Business Research: Consumer Behaviour in Sydney Food Products

This research proposal investigates consumer behaviour and satisfaction within the food product sector in Sydney. The report begins with an introduction outlining the project's objectives, which include analyzing factors influencing consumer buying behaviour and satisfaction levels. It defines the project's scope and provides a comprehensive literature review, exploring concepts like consumer behaviour, customer satisfaction, and various influencing factors such as situational, personal, psychological, and societal elements. The research poses specific questions and outlines the research design and methodology, including both primary and secondary data collection methods, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. The study acknowledges limitations, such as sample size and data reliability, and presents a research schedule. The proposal aims to identify gaps between consumer expectations and actual service, hypothesizing that bridging this gap will enhance consumer satisfaction and clarify buying behaviour. The report intends to provide valuable insights for businesses in the food and beverage industry to improve their strategies and better meet consumer needs.

Running Head: Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
Business Research Method
Research proposal

Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
Table of Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................2
1. Project objective............................................................................................3
2. Project scope.................................................................................................3
3. Literature review...........................................................................................3
4. Research Question.........................................................................................6
5. Research design and methodology................................................................6
6. Research Limitations.....................................................................................7
7. Research Schedule........................................................................................7
Conclusion...........................................................................................................9
References...........................................................................................................9
Appendix...........................................................................................................10
Table of figure
Figure1.1 Gantt chart............................................................................................8
Introduction
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
The report discusses the ideas and factors that influence consumer buying behaviour and
satisfaction level in food products of Sydney. The appropriate piloting has been made to
analyse whether the problem actually exists or not. On identifying the problem the plan is
made from where to start and when to end. The objective and scope are clarified following
the construction of literature review from the journals and articles of experienced thinkers.
Thereafter the research questions are developed whose answer is been provided in the
literature review. The data is been collected and analysis of information is made to derive the
better conclusion.
The entire report elucidates the various factors that affect the consumer behaviour be
it personal, psychological or social factor and what are the elements that help in achieving
satisfaction. On learning these attributes the food and beverage industry could implement
these changes to gain the new heights.
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
1. Project objective
The main motive of constructing the project is to analyse the factors that affect the buying
behaviour and influence the buying decision of the customers. Another motive is to identify
the factors that affect the consumer satisfaction and what are the levels that need to be
crossed to achieve the desired goal. This research and analysis will be continued keeping in
view the customer buying behaviour and consumer satisfaction related to the food products in
Sydney (Chan & Hawkins, 2010).
2. Project scope
Project scope is derived out of the project objective. Project objective clarifies the goal that
needs to be accomplished and gain the knowledge over the topic research. The plan is created
as to how the research will be carried out successfully. The line-up should be prepared and
project manager tracks the step by step functions followed (Rouse, 2017). The resources get
collected through various sources and communicating to people to gain knowledge regarding
the topic. The budget and costing are undertaken and the blueprint is made and finally, the
schedule of the project is prepared. Project scope is the part of this plan and it quotes the
reason and use of this research in future. The current topic of ‘analysing the factors affecting
consumer buying behaviour and satisfaction level towards the food products in Sydney’
argues on the progress of food and beverage industry in Sydney. It focuses on the aspects that
should be considered by the business person to study the consumer buying behaviours and
analysing the points and activities that should be adopted to satisfy the consumer through
their service in the food industry (BB Mantra, 2016).
3. Literature review
Firstly, there is a need to understand the concept of consumer behaviour and consumer
satisfaction. Consumer behaviour as defined by Kotler is the conduct of person towards the
product or services rendered. It defines the perception of the consumer whilst making the
purchases and what are the thoughts that roll in the mind of customers. The buying behaviour
depends upon the situations, mindset, mood, purchasing power, occasion and many more
attributes vary person to person. The behaviour changes as the human are the unsatisfied soul,
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
as and when one desired finishes up the other wish arises thereby creating the tension
(Dudovskiy, 2015). Customer satisfaction is that relaxed feeling received after the fulfilment
of desire. It is not just about getting what is demanded, numerous attributes are attached with
the satisfaction of the consumer. First of all the product or services demanded should be
there, it is to in the required quality providing decent quantity at the reasonable rate and the
combination of such several factors results in gaining consumer satisfaction. Every industry
and organisations prevailing should do something or the other different from the competitors
so that consumers get attracted and choose the particular organisation to get what they want.
