The paper aims to investigate the relationships among high-performance organizations (HPOs), knowledge-management (KM) best practices, and organizational innovation in the Greek public sector. To achieve this goal, we employed the PLS-SEM method to validate and assess the research model. A total of 270 responses were collected from employees in the Greek public sector. The results indicate that KM best practices serve as mechanisms for developing organizational innovation within the relationships between HPOs and organizational innovation in the Greek public sector. Additionally, positive relationships among the model constructs were observed. This research holds significant implications and contributions for both theory and practice. It offers novel theoretical insights by being the first study to investigate this relationship and explore the connections of HPOs with other managerial constructs such as KM. Moreover, the research findings hold importance for decision-makers in the public sector, equipping them with insights to formulate more-effective strategies for enhancing performance, quality, and innovation within their organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of environmental management systems as well as the critical factors for adapting ISO 14001 in Greek industry. The results were compared to a similar research conducted by Arthur D. Little among USA companies, and proved that the Greek companies consider implementation of IS0 14001 as being significant for the company’s success, with the most important factors being improving an organization’s image, reducing cost and improving quality, and showing care of the environment.

There has been a noticeable shift towards sustainability in participatory sport, emphasizing practices such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. However, a credible international evaluation tool for assessing the effectiveness of CSR initiatives in sport and recreation services is lacking. This study aimed to adapt and validate a CSR questionnaire for Greek participatory sport, focusing on tennis. The influence of CSR on consumer trust and loyalty was also investigated. A sample of 250 tennis players from a private club in a Greek city participated. A questionnaire assessing CSR in environmental, economic, and social dimensions, was selected after an extensive literature review. Statistical analyses confirmed the questionnaire as a valid and reliable tool for assessing CSR among recreational sports participants. The results indicated that CSR initiatives significantly enhance participants’ trust in the club, which in turn bolsters the club’s credibility. However, CSR initiatives do not directly influence participants’ loyalty; instead, trust mediates the relationship between CSR and loyalty. This underscores the need to strategize on how to convert trust into sustained loyalty. The findings highlight the importance of CSR in building trust, protecting corporate reputation in times of crisis, and supporting long-term sustainability. They provide valuable insights for researchers and sport and recreation managers.

This paper presents a model designed to measure and investigate the relationships between critical factors, practices, and performance of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the food industry. A survey of 423 firms in the Greek food industry was conducted to meet these objectives. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, to explore the relationships between the model’s constructs. The results indicate that “firm-level critical sustainability factors” and “supply chain critical sustainability factors” significantly enhance “supply chain collaboration” and “supply chain strategic orientation”. Additionally, “supply chain strategic orientation” positively influences “social performance” and “environmental performance”, while “supply chain collaboration” positively affects “economic performance” and “environmental performance”. Furthermore, “social performance” is found to have a significant positive impact on “economic performance”. This study provides empirical evidence that helps managers understand the importance of the relationships among SSCM critical factors, SSCM practices, and SSCM performance, and enables them to allocate resources effectively and design SSCM strategies. Finally, the developed constructs offer a measurement tool useful for both practitioners implementing SSCM in their firms and researchers who wish to apply or test the proposed scales in other projects or use them as benchmarks.

A primary management concern when CSR is used as a tool to build business excellence is whether it will result in a discernible influence on the competitiveness of firms. This concern is more pronounced in the hypercompetitive, customer-centric grocery industry. Despite the existing body of research, no study has combined CSR’s effects on competitiveness and business excellence into a model. The current study proposes and validates a data-driven conceptual model that aims to assess whether the integration of CSR into supermarkets’ (S/Ms’) business excellence practices can enhance their competitiveness. Relationships among the validated constructs were examined using structural equation modeling. Findings indicated that the competitiveness of supermarkets can be enhanced by incorporating CSR into the process of pursuing business excellence, but CSR may be deprioritized in favor of more pressing performance-related issues. Large S/M firms could mentor and advocate for smaller stores and encourage CSR integration through government initiatives.

This paper aims to report on the development and assessment of a conceptual model for benchlearning capability, which facilitates sustainable performance improvement. Following an in-depth literature review, two main dimensions of benchlearning capability were identified. A focus group approach was used in order to establish the connection between these dimensions and the main construct (benchlearning capability). A questionnaire was designed and administered to 502 individuals from 74 organizations that used the Common Assessment Framework, and a total of 163 respondents replied. For the structural model assessment, the PLS-SEM technique was employed. Literature reveals that benchlearning encompasses both comparative evaluation and organizational learning mechanisms. Moreover, the focus group concluded that Organizational Learning Capability (OLC) and Benchmarking Capability (BMKC) are positively related to Benchlearning Capability (BLNC). The quantitative analysis showed that the factor OLC and BMKC are related positively and significantly to BLNC. This paper is the first attempt to approach the benchlearning capability construct and to validate its model. It is also a first attempt towards providing empirical evidence that could help public managers understand the BLNC concept and formulate accordingly the appropriate strategy for improving the benchlearning capability and therefore achieving sustainable performance in their organizations.