No description available.

To provide consumer oriented insight into the expanding market for value-added chicken product development, consumer science and econometric techniques were used to identify consumer perceptions and willingness to pay for chicken product attributes. Convenience and health were positively perceived attributes of unprocessed products while traditional processed products such as chicken nuggets represented undesirable composition, processing and quality concerns. Consumers had a strong preference for a refrigerated free range chicken breast product, without additives/preservatives or added flavour that could be oven heated. Microwaveable and organic products were less preferred. Half of respondents were willing to pay around 30% more for a value-added chicken product over the price of a conventional one. This information will allow poultry processors to develop new value-added chicken products in response to current consumer attribute preferences while maintaining a price that could enhance not only their profits but consumer satisfaction.

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No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

The thesis explores the extent to which interpretive techniques can improve our understanding of the impacts of information systems. Two themes are explored: the capacity of interpretive techniques to evaluate information systems' impacts from within the work context, and the extent to which the process emphasis of the interpretive approach can facilitate learning about information systems and their impacts. The thesis proposes that the impacts of information systems comprise a combination of known or anticipated phenomena and emergent phenomena that cannot be wholly predicted in advance and argues that the value of an information system lies in its effective use, which in turn depends upon its being understood by its users and assimilated into their work. Support for this proposal is provided from the literature and through evaluation of the impacts of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) on fingerprint work in England and Wales. Deep insight into NAFIS and fingerprint work are provided by the use of Repertory Grid Analysis (RGA) as a content-free data gathering technique, used within the interpretive framework proposed by Walsham (1993). The data generated by RGA are analysed using the protocols proposed by Thomas and Harri-Augstein (1985) which support what they call "self-organised learning". In this way, RGA is used to facilitate learning through evaluation, enabling participants to learn to benefit from information systems. The RGA process and outcomes are described in detail. The contribution of the RGA data to the interpretive approach is discussed and the results compared with those arising from a more orthodox evaluation ofNAFIS. The results demonstrate that orthodox evaluation techniques underestimate the value of an information system by failing to assess the significance of many of the issues and concerns that emerge as it is assimilated into the work setting. The research is shown to have contributed to the evaluation of NAFIS, directly impacting the work of a wide range of users and managers in the fingerprint, police and wider criminal justice communities. The results are also shown to be generalisable to other organisational settings and therefore having implications for both the information systems and wider evaluation communities.

No description available.