The Effect of Smoking Restrictions to Australian Restaurant Business - Research Paper Example

The Effect of Smoking Restrictions to Australian Restaurant Business By Student Name Course Number Course Title Name of School August 27, 2007 Table of Contents Section 1: Project Setting and Situation Analysis a) Introduction 1 b) Background information 3 c) Problem/Issue 4 Section 2: Aim 5 Section 3: Literature Review 5 Section 4: Research Objectives 8 Section 5: Research Plan (Schedule of Activities) 8 Section 6: References 10 Section 1 Project Setting and Situation Analysis Introduction Food, as much as it is regarded by many as which that satisfies the individual and in consequence the population, is in fact a necessity, an essential for human survival. Food is usually procured and prepared at home but nowadays, especially in the city where one must deal with the fast pace of life and going home to cook is out of the option, one can actually buy them and eat them in certain establishments, whether in a mall or in one of the busiest streets of the city. These establishments are called restaurants and they cater mostly to customer’s need for food. The first restaurant was thought to have been created in France, which looked like a public dining area. This first restaurant was believed to be opened in 1765 by a certain A. Boulanger who sold soup to the Parisians. Since then, the French have contributed so much as to the development of contemporary restaurants (Restaurant, 2007). Restaurants in the present, however, are quite different from the ones enjoyed before as they have evolved according to the need of the present generation. Their amenities have been upgraded for the convenience of customers, as such restaurants sometimes introduce to the public larger complexes—some of these introduced complexes would include hotels (Kiefer, 2002). With these changes, which are somehow necessary, restaurants can heavily attract customers and extend their potential income. Some restaurants specialize on one kind or type of food like Italian restaurants offering mostly pasta and an array of all-Italian food attracting mostly Italian tourists while some also offer almost every kind of food attracting a more diverse group of “eaters”. The ambience of the restaurants has changed depending on the current taste of the people and the global trends, and as much as the quality of food is important, nowadays the ambience is a major criterion for someone to actually consider eating in any restaurant. One of the major concerns right now is the leniency of some restaurants on smoking. Although some of restaurants have designated smoking areas so that the rest of the customers are far from the smoke generated by the smoking customers, there are still many having open areas where different kinds of customers, smokers and non-smokers alike, intermingle. Australia, one of the world’s highly industrialized countries, has its own share of such restaurants. Smoking, whether in public or private, is a practice of inhaling the smokes from burning tobacco leaves, generally using cigarettes or cigars. Tobacco is generally used in various ways such as smoking, snuffing, chewing, drinking, or rubbing against one’s skin but smoking still remains to be its number one use (Homeopathy Smoking, 2006). Tobacco smoking is presently one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. The practice is habit-forming, and is known to be a causative factor in the development of several diseases, notably lung cancer, throat cancer, coronary heart disease, and respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and emphysema. It is also considered a health hazard because its smoke includes some toxic materials, i.e. nicotine, carbon monoxide, ammonia, acrolein, prussic acid and tars. Classic evidence was offered in 1964 by the Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee on Health as selected by the US Public Health service that cigarette smoking is a serious health risk. The committee’s conclusion was that smokers have greater tendencies for developing lung cancer as compared to non-smokers. This conclusion was based on several researches performed previously (Smoking, 2004). This is why there is so much concern today on smoking, especially in public areas like restaurants. Background Information Unwillingly, majority of non-smokers are exposed to smoke released by smokers in open areas or public places like restaurants. A smoke-free environment especially in public places or establishments like those that serve food and drinks has been lobbied for by many interest groups including parents and environmentalists for years already, concerned by the repercussions of smoke inhaled by non-smokers and smokers alike. But despite their heavy opposition over smoking in restaurants, the ways of producing smoke-free areas have been believed to be arguable and notably difficult (Schofield et al., 1993). Health institutions from around the world have approved a legislative method in inhibiting smoking practices in areas considered as public (The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking, 1986; National Health and Medical Research Council, 1987). With such action carried out by these institutions there is a supposed quicker development on the said issue. At present, several countries including the United States, France, and New