Food industry awareness of consumers` plant food beliefs

Abstract: Purpose – The aims of this study were to examine farmers' and food processors' alignment with consumers' views about plant foods and their intentions to produce plant foods. Design/methodology/approach – Data on plant food beliefs were collected from mail surveys of farmers, food processing businesses and random population samples of adults in Victoria, Australia. Findings – There were strong differences between consumers' beliefs and farmers' and food processors' perceptions of consumers' beliefs. For example, a higher proportion of farmers and processors believed that consumers would eat more plant foods if more convenience-oriented plant-based meals were available than consumers themselves agreed. Farmers appeared to be more aware of or aligned with consumers' beliefs than were processors. One- and two-thirds of farmers and processors respectively were planning to grow or process more plant foods, which bodes well for the availability of plant and plant-based foods. Research limitations/implications – Study limitations include the small food industry sample sizes and possible response bias, although analysis suggests the latter was low. Future research could survey a larger sample of food industry representatives, including those from other sectors (e.g. retailers). Practical implications – Education of consumers and industry groups on plant foods and better lines of communication from consumer to processor to farmer, are required. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine farmers' and food processors' awareness of consumers' beliefs about plant foods. This issue is important for those involved with the production and marketing of plant foods or with food, farming and health policy.

Prediction intention to quit in the call centre industry: does the retail model fit?

Purpose – Models of workplace turnover are rarely assessed in contexts other than that in which they were developed. This reduces their generalizability and their usefulness in providing managers with guidance as to what they might do to reduce workers intentions to quit. The purpose of this study is to test a model derived from a study of shop floor retail salespeople in the call centre environment.

Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire measuring the variables in the model was completed by 126 call centre representatives recruited from 11 call centres in Melbourne, Australia.

Findings – Although the model was supported, the interactions among the variables differed. In particular, stressors played a bigger, albeit indirect, role in the intention to quit.

Practical implications – Call centre managers need to consider carefully the aspects of the work environment that may be stressful. If appropriately addressed, turnover may be reduced, and productivity increased.

Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that the model of turnover derived from shop floor salespeople is generally robust in the call centre setting. It provides management of call centres with some guidance as to the factors associated with turnover and areas that can be addressed to reduce it.

Modeling dialogue with mixed initiative in design space exploration

Exploration with a generative formalism must necessarily account for the nature of interaction between humans and the design space explorer. Established accounts of design interaction are made complicated by two propositions in Woodbury and Burrow's Keynote on design space exploration. First, the emphasis on the primacy of the design space as an ordered collection of partial designs (version, alternatives, extensions). Few studies exist in the design interaction literature on working with multiple threads simultaneously. Second, the need to situate, aid, and amplify human design intentions using computational tools. Although specific research and practice tools on amplification (sketching, generation, variation) have had success, there is a lack of generic, flexible, interoperable, and extensible representation to support amplification. This paper addresses the above, working with design threads and computer-assisted design amplification through a theoretical model of dialogue based on Grice's model of rational conversation. Using the concept of mixed initiative, the paper presents a visual notation for representing dialogue between designer and design space formalism through abstract examples of exploration tasks and dialogue integration.

Financial planning education: turning intention into action

Most superannuation funds in Australia conduct seminars in financial literacy in the belief that they make a difference to their members when considering their retirement strategies. The investment intentions of seminar attendees was captured at the end of the seminar, and this was followed up three months later to see whether the intentions expressed at the end of the seminar had been implemented. The results were mixed, with expressed intentions not necessarily translating into action. The implications of this research is that while such seminars are valuable, they should be specifically targeted

The dynamics of adult education : effectiveness of financial education seminars

This study examines the impact of adult education seminars in superannuation investments for retirement has on the investment intentions and decision making of those adults attending the seminars.  The socio-political context of the data is that of an aging population and a future government being unable to afford the current level of age pensions being paid, and attempting to encourage individuals to plan and provide for their own financial well-being in retirement.  Three themes emerged from the data and were seen to be representative of the major issues found in adult education for financial self-sufficiency: education for knowledge, education for decision making, and education for action.  In an attempt to measure the immediate impact of the seminar on the attendees decision making, the investment intentions of seminar attendees were captured at the start and end of the seminar. This was followed up three months later to see whether the intentions expressed at the end of the seminar had been implemented.  The immediate impact of the seminar was to encourage the respondents to express an intention to increase their investment strategy, however when the follow-up was done three months later, the results were mixed. Some respondents who did not express an intention to change their investment strategy actually made changes, and other respondents who did express an intention to make a change, did not do so.

Mega-events and the "Showcase" effect: investigating the moderating influence of exposure to the 2004 Olympic games telecast and interest in the Olympic movement- an Australian perspective

Survey-based research explored the moderating effects of "exposure" to the Australian free-to-air telecast of Athens 2004 and "interest" in Olympic Games in developing behavioral intentions to visit Greece in the future. Differences were found between groups with low and high levels of exposure to the telecast, and also between groups with high levels of interest in the Olympic Games, but these were only marginal. When the combinatorial influences of these two variables were considered simultaneously, their effects were generally synergistic. The article calls for further research on this area of mega-events, as the results, while of significance, provide food to continue the broader debate on the role of mega-events in developing tourism to their host destinations after their staging.

