scholarly journals Comparing German and Italian food banks

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 2425-2438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike Rombach ◽  
Vera Bitsch ◽  
Eunkyung Kang ◽  
Francesco Ricchieri
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Framework

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate food bank actors’ knowledge of food insecurity in Germany and in Italy, as well as interactions between food bank actors and food bank users. The study builds on a knowledge framework from an educational context and applies it to food banks. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative research approach. In all, 22 in-depth interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed through inductive qualitative content analysis. Findings German and Italian food bank actors interviewed had at least situational knowledge on food insecurity. Some actors of the Italian food bank also showed procedural knowledge. Interactions between food bank personnel and users were affected by feelings of gratitude, shame, anger and disappointment. Originality/value The study explores food bank personnel’s knowledge on food insecurity, which appears to be a knowledge gap, even though many prior studies were dedicated to food banks and food insecurity. The study contributes to knowledge systematization to provide best practice recommendations for volunteer-user interaction, and suggests how food bank managers and volunteers’ knowledge can be improved.

Food banks, welfare, and food insecurity in Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1405-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Tarasuk ◽  
Naomi Dachner ◽  
Rachel Loopstra
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Food Assistance ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Similar to the recent emergence of food banks in other affluent nations, the genesis and ultimate entrenchment of food banks in Canada has been tightly intertwined with the dismantling of the welfare state. Through an examination of Canadian data, the authors elucidate the implications of entrenching voluntary, extra-governmental, charitable food assistance programs as an adjunct to publicly funded social assistance programs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Publicly available food bank reports, population health survey data, and the results of a study of low-income families in Toronto are reviewed to examine the food security status of social assistance recipients and their use of food banks. Findings – In 2012, 70 percent of households in Canada who were reliant on social assistance were food insecure. Social assistance recipients comprise at least half of food bank clientele and have done so for as long as this information has been tracked, but the assistance provided by food banks appears insufficient to alter households’ food insecurity. Although food banks currently distribute over 200 million pounds of food annually, the scale of their operations pales in comparison to the food needs of those who seek their help. Originality/value – In the 30 years since food banks began in Canada, there has been considerable research into this response, as well as extensive population monitoring of food insecurity. Canada provides an informative case study of an affluent country's long-term dependency on charitable food assistance and the impact this has on the food insecurity of those reliant on social assistance programs.

Foodbank of Western Australia's healthy food for all

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1490-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Meredith Butcher ◽  
Miranda Rose Chester ◽  
Leisha Michelle Aberle ◽  
Vanessa Jo-Ann Bobongie ◽  
Christina Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Literacy

Purpose – In Australia, the Foodbank of Western Australia (Foodbank WA) has a reputation for being at the forefront of health promotion. The purpose of this paper is to describe Foodbank WA's innovative food bank plus approach of incorporating healthy lifestyle initiatives (i.e. nutrition and physical activity education) into its core food bank business, so as to target priority issues such as food insecurity, poor food literacy, overweight, obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach was utilised to explore Foodbank WA's Healthy Food for All® (HFFA) strategy. HFFA is a comprehensive state wide, school and community based strategy, including the School Breakfast Programme, Food Sensations® and Choose to Move initiatives, designed to promote healthy lifestyles to low socioeconomic and vulnerable groups – a major target group of food banks. Findings – Since its inception in 2007, the delivery of food, education and resources has increased across all of Foodbank WA's HFFA initiatives. Evaluation results from feedback surveys demonstrate the success of these interventions to positively impact upon food security, health and wellbeing of participants. Originality/value – HFFA is a unique, effective and novel strategy that addresses a number of health and nutrition issues. Food banks are well placed to deliver food literacy and healthy lifestyle initiatives. Foodbank WA's holistic approach and demonstrated success provides other food banks with a best practice model and knowledge base for the development of similar health promotion strategies and interventions.

Luxury fashion and sustainability: looking good together

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Campos Franco ◽  
Dildar Hussain ◽  
Rod McColl
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Sustainability Challenges ◽  
Industry Sectors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight critical sustainability challenges facing luxury fashion firms and to describe examples of best practice in responding to these challenges. Design/methodology/approach The research approach combines a detailed literature review with multiple-case examples. The paper adopts the triple bottom line framework for structuring the analysis and findings, which suggests reporting sustainability efforts in three categories of actions – social, environmental and economic. Findings Prior research suggests that luxury fashion marketing and principles of sustainability may represent contradictory philosophies. However, this paper of case examples suggests that this may no longer be the case. We identify six lessons in guiding future sustainability practices. Practical implications The findings have implications for managers operating in luxury fashion, but the findings are also pertinent to managers in other industries. Originality/value Prior research in luxury fashion has generally focused on the industry’s poor record in sustainability and how luxury and sustainability may be incompatible. In this paper, we conclude that most luxury fashion firms are aware of the need to integrate sustainability into their business models. By uncovering examples of best practice in sustainability, we demonstrate how luxury fashion firms have responded to these challenges with lessons for other industry sectors.

