Leonidas Efthymiou

https://www.unic.ac.cy/efthymiou-leonidas/ · University of Nicosia School of Business, HTMS Department

This study, seeks to address the research question: How do stakeholders in Cyprus perceive the role of Tourism Clusters in enhancing sustainable visitor experiences? The study draws on strategic lessons from the island's tourism sector by exploring stakeholder collaboration and tourism clusters in enhancing TCC in Cyprus. It aims to provide insight...

Despite growing research interest in online CSR disclosure, empirical studies still rarely rely on evidence from the hospitality industry. Our current study aims to fill this gap by investigating the extent to which Cyprus hotels disclose their CSR-related information in the online environment. On the basis of content analysis of official online re...

The dynamic nature of existing business environments necessitates organisations to cope with and manage various forms of uncertainty, deriving from factors such as technological advancements, global events, and market shifts. Environmental uncertainty, incorporating political, economic, and technological dimensions, presents challenges and opportun...

Cultural heritage has a vital role to play in higher vocational education. The need to look at the past to understand the present is common among generations and is rather universal. In 2014, the European Commission invited all stakeholders to progress towards an ‘Integrated Approach towards Cultural Heritage’, by viewing how public policies at all...

Non-profit entities are described as social institutions that do not operate for profit but instead focus on fostering social well-being and meeting needs that for-profit organizations may be unable to provide. The growth of technology appears to have an impact on their operation, however not to the extent expected by institutions dealing with phil...

The most valuable asset in any public organization, is the academic and professional knowledge of its employees, also known as Intellectual Capital. However, organizations face the challenging task of capturing the knowledge of those employees who may decide to change department or approach retirement before it disappears. In other words, what happ...

This exploratory study critically examines the intricate role of governmental entities in the implementation of tourism carrying capacity strategies, with a focal point on stakeholder engagement dynamics. In light of the imperative to manage tourism growth sustainably, this research endeavors to uncover the complex interplay between visitor demands...

Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) play a crucial role in enhancing communities and the well-being of its inhabitants, thus serving the greater good. Therefore, NPOs have an essential reason of existence in the society. But, despite their significance, NPOs confront the difficulty of persuading the public that they effectively oversee the funding they...

Non-profit organisations (NPOs) operate within a multifaceted environment and are crucial in tackling societal challenges in various industries. Yet they encounter a dynamic and demanding environment due to economic fluctuations, global crises, technological advancements, and alterations to regulations. In this conceptual chapter, we investigate ho...

The purpose of this study is to explore the evolving nature of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), focusing on their strategic, managerial, and marketing advancements. The objective is to examine how NPOs have transitioned into key players in public service delivery while interacting, liaising and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholder-groups....

Drawing on the findings collected through mixed methods, the current chapter examines non-profit organizations in India. More specifically, the study explores NPOs opportunities and challenges, along with best practices concerning the adoption and management of donors, funds, and programs. The study focused on practical research problems in the fie...

The current study examines employees’ perspectives on reward systems in a governmental organisation called Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). The analysis draws on the findings collected an ethnographic study, which included interviews, observation and document reviews. Results showed that income is mostly seen as a motivator, not a reward, and that pa...

A suitable system for monitoring and evaluating processes must exist for the agri-food industry to see better results. This system’s tasks include locating the variables that are limiting the production activities in this industry and based on a comprehensive analysis of the situation, planning suitable and timely improvements to the production pro...

Purpose Amidst ongoing digital transformation, the current paper provides a 360-degree overview of technology-adoption in Tourism and Hospitality. By combining and consolidating a wide range of sources, mainly in the tourism literature, the analysis depicts how the complex technological ecosystem often enhances or hinders the successful adoption, i...

The integration of cultural heritage in education facilitates critical thinking, experiential learning, cross-cultural collaborative learning and ultimately, quality learning experiences. This process is further enhanced by the increasing adoption of digital technology, which makes education more accessible. However, some countries in the European...

While it is clear that organizations must move quickly in implementing digital transformation so they are not left behind, it is not always clear what the final destination should be and how to get there. The research presented here covers several specific cases of digital transformation. The cases offer insight in the areas of finance, tourism, tr...

