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All food safety management standards require effective control measures of food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe at the time of human consumption. Furthermore, ISO 22000:2005 requires a logical approach to be carried out for the selection and categorization of the control measures according to the level of effect on identified food safety hazards. The purpose of this paper is to describe the COntrol MEasures CATegorization (COMECAT) method for the categorization of control measures in food safety management systems (FSMS) in order to assist organizations to prioritize and deploy their efforts and limited resources mainly to control significant hazards.

A thorough clarification of the characteristics of the different control measures used in FSMS has been achieved based on the definitions and the descriptions given by the different food safety standards such as the ISO 22000, the IFS and the BRC standards. The basic approaches for the determination of control measures found in literature and web pages have been examined and the proposed methodology has been implemented in feta cheese production in order to evaluate its applicability.

A decision tree model has been proposed as the most suitable approach for the categorization of control measures in FSMS. The implementation of the proposed COMECAT method in feta cheese production revealed its applicability. The method was able to identify the different risk level of food hazards and prioritize and deploy the organization’s efforts and limited resources for their management accordingly.

In the literature, there is a lack of justified methodologies for the categorization of control measures in FSMS. Most of the approaches concern attempts of private companies operating in the food industry or business consultancies and which can be found in their web pages. This paper describes a well-justified model for the categorization of control measures which is easy to implement and which results in more robust decisions.

This paper presents DocML, a Web‐based digital library of university data. The goal is to build a system capable of preserving and managing student assignments efficiently in a university environment. It is based on a three‐tier architecture that is typical for distributed Web applications. Communication between the layers of the digital library and the architectural components that reside in the middle layer is facilitated through an XML standard. XML is also used for the development of a distributed metadata management system that describes the location and content of the digital library’s documents.

The purpose of this paper is to address a library service based on semantic web technologies capable of exposing knowledge that is otherwise hidden in a library's subject headings repository.

The proposed service implements a web‐based information seeking process that combines browsing and searching of information assets within a library, based on their corresponding subject headings. The underlying subject headings hierarchy is the Greek translation of a subset of the official Library of Congress subject headings. The information seeking process exposes the expressiveness of an underlying ontology capable of modeling subject headings together with their relations.

In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a real‐world scenario, the library service is integrated into a working OPAC located at the Ionian University in Greece. Thus, the library service contributes to the fast retrieval of information. Moreover, during the information seeking process, users underpin their cognitive learning.

The paper introduces a novel service for the library domain capable of being integrated in many library portals. Serving as a semantic web application, the proposed work promotes interactive navigation in ontology structures that could be potentially exploited by ontologies developed in other domains.

Aims to bridge the gap between grid computing and semantic exploitation of information commonly met in digital library infrastructures.

This paper introduces a semantic digital library framework based on grid technology. It follows the OGSA specifications for the development of grid infrastructures capable of efficiently handling such information. It is a service‐oriented approach based on common web technologies such as the web browser and web server. The design principles of the proposed framework take into account the emerging need to exploit the semantics of its underlying information through the employment of adequate open standard technologies such as RDF and OWL.

Although semantic exploitation of large data sets used to be a difficult and resource‐consuming activity usually taking place in specialized, highly equipped laboratories, this work demonstrates that emerging technologies like the grid and emerging standards like RDF/OWL are capable of bringing such research closer to the average workstation.

The lack of a working prototype based on the proposed framework limits the usefulness of the results deriving from this paper.

This paper can serve as a starting point to researchers wishing to conduct research in the area of the semantic grid as applied to digital library infrastructures.

This paper aims at providing a robust, user‐friendly and efficient navigation procedure in an online library catalog that is based on semantic information encapsulated within subject headings.

The paper describes an interactive navigation procedure inside an online library catalog based on semantic information. The proposed approach is presented through a web‐based, prototype application following the most recent trends of the semantic web such as AJAX technology and the web ontology language – OWL for encoding semantics.

According to the proposed method, a GUI interface exposes the hierarchy of the subject headings employed within an OPAC, as well as all stated relations between such headings, as links that the user can follow, effectively traversing the ontology and formulating at the same time the actual query to the underlying OPAC. This act of interactive navigation through the library's assets aids searchers in accurately formulating their queries, by offering broader or narrower concepts for selection or indicating alternative or related concepts they might be initially unaware of. The augmented exposition of inter‐relations between concepts provides multiple paths for information retrieval and enables searchers to fulfill their information needs in a faster, more efficient and intuitive manner.

The paper includes implications for the development of modern, semantic web applications focused on the library domain. The novel approach of visualizing subject headings could be further extended to visualize a number of other conceptualizations of the library domain.

This paper fulfils an identified need to take advantage of the “hidden knowledge” existing within the library domain but, for a number of reasons, is never exposed to the library users.

