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This paper aims to analyze bank efficiency into a number of bank‐specific, industry‐specific and macroeconomic determinants.

The authors follow a semi‐parametric two‐stage methodology, where productive efficiency is derived via a non‐parametric technique in the first stage and then the scores obtained are linked to a series of determinants of bank efficiency, using a double bootstrapping procedure.

Overall, it is found that the banking sectors of almost all the sample countries show a gradual improvement in their efficiency levels. The model used shows that a number of determinants like bank size, industry concentration and the investment environment have a positive impact on bank efficiency, which is not the case when standard Tobit models are employed.

The findings have important implications for the relevance of well‐known hypotheses that refer to the performance of the banking sectors, like the structure‐conduct‐performance and the efficient structure hypotheses. These implications are not necessarily verified when past conventional econometric methodologies are used.

The paper offers new insights to policy makers, bank managers and practitioners on the relevance of a number of driving factors of bank efficiency that might help them to improve the performance of the banking system and enhance the quality of services provided.

This is the first paper in the bank efficiency literature that employs a semi‐parametric two‐stage model, which relaxes several deficiencies of previous two‐stage empirical approaches thus, offering a solution to the many problematic features of standard censored regressions.

Experimental mid/large scale testing of ship-like stiffened panels in compression is a quite expensive exercise that is not standard. Numerical simulations are preferred instead. Because of being relatively inexpensive (cost and time wise), most authors perform an exhaustive design space exploration arriving at a significant number of runs. This work demonstrates that the buckling response with respect to the nondimensional slenderness ratios may well be fitted with nine runs per stiffener geometry.

Efficient derivation of buckling strength formulas for stiffened panels through the employment of design of experiments (DoE) and response surface methodology (RSM) combined with numerical nonlinear experimentation over the entire range of practical geometries.

The surrogate model developed for T-bar stiffeners predicts accurately enough the ultimate stress in the practical design area, while the surrogate models for angle bars and flat bars demonstrate difference between 10 and 30% from common structural rules (CSR).

To the authors' best knowledge, the statistical-based formal and rigorous approach of DoE and RSM to obtaining buckling surfaces for stiffened panels is performed for the first time. The number of required observations per stiffener type has not been addressed yet as each work selects its own sampling scheme without formal reasoning. This work comes to frame the number of observations for efficient surrogate model building.

Access to culture is a fundamental right of people with disabilities and a significant aspect in the development of accessible tourism. A visit to a monument provides an authentic experience which cannot be substituted by any representation. However, any interventions to improve accessibility should be made carefully, so as not to alter the monument’s character, or damage it visually or structurally. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A theoretical approach model was defined in the PROSPELASIS project for the improvement of accessibility in monuments which was applied in Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki. This approach contains the following steps: evaluation of existing accessibility level; definition of alternative solutions; creation of final studies, approval by archaeological authorities and implementation of interventions.

In six major Byzantine monuments significant improvements were realized which include: installation of two lifts and creation of a new staircase at Acheiropoietos; creation of a metal bridge, a new staircase and installation of a lift at Rotunda; opening of the secondary gate and creation of a ramp at the Heptapyrgion fortress; creation of an accessible toilet at the Saint Demetrios church; installation in the six monuments of a WiFi system providing text and audible information as well as information in Greek and International Sign Language; creation of two tactile models; creation of a “cultural route” connecting three major Byzantine monuments.

For the first time, to the knowledge, a set of interventions has been realized in Byzantine monuments focusing on various categories of people with disabilities, i.e. motor, visual, hearing and cognitive.

Every year thousands of acres are burned and a number of people lose their lives in forest fires that increasingly surpass the wild land limit and lead on to touristic, urban areas. By and large, Mediterranean countries rely highly on offering a tourist product based on sea, sun, culture and nature. While the sea and sun are not affected by fire catastrophes, places of cultural and natural beauty are indeed hit; tourists end up being uninformed with no proper guidance from the firefighting authorities. This paper seeks to address these issues.

This paper attempts to highlight the relation between fire catastrophes and tourism development, to identify if and how state authorities take into account tourists in the planning and management of appropriate measures. A comparative study between Greece and Cyprus is presented. A number of interviews with stakeholders on the policy and operational level were conducted and the results and their implications are presented.

Planning and suppression is complicated with a number of actors involved in various stages; national tourism organizations in both countries do not take part in the information or planning process. There is an emerging need for the provision of useful, comprehensive, practical information aimed at tourists.

The findings of the paper are based in a number of interviews with key policy makers as well as key operational commanders. The participation of the above in the policy making as well as operational phase shows a number of limitations. This paper presents a qualitative approach to the subject. A follow‐up quantitative study is already planned.

Lessons learnt from previous catastrophes, in‐depth analysis of the existing “modus operandi” and “rules of engagement” should provide the necessary background for creating new risk‐based, comprehensive, focused communication campaigns.

Safer societies and lower impact on the environment are the main outcomes of a concerted communication campaign. Tourism represents and multiplies the image of the country as a whole to the world; a solution to the problem would offer added value.

The paper is based on a number of in‐depth interviews with actors that took part in the actual handling of the two major catastrophes in Cyprus and Greece. The outcome of the interviews is presented for the first time.

Managerial finance (MF) started publication in 1975 and celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2019. The purpose of this study is to provide a bibliometric analysis of MF between 1996 and 2019.

This study uses the Scopus database to analyze the most frequent authors in MF along with their affiliated institutions and countries. It also identifies the most often cited MF articles. This study uses bibliometric indicators to analyze productivity and stature of MF. It also uses such tools as bibliographic coupling, keyword analysis and coauthorship analysis to analyze MF. Further, the study provides a temporal analysis of MF publishing across different ownership periods.

MF publishes between 60 and 70 articles each year and its number of citations steadily grows. Although contributors to the journal come from around the globe, they most often are affiliated with the United States, the United Kingdom and Greece. Temporal analysis of journal's themes reveals that it has expanded its scope from accounting research to a much wider array of finance topics. Bibliographic coupling network analysis shows that major themes published in MF involve stock markets, corporate governance, banking, financial decision-making and initial public offerings.

Due to the unavailability of bibliometric data, the analysis excludes an analysis of MF between 1975 and 1995.

This study provides the first overview of the MF's publication and citation trends as well as its thematic structure. It also suggests future directions that the journal might take.

This paper aims to determine possible differences in causes or characteristics between men and women in attaining the CEO position in large publicly listed companies in the USA.

T-test statistic, correlation analyses and logit model were used to determine the role individual factors (tenure in management roles, age of CEOs, number of children, years of education) and the firm-level factor (number of employees, net income) play in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO.

The research results show that years of education, the number of children and the number of employees in the business play significant roles in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO. An increase in the number of children and years spent in education lower the probability of the CEO being a woman, while having greater number of employees raises the likelihood of having a woman CEO.

The findings are applicable to only the largest publicly traded firms in the USA and are not applicable to mid to small publicly listed, private or non-for-profit companies or institutions. This research is a starting point for future research of women and men CEOs of small and mid-size publicly traded and non-publicly traded firms in the USA.

Prior research has shown that having children is detrimental for women in management positions; this research specifically identifies this problem for the CEO position. It also reveals that having more of education does not translate to getting to the CEO position for women.