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As communities experience social problems that negatively impact residents' health and well-being, there is a growing need for unique, innovative solutions to address them. Researchers are increasingly studying social problems, especially those that require localized solutions. This article introduces Social Entrepreneurial Action Research (SEAR), a research process that uses social enterprises to advance an iterative cycle of research insights leading to business innovations. SEAR is driven by community stakeholders, grounded in research, and focused on ongoing societal transformation. This article describes the SEAR process and its theoretical foundation and demonstrates its application using a case study that provides illustrative examples from a social enterprise as it went through the stages of the process. SEAR is a method that can be used to address social problems with localized solutions that are community-based and long-lasting, and that result in societal transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although past research has spent considerable effort identifying competencies and academic activities that are associated with workplace readiness, the literature is largely silent regarding what might best serve as evidence to employers that a graduate possesses specific marketing competencies. In the current research, we develop a comprehensive set of evidence items that serve as potential signals of specific macro and micro competencies demanded for marketing graduates' employability. Specifically, we first systematically compile a list of evidence items and then explore what employers perceive to be compelling evidence of graduates' competencies. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to capture and compare multiple evidence items related to academic curriculum, standardized measures, experience-based indicators, and the social-collaborative media environment and connect them to specific competencies as signals of workplace readiness. This research provides insights regarding how marketing curriculum should be leveraged in terms of assessments and deliverables that could be used by students to signal workplace readiness to employers.

The objective of this study was to observe parent-child interactions in "tiendas," limited assortment food stores catering to Latinos in the United States, and to examine the extent to which child involvement influenced these interactions and their purchase outcomes. Two confederates, one posing as a "tienda" employee and one posing as a customer, observed the entire shopping trip of 100 Latino parent-child (mean age = 8 years) dyads and coded the following: number and type of parent- and child-initiated request interactions, types of purchase influence attempts used by children and how parents responded, and whether the product was purchased. Level of child involvement was examined as a potential influencing factor on purchasing. The observations were relatively short (mean duration of 10 minutes), reflecting the "quick trip" nature of the observed shopping trips. From the 100 parent-child dyads, 144 request interactions were observed, and among dyads with at least 1 request interaction during the shopping trip, the average number of request interactions per dyad was 2. Children initiated most of the request interactions by asking for a product or simply placing it in the basket; parents initiated 24% of the request interactions. Child involvement in shopping and checkout were associated with spending and purchase outcomes. These results indicate that children and parents influence each other during grocery shopping, and children who are more involved have greater influence over purchases. Furthermore, this study identified a number of targets for future family/parent and consumer food environment interventions.

Low-income communities often lack access to supermarkets and healthy foods. Enhanced stocking requirements for staple foods for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-authorized retailers may increase availability of healthy foods in smaller stores which are prevalent in low-income areas. This study aimed to evaluate the extent that small food stores located in low-income areas met the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2016 final rule on SNAP-authorized retailer stocking requirements, which increased the minimum number of required staple food varieties from three to seven for each staple food category, required a depth of stock of three units of each variety, and increased the required number of categories with perishables from two to three. A multisite research project was conducted in 2017. Nine research teams located in seven U.S. states audited the availability of perishable and nonperishable staple foods and beverages in 351 small food stores in low-income areas. Analyses determined the extent to which stores met all or part of the stocking requirements and tested differences by store type. 30.2% of stores met all of the 2016 final rule requirements; 86.3% met the requirements for fruits and vegetables, whereas only 30.5% met requirements for dairy. 