Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Dining halls'

The residential meal experience has certain unique characteristics that can be attributed to both the socio-demographic profile of the student and the type of food service provided. These characteristics result in specific expectations that should be satisfied to meet the organisational and financial goals of the service provider and the University. The main challenges include addressing cultural diversity of captive consumers and providing for the specific needs of Generation Y. Globally there is an increased effort to determine the level of satisfaction of students with their meal experiences, in order to improve the food service provided. Limited research within the unique multi-cultural South African context; the changing demographic profile of Pretoria University students since 1996, and the increase in negative media reports regarding foodservice provided on campus motivated the urgent need for an investigation. The aim of this study was to describe the satisfaction of the University of Pretoria‟s residential students regarding their meal experience in terms of the food itself, the service and the ambience, in order to provide the University‟s Department of Residence Affairs and Accommodation with recommendations to improve the meal experience offered by taking into account the demographic profile of students. To obtain the relevant data to meet the stated aim, focus group discussions in which probing questions were asked of the participants were conducted in order to develop a questionnaire. Self-administered questionnaires were issued to a stratified random sample of 878 respondents from 22 responding residences. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. - vi - Results indicated that most respondents were satisfied with the meal experience. Respondents were most satisfied with the ambience and least satisfied with the food. Respondents were most satisfied with the sensory and portion size attributes, but least satisfied with the price attributes of the food. Respondents were most satisfied with the tangible and empathy attributes of the service and most satisfied with the cleanliness and neatness attributes of the ambience. Food was ranked as most important followed by service and ambience. Freshness, nutritional value and cost (value for money) were ranked the most important attributes of food. Operating hours and cleanliness (neatness) were ranked most important for service and ambience respectively. The food dimension was identified as a priority for improvement, specifically with respect to: the price of both booked meals and commercial items, regular incorporation of new menu items, healthy/nutritious food and variety of fruit and vegetables provided. Apart from the food attributes the availability of stock at item sales and the operating hours in general, were identified as attributes of the service requiring improvement. In addition, statistically significant relationships were found between satisfaction and specific profile characteristics such as ethnic group, gender and the number of years using a specific dining hall. The results of the open-ended question confirmed the findings of the rest of the questionnaire. This study has contributed to the limited literature on student satisfaction regarding their meal experiences at residential dining halls. Valuable recommendations for improvement of the residential meal experience were provided.
Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
Consumer Science
unrestricted

This is a one year half thesis. This research was conducted within the context of the food services sector of Higher Education Institution dining halls and in the midst of the rising global call for food resource management and food waste reduction. The main aim of this research therefore was to identify opportunities for learning and change for a more sustainable food economy, contributing to Education for Sustainable Production and Consumption, and by further implication, Education for Sustainable Development. To achieve this aim, I used Cultural Historical Activity Theory as theoretical and methodological framework; drawing on the second and the third generations of this theory. Implicated in the above research approach is the identification of expansive learning opportunities from the surfacing of ‘tensions’ and ‘contradictions’. In this case study of the Rhodes University Campus Food Services, such tensions and contradictions inhibiting a more sustainable food economy, involving food waste production were identified. To narrow the scope of the study, one dining hall formed the focus of the case, with a two phased research approach whereby one research question and three goals were developed for each phase. The former being the exploration phase and the latter being the initial stages of the expansive phase. Methods used in line with the methodological framework included ten individual interviews with food producers (staff members), nine focus group discussions with food consumers (students), observations of the dining hall activities which lasted for over a month and two ‘Change Laboratory Workshops’. Some of the findings of this research are that food wastage cannot be addressed and appropriately curtailed without an intensive consideration of all the stages of food economy. Multiple contradictions and sources of tensions embedded in the Food Services Sector constituted major causes of food waste. Additionally, the lack of substantial food waste related teaching and learning activities, the presence of disputed rules, institutional structure and traditional practices within the Food Services all exacerbated the tensions and contradictions. More so, prioritizing some of this identified contradictions and tensions hindering a more sustainable food economy and relegating some as unimportant or nonurgent is unproductive. Finally, the non-existence of facilitated deliberation, consultation, dialogue, collaboration between food producers and food consumers has been identified as an obstacle to learning and institutional change. Recommendations abound in re-orienting, re-educating, and re-informing the constituents of the food economy. Re-visiting and revising of rules and regulations guiding conduct of students and kitchen staff members in the RU dining halls, as well as revision of existing learning support materials and mediating tools in use is needed. Recognition and consideration of the concerns and interests of students and kitchen staff members are also needed. Finally, there is a need to continue to address the tensions and contradictions identified in this case study, to further the Expansive Learning Process if a more sustainable food economy at Rhodes University is to be established.

