M. Tech. Business Information Systems / The Department of Education should be contributing to the South African government's objective to provide a better life for all. However, the provision of education to all is hampered by the fact that a significant majority of the South African population is plagued by high levels of poverty resulting in learners attending school without having had a nutritious meal. Consequently, the provision of food in South African schools, as a lead project of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, referred to as the 'feeding scheme', was introduced. This project aimed to improve both health and education by fighting malnutrition and improving the ability of learners to concentrate during lessons. The South African government provides the funds for the school feeding programme for learners from primary to secondary schools and the Department of Education spends a large amount of money on this programme nationally. However, there is no precise data showing how successful the feeding programme is. In order for the Department of Education to meet its objectives, it is recommended that an efficient system be developed for keeping records of all the reports. It is thus critical to explore the potential use of technologies, such as interactive voice response systems. The interactive voice response solutions have the potential to assist the Department of Education in monitoring and evaluating the school feeding programme in timely, accurate and reliable ways. This research aims to evaluate how this interactive voice response system can be implemented to effectively enhance the monitoring of the feeding programme in South African schools.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Entrepreneurship)-Dept. of Entrepreneurial Studies, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004 xiv, 91 leaves / The study examines the perceptions of lecturers and students on integrating entrepreneurship training and education in the academic programme Food and Beverage Management in the Eastern Cape Technikon. The study aims to integrate entrepreneurship training and education in the academic programme, Food and Beverage Management and to promote the concept with the students in the early stages of their studies.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop an instrument to measure perceived food autonomy (PFA) among cognitively alert residents in state licensed Assisted Living (AL) facilities, and to investigate the influence of PFA on food satisfaction, while controlling for functional (physical, social, and psychological) status, general health, and demographic characteristics. The study was designed to achieve four objectives: 1) to define a theoretical framework for food autonomy among residents in AL settings and to develop an instrument accordingly; 2) to evaluate the content and construct validity of the PFA scale; 3) to evaluate the reliability of the PFA scale; and 4) to investigate the effect of perceived food autonomy, functional (physical, social and psychological) status, and general health on food satisfaction in AL settings. Definitions for food autonomy and three underlying dimensions were developed based on conceptualizations of personal autonomy for older adults in long-term care settings, which provided a theoretical framework for the PFA scale development. Content validity was established by expert panel evaluation and a pilot study. Construct validity was achieved from factor analysis procedures with a sample of 120 residents from eleven AL facilities. Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency showed the 11-item PFA scale to be reliable (alpha = .71). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the effect of residents' PFA, health and functional status, and demographic characteristics on food satisfaction. Food satisfaction was measured by a highly reliable (alpha = .87) scale that was compiled for this study. Perceived food autonomy was the most significant predictor of food satisfaction, explaining 37% of its variance. Residents' perceptions of daily pain along with the joint effect of ADL needs and dentures use made a lesser but significant contribution. Altogether, the above variables explained 48% of the variance in residents' food satisfaction. Application of reliable%instruments such as the PFA and FS scales can be used by AL provider to guide food service quality improvement efforts. Residents' PFA and food satisfaction should be periodically measured due to the typical decline in overall health and functional status of AL residents. / Graduation date: 2004

Graduation date: 1943

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-64).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-84).

No description available.

Esta dissertação busca entender como ocorrem as perdas no varejo alimentar. Analisaram-se longitudinalmente, diferentes unidades de uma grande rede do setor alimentício, atuando em um setor com mais jogadores,o que traz, invariavelmente, em médio prazo, a necessidade de maior eficiência. Nesse sentido, o impacto das perdas e desperdício nos lucros das empresas e no varejo como um todo, de acordo com indicadores setoriais, é bastante significativo, uma vez que tais perdas ocorrem ao se negociar/comprar, produzir/entregar e vender. Essa situação revela a existência de uma oportunidade para ampliar a eficiência, desse aspecto, da operação comercial. Utilizou-se como forma de mensuração, a diferença entre o custo teórico e o custo apurado após sucessivas contagens de inventário. A seleção das variáveis preditivas analisadas apoiou-se, principalmente no escopo teórico da sociologia e da economia das organizações. Após aplicar a técnica de regressão de dados em painel, variáveis preditivas físicas das unidades e outras, relativas aos funcionários e variáveis sócio demográficas do principal gestor, mostraram-se significativas em explicar os diferentes níveis de perdas. / In this paper, we seek to understand how wastes occur, in the food service industry. Different business units, from a large restaurant chain, were longitudinally analyzed. Considering the fact that more players operate in this growing Brazil industry, invariably it brings the need for greater efficiency, in the medium term. In this sense, the impact of losses or waste on corporate profits, according to industry indicators, is still quite significant, since they occur during all steps of the production/sales chain. This situation reveals the existence of an opportunity to increase the efficiency on the operation\'s field. Waste\'s measurement method applied in this research was the difference between the theoretical cost and the actual cost, based on successive inventory counts. The selection of the candidates\' predictive variables was supported, mainly, by the Sociology and Economics of Strategy fields. After the application of a panel data regression technique, variables related to the store´s physical format, employees profile and the unit main manager\'s socio-demographic were found significant to explain different levels of waste.

