the varied, contested and dynamic meanings of places. Place narratives can therefore be a useful tool in developing a reflexive and participative place-making process.
Originality/value
The study serves the understanding of how tourism, subject to the global-local relations, is a particular experience of development that shapes a place’s identity. The case of Santorini shows how place-making involves changing, multilayered desires and contradictory visions of tourism and development. This makes socio-cultural and environmental challenges hard to resolve. It is thus challenging to change the course of development, as various actors at the local level and beyond have diverse interests and interpretations of what is desirable for the place.
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Sarahit Castillo-Benancio, Aldo Alvarez-Risco, Flavio Morales-Ríos, Maria de las Mercedes Anderson-Seminario and Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales
In a pandemic framework (COVID-19), this chapter explores the impact of the global economy and socio-cultures concerning three axes: recreational, tourism, and hospitality…
Abstract
In a pandemic framework (COVID-19), this chapter explores the impact of the global economy and socio-cultures concerning three axes: recreational, tourism, and hospitality. Although we slowly see an economic revival, it is well known that this sector of study is very susceptible to being affected by the context of nations. Following restrictions and measures taken by governments around the world to reduce the number of cases of coronavirus infections, many nations closed their borders, affecting international travel and by 2020 tourism had been reduced to the near cessation of operations due to the imminent fear of this poorly studied disease, and the service sector was negatively affected. It should be added that, according to the World Tourism Organization's projections, a decrease of between 20 and 30% is forecast for 2020 compared to the previous year.
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Sadia Samar Ali, Rajbir Kaur and Jose Antonio Marmolejo Saucedo