Consumer satisfaction brings along the consumer loyalty which is always beneficial for the
enterprises (Beard, 2014). The formula of satisfaction depicts the difference between
perceptions of consumer’s after they receive services and consumer expectations regarding
the services.
There are various factors that clarify the idea of consumer behaviour and consumer
satisfaction towards the food industry in Sydney (Principles of marketing, n.d.).
Situational factor: It is the factor that relates to the location where the business unit is
situated. The location matters a lot in grabbing the attention of the consumer. Or the crowded
place with maximum footfall more will be the chances of customers to visit and turn out into
consumers. The attributes of a situational factor are broadly expanded. It involves the social
situation which emphasises on being at the place where more consumers could be collected
and feedback can be gathered to know their perception and try to implement those changes if
possible. Another on is time factor which is crucial and most of the times remain
unnoticeable. Some business or food outlets could flourish at the morning hours and some
sought of food is enjoyed in the night for that night market is required. The mood is one more
attribute which is considered to be the major one (Tanner & Raymond, 2017).
Personal factors: The factor related to one’s personality, living style, age, gender and stage of
life. Different people have various perceptions, the thing good for one might not appeal
others and vice versa. Similar is the case with food, one might demand Italian while other
likes to have Mexican food. The gender factor plays the vital role as well, ladies argue for
varieties and add-less of ingredients whereas male have the confirmed mindset and just order
without giving many thoughts. The stage of life changes so as the preference, lifestyle and
requirements (I research services, 2017).
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
Psychological factors: It is based on the needs of the person. It runs over the need hierarchy
given by Maslow, on the completion of one need the customer moves a level up in the
hierarchy. The motivation factor is attached to the psychological need which helps in
arousing the urge. The perception of a person towards the restaurant is drawn by mixing up
all the 5 senses and concluding about the food served or outlet that should be selected. The
perception gets created after undergoing the study and learning about the facts, reviews and
experiencing something. Along with perception the attitude also matters towards the place,
ambience and quality food served (Olufisayo, 2011).
Societal factors: The factors related to society, its value, culture and preaching also affects
the buying behaviour of consumers. The person with the vegetarian background would not
like to get served in the plates where non-veg are also served. The income factor, culture and
family aspects contribute in making a purchase decision and deciding the satisfaction scale
(Srivastava, 2012).
From the entire review, it could be justified that while choosing the food industry or planning
to expand the outlets the major to minor points and activities should be analysed. The survey
should be conducted to know the population and their perception and tastes. The points that
are in majority should be implemented. The factors like personal, psychological, situational
and societal factors must be learned and expectation in at least one or more attributes should
be gained to develop the unique selling point.
Literature problem here is to study the actual point or position where the customer will be
satisfied and happy enough in the context of the product or services received. For that loyalty,
the level needs to be measured and points are made to know the behaviour, thoughts,
perception and attitude the customer was carrying while demanding and enjoying the services
which result in a good feeling.
The gaps identified and turned into opportunity are the data collection method. In a previous
research made on the similar topic, only the questionnaire method is selected as the primary
data and rest the secondary collection was emphasised (Faulkner, 2016). In this research, both
primary and secondary data collection will be given equal importance. The studies of
scholars, journals and article reviews are done. In primary collection technique, various
outlets are visited. Merits and limitations are noted down. Interviews with the owners and
customers are conducted and point of difference along with similarity is studied and measures
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
that could minimise the gaps are suggested to turn it out into opportunities (Shih, Yu &
Tseng, 2015).
Hypothesis
HA: On considering the factors and bridging the gap between consumer’s expectations and
actual service received, the consumer satisfaction could be gained and buying behaviour
gains clarity.
