Introduction
Many companies implement various strategies that are geared towards boosting their success. For instance, some engage in establishing a culture or an atmosphere that is in tandem with their mission and vision while others emphasize the need for engaging their workers who are regarded as crucial assets that have the potential of turning companies into global giants. Google LLC, which forms the basis of discussion in this report, is an international organization located in Mountain View, California. The company’s mission is to supply consistent, timely, and worthy information to users from all over the world. Hence, following the key role that the concept of employee engagement is perceived to play in influencing organizational performance, this report aims to develop a critical understanding of contemporary factors required for leading and managing employees efficiently for continued organizational economic performance, competitiveness, and success. The objective is to find out the link between workers’ level of engagement and organizational performance. From the findings, this report will recommend mechanisms that the chosen company can deploy to change the prevailing levels of employee engagement and, consequently, organizational productivity.
Literature Review
The Concept of Employee Engagement
According to Boddy (2016), the need for continued profitability and business sustainability in today’s competitive world has forced many organizations to review their practices. For instance, the last few decades have been marked by companies’ heightened emphasis on culture transformation, including a change in the manner they handle or value their human resources. According to Padhi and Panda (2015), Saks’ conceptual framework on employee engagement (see Figure 1) offers a better starting point. The model reveals the outcomes that organizations may record when they provide or fail to avail of various elements that constitute employee engagement.
Organizations around the globe are currently assessing the role of workers in enhancing their continued achievements. Varied opinions that arise in many forms, including a mention of culture change, remuneration packages, and work-life balance imply that indeed companies view employee engagement from diverse perspectives (Phelps 2016). Allen (2014) presents workplace engagement as the emotional dedication that human resources express towards their companies, including the measures they adopt to guarantee institutional success. For example, Apple’s appreciation of the invaluable input of engaged workers forced it to adopt the 360o-engagement strategy that embraces the link between zealous workers, client attraction and retention, and, subsequently, organizational performance (Madan 2017; Boddy 2016).
In my judgment, Allen’s (2014) definition of the concept under investigation is detailed because it captures elements that engaged workers display in a company. For instance, his view of employee engagement emphasizes the aspect of emotional devotion that is comprised of components such as care, allegiance, passion responsibility, and results from delivery (Allen 2014). Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank (2017) present an analogous perception of the concept, although their view is focused on the organization, as opposed to workers. In this case, the authors depict employee engagement as the strategies that a company establishes to create a culture whereby its human resources always wish to go the extra mile to deliver their mandates in line with the set goals and objectives. Padhi and Panda’s (2015) conceptual employee engagement framework (see Figure 2) is a combination of Allen (2014) and Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank’s (2017) definitions of the concept.
The above model points to the mutual positions that companies and their workers hold in enhancing employee engagement. Consequently, the HR department is tasked with ensuring that workers are fully engaged and that the respective organization avails the necessary support to facilitate the achievement of this goal (Jindal, Shaikh & Shashank 2017). For example, the HR unit at General Electric (GE) has ensured that the company’s EcoAwards initiative that forms part of its employee engagement efforts is executed consistently for at least five years (Condon & Holdredge 2017). Such campaigns have enhanced employees’ commitment towards realizing the company’s goal of decreasing the levels of harmful gasses that have been released into the atmosphere to the extent of ruining the environment through global warming. Other authors define employee engagement as “the sense of purpose” (Simpson 2016, p. 1) expressed by the workforce towards a company’s mission.
It is crucial to note that the above diverse views regarding the concept of employee engagement are designed in a manner that matches particular companies’ specifications. Hence, although the available literature presents a general view of what employee engagement involves, the existence of distinct cultures that define the operations of particular companies implies the need for organizations to tailor their employee engagement strategies to reflect their mission and vision statements (Boddy 2016). According to Phelps (2016), employee engagement does not occur by chance. It follows a series of consistent efforts such as culture customization and structural modifications that companies put in place to maximize employees’ input while ensuring that they feel as crucial assets that keep them (organizations) operational and reputable. As will be revealed in the next section, organizations that implement employee engagement programs are driven by the desire to attain higher performance.
Discussion
The Relationship between Employee Engagement and Google’s Performance
Allen (2014) reveals that indeed employee engagement has a substantial bearing on a company’s performance, profitability, and, consequently, competitive advantage. Google appreciates the critical role of workers in realizing this goal. The company is ranked among the top-performing businesses in the world (Phelps 2016). Workers from different sectors agree that Google has one of the best working environments. Such a workplace setting encourages the company’s workforce to remain engaged and focused on its mission and vision of availing consistent and valuable information to the global population. Google has demonstrated that everything good in a company comes at a cost.
