Materiality and family consumption: the role of the television in changing mealtime rituals

This interpretivist study contributes to our understanding of how materiality mediates everyday family life by exploring the role of material objects in changing family rituals. We show how the television acts as an agent of cultural change when intermixed with family mealtimes. Our findings present a conceptual framework to explain the ways in which family life is altering across four key areas, namely: (1) mealtime settings and practices; (2) type of food consumed; (3) family structure and membership; and (4) family values and identity. This analytical framework illustrates how technologies such as the television mediate family relationships and how technologies become progressively more embedded in everyday practices. Revealing a transfer of mealtime practices from the formal environment into the informal environment, and vice versa, our study shows how mealtime rituals are altered and changed in form when mediated by the television, but not ultimately abandoned.     

Changing the Odds: A Study of Corporate Social Principles and Practices in Addressing Problem Gambling

This paper documents a quantitative study into socially responsible principles and practices adopted in registered clubs in New South Wales Australia to manage one of their social impacts – problem gambling. The survey utilised an adapted version of Aupperle's (1982) corporate social responsibility instrument to measure the priority given to economic, legal, ethical and discretionary principles in club machine gambling operations. The survey also assessed support for certain management practices in responsible gambling. The results indicate that the participating club managers prioritise economic, legal, ethical and discretionary principles respectively, and that these are statistically related to practices they have implemented and support in responsible gambling. The managers most favoured secondary harm minimisation practices, followed by reactive primary intervention. Less favoured were proactive primary intervention and discretionary practices. These principles and practices contrast markedly with those advocated by key stakeholder groups, as expressed in semi-structured interviews and submissions to the NSW Gaming Inquiry. Non-industry stakeholders favoured a more balanced set of principles and a more holistic set of management practices in responsible gambling. The results also provide validation of Aupperle's (1982) instrument when applied to corporate management of a single social impact and for Carroll's (1979, 1991) construct of corporate social responsibility.     

Factors that influence the consumption of food outside the home in Brazil

The food sector has taken on an unprecedented dynamism in recent years. The processing and distribution of food, although heavily influenced by tradition, have seen intensive innovations, leading to changes in the way individuals consume. One of these changes is the consistent growth of the habit of eating outside the home. Consuming food outside the home involves a number of practices such as eating at commercial establishments that specialize in food (restaurants, fast food restaurants and snack bars) and those that offer food as a part of their services (hotels, in‐flight meals), and non‐commercial alternatives such as the homes of family and friends. In order to describe the eating habits of consumers in the town of Lavras in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, especially when it comes to eating outside the home, a quantitative study was conducted, with 413 questionnaires being distributed by convenience sampling. Among the main results are: (a) a search for variety as a motivator for eating outside the home; (b) convenience as an important element on many occasions of consumption; (c) more intensive consumption and more favourable attitudes towards eating out on the part of younger people, people with higher incomes, no children and a higher degree of schooling; (d) importance of paying for food by the kilo. When compared with a study conducted in England, important similarities were identified in socio‐demographic influences, although the cultural factors are notable when it comes to dishes and the types of eating establishment. The growing habit of eating out has therefore become a worldwide phenomenon, but with cultural and regional differences that have led to different rhythms in terms of change and the way food is supplied. The recovery of embedded cultural habits, with increased value being given to slow food, traditional dishes and tradition itself, appears to co‐exist with a productivity model of food courts, pasteurization and accessible prices. The occasion for consumption, which may be understood as the dichotomies of ‘weekday versus weekend’ or ‘convenience versus leisure’, is an important element that influences consumer behaviours. The undertaking of a cross‐cultural comparative study can be seen as an important step in this field of research.     

