1991 Silver Plate winners. This year's nine IFMA award winners talk pride, politics and the future of the foodservice profession

What challenges lie ahead for the food-service industry? All nine candidates for the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association's 1991 Gold Plate share their views on building staff unity, improving government relations and other critical issues.     

Walk-in refrigerators are key to proper cold storage

Often overlooked as an important kitchen design element, properly sized refrigeration and freezing equipment is an important contributor to a kitchen's functionality. In many operations, particularly large-volume units, walk-in refrigerators are the anchors of a good cold-storage system. A walk through three different foodservice operations--a college, a hotel and a hospital--finds walk-ins at work.     

Yes, companies can cut health costs

Most corporate medical bills are still rising at a feverish pace. But a growing number of employers are fighting back with a potent remedy: managed-care networks.     

The main findings of the district pilot project of labour‐intensive road construction and maintenance in Botswana and the implications for similar projects in South Africa

Unemployment has been identified as one of the main problems confronting South Africa. Recently, in order to improve rural infrastructure and create employment, several pilot projects of rural road construction have been initiated in South Africa. In such a context it is considered that attention should be drawn to a pilot project carried out some time ago in Botswana to examine the potential of labour‐intensive methods in the construction and maintenance of rural roads.

The main conclusion of the pilot project was that labour‐intensive methods were viable, although attention had to be paid to several critical factors. In 1982, following its evaluation of the pilot project, the Government of Botswana decided that over the next five years the technical and organisational methods developed during the pilot project should be replicated throughout Botswana.

After a brief survey of the background to the project, the paper summarises several important features of the pilot project and its main findings. The paper closes with some comments on the implications of this pilot project for those currently underway in South Africa.     

Identifying the employee of the future

Hewlett-Packard evaluated its future marketing needs and compared it to the capabilities of current employees. This case study is an example of how other companies can ensure they have the best people to meet their strategic goals.     

Handling health-care costs in the '90s

Managed-care programs with utilization reviews may be the best approach to cost cutting. But to really curb costs, providers, insurers, employers and employees must form partnerships to overcome the outrageous inflation in the U.S. health-care system.     

Team up to meet child-care needs

Recognizing the importance of child care is not the same as providing it. The options for many employees are limited, but some employers are trying to assist employees with their child-care needs. One option that benefits many small to medium-sized companies is a child-care consortium.