The organization is the international leader in terms of the expenses it incurs for the sake of its employees. In my opinion, the company’s recognition of an employee even after their passing away by extending decade-long financial support to their survivors is among the key elements that drive employee engagement and competitiveness in the organization. Such a notch-higher acknowledgment of the value of a worker, whether living or dead, places Google at the top-most position globally regarding its extent of implementing employee engagement strategies and, consequently, the reason why it is still the world leader in terms of performance. Consequently, in this report, it is imperative to examine the link between the levels of employee engagement and the organization’s performance, productivity, and competitive advantage.
The study by Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank (2017) reveals that organizations, which acknowledge the need for maintaining high levels of workers’ engagement, usually record exemplary performance and profitability. However, in my opinion, the research has the limitation of failing to specify what “high-level performance” entails. The authors needed to include specific elements that constitute high and low-level performance to help interested companies such as Google to gauge the extent to which they have implemented their employee engagement strategies.
According to Simpson (2016, p. 1), “Increased levels of engagement lead to better organizational performance”. The author’s research seals the gap identified in Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank’s (2017) study because it introduces a model, namely, Employee Engagement Index, which other organizations can use to assess their degree of investing in this concept. It also includes universal elements such as workers’ perceptions of their companies’ bosses that constitute employee engagement. Consequently, with the help of the framework, Google has managed to determine areas that need improvement to attain the required engagement levels. The company’s competitive advantage is linked to its employee wellness, nutrition, training and development, and even health schemes among others, which it has initiated to keep its employees engaged and committed to its mission.
Nonetheless, the article by Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank (2017) confirms the existence of a connection between workers’ engagement, client devotion, and institutional profitability. Google has realized the impact that a welcoming environment has on its employee engagement levels. According to Phelps (2016), the company’s efforts to implement employee-focused programs are founded on its motto of evading immoral actions because they hinder business productivity. In particular, the company’s Chief People Manager, Laszlo Bock, was quoted saying, “It turns out that the reason we’re doing these things for employees is not that it’s important to the business, but simply because it’s the right thing to do” (Phelps 2016, para. 3). Hence, in line with Mishra, Sharma, and Bhaskar’s (2015) observations, Google’s employee engagement strategies have boosted its competitive advantage and, consequently, it is global standing.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Regarding the objectives raised earlier in this report, it is confirmed that employee engagement is a crucial approach that contemporary companies are emphasizing to enhance their performance and productivity levels. The models discussed concerning the concept of employee engagement suggest the central role that employees and employers play in achieving the above goal. Nonetheless, from this research, one learns that organizations cannot attain the recommended employee engagement levels if they are not ready to invest massively in their workers who are key assets that drive their (organizations) profitability and performance agendas.
However, the findings from Saks’ framework indicate the consequences that companies may incur if they fail to implement appropriate employee engagement initiatives. Although the company has been consistent and effective in executing employee engagement programs to the extent of being ranked among the top-performing organizations globally, it is not prone to the above consequences. This claim is based on the recent turnover witnessed in 2009 whereby some of its key employees such as Elliot Schrage relocated to the company’s rival, Facebook. Additional 100 workers were retrenched during the same year. Hence, as a way forward, the company may need to:
- Upgrade its current HR system that may be interrupting its employees’ engagement levels, especially the continuous hiring of new workers. By reducing the tension that piles up among the existing labor force when new workers are hired, the company may witness an improved performance.
- Revise its remuneration packages to seal gaps that may have informed top workers to opt for quitting to other organizations. Such a move will ensure that it always enjoys the services of its highly valued managers.
- Establish a particular limit of employees or a particular timeframe that should lapse before hiring new workers. This strategy will not only cut its recruitment costs but will also ensure that the company has more time enhancing the experience and, consequently, the productivity of its existing pool of employees.
Reference List
Allen, M 2014, Employee engagement – A culture change, Web.
Boddy, D 2016, Management: an introduction, 7th edn, Pearson, London.
Condon, A & Holdredge, P 2017, 5 ways companies can weave sustainability into their DNA, Web.
