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Price discounting strategies for suboptimal food perform an essential part in reducing food waste. This study provides new information empirically estimating discounts for levels of apple injury and deformity consistent with United States Department of Agriculture definitions using a Discrete Choice Experiment with Californian consumers. Latent Class Modelling identifies consumer segments with differing preferences for injury and deformity, alongside social responsibility and environmental claims. While discounts range substantially across segments, levels of deformity negatively influence choices more than equivalent levels of injury. Required discounts can be reduced by the presence of beneficial credence attributes, particularly an organic claim. We find a segment of respondents indifferent to suboptimal characteristics and requiring no discount to select suboptimal apples. These consumers have stronger preferences for environmental and social attributes, are more likely to be female, more educated, younger and concerned about genetic engineering. Preferences for social responsibility claims vary over the targeted beneficiaries, with programmes focused on workers preferred more overall. Willingness-to-pay for greenhouse gas reductions are relatively diminutive; however, 83% of the respondents support at least moderate reductions. This study contributes to understanding behaviours towards suboptimal food and is beneficial to forming food waste reduction strategies by identifying discount levels across consumer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millennials are the largest demographic segment in the USA and have gained market share of high-frequency wine drinkers while Baby Boomers and Gen-X generations share has fallen. This demographic evolution focuses attention on understanding Millennial wine drinkers' preferences. At the same time the wine industry has seen significant establishment of sustainable certification systems as preferences for sustainability have developed and been recognized as an avenue for product diversification. This paper reports on a discrete choice experiment with the objective of comparing generational preferences for individual components of sustainability schemes active in the Californian Sauvignon Blanc market. We find significant attribute preference differences over age cohorts. Millennial consumers are willing to pay significantly more for sustainability attributes than both Gen-X and Baby Boomers. While Baby Boomers place more emphasis on country-of-origin attributes than either Gen-X or Millennials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preliminary analysis of business environmental discourses formed during the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is described. The analysis proved that business interest groups viewed their involvement with WSSD as a successful endeavor.

The concept of 'responsible innovation' is the subject of an expanding literature. As Vincent Blok and colleagues have recently analysed, practical issues undermine the adoption of responsible innovation in industry. These issues are intensified for agri-food producers who export a large proportion of their production to distant consumers, as is the situation in New Zealand. Even in this case, however, this study reports evidence that final consumers of agri-food products in five of New Zealand's key export markets value credence attributes produced by responsible innovation and that this has the potential to increase returns to the country's domestic producers. A national movement of New Zealand agribusiness leaders is pursuing this vision, but further research is needed to understand how responsible innovation can operate in global agribusiness value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choice experiments are used to assess consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for different food attributes worldwide. These studies also include credence attributes which are the product attributes that are not immediately observable to consumers without appropriate information and labelling, such as animal welfare, food safety, and social responsibility. Although choice experiment application has considered many of these attributes, studies focused on social responsibility are scant. Building on previous work comparing developed and developing countries, this paper focuses on WTP estimation for social responsibility. Surveys of fruit and vegetable consumers were conducted in United Kingdom (UK), Japan, India, and Indonesia in 2015. Results indicate WTP for an increase from minimum to improved standard for social responsibility ranges from 16% to 30% (median), and 6% to 26% (median) from improved to a high standard. Premiums vary between countries but, overall, demonstrate the significant importance of social responsibility consideration in consumer choices. Significant differences on WTP were observed between Japan and other countries, as well as between UK and Indonesia for the improved social responsibility standard, and across UK, Indonesia, and India for the high standard. Findings contribute to increasing understanding of consumer preferences across countries, revealing significant preference heterogeneity towards social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined consumer attitudes towards attributes in food and beverages in China, India, Indonesia, Japan and the UK. The attributes included basic attributes such as price and quality, but also extended to food safety and health benefits, as well as environmental and social attributes. The importance of factors affecting key attributes were examined in more detail. The study used a webbased survey with 1,000 middle and upper income consumers in each