The Effect of Globalization on Customer Preferences at Burger King

Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers to help students succeed.

Influence of globalization on
customers' choice of Burger King fast
food chain
1

Table of Contents
Part 1 – Research Proposal – (LO1) (P1, P2, M1, D1)..............................................................4
1. Introduction/ background.......................................................................................................4
1.1 Background of the study..................................................................................................4
1.2 Aim...................................................................................................................................4
1.3 Specific objectives: SMART............................................................................................4
1.4 Research questions...........................................................................................................5
1.5 Rationale..........................................................................................................................5
2. Literature review....................................................................................................................6
3. Methodology..........................................................................................................................8
4. Timeline of research activities...............................................................................................9
Time scale:.............................................................................................................................9
Part 2 – The Research & Report – (LOs 2, 3 & 4) (P3, P4, P5, P7, M2, M3, M4, D2, D3)....12
2. Methodology........................................................................................................................12
2.1 Research approach.........................................................................................................12
2.2 Research philosophy......................................................................................................12
2.3 Research design..............................................................................................................13
2.4 Data collection and analysis...........................................................................................13
2.5 Sampling size and technique..........................................................................................14
2.6 Research limitations.......................................................................................................15
3. Results/Findings...................................................................................................................15
4. Discussion............................................................................................................................22
4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................22
4.2 Discussion..........................................................................................................................22
4.3 Summary............................................................................................................................28
5. Conclusion............................................................................................................................28
2

6. Recommendations................................................................................................................29
7. Reflection.............................................................................................................................29
8. References............................................................................................................................31
9. Appendices...........................................................................................................................32
Appendix 1: Questionnaires.....................................................................................................32
Appendix 2: Research Log Book.............................................................................................33
Appendix 2:..........................................................................................................................35
Research Approval& Ethics Form.....................................................................................35
3

Part 1 – Research Proposal – (LO1) (P1, P2, M1, D1)
1. Introduction/ background
1.1 Background of the study
The market behaviour in the contemporary market, especially in the food chain companies
and the behaviour of the customers are largely due to cultural development and the ongoing
globalisation process. It is extremely important in the 21st century to influence every process
of the companies by easy access to the products and therefore, buying global commodities
and revealing a lifestyle warranted by the customers can support to provide more in the
modelling of expenditure designs and the performance of the consumers (Boo 2017). This
type of activities can lead to increase unimportant conditions of consumption, which can
relate with the formation of household consumption, the determination of willingness to buy
and re-buy, and the psychological patterns, that is very much significant in the modern day
world (Alhelalat et al. 2017).
This defines the behavioural patterns and the social imitation in an intergroup and intragroup,
aligning with the ostentatious consumption, international behaviour and showing fashion and
effect. The behaviour and fashion within the industry of fast food is the ability of the
consumers to express individuality and is proof of belonging to a specific group (Hanaysha
2016). This topic has been chosen as the behaviour changes according to several factors, both
internal and external, and some of the major factors causing the change in the choices of the
customers and their behaviour are largely external, which the companies will have to take in
consideration during their targeting and segmentation process. Burger King is facing
problems with the conduct of the consumers where globalisation is one of the most important
aspects affecting the same.
1.2 Aim
The aim of this study is to understand the influence of globalisation on the choices of
customers within the company Burger King fast-food chain and assess the level of customer
satisfaction within a specified market area.
1.3 Specific objectives: SMART
This research is proposed to:
 Identify the influence of globalisation on the fast food chain and understand the
factors that affect customer behaviour
4

