scholarly journals Exploring the International Food Safety Authorities Network as a Community of Practice: Results from a Global Survey ofNetwork Members

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Joseph Savelli ◽  
Céu Mateus
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Functional Community ◽  
Research Questions

The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is a global network of national food safety authorities from 190 countries, managed jointly by FAO and WHO, which facilitates the rapid exchange of information during food safety incidents. Until now, INFOSAN has never been characterized or examined as a functional community of practice and its value, as understood from the perspective of its members, has never been determined in a systematic or rigorous way.The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the experiences and opinions of INFOSAN members to better understand the role of the network in improving food safety and mitigating the burden of foodborne illness globally. There are four main research questions: 1) How is the INFOSAN Community Website being used to support network activities? 2) What are the barriers to active participation in INFOSAN? 3) Do INFOSAN members believe that participation in the network prevents foodborne illness and saves lives? 4) Does participation in INFOSAN create value for members and if so, through what mechanisms does this occur?To answer these questions, an online questionnaire was developed and adapted from English into French and Spanish before being disseminated to INFOSAN members. Responses were received from 239 INFOSAN members in 137 countries over a 10-week period between August and October 2019.This study represents the first ever to explore and describe the experiences of INFOSAN members with respect to their participation in network activities to improve global food safety and prevent foodborne diseases and to describe the characteristics of INFOSAN as a community of practice. The results suggest that INFOSAN is a valued tool, utilized globally to reduce the burden of foodborne illness and save lives. The INFOSAN Secretariat could utilize the results to prioritize future activities to further strengthen the network and support participation of members.

scholarly journals Looking Inside the International Food Safety Authorities Network Community Website

2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1889-1899 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARMEN JOSEPH SAVELLI ◽  
CÉU MATEUS
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Global Network ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was launched in 2004 by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Since then, this global network has aimed to halt the international spread of contaminated food, prevent foodborne disease outbreaks, and strengthen food safety systems globally to reduce the burden of foodborne illness. However, INFOSAN has never been examined as a functional community of practice and its value, according to members, has not been determined in a systematic or rigorous way. A three-phased, mixed-method study has explored the experiences of INFOSAN members with respect to their participation in collaborative network activities to improve global food safety and prevent foodborne illness. Results from phase 1 of this study are discussed here and relate to how the INFOSAN Community Website (ICW) is being used to support network activities. Overall, the descriptive analysis indicates that a small number of active INFOSAN members contribute most of information shared on the ICW. A much larger group of members participates passively, logging on to the site, reading content, but not sharing new information. Four hundred eighty-two food safety incidents are documented on the ICW, the majority of which have been caused by bacterial contamination, most commonly Salmonella enterica. The results from phase 1 of this study provide objective, foundational information about engagement of all members and were used to propose new ways to improve the ICW. Integration of these results with results from phases 2 and 3 will help determine whether and how members' reported attitudes and experiences reflect their online behaviors. This information can be used by the INFOSAN Secretariat to increase active participation and improve international information exchange to mitigate the impact of food safety emergencies and prevent foodborne diseases globally. HIGHLIGHTS

scholarly journals ENGINEERING STUDENT ATTAINMENT AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1373-1382
Author(s):  
Avril Thomson ◽  
Hilary Grierson
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Design Students ◽  
Major Project

AbstractThe paper reports on a study that aims to gain an understanding of how senior engineering design students engage and attain throughout the various stages of the design process during a major design project. Following a literature review it sets out to answer 3 main research questionsQ1. Do students engage more with certain stages of the design process during major project work?;Q2. Do students attain better during certain phases of the design process during major project ?Q3. Is there a difference in this attainment between year groups of the same degree programme ?The methodology adopted employs an analysis of marks and an online questionnaire to collect data. Patterns and trends in how senior BEng and MEng Product Design Engineering students engage and attain within the design process are presented, identified and discussed and in turn used to inform reflection on the research questions set.

