Australian consumer attitudes to health claim – food product compatibility for functional foods

This study with Australian consumers investigated how appealing different health claims combined with particular food carriers were to Australian consumers, and compared the results of a similar study with Dutch consumers. 149 shoppers considered up to 30 different food concepts, rating how ‘attractive’, ‘believable’, and ‘new and different’ they found each concept and their ‘intention to try’. Each variable was significantly related to intention to try (p < 0.001) and together explained 56% of the intention score. Claims and carriers independently had a significant effect on ratings of attractiveness and intention to try but, unlike the Dutch study, the carrier was a more important predictor of intention to purchase than the claim. Implications for regulation of health claims for food are discussed.     

Environmental and health benefits of hunting lifestyles and diets for the Innu of Labrador

The Innu of northern Labrador, Canada have undergone profound transitions in recent decades with important implications for conservation, food and health policy. The change from permanent nomadic hunting, gathering and trapping in ‘the country’ (nutshimit) to sedentary village life (known as ‘sedentarisation’) has been associated with a marked decline in physical and mental health. The overarching response of the national government has been to emphasize village-based and institutional solutions. We show that changing the balance back to country-based activities would address both the primary causes of the crisis and improve the health and well-being of the Innu. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with Innu older people (Tshenut), empirical data on nutrition and activity, and comparative data from the experiences of other indigenous peoples, we identify pertinent biological and environmental transitions of significance to the current plight of the Innu. We show that nutrition and physical activity transitions have had major negative impacts on individual and community health. However, hunting and its associated social and cultural forms is still a viable option as part of a mixed livelihood and economy in the environmentally significant boreal forests and tundra of northern Labrador. Cultural continuity through Innu hunting activities is a means to decelerate, and possibly reverse, their decline. We suggest four new policy areas to help restore country-based activities: (i) a food policy for country food; (ii) an outpost programme; (iii) ecotourism; and (iv) an amended school calendar. Finally, we indicate the implications of our analysis for people in other countries.     

Designing an electronic auction market for complex ‘smart parts’ logistics: Options based on LeBaron's computational stock market

Modern technologies, such as RFID, offer never-before seen learning abilities to parts moving in supply chains. Logistics systems may be understood as complex adaptive logistics systems (CALS). They also may be conceived as electronic auction markets as ‘smart parts’ bid for the best routing and pricing from transportation firms. To ensure the world-wide functionality and efficiency of CALS transportation markets, we suggest the utility of an agent-based computational market design based on Blake LeBaron's stock-market model. Given that parts may be more or less smart, markets more or less complex, and self-organizing CALS systems probabilistically subject to the bullwhip effect, we suggest nine different computational CALS market-design options, offering more adaptivity to unexpected environmental contingencies.     

Autocorrelation in queuing network-type production systems—Revisited

In managing production systems, a strong emphasis is placed on the reduction of variance in specific transformation processes (e.g. for quality control purposes) and on controlling the level of variability in general, as for instance with the Bullwhip effect. However, the possible disturbing interference from autocorrelation (variability dependence over time) in otherwise level stable event streams has received little attention. From the literature, it is known that autocorrelation in queuing systems can lead to a large deterioration in performance compared to an event independent scenario. Thus, either production managers are missing important aspects in production planning, or the ‘realistic’ autocorrelation patterns inherent in actual production setups are not like those considered in the literature. In this paper, relevant and ‘realistic’ types of autocorrelation schemes are characterized and their levels discussed. The paper puts previous works on the impact of autocorrelation in queuing networks in perspective for production systems.     

Is rationing socialist?: Cuba's food distribution system

Cuba, an economically underdeveloped country, has achieved a goal that even most developed countries find elusive: it has eliminated hunger. A 1982 report prepared for the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress acknowledged that Cuba has ‘eliminated almost all malnutrition, particularly among small children.’¹ This article looks at how Cuba has managed to feed its people. It also questions whether the system created 25 years ago to ensure just distribution, ie rationing, today stands as an obstacle to the further development of Cuba's food system.     

An Exploration of the Role Values Plays in Design Decision-Making

The paper explores the role of values in design decision-making through the eyes of key authors and a pilot study. ‘Knowing that’ and ‘knowing how’ in designing are reviewed and the problematic distinctions between ‘know how’; and skill noted. The effect of values on design decision-making is discussed and examples from the pilot study are presented together with a new categorisation strategy for values in design decision-making.     

Quality infomediation in search markets

We examine the effects of informational intermediation by a third party ‘infomediary’ in a search model with heterogeneous seller qualities and asymmetric information. The infomediary earns revenue by selling a list of accredited sellers (a ‘guidebook’) to buyers and selling accreditations to sellers. We show that such information always improves welfare but can hurt informed buyers (as well as the uninformed) if it is not sufficiently informative about seller qualities. The model also provides a number of insights concerning the private and social incentives to create information, and the determinants and nature of demand for infomediation services by buyers and sellers.     

UK Carter committee report— far-reaching implications

As the second largest employer in the UK — second only to the government itself — and as an organization whose services are used by virtually every inhabitant of the UK, the Post Office (PO) periodically finds itself the subject of an anlytical review. The latest such review of the PO's activities, organizational structure and relationship to the public it serves is by most tokens the most far-reaching. This article analyses the findings relating to telecommunications of the Report of the Post Office Review Committee (‘Carter Committee’).     

A mischievous attitude to African agriculture

The term ‘commercial agriculture’ has come to have two definitions: one for industrialized countries, and another for developing countries. Many academics and journalists imply that, for example, African agriculture is only ‘commercial agriculture’ when Africans are producing export crops such as coffee, cotton or tea for industrialized countries. Jossy Bibangambah disputes the logic and uses the case of Uganda to explain how food crops and cash crops compete when it comes to allocating resources.     

