An examination of the appropriateness of the contemporary strategic management models for the Greek small manufacturing enterprises

The starting point of the project was the observation that strategic management is absent in small businesses. The first objective of the project was to examine the reasons causing this situation in Greece, the second one, to examine the appropriateness of the contemporary models of strategic planning for the Greek S.M.E.s, and the third to examine the appropriateness of the alternative approaches to strategic management for the Greek S.M.E.s. The term appropriateness includes (a) the ability of managers to use the models and (b) the ability of the models to assist the managers. The results of the research indicate that none of the two above conditions exists, hence, it is suggested that the contemporary models of strategic management are inappropriate for the Greek S.M.E.s. Many previous research projects on the topic suggest that since the strategic decision making process in S.M.E.s is informal, the whole process is absent or ineffective. Current trends in S.M.E.s' strategic management do not consider the informality of the strategic decision making process as a kind of managerial illness, but as a managerial characteristic. The use of sophisticated data collection and analytical methods does not indicate successful strategic decisions, but it indicates the method large firms use to manage their strategy. According to the literature review, the S.M.E.s' managers avoid the use of the contemporary models of strategic management, because they do not have the knowledge, the resources or the time. Another thesis, expressed by some firms' specialists, suggests that small firms are different from large ones, hence their practice of strategic management should not follow the large firm's prototypes

Improvement Axons for Ardas Cultural Festival in Evros, Greece, based on attendees perceptions

Festivals provide not only the hosting community but the wider destination area as well, with many benefits. In consequence they have gained increasing attention in the prism of tourism growth. The most popular festival in Evros prefecture in the Thrace region (Northern Greece) is Ardas festival which takes place annually near the banks of the Ardas River and is known as “Festival Arda: youth gathering”. In the highly competitive tourism market, festival organizers need to keep their customers satisfied in order to maintain and increase their market share. To accomplish this task, festival organizers must understand the visitors’ behaviour and intentions and formulate their strategy accordingly. In this context, this study aims to examine the current status of Ardas Festival based on attendees perceptions and, secondly to propose a segmentation of the attendees market, based on their overall visiting experience as well as the degree of their satisfaction. quantitative research study was conducted on the premises of Ardas festival .The questionnaire developed specifically for this purpose. It includes the following areas of improvement which were generated based on a prior qualitative study. The quantitative research obtained a sample of 410 visitors attending the festival. Statistical analysis included classical descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and cross-tabulation tests. Results showed that all statements were considered important for attendees of the festival (MS>3.51), with cleanness being the most important (MS=4.53) and the increase of the number of Balkan countries bands the least (MS= 3.62). Three clusters (n1=116; n2=146; n3=140) were produced based on the points of development as well as visitors’ satisfaction and impression. Results also showed that clusters were statistically significantly different regarding gender, marital status, education, occupation, and net individual monthly income. Results of the research can be a valuable input for the Ardas festival organizers. The findings can contribute to the success of the festival by satisfying the visitors and consequently increasing retention rate and loyaltyFestival, tourism, destination marketing, improvement axons, consumer’s behaviour, marketing, Greece

Cement leakage in a symptomatic vertebral hemangioma: a case report and review of the literature

We present the case of a 50-year-old male with consistent back pain, not resolving with conservative treatment. Plain radiograms demonstrated a lytic lesion at the level of the 8th thoracic vertebra. Thorough examination with computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hemangioma extending to the posterior third of the vertebral body, compressing the spinal cord at the level of 8th thoracic vertebra. A percutaneous vertebroplasty was performed. The post-operative computerized tomography scan demonstrated cement leakage. After thorough cement removal combined with extensive decompression and posterior stabilization, the patient reported gradual improvement of his symptoms and was able to return successfully to his work a few months later

Assessment of Bone Mineral Density in Male Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by DXA and Quantitative Computed Tomography

The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence of osteoporosis in male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and to compare the diagnostic abilities of the above methods. Thirty-seven male patients with established COPD were examined with DXA and standard QCT in lumbar spine, including L1, L2, and L3 vertebrae. T-scores and bone mineral density values were calculated by DXA and QCT method, respectively. Comparative assessment of the findings was performed and statistical analysis was applied. QCT measurements found more COPD patients with impaired bone mineral density compared to DXA, namely, 13 (35.1%) versus 12 (32.4%) patients with osteopenia and 16 (43.2%) versus 9 (16.2%) patients with osteoporosis (p=0.04). More vertebrae were found with osteoporosis by QCT compared to DXA (p=0.03). The prevalence of osteoporosis among male patients with COPD is increased and DXA may underestimate this risk. QCT measurements have an improved discriminating ability to identify low BMD compared to DXA measurements because QCT is able to overcome diagnostic pitfalls including aortic calcifications and degenerative spinal osteophytes

