Measuring business sustainability in food service operations: a case study in the fast food industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1037-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Minh Vu ◽  
Hing Kai Chan ◽  
Ming K. Lim ◽  
Anthony S.F. Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Research Result ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Service Operations ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Sustainability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach to measure business sustainability in food service operations. The main objectives are to understand the concepts of business sustainability and, after constructing a framework based on a literature review, to assess the relation between the proposed framework and the empirical case study in a fast food retailer chain. Design/methodology/approach In order to examine the applicability of the proposed framework, focus group interview and face-to-face interviews were conducted. Additionally, some other secondary data such as official websites or company reports were also used to support the interview results. Findings Finding of the research result has shown most of the factors of business sustainability employed to measure sustainability food service operations are supported. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by showing that environmental and social sustainability are significantly recognized in the corporation. More importantly, through the data analysis, a new factor of social sustainability, namely, community contribution has been found. The contribution of this paper is certainly applicable to other food service operations who wish to achieve a good degree of business sustainability.

Identifying Muda in a fast food service process in Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Francisco Morales-Contreras ◽  
Manuel F. Suárez-Barraza ◽  
Marcelo Leporati
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Production ◽  
Customers Perspective

Purpose Identification and elimination of Muda (any activity adding cost but not value from the customers’ perspective) is one of the main objectives of Lean service. Whilst there is significant research on implementing lean in manufacturing and some service industries, there is little information related to its application to the fast food service industry. The purpose of this paper is to try to fill in this gap by answering the research question: What type of Muda could be identified from the customers’ perspective within the service production processes in the fast food restaurant industry in Spain? Design/methodology/approach An exploratory case study has been conducted. Three multinational companies were selected and several sites observed in Madrid, Spain. Three methods were used to gather data: document analysis; direct and participative observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings The paper identifies the seven types of Muda: defects, movements, process, inventory, overproduction, transport and delay. The results are discussed for Cases A, B and C, showing that A and B present higher potential for Muda, compared C. Practical implications Threefold value for practitioners and managers: waste identification is an opportunity for non-efficient processes improvement; observation/analysis from the customers’ perspective reveals that customers perceive these inefficiencies; a guideline/audit tool for future assessments. Originality/value The paper contributes to the limited existing literature on lean service in fast food industry and disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward increasing the productivity, efficiency, consistency and quality of service.

A case of talent management practices in motivating fast food service employees

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Gaunette Sinclair-Maragh ◽  
Noriel Jacobs-Gray ◽  
Norene Brown-Roomes
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Food Service Employees

Subject area Food service management, human resource management, hospitality strategic management and, international business and management. Study level/applicability Graduate students. Case overview The purpose of this case study is to determine whether the practice of talent management serves to motivate fast food service employees. It aims to determine employees’ perceived level of awareness and importance of talent management practices; current practice of talent management within the fast food service sector; and to assess the level of motivation of employees from talent management practices. The survey method employing the use of questionnaires was used to ascertain data from a fast food service establishment in Jamaica, a developing island destination located in the Caribbean region (Sinclair-Maragh and Gursoy, 2015). Jamaica is chosen for the study, as there has been an increase in the number of both local and international fast food entities over the years (Collinder, 2014). The focus on fast food service is important, as they have been providing employment to a significant sector of the population. This type of business operation is classified as a tourism related hospitality area (Purcell, 1996) and as indicated by Christensen and Rog (2008), talent management presents an intriguing opportunity for hospitality organizations to attract employees with requisite skills and experience. The industry is also challenged in maintaining motivated employees (Baum, 2008). Talent management can assist organizations that have long-struggled with high turnover rates and the ability to attract and engage employees that are considered assets and not liabilities. Lockwood (2007) points out that engaged employees are loyal, hardworking and passionate about their work. Motivation theory is used to provide theoretical support for the findings of the study. This is because behavioral theorists such as Abraham Maslow suggested that survival, safety, belonging and self-esteem are factors that can be used to motivate employees and Sigmund Freud believes that people need to be rewarded to get work done (Nohria et al., 2008). This theory is plausible to the study, as it is postulated that talent management can enhance employee engagement, through highly motivated employees (Christensen and Rog, 2008). The study finds that majority of the employees understood the meaning of the term “talent management”. In terms of their personal and professional development, the employees believe that these are highly influenced by the organization’s culture. They pointed out that skills are usually developed through training, cross-training and succession planning. Financial assistance is given for further training and skill development. The performance evaluation process is used to identify employees’ specific skill. Although this is done, the majority has not been placed in other departments that would benefit more from their skills. Only 7.6 per cent reported that this was ever done. Employees’ emotional wellbeing is also important. Although majority of the employees (44.7 per cent) are happy about their work, they indicated that they could be motivated by coaching, mentorship and empowerment initiatives. Overall, the employees’ sense of belonging through their engagement and development, and self-esteem through their morale and competence are important to their motivation levels. They are also motivated when support is provided for training and skill development as explained by the motivation theory. Expected learning outcomes The learning outcomes are intended to guide the teaching-learning process and stimulate students’ understanding of the concepts of talent management specific to fast food service employees’ motivation. The case study is a useful resource for graduate students to enable and develop their critical thinking and solution-oriented skills. Students should be able to critically analyze the case and respond to the questions to garner and improve their understanding of talent management and its applicability in the fast food service sector. Further understanding of the concept can be derived from developing dimensions and measures of talent management that can be generalized to the food service sector. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