Are high-protein foods economically efficient?: The case of soy-fortified wheatflour in Ecuador

The author presents a technique for analyzing the economic efficiency of high-protein products, and other new foods. By using linear programming to construct a ‘least-cost’ diet for those in Quito, Ecuador, he determines the circumstances under which soyfortified wheatflour would or would not be adopted. It is found that this particular high-protein product is not an economically sound replacement for ordinary wheatflour, and therefore not appropriate as a nutrition intervention.     

Fish protein concentrate: Lessons for future food supplementation

Fish protein concentrate (FPC) was widely publicized during the late 1960s as the most promising of a number of ‘technological fixes’, to eliminate worldwide malnutrition. On the basis of their deep involvement in a study on the fate of FPC projects in over 40 countries, the authors speculate in this paper what lessons should be learned from the FPC experience for future food supplementation endeavours.     

Magic bullets and the nutrition agenda

This article is a rejoinder to Berg and Austin's paper. The authors have no quarrel with Berg and Austin's conclusion that ‘progress’ has been unspectacular and patchy, or that there is much worthwhile work to be done. However, the authors argue that what Berg and Austin have described is not a ‘new paradigm’, but more of the same — more magic bullets.     

Entry may increase network providers’ profit

In this paper the incentives for platform sponsors to open up their networks for independent rivals is analyzed. It is shown that open access may increase the platform sponsors’ profit levels and enhance quality improving investments. In addition, it is shown that a commitment to allow entry reduces the difference between ex ante and ex post compatibility incentives.     

‘Double marginalization’ problems: evidence from the Korean fixed-to-mobile service market

In this paper, examination of the possibility of a ‘double marginalization’ problem existing in the Korean telecommunication industry is conducted and suggestions are made for the provision of a new scheme to eliminate this possibility by changing the pricing system for fixed-to-mobile calls. Based on five key economic characteristics in the Korean mobile market, a simple model for double marginalization in the telecommunication market is introduced. Evidence was found to suggest that a double marginalization problem is likely to exist within Korea's telecommunication industry as it is presently structured, and that this problem is further likely to have an adverse effect on the industry by inflating the price of fixed-to-mobile calls. Two alternatives are proposed to effectively remedy this double marginalization issue. It is also shown that prices of fixed-to-mobile calls could be lowered by changing the caller pays principle into a receiver pays principle.     

Information technology today and tomorrow

This article discusses the innovations that have occurred in information technologies, which have led to the development of ‘intelligent’ electronics- based systems such as robots and computer-controlled tools. The author analyses the debate that has arisen surrounding the production and use of these systems, relating them to employment levels. He considers the future of industry and the economy, which will both see great changes in their structure as intelligent machines become ubiquitous.     

Price fixing under the CAP — proposition and decision : The example of the 1978/79 price review

The authors analyze the 1978/1979 annual farm price negotiations of the European Economic Community (EC) in order to show the complexity of issues involved in the setting of prices, and the relationship of the negotiations (and their results) to the stated goals and objectives of the EC's Common Agricultural Policy. They discuss the feasibility of a ‘common policy’, when individual countries are allowed a high degree of flexibility in setting internal prices, and the practicality of annual marathon sessions for setting up workable policies.     

Capturing the Minds of a Lost and Lonely Generation

UNICEF states that in 88 countries studied ‘more than 13 million children currently under the age of 15 have lost both parents to Aids, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa’ (UNICEF 2002). The impact of this Aids pandemic cannot be overstated. Indeed the long-term impact of such statistics is scarcely imaginable and has not been experienced in the world to date. Sustainable, indigenous technology may be a way of providing a meaningful educational experience for such marginalised young people. However the concept of sustainable, indigenous technology is not always clearly defined. This paper seeks to discuss this concept in relation to education and in particular considers the impact of the HIV/AIDs pandemic in Tanzania. The paper will outline:

Quantifying the benefits of breaking bulk in retail operations

We explore the benefits of ‘breaking bulk’ in retail operations. Here, breaking bulk refers to delivering single units from distribution centers to retail outlets rather than the multiple units bundled together by manufacturers termed ‘case-packs’. The focus is largely on the benefits to space management at the retail level, rather than the more obvious reduction in inventory costs. Using data from the grocery industry, results indicate that retail unit profitability can be increased substantially by breaking bulk—but only if current inventory replenishment practices are changed. In essence, breaking bulk allows for either higher product variety within a store or identical variety in smaller stores. This work seeks to quantify the order of magnitude of that benefit.     

The European Community's food aid programme : An integration of ideology, strategy, technology and surpluses

The European Community's food aid programme has come to be an unanticipated spillover from its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Policy-making within the institutions of the EEC consistently takes place in an environment of ideological differences, characterized by the ‘Europeans’ and the ‘nationalists’; the CAP is a front-line example. Its price-support features have enabled the Community's agriculture to be gradually and safely modernized. In turn, food surpluses, especially of dairy products, have become evident and costly. This mixture of ideology (including a strong dose of humanitarianism), strategy, technology and surpluses have played a major role in the development and construction of an EEC food aid policy, which has grown incrementally into a programme of significant proportions.     

Falling through the cracks: International accounting rate reform at the ITU and WTO

Heightened attention to international accounting rates at the ITU and the WTO has led some observers to conclude that carriers soon will impose cost-based termination charges. This article concludes that while accounting rates have declined on some routes, many incumbent carriers can and will delay or thwart progress. The article examines the FCC's unilateral regulatory initiative as evidence of a growing schism between governments keen on immediate progress and those that fear a ‘free fall’ in accounting rates and a quick end to settlement surpluses. The article also considers technological innovations like call-back and Internet telephony with an eye toward assesssing whether and how widespread accounting rate reductions will occur.