Older Restaurant Managers 'More Risk Averse', Study Finds
UFSC study shows prolonged tenure leads managers to favour conservative actions.
Tempo previsto
16/4/2025
Reflection fosters vital dialogues, decrying nationalism's perils and seeking pathways towards lasting peace.
Wehad, at least I had, a great deal of hope that a miracle would be granted to us(have faith, my dear!), namely: to live without war, without bloodshed. Fromthe history of the scientific world, there's a special record (for me) of thishope, when Einstein and Freud exchanged letters under the title "WhyWar?". In general and specific terms, they concluded, from a provocationby the League of Nations (which would later become the United Nations –"damned communists!"), that the origin of war is patriotism.
WhenI speak of this subject, of a choice to be a pacifist, I encounter resistancefrom people of different schools of thought. Whether it's a simple man or anenlightened one, it is difficult to sustain the argument that peace depends ona large number of small and large sacrifices, and that raising a country's flagand calling it greater than others is a risk. More than quickly, theUkraine-Russia reality arises, by which one could ask "but what if acountry invades your territory?", and we fall into what I call"aiming for the bishop to hit the priest", which is to continue toaffirm: patriotism is the origin of war. Or wasn't it under nationalistfoundations that we committed shameful errors against life? Germany above all!Jews below the earth! How many millions died in Europe during World War II? Ina simple calculation, it was about three billion kilograms of human flesh thatrotted.
InUkraine today, did you also see on television bodies being thrown into massgraves? I even thought, on that occasion, "it must be archival footagefrom World War II."
InBrazil, a more sophisticated "nationalism", and with the consent ofpsychiatric medicine, murdered sixty thousand people in Barbacena (MG). Threemillion kilograms of human flesh that rotted. Of those who died in the Colôniahospital, about 70% didn't even have a diagnosis of mental illness. They diedbecause they were poor, because they were rebellious, because they becamepregnant by someone who couldn't disappoint their own conservative family. Thebodies were sold to medical schools, after dying on straw soiled with urine andhuman feces.
Butdespite all these things, we will have to talk every day (including withnationalists).
Atthe beginning of this text, I referred to a hope. I had in mind what was a kindof collective fantasy, there's probably an appropriate name for what happened,but I don't know what it is, that the first round of the elections would rid usof the outrage that is the Brazilian public stage of 2022.
Therewith your people, tell me, have you encountered depressed, anxious people,people losing their hair? Is it a consequence of the pandemic? Is it aconsequence of political polarization? The fact is that "women are goingcrazy, and there are legions of them weeding / The longing for their men". Whatever it was, or whoever was more or less responsible, we wanted it to beover. That was our sincere hope.
It turns out that it wasn'tlike that. We in journalism must talk daily about the substantial changes onthe public stage. Basic philosophy lesson: if a change is substantial, the pothas indeed soured for those who hoped to relive the plastic grandeur of thenews of yesteryear. Now, my dear, "grab" what will be fun: we willnecessarily overcome this difficult moment.
Leia insights sobre a interação de humanos com modelos de linguagem de IA, e sobre os ODS no Brasil. Lab Educação 2050 Ltda, que mantém este site, é signatária do Pacto Global das Nações Unidas.
War & extreme patriotism breed sorrow; demand compassionate exchange.
Daily talks of real change foster peace & communal belonging.
UFSC study shows prolonged tenure leads managers to favour conservative actions.
A recent study published in the *Revista Turismo, Visão e Ação* (RTVA) reveals that older managers with longer tenures in restaurants tend to be more risk-averse in their corporate decisions. The research, conducted by researchers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), analyzed data from over 2,000 restaurants in Europe between 2014 and 2016.
The study, titled "Influence of Management Team Characteristics on Risk Decision-Making: Evidence from the Restaurant Sector," utilized the Amadeus database and employed the least squares method to analyze the relationship between manager characteristics – age, tenure, gender, and team size – and the companies' level of financial leverage, used as a risk-taking indicator.
The results showed a significant negative correlation between the age and tenure of managers and their propensity for risk. Older managers and those who had held the same position for a longer period demonstrated a preference for more conservative decisions, opting to maintain the status quo rather than adopting innovative or risky strategies.
Contrary to some expectations, the study found no significant relationship between the size of the management team or female participation and risk-taking. Although previous research has suggested a possible influence of these factors, the data analyzed did not confirm this hypothesis in the specific context of the restaurant industry.
The authors suggest that the risk aversion demonstrated by more experienced managers may be related to the prioritization of stability and the reputation built throughout their careers. Familiarity with the sector and a concern to preserve accumulated gains may lead them to avoid decisions that represent potential threats to the business.
The study's findings have significant implications for restaurant management. The research suggests that the composition of the management team can directly influence the strategy and performance of companies. Restaurants with younger managers may be more willing to innovate and take risks, while those led by more experienced managers may prioritize stability and financial security.
The researchers highlight the need for further studies to deepen the understanding of the relationship between manager characteristics and decision-making in restaurants. Investigating psychological factors, such as individual risk tolerance, and analyzing data from a longer period could enrich the discussion and provide more precise insights for the sector.
Lack of updates and context erodes reader trust.
A journalistic suite is the continuation of a news story in new articles that update previous ones. Something like: "Two people were injured in an accident"; then, "Men injured in accident undergo surgery"; further, "Men injured in accident discharged from hospital"; and finally, "Company responsible for accident involving injuries fined." All these sensational headlines relate to the same original event.
Not every type of news warrants a continuation. Some events and accomplishments have the momentum for a single appearance. However, to appear once or several times in the newspaper, the "thing" must truly be news, which basically means it's not advertising or propaganda – but that's a topic for another time.
In terms of format, a suite is no different from a new news story. After all, a continuation only exists when a new fact is revealed. But it's in style, from what I've observed, that the "marmita das suítes azedou" – meaning why they've lost momentum in recent years. ("Marmita das suítes azedou" is an idiom meaning roughly that the suites have gone stale or lost their appeal).
Let's take a police investigation as an example. Journalism of both good and poor quality is interested in criminal stories. However, in both types of quality, a flavor of vice remains, perhaps originating from the pleasure of "scooping" (when a journalist is the first to report something). It's a haste that hinders more than it helps: not infrequently, versions are presented that collaborate with a story one wants to tell, which may have nothing to do with what actually happened.
In the case of Armed man threatens Black youth in São Paulo, and police officer refuses to act because she's 'off-duty'; watch video (sense-based translation), for example. This is a story that quickly captured the attention of journalists and the public because a video proves not only the omission of a police officer but also her aggression against a young man. Here, whether the police officer was right or wrong is not under discussion. At the same time, due to the lack of suites, the broader context of the three-minute video was missing.
A story told because of its intriguing nature can yield minutes of viewership and an increase in website visitors. However, without continuity, it's shooting oneself in the foot. In 2023, the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report identified that Brazilians' trust in journalism is 43%, a decrease of 19 percentage points since 2015. Statistically, the downward trend may reach 41% in 2024. In this scenario, all resources of intelligence and integrity are welcome to improve these numbers.
Suites are an opportunity to assure the public that editorial choices represent, even if against the majority view, the vehicle's commitment to a story told from beginning to end, with all its nuances. For this, the editorial line as a whole, and even more so the reporters and editors, must approach investigative activity with the detachment of recounting things as they are, and not as they should be.
