Research & Publications

Research Interests

Dimitris Zopounidis focuses his research on Business Analytics, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI), emphasizing their application across aviation, tourism, and sports. His work explores how advanced analytics, machine learning, and digital infrastructures can enhance decision-making, optimize performance, and contribute to sustainable and responsible innovation. His academic perspective is deeply informed by the social dimensions of technology, including how AI reshapes organizations, transforms work, and reconfigures broader societal norms.

Key research areas include:

Business Analytics
Research on the integration of advanced analytics and data-driven methodologies into organizational practice. Focus areas include:

• Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics: Developing models that forecast trends and provide actionable recommendations for decision-making.
  
  

• Performance Measurement: Designing frameworks that connect data insights with operational and strategic performance indicators.
  
  

• Optimization Models: Applying linear, non-linear, and heuristic methods to resource allocation and process efficiency.
  
  

• Real-World Applications: Implementing business analytics solutions across aviation, tourism, and sports to improve competitiveness, customer engagement, and sustainable growth.
  
  

• Aviation Industry Analysis
  Comprehensive examination of market trends, digital transformation, and sustainability-oriented innovation in the global aviation sector, with emphasis on competitive dynamics, passenger behavior, and strategic forecasting.
  
  

• AI, Generative AI, and NLP Applications
  Research on the role of artificial intelligence, particularly generative models (LLMs) and natural language processing — in transforming business operations, decision-making processes, and user experiences. Focus is also placed on the epistemic implications of human–AI interaction and the concept of “learning-by-conversing.”
  
  

• Decision Science and AI-Enhanced Decision-Making
  Application of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), quantitative models, and AI tools to improve strategic and operational decisions under complexity and uncertainty.
  
  

• Data Analysis and Business Analytics
  Use of big data analytics, machine learning, and statistical modeling to extract actionable insights, particularly in aviation and tourism management.
  
  

• Digital Sustainability and Data-Driven Transformation
  Study of how digital infrastructures and algorithmic systems enable or constrain sustainable transitions. Particular focus on sustainable data cultures, organizational environments where data and AI are used transparently, ethically, and in ways aligned with social complexity and institutional accountability.
  
  

• Social Impacts of Artificial Intelligence
  Investigation of how algorithmic technologies reconfigure organizational routines, shape human behavior, and influence institutional and societal structures. Interest lies in the governance of AI, its normative dimensions, and its implications for labor, trust, and power distribution.
  
  

• Cybersecurity in the Aviation Sector
  Evaluation of digital threats and resilience strategies in airline operations. Research addresses the financial and reputational risks associated with cyber incidents and emphasizes proactive risk management.
  
  

• Sustainable Financial Performance in Airlines
  Exploration of the interplay between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and financial performance in aviation, providing insights into how sustainability initiatives contribute to competitiveness and long-term value creation.
  
  

Selected Research Work

• “An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between Corporate Financial Performance and ESG Factors in the Airline Sector”
  A quantitative study examining how ESG indicators affect financial outcomes in aviation. Offers strategic insights into the profitability and resilience of sustainability-led business models.
  Presented at the FEBS Conference (2024) and the Hellenic Aviation Society Conference (2025).
  
  

• “Financial Risk Analysis of Cybersecurity: The Case of the Airline Sector”
  An analysis of cybersecurity-related financial risk in commercial aviation, proposing strategic frameworks for resilience and trust-building.
  Presented at the FEBS Conference (2021 and 2022).