University social responsibility and empathy in organizations during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariane Lemos Lourenço ◽  
Mara Rosalia Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Rafael Santana Galvão Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Psychological Assistance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between empathy and social responsibility (SR) practices in a university organization in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Design/methodology/approach The research was qualitative, using case study methodology. The case study was about the Brazilian organization Ânima Educação, which is the greatest among the five largest publicly traded education companies in Brazil. Secondary data collection and content analysis was carried out. Findings As emotional response toward the problems caused by the pandemic, the company's leadership adopted an empathic behavior, allowing traces of its empathic culture to emerge. Empathy was expressed through the implementation of SR practices aimed at workers (policy of not firing in the first two months of the pandemic), at students (provision of technological apparatus, online classes, physical/psychological assistance and negotiation of late fees) and at the society (assistance to the elderly). Originality/value It was concluded that empathy can be taken as the emotional motivator for companies to engage in SR practices, especially in extreme circumstances in society, as the economic and health challenges that the world is experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic nowadays. SR practices, in turn, can foster even more empathy in organizations, mobilizing leaders and their respective groups in the creation and implementation of new practices, thus demonstrating that the relationship between empathy and SR practices is a “two-way street.”

Does holding offshore jurisdictions to higher AML standards really assist in preventing money laundering?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew James Perkins
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Cayman Islands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Task Forces ◽  
Financial Crimes ◽  
Financial Action Task ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Combat Money Laundering

Purpose This paper aims to contend that when tackling financial crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing, international regulators are seeking to hold offshore jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands to higher standards and that this detracts from the pursuit of detecting and prosecuting money launders. Design/methodology/approach This paper will deal with the following perceived issues: firstly, to offshore jurisdictions as a concept; secondly, to outline the efforts made by the Cayman Islands to combat money laundering and to rate these changes against Financial Action Task Forces’ (FATAF’s) technical criteria; thirdly, to demonstrate that the Cayman Islands is among some of the world’s top jurisdictions for compliance with FATAF’s standards; and finally, to examine whether greylisting was necessary and to comment upon whether efforts by international regulators to hold offshore jurisdictions to higher standards detracts from the actual prosecution of money laundering within the jurisdiction. Findings Greylisting the Cayman Islands in these authors’ view was something that should have never happened; the Cayman Islands is being held to standards far beyond what is expected in an onshore jurisdiction. There is a need for harmonisation in respect of international anti money laundering rules and regulations to shift the tone to prosecution and investigation of offences rather than on rating jurisdictions technical compliance with procedural rules where states have a workable anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Research limitations/implications The implications of this research are to show that offshore jurisdictions are being held by FATAF and other international regulators to higher AML standards than their onshore counterparties. Practical implications The author hopes that this paper will begin the debate as to whether FATAF needs to give reasons as to why offshore jurisdictions are held to higher standards and whether it needs to begin to contemplate higher onshore standards. Originality/value This is an original piece of research evaluating the effect of FATAF's reporting on offshore jurisdictions with a case study involving primary and secondary data in relation to the Cayman Islands.

