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1 – 10 of 61Andrea Romi, Kirsten A. Cook and Heather R. Dixon-Fowler
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether B corps’ (for-profit entities whose owners voluntarily commit to conduct business in a socially responsible manner, beyond…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether B corps’ (for-profit entities whose owners voluntarily commit to conduct business in a socially responsible manner, beyond traditional CSR, that generates profits, but not at the expense of stakeholders) commitment to social issues influences two aspects of financial performance: employee productivity and sales growth.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is an exploratory analysis of B corps. This paper examines B corps with B Lab’s B Impact Assessment reports and PrivCo financial data, for descriptive information. This paper also analyzes the financial impact of obtaining and reporting on excellence in both employee and consumer focus, as well as the differences in financial growth between B corps and non-hybrid peers.
Findings
Overall, results suggest that, among B corps whose treatment of employees (consumers) is recognized as an “area of excellence,” employee productivity (sales growth) is significantly higher. Additionally, sales growth is significantly higher for B corps relative to their peer, non-hybrid, matched firms.
Practical implications
Results from this study inform states considering the adoption of the B corp legal status – this legal status does not hinder firm profitability, but instead enhances long-term firm value while allowing firms to beneficially affect their communities, consumers, employees and the environment.
Social implications
Results from this study provide important insights regarding the current paradigm shift from the traditional business focus on profit maximization to a fruitful coexistence of profits with social interests and initiatives, within a structure of dissolving national boundaries and increasingly divergent logics.
Originality/value
This paper provides an initial empirical examination of B corp performance.
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Abigail M.A. Love, Kirsten S. Railey, Marissa Phelps, Jonathan M. Campbell, Heidi A. Cooley-Cook and R. Larry Taylor
The purpose of this paper is to investigate outcomes associated with a training designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with autism spectrum…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate outcomes associated with a training designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Design/methodology/approach
Authors examined the responses of a group of first responders (N = 224) who completed a survey before and after a training to assess their (a) knowledge of ASD, (b) confidence for working with individuals with ASD, (c) comfort responding to a call and (d) ratings of the training they received.
Findings
Findings indicated first responders demonstrated more knowledge of ASD, increased confidence for working with individuals with ASD and improved comfort when responding to a call.
Research limitations/implications
This preliminary report serves as initial evidence of the importance of rigorous work examining trainings designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with ASD.
Practical implications
The results of this study justify continued rigorous research on the effectivness of ENACT, as a training designed to improve knowledge and comfort of first responders who work with individuals with ASD.
Originality/value
This study fills an identified need for research on trainings designed to educate first responders about ASD.
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Ryan Vroegindewey, Veronique Theriault and John Staatz
The purpose of this paper is to examine how various transaction-cost characteristics influence the choice of vertical coordination (VC) structures (e.g. different contract types…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how various transaction-cost characteristics influence the choice of vertical coordination (VC) structures (e.g. different contract types) and horizontal coordination (HC) structures (e.g. different farmer organization types) to link smallholder farmers efficiently with buyers. It analyzes the relationship between vertical and horizontal structures, and the economic sustainability of different structure combinations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper develops a conceptual framework to predict coordination structures as a function of transaction-cost characteristics, compares predictions for the Malian cereals market to empirical evidence using 15 case studies, and then analyzes structure combinations.
Findings
Asymmetric scale between farmers and buyers; uncertainty in production, prices, policy, and contract enforcement; and quality and quantity debasement lead to selections of structures with high levels of control. Vertical and horizontal structures demonstrate a complementary relationship in certain core coordination roles, while exhibiting substitutability in the provision of other coordination activities. The marketing cooperative and marketing contract pairing is the most prevalent combination.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual framework is useful for explaining the selection of coordination structures, and can be applied in other contexts to strengthen external validity.
Originality/value
The framework facilitates predictions and explanation of both VC and HC structures, with empirical application on a country and value chains receiving little attention in the literature.
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Charlene Elliott and Kirsten Ellison
The purpose of this paper is to explore the teenager perspectives of the meaning of food safety, and the implications of those meanings.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the teenager perspectives of the meaning of food safety, and the implications of those meanings.
Design/methodology/approach
Five focus groups were conducted with students (aged 12–14) from Calgary, AB. Participants were asked what food safety means to them and probed about their views on the relationship between food safety and packaged foods. Grounded theorizing informed the analysis.
Findings
Food safety was described as located within the system, located within the individual and located within the edible. Key to these teenagers’ understanding of food safety is the theme of food deception – a deception promulgated by food producers, manufacturers and advertisers who lack transparency about what they are actually selling. Teenagers draw attention to the risks associated with living in an industrialized food environment, and to the tension between safety and the industry-driven motive to sell.
