The use of social media for improving energy consumption awareness and efficiency: An overview of existing tools

Raising consumers’ awareness of energy consumption is one of the first steps in encouraging the adoption of energy saving behaviours that result in energy efficiency. Green information systems are becoming recognised as a solution to many environmental problems although information technology (e.g. disposal of IT devices) has also been associated with causing detrimental effects on the environment. Researchers and practitioners have begun to focus on Green ICT but there is little scholarly research on the use of ICT tools such as social media from an energy efficiency context to raise consumer awareness and improve their engagement in tackling environmental issues. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the use of social media and existing tools for the interaction of people on energy saving discussions and for generating awareness and engagement (which thereby leads to energy efficiency behaviour). In this paper the authors provide a state of the art review around the concept of energy awareness, models of consumer engagement, and more importantly the use of social media in the energy efficiency context. This research is based on a desk-based normative review and seeks to provide a better understanding to both scholars and practitioners involved in the use of ICT for driving energy consumer awareness and engagement for energy efficiency.This work evolved in the context of the project DAREED (Decision support Advisor for innovative business models and useR engagement for smart Energy Efficient Districts), www.dareed.eu, a project co-funded by the EC within FP7, Grant agreement no: 609082

Cross Border Collaboration: A Network Analysis of the Bilateral Collaborative Projects in the Case of Greece and Bulgaria

Although neighboring countries and both members of the EU, Greece and Bulgaria have very different social and economic environments in which entrepreneurial activities take place. At the same time, collaborative activities and research on economic and social cohesion and development between the organizations of Greece and Bulgaria is only minimal. In this empirical paper, we study the collaborative projects initiated by the organizations of the countries in order to understand the collaborative status of the two nations, their priorities and targets. Thus, we analyse the 34 research project proposals funded by the European Territorial Cooperation Program Greece-Bulgaria 2007-2013, (Interreg IV). Interreg IV is an EU initiative which aims to stimulate interregional cooperation in the EU between the years 2007-13. It is financed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This phase of the Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the EU, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Special emphasis has been placed on integrating remote regions and those which share external borders with the candidate countries. The eligible areas of the programme in the case of Greece and Bulgaria, contains seven Regional Units (former Prefectures) on the Greek side (Evros, Kavala, Xanthi, Rodopi, Drama, Thessaloniki and Serres) and four Districts on the Bulgarian side (Blagoevgrad, Smolyan, Kardjali, Haskovo), covering an area of 40.202 km2 and 2.812.236 inhabitants. In our work we performe a network analysis in order to examine data relevant to the project¢s priority axis, the number of the partners involved, the type of the partners and their nationality. Our analysis provides interesting results for the specific organizations, the conditions and the targets of the projects for which they choose to collaborate under the specific EU funded scheme. Furthermore, our research sheds light on the competences and the competitive advantages for the partner¢s selection process. Based on those results, our paper concludes by providing insights on the regional and organizational strategies for the internationalization and the development of bilateral collaboration between the organizations of the two countries that could contribute positively in responding to the current economic crisis in Greece

Methodology for Process Improvement Through Basic Components and Focusing on the Resistance to Change.

This paper describes a multi-model methodology that implements a smooth and continuous process improvement, depending on the organization's business goals and allowing users to establish their improvement implementation pace. The methodology focuses on basic process components known as ‘best practices’. Besides, it covers following the topics: knowledge management and change management. The methodology description and the results of a case study on project management process are included

Goal modelling for strategic dependency analysis in destination management

Purpose: The paper suggests goal modelling as a method for the strategic analysis in tourism destinations. Destination management is quite complex and challenging and requires deep understanding of the intentions, the roles and the strategies of the various stakeholders. Methods: This paper identifies the challenges and major issues of destination management, evaluates the capacity of goal modelling to address them and demonstrates the use of goal modelling for stakeholder and strategic analysis. Results: The paper provides a holistic, multi-level modelling approach that begins with stakeholder analysis, continues with the analysis of strategic dependencies between stakeholders and ends with the analysis of the strategic alignment of the Destination Management Systems. Goal modelling is used for the analysis of the roles and functions of stakeholders, the analysis of the interdependencies between stakeholders in terms of goals, tasks and resources, the selection between alternative business configurations, and the business model and strategic analysis. Implications: Three important issues of destination management are addressed: stakeholder analysis, strategic dependency analysis, and strategic alignment of information systems. The formalism of goal modelling can provide rigor and visualization in the analysis of the complex relationships in destination management

