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The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the food and beverage sector very severely. The complete breakdown of the supply chain and lack of customers was particularly challenging for start-ups in the industry. Those that survived were the ones who made a timely and smooth transition in business models to become more technology driven. However, the issues faced and the ground realities of the extent of struggle that these start-ups went through are less understood in the scholarly literature, with most accounts being anecdotal. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

The present study attempts to bridge this gap by conducting a qualitative study to collect data from 35 owners/employees of food and beverage start-ups and using the grounded theory approach to code it and identify key themes.

Content analysis of the 35 responses revealed three main themes: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations of food and beverage start-ups, challenges due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and combating the pandemic, divided into seven subthemes: differences in operations pre- and post-COVID, key changes experienced in operations post-COVID, problems arising in operations due to the pandemic, problems in the use of digital marketing due to the pandemic, problems in the use of technological platforms due to the pandemic, using innovative approaches and technological innovations and using disruptive technologies.

The study contributes novel insights by investigating the changes experienced by food and beverage start-ups due to the pandemic, the innovations introduced by them and the perception about the role of disruptive technologies in their postpandemic operations of food and beverage start-ups.

The purpose of the research is to recognize and rank the barriers preventing Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption in Bangladesh’s food and beverage industries. It aims to highlight the major difficulties the sector is currently facing and offer a hierarchical framework for evaluating these barriers.

An exhaustive literature review was conducted along with expert interviews with academics and industry professionals to identify and assess the barriers. The interpretive structural modeling and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (ISM-MICMAC) approach was used to classify the identified barriers based on driving and dependent power and understand the interrelationships among them.

A total of 20 barriers to I4.0 adoption in the food and beverage sector of Bangladesh were identified. The top tier of significant barriers includes “Financial constraints,” “Lack of management support,” “Lack of research and development team,” “Lack of adequate skills in the workforce,” “Lack of digital strategy alongside resource scarcity” and “Employee resistance to change.”.

The created hierarchical framework offers a useful tool for dealing with the noted barriers and assisting with the successful adoption of I4.0 in the food and beverage sector. Businesses can overcome financial constraints by allocating enough resources and obtaining management support. By creating a focused research and development team and giving the workforce the necessary training, the lack of knowledge and skills can be overcome. By developing a thorough digital strategy and making sure that the necessary resources are available, resource scarcity can be overcome. Furthermore, effective change management methods can support the adoption of I4.0 technologies by overcoming employee resistance to change.

By concentrating specifically on the difficulties encountered by the food and beverage industries in Bangladesh as it attempts to adopt I4.0, this study contributes to the body of existing literature. The study’s originality lies in its thorough analysis of barriers and the use of the ISM-MICMAC approach to comprehend how these barriers interact with one another.

This study aims to investigate the latest breakthroughs in social commerce by examining the characteristics of consumers' social self-identity factors in the food and beverage sector. The objective is to examine how social self-identities factors contribute to exchanging information on social commerce platforms for food and beverage products.

This study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the measurement and structural model. A total of 238 food and beverage website and apps users were questioned using a structural survey.

Contrary to expectations, one self-inner driver does not influence consumers' intentions to exchange social commerce information, while up-to-date information, validation and like-minded discussion have a strong impact on the social commerce exchange model.

The findings of this research offer new insights into the brand's abilities to induce social commerce. The findings also assist marketing managers in better managing brand content on these websites.

The pressing issues of climate change and environmental degradation call for a reevaluation of how we approach economic activities. Both leaders and corporations are now shifting their focus, toward adopting practices and embracing the concept of circular economy (CE). Within this context, the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, holds the potential for undergoing transformations. This study aims to explore the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play in facilitating the adoption of CE principles, within the F&B sector.

This research employs the Best Worst Method, a technique in multi-criteria decision-making. It focuses on identifying and ranking the challenges in implementing AI-driven CE in the F&B sector, with expert insights enhancing the ranking’s credibility and precision.

