Two experts,three opinions: volatile organic compounds’ testing methods and regulative systems

As a result of the implementation of the CE-marking in the European Union, the testing method as defined in prEN 16516 is about to become the new volatile organic compounds (VOC) testing standard and replace a multitude of testing methods and regulative systems in Europe that assess the existence of VOC in building materials, including wood-based materials. The aim of this study is, first, to compile expert positions regarding testing methods and regulative systems for VOC in wood-based materials, and second, to examine the suitability of using an Argument-Delphi approach to point out consent or dissent regarding testing methods for VOC. A systematic content analysis of initial interviews with 13 experts produced 130 arguments which were subscribed to 13 categories, resulting in 6 potential positions of which 5 were actively taken by experts. While the second step was undertaken as a cross verification of the analysis, the experts were asked to choose a final position as a last step. It was observed that several experts changed their initial position to testing methods and regulative systems for VOC, but still without a consensus arising within the expert panel. Hence, the results of the study reveal that no verifiable consent exists within the group of experts—neither concerning testing methods, nor regulative systems. The Argument-Delphi approach applied constitutes a useful method in pointing out dissent between the experts towards a legal requirement like a European standard.     

A comparative analysis of experts’ and consumers’ perceptions of regionality in Australian wine purchase decisions

This study provides insight into consumers’ perception of regionality when purchasing regional wine in terms of regional specialisation for style, volume of production of the wine style, quality of the wine, heritage of the wine region and the distinctiveness of the wine styles produced in the wine regions of Australia. Data were collected from 203 Australian wine consumers through an online survey. The study compares the results of this study with Easingwood et al. [2011. The drivers of wine regionality. Journal of Wine Research, 22(1), 19–33.] study on experts’ opinion of regionality drivers. This paper will expand knowledge on how consumer involvement levels impact decisions relating to purchasing regional wine. This study is of value to academics and wine practitioners alike. It contributes to the wine literature by providing a new perspective on consumers’ perception and draws attention to the risk of drawing conclusions about wine consumption based on experts’ opinions as being reflective of the average consumers’ purchase decision-making.     

What is gastronomy? An exploratory study of social representation of gastronomy and Mexican cuisine among experts and consumers using a qualitative approach

The aim of this work was to explore, based on language of experts and consumers, how they define the concept of gastronomy and Mexican cuisine applying the Theory of Social Representation. Gastronomy has become very relevant in the recent years and numerous researches on the matter have been published. Likewise, gastronomy has become one of the main drivers for tourists to travel to a certain destination, such as Mexico, whose traditional cuisine has been included within the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. This research was carried out in two phases: the first one through 22 semi-structured interviews with chefs who work in public and private schools of gastronomy in Mexico, and the second one through a convenience sampling in Central Mexico with a sample of 329 Mexican consumers. Information was obtained through Open-Ended questions, Word Association technique (WA) and Free Listing (FL) task. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed through content analysis. The words or terms obtained from the WA were grouped into categories by means of lemmatization process. Through FL, there were obtained the main foods, ingredients or dishes of Mexican cuisine and Cognitive Salience Index (CSI) was calculated. Results of this research establish that gastronomy is a complex concept and that the social representation of chefs and consumers are related with traditional and human aspects, sensory characteristics of foods, apart from techniques, methods and forms of food preparation. In this sense, the categories, foods, and ingredients that characterize Mexican cuisine are discussed based on the language of experts and consumers applying the Theory of Social Representation.