Search results

The way that food supply companies have structured themselves in order to maximise their sales to the retail chain are examined. How appropriate this structure is for supplying the catering market is examined, and how food companies are coping with the strains of this structure are identified. The role of the intermediate distributor in the distribution chain is assessed.

Given the premise of de facto universal standards for FM, this paper aims to investigate development of facilities management (FM) at an Albanian and a Norwegian university hospital through examination of two hypotheses: the university hospital has recognised FM and established a designated FM organisation (H1) and the university hospital provides adequate food and catering services at ward kitchens and buffets (H2).

This is an exploratory and descriptive comparative case study based on a diverse cases’ designs.

There is limited and strong support for H1 at the Albanian and Norwegian university hospitals, respectively. Both the Albanian and the Norwegian university hospitals rely on in-house production of facilities services, but the Albanian university hospital has outsourced food and catering services. FM and provision of facilities services are deeply integrated within the Norwegian university hospital’s core activities. There is also limited and strong support for H2 at the Albanian and Norwegian university hospitals, respectively. Hence, the Albanian Ministry of Health and the Albanian university hospital’s top management have a comprehensive, but not impossible, task, if the aim is to catch up with the Norwegian university hospital concerning FM.

This is an exploratory and descriptive comparative case study. Large N studies should be carried out both in Albania and Norway and preferably also in other countries to corroborate and develop the findings.

This is the first comparative study of FM at an Albanian and a Norwegian university hospital.

As a result of inadequate safe food handling and food safety procedures, school catering organisations take tremendous risks with people who are arguably more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults. Food poisoning can be a serious affliction, the symptoms of which usually start between one and 36 hours after ingestion of food and can last for days. As noted, some segments of the population face a greater risk and have a higher incidence of food‐borne illness. These are identified as the “vulnerable groups”, and include: children and infants; senior citizens; pregnant women; and people with diabetes, AIDS sufferers, and chemotherapy patients. This study was undertaken in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and it examined the extent of food safety gaps in the provision of school meals. Findings of the study suggest that considerable food safety gaps exist, and specific managerial recommendations about how to narrow some of these gaps is given.

The aim of this article is to examine whether food processing is a limitation when using organic potatoes and tubers and to suggest which catering category is most likely to purchase processed organic products.

A nationwide questionnaire was distributed by post to 808 Swedish catering managers in five categories: commercial restaurants, fast food restaurants, school canteens, day care centres, and homes for the elderly. The results were analysed on the basis of size and category.

The demand for processed organic potatoes and tubers differs between sizes and categories, and various catering units require different types of processing. Catering units in the public food sector also face a dilemma in terms of rationalised production systems and the ideological concerns about organic foods.

Further studies on ideological concerns and rationalised production systems are required.

The paper shows that product development should take place in cooperation between all actors in the food supply system and be adjusted to fit each specific catering category.

This study used the literature review and the modified Delphi method to evaluate the importance of the catering quality indices of university canteens in China. In order to compile the catering quality indices of university canteens in China as reference for the subsequent improvement of Chinese canteens.

This study first analysed literature data to establish the preliminary quality indices and used the modified Delphi method for measurement. After three rounds of Delphi analysis by 35 experts, the results of the catering quality indices of university canteens in China are summarised.

The research results show that university canteen catering quality issues are divided into six dimensions, including catering safety management, employee hygiene management, catering service, food quality, environmental atmosphere and corporate social responsibility. Catering safety management is the most important index, followed by employee hygiene management.

The research results can be used as suggestions for follow-up improvements in the quality of university canteens in China and a basis of reference for amendments to relevant national or local laws and regulations. The food prices, food quality and whether food hygiene and safety standards are met by university canteens are all related to the health and vital interests of the teachers and students, as well as the stability of the university. Therefore, the government should increase supervision in these aspects to avoid decline in the quality of meals due to low profits and enforce strict requirements for food safety.

To understand the nature of the catering challenge is hard enough let alone accept it. But I accept this paper's title, believing that caterers must adjust attitudes as they face problems, including those of food, besetting our own country and the world. With my background, I naturally see catering education as a key element in attitude adjustment. Way back in 1964, I was associated with the South of Scotland Electricity Board in organizing a management workshop with the theme “Catering in the Technological Era”. Though this sparked off other conferences with similar titles and led eventually to a book, Catering Management in the Technological Age, much catering activity since has edged but slowly into that age. Our challenge is to get it moving.

