Scientific papers (EPF)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://dspace.rta.lv/handle/20.500.12169/74

Browse

Browsing Scientific papers (EPF) by Department "Faculty of Engineering"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 25
  • Publication
    Analysis of factors affecting zero-waste food consumption in schools
    (2022)
    Deksne, Juta
    ;
    Litavniece, Lienīte
    ;
    Zvaigzne, Anda
    ;
    Lonska, Jeļena 
    ;
    Kodors, Sergejs
    The research aims to identify the factors affecting food waste and waste generation in schools and, consequently, barriers to zero-waste food consumption based on a systematic review of literature for the period 2015-2022. The research employed qualitative methods: systematic literature review, analysis and synthesis, as well as the monographic method. The literature review examined 1702 research papers and the abstracts. Using a PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, 54 papers were selected from the ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar databases for an in-depth analysis. Based on the literature review, 8 groups of factors that affected the generation of food waste in schools in the consumption process were identified: demographical, political, school food policy, environmental, socio-economic, personal/human, physical/human and geographical. The factors identified and aggregated might provide a basis for further discussions on zero-waste food consumption and food waste reduction in schools, as well as specific actions to optimize school food consumption and promote effective food and food waste management.
  • Publication
    ANALYSIS OF HIKING FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES ON THE MARKET
    (2020)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Teirumnieka, Ērika 
    ;
    Ivo Dembovskis
    The food sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors, therefore it requires that producers follow food market trends and quickly respond to consumer demand. Besides, the producers have to comply with the increasingly strict conditions and regulations imposed on food producers in recent years. Food producers need to be able to develop products that are safe and have a long shelf life and at the same time, the manufacturers have to continuously diversify their products, create new flavor and aroma combinations, increase the nutritional value of the products while increasing the production volumes and considering energy efficiency, as well as environmental impact. The aim of the research is to study and analyse hiking food processing technologies on the market. Methods used in the research – monographic, synthesis, comparative method. The research developed proposals for manufacturers of hiking food for the design and manufacturing of new products.
  • Publication
    ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE LUZNAVA MANOR’S OFFER
    (2017)
    Lienīte Litavniece
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    The Luznava Manor is one of the newest tourist attractions in Rezekne municipality, which is still in development. The paper is the result of the Rezekne Academy of Technologies (RTA) research grant “Feasibility study of tourism product development for the Luznava Manor”. The paper is aimed to assess the attractiveness of the Luznava Manor. The theoretical aspects of destination attractiveness and criteria for its assessment are reviewed in the paper. During the research study, the expert questionnaire was developed and practically approbated; the results of the expert survey are summarized in the paper. The attractiveness of the Luznava Manor’s offer is assessed in accordance with the following criteria: ease of access, exterior, visitors’ facilities, restrooms, staff, accessibility, nature factors, importance of culture, and services. Currently, it is relatively difficult to evaluate the Luznava Manor’s tourism product as a global or European level tourist destination. According to the authors, the Luznava Manor is rather to be considered as a tourist destination of national, regional and local significance.
  • Publication
    CLUSTER APPROACH IN THE TOURISM BUSINESS
    (2012)
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    One of the approaches to development of the tourism industry at the regional level, based of market rules and principles are creation and development of tourism clusters. Clusters span numerous different companies, contribute to more efficient solution of socio–economic problems in the country as a whole, and in certain regions. Clusters centre around different companies, which have not cooperated in the past, to encourage their development. The cluster approach should make radical changes to content of the tourism development policy; it means that there is a need to promote and develop the system of relationships between economic operators and the national authorities rather to support individual companies or industries. Practically it enables creation and implementation of large trans–sectoral and interregional investment and innovation projects.
