{"title":"Crises in Greece and Sustainable Development","authors":"Floros Flouros","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2020006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2020006","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainability and conditions that support a country to achieve its strategic goals are usually considered a critical priority for the international community. This paper examines the case of Greece, a country that was called upon to face successive crises during the last dec-ades which in almost all cases posed serious risks to the security of the country and its citizens. In crisis events that Greece faced lately, these were imported from abroad and they affected all levels of society: the global financial crisis that started in the US in 2008, the pandemic crisis that first appeared in China in late 2019, and finally the energy crisis that intensified from the beginning of 2020. Greece has tried to respond with internal balancing strategies at home with a series of measures and actions, while at the same time acting with external balancing strategies, as a member of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). The country has tried to deal with the successive crises having a positive result so far, but at a heavy price that has negatively affected the country’s development, often causing setbacks and delays in many areas of the economy, environment, and social life. As a result, the Greek economic crisis followed which affected all aspects of the social life in the country, making worse the economic parameters, affecting the relationship between the citizens and the state, and putting the normality of life into question. There are several studies published during the last years highlighting various aspects of the Greek economic crisis that provided specific answers regarding the main causes of the eruption of the Greek economic crisis as well as the proposals to deal with it. The purpose of this study is to highlight the impact of successive crises, which are due to both exogenous and endogenous factors, and that Greece has recently faced and identified the main effects on the Greek economy and its sustainability. The analysis adopts the time series of crises: economic, pandemic, and energy.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126605650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the State of Research on Tourism Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis in the Post-COVID Era","authors":"Thomas Krabokoukis","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2020005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2020005","url":null,"abstract":"This study conducts a literature analysis on tourism sustainability to understand the current state of research in the field and identify potential areas for future study. The analysis, based on 3823 articles published between 2020–2023, aims to examine the number of citations of the main articles, determine the main authors and countries dealing with tourism sustainability, examine the interactions between authors and countries, and determine which dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, social, and cultural-historical) attract the most research interest. The results reveal that the economic dimension of sustainability is the most researched followed by the environmental dimension, while the social and cultural-historical dimensions receive less attention. This study provides valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers in the field of sustainable tourism, particularly in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"129 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132403378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Climate Change Risk Management Strategies: The Case of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Southwest Nigeria","authors":"O. A. Thompson, A. Imoize, T. Amos","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2010004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2010004","url":null,"abstract":"The study determined the critical variables inducing the choice of mitigation and adaptation methods adopted by the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) against the effect of climate change on their enterprises in Southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to choose 200 SMEs Managers/Chief Executive Officers (100 mitigating climate change and 100 not mitigating) as respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics and a multinomial regression model were employed to investigate the data collected. The findings show that the mean age of Managers/CEOs mitigating climate change was 41.8 years, and the level of education of climate change mitigating Managers/CEOs (80.0%) was significantly different from the non-mitigating (50.0%). The net profit margin ratio for the mitigating SMEs was 32.04%, and 17.83% for the non-mitigating SMEs. The multinomial logit model showed that income, enterprise experience, access to credit, enterprise size, and enterprise type significantly induced the choice of climate change mitigation approaches used by the SMEs in the study area. The study suggested that government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should assist SMEs by enhancing their income-generating ability to ameliorate the impact of climate alteration over the years on their enterprises.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130312229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Valorisation of an Ancient Traditional Practice for the Promotion of Rural and Sustainable Tourism: The “Tracing of the Straight Furrow” in Central and Southern Italy","authors":"Michele Sisto, A. Cresta","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2010003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2010003","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this original contribution is to present the procedures and process initiated by some municipalities in inland areas for the inclusion of an ancient rural tradition, practiced in south-central Italy—the “Tracing of the straight furrow”—in the “National Register of Rural Landscapes of Historic Interest, Agricultural Practices and Traditional Knowledge”. The registry proposes to identify and catalog in a database the rural landscapes, practices and knowledge worthy of importance to safeguard their integrity and vulnerability. The article describes the research activity that was implemented to record the practice, and also wants to show that the standard procedure prepared by the Ministry cannot consist only of desk analysis (data collection, and preparation of the required dossier). Indeed, there is a need to initiate a process that, starting with the proposing institutions, involves local actors and communities who are familiar with traditional places and practices. Citizen participation in this decision-making process that implements the area’s tourism-cultural development policies is also essential to consolidate intra-generational and local relationships: desk analysis is thus enriched by field analysis. This makes it possible to highlight problems/potentialities and help in the selection of contextualized solutions to encourage adherence to initiatives especially after recognition of traditional practice in the National Register.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124072115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Challenges of Food Service towards Sustainability Beyond Food Waste","authors":"A. Rocha, C. Viegas","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2010002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2010002","url":null,"abstract":"Food service comprises the production of meals consumed outside the home, including consumers from all age groups and in different sectors, such as schools (from kindergarten to university), public and private companies, the health sector (from hospitals to elderly care institutions), military, sports facilities and restaurants (from fine dining to fast-food). Food service units (FSU) achieved importance and responsibility not only for feeding the population but also as an important setting for public health interventions, potentially educating consumers and modulating behaviours through the meals provided. In addition to its socioeconomic impact, the food service industry has a strong environmental impact. More sustainable food service starts with the basics: minimizing environmental impact by reducing carbon footprint. Food service industry is being encouraged to make choices that positively impact the environment. Nevertheless, most of the efforts and research made in the last years have been focused on evaluating and reducing food waste. This article focuses on strategies that could be implemented beyond food waste, and act on changing the food offer towards health and sustainability while promoting consumers’ behaviour change.