Rethinking empowerment: a postmodern reappraisal for emancipatory practice

This article is concerned with the implications of the postmodern challenge to critical theory for the practice of empowerment. How do we conceptualize empowerment from a postmodern perspective? It is argued that the modernist concept of power upon which empowerment rests, can have unintended disempowering effects. By conceptualizing power as a commodity, identities are forced into a powerful–powerless dualism which does not always do justice to diverse experiences. Thus we can sometimes contribute to dominance in spite of our liberatory intentions. It is argued that social workers need to become more aware of the self-disciplining and self-regulatory processes involved in professional work to address the social relations of power embedded in professional practices. Foucault's analysis of how marginalized knowledges are affected by dominant cultural practices suggests a redefining of empowerment as the insurrection of subjugated knowledge. The implications of this redefinition for practice is illustrated by reference to work with indigenous people in Australia.

The several social constructions of James, Jenks, and Prout: A contribution to the sociological theorization of childhood

The article is intended to contribute to the ongoing debate over theorizations of childhood, especially in the terms articulated by Allison James, Chris Jenkins and Alan Prout. The article focuses on the notion of social construction as a theory of childhood. There are four valid approaches to theorizing childhood. The tribal approach treats childhood as a kind of exotic tribe with its own beliefs, practices and institutions. The social structural approach treats childhood as a structurally necessary stratum in any society. The minority group approach treats childhood as an oppressed minority group, able to some extent to represent themselves and exert quasi-political action. The socially constructed approach constitutes the sociological view of childhood. The key role played by the idea of social construction is made extremely clear in the earlier work, Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood by James and Prout. Social constructionism is said to be an interpretive approach, related historically to research on children's understanding of adult experimenters' intentions. The senses of social construction that emerge from critical psychology overlap a great deal with those articulated in the new sociology of childhood.

Using the juster scale to predict adoption of an innovative product

The Juster scale - a simple, self-reported measure of purchase probability, has been shown to be effective in predicting consumers' future purchasing behaviours. Purchase probability scales have often been shown to be better predictors of future behaviour than purchase intentions measures, the more widely used method. The vast majority of studies though have used the scale to predict the purchase of products or services the consumer is already familiar with. This research looks at how accurately the Juster scale can predict early adoption of an innovative new product prior to its’ launch. In a longitudinal study of market behaviour, these predictions are compared to actual adoption rates. The results show that there is only a moderate level of correlation between purchase probability scores and actual adoption behaviour, in both the short and long term, but they are better than intention measures. The main difficulty in predicting adoption behaviour seems to stem from consumers inability to foresee intervening situational factors, rather than inaccuracies in the probability scale itself.

The graphic calculator as a thinking tool: perspectives from the classroom

For over a decade the graphic calculator has been promoted not only as a computational tool but also as a thinking tool — for example, as an aid to enhance conceptual understanding, as a problem-solving tool and as a means of enabling students to engage in meaningful investigations. However, research studies focusing on these aspects have shown mixed results and have mostly focused on graphs and functions. This paper reports on one aspect of a case study in a year 10 mathematics classroom — the role of the graphic calculator as a thinking tool. Data from observations of nine statistics lessons and interviews with the teacher and five students are analysed from three perspectives: the teacher’s intentions with respect to the use of the graphic calculator as a tool to promote conceptual understanding as opposed to procedural competence; the opportunities afforded during the lessons for student investigation; and students’ views of how the graphic calculator enhanced conceptual understanding. The results provide insights into ways in which students perceive the graphic calculator as promoting conceptual understanding, as well as some of the difficulties encountered in practice in a classroom.

An empirical investigation of high relational orientation sport club members

Relationships between businesses, businesses and end customers, as well as between customers are an important area of practical and scientific interest. In the present era, largely due to digital technologies such as the database, public and private networks, and data collection and information distribution via TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) interface tools such as the World Wide Web (Web), the interest in relationships and related aspects such as trust as it relates to Web interactivity continues. An important antecedent empirical study established that arts patrons (customers) of a New York theatre company could be segmented according to their relational orientation, and that this orientation mediated between component attitudes and future purchase intentions. The study reported in this paper employs Web-based data collection and postal data collection methods in an investigation of the mediation effects of these data collection methods used with the same population of a premier football club in Australia. While a future aim is to more closely compare the outcomes established in the arts study with those from a similarly constructed study in the sporting arena, the focus of this initial paper is the differences in response exhibited by online respondents relative to postal survey respondents. The paper reports findings which do not support those of the antecedent arts and entertainment study concerning the weakness of overall satisfaction on the purchase intentions of high relational orientation customers. The paper also reports findings which give confidence to users of online surveys that despite differences in demographic profiles of these respondents and postal survey respondents, there is a degree of similarity in the responses of the two groups on the measures used in this study. The paper also suggests the need for further research into these data collection effects as they relate to relationship marketing.