  • Publication
    COMPETITIVENESS OF THE LUZNAVA MANOR
    (2017)
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Lienīte Litavniece
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    Customers become increasingly demanding due to globalization processes. This fact affects competitors to fight for better tourism products. The need for innovations in the market that can attract tourists increases and creates the competitive advantage. The most important elements that can form and develop the competitive advantage by using different skills are efficiency, quality, innovation, and satisfaction of customers' expectations. The paper is the result of the RTA scientific grant "Feasibility study of tourism product development for the Luznava Manor" programme. The aim of the paper is to explore and analyse the theoretical aspects of the competitive advantage and to identify innovations for improving the competitiveness of the Luznava Manor. The most important elements of the competitive advantage in the tourism industry have been studied, information on foods used at the beginning of the 20th century and recipes characteristic of Latvia in the period of time when the Kierbedz family lived in the Luznava Manor have been researched and summarized. It has been offered to supplement the soup assortment at the Luznava Manor with a cold salty soup ‘batvin’ or ‘holodnik’ of the authentic recipe and name, as well as a plan of communication measures to increase competitiveness has been proposed. Monographic, logical construction, scientific induction and deduction methods and a structured interview have been applied.
  • Publication
    COOKING CLASSES AS A NEW GASTRONOMIC TOURISM PRODUCT
    (2019)
    Lienite Litavniece
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    Tourism development contributes to the development of countries and regions. Gastronomic tourism, organization of culinary master courses, inclusion of special meals in the tourist offer can contribute to the diversification, originality and competitiveness of regional tourist offers. The aim of the study is to examine culinary master workshops as a gastronomic tourist product. The research shows that master culinary courses are offered mainly in the capital, their supply is limited in other regions, and information about organized master classes is missing.
  • Publication
    CRITERIA AFFECTING CUSTOMERS' CHOICE: THE CASE OF REZEKNE CITY CATERING COMPANIES
    (2019)
    Lienīte Litavniece
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    Increase of the number of catering businesses is driven by the growing demand, since more and more people choose eating outside. This is encouraged both by the rising welfare level and by a shift of the paradigm manifesting the diner as a place to socialize. However, from the perspective of the company, it is important to identify the main reasons why customers choose a particular eating-place. The aim of the paper is to explore the criteria influencing customers' choice and to test these criteria applying them to Rezekne city catering companies. As a result, it has been concluded that there are many criteria reviewed in the theoretical literature that could help a company to determine the criteria influencing the customers' choice. The paper is written within the framework of the RTA scientific grant "Quality Assessment of Rezekne City Catering Companies". Within the grant project, an expert questionnaire had been developed to carry out a quality assessment of Rezekne city catering enterprises. Consequently, the authors had an interest to explore the reasons motivating customers to choose a particular Rezekne city catering company according five criteria: location, offer, quality of food and drinks, company's image, and staff. As a result, the authors conclude that the most important criteria among the respondents was the quality of food and drink, as well as the offer, though, the evaluation varies depending on the particular company's specifics. The main research methods are monography, logically constructive, graphic, sociological.
  • Publication
    DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF ACQUISITION OF EDUCATIONAL MODULE “ORGANIZATION OF HOSPITALITY SERVICES”
    (2015)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    According to the SWOT analysis on the Latvian Tourism Marketing Strategy 2010-2015 carried out by the Tourism Development Agency in 2010, the lack of skilled labour force in tourism and hospitality industry, as well as the low level of professional qualifications are mentioned as one of the potential threats. The aim of the research is to examine and analyse the development of professional competencies of hospitality industry specialists within the framework of completion of the interactive educational module “Organization of Hospitality Services”. The tasks of the research are: to examine the theoretical aspects of formation, application and significance of interactive educational modules; to determine requirements, aim, structure and position of the interactive educational module in the education process. In the paper, the theoretical aspects of formation of interactive educational modules are examined; the content of the interactive educational module “Organization of Hospitality Services”, which is implemented within the framework of the study programme “Hospitality Management”, is offered; requirements, aim, structure and position of interactive educational module in the education process are determined. The opportunities of application of the interactive educational module “Organization of Hospitality Services” are wide enough: it may be applied not only in the training process of hospitality industry specialists, but also in order to raise the qualification level of managers at the intermediate level. A pilot research study concluded that completion of theoretical studies is not sufficient enough in order to acquire professional competencies at the highest level. The authors of the paper suggest acquiring practical skills, which is extremely important. The research methods: the logical and constructive methods, the scientific induction method, synthesis, document analysis, the monographic method, the graphic method.