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"44 3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124115807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Perceived Effectiveness of Messages Designed to Promote the Use of Autonomous Vehicles","authors":"Simone Pettigrew, L. Booth","doi":"10.54175/hsustain2010001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain2010001","url":null,"abstract":"Autonomous vehicles will be a key component of the sustainable cities and transport systems of the future. However, there is little data available on effective methods of communicating with the public about these benefits to optimise uptake and achieve their sustainability potential. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess outcomes associated with exposure to various messages communicating proposed benefits of autonomous vehicles. Australians aged 16+ years (n = 1053) responded to two online surveys administered two weeks apart. The instruments included items relating to demographic attributes, driving factors, and attitudes to autonomous vehicles. Respondents were randomised to one of five messages referring to efficient travel time, economic savings, saving lives, mobility for the elderly and disabled, and job opportunities. Messages relating to saving lives and providing mobility for the elderly and disabled performed best, especially in terms of presenting a strong argument (62% agreement) and believability (67% agreement), respectively. The results provide initial evidence that public awareness communications could favourably influence attitudes to autonomous vehicles, potentially enhancing uptake rates to yield corresponding benefits. This information will be of value in countries where the roll-out of autonomous vehicles is a strategic priority to achieve sustainable cities and transport systems.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132237336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Annual Acknowledgment to Reviewers 2022—Highlights of Sustainability","authors":"Highlights of Sustainability Editorial Office","doi":"10.54175/hsustain1040018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain1040018","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewers who perform an invaluable service to the scientific community are essential to ensuring the quality of the papers published in the journal Highlights of Sustainability. The editorial team of the journal Highlights of Sustainability would like to take this opportunity to thank the following reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing manuscripts in 2022. Their contribution and support helped a lot to improve the scientific quality of the published articles and enhance the scientific level of the journal.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131304237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Benefits of Building Organizational Resilience: The Case of Climate Change","authors":"Julia Hillmann, Anne Bergmann, E. Guenther","doi":"10.54175/hsustain1040017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain1040017","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates the time-dependent effects of building organizational resilience. So far, empirical research only finds evidence that organizational resilience provides benefits in the long term. For the short and medium term, the link remains unclear. On the one hand, literature indicates that building organizational resilience is costly. On the other hand, actions to build organizational resilience are perceived by investors, which should provide immediate positive effects for companies. This study investigates these two assumptions in the climate change context. We apply multiple regression analysis to study the relationship between resilience capabilities and different measures of financial performance. For market value and financial volatility, our findings indicate that building organizational resilience provides immediate benefits. For the total stock return index, we find only benefits that materialize with a time lag. We find no evidence at all that building resilience capabilities is related to costs in terms of lower accounting-based financial performance. Overall findings indicate that building organizational resilience is advantageous as it prepares an organization to face the challenges of climate change and, at the same time, provides financial benefits.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121282345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sustainable Leadership in Project Management. The Need for a New Kind of Leadership","authors":"E. Bulmer, Magali Riera Roca, J. Blas","doi":"10.54175/hsustain1040016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain1040016","url":null,"abstract":"Adopting a long-term perspective has helped companies survive in difficult times and overcome economic crises, recessions, and pandemics such as the current COVID-19. At present, the project management approach is changing from more authoritarian management models to frameworks that are based on the management of people and society. This article researches the concept of sustainable leadership in the project management profession. It evaluates the level of sustainable leadership among project managers in Spain using the Avery and Bergsteiner’s (2011) model of bees and locusts as a reference framework (Bee and Locust Sustainable Leadership Model). A qualitative study was carried out based on the analysis of the responses given by sixty-eight project managers in Spain who answered a 52-point ques-tionnaire. The findings yielded interesting results. It was found that in projects considered as temporal organizations, companies tended to employ a mixture of bee and locust’s leadership elements. Respondents recognized the importance of employee training and development, and most considered that it was essential to consider the environment when determining the organization’s commercial objectives. However, based on this study’s findings, the project management profession still has a long way to go as regards the practical implementation of sustainable leadership.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"270 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115818983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Value of Sustainable Tourism Destinations in the Eyes of Visitors","authors":"Annalisa Stacchini, A. Guizzardi, Michele Costa","doi":"10.54175/hsustain1030015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain1030015","url":null,"abstract":"The first objective of this study is to analyze visitors’ perceived value of four Italian small areas, that have been granted the European Regional Development Fund’s financing for developing sustainable tourism. The second objective of this work is to investigate the influences of socio-demographic and trip-related characteristics on the tourists’ assessments of the main aspects of such destinations, for detecting variables useful for market segmentation and for designing better-targeted marketing actions. These areas host protected natural reserves, historical heritage, rural or mountain traditions, and ways of life, the conservation of which is combined with local economic growth through the development of green, cultural, and slow tourism. Thus, insights on how visitors’ perceived value is configured there might provide hints useful for upgrading the local tourism supply consistently with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and the European Green Deal Strategy. Results confirm that the perceived value is a fundamental construct, as it strongly and positively influences satisfaction, intention to recommend, and destination image. The value of sustainable destinations, as perceived by visitors, is mainly based on the affective benefits that sustainable experiences provide, starting from positive social interactions making tourists feel welcomed. The tourist segment valorizing sustainable destinations is mostly composed of old people and low-income travelers, who seek basic services and facilities, as their satisfaction depends mainly on relaxing immersed in pristine nature.","PeriodicalId":259912,"journal":{"name":"Highlights of Sustainability","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129279234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}