Consumers' reactions to food scares

In the past decade many food hazards appeared (i.e. bacteria of Escherichia coli, dioxins in pork). When information about food hazards is announced, many concerns about food product arise. As a result consumers stop buying the kind of food in which hazard appears, which makes losses to the food producer. In this study, the results of survey are presented. The survey was conducted among 712 respondents in the southeast Poland. Respondents were asked about the source of information they prefer to be informed about the food hazard, their reactions to food hazard and their ways to protect themselves from food hazards in case of food scares. On the basis of the results, it was found that the main sources of information they prefer are television (85.4% of indications) and the Internet (61.4% of indications). Moreover, when a food hazard appears and consumers are informed about this fact their first reaction is to check if they have bought this product, and 30% of respondents declared that they would not buy this product again. To make sure that a particular food product is safe, consumers buy products they know (70.5% respondents). The answers varied on the socio‐demographic characteristics of respondents.     

基于生物燃料发展的中国粮食安全风险与对策

基于生物燃料发展对中国粮食安全风险的影响分析,提出降低中国粮食安全风险的财政成本优化对策。研究认为:生物燃料发展引起的粮能价格传导联系,加剧了粮食价格和产量波动,可能加大粮食安全风险。然而,国内生物燃料的发展有利于粮食生产结构与效率的优化,也可能成为粮食安全的稳定因素。因此,中国可以通过适度发展生物燃料,促进粮食安全财政成本优化,提高粮食市场和生产的效率,有效降低粮食安全风险。     

人口老龄化背景下回归家庭养老的路径选择

随着我国人口老龄化进程的加快,养老模式与路径选择问题日益成为社会关注的主要问题。当前,家庭养老功能弱化,社会养老保障体系尚未完全形成,养老问题面临着新的困境。虽然养老模式开始逐渐趋于社会化和多元化,但家庭养老在我国有着很深的根基和不可替代的优势,在应对老龄化的过程中仍有着重要的支撑作用。家庭养老不仅有利于家庭关系的稳定和人力资本的投资,还能节约公共财政和社会资源。家庭养老的困难和危机不仅源于自身,还产生于社会和国家,政府应加大对家庭养老的支持力度,完善家庭养老保障的相关制度,强化家庭养老的社会关系网络,加大"孝"文化的宣传和教育。     

我国农产品超市经营发展的动因及前景分析

本文认为,20世纪90年代以来,我国农产品超市发展迅速,这种新型农产品零售业态的出现将对我国农业产业链产生深刻的影响,而收入水平的提高,物流技术的发展,消费需求与消费方式的变化,激烈的市场竞争则是我国农产品超市经营发展的主要动因。文章认为,根据我国的现状,农产品超市将是我国城市农产品零售市场的主导形式,而农贸市场依然是农村农产品零售的主要形式,连锁经营将是农产品超市经营的主要组织形式;我国农产品超市的经营发展不能一蹴而就,必须循序渐进。为了促进我国农产品超市的经营发展,必须因地制宜发展生鲜超市,加快农产品标准化工作,增加对农产品流通领域的投资。     

论将东道国公司的外籍雇员提供服务纳入GATS

东道国公司的外籍雇员提供服务是否属于GATS框架下的自然人流动尚属一个不确定的问题.将这种服务提供模式纳入GATS很有必要,这对于增进发展中国家和世界整体福利都是有益的.从长远来看,直接将其纳入GATS协定文本或附录最彻底;从目前来看,最可行的方案是将各国的外籍工人引进计划纳入各成员方的具体承诺表.     

Consumer Motivations and Buying Behavior: The Case of the Local Food System Movement

The significant attention and growth surrounding sustainable foods has created a demand for research investigating different factors that can aid in predicting and explaining consumer behavior. This article utilized an attitude-behavior framework, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), to identify factors that might influence consumer valuation of organic, fair trade, and local labeled food. Approximately 1,000 consumers from a 2008 nationwide survey were used in data analyses. Some TPB determinants proved successful in understanding consumer motivations (behavioral control, social norms). These results can be used by a wide variety of food marketers to connect with consumers to promote effective marketing strategies of sustainable food products     

食品真空冻干技术

介绍了真空冷冻干燥食品的发展现状、特点及其工艺流程,讨论了发展冻干食品工业的广阔前景。