Innovation In Greece Research Articles

The effects of informal competition on firms’ innovation in Greece

PurposeSeveral empirical studies indicate that the existence of a large informal sector is a major obstacle to firms’ choices of innovation strategies. This paper aims to address this issue and investigates the effect of the informal sector on the innovation of formal firms in Greece.Design/methodology/approachUsing the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey data, the impact of informal competition on formal firms’ innovation in Greece is investigated by testing whether formal firms use innovation as a tool to protect and sustain their competitive advantage vis-à-vis informal firms and whether overall and informal competition has an inverted-U relationship with the innovation of formal firms. The effects of bribing and other variables drawn from the empirical literature are also controlled for.FindingsThe findings fill a gap in the literature regarding the effects of the informal sector on formal economic activity in Greece, by indicating that the informal sector puts pressure on formal firms to innovate, in order to differentiate their product or service and enhance their productivity and by offering learnings to help policymakers to promote innovation in Greece.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is that it investigates the impact of informal competition on formal firms’ innovation in Greece, a developed economy with a large informal sector. It does so by focusing on the effects that formal firms’ informal practices have on their competitors’ innovation activities, and the role of informal competition in creating and sustaining a competitive advantage in Greece.

Mapping the two-way relationship between management practices and firm innovation: the mediating role of business environment, degree of competition, and energy policies

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the two-way relationship between management practices and firm innovation along with the dual mediation of business environment, degree of competition and energy policies in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Portugal.Design/methodology/approachThe study has derived data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey 2019 for Greece, Italy, Turkey and Portugal and analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to find results.FindingsThe outcomes of PLS-SEM revealed that management practices and firm innovation have two-way positive significant relationship with each other in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Portugal. The results exposed that the management practices and firm innovation have two-way positive significant relationship with the business environment, degree of competition, and energy policies in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Portugal. The findings also clarified that the business environment, degree of competition and energy policies have dual mediating role between management practices and firm innovation in Greece, Turkey and Portugal. Surprisingly, business environment does not have dual mediation in Italy.Practical implicationsThese useful insights would enable practitioners and direct policymakers to develop and apply more magnificent management practices to boost up innovation among firms.Originality/valueAlthough the topics of management practices and innovation have received a great concern of academia, but this is the first study that offers a comprehensive model of the relationship in these domains.

Special Issue “State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in Greece”

Polymer science and technology is an active and continuously developing field of research and innovation in Greece [...].

Variations on Violence in Greek and Akkadian Succession Myths

Abstract In this article I explore a selection of texts from Greece and Mesopotamia that either recount or comment on the succession myth. I argue that representations of violence in those texts differ considerably within the same culture and time period. I explain these variations as social deixis, positing that ancient authors and interpreters of the succession myth used different representations of violence to present themselves as innovative figures. I argue that both mythmakers and myth-interpreters increased and decreased the intensity and number of violent features to mark a position in the competitive field of cosmological knowledge. Through the comparison of the sources, I show that there was as much competition and innovation in Greece as in Mesopotamia within the field of cosmology. The similarity of social contexts and practices may explain the cross-cultural transfer of knowledge between specialists of these two regions.

Healthcare Innovation in Greece: The Views of Private Health Entrepreneurs on Implementing Innovative Plans

In the field of healthcare innovation, Greece ranks 26th in FREOPP’s World Index of Healthcare Innovation (WIHI) 2021 analysis. Such a standing illustrates low performance in the dimensions of quality, science and technology and fiscal sustainability. This article seeks to shed light on this backwardness and examine the obstacles and weaknesses in the development of innovative projects by Greek health entrepreneurs. Furthermore, this research aims to trace entrepreneurs’ views on innovation issues and assess the existence of innovative plans from four perspectives: at the level of service to citizens, in the functionality of health business structures, at the level of facilities and technology, and in a clinical setting. Qualitative research was conducted with the entrepreneurs of 12 health companies in the form of semi-structured interviews. This study has shown that healthcare entrepreneurs do not reject the development of innovative projects and that those who have implemented innovative practices have had positive results; however, various obstacles negatively impact the implementation of innovative ideas. A primary research contribution will capture the factors that negatively affect the development of innovative projects and represent a crucial element for Greece to remove barriers and improve its performance on innovation issues. The results of the research will provide support for not only innovation decision-making centres but also other health entrepreneurs.