  • Publication
    EDUCATIONAL TOURISM IN THE TRAINING OF FUTURE TOURISM PROFESSIONALS
    (2016)
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Velta Ļubkina
    The concept of educational tour (field trip) and the importance and role of  educational tours in the training of future tourism professionals are explored and analysed in the paper. The concept of educational tourism is formulated and the types of field trips are identified in the result of the research. A sociological survey with the aim to find out opinions of tourism students on the necessity, preferable types, and duration of field trips was conducted as well.Research methods: the logical construction method, scientific induction, synthesis, the monographic method, methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis for processing the survey results.
  • Publication
    Effect of Polysorbates on the Growth of Rhodotorula Glutinis in Oil Rich Medium
    (2021)
    Svetlana Raita
    ;
    Kriss Spalvins
    ;
    Evalds Raits
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Dagnija Blumberga
    The present study has investigated the effect of oil rich medium supplementation with polysorbates Tween 20, 40 and 80, for the cultivation of red oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis. R. glutinis has been cultivated in yeast extract peptone glucose modified broth (mYPG) supplemented with 2 % of waste cooking rapeseed oil and three polysorbate types with 0.5 %, 1 %, 2%, 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, 6 %, 7 %, 8 %, 9 % and 10 % concentration each. Yeast biomass was measured by the thermogravimetric method at 105 °C each day during 7-day experiment. The oil rich medium supplementation with Tween 20, 40 and 80 at concentrations ranging from 2 % to 10 % significantly increased the biomass of R. glutinis. All three types of the studied polysorbates with 0.5 % and 1 % concentration, did not affect yeast growth and the dry biomass – results were similar to the control sample without polysorbate addition. Between the three types of polysorbates, Tween 20 was selected as the preferable for R. glutinis cultivation with an optimal concentration of 2 %. Cultivation of R. glutinis in oil rich medium with polysorbates Tween 20, 40 and 80, supplementation up to 10 % concentration did not have had an inhibitory effect on the biomass growth.
  • Publication
    ENERGY AUDIT INFORMATION SYSTEM
    (2022)
    Arta Rozentale
    ;
    Inta Kotane
    ;
    Zarembo, Imants 
    The opportunities provided by energy audits to improve the competitiveness of companies by reducing energy consumption and introducing energy-efficient solutions also allow for achieving the environmental goals set by the European Union and Latvia in relation to climate neutrality. It is important to consider the results of energy audits in the development of both local and regional and national policies, thus setting more precise results to be achieved. At present, there is no unified energy audit development information system in Latvia, in which all audit stages and calculations could be performed; this would reduce clerical and calculation errors and allow data to be predicted and used in policy development, research. Within the framework of the work, the authors researched the concept of energy audit, its process and the results to be achieved by companies by implementing energy efficient measures, as well as the policy goals of the European Union and Latvia in environmental improvement programs. The paper summarizes and analyses the programs and methods available in Latvia, which are used to develop energy audits of companies, as well as the practices of other countries and their results.The research goal is to develop the specification of the energy audit information system, based on the analysis of the used energy audit information systems. Based on the findings, the authors developed a specification of the program's energy audit information system requirements, which is suitable for the Latvian market.
  • Publication
    EVALUATION OF LOCAL IDENTITY FOOD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GASTRONOMIC TOURISM IN REZEKNE CITY AND COUNTY
    (2016)
    Lienīte Litavniece
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    The number of tourists increases every year, and it is necessary to improve the quality and quantity of tourism products. The importance of gastronomic tourism in today’s society and the necessity of its development in regions are determined by the market rules and principles. Developing gastronomic tourism in Latgale region will introduce competitive products in the border area of Latvia and will decrease the effect of being a remote part of the country; also, infrastructure will be improved in its counties that would contribute to the development of the region in the future. The aim of this paper: to evaluate local identity food in the development of gastronomic tourism in Rezekne city and county.
