Employee Education, Information and Communication Technology, Workplace Organization and Trade: A Comparative Analysis of Greek and Swiss Enterprises

This paper aims at investigating empirically at the firm level the effect of the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT), and also of two other factors, the adoption of new forms of workplace organization and trade (export) activities, on the demand for employees with different levels of (vocational) education. The study is based on firm-level data collected through a common questionnaire from firms' samples of similar composition (concerning firm sizes and industries) in Greece and Switzerland; from these data econometric models of similar specification have been constructed for both countries. The results of multivariate analysis show that the intensive use of ICT correlates positively with the employment shares of high-educated personnel and negatively with the ones of the loweducated personnel. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of skill-biased technical change. Further, the intensive use of employee voice-oriented organizational practices correlates positively with the employment shares of high-educated employees in both countries, and also negatively with the employment share of low-educated ones only for the Swiss firms. The results for the work design organizational practices are more ambiguous. Thus, there is only partial confirmation of the hypothesis of skilled-biased organizational change. Finally, we found some evidence in favour of the trade effect (export activities) only for the Swiss firms. Our results show both similarities and differences in the above aspects between Greece and Switzerland and indicate that national context characteristics affect the relationship of the demand for employees with different levels of (vocational) education with ICT use, adoption of new forms of workplace organization and trade

A conceptual framework for the adoption of big data analytics by e-commerce startups: a case-based approach

E-commerce start-ups have ventured into emerging economies and are growing at a significantly faster pace. Big data has acted like a catalyst in their growth story. Big data analytics (BDA) has attracted e-commerce firms to invest in the tools and gain cutting edge over their competitors. The process of adoption of these BDA tools by e-commerce start-ups has been an area of interest as successful adoption would lead to better results. The present study aims to develop an interpretive structural model (ISM) which would act as a framework for efficient implementation of BDA. The study uses hybrid multi criteria decision making processes to develop the framework and test the same using a real-life case study. Systematic review of literature and discussion with experts resulted in exploring 11 enablers of adoption of BDA tools. Primary data collection was done from industry experts to develop an ISM framework and fuzzy MICMAC analysis is used to categorize the enablers of the adoption process. The framework is then tested by using a case study. Thematic clustering is performed to develop a simple ISM framework followed by fuzzy analytical network process (ANP) to discuss the association and ranking of enablers. The results indicate that access to relevant data forms the base of the framework and would act as the strongest enabler in the adoption process while the company rates technical skillset of employees as the most important enabler. It was also found that there is a positive correlation between the ranking of enablers emerging out of ISM and ANP. The framework helps in simplifying the strategies any e-commerce company would follow to adopt BDA in future. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Are ICT, Workplace Organization and Human Capital Relevant for Innovation? A Comparative Study Based on Swiss and Greek Micro Data

This paper investigates the relationship between indicators for the intensity of use of ICT (examining three different types of ICT widely used in firms: internal, e-sales, e-procurement IS), several forms of workplace organization, and human capital on one hand, and several measures of innovation performance at firm level on the other hand, in an innovation equation framework, in which was also controlled for standard innovation determinants such as demand, competition and firm size. The empirical part is based on data of Swiss and Greek firms. This paper contributes to literature in three ways: first, it analyzes three important factors, i.e. information technology, workplace organization and human capital, which are considered to be drivers of innovation performance particularly in the last fifteen to twenty years, in the same setting, it uses several innovation indicators that cover both the input and the output side of the innovation process and, third, it does the analysis in a comparative setting for two countries, Greece and Switzerland, with quite different levels of technological and economic development

Volatile constituents of pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) Aiton fil Cultivated in Greece

A hydrodistilled oil from the flowers of Pittosporum tobira cultivated in the Attica region of Greece, was subjected to GC/MS analysis. Forty-five constituents were identified from the oil. The main constituents were nonane (14.3%), undecane (8.6%), α-pinene (7.3%), myrcene (6.1%), (E)-nerolidol (4.9%), (E)-β-ocimene (4.4%) and viridiflorol (4.3%). © 2005, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved

Chemical composition of alkanna orientalis from Greece

The chemical composition of fresh aerial parts oil of alkanna orientalis (l.) boiss. Was examined by gc and gc/ms. Twenty-eight components were identified representing 98.1% of the total oil. The main components were β-eudesmol (36.9%), α-eudesmol (16.3%) and γ-eudesmol (14.1%). © 2008, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved

Statistical Analysis of Essential Oil Percentage Composition of Coridothymus capitatus Reichb. f. and Satureja thymbra L.

The quantitative chemical composition of Coridothymus capitatus Reichb. f. and of Satureja thymhra L. from different sampling areas of Greece was analyzed satistically. An analysis of variance was performed to investigate the possibility of differences in constituent concentrations in oils obtained from plants of different origins. Also cluster analysis was performed and correlation and multiple correlation coefficients were obtained to investigate groupings or relationships among the oil constituents. The results showed many significant correlations between different constituents of both plant species. In the same plants a multiple correlation between terpenes, alcohols and single components was found. Satureja thymbra samples could be separated in groups in relation to their sampling area. β-Caryophyllene showed significant differences between the sampling area for both plant species. © 1992 Allured Publishing Corp