London’s local Olympic legacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Duignan
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Business Failure ◽  
Business Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Sustainability ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Small Business Sustainability

PurposeLondon’s Candidature bid projected an irresistible legacy of lasting benefits for host communities and small businesses. Yet, local post-Games perspectives paint a contrasted picture – one of becoming displaced. This paper aims to draw on event legacy, specifically in relation to rising rents, threats to small business sustainability and impact on place development by empirically examining London’s localembryonic legaciesforming across one ex-hosting Olympic community: Central Greenwich.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 43 interviews with local businesses (specifically, small retailers and hospitality businesses), local authorities, London-centric and national project actors and policymakers underpin analysis, supported by official London 2012 archival, documentary and media reports, were conducted to add texture and triangulate primary and secondary data sources.FindingsJuxtaposing ex ante projections vs emerging ex post realities, this paper reveals a local legacy of small business failure fuelled by rising commercial rents and a wider indifference for protecting diverse urban high streets. Embroiled in a struggle to survive, and barely recognised as a key stakeholder and contributor to legacy, small businesses have and continue to become succeeded by a new business demographic in town: monochromatic global and national chains. Typifying the pervasive shift toward clone town spaces, this article argues that corporate colonisation displaces independent businesses, serves to homogenise town centres, dilute place-based cultural offer and simultaneously stunts access to a positive local development legacy. This paper argues that such processes lead to the production of urban blandscapes that may hamper destination competitiveness.Originality/valueExamining event legacy, specifically local legacies forming across ex-host Olympic communities, is a latent, under-researched but vital and critical aspect of scholarship. Most event legacy analysis focuses on longer-term issues for residents, yet little research focuses on both local placed-based development challenges and small business sustainability and survival post-Games. More specifically, little research examines the potential relationship between event-led gentrification, associated rising rents and aforementioned clone town problematic. Revealing and amplifying the idiosyncratic local challenges generated through an in-depth empirically driven triangulation of key local business, policy, governmental and non-governmental perspectives, is a central contribution of this article missing from extant literatures. This paper considers different ways those responsible for event legacy, place managers and developers can combat such aforementioned post-Games challenges.

Competitive service quality improvement (CSQI): a case study in the fast-food industry

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seok-hoon Lee ◽  
Yong-pil Kim ◽  
Nigel Hemmington ◽  
Deok-kyun Yun
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Fast Food Industry

Kiwanis Pancake Day – a service operations management case study

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Andrew Tiger ◽  
Robert Howard
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Service Operations ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Operations Management ◽  
Management Experience ◽  
Management Case Study ◽  
Management Issues

TitleKiwanis Pancake Day – a service operations management case study.Subject areaOperations management.Study level/applicabilityUndergraduate and MBA OM courses.Case overviewKiwanis International is a global service organization dedicated to improving the world by helping children. The Durant, Oklahoma chapter holds its primary annual fundraiser the first Tuesday of November, which is also Election Day. The chapter sells and serves fresh pancakes throughout the day; therefore, the event is the Kiwanis Pancake Day. While serving in his first Pancake Day, Robert Howard, a new Kiwanian, notices service operations management issues such as long lines, spiky demand, and customers leaving before being served. Based on his management experience in the grocery business and his academic training in queuing systems, Robert performs an analysis of the system with the purpose of improving service operations.Expected learning outcomes Perform queuing analysis., Understand demand management., Explain the psychology of waiting.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes and spreadsheet‐based multiple‐server simulator.

Enhancing Retailer-Consumers Relationship through Everyday Sustainability

2017 ◽  
pp. 312-333
Author(s):  
Elena Candelo ◽  
Cecilia Casalegno ◽  
Chiara Civera
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
The Past ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
Young Consumers ◽  
Corporate Social

The chapter aims at investigating the effects that the Communication of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability exerts on consumers' perception considering the fast food industry in Italy. the McDonald's case study has been developed through managerial interviews and formal documents analysis in order to report on its strategies for CSR activities implementation and their communication in Italy. Moreover, through surveys conducted in Italy, the case study has been tested on a particular group of young consumers - Generation Z - less influenced by the past McDonald's activity in order to demonstrate how communications of sustainability are better believed and perceived, when a brand has a long tradition of misperceptions.

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