Glenn Yago and Susanne Trimbath
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195149234
- eISBN:
- 9780199871865
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195149238.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This chapter investigates industrial restructuring in the slow‐growing food industry in the USA, asking why an industry with a growth factor of less than 1% flourishes in a world in which companies ...
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This chapter investigates industrial restructuring in the slow‐growing food industry in the USA, asking why an industry with a growth factor of less than 1% flourishes in a world in which companies strive for growth rates of 10% or more. It first looks at the industrial composition (sectoral distribution) of the Fortune 500 [the largest 500 companies in the US as listed by Fortune Magazine, on the basis of publicly available data], and at the industrial restructuring that occurred in the 1980s in the US economy, showing a breakdown of consumer products into cyclical and noncyclical groups. The food industry is in the noncyclical group, which increased its share of revenues while decreasing its share of companies in the Fortune 500. Other sections of the chapter look at the following: consolidation through mergers and acquisitions; financial innovations – the ability to use public markets for leveraged financing and a possibly more heavy reliance (of noncyclical companies) on high‐yield bond financing (for which evidence is presented); the financing of biotechnology for food production and the associated structural change in production; the impact of the combination of high‐yield financing and high tech in the food industry; and foreign and international influences.Less
This chapter investigates industrial restructuring in the slow‐growing food industry in the USA, asking why an industry with a growth factor of less than 1% flourishes in a world in which companies strive for growth rates of 10% or more. It first looks at the industrial composition (sectoral distribution) of the Fortune 500 [the largest 500 companies in the US as listed by Fortune Magazine, on the basis of publicly available data], and at the industrial restructuring that occurred in the 1980s in the US economy, showing a breakdown of consumer products into cyclical and noncyclical groups. The food industry is in the noncyclical group, which increased its share of revenues while decreasing its share of companies in the Fortune 500. Other sections of the chapter look at the following: consolidation through mergers and acquisitions; financial innovations – the ability to use public markets for leveraged financing and a possibly more heavy reliance (of noncyclical companies) on high‐yield bond financing (for which evidence is presented); the financing of biotechnology for food production and the associated structural change in production; the impact of the combination of high‐yield financing and high tech in the food industry; and foreign and international influences.
Marlene B. Schwartz and Kelly D. Brownell
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199571512
- eISBN:
- 9780191595097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199571512.003.0025
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter focuses on three key issues: firstly, the necessity of a shared vision; secondly, whether or not to trust the food industry; and thirdly, what should be done next. In order to move ...
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This chapter focuses on three key issues: firstly, the necessity of a shared vision; secondly, whether or not to trust the food industry; and thirdly, what should be done next. In order to move forward, a shared vision is needed of the causes of obesity and a philosophy of prevention. The strategy of trying to increase personal responsibility has not worked. Instead, the focus must be shifted to changing the environment so that it facilitates healthy eating behaviours and physical activity. The next question to be asked is: can the food instustry be trusted? In watching the behaviour of the food industry in recent years, their strategies have become apparent. The chapter describes elements of the food industry ‘playbook’ and questions the influence of the industry on the government. Finally, it recommends a number of targeted actions. Among these are making policy changes to protect children from commercialism, and creating coalitions with groups concerned about the environment and sustainability. Finally, the chapter also describes a more productive role for the food industry, and ends with example innovations that have succeeded at the local level.Less
This chapter focuses on three key issues: firstly, the necessity of a shared vision; secondly, whether or not to trust the food industry; and thirdly, what should be done next. In order to move forward, a shared vision is needed of the causes of obesity and a philosophy of prevention. The strategy of trying to increase personal responsibility has not worked. Instead, the focus must be shifted to changing the environment so that it facilitates healthy eating behaviours and physical activity. The next question to be asked is: can the food instustry be trusted? In watching the behaviour of the food industry in recent years, their strategies have become apparent. The chapter describes elements of the food industry ‘playbook’ and questions the influence of the industry on the government. Finally, it recommends a number of targeted actions. Among these are making policy changes to protect children from commercialism, and creating coalitions with groups concerned about the environment and sustainability. Finally, the chapter also describes a more productive role for the food industry, and ends with example innovations that have succeeded at the local level.
Tara Acharya, Amy C. Fuller, George A. Mensah, and Derek Yach
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199574407
- eISBN:
- 9780191731204
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574407.003.0104
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
Part I of this chapter describes some of the activities that some food and beverage corporations routinely engage in as part of their ‘health and wellness’ strategies. Specific changes in food ...