Change and risk management roadmap towards higher education quality

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><i><strong>Purpose: </strong>Change and risk management is gaining increasing importance in the higher education sector mainly due to the fact that this educational environment is a complex system, which is characterized by the low level of predictability, innovation and manageability. Nevertheless, all students merit access to a high quality education that empowers them to thrive. Academics and administrators face situations such as increased workload, uncertain funding, greater competition, and globalization. These challenges are forcing Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to examine their governance and consider how they might set themselves up to better adapt to a rapidly changing market.</i></p><p><i><strong>Methods: </strong>If we assume that each HEI is an open social system and not a static organization, this leads us to the study of ΗΕΙs' change management process, a topic that has yet to be explored in depth. This implies that change initiatives associated with human behavior are not well understood. Research reveals the majority of change initiatives in HEIs fail due to lack of planning prior to the commencement of a change, the misconception that off-the-shelf solutions will work and lack of sensitivity towards those who are rejecting or resisting the change. Driven by limited research in this domain and misfits of existing change management approaches, we focus on building a roadmap for a plug and play solution in a complex learning environment. This proactive solution contains principles for the implementation of effective change for improvement.</i></p><p><i><strong>Results: </strong>In this respect, we identify four drivers of educational change namely macro, micro, individual and operational drivers. Specifically, we combine strategic planning frameworks in terms of PEST and SWOT analyses for the macro and micro drivers based on literature review and analysis from Artificial Intelligence tool. Then, we address individual drivers with a set of "What's In It For Me" (WIIFM) questions. This aims to capture the multi-dimensional depth of educational change considering students, academics and administrators in order to help in change quantification. The operational drivers derive from the process approach concept supported by an implementation example. Considering the fact that change usually represents a calculated risk, we develop a risk roadmap to filter the findings and implement change.</i></p><p><i><strong>Implications: </strong>Change initiatives need a consistency of approach and simply sharing a vision for the future is often not enough to motivate change. The purpose of this paper is to assist policy-makers and educational managers in formulating sound change management programs based on risk management. In addition, it builds a change-awareness culture reflecting on how to avoid behavioral pitfalls, it improves educational quality with knowledge management and prevents setting unrealistic targets that can expose HEIs under pressure and risk.</i></p><p>SUBMITTED: NOVEMBER 2022, REVISION SUBMITTED: JANUARY 2023, ACCEPTED: MARCH 2023, REFEREED ANONYMOUSLY, PUBLISHED ONLINE: 31 JULY 2023</p&gt

Assessing the Security of Buildings: A Virtual Studio Solution

ABSTRACT This paper presents an innovative IT solution, a virtual studio, enabling security professionals to formulate, test and adjust security measures to enhance the security of critical buildings. The concept is to virtualize the environment, enabling experts to examine and assess and improve on a building's security in a cost-effective and risk-free way. Our virtual studio solution makes use of the latest advances in computer graphics to reconstruct accurate blueprints as well as 3D representations of entire buildings in a very short timeframe. In addition, our solution enables the creation and simulation of multiple threat situations, allowing users to assess security procedures and various responses. Furthermore, we present a novel device, tailored to support collaborative security planning needs. Security experts from various disciplines evaluated our virtual studio solution, and their analysis is presented in this paper

Emerging applications and prospects of NFκB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides in managing respiratory diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have been a burden to society for an extended period. Currently, there are only preventative treatments in the form of mono- or multiple-drug therapy available to patients who need to utilize it daily. Hence, throughout the years there has been a substantial amount of research in understanding what causes inflammation in the context of these diseases. For example, the transcription factor NFκB has a pivotal role in causing chronic inflammation. Subsequent research has been exploring ways to block the activation of NFκB as a potential therapeutic strategy for many inflammatory diseases. One of the possible ways through which this is probable is the utilisation of decoy oligodeoxynucleotides, which are synthetic, short, single-stranded DNA fragments that mimic the consensus binding site of a targeted transcription factor, thereby functionally inactivating it. However, limitations to the implementation of decoy oligodeoxynucleotides include their rapid degradation by intracellular nucleases and the lack of targeted tissue specificity. An advantageous approach to overcome these limitations involves using nanoparticles as a vessel for drug delivery. In this review, all of those key elements will be explored as to how they come together as an application to treat chronic inflammation in respiratory diseases