Zealand and cities like Hong Kong have already banned, through legislative action, people from smoking in public places including restaurants (Walker, 1990; The Associated Press, 1990). In fact in Australia it is now illegal to smoke in places that serve food or drink, even if the venue is outside. The restaurant businesses in Australia are highly affected by such action, since they claim heavy business losses, and thus they have been aggressively campaigning against this legislation with the help of lobby groups like those that are rather in favor for self-regulation approach (Schofield et al., 1993). Problem/Issue In this research proposal questions of how smoking restriction will affect the restaurant businesses in Australia are to be encountered—the good and bad effects of smoking restrictions amidst wide scale campaign against the said government legislation. Since the said legislation, Australian restaurant owners have supposedly felt the effects on their businesses. The task at hand is to determine what these effects are, good or bad. The policies restricting smoking in public areas are made to somewhat reduce the exposure of non-smokers to secondhand smoke. Issues like parents getting tired of breathing second-hand smoke in family restaurants fearing for their children’s and their health because of the huge risk that they would contract lung cancer and many smoke-related diseases should be encountered. For those who do not favor of the ban, they have rallied on the fact that sales by restaurants are actually dropping. Many issues, on the favoring and not favoring the said ban, will somehow be tackled in the discussion and their supposed effect on the interplay of the said legislation and the income. Section 2 Aim Section This study aims (1) to assess the effect of restrictions on smoking set by the government on the operations of Australian restaurant businesses, (2) to be acquainted with the problems encountered by these businesses. With such information, the study may be able to increase knowledge on the possible solutions and strategies to cope with the effect of such legislation. Section 3 Literature Review Several studies have been conducted on the effects of secondhand smoke. Majority, if not all, claim that secondhand smoke is indeed harmful to the health of the non-smokers exposed to it. As defined, secondhand smoke is the one you inhale from someone else's smoking. It is also called Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that secondhand smoke causes cancer in humans and that there is no safe level of exposure (The Harmful Effects of Secondhand Smoke, 2001). Secondhand Smoke has twice the amount of tar and nicotine than in the smoke inhaled through a filtered cigarette. About 3,000 non-smokers a year die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke. About 37,000 non-smokers a year die from heart disease attributed to secondhand smoke. Side effects of smoking and inhaling second-hand smoke would include, diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste, frequent colds, smokers cough, gastric ulcers, chronic bronchitis, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, premature and more abundant face wrinkles emphysema, heart disease, stroke, and cancer of the mouth, esophagus, the respiratory system, cervix, uterus, and the bladder (The Harmful Effects of Secondhand Smoke, 2001). There particularly many reasons for one to restrict smoking in public places. Several studies have been actually been done to prove such claim (Schofield, 1993) and that restaurants might actually want to follow such restrictions. In enclosed public establishments such as restaurants a study was done and was able to determine from sampling procedures that air in such places yield an unacceptable concentration of nicotine (Cummings et al., 1990). Restaurant employees, because of their prolonged introduction to second hand smoke, are considered to be at great risk from the harmful effects of second hand smoke backed by a certain research experiment which has actually detected in the body fluids of restaurant staff, who do not smoke, tangible concentrations of tobacco smoke components (Husgafvel-Pursiainen et al., 1987). The risk of lung cancer for workers, like bartenders and waitresses, in establishments that allow smoking is 25 - 75% greater than in the general population. The risk can triple, depending on the number of years spent at the workplace is claimed by many studies which is also supported by a study reported by Tutt and Harris in 1990. Samples taken from the nonsmoking staff of a club have four times more carbon dioxide concentrations than those samples taken from hospital staffs who do not smoke since in their workplaces smoking is strictly banned during work time. Restricting smoking in public places especially in those that serve food and drinks (restaurants especially) could actually help in the further marginalizing of people’s behavior when it comes to smoking. According to Peterssen et al. (1988), concentrating on the restriction of smoking in workplaces have presented that there is a significant cutback in the consumption of cigarettes/tobacco by smokers, especially chain or heavy smokers. A further benefit from banning smokers to smoke in restaurants is to prevent the dulling properties of tobacco or cigarette smoke to taste and smell, which could further