Jaksoa Kivela, Mei Ling Lam and Robert Inbakaran
As a result of inadequate safe food handling and food safety procedures, school catering organisations take tremendous risks with people who are arguably more vulnerable to food…
Abstract
As a result of inadequate safe food handling and food safety procedures, school catering organisations take tremendous risks with people who are arguably more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults. Food poisoning can be a serious affliction, the symptoms of which usually start between one and 36 hours after ingestion of food and can last for days. As noted, some segments of the population face a greater risk and have a higher incidence of food‐borne illness. These are identified as the “vulnerable groups”, and include: children and infants; senior citizens; pregnant women; and people with diabetes, AIDS sufferers, and chemotherapy patients. This study was undertaken in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and it examined the extent of food safety gaps in the provision of school meals. Findings of the study suggest that considerable food safety gaps exist, and specific managerial recommendations about how to narrow some of these gaps is given.
Shuainan Li, Chee Wei Phang and Hong Ling
While previous research underscored self-presentation desire as an important motivator of digital item purchase, user needs for digital items may become increasingly inner-focused…
Abstract
Purpose
While previous research underscored self-presentation desire as an important motivator of digital item purchase, user needs for digital items may become increasingly inner-focused with the maturation of virtual communities (VCs). The purpose of this paper is to posit that self-discrepancy and self-gratification are key to explaining user purchase of digital items.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 310 users of a social media-based VC well supports the hypotheses.
Findings
The tenet of this study is that individuals purchase digital items in VCs not only for self-presentation purpose per se, but more importantly for reasons of more inner-focused, such as due to their self-discrepancy that motivates them to purchase digital items to enhance self-esteem, and also for self-gratification. Furthermore, self-discrepancy arising from comparing ones’ current self against how they perceive others expect them to ideally be (i.e. self-other discrepancy) increases their self-presentation desire.
Originality/value
Overall the findings enrich the current view that individuals purchase digital items mainly to present themselves to others (Kim et al., 2012), thus affording a more complete understanding of this behavior that has both important research and practical implications.
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The purpose of this study was constructed a behavioral observation scale for avoiding food waste from the point of view of Chinese cuisine, used as an evaluation tool to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was constructed a behavioral observation scale for avoiding food waste from the point of view of Chinese cuisine, used as an evaluation tool to examine food waste in the process of food preparation for hospitality students in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The status of food handling in the preparation process was understood through a literature review and interviews. In addition, the indicators that may cause food waste behaviors were established, and the observation and self-evaluation scales of food waste behaviors in the preparation process were developed.
Findings
Avoiding water waste, removing excessive edible parts, avoiding waste on seasonings, avoiding cooking for too long and avoiding water stains in the cleaning process were considered by both the observers and the students as items for improvement in the cooking process. The results of this study will help in understanding the intervention in the teaching practice of avoiding students’ food waste behaviors.
Research limitations/implications
This study can only be based on the test results of the current observation behaviors. Meanwhile, many factors need to be taken into consideration, such as the differences in the amount of knowledge students have about food waste, the differences in preparation techniques, and other different factors, which may lead to differences in the research results.
Originality/value
The behavioral observation and self-evaluation behavior scales of “exploring food waste behaviors in the preparation process” were developed and implemented for the current status. The differences between the results of the observation scale and the self-evaluation scale were compared. In addition, the behaviors that may cause students’ food waste were pointed out. Then, the direction of the teaching content was formulated, and the curriculum plan integrating the content of avoiding food waste into teaching was evaluated. Furthermore, the scales can be applied to kitchen staff handling food materials to understand the current situation of their food handling, which can be used as a driving tool for restaurants to reduce food waste.
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Collaborative professional development for inclusive teaching is a limited area of research, although there is an extensive need for special educational needs and disabilities…
Abstract
Purpose
Collaborative professional development for inclusive teaching is a limited area of research, although there is an extensive need for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teachers. Research findings of how teachers’ professional development can contribute to support the development of powerful learning situations for all students are presented in this special issue. The aim is to contribute to the knowledge of how the use of lesson study can develop teachers’ capabilities to offer high-quality education for students with SEND.