An analysis of bilateral project consortia in the case of Greece and Bulgaria

Interreg IV is an EU initiative financed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which aims to stimulate interregional cooperation in the EU between the years 2007–2013. In this empirical paper, we offer a first analytical view on the relations and the network developed through project partnerships within the European Territorial Cooperation Programme. Our aim is to discover and understand the collaborative status of cross border projects in the two countries with regard to their priorities and targets set in Programme Interreg IV: Greece–Bulgaria 2007–2013. In particular, we analyse the characteristics of 90 projects with 329 partners in order to examine data relevant to the project’s priority axis, the number of the partners involved, the type of the partners, etc. Our analysis provides insights on the regional and organizational strategies for the development of bilateral collaboration between the organizations of the two countries and for the successful development of future actions for the strengthening of cross border collaboration.INTERREG IV yra ES iniciatyva, finansuojama iš Europos regioninės plėtros fondų, kurių tikslas yra skatinti tarpregioninį bendradarbiavimą ES 2007–2013 m. laikotarpiu. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiamas empirinis tyrimas, kurio tikslas nustatyti įgyvendinant Europos teritorinio bendradarbiavimo programą susidariusius projekto partnerystės ryšius bei tinklus. Straipsnio tikslas – nustatyti bendradarbiavimo ryšius, susidariusius tarp Graikijos ir Bulgarijos įgyvendinant tarpregioninius projektus, atsižvelgiant į jų prioritetus ir tikslus, nustatytus programoje INTERREG IV 2007–2013 m. laikotarpiui. Pagrindinis dėmesys straipsnyje yra skiriamas 90 projektų ir 329 partnerių charakteristikų analizei, siekiant išnagrinėti duomenis, susijusius su projektų prioritetinėmis kryptimis, partnerių skaičiumi, partnerių tipu ir kt. Atlikta analizė leidžia visapusiškiau pažvelgti į regionines ir organizacines strategijas, skirtas bendradarbiavimui tarp dviejų šalių institucijų stiprinti, bei numatyti jų būsimo glaudesnio bendradarbiavimo priemones

International and cross-border entrepreneurship : the case of greece and Bulgaria

Greece and Bulgaria have very different social and economic environments for entrepreneurship. In this empirical paper we use quantitative data in order to analyse the structure of the cross-border entrepreneurial and investment activities between the two countries in order to reveal the direction, the spatial concentration and the sectoral dissemination of entrepreneurial activities. Our analysis includes data relevant to the existing cross-border activities of firms, joint ventures, public-private partnerships and other forms of formal collaboration and provides interesting results on the regional and organisational strategies for the internationalisation and development of bilateral collaboration between the organisations of the two countries.Graikijos ir Bulgarijos socialinė ir ekonominė verslumo aplinka labai skirtinga. Šiame empiriniame darbe naudojame kiekybinius duomenis, siekdami išanalizuoti tarpvalstybinę dviejų šalių verslumo ir investicinės veiklos struktūrą ir atskleisti verslo veiklos kryptį, erdvinę koncentraciją ir struktūrinę sklaidą. Analizėje naudojami įmonių ir bendrijų tarptautinės veiklos, viešojo ir privačiojo sektoriaus partnerystės bei kitų formalių bendradarbiavimo formų duomenys. Rezultatai pateikia įdomią informaciją apie regionines ir organizacines internacionalizavimo ir dvišalio šių dviejų šalių organizacijų bendradarbiavimo strategijas