Originality/value
Individuals start to make independent decisions around food preparation and consumption as teenagers; as present and future consumers, it is valuable to learn their perspectives and knowledge about food safety. More importantly, food safety is not only simply a health-related issue but also a semantic one. This study moves beyond the knowledge deficit approach characterizing most research on the topic. Instead, it probes the range of meanings associated with food safety and how they are worked out, revealing that the teenagers’ construction of food as “risk objects” reveals different links to harm than the food safety interventions typically directed to them.
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Kirsten Holmes and Steven Rowley
This study aims to apply confirmatory personal introspection (CPI) to illuminate the experiences of the authors as partial native-visitors to Western Australia. The native-visitor…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to apply confirmatory personal introspection (CPI) to illuminate the experiences of the authors as partial native-visitors to Western Australia. The native-visitor is the tourist who is able to see beyond Urry’s shallow conception of the Tourist Gaze through their lengthy immersion as “insiders” in the destination’s culture. In this paper, the experiences of two immigrants, the authors, to Western Australia illustrate the different perspectives of the Tourist Gaze 4.0.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses CPI, as this is a more reliable method of uncovering a traveler’s experiences than subjective personal introspection because CPI uses additional data sources such as written historical records and photographs for confirming the researcher’s accounts. In this study, accounts of both authors alongside photographs are used to both confirm and contrast their individual experiences.
Findings
The paper demonstrates the varied forms of the tourist gaze, with an emphasis on that of the native visitor. The findings illustrate how individuals’ both maintain aspects of their original cultural identity and adopt those of the new country after an extended time living in that country. This enables individuals to see attractions and destinations from an insider perspective.
Practical implications
This study shows how even after an extended period of time living in a new country, visitors may not have the cultural confidence to behave as local residents at tourist attractions and destinations, which could limit their engagement and enjoyment of these experiences. Marketers should take this into account in designing and promoting tourist experiences to visitors.
Originality/value
CPI provides a valuable means for illustrating the range of perspectives within the Tourist Gaze 4.0. The method enables individuals’ rich experiences to be uncovered but at the same time uses multiple data sources to provide additional rigour.
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Maree Thyne, Kirsten Robertson, Leah Watkins and Olly Casey
Children are familiar with retail outlets (especially supermarkets) and the reality of shopping from an increasingly early age. In turn, retailers are actively engaging this young…
Abstract
Purpose
Children are familiar with retail outlets (especially supermarkets) and the reality of shopping from an increasingly early age. In turn, retailers are actively engaging this young market, targeting them through various promotional strategies. One popular strategy adopted by grocery retailers is giveaway collectible set items. The purpose of this paper is to question the ethicality of such campaigns, within the framework of vulnerable consumers by examining children’s opinions of the campaigns and the supermarkets who run them, and the drivers of children’s involvement in the campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative focus groups were employed with 67 children aged five to ten years. Focus groups were made up of children in similar age groups to cluster responses by age and allow for comparisons. Thematic analysis was undertaken and responses were coded into themes.
Findings
Children were initially driven to collect through promotional advertising or because a third party offered them a collectible. The drivers for subsequent collecting differed between age groups, with younger children more focussed on themes around play and older children (seven and above) collecting through habit, because it was a craze amongst their peers and therefore the collections became items of social currency. Children’s perceptions of the supermarkets motivations also differed by age. Younger children thought supermarkets gave the collectibles away as “gifts” for altruistic reasons. The older children articulated a clear understanding of the economic motives of the organisation including: to attract children to their stores, to encourage pester power and to increase revenue by encouraging customers to buy more. The older children questioned the ethics of the collectible campaigns, referring to them as scams.
Research limitations/implications
The findings extend the important discussion on the nature of children’s vulnerability to advertising by showing that the children’s vulnerability stretches beyond their ability to understand advertising intent. Despite older children in the present study being cognisant of retailers’ intentions they were still vulnerable to the scheme; the embeddedness of the scheme in the social lives of the children meant they lacked agency to opt out of it. Further, the finding that the scheme transcended boundaries in the children’s lives, for instance, being associated with social currency at school, highlights the potential negative impact such schemes can have on the well-being of children.
Originality/value
Until now, research has investigated the motivations that children have to collect, but previous studies have focussed on collections which have been determined by the children. This paper presents the opinions and perceptions of the children who are directly targeted by commercial organisations to collect and raises concerns around the ethicality of such schemes.
