Πρακτικά Συνεδρίων

In the highly demanding contemporary environment, organisations, and more specifically higher education institutions, are expected to respond to constant changes and financial crises, by developing innovative practices and delivering quality products and services. As quality and innovation are perceived to be sources of competitive advantage, the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) is suggested. The TQM philosophy can be useful for Greek higher educational institutions, improving the quality of services provided. Keywords: Total Quality Management (TQM), higher educational institutions

The organization of an important event from a city, creates conditions for the advancement and promotion of tourist resources. Is a good opportunity for marketing/branding and can lead to positive results in terms of attracting tourists and improving the country " s profile. The organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2004 in Athens was a particularly important event for Greece, with multiple economic and social impacts. What the case of Athens proves is that a successful organization of a major event such as the Olympic Games is an important opportunity for nation branding and nation marketing. But the most important aspect is how the specific country will choose to continue with this procedure and use the specific event as a stepping point for the development of a coherent and result orienting branding strategy.

According to Peattie (1992), a service is called green, when production is ensured to follow an environmental friendly process.Environmental issues have high importance for consumers around the world. Environmental degradation does not leave indifferent consumers, which need longer to a greater extent "green products" and environmentally friendly services. This trend has led to the emergence of a new type of consumer, the one of "Green consumer". Important efforts have been made in order to find the characteristics of the "Green consumer", however the results remain still ambiguous. The need to correct market segmentation is urgent so marketing professionals target more efficiently the "Green" section of people and determine effectively tactics and targeting strategies. Indeed, more and more consumers become environmental sensitive over the years with incremental effects on the relevant markets.

Tourism sector is currently facing challenges due to the fast paced environment, the changes that it needs to keep up with and the financial crisis as well. Within a highly demanding framework the needs for high standards and total quality management arises. Organizations that are related to tourism need to introduce a philosophy of sustainability by developing innovative practices that will enable them to reserve their competitive advantage. Therefore, total quality management can be a useful tool in improving their products and services by focusing in quality parameters. Keywords: Total Quality Management (TQM), Tourism sector, Greece

The relationship between organizational culture and effectiveness is established in literature. This study provides insight into the role of organizational culture viewed in the context of quality management in higher education in Greece. Considering the market forces of competition and socio-economic conditions, the political context and students' learning experiences and expectations, it is legitimate to apply the marketing paradigm in tertiary education. It appears that due to the impact of economic recession on higher education and the difficulty to accept and implement quality assurance practices in Greece, transformation of the existing organizational culture in higher education institutions is perceived to be the means for quality assurance systems to be accommodated in Greek higher education. Keywords: higher education, quality management, organizational culture .

Abstract: Organizational culture is considered to be important , if not essential, in all industries and businesses nowadays. Every company has its own unique personality, just like people do. This unique personality of an organization refers to its culture. In order to become more effective, organizations have realized how important is the role of their culture and the critical effects it has especially within the tourism industry. The quality of the services and products is affected to a high extent. Keywords: Total Quality Management (TQM), Tourism sector, Greece