PLAN DE ESTUDIOS Y PLANIFICACIÓN DOCENTE DEL PROGRAMA DE POSGRADO Y FORMACIÓN PERMANENTE CON ESTRUCTURA MODULAR

In the current section of the chapter, the findings in terms of the respondents’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards food waste are presented. By way of using a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree, the respondents were asked to react to 26 item statements that were mainly linked to: the

intention to avoid food waste; the beliefs on food waste; the financial attitudes towards food waste; the behavioural control of food waste; the personal and subjective norms; the knowledge of food waste; and the efforts to decrease the amount of food waste. To facilitate the understanding of the results, the percentages recorded in terms of the ratings ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’, and ‘strongly disagree’ and ‘disagree’, respectively, were grouped together.

The intention to avoid food waste

Three statements were used to determine the respondents’ perceptions of the intention to avoid food waste, as can be seen in Table 4.11 below. In terms of the respondents’ efforts to waste no food at work (V1), the vast majority of the respondents (81.5%) agreed with the statement, with few (17.5%) rejecting the statement, and only 1.0% assuming a neutral position on it. Encouragingly, the respondents did have the intention to avoid food waste while at work, perhaps following the due processes and norms involved, or under the instructions that they received from their superiors. Besides the above, according to Marais, Smit, Koen and Lotze (2014), food personnel have a role to play in reducing the amount of food waste.

When the respondents were asked to react to the idea that they only took portions of food that they could consume (V2), the vast majority of the respondents (78.0%) agreed that they were careful in this regard, while some respondents (17.1%) rejected the idea. The remaining few respondents (4.9%) chose to remain neutral on the statement. According to Marais et al. (2014), reducing the amount of food waste starts with the individual initiative to check the portion that they consume. Papargyropoulou et al. (2017) mentions that food waste is intrinsically linked to the way in which organisations manage their employees, in terms of their provision of strategies and their creating of awareness of the consequences of such wastage.

Furthermore, the respondents in the study were equally enthusiastic, in that they tried as much as possible to produce very little waste in the area in which they worked (V3), considering that a similar number in terms of percentage to that in V2 (78%) agreed with the notion. Some 18.1% of the respondents rejected the statement, while 3.9% was unresponsive to it. Clearly, those employees who work in restaurants within hotels tend to display a generally positive attitude to food waste, suggesting that they intentionally make efforts to reduce the amount involved. Pirani and Arafat (2014) contend that positive behavioural intentions are an important indicator of successful waste management endeavours within a hotel. As Table 4.11 further shows, the highest mean score was for item V1 (M=3.86), with a standard deviation of 1.048, and the

lowest mean score was for item V3 (M=3.82), with a standard deviation of 1.009. In sum, the respondents were generally positive in their responses in the current section.

Table 4.11: The intention to avoid food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V1 I try to waste no food at work. 2.9 14.6 1.0 56.1 25.4 3.86 1.048 V2 I only take portions of food that I can consume. 0 17.1 4.9 55.6 22.4 3.83 0.966 V3 I try to produce very little food waste in my area. 1.0 17.1 3.9 54.6 23.4 3.82 1.009

Note: SD=strongly disagree, D= disagree, N=neutral, A=agree, SA=strongly agree, M=mean, STD=standard deviation

Personal beliefs on food waste

In terms of understanding the respondents’ personal beliefs on food waste, four statements were used, as are indicated in Table 4.12 below. The table shows that a large percentage of the respondents (77.5%) felt that it was unnecessary to waste food, and that such food could always be used in some way or other (V4). Some respondents (21.5%) did not agree with the statement made in such regard, while only 1.0% was neutral on it. According to Sealey and Smith (2014), food that is not consumed can always be used by tourism enterprises like hotels to feed the less fortunate, but it also could be recycled for compost. The reaction from the respondents in terms of the results mirror those that were obtained in the study conducted by Quested, Marshal, Stunell and Parry (2013), who showed that the majority of the respondents were found to be trying to prevent food waste by means of applying their belief in terms of saving any leftovers.

Furthermore, in response to whether the respondents considered it immoral to discard food while other people in the world were starving (V5), 78.6% agreed, while 15.6% disagreed, with the statement. The remaining 5.8% chose to be neutral in this regard. Hunger and starvation are a key concern that has received attention globally, and more specifically within the African context. Caraher and Cavicchi (2014) consider it to be ironical that food goes to waste, because hunger is one of the world’s biggest problems. The hunger that is experienced in South Africa is no exception, as there are still many families requiring donations of food on a daily basis, owing to poverty. The respondents in the current study could have been influenced by a personal experience of which they were aware, in addition to having a moral standing on the issue.

