The role of species for the acceptance of edible insects: evidence from a consumer survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (9) ◽  
pp. 2190-2204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Schäufele ◽  
Eric Barrera Albores ◽  
Ulrich Hamm
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Consumer Acceptance ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Traits ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Taste Experience

Purpose Even though insect products increasingly receive attention as a sustainable food alternative to meat, consumer acceptance remains low. The purpose of this paper is to test consumer acceptance of two different insect species with varying degrees of processing which led to different degrees of insects’ visibility. Design/methodology/approach Insect dishes that varied according to species and degree of visibility were presented to participants of a self-administered personal survey within a meal context. Consumer acceptance was measured through the willingness-to-try the different dishes, and a hierarchical linear regression was applied to estimate the role of insect species. Findings Consumer acceptance can be improved by focusing on different forms of food processing and different insect species. The lower the visibility of insects, the higher the consumer acceptance, independent of insect species. However, this is not sufficient to overcome consumers’ widely held rejection. Main barriers for consumer acceptance seem to be low social and cultural acceptance, fear of trying unknown products and a lack of taste experience. Originality/value A huge body of literature has examined determinants of insect consumption, but the majority of these studies did not consider the effects of insect species. The study’s main objective is to close this research gap while checking the most relevant individual traits as identified through a literature review: food neophobia and familiarity, social and cultural norms, awareness of benefits of insect production, meat consumption and socio-demographics.

The role of informal institutions in explaining student’s academic engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-194
Author(s):  
Mahieddine Adnan Ghecham ◽  
Nuha Hamada
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Research Gap

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of students’ cultural background in explaining their academic performance. Design/methodology/approach The paper aims at achieving the research objective with the use of questionnaires and structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings This paper shows that students’ code of conduct, which is grounded in their cultural background, affects their level of engagement in learning process. The paper supports, on one hand, the idea of extensive use of formative assessment techniques as a way of improving students’ engagement; it argues, on the other hand, that their effectiveness could be limited because of the bad impact of the students’ norms. Originality/value The paper aims at achieving the objective of the research using an interdisciplinary approach borrowing from the field of economics while discussing a research gap that covers a region that require more attention in the field of education.

Role of employee relations and HRM in driving commitment to sustainability in MSME firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1743-1764
Author(s):  
Mridul Maheshwari ◽  
Arbind Samal ◽  
Vaibhav Bhamoriya
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Four Levels

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the role of employee relations and human resource management (HRM) practices on firms' commitment to sustainability in the context of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India. This paper proposes a theoretical framework, namely “awareness, action, comprehensiveness, and excellence (AACE),” to present the solutions and practices as adopted by MSME firms in meeting their sustainability objectives alongside pluralistic constraints related to human resource, capital and legitimacy risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a cross-case methodology to investigate five food processing MSME firms to understand and delineate the role of employee relations and HRM practices in driving their commitment to sustainability.FindingsThe paper discusses the status of employee relations and HRM practices as practiced by MSME firms, specifically designed to meet their agenda to strengthen their commitment to sustainability. The study proposes a framework constituting four levels, namely “awareness, action, comprehensiveness, and excellence (AACE),” that reflects HRM practices as adopted by MSME firms to develop their commitment to sustainability.Social implicationsMSMEs and food processing industries are critical to the growth of Indian economy and likewise for other emerging and developing economies. They are especially critical for their contribution to overall employment and sustainability comprising the second, third and fourth supplier links in supply chains. They have a major impact on sustainability outcomes and the life quality of employees. This paper makes a contribution in this direction.Originality/valueThe study fulfills the need to explore the role of employee relations and HRM practices to develop “commitment to sustainability” in the context of food processing MSME firms in an emerging economy of India. This paper adds an understanding of people management practices and sustainability in small firms (MSMEs), adding to the existing literature on the domain, which is mostly skewed toward large firms.

scholarly journals Tolerance of Listeria monocytogenes to Quaternary Ammonium Sanitizers Is Mediated by a Novel Efflux Pump Encoded by emrE

