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1 – 10 of over 31000Archana Poonia, Shilpa Sindhu, Vikas Arya and Anupama Panghal
This study aims to identify and analyse the interactions among drivers of anti-food waste behaviour at the consumer level. By understanding the mutual interactions among the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify and analyse the interactions among drivers of anti-food waste behaviour at the consumer level. By understanding the mutual interactions among the drivers, an effort is made to identify the most driving and most dependent drivers through the total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) approach. Modelling offers inputs to propose focused interventions for reinforcing the identified drivers of anti-food waste consumer behaviour using the theoretical lens of social practices theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A proposed model of factors affecting anti-food waste behaviour is arrived at to suggest the most effective anti-food waste behavioural interventions. The factors were identified through an extensive literature search. A hierarchical structure of identified factors has been developed using TISM and MICMAC analysis through expert opinion. Focused marketing strategies towards promoting the identified factors for encouraging anti-food waste behaviour were suggested further.
Findings
This study identifies nine drivers based on extensive literature review, brainstorming and expert opinion. The TISM hierarchical model portrays the most important and least important drivers of household anti-food waste behaviour. It establishes that fundamental knowledge and socio-cultural norms are the most critical factors to drive the consumers. Marketers can focus on designing effective interventions to enhance the essential knowledge of the consumers and orient the socio-cultural norms towards anti-food waste behaviour.
Practical implications
This study offers implications for practitioners, policymakers and cause-driven marketing campaigns targeting anti-food waste behaviour. It provides an indicative list of critical factors relevant to household food waste behaviour, which can be used to drive effective marketing campaigns to nudge anti-food waste behaviours.
Originality/value
The proposed food waste behaviour management model was developed through modelling technique (TISM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis, and relating them to marketing interventions is a novel effort in the food waste domain.
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Mobility has wide‐range impacts on the financial management of property issues, such as consumption and investment. In the literature of residential mobility, household life cycle…
Abstract
Mobility has wide‐range impacts on the financial management of property issues, such as consumption and investment. In the literature of residential mobility, household life cycle is widely acknowledged as an important concept. An array of household demographic factors such as age has been repeatedly found to be significant in influencing mobility. Many previous researches offer few verifi able hypotheses or propositions and their results are conflicting. Some of them also suffer methodological inadequacies. This paper is an attempt to rectify this situation. There are two important contributions by the current research. One is a methodology that employs multivariate methods, which fills the gap of previous research. The second contribution is the large census dataset of Hong Kong which is rare in previous studies. The research is conducted under the framework of life cycle models with emphasis on economic and demographic variables of households. Demographic determinants are found to be more important in explaining population mobility among rental households while economic factors are more pertinent for owners. This may be explained by the different strategies adopted by renters and owners in satisfying their housing needs. Renters are envisaged to base their mobility decisions more on demographic factors. Owners, on the other hand, tend to view home buying as an investment as well and hence put more emphasis on economic factors. It is hoped that this research can shed more light on the topic of residential mobility by drawing on the experience of a large population residing in a small place, Hong Kong
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The debate concerning the relationship between maternal education and child nutritional status is not a foregone conclusion. This paper aims to contribute to the existing debate…
Abstract
Purpose
The debate concerning the relationship between maternal education and child nutritional status is not a foregone conclusion. This paper aims to contribute to the existing debate by examining this relationship for the case of Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
Theoretically, the study was based on household models of optimization, just like in the standard consumer theory, to gain insights into household demand for the health good. Empirically, the paper employed maximum-likelihood probit models and computed marginal effects in order to obtain logically interpretable results.
Findings
The paper finds that once the socio-economic factors are controlled for, the significance of maternal education, especially primary and secondary levels, in influencing child nutrition status decays but post-secondary education persists. Therefore, if mothers are exposed to the same socio-economic conditions, it is education of the mother beyond secondary level that generates a difference in the child nutrition outcomes.
Practical implications
These findings suggest that efforts to improve the child health outcomes in the future need to target measures that aim to educate women beyond secondary level. The government program to extend free education at the secondary level is a good start and should be strengthened.
Originality/value
Literature presents no consensus on the effect of maternal education and child nutritional status. It is often argued that maternal education is simply a proxy for the socio-economic conditions and geographical area of residence such its significance decays once these are controlled for. Yet others argue that maternal education is a single most important factor influencing child nutritional outcomes. The debate is still very hot and this study sought to contribute to this debate for the case of Uganda.
