Kit Fai Pun and Patricia Bhairo‐Beekhoo
Almost every country around the world has been focusing on food safety in intense and multifaceted ways. The use of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is widely…
Abstract
Almost every country around the world has been focusing on food safety in intense and multifaceted ways. The use of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is widely accepted as a food safety management system. This paper investigates the success factors of HACCP practices with reference to the domains of food production, processing and delivery. A literature review of food safety and management articles was conducted. Using the keywords search, the online Emerald Database was used and a total of 102 journal articles were identified between 1994 and 2007. The study examined a list of 20 success factors. Results show that “food regulations”, “role of the industry”, “government policies and interventions”, “training on food safety and hygiene”, and “food contamination and/or poisoning” share the spotlight as being the most critical factors for HACCP practices in organisations. Future research could investigate a holistic paradigm that incorporates the success factors and aligns HACCP measures for attaining safety performance goals.
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J.F.R. Lues and L.O.K. Lategan
This paper seeks to cast light on the issues impacting South African food research. During the first decade of democracy the South African research and development sector has…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to cast light on the issues impacting South African food research. During the first decade of democracy the South African research and development sector has experienced many changes and although the aim of these changes was to bring about efficiency, the research and development (R&D) fraternity is still faced with various challenges in its endeavours to meet the demands from commerce and industry. As a result of continuously changing market demands the food and drink industry has become one of the main sectors that are dependant on novel technologies developed by the R&D sector.
Design/methodology/approach
An overview of the broader South African research landscape is given followed by a closer look at the nature and extent of local food‐related research.
Findings
In order to meet the demand of industry a new mindset is required amongst research institutions towards providing an array of scientific services that extend intra‐ and inter‐disciplinary boundaries and where long‐term partnerships between food industries and the R&D sector are forged. However, against this backdrop South Africa's national research priorities are increasingly directed towards poverty alleviation and development. Human resources in science and technology have not been developed adequately, which in turn has resulted in an aging and declining scientific population. Thus, a balancing act is needed in order to address the scant human resources while at the same time effectively bridging the innovation chasm. This predicament extends to food researchers who find themselves amidst a well developed and technologically advanced formal industry while at the same time having to address issues relating to a relatively primitive yet lucrative informal food sector.
Originality/value
The paper presents novel information regarding South African food research and places it in context against the broader research landscape.
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Worldwide, higher education is undergoing major changes in its organisation. In this context, the concept of quality assurance control has emerged as a primary instrument for…
Abstract
Worldwide, higher education is undergoing major changes in its organisation. In this context, the concept of quality assurance control has emerged as a primary instrument for evaluating performance and accountability in higher education systems. South Africa is the latest candidate for a nationally imported system of quality assurance in the wake of several policy and legal initiatives to transform higher education after the demise of apartheid. Several contemporary developments, notably the South African Higher Education Bill and the Education White Paper 3 (Higher Education) are part of the government’s commitment to transform higher education. This paper will briefly discuss the origins and nature of quality assurance in South Africa. The article also critically reviews a number of conceptual frameworks about quality in higher education in order to develop a better and shared understanding of, and appropriate responses to quality assurance.
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All educators should reflect on and assess the quality of their teaching and their learning programmes. Such reflection is the subject of this article. The focus is on higher…
Abstract
All educators should reflect on and assess the quality of their teaching and their learning programmes. Such reflection is the subject of this article. The focus is on higher education (HE) with particular emphasis on distance learning institutions. A particular educational programme is considered, namely a course‐work Master's degree in environmental education at a South African distance learning university. Sustainable living is one of the envisaged outcomes of this programme. This article gives a general perspective on quality assurance in HE. The views of a number of authors are discussed, with special reference to HE in the cultural diversity of South Africa. Various approaches and factors that influence learning assessment are discussed. The theme of sustainability as integrated in HE programmes is emphasised as one of the criteria that should determine quality in education programmes. It is concluded that, although programme assessment is a difficult process and necessarily contextualised, it is an important tool for ensuring quality teaching and learning. Programme assessment is a form of critical self‐evaluation that includes peer evaluation and evaluative input from students.