Design/methodology/approach
The guest editor presents each of the papers and introduces key themes and concepts.
Findings
The collection of papers is divided into two themes; the first has a focus on lesson study used by teacher educators during SEND in-service training. In this theme, the teachers are the students who are studying different fields of SEND, supported by teacher educators. The second theme studies different forms of lesson studies carried out by researchers and teachers in the collaboration focused aspects of content that are of importance for students in SEND.
Research limitations/implications
The papers focus on areas of education with a limited research tradition, and as a result, the studies may be seen as starting points for further research. The results so far lack generalisability. Therefore, the researchers have to test the findings further under different conditions and with wider groups of teachers and students.
Practical implications
The results of the papers can be used to develop both SEND teacher education, and collaborative professional development for in-service SEND teachers. This issue will, therefore, be of interest to school and system leaders.
Originality/value
The papers contribute initial findings from an under-researched area and also combine lesson study with methods and designs not previously explored.
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Wessie W.S. Ling, Gail Taylor and M.T. Lo
Bridge lines represent a way for designers to expand their business, because typically designer merchandise is supplied to a limited number of stores. With bridge lines, the…
Abstract
Bridge lines represent a way for designers to expand their business, because typically designer merchandise is supplied to a limited number of stores. With bridge lines, the prices are lower and the line can be supplied to more stores. The bridge line market has been rapidly evolving in recent years. Retailers are paying close attention to this sector, particularly in the light of the stagnant demand for more expensive designer ready‐to‐wear collections. Despite the general economic recession, the culture of wearing fashion in the 1990s has paved the way to the growth of bridge lines.
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Whilst Hong Kong is suffering from a limited supply of developable land in its major urban areas, some open spaces are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users…
Abstract
Whilst Hong Kong is suffering from a limited supply of developable land in its major urban areas, some open spaces are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users, consequently leading to an ineffective use pattern. How to enhance the performance of open space is therefore a critical issue faced by city planners. As the conventional accessibility model, which is mainly described with respect to maximum walking distance or service radius, is inadequate to give an account of the issue, this paper accordingly indicates an alternative approach and seeks an explanation from the urban configuration and the way it conditions pedestrian movement pattern. Through investigating the relationship between urban configuration, pedestrian movement and accessibility and use of open spaces based on the Wanchai District of Hong Kong, which particularly epitomizes various urban grids that may have different consequences on the utilization of open space, this study aims to examine whether there is a consistent relationship existing in different spatial grids or whether the relationship varies from different layout patterns. It is hoped that the findings can be employed to improve the performance of open spaces in the urban areas of Hong Kong, in addition to other similar urban environment.
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Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior…
Abstract
Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior of E-payment systems that employ smart card technology becomes a research area that is of particular value and interest to both IS researchers and professionals. However, research interest focuses mostly on why a smart card-based E-payment system results in a failure or how the system could have grown into a success. This signals the fact that researchers have not had much opportunity to critically review a smart card-based E-payment system that has gained wide support and overcome the hurdle of critical mass adoption. The Octopus in Hong Kong has provided a rare opportunity for investigating smart card-based E-payment system because of its unprecedented success. This research seeks to thoroughly analyze the Octopus from technology adoption behavior perspectives.
Cultural impacts on adoption behavior are one of the key areas that this research posits to investigate. Since the present research is conducted in Hong Kong where a majority of population is Chinese ethnicity and yet is westernized in a number of aspects, assuming that users in Hong Kong are characterized by eastern or western culture is less useful. Explicit cultural characteristics at individual level are tapped into here instead of applying generalization of cultural beliefs to users to more accurately reflect cultural bias. In this vein, the technology acceptance model (TAM) is adapted, extended, and tested for its applicability cross-culturally in Hong Kong on the Octopus. Four cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede are included in this study, namely uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and Confucian Dynamism (long-term orientation), to explore their influence on usage behavior through the mediation of perceived usefulness.
