scholarly journals Controversy and doxa: sustainable food policy and the English vegetable sector?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Veronica Moorhouse ◽  
Ross Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Policy Regime ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Production Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Marketing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Market Shaping

Purpose The authors explore the market agora and the shaping of markets as controversies over the meaning and practices related to sustainability evolved. This study aims to explore what happened in a market-oriented policy regime, which aimed to address sustainability in farming and food, to assess the impact of the policy on the vegetable sector in England and to consider whether the market-oriented policy regime created a more sustainable food system for Britain. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined policy documents – agenda setting reports, policy frameworks and operational plans – and conducted interviews with experts – including policymakers, agronomists and the growers themselves, from across this heterogeneous production sector. Findings The authors found that while controversy over the meaning of sustainability impacted on the evolution of food policy and grower business practices, market conceptualisations remained in a doxic mode – naturalised and beyond dispute throughout the market agora. Research limitations/implications This is a study of a single sub-sector of the fruit and vegetable sector in a single European country and over a particular period of time. It presents a detailed, authentic representation of that sub-sector in context and diverse information sources were used to gain a variety of perspectives. However, it is acknowledged that this is a limited, qualitative study involving relatively few key informant interviews. Social implications The authors’ explanation suggests that market doxa limited how policymakers and market agora understood the economic challenges and the solutions that could be deployed for English vegetable growers, a sector so pivotal for sustainability. The authors propose that ideas from industrial marketing can be used to reignite controversy, challenge market doxa, and in doing so create space for progress in creating sustainable markets. Originality/value The authors deploy an approach advocated by Blanchet and Depeyre (2016) and use controversy to explore the evolution of policy for sustainability and market shaping in the English vegetable sector agora. In doing so the authors create a novel explanation of why policy, which aimed to usher in a sustainable market, fell short of its aims and contribute to an under-researched area examining policy for sustainability in a B2B context.

scholarly journals Markets in Municipal Code: The Case of Michigan Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4263
Author(s):  
Amanda Maria Edmonds ◽  
Gerrit J. Carsjens
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Food Markets ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Needs

Food’s place on the urban, municipal agenda has become an increasing focus in the emergent fields of food policy and food planning, whose leaders argue that food needs to be more explicitly added to the urban agenda. Yet, public food markets are a food system activity that municipal governments have been long engaged in. Reports from leading health, planning, and food organizations assert that farmers markets—the dominant form of public retail food markets in the US today—should be explicitly included in zoning and other municipal codes to ensure that they can be created and sustained. Despite their popularity as a local sustainable food system and healthy food access strategy, it is unclear whether markets have been codified through municipalities’ planning and policy instruments, and research has largely not addressed this topic. This study aims to elicit whether markets have been codified into law, focusing on US municipal charters, codes and zoning ordinances, using Michigan, an upper Midwest state, as a case. After analyzing municipal documents to determine whether and where markets have been codified into law in ninety Michigan cities, this study concludes that markets are highly underrepresented in municipal policy, rarely defined in code, and mostly absent from zoning ordinances, even among those cities with currently operating markets. Market presence in code is, however, associated with the presence of historically operated markets. These findings raise questions about why markets are missing from codified food policy and what risks this poses to the future of markets. They also highlight the need to better document the market sector and underline the importance of including historic perspectives when examining the efficacy of current food policy efforts.

Global challenges, sustainable development, and their implications for organizational performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Busaya Virakul
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Sustainability Policy ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to propose an effective response by business organizations to the impact of global challenges and sustainable development (SD). It also presents an overview model of organizational performance employing such an approach. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a conceptual work based upon a review of theories, research findings and reports gathered from relevant literature. The review yielded the following research framework: many countries are facing global challenges; these global challenges are affecting business organizations as external factors; SD is a concept employed to address these challenges; SD can be applied in business organizations through corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate governance (CG) and sustainability policy and practices; and embedding CSR, CG and sustainability concepts at a strategic level is an effective response to global challenges. Findings – Global challenges are impacting on business organizations and will continue to do so into the future. CSR, CG and sustainability concepts are increasingly being adopted by leading business organizations throughout the world. Embedding CSR, CG and sustainability concepts at a strategic level can sustain long-term organizational performance, as they help businesses face global challenges in a positive manner and maintain their position in societies on good terms with all stakeholders. Research limitations/implications – Different cultural or socio-economic environments may limit the interpretation and application of the findings or propositions in this research. Practical implications – How CSR, CG and sustainability concepts can be holistically implemented in business practices. Social implications – The role of business in lessening the effect of global challenges and supporting SD is illustrated in the proposed model. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates connections among the following critical influences on organizational performance: global challenges; SD; and CSR, CG and sustainability.

