Sinead O'Connell, Maeve Henchion and Alan Collins
This paper seeks to investigate Irish hoteliers' customer service requirements of their food suppliers and to measure the trade‐offs that hotel buyers are willing to make during…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to investigate Irish hoteliers' customer service requirements of their food suppliers and to measure the trade‐offs that hotel buyers are willing to make during the purchase decision.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a quota sample of 100 hotels throughout the Republic of Ireland. Drawing on earlier research and applying conjoint analysis, the study demonstrates how customer service improvements may be achieved through variations in the customer service mix.
Findings
Findings indicate that, for short shelf‐life products, frequency of deliveries and the ability to carry out emergency deliveries generate the highest levels of utility. More utility is created by lower prices in the case of long shelf‐life products. Small food suppliers are found to perform better on product quality and are more responsive in terms of product delivery than larger suppliers. They are perceived to be weaker on pricing, product assortment, and innovation.
Research limitations/implications
The small number of observations for both four‐ and five‐star hotels in the sample limited the effectiveness of cluster analysis, which would greatly assist suppliers targeting specific markets with customer service bundles.
Practical implications
By highlighting the trade‐offs that buyers use in evaluating customer service, the findings provide suppliers with the basis for assessing their own particular service mix. An improvement in perceived customer service may be achieved by reallocating the given resources and effort in favour of those parts of the mix that generate most value for the buyer. The identified trade‐offs also provide manufacturers with the criteria that can be usefully applied to evaluate competing distributors for their products.
Originality/value
By focusing on the hotel sector, the paper provides insights into a much ignored market for food suppliers, which differs considerably from mainstream grocery in terms of concentration, buyer processes and buying criteria.
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Emma Beacom, Sinéad Furey, Lynsey Elizabeth Hollywood and Paul Humphreys
A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various government organisations globally; however, there exists no government-endorsed definition of…
Abstract
Purpose
A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various government organisations globally; however, there exists no government-endorsed definition of food poverty in the United Kingdom (UK), and there remains a gap regarding how relevant current food poverty definitions are in the Northern Ireland (NI)/UK contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews (n = 19) with a range of stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, politicians, community advice centre workers, consumer sub-group representatives, food bank and food redistribution organisation representatives) were conducted to examine (1) the usefulness of a food poverty definition, (2) what a food poverty definition should include and (3) the applicability of an existing definition (Radimer et al., 1992) in the NI/UK context. Data was thematically analysed using QSR NVivo (v.12).
Findings
Definition was considered important to increase awareness and understanding. Any consideration of revising the Radimer et al. (1992) definition, or of establishing a new standardised definition, should seek to reduce/remove ambiguity and subjectivity of terminology used (i.e. more clearly defining what the terms “adequate”, “sufficient”, “quality” and “socially acceptable ways” mean in this context).
Practical implications
This research emphasises the importance of appropriately conceptually defining social phenomena such as food poverty, as a first step to constructing and reviewing measurement approaches and ultimately assessing predictors and recommending solutions.
Originality/value
This research addresses the gap relating to stakeholders’ opinion on food poverty definition and contributes recommendations for modifying the Radimer et al. (1992) definition in the NI/UK and present-day contexts.
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Sarah Gibney, Mark Ward and Sinead Shannon
Housing quality across the life course is an important health determinant. The purpose of this paper is to profile the current housing conditions of older adults in Ireland, and…
Abstract
Purpose
Housing quality across the life course is an important health determinant. The purpose of this paper is to profile the current housing conditions of older adults in Ireland, and to investigate the association between housing conditions and heating problems and two types of non-communicable diseases: respiratory health problems and bone and joint conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are from the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative Age-friendly Cities and Counties Survey, a random-sample, population representative survey of 10,540 adults aged 55 and older collected in 2015–2016. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between poor housing (leaks, rot and damp) and poor heating (unable to keep the home adequately warm) and the likelihood of having a respiratory health problem or a bone or joint condition. Results are reported as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.
Findings
Overall, 10.2 per cent had poor housing and 10.4 per cent had poor heating. Poor housing and poor heating were strongly associated with respiratory health problems and there was a strong association between poor housing and bone and joint conditions. These associations were not explained by health behaviours or socio-demographic characteristics.
Originality/value
Despite a number of publicly funded schemes available to assist in upgrading and maintaining housing, a considerable number of adults aged 55 years and older continue to report problems which are associated with an increased likelihood of respiratory health problem and bone and joint conditions and present a considerable threat to healthy ageing in place.