Jindal, P, Shaikh, M & Shashank, G 2017, ‘Employee engagement; tool of talent retention: study of a pharmaceutical company’, SDMIMD Journal of Management, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 7-16.
Madan, S 2017, ‘Moving from employee satisfaction to employee engagement’, International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 46-50.
Mishra, B, Sharma, B & Bhaskar, A 2015, ‘Predictors of employee engagement: the case of an Indian PSU’, The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 469-478.
Padhi, B & Panda, A 2015, ‘A study on employee engagement models for sustainability of organisation’, International Journal of Research and Development – A Management Review, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 79-85.
Phelps, S 2016, ‘Learning from Google: 15 ways to drive employee engagement’, Purple Goldfish, Web.
Simpson, H (ed) 2016, Federal employee engagement and performance: trends, drivers, and value of outcomes, Nova Science Publishers, New York, NY.
Steve Jobs And Ethical Philosophical Explanations
Ethics in the most basic terms refers to the philosophy of morals. This discipline provides basis on which individuals make decisions; before one takes a given action, he or she must deliberate on expected outcomes to know whether the action is right or wrong.
Morality is relative, what a given society would consider moral could not be moral to another society. This relativity in the definition of the philosophical term makes its understanding and undertaking a lot more complicated. But in the management of a workplace, there seems to be a single guideline of how firms require their staff to handle themselves. However, in the process of such profit-generating activities, diversity would affect how they handle either their clients or colleagues at the workplace. These two greatly affect the outcome of transactions they carry out for the firm. Steve Jobs is an epitome of an ethical individual.
Several philosophical theories have been created by great historical philosophers to explain the whole concept of ethics, especially at workplaces. Below is a discussion of some of these models and how they reflected on Steve Job’s life.
Virtue ethics is one of the theories espoused upon by Socrates and Aristotle. This theory considers self-knowledge as being necessary for success and naturally an essential good (Peel, 2002). At the workplace, an employee must first understand himself or herself. In the process of this self-understanding, one evaluates themselves to realize the things that they have for a long time considered normal and how they would be perceived by those around him. Most importantly, the individual is to consider how his mannerism is likely to impact the productivity of the firm.
Self-understanding plays a key role in determining the type of employees that the firm hires. The human resource department in every organization is mandated with the recruitment of people; this is an undertaking that requires a lot of psychological understanding. An employee must possess all the qualities required in the workplace. The determination of this reflection solidly lies on the personalities at the department of human resource. Hiring individuals who do not understand themselves and the prospective clients of the firm would lead to malpractices in the firm that would consequently result in failures.
The reputation of the firm is of great value for its performance. How people perceive a given organization goes a long way in determining whether it succeeds or fails. The reputation for which a given firm is known can be developed by employees that the firm hires. Theft and embezzlement are one of such features that leads to direct loss of the firm’s funds and soils the reputation of the firm. An employee who steals the firm’s funds is the one without ethical values; such an employee puts his own interest first and gives himself the instinctive consideration that ought to have been directed at the well being of other employees that the firm has. Such employees are said to be selfish of being a vice in many societies. A selfish person is the one who has not carried out the self-evaluation and considered the effects of their actions, especially on how their actions would impact those around them. In public institutions, people embezzle funds which are bad because such funds are meant to benefit the general public. A single person gains millions of dollars while an entire society that ought to have benefited from the money through road repair are forced to go for another complete year on a pothole thronged road (Dyche, 2001).
Stoicism is yet another philosophical explanation of human behaviour. The Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, explains that the greatest good that one can ever do is gratification and tranquillity. This theory would be used to further explain negativities thefts’ acts and embezzlement in institutions. An individual who risks his life stealing from the firm that has employed him is the one who is not doing good to both the firm and himself.
Those who ascribe to this belief call for self-acceptance of a person’s self. With acceptance comes loyalty, and one who has accepted himself will appreciate the role that he plays for the firm. People send their applications enthusiastically for different positions in a firm, and once they qualify for these positions and are hired, stereotypes begin arising around the job descriptions they are hired to undertake. The negative stereotypes would affect productivity, and employees who undertake assignments grudgingly would not give effective result to the firm. This sluggish attitude comes as a result of a lack of self-acceptance and tranquillity. Employees who have understood themselves and are at ease with their responsibilities in the firm are easy to manage as they require little supervision. Furthermore, these individuals are contented with the pay packages that the firm offers them and they can not engage in any acts of corruption or trade any of the firm’s credentials to unauthorized persons (Newell, 2003).