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Aondoyila Kuhe and Danladi Yusufu Bisu
This paper aims to present a systematic scoping review of the influences of some situational factors on the energy consumption behaviour of households. Household’s energy choice…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a systematic scoping review of the influences of some situational factors on the energy consumption behaviour of households. Household’s energy choice and manner of utilization define its energy consumption behaviour; it is a key factor in determining the energy efficiency of households. Despite the energy-efficient technological innovations and awareness on environmental/health implications of using certain energy sources and technologies, households still use inefficient, traditional energy sources and technologies. Some researchers have attempted to use economic and psychological theories to explain the situation with the hope of achieving a change in behaviour towards sustainable energy utilization but to no avail. This is because the theories fail to consider situations beyond individuals or households. A clear understanding of situational factors and how they influence household energy behaviour will provide information that will aid deeper research and policy formulation towards sustainable energy behaviour of households.
Design/methodology/approach
A scoping systematic review of available literature regarding real-life cases in both developed and developing countries was carried out to determine the possibility of situational factors affecting household energy choices and utilization.
Findings
The result of the review showed that situational factors have a significant influence on household’s energy consumption. The main policy implications observed are the need for laws that will encourage energy-saving renovations in houses, make compulsory the provision of recreational facilities in residential areas to reduce in-home energy consumption. The need for increased access to electricity and other efficient energy sources and cooking technologies has also been observed. Intensive awareness campaigns are required to disabuse the minds of people about cultural issues that mitigate improved cook stove adoption.
Originality/value
The paper provides information on the influence of some of the factors, which affect energy consumption in households, which fluctuate depending on the current situation of the consumer and are time-bound (situational factors). The information will help policymakers and regulators to understand the influence of situational factors on household energy consumption, thereby enabling them to make policies that will enhance sustainable energy consumption.
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Md. Mahmudul Alam, Abu N.M. Wahid and Chamhuri Siwar
Sustainable food security at the household level is one of the emerging issues for all nations. It is expected that the patterns of household resilience factors and adaptation…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable food security at the household level is one of the emerging issues for all nations. It is expected that the patterns of household resilience factors and adaptation practices have a strong linkage with household food security. The purpose of this paper is to seek an effective technique of adaptation for food security and the required types of support for adaptation to food insecurity among the poor and low-income households in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was based on primary data that were collected in July-October 2012 through a questionnaire survey among 460 poor and low-income households from the Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu states of Malaysia. The samples were selected from E-Kasih poor household database based on a two-stage cluster random sampling technique. The study considered household food security as household food availability and food accessibility, and ran ordinal regressions to find out the linkages of household food security with household resilience factors, adaptation practices, and expected support for adaptation to food security.
Findings
The study concludes that several resilience factors and adaptation practices were statistically significant to household food security, and several external supports were statistically and significantly needed to ensure household food security. Therefore, to ensure sustainable household food security in Malaysia, the food security programs need to be integrated with sustainable development goals (SDGs) and climatic changes adaptation programs, and the involvement of relevant stakeholders are crucial.
Originality/value
This study is a pioneer work based on primary data that empirically measured the linkages of household food security with household resilience factors, adaptation practices, and expected support for adaptation to food security in Malaysia. This study also discussed some issues related to the climate change linkage, which would help future climate change research. The findings of the study will be beneficial for all the stakeholders, including policy makers related to the food security and climate change adaptation.
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Shiyan Lou, Junhao Wang, Yi Ting Zeng and Chun Cheong Fong
With the rapid development of the economy in China, the wealth of residents has continued to increase, and most families have gradually been aware of the importance of commercial…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid development of the economy in China, the wealth of residents has continued to increase, and most families have gradually been aware of the importance of commercial insurance. The family purchase of insurance in China was still not optimistic. Many scholars focus on wealth allocation, but the attention to the commercial insurance market was still less. Based on previous research studies, this study aims to investigate the impact of education and financial literacy on the commercial insurance purchase in China.
Design/methodology/approach
China Household Finance Survey data was used to investigate the purchase of commercial insurance in Mainland Chinese families. Factor analysis was used to construct financial literacy, and the education data were combined to analyze the commercial insurance purchase using the Probit model and the Tobit model. Finally, the contributions of education and financial literacy to commercial insurance purchases were analyzed.
Findings
Both education and financial literacy exerted a positive impact on the purchase of commercial insurance in China. Individual characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, risk attitude, purchase of social insurance and consultation with a financial advisor possessed significant effects; household factors like household size and assets, macro factors such as the density of financial institutions and the density of financial industry staff, and regional factors as local unemployment rate excreted influences on the commercial insurance purchase.
Originality/value
Based on the current economic development in China, this study investigated and expressed opinions on the public and insurance companies regarding commercial insurance purchases. It accentuated financial literacy and education as factors that facilitated commercial insurance development.
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Moses W. Ngware, Eldah N. Onsomu, David I. Muthaka and Damiano K. Manda
The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors that influence access to secondary education, and strategies for improving access to secondary education in Kenya.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors that influence access to secondary education, and strategies for improving access to secondary education in Kenya.
Design/methodology/approach
A logit model estimated using the Welfare Monitoring Household Survey while a simulation model is used to evaluate some of the strategies for improving access to secondary school education.