Teamwork benefits in tertiary education

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arabella Volkov ◽  
Michael Volkov
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Assessment Design ◽  
Practice Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the development of students’ skills in the context of team-based learning. Academics have heeded the call to incorporate team learning activities into the curricula, yet little is known of student perception of teamwork and whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career. Further, this study presents an instructional framework to guide best practice in higher education practitioners with regard to the design of teamwork assessment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a qualitative approach utilising 190 students’ reflections to examine their perception of the benefits of teamwork and whether it will contribute to their future professional work. Findings – Results indicate students perceive team-based assessment tasks require them to adopt a deep approach to learning together with a deep approach to study, as well as improving their skills in the areas of collaboration, team unity and cultural diversity. Further, the study identified a best practice approach that higher education practitioners should adopt in teamwork assessment design giving this study both national and international significance and aids fellow educators in their practices. Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. Practical implications – The paper presents important implications for those involved in the development of assessment items where objectives include the development of team skills and quality learning outcomes. The findings are vital for unit and course planning and design generally, and assessment planning, design and processes, specifically, both nationally and internationally. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study students’ perceptions of teamwork, whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career, and presents a best practice approach for teamwork assessment design.

Improving community disaster resilience through scorecard self-testing

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salizar Mohamed Ludin ◽  
Paul Andrew Arbon
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Disaster Resilience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Community Disaster Resilience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop government and community-level critical thinking, planning, and action for improving community disaster resilience by reporting a study that sought to evaluate the possibility of using the Torrens Resilience Institute Australian Community Disaster Resilience (CDR) Scorecard in the Malaysian context. Design/methodology/approach A participatory action research approach (done in 2015) encouraged key people involved in managing the 2014 Kelantan floods in Malaysia’s north-east to participate in discussions about, and self-testing of, the CDR Scorecard to measure and improve their communities’ disaster resilience. Findings The CDR Scorecard can be useful in the Malaysian community context, with some modifications. Self-testing revealed that participating communities need to strengthen their disaster resilience through better communication, cross-community cooperation, maximizing opportunities to compare their plans, actions and reactions with those reported in research publications, and aligning their community disaster management with reported best practice internationally while acknowledging the need to adapt such practice to local contexts. Research limitations/implications There is a need for a Malaysia-wide, simple-to-use, standardized disaster resilience scorecard to improve communities’ quality, self-efficacy, and capability to facilitate improved disaster resilience. Practical implications The adaptation of Australian CDR Scorecard for used in the country. Social implications Awareness of CDR level will enhance community and government preparedness, mitigation, and responses to flood disaster. Originality/value This project is the first of its kind in Malaysia. It provides an example of the possibilities of using the CDR Scorecard globally in the form of a context-specific toolkit. The engagement of key people in the community in self-testing the Scorecard provides genuine, on-the-ground, real life data, giving others an understanding of local assessment of each community’s resilience level.

scholarly journals Critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management into the development process

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Paul Tucker ◽  
Mohd Rayme Anang Masuri ◽  
Alison Cotgrave
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Issues ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management (FM) into the development process (DP). It explains the factors that limit the integration and recognises the best practices applied in the property development industry in the UK. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a qualitative research approach through semi-structured interviews from the FM and property development industry in the UK. Findings The study discovered that the recognition of FM in the property development industry is encouraging. However, FM has been given a low priority in the property development industry, resulting in facilities managers being inadequately integrated into the DP. Originality/value The paper suggests that it is imperative to understand these strategic issues to promote best practice in the industry that improve the position of FM in the property development industry.

scholarly journals Food bank drive-through distribution during COVID-19: A reflective essay

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Brittney Cavaliere ◽  
Carson Drew ◽  
Katie Martin
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
New England ◽  
Free Food ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Food Pantry ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Food Needs ◽  
To Receive

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprece­dented surge in food insecurity and demand for free food. In response, Foodshare, the regional food bank serving Greater Hartford, Connecticut, created a drive-through distribution program to meet the immediate food needs of residents. Our team at Foodshare’s Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions conducted two surveys of people receiving food at the drive-through distribution to help inform Foodshare’s programming and response to the pandemic. Results show that 70% of households receiving food had never gone to a food pantry or other program to receive free food prior to COVID-19, and 67% said they come at least once a week. Additionally, 86% of guests are not going elsewhere to receive free food and only 37% know of other places to get free food. The majority of people receiving food at the drive-through distribution were people of color, who are those most affected by COVID-19 from both health and financial perspectives. From April to August 2020, Foodshare served an average of 1,500 households each day and more than 150,000 cars total at the drive-through distribution alone. Despite serving an immediate need for food, the drive-through model presents challenges, particu­larly during the New England winter with snow and freezing temperatures, and is an expensive endeavor. Foodshare and other food banks will need to pivot again from short-term pandemic assistance to longer-term approaches to create dignified, convenient, and sustainable access to healthy food for additional people struggling with food insecurity. Food banks can also leverage their extensive platforms of volunteers and donors to advocate for policy changes that will ensure eco­nomic stability and food security.