In most organizations, there is a unilateral flow of information. Decisions are made by the board of governors, and the daily production decisions are made by the chief executive officer or the managers. These decisions are communicated down to the junior staff members hierarchically. Employees who understand the philosophy of stoicism would not nag their managers and would not question the information given provided the official modes of communication are employed. They move with agility and complete the tasks required out of them.
Customer relations require lots of restrain and decorum. These two principles can only be understood by individuals who have ethical values. Respect is a fundamental value in the manner an employee handles a client, especially new clients of the firm. The manner in which one is treated in the firm would go a long way in determining whether he comes back to seek the firm’s services or not. Most business ventures exist to make profits and for sustainable profit generation, one would need and effective customer loyalty list. The attainment of a loyalty list would not materialize if the customer relations desk treats customers who make enquiries at their desk carelessly (Kellar & Michael, 2012). Every customer who makes a phone call to the company is unique and expects unique type of service. This makes the phrase “a good service” relative. What one client considers good would not be good to the next client. However, the customer relations officer is expected to satisfy all these individuals.
Security is vital for survival of all business ventures. The security of work place can easily be jeopardized by employees of the firm. It therefore calls for high ethical standards of the staff members. Employees can leak information of the firm to outsiders who can in turn use the information to black mail the firm and extort it millions of dollars. Those who are satisfied by the operations of the firm would not leak such information to a third party. Employees should derive satisfaction from the positions they hold in the company. However, job satisfaction is influenced by a number of factors; the management is partly to blame in case employees do not find their current positions satisfying. The policies that govern the work place must be competitive yet humane enough to offer satisfaction to all the employees of the company.
The general environment within which the employees work would be very fundamental in determining whether employees are satisfied. A work environment in which nobody notices the effort put by every employee to enhance productivity would demoralize the same employees. Managers must, therefore, take keen interest in the firm’s daily activities staff.
Recognition is a great motivator to humans and it does not necessarily require material gifts but pleasantries as words of gratitude can motivate one to feel a sense of belonging to the workplace. With the sense of belonging instilled in the employee, there is a great likelihood of them developing a feeling of loyalty to the firm and they can passionately defend the undertakings of the firm. Such an employee would never leak out information of the firm to outsiders.
Secrecy and confidentiality are an attribute of ethics at the work place that must most definitely be up held. No client would appreciate a firm that easily leaks out the details of his transaction to any other person. This is also related to security. It is, therefore, a requirement that every employee who comes into contact with the client in the process of the transacting business keeps the details of the transactions as secretive as it would be possible. Some customers would request for privacy owing to the uniqueness of the operations that the firm runs and the type of relationship that they have with the firm. Such request must be respected and necessary filing system put in place to handle them. However, care must be taken so as to ensure that malicious clients do not collude with the firm through confidentiality and anonymity requirement to dupe the general public (Anderson & Carol, 2002).
In retrospect, ethics is a requirement of morality that is rife in every aspect of human life. Steve Job’s explanations and life offer general guidelines on morality and ethics. He believed in tranquility and truthfulness; virtues that ethics espouses to self satisfaction and comes from deep within. They are also key attributes that Steve was proud of. This meant that he could hardly indulge in derogative actions that would soil his dignity. He explained that satisfaction originated from two different channels. It comes from individuals, majorly determined by the beliefs of the person and their goals in life. The other way is derived from the work place. This is normally of more value as the work place offers employees a ground to realize his or her dreams and life objectives. The work place satisfaction is a responsibility of the management. Conditions which the management put in place largely affect how employees perceive their places of work. This determines whether they are satisfied with the firm or not. Should they be satisfied, they act with decorum and restrain. However, if the opposite is the case, then they would be tempted to engage in dubious undertakings that would taint the firm’s reputation. Managers are, therefore, responsible for the levels of ethical standards in their firms.
My greatest role model has indeed been Steve Jobs. The aspect and explanation of self satisfaction is absolutely convincing and is greatly relevant to the type of life I would like to live. I am an adult, however, my life reflect events that happened with me as a child and as a young man. I believe that finding me aligned to Steve Job’s explanations on morality and ethics would not be hard, I was born from self respecting parents and was thus brought up in the same way. Self respect and self satisfaction are some of the attributions that Steve Jobs held dear in the course of his life. That would make me grow into a highly principled man; principles define an individual’s personality as Steve Jobs offered in his exemplary life.