Environmental Innovation, Open Innovation Dynamics and Competitive Advantage of Medium and Large-Sized Firms

The present research investigates the contribution of environmental innovation to firms’ competitive advantage through the case of medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece. Due to the growing trend of environmental innovation in Greece and a consequent increase in the research interest, this paper fills the existing gap in the relevant literature as there is not enough evidence concerning Greek firms’ environmental innovation practices. To meet the research goal, a questionnaire was distributed to 892 medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece; 225 questionnaires were finally responded. The data is based on firms’ self-assessment concerning environmental innovation and competitive advantage and are analyzed using both descriptive and inductive statistics, including principal components analysis and multiple linear regression. The research results show that the examined firms implement environmental innovation practices at a moderate level. The most common practices of environmental innovation are the implementation of ISO 14001 management systems and the toxic substances usage reduction. The percentage of ISO 14001 implementation is increased compared to the previous years. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that the components concerning environmental process innovation and environmental product innovation have a positive impact on the examined firms’ competitive capability. The relationship between open innovation and environmental innovation and the contribution of open innovation dynamics are discussed as well.

Business Model Innovation in Greece: Its Effect on Organizational Sustainability

The paper investigates business model innovation (BMI) and its effects on the organizational sustainability of a population of small- and medium-sized businesses with certain organizational characteristics. The research attempts to uncover how effectively BMI is applied, reveal its effects on organizational sustainability, and depict the latest BMI literature tendencies, as well as its elements, that may affect the organization. The applied methodology includes the usage of a structured questionnaire as the primary modeling tool, given to a number of businesses located in the Western Macedonia, Greece. Full statistical analysis is then applied, analyzing and correlating the research primary findings. Apart from presenting BMI latest literature trends, the research ulterior doubled goal is to display BMI effects on the businesses of a region that has been fully affected by a harsh financial crisis over the last decade.

Social capital, regional development and innovation in Greece: an interregional analysis

The term social capital tends to appear more and more in international literature as a major factor for accessing new sources of knowledge and information, creating innovation and supporting regional innovation systems. The main objective of this paper is to contribute insights to this stream of research by testing empirically the impact of social capital on innovation at the level of NUTS-2 and more specifically, on the 13 regions of Greece. The paper begins by defining social capital along with the various forms that this can acquire, the ways that social capital is measured internationally as well as its role in regional development. The above is followed by a close study of the contribution of social capital to the diffusion of knowledge and the strengthening of regional innovation. Finally, by evaluating and exploiting the results of the recent researches by the European social survey (ESS) and the regional innovation scoreboard (RIS) on the 13 Greek regions (NUTS-2) the paper will firstly present the available social capital reserves, secondly the most recent regional innovation performance and thirdly it will test to what extent social capital can be a source of high performance of regional innovation.

Social capital, regional development and innovation in Greece: an interregional analysis

The term social capital tends to appear more and more in international literature as a major factor for accessing new sources of knowledge and information, creating innovation and supporting regional innovation systems. The main objective of this paper is to contribute insights to this stream of research by testing empirically the impact of social capital on innovation at the level of NUTS-2 and more specifically, on the 13 regions of Greece. The paper begins by defining social capital along with the various forms that this can acquire, the ways that social capital is measured internationally as well as its role in regional development. The above is followed by a close study of the contribution of social capital to the diffusion of knowledge and the strengthening of regional innovation. Finally, by evaluating and exploiting the results of the recent researches by the European social survey (ESS) and the regional innovation scoreboard (RIS) on the 13 Greek regions (NUTS-2) the paper will firstly present the available social capital reserves, secondly the most recent regional innovation performance and thirdly it will test to what extent social capital can be a source of high performance of regional innovation.

Does research and development expenditure impact innovation? theory, policy and practice insights from the Greek experience

This study empirically investigates the causal relationship between research and development (R&D) expenditure and innovation in Greece, during the period 1981–2009. It uses time series analysis, the theoretical background of the endogenous knowledge-based growth theories and the annual number of patent applications to the European Patent Organization as proxy of innovation activity. The Johansen method is applied to examine the possibility of co-integration. The results confirm the presence of a long-run relationship between R&D expenditure and innovation. The total and private R&D expenditure appear to have a positive effect on total and business innovation. In addition, the public R&D expenditure has a positive influence on business and total innovation, which indicates the existence of significant externalities of public sector research. The long-run elasticity of innovation with respect to R&D expenditure is estimated to be, on average, 1.9. Implications for public policies and related practices are formulated.

