A qualitative study on factors influencing older consumer dining out behaviour

Ageing or growing old is inevitable; rather than viewing this as another life stage, this transition period is not easily welcomed by many. The main reason is because with age we are getting more susceptible to disease and disability. This mind-set is changing slowly thanks to the progress in healthcare and government policy that not only care for their health but also helps the older people to lead a better life in their golden age. It is important to acknowledge this age group not just because they are living longer; it is also because they are getting bigger in size and economic power. Restaurant preferences and patronage behaviours of older adults in Malaysia is literally unknown even though there had been numerous amount of research done involving this population. The purpose of this study is to find out what would be the factor for older adults in Malaysia to dine out. Semi-structured indepth interviews were done with Malaysian older people ages 55 and above. 15 informers were interviewed for this study and the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Atlas.ti software (version 7) was used to complement researchers’ analyses of interview transcripts and develop a visual representation of qualitative data. Major thematic categories identified by older consumer in this study included cleanliness and food taste. Data are visually mapped and relationships between different themes are presented. This study will be beneficial in providing more insight to this untapped market segment

Bactericidal activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles against human pathogenic bacteria

Green synthesis is an attractive and eco-friendly approach to generate potent antibacterial silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). Such particles have long been used to fight bacteria and represent a promising tool to overcome the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this study, green synthesis of Ag-NPs was attempted using plant extracts of Aloe vera, Portulaca oleracea and Cynodon dactylon. The identity and size of Ag-NPs was characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy. Monodispersed Ag-NPs were produced with a range of different sizes based on the plant extract used. The bactericidal activity of Ag-NPs against a number of human pathogenic bacteria was determined using the disc diffusion method. The results showed that Gram positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram negative ones to these antibacterial agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined using the 96-well plate method. Finally, the mechanism by which Ag-NPs affect bacteria was investigated by SEM analysis. Bacteria treated with Ag-NPs were seen to undergo shrinkage and to lose their viability. This study provides evidence for a cheap and effective method for synthesizing potent bactericidal Ag-NPs and demonstrates their effectiveness against human pathogenic bacteria

Dining out behaviour among senior citizens in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

The growth of senior citizens globally is inevitable as the by-product of medical technology advancement, lower fertility rate, better quality of life and higher life expectancy. They are the growing market segment worldwide. Nevertheless, this age segment does not receive the attention they should as a consumer. The stereotype held about senior citizens prevents most marketers from even trying to attract this increasingly profitable group. Food consumption trend is not the same for all age group and little is known about the restaurant choice behaviour of the senior citizens. To fill the gap in the study, this research will focus on identifying the factors, barriers and demographic characteristic of senior citizens that influence them to visit a restaurant. Qualitative approach was used in this study. A total of 15 informants aged 55 and above were chosen from Klang Valley using the purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the whole interview were recorded using a voice recorder or by pen-and-paper method. The obtained recordings were then transcribed, translated, coded, and analysed. Atlas.ti software (version 7) was used in coding of the themes with the help of a codebook created from previous literatures and based on collected data. Factors identified in the study were ageing, life’s perspective, socializing, food, service, location, price and discounts, and recommendation whereas barriers identified in this research were cleanliness, service, ageing, life’s perspective and food. Some of the factors are both a reason and barrier to visit a restaurant. The demographic characteristic that influence the behaviour were education level, income and employment status and culture and religion. Recognising the factors and barriers and improvising the restaurant marketing strategy based on it is expected to be beneficial

Where to eat: exploring silver consumer restaurant dining choice in Malaysia

Eating out among older adults are becoming the norm due to its convenience and potential for social interaction. Malaysia is expected to become an aged nation whereby 14% or more of its population will be 65 years and older by 2050. Very little is known about restaurant preferences and patronage behaviours of older adults in Malaysia even though there had been numerous researches done involving this population. It is important to acknowledge this age group not just because they are living longer; but also, because they are getting bigger in size and economic power. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing Malaysian older or silver consumers’ restaurant dining choices. Semistructured in-depth interviews were done with Malaysian older people ages 55 and above. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Atlas.ti software (version 7) was used to complement researchers’ analyses of interview transcripts and develop a visual representation of qualitative data. Major thematic categories identified by older consumers in this study included food, service, and location. Data are visually mapped and relationships between different themes are presented. This study will be beneficial in providing more insights to restaurateurs in Malaysia to better meet silver consumer needs