Orientador: Elisabete Salay / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T13:28:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Medeiros_CarolineOpolski_D.pdf: 3928098 bytes, checksum: ea4c8ba4c92807ccec3c3a232fe94f34 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Os restaurantes tipo fast food se destacam entre as opções de food service para a realização das refeições fora de casa. Contudo, a alimentação nestes estabelecimentos pode estar associada a uma baixa qualidade nutricional e alto valor energético, resultando na preocupação com a saúde dos consumidores, em sua maioria jovens. Em resposta a uma tendência mundial, muitos estabelecimentos tipo fast food têm incluído em seus cardápios opções mais saudáveis. Contudo, são escassas as investigações que analisam os fatores que influenciam a decisão de compra de alimentos saudáveis nestes estabelecimentos. Diante do exposto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar e determinar os preditores psicossociais da intenção comportamental de consumir salada crua em restaurante tipo fast food no almoço a partir de uma extensão da Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP), por meio de um questionário de pesquisa, com indicadores satisfatórios de validade e confiabilidade. Inicialmente uma pesquisa qualitativa foi realizada para a determinação das crenças salientes, por estudantes do ensino médio, na cidade de Campinas, SP, Brasil, utilizando um questionário autorrespondido. As respostas foram transcritas para proceder à análise de conteúdo. Consideraram-se crenças modais salientes aquelas mencionadas com maior frequência, até atingir, pelo menos, 75% do número total de citações. As crenças foram identificadas por 25 estudantes, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 14 e 16 anos. Um questionário foi elaborado com base nas crenças modais salientes, revisão de literatura, reunião com cinco especialistas no uso da TCP, validação de conteúdo e pré-teste. Os constructos que compuseram o instrumento de pesquisa foram: crenças comportamentais, crenças normativas, crenças de controle, atitude, norma subjetiva, controle comportamental percebido, intenção, norma descritiva e hábito. A pesquisa foi realizada nas cidades de Campinas e Limeira, SP, com 323 estudantes do ensino médio que frequentavam restaurante tipo fast food. Foram construídos bancos de dados usando o software Predictive Analytics Software 18.0 e os dados foram analisados no software LISREL 8.80 e XLSTAT 2013. Foram realizadas análises descritivas, e testes paramétricos e não paramétricos foram utilizados para a comparação de médias e correlações. Para a avaliação dos itens relativos aos constructos, foram estimados os coeficientes ? de Cronbach, correlações item-total e correlações inter-item. Foi realizada análise fatorial exploratória e confirmatória considerando a técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais para avaliar a unidimensionalidade de cada constructo. A modelagem de equações estruturais também foi utilizada para avaliar cinco modelos estruturais integrados distintos. A confiabilidade do instrumento foi avaliada pela consistência interna por meio do ? de Cronbach e pela estabilidade temporal pela técnica teste-reteste. A idade média dos participantes foi de 15,6 anos, 51,4% foram do sexo feminino e 70% cursavam o primeiro ano do ensino médio. A maioria dos estudantes realizava refeições fora de casa três vezes ou mais por semana (83,9%). Já o consumo em fast food foi realizado menos frequentemente, de uma a três vezes por mês (42,4%). A refeição mais frequente consumida em restaurantes tipo fast food foi o jantar (53,3%), seguida do almoço (39,0%). Não foram observadas associações entre o consumo em restaurante tipo fast food com o gênero (?2; p=0,135), idade (?2; p=0,807), renda (?2; p=0,773) e estado nutricional (?2; p=0,792) dos participantes. Os indicadores de validade e confiabilidade dos itens relativos aos constructos foram satisfatórios. O coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (ICC) observado entre todos os constructos foi adequado (ICC ? 0,742), indicando estabilidade temporal. Os modelos integrados que apresentaram melhores resultados de validade foram os que não consideraram as crenças modais salientes. O modelo IV foi o que apresentou melhores resultados para a determinação dos preditores psicossociais da intenção do consumo de salada crua quando se vai a um restaurante tipo fast food no almoço. Este modelo foi composto pelas medidas diretas da TCP e pelos preditores adicionais. A atitude e a norma subjetiva foram levemente desfavoráveis à realização do comportamento (média < 3,0, considerando escala que poderia variar entre 1 e 5). Contudo, verificou-se uma percepção favorável dos estudantes sobre sua capacidade de realizar o comportamento (controle comportamental percebido, média=3,59). Ainda, para os estudantes seus referentes sociais não realizavam o comportamento estudado (norma descritiva, média=1,92). Adicionalmente, observou-se baixo hábito entre os participantes em consumir salada crua em fast food no almoço (média=1,87) e baixa intenção em realizar este comportamento (média = 2,01). O hábito foi o constructo que mais influenciou a intenção, seguido da atitude e da norma descritiva. Programas de intervenção que visam a incentivar o consumo de salada em fast food poderiam enfatizar ações para a modificação das variáveis hábito, atitude e norma descritiva, favorecendo uma intenção positiva à realização do comportamento / Abstract: Fast food restaurants stand out amongst the food service options for eating meals away from home. However, the food served in these establishments could be associated with a low nutritional quality and high caloric value, resulting in a concern for the health of the consumers, mostly young people. As a response to world tendency, many fast food establishments are now including healthier options in their menus. However, investigations analyzing the factors influencing the buying decision of these healthy foods in such establishments are scarce. Thus the objective of the present survey was to analyze and determine the psychosocial predictors of the