Institutional Repository of Academic Research University of Macedonia
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A preliminary comparison study of teachers' resilience in Greece and Poland
No full textThis study aimed to assess the applicability of the Teachers' Resilience Scale (TRS) among Greek and Polish teachers and explore whether nationality and sociodemographic factors influence teachers' engagement with resilience protective factors. A total of 1622 teachers participated, providing TRS responses and sociodemographic information. Greek and Polish teachers exhibited similar assessments of protective factors, except for Social Competence and Peer Support, where Greek teachers scored higher. Greek teachers also reported higher overall resilience scores than Polish teachers. Gender differences were observed, with women scoring higher in Personal Competencies and Persistence than men. Marital status influenced Social Skills and Peer Support and Family Cohesion, favoring those married and/or in relationships. Additionally, teachers in primary and secondary education reported higher scores in Personal Competencies and Persistence compared to kindergarten teachers. These findings contribute to understanding how individuals and social groups, despite facing diverse adversities, tend to employ similar strategies to bolster and safeguard their resilience.6151808182
The short-term impact of a referendum on motor vehicle collisions casualties
No full textObjective: A referendum took place in Greece on the 5th of July 2015 to decide whether the suggested bailout would be accepted. Since this was the first one since 1974, the period between the referendum and the subsequent national elections was characterized by increased uncertainty and had spillover effects in many aspects of everyday life. We take advantage of this quasi-experiment to investigate the short-term impact of the referendum on vehicle collisions casualties. Methods: We use data from the daily number of injuries and fatalities caused by vehicle collisions in 2015 and employ a difference-in-differences approach, comparing trends before and after the referendum. Results: We reveal that the referendum had a short-term impact on road traffic casualties (4.14 more casualties per day), compared to what would have been expected in the absence of the referendum. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that negative emotions and anxiety, due to uncertainty, could promote dangerous driving behavior. Preventive and traffic control measures may need to be considered by policy makers during periods of uncertainty.251656
Higher education students using GenAI tools to design websites
No full textGenerative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools have the potential to revolutionize education. However, there is limited research of empirical studies on university students’ uses and experiences with GenAI tools. This study investigates the views of university students regarding Wix AI and ChatGPT after they have used these tools for website design and development. The students evaluated the user experience, and the quality of both Wix AI and ChatGPT as well as of their responses. They mostly appreciated ChatGPT’s easy-of-use, fast
and useful responses. They also believed that both tools are interesting and helpful. However, they disliked their unoriginal and occasionally inaccurate, fabricated responses. Furthermore, they highlighted more advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, obstacles, and risks associated with using Wix AI and ChatGPT for website design and development. Finally, the study provides recommendations to students, GenAI developers, and educational institutions with regards to the use of GenAI tools in education
A Large Language Model Agent Based Legal Assistant for Governance Applications
No full textLarge Language Models (LLMs) have gained significant traction, primarily due to their potential disruptive influence across industries reliant on natural language processing . Governance stands out as one such sector. Notably, there has been a surge in research activity surrounding the implications of LLMs in deciphering complex legal corpora. This research offers substantial assistance to various stakeholders, including decision-makers, administrators, and citizens. This article focuses on the design and implementation of an LLM-based legal assistant tailored for interacting with legal resources. To achieve this, a real-world scenario has been chosen, incorporating models GPT3.5 and GPT4 as the LLMs, a well-defined legal corpus comprising European Union (EU) legislation and case law concerning the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), alongside a series of reference legal queries of varying complexity. Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) as well as agent methodologies are employed to seamlessly integrate the LLMs’ functionalities with the customized dataset. The results appear to be promising, as the system managed to correctly address the majority of the legal queries, though with variable precision. Expectantly, the complexity of the queries severely impacted the quality of the outcome.14841 LNCS286301Electronic Governmen
A Case Study in Building 2D Maps with Robots
No full textIn this paper, the authors are doing experimental work on generating 2D maps using the Agilex Scout Mini to utilize Pepper as an autonomous robot for guiding individuals within their university. This necessity arises from the lack of environmental data required for Pepper’s navigation. Accurate and detailed maps are important for Pepper to orient itself effectively and provide reliable guidance. This process involves equipping Pepper to explore and document the university’s physical layout, enabling autonomous movement and precise assistance for people. Key considerations include determining potential issues when using the two robots, the Scout with LiDAR and Pepper with Sonar, for map generation. Selecting an appropriate algorithm for noise reduction in the mapping points is a key feature for ensuring high-quality maps.2228235Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotic
Elucidating the Gap between Green Attitudes, Intentions, and Behavior through the Prism of Greenwashing Concerns