H0: On considering the factors and bridging the gap between consumer’s expectations and
actual service received, the consumer satisfaction could not be gained and buying behaviour
may not gain clarity.
4. Research Question
Research questions are those general queries that arise and whose solution and suggestion is
been included in the report. The answers to research question are involved in the literature
review (CIRT, n.d.). The questions connected with this report goes like this:
1. What are the factors that affect consumers buying behaviour?
2. What hypothesis should be carried out to fill the gap opportunity of the report?
5. Research design and methodology
The research design is the structure of research, also known as the blueprint of research. This
plan involves the selection of project objective and understanding the scope of the project.
Afterwards, the literature review is constructed and justification is drawn out along with
literature problem and creating a hypothesis. The gaps opportunity is analysed and measures
are taken to make report effective. The efficient methodology is selected and limitations are
considered so that mistakes do not get repeated in the future. The research plan is constructed
on the basis of time followed by the brief conclusion (Blakstad, 2017).
The methodology includes the manner of collecting the data and performing the
analysis. There are two ways to collect data primary and secondary method. Primary method
involves the face to face interactions with owners and consumers, filling up of questionnaires,
observation and experimentation. Secondary data involves the study made by other researcher
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
and experts, collecting the value points and developing ideology through magazines,
newspaper, articles and journals. The research analysis could be made using another two
methods i.e. the quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative method is statistical
and calculative in nature which helps in designing the charts and graphs showing the growth
rate before and after implementing the research methodology. The qualitative analysis is
made by undertaking the studies and conducting experiments after using the observations and
descriptions of the studies made. Qualitative studies assist in designing the hypothesis and
monitoring the functioning that is been undertaken to arrive at the decision and implement
changes accordingly in order to change the scenario of food products in Sydney (Study,
2017).
6. Research Limitations
The research is conducted keeping in mind the various attributes and measures, a lot more
cautions have been taken but still, there appear certain limitations if they would not be their
scope may have enhanced (Laerd, 2012). The limitations of this research are:
 The feedbacks received from the consumers are not in the ample amount. More
feedback could have been collected.
 Being new to the research, the discussion made is limited and not touching the level
of experienced and experts.
 The sample size is not wide and research is been made on the small platform.
 The data used in the report is self-analysed which might not touch the optimum
reliability level.
7. Research Schedule
Research schedule is the entire plan of research which is bound by the time limit. It could be
quoted as time table where the entire plan from the beginning till the end is formulated and
activities are done accordingly. Following the research, schedule concludes the research in a
good manner. This could be best presented by the way of action plan and Gantt chart (Gantt,
2017).
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
Action Plan
Serial no. Activities Initiation Date
Duration (in
days) Completion Date
1
Selecting the research
topic 1st August 2017 1 1st August 2017
2
Setting the project
objective 2nd August 2017 1 2nd August 2017
3
Deciding the project
scope 3rd August 2017 1 3rd August 2017
4 Literature review 4th August 2017 4 7th August 2017
5
Constructing
hypothesis 8th August 2017 2 9th August 2017
6 Data collection
10th August
2017 3 12th August 2017
7 Data analysis
13th August
2017 5 17th August 2017
8 Evaluation
18th August
2017 3 20thAugust 2017
9 Conclusion 21st August2017 2 22nd August 2017
Aug-17
Serial
no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
0
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
8
1
9
2
0
2
1
2
2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Figure1.1 Gantt chart
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
Conclusion
Hence, from the entire report, it could be cultivated that the main objective of the report is to
identify the factors that affect the consumer buying behaviour and decide the consumer
satisfaction level related to the food products in Sydney. The report elucidates project
objective along with the project scope and literature review is been constructed covering up
the research questions designed and fulfilling the hypothesis. The data is been collected from
the primary and secondary sources thereby the analysis and interpretation is carried out. The
limitations attached with the research is discussed and finalising the report with the brief
meaningful conclusion.
References
BB Mantra, 2016, Consumer behaviour- meaning, nature, scope, elements, importance,
viewed on 22nd August 2017, < http://www.bbamantra.com/consumer-behaviour/>.
