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1 – 10 of 440Haeik Park, Sheryl Fried Kline, Jooho Kim, Barbara Almanza and Jing Ma
This study aims to strengthen implications about hotel cleaning outcomes by comparing guests’ perception of the amount of contact they have with cleanliness of hotel surfaces.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to strengthen implications about hotel cleaning outcomes by comparing guests’ perception of the amount of contact they have with cleanliness of hotel surfaces.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used two data-collection methods, a survey and an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test. Data were collected from recent hotel guests using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Guests were asked to identify hotel surfaces that they touch most frequently. Actual hotel cleanliness was measured using empirical data collected with ATP meters. The two data sets were used to compare guests’ perceptions about the amount of contact they have with actual cleanliness measurements of those hotel surfaces.
Findings
This study found that amount of guest contact was related to cleanliness of surfaces in guestrooms. Significant differences were found in guest perception between high- and low-touch areas and between guestrooms and hotel public areas. More high-touch areas and higher ATP readings were found in guestrooms than in hotel public areas.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge this study is the first to compare guest contact with hotel surfaces to a scientific measure of hotel cleanliness. In addition, this study is unique because it assesses guest contact and cleanliness of public areas to provide a holistic view of hotel-cleaning needs. The study offers industry empirically based results from guest perception and scientifically based data that can be used to improve hotel housekeeping programs.
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Riaan Stopforth, Craig Proctor-Parker and Shaniel Davrajh
The purpose of this paper includes results of some of the tests involved for the design and implementation of low-cost crash anthropomorphics (ATPs) fitted with sensory systems to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper includes results of some of the tests involved for the design and implementation of low-cost crash anthropomorphics (ATPs) fitted with sensory systems to measure forces that would have been experienced by passengers in the vehicle, commonly used for public transport within South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the description of the implemented low cost ATPs and the analysis of the data obtained from the sensory system within the torso of the ATPs and in the head of a single ATP, to identify if a documented threshold is exceeded. The autopsy of the ATPs is performed to identify injuries.
Findings
The recorded results showed the type of injuries that could have occurred when an accident has occurred with occupant in the minibus taxi. The autopsy performed on the ATPs showed feasible injuries that could be obtained by a person in a similar scenario.
Research limitations/implications
The ATPs were to be designed and constructed with the sensory system, with a budget of ZAR13,000/US$1,000.
Originality/value
The contributions of this paper are as follows: present the test results of two ATPs, and discuss them, for a loss of control of a minibus on a wet surface, which has been indicated as a world first test; And identify the need for a data fusion of sensory information to evaluate the injuries with the autopsy performed.
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Tony J. Kim, Barbara Almanza, Jing Ma, Haeik Park and Sheryl F. Kline
This study aims to empirically assess restaurant surfaces’ cleanliness and compare them to customers’ perceptions about the cleanliness of surfaces when dining in a restaurant.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically assess restaurant surfaces’ cleanliness and compare them to customers’ perceptions about the cleanliness of surfaces when dining in a restaurant.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used two methods to collect data. The first was a survey method to gauge customers’ perceptions and an empirical test to measure cleanliness using an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) meter. Two data sets were collected to compare customers’ perceptions and actual cleanliness measurements. One data set surveyed respondents as to their perceptions of high- and low-touch restaurant surfaces among 19 areas of the dining room and 15 surfaces from the restroom, and their perceived cleanliness or dirtiness of those same surfaces. The second one conducted empirical measurements of the cleanliness of these surfaces using an ATP meter, which were then compared to customers’ perceptions.
Findings
Although all surfaces had higher ATP readings than a 30 relative light units’ threshold, there were significant differences in ATP readings among surfaces. Results showed a fair amount of consistency between the consumers’ perceptions of cleanliness and the actual results of ATP readings for the cleanest areas, but very little consistency in customers’ perceptions and experimental measurements for the dirtiest areas.
Practical implications
This study empirically demonstrated the need for improved cleaning techniques and the importance of proper training for foodservice employees. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of this study suggest an additional responsibility on managers and staff to ensure clean environments and the imperative to address the concerns of their customers.
Originality/value
Based on an extensive literature review, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior studies have compared consumers’ cleanliness perceptions with empirical measurements of cleanliness in restaurant settings using an ATP meter. The results of this study provide restaurant managers a better understanding of customers’ perceptions of cleanliness. It also provides restaurant managers and staff information to develop more effective cleaning procedures. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, perceptions of cleanliness and measures of actual cleanliness are more important than they have been in the past.
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An Nee Lau, Mohd Hafiz Jamaludin and Jan Mei Soon
The purpose of this paper is to determine the understanding of halal concept among food production workers and to develop a generic Halal Control Point (HCP) Plan for the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the understanding of halal concept among food production workers and to develop a generic Halal Control Point (HCP) Plan for the manufacturing of processed foods.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method (interviews, surveys and microbiological analyses) approach was used to analyze the hygiene and halal practices of four food processing plants in Penang, Malaysia. In total, 200 food production workers were surveyed (and quality assurance staff were interviewed) to determine their understanding of halal concepts and attitude towards halal food products. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swabbing tests were conducted to determine the hygiene of workers and food contact surfaces. End products were sampled and enumerated for total bacterial count.
Findings
The swabbing tests of food contact surfaces (i.e. tabletops) showed that only Company C (oat) and Company D (coffee powder) passed the ATP hygiene test (= 10 reflective light units [RLU]). The results obtained from all workers’ hands and aprons indicated a 100 per cent failure rate (>30 RLU). No ATP was detected on the packaging materials from all companies. The microbiological findings indicated that the end products are satisfactory and were below detection limits as verified by the enumeration done on the food samples. Besides, from the interview sessions conducted with the quality assurance staff, one generic Halal Control Points (HCPs) plan and four specific HCP plan tables were developed for the manufacturing process of halal food products for each company.