scholarly journals Child health and schooling achievement in Bangladesh

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasheda Khanam
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Instrumental Variables ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
School Enrolment ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Instrumental Variables Approach

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of child health (measured by nutritional status) on schooling performance of Bangladeshi children. Design/methodology/approach – The data set used in this study comes from a survey titled “Micronutrient and Gender Study (MNGS) in Bangladesh”. The survey was administered by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The author controls for the potential endogeneity of child health by an instrumental variables approach. The results indicate that the impact of child health on school achievement will be overestimated if endogeneity of child health is ignored. Findings – The results reveal that child health has significant effects on school enrolment and grade attainment, although it does not affect the current school attendance. The impact of child health is stronger for school enrolment compared to grade attainment. Originality/value – This study improves the understanding on the relationship between child health and schooling in several ways. First, the author controls for the potential endogeneity of child health by an instrumental variables approach. The chosen instrumental variables (i.e. heights of father and mother) are strong predictors of child health and satisfy the validity test. Second, this study examines the effects of child health on wide ranges of schooling measures: enrolment, attendance and attainment.

Agricultural and Food Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Abiodun Elijah Obayelu ◽  
Simeon Olusola Ayansina
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Policy Intervention ◽  
Sustainable Food Systems ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Adequate Food ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Food System

Policy plays significant role in defining the food system of any country, and a sustainable food system is necessary for food security. This chapter maps out the causal interactions between food systems, food security and policy, and the challenges in transition to a sustainable food system while respecting the rights of all people to have access to adequate food in Nigeria. Explicit, rigorous, and transparent literature search was undertaken and many articles were assessed and reviewed. Although the results established a mutual relationship between food system and food security, existing literature have widely failed to take interactions between food systems, food security and policy into account. While food production is used as an entry point to improving food system sustainability, the quest for food security are undermining transition towards sustainable food systems. It was found that without right policies in place, it may be difficult to have food systems that are sustainable and ensure food security. This chapter provides a useful contribution to policy, and research on transitions towards sustainable food system. Any policy intervention to address one part of the food systems will impact on other parts and will determine whether a country is food secure or not. Enabling policy environment is therefore essential in ensuring a sustainable food system and for the attainment of food security.

The contribution of tourism towards a more sustainable and inclusive society: key guiding principles in times of crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 679-689
Author(s):  
Carla Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Inclusive Society ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose At a time when tourism is embarking on the path to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, this paper aims to put forward a set of principles guiding the development of tourism to enable global society to become more inclusive and sustainable. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopted a descriptive design using views and data mainly published by 11 international organisations and specialised agencies between March and mid-June 2020. Content analysis was carried out to enable the research to identify features and the presence of challenges for tourism within international organisations’ documents and leaders’ speeches to compare them. Findings The results revealed that there are five key principles that may have a significant impact on tourism development, suggesting that these could be adopted for building a more inclusive and sustainable economy, while mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Practical implications Adopting the five key principles recommended in this paper can help tourism to emerge stronger and in a more sustainable way from COVID-19 or other future crises. Equally, this can incite changes in policies, business practices and consumers’ and locals’ behaviours with a view to building a truly sustainable sector. Originality/value This study helps to reconfirm existing knowledge in the COVID-19 context by highlighting five guiding principles that can help tourism players to respond to this crisis disruption and future ones via transformative innovation. In doing so, these will also be contributing to the achievement of the ideals and aims of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Conventional banks and Fintechs: how digitization has transformed both models

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 19-29
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Paulet ◽  
Hareesh Mavoori
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
Banking Strategy ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The digital revolution has substantially changed the business environment. Most banks have acknowledged the importance of new technologies to improve performance and client satisfaction. The development of these innovations has led to the entrance of the so-called Fintechs. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of these transformations on the performance of financial institutions and on their business model. Design/methodology/approach The authors use data envelopment analysis and Malmquist total productivity indices to measure financial institutions’ efficiency and their influence on strategy. Findings The main finding is that clients are more than ever at the core of banking strategy. The irrelevance of distance in basic banking transactions has reduced expenses and contributed to increasing revenues for all financial institutions. Banks will have a card to play in the advice they can bring to their clients. Practical implications This research could be of interest for financial managers who wish to re-examine their current business practices and imagine their business model for the future. Originality/value The contribution will be to further define the correlation between the provision of electronic banking services and its performance by including diversified institutions (conventional banks, Fintechs, Gafas) in the sample from multiple geographic zones to identify differences as regards their efficiency and business practices.

scholarly journals The Impact of Resource and Nutritional Resilience on the Global Food Supply System