Currently, India has the fastest growing service sector in the world, contributing over 60% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (Deloitte, 2022). The growth of the service sector is facilitated by government-led initiatives, aiming to encourage cooperation among firms and start-ups in the field of Information Technology (IT), media, banking, tr...

The concept of Social Innovation (SI) initially relates to national systems and sites of Innovation. It is defined as the improvement in a social system supported by the changes in social relations, political arrangements and governance processes, identified in components of satisfaction of needs, empowerment and social relations reconfiguration (M...

Digital technology is a driving factor in contemporary businesses. It’s a dynamic and transformative force, which alters all areas of organizations, including how they get organized and deliver value to customers. It facilitates adaptation, continuous improvement, new processes, innovativeness, development of new products and the invention of disru...

Each case brings a different piece of the puzzle, but it also serves to test and verify our current understanding of digital transformation. There are common lessons across all cases, along with the specific lessons some cases offer for those specific sectors of the economy. The research presented here is practical, with directly applicable lessons...

The concept of sustainability has become a fundamental consideration at various levels and functions of a business as it deals with economic, social and environmental impacts. A successful sustainable business often requires continuous effort in replacing existing practices with new models and approaches. In the long term, business sustainability c...

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 disrupts everyday life and has severe consequences on global business. Within this critical context, this chapter examines the impact of COVID-19 on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in Cyprus. By using a thematic analysis, the study conducted an in-depth examination of twenty-three companies in Cypru...

Businesses are transforming themselves rapidly by following sustainable practices as environmental and societal aspects are becoming highly prominent in the business world. Within this ever-changing context, theoretical and practical approaches, including innovation and process improvement, aim at unravelling environmental concerns. Execution of in...

The current chapter is a longitudinal study, which sheds light on social partnerships between non-profit organisations and multinational retail corporations at times of severe economic, health and societal crisis. At the same time, it explores the potential utilisation of digital technology at the intersection of cause-related marketing and philant...

Learning analytics (LA) emerged and expanded rapidly in the 2000s as a process that involves the collection and analysis of student-related data towards redesigning meaningful learning experiences. Almost two decades later, the current chapter offers a review of how learning analytics is utilized in higher education at three different levels. First...

At the intersection of digitization and sustainability, the current article explores the application of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) in the service sector in India. The analysis draws on findings collected through questionnaires and interviews (mixed methods) with managers at middle, senior, and top levels of the hierarchy....

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Cypriot economy and a key pillar of the country’s economic development. Particular the hotel industry creates labor demand that exceeds labor supply where the number of local staff is not sufficient to meet the market needs. Moreover, the phenomenon of the hotel labor market is that the high worke...

This book was inadvertently published with the incorrect author’s first and family name in chapter 5 as Schinzel Ursula and chapter 12 as Tirrel Henning. It has been updated to Ursula Schinzel and Henning Tirrel in chapters 5 and 12 respectively.

Technology transforms rapidly nearly every aspect of corporate life. Technological innovation drives businesses and vice versa. Businesses produce new technologies while creating avenues for progress and development. Technological evolution seems to speed up exponentially along with its capacity, accessibility, and variety. Versatile smart solution...

This chapter explores the diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on employment in two sectors, namely accounting and banking. The first study adopts a conceptual approach. The analysis examines AI’s possible advantages and risks on the accounting profession’s supply of labour. The results underline the need for hybrid adaptation,...

Technology, in its many forms, has become an inseparable component of daily life. Technological advancements and digitalization are also responsible for a wide range of changes at the workplace. Currently, technology is an integral aspect of corporate life, with a wide range of factors driving and enabling it, including socio-economic structures, e...

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Cypriot economy and a key pillar of the country's economic development. Particular the hotel industry creates labour demand that exceeds labour supply where the number of local staff is not sufficient to meet the market needs. Moreover, the phenomenon of the hotel labour market is that the high wo...

Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) is an approach to managing visitors in a destination. The concept is comprised by evaluative standards and set limits. Within those limits, visitors are likely to enjoy satisfactory experiences. When limits are exceeded, the experience of visitors, the wellbeing of local communities, and quality of environment, are i...