Originality/value
The HCP plans will be of value for food industry seeking to identify potential point sources of haram contamination and halal control points for their food production processes.
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BY applying tests designed specifically for measuring the penetration and coating of anti corrosion materials in car body sections, Dinol International has been comparing the…
Abstract
BY applying tests designed specifically for measuring the penetration and coating of anti corrosion materials in car body sections, Dinol International has been comparing the performance of some aircraft materials with alarming results it is stated. The enclosed photograph illustrates the results of a demonstration of the effective performance of Dinol's AV 25 (Sample A), against two of the industry's leading, comparable materials.
Saniye Bilici, Hande Mortas, Süleyman Köse, Semra Navruz Varli and Büsra Ayhan
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the hygiene of laminated menus.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the hygiene of laminated menus.
Design/methodology/approach
The cleanliness of 41 laminated menus from first-class restaurant in Ankara, Turkey, was monitored according to the level of bioluminescence measured using a rapid hygiene monitor (Lumitester PD-20 and LuciPac Pen). Aerobic colonies, Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae spp., and Staphylococcus aureus were enumerated.
Findings
Based on the adenosine triphosphate+adenosine monophosphate hygiene monitoring levels, analyses showed impurity in 82.9 percent of the samples. The aerobic colony count on the restaurant menus showed a mean 1.52 log cfu/cm2. The study results demonstrated a high-level impurity on the menus in first-class restaurants in Ankara.
Originality/value
This study is the first in Turkey to assess the microbiological load of menus. This paper adds relevant insights into the assessment of menu hygiene and highlights the high contamination of the restaurant menus. Useful information about including the restaurant menus in the daily cleaning protocol is provided.
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Looks at CaterClean, a new service from Rentokil Hygiene Division, which combines deep cleaning with rapid‐result testing. Outlines what the programme involves and concludes that…
Abstract
Looks at CaterClean, a new service from Rentokil Hygiene Division, which combines deep cleaning with rapid‐result testing. Outlines what the programme involves and concludes that this service will help operators to satisfy themselves, their customers and the enforcement authorities that they reach the required hygiene standards.
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Sebastian Roché and Guillaume Roux
Procedural justice (PJ) during police-citizen interactions has often been portrayed as a “silver bullet” to good policing, as it could function as a means to gain trust, voluntary…
Abstract
Purpose
Procedural justice (PJ) during police-citizen interactions has often been portrayed as a “silver bullet” to good policing, as it could function as a means to gain trust, voluntary obedience and public cooperation. PJ research is based on the assumption that there exists “true fairness.” However, it is still unclear what people actually mean when they evaluate the police as “fair” in surveys. By focusing the analysis to underexplored aspects of PJ, namely, the identity and political antecedents of the attribution of procedural fairness, the authors highlight the social and ideological reasons that influence people’s perceptions of police fairness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to explain the attribution of fairness of police, the study comprises a range of independent variables organized into five overarching domains: prior experience with police, victimization, socioeconomic status and (disadvantaged) context of residence, ethnicity and political attitudes and punitive values. The analysis is based on a representative sample of France, as well as a booster sample of a deprived, urban province (Seine-Saint-Denis) in order to better incorporate ethnic effects into the model (March 2011; n=1.498, 18+).
Findings
The present study finds support for the notion that aggressive policing policies (police-initiated contacts, e.g. identification checks, road stops) negatively impacts attributions of fairness to police. In addition, the findings show that attributions of fairness are not only interactional (i.e. related to what police do in any given situation) or related to individual cognitive phenomena, but for the most part pertain to broader social and political explanations. Political and ethnic cleavages are the key to understanding how police are judged by the public. The findings therefore question the nature of what is actually measured when fairness is attributed to police, finding that more punitive and conservative respondents tend to assess the police as fair. The authors find that the attribution of fairness seems to correspond to upholding the existing social order.
Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations inherent to any cross-sectional survey and the findings pertain only to a single country (France). Furthermore, the authors did not analyze all possible confounding variables to perceived fairness.
Social implications
The findings pose a practical problem for police and government to implement, as the authors ultimately find that there is no single recipe, or “silver bullet,” for being deemed fair across all social, ethnic and political groups – and, of course, the expectations of one group might conflict with those of another.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates that existing theory needs to better incorporate those explanations of fairness which extend beyond interactional processes with police, and refer instead to the social and political cleavages in society.
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Abstract
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The purpose of this research is to provide a new loss function‐based risk assessment method so the likelihood and consequence resulting from the failure of a manufacturing or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to provide a new loss function‐based risk assessment method so the likelihood and consequence resulting from the failure of a manufacturing or environmental system can be evaluated simultaneously.
Design/methodology/approach
Instead of using risk matrices of the occurrence and consequence separately for evaluating manufacturing and environmental risks, an integrated approach by exploring the relationship between process capability indices: Cp, Cpk and Cpm, and three different loss functions: Taguchi's loss function; Inverted normal loss function (INLF); and Revised inverted normal loss function (RINLF) is proposed.
Findings
The new method of quantitative risk assessment linking the likelihood and expected loss of failure is illustrated by two numeric examples. The results suggest that the revised inverted normal loss function (RINLF) be used in assessing manufacturing and environmental risks.
Practical implications
It gives decision‐makers a concrete tool to assess the likelihood and consequence of their processes. Linking the process capability indices and loss functions is particularly promising, as this provides a useful risk assessment tool for practitioners who want to reduce hazardous waste and manufacturing losses from their facilities.
Originality/value
The manufacturing and environmental risks are determined by paring the process capability indices and loss function. From the loss function‐based estimation, one can quantify the consequence of a manufacturing loss and get the severity rating in an objective way.
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