Catering business is one of the most prominent and sought-after business investment in Dehradun, given the number of people who have a busy lifestyle. This fact gets more influential as Shugan Group is a catering company that serves the Dehradun market, a valley in the foothills of Shivalik Mountain Range in the state of Uttarakhand. Dehradun enjoys the benefit of being the Capital of Uttarakhand. The catering companies offer a lot of employment while promising delicious food to the stakeholders. Many individuals rely on this sector through food trucks, small shops or through full-fledged catering service providing companies. The group offers innovative and interesting food options for Doonites through their catering services including a lot of regional food options. Traditionally, the catering services in the town comprises handful options to deliver in the form of just food items. The catering services now involve a lot of service elements also including serving of the dishes, ambience and all inclusive of personnel factors. Many individuals assume that mess food is everyday kind of boring food. This assumption definitely holds true throughout the student community who are the major benefactors of the catering services as Dehradun is an education hub in the country. The new food offerings therefore face a lot of change as some of the ingredients definitely are the everyday incorporated ones. In the past couple of years, the catering services concept had gained acceptance for investment because of rise in demand for variety to be provisioned in the offerings as students hold diverse demographical differences. A lot of significance has been given to the likeness of various food options. Shugan Group wishes to inject a new life into the student catering market, leveraging the culinary skills of their handpicked chefs to develop creative new catering options. The advanced skills of chefs, industry insight of the group and an already existing market opportunity will allow the group to showcase its potential. Shugan Group is a start-up company. Marketing is critical to its success and future profitability. It offers creative gourmet for mess catering for a wide range of events and everyday eating options. The basic market need is high quality and creative food options. Having worked in the industry for the past few years and witnessing the dynamic environment including rise in disposable incomes, rise in consumer awareness, consumer’s keenness to eat new delicacies every day and desire to purchase quality food, the group has invested a lot in understanding what the consumers want. The performance of the group has been moderately incremental. After holding qualitative wisdom on the requirements of the market, Shugan Group is currently in the speculative stage in terms of being a caterer. The group wishes to reasonably understand the option that it should consciously adopt in terms of being modest about thinking only of financial benefit, with reasonable expansion every year only for the sake of being financially viable or build a strong brand and start getting people to increase word of mouth thereby bringing organic growth.

The research (funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation) aims to support the UK Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative by working with leading contract caterers to develop principles of sustainable food procurement and key performance indicators to measure progress in putting them into practice.

Initial informal discussions with catering contractors confirmed the need for the research and explored ideas as to how to take it forward. Extensive secondary research then informed the development of nine draft principles of sustainable food procurement. These were further refined following review by individual companies. An expert panel was then convened for final drafting and to reach consensus.

The research provides operating principles that can be used to inform procurement practice. However changing organisational practice, particularly in large organizations, is challenging and will take time. The researchers have produced a guide to assist implementation and monitoring of progress.

Public sector catering is only 7 per cent of the total catering market by value. Therefore progress in this sector has a limited impact on the overall catering food supply chain. Only five of the original nine principles were adopted, so not all aspects of the sustainability agenda may be addressed.

The paper has value in assisting the implementation of UK Government policy towards sustainable food. Participants in the research are dominant within public sector contract catering and have reached consensus as to which aspects of the sustainability agenda it is feasible to progress at the present time.

In recent times the importance of training and education have been recognised as important tools to foster economic growth within companies and industries in the global marketplace. Unfortunately the UK hospitality industry in general has been unwilling to train and develop its managers. This paper examines the contract catering sector of the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland. It commences by investigating the educational qualifications and training of managers within the contract catering sector and then proceeds to discuss the transference of hospitality skills and practices.

The given case deals with the fact that primary objectives of services producers and marketers are identical to those of all marketers: to develop and provide offerings that satisfy consumer needs and expectations, thereby ensuring their own economic survival. To achieve these objectives, service providers need to understand how consumers choose, experience, and evaluate their service offerings. It also talks about employing innovative techniques at the basic level by optimizing available resources offering quality service at value based pricing, thereby, increasing customer retention by developing the trust of the consumer.

Graduation or post graduation level students studying subjects pertaining to the services aspect of marketing, namely innovative service offerings, value for money, service experience and evaluation, challenge of integrating the 4 A's of services marketing and offering them in sustainable quality, promotional or communication mix for services and consumer behaviour.

Today's dual-career couples, single-parent families, and two-job families are realizing a burning consumer need: more time. Individuals in these and other non-traditional family configurations are overstressed with their work and home obligations and find that dealing with many of life's everyday tasks is overwhelming. For many customers, all types of shopping have become “drudgery or worse.” The antidote to this time deficiency is found in many new services that recover time for consumers. One such professional service is catering. The present case study deals with grass root level innovations in this service offering that adds flavour to our lives.

Understanding the catering services offering and its features in evolving consumer's world; analyzing the importance of optimizing available resources and offering customer satisfaction, ensuring marketers own economic survival; realizing the significance of value offering and related value based pricing for services; comprehending the importance of word of mouth in post experience evaluation in services; the effect of quality and quantity consciousness in marketers while offering catering services; and understanding obstacles and challenges faced by small and medium service industries at the initial level.

Teaching notes.