Public Acceptance of Antibiotic Use in Livestock Production Canada and Germany

The use of antibiotics in livestock production has repeatedly been in the dock over the last few years. However, reducing antibiotic treatments without increasing the suffering of animals requires changes in animal husbandry practices which will likely come at a cost. The objective of the paper is to investigate the factors influencing consumers’ willingness to consume products of animals that have been treated with antibiotics, their willingness to pay for a considerable reduction in the use of antibiotics and their willingness to consider animal welfare in the context of ‘antibiotic free’ livestock production. The study is based on an online survey of citizens in Germany and Canada, conducted in October 2016. The results reveal differences in the individual’s willingness to consume livestock products from animals treated with antibiotics between Canada and Germany with lower acceptance rates in the latter. Results also show that in both countries individuals with higher concerns about the treatment of animals more strongly reject the use of antibiotics in livestock production. This might indicate that consumers are not aware that banning antibiotics in livestock production might have negative repercussions for animal welfare

Determinants of Web-based CSR Disclosure in the Food Industry

Purpose –Web-based CSR disclosure provides a variety of advantages for firms. Determining factors for web-based CSR disclosure have been analyzed in several papers. However, only limited research has been conducted on both, the food industry and small and midsized enterprises. This paper is one contribution to fill this gap as we investigate web-based CSR communication of food processors including SME.Design/methodology/approach – We analyzed corporate communication on the websites of 71 food producers from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany using dictionary-based content analysis. Based on an ordered logit model the relationship between CSR communication and size, profitability, indebtedness and closeness to market was estimated. Economic data were obtained from the commercial database DAFNE.Findings – Our results reveal that larger firms provide relatively more CSR information than smaller firms. There was no significant relationship between CSR disclosure and profitability or indebtedness of a company and an ambiguous relationship with regard to the determinant ‘closeness to market’. Regarding the different areas of communication we found that social compared to environmental aspects were underrepresented.Practical implications – Social aspects of CSR could be used for differentiation in the market. Furthermore, as smaller firms provide relatively less information on CSR it might be worthwhile to analyze the central impediments for CSR communication for those companies.Originality/Value – This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about firms’ CSR communication. From a convenience sample of 71 food processing firms, including SME, it provides insight regarding the determinants for CSR disclosure on firms’ websites. With the focus on the food industry and the inclusion of SME we contribute with our study to two under-researched areas

Determinants of Web-based CSR Disclosure in the Food Industry

Purpose –Web-based CSR disclosure bears a variety of advantages for firms. Determining factors for web-based CSR disclosure have been analyzed in several papers. However, only limited research has been conducted on both, the food industry and small and midsized enterprises. This paper is one contribution to fill this gap as we investigate web-based CSR communication of food processors including SME.Design/methodology/approach – We analyzed corporate communication on the websites of N=71 food producers from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany using dictionary-based content analysis. Based on an ordered logit model the relationship between CSR communication and size, profitability, indebtedness and closeness to market was estimated. Economic data were obtained from the commercial database Dafne.Findings – Our results reveal that larger firms provide relatively more CSR information than smaller firms. There was no significant relationship between CSR disclosure and profitability or indebtedness of a company and ambiguous ones with regard to the determinant ‘closeness to market’. Regarding the different areas of communication we found that social compared to environmental aspects were underrepresented.Practical implications – Social aspects of CSR could be used for differentiation at the market. Furthermore as smaller firms provide relatively fewer information on CSR it might be worthwhile to analyze central impediments for CSR communication for those companies.Originality/Value – This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about firms’ CSR communication. It provides for a convenience sample of 71 food processing firms’, including SME, insight regarding the determinants for CSR disclosure on firms’ websites. With the focus on the food industry and the inclusion of SMEs we contribute with our study to two under-researched areas

Sustainability as Sales Argument in the Fruit Juice Industry? An Analysis of On-Product Communication

