Introduction
The business to research is Slow Food Cleveland, a branch of the Slow Food USA non-profit organization. The movement began in Italy in the 1960s to protest the globalization-influenced trend of fast-food restaurants with the same range of dishes instead of the traditional choices (Slow Food USA, n.d.). The organization expanded worldwide with its followers promoting the necessity of respecting local cuisine to support agriculture, values, small businesses and unite people in cooking and eating.
Slow Food USA (n.d.) mission states that it “reconnects Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food.” Indeed, throughout its existence, the Slow Food Movement created engagement programs, organized gatherings to address nutritional and environmental issues, and helped protect local natural products manufacturers.
In Cleveland, the organization works on creating a solid network of farmers, stores, restaurants, and supply chains to support the local production and hold the state’s cuisine traditions. Slow Food Cleveland (n.d.) claims that “we aim to encourage a strong network of food visionaries in Cleveland that bring our culinary, agricultural, and educational sectors to life.” The organization is registered as a non-profit, is located in Cleveland, OH, has more than a thousand members, and receives donations continuously (Slow Food Cleveland, n.d.). Today, it does not establish any live gatherings due to the pandemic, yet it commonly supports local cuisine restaurants, conducts planting and farming events, and promotes Cleveland’s food manufacturers.
The Research Issue
Slow Food Cleveland’s activities are related to local agriculture and food production, therefore research is a profound approach to explore the movement’s impact on these industries’ issues and development. Such study is important for the state’s regulators as it would provide evidence about the needs of farmers and small businesses and reveal the consequences of national food chains’ prioritization (Slow Food Cleveland, n.d.).
Consequently, updates such as tax changes or employment enforcement can be applied for local manufactures to improve Cleveland and Ohio’s economy. The research question is “How does the Slow Food Cleveland movement impact Ohio’s local manufacturers?” Studying the organization’s activities from the perspective of its influence on farmers’ prosperity is necessary to understand if non-profits make a considerable change. Moreover, Slow Food is an international movement, therefore Cleveland’s experience can be compared to the United States statistics and, for example, European ones.
The Database
For the literature review and further information retrieve, several economic databases are required to explore. For instance, academic studies related to the local food industries of the United States can be found at Econlit – The American Economic Association’s electronic bibliography and financial statements can be explored at Thomson One. A more precise base for the research is the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s data, which includes information about registered manufacturers and their value. Lastly, Slow Food’s official statistics and events reports can be retrieved from their website and included in the research. Databases’ structure is different, therefore it is crucial to set a separate approach for collecting information that correctly identifies samples’ characteristics and results. The sources mentioned above include different data scopes necessary to conduct an objective and evidence-based study with valuable conclusions.
Based on the data gathered for the research, a new database about Ohio’s local food manufacturers can be created. Its design would include the farm or facility’s name, location, number of employees, range of products, distribution, and revenue to calculate and assess its impact on the local economy. The database with a scope of different information is beneficial for further ordinal and nominal data assessment and statistics creation (Meier et al., 2014). The new collection of records would then be adjusted by adding Slow Food’s reports about the facilities they collaborated within Ohio and the changes in the latter’s revenues and production outcomes.
The Research Methodology
Stratified sampling is the most convenient research methodology to explore Slow Food’s impact on Ohio’s local manufacturers. The method offers to divide a population into groups based on a specific characteristic, making a study more accurate and reducing sampling bias (Meier et al., 2014). Ohio’s farms and food manufacturing facilities that are supported by the movement would form the first group, the second would receive the organization’s patronage, and the third one would be a control group with no interventions. This sampling approach is necessary to make the results objective and generate workable recommendations for local food manufacturers and the Slow Food movement’s supporters.
Multiple descriptive statistics can be generated based on the population study with a control group, intervention, and an initial goal to evaluate the latter’s impact on subjects. For example, the number of farms that collaborate with local grocery stores and restaurants can be calculated, or facilities Slow Food movement does not support yet might need to. Besides, inferential statistics that provide specific conclusions about samples and dependable variables can be retrieved from such research (Meier et al., 2014). With a t-test performed on the results, the study would assess if the movement impacts Ohio’s facilities and economy.
Ethical Considerations
The research requires to retrieve various types of information, therefore ethical issues might occur and must be timely addressed. Indeed, research ethics encourage scientists to be objective in their findings and provide honest statistical conclusions that would not harm society (Meier et al., 2014). The subjects must be fairly selected, and in the given research proposal, it is crucial to retrieve the group to be patrolled by the Slow Food movement, excluding any specific interest from any side. The possible ethical issues are the questionable scientific validity, the lack of independent review, and the inclusion of data subjects that have not agreed to be used (Meier et al., 2014).
The considerations can be addressed before the actual research and statistics generation. Indeed, validity can be proved by mentioning previous similar studies, other non-profit organizations’ representatives can become independent reviewers, and sensitive data inclusion can be discussed by contacting the subjects. Moreover, the research description can include ethical questions’ analysis, facilities, and the movement’s representatives can be offered to sign informed consent.
Ethical considerations regarding the data report and conclusions of the study are also critical as they can limit a study’s usability. Descriptive statistics are claimed to be a reliable source of data used by the press, government, and social organizations to provide evidence about businesses’ activities (Meier et al., 2014). Consequently, it would be ethically correct to inform the facilities included in the scope of data about the results and numbers before they are officially published. Slow Food Cleveland will also be required to provide information about their expenses related to the research to the members. It is ethically important to consider all limitations that might harm the study’s outcomes because the non-profit organization’s funding will be involved.
References
Meier, K. J., Brudney, J. L., & Bohte, J. (2014). Applied statistics for public and non-profit administration (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Slow Food Cleveland (n.d.). Slow Food Cleveland. Web.
Slow Food USA. (n.d.). About Slow Food. Web.