Pharmaceutical Innovation, Longevity, and Medical Expenditure in Greece, 1995–2010

Longitudinal, disease-level data are used to analyze the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity (mean age at death), hospital utilization, and medical expenditure in Greece during the period 1995–2010. The estimates indicate that pharmaceutical innovation increased mean age at death by 0.87 years (10.4 months) – about 44% of the total increase in longevity – and that diseases with larger increases in the cumulative number of drugs launched one to four years earlier had smaller increases in the number of hospital days. Real per capita pharmaceutical expenditure increased rapidly during this period, but 62% of the increase in pharmaceutical expenditure was offset by a reduction in hospital expenditure attributable to pharmaceutical innovation. The baseline estimate of the cost per life-year gained from pharmaceutical innovation in Greece is $17,117, which is a very small fraction of leading economists’ estimates of the value of (or consumers’ willingness to pay for) a one-year increase in life expectancy.

Implementing innovation in primary EFL: a case study in Greece

The purpose of this article is to highlight and discuss the strategies used to diffuse and manage a primary ELT innovation in Greece, strategies that proved essential for developing stakeholders’ acceptance and ownership of the innovation, thereby facilitating its further development and sustainability. The PEAP Programme, launched in 2010, involved the introduction of EFL in the first and second grades of public primary schools in Greece. The extent of its impact and acceptance by teachers and other stakeholders was unexpected given the fact that the project was developed and implemented within a context of social and political instability and massive public sector and economic reform. The strategies reported in this article have implications for the successful management and implementation of primary EFL innovations in Europe and elsewhere.

Measuring ‘Sustainable’ Innovation in Greece: A Patent Based Analysis

This paper is the first attempt to measure ‘sustainable’ innovation in Greece. ‘Sustainable’ innovation is a critical dimension of sustainable development and a process where sustainability considerations, such as environmental, social, financial, are integrated into the generation of new ideas, leading to new R&D and to new commercialisation. This applies to products, services and technologies, as well as new business and organisation models. This paper focuses on the environmental considerations of ‘sustainable’ innovation, namely innovation that aims at reducing impacts on the environment, achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources, saving energy, promoting ecological building, contributing to sustainable agriculture, etc. Patent data has been used for the measurement of ‘sustainable’ innovation in Greece. The analysis shows that Greek innovation follows the existing industrial pattern, which is characterized by its traditional orientation. The majority of new technologies and probable innovations are related to chemicals, the construction industry and the agricultural sector. Almost the 15% of patents could be directly linked to ‘sustainable’ innovation, focusing on the optimization of the exploitation of natural resources. On the contrary we have no patents in ‘sustainable’ agriculture. Deepening our analysis it can be shown that Greek inventors develop patents aiming at the saving of energy in buildings. Greece faces very severe structural and fiscal problems, while is now discussing its new development agenda. This paper could contribute to this discussion, particularly to this part of policy which is related to environmental issues and related measures.

A taxonomy of innovations in Greece: implications for innovation policy and management

Innovation is widely recognized as a key factor in the economic development of nations. Innovation is also essential for the competitiveness of firms. Its importance is intensified by factors like the increased global competition, the decreased product lifecycles and the rapidly changing consumer demands. Policy and management of innovation are necessary, especially during the last years that the environment for innovation has changed. Innovation management can be used to develop innovation and it involves processes. Innovation processes can either be pushed or pulled through development. A pushed process is based on existing or newly invented technology, that the organization has access to, and tries to find profitable applications to use this technology.In this paper we present a taxonomy of innovations based on the newly invented technology in Greece. For this purpose we have focused on the firms that have produced this technology, studying different parameters, such as those of size, branch of activities, export shares. Our analysis shows that small firms are the main owners of the granted patents in Greece. So, firms that employ up to 50 employees account for the 57.83% of our sample, while the share of large firms (more than 500 employees) is 6.02%. Most of these firms are engaged in the economic activities of machine tools, metal and plastic products, chemical substances and wholesale. The Greek firms have a medium age and are characterized by different levels of exports, selling their products mainly to the countries of European Union, the Balkans and the Middle East. The taxonomy we present is based on the well known Pavitt taxonomy. This paper is the first effort to classify innovation this way and our results could be used in the development of both public policy and management, aiming at supporting and encouraging innovation in Greece.

The impact of EU policy-driven research networks on the diffusion and deployment of innovation at the national level: the case of Greece

This article focuses on the impact of EU-funded collaborative research networks at a national level using a combined method approach, social network analysis and in-depth case study work. First, it examines the participation intensity and role of the Greek organizations in the research network established through the information society technologies priority of the European Community's 4th, 5th and 6th Framework Programmes. Furthermore, it attempts to assess the impact of the IST research network on the diffusion and deployment of innovation in Greece. Some interesting results with significant policy implications arise.

