19 research outputs found
The national and international capital market as a vehicle of horizontal expansiveness of environment policy or sustainable policy
No full textThis PhD Thesis aims at defining and theoretically sustaining critical arguments, that may persuade Greek financial organizations as well as the capital market that they have the potential to play a leading role in favor of general policies for environmental or sustainable management in financial strategy of firms and market. Furthermore, the empirical research of this Thesis may be considered as an attempt to lead the way to the establishment of a new field of scientific endeavor , that will focus on the incorporation of Environmental - Sustainable Policies in the financial strategies of firms and market.Ο βασικός στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής είναι να διαμορφώσει και να τεκμηριώσει επαρκή επιχειρήματα που θα αναδείξουν μια νέα πειστική επιστημονική προοπτική για τη δυνατότητα του συνόλου της αγοράς κεφαλαίου να παίξει ενεργό ρόλο στην προώθηση ολοκληρωμένων καθολικών πολιτικών αειφορικής ή περιβαλλοντικής διαχείρισης τόσο σε διεθνές όσο και σε εθνικό επίπεδο.Επιπλέον, το εμπειρικό τμήμα της έρευνας επιδιώκει να συντελέσει στη δημιουργία του πρώτου βήματος για να εγκαινιαστεί ένα ευρύτερο ερευνητικό πεδίο που θα συνδέεται με την ενσωμάτωση και την επίδραση πολιτικών αειφορικής ή περιβαλλοντικής διαχείρισης στην χρηματοοικονομική στρατηγική των επιχειρήσεων και του συνόλου της αγοράς
Exploring Digital Transformation Intensity and Its Relationship with Sustainability: Greek Managers’ Perspectives
No full textThe digital transformation process gained significant research interest in recent years especially related to achievements in sustainability goals. Even though there exists growing research regarding various aspects of digital transformation and sustainability procedures, a more detailed analysis is needed in different national environments. The proposed study empirically analyzes the Greek managers’ perspective on the relationship between digital transformation intensity and sustainability practices implemented. Almost 156 Greek senior managers from various organizational sectors were interviewed, while a synthetic index already developed from previous studies was used. Results indicate that Greek companies do not fully exploit digital technologies to further develop their environmental practices. A digital transformation strategy contributes effectively to environmental strategies in the case of reducing emissions of waste and avoiding environmental accidents, while in the rest of the cases, emerging technologies play a less important role and not as a part of a holistic digital strategy
A Proposed Circular Economy Model for Hospital Bio-Waste Management in Municipal Settings
No full textThis paper presents a proposed circular economy (CE) model for hospital bio-waste management, using Athens as a case study to demonstrate its applicability in urban environments. The model incorporates waste segregation at the source, resource recovery methods such as composting and anaerobic digestion, and data-driven tools to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of healthcare waste management. The study investigates the transition from linear to CE practices, focusing on structured collection strategies, collaborative efforts between hospitals and municipal authorities, and continuous tracking of waste flows. A comprehensive analysis of bio-waste volumes from participating hospitals over a three-year period is conducted, utilizing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tools such as TOPSIS to evaluate the system’s effectiveness. The results indicate a significant increase in hospital participation, improved waste separation, and optimized resource recovery, offering a scalable framework for other municipalities seeking to implement CE-based waste management practices in healthcare settings
Innovative Strategies for Bio-Waste Collection in Major Cities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Model for Sustainable Cities—The City of Athens Experience
No full textThis paper introduces an innovative model for the organization and management of municipal bio-waste collection networks in major cities, particularly relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Embracing circular economy principles and sustainable city practices, the proposed model addresses the urgent need for sustainable urban bio-waste management systems. Delving into the dynamic urban landscape, with a focus on the city of Athens, the study highlights the necessity of a robust decision-making methodology, the implementation of resilient processes, and the evaluation of their efficacy, especially during challenging times. The model centers on the effective collection, transportation, and monitoring of bio-waste, with a strategic aim to moderate environmental impacts, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and advance sustainable development goals. Utilizing the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, this paper thoroughly examines critical components of an innovative bio-waste collection network, including infrastructure, technology, and human resources. By merging best practices from global urban centers and accounting for the unique characteristics of Athens, the model envisions a transition toward a circular economy. Notably, the proposed municipal bio-waste collection network at the source anticipates substantial contributions to achieving Sustainable Development Goals in major cities. The study concludes by showcasing the successful application of these methodologies in the Municipality of Athens, providing tangible evidence of their positive impact
Prediction and Optimization of the Cost of Energy Resources in Greek Public Hospitals