Hungry for change: the food banking industry in Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1392-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Booth ◽  
Jillian Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relief System ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Over the last 20 years, food banks in Australia have expanded nationwide and are a well-organised “industry” operating as a third tier of the emergency food relief system. The purpose of this paper is to overview the expansion and operation of food banks as an additional self-perpetuating “tier” in the response to hunger. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on secondary data sourced from the internet; as well as information provided by Foodbank Australia and Food Bank South Australia (known as Food Bank SA) to outline the history, development and operation of food banks. Food banking is then critically analysed by examining the nature and framing of the social problems and policies that food banking seeks to address. This critique challenges the dominant intellectual paradigm that focuses on solving problems; rather it questions how problem representation may imply certain understandings. Findings – The issue of food banks is framed as one of food re-distribution and feeding hungry people; however, the paper argue that “the problem” underpinning the food bank industry is one of maintaining food system efficiency. Food banks continue as a neo-liberal mechanism to deflect query, debate and structural action on food poverty and hunger. Consequently their existence does little to ameliorate the problem of food poverty. Practical implications – New approaches and partnerships with stakeholders remain key challenges for food banks to work more effectively to address food poverty. Social implications – While the food bank industry remains the dominant solution to food poverty in Australia, debate will be deflected from the underlying structural causes of hunger. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the limited academic literature and minimal critique of the food bank industry in Australia. It proposes that the rapid expansion of food banks is a salient marker of government and policy failure to address food poverty.

Emerging contractor's management and planning skills to overcome business risk factors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Amoah ◽  
Linda Bikitsha
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Business Risk ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Grade One

PurposeEmerging construction companies often liquidate due to their inability to institute strategies to handle their business risks. This study investigated the skills and strategies adopted by emerging contractors to overcome business risk factors to make their businesses sustainable.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. Semi-structured interview questions were used to solicit information from emerging contractors within the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Grade one (1) to four (4) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify the main themes.FindingsThe study's findings indicate that emerging contractors face business risk factors that impact their project execution hugely. Thus to overcome these risk factors, they implement various strategies to curtail the risk they encounter in their businesses. These strategies include; human resource management (employing experienced and skilled labour and training of staff); communication management (with other employees about set goals); financial management (effective pricing of tender documents); procurement management (ensuring materials are available as and when necessary in their projects) and quality management (ensuring effective work supervision); among others.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study concentrated on the emerging construction firms in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, the findings may be applicable in other provinces and beyond South Africa.Practical implicationsIn order for emerging contractors to prevent the collapse of their businesses, there is the need to be educated on effective project risk management to identify potential business risk, the mirage associated with the notion of the construction business profitability, effective tender pricing and strategic business partnership. These strategies, if well thought, will help sustain their businesses and growth in the construction industry.Originality/valueThe study has identified the management strategies used by emerging contractors to sustain their businesses in the construction industry. Thus, the finding will guide both emerging contractors who are already in the construction business and those planning to enter the construction market.

A picture is worth a thousand words: a photo-thematic analysis of city hospitality in municipal popular reporting

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Del Gesso
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Municipal Government ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Purpose This paper aims to study the disclosure of information about city hospitality within municipal popular reporting documents, by conducting a photo-thematic analysis of the photographic imagery contained therein. These documents have great potential for integrating supplementary information in a simplified, short and attractive form. Supplementary disclosure by means of pictures, such as that concerning city hospitality, has not previously been researched. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research uses visual data, specifically photographs, as a data source. To capture city hospitality disclosure, a photo-thematic analysis was conducted on a total of 495 photographs contained in a sample of 30 US municipal Popular Annual Financial Reports singled out for best practice. Photographs were inductively thematized using the qualitative data analysis software “QDA Miner”. Findings The photo-thematic analysis yielded an array of themes and sub-themes important to an overall understanding of municipal government disclosure about city hospitality. Going far beyond hosting the hospitality industry segment, city hospitality proved to be a complex area involving city livability and sustainability; it encompasses environmental and landscape resources, facilities, services, activities, events, culture, history, sociability, innovation and much more. Photographs were able to suitably provide supplementary nonfinancial disclosure in popular reports, conveying a welcoming image to the city’s guests – including both its citizens and visitors – in a timely and appealing way. Originality/value This study is the first to examine information disclosure via photographs in popular reporting, focusing on municipal government disclosures about city hospitality. It, therefore, offers new knowledge in both the areas of city hospitality and popular reporting, using an innovative qualitative research approach which gives insight into the power of pictures to generate and convey information beyond textual data.

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