Strategic planning and decision support in small-medium wood enterprises using database technology

As the enterprise management plays vital role in the overall performance of a company, it is recognized the need for application of quality improvement tools and techniques such as database technology. A DataBase Management System (DBMS) is an IT application, which contains information about the company in various levels. Enterprises can use DBMS to plan and standardize their practices and increase overall efficiency in the company. It is an essential management tool for Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because in such companies the entrepreneur-owner is personally responsible for managing the activities of the company without being an expert. This modern information technology tool is the basis of the application of marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the internet. The purpose of this paper is to explore how implementation of modern information technology tools, such as DBMS, simplifies SME management. That DBMS design approach can be a useful tool while designing similar applications in SME in wood sector and also in various issues in primary and secondary production sector

Internet functions in marketing: multicriteria ranking of agricultural SMEs websites in Greece

Δημοσιεύσεις μελών--ΣΔΟ--Τμήμα Λογιστικής, 2013The invasion of new technologies combined with the high cost for running shop force enterprises to search for new sales methods. Network applications and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) can help achieve e-commerce goals. In Greece, many enterprises in the agro-food and drink sectors are already present on the internet. This paper studies the adoption of e-commerce on websites that support e-commerce activities within the agro-food and drink sectors. Therefore, the paper aims to identify and evaluate their qualitative and quantitative content characteristics, rank them according to 6 content characteristics/criteria using the multicriteria method of PROMETHEE II and classify them in groups of similar adoption. The findings of this study reveal the rate of adoption of e-commerce in the sectors and can serve as a valuable model for the designers of websites that promote e-commerce activities within the wider areas of food and drinks

Consumers' behaviour towards food promoting methods

Target: Expanding and counting of the consumers’ purchasing behaviour concerning food promoting methods. There is a proposed model which analyses the relation, taking into account the educational level, age, sex, income of the consumers’ and the use of the internet in buying products. Methodology: Qualitative and Quantitative research. The qualitative research took place in three focus groups of fifty people. The sample of the quantitative research came of a random selection in two stages. There were 680 questionnaires with personal interviews. The data was analyzed with the methods of descriptive statistics. Moreover the value climax of Schwartz was used, as well as the model of attitude-behaviour of Eagly and Chaiken as a basic model of constructing attitudes for purchasing through the internet. For a better approach and understanding of the results of the model attitude-behaviour of Eagly and Chaiken a series of interpreting tools was used which is the analysis of predicted behavior of Ajzen as well as the value theory of Bilsky. Results: For the consumers the basic way of purchasing products, including all promoting actions existed, is still the store. However, it appears that purchasing through the internet is getting more and more popular, particularly among people aged 15-45 with an average income and advanced educational level. Though that seems the case, everybody agrees that the safety of the system concerning internet transactions has not been fully guaranteed yet. Taking into account now the promoting methods the consumers seem to be really interested in the sample free of various food products. Other promoting methods, equally important, are the extra product in the same package, discount coupons and various offers of that very product or of others offered for free.Στόχος: Η διερεύνηση και η μέτρηση της αγοραστικής συμπεριφοράς των καταναλωτών σε μεθόδους προώθησης τροφίμων. Η δημιουργία προφίλ καταναλωτών. Πρόταση μοντέλου στο οποίο να αναλύεται η σχέση μεταξύ μορφωτικού επιπέδου, ηλικίας, φύλου, εισοδήματος καταναλωτών και χρήση διαδικτύου για αγορές τροφίμων. Μεθοδολογία: Ποιοτική και ποσοτική έρευνα. Η ποιοτική έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε σε τρεις ομάδες εστίασης συνολικά πενήντα καταναλωτών. Το δείγμα της ποσοτικής έρευνας προήλθε από τυχαία στρωματοποιημένη δειγματοληψία δύο σταδίων. Συλλέχθηκαν 680 ερωτηματολόγια με προσωπικές συνεντεύξεις. Τα δεδομένα αναλύθηκαν με μεθόδους της περιγραφικής στατιστικής. Επιπλέον χρησιμοποιήθηκε η κλίμακα αξιών του Schwartz και το μοντέλο στάσεων-συμπεριφορών των Eagly και Chaiken, ως βασικό μοντέλο της δομής των στάσεων, για την ανάλυση των στάσεων των καταναλωτών για αγορά τροφίμων μέσου διαδικτύου. Για καλύτερη κατανόηση και ερμηνεία των αποτελεσμάτων του μοντέλου στάσεων-συμπεριφορών των Eagly και Chaiken επίσης χρησιμοποιήθηκαν μία σειρά ερμηνευτικών εργαλείων τα οποία είναι η ανάλυση της προβλεπόμενης συμπεριφοράς του Ajzen και η θεωρία των αξιών του Bilsky. Αποτελέσματα: Ο βασικός τρόπος αγορών τροφίμων με όλες τις προωθητικές ενέργειες που μπορεί σε εκείνον να υπάρξουν εξακολουθεί να είναι για τους καταναλωτές το κατάστημα. Ωστόσο φαίνεται ότι κερδίζει σημαντικό έδαφος η επιλογή τρόπου αγοράς και σύγχρονης μεθόδου προώθησης εκείνη του διαδικτύου. Ιδιαίτερα σε ηλικίες 15-45 ετών μεσαίας εισοδηματικής τάξης και με μορφωτικό επίπεδο καταναλωτών που έχει ολοκληρώσει ή πρόκειται να ολοκληρώσει την τριτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση παρατηρούνται αγορές τροφίμων μέσω διαδικτύου. Παρόλα αυτά όλοι συμφωνούν ότι δεν έχει ολοκληρωθεί ένα σύστημα τέτοιο που να διασφαλίζει εξολοκλήρου την ασφάλεια των συναλλαγών. Σε ότι αφορά τους μεθόδους προώθησης που επιλέγουν οι καταναλωτές για αγορά τροφίμων φαίνεται ότι η πλειοψηφία των καταναλωτών ενδιαφέρονται για το δείγμα δωρεάν των τροφίμων. Άλλες προωθητικές ενέργειες οι οποίες θεωρούνται εξίσου σημαντικές για εκείνους είναι το επιπλέον προϊόν που προσφέρεται στην συσκευασία του τροφίμου, ακολούθως τα εκπτωτικά κουπόνια και οι προσφορές του ίδιου ή διαφορετικού τροφίμου που προσφέρεται δωρεάν

