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Article
Publication date: 19 November 2021

Khalid Shamim, Shamim Ahmad and Md Ashraf Alam

Confusion over the interpretation of date labels is one of the main causes of food waste at the retail and consumer level. The purpose of this study was to determine consumer…

1009

Abstract

Purpose

Confusion over the interpretation of date labels is one of the main causes of food waste at the retail and consumer level. The purpose of this study was to determine consumer understanding of food date labels and to assess consumer perception of food waste based on these labels.

Design/methodology/approach

It is a cross-sectional study carried out in India. Google forms were used to administer an online structured questionnaire. A total of 389 individuals participated in the study. The data were analyzed using Chi-square statistics and ordinal logistic regression.

Findings

The results affirmed that most of the consumers frequently looked at date labels while purchasing food products, but many of them did not have adequate knowledge of commonly used date label terms. In particular, respondents tended to misunderstand the “best before” date label as the last date for safe consumption, that is, a safety indicator that is not correct. The study indicated that lack of appropriate knowledge, misunderstanding of date labels and lack of complete information contributed toward unnecessary and excess discard of foods that may otherwise perfectly be safe and edible.

Practical implications

Raising public awareness, educating consumers about food date labels and pushing for standardizing the information on date labels by providing adequate guidelines to companies would enable consumers to better interpret the labels, and it would lead to lowering the unnecessary food wastage.

Originality/value

This study fulfills an important knowledge gap in respect of examining the food date label knowledge and its relationship with food waste practices in India.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

Eric W.K. Tsang

The first purpose of this short essay is to respond to Howells and Scholderer’s (2016) harsh critique that organizational unlearning is a superfluous concept. The second purpose…

1697

Abstract

Purpose

The first purpose of this short essay is to respond to Howells and Scholderer’s (2016) harsh critique that organizational unlearning is a superfluous concept. The second purpose is to establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization.

Design/methodology/approach

To respond to Howells and Scholderer’s critique, the author carefully examines their arguments – focusing on their comments on the author’s previous publications – and checks whether the arguments are logical and coherent. To establish a relationship between organizational unlearning and the learning organization, the author draws on his own research of international joint ventures in China.

Findings

Howells and Scholderer seriously miscited the ideas in one of the author’s publications, and their main arguments are blatantly flawed. Moreover, they are unaware that many of the faults they find in the organizational unlearning literature are also present in the organizational learning literature. As to the second part of this essay, the study of the acquisition type of joint ventures clearly indicates the presence of organizational unlearning. Moreover, for such ventures to be learning organizations, the unlearning step has to be well managed.

Research limitations/implications

As mentioned, the author’s response to Howells and Scholderer’s critique focuses on their comments on the author’s publications. It is highly likely that they have made other erroneous arguments that this essay fails to capture. The author’s discussion of unlearning and learning organizations is constrained by the context of acquisition joint ventures.

Originality/value

This essay forcefully rebuts Howells and Scholderer’s critique, which can become an obstacle in the development of organizational unlearning research. The dynamics of knowledge transfer in acquisition joint ventures suggest that skills of unlearning, and not just learning, are essential to reaching the goal of being a learning organization.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2004

Jesse F. Dillard, John T. Rigsby and Carrie Goodman

Institutional theory is becoming one of the dominant theoretical perspectives in organization theory and is increasingly being applied in accounting research to study the practice…

9957

Abstract

Institutional theory is becoming one of the dominant theoretical perspectives in organization theory and is increasingly being applied in accounting research to study the practice of accounting in organizations. However, most institutional theory research has adequately theorized neither the institutionalization process through which change takes place nor the socio‐political context of the institutional formations. We propose a social theory based framework for grounding and expanding institutional theory to more fully articulate institutionalization processes. Specifically, we incorporate institutional theory and structuration theory and draw on the work of Max Weber in developing a framework of the context and the processes associated with creating, adopting and discarding institutional practices. We propose that the expanded framework depicts the socio‐economic and political context better and more directly addresses the dynamics of enacting, embedding and changing organizational features and processes. Expanding the focus of the institutional theory based accounting research can facilitate a more comprehensive representation of accounting as the object of institutional practices as well as provide a better articulation of the role of accounting in the institutionalization process.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