increase the satisfaction of customers on the food (Chauhan, 1989; Dewan et al., 1990). Another study showed that around 61% percent of their sample population considered the restriction would render dining out experience more enjoyable while only about 5% thought it more enjoyable without the implementation of the ban. Thirty-four percent of the total population, however, has decided that there was no difference at all. On the whole around 82% said that the there was not much difference in their likelihood of dining out after the implementation of the restriction, 14% thought that they are more likely to eat out of the restaurant, and a meager 4% would considered it less likely (Wakefield, Roberts, and Miller, 1999). Section 4 Research Objectives The study seeks to determine whether there is truth in the claim of some that restaurant business income or profit and the business as a whole is affected by the implementation of smoking restrictions in restaurants; that there is a decline or maybe an improvement in the business after the implementation of smoking restriction in Australian restaurants. Section 5 Research Plan (Schedule of Activities) In this study, two separate methods will be conducted for family restaurants and restaurants that serve alcohol or commonly called night restaurants. A specific number of Australian restaurants will be randomly selected as subjects for the study. Data gathering will be done in a form of a survey. Initially, data about the restaurant before the smoking restriction policy will be gathered and then data about the restaurant after the implementation of the said policy will also be gathered. Data to be sought out are the average sales of the restaurants several months before the implementation of the smoking restriction policy to determine their initial business trend and then data of the average sales of the restaurants after implementing the said policy, which will be gathered from the restaurant owners themselves. Questionnaires will be given to all consenting customers who are somehow “regulars” from a sub-sample of randomly selected restaurants to determine their opinion on the said implementation—whether they have gone to the restaurant more often after the implementation or not. The data collected shall then be compared and analyzed statistically to determine whether the restaurant business in Australia has indeed declined or improved after the implementation of the policy on smoking restriction. Section 6 References Chauhan, J. (1989). Relationships between sour and salt taste perception and selected subject attnbutes. JAm Diet Assoc. 89:652-658. Cummings L, Dodson M, and S. McPhail. Smoking and Air Quality in Indoor Public Places. Final report of a project conducted by the State Poilution Control Commission (of New South Wales) and funded by the Australian and New Zealand Environment Council, August 1990. Dewan, N.A., Bell, W., Moore, J., Anderson, B., Kirchain, W., and W.J. O'Donohue. (1990). Smell and taste function in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Effect of long-term oxygen via nasal cannulas. Chest. 97:595-599. Homeopathy Smoking. (2006). In Chennai Online. Retrieved August 22, 2007, from: http://www.chennaionline.com/health/Homoeopathy/2006/04homoeo84.asp Husgafvel-Pursiainen K, Sorsa M, Engstrom K, and P. Einisto. (1987). Passive smoking at work: biochemical and biological measures of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 59:337-345. Kiefer, N. M. (2002). Economics and the Origin of the Restaurant. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, pp 5-7. National Health and Medical Research Council. (1987). Effects of Passive Smokirn on Health. Canberra, ACr, Australia: Australian Government Publishing Service. Petersen LR, Helgerson SD, Glihbons C.M., Calhoun C.R., Ciacco K.H., and K.C. Pitchford. (1988). Employee smoking behavior changes and attitudes following a restrictive policy on worksite smoking in a large company. Public Health Rep. 103:115-120. Restaurant. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 23, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9063287 Schofield, M.J., Considine, R,, Boyle, C.A., and R. Sanson-Fisher. (1993). Smoking Control in Restaurants: The Effectiveness of Self-Regulation in Australia. AJPH. 83:1. Smoking. (2004) In The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Retrieved August 24, 2007, from: http://www.bartleby.com/65/sm/smoking.html The Associated Press. (2006). International Herald Tribune Asia-Pacific. Hong Kong bans smoking in restaurants, karaoke lounges, parks, beaches. The Harmful Effects of Secondhand Smoke. (2001). In Tobacco Prevention Program. Retrieved August 26, 2007, from Kitsap COunty Health District Online: http://www. kitsapcountyhealth.com/docs/smokefree_factsheet.pdf The Healh Consequences of Involutary Smoking. A Report of the Surgeon General Washington, DC: US Dept of Health and Human Services. (1986). DHHS publication CDC 87-8398. Tutt D, Harris W. (1990). Where there's smoke.... Carbon monoxide exposures in smoking and smoke-free workplaces. Community Health Stud. 14:297-302. Wakefield, M., Roberts, L., and C. Miller. (1999). Percerptions of the Effect of an Impending Restaurant Smoking Bam on Dining-out Experience. Preventive Medicine. 29:1. Walker A. (1990) Worldwide moves against tobacco promotion. BAM. 301:458. Read More