country. In addition, the potential economic impact of agricultural returns of different levels of premiums for food attributes in the EU and New Zealand were examined using the partial equilibrium Lincoln Trade and Environment Model (LTEM). This study found that consumers from developing countries valued food attributes more than the developed countries. Trade model projections showed an important impact on the agricultural sectors in the EU and New Zealand from the different levels of premiums for food attributes in selected overseas markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to offer some insight from an evaluation that explored the viability, usefulness and potential of the online platform SocialLearn in providing an online community for Open University Associate Lecturers (part-time teaching staff). Findings from two focus groups and a staff survey highlighted both the potential of an online community and the barriers to successful implementation. In applying a qualitative analysis of the 'Communities of Inquiry' (CoI) framework, the pilot project highlighted the importance of social presence and cognitive presence, with minimal elements of a teaching presence within the online staff community. Key learning outcomes around privacy, usability and multi-level communications were found to be central in creating a successful online academic environment for teaching staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the second of a two-part exploration of the question of biopolitics and its importance to social geography. First, this paper examines two main threads-biopolitical geopolitics and vital geographies-to think about the different ways this analytical register has been applied. Next, we draw on our own research and that of others to suggest the possibilities for an affirmative biopolitics. Finally, we contend that geography is well-placed to continue pushing the boundaries of biopolitical research, with particular reference to an area that has received little attention thus far: biopolitics and the non-human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first of a two-part exploration of the significance of biopolitics to the study of geography. Our first paper surveys the emergent field of biopolitics by looking at the philosophical underpinnings of the concept and some of the ways in which scholars, including geographers, have utilized the concept as an analytical tool. Throughout the papers, we make the argument for a greater degree of empirical rigor and conceptual clarity in the way the term biopolitics is deployed and operationalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One group of discourses often neglected within the study of international environmental politics are those of business actors. Comparing two key events in international environmental politics, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 2002 Johannesburg Earth Summit, provides an excellent opportunity to examine the changing character of business discourse over time. This article systematically analyses and compares the business-environment discourses of two books written for the summits respectively, representing the view of the international business community: Changing Course (1992) and Walking the Talk (2002). The comparison of both texts reveals some continuity but also major changes. One area of continuity is that business discourses on the environment attempt to mask a traditionally antagonistic view of environmental issues. Major changes include an increasing willingness to reach accommodation with environmental non-governmental organizations and a desire to overcome business's traditionally defensive, reactive role. Characterizing this is the adoption of a proactive approach to shaping the international environmental agenda. The article also discusses the significance of these findings for our understanding of the environmental role of business in a globalized society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This community-based early diagnosis programme is reaching a deprived population. • The programme detected lung cancers at an early stage, 76% at stage I or II. • The earlier detection implied a projected 22% decrease in risk of death from lung cancer. This Liverpool Healthy Lung Programme is a response to high rates of lung cancer and respiratory diseases locally and aims to diagnose lung cancer at an earlier stage by proactive approach to those at high risk of lung cancer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the programme in terms of its likely effect on mortality from lung cancer and its delivery to deprived populations. Persons aged 58–75 years, with a history of smoking or a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 2 2 COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. according to general practice records were invited for lung health check in a community health hub setting. A detailed risk assessment and spirometry were performed in eligible patients. Those with a 5% or greater five-year risk of lung cancer were referred for a low dose CT 3 3 CT, computed tomography. scan. A total of 4 566 subjects attended the appointment for risk assessment and 3 591 (79%) consented to data sharing. More than 80% of the patients were in the most deprived quintile of the index of multiple deprivation. Of those attending, 63% underwent spirometry and 43% were recommended for a CT scan. A total of 25 cancers were diagnosed, of which 16 (64%) were stage I. Comparison with the national stage distribution implied that the programme was reducing lung cancer mortality by 22%. Community based proactive approaches to early diagnosis of lung cancer in health deprived regions are likely to be effective in early detection of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]