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Kimberly Sherman and Sinéad G. Ruane
This case was developed with information gathered from publicly available secondary sources, including news articles, company annual reports, various organizational websites and…
Abstract
Research methodology
This case was developed with information gathered from publicly available secondary sources, including news articles, company annual reports, various organizational websites and social media posts. The authors pilot-tested the case in two undergraduate courses: Leadership and Labor-Management Relations.
Case overview/synopsis
In 2019, Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy Disney (co-founder of the entertainment giant The Walt Disney Company), gained considerable media attention when she publicly criticized the high compensation paid to the current Disney CEO, Robert Iger. In fact, Iger had one of the largest ratios of CEO-to-average worker pay in corporate America. Abigail Disney called for the company to reduce Iger’s compensation and to increase pay for the average Disney worker to address the perceived pay inequity.
Complexity academic level
This case is primarily written for the undergraduate level. The topics would be appropriate for Human Resource Management, Labor Relations, Business Ethics, Leadership, and an upper level Compensation course. It is possible that the case could also be used in a Business Strategy or Economics course if supporting documents are provided.
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Dmytro Serebrennikov, Zein Kallas, Fiona Thorne, Selene Ivette Ornelas Herrera and Sinéad N. McCarthy
The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of behavioural determinants, such as consumer attitude, subjective norm, behavioural control and sustainable buying behaviour…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of behavioural determinants, such as consumer attitude, subjective norm, behavioural control and sustainable buying behaviour, on organic food purchase behaviour in different EU countries.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured survey of more than 5000 individuals from Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Czech Republic was conducted to elicit consumer responses regarding behavioural determinants of organic food selection. Both a structural equation modelling approach and a multinomial logit model were employed to analyse the data.
Findings
Consumer attitudes, subjective norms and behavioural control were shown to significantly influence the frequency of organic food purchasing behaviour for the whole sample and to varying degrees across each of the countries. The effect of a sustainable buying behaviour was found to be more pronounced for Germany, Netherlands and Italy than for Czech Republic and Spain.
Research limitations/implications
Analysis is based on self-reported data on frequency of organic food purchases, which might be subject to recall bias. Overestimation may arise as consumers tend to report increased purchasing due to the “desirable” qualities of organic food. We tried to ensure that the translations bore similar meanings cross country although some miscomprehension by survey respondents was a possibility.
Practical implications
To stimulate consumer demand for organic products, it is important to design policies and interventions that take into account the impact of both behavioural factors and demographic attributes on consumer decision-making across various locations. For example, market analysts and policymakers may find it useful to exploit the impact of consumer attitude towards the qualities of organics to induce sales of such food in their locations.
Originality/value
This paper combines unique survey data from five EU countries using a common model to explore and compare consumer behavioural preferences for multiple organic food products. In addition to a classic triad of behavioural factors believed to influence organic food purchases, sustainable buying behaviour as a determinant of organic purchasing behaviour was included in the analysis.
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Emma Beacom, Lynsey Elizabeth Hollywood, Christopher McLaughlin, Sinead Furey, Ruth Price, Una McMahon-Beattie and Amy Burns
The purpose of this study is to investigate the proportionality of market brand (MB) foods versus supermarket own brand (OB) foods sold on promotion and to compare their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the proportionality of market brand (MB) foods versus supermarket own brand (OB) foods sold on promotion and to compare their healthiness.
Design/methodology/approach
An existing dataset containing nutritional information about a variety of foods on promotion (n = 6,776) from 48 stores across 8 retail chains in Northern Ireland (NI) was reanalysed. Product healthiness was measured using a score aligned to the Food Standards Agency's Front of Pack nutrient labelling system. MBs and OBs were considered as a whole and in their respective subsets–international/national and regional MBs, and premium, mid-market and value tiered OBs.
Findings
Results found a balance in favour of health (52.4% amber/green versus 47.6% red) across retailers' promotions in NI. Further, OB products were often found to be superior to MBs with regards to overall healthfulness, and regional brands were found to be less healthy than international/national brands.
Research limitations/implications
Findings rationale further retail research to compare nutritionally OB and MB product types, and further consumer research regarding important attributes of OBs.
Practical implications
Retailers should communicate the comparative healthiness of their OBs in comparison to MB alternatives, in addition to communicating comparative price savings. There is opportunity for retailers to increase visibility of mid-market and value OB tiers, and for regional MBs to improve the nutritional profile of products in line with the consumer trend for health.
Originality/value
This study provides a contribution by using data on OBs and MBs on promotion, and by investigating the nutritional differences between different tiers of OB and MB products.