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Part I of this chapter describes some of the activities that some food and beverage corporations routinely engage in as part of their ‘health and wellness’ strategies. Specific changes in food industry policies can favourably impact dietary practices and nutritional status, and therefore contribute to reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic disease in both the medium and long term. These changes focus on product reformulation and the promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyles. A case study of PepsiCo's 2010 goals and commitments is presented. Part II evaluates the food industry's tactics and potentially adverse effects on public health. Lessons from the tobacco and other industries are applied to the food industry, using material drawn from PepsiCo's proposals. The analysis suggests that food companies may be replicating several of the tactics used by tobacco companies to promote a positive image and influence research as part of an effort to reduce the prospects for public regulation and taxation.Less
Part I of this chapter describes some of the activities that some food and beverage corporations routinely engage in as part of their ‘health and wellness’ strategies. Specific changes in food industry policies can favourably impact dietary practices and nutritional status, and therefore contribute to reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic disease in both the medium and long term. These changes focus on product reformulation and the promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyles. A case study of PepsiCo's 2010 goals and commitments is presented. Part II evaluates the food industry's tactics and potentially adverse effects on public health. Lessons from the tobacco and other industries are applied to the food industry, using material drawn from PepsiCo's proposals. The analysis suggests that food companies may be replicating several of the tactics used by tobacco companies to promote a positive image and influence research as part of an effort to reduce the prospects for public regulation and taxation.
Zoe Feldman, Dondeena G. Bradley, and Danielle Greenberg
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199571512
- eISBN:
- 9780191595097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199571512.003.0024
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
It is well known that obesity affects populations in both developed and developing countries, with significant consequences for public health. What is less understood is the role of the food and ...
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It is well known that obesity affects populations in both developed and developing countries, with significant consequences for public health. What is less understood is the role of the food and beverage industry in reducing the prevalence of obesity and its long-term consequences on individuals and, potentially, society. This chapter addresses the industry's role in obesity prevention by citing examples of industry-led initiatives offering early indicators that the industry can contribute to the effort of global obesity prevention.Less
It is well known that obesity affects populations in both developed and developing countries, with significant consequences for public health. What is less understood is the role of the food and beverage industry in reducing the prevalence of obesity and its long-term consequences on individuals and, potentially, society. This chapter addresses the industry's role in obesity prevention by citing examples of industry-led initiatives offering early indicators that the industry can contribute to the effort of global obesity prevention.
Mike Feintuck
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199269020
- eISBN:
- 9780191699320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199269020.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This chapter considers, on a practical level, the extent to which substantive public interest values are present and identified in current regulatory activity, and how regulatory procedures serve, or ...
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This chapter considers, on a practical level, the extent to which substantive public interest values are present and identified in current regulatory activity, and how regulatory procedures serve, or fail to serve, these values. It discusses the constitutional and legal background and ‘social regulation’ of the utility industries in the United Kingdom. The perceived constitutional impropriety of the British judiciary reviewing the substance of primary legislation seems to have led to a broader position, whereby the judiciary will seek at almost any cost to confine its decisions to the procedure of administrative decision-making rather than risking giving the slightest appearance of reviewing the substance of decisions. This chapter discusses the constitutional law and administrative law in the UK, as well as regulation in pursuit of social objectives associated with the public interest, the role of citizenship in the liberal-democratic social enterprise, food industries and food safety, the Food Standards Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, the precautionary principle, regulation of mass media in the public interest, Public Service Broadcasting, and commercial freedom and democratic values.Less
This chapter considers, on a practical level, the extent to which substantive public interest values are present and identified in current regulatory activity, and how regulatory procedures serve, or fail to serve, these values. It discusses the constitutional and legal background and ‘social regulation’ of the utility industries in the United Kingdom. The perceived constitutional impropriety of the British judiciary reviewing the substance of primary legislation seems to have led to a broader position, whereby the judiciary will seek at almost any cost to confine its decisions to the procedure of administrative decision-making rather than risking giving the slightest appearance of reviewing the substance of decisions. This chapter discusses the constitutional law and administrative law in the UK, as well as regulation in pursuit of social objectives associated with the public interest, the role of citizenship in the liberal-democratic social enterprise, food industries and food safety, the Food Standards Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, the precautionary principle, regulation of mass media in the public interest, Public Service Broadcasting, and commercial freedom and democratic values.