The study reveals and prioritizes barriers to AI-supported CE in the F&B sector and offers actionable insights. It also outlines strategies to overcome these barriers, providing a targeted roadmap for businesses seeking sustainable practices.

This research is socially significant as it supports the F&B industry’s shift to sustainable practices. It identifies key barriers and solutions, contributing to global climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

The research addresses a gap in literature at the intersection of AI and CE in the F&B sector. It introduces a system to rank challenges and strategies, offering distinct insights for academia and industry stakeholders.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions in the Greek hotel industry. This research aimed to (1) examine the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions of the Greek hotel industry, as these were perceived by the Greek purchasing managers themselves; (2) investigate the underlying factors when changing a supplier.

A survey was conducted using a closed-ended type questionnaire. Data collection met the following three criteria: hotels with a fully operational food and beverage division could participate in the research, the research population comprised all the hotels located in 13 regions of Greece, the sample represented over 10% of the total hotels in each region. Finally, 653 valid questionnaires were collected.

Exploratory factor analysis showed that six broad sets of factors affect supplier selection in the food and beverage divisions: those related to raw materials, financing, environment, services, origin-nutrients and people. Regarding the factors considered in changing a supplier, three factors were found: service and product quality, economic policy change, food quality and safety management systems.

Greek hotel managers could use the findings of the study to effectively create a supply chain management strategy that will lead to improved firm performance. Understanding the importance of the selection criteria for the supply chain performance and the need to build strong relationships with stakeholders, suppliers could also create a proper supply chain.

The study adds to the knowledge regarding the perspectives of the Greek purchasing managers in food and beverage divisions in hotel industry and the body of much-needed research. Using exploratory factor analysis, a sort of grouping of the variables seems beneficial for simplifying how to present and understand the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions within the Greek context.

Sustainability certifications can support green innovation in important consumer sectors such as food and beverage. This research interrogates how certified companies communicate sustainability claims online and whether these practices differ from non-certified counterparts. The purpose of the study is to understand if certification stands to alter online communication about sustainability.

A discourse analysis of the websites and social media accounts of three highly-rated Canadian B Corps and three matching non-certified companies inductively identified 5 types of sustainability claims: transparency, brand story, green materials/processes, community engagement and sourcing partnerships. A comparative analysis was used to determine if certification alters corporate sustainability communication practices of firms.

The findings indicate that sustainability certifications alter external online sustainability communication. Of the 457 sustainability claims coded in the sample, 67.6% are from certified firms. Attaining certification also alters the areas of communication focus, increasing communication about the socially oriented community engagement dimension, which is often underrepresented.

The research contributes to the understanding of sustainability communication among privately held small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are currently underrepresented in the literature. The unique sampling used in this study considers how communication is altered post-certification as a novel way to understand the impacts of sustainability certifications.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of big data (BD) analytics capabilities (BDACs) on green supply chain integration (GSCI) and green innovation (GI) in the context of a developing country, Jordan. In addition, the mediating effect of GSCI on the relationship between BDAC and GI is investigated.

Data collection was carried out through a survey with 300 respondents from food and beverages manufacturing firms located in Jordan. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied to analyze the collected data. Natural resource-based view (NRBV) theory was the adopted theoretical lens for this study.

The results revealed that BDAC positively and significantly affects both GSCI and GI. In addition, the results demonstrated that GSCI positively and significantly affects GI. Further, it is also found that GSCI positively and significantly mediates the relationship between BDAC and GI.

This study developed a theoretical and empirical model to investigate the relationship between BDAC, GSCI and GI. This study offers new theoretical and managerial contributions that add value to the supply chain (SC) management literature by testing the mediation model in food and beverages manufacturing firms located in Jordan.

The purpose of this paper is to understand a new restaurant venture's target segment and create a consumer profile for the new restaurant; to design a positioning statement for the new restaurant; to appraise the marketing strategy and suggest improvements in the marketing mix of a new restaurant venture in the new normal; to discuss the augmentation of services by a new restaurant to compete effectively in the market; and to identify and discuss the vital marketing steps for opening a restaurant in the new normal.