Purpose/Value – The objective of this paper is to determine (1) the extent to which sustainability serves as a sales argument and (2) which areas of sustainability are communicated in the fruit juice industry. This seems promising against the background that there are several ethical challenges the fruit juice chain is increasingly confronted with and consumers demand for sustainable products is also rising.Design/Methodology – A market investigation at the Point-of Sale (POS) was conducted in July 2013. On-product communication of all fruit juice products (direct fruit juices, fruit juices from concentrate, fruit nectars and smoothies) from five retailers (two full-range retailers, two discounters, one organic store) was analyzed. The data was evaluated using content analysis.Results/Findings – Overall, 562 fruit juices were examined. Results reveal that nearly one quarter of the prod-ucts has labels signaling sustainable aspects. However, most of those products were found in the organic food retailer and are organic juices. Only a small number of products consider other areas of sustainability, such as social concerns or regional production.Discussion/Conclusion – Communicating sustainability aspects of fruit juice production via on-package labels is scarce in conventional retail stores. In view of the ethical challenges present in the fruit juice chain and dis-cussed in the paper, the increasing demand of consumers for sustainable products and the high competition in the sector, communicating different sustainability aspects can be an opportunity for fruit juice producers and retailers to differentiate their products on the highly saturated fruit juice market

Sustainability as Sales Argument in the Fruit Juice Industry? An Analysis of On-Product Communication

800x600 Purpose/Value &ndash; The objective of this paper is to determine (1) the extent to which sustainability serves as a sales argument and (2) which areas of sustainability are communicated in the fruit juice industry. This seems promising against the background that there are several ethical challenges the fruit juice chain is increasingly confronted with and consumers demand for sustainable products is also rising. Design/Methodology &ndash; A market investigation at the Point-of Sale (POS) was conducted in July 2013. On-product communication of all fruit juice products (&lsquo;not from concentrate (NFC)&rsquo; fruit juices, &rsquo;reconstituted (RECON)&rsquo; fruit juices, fruit nectars and smoothies) from five retailers (two full-range retailers, two discounters, one organic supermarket) was analyzed. The data was evaluated using content analysis. Results/Findings &ndash; Overall, 562 fruit juices were examined. Results reveal that nearly one quarter of the products has labels signaling sustainable aspects. However, most of those products were found in the organic food retailer and are organic juices. Only a small number of products consider other areas of sustainability, such as social concerns or regional production. Discussion/Conclusion &ndash; Communicating sustainability aspects of fruit juice production via on-package labels is scarce in conventional retail stores. In view of the ethical challenges present in the fruit juice chain and discussed in the paper, the increasing demand of consumers for sustainable products and the high competition in the sector, communicating different sustainability aspects can be an opportunity for fruit juice producers and retailers to differentiate their products on the highly saturated fruit juice market.&nbsp; Normal 0 21 false false false DE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} <![endif]--

Konkurrierende Schutzgüter in der Tierhaltung : Analyse aus Sicht der Konsument*innen