Beard. R., 2014, Why customer satisfaction is important, viewed on 22nd August 2017, <
http://blog.clientheartbeat.com/why-customer-satisfaction-is-important/>.
Blakstad, 2017, Different research methods, viewed on 24th August 2017,
<https://explorable.com/research-designs>.
Chan. D. & Hawkins. D., 2010, Fast food Vancouver, viewed on 21st August 2017,
<http://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geob370/students/class10/ddchan/www/2objective.html>.
CIRT, n.d., Writing a Good Research Question, viewed on 23rd August 2017,
<https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/tutorials/question>.
Dudovskiy. J., 2015, A brief literature review on consumer buying behaviour, viewed on 22nd
August 2017, < http://research-methodology.net/a-brief-literature-review-on-consumer-
buying-behaviour/>.
Faulkner. C., 2016, What is a "research gap" or "knowledge gap" in research and literature?
How the gap in research can be identified?, viewed on 23rd August 2017,
<https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_a_research_gap_or_knowledge_gap_in_researc
h_and_literature_How_the_gap_in_research_can_be_identified>.
Gantt, 2017, What is Gantt chart, viewed on 24th August 2017, <http://www.gantt.com/>.
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
I research services, 2017, 5 common factors influencing consumer behaviour, viewed on 23rd
August 2017, < http://www.iresearchservices.com/5-common-factors-influencing-consumer-
behavior/>.
Laerd, 2012, What the reader expects from the Research Limitations section
of your dissertation, viewed on 23rd August 2017, <http://dissertation.laerd.com/what-
readers-expect-from-the-research-limitations-section-of-your-dissertation.php>.
Olufisayo, 2011, How psychological factors affects consumer behaviour, viewed on 23rd
August 2017, < http://www.entrepreneurshipsecret.com/how-psychological-factors-affects-
consumer-behaviour/>.
Principles of marketing, n.d., Factors that influence consumer’s buying behaviour, viewed on
22nd August 2017, <https://open.lib.umn.edu/principlesmarketing/chapter/3-1-factors-that-
influence-consumers-buying-behavior/>.
Rouse. M., 2017, Project scope, viewed on 22nd August 2017,
<http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/project-scope>.
Shih. S. P., Yu. S., & Tseng. H. C., 2015, ‘The study of consumer’s buying behaviour and
consumer satisfaction in beverages industry in Tainan, Taiwan’, Journal of Economics,
business and management, vol.3, no.3, p.p. 391-394.
Srivastava. A., 2012, Social factor influencing consumer behaviour (Philip Kotler summary).
Viewed on 23rd August 2017, < http://marketinglessons.in/social-factors-influencing-
consumer-behaviour-philip-kotler-summary/>.
Study, 2017, Research methodology: Approaches & techniques, viewed on 24th August
2017, < http://study.com/academy/lesson/research-methodology-approaches-techniques-
quiz.html>.
Tanner. J.F., & Raymond. M. A., 2017, Principles of marketing, viewed on 23rd August 2017,
< https://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/2030?e=fwk-133234-ch03_s02>.
Appendix
Questionnaire related to the factors affecting consumer behaviour and satisfaction for the
food industry in Sydney.
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Consumer behaviour and satisfaction at food products in Sydney.
1. Gender:
o Male
o Female.
2. What is the age?
o 13-20 years
o 21-40 years
o 41-60 years
o 60 years and above.
3. Marital status:
o Married.
o Unmarried.
4. What is the occupation?
o Business.
o Professional.
o Student.
o Housewife.
o Freelancer.
o Retired.
o Others please specify.
5. If a student, which degree?
o Secondary school.
o Higher Secondary.
o Graduate / Diploma.
o Post Graduate.
6. Social class:
o Lower-upper class.
o Upper -upper class.
o Lower-lower class.
o Upper-lower class.
o Lower-middle class.
o Upper-middle class.
7. How far is the location from a resident?
o Less than 1 km.
o 1-3 km.
o 4-6 km.
o More than 6 km.
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