From the comforts of print to the possibilities of digital media: leading the way in teaching political leadership in a faculty of arts

Since it inception, Deakin University has been committed to the delivery of innovative, high quality course materials to its off campus students. Until recently these packages were predominantly print based, although augmented with audio-visual materials delivered in cassette format. Ironically, with the advent of information and communications technologies (ICT), and some select computer assisted learning and multimedia packages, there was an overall decline in the use of audio and video as important means of enhancing learning. Like many other universities, Deakin has moved to a strong, centralised approach to the provision of its digital and online corporate technology environment. With investment in these technologies has come a renewed interest in the ways in which text and audio-visual materials in digital form can enhance students' learning experiences. Moreover, the ways in which a variety of digital media supported by online developments can create new models and approaches to teaching/learning has figured prominently. This paper presents a case study of how this challenge has been taken up in a unit, Political Leadership, in the Faculty of Arts. The academic teacher's intentions in moving to a completely digital approach are examined along with students' experiences of learning in the subject. Issues are considered from the experience.

The effect of attitudes and experience on respondent answers to demographic questions in on-line surveys

Survey response rates and response quality are declining in most markets, threatening the viability of many established research techniques. One attempt to combat this has been to make survey completion more convenient for respondents, with on-line surveys being an example of this. This paper looks at respondent attitudes to demographic questions in on-line surveys – questions that are crucial for many analysis practices and yet often have the highest non-completion rates. The exploratory survey conducted here (n=198) examined attitudes towards surveys and empirically examined the reasons behind non-completion and intentions to give misleading information. The results suggest that general attitudes towards providing demographic data in on-line surveys are related to the likely response behaviour, and the more uncomfortable someone claims to be with providing this data, the more likely they will be to either omit a response or exit the survey altogether. Past experience with on-line surveys increases the chances of respondents answering completely and accurately and in most cases, significantly reduces the likelihood of exiting the survey completely if asked these questions. Finally, there is some evidence that providing broad categorical response options is preferred to more specific categories or open text boxes, and this may represent the best technique for improving response rates and quality.

A defection analysis of lapsed members of five sporting clubs : examining motivations and behaviours

The issue of defection has been examined primarily in a transactional context as opposed to subscription markets where the infrequent nature of the purchase or renewal means that retention of subscribers is often both more difficult and more crucial. This paper reports on a survey that aimed to uncover more information about the motivations and future intentions of recently lapsed subscribers. 1,011 lapsed members across four Australian Football League (AFL) clubs and one Australian National Rugby League (NRL) club were surveyed. Analysis of the responses returned suggests that although these lapsed members report that they joined to financially support and feel more involved with the club, they let their membership lapse primarily due to an inability to attend games. Despite joining for intangible, altruistic reasons, it seems that if these members could not get to games, they believed that the membership was not worth maintaining. These members were satisfied with the membership; however measures of overall level of satisfaction had only a weak positive relationship with the likelihood of members rejoining in the future. The inconsistencies in the findings challenge some conventional approaches to both the methods of researching lapsed members and the theories that are frequently used to explain behaviours. We find that simplistic entry or exit surveys are likely to be of limited value in subscription defection research and that satisfaction is unlikely to be a strong predictor of defection behaviour.

Anzac day in the new millennium: insights from New Zealand millennials

Since 1916, New Zealanders have honoured soldiers of war on the 25th of April at commemorative events. The day is now known as Anzac Day, and the acronym ‘Anzac’ stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, which was established in World War I. Anzac Day commemorative events are emerging a popular cultural activity in which New Zealanders, many of whom are young, are now participating. From an event management perspective, however, the increasing popularity of attendance at the commemorative events is problematic, with potential to negatively impact the experience of attendance and the sites at which they are held. There is a need to gain a greater understanding of the experience of attendance at the events so that strategies can be developed to maintain and enhance their authenticity and integrity, while optimising their sustainability in the New Millennium.

The aim of this study was to provide information about the experience of attendance from the attendee’s perspective for later use by managers of the events. The study employed the theory of emotions to examine the consumption experience, and used a qualitative approach for this purpose. Two focus groups were undertaken in New Zealand comprised members of the generational segment, the Millennials. The data were analysed considering the literature on emotions, special event tourism, as well as the literature on dark tourism. In some ways, the special event tourism and dark tourism literatures seem to be paradoxical, however, in this study they seemed to compliment each other. A complex set of motivations, emotions and resulting attitudes, behavioural intentions, and behaviours were revealed. With this information, event managers are better able to understand the experience of attendance and consider these issues when developing strategies to manage the events. The results presented here are part of a larger study, as further data is currently being collected on the topic in Australia. Hence, there are opportunities for cross-cultural analysis about this important aspect of New Zealand, and Australian, culture.