Despina Sdrali

What motivates employees to engage in the social economy sector? A case study of Greek cooperative enterprises

Social economy employees focus on personal fulfillment and social good rather than economic gains. They prefer to work in a sector that promotes satisfaction and makes them feel worthy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate employees’ motivations to engage in the social economy sector, especially in a period of financial downturn in Greece. Furthermore, the impact of specific demographic characteristics on employees’ work motivation is examined.,The research participants included 200 employees of worker cooperatives and social cooperative enterprises. A survey was conducted by collecting primary data and using a close-ended type questionnaire.,According to the findings, intrinsic forces motivate the employees to a greater extent toward social economy sector than economic ones. However, the replacement of the profit motivation from the main concern, it does not mean that the employees are not interested in financials. The survey also indicated that the most important barrier for starting to work in the social economy sector is the difficulty in finding partners. Finally, the findings showed that demographic characteristics partially influence work motivations of Greek employees on the social economy sector.,The results of this study may interest employers in finding new ways to motivate employees toward social economy sector under economic crisis conditions.

Mediterranean diet and socio-economic status in Greek adolescents

Purpose – The study aims to explore the effect of socio-economic status (SES) on energy balance behaviours and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), in Greek adolescents. Design/methodology/approach – 391 students, 14-16 years old, have been recruited from two public high schools located in low SES areas of Athens and two private high schools from higher SES areas. Students completed a specifically designed energy balance behaviours questionnaire together with the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and the KIDMED index. Findings – Adolescents of low SES reported lower adherence to the MD (p<0.05), higher consumption of soft drinks (p<0.001), lower breakfast consumption (p<0.001), fewer meals per day consumed with parents (p<0.05), lower physical activity levels (p<0.01) and more TV viewing hours (p<0.01) compared to adolescents of higher SES. Research limitations/implications – Family annual income, an indicator of family SES, has not been recorded, since this was considered a sensitive a...

Diet quality, disordered eating and health-related quality of life in Greek adolescents

Purpose Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a subjective multi-dimensional concept referring to an individual’s perception of health and well-being in domains related to physical, mental, emotional and social functioning. The current study aims at investigating possible associations between dietary quality, disordered eating attitudes and HRQOL in Greek adolescents. Design/methodology/approach A total of 400 students (198 boys; 202 girls), 14-17 years old, were recruited from five high schools in the area of Kallithea in Athens, Greece. Standard anthropometric measurements were taken, and obesity classification was conducted using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points. Students completed the KIDMED index, which evaluates the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) as a diet quality index, the EAT-26 questionnaire, which assesses disordered eating attitudes and the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire for children and adolescents assessing perceived HRQOL. Findings Disordered eating attitudes are significantly negatively correlated with the total score of HRQOL (p < 0.01) and with the subcategories: psychological well-being (p < 0.01), parents and autonomy (p < 0.01) and school environment (p < 0.001), whereas adherence to the MedDiet was positively correlated with all the components and total score of HRQOL. Linear regression analysis revealed that adherence to the MedDiet (p < 0.05), total number of meals/day (p < 0.01) and number of meals with the family (p < 0.05) were significant predictors of HRQOL in adolescents. Research limitations/implications The convenient sampling of 400 students was conducted from five schools, from one municipality of Athens, Greece. Originality/value Adherence to the MedDiet positively affects important components of HRQOL in adolescents, whereas disordered eating attitudes has a negative effect. Identifying adolescents with low HRQOL is highly important because it could result in an early detection of individualised healthcare needs and possible non-diagnosed ill-health problems.

Sustainability and environmental technology in Cyprus hotel industry

The purpose of this study is to identify the current situation in the Cyprus hotel industry, concerning environmental management and certain hotel activities. The study, conducted via closed-type questionnaires, focused on managers or owners of one to five star hotels in selected areas of Cyprus. The results indicated that the respondents accept the interaction between sustainability and environment, and they suggest that there is a need for tourism policy. However, there are gaps between the current situation in the tourism industry of Cyprus and the requirements for sustainable development mainly due to the limited access to capital, the limited information and training on environmental protection issues. Future studies giving emphasis on the required steps for facing the challenges may fill up the gaps towards a greener tourism and formulate a new sustainable strategy in the tourism industry.

Exploring the work environment in Greek social enterprises: a first overview

Economic crisis has resulted in rising unemployment and affecting economic prospects for population. Social enterprises are seen as a change maker and a significant means through which labour market integration, social inclusion and economic development can be achieved. Furthermore, it is important for employees to have a work environment that supports, encourages and respects them. This study is considered as a first overview to highlight the features of the work environment of social enterprises in Greece. For this purpose, a survey was conducted by collecting primary data and using a close-ended type questionnaire. The research participants included employees of 57 social enterprises. The study showed that social enterprises are characterised by a welcome and positive work environment which adopts a cooperative approach and is amenable to changes. However, the poor access to funding is considered as the major challenge for social enterprises to become sustainable and grow.