Thesis (Master of Community Planning)--University of Cincinnati, 2009.
Advisor: Johanna Looye. Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed Feb. 22, 2010). Includes abstract. Keywords: Food Systems; Local Food Systems; Dining Halls; Food Services; Higher Education Institutions; Waste Management Practices. Includes bibliographical references.

MBA Professional Report
The current Defense fiscal environment demands careful analysis of every dollar spent, and elimination of wasteful and inefficient practices. Over the last decade, the Air Force has closed 49 dining facilities, in many cases due to underuse. Recent graduate research has shown the potential for millions of dollars in savings as a result of closure and the resultant payment of Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) to all airmen in its place. However, no analysis has been performed on the potential impact of increasing dining hall patronage by allowing all base personnel (adding officers, civilians, and retirees) to make use of them when and where feasible. This project will examine this alternative course of action and quantify the savings associated with this possibility by considering additional food expenses and reasonable expectations for increased patronage by performing a business case analysis on the recent pilot program at the Sierra Inn at Travis AFB, CA. This business case analysis template allows for an objective assessment of that decision based on its net present value, and should be of value elsewhere in the Air Force in both the decision to implement the Food Transformation, and as a metric of effectiveness after implementation.

Background: With overweight and obesity rates steadily increasing, methods to reduce these numbers are being explored. Research has found that short-term, point-of-selection interventions are effective in improving the overall eating habits of college students. Objective: To examine how a point-of-selection intervention at The Freshman Dining Hall at Georgia State University (GSU) impacts student menu selections. Methods: All subjects used an electronic menu at the entrance of the GSU Freshman dining hall. During the baseline period, students selected the foods that they intended to eat during the meal. During the intervention phase, the menu view included calculated food health scores for each food/beverage item. Upon exiting the dining hall, students entered the foods that they actually consumed. Participants/setting: The study recruited freshmen students and student athletes who have an unlimited meal plan at the Freshman Dining Hall. Students under the age of 18 were excluded. Statistical analysis: Frequency analysis was conducted to describe the demographic and anthropometric characteristics of the population. Median entry scores were compared by demographic and anthropometric characteristics using the Independent Samples Median Test. Median health scores were determined at baseline and during the intervention phase for each meal. Median scores were compared using the Wilcoxon sign rank test to determine if there was a difference before and after the intervention. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v18.0. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: A total of 26 students participated in the study (46.7% female, 26.7% Caucasian). The mean age was 19 + 2.5 years and the mean BMI was 24.2 + 4.8 kg/m2. During the baseline period, the median health scores at breakfast, lunch, and dinner were 55.41 and 76.10 and 77.53, respectively. During the intervention phase, the median entry health score for breakfast and lunch were 68.33 and 73.88, compared to exit scores of 67.24 and 63.24, respectively. No exit menu items were entered for dinner during the intervention. The mean difference between the entry and exit health scores at breakfast was -1.1, while the difference at lunch was 4.54. Neither of the differences was statistically significant. Conclusion: The digital menu with point-of-selection health scores did not result in consumption of healthier foods, particularly at lunch. Additional point-of-selection nutrition interventions should be examined to determine what type of information is most effective with college students in the all-you-can-eat buffet style college dining hall.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-153).
Generally, an aim of the study was to establish the level of segregation among the students in the dining hall and to attempt to understand the motivations that establish and maintain such patterns. Students' level of intergroup contact and interracial attitudes were among the factors investigated for such motivations. With this, a further aim of the study was to establish whether the patterns observed were also patterns of friendship. If this were so, then a further aim of the study was to investigate the determinants of friendship for these students, generally, in order to ascertain the level of importance of race among such determinants. The analysis was focused around 10 specific objectives.