Strengths of Online Travel Agencies From the Perspective of the Digital Tourist

2019 ◽  
pp. 187-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes Marzo-Navarro ◽  
Carmen Berne-Manero ◽  
María Gómez-Campillo ◽  
Marta Pedraja-Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
Travel Agencies ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agencies

Recent tourism literature reviews the movement of the current distribution landscape toward disintermediation as the Internet and mobile technologies provide consumers with more and more tools for researching suppliers/providers and purchasing products and services directly. This calls into question the necessity and role of retailers in the industry. Focusing on online travel agencies (OTAs), this chapter is aimed at solving three main research questions: What is the current position of online tourism retailers as indirect channels in the online tourism distribution system? What are the strengths of OTAs as seen by their customers? and How should OTAs face the future? A database drawn from a survey of Spanish digital tourists is used to illustrate the initial theoretical discussion and concluding remarks.

Cabinet Decision-making in Parliamentary Systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 437-459
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Vercesi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Prime Ministers ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Collective Decisions ◽  
Parliamentary Systems ◽  
Research Questions

This chapter deals with the internal decision-making process of political executives in parliamentary systems, that is, how executives take their own collective decisions. The focus is on the cabinet system as a whole, including both cabinet members and other involved party-political and bureaucratic actors. In particular, the chapter reviews literature’s debates about the nature of cabinet government, the role of prime ministers, and variations of decision-making. A special attention is payed to factors explaining intra-cabinet power distribution and the choice of different decision-making arenas. After introducing the topic, an overview of conceptual issues and main research questions is provided. Subsequently, the work discusses the way in which scholars have addressed these issues and the findings they have reached. The final part stresses existing deficits and seeks to set the agenda for future research.

scholarly journals Intuitive Feeling of Closeness to Solution Preceding Insight in Anagram Tasks

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-23
Author(s):  
Alexey Medyntsev ◽  
◽  
Alena Kogan ◽  
Pavel Sabadosh ◽  
Olga Dyatlova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Visual Features ◽  
Final Solution ◽  
Unconscious Processing ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Successful Solution ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Difference

One of the main research questions related to creativity is the dilemma of specificity vs. non-specificity of the mechanisms underlying insight solutions as compared to analytical solutions of a problem. The first goal of our study was to verify insight solution specificity on solving anagram tasks. The second goal was to test a hypothesis about the existence of unconscious processing prior to insight solutions. We presented two types of stimuli to participants: anagrams and pseudowords. During the experiment, participants had to perform two successive tasks. First they had to judge whether they were being shown an anagram or a pseudoword, and then they had to solve the anagram. Anagrams and pseudowords differed in some visual features, of which the participants were not aware. It was expected that unconscious processing (if it exists) would be influenced by the implicit difference between the appearance of stimulus categories. During the solving process, participants had to rate how close they were to a solution. After a successful solution, they also had to indicate which way they found it: analytically or with insight. Our results showed that prior to an insight solution, participants felt that they were farther from the final solution than in the case of an analytical solution. These results confirm Metcalfe and Wiebe’s (1987) conclusions on the difference between insight and analytical solutions. According to these data, we can propose different specific mechanisms for insight solutions and analytical solutions in anagram tasks. At the same time, the presence of visual differences between stimulus categories did not influence the anagram solving process. The current results did not show evidence for an important role of unconscious processing before insight solutions of anagrams

scholarly journals Boundaries From Borders: Cross-Border Relationships in the Context of the Mental Perception of a Borderline – Experiences from Spanish-French and Polish-German Border Twin Towns

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Markuszewska ◽  
Minna Tanskanen ◽  
Josep Vila Subirós
Keyword(s):  
Social Bonds ◽  
Principal Point ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Common Space ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Living Together ◽  
The Common ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Mental Perception

Abstract In this paper, the borderlands, in the context of the psychological perception of frontiers, were presented. The common relationships between different nationalities living in border twin towns was a principal point of analysis. During the investigation two main research questions were asked: Is a frontier a barrier or a bridge in the common relationships between nationalities living on both sides of the borderline? and Does the trans-border casual social integration stimulate openness to neighbours? The study was conducted in two double towns: la Jonquera (Els límits) - Le Perthus at the Spanish-French border and Słubice - Frankfurt-am-Oder at the Polish-German border. The data were gathered from surveys by questioning locals and visitors during street polling. The design of the questionnaire included three main groups of questions relating to: 1) the perception of the borderline and the role of the border twin towns, 2) the attitude towards neighbours and identification with the borderlands, and 3) the future of the borderline in the context of the twin towns existence and cross-border linkages. The results showed that the historical circumstances and cultural background play a crucial role in the current bilateral interrelations between nations sharing the common space of the twin towns. These two aspects of the borderland have an influence on the psychological perception of the border that creates mental boundaries in local societies. However, as the results proved, the necessity of living together pushed locals to be more open-minded, which as a consequence supported the establishment of social bonds.