Validation of the four‐factor Team Climate Inventory in Greece

PurposeInnovation among team members has long been an area of interest to social scientists, and particularly to industrial/organizational psychologists. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factor structure of the Team Climate Inventory (TCI), a multidimensional team‐level measure of team‐working style, in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe TCI was translated into Greek and administered to a total of 52 work teams (n=236 individuals) in clerical and shop floor working positions employed in a variety of jobs in the public and private sector.FindingsAn item analysis indicated that all original TCI items, except one, should be retained in the Greek version of the TCI. Further analyses yielded high internal consistency both for the full scale and for the four dimensions, and also acceptable discriminant validity among the four scales. An exploratory factor analysis was also successful in extracting the four original factors, accounting for 55.67 percent of the total variance.Research limitations/implicationsThe results provided further support for the validity of the original version of the TCI.Practical implicationsIt is concluded that the Greek adaptation of the TCI is a potentially useful instrument to measure group climate dimensions that may facilitate work teams' innovative capacity.Originality/valueThe findings provided support for the adequacy of the TCI to measure team climate for innovation in Greece

The system of innovation in Greece: structural asymmetries and policy failure

This paper attempts to shed light on the Greek innovation system which is characterised by a number of asymmetries that have been prevalent over time. This paper is structured as follows: Following a brief presentation of the analysis framework (Section 2), we examine the Greek innovation system and identify four important asymmetries prevalent in the system which affect its operation (Section 3). We then turn to the government technology and innovation policies adopted over the last 15 years to examine their apparent failure to address the low performance of the Greek innovation system in an effective way, pointing out weaknesses in the design and the implementation stages (Section 4). The last part (Section 5) attempts to bring the two elements together (innovation system versus policies) and outline some directions for future innovation policy that would better fit the characteristics of the country's innovation system, taking into account its asymmetries, strengths and weaknesses.

INNOVATION MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES: THE CASE OF GREECE

The level of the Greek economic growth is highly depended on three vital factors: a) entrepreneurship and business development b) innovation and creativity c) education and skills.The correlation among these factors are direct and clear. This is why it is so important to monitor economic growth in respects of innovation, education and business development and to pursue a methodical policy to stimulate and reinforce them.In this paper we focus on analysing the factors which affect the process of innovation in Greece in comparison with member states of European Union. More specific we attempt to measure innovation in Greek enterprises for the last decade and identify barriers to innovation in Greece as compared to other EU countries. We also evaluate the statistical relationship between per capita GDP (as a proxy to level of Greek people prosperity) and Research & Technological Development (RTD) Expenditure (as indicator to innovation-creativity activity) using Linear and Exponential Regression Models.In the knowledge-driven economy, economic growth was achieved mainly through innovation, technology diffusion and new product applications. Therefore, we probe deep into considerations which influence -either positively or negatively - the advancement of the innovation activity, through empirical evidence and statistical methodology. Since, innovation and Research & Technological Development (RTD) are often considered as a main drive for economic development, recommendations proposed in this article become more intense and must be incorporated in the industrial infrastructure and in management attitudes at national and regional level.

Is lottery demand elasticity a reliable marketing tool? Evidence from a game innovation in greece

Demand for lotteries and especially lotto has been extensively studied in an international context, an important question being whether lottery providers correctly price their product. In Greece a lotto game has been offered since 1990 whereas a new version was introduced seven years later with a clearly more skewed payoff. The objective of this paper is to analyze whether demand estimates from the original game help explain the subsequent innovation and to assess, in that sense, the reliability of demand estimates as a marketing tool. (JEL: D12, L83)

Changing regional systems of innovation in Greece: the impact of regional innovation strategy initiatives in peripheral areas of Europe

In the context of convergence and cohesion between the European regions, the promotion of innovation in regions that are in different phases of development has been a central objective of European regional policy. For this purpose, the European Commission has launched many innovation schemes and many European regions have conducted initiatives of this kind. In this article, based on the implementation of successive European regional innovation projects in three Objective 1 regions in Greece, namely Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia and Thessaly, the trajectory and the changes that have occurred in their system of innovation are examined. At the outset, considering the outcomes of the first phase of the RTP/RIS exercise, the obstacles in forming these regions' dynamic innovation systems are identified. Thereafter, upon the outcomes of the follow-up exercise of RIS+projects, an imminent change in these regions is observed, highlighting the marking of an innovation-oriented policy addressed to create a supporting institutional framework and shaping the regional innovation environment. Based on these observations, it is argued that European regional policy, via these innovation schemes, has significantly contributed to the reinforcement of innovation systems of participating regions.