Selena Ahmed, Carmen Byker Shanks, Martin Lewis, Alicia Leitch, Caitlin Spencer, Erin M. Smith and Dani Hess
Food waste represents a major sustainability challenge with environmental, economic, social and health implications. Institutions of higher education contribute to generating food…
Abstract
Purpose
Food waste represents a major sustainability challenge with environmental, economic, social and health implications. Institutions of higher education contribute to generating food waste while serving as models in championing sustainability solutions. An experiential learning project was implemented as part of two university courses in a buffet-style university dining hall with the objective to reduce food waste while building student capacity to contribute to transformational food system change.
Design/methodology/approach
Partnerships were developed with university dining services. Students were trained to conduct a needs assessment in a university dining hall through food waste measurements. Students were facilitated through the process of applying baseline data on food waste to design, implement and evaluate a multi-component food waste intervention that consisted of offering reduced portion sizes, use of smaller serving utensils and educational messaging. Participant reflections were elicited to evaluate the effectiveness of the experiential learning experience.
Findings
The food waste intervention led to a 17 per cent reduction in total food waste, with a large portion of waste attributed to post-consumer plate waste. While the reduction in food waste was not statistically significant, it highlights the potential for food service operations to address food waste through reduction techniques while providing students an experiential opportunity that meets multiple learning objectives including systems thinking, collaboration and motivation for leading change in the food system.
Originality/value
This study highlights the opportunity of building student capacity to address sustainability challenges through an experiential learning model for reducing food waste in an institutional setting that other educators can adapt.
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Mariana I. Paludi, Salvador Barragan and Albert Mills
The purpose of this study is to add to the existing research on critical perspectives on diversity management (DM). Specifically, this study examines the narratives of women chief…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to add to the existing research on critical perspectives on diversity management (DM). Specifically, this study examines the narratives of women chief executive officers (CEOs) from different countries of origin to understand how they enact the DM discourse by drawing on their past and present experiences at US multinational corporations (MNCs) located in Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
This study, based on six open-ended interviews with local and expatriate women CEOs who work in MNCs situated in Mexico, used a sensemaking approach to analyze their narratives. The theoretical foundation of the study is based on decolonial feminist theory, which is used to analyze the hierarchical binary between Anglo-Saxon/European woman and the Mexican/Latin American woman with respect to the discourse of DM.
Findings
This study found that the dominant discourse used by women CEOs, expats and nationals was a business case for diversity. Female CEOs represent MNCs in favorable terms, compared to those of local companies, despite the nuances in the antagonistic representations in their narratives. This study also found that the women CEOs’ narratives perpetuated a discourse of “otherness” that created a hierarchy between Anglo-Saxons (US/MNCs’ culture) and Latin Americans (Mexican/local companies’ culture).
Originality/value
This study contributes to critical studies on DM by analyzing diverse forms of power involving gender, race/ethnicity and organizational hierarchy. The use of decolonial feminist theory to examine MNCs is a novel approach to understanding women’s identities and the power differences between local/foreign contexts and global/local businesses. This study also discusses the implications of its findings for women in business careers and concludes with a call for more research within the global South (Latin America).
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Richard N. Rutter, Stuart J. Barnes, Stuart Roper, John Nadeau and Fiona Lettice
This research tests empirically the level of consumer engagement with a product via a nonbrand-controlled platform. The authors explore how social media influencers and…
Abstract
Purpose
This research tests empirically the level of consumer engagement with a product via a nonbrand-controlled platform. The authors explore how social media influencers and traditional celebrities are using products within their own social media Instagram posts and how well their perceived endorsement of that product engages their network of followers.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 226,881 posts on Instagram were analyzed using the Inception V3 convolutional neural network (CNN) pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset to identify product placement within the Instagram images of 75 of the world's most important social media influencers. The data were used to empirically test the relationships between influencers, product placement and network engagement and efficiency.
Findings
Influencers achieved higher network engagement efficiencies than celebrities; however, celebrity reach was important for engagement overall. Specialty influencers, known for their “subject” expertise, achieved better network engagement efficiency for related product categories. The highest level of engagement efficiency was achieved by beauty influencers advocating and promoting cosmetic and beauty products.
Practical implications
To maximize engagement and return on investment, manufacturers, retailers and brands must ensure a close fit between the product type and category of influencer promoting a product within their social media posts.
Originality/value
Most research to date has focused on brand-controlled social media accounts. This study focused on traditional celebrities and social media influencers and product placement within their own Instagram posts to extend understanding of the perception of endorsement and subsequent engagement with followers. The authors extend the theory of network effects to reflect the complexity inherent in the context of social media influencers.
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Arash Ahmadi, Amirhossein Taghipour, Marc Fetscherin and Siriwan Ieamsom
The purpose of this paper is to compare two brand posts with the different content created by a celebrity (emotional content vs rational content) on Instagram and their effects on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare two brand posts with the different content created by a celebrity (emotional content vs rational content) on Instagram and their effects on users’ willingness to use offline word of mouth (WOM) and electronic WOM (eWOM). The research model also consists of product involvement as the moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the results of the pretest stages, the study included two stimuli, and respondents were presented with two different brand posts (i.e. two manipulated pictures and texts on the Instagram frame). A two-group comparison (positive emotional brand post vs negative rational brand post) between-subjects experiment (n = 214) was conducted.
