Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia

About: Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Symplectic geometry & Numerical integration. The organization has 291 authors who have published 522 publications receiving 7682 citations. The organization is also known as: TEI of West Macedonia & TEI of Western Macedonia.

The role of accounting control systems in the show caves in Greece.

Abstract: The thesis uses the New Institutional Theory of Sociology (Di Maggio and Powell, 1983, 1991) to examine how accounting informs decision making in the Greek show caves. The study focuses on four show caves selected out of the eight main shows caves operating in Greece. Three of the studied caves are owned by the local municipal council (one jointly with a prefectural council) and the fourth by the Anthropology Association of Greece. Data is gathered from multiple sources via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, discussions and documentary evidence focusing on the role of accounting information in the day-to-day operation of the show caves.The first major finding of the thesis is that within the four studied organizations accounting reports are minimally used as key management, planning and control tools, similar to Greek organizations generally. This is not surprising given that prior research has suggested that Greek managers tend to prefer information from other, informal sources in decision making (Balias, 1994). Formal accounting information was therefore subservient to information generated from informal sources in these organizations.Second, institutional change affects the decision-making process in the management and operation of the show caves. This influenced how accounting information is deployed in the day-to-day decision making of the caves. The findings of the thesis challenges the justification for these external influences observed on decision making in the management and operations of the show caves. These external influences resulted in the minimal use of accounting information to support day-to-day decision making of the organizations studied. The study therefore questioned why these accounting systems were designed in the first place if they were not going to be used in practice. Institutional Theory analysis however provided an answer to this question. In effect these accounting systems though serve minimal rational purposes, were designed in order to maintain institutional legitimacy and cultural support (Powell and DiMaggio, 1991).The thesis supports prior research which had proposed New Institutional Theory as a valuable framework for understanding the organizational context of the use of accounting information in decision making. The thesis found that New Institutional Theory offered some relevant explanations for how the institutional environment of the organizations inclined them to use accounting control systems. Institutional theory is particularly important here because it provides explanations for changes in organizational practices such as accounting control practices.

The effect of Dow Jones Sustainability Index on Consumer Sentiment Index

Abstract: This study intends to investigate whether stock returns affect the consumer sentiment. In particular, socially responsible companies are incorporated in the sample in order to capture the specification of socially responsible investors. For this reason, the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index is used as a proxy for consumer confidence, while data from Dow Jones Sustainability Index US is employed as a proxy for socially responsible companies for the period 1999-2016. The generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model applied and illustrated that stock returns affect positively the consumer confidence. The result has important implications for investors and policy makers.

Forecasting Bus Loads with a Combined Intelligent Prediction System

Abstract: Forecasting of load demand has been subject of continuing research over the last decades. Traditionally the focus has been mainly at system level, where local particularities disappear, however recently has been transferred to certain buses as well. One reason for that is the constant increase of renewable energy sources (RES) at the distribution level, and the technology advancements in microgrids, bringing forward the need for increased reliability of the demand coverage. In such cases forecasting is a more challenging task. Generally, the optimal design and operation of microgrids and distributed RES require reliable load forecasts. Bus load forecasting focuses on distribution system loads. The present study proposes a novel load Short-Term Load Forecasting (STLF) model specially tailored for loads with high volatility. The model refers to the hybridization of clustering and Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN). Experimental results and analysis indicate the robustness of the model.

Modeling the Mobile Telecommunications Sector in Greece

Abstract: Models of mathematical biology referred in the literature as Volterra-Lotka models of competing species defined by ordinary differential equations are considered in this paper for the construction of a model for analysing the mobile telecommunications sector in Greece. Market size data from the three mobile telecommunication companies that operate under licence of the Greek state for the period 1999-2011 are used. Parameter estimation is performed using non-linear least squares. The findings suggest that in the long-run only one company will remain in the market.

Design for Skin and Shape: An Innovative Design Approach

Abstract: Although all aspects of a product design are demanding and need several resources to be completed, Design for X (DfX) represents a series of formal methodologies used to optimize a specific aspect of the product design under consideration. Those DfX tools deal with different stages of the product design and there is considerable gap concerning the package design cycle. The proposed methodology Design for Skin and Shape (DfS&S) is focused on the package design industry and offers significant advantage towards its success. It helps the designers to be focused on shapes that are easily recognized by the customers and then create appropriate graphics for them. Following this approach, it is easier to create an innovative optical identity for the product and its packaging during the conceptual stage. The methodology can reduce the development time of the package, while designers have in mind, from the beginning of the design process, the shape which will guide them to its completion. Following the proposed methodology different packaging designs are presented.