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Virginia Quick, Kirsten W. Corda, Barbara Chamberlin, Donald W. Schaffner and Carol Byrd‐Bredbenner
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of Ninja Kitchen, a food safety educational video game, on middle school students' food safety knowledge, psychographic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of Ninja Kitchen, a food safety educational video game, on middle school students' food safety knowledge, psychographic characteristics, and usual and intended behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The experimental group (n=903) completed the following activities about one week apart from each other: pretest, played the game, posttest, and follow‐up test. The control group (n=365) completed the same activities at similar intervals but did not have access to the game until after the follow‐up test.
Findings
Linear mixed‐effects models, controlling for gender, grade, and geographic location revealed significant time by group effects for knowledge of safe cooking temperatures for animal proteins and danger zone hazard prevention, and usual produce washing behaviors. Pairwise comparisons, adjusted for multiple comparisons, indicated that after playing the game, the experimental group felt more susceptible to foodborne illness, had stronger attitudes toward the importance of handling food safely and handwashing, had greater confidence in their ability to practice safe food handling, and had greater intentions to practice handwashing and safe food handling. Teachers and students found the game highly acceptable.
Originality/value
The game has the potential to promote positive food safety behaviors among youth, in a fun and educational format.
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Given the amount of research examining the association between trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with aggression and violence, few studies have focussed on a UK…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the amount of research examining the association between trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with aggression and violence, few studies have focussed on a UK prison population. Additionally, few have examined the relationship between PTSD symptoms, aggression and violence perpetrated in custody. The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between PTSD and violence against the person in prison, and the association between PTSD and having a conviction for violence against the person.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of 110 participants from a male prison in England (young offenders and adult prisoners). They were assessed for PTSD symptoms using the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS; Briere, 2001), their criminal history and custodial behaviour was analysed.
Findings
The findings revealed that symptoms of PTSD were significantly associated with violence in prison, however, symptoms of PTSD were not found to be significantly associated with having a violent conviction. Further analysis using logistic regression found having a violent conviction, age and PTSD symptoms were significant predictors of violence in prison.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are the reliance on a self-report measure to assess symptoms of PTSD, the small sample size and the absence of a control group.
Practical implications
The results highlighted the need for staff training and the availability of a service to assess and treat PTSD. This would increase the well-being of offenders and support the current HM Prison Service violence reduction strategies.
Originality/value
This study provides new research into the UK prison population.
Kirsten Ellison, Emily Truman and Charlene Elliott
Despite the pervasiveness of teen-targeted food advertising on social media, little is known about the persuasive elements (or power) found within those ads. This research study…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the pervasiveness of teen-targeted food advertising on social media, little is known about the persuasive elements (or power) found within those ads. This research study aims to engage with the concept of “visual style” to explore the range of visual techniques used in Instagram food marketing to teenagers.
Design/methodology/approach
A participatory study was conducted with 57 teenagers, who used a specially designed mobile app to capture images of the teen-targeted food marketing they encountered for seven days. A visual thematic analysis was used to assess and classify the advertisements that participants captured from Instagram and specifically tagged with “visual style”.
Findings
A total of 142 food advertisements from Instagram were tagged with visual style, and classified into five main styles: Bold Focus, Bespoke, Absurd, Everyday and Sensory.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to an improved understanding about how the visual is used as a marketing technique to capture teenagers’ attention, contributing to the persuasive power of marketing messages.
Originality/value
Food marketing is a significant part of the young consumer’s marketplace, and this study provides new insight into the sophisticated nature of such marketing – revealing the visual styles used to capture the attention of its brand-aware audience.
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Barbara Egilstrød and Kirsten Schultz Petersen
The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of female spouses’ lived experiences of changes in everyday life while living with a husband with dementia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of female spouses’ lived experiences of changes in everyday life while living with a husband with dementia.
Design/methodology/approach
Nine individual interviews of female spouses were conducted in 2017. A phenomenological narrative approach was applied during data collection, and the analysis was inspired by Amedeo Giorgi’s analytic steps.
Findings
Female spouses experienced changes in their marital relationships, and found ways of managing these changes, although they realized life was marked by loneliness and distress. The identified themes reveal how female spouses experienced changes in everyday life as the disease progressed. Everyday routines gradually changed and they actively sought ways to uphold everyday life and a marital relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Research should focus on developing supportive interventions, where the people with the lived experiences in relation to dementia are involved in the research process, to better target the needs for support, when developing interventions.
Practical implications
Insight into everyday life can help health-care service providers to better the support to female spouses and contribute with more individualized support, which may contribute to the quality of care.
Originality/value
In this study, the authors disclose the invisible and silent work that takes place in an everyday life, when living with a husband with dementia during the time span of caregiving. Spouses’ experiences are important to include, when developing intervention to support spouses to better tailor the interventions.
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