Kelvin, an ambitious and budding restaurateur, had high aspirations with great plans. V café was his first running venture. The income from V café was not enough to improve his social position. He wanted to open a new restaurant (Haikou) and earn more. Kelvin was well aware of COVID-19's current condition and its severe implications for the restaurant business. He did not have any experience in marketing a restaurant. So he was puzzled about understanding the target segment, positioning and marketing mix of the proposed restaurant in the new normal.

The case will cater to business management students pursuing a postgraduate management program. The case can be applied in Marketing Management, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Management and Services Marketing courses. The prerequisite for this case is a basic understanding of marketing concepts.

Supplementary materials teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing

This study examines how compliance with government and firm's own policy and reverse logistics practices relate with firm environmental performance.

This study draws on insights from stakeholder theory, and follows a two-phase research approach. The first phase utilized an extended literature review that seeks to provide a qualitative and comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The 2001–2023 data was collected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, complemented with Google Scholar. The second phase involved an empirical study—adopting a quantitative cross-sectional survey design with a self-administered questionnaire to validate the theoretical conceptualizations deriving from the literature review. The empirical data were collected from 203 food and beverages manufacturing firms in Uganda and analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach.

The study findings suggest that compliance with government policy positively influences firm environmental performance, both directly, and indirectly through fostering reverse logistics practices, and that the relationship between compliance with government policy and reverse logistics practices is contingent upon compliance with the focal firm's own policy.

The study findings will enhance the theoretical and conceptual development of the ideas that underpin stakeholder theory and applications. The Ugandan government will come up with better mechanisms for enforcing compliance with policy regulating the application of reverse logistics practices. In addition, the study advances the use of multi-method approaches in investigating interesting research aspects requiring in-depth examination. However, considering the fact that the empirical study was conducted in a single country context, and focused on firms more or less from the same sub-sector, the findings of the study might not be generalizable globally.

This study provides useful insights to logistics and supply chain managers involved in reverse logistics activities in food and beverages manufacturing firms. These managers can know how to leverage reverse logistics practices to enhance environmental performance of firms amidst environmental policies in the industry where they operate.

This study contributes to the built body of knowledge in operations, logistics and supply chain management literature; understanding about reverse logistics practices as a mechanism through which compliance with government policy influences environmental performance of firms. The interaction between compliance with government policy and compliance with firm policy is essential in explaining the performance effects of reverse logistics practices. In addition, the study advances the use of multi-method approaches in investigating interesting research aspects requiring in-depth examination. Complementing extended literature review with and empirical research to investigate reverse logistics practices influences on firm environmental performance, and incorporating the role of policy in explaining this relationship should make considerable contribution. Besides, the study highlights important areas for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of digital transformation processes for food and beverage companies by investigating how the sustainability-related communication focus (low vs. high) in food waste fighting mobile applications' advertising campaigns influence consumers' intention to use such mobile app, via their environmentalism.

An experimental study has been conducted by using a fictitious mobile app named “Boxy Food!” among a sample of 408 randomly recruited international participants.

Findings reveal that the sustainability-related communication focus in such food waste-fighting mobile apps advertising campaigns (low vs. high) positively affects consumers' intentions to use such mobile apps through the effect of environmentalism. More interestingly, this effect increases in magnitude, becoming higher among those consumers who exhibit a high level of status consumption orientation explaining their behavior as an attempt to “be green, to be recognized from the others.”

This study suggests marketers and managers operating in the food and beverage sector how to design effective strategies to incentivize sustainable behavior through the use of new technologies, by leveraging consumers' individual differences, and specifically on their desire to be recognized as sustainable consumers.

This is the first study demonstrating how the combined effects of the sustainability-related communication focus (low vs. high) may incentivize the use of mobile applications for food waste fighting, by leveraging on consumers' looking to be recognized as green.