‘Staged Authenticity’ is a process where tourism-providers put their culture on display to attract travelers who seek genuine experiences (MacCannell, 1973). It is a setting and a set of activities that are staged for the purposes of tourism. To better understand what this means, each of the words comprising the term - ‘Staged’ and ‘Authenticity’.

At the intersection of Sustainability and Digital Marketing Communication (DMC), the current paper examines the initiatives of Cypriot hotels while collaborating with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI), a non-for-profit organization. Also, the paper examines how hotels communicate their sustainability activities and achievements onlin...

Crises are often the driving force of change, be it technological, social, economic or other. And it is the most adaptive, reflexive, resilient and innovative companies that survive such conditions, in some cases even using them as springboards for development and growth at the product or market levels (Vrontis et al., 2012). And while crises range...

This chapter explores the ongoing crisis in the Cypriot cruise industry amidst digitisation. Analysis draws on research workshops and in-depth interviews with government officials, port authorities, cruise companies, suppliers and other stakeholders. The findings reveal a number of wrongdoings, resulting in a decade-long decline. Also, the findings...

A crisis can devastate an organisation. However, it is important to remember that throughout history, crises have been pivotal in developing societies. Following this line of thought, in this chapter, we explore the possibilities that come with crisis, and how they could contribute towards a more sustainable future. It’s about using the lessons ste...

Though the notion of the changes that crises bring about are understood, their mechanism, characteristics, effects and underlying motivators are less so, and vary across the organizational, industry and market typology. Of course, it also depends on the nature of the crisis, its severity, its length, its timeframe, its geographic spread and other f...

Crises present significant challenges for organizations. But, while critical events are inevitable, not every business is sufficiently equipped for when things don’t go according to plan. This book focuses on business under crisis conditions, along with organizational responses and adaptation. Adaptation can be seen as a learning process. It encomp...

From recurring episodes of great depression, oil crises, political crises, wars, debt crises, to the ongoing climate change, there is a constant pressure on businesses to cope with critical events. However, throughout history, crises have been pivotal in advancing businesses and societies. This contributed volume approaches crisis not simply as a s...

The cruise sector is a heavy contributor to the Blue Economy of Europe and of the Mediterranean region in particular. Destinations in Greece are integrated in several cruise itineraries, while cruise traffic is also increasing in Cyprus. Despite that, the economic contribution of the sector to the local economies is quite limited. Besides efforts t...

This article proposes a transferable model for online learning, based on the principles of social constructivism. The findings have been collected through ‘end-of-course feedback surveys’, and concern a student-sample of 170 nationalities, residing in 154 countries. All students were registered in cohorts of the same postgraduate programme over a p...

This article investigates the prospect of implementing multidisciplinary and multicultural student teamwork (MMT), along with Case-based Learning (CBL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL), as a sustainable teaching practice. Based on a mixed-method approach, which includes direct observation (both physical and virtual), questionnaire distribution, and...

This article investigates the prospect of implementing multidisciplinary and multicultural student teamwork (MMT) involving Case-based Learning (CBL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL) as a sustainable teaching practice. Based on a mixed methods approach, which includes direct observation (both physical and virtual), questionnaire distribution and fo...

Although the approach of social constructivism is not new (its origins are dated back to the pre-World War II era), it can be used along with novel learning strategies to facilitate quality online learning. The progress of technology, learning platforms and digital resources, together with certain social constructivism techniques, enable engineerin...

This chapter identifies the main challenges in the transition from engineering to management and discusses how management education may assist in this transition. Mixed methods were used to achieve the above. Initially, two focus groups were conducted, and at a later stage, 126 engineers reported through a questionnaire the most common challenges i...

In this paper we seek to add to our understanding of elements that are likely to determine the future of cash as well as cashless payment systems. Our analysis begins in medieval Europe while examining how legal tender and fiat money was imposed on people during the primitive accumulation era (Marx, [1887] 2015), which marks the transition to a mar...