2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 939-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jovana Kovacevic ◽  
Jennifer Ziegler ◽  
Ewa Wałecka-Zacharska ◽  
Aleisha Reimer ◽  
David D. Kitts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Quaternary Ammonium ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Genomic Island ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Cell Adherence ◽  
Outbreak Strain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Increased Susceptibility

ABSTRACTA novel genomic island (LGI1) was discovered inListeria monocytogenesisolates responsible for the deadliest listeriosis outbreak in Canada, in 2008. To investigate the functional role of LGI1, the outbreak strain 08-5578 was exposed to food chain-relevant stresses, and the expression of 16 LGI1 genes was measured. LGI1 genes with putative efflux (L. monocytogenesemrE[emrELm]), regulatory (lmo1851), and adhesion (sel1) functions were deleted, and the mutants were exposed to acid (HCl), cold (4°C), salt (10 to 20% NaCl), and quaternary ammonium-based sanitizers (QACs). Deletion oflmo1851had no effect on theL. monocytogenesstress response, and deletion ofsel1did not influence Caco-2 and HeLa cell adherence/invasion, whereas deletion ofemrEresulted in increased susceptibility to QACs (P< 0.05) but had no effect on the MICs of gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, tetracycline, acriflavine, and triclosan. In the presence of the QAC benzalkonium chloride (BAC; 5 μg/ml), 14/16 LGI1 genes were induced, andlmo1861(putative repressor gene) was constitutively expressed at 4°C, 37°C, and 52°C and in the presence of UV exposure (0 to 30 min). Following 1 h of exposure to BAC (10 μg/ml), upregulation ofemrE(49.6-fold),lmo1851(2.3-fold),lmo1861(82.4-fold), andsigB(4.1-fold) occurred. Reserpine visibly suppressed the growth of the ΔemrELmstrain, indicating that QAC tolerance is due at least partially to efflux activity. These data suggest that a minimal function of LGI1 is to increase the tolerance ofL. monocytogenesto QACs viaemrELm. Since QACs are commonly used in the food industry, there is a concern thatL. monocytogenesstrains possessingemrEwill have an increased ability to survive this stress and thus to persist in food processing environments.

The role of organizational culture in normalizing paramedic exposure to violence

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Mausz ◽  
Mandy Johnston ◽  
Elizabeth Anne Donnelly
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Urban Service ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Constructivist Epistemology ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis ◽  
Shed Light

Purpose Violence against paramedics is a complex – but underreported – problem. Extant research suggests organizational culture may play a role in sustaining cultural norms that downplay the significance and limit reporting. The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively explore paramedics’ experience with violence, with particular emphasis on understanding how organizational culture contributes to under-reporting. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed paramedics from a single, large, urban service in Ontario, Canada, asking participants to describe their experiences with violence, including whether – and why or why not – the incidents were reported. Within a constructivist epistemology, we used inductive thematic analysis with successive rounds of coding to identify and then define features of organizational culture that limit reporting. Findings A total of 196 (33% of eligible) paramedics completed the survey. Fully 98% of participants disclosed having experienced some form of violence; however, only a minority (40%) reported the incidents to management, or the police (21%). The authors defined a framework within which a lack of support from management, and consequences for offenders, implicitly positions the ability of paramedics to “brush off” violent encounters as an expected professional competency. Disclosing emotional or psychological distress in response to violent encounters invited questions as to whether the individual is personally suited to paramedic work. Originality/value While the extant research has indicated that underreporting is a problem, the findings shed light on why – a critical first step in addressing what has been described as a serious public health problem.