Naval Garg and Bijender Kumar Punia

Modern age witnessed an exponential growth of high performance work practices (HPWPs) at workplace. This phenomenal increase in quest of performance excellence has fascinated both…

1519

Abstract

Purpose

Modern age witnessed an exponential growth of high performance work practices (HPWPs) at workplace. This phenomenal increase in quest of performance excellence has fascinated both researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model of HPWPs for insurance companies of India.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire comprising of 35 HPWPs with a five-point rating scale has been used. Model is based on two important paradigm of HR practices – employees’ awareness and perception for HPWPs. Factor analysis is followed by confirmatory factor analysis to build a model of HPWPs for insurance industry in India.

Findings

Of the 35 practices 17 get reduced to most applicable practices constituting high performance work system (HPWS) for insurance industry. The paper arrives at appropriate model of HPWPs.

Research limitations/implications

Paper has successfully developed model for insurance companies. Taking clue from findings, insurance practitioners could deal with various HR related challenges in their respective companies.

Originality/value

The paper uses primary data collected using structured questionnaire to develop HPWS.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 66 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 October 2018

Adrian Klammer and Stefan Gueldenberg

Although still under-researched and characterized by a fragmented understanding, unlearning and forgetting have recently received increased scholarly attention. The purpose of…

2915

Abstract

Purpose

Although still under-researched and characterized by a fragmented understanding, unlearning and forgetting have recently received increased scholarly attention. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to survey and evaluate key works in the field of organizational unlearning and forgetting. Through analyzing and synthesizing common themes, this paper aims to highlight research gaps and avenues for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows a systematic approach of identifying, analyzing and synthesizing pertinent literature in the field of organizational unlearning and forgetting. In total, 63 works were thoroughly reviewed.

Findings

This paper highlights different levels and scopes, as well as antecedents and consequences of organizational unlearning and forgetting. Even though unlearning and forgetting has gained increased attention, researchers still need to provide robust conceptual and empirical evidence to advance the field.

Originality/value

By structuring the analysis and synthesis around various constructs, theories, typologies and related themes, this paper outlines several research gaps and proposes avenues for further research. Additionally, this systematic literature review resulted in the development of a framework based on the intentionality and depth of knowledge loss, which allows future researchers to position their research and differentiate themselves from other literature in the field.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 August 2007

Rui Sousa and Christopher A. Voss

The objectives of this paper are: to identify the key defining elements of a subcontractor plant from an operations management perspective and examine whether there are…

4531

Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this paper are: to identify the key defining elements of a subcontractor plant from an operations management perspective and examine whether there are differences between the operational contexts of such plants and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) plants; and to examine whether these differences should translate into different operational practices, addressing the specific case of process quality management practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a multiple case study involving five plants in the electronics industry representative of the OEM and different subcontractor contexts.

Findings

Results suggest that the operational contexts of subcontractor and OEM plants are different and that, as a result, these types of plants should emphasize different sets of process quality management practices.

Research limitations/implications

Results are considered to be generalizable to most discrete goods industries. However, future research should ascertain whether these results replicate in industries other than electronics.

Practical implications

OEMs, who have a critical role in disseminating best practice within the supply chain, must recognize the differences between OEM and subcontractor environments and avoid pushing one‐size‐fits‐all best practice programs along the chain.

Originality/value

Research in outsourcing to date has focused on the outsourcing decision per se and has mainly taken the perspective of the outsourcer firm. This study contributes to a better understanding of the operational implications of outsourcing decisions for subcontractor plants. It also responds to calls for more research linking quality management and supply chain management.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 27 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2023

Janet R. McColl-Kennedy, Christoph F. Breidbach, Teegan Green, Mohamed Zaki, Alexandria M. Gain and Mieke L. van Driel

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why some service ecosystems are more resilient and, consequently, more sustainable than others during turbulent times, and how…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why some service ecosystems are more resilient and, consequently, more sustainable than others during turbulent times, and how resilience can be cultivated to enable pathways to service ecosystem sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

This work integrates disparate literature from multiple service and sustainability literature streams, iterating through constant comparison with findings from 44 semistructured interviews conducted in the context of primary health care clinic service ecosystems.

