Η παρούσα μεταπτυχιακή εργασία αποβλέπει στην πολύπλευρη ενημέρωση του αναγνώστη σχετικά με το ξέπλυμα βρώμικου χρήματος από παράνομες δραστηριότητες σε επίπεδο ελληνικής κι ευρωπαϊκής πραγματικότητας. Περιγράφεται το φαινόμενο και οι εκφάνσεις του, ενώ ανασκοπείται το εθνικό, ευρωπαϊκό και διεθνές νομικό πλαίσιο. Προσδιορίζονται συγκεκριμένα ερευνητικά προβλήματα τα οποία μελετώνται μέσω βιβλιογραφικής ανασκόπησης, ερωτηματολογίου κοινής γνώμης και συνεντεύξεων ειδικών. Το ξέπλυμα βρώμικου χρήματος έχει σαφείς πολιτικές και οικονομικές προεκτάσεις σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο, με εκτεταμένο αντίκτυπο στις κοινωνικές δομές. Η αντιμετώπισή του είναι δύσκολη λόγω της ίδιας του της φύσης η οποία τροφοδοτείται από το εγκληματικό στοιχείο, με αποτέλεσμα να εξελίσσεται αενάως. Παρά την πληθώρα θεσμικών πλεγμάτων και νομικών πλαισίων, η παντελής εξάλειψή του δεν έχει ακόμα επιτευχθεί αφού πολλές φορές οι όποιοι μηχανισμοί καταπολέμησής του κρίνονται ανεπαρκείς. Προκύπτει ότι η αποτελεσματικότητα του ελληνικού πλαισίου εξαρτάται άμεσα από τους εθνικούς μηχανισμούς ελέγχου και πρόληψης, την ευρύτερη κρατική μηχανή υπό το πρίσμα της διαφθοράς, της πολιτικής βούλησης και του βαθμού επιβολής του νόμου, αλλά και από τη συμβατότητα και πλήρη εναρμόνισή του με το αντίστοιχο ευρωπαϊκό. Διακρίνεται δε από συγκεκριμένες διαχρονικές παθογένειες που το καθιστούν τρωτό σε απειλές κι ενέχουν κινδύνους. Παρότι χαρακτηρίζεται από βασικές, «ικανοποιητικές» επιδόσεις, πάσχει στην απαρέγκλιτη εφαρμογή του κι αποτελεί διαρκώς αντικείμενο συζήτησης. Παρατηρούνται σημαντικά περιθώρια περαιτέρω βελτίωσης που απαιτούν όμως στοχευμένες παρεμβάσεις.

