Fotini Voulgaris

Efficiency, competitiveness and exports of agricultural firms in the post-crisis era: evidence from Greece

The agri-food sector is an important sector for Greece and can contribute to the startup of the Greek economy. Therefore, the study covering the period 2004-2011, before and after the 2008 financial crisis in Greece, attempts to investigate the drivers of competitiveness in agricultural firms of Greece in the pre and post financial crisis era and detect differences among the two periods. Using a three-stage methodology, it is attempted to examine the hypotheses of this empirical study. OLS method is used in order to examine the relationship between efficiency, competitiveness and subsidies in agri-firms. The originality of this study is the investigation of the determinants of firm competitiveness measuring it with a competitiveness index and presenting differences between pre-crisis and post-crisis period. In addition, the correlation between efficiency, exports and subsidies on firm competitiveness is examined. The findings of this study have implications for practitioners, managers and policy makers.

The impact of R&D and information technology on innovation performance of Greek SMEs

Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, investigation on the effects of internal resources and capabilities (R&D and technology) on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) innovation performance is attempted. Using primary (survey-based) and financial data from 405 Greek manufacturing SMEs, new evidence on the impact of R&D activities, IT and other determinants such as ERP, size and exports on innovation performance is provided. It is found that IT (in terms of knowledge to quality management programs) enhanced positively on firm innovation performance, while R&D activities have no impact on firm innovation performance. In addition, absorptive capacity on innovation, access to finance, patents and firm size induce positively firms innovation performance. The novelty of this study is the introduction of a proxy of innovation measuring overall innovation performance (both product and process innovation), computerisation of firm operation using ERP systems and investments in acquisition of knowledge about quality management programs as proxies of IT.

Effective organisation and operation characteristics of Internal Audit Departments (IAD) in Greek hotel units (HUs): an empirical perspective

The Internal Audit Department (IAD) provides management with sufficient information to determine whether operations are functioning efficiently, effectively and according to managements goals. The paper attempts to investigate how a well organised IAD in the Greek hotel industry results in lower operating costs and higher quality of services offered. To this context, the research is based on qualitative data derived through questionnaires addressed towards 28 large luxury hotel units (HUs) in Greece. According to up-to-date theoretical and empirical literature, the results point out that the internal control is a crucial function in the firm and especially in the hotel industry, contributing to both the good reputation and the effectiveness of an HU. The findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between HUs size and efficiency and size of the audit department. Large hotels with well organised IADs are found to face lower risks in terms of false information and non-compliance with existing rules and legislation than HUs of smaller size.