 Evaluate the satisfaction level of the customers within Burger King and recognise the
result of the experienced faced by them
 Assess the impacts of globalisation on Burger King fast-food chain on the behaviour
of the customers and their choices
 Examine the issues faced by the company and recommend the solutions
1.4 Research questions
 What is the influence of globalisation on fast food change around the world and how
does it affect the behaviour of the customers?
 What is the satisfaction level of the customers of Burger King and what can be the
result of the experiences faced by them during their consumption?
 What are the impacts of globalisation on Burger King fast-food chain and the
behaviour of their customers, especially in relation to the choices?
 What are the issues faced by the company due to the impact of globalisation on food
behaviour of consumers and what are the ways in which these can be eradicated?
1.5 Rationale
Globalisation has been affecting the current food behaviour of consumers all around the
world especially in the fast food change and therefore, it has been very important for the
companies to deal with the problems so that they can excel in the market. The companies are
facing problems with their segmentation, targeting and positioning and as a result, companies
that Burger King will have to focus on understanding the behaviour of the customers and
change the process of positioning and targeting to attract more of the consumers (Qalati et al.
2019). This has been an issue as the companies are facing heavy competition from all around
the world and there are large numbers of companies existing in the fast food industry. Every
company is trying to do their best and hence, companies like Burger King will have to focus
more on dominating the market and increasing its sales. It has been important for Burger
King as of now because the company is facing problems with the behaviour of the customers
where globalisation is one of the major factors affecting the same.
5

2. Literature review
According to Ifeanyichukwu (2018), globalisation is a factor contributing to the
homogenization of consumption, in addition, this approach is associated with the lifestyles of
the people and the social groups to which the different companies target, reducing the role of
the local traditions and the consumption behaviour of the people around the world. This is the
standardization known as McDonaldization and thus, it is associated with several principles
related to the fast food restaurants, which have started to dominate all over the world in
several markets. Mathur and Patodiya (2016) claims that in the concept of mass production,
there is an increase in the accepted standard goods and consumers more and more accept this
type of good. It follows that the acceptance facilities develop the market and show a
diminution of prices through the economy of scale. Mahawrah et al. (2016) advocates that
there is always an increasing gap between the prices of the most produced goods and that of
the personalized good, which encourages to focus more demand on the homogeneous
products.
There has been a widespread of the fast food exemplary due to the advent of globalisation,
the fast food industry has been associated with packaging, pre-preparation, and service
offered to customers. According to Ateke et al. (2015), it follows that there has been an
increase in the outlets which has shown stable growth since the year 2005. Also clarified by
Shamah et al. (2018), the customers know fast food industry for its fast services, and they
have a low price in comparison to the formal dining system. The fast food industry is
growing over the two decades and has faced a revolution according to the tastes and
preferences of the customers as well as the different cooking patterns around the world.
Ramanathan and Ramanathan (2016) claims that there has been a threat to the consumption
of fast food which has led many other companies to pop up into the market and this industry
is rapidly growing because of the urbanization changes and family income and shifts in social
norms. This would suggest that the choice of food is associated with the strategies and value
for managing, negotiating, prioritising, and balancing personal values about food and the
advent of globalisation has made these factors much more subtle.
Lauaikas and Tindale (2015) argue that the choices of food among the consumers around the
world are affected extensively by globalisation and the local factors. On the contrary,
Hanaysha (2016) advocates that people move from one place to another in search of a better
lifestyle for increased income and therefore, this can allow the person to have a negative food
6

choice trajectory, leading the person to make an unhealthy choice of food. The product sold
by the companies will have to be labelled and this can lead to the decision making of the food
choice, and this kind of personal strategy is always associated with the family variety
common knowledge and evaluation to aid decision making. It follows that the process state is
the critical stage for the choice of food as it helps in the evaluation of alternatives, the
recognition, and the pre-purchase search. Srivastava (2015) argues that the consumers always
compare two or more products to buy them and globalisation has increased the popularity and
availability of the product among the people, and this is why these people have been able to
compare and consume fast food better than before.
Prabhu (2015) states that external factors like social conditions affect the cost and the
information on the product and therefore, food preference and value consumption can
influence the choice of the food product in the fast-food chain. Alternatively Ateke et al.
(2015) claims that some of the factors that have arrived due to globalisation include the self-
discipline and convenience, the preference, the taste, the time, the physical environment, the
matter, prices and social network. Thus, it influences the customers to have a choice on the
product and allows a certain degree of control. The physical environment is also a factor,
which includes factors like quality, availability, accessibility, and price and appeal, whereas
the macro environment it is associated with factors like information, media, and
advertisement. It follows that globalisation has been the reason for which there is extensive
knowledge among the customers and the fast food industry has to go through several
questions of the customers in the modern day world.
Mathur and Patodiya (2016) claims that there are several environmental factors affecting the
fast food industry around the world and globalisation has been able to tweak the trends that
have been growing and changing the industry recently. Ramanathan and Ramanathan (2016)
clarifies that globalisation has also provided the customers with extensive knowledge of
healthy food menus and customer service and many people have already started to look for
food that is healthier, especially the ones which have low-calorie options. Therefore, it has
been very hard for companies to attract different customers. The customers choose the
products according to the factors and in the era of modernization, these factors are spreading
like wildfire and are remarkably affecting the decision making of the customers. Lauaikas
and Tindale (2015) argue that economic factors also affect the food industry and the decision
of the customers. People prefer to buy food at low cost in the fast food restaurant industry and
this behaviour tends to provide the customers with the cheapest food options with a good
7