Οι οργανισμοί αντιμετωπίζουν τεράστιες προκλήσεις στη βελτίωση της απόδοσης και της παραγωγικότητάς τους στον σημερινό μεταβαλλόμενο και ανταγωνιστικό επιχειρηματικό κόσμο. Οι ειδικοί θεωρούν την ενδυνάμωση των εργαζομένων ως ένα αποτελεσματικό εργαλείο που ενισχύει την οργανωτική απόδοση, την ικανοποίηση των εργαζομένων και την ποιότητα των υπηρεσιών. Η απάντηση στη συνεχή μεταβαλλόμενη τάση της παγκόσμιας επιχειρηματικής ατμόσφαιρας είναι ίσως η πιο σημαντική ανησυχία τόσο για τους ανθρώπους όσο και για τους οργανισμούς. Προκειμένου να αντιδράσουν στις αλλαγές και τις διαφορετικές απαιτήσεις των πελατών και των ενδιαφερομένων, οι εργαζόμενοι πρέπει να αντιμετωπίσουν πολλές προκλήσεις στην καθοδήγηση της απόδοσής τους. Οι εργαζόμενοι συχνά αγωνίζονται να αρπάξουν και να περιορίσουν τη διαχειριστική τους εξουσία για να αντιμετωπίσουν αυτές τις προκλήσεις. Μία από τις βασικές προκλήσεις για τις επιχειρήσεις σε αυτήν την εποχή της παγκοσμιοποίησης είναι να παρέχει άμεσες απαντήσεις στους πελάτες για να τους κάνει ικανοποιημένους και να αυξήσει την παραγωγικότητα. Παρ 'όλα αυτά, οι κακές οργανωτικές ρυθμίσεις όπως η έλλειψη εξουσίας για λήψη αποφάσεων που σχετίζονται με την εργασία, περιορισμένη πρόσβαση σε πληροφορίες, έλλειψη ελέγχου στην εργασία, αόριστη και χωρίς νόημα ευθύνη, και το ακατάλληλο σύστημα ανταμοιβών συχνά καθιστούν τις θέσεις εργασίας δύσκολες για τους υπαλλήλους και μειώνουν την ποιότητα των υπηρεσιών, που τελικά οδηγούν σε δυσαρέσκεια των πελατών. Προκειμένου να κάνουν τους πελάτες ικανοποιημένους και να βελτιώσουν την οργανωτική απόδοση, οι οργανισμοί πρέπει να παρέχουν στους υπαλλήλους αρκετή εξουσία και υποστήριξη. Η παροχή υψηλής ποιότητας υπηρεσίας αποτελεί βασικό μέλημα για τις επιχειρήσεις, και ο Oliver υποστηρίζει ότι η ικανοποίηση των πελατών εξαρτάται κυρίως από την ποιότητα της προσφερόμενης υπηρεσίας. Η αντιληπτή εξυπηρέτηση πελατών μπορεί να προσδιοριστεί μόνο από την άποψη της παρεχόμενης ποιότητας υπηρεσίας και τη συνολική ικανοποίηση των εμπειριών των πελατών. Οι οργανισμοί μπορούν να επιλέξουν οποιαδήποτε από τις δύο προσεγγίσεις που μπορούν να ενισχύσουν την ποιότητα των υπηρεσιών: την προσέγγιση της γραμμής παραγωγής και την προσέγγιση ενδυνάμωσης. [

Amidst globally changing wildfire activity, increasing attention is focused on the role of the governance system as one component interacting with wildfire regimes and shaping their associated impact. Using an interdisciplinary approach with methods from the natural and the social sciences, the aim of this dissertation was to explore characteristics of governance systems for wildfire regimes theoretically and empirically based on two case studies. In Chapter 1, the significance of the problem was illustrated. A literature review was conducted to define key terms and to outline the rationale of why they are relevant for this work. The concepts of wildfire regimes and governance systems are set out and linked together, to explain how both are intertwined and interact as dynamic entities with physically measurable and socially constructed dimensions. Examples of recent work were introduced to summarise the state of art in the field, point out gaps in the literature, and to highlight this dissertation’s unique contribution to knowledge through the formulation of three research objectives. In Chapter 2, the methodological framework was introduced. To this end, the overall use of discourses methods was set out, together with a reasoning on temporal and spatial choices guiding the further research. An overview of material, methodologies and study design was provided for each research objective, to complement detailed methodology as provided in each respective Chapter. Ethical considerations were elaborated on, and followed by reflections on the limitations of this work such as existing biases due to the use of language, research scope, and deployed theory. The first research objective was investigated in Chapter 3, aiming to advance the field theoretically by systematically retrieving contributions from studies on governance systems for wildfire regimes to date. By engaging sampled work with recent advances in the broader field of natural resources scholarship, this approach allowed to identify components within governance systems that require closer attention. Four themes in the resulting analytical framework pointed to governance processes for actor participation, for collaboration and co-production, to the role of path-dependencies and local place-based characteristics, and of actor adaptation and anticipation. The four themes informed and guided the remaining, empirical research conducted in this dissertation. The second research objective was presented in Chapter 4, aiming to understand interactions across wildfire regimes and the governance system when focusing on regional and national level organizational structures. To this end, an empirical case study was developed and applied to examine the case of Italy. Qualitative data were collected across key stakeholder sectors to identify forces at play and conflicts of interest in the status quo. Survey respondents indicated satisfaction with the governance system mostly concentrated at regional levels that allows to account for variability in the wildfire regime at country-scale. At the same time, that responsibilities for wildfire mitigation and response were found to be fragmented across a range of decentralized institutions and network. While promising to develop locally adapted measures, the fragmented governance system poses coordination challenges across actors, organizational levels and sectors. The third research objective was examined in Chapter 5 with the aim to identify recurring governance opportunities for wildfire across different socio-ecological contexts and burning regimes. A targeted literature review of recently published high-level wildfire reports almost consistently revealed five wildfire challenges. This initial framing was then tracked back to analyze the case of Cyprus through policy analysis and qualitative data collection during a three-week internship at the Department of Forests during the 2023 fire season. Findings revealed well-established processes in the governance systems, but also deficits in wildfire thinking and action to anticipate predicted trends in wildfire regimes. Considering the size of the country, which is smaller than most regions in countries like Spain, Italy or Germany, the case served to study the potential for change in acting on and thinking of wildfire in a range of flammable landscapes and at local to national levels.