Not surprisingly, the fact that 83% of the respondents said that it upset them when unused products end up in the waste bin (V6), with the remaining 17% of respondents disagreeing with the statement. Clearly, the respondents in this regard displayed a sense of concern in terms of

food products that had been procured and not used, and in terms of such products that had been prepared for consumption and not consumed.

In relation to item V7, the majority of the respondents (73%) agreed with the statement “I feel that one person’s food waste can have a negative impact on the environment”, with some 23.5% indicating that they disagreed with it. As was the case with most of the other statements, very few of the respondents (2.9%) expressed their neutrality on the statement. The results obtained in the above regard portray a group of respondents who seem aware of the potential hazards that are associated with food waste. According to Warshawsky (2015), if food waste is not carefully reduced and managed, it could be detrimental to the environment, in that it could lead to food insecurity and methane production, which has been linked to climate change in recent times.

Overall, the respondents held a generally positive belief on food waste, with most recognizing the need to manage it for societal benefit. The highest mean score recorded was for item V6 (M=3.90) with a standard deviation of 0.990, indicating that the respondents were more positive with this statement, while the lowest mean was for item V4 (M=3.74) with a standard deviation of 1.047.

Note: SD=strongly disagree, D=disagree, N=neutral, A=agree, SA=strongly agree, M=mean, STD=standard deviation.

Beliefs regarding environmental sustainability

According to Babalola and Busu (2011), food waste is part of resource management, as well as being a moral problem that increases the amount of environmental pollution. Therefore, having an environmentally cautious business, as well as employees, is considered as a stepping-stone towards sustainability (Keyser, 2009). The current subsection of the results tested the respondents’ beliefs regarding environmental sustainability linked to food waste. Table 4.13 below shows that most of the respondents (64.8%) agreed to having an excellent understanding of environmental sustainability (V8), while 26.4% rejected the idea, indicating that they had only limited knowledge, or none, on the matter. A few of the respondents (8.8%) were not sure

Table 4.12: Personal beliefs on food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V4 It is unnecessary to waste food, as it can always be used in some way.

2.0 19.5 1.0 58.0 19.5 3.74 1.047 V5 It is immoral to discard food while other people in the world are

starving.

2.9 12.7 5.8 57.1 21.5 3.81 1.007 V6 It upsets me when unused products end up in the waste bin. 1.0 16.0 0.0 57.6 25.4 3.90 0.990 V7 I feel that one person’s food waste can have a negative impact on the

environment.

on the issue, and decided to be unresponsive to it. When a related statement was put forward to the respondents (V9), in terms of which they were asked to react to the statement that “environmental sustainability is important to me”, an almost identical percentage of the sample (64.9%) agreed with the statement, with slightly more than previously disagreeing with it (26.9%), or remaining unresponsive to it (8.2%). Although environmental sustainability is a complex issue for businesses to comprehend, with the recent focus on the combating of global warming and climate change, most hospitality and tourism organisations, including hotels, have sought ways of ensuring environmental sustainability through the designing and implementation of green strategies, as well as through creating awareness, and educating their employees, on the phenomenon (Sucheran, 2013). The employees within the Tsogo Sun Hotel Group might well have been exposed to key elements of environmental sustainability, leading to the positive responses received in such regard.

In response to the statement, “I feel one person’s efforts to decrease food waste can assist in improving world hunger”, 67.4% of the respondents agreed with the statement, while 25.2% disagreed with, and 7.4% remained neutral on, it. As such, the respondents in the current study clearly held the view that the efforts to decrease food waste might start with an individual, although some nuances were evident, when those who disagreed with, or remained neutral, on the issue were brought into the equation. According to Tielens and Candel (2014), individuals make up an organisation and a community, and therefore an individual’s efforts in terms of managing food waste might lead to a wider community effort.

Furthermore, the respondents tended to be more positive towards item V10, which received a mean score of M=3.64, with a standard deviation of 1.136. The lowest mean score was for item V8 (M=3.52), with a standard deviation of 1.055. However, the respondents were generally positive in terms of their beliefs towards the issue of environmental sustainability.

