scholarly journals The Virtual Online Supermarket: An Open-Source Research Platform for Experimental Consumer Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4375
Author(s):  
Nils Engelbrecht ◽  
Tim-Benjamin Lembcke ◽  
Alfred Benedikt Brendel ◽  
Kilian Bizer ◽  
Lutz M. Kolbe
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Complementary Approach ◽  
Research Platform ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Impact

It is controversially discussed if and which interventions policymakers should implement to promote healthier, more sustainable, and more ethical food choices. Often, policy measures suffer from a lack of data. This is especially true for the growing field of online grocery shopping. Yet, it not always feasible to test the impact of each possible policy intervention in the field. Here, computer-simulated shopping experiments offer a complementary approach. Recent evidence suggests that they heighten the realism of consumer experiments and collect valid data at a relatively low cost. In this paper, we introduce an open-source toolset that offers multiple avenues to develop and run experiments in the context of online grocery shopping. Hence, it supports researchers and policy makers in evaluating instore-intervention aiming to support more sustainable food choices.

scholarly journals Youngsters' Sustainable Food Choices in the Supermarket

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
Charles Haverbeke ◽  
Joëlle Housmans ◽  
Isabel Marchand ◽  
Marina Mérola Teixeira ◽  
Anne-Mieke Vandamme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Attitude Behavior ◽  
The Impact

As climate change is gaining recognition and its impacts manifest, the role of the individual is increasingly being investigated. More specifically, the impact consumption has on both the environment and actors throughout the food chain is crucial in this role. Considering the small share sustainable consumption currently has in overall shopping, bridging the gap between unsustainable and sustainable choices will be paramount in addressing the increasing threat climate change and unjust development pose to our society. The attitude–behavior gap is a phenomenon further complicating the issue. It points out that although a person may have an understanding and desire to act upon knowledge that certain products are more sustainable than others, he does not actually act upon that knowledge when shopping. The limited research regarding the attitude–behavior gap, especially for young people, hinders retailers from creating a shopping environment that encourages sustainable shopping. To address this problem, the authors aimed at understanding consumption behavior in a supermarket environment, with special focus on food choices by students. More specifically, we addressed the following question: "How can we overcome the attitude–behavior gap for pro-sustainable attitudes in supermarkets?" Our survey-based research amongst 248 students could provide insights for effective interventions – such as education, social programming or in-store modifications – to ensure more sustainable mindsets while grocery shopping. We found that students are not consistently making sustainable choices, despite most having a general understanding of sustainability. Women tend to choose sustainable food more often than men, even though price and quality also had a substantial influ ence, together with health. We also found that students may consider or even believe in the importance of sustainability and being eco-conscious consumers without actually taking the necessary steps, showing an attitude–behavior gap. Enacting widespread sustainable development will require many small-scale paradigm shifts, such as a local supermarket incorporating more local and seasonal products or fighting food waste. However, climate change mitigation and environmental justice can only be realized by a widespread cooperation of these initiatives.

scholarly journals Food Heritage Makes a Difference: The Importance of Cultural Knowledge for Improving Education for Sustainable Food Choices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Kapelari ◽  
Georgios Alexopoulos ◽  
Theano Moussouri ◽  
Konstantin J. Sagmeister ◽  
Florian Stampfer
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents findings from a study carried out as part of BigPicnic, a European Commission’s Horizon 2020 project. BigPicnic brought together members of the public, scientists, policy-makers and industry representatives to develop exhibitions and science cafés. Across 12 European and one Ugandan botanic gardens participating in the study, we surveyed 1189 respondents on factors and motives affecting their food choices. The study highlights the importance that cultural knowledge holds for understanding food choices and consumer preferences. The findings of this study are discussed in the wider context of food security issues related to sustainable food choice, and the role of food as a form of cultural heritage. Specifically, the findings underline the importance of the impact of food preferences and choices on achieving sustainability, but also indicate that heritage is a key parameter that has to be more explicitly considered in definitions of food security and relevant policies on a European and global level.