Zur Festlegung der gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen der Nutztierhaltung sowie für die Förderung im Bereich der Tierhaltung werden Kenntnisse zu den Präferenzen von Bürger*innen in Hinblick auf den Umgang mit Zielkonflikten zwischen konkurrierenden Schutzgütern (z.B. Tierwohl, Umweltschutz oder auch der Schutz der menschlichen und tierischen Gesundheit) benötigt. Vor diesem Hintergrund bestehen die Ziele dieser Studie darin, die Relevanz verschiedener Schutzgüter aus Sicht der Konsument*innen und Bürger*innen zu identifizieren, Einblicke in den Umgang mit Zielkonflikten in konkreten Entscheidungssituationen zu gewinnen sowie hierbei den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Informationen zu ermitteln. Hierbei konzentrieren sich die Untersuchungen auf die Schweinemast. Aus Literaturrecherche und Befragungen von Expert*innen geht hervor, dass es in der derzeitigen Schweineproduktion Zielkonflikte in unterschiedlichen Bereichen gibt – z.B. zwischen Tierwohl, Umweltschutz und menschlicher als auch tierischer Gesundheit. Allerdings besteht ein Wissensdefizit in Hinblick auf das Ausmaß sowie Möglichkeiten zur Entschärfung dieser Zielkonflikte. Generalisierende Aussagen sind aufgrund der Unterschiede in den Haltungssystemen und der Komplexität des Systems Schweinehaltung kaum möglich. Der Umgang der Bürger*innen mit Zielkonflikten wurde in einer experimentellen online Studie untersucht. Proband*innen wurden gebeten, Entscheidungen zwischen Produkten zu treffen, die konfligierende Schutzgüter repräsentieren. Die Produkte waren entweder ohne Label, mit dem Label „Offenstall“ oder mit dem Label „ohne Antibiotika“ gekennzeichnet. Die Auswahlentscheidungen zeigen, dass die Proband*innen unterschiedliche Priorisierun-gen vornehmen, wobei sich bezüglich der Größe des Anteils folgende Reihenfolge ergibt: (1) öffentliche Gesundheit (ohne Antibiotika), (2) Tierwohl (Offenstall) und (3) Umwelt (konventionelles Produkt). Zusätzlichen Informationen zu den Labels führten im Experiment zu einer Änderung des Auswahlverhältnis zwischen dem Produkt mit dem Label „ohne Antibiotika“ zugunsten des mit „Offenstall“ gelabelten Produkts: Offensichtlich können Informationen die Präferenzen und damit die Abwägung zwischen den beiden Schutzgütern Tierwohl und menschliche Gesundheit deutlich beeinflussen. Aus der Verschiebung der Präferenzen lässt sich schließen, dass die positiven Informationen, die über den Offenstall gegeben wurden, weniger bekannt sind als die Informationen über das Label „ohne Antibiotika“ und deshalb die Abwägung zwischen den Schutzgütern stärker beeinflussen. Dieses Ergebnis unterstützt die Annahme, dass vor dem Hintergrund des geringen Wissens über die Tierhaltung die Wahrnehmung der Bürger*innen bzw. Konsument*innen durch Informationen gelenkt werden kann. Informationen über Konflikte zwischen den Schutzgütern haben demgegenüber kaum einen Einfluss auf die Auswahlentscheidung im Vergleich zu einer Situation, in der die Labels ohne Erklärung präsentiert werden. Es scheint, dass die Teilnehmer*innen Schwierigkeiten haben, sich mit dem Konflikt zwischen den Schutzgütern auseinanderzu-setzen und dies in die Entscheidung mit einzubeziehen. Erkenntnisse anderer von der Abteilung durchgeführter Projekte zur Akzeptanz der Tierhaltung stützen die Annahme, dass solche Informationen eher verwirren und damit von vielen Proband*innen ignoriert werden. Dementsprechend ist der Einfluss gering. Die Entscheidungen der Proband*innen werden durch ihre Einstellungen beeinflusst. Proband*innen mit einem höheren „Tierwohlbewusstsein“ wählen mit einer größeren Wahrscheinlichkeit das Produkt mit dem Label „Offenstall“. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit sich gegen ein konventionelles Produkt und für ein gelabeltes Produkt zu entscheiden wird auch durch ein hohes Umweltbewusstsein verstärkt. Wie erwartet gilt dies nicht im Fall des Label „Offenstall“, wenn die Proband*innen auf die, mit dieser Haltungsform potenziell einhergehenden, negativen Umwelteffekte aufmerksam gemacht werden. Dies zeigt, dass Konsument*innen die Konflikte in Hinblick auf die Schutzgüter nicht bewusst sind. Der überwiegende Teil der Proband*innen hat eine positive Zahlungsbereitschaft für eines der gelabelten Produkte, wobei der Anteil der zahlungsbereiten Proband*innen mit steigenden Preisaufschlägen geringer wird. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass es deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Proband*innen in Hinblick auf die Wertschätzung der Schutzgüter gibt. Wie oben aufgeführt zeigen die Untersuchung, dass Informationen einen Einfluss auf die Auswahlentscheidungen und damit auch auf die Wahrnehmung haben. Bei geringem Wissen können Bürger*innen bzw. Verbraucher*innen den Wert einer Information kaum beurteilen, sondern nur auf die Richtigkeit vertrauen. Da im Bereich der Tierhaltung vor allem die Nicht-Regierungs-Organisationen ein hohes Vertrauen genießen, erscheinen die Diskussionen und die Konsensfindung mit diesen Organisationen von besonderer Bedeutung. Die durchgeführte Untersuchung sowie andere Studien zur Akzeptanz der Tierhaltung geben deutliche Hinweise darauf, dass viele Bürger*innen mit der Abwägung von unterschiedlichen