quality product. Alhelalat et al. (2017) clarifies that the factors that affect the behaviour of the
customers in relation to the choice of products and services include the economic downturns
and upturns, the cost of labour, and the prices of the commodity.
3. Methodology
This study has been done to understand the impact and influence of globalisation on the fast
food chain, especially on the company Burger King around the world and for this study, 50
customers will be randomly selected who will represent the study population for the
quantitative survey. This will be done so that there is an in-depth study and proper
management to avoid the research being bias and this approach will help to study the impact
of global presence on the behaviour of the people within the fast food industry and their
choice. The respondents will be chosen randomly because this will help the study to be much
more influenced and unbiased by the ideas of the people and this research work will be much
relevant and accurate (Kumar 2019). This research work will consist of mixed methods of
research in which there will be a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research
approach.
This will be used in such a way as it can help to investigate the numerical variables and the
frequency, which is influencing the choice of food within the fast food industry. The
quantitative method will be used as it can help in drawing a generalisation and giving in-
depth information (Mackey and Gass 2015). The use of both the secondary and the primary
methods will be used as this can help in understanding the different sources of data and a
questionnaire will be created for the survey. Secondary research will be conducted using past
studies that are available in electronic, manual, and different academic databases. The
primary research will be conducted so that it can provide first-hand information about the
respondents as their ideas will be much clearer, which can help us to understand more about
the topic (Taylor et al. 2015).
The quantitative data will be collected in two formats in which the first will include the self-
completion of the questionnaires by the respondent, which will be automatically redirected to
the academic database. This data will be used by the researcher to become familiar with the
choice of food and the impact of globalisation on consumer behaviour. A semi-structured
interview will also be conducted in which two managers will participate, and this will be
done to collect qualitative data helping to investigate their opinions and views about the
knowledge of the customer’s choice in the fast food change especially in the company Burger
8

King (Silverman 2016). It is better to generate a five-point Likert scale so that the
respondents are able to show the degree of agreement with the statement and allow a
researcher to measure attitudes and behaviours allowing responses to be quantified.
The data will be collected from those participants who are willing to participate in the study
and this is because this approach can make the study much more satisfactory and successful.
The face-to-face interview with managers will ascertain the experiences of the interviewees
and will help the researcher to gain knowledge of the topic as well as be familiar with the
respondents.
4. Timeline of research activities
Time scale:
Main activities of this research 1-2
weeks
3-4
weeks
5-6
weeks
7-8
weeks
9-12
weeks
13-15 weeks
Selection of research topic 
Collecting information about the
research topic
 
Research layout creation 
Review of literature   
Research Plan development  
Techniques selection  
Data collection and analysis  
Conclusion  
Rough draft preparing 
Submitting this research 
Table 1: Gantt chart
(Source: Created by Author)
9