Exploring the Consistency of Adults’ Food Choice motives with Sustainable Diet Components: a Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari ◽  
Abouali Vedadhir ◽  
Maryam Shokouhi ◽  
Ali Milani Bonab
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new thinking about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the dimensions of a sustainable diet among the determinants of people's food choices. Methods This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30-64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data gathering, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously and from the beginning of the research, and for managing and organizing the data, the MAXQDA 10 software was used. Results In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: "Health and Nutrition", "Food and Agriculture Security", "Environment and Ecosystems", "Markets, food trade and production chains", "social, cultural, and policy factors" were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the "Health and Nutrition" domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains "food and agriculture" and "environment and ecosystems" had the lowest role among the statements of the participants in this study. Conclusion considering to the low importance of the dimensions of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.

Exploration of the Effectiveness of Public Procurement for Innovation: Panel Analysis of EU Countries’ data

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Detelj ◽  
Timotej Jagric ◽  
Tanja Markovic-Hribernik
Keyword(s):  
Econometric Model ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
The Other ◽  
Panel Analysis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Impact

This research focuses on the impact of public procurement for innovation (PPI) on a country's level of innovativeness. The available literature primarily consists of case studies that identify PPI’s impact on the innovativeness of particular firms. Therefore, this paper developed an econometric model to investigate the impact of PPI on the innovativeness of EU countries. The model tested the impact of four different innovation policy measures (PPI, R&D subsidies, regulations and cooperation). The results showed that in different model settings, PPI was positively and significantly related to countries’ innovativeness, whereas the other three measures showed low significance. These research findings may be important to policy makers when selecting appropriate measures for promoting innovation and thereby also enhancing their country’s competitiveness.

The roads of ‘excellence’ in Central and Eastern Europe

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 547-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Antonowicz ◽  
Jan Kohoutek ◽  
Rómulo Pinheiro ◽  
Myroslava Hladchenko
Keyword(s):  
Eastern European ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Flagship Universities ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strategic Funding

The aim of the article is to explore the impact of excellence as a powerful policy idea in the context of recent and contemporary developments in three selected Central and Eastern European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. More specifically, we explore how excellence as a ‘global script’ was translated by policy makers into local contexts with institutionalized practices. It shows that the translation of the idea of excellence involved the rise of a series of novel policy measures such as long-term strategic funding and the establishment of various pertinent schemes (e.g. flagship universities, centres of excellence). By doing so, the analysis – which is comparative by nature – focuses on exploring major differences and similarities in the conceptualization and implementation of the idea of excellence in the three local contexts of science.

scholarly journals INTEREST RATE REGIME AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGERIAN CAPITAL MARKET

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edirin Jeroh ◽  
C. M. Ekwueme
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Capital Market ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Ordinary Least Square ◽  
Policy Review ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Impact

This study x-ray’s the interest rates regime in Nigeria as it affects the performance of the Nigerian Capital Market. In order to achieve this objective, relevant data for a period of 33 years spanning from 1981 – 2013 were obtained from the Factbook of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, CBN Statistical Bulletin as well as the annual accounts of quoted firms for the relevant years. The data obtained were analysed with the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) technique. The result from our analysis reveal among others that changes in interest rate regimes have majorly influenced the level of the performance of the Nigerian Capital Market. Based on the above, we recommend that capital market regulators and other regulatory agencies should keep an eye on movements in interest rates and the Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) (now MPR) and watch their trend. We also recommend that efforts must be put in place to establish a policy review and reassessment mechanism that would help in assessing the impact of selected policy measures on the economy so that policy makers would know the effectiveness and efficiency of designed policies and be guided in the policy review and development process in the country.

scholarly journals A “Young Farmer Problem”? Opportunities and Constraints for Generational Renewal in Farm Management: An Example from Southern Europe

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Eistrup ◽  
Ana Rita Sanches ◽  
José Muñoz-Rojas ◽  
Teresa Pinto Correia
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
High Investment ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Complex Question

