The impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies on perceptions and behavioral intension of Greek consumers

During the last five years Greece has witnessed the exposure of an unprecedented number of corporate related events that had a significant impact on the public opinion (huge financial scandals, various corruption accusations, etc). These events dramatically increased the negative perception of consumers towards large companies operating in Greece. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may be considered as an effective initiative that protects and strengthens the image and reputation of implementing companies, especially at a time that their status has been severely damaged by numerous distressing reports. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2000) defines CSR as a business commitment that supports sustainable economic development and, at the same time, contributes to the quality of life of employees, their families, the local community and society in general. Companies that implement CSR try to establish a positive business reputation and enhance the corporate brand name by taking actions that lead in the development of a competitive advantage, while at the same time contribute to the demands of various third parties. These companies shift from solely focusing on profits and tend to include financial, environmental and social goals in their core business strategies. Therefore, many researchers argue that the CSR policy is an activity mutually beneficial for both the business and society. However, several doubts about the effectiveness of these policies are being expressed. The purpose of the present study is to measure the perceptions of consumers about Greek Large Companies (GLC) and examine the influence of the implementation of CSR policies on consumers’ perception and consumers’ behavioral intention. The results of the quantitative research (N=454) highlighted the negative perceptions of Greeks towards GLC but, at the same time, revealed the statistically significant positive effect of CSR policies on consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intention.Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, consumer’s perceptions, behavioral intention, Greece

SMART GRIDS LABORATORIES INVENTORY 2016

The smart grid implies that a vast amount of information needs to be handled and requires an effective energy management. Assessing the new technological solutions that would best accommodate the needs of a smart grid is of vital importance. This report aims at collecting information about the smart grid topics of research, the technologies and the standards used by top organizations that hold smart grid activities at a laboratory level. For this purpose an online questionnaire has been used. The report presents aggregated results that give an insight into the state-of-the-art regarding the smart grid field.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

SMART GRIDS LABORATORIES INVENTORY 2015

A smart electricity grid opens the door to a myriad of new applications aimed at enhancing security of supply, sustainability and market competitiveness. Gathering detailed information about smart grid laboratories activities represents a primary need. In order to obtain a better picture of the ongoing Smart Grid developments, after the successful smart grid project survey initiated in 2011, we recently launched a focused on-line survey addressed to organisations owning or running Smart Grid laboratory facilities. The main objective is to publish aggregated information on a regular basis in order to provide an overview of the current facilities, to highlight trends in research and investments and to identify existing gaps.JRC.F.3-Energy Security, Systems and Marke

Conducting Thematic Analysis in Qualitative Research οf Social Work

Thematic analysis is one of the most commonly used qualitative data analysis method in social science research offering an accessible and theoretically flexible approach for analyzing qualitative data. This is a discussion paper comprising an analytical overview of thematic analysis, its conceptualization, characteristics and applications. Furthermore, a social work worked example using thematic analysis with data from one of our own research projects – domestic violence and parenthood - is analytically discussed providing a step-by-step guide for the analysis process. We conclude by bringing more light to the importance of the method and advocating it as most useful and flexible for qualitative social work research

Violence Against Women in Rural Greece

Violence against women is a global human rights violation. Despite this, there is a lack of culturally sensitive country specific empirical research on violence against women. Much of  the existing research focuses on the experiences of women living in urban and metropolitan areas. Little is known about the experiences of women living in rural areas. The current study uses feminist qualitative methodology to examine the unique experiences of intimate partner violence survivors in rural Greece who sought services from a regional Community Centre. Interviews with 12 rural Greek women were conducted, transcribed, and thematically coded to reveal commonalities in the participants’ narratives. Our analysis revealed themes related to the impact of rurality on help-seeking behaviors, knowledge of and access to social services, and how rural patriarchal culture impacts victims’ willingnessto seek help. The results of this study shed light on the understudied experiences of rural Greek women who have experienced domestic abuse. Our findings can be used to further expand global rural criminological theory and develop procedures to remove the barriers that rural survivors face when seeking social services

Clean Energy Technology Observatory: Smart Grids in the European Union - 2024 Status Report on Technology Development, Trends, Value Chains and Markets

This annual CETO report provides an overview of technological trends and market issues on selected topics regarding the electricity grid and the “smart grid of the future”. The analysis this year focuses on grid infrastructure, since the physical grid assets are increasingly being recognized as fundamental enablers of the smart grid transition and a potential source of criticalities for an effective and timely decarbonization of the energy system. It builds on the last year’s assessment of High Voltage Direct-Current (HVDC) connections, and analyses Alternating-Current (AC) lines and cables, and power transformers. For each of these two topics, their current status is reported in terms of technology developments and trends, value chain analysis and global competitiveness.JRC.C.3 - Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Energy Smart Appliances’ Interoperability: Analysis on Data Exchange from State-of-the-art Use Cases

Policy support for a wide-scale deployment of energy smart appliances seems a complex matter, crossing the fields of product and digital-related policy instruments. Any potential measure would not directly address energy efficiency, but instead will essentially seek to certify a specific ‘energy-smart’ behaviour of products. In this project DG ENER and the Join Research Centre would propose a Code of Conduct to the energy smart appliances manufactures for adherence. This report is a combination of following three initial talks, which are fundamental for the project: — Literature review and consolidation of input from relevant sources on the interoperability of energy smart appliances such as the InterConnect project, standardisation efforts in other countries or regions (i.e. UK, California, etc.) — Development of use cases for energy smart appliances. — Definition of principles of data sharing among appliances, home and building automation systems, electric vehicle chargers, aggregators, Distribution System Operators, etc. Stakeholders (industry, NGOs, academia) and Member States authorities will be involved in this process. Involvement and communication with stakeholders will be undertaken in a combination of questionnaires, webinars and physical meetings. A dedicated European Commission services Task Force will be set up to coordinate this action and coordination between different policy areas, ensuring broader political buy-in.JRC.C.3 - Energy Security, Distribution and Market