I believe in respect to the authorities and would carry out my duties as required without nagging at managers. The satisfaction that I will build around myself will be effective. Before applying for a position I would consider my qualifications and thereafter apply for those positions that are of similar stature to my academic credentials. Lack of satisfaction arises when one begins to feel under utilized. With that catered for, I would ensure that any other factor that would affect my comfort at the work place, is raised with the necessary head of department and a solution to my discomfort is found within the appropriate time. Lack of communication has always been the cause of complains in places of work. But should there be effective channels through which the managers listen to the grievances of their subordinates, instances of dissatisfaction would not occur.
Fundamentally, should I find a work place unsatisfactory and try my best to change it but fail, then I would simply resign from my position and seek employment elsewhere. This is better than staying put in an exploitative place as it would prompt one to begin engaging in malicious deals which would contradict the societal norms.
References
Anderson, K. and Carol K.( 2002). Customer Relationship Management. New York: McGraw- Hill.
Dyche, J. (2001). The CRM Handbook: A Business Guide to Customer Relationship Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Addison-Wesley.
Kellar, G. and Michael W. (2012). Satisfaction and repurchase intention: B2B buyer-seller relationships in medium-technology industries. Academy of Information and Management Sciences Journal, 14.2, 55-69.
Newell, F. (2003). Why CRM Doesn’t Work: How to Win by Letting Customers Manage the Relationship. Princeton, NJ: Bloomberg Press.
Peel, J. (2002). CRM: Redefining Customer Relationship Management. Woburn, MA: Digital Press.
Costly Healthy Food And State Policies
Introduction
Proper nutrition, as it is known, is an integral component of good health. Due to a large assortment today, it is not difficult to choose the products that are most useful for the human body and to follow a correct diet. Nevertheless, the cost of healthy food, as many have noted, is sometimes too big, and ordinary consumers cannot always afford to buy these or other products. At the same time, unhealthy food, which the body does not need at all, has, as a rule, quite an affordable price, which encourages people to buy it.
It is possible that the cost of healthy food is one of the central problems because of which the demand for products, for example, with a high content of vitamins or useful elements falls. Therefore, the high price of goods that many nutritionists call healthy is more a market than a state decision, which allows trade representatives to earn substantially at the expense of residents who are worried about their health.
High Cost of Healthy Food: Reasons and Outcomes
Modern market laws provide for constant monitoring of the needs and requests of consumers, and manufacturers and distributors react instantly to any changes in the interests of buyers. A rather logical and well-known economic scheme is also presented in the sphere of food: the higher the demand, the greater the cost of goods. Widespread enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle and the desire to eat properly inevitably affects the pricing policy for food products. Typically, marketers are aware that many people will buy useful products no matter how much they cost. The desire to have a beautiful body has its consequences: the cost of goods with a high content of vitamins and beneficial minerals inevitably grows in contrast to those products that are classified as affordable.
It is quite easy to trace this assumption on the example of children’s goods. As Daniel (2016) notes, in families with low incomes, parents tend to buy their children those products that they like. Adults do it usually so that the child does not feel deprived. At the same time, the products themselves are often unhelpful and quite when it comes to their cost. In families where the income level is above the average, parents have the opportunity to buy more expensive and healthy food for the child, and many manufacturers rely on this target group (Daniel, 2016). A high cost of useful food products is explained by the fact that the demand for these goods is unstable; therefore, marketers set an appropriate price minimum, thereby emphasizing the quality and benefits of some specific products.
The reasons for this policy are quite ambiguous. If people buy exclusively affordable and cheap food, which, as a rule, are of little use to the body, they will not get proper vitamins and other vital elements. It is possible that the purchase of expensive goods will improve health, which will also have a positive impact on the country’s budget. However, such a price policy, in its turn, automatically excludes citizens with low income from the ranks of consumers of quality products since the cost of such food sometimes is too expensive for many. Therefore, a peculiar conclusion that can be drawn is that a healthy nation is more likely wealthy than the poor.
Today’s Relevance of the Issue
The modern craze for a healthy lifestyle is the reason that many people spend quite a lot of money every month on expensive food. At the same time, the cost of these goods usually does not become lower, which is quite understandable and logical from the marketing point of view. According to Rao, Afshin, Singh, and Mozaffarian (2013), even a minimal reduction in the cost of those goods that are in demand among supporters of healthy food will save a significant part of their financial resources.