The existence of a “young farmer problem” in Europe has been recognized by scientists and policy-makers and is based on the widespread acknowledgement of the poor generational renewal rates in the farming sector and in particular in farmland management across the European Union. Despite existing support policy measures, young farmers (YF) face barriers which hamper the establishment and consolidation of their farming enterprises. Focusing on Alentejo (NUTS II), in Portugal, this paper identifies the difficulties YF face to accessing land, the high investment costs required to set up a farming unit, and the insufficient access to credit as the main reasons why young people are prevented from setting up their farming enterprises. Existing policy support measures targeting YF are widely perceived as inefficient with regard to triggering generational renewal. Hence, our findings suggest that not only is it necessary to pay greater attention to the complex question of land tenure, but that also the impact of policies implemented in the past should be examined in detail in order to develop and implement more effective measures that are sensitive to the different national and regional contexts.

Flourish or Perish? The Impact of Technological Acquisitions on Contributions to Open-Source Software

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Fujie Jin ◽  
Ling Xue
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Target Firms ◽  
Advantageous Position ◽  
The Impact

Flourish or Perish? The Impact of Technological Acquisitions on Contributions to Open-Source Software This study examines how acquisitions of open-source software (OSS) firms may impact the internal and external contributors to the OSS projects of acquisition targets. We find that, for target firms, acquisitions hurt internal contributions from their employees to their OSS projects but attract more external contributions from outside developers. Therefore, managers of merged entities should strive to maintain the incentives of target firms’ internal developers after acquisitions, and they can also leverage acquisitions to attract external developers. We also find that acquirers with prior OSS experiences and similar OSS projects with target firms are in an advantageous position to attract contributions from both target firms’ internal developers and external developers in the OSS community. In this regard, managers of acquirers can consider building their OSS experiences and selecting appropriate target firms before acquisitions. Moreover, our study suggests that acquisitions of OSS firms can also benefit the whole OSS community by motivating the contributions of internal and external developers to other projects in the community. Therefore, for both practitioners and policy makers, acquisitions should have important implications for nourishing the entire OSS community.

scholarly journals The Impact of Appealing Dish Names on Plant-Based Food Choices in Corporate Cafes: A Field Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1302-1302
Author(s):  
Anna Gavrieli ◽  
Sophie Attwood ◽  
Paul Stillman ◽  
Eleanor Putnam-Farr ◽  
Jonathan Wise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choices ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Menu Item ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Head Count ◽  
Side Dishes ◽  
Eating Experience ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives Companies are looking to support their employees with healthier and more sustainable food options. Here, we test if appealing dish names could influence food choices at corporate cafes. We hypothesized that menu items accompanied by appealing food names would be selected more compared to when accompanied by basic names. Methods The study had a quasi experimental design and was conducted in buffetera-style cafes in four corporate offices across the world (Sydney, Chicago, Singapore & Sao Paulo) where food is complementary. The seated head count at these offices is ∼850–2500 employees. Three plant-based menu items including entrees, side dishes, composed salads and/or soups were tested at each site. Appealing names were generated through a creative workshop and emphasized the dish ingredients, origin, flavor and/or the eating experience. Each menu item appeared 4 to 6 times across repeated menu cycles, 4 weeks apart one from another, with the dish name alternating between basic and appealing across dish repetitions. For each dish, we weighed the overall food take and divided it by the plate count to estimate food taken per plate in the cafe. Data was analysed using the lme4 package in R and are presented as median (Q1, Q3). Results Overall, appealing dish names increased the food amount taken per plate by 35% when compared to the basic dish names [23.5 (12.7, 40.7) vs. 17.3 (10.7, 37.6) g/plate, respectively] with the effect being marginally significant [b = 2.90, SE = 1.6, t(46.25) = 1.80, P = 0.078]. Conclusions The findings indicate that making dish names more appealing has the potential to cause an uplift in the dishes; making this a promising strategy to shift food choices towards more plant-based options. This relatively easy change could help foodservice providers to support more sustainable and healthier food choices. Funding Sources The study was funded by Google Inc.

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