  • Publication
    FACTORS INFLUENCING CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION AND THEIR ASSESSMENT
    (2017)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Lienite Litavniece
    Tourism in many countries and in particular cities is one of the most attractive business forms that enhances the expansion of supply and increases competition. Consequently, the quality of services is the key to customer’s choice. However, a complex character of SPA hotel services makes it necessary to explore not only the service quality, but also its mutual connection with other business processes. The study is carried out within the framework of the RTA research grant “Assessment of hotel service development possibilities in Rezekne city”. To evaluate factors influencing customers’ satisfaction, the expert – client (“hidden guest”) questionnaire was developed. Its practical approbation was carried out conducting a survey in three SPA hotels: Pühajärve Spa & Holiday Resort 3* (Otepää, Valgamaa, Estonia), Hotel Jūrmala Spa 4* (Jurmala, Latvia), Spa Vilnius Anykščiai 4* (Anykščiai, Lithuania). In the result, the conclusion was made that the questionnaire makes it possible to successfully assess the SPA hotel’s business processes and its connection with the quality of services.
  • Publication
    IMPORTANCE OF CATERING ENTERPRISES' CLASSIFICATION IN SERVICE QUALITY ASSESSMENT FROM THE CUSTOMER'S POINT OF VIEW. CASE OF REZEKNE CITY
    (2019)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Lienīte Litavniece
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    There are a lot of catering companies offering their services on the market, hence, there is a fierce competition between them. It is essential to provide customers with the appropriate level of service they expect from the respective caterer (restaurant, café, bar, etc.). The aim of the paper is to explore the importance of classification of the catering companies in service quality assessment from the customer's point of view in Rezekne city. The paper is developed within the framework of the RTA scientific grant "Quality Assessment of Rezekne City Catering Companies". Within the grant project, an expert questionnaire was developed to carry out quality assessment of Rezekne city catering enterprises. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the customer service in Rezekne city differs depending on the type of the catering establishment. The monographic, logical constructive, and graphic method, as well as the method of observation (expert questionnaires) were used for the research.
  • Publication
    LIFESTYLE BUSINESSES IN REZEKNE MUNICIPALITY
    (2019)
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Lienite Litavniece
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    In regional economy, creation of a system for development of small enterprises and lifestyle businesses is one of the strategies to promote entrepreneurship and targeted use of the local economic resources thus reducing the burden on public and local budgets. Lifestyle businesses are mainly established and maintained with the aim of providing a certain level of income, performing additional activities or developing the owner's hobby, and effectively using the local resources. The aim of the research is to explore the theoretical foundations of lifestyle businesses and potential for their creation and development, using lifestyle businesses of Rezekne municipality as a case. The following tasks were set for achieving the aim: to provide theoretical rationale for lifestyle businesses; to identify lifestyle businesses in Rezekne municipality; to study and analyse the motivation of lifestyle business owners to establish and develop business in Rezekne municipality.
  • Publication
    LYOPHILIZED HIKING FOOD DEVELOPMENT TRENDS
    (2020)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Teirumnieka, Ērika 
    ;
    Ivo Dembovskis
    The consumption of functional food is increasing in almost all industrialized countries, not only because of an aging population, but also because of a more enthusiastic lifestyle, which makes meeting the nutritional requirements more difficult. In part, the transition to processed, easily packaged and pre-cooked foods is considered to be a response to long working hours. It resulted in an increased demand for ready-to-eat foods in recent years and it is expected to continue growing. The aim of the research is to study and analyze lyophilized hiking food development trends.  Methods used in the research – monographic, synthesis, statistical analysis methods. The research developed proposals for food processing companies for further development of lyophilized food.
  • Publication
    MARKET ANALYSIS OF EXTRUDED FIELD BEAN FLOUR FOOD PRODUCT POTENTIAL
    (2021)
    Samanta Gaile
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Teirumnieka, Ērika 
    The consumption of functional food is increasing in almost all industrialized countries, not only because of an aging population but also because of a more enthusiastic lifestyle, which makes meeting the nutritional requirements more difficult. In part, the transition to processed, easily packaged and pre-cooked foods is considered to be a response to long working hours. It resulted in an increased demand for ready-to-eat foods in recent years and it is expected to continue growing. The aim of the research is to study and analyse the need for extruded field bean flour food products in the market. Methods used in the research – monographic, synthesis, statistical analysis methods. The research developed proposals for the sale of extruded field bean flour as a food raw material in different markets.