Resandet försiggår i korridorer och fickor - mellanrum mellan här och där. Präglade av flyktighet och anonymitet utgör dessa rum en optimal plattform för introspektiv aktivitet. På bussen, tåget, flygplatsen, hotellet är vi ensamma tillsammans.  Projektet utgår ifrån en teoretisk undersökning av hotell och andra icke-platser som det globala kommunikationssamhället bidragit till.  De temporära rum som resande och hotellvistelser erbjuder ger utrymme för oss att ifrågasätta och utvärdera oss själva och vår identitet. Undersökningen fokuserar på individens påverkan av att befinna sig på avstånd från ”verkligheten”. Mariefred lämpar sig synnerligen bra att placera ett hotell marknadsfört som en plats man kan söka sig till för att vara ensam tillsammans med andra och fullt ut tillåta sig själv att befinna sig i mellanrummet, både fysiskt och psykist. Ambitionen har varit att utveckla ett hotellförslag där arkitekturen - såväl visuellt som rumsligt och konceptuellt - förstärker och uppmuntrar till asocial samvaro och introvert utforskning.
Travelling takes place in corridors and pockets - spaces inbetween here and there. Characterized by volatility and anonymity, these rooms provide an optimal platform for introspective activity. On the bus, the train, at the airport, the hotel - we are alone together. The project is based on a theoretical investigation of hotels and other non-places that the global society of communications has spawned. The temporary rooms that traveling and hotel stays provide, create a platform for us to question and evaluate our selves and our identity.The investigation focuses on how individuals who find themselves at a distance from "reality" react and are impacted.  Mariefred is a particularly well suited location for a hotel that markets itself as a place one can go to to be alone togehter with others and to fully allow oneself to be in the between - both physically and mentally. The ambition has been to develop a hotel where the architecture - both visually, spatially and conceptually - enhances and encourages antisocial togetherness and introverted exploration.

This diploma thesis solves the construction and technological preparation of the production hall with administration building for company Mont-Tech localized in Brno. The following documents are processed for the project. These are: technical report, coordination situation with wider transport route relationships, time and financial plan for construction, study of the implementation of the main technological stages, design of site facilities, proposal of the main building machines and mechanisms, technological regulations and related control and testing plans. In addition were prepared – the itemized budget of the main buildings, the plan of safety and health protection and construction details.

abstract: Background In the United States (US), first-year university students typically live on campus and purchase a meal plan. In general, meal plans allow the student a set number of meals per week or semester, or unlimited meals. Understanding how students’ use their meal plan, and barriers and facilitators to meal plan use, may help decrease nutrition-related issues. Methods First-year students’ meal plan and residence information was provided by a large, public, southwestern university for the 2015-2016 academic year. A subset of students (n=619) self-reported their food security status. Logistic generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to determine if meal plan purchase and use were associated with food insecurity. Linear GEEs were used to examine several potential reasons for lower meal plan use. Logistic and Linear GEEs were used to determine similarities in meal plan purchase and use for a total of 599 roommate pairs (n=1186 students), and 557 floormates. Results Students did not use all of the meals available to them; 7% of students did not use their meal plan for an entire month. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, compared to students on unlimited meal plans, students on the cheapest meal plan were more likely to report food insecurity (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.2, 4.1). In Fall, 26% of students on unlimited meal plans reported food insecurity. Students on the 180 meals/semester meal plan who used fewer meals were more likely to report food insecurity (OR=0.9, 95% CI=0.8, 1.0); after gender stratification this was only evident for males. Students’ meal plan use was lower if the student worked a job (β=-1.3, 95% CI=-2.3, -0.3) and higher when their roommate used their meal plan frequently (β=0.09, 99% CI=0.04, 0.14). Roommates on the same meal plan (OR=1.56, 99% CI=1.28, 1.89) were more likely to use their meals together. Discussion This study suggests that determining why students are not using their meal plan may be key to minimizing the prevalence of food insecurity on college campuses, and that strategic roommate assignments may result in students’ using their meal plan more frequently. Students’ meal plan information provides objective insights into students’ university transition.
Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation Exercise and Nutritional Sciences 2019

This thesis investigates integration of University’s Dining Hall and Emergency Shelter in terms of their inter-related sustainability factors; the ability to take advantage of the site to harvest, store, grow and learn about all aspects of food production, and to provide a safe place to stay during times of emergency. The program, in addition to being a dining hall, is concerned with teaching about food science and culinary studies, relating to the agrarian history of the University of Massachusetts and bringing that history into the current moment with the resurgence of localized food production and in support of the UMass award winning dining halls. This program is designed for students to develop an understanding of food, water and environmental sustainable systems. Also in close relationship to the life essentials of food and water, this thesis addresses the need of the university to increase the existing shelter footprint on campus. Based on recent climate experiences, we acknowledge there will be times of severe weather which can threaten our safety or even lives. During power outages and dangerous conditions resulting from severe storms, tornadoes, or earthquakes, the university is working to be able to provide shelter for people from our community and ensure them with a well-equipped and warm place to stay. Lastly, the building is designed to have flexible spaces that can be programmed to house classes and events needed to provide learning and funding opportunities during summer time while the university is on break. All aspects of this design intertwine within each other creating an integrated system which is based on people, sun, and water circulation. The “systems” are designed to educate students as well as visitors; how to grow food, harvest green energy, and collect rain water for garden use. It gives a resource for food, energy and water on a daily basis while during emergency, crucial for survival.