ANALYSIS OF THE DECISION TO SELECT A CONVENTIONAL OR COOK-CHILL SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL FOODSERVICE

Objective The objectives of this study were to determine what variable s hospital foodservice directors consider when selecting a conventiona l or cook-chill system, to determine the importance of each variable c onsidered, and to compare decision variables by type of foodservice sy stem. Design Survey questionnaire. Subjects/setting Hospital foodservi ce directors in general, medical-surgical hospitals who had been invol ved in the decision to select a conventional or cook-chill system (N=1 27). Statistical analysis Analysis of variance and chi(2). Results The decision process used by foodservice directors who selected a convent ional system appears to differ significantly from the process used by directors who selected cook-chill systems. However, directors in this study who selected a cook-chill system were more Likely than those who selected conventional systems to consider more issues in the decision process, visit other operations, place more importance on return on i nvestment and projected labor costs, calculate more values, consider b oth conventional and cook-chill options, and use nonfoodservice person nel such as manufacturers' representatives and consultants. Applicatio ns Results of this research suggest that the decision process to selec t a foodservice system in hospitals is complex and is one that foodser vice directors trill likely be involved in several times throughout th eir careers. Directors who have made such decisions appear to consider many issues, both quantitative and qualitative, when selecting either a conventional or cook-chill system. Regardless of the system chosen, directors indicated that numerous issues were important in the decisi on.