h3 gourmet: great to go upmarket, but are people willing to pay for the difference?

This case study addresses the pitfalls of internationalization and entrepreneurial decision-making in the creation of relevant differentiation for a gourmet fast-food concept, whose foundations lay in good old fashioned fast food rules dressed in a gourmet experience. In standardizing their market offer and having engaged in a frantic expansion program, h3, the organization under scrutiny here (and that illustrates business and management research methods in practice) has had to face serious strategic challenges and concerns. Initially limited to the confines of their home nation, Portugal, with subsequent expansion to Poland, Spain and Brazil, the chosen strategy of geographical diversification cannot be said to have been an indisputable success, as the organization is currently witnessing serious divestment decisions away from the Polish and Spanish markets. The Brazilian market on the other hand appears to be thriving. Their concept is that of gourmet burgers with a fast food logistics and service culture underpinning it. Competition has been tough as several competitors have flocked into the market with pretty much the same idea. The company has sought to establish an emotional difference in what is increasingly a saturated market, although the h3 brand is quickly becoming synonymous with a novel association that has been emerging in the minds of consumers, gourmet and fast food coupled together in one food business concept. However, some service elements and customization characteristics (co-creation possibilities) may give the business a unique angle for relevant market differentiation. Whilst there is no profound emotional difference that would otherwise have been present via the association with a well-recognized and established brand, h3 appears on the surface to have an even more worrying problem, in that they are apparently stuck in the middle in terms of their strategic outlook into the future, as on the one hand their cost structure is not fast food like and on the other, their ethos and potential basis for differentiation, gourmet meals is susceptible to imitation by any middle of the road competitor with serious intentions of coming into a profitable market. In addition to possibly not having enough differentiation they are also not “branded” sufficiently…how best to tackle the future is then their plight

Towards a Framework for Understanding Ethnic Consumers' Acculturation Strategies in a Multicultural Environment: A Food Consumption Perspective

© Bidit Lal Dey, Sharifah Alwi, Fred Yamoah, Stephanie Agyepongmaa Agyepong, Hatice Kizgin andMeera Sarma. Purpose – While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in Western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities acculturate to multicultural societies. The purpose of this paper is to explore immigrants’ cosmopolitanism and acculturation strategies through an analysis of the food consumption behaviour of ethnic consumers in multicultural London. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study was set within the socio-cultural context of London. A number of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and photographs were used to assess consumers’ acculturation strategies in a multicultural environment and how that is influenced by consumer cosmopolitanism. Findings – Ethnic consumers’ food consumption behaviour reflects their acculturation strategies, which can be classified into four groups: rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment. This classification demonstrates ethnic consumers’ multi-directional acculturation strategies, which are also determined by their level of cosmopolitanism. Research implications/limitations – The taxonomy presented in this paper advances current acculturation scholarship by suggesting a multi-directional model for acculturation strategies as opposed to the existing uni-directional and bi-directional perspectives and explicates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in consumer acculturation. The paper did not engage host communities and there is hence a need for future research on how and to what extent host communities are acculturated to the multicultural environment. Practical implications – The findings have direct implications for the choice of standardization versus adaptation as a marketing strategy within multicultural cities. Whilst the rebellion group are more likely to respond to standardization, increasing adaptation of goods and service can ideally target members of the resistance and resonance groups and more fusion products should be exclusively earmarked for the resonance group. Originality/Value – The paper makes original contribution by introducing a multi-directional perspective to acculturation by delineating four-group taxonomy (rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment). This paper also presents a dynamic model that captures how consumer cosmopolitanism impinges upon the process and outcome of multi-directional acculturation strategies

Corporate images and customer behavioral intentions in an environmentally certified context: Promoting environmental sustainability in the hospitality industry

Growing environmental awareness has made customers change their attitudes andincreasingly demand that the hospitality industry provides products and services thatare environmentally friendly. This sector faces increasing pressure to operate in amore ecofriendly manner given its negative influence on the natural environment.Extant research demonstrates that sustainable tourism can be promoted throughenvironmental certifications. However, little attention has been paid to the relevanceof customer perceptions about these schemes and their influence on customerbehavioral intentions. So that, this study attempts to explore the conditions underwhich perceived green image leads to favorable customer behavioral intentionstowards environmentally certified hotels by considering the mediating effects offunctional and emotional images. A structured questionnaire was used to collect datafrom hotel customers in Spain. The results indicate that green image serves as apredictor of functional image, which in turn is linked to customer behavioralintentions. This shows that the evaluation of environmental issues influences theassessment of cognitive aspects, although not the direct evaluation of affectiveaspects. Consequently, green image associations directly influence the cognitiveresponses of consumers but not their emotions. Therefore, consumers will evaluatea hotel's functional image not only by considering traditional attributes but also bytaking into account environmental issues. These findings suggest that hotelcompanies should work to develop a green positioning strategy developing productsand services possessing both greenness and high?value attributes

Causes of Mortality for Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims: Comparison between Routine Death Certificate and Verbal Autopsy Findings

10.1371/journal.pone.0073243PLoS ONE88-POLN

'Retailer Corporate Branding: Internet and High Street Compared'

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Legal Protection of Midwives in Providing Health Services at Village Health Post

This study aims to identify and analyze the legal protection arrangements for midwives who work in the Poskesdes (Village Health Post) Majene Regency as well as the forms of implementation of legal protection for midwives who work in the poskesdes. The research method used is empirical research. The research location is in Majene Regency with a total sample of 41 poskesdes with regular categories spread over 8 districts, the types and sources of legal materials used are primary and secondary legal materials. Collection techniques through interviews, direct observation and literature study and then analyzed qualitatively and described to describe, describe and explain the results of the research. The author concludes that the implementation of health services at the poskesdes has not provided legal protection to midwives because midwives still carry out services that are not their authority and competence as a midwife. The implementation of legal protection through the delegation of authority is not in accordance with the regulations, the existing Standard Operating Procedures are not in accordance with the conditions of the Poskesdes facilities and the guidance and supervision system for midwives has not been maximally implemented

Penggunaan Asas Beban Pembuktian Terbalik sebagai Penyelesaian Perkara Kesalahan yang Dilakukan oleh Dokter

This study aims to identify and analyze criminal procedural law arrangements in resolving cases of wrongdoing committed by doctors; and legal protection for patients in reverse proof of the settlement of wrongdoing by doctors. The research method used is normative juridical research, the type of research is descriptive analytical. The source of legal materials is primary and secondary legal materials. The technique of collecting legal materials is carried out by library research on legal materials, both primary legal materials, secondary legal materials, to complement the legal materials collected, interviews are conducted with experts or resource persons selected based on the authority exercised by the relevant In this paper, analysis of legal materials is descriptive qualitative, namely identifying primary and secondary legal materials that will be carried out in analyzing problems in a series of processing stages by carrying out an inventory, systematizing, to make it easier to analyze these problems. Based on the analysis, the authors conclude several things, including: (1) the system of proof of criminal procedural law in the process of resolving a case of wrongdoing committed by a doctor still uses the usual burden of proof as stated in article 66 of the criminal procedural code ( KUHAP); (2) providing legal protection to patients under the burden of proof reversed on the settlement of wrongdoing committed by doctors can be seen using: 1. Philosophical Approach, 2. Juridical Approach, 3. Theoretical Approach, and 4. Social Approach