Findings
The main determinants of access to secondary school education at household level include household's income, education level of household head, household residence, sex of child, availability of schools, and age of student.
Research limitations/implications
Factor such as property ownership by household and indirect costs to schooling not adequately captured due to non‐responses.
Practical implications
Strategies for expanding secondary school education include: expansion of infrastructure through strong partnerships, enhancing efficiency in use of human and financial resources, developing sustainable poverty reduction and resource targeting mechanisms, increasing household awareness on the importance of secondary school education, and addressing gender disparities.
Originality/value
The value of the paper is in its innovativeness to empirically estimate factors that determine access to secondary education and simulate resource requirements for secondary school education with the aim of identifying appropriate strategies for improving access.
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Md. Mahmudul Alam, Chamhuri Siwar, Basri Abdul Talib and Abu N.M. Wahid
Sustainable food security at the household level is one of the emerging issues for all nations. Several factors such as social, economic, political, demographic, natural and…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable food security at the household level is one of the emerging issues for all nations. Several factors such as social, economic, political, demographic, natural and livelihood strategies cause vulnerability in the status of household food security. This study aims to examine the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility and its linkage with the climatic changes in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on primary data collected in the months of July-October, 2012, through a questionnaire survey on 460 low-income households from the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) in Malaysia. The samples were selected from E-Kasih poor household database, based on the cluster random sampling technique. The questionnaire uses a five-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA F statistics for chi-square two-sample test.
Findings
The study finds that the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility has increased statistically and significantly over the past five years in Malaysia, whereas the contributions of climatic factors are low on these changes. This study suggests that the food security programs in Malaysia need to be integrated with the climatic change adaptation programs to ensure more effective and sustainable household food security in the future.
Originality/value
This study is an original work based on primary data that empirically measures the vulnerability of the factors of household food accessibility, one of the important dimensions of household food security, and its linkage with climatic changes.
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Jennifer Nabaweesi, Frank Kabuye and Muyiwa Samuel Adaramola
The adoption of solar energy by households is an important avenue of protecting the environment and enabling energy access in rural areas, especially in developing countries like…
Abstract
Purpose
The adoption of solar energy by households is an important avenue of protecting the environment and enabling energy access in rural areas, especially in developing countries like Uganda, where energy access is low. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors that influence the households’ willingness to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) energy and how soon the households are willing to adopt solar PV energy for business use in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
Heckman’s two-step selection model was used to determine the willingness and urgency of adopting solar PV energy for business use in selected districts in Eastern Uganda. The respondents were selected purposively at the household level at a given point in time.
Findings
Results show that sex, household head estimated income, mode of acquisition and repayment terms of solar technology positively influence both willingness and urgency to adopt solar energy for business use in households. However, financial disclosure only influences willingness to adopt solar. Then, age and energy need only significantly influence how soon the household is willing to adopt solar PV energy for business use.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s findings essentially apply to the individual factors that determine the willingness and urgency to adopt solar PV energy for business use by households. Hence, further research is needed to understand the external and industrial factors which could strengthen the predictive potential of the elements in this study.
Practical implications
This study underscores the need for regulatory enforcement on the supply and usage of quality, reliable and affordable solar equipment which are suitable for business use. Also, the need to promote and finance the usage of solar PV as a green energy source for household businesses has been emphasized.
Originality/value
The study simultaneously examines the willingness and urgency to adopt solar PV energy for household business purposes using Heckman’s two-step selection model. This has hitherto remained unknown empirically.
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Yong Kang Cheah, Kim-Leng Goh and Azira Abdul Adzis
This study aims to examine the factors associated with household expenditure share on tobacco at different ranges of the expenditure share among Malaysian households.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the factors associated with household expenditure share on tobacco at different ranges of the expenditure share among Malaysian households.
Design/methodology/approach
The analyses were based on pooled cross-sectional data of the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey. A quantile regression was used to estimate the differentials in the share of monthly household expenditure on tobacco across different socio-economic, demographic and household groups at the 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 0.9 quantiles of the tobacco expenditure share.
Findings
Characteristics of household heads (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status) and household location were significant factors. Households headed by individuals aged 29 years or less spent a bigger share of their expenditure on tobacco than those headed by individuals older than 59 years. Households with heads who were employed and had primary-level education devoted a greater share of their expenditure for tobacco than households with heads who were unemployed and had tertiary-level education. The corresponding differentials were between 0.2% and 2.3%.
Practical implications
The results identify the target groups based on not only the socio-economic and demographic factors but also the distributional effects of tobacco expenditure share for the design of public policy to reduce the prevalence of smoking-induced illnesses.
Originality/value
This study represents new attempts to use pooled cross-sectional data and a quantile regression to take into account the heterogeneous tobacco expenditure behaviour according to different levels of tobacco spending among Malaysian households.