Zielen überfordert sind und deshalb fordern, dass bei der Entwicklung der Rahmenbedingungen für die Tierhaltung alle Schutzgüter berücksichtigt werden. Hier ergibt sich aus Sicht der Bürger*innen ein Auftrag an die Forschung und Entwicklung Diese sollten sich auf Verfahren konzentrieren, die die Konflikte zwischen den unter-schiedlichen Schutzgütern zu verringern oder abzubauen helfen. Insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Empfehlungen der Borchert Kommission und den sich daraus möglicher-weise ergebenden finanziellen Spielräumen sollte deshalb verstärkt die Entwicklung entsprechender Verfahren verfolgt werden.To assess the legal framework of agricultural livestock farming, as well as promotion in the area of animal husbandry, more research is needed about the preferences of citizens with regard to the handling of conflicting protection goals (for instance animal welfare, environmental protection as well as animal and public health). Against this background, the aims of this study are to identify the relevance of different areas of protection in livestock farming for consumers and citizens, to gain insights into the handling of conflicting goals in specific decision-making situations, as well as to investigate the impact of different information provision in this process. In this context, the research focus lies on conflicting goals in the fattening of pigs. Literature analysis and expert interviews reveal that multiple conflicting goals exist in pig fattening – for example with respect to animal welfare, environmental protection and human as well as animal health. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the extent and strategies to defuse these conflicts. Generalizations are difficult to make due to differences in husbandry systems and the complexity of those systems. In an experimental online study, participants were asked to decide between different products. These products represent protected conflicting areas. The products carried either no label, the label “open barn”, or the label “without antibiotics”. The findings showed that respondents have different priorities regarding the protected goals, however, considering the results over all participants, there is a clear order of preferences for the considered protected goods: (1) public health (“without antibiotics”) (2) animal welfare (“open barn”) and (3) environmental protection (no label). Additional positive information on the labels led to a change in the choice frequency of the product “without antibiotics” and “open barn”, revealing increasing preferences for “open barn” in the experiment. This shows information can influence preferences for the considered protected goods animal welfare and human health. The shift in preferences towards animal welfare indicates that positive information about the label “open barn” is less known to consumers compared to information about the label “without antibiotics” and therefore this information exerts a stronger influence on the decision. The results support the assumption that knowledge of consumers and citizens with respect to animal husbandry is low and thus information provision can influence the perception of citizens and consumers. Furthermore, participants’ decisions are influenced by their attitudes. Participants with a higher animal welfare consciousness are more likely to select the product “open barn”. The probability of deciding against the conventional product and selecting a labeled product increases also with increasing environmental consciousness. As expected, this does not hold for the label “open barn” if participants are informed about the potential negative accompanying impacts on the environment. Similarly, this shows that consumers are not aware of conflicts across the different protected goods. The majority of participants demonstrated a positive willingness to pay for one of the labeled products, yet the share of participants who are willing to choose the more expensive product decreases with an increase in price. Those results indicate that there are clear differences across the participants with regard to their appreciation of the protected goods. As indicated above, the study shows that information can have an impact on product choice and perception. Given the low level of knowledge, consumers and citizens are unable to evaluate the value of information but need to trust in its truthfulness. Considering that in the field of livestock farming consumers particular perceive non-governmental organizations as trustworthy, discussions and agreements with those organizations are of great relevance. The present study, as well as other studies on the acceptance of animal husbandry, clearly indicate that citizens are overburdened with the choice between different conflicting goals, and therefore demand that all protected goods should be considered when developing conditions for animal husbandry. According to consumers and citizens, the research focus should lie on developing husbandries that reduce or defuse conflicts between different protected goods. In the context of the Borchert Commission’s recommendations and the resulting financial leeways, the development of corresponding procedures should be focused upon

