Determinants of restaurant's owners/managers selection of wines to be offered on the wine list

The aim of the paper is to better understand wine list design in restaurants in four countries with very different wine cultures. An interview protocol was developed and administered to 286 restaurants across the four countries (France, Australia, USA and China). The interview questionnaire included a Best/Worst methodology to identify the most/least important factors influencing the restaurant's owner/manager's selection of wine for the wine list. One of the most important reasons for selecting wine across most countries is ‘to match wine with the food menu’. There were few major differences between countries, but a latent class analysis found four clusters that differed significantly with membership also differing between countries. The cluster analysis also indicated that while some restaurateurs are more brand-driven, others value local wine or its matching with the food menu.     

From voice to choice: lessons from a regional capacity development initiative to strengthen social and gender analysis in participatory natural resource management research

Doing practical biodiversity and natural resources management research that is socially and gender sensitive remains a challenge. Most of the relevant literature is primarily at the conceptual level. There are few learning programmes that focus on systematic capacity development for gender and social analysis in applied research in this field. Efforts that systematically document and analyse this kind of capacity development process are also hard to find. This paper summarizes the main research and capacity development achievements and challenges of a novel, Asian-regional initiative that aimed to address these gaps. It is suggested that the success of capacity-building strategies for the integration of social and gender analysis can be enhanced by combining a mix of elements, including a ‘learning by doing’ approach, participatory (action) research methodologies, a diverse group of participants, regular peer review, flexible networking and strong personal and organizational commitment. These kinds of strategies will require a long(er) time horizon and sufficient resources.     

Management decision-making relating to occupational risks: the role of 'grey data'

This paper reports upon the findings of pilot work research being carried out with the collaboration of a large employer in the UK construction sector. The term 'grey data' is introduced and defined and a pilot grey data review relating to occupational injury risks is described. The results are used as the basis for a preliminary investigation into the utility of grey data in management decision-making relating to occupational risks. Nine factors are identified as important to the managers, these factors falling into two groups, viz. role considerations and subject considerations. It is recommended that future research might investigate the relative importance of these two groups of factors to managers, specifically in relation to occupational risk decision-making.     

法规遵循

CIMA资助的一项研究显示，英国企业遵守法规所承受的日益繁重的负担正在影响它们在全球经济中的竞争力[编者按]     

Ambidexterity and Knowledge Strategy in Major Projects: A Framework and Illustrative Case Study

We develop a framework to analyze the multi‐level knowledge requirements of complex, major projects in terms of ambidexterity—the ability to exploit (refine existing knowledge) and explore (develop new knowledge). This is an important theme within the wider literature, yet practical operationalization methods for managers and researchers are not evident. We demonstrate the ambidexterity view through an illustrative case study of telecommunications delivery for the London 2012 Olympic Games and show how these concepts can be used to create an effective knowledge strategy. We offer a structure for the analysis of knowledge utilization in projects.     

Little leisure in the Big Society

The Big Society is a government and governance project that brings into question the existing relationship between the state and the citizen in the UK. One aspect of that changing relationship is the way in which government is willing and able to govern the population’s discretionary or leisure time. The success of the Big Society is dependent on a reorientation of leisure time use towards civic or voluntary action. In this policy analysis, the Big Society concept is deconstructed to examine the importance of leisure as a key determinant in meeting policy objectives. Time-use evidence is reviewed to explore the difficult question of how much scope there is for a reorientation of time-use that will go some way to realising the ambitions of the Big Society. The invisibility of leisure as an operationalised policy concept is revealed as a factor that ultimately limits the success of the project. An argument for including leisure in the Big Society policy discourse and decision-making is presented.     

Money: communicative functions of payment and price

ABSTRACT

Money is rich in semiotic potential and its capacity to express social identity and collectivity is well established. This essay explores a range of communicative functions of money, focusing in particular on the ways in which payments and prices may serve as cultural signals. It asks how the communicative significance of money might change as a result of the introduction of new types of currency, payment systems and pricing techniques, and suggests that such developments are likely to involve revisiting two key tensions: between state or corporate power on the one hand, and individual autonomy and privacy on the other; and between money’s power to generate collectivity and its power to divide and exclude.     

The reluctant Hong Kong consumer: purchasing travel online

Hong Kong consumers have embraced the web but appear reluctant to buy airline tickets online, suggesting that perceptions of risk outweigh perceived convenience. In this study we identify that both risk and convenience factors are associated strongly with willingness to purchase, particularly privacy, security and poor customer service, time savings, site usability and information provision. We identify further that the experienced shopper is only moderately satisfied and that satisfaction appears to be associated strongly with willingness to make further purchases. Overall, findings suggest that although consumers recognize a number of benefits, there is deep‐rooted resistance to buying this particular product online. The explanation may lie in a combination of the physical density of the Hong Kong market, love of the whole shopping experience and a desire to minimize risk. We conclude that to tempt consumers online airlines and agents must target the Hong Kong market with a clear value proposition which includes user‐friendly sites, streamlined payment procedures, on‐ and offline customer support, price‐related promotions and tailored offline services which reinforce online offerings.