Menu Engineering and Dietary Behavior Impact on Young Adults’ Kilocalorie Choice

The obesity pandemic is associated with increased consumption of restaurant food. Labeling of menus is an intervention used to provide consumers with kilocalorie (calorie) information in hopes of them making healthier food choices. This study evaluated the relationship between young adults’ calorie choices on restaurant menus and menu design, dietary behaviors, and demographic characteristics. A 3 (fast-casual restaurants) × 4 (menu-designs based on menu engineering theories) between-subjects (n = 480, 18–24-year olds) experimental design was used. The relationship between the participants’ calorie choices (high versus low) and menu design, stage of change, gender, race, educational level and weight status was evaluated using logistic regression. All independent variables had at least one category that had greater odds (CI 95% ± 5%) of subjects choosing a lower calorie entree, except education level and race/ethnic group. Normal weight and overweight subjects had greater odds of choosing lower calorie entrees than those that were obese. In addition, subjects that had started to control their calorie intake for less than six months or had sustained this change for at least six months, had greater odds of choosing lower calorie entrees compared to others. Including a green symbol and calories on fast casual restaurant menus may influence some young adults to choose lower calorie entrees.

Menu design approaches to promote sustainable vegetarian food choices when dining out

Shifting dietary choices towards plant-based food is an urgent challenge given the environmental impact of livestock production and imminent need to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Previous research has proven the value of low cost, scalable menu design interventions to influence people’s food choices, without the need for large-scale educational campaigns. Here we present two online randomized control trials to determine the effectiveness of menu design on nudging participants’ food choices away from meat and towards plant-based dishes, in order to provide guidance to the food service sector. In study one we explore the impact that the availability of vegetarian items has on choice. Participants were allocated to menus whereby 75%, 50% or 25% of the items were plant-based. We show that meat eaters were significantly more likely to choose a plant-based meal when presented with a menu where 75% of options were vegetarian, but not when half of the options were vegetarian. This finding highlights the fact that saturating the choice environment is needed to promote plant-based food. In study two, we explore the impact of vegetarian symbols (V) on menus to determine if these are used by meat eaters as exclusion decision filters, as is seen in previous work with menus that contain designated, ‘vegetarian’ dish sections. Here we show that the placement of the V symbol, to the left or right of the dish label, has no impact on choice. These studies provide insights into how the environmental footprint of the food service sector can be reduced via easy and scalable menu design approaches.

The inverted U-shaped relationship between crowdfunding success and reward options and the moderating effect of price differentiation

PurposeThe paper is to explore crowdfunding success determinants from the reward menu design aspect, distinguishing from extant studies focusing on characteristics of project creators or crowdfunding projects and funding dynamics. Both the number of reward options and price differentiation of rewards are considered.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the quadratic model to identify a curvilinear relationship between the number of reward options and crowdfunding success, by running regressions on data collected from one of the most influential reward-based crowdfunding platforms in China. In addition, they explore the moderating effect of price differentiation on the curvilinear relationship.FindingsThe authors find an inverted U-shape relationship between the number of reward options and the optimal number of options is around 10. In addition, they find that the curvilinear relationship is moderated by reward price differentiation.Practical implicationsThis paper has managerial implications for crowdfunding project creators and platform managers. To achieve better crowdfunding outcomes, a proper number of reward options with diversified reward prices should be provided.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literatures in antecedents of crowdfunding success from reward menu design aspect based on theories in investment and purchasing decision making. It is different from existing studies focusing on the characteristics of project creators and crowdfunding projects or funding dynamics. It also parallels retirement contribution plan design studies by exploring the reward menu design in the crowdfunding context.

