Institutional Repository of Academic Research University of Macedonia
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2215 research outputs found
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The fine line between ESG commitment and bank performance
No full textThe paper explores the implications of banks committing to an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda on their operations and performance. Given the resource and operational requirements needed to support ESG-related initiatives and outcomes, we assess the level of operational distortion for banks with similar ESG profiles, identifying distinct classification groups. We find that higher levels of ESG commitment are associated with higher levels of distortion in bank operations. Further analysis reveals that this distortion in operations interferes with banks' management of assets and liabilities, ultimately affecting bank performance. We show that operating expenses increase with the level of ESG commitment, without a corresponding response in shareholder returns. We also find that, despite the importance of banking in financing brown industries, dropping the Environmental pillar has a negligible effect on our analysis, raising concerns about the informational value of the pillar. We conclude that transitioning to an ESG-oriented business model for a bank requires careful planning to manage the substantial operational and financial costs, while care needs to be taken with respect to the Environmental dimension to effectively reflect the associated risks.15110897
Size and Determinants of the Shadow Economy in Greece, 1980–2020
No full textThe average size of the shadow economy in Greece, 1980–2020, is estimated at 28.5% of gross domestic product, with an average annual rate of decline 0.41%. The finding of a negative relationship between unemployment and the shadow economy, combined with the significant and positive effects of self-employment and social insurance contributions, shows that the underground economy, in Greece, is driven primarily by people at work and not in unemployment. The official and unofficial sectors of the economy are complements. The political system is also of particular importance as a determinant of the size of the shadow economy, mainly capturing institutional and social aspects.87101Advances in Applied Macroeconomic
Efficient Visualization of 3D Urban Environments in the Metaverse by Integrating GIS and Unreal Engine
No full textGeography and geographical space play an important role in many aspects of life and in many areas of online activity. In terms of loading and visualizing 3D urban environments and city-scale scenes, in real-time rendering, current approaches still require excessive use of CPU, GPU and video memory usage. In this research study we emphasize new technologies and game engines like Unreal Engine in order to efficiently visualize 3D urban environments in the metaverse. The metaverse is a virtual 3D world where individuals can create and control their own avatars, offering three-dimensional and immersive virtual environments. Geographic information systems (GIS) and the metaverse are both complex and rapidly evolving fields with many possible applications. The integration of GIS with the Unreal Engine, a popular game engine and a powerful real-time 3D creation tool, allows the creation and efficient visualization of photoreal virtual environments, while GIS data and layers could be used to create more realistic digital 3D environments in the metaverse, including terrain, buildings and other relevant factors allowing users to explore a three-dimensional virtual representation of city-scale scenes. The aim of this study is to present a methodology for an efficient and detailed visualization of 3D urban environments in the Metaverse by integrating Unreal Engine and GIS.3273322025 8th International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies (ICICT
Code beauty is in the eye of the beholder: Exploring the relation between code beauty and quality
No full textSoftware artifacts and source code are often viewed as pure technical constructs aiming primarily at delivering specific functionality to the end users. However, almost each line of a computer program is the result of software engineer's craftsmanship and thus reflects their skills and capabilities, but also their aesthetic view of how code should be written. Additionally, by nature, the code is not an artifact that is managed by a single person: the code is peer-reviewed, in some cases programmed in pairs, or maintained by different people. In this respect, the first impression for the quality of a code is usually a matter of “reading” the “beauty” of the code and then diving into the details of the actual implementation. This “first-look” impression can psychologically bias the software engineers, either positively or negatively and affect their evaluation. In this article we propose a novel code beauty model (accompanied with metrics) and empirically explore: (a) if different software engineers perceive code beauty in the same way; (b) if the proposed code beauty metrics are correlated to the perceived code beauty by individual software engineers; and (c) if code beauty metrics are correlated to software maintainability. The results of the study suggest: (a) that code beauty is highly subjective and different software engineers perceive a code chunk as beautiful or not in an inconsistent way; (b) that some code beauty metrics can be considered as correlated to maintainability; and therefore, the “first-look” impression might to some extent be representative of the quality of the reviewed code chunk.22911249
Perspectives and practices of Photovoltaic (PV) energy producers in Greece: A qualitative study of renewable energy communities
No full textEnergy communities are cooperatives that promote a solidarity-based economy, innovation, and sustainable energy production, storage, and management. This study investigates the factors that facilitate or hinder the development of the photovoltaic (PV) energy sector, as perceived by members of PV energy communities, alongside their practices regarding the maintenance and cleaning of PV parks. It further explores whether there is a genuine need for a product that could improve the efficiency and performance of photovoltaic panels. To address these aims, 177 interviews were conducted with PV energy producers and members of various energy communities across Greece. The findings offer valuable insights into both the current state and future prospects of the PV energy sector, highlighting key challenges such as bureaucracy, licensing complexities, frequent regulatory changes, limited network availability, and insufficient funding. Nonetheless, participants remain optimistic about increased production and foresee future projects of larger scale focusing on storage solutions. Notably, around 10% of respondents do not implement any cleaning practices for their PV panels, yet express interest in innovative products that could enhance efficiency. Collaborative efforts are deemed essential.14968570
AI4FIDS: Multimodal Federated Intrusion Detection