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Rosalind Latiner Raby and Edward J. Valeau
This chapter examines the complex dimensions of the role of community college global counterparts in the context of higher educational global flows. Data from a comparative…
Abstract
This chapter examines the complex dimensions of the role of community college global counterparts in the context of higher educational global flows. Data from a comparative literature review that covers over 40 years, explores “who” has been involved in the borrowing process, the variations of the “types” of borrowing that exist in terms of dependency and localization contexts, and “how” community college global counterparts have become ingrained in a variety of countries. The idea that the community college concept is a sole ownership of the United States that was then transmitted to nations around the world is not defensible. Indeed, when taken into consideration the context of the politics of borrowing, such as receiving and sending political, economic, and cultural systems, it is evident that multiple countries have and continue to affect the discourse of other countries on various levels. In particular, this chapter (a) describes historic and contemporary global patterns in terms of both “north” and “south” flows from which community college global counterparts proliferate; (b) discusses the types of these flows in relationship to purposeful or spontaneous adoption; and (c) highlights a contemporary reinvention of form that arises from current global flows.
Gyanendra Singh Sisodia, Raweya Alshamsi and Bruno S. Sergi
This study aims to evaluate a hydroponic farm (through nutrient film technique) while considering uncertainty, sustainability and the system's utility in the dominant desert…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate a hydroponic farm (through nutrient film technique) while considering uncertainty, sustainability and the system's utility in the dominant desert geography. The idea of the hydroponic farm is to allow individuals/businesses to grow plants. Given the geographical condition, the hydroponic system may be useful in the Gulf context and may lead to food security and sustainability. Additionally, the UAE government has initiated several support schemes that can be availed for investing in such businesses that can contribute to the nation's food security.
Design/methodology/approach
The hydroponic farm is evaluated using the net present value and real options approach. The authors studied five scenarios: 1. business as usual, 2. 50% subsidy on initial investment through Khalifa funding, 3. 4% premium, 4. Subsidy plus premium and 5. solar panel installation with bore well.
Findings
As per the assumptions and data usage, all the scenarios shows a positive net present value (NPV); Nevertheless, scenarios 4 and 5 report the significant highest net present and delay value.
Research limitations/implications
This study has environmental, economic and social implications. Lower imports indirectly lead to lower carbon footprints. The local production of food ensures higher employability in the sector and increase in local consumption. Additionally, fresh food consumption is directly associated to good health.
Practical implications
Supportive policies such as subsidies through Khalifa funding may accelerate the expansion of such projects through domestic and foreign investments. One of the important takeaway from the study is to invest in the training of the workforce.
Social implications
Given the geographical condition, the UAE usually depends on food imports. If the hydroponic farms become popular, the residents will have access to fresh vegetables and fruits. Higher engagement in agriculture activities also ensures a significant increase in agriculture-related businesses and higher employability.
Originality/value
The study adds novelty to the literature because the effect of Khalifa funding and investment analysis on solar (wells) has not been evaluated in any hydroponic studies. We presented the results with tornado graphs using NPV risk and real options approach in the Gulf context. The study represents functional scenarios that were previously not found in the literature.
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South African higher education is beset by the following problems: inequality in access to and survival in higher education, aligning education and work, and the problem of the…
Abstract
South African higher education is beset by the following problems: inequality in access to and survival in higher education, aligning education and work, and the problem of the university appearing as a Western institution, isolated from the exigencies and realities of society. One institution that does have an international track record in successfully addressing these issues is the Community College. This chapter reconstructs that track record, and juxtaposes it next to an analysis of South African higher education and the South African context, and in conclusion assesses the promise of inserting the Community College model into the South African higher education landscape.
George Okechukwu Onatu, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala and Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa
THE changes in London local government which came into operation on 1st April, 1965, cut across the existing regional library bureaux organisation.