This empirical study provides evidence linking supply chain strategy and company risk structure. An event study on the stock performance of four major personal computer (PC) producers is performed focusing on the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan and the computer memory price increases that ensued. It is shown that investors associate pull‐type supply chains for PCs with lower profitability after abrupt component price increases. A parallel analysis of push‐type producer stock returns does not show similar results. Furthermore, in‐depth analysis of Dell Computer reveals that after the catastrophe‐induced disruption, the onset of losses to this major pull‐type PC producer was very fast. Far from condemning pull‐type PC supply chains, earthquake‐induced disruptions, like the one researched, pose manageable risks.

This empirical analysis aims to shed light on the financial implications of supply chain design and in particular on the differences between pull‐ and push‐type designs. The focus is on risk exposure to difficult to foresee supply disruptions, like those resulting from natural and man‐made disasters.

The event study framework is applied to the stock performance of four major personal computer (PC) producers after the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan and the computer memory price increases that ensued.

It is shown that investors associate pull‐type supply chains for PCs with lower profitability after abrupt component price increases. A parallel analysis of push‐type producer stock returns does not show similar results. Furthermore, in‐depth analysis of Dell Computer reveals that after the catastrophe‐induced disruption the onset of losses to this major pull‐type PC producer was very fast.

Without condemning pull‐type PC supply chains, earthquake‐induced disruptions pose risks that require management attention.

This empirical study provides evidence linking supply chain strategy and company risk structure.

The aim of this paper is to introduce the special issue on the Semantic Web. Intensive research has been undertaken worldwide in research centres and several achievements have been accomplished towards the ultimate objective: the expression and the exploitation of humanity's collective knowledge.

A multi‐fold strategy for the preparation of this special issue was deployed. Given the special characteristics, a balanced mix of introductory papers to the topic, and also advanced research papers at the leading edge of Semantic Web evolution, were selected.

The paper summarizes the articles of the issue and also provides help in understanding the Semantic Web Roadmap of Digital Libraries.

Introduces the papers in the special issue.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how healthcare and public organizations can control and monitor digital health test certificates with citizens or other stakeholders using Blockchain platforms. The paper reviews and analyses the literature by focusing on keywords like “Blockchain AND COVID-19”. In response to the 2019 pandemic, most local governments closed their borders and imposed movement restrictions, impacting the global economy, peoples' mobility and everyday life. This study aims to provide a solution to how Blockchain technology can improve the socioeconomic impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by enhancing people's mobility and achieving a balance between protecting individuals' rights and public health safety.

This research utilized machine learning bibliometric tools for investigating the normative literature in the area of blockchain and COVID-19. The article conducts a systematic literature review and develops a bibliometric map based on Plevris et al.’s (2017) method.

This study indicates that there is limited literature on the use of blockchain technology in issuing and validating COVID-19 tests. The development of such solutions can be done through the utilization of smart contracts, and it is expected to increase mobility in a secure and trusted environment that will help in monitoring and slow down the spread of the pandemic.

This analysis is done during the first ten months of the pandemic outbreak, and there is still limited scientific literature investigating blockchain and COVID-19 concepts.

Organizations are rethinking their information management due to the COVID-19 pandemic for creating better value for the enterprise and all associate stakeholders. Blockchain technology helps organizations to move from a centralized to a decentralized way of information managing. The decentralization of information in the health-care sector will create a better value for all involved stakeholders and radical change in how health-care data are managed and controlled. The implementation of blockchain applications in the health-care industry will result in a more secure, visible, auditable environment accessible by all the parties involved.

It was identified that there is currently limited research done on aligning smart contracts structure within the health-care sector. Therefore, while the current literature demonstrates the importance of aligning the key concepts, little research is done on considering people’s mobility and cross-country communication.

Purpose – This chapter seeks to examine the relationship between three strategic decision-making processes (SDMPs) and international performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Methodology/approach – Drawing on a sample of 528 SMEs based in four countries (United States, United Kingdom, Greece and Cyprus), the chapter explores the relationship between formalisation, (hierarchical) decentralisation, lateral communication and international performance. The chapter also investigates the moderating effects of dynamism on the aforementioned relationship.

Findings – Results indicate that formalisation and decentralisation have a positive effect on international performance; whereas lateral communication has no effect. Some evidence exists to support the moderating role of dynamism on the process–international performance link in that decentralisation produces positive effects in stable settings whereas lateral communication produces positive effects in dynamic ones.

Research limitations/implications – This chapter focuses on three SDMP dimensions and one characteristic of the external environment. Future studies are also needed to replicate the findings reported here in other national settings. Also, future studies should consider additional variables.

Practical implications – International performance of the SME can be influenced by how managers are involved in their SDMPs.

Social implications – Given the high role that SMEs have in modern economies for employment and growth, we identify SDMPs that are conducive to their international performance.

Originality/value – This study lies at the intersection of two streams of two complementary streams of research: strategic decision-making and international entrepreneurship. It is one of the first attempts to involve the SDMP stream of research in internationalisation.