5. References
Alhelalat, J.A., Ma’moun, A.H. and Twaissi, N.M., 2017. The impact of personal and
functional aspects of restaurant employee service behaviour on customer
satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 66, pp.46-53.
Ateke, B.W., Ogonu, G.C., Ishmael, E.C., Officer, M. and Harcourt, P., 2015. Perceived
justice initiatives and customers’ post-complaint satisfaction in the fastfood industry. Journal
of Marketing and Consumer Research, 14, pp.117-125.
Boo, H.V., 2017. Service environment of restaurants: findings from the youth
customers. Journal of ASIAN behavioural studies, 2(2), pp.67-77.
Hanaysha, J., 2016. Examining the link between word of mouth and brand equity: A study on
international fast food restaurants in Malaysia. Journal of Asian Business Strategy, 6(3), p.41.
Hanaysha, J., 2016. Testing the effects of food quality, price fairness, and physical
environment on customer satisfaction in fast food restaurant industry. Journal of Asian
Business Strategy, 6(2), pp.31-40.
Ifeanyichukwu, C., 2018. The role of sensory marketing in achieving customer patronage in
fast food restaurants in Awka.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage
Publications Limited.
Laužikas, M. and Tindale, H., 2015. Effects of consumer behaviour on innovations in fast
food industry. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 3(1), pp.85-103.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
Mahawrah, F., Shehabat, I. and Abu-Shanab, E., 2016. The impact of knowledge
management on customer relationship management: a case from the fast food industry in
Jordan. International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 10(2-4),
pp.138-157.
Mathur, S. and Patodiya, P.K., 2016. Global perspective of fast food consumption: a
systematic literature review. Indian Journal of Management Science, 6(2), p.46.
10

Prabhu, N.B., 2015. Examining fast-food consumption behaviour of students in Manipal
University, India. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 4(2), pp.621-630.
Qalati, S., Yuan, L., Iqbal, S., Hussain, R. and Ali, S., 2019. Impact of Price on Customer
Satisfaction; mediating role of Consumer Buying Behaviour in Telecom Sector. International
Journal of Research, 6(4), pp.150-165.
Ramanathan, R., Di, Y. and Ramanathan, U., 2016. Moderating roles of customer
characteristics on the link between service factors and satisfaction in a buffet
restaurant. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 23(2), pp.469-486.
Shamah, R.A., Mason, M.C., Moretti, A. and Raggiotto, F., 2018. Investigating the
antecedents of African fast food customers' loyalty: A self-congruity perspective. Journal of
Business Research, 86, pp.446-456.
Silverman, D. ed., 2016. Qualitative research. Sage.
Srivastava, R.K., 2015. How differing demographic factors impact consumers’ loyalty
towards national or international fast food chains: A comparative study in emerging
markets. British Food Journal, 117(4), pp.1354-1376.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research
methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
11

Part 2 – The Research & Report – (LOs 2, 3 & 4) (P3, P4, P5, P7, M2, M3, M4, D2, D3)
1. Abstract
The research report has focused to analyse research finding and objectives while establishing
research objectives. The purpose of the research is to focus on influence of globalisation on
customers' choice of Burger King fast food chain. Both primary and secondary data
collection method have been chosen to interpret the research objectives and aim that has been
analysed through interview survey and thematic analysis. The research has been found that
globalisation affects global expansion and internationalisation in fast food service chains.
2. Methodology
2.1 Research approach
This research work consists of mixed methods of research combining both qualitative and
quantitative approaches, which have helped the researcher to investigate further, understand
about the consumption of fast food, and learn the behaviour of the consumers in the market.
Therefore, the researcher has used the deductive reasoning or the detective approach in which
the person has developed a hypothesis based on the existing theory and has designed a new
research strategy so that the person can test the hypothesis (Kumar 2019). The use of the
deductive approach has been done in the study as it helps to understand the relationship
between the one or more general circumstances that helps test against the observations
finding a pattern within them.
Other research approaches has not been used in the study as it cannot explain the causal
relationship between the variables and the concepts and cannot measure all the concepts
quantitatively (Silverman 2016). This research approach is suitable as it can generalize the
research findings, gather data from the abundance of sources within a short period, and allow
the tasks to be completed within the deadlines. This approach follows certain stages like that
direction of hypothesis from the theory, formulating the hypothesis, testing the hypothesis,
examining the outcome and modifying the theory and this process can help the research to be
much accurate and gather relevant data related to the topic.
2.2 Research philosophy
Research philosophy is associated with the development, scope and nature of the knowledge
and is a belief in which the data is about to be collected analysed and used. This study will be
focused on positivism research philosophy as this philosophy can help the researcher to
12