No full textRecent advancements in research on green marketing indicate that green marketing strategies have a notable impact on consumers’ attitudes, intentions, and behavior. However, despite consumers expressing environmental concerns and holding positive attitudes toward green initiatives, their enthusiasm is not consistently translated into actual purchase intentions and green purchases, revealing a noticeable gap between attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. To date, the drivers contributing to this gap have been narrowly investigated, particularly focusing on consumers’ growing apprehensions about greenwashing. Based on an integrated framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and green purchase behavior (GPB), the present study probes the conditional indirect effect of consumers’ attitudes toward green purchases on green purchase behavior through their purchase intentions that are moderated by greenwashing concerns. An online survey with 364 participants indicates that purchase intentions mediate the relationship between attitudes and green product purchase behavior. Attitude toward green products in high (compared to low) levels of greenwashing concerns seems to have a significantly less positive effect on green purchase intention and in turn on green purchase behavior.1612510
Can I regulate the work-from-home to balance my life? An empirical investigation of female employees in the Greek financial sector
No full textThe aim of the study is to offer novel perspectives into the emerging line of research on the effects of work-from-home on work-life-balance by considering the construct of regulatory focus as a mediating variable. According to data collected from 287 female employees in the Greek financial sector, work-from-home negatively affects their work-life-balance. However, the regulatory focus of female employees mediates these outcomes, allowing a promotion focus to help them manage their work obligations and leading to a better work-life-balance compared to those with a prevention focus. The study results contribute to the existing literature by adding research outcomes from the Greek financial sector, shedding light on issues of gender diversity within the context of telework, and expanding the role of regulatory focus as a mediator in the relationship between work-from-home and work-life-balance. The study also provides new implications for ongoing work-from-home tenets and illustrates implications for future research.16449251
Extrovert integrated management systems
No full textThe purpose of this research is two-fold; firstly, to propose and test a measuring instrument for the efficient and effective integration of management systems (MS), identifying the particular aspects that may distinguish the substantive (internalized) from the superficial (ceremonial) integration, and, secondly, to propose and test a scale for corporate sustainability performance (CSP).A literature review has identified pertinent variables and yielded relevant measuring items. A field survey has been conducted. The survey instrument has been administered to Greek organizations certified to two or more management system standards. Collected data from 280 respondents has been processed using exploratory factor analysis.Internalization has been identified as the main construct to interpret substantial MS integration in terms of resources and the extent of integration. The extracted internalization factors are human resources, strategic resources, information systems, integration tools, outsourcing, internal processes integration level and audits' integration level. CSP has been operationalized in terms of the company’s relationships with its stakeholders. The extracted CSP factors are customer-supplier relationship, the employees, investors/shareholders, financial institutions, the environment, state and society.This research’ findings can be used by management professionals, certification bodies and governmental authorities in order to foster the implementation of multiple management systems and highlight the critical issues for their successful integration and internalization, which is imperative for their prosperity and contribution towards corporate sustainability performance (CSP). Practitioners are also provided with an instrument to monitor CSP through the company’s relationships with its stakeholders toward satisfaction of their needs.To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first empirical study on the internalization of integrated management systems. In addition, the development of a CSP scale intends to bring together corporate sustainability management with corporate sustainability performance.3671880189
How Blockchain and the Metaverse Can Transform the E-Commerce Domain
No full textIn this research study, the intersection of cutting-edge technologies in the disciplines of the Metaverse, Blockchain, and e-commerce is explored. We present a pilot novel application that blends the advantages of Blockchain smart contracts with the Metaverse’s virtual worlds. To prove that it is feasible and effective for any digital enterprises who wish to build their virtual e-commerce presence, we have built Metaverse virtual world objects. Our application uses the Blockchain’s smart contract capabilities to enable users to create and manage unique digital assets, such as virtual homes and objects in the Metaverse. Additionally, it introduces a supply ceiling mechanism in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) with scarcity and value. This innovative integration opens new possibilities for businesses and individuals seeking to participate in the Metaverse economy while ensuring the authenticity and scarcity of digital assets. This research demonstrates the potential of combining these technologies to reshape the landscape of e-commerce within virtual environments.1002111120Proceedings of Ninth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology (ICICT 2024
Women as cultural agents: Double coloniality, gender and diasporic memories of ethnic Greek Georgian women
No full textIn 2021, the world commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the Cold War, a half-century of ideological rivalry and divisions that left few societies untouched. ‘Cold War state of mind’, as the title of the book of Matthew Dune stated, with the primacy it gave to nation-states, overlooked issues of not belonging in dominant majorities and hegemonic cultures, for example, ethnic minorities and diasporas. In this framework, Greek-speaking communities in the former Soviet Union seemed to draw from their cultural background to become rooted in the Soviet ethnic mosaic but also to increase their social capital which in the 1990s turned to an important transnational value due to the migrant flows from Georgia to Greece. This article follows the life stories of two ethnic Greek women over the time of three decades through their memories since the 1980s, from the Black Sea region to Greece, to discuss how they address the post-socialist demand for an integration to the free market and how their double coloniality as Soviet and diasporic subjects interweaves with this demand.11