Green products: digital marketing and consumer behavior for sustainability

The main objective of the current study is to present the potential of digital marketing for green products and especially, to contribute on knowledge regarding the factors that affect online consumer behavior towards green sustainable products. Moreover, the primary research is going to identify the most important factors during the online shopping process, as well as, the existence of statistically significant relationships between the variables of the research and specifically the intention to buy online green products, the factors of perceived value (quality, emotional, price and social), the brand consciousness of customers and consumers’ attitude toward green products. A primary quantitative research has been conducted in order to answer on specific research hypothesis that have been stated in the methodology chapter. The main findings of the research illustrate that there are positive relationships between the intention to buy online green sustainable products, the factors of perceived value (quality, emotional, price and social), the brand consciousness of online customers and consumers’ attitude toward green products, and with some of the demographic variables

Innovative Sustainable Tourism Development and Entrepreneurship through Sports Events

Innovation and the development of new services are important strategic features to ensure the growth and sustainable wealth for industries where customers have many choices, as is the case in tourism sector. In this context, the present research comes to connect the local sustainable tourism development with the sporting events, and to come up with relevant proposals for the reference area, but also for their generalization in the whole tourist areas. Based on the research purpose, a quantitative research was conducted on a sample of 448 residents, randomly selected from a sampling frame. Several scales from previous studies were used to collect primary data, and they were adapted according to the research purpose. Research findings indicate that the acceptance of sustainable tourism development through sports can be predicted by several variables, such as the economic impact (b = 0.343), residents’ attitude towards sports events (b = 0.287), and citizens’ tendency to entrepreneurship (b = 0.113). Additionally, sports events affect the tendency of citizens towards entrepreneurship (r = 0.519, p < 0.01). In conclusion, the impact of sports events is multiple, and it affects many aspects of a tourism destination, and the effect of sports events on the destination is connected with the tendency of citizens towards entrepreneurship related to sports events