No full textThe continuous operation and the specialized conditions needed for safely delivering healthcare services make hospitals among the most expensive buildings. Several studies in different countries have investigated the potential role and contribution of macroscopic indices of hospitals in total energy requirements. In this work, we tried to investigate the energy requirements of Greek hospitals in terms of cost. We collected data from all public hospitals in Greece over a 2 year period (2018–2019) and evaluated the contribution of various factors in the total energy cost. The data revealed large variability by region and by hospital, even regarding structures of the same category and size. The analysis also showed that structural and operational data of each hospital differently influence the hospitals’ energy requirements. Using regression methods, we developed two models for calculating annual energy costs. One only contains hospital structural data (number of beds, type of hospital, number of employees, and the non/use of alternative energy sources such as natural gas), and it reached an R² of 0.84. The second model contains not only structural but also operational data from each hospital (number of the internal patients, number of surgeries and number of medical imaging tests), and it reached an R² of 0.87. The former model is easier to compute since it only relies on data that can be easily gathered, but the latter has slightly better performance. These tools can help the Ministry of Health and hospitals’ management to identify the factors that contribute to the energy cost in order to plan targeted interventions, be well-prepared regarding budgeting, and be able to progressively measure, monitor, and improve the environmental footprint of hospitals by investing in renewable energy resources
Identifying and Predicting Healthcare Waste Management Costs for an Optimal Sustainable Management System: Evidence from the Greek Public Sector
No full textThe healthcare sector is an ever-growing industry which produces a vast amount of waste each year, and it is crucial for healthcare systems to have an effective and sustainable medical waste management system in order to protect public health. Greek public hospitals in 2018 produced 9500 tons of hazardous healthcare wastes, and it is expected to reach 18,200 tons in 2025 and exceed 18,800 tons in 2030. In this paper, we investigated the factors that affect healthcare wastes. We obtained data from all Greek public hospitals and conducted a regression analysis, with the management cost of waste and the kilos of waste as the dependent variables, and a number of variables reflecting the characteristics of each hospital and its output as the independent variables. We applied and compared several models. Our study shows that healthcare wastes are affected by several individual-hospital characteristics, such as the number of beds, the type of the hospital, the services the hospital provides, the number of annual inpatients, the days of stay, the total number of surgeries, the existence of special units, and the total number of employees. Finally, our study presents two prediction models concerning the management costs and quantities of infectious waste for Greece’s public hospitals and proposes specific actions to reduce healthcare wastes and the respective costs, as well as to implement and adopt certain tools, in terms of sustainability
Sobre fregonas y empleadas domésticas: Las trabajadoras domésticas y de cuidados albanesas migrantes y la división del trabajo reproductivo en Grecia
No full textReproductive labour has historically been and continues to be associated with female migrant labour. This study aims to unravel the multiple effects of domestic work and care on the living conditions and integration of Albanian domestic workers and carers in Greece. The study applies the research literature review tool, which involves an objective approach and evaluation of the body of qualitative/empirical research literature, in order to answer focused questions about the effects of domestic work on migrant women from Albania in Greece, using appropriate keywords in two databases. According to the findings, the low wages and precarious working conditions that characterize domestic work and care, allow for physical and moral exploitation, while at a social level there is marginalization and difficulty in accessing social security, healthcare, community organization and representation.Históricamente, el trabajo reproductivo ha estado y sigue estando asociado con el trabajo desarrollado por mujeres migrantes. Este estudio tiene como objetivo desentrañar los múltiples efectos del trabajo doméstico y los cuidados en las condiciones de vida y la integración de las trabajadoras domésticas y cuidadoras albanesas en Grecia. El estudio aplica la herramienta de revisión de la literatura de investigación, que implica un enfoque objetivo y una evaluación del conjunto de literatura de investigación cualitativa/empírica, para responder preguntas específicas sobre los efectos del trabajo doméstico en las mujeres inmigrantes de Albania en Grecia, utilizando palabras clave apropiadas en dos bases de datos. Según los hallazgos, los bajos salarios y las condiciones laborales precarias que caracterizan el trabajo doméstico y de cuidados, permiten la explotación física y moral, mientras que a nivel social existe marginación y dificultad para acceder a la seguridad social, la salud, la organización y representación comunitaria
A Sustainable Model for Healthcare Systems: The Innovative Approach of ESG and Digital Transformation
No full textIn recent years, the globe has faced a series of topics of growing concern, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the international financial crisis, rising socio-economic inequalities, the negative outcomes of greenhouse gas emissions, which resulted in climate change, and many others. Organizations worldwide have confronted these new challenges of sustainable finance by incorporating environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors and digital transformation (DT) in their innovation business strategies. The healthcare sector represents a large share of the global economy (about 10% of global economic output), employs a large number of workers, and needs to rely more on an open innovation model where interested parties, especially patients, are going to have a say in their own well-being. Thus, it is imperative that healthcare providers be efficient, effective, resilient, and sustainable in the face of significant challenges and risks. At the same time, they must offer sustainable development goals and digital transformation to healthcare users through limited governmental resources. This study investigates the role, importance, and correlation of ESG factors and digital transformation to the sustainable finance of healthcare systems through an innovative model. The main purpose of the paper is to present the already implemented ESG and DT factors in the healthcare sector and to propose a mutual and combined implementation strategy based on common evaluation tools, methods, and actions. A set of proposed actions and strategies are presented for the sustainability and resilience of the healthcare sector