Consumer acceptance of mobile payment across time

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 1761-1776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinnan Wu ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
Lihua Huang
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Consumer Acceptance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mobile Payment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Growth ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Although perceived risk and usefulness have been identified as two major factors that influence consumer acceptance of an innovative mobile payment (m-payment), relatively few researchers have explored the impact of affective factors on perceived risk and usefulness, and the relationship between perceived risk and usefulness. Also, it is unclear whether there is a difference in the acceptance intention among users across different diffusion stages of this innovation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of positive emotion in consumer acceptance of WeChat payment across time. Design/methodology/approach This study proposed and validated a framework integrating the consumer response system model and the affect heuristic. A total of 484 valid responses were collected through two online surveys at two diffusion stages of WeChat payment technology. The structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that users’ acceptance intention is relatively related to perceived risk, perceived usefulness, and positive emotion. Positive emotion has a strong negative impact on perceived risk and a positive impact on perceived usefulness. Also, perceived usefulness strongly decreases users’ perception of risk. Multigroup analyses find that both positive emotion and perceived risk have significant positive and negative impacts on acceptance intention at the stage of market introduction rather than market growth. Rather, the influence of positive usefulness on acceptance intention is significantly higher at the stage of market growth than at market introduction. Originality/value This study indicates that exploring the role of positive emotion and the moderating effect of diffusion stages in m-payment acceptance provides a more comprehensive understanding of how to achieve a greater acceptance rate of an innovative m-payment.

The perception of employer value propositions and the contrast between Dutch and Chinese graduates: A case study of TNT

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Stephanie Jones ◽  
Ahmad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Subject Area ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Business Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Corporate Social

Subject area HRM; recruitment; managing cultural expectations in business; leadership. Study level/applicability Undergraduate management courses; MBA and MSc. Case overview This case focuses on recruitment problems in Europe with an Asian dimension. A young Dutch and a young Chinese graduate are considering a career with postal, courier and logistics firm TNT – what are their concerns as graduating students in looking for a job? From the opposite perspective, the case considers how employers attract graduate recruits. The case encourages students of a wide range of cultural backgrounds to question if they are following their cultural norms, or their own personal needs, regardless of their culture. It introduces students to the concept of perceptions of employer value propositions (EVPs) and how employers can “market” themselves to employees. The case is appropriate for courses in leadership, human resource management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), managing culture, also job hunting and career workshops. Expected learning outcomes This case is aimed at projecting the importance of career choice criteria from both graduate and employer perspectives. The case examines issues of national culture and associated differences in employee and organizational expectations. The case also examines the role of CSR in attracting employees; and the particular concerns of Generation Y employees. Supplementary materials Teaching note.

scholarly journals Recent Scope for AI in the Food Production Industry Leading to the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Webology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1066-1080
Author(s):  
Elham Tahsin Yasin ◽  
Nawroz I. Hamadamen ◽  
Ganesh Babu Loganathan ◽  
Manikandan Ganesan
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food Production ◽  
Feed The Future ◽  
Deep Learning Model

In today's situation, Artificial intelligence and computer vision collectively join together to analyze the big data obtained from predicted models. The role of AI in the agri-based food industry helps the stakeholders to access and monitor the supply chain. The phenomenon of applying AI and computer vision in the food industry would improve the entire operations. This research paper tries to provide an assisting model for farmers in food-processing and agriculture through the state-of-the-art method. Several concepts related to sustainability in food processing have been estimated through machine learning, and the deep learning model as a worldwide concept. The demand for the usage of AI and computer vision in the Ag-TECH industry has increased which impacts sustainable food production to feed the future. Certain implications have been suggested for real-time monitoring of the farming process, politics behind sustainable food production, and investment which is the main game-player in the present situation. The 4th Industrial Revolution [IR-4.0] was ushered in by the deployment of computer vision and AI in the food business, with computer vision robotics playing a crucial role in ensuring sustainable food production.