Table 4.13: Beliefs regarding environmental sustainability (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V8 My understanding of environmental sustainability is excellent. 1.0 25.4 8.8 50.2 14.6 3.52 1.055 V9 Environmental sustainability is very important to me. 1.0 25.9 8.3 44.4 20.5 3.58 1.112 V10 I feel that one person’s efforts to decrease food waste can assist

in alleviating world hunger.

2.0 23.2 7.4 43.8 23.6 3.64 1.136

Food waste and financial attitudes

Research has linked food waste to financial cost implications for hospitality operations, as food that is not consumed, but which is prepared for hotel guests, for example, tends to be discarded as waste, and does not bring in any revenue. As seen in Table 4.14 below, in response to the mooted notion that food waste is actually a waste of money (V11), the vast majority of the respondents (73.7%) agreed, with others disagreeing (21.5%) with it, while 4.9% did not react to the statement. Evidently, the respondents in the study held a belief that the wasting of food meant that money was being lost. The cautious nature of the respondents in this regard could be exemplified by the fact that hotel managers are increasingly seeking ways of reducing the cost of operations, including saving costs on food. Accordingly, the sustainable operational guidelines could have been enforced by the respondents, who, in turn, could have enforced their beliefs in this regard. Moreover, Bates and Phillips (1998) observe that the majority of the time, waste minimisation programmes in the hospitality industry can be enforced with little or no cost, but with huge environmental and financial gains.

In an interesting twist, the perception that, because restaurant guests pay for their meal, they thus cover the cost of their meal (V12), received somewhat of a mixed reaction from the respondents. While over half of the respondents (51.7%) agreed with the statement, the percentages of those who disagreed (45.4%) with it, and those who were neutral on it (2.9%), suggest some variation in the response. The little variance observed in terms of those who agreed and disagreed with the statement is reminiscent of the arguments made in relation to some moral issues, in terms of some existing debates surrounding plate waste in the restaurant context. The above illuminates the two school of thoughts existing on the issue in terms of those who argued that the cost of the food was irrespectively covered, and those who remained adamant that such food was wasted and could be used elsewhere. Whatever the case might be, Malgas (2016) advocates for the need to balance perceptions, feelings, and moral values with the reality in such regard.

Table 4.14: Financial attitudes towards food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V11 I think that wasting food is a waste of money. 0 21.5 4.9 44.4 29.1 3.81 1.082 V12 I think what guests pay for their food covers the cost of what is

thrown away.

7.8 37.6 2.9 40.0 11.7 3.10 1.246 V13 Saving my employers money does not motivate me to throw away

less food.

1.0 38.0 4.9 40.5 15.6 3.32 1.164 V14 I rarely think about money when I throw away food. 13.7 22.4 1.0 46.3 16.6 3.30 1.348

Despite the respondents in the current study mostly suggesting that wasting food is wasting money (see V11), it was interesting to observe a slight shift in terms of their perception, when they were asked to react to the statement that “saving my employers money does not motivate me to throw away less food” (V13), with 56.1% of the respondents agreeing that such was the case, in comparison to the 39.0% who rejected the statement. Only 4.9% of the respondents were not able to react to the statement, and remained neutral on it. It would seem, therefore, that the efforts in terms of food waste management from hotel restaurant employees were not particularly aimed at saving money for the hotel per se, but might rather have been attributed to the moral beliefs associated with food waste.

Unsurprisingly, most of the respondents (62.9%) said that they rarely thought about money when throwing away food (V14). As a considerable number of the respondents (36.1%) disagreed with the statement, it would be plausible to deduce that the action of disposing of food waste might not be linked to the cautiousness of the cost implications involved. However, the number of respondents who rejected the statement reaffirmed the trends in terms of the results that had been largely positive regarding food waste management. Furthermore, the above reaffirms that the respondents in the study were more positive in terms of financial attitudes and food waste that wasting food amounted to wasting money, which recorded the highest mean score (M=3.81), with a standard deviation of 1.082. The respondents were circumspect about the idea that the amount that was paid by the guests covered the food that was thrown away (M=3.10).

