GMO Products and the Food Industry: A Literature Review of Opinions and Behaviors by U.S. Restaurants

The health implications of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been the subject of considerable debate in the literature. One aspect of the debate is the apparent disconnect between what is reported in the scientific communities and what is reported in the general public. Specifically, it has been reported that while “Nearly 9 out of 10 scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science say GMOs are ‘generally safe’ to eat, more than half of the general public believe it is not a good idea.” This presents somewhat of a dilemma for companies, such as restaurants, who are involved in food distribution to the general public. That is, should restaurants continue to use GMO food products given assurances from the scientific community? Or, should they respond to consumer concerns by adopting at least some form of a non-GMO policy? The purpose of this review is to gain a conceptual understanding of what the food industry is saying and doing with regard to these questions. Preliminary results are explained and further research direction is given

Attribute Importance Research in Travel and Tourism: Are We Following Accepted Guidelines?

The purpose of this study is to examine the reporting practices and potential challenges in the measurement of attribute importance in travel and tourism research. The results indicate that a majority of studies evaluated in this study utilized Likert scaling which has a tendency to produce end-piling or upward bias. As such, it becomes more difficult to identify meaningful differences among attributes. Recommendations for addressing this potential limitation and for better reporting of results are provide

The Desired Characteristics of Hospitality/Tourism Management Employees: A Review of Research Quality

Numerous studies have sought to measure the characteristics most desired by employers of hospitality and tourism management graduates. For the results of these studies to be meaningful, they need to conform to generally accepted principles of science. While there is no a priori reason to suggest that the research is flawed in any meaningful way, a preliminary examination can nonetheless confirm the level of research quality and help identify any limitations. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the quality of the research evidence with particular attention to: (1) the characteristics selected for measurement, (2) the measurement techniques used, (3) the characteristics of the sample, and (4) the reporting of results. The results indicate limitations in each area. Recommendations for addressing these in future research are discussed

Clarifying The Meaning Of Extracurricular Activity: A Literature Review Of Definitions

Participation in extracurricular activities has long been recognized as having important benefits for business students, including the development of competencies relevant to future career success. Unfortunately, a review of the literature suggests that what constitutes an extracurricular activity remains ambiguous and unclear as no generally-accepted definition has been established in the literature. Instead, the meaning is often described in terms of examples. It is argued that the lack of a definition hampers research because it does not allow for proper classification of activities. The purpose of this study is to address this gap through a review of the relevant literature. Based on the review, definitions for extracurricular and co-curricular are proposed along with additional clarifications. Implications for scholars and academic advising are also provided

Academic Scholars, Practicing Professionals, and Engaged Scholarship: A Content Analysis of Collaborative and Informed Research in Tourism Journals

This study examines the existence of engaged scholarship through a content analysis of 442 articles published in tourism journals. The importance of the analysis is based on arguments from the literature that research quality improves when academic scholars and practicing professionals collaborate. However, confirmation that engaged scholarship is taking place is a necessary first step before one can evaluate and compare the quality of the research. The results of the analysis reveal that engaged scholarship is modestly practiced. Collaborative research represents approximately 10 percent of the total while informed research represents about 22 percent (for external funding) and 9 percent (for access to data and other support). Now that the presence of engaged scholarship has been confirmed, future investigations should examine whether or not such engagement results in higher quality research. If so, it will have potentially important implications for both scholarship and practice

Adjustment Strategies and Business Success in Minority-Owned Family Firms

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in their reported use of adjustment strategies, and the relationship between the use of adjustment strategies and perceived business success. The sample consisted of 193 African American, 200 Mexican American, 200 Korean American, and 210 white business owners. Mexican American and Korean American business owners reported higher levels of adjustment strategy use than African American and white business owners. The ordinary least squares show that reallocating family resources to meet business needs and reallocating business resources to meet family needs were negatively associated with perceived business success, whereas hiring paid help was positively associated with perceived business success