Findings

The authors offer a novel conceptual framework comprising pillars (shared worldview, individual actor well-being and multiactor interactions), changing practices to cultivate resilience through resilience levers (orchestrators, individual actor effort, actor inclusivity and digitaltech–humanness approach), and pathways to service ecosystem sustainability (volume vs value, volume to value, volume and value). The authors demonstrate that service ecosystems need to change practices, integrating resources differently in response to the turbulent environment, emphasizing the importance of a shared worldview across the ecosystem and assessing different pathways to sustainability.

Originality/value

This paper offers new insights into the important intersection of service marketing, sustainability and health care. The authors provide guidance to practitioners aiming to cultivate resilience in service ecosystems to achieve pathways to sustainability in primary health care clinics. Finally, implications for theory are discussed, and directions to guide future service research offered.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 37 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 February 2024

Olga Gurova

This paper aims to answer the questions of what clothing practices related to sustainable fashion can be observed in young consumers' daily lives in Finland’s capital region and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to answer the questions of what clothing practices related to sustainable fashion can be observed in young consumers' daily lives in Finland’s capital region and what prevents their further proliferation.

Design/methodology/approach

This is qualitative research that draws from 22 semi-structured interviews with high school students in the capital area of Finland. The data were analyzed with the use of thematic analysis, a flexible method of data analysis that allows for the extraction of categories from both theoretical concepts and data.

Findings

This paper contributes to studies of young people’s consumption with the practice theory approach, putting forward the category of following sustainable fashion as an integrative practice. The three-element model of the practice theory allows answering the question of challenges that prevent the practice from shaping. The paper further advances this approach by identifying a list of context-specific dispersed practices incorporated into sustainable fashion.

Practical implications

The study suggests practical ways of improving clothing consumption based on the practice theory approach and findings from empirical research. Sustainable practices require competences, knowledge and skills that the school, as an institution working closely with high school students, could help develop.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the current studies of sustainability and youth culture of consumption with a practice theory approach and findings, related to a particular context of a country from Northern Europe.

Details

Young Consumers, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-3616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1984

Johh Sussams

The shelf‐life of a product, from packing to “sell‐by” date is divided between the distributor and the retailer. If the time allowed for distribution is inadequate then either…

Abstract

The shelf‐life of a product, from packing to “sell‐by” date is divided between the distributor and the retailer. If the time allowed for distribution is inadequate then either some good product has to be discarded, and/or some customers have to go short. In this article John Sussams discusses the financial and other consequences of this situation, and examines possible remedies. These involve speeding up the flow and/or increasing the shelf‐life available to the distributor so that small buffer stocks can safely be held to cover fluctations in demand. The writer concludes with a detailed case study.

Details

Retail and Distribution Management, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-2363

Book part
Publication date: 10 April 2019

Omar Khaled Abdelrahman, Emma Banister and Daniel Hampson

Purpose: Curatorial consumption studies have hitherto focused on the consumption of family heirlooms. By exploring curatorial consumption within the context of vintage outlets

Abstract

Purpose: Curatorial consumption studies have hitherto focused on the consumption of family heirlooms. By exploring curatorial consumption within the context of vintage outlets, the authors extend its usage to other consumption sites, allowing them to further develop the construct.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Participant observation was employed at vintage outlets alongside in-depth interviews with 15 vintage traders incorporating object elicitation.

Findings: The authors identify the potential for curatorial consumption to help further develop understanding of individuals’ relationships with their possessions. The authors present a re-contextualization of curatorial consumption, which expands the term beyond caring for family heirlooms, allowing them to incorporate additional contexts. The authors identify vintage traders’ roles as guardians for their merchandise and their sense of responsibility to ensure objects’ circulation to future generations. The authors develop the findings around themes related to curation: acquisition, preservation, and transference. Running through these themes is an overarching concern for historical objects.

Originality/Value: While few studies loosely refer to curatorial consumption, the construct remains underdeveloped. The re-contextualization allows to unpack its potential to enhance understanding of individuals’ relationships with their possessions. In contrast to existing curatorial consumption work that emphasizes the sense of continuity with ancestors, the authors extend this to consider how connections with the past can be maintained beyond local family settings.

Details

Consumer Culture Theory
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78754-285-3

Keywords

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