Perceived behavioural control of food waste

According to Lindgreen et al. (2009), there is a need for the detailed analysis and study of waste, of waste creators’ behaviour, and of attitudes concerning successful strategy creation, as well as the implementation of waste management, staff behavioural patterns, and whether such food waste could be limited. According to Bates and Philipps (1998), enforcing strategies of minimising food waste could be done through the adequate training of employees. In line with the aforementioned author, the majority of the respondents (67.4%), as seen in Table 4.15. agreed that their current employer provided some form of training that influenced the hotel staff to be cautious in terms of minimising food waste (V15). Additionally, 28.7% of the respondents felt that such was not the case, perhaps highlighting the existing gaps that might have existed in terms of the strategies employed by hotels to combat food waste, and to obtain the buy-in or understanding from a cross-section of the employees. The mean score for the statement was M=3.59, with a standard deviation of 1.137.

Table 4.15: Perceived behavioural control of food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V15 The hotel trains staff to be conscious of not wasting food, 1.0 27.7 3.9 45.9 21.5 3.59 1.137

Note: SD=strongly disagree, D=disagree, N=neutral, A=agree, SA=strongly agree, M=mean, STD=standard deviation

Subjective norms of food waste

To further probe the behavioural patterns of employees in relation to food waste, Table 4.16 below presents the results in terms of which the respondents were asked to react to the notion of whether or not their colleagues found their efforts to reduce food waste unnecessary (V16). Surprisingly, a considerable number of the respondents (62.9%) agreed with the statement. The finding raised concerns in terms of the collective drive made to limit the amount of food waste occurring in such a context. However, it could rather be possible that the respondents had a more introverted belief as far as food waste management was concerned, or that the employer’s food waste management initiative was ineffective at capturing the imagination and buy-in from the targeted collective. The idea was reinforced by the considerable number of respondents who rejected the statement (27.3%), or who were neutral on it. Accordingly, Brodbeck (2002) asserts that, within such a context of food waste management, employees should be continuously informed of the do’s and don’ts linked to food waste as “a matter of stipulated practice and training”.

Table 4.16: Subjective norms relating to food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V16 Colleagues find my attempt to reduce the amount of food wasted unnecessary.

2.9 24.4 9.8 52.2 10.7 3.43 1.063

Note: SD=strongly disagree, D= disagree, N=neutral, A=agree, SA=strongly agree, M=mean, STD=standard deviation.

Personal norms

Some personal norms have been attributed to food waste management behaviour and attitude, as suggested by the literature review chapter (see, for example, Quested et al., 2013; WRAP, 2011b). Table 4.17 below shows the findings that were recorded regarding the hotel employees’ personal norms on food waste. Item V17, “I feel bad when food is thrown away”, revealed that the vast majority of the respondents (81.4%) displayed such a feeling, as did those respondents (73.7%) who felt obligated not to waste any food (V18). However, although 66.4% of the respondents indicated that it was contrary to their principles to discard food (V19), the percentages recorded in terms of those who rejected the statement (27.7%), and those who chose to take a neutral stand (5.9%) on the issue cannot be overlooked. Additionally, a significantly higher percentage of the respondents (82.0%) indicated having been raised to have the belief that food should not be wasted, and currently lived according to such a principle (V20). This

high percentage recorded in such respect represented some level of inconsistency with the respondent’s previous responses regarding food waste. The above further highlights the complexities that are associated with food waste behaviour, in terms of principle and actual practice. Quested et al. (2013) contend that food waste behaviour and norms should not be viewed as a single behaviour, but, rather, as a set of multiple behaviours that can either increase or reduce the likelihood of the quantity of food being wasted. The mean scores for the dimension in terms of the personal norms were generally positive, with the highest score (M=4.01) being recorded for item V20, with a standard deviation of 0.970. The lowest mean score was obtained for item V19 (M=3.56), with a standard deviation of 1.007. As such, the respondents could be described as having been more influenced by their upbringing in terms of their behaviour of food waste than otherwise.

Table 4.17: Personal norms regarding food waste (n=105, in %)

V# Item SD D N A SA M STD

V17 I feel bad when I throw food away. 0.0 17.6 1.0 52.1 29.3 3.93 1.003 V18 I feel obliged not to waste any food. 0.0 22.4 3.9 53.2 20.5 3.72 1.003 V19 It is contrary to my principles when I have to discard food. 0.0 27.7 5.9 48.8 17.6 3.56 1.007 V20 I have been raised to believe that food should not be wasted, and I

still live according to the principle.

0.0 14.1 3.9 48.8 33.2 4.01 0.970

Note: SD=strongly disagree, D=disagree, N=neutral, A=agree, SA=strongly agree, M=mean, STD=standard deviation.