Simone Cinotto
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037733
- eISBN:
- 9780252095016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037733.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter examines the layered worlds of the Italian food business and consumer marketplace in East Harlem. In order to understand the central role of food in the making of Italian American ...
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This chapter examines the layered worlds of the Italian food business and consumer marketplace in East Harlem. In order to understand the central role of food in the making of Italian American identity, it is necessary to look at how Italian American food entrepreneurs in New York sought to link food with ethnic identity. This chapter first discusses the history of American-made Italian food and food consumption among Italian migrants between 1890 and 1920, along with the development of the U.S. food industry at the turn of the twentieth century. It then looks at the emergence of a new generation of consumers and food businesses during the period 1920–1940. It also considers the marketing strategies of Italian food producers and the response of Italian American consumers in the interwar years in relation to ethnicity and modernity. It shows that the centrality of food created an entrepreneurial ethnic middle class based in the food trade, which nurtured—and in turn supported by—the symbolic connection between the consumption of Italian food and the construction of diasporic Italian identities.Less
This chapter examines the layered worlds of the Italian food business and consumer marketplace in East Harlem. In order to understand the central role of food in the making of Italian American identity, it is necessary to look at how Italian American food entrepreneurs in New York sought to link food with ethnic identity. This chapter first discusses the history of American-made Italian food and food consumption among Italian migrants between 1890 and 1920, along with the development of the U.S. food industry at the turn of the twentieth century. It then looks at the emergence of a new generation of consumers and food businesses during the period 1920–1940. It also considers the marketing strategies of Italian food producers and the response of Italian American consumers in the interwar years in relation to ethnicity and modernity. It shows that the centrality of food created an entrepreneurial ethnic middle class based in the food trade, which nurtured—and in turn supported by—the symbolic connection between the consumption of Italian food and the construction of diasporic Italian identities.
Roselyn Hsueh
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801449956
- eISBN:
- 9780801462856
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801449956.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Asian Politics
This chapter applies the strategic value framework to case studies of nonstrategic industries (consumer electronics, foodstuffs, and paper) to show that decentralized engagement is the dominant ...
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This chapter applies the strategic value framework to case studies of nonstrategic industries (consumer electronics, foodstuffs, and paper) to show that decentralized engagement is the dominant regulatory pattern in low-tech, labor-intensive industries. Consumer electronics ranks the highest in strategic value among the nonstrategic sectors surveyed. Despite its low strategic value for national security applications and medium rank in contribution to the national technology base, the most high-tech subsectors, including microelectronics, produce inputs and have applications for strategic industries, including telecommunications and transportation. The state adopted a more deliberate orientation toward the development of indigenous technologies and domestic industry in these subsectors. The state has extensively liberalized market entry and business scope in foodstuffs. It has also taken an incidental orientation toward paper since paper production has miniscule applications for national security and makes a small contribution to China's national technology base.Less
This chapter applies the strategic value framework to case studies of nonstrategic industries (consumer electronics, foodstuffs, and paper) to show that decentralized engagement is the dominant regulatory pattern in low-tech, labor-intensive industries. Consumer electronics ranks the highest in strategic value among the nonstrategic sectors surveyed. Despite its low strategic value for national security applications and medium rank in contribution to the national technology base, the most high-tech subsectors, including microelectronics, produce inputs and have applications for strategic industries, including telecommunications and transportation. The state adopted a more deliberate orientation toward the development of indigenous technologies and domestic industry in these subsectors. The state has extensively liberalized market entry and business scope in foodstuffs. It has also taken an incidental orientation toward paper since paper production has miniscule applications for national security and makes a small contribution to China's national technology base.
Melvin Delgado
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231160094
- eISBN:
- 9780231534253
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231160094.003.0005
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter examines the lack of healthy foods among people of color in low-income urban communities and its relation to the problem of obesity. It is not possible to view obesity from a ...