  • Publication
    PERCEIVED QUALITY OF RURAL TOURISM ACCOMMODATION SERVICES BY PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS
    (2018)
    Iveta Dembovska
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Lienite Litavniece
    Rural tourism and corresponding activities generate new jobs, providing employment for people in rural areas, create a cooperation mechanism between different rural entrepreneurs, attract tourists, and thus contribute to both well-being of local population and the regional development in general. Rural tourism is attractive from an economic perspective, as it provides the opportunity to boost and diversify rural economies in remote areas. The paper is a part of the RTA scientific grant "Tourism Products Evaluation of the Rezekne Municipality (Quality Audit)". The aim of the research is to study rural tourism accommodation services in Rezekne municipality and to carry out their evaluation based on experts’ (potential customers’) perception of quality. The methods applied in the research: logical and constructive, synthesis and analysis, an empirical survey. However, the rural tourism accommodation establishments in Rezekne municipality in general are characterized by the keywords "responsiveness" and "hospitality" as well as by the well-ordered environment around the houses. The rural housings have to evaluate the current and future demand and precisely define the potential market segments to create an offer in accordance with it.
  • Publication
    Plate Waste in School Catering in Rezekne, Latvia
    (2022)
    Lonska, Jeļena 
    ;
    Zvaigzne, Anda
    ;
    Kotāne, Inta
    ;
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Litavniece, Lienīte
    ;
    Kodors, Sergejs
    ;
    Deksne, Juta
    ;
    Vonoga, Aija
    This research was conducted within the framework of a research project aimed at detecting patterns of plate waste and developing recommendations for improving catering in seven schools in Rezekne city (Latvia) by a combination of observation, physical weighing, semi-structured interview approaches and statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA). We identified plate waste (including wasted beverages), which remains after the lunch of schoolchildren in grades 1–7, examining a total of 7064 lunch samples. The originality of the research is due to the fact that a unified menu was designed for the field study, which ensured the same field study conditions in all the schools. The results of the research revealed that the average weight of plate waste per schoolchild reached 178 g, and the total weight of plate waste accounted for 28.75% of the total weight of food served. No significant differences in plate waste weight between various age groups and grades of schoolchildren were found, which was also confirmed by a one-way ANOVA test. An analysis of plate waste by food category showed that beverages accounted for the largest share of total plate waste (42.24%), followed by staple food (28.38%) and meat (11.77%). An analysis of plate waste shares of food served (%) by food category revealed a similar situation: the largest share of food served was made up of beverages (37.56%), followed by staple food (36.48%) and meat (28.77%). An analysis of the monetary value of food waste showed that the average cost of plate waste (excluding beverage) per schoolchild was EUR 0.236, which represented 16.6% of the national and municipal funding of EUR 1.42 per portion. Given the research results, the authors have concluded that in order to reduce the amount of plate waste generated by Rezekne city schools, school menus should be based not only on the requirements prescribed by relevant legal acts but also on cooking processes that meet the requirements of modern consumers (learners), e.g., by following trends in cooking practices in society to make the learners interested in consuming school food.
    Scopus© Citations 1
  • Publication
    RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF GASTRONOMIC TOURISM IN LATGALE REGION
    (2014)
    Silicka, Inese 
    ;
    Iveta Dembovska
    The importance of gastronomic tourism in today’s society and the necessity of its development in regions is determined by the market conditions and principles. Developing the gastronomic tourism in the regions of Latvia (especially in Latgale) will introduce competitive products in the border area of Latvia and will decrease the effect of being a remote part of the country, additionally the infrastructure will be improved in the districts that contribute to the development of the region in the future. Including the feeling of delight when enjoying specialties from Latgale, the tourism offer can also contribute greatly to the diversification, originality of tourism offers, thus increasing competitiveness of the elaborated tourism offers.