CONVERGENCE REVISITED: CASE OF EU AND EASTERN EUROPE

Olcay ÇOLAK
Uşak University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics, 1 Eylul Kampusu, 64100/Uşak-TURKEY
olcaycolak10@yahoo.com

Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the convergence pattern of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) and South Eastern European (SEE) to the developed older member countries of European Union. In this context, by performing panel data analysis to 33 countries and each subgroup between 1993 and 2012, results reveal that there is a strong tendency on convergence for the new entrants of European Union after 2004 and for the candidate countries in terms of both convergence types which confirm the findings of neoclassical paradigm states that poorer countries will grow faster than richer ones. The speed of β convergence varies between 1.3 % to 4.2 for each group and the findings suggest that private domestic investment is the most leading determinant of growth and convergence process of Eastern European countries.

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EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN CAPITAL IN THE GREEK HOTEL INDUSTRY

Efstathios VELISSARIOU
Department of Business Administration – Division of Hospitality management
Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, GR
belissar@teilar.gr

Christos AMIRADIS
Department of Business Administration Division of Hospitality management
Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, GR
amic@teilar.gr

Abstract
Tourism can have significant impacts on employment in tourist destinations. It must be also noted that the human capital in the tourism sector, and more specifically in hotels, constitutes a basic factor of quality. The effectiveness of service in the Hotel industry is often linked with the sufficient number of hotel personnel, their individual qualities and efficient Human resources management. The development of the hotel industry in Greece and the resulted employment and characteristics of the human resources in relationship to the hotel classification are presented in the present paper.
The paper presents and compares studies and statistical data related to employment and the human capital in the hotel industry in Greece. Several studies in the last years dealt with the volume and the characteristics of employment in the hotel enterprises in Greece. These studies show that the indicator “employee per bed”, as well as the educational level of the employees, are directly related to the category classification of the hotels. Furthermore the employment in the hotel sector in Greece is calculated at 3.2% of total employment, while the employment in the tourism sector is estimated at 10% of the labor force in Greece. The paper concludes with proposals regarding the employment of personnel in the Greek hotel industry.

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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SYMBOLIC FACTOR OF GREAT BRITAIN’S GEOSTRATEGY IN THE CYPRUS-SUEZ ISSUE

Professor Ioannis Th. MAZIS
Faculty of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian Studies
School of Economic and Political Sciences
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
mazis@her.forthnet.gr; yianmazis@turkmas.uoa.gr

Abstract

In the present paper I argue that, since Cyprus came under the British rule and for at least seven decades, Britain did not consider Cyprus a “territory of major strategic importance for the Crown”. I also argue that the policy makers of colonial Britain probably considered this island one of the “poor colonies”, since it did not have raw material deposits or any kind of industrial infrastructure. Thus, I suggest that Greek researchers should examine how Great Britain was perceiving the strategic importance of Cyprus until the end of World War II and, therefore, should not insist on blaming the Greek side that, supposedly, did not take into account Britain’s sensitivity and “unwisely sought the Union (Enosis) of Cyprus with Greece, which annoyed Britain and led to the well-known traumatic events”.

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