Time as an issue in food shopping and meal preparation

Abstract

C. MadranTime as an Issue in Food Shopping and Meal Preparation ABSTRACT TİME AS AN ISSUE İN FOOD SHOPPİNG AND MEAL PREPARATİON PREPAREDBY CANAN MADRAN SUPERVISOR Prof. Dr. MUSTAFA MAZLUM Within this study, ` Time as an Issue in Food Shopping and Meal Preparation` will be discussed. The study begins by providing introductory information about ` time` and ` various research done on time`. This section offers a general overview of the literatüre related to `time`. A significant amount of variance in food shopping goals and behaviours remains unexplained. Shopping goals and behaviours are related with parterns of family influence, decision making, and task assumption, ör sharing, and therefore can be explained only by a detailed investigation of family structure and behaviour as it relates to meal preparation and food shopping. This research will determine, whether time-pressured consumers (e.g. employed women) do many things the same way their mothers did ör whether they are highly organised in their approach to a variety of household tasks. From the literatüre review, brief information about time, time orientation, time attitude of consumer, time-styles and life-styles has been obtained, in order to clarify the terms that will be used in the whole study. The main purpose of the literatüre review is to provide a discussion on the relationship between `time orientation`, 5C. MadranTime as an Issue in Food Shopping and Meal Preparation `time perception` and the food purchase and use behaviour of consumers. `Time` will be examined as both duration and succession based in case of food purchase and meal preparation behaviour of consumers. Food purchase and meal preparation of households will be examined in detail by using the massive literatüre about contemporary home economics research, mainly concentrated on the increasing participation of women in the labour force. in short, this research will try to clarify the dimensions of the relation between time perception, time orientation, food purckase and meal preparation behavioıır of consumers. Öne of the signifıcant results, which has been found is that traditional role orientation is öne of the strongest attitude in Food Shopping ( FS ) & Meal Preparation ( MP ). According to Dorian and Tucci (1992) traditional oriented consumers, even though they are time-pressured, do not generally prefer convenience food. They state that in attempting to adhere to their traditionally prescribed roles, women especially try to accomplish house-wife tasks with minimal reliance on convenience goods and for these women the use of such food would indicate a lack of ability to manage her set of roles effectively. This explanation is supported by the findings of this research. in the research reported here attitudes to time are argued to have five different components, the relative domination of duration and succession as two different concepts of time, and the three factors of time orientation, past, present, and future. Three difFerent aspects of attitude towards food shopping and preparation are investigated, an enjoyment of cooking, and a traditional orientation and a modern (role sharing) attitude to the linked activities. The results of a questionnaire survey are presented, the analysis of which confirms some of the hypothesised linkages 6C. MadranTime as an Issue in Food Shopping and Meal Preparation between attitudes to time and attitudes to food shopping and preparation. Past orientation correlates with traditional views on food shopping and preparation but modem vievvs on the activities do not correlate with having a duration perspective of time. Holding traditional views does correlate with seeing time as succession ( a series of events).Those with a duration perspective do not enjoy cooking vvhile those with a past orientation do. Cluster analysis using the 8 different factors identifıed two different groups, typified by their past and present orientations and each of the three attitudes to food shopping and meal preparation. No differences between the groups existed on demographic variables such as age, gender, whether the respondent had paid work and housing type (which is accepted as a representative geodemographic variable in England). No differences existed in their ownership of time saving consumer durables. Öne group clearly saw mealtimes as signifıcant activities and they enjoyed cooking. A substantial group in society do stili see food shopping and meal preparation as important activities. While such individuals may be subject to modern-day pressures they stili appear to organise their time to maintain a traditional perspective. The implications for food retailers and other marketers are considered. 7