TAM is also integrated with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to borrow two constructs in relation to innovative characteristics, namely relative advantage and compatibility, in order to enhance the explanatory power of the proposed research model. Besides, the normative accountability of the research model is strengthened by embracing two social influences, namely subjective norm and image. As the last antecedent to perceived usefulness, prior experience serves to bring in the time variation factor to allow level of prior experience to exert both direct and moderating effects on perceived usefulness.
The resulting research model is analyzed by partial least squares (PLS)-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The research findings reveal that all cultural dimensions demonstrate direct effect on perceived usefulness though the influence of uncertainty avoidance is found marginally significant. Other constructs on innovative characteristics and social influences are validated to be significant as hypothesized. Prior experience does indeed significantly moderate the two influences that perceived usefulness receives from relative advantage and compatibility, respectively. The research model has demonstrated convincing explanatory power and so may be employed for further studies in other contexts. In particular, cultural effects play a key role in contributing to the uniqueness of the model, enabling it to be an effective tool to help critically understand increasingly internationalized IS system development and implementation efforts. This research also suggests several practical implications in view of the findings that could better inform managerial decisions for designing, implementing, or promoting smart card-based E-payment system.
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Kin‐fan Au and Kwok‐wing Yeung
The industrialisation of Hong Kong evolved in the late 1940s with the establishment of the textile and clothing industry. Following the practice of the textile pioneers, Hong Kong…
Abstract
The industrialisation of Hong Kong evolved in the late 1940s with the establishment of the textile and clothing industry. Following the practice of the textile pioneers, Hong Kong clothing entrepreneurs initiated foreign direct investment (FDI) as early as the late 1950s in order to evade the quantitative limitations on clothing exports into developed country markets. In‐depth literature search, survey and interviews have identified that the Hong Kong clothing industry is now in its fourth stage of migratory expansion. The search for export quotas or privileged access to developed countries has delineated the locations for offshore clothing production of Hong Kong firms.
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Consultant pre‐selection is an essential process to distinguish capable candidates before they are invited to submit their technical and fee proposals for consultancy assignments…
Abstract
Consultant pre‐selection is an essential process to distinguish capable candidates before they are invited to submit their technical and fee proposals for consultancy assignments. Despite that, many clients have their own criteria and emphasis, and this could result in discrepancies in pre‐selection decisions. The aim of this paper is to devise a more objective framework for evaluating consultants' general capabilities during the pre‐selection process. The paper begins by identifying the commonly used criteria for pre‐selecting engineering consultants. In order to examine the importance of consultant pre‐selection criteria (CPC), a questionnaire survey has been conducted with clients who are responsible for pre‐selecting their consultants; and consultants being pre‐selected by the clients. The findings reveal that the perception of the client and consultant groups on the importance of CPC was very consistent. Finally, a multi‐criteria model for evaluating consultants' general capabilities during the pre‐selection is proposed. Based on each candidate score, clients can determine which engineering consultants should be invited to bid for a consultancy assignment.
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Lingwen wei, Yan Hong and Xianyi Zeng
The purpose of this research is to conduct a theoretical prediction study exploring the effectiveness of different content marketing strategies in expanding the second-hand market…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to conduct a theoretical prediction study exploring the effectiveness of different content marketing strategies in expanding the second-hand market for fashion brands, comparing the costs and risks involved in these strategies in practice.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the expert interview method is employed to extract the content marketing strategies of the fashion second-hand market. Then, a descriptive space that is able to identify various fashion brand images is established. Then, experts' perceptions of the relationships between content marketing strategies and fashion brand image dimensions are obtained through a subjective evaluation procedure. Data of semantic evaluation were quantified and analyzed using the fuzzy logic method.
Findings
When fashion brands expand to the second-hand market, they not only need to focus on improving the individual differentiation of products but also give priority to the quality of products and services and the overall customer experience. Exploring the “social impact strategy” will become an important direction for the development of fashion brands in the future.
Originality/value
The research methodology employed herein exhibits a noteworthy degree of novelty. This study introduces a pioneering theoretical prediction approach utilizing fuzzy logic, marking the inaugural exploration of this emerging and captivating dimension within the context of the study. Simultaneously, the study provides comparative results among content marketing strategies for expanding the fashion second-hand market, offering guidance for market expansion.