53.1% of non-chain small grocery stores met all requirements compared to 17.1% of convenience stores (p <.0001). Less than one half of the food stores audited met the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2016 final rule that would expand SNAP-authorized retailer stocking requirements suggesting that, if implemented, the rule may generate increased offerings of staple foods in small stores in low-income areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Latino parent–child interactions about foods and beverages requested in food retail environments in San Diego, CA. It seeks to extend our understanding of parent–child request interactions and purchases by studying how the number of product request interactions and purchases differ based on four factors that have been understudied in previous parent–child interaction research: parent gender, child gender, product healthfulness, and who initiated the request interaction (parent or child). By unobtrusively observing Latino parent–child dyads for the duration of a brief shopping trip, we found that parent and child gender are related to the number of request interactions initiated by parents and children. For gender-specific child-initiated request interactions, sons initiated more request interactions with fathers while daughters initiated more request interactions with mothers. Most request interactions were for products that were categorized as calorie dense, and a higher percentage of these products were purchased as a result of parent-initiated (vs. child-initiated) request interactions. The results provide important considerations for practitioners and researchers working on improving nutrition and reducing obesity. Assumptions about who is influencing whom in food store request interactions are challenged, requiring more research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Restaurants are playing an increasingly important role in children's dietary intake. Interventions to promote healthy ordering in restaurants have primarily targeted adults. Much remains unknown about how to influence ordering for and by children. Using an ecological lens, the present study sought to identify sources of influence on ordering behaviour for and by children in restaurants.Design: A mixed-methods study was conducted using unobtrusive observations of dining parties with children and post-order interviews. Observational data included: child's gender, person ordering for the child and server interactions with the dining party. Interview data included: child's age, restaurant visit frequency, timing of child's decision making, and factors influencing decision making.Setting: Ten independent, table-service restaurants in San Diego, CA, USA participated.Subjects: Complete observational and interview data were obtained from 102 dining parties with 150 children (aged 3-14 years).Results: Taste preferences, family influences and menus impacted ordering. However, most children knew what they intended to order before arriving at the restaurant, especially if they dined there at least monthly. Furthermore, about one-third of children shared their meals with others and all shared meals were ordered from adult (v. children's) menus. Parents placed most orders, although parental involvement in ordering was less frequent with older children. Servers interacted frequently with children but generally did not recommend menu items or prompt use of the children's menu.Conclusions: Interventions to promote healthy ordering should consider the multiple sources of influence that are operating when ordering for and by children in restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Away-from-home eating is an important dietary behavior with implications on diet quality. Thus, it is an important behavior to target to prevent and control childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions. Numerous studies have been conducted to improve children's dietary intake at home, in early care and education, and in schools; however, few studies have sought to modify the restaurant food environment for children. This study adds to this body of research by describing the development and launch of an innovative intervention to promote sales of healthy children's menu items in independent restaurants in Southern California, United States. Methods: This is a cluster randomized trial with eight pair-matched restaurants in San Diego, California. Restaurants were randomized to a menu-only versus menu-plus intervention condition. The menu-only intervention condition involves manager/owner collaboration on the addition of pre-determined healthy children's menu items and kitchen manager/owner collaboration to prepare and plate these items and train kitchen staff. The menu-plus intervention condition involves more extensive manager/owner collaboration and kitchen staff training to select, prepare, and plate new healthy children's menu items, and a healthy children's menu campaign that includes marketing materials and server training to promote the items. The primary outcome is sales of healthy children's menu items over an 18-week period. In addition, dining parties consisting of adults with children under 18 years of age are being observed unobtrusively while ordering and then interviewed throughout the 18-week study period to determine the impact of the intervention on ordering behaviors. Manager/owner interviews and restaurant audits provide additional evidence of impact on customers, employees, and the restaurant environment. Our process evaluation assesses dose delivered, dose received, and intervention fidelity. Discussion: Successful recruitment of the restaurants has been completed, providing evidence that the restaurant industry is open to working on the public health challenge of childhood obesity. Determining whether a restaurant intervention can promote sales of healthy children's menu items will provide evidence for how to create environments that support the healthy choices needed to prevent and control obesity. Despite these strengths, collection of sales data that will allow comprehensive analysis of intervention effects remains a challenge. Trial Registration: NCT02511938. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]