McDonald’s Research on Menu Preferences Case Study

It is estimated that 17% of Americans are obese (Scherer 23). Fast food centers like McDonald have often been criticized for contributing to this phenomenon. In a bid to encourage the public to adopt improved nutrition behavior, McDonald launched a program to collect inputs from clients. The customers were required to offer their feedback with respect to the company’s nutritional programs, sustainability, and general brand advertising. Based on the above illustrations, it is apparent that the Listening Tour conducted by the firm is a qualitative research. Qualitative Researches are undertaken for fact-finding purposes (Masny 340). They are used in establishing underlying reasons, sentiments, and inspirations (Nickoson and Sheridan 145). Through this, the exploratory research offers information about a problem and aids in formulating solutions or hypotheses for possible quantitative inquiry (Scherer 23). Over the years, the company has adjusted its menu. Therefore, the tour will obtain feedbacks from their clients on how they will change their menu in the future to ensure that a healthy nutritional value is attained.

At the end of the tour, the findings will be assembled and analyzed before being sent to the management. Afterward, the executive team should initiate a quantitative research. Quantitative exploration helps in quantifying the research problem (Belk 12). For instance, the company will use this type of investigation to generate numerical data with respect to how to encourage the public to adopt improved nutrition behavior. The study will also offer quantified facts concerning the company’s nutritional programs, sustainability, and general brand advertising. Through the investigation, the firm will generate and utilize mathematical prototypes and concepts about the issue. Measurement will be employed in the study. The procedure is significant to the investigation since it offers the vital link between experimental observations and mathematical findings of quantitative relations. The above research will allow the company to develop a greater understanding of their qualitative results.

McDonald should have carried out a focus group process in their research. The method queries a cluster of people about their insights, sentiments, opinions, and outlooks towards a merchandise, service, idea, commercial, or a program (Robson 45). Marketing firms usually utilize the tactic. Through it, queries are asked in a group-shared environment. Participants can share their contributions with other group associates (Robson 46). The company should have utilized this approach owing to its associated benefits. Indicated below are focus group’s advantages:

• The method enables the researchers to work together with the contributors, pose follow-up inquiries, or request queries that investigate more deeply.
• Its outcomes can be comprehended with ease compared with complex statistical data.
• Through it, researchers can obtain information from non-verbal replies like gestures and body language.
• Data is offered more quickly compared to when participants are interviewed individually.­

Other than group focus, qualitative surveys and interviews should have been used (Gillham 33). Surveys could have been used to examine the clients’ attitudes towards the issue of obesity in the society. The interviews would have required participants to question clients to collect their personal views. During the interview, the contributors would have been asked to detail their perspectives about how the company should enhance improved nutrition behavior (Gillham 33). The questions used during the interviews should be open ended. Equally, questionnaires would have been used to collect private information from the participants.

Works Cited

Belk, Russel W. “Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research In Marketing”. Revista de Negócios 18.1 (2013): 12-14. Print.

Gillham, Bill. Small-Scale Social Survey Methods. London: Continuum International Pub. Group, 2008. Print.

Masny, David. “Rhizoanalytic Pathways In Qualitative Research”. Qualitative Inquiry 19.5 (2013): 339-348. Print.

Nickoson, Lee, and Mary Sheridan. Writing Studies Research In Practice. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2012. Print.

Robson, Colin. Real World Research. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 2002. Print.

Scherer, Lauri S. Obesity. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Print.