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This chapter examines the lack of healthy foods among people of color in low-income urban communities and its relation to the problem of obesity. It is not possible to view obesity from a socioecological perspective without an in-depth discussion of the instrumental role that the food industry has played, and continues to play, in this crisis. The chapter first considers the food industry as a source of food and employment before exploring how fast-food restaurants and convenience stores contribute to the problem of overweight and obesity. It also looks at the impact of “big box” stores such as Wal-Mart, the role of schools and government, and issues of food security and food justice.Less
This chapter examines the lack of healthy foods among people of color in low-income urban communities and its relation to the problem of obesity. It is not possible to view obesity from a socioecological perspective without an in-depth discussion of the instrumental role that the food industry has played, and continues to play, in this crisis. The chapter first considers the food industry as a source of food and employment before exploring how fast-food restaurants and convenience stores contribute to the problem of overweight and obesity. It also looks at the impact of “big box” stores such as Wal-Mart, the role of schools and government, and issues of food security and food justice.
Melvin Delgado
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231160094
- eISBN:
- 9780231534253
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231160094.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
A number of economic, cultural, and contextual factors are driving urban America's obesity crisis, which can create chronic health conditions for those least able to manage them. Considering urban ...
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A number of economic, cultural, and contextual factors are driving urban America's obesity crisis, which can create chronic health conditions for those least able to manage them. Considering urban obesity through a social justice lens, this book aims to help with the development of targeted interventions for effective outcomes. It dissects the problem of urban obesity among people of color from individual, family, group, community, and policy perspectives. Beginning with a historical survey of urban obesity in communities of color, anti-obesity policies and programs, and the role of social work in addressing this threat, the book follows with an analysis of the social, ecological, environmental, and spatial aggravators of urban obesity, such as the food industry's advertising strategies, which promote unhealthy choices; the failure of local markets to provide good food options; the lack of safe spaces for physical exercise; and the paucity of health education. It reviews recent national obesity statistics, explores the connection between food stamps and obesity, and reveals the financial and social consequences of the epidemic for society as a whole. It concludes with recommendations for effective health promotion programs, such as youth-focused interventions, community gardens, and community-based food initiatives, and a unique consideration of urban obesity in relation to acts of genocide and national defense.Less
A number of economic, cultural, and contextual factors are driving urban America's obesity crisis, which can create chronic health conditions for those least able to manage them. Considering urban obesity through a social justice lens, this book aims to help with the development of targeted interventions for effective outcomes. It dissects the problem of urban obesity among people of color from individual, family, group, community, and policy perspectives. Beginning with a historical survey of urban obesity in communities of color, anti-obesity policies and programs, and the role of social work in addressing this threat, the book follows with an analysis of the social, ecological, environmental, and spatial aggravators of urban obesity, such as the food industry's advertising strategies, which promote unhealthy choices; the failure of local markets to provide good food options; the lack of safe spaces for physical exercise; and the paucity of health education. It reviews recent national obesity statistics, explores the connection between food stamps and obesity, and reveals the financial and social consequences of the epidemic for society as a whole. It concludes with recommendations for effective health promotion programs, such as youth-focused interventions, community gardens, and community-based food initiatives, and a unique consideration of urban obesity in relation to acts of genocide and national defense.
Linda Argote and Eric Darr
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199248544
- eISBN:
- 9780191596155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199248540.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
Where is knowledge embedded in organizations? The chapter describes results on the persistence and transfer of knowledge in fast food franchises, and presents the results on the productivity of the ...
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Where is knowledge embedded in organizations? The chapter describes results on the persistence and transfer of knowledge in fast food franchises, and presents the results on the productivity of the franchises and on the timeliness of their service. It is shown that the qualitative evidence about where knowledge was embedded in the franchises suggests that knowledge gained from experience at the franchises was embedded in individual workers and in the organizations’ routines, structures, and technologies. It is argued that the fast food franchises were able to realize significant productivity gains in the face of extraordinarily high turnover because a significant component of the knowledge was embedded in the organization's structure and technology rather than in individual employees. Further, embedding knowledge in structure and technology appeared to facilitate the transfer of knowledge across organizations.Less
Where is knowledge embedded in organizations? The chapter describes results on the persistence and transfer of knowledge in fast food franchises, and presents the results on the productivity of the franchises and on the timeliness of their service. It is shown that the qualitative evidence about where knowledge was embedded in the franchises suggests that knowledge gained from experience at the franchises was embedded in individual workers and in the organizations’ routines, structures, and technologies. It is argued that the fast food franchises were able to realize significant productivity gains in the face of extraordinarily high turnover because a significant component of the knowledge was embedded in the organization's structure and technology rather than in individual employees. Further, embedding knowledge in structure and technology appeared to facilitate the transfer of knowledge across organizations.