Purpose: A growing number of studies have explored the potential benefits of employee wellbeing concerning employee active mobility, job satisfaction, and other aspects of job performance and organizational commitment. However, little has been done to investigate the benefits accrued for employees who use active mobility to commute to work, as well as the impact on employee well-being, job performance, and organizational commitment. As a result, a need emerges to assess current knowledge of this topic on linking employee wellbeing to job performance. This research investigates the correlations between employee wellbeing and other variables, such as employee active mobility, organizational commitment, and job performance. The scope of the present study is to examine the impact of employee active mobility (actively commuting to work) on employee wellbeing and job performance. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a Systematic Literature Review, a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) was developed, following the System Dynamics Methodology, which was conducted on prominent studies on employee active mobility and its contribution to employee well-being and other aspects of job performance. Additionally, a conceptual model was developed to investigate employee active mobility and its influence on employee wellbeing and job performance. The research sample was drawn from employees who work in organizations, specifically those working in the Administration of the 1𝑠𝑡 Health Region of Attica under the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity. The sample consisted of 303 employees. Also, an investigation was carried out on employees’ opinions by utilizing a Group Model Building (GMB) technique. Interviews with the participants were conducted to gain more accurate and specific data. The questionnaire was the instrument that was used for data collection. The questionnaire was located and selected using the composition of different questionnaires, modification of existing questionnaires, or selection through the international literature. Findings: This research provides a novel view of the dynamics of employee well being and job performance. This allows for further understanding of the links between employee active mobility and job performance, as well as the role and responsibility of organizations based on the costs, profit, and benefits to be gained. The present study revealed significant relationships between job performance and well-being, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Additionally, no statistically significant results occurred for the influence of employee active mobility on employee well-being, job performance, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Originality/value։ This review suggests that active mobility was not a significant factor in the explanation of employee well-being and job performance. However, a need emerges to clarify the factors which are preventing employees in Greece from commuting by walking or bicycle to work and the positive outcomes on employee well-being, job performance and organizational commitment.

Dr. Loucas Louca is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the European University Cyprus. His research interests focus on student abilities for inquiry in science, on modeling-based learning in scinece and on teachers’ instructional strategies for promoting student inquiry in science. He has also a longstanding interest in supporting professional teacher development in science education. He has been involved in several nationally and EU funded projects focusing on student inquiry in science, teacher professional development, professional learning communities, development of curriculum materials, promoting opportunities for gender balance in science education, STEM education, and promoting inquiry-based teaching and learning in science. He has also experiences in the development and enactment of afternoon clubs for young children in Science, and he also has designed various out-of-school STEM activities for students.

The Mediterranean and Black Sea region is an international centre of economic and commercial development and transactions. At the same time, though, it is characterised by a very volatile and dynamically changing security environment that poses severe threats and challenges on the societies and their prosperity. MEDEA aspires to contribute to the establishment of safer and more secure societies throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea region using research and innovation as a catalyst to promote collaboration between practitioners from diverse disciplines and countries. The MEDEA project, during its 60 months of implementation aims to: Establish and Operate the MEDEA network. A multi-disciplinary network of security practitioners, with active links to policy makers and users/providers of security innovations across the M&BS countries focusing on Border Protection and other Security- and Disaster-Related tasks. All MEDEA members will engage in activities towards maintaining its sustainability and longevity even after the end of the project. Engage participants in anticipatory governance on emerging security challenges that the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions would face in the coming years (present until +10 years), based on a threefold structure that forms the backbone of the project: i) understanding the unsatisfactory state of play, ii) design the desirable future and iii) define a resilient pathway on how to achieve this. Push for the “co-creation” of security technology and capabilities innovations between practitioners and innovation. Their evaluation and prioritization will be based on a multi-criteria analysis (technology, operational, cost-benefit, etc.) and it will be linked to Human Development, Policy Making and Organizational Improvements in-terms of facilitating their use by the practitioners. Establish and annually update the Mediterranean Security Research and Innovation Agenda (MSRIA), that identifies areas where security & defence research is needed (including the research needs that are not covered by civilian research) and establishes recommendations for European Security & Defence technology investments. It will constitute the common position of the Mediterranean practitioners’ for future call for proposals from European and National funding mechanisms.

