This ethnographic research explores how the social support developed between customers and farmers at a farmers’ market creates an overall culture of community support that bolsters farmers’ viability during times of crisis and ensures that consumers will have access to healthy, high quality local food. This includes the ways customers provide a general culture of support for local farmers, as well as specific acts of support during times of crisis. It also examines the ways farmers support customers through specialized services and assistance with personal issues. This work draws on theory from the social support, social exchange and social resilience literature to interpret the results.

This study examines alumni perceptions of the core curricula at the University of North Georgia’s College of Business to assess the gap between the skills employers need in new graduates and what the curricula offer. The research was conducted as part of the continuous improvement process for AACSB accreditation. The findings reveal that soft skills such as communication and problem-solving were highly rated as being useful, whereas the alumni rated calculus and international business skills as less important for daily job requirements. The study provides relevant information for colleges of business as they look to update their core curricula for business majors.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine farmers’ market consumer behavior through a regional food and culinary tourism lens to see the ways these festive and atmospheric markets can be used to develop a regional brand or identity surrounding food production. Design/methodology/approach This study was based on a survey of 270 participants in a farmers’ market in the USA. A combination of descriptive and statistical analyses was used to analyze consumer habits and spending. Findings The findings in this study suggest that while most of the customers live in a town where the market is located, a significant number of customers come from other locations, with some traveling significant distances, to participate in this market, particularly for the Saturday market. Many of the customers come to purchase organic and local foods. Research limitations/implications This work is limited, in that it is a case study at one farmers’ market in the USA, and the work is exploratory in nature. Practical implications This work has implications for market managers seeking to increase their consumer base. Markets that want to increase their reach would do well to promote their events to a wider geographic area. The results presented here showed that consumers are willing to drive upward of 40 miles to attend a high-quality market. Originality/value This work expands our conceptualization of farmers’ markets by suggesting that these markets have the potential to form the backbone of a region is food identity through the creation of a food destination.

Recent reports have suggested that many employees in the workforce today lack essential soft skills. This research analyzes the effectiveness of multiple classroom assignments for teaching soft skills in a Business Communication course. Five distinct pedagogical strategies were used in an effort to teach soft skills, including a self-analysis, an interview, a guest lecturer, a journal article, and a soft skills video. Results offer insights into students’ perceptions of the most helpful pedagogical approaches for teaching soft skills.