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Martindale ◽  
Mark Swainson ◽  
Sonal Choudhary
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Global Food Supply

Pressure points in global food supply where resilience in supply chains can be limited or controlled are the equivalent of Critical Control Points in food safety systems. The approach of using critical control in supply chains can provide insights for nutritional improvement, sustainable food trade and food waste reduction. The pressure points determine the provision of a secure and sustainable food system where the outcomes of reducing their criticality are identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international programmes. These seek to reduce climate change impact and improve public health provision. While policy makers are rightly focussed on these targets, the data analysis methods required to rank and associate resource flow pressure points with commercial food supply chains and nutritional goals remain untested. Here, we show how methodologies can identify where opportunities to tackle future criticality exist, and where they are currently being overlooked for food categories that have the greatest consumer and dietary protein demand. The analysis provides insights that identify where latent restrictions in resilience can occur, so that the future risk of food insecurity is reduced.

Potential impacts of blockchain technology on business practices of bricks and mortar (B&M) grocery stores

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed T. Nuseir
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Functional Perspective ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of blockchain technology on the Bricks and Mortar (B&M) grocery sector from a technological and functional perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopted an exploratory research design and the data comprises 17 semi-structured interviews with personnel at the top grocery retail chains in the United States, for example, Wal-Mart, Tesco, Stop and Shop and Meijer. Additionally, two major US-based blockchain service providers are included – SumatoSoft and Accubits.FindingsBlockchain technology affects the business processes of B&M grocery retail by offering payment via tokens, secure payments and contracts between stakeholders, an end-to-end solution in the supply chain and secure management of the stock. However, this process is hampered by a number of challenges such as integrity and security concerns, difficulty in adapting sound logistics, lack of adequate skills and resistance to change by store managers and employees. This can be addressed by imparting education/training and creating awareness about the benefits of blockchain and generating industry-wide collaboration in which regulations can work.Practical implicationsThe research has benefits for B&M grocery stores, governments and the wider society. For example, the findings of this study will help B&M grocery retailers to confront the competition by online retailers such as Amazon, AliExpress or eBay and promote the development of a systematic collaboration to achieve the changes they need.Originality/valueThe study is original and innovative in that no research to date has focused on how blockchain can help the B&M grocery sector and address its challenges.

Should children become key stakeholders in designing family-friendly workplaces?

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1125-1139
Author(s):  
Nataša Krstić ◽  
Jelena Sladojević Matić
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
The Family ◽  
Workplace Practices ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose is to determine whether there is a gap between what children and youth expect from their parents' workplaces and the family-friendly business practices that employers apply, as well as whether COVID-19 has accelerated the introduction of these practices or contributed to any paradigm change.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive methodological research was done through electronic surveys with two target groups. The first group of respondents consisted of 1,279 children and youth who expressed their opinion on the impact of the parental workplace on them and what needs to be done to make companies more family oriented. The second survey involved 64 employers, who shared their views on achieving a balance between work and family and provided insight into the pre-pandemic and pandemic family-friendly workplace practices.FindingsAn apparent gap was identified between the family-friendly workplace practices offered by employers and the needs that children have regarding their parents' workplace. Although employers confirm that COVID-19 provides an opportunity to encourage FFW practices, during the outbreak of the virus, they demonstrated responsibility towards employees but neglected their family members.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings cannot be generalised to the entire business sector as the survey is not nationally representative. Also, the surveyed children do not come from the surveyed employers' work collectives, so it was not possible to intersect the findings.Practical implicationsThe research is vital for human resource managers as creators and implementers of family-friendly workplaces, as it indicates the need to involve the important but overlooked stakeholders in this process – the children of employees.Originality/valueThe research gap in the family-friendly workplace paradigm is addressed by comparing the attitudes of children with the employers' practices, before and during the COVID-19 outbreak.

scholarly journals Transparency for Food Consumers: Nutrition Labeling and Food Oppression

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Improve Health

Transparency for consumers through nutrition labeling should be the last, not the first, step in a transformative food policy that would reduce dramatic health disparities and raise the United States to the health standards of other nations with similar resources. Nonetheless, transparency in the food system is a key focal point of efforts to improve health by providing consumers with necessary information to make good nutritional choices, as well as to achieve sustainable food chains and ensure food safety and quality. In fact, nutrition labeling on packaging and in restaurants is the centerpiece of policy designed to decrease obesity, a condition many health advocates consider to be the most urgent public health crisis of the twenty-first century. The resulting increased transparency about food ingredients has led to some changes in industry practices and allowed many middle- and upper-income consumers to make informed choices about the products they purchase and consume. Unfortunately, however, research reveals that increased nutritional information does not improve health.

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