behavioral intention to consume raw salads for lunch in fast food restaurants using an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), applying a questionnaire with satisfactory validity and reliability indicators. Initially a qualitative survey was carried out using a self-responding questionnaire to determine salient beliefs amongst high-school students in the city of Campinas, SP, Brazil. The replies were then transcribed in order to analyze their content. Prominent modal salient beliefs are considered as being those mentioned with greater frequency, reaching at least 75% of the total number of citations. The beliefs were identified for 25 students of both genders aged between 14 and 16. A questionnaire was elaborated based on modal salient beliefs, a review of the literature, a meeting with 5 specialists in the use of TPB, validation of the content and a pre-test. The constructs making up the survey instrument were: behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, control beliefs, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intention, descriptive norms and habits. The survey was carried out in the cities of Campinas and Limeira, both in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and included 323 high school students who frequented fast food restaurants. A data bank was constructed using the Predictive Analytics Software 18.0, and the data analyzed using the LISREL 8.80 and XLSTAT 2013 software. Descriptive analyses were carried out, and parametric and non-parametric tests used to compare the means and correlations. The ?-Cronbach coefficients, item-total correlations and inter-item correlations were estimated to evaluate the items related to the constructs. An exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis was carried out considering the structural equation modeling technique to evaluate the unidimensionality of each construct. Structural equation modeling was also used to evaluate five distinct integrated structural models. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated from its internal consistency by way of the ?-Cronbach coefficient and by the temporal stability determined by the test-retest technique. The average age of the participants was 15.6 years old, 51.4% were female and 70% were in their first year of high school. The majority of the students ate meals away from home three or more times a week (83.9%), although eating in fast food restaurants was less frequent, from 1 to 3 times a month (42.4%). The meal most frequently consumed in fast food restaurants was dinner (53.3%), followed by lunch (39.0%). No associations were observed between eating in fast food restaurants and the gender (?2; p=0.135), age (?2; p=0.807), income (?2; p=0.773) and nutritional status (?2; p=0.792) of the participants. The validity and reliability of the indicators for the items related to the constructs were satisfactory, and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) observed between all the constructs was adequate (ICC ? 0.742), indicating temporal stability. The integrated models that presented the best results for validity were those that did not consider the modal salient beliefs. Model IV was the one presenting the best results in the determination of the psychosocial predictors of the consumption intention for raw salads when eating in a fast food restaurant at lunchtime. This model was composed of the direct TPB measurements and additional predictors. Attitude and subjective norms were slightly unfavorable towards the behavior (mean < 3.0, considering a scale varying from 1 to 5). However, a favorable perception was verified for the students with respect to their ability to determine their behavior (perceived behavioral control, mean=3.59). In addition, the social references of the students did not determined the behavior studied (descriptive norm, mean=1.92). In addition there was a limited habit amongst the participants to consume raw salads in fast food restaurants at lunchtime (mean=1.87), and a low intention to follow this behavior (mean=2.01). Habit was the construct that most influenced the intention, followed by attitude and descriptive norms. Intervention programs aimed at encouraging the consumption of salads in fast food restaurants should emphasize actions aimed at modifying the variables of habit, attitude and descriptive norms, thus favoring a positive intention for the carrying out of this behavior / Doutorado / Consumo e Qualidade de Alimentos / Doutora em Alimentos e Nutrição

Attempts to modify dietary habits of individuals in order to improve their nutrition do not seem to have met with success. Patterns established by individuals appear to continue throughout their lifetime. Diet patterns are influenced by society, families, and peer groups. From pre-school through adolescence environmental factors of influence are ever present. Influences may be the result of hereditary attitudes passed from generation to generation. However, the need for diet improvement seems primary. Research to discover methods or systems to affect such habits is needed from the science of nutrition. The continued failure of man to produce food for the subsistence of all mankind and the power of population overshadows the power of food production. The resulting problems of food shortages, malnutrition, starvation and disease compound the previously stated problems of attempted dietary change. The cost of developing animal protein exceeds the cost of cultivating plants. Therefore, nutritionists have encouraged decreasing consumption of animal protein and increasing consumption of plants to balance this factor. By this method they have helped to keep the cost of a nutritionally balanced meal within everyone’s reach. By increasing consumption of plant life, some diets could be improved. This increased plant consumption would also decrease the need for animal consumption. Synergistic combinations of vegetables have been found to be as nutritious as animal sources. With these thoughts in mind this research explores one technique which might be utilized in a hospital environment to accomplish one end--the increase in plant or vegetable consumption.