THE ROLE OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATIONAL CAPITAL GROUPS FROM HIGH AND LOW TECHNOLOGY SECTORS

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-51
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Melnarowicz
Keyword(s):  
Mergers And Acquisitions ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
High Technology ◽  
Specific Role ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Questions

This article presents the analyses the role of M&A transactions in the development of operational capital groups from the perspective of high and low technology sectors. Two main research questions were asked: 1. what is the role of M&A in the development and competitiveness of operational capital groups; 2. is there specificity in the role of M&A transactions of operational capital groups in high and low technology sectors? The purpose of this article is to tentatively find, based on two case studies, the specific role of mergers and acquisitions in the development of operational capital groups in low and high technology sectors. In order to initially answer the questions asked, two case studies, one each from the high-tech and low-tech sectors, were conducted. Finally, it was recommended that a larger study be conducted on operational capital groups, which could confirm the validity of the preliminary answers to the research questions asked.

Exploring food safety perceptions and self-reported practices of pet owners, providing raw meat-based diets to pets.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Bulochova ◽  
Ellen W Evans
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Almost All

The growing popularity of raw meat-based diets for pets is accompanied by an increasing concern regarding possible health implications of this practice to pet owners, due to the storage and preparation of raw meat. This study aimed to explore pet owners’ knowledge and perceptions about safety of raw meat-based feeding and determine self-reported food safety practices during raw meat-based pet food preparation. An online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms was completed by pet owners practicing raw meat-based feeding ( n =174). Almost all participants (95%) reported confidence that their pets’ raw meat-based food is safe. Two thirds of respondents (67%) reported to have researched food safety information, regarding raw meat-based feeding, however only 8% asked a veterinarian for food safety advice. Respondents were aware of pathogens that may be present in raw meat-based diets, and of food safety practices, however, they did not report implementation of appropriate food safety practices consistently. Malpractices, such as rinsing raw meat (27%) and lack of segregation (52%) were reported. The risk of foodborne illness to pet owners associated with raw meat-based feeding was perceived to be ‘low’ by 89% of pet owners. Participants perceived low susceptibility to foodborne illness, but high self-efficacy, which may be an indication of ‘optimistic bias’. This study has identified the need for increasing pet owners’ awareness of the possible risks associated with raw meat-based feeding to human health. The provision of comprehensive food safety information, intended to target the perceptions of pet owners identified in this study, is needed to improve pet owners’ food safety practices, to reduce the potential food safety risks associated with raw meat preparation and storage in the domestic environment.

Sustainability and authenticity: are they food risk relievers during the COVID-19 pandemic?

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Marozzo ◽  
Marta Meleddu ◽  
Tindara Abbate
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Binomial Distribution ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Consumer's Perception ◽  
High Uncertainty

PurposeThe study jointly investigates sustainability and authenticity concepts in the food context during the COVID-19 outbreak with a fourfold objective: (1) understanding whether sustainability and authenticity are equivalent concepts in consumers' perceptions; (2) advancing knowledge on the role played by them about food frauds' perception; (3) investigating whether these concepts are considered as “risk relievers” by consumers, (4) comparing the concepts to understand which one has a greater weight on the consumer's perception.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a Combination of a Uniform and a shifted Binomial distribution (CUB models) on data gathered in Spain between June and August 2020 through an online questionnaire.FindingsThe findings reveal that: (1) consumers perceive sustainability and authenticity as different concepts in the food context and (2) as two important indicators of fraud protection of a product for consumers; (3) besides, authenticity is seen as a “risk reliever” in buying a food product, as well as sustainability, (4) although results underline high uncertainty in the latter case.Originality/valueBy considering that the COVID-19 outbreak seriously threatens food safety, security and nutrition, this research elucidates the relevant role of food sustainability and authenticity concepts as “risk relievers” in terms of food frauds and negative issues related to COVID-19.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document