GRACE aims to equip European law enforcement agencies with advanced analytical and investigative capabilities to respond to the spread of online child sexual exploitation material. The growth in online child sexual exploitation and abuse material is a significant challenge for European law enforcement agencies. Referrals of CSEM exceed the capacity of LEAs to respond in a practical and timely manner. To safeguard victims, prosecute offenders and limit the spread of CSEM, LEAs need a next-generation AI-powered investigative platform. Background The sexual exploitation and abuse of children, the production of CSEM and subsequent distribution of this material via the internet is a shocking crime. Referrals from Online Service Providers (OSPs) are crucial to fighting CSE. Growth in the number of referrals of CSEM to LEAs is driven both by increased availability and distribution of online CSEM and improved detection and reporting processes. The extent of referrals is affecting LEAs' capacity to respond promptly, leading to an inability to prevent harm to infants and children, rescue those in immediate danger, and investigate and prosecute perpetrators. Core concepts Recent improvements to the referral process have improved LEAs capabilities. However, the sheer volume of data obtained in CSE cases stretches human resources, the limits of manual analysis beyond most LEAs reach. Given there has been a 4,000% increase in referrals since 2014, a new approach to managing, processing and analysing this content is necessary. At the heart of the project, GRACE has three core concepts. Adress the volume and analyse the content of online CSEM through technological innovations; Provide genuine operational value to LEAs in their investigation of online CSEM; and Impact at the strategic and policy level in the harmonisation of EU-wide responses to CSE.

Flipped classroom (FC) is a pedagogical approach in which the conventional notion of classroom-based learning is inverted, so that students are introduced to the learning material before class, with classroom time then being used to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities facilitated by teachers. Although using FC methods has multiple benefits and is growing popularity, researchers and practitioners indicate that among impediments of widespread usage of FC methods are the additional time and technological support in relation to development of flipped learning activities. The flipped approach often involves the investment of significant time and energy on the part of instructors (e.g., recording video lectures; designing additional in-class activities). It is therefore recommended for teachers flipping their courses in team. By working in team, teachers can share their experiences of implementing flipped classrooms as well as their teaching resources The “Developing Flipped Methods for Teaching” project aims at developing all the necessary flipped learning pedagogical material (out-of-class tasks, pre-assessment tools, in-class activities) for teaching a discipline (psychology) covering a whole academic year course. The project aims at overcoming the difficulties of elaborating multiple materials for teaching with flipped classroom design. By collaboration of six education institutions an entire discipline will be covered with FC materials in seven languages (English, Romanian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Slovak and Greek), tackling a gap between educational research and practice. One of the project partners, The Mihai Eminescu National Pedagogical High School (Romania) is a secondary-level educational institute. Due to the particularities of the Romanian education system they offer teacher and kindergarten teacher training program, whereby graduates receive a teacher-kindergarten teacher degree. In Romania psychology is part of the secondary-level school curricula, so high schools can also benefit from educational materials translated to Romanian. Their main role in the project is to translate the developed educational methods by the higher education institutes from the partnership, to test and adapt it to the Romanian requirements. The partnership is composed from other six Higher Education Institutes with Teacher Training Faculties, who have important experience as partners or leaders Strategic Partnership projects and educational innovation. The main intellectual output of the project are the pedagogical materials for teaching an entire course of psychology with flipped classroom (FC) methods (materials for 30 courses), available in seven languages. Each pedagogical material is composed of instructional video, out-of-class work plans (online activities) associated with Low-stakes, formative assignments as well as in-class activities and assessment tools.