Examining the Association Between Hispanic Caribbean Restaurant Characteristics and Healthy Menu Images in New York City

Objectives Hispanics experience diet-related health disparities in comparison to non-Hispanic whites. Community nutrition environments can influence health outcomes, but restaurants are a largely untapped research area. This study examined how Hispanic Caribbean Restaurants (HCR) promote healthy eating through menu design, and which HCR characteristics are associated with healthy menu images (HMI). We hypothesize that HMI will be associated with more affluent neighborhoods. Methods We examined the nutrition environment in a random sample of 89 HCR in NYC. This analysis included a subsample of HCR that had menus with images (n = 51). HCR were classified as having “Healthy Menu Images” (HMI) if at least half of all images showed a potentially healthy option (i.e., non-fried entrée, a non-fried, non-starchy vegetable side, or both). Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to examine the association between HMI and restaurant characteristics, including Hispanic Caribbean cuisine served, type (fast-casual vs sit-down), and neighborhood characteristics (gentrification status, supermarket to bodega ratio, Hispanic-Caribbean population density). Significance was established at P < 0.10 accounting for the exploratory nature of the analysis. Results HMI were found in 39.2% of the sample and associated with neighborhood gentrification. Compared to HRC in non-gentrifying neighborhoods (poor), those located in gentrifying areas had higher odds for HMI (AOR:10.360, P = 0.052). No significant associations were found between HMI and supermarket to bodega ratio, restaurant type, Hispanic Caribbean population density, and cuisine type. Conclusions The design of a menu and its inclusion of images can direct a customer's attention to specific items, increasing the likelihood that those items will be ordered. Our research indicates potential disparities in HMI in HCR by neighborhood gentrification, underscoring inequities in these areas’ food environments. More research is needed to examine menu design in ethnic restaurants, to inform future health promotion interventions in low-income, non-gentrifying neighborhoods. Funding Sources CUNY PSC Award.

Perancangan dan Pembuatan Aplikasi Pendeteksi Kesalahan Penempelan Barcode pada Kemasan Produk Menggunakan Sistem Arduino Uno dan Sistem Komputasi (Studi Kasus PT. Duta Nichirindo Pratama)

PT. Duta Nichirindo Pratama is a company engaged in the field of Autoparts Manufacture. Barcode is the identity of an item / product on the package. Barcode technology has been used as the identity of goods in a production. Barcodes are used to facilitate the identification of goods produced. Paste the barcode on the packaging of packaging results at PT. Duta Nichirindo Pratama is done manually, but there are often errors attached to the barcode on a similar packaging. This research will design and create a system based on Visual Basic.Net and Arduino to select barcode attachment errors that have the potential to be sent to consumers. The system is designed using Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams, database design and interface menu design. The system created will then be tested to detect the black box test. With a computing-based design system that functions to detect barcodes on the packaging automatically, the problem of sticking barcodes on the packaging can be detected.

Enabling Academics to Effectively Use a Learning Management System during a Global Pandemic

Objective - The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to shift to emergency remote teaching which called for lecturers’ learning management system and other online instruction skills to be developed. The issue is that lecturers were forced to work remotely without time to prepare. The purpose of this paper is to propose an online, self-paced short course for lecturers that covered 9 units including; communication tools, video calling, WhatsApp, menu design, learning theory, content creation, online assessment theory, online assessments and the grade centre. Methodology– A mixed-method research design with participant perspectives was implemented to determine the satisfaction of 125 lecturers who completed the intervention. From 79 who completed the questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions, it was determined that communication and online assessments were the most sought-after skills and 73.42% stated that they felt the course met their expectations. The skills were broken down and participants were asked to rate – in a five-point Likert scale – how well they were now able to perform the tasks. Finding – The results were as follows showing the level four and five (highest) selections; announcements – 83.54%, send email – 81.01%, content editor – 67.08%, build content (files) – 79.75%, build content (images) – 72.15%, build content (videos) – 70.89%, video conferencing – 58.23%, WhatsApp – 82.28%, course menu design – 73.42%, creating a video in PowerPoint – 58.23%, reflection activities – 44.30%, online tests – 50.63%, online assignments – 50.63%, and managing the grade centre – 48.10%. These results showed that the intervention was successful in quickly and effectively preparing lecturers for online delivery. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: D83, I23. Keywords: LMS training; e-Learning; Online Instruction; Instructional Design; Blended Learning, Emergency Remote Teaching Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Heerden, L.V. (2020). Enabling Academics to Effectively Use a Learning Management System during a Global Pandemic, GATR Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review, 8(4): 228 – 235. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2020.8.4(4)