The Blue Economy constitutes a large and fast growing part of the European Economy. In 2017, it accounted for nearly € 74.3 billion in gross operating profit, and an annual turnover of approximately € 658 billion. Among all blue economic sectors, cruise tourism is one of the most important ones, with the Mediterranean region still accounting for th...

This article explores the dynamics arising by multidisciplinary and multicultural student teams (MMT), working through Case-based Learning (CBL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL); as well as its use as a sustainable teaching practice. Based on a mixed methods approach, which includes observation (both physical and virtual) and questionnaires, the st...

A common characteristic in George Orwell’s, William Foote Whyte’s and Erving Goffman’s classic works, as well as in the literature that followed their legacy, is the tendency of authors to refer to a front-of-house (FoH) and back-of-house (BoH) segregation, especially in terms of workers’ skills, gender, aesthetic, emotional and ethnic characterist...

In line with previous research in the field of aesthetic labour, this article explores the tensions generated in upper market hotels by the increasing popularity of body-art. Using the findings of personal interviews with general managers, the research reveals how worker body-art is manifested in this highly aesthetic form of organisation and what...

This chapter presents a recollection of the events that occurred in Cyprus during and after the two-week period (15–28 March 2013) when the country was left with no banking system, subsisting solely on ATMs and payment cards. It examines the role of local bankers and key institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Central...

Contributions to this edited book evolve around the central role banks have in retail payments (see Fig. 33.1 below). This analysis takes a long-term view all the way to the present while, in some cases, points to the future. Contributions come from different fields in academia, combined with others from active industry participants.

The case studies in this book look in detail into the building blocks of the development and transition to a cashless economy. Research from different areas in academia combined with views from practitioners, enables us to explore the term ‘cashless’ from a wide range of perspectives, uses, contexts and eras. We believe that the notion of ‘cashless...

Today there is widespread speculation as to which new financial technology will disrupt cash. Our understanding of the past and future of payments, however, is characterised through an antagonism between cash and cashless systems. This apparent contradiction suggests that the future of retail payments is a complex interplay of forces deeply rooted...

Ever since computers were first introduced into the retail banking system in the late 1950s, there has been the vision of a future world where cash is obsolete. The near death of personal cheques, increase in debit and credit card use, and innovations such as PayPal, Square, Apple Pay and Bitcoin, have led us to believe the cashless society is well...

This book examines the nature of retail financial transaction infrastructures. Contributions assume a long-term outlook in their exploration of the key financial processes and systems that support a global transition to a cashless economy. The volume offers both modern and historic accounts that demonstrate the constantly changing role of payment i...

Since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2007 and the conundrums of European debt in 2010, the world has witnessed important shifts in domestic and international monetary policies. Often it seems that law, democracy and social wellbeing have been overwhelmed and consumed by the logic of neoclassical economics while the narrative in the...

This research extends theories of trust from e-commerce to incorporate digital currencies. In particular trust in business to consumer e-commerce transactions carried out using digital currencies such as Bitcoin is explored. A model of online trust is considered to be valid in this different transaction context but the significance of each construc...

CDIO is an established approach to delivering engineering education that helped rebalance education in engineering by emphasizing practice. This was considered necessary because in many cases after the transition from apprenticeship to teaching the focus had been on theory to the expense of practice. Distance learning and blended learning are a new...

This research applies theories of trust from e-commerce to digital currencies. In particular trust in business to consumer transactions carried out using digital currencies such as Bitcoin is explored. A model of online trust is considered to be valid in this different transaction context but the significance of each construct changes and some exte...

Abstract: The aim of this article is to offer some insights into the remarkable happenings that occurred in Cyprus during a two-week period (15 March – 28 March 2013) when the country was left with no banking system, subsisting solely on ATMs and cards. At the same time, we aim to provide some new perceptions into the role of ATMs, POSs and credit...

The aim of this article is to offer some insights into the remarkable happenings that occurred in Cyprus during a two-week period (15 March – 28 March 2013) when the country was left with no banking system, subsisting solely on ATMs and cards. At the same time, we aim to provide some new perceptions into the role of ATMs, POSs and credit cards in c...