The impact of society on management control systems

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The aim of this study is to investigate whether certain configurations of management controls dominate in certain societies (socio-cultural contexts) and whether the effectiveness of a given archetype of management control systems (MCSs) varies depending on the socio-cultural setting—the society—in which it operates. The study focuses on three socio-cultural groups and the corresponding institutional contexts (an Anglo-Saxon group, a Central European group, and a Northern European group) and three MCS archetypes (delegated bureaucratic control, delegated output control, and programmable output control). We use unique data from a cross-national, interview-based survey encompassing 610 strategic business units from nine countries (seven European countries plus Canada and Australia). The idea that firms tend to adapt MCSs to the socio-cultural context does not gain empirical support in this study. No significant differences in the distribution of MCSs between the three socio-cultural groups are noted. However, we do find that programmable output control has a more positive impact on effectiveness in Anglo-Saxon cultures, while delegated output control has a more positive impact on effectiveness in Northern Europe. Taken together these findings indicate that distinct differences between societies make a particular MCS design more appropriate in a given society, but where such differences are not dramatic (as in the present case), multiple MCS designs can be found in the same society

A large-scale genome-wide association study meta-analysis of cannabis use disorder

Summary Background Variation in liability to cannabis use disorder has a strong genetic component (estimated twin and family heritability about 50–70%) and is associated with negative outcomes, including increased risk of psychopathology. The aim of the study was to conduct a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify novel genetic variants associated with cannabis use disorder. Methods To conduct this GWAS meta-analysis of cannabis use disorder and identify associations with genetic loci, we used samples from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Substance Use Disorders working group, iPSYCH, and deCODE (20 916 case samples, 363 116 control samples in total), contrasting cannabis use disorder cases with controls. To examine the genetic overlap between cannabis use disorder and 22 traits of interest (chosen because of previously published phenotypic correlations [eg, psychiatric disorders] or hypothesised associations [eg, chronotype] with cannabis use disorder), we used linkage disequilibrium score regression to calculate genetic correlations. Findings We identified two genome-wide significant loci: a novel chromosome 7 locus (FOXP2, lead single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] rs7783012; odds ratio [OR] 1·11, 95% CI 1·07–1·15, p=1·84 × 10−9) and the previously identified chromosome 8 locus (near CHRNA2 and EPHX2, lead SNP rs4732724; OR 0·89, 95% CI 0·86–0·93, p=6·46 × 10−9). Cannabis use disorder and cannabis use were genetically correlated (rg 0·50, p=1·50 × 10−21), but they showed significantly different genetic correlations with 12 of the 22 traits we tested, suggesting at least partially different genetic underpinnings of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use disorder was positively genetically correlated with other psychopathology, including ADHD, major depression, and schizophrenia. Interpretation These findings support the theory that cannabis use disorder has shared genetic liability with other psychopathology, and there is a distinction between genetic liability to cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Funding National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine and the Centre for Integrative Sequencing; The European Commission, Horizon 2020; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Health Research Council of New Zealand; National Institute on Aging; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium; UK Research and Innovation Medical Research Council (UKRI MRC); The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia; Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California; Families for Borderline Personality Disorder Research (Beth and Rob Elliott) 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant; The National Child Health Research Foundation (Cure Kids); The Canterbury Medical Research Foundation; The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board; The University of Otago; The Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics; The James Hume Bequest Fund; National Institutes of Health: Genes, Environment and Health Initiative; National Institutes of Health; National Cancer Institute; The William T Grant Foundation; Australian Research Council; The Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation; The VISN 1 and VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers of the US Department of Veterans Affairs; The 5th Framework Programme (FP-5) GenomEUtwin Project; The Lundbeck Foundation; NIH-funded Shared Instrumentation Grant S10RR025141; Clinical Translational Sciences Award grants; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute of General Medical Sciences.Peer reviewe

Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes:Evidence from genome-wide association studies

First published: 16 February 202

Towards a Fine-Grained Theory of Focus

This paper investigates the roles of focus, arguing that such a notion is too wide and can be applied to several phenomena. I show that focus needs to be further specified for (at least) another feature and is therefore made of smaller primitive traits. These can combine to create bundles of features, which give rise to the several types of foci we know. Moreover, these features are subject to parametrization and can thus account for cross-linguistic differences