No full textThe rapid progression of smart technologies creates several advantages like enhanced connectivity, personalisation solutions and environmental sustainability. However, this revolution creates also several cyber risks. In particular, the attackers have the ability to synthesise and automate advanced attack scenarios over time, while it is evident that Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows the composition of intelligent attack vectors that can adapt in real-time to conventional countermeasures. Despite the fact that AI can also benefit defensive mechanisms, there are still functional and privacy issues that need to be resolved. First, AI requires appropriate datasets that can differ from environment to environment. In addition, these datasets usually are not available due to privacy issues. Finally, adversarial attacks have the ability to target and affect the AI-based decision-making process. Therefore, in light of the previous remarks, we provide AI4FIDS, a multimodal Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for critical infrastructures. AI4FIDS leverages Federated learning (FL) and combines multiple data sources, thus allowing cooperative intelligence across multiple domains in a private manner and minimising the impact of potential adversarial attacks. In this paper, we present in detail the architectural design and specifications of AI4FIDS, while the evaluation results demonstrate their detection performance, taking into account several datasets and aggregation strategies. Finally, based on the evaluation results, we discuss how the overall reliability and detection capabilities (in terms of detecting multi-step attack scenarios) of AI4FIDS can be improved by combining the detection outcomes of the components behind AI4FIDS.11
Why and Where Future Teachers Fail to Successfully Design Experiments of Complex or Counterintuitive Everyday Life Problems
No full textThis study investigates the ability of future primary school teachers to design experiments when confronted with everyday life problems, particularly those involving complex phenomena or counterintuitive outcomes. Data were collected using a content analysis approach from the written assignments submitted during a Science Education university course, where students were asked to formulate hypotheses and design relevant experiments based on worksheets having a specific structure. Their responses were assessed using a six-dimensional rubric that evaluates key elements of experimental design, including hypothesis formulation and variable manipulation. Findings indicate that while students generally performed well across most dimensions, they encountered significant difficulties in two: forming hypotheses and identifying/manipulating variables. Non-parametric statistical analysis revealed that these challenges are strongly linked to the nature of the problems. Specifically, hypothesis formulation was hindered in problems with counterintuitive outcomes, whereas variable manipulation became problematic in tasks with higher complexity, i.e., involving more variables. These results demonstrate that these failures are not merely a procedural deficit, but are rooted in the interplay between conceptual knowledge and metacognitive shortcomings in handling complexity. They also underscore the need for targeted interventions and pedagogical reform in teacher education, focused on developing higher-order experimental competence, which can help future teachers become more comfortable with designing tasks, hopefully integrating them in their future classrooms.36334936
HRM Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide: Enhancing Digital Skills, Employee Performance, and Inclusion in Evolving Workplaces
No full textThis study explores how Human Resource Management (HRM) can help organizations to face the challenges of digital transformation, focusing on reducing digital inequalities and improving employee performance. As digital tools become more important in workplaces, many employees still experience digital exclusion, which affects not only their productivity but also their sense of fairness and inclusion, as well. To investigate these issues, quantitative research was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed online to employees across EU-based companies. The data were analyzed through PLS-SEM, including IPMA and mediation analysis, to understand the relations between HRM practices, digital skills, and perceptions of organizational justice. The findings show that HRM strategies have a significant impact on bridging the digital divide, especially by promoting digital adaptability and supporting inclusive work environments. Inclusion was also found to mediate the relation between HRM and employee performance. This research offers practical suggestions, like using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor digital participation and encouraging continuous learning. The study adds value by connecting digital empowerment with HRM policies in a way that supports both organizational efficiency and equality. Future research could focus on specific sectors or use longitudinal data to better capture how digital inclusion develops over time.15726
The impact of port sector reforms on the productivity and efficiency of container ports in lower-middle-income countries: a Malmquist productivity index approach
No full textDespite the extensive research on container port efficiency, the impact of port organizational reforms on productivity and efficiency in lower-middle-income countries remains underexplored, with most studies focusing on developed nations or specific regions. This study addresses this gap. It aims to analyse the productivity changes in container ports within world-wide lower-middle-income countries. The Malmquist Productivity Index, estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA), was applied to a balanced panel of 39 container ports from 2001 to 2012 being a period that covers substantial port organisational reforms in the target population. The findings reveal an average productivity growth rate of 1.9% among the sample ports during the study period. Decomposition of the Malmquist Index shows that this growth is primarily driven by improvements in technical efficiency, with pure efficiency change emerging as the main driver. These insights are valuable for guiding strategic decision-making to enhance port competitiveness, particularly in lower-middle-income countries.10
Corruption exposure, political trust, and immigrants
No full textScholars and politicians have expressed concern that immigrants from countries with low levels of political trust transfer those attitudes to their destination countries. Using large-scale survey data covering 38 countries and exploiting origin-country variation across different cohorts and survey rounds, we show that, to the contrary, immigrants more exposed to institutional corruption before migrating exhibit higher levels of political trust in their new country. Higher trust is observed for national political institutions only and does not carry over to other supra-national institutions and individuals. We report evidence that higher levels of political trust among immigrants persist, leading to greater electoral participation and political engagement in the long run. The impact of home-country corruption on political trust in the destination country is further amplified by large differences in levels of income and democracy between home and host countries, which serve to highlight the contrast in the two settings. It is lessened by exposure to media, a source of information about institutional quality. Finally, our extensive analyses indicate that self-selection into host countries based on trust is highly unlikely and the results hold even when focusing only on forced migrants who were unlikely to have been subject to selection.17410344