Effect of information content and form on customers’ attitude and transaction intention in mobile banking

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1092-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreejesh S. ◽  
Anusree M.R. ◽  
Amarnath Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Favorable Evaluation ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Information Characteristics

Purpose Although research on mobile banking (M-banking) is an emerging field, the current understanding of the information characteristics of M-banking, such as information content and form and its impacts on customers’ attitude and transaction intention toward the same is limited. Furthermore, no study to date has examined how users’ privacy evaluation regarding the use of M-banking (i.e. users’ perceived privacy concern) influences their processing of information to create attitude and subsequent transaction intention. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to narrow this research gap by investigating the process through and conditions under which the customers’ evaluation of M-banking information content and form contributes to the development of transaction intention. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered survey on the users of M-banking was performed to collect the response. Mediation analyses followed by conditional process analyses were carried out to test the proposed set of hypotheses. Findings The results show that users’ favorable evaluation of M-banking information content and form creates transaction intention through favorable attitude toward M-banking. However, this relationship is found to be moderated by their perceived privacy concern, as users with high privacy concern do not process information content and form favorably, i.e., their attitude and transaction intention are found to be less, as compared to users with low perceived privacy concern. Originality/value Drawing on literature from areas, such as information processing, internet banking, marketing and psychology, the paper develops an understanding of the role of information characteristics of M-banking in determining users’ transaction intention via user attitude. Furthermore, this is the first study that shows how information characteristics differently influence users’ attitude and transaction intention based on their perceived privacy concern.

Impact of anthropomorphic features of artificially intelligent service robots on consumer acceptance: moderating role of sense of humor

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengying Zhang ◽  
Dogan Gursoy ◽  
Zhangyao Zhu ◽  
Si Shi
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Consumer Acceptance ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Sense Of Humor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of both physical and personality-related anthropomorphic features of an artificial intelligence service robot on the cognitive and affective appraisals and acceptance of consumers during service delivery. Design/methodology/approach The proposed hypotheses that investigate the effects of service robots’ physical appearance on the emphasis consumers place on each evaluation criteria they use in determining their willingness to accept the use of service robots in service delivery and the moderating role of sense of humor are tested by conducting two studies using scenario-based experiments. Findings The results show that humanlike appearance leads to higher performance expectancy, mascot-like appearance generates higher positive emotions and machine-like appearance results in higher effort expectancy. The effects of humanlike and mascot-like appearances on consumer acceptance are moderated by the sense of humor of service robots. However, the sense of humor effect is attenuated with a machine-like appearance owing to the lack of anthropomorphism. Practical implications This study provides crucial insights for hospitality managers who plan to use service robots in service delivery. The findings highlight the key roles of appearance type and sense of humor of service robots in influencing the appraisals and acceptance of consumers regarding the use of service robots in service delivery. Originality/value This study focuses on comparing the effects of traditional and mascot-like appearances of service robots on consumer appraisals and identifies sense of humor as a cute anthropomorphized personality trait of service robots.

Exploring SMEs’ qualitative growth and networking through formalization

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-415
Author(s):  
Matilde Milanesi ◽  
Simone Guercini ◽  
Annalisa Tunisini
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Industrial District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Strategy ◽  
Individual Traits ◽  
Institutional Actors ◽  
Horizontal Network

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the role of networking through formalization, namely, the adoption of specific contractual forms, in triggering small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs’) qualitative growth. The paper adopts an approach to SMEs’ growth that stresses the multi-dimensionality nature of the concept, which includes not only size but also relationship and capability growth. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology is used, based on the study of cases of SMEs from an Italian fashion district, connected by a specific contractual form – the so-called “network contract” (NC) – promoted by the national government. Two cases of NCs are presented, a vertical and a horizontal network. Findings The paper highlighted the positive influence of NCs, intended as a managerial strategy not only aimed at collaboration, on the growth paths of SMEs but also stressed that the influence of NCs cannot be isolated, but acts virtuously together with other variables. Such variables include entrepreneurs’ and managers’ individual traits, the context – industrial district in the two cases under study – in which SMEs operate, the presence of an external actor that stimulates the adoption of NCs. Originality/value The focus on qualitative growth, which can be triggered by the formalization of business relationships through contractual forms, contributes to the debate on the nature and content of SMEs’ growth. The awareness of the variables that contribute to SMEs’ growth is crucial for both entrepreneurs and institutional actors who want to create the conditions to undertake paths of qualitative growth.

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