The authors also note that this issue must necessarily be considered at the state level since the health of the nation is the immediate task of the government (Rao, Afshin, Singh, & Mozaffarian, 2013). Appropriate measures can make a significant contribution to the healthcare system of any country and give all citizens, without exception, the opportunity to eat correctly and not too expensively.
The enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle is actively promoted almost everywhere: in the media, in advertising campaigns of trade producers, in cinemas, etc. The desire to look beautiful and feel good is a natural person’s desire, but such an opportunity is available to everyone.
According to Jones, Conklin, Suhrcke, and Monsivais (2014), the government should pay attention to this issue because a rapidly growing price gap between various categories of food products does not allow many low-income population strata to buy some goods of appropriate quality. Moreover, companies that produce cheap and affordable products with low levels of nutrients also systematically promote their goods among consumers, forcing them to pay attention to their production. The enthusiasm for high-calorie food inevitably leads to various health problems, and today, more and more people are aware of the need to eat correctly and to comply with appropriate diets and regimes.
Correlation between High Food Cost and Health Promotion
As many doctors note, proper nutrition is often the guarantee of good health and well-being. When buying useful products, people thereby receive many valuable vitamins and microelements that necessary for the normal functioning of the body. However, because of the high cost of many such products, it becomes quite problematic to maintain an appropriate physical form. According to Talukdar and Lindsey (2013), a substantial percentage of modern Americans suffer from obesity.
Most nutritionists usually advise to reduce the intake of high-calorie foods and pay more attention to useful products. Nevertheless, because of the high cost, it is quite hard for many people to buy such food. Moreover, the same authors note that a large number of products in grocery stores are not useful (Talukdar & Lindsey, 2013). It means that the choice of suitable products is also of great importance.
The relationship between the high cost of healthy food and state policy is that, as a rule, those products that have the highest price are the most useful and nutritious. It is unlikely that the government deliberately regulates the cost increase for such goods. However, no one can prohibit marketers from setting certain price limits, which leads to the fact that expensive products are the most useful and recommended by dieticians and doctors.
Possible Ways to Solve the Problem
The choice of the right products can help maintain a healthy lifestyle without spending too much money. Consultations with experienced physicians will be useful since experts can choose a proper diet and calculate the necessary amount of food that is required in a particular case. According to Carlson and Frazão (2014), healthy diets are quite affordable, but people should be aware of what products they need, and without which it is entirely possible to live. It will help to save money and not spend it on expensive but not very necessary products.
Also, it is essential to look for opportunities to purchase products at affordable prices, for example, in markets or from farmers. Large trading networks usually put a high cost, which is due to the need for profit. If the buyer chooses not an expensive store, the price of useful products will undoubtedly be quite affordable. Moreover, farms usually offer environmentally friendly goods, which is an additional incentive to buy quality food. It is not so important where the products are purchased, and it is significant that they are healthy and not harmful.
Conclusion
Thus, the high price of products is likely to be more marketing than a state decision, and one of the fundamental reasons for it is the willingness of sellers to get as much profit as possible. The urgency of healthy nutrition issue is confirmed today by the attempts of many people to improve their way of life. Numerous advertising campaigns that promote healthy eating force consumers to pay attention to useful products, which, as a rule, cost a lot. Experienced nutritionists can help to make the list of the most suitable and at the same time affordable food products. Buying goods from trusted sellers will help avoid the risk of overpayment and the purchase of substandard food.
References
Carlson, A., & Frazão, E. (2014). Food costs, diet quality and energy balance in the United States. Physiology & Behavior, 134, 20-31.
Daniel, C. (2016). Economic constraints on taste formation and the true cost of healthy eating. Social Science & Medicine, 148, 34-41.
Jones, N. R., Conklin, A. I., Suhrcke, M., & Monsivais, P. (2014). The growing price gap between more and less healthy foods: Analysis of a novel longitudinal UK dataset. PLOS One, 9(10), 32-38.
Rao, M., Afshin, A., Singh, G., & Mozaffarian, D. (2013). Do healthier foods and diet patterns cost more than less healthy options? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open, 3(12), 43-51.
Talukdar, D., & Lindsey, C. (2013). To buy or not to buy: Consumers’ demand response patterns for healthy versus unhealthy food. Journal of Marketing, 77(2), 124-138.