Findings
The results indicate that WOM and eWOM are more affected by a celebrity’s emotional brand post than a celebrity’s rational brand post. Furthermore, both types of WOM are more affected through high product involvement enhanced by a celebrity’s rational brand post than through high product involvement boosted by a celebrity’s emotional brand post.
Practical implications
Managerial implications for social media marketing and Instagram celebrity-based branding are provided. Practical implications are also provided in the form of evidence of how the impacts of two different brand posts on positive offline WOM and eWOM are affected differently through the moderation of product involvement.
Originality/value
The research argues for theoretical implications for the marketing literature on celebrity endorsements. The study also tests one moderating effect on the relationship between brand post content and WOM and eWOM.
Propósito
El propósito de este trabajo es comparar dos posts de marcas con diferente contenido creado por una celebridad (contenido emocional vs. contenido racional) en Instagram y sus efectos en la disposición de los usuarios a utilizar WOM y eWOM. El modelo de investigación también incluye la implicación del producto como moderador.
Diseño
Sobre la base de los resultados de las etapas de prueba previa, el estudio incluyó dos estímulos, y a los encuestados se les presentaron dos publicaciones de marca diferentes (es decir, dos imágenes y textos manipulados en el marco de Instagram). Se realizó un experimento entre sujetos (n = 214) de comparación de dos grupos (post de marca emocional positivo frente a post de marca racional negativo).
Conclusiones
Los resultados indican que el WOM y el eWOM se ven más afectados por el post emocional de la marca de un famoso que por el post racional de la marca de un famoso. Además, ambos tipos de boca a boca se ven más afectados por la alta implicación del producto potenciada por el post racional de la marca de un famoso que por la alta implicación del producto potenciada por el post emocional de la marca de un famoso.
Implicaciones prácticas
se ofrecen implicaciones de gestión para el marketing en las redes sociales y el branding basado en los famosos de Instagram. Las implicaciones prácticas también se proporcionan en forma de evidencia de cómo los impactos de dos publicaciones de marca diferentes en el WOM positivo y el eWOM se ven afectados de manera diferente a través de la moderación de la implicación con el producto.
Originalidad
La investigación aporta implicaciones teóricas para la literatura de marketing sobre el patrocinio de los famosos. El estudio también prueba un efecto moderador en la relación entre el contenido de los posts de marca y el WOM y el eWOM.
目的
本文旨在比较Instagram上两个由名人创作的不同内容的品牌帖子(感性内容Vs.理性内容), 以及其对用户使用线下口碑(WOM)和电子口碑(eWOM)意愿的影响。该研究模型还包括产品涉入作为调节变量。
设计/方法/途径-基于前测阶段的结果
研究包括两个刺激物, 受访者被呈现两个不同的品牌帖子(即Instagram框架上的两个被操纵的图片和文字)。进行了两组比较(积极感性品牌帖子vs. 消极理性品牌帖子) 的主体间实验 (n = 214) 。
研究结果
结果表明, 与名人的理性品牌帖子相比, WOM和eWOM受名人感性品牌帖子的影响更大。此外, 这两种类型的口碑通过名人的理性品牌帖子所增强的高产品涉入度比通过名人的感性品牌帖子所增强的高产品涉入度受到的影响更大。
实践意义
提供了对社交媒体营销和Instagram名人品牌的管理意义。研究还提供了实际意义, 证明了两种不同的品牌帖子对积极的WOM和eWOM的影响是如何通过产品涉入度的调节而不同的。
原创性/价值
该研究论证了名人代言的营销文献的理论意义。该研究还检验了品牌帖子内容与WOM和eWOM之间关系的调节效应。
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Anagha Vaidya and Sarika Sharma
Course evaluations are formative and are used to evaluate learnings of the students for a course. Anomalies in the evaluation process can lead to a faulty educational outcome…
Abstract
Purpose
Course evaluations are formative and are used to evaluate learnings of the students for a course. Anomalies in the evaluation process can lead to a faulty educational outcome. Learning analytics and educational data mining provide a set of techniques that can be conveniently applied to extensive data collected as part of the evaluation process to ensure remedial actions. This study aims to conduct an experimental research to detect anomalies in the evaluation methods.
Design/methodology/approach
Experimental research is conducted with scientific approach and design. The researchers categorized anomaly into three categories, namely, an anomaly in criteria assessment, subject anomaly and anomaly in subject marks allocation. The different anomaly detection algorithms are used to educate data through the software R, and the results are summarized in the tables.
Findings
The data points occurring in all algorithms are finally detected as an anomaly. The anomaly identifies the data points that deviate from the data set’s normal behavior. The subject which is consistently identified as anomalous by the different techniques is marked as an anomaly in evaluation. After identification, one can drill down to more details into the title of anomalies in the evaluation criteria.
Originality/value
This paper proposes an analytical model for the course evaluation process and demonstrates the use of actionable analytics to detect anomalies in the evaluation process.