Fast Food Chains in a Shopping Mall

Introduction

The first food industry is developing rapidly; in Canada, there is a countless number of fast-food restaurants (Shah et al. 2019). As a result, this is phase three of the retail business venture project; and it will primarily build on the previous work done on stages one and two. From the scope of research that remains to be done, and the methodologies determined in Phase 2, this phase will extensively focus on individual activity while proceeding with interviews, observations, and questionnaires. There, there will be an explanatory illustration concerning various research objectives in a bid to help identify factors that affect fast-food enterprises. To be more precise, this section will primarily focus on interviews and observations of the Fairview Mall & Conestoga Mall. And the specific fast food outlets will be the A&W Burgers, KFC burgers, Subway, and the Swiss Chalet. All in a bid to discover various political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors that affect the fast-food industry in Canada.

Interview

This paper entails a graphic illustration concerning various research objectives that help identify factors that affect fast-food enterprises. This section outlines the preferable interview process that will be essential in collecting sufficient data. In Canada, the growth and development of fast food outlets within various shopping malls do not cease to increase. And this means that reputation and popularity between the food chains have become necessary because of the stiff competition. As a result, the main interview target area will be the Fairview Mall & Conestoga Mall, and the precise, fast food outlets will be the A&W Burgers, KFC burgers, Subway, and the Swiss Chalet. Data will be collected through personalized unstructured questionnaires interviews with open-ended questions directed to the respondents in random order. The unstructured interview process and questionnaire is a data collection strategy that tends to discover new information through a guided conversation that does not observe a strict guideline. And it is a vital method because the questions are flexible; in that, they can be changed easily or adapted in line with the respondents’ answers (Villanueva, 2019). Also, the questioning process can deviate from a schedule.

Secondly, an unstructured interview increases the level of validity since it provides an opportunity for the moderator to probe for a deeper understanding. And this is made possible by asking for precise clarifications, which enable the respondents to respond in line with the direction of the interview. Lastly, since unstructured interviews use open questions, they generate qualitative data because the interviewees can provide an in-depth response through their own words and illustrations. Today, biasness can easily find its way into any research initiative, and it is naive to ignore this fact; what is more, it could result from the respondent or the researcher. As a result, there are various strategies that we will need to implement in a bid to eliminate biasness from this interview process. Acquiescence bias, also known as friendliness, is a situation where the respondent shows false positivity by agreeing with anything that the interviewer presents (Capuni et al. 2019). Some people have acquiescent personalities; however, in most cases, acquiescence biasness is prevalent because many assume that the moderator is an expert; thus, they have to appear likable. Also, it is an easy-to-use response method since it saves the time of weighing each option. As a result, the specific questions must be open-ended, primarily focusing on the respondents’ point of view and avoiding being right or wrong.

That aside, social desirability bias is another challenge, and it results from the fact that respondents are responding a way that will make them more acceptable and superior than their counterparts, irrespective of the research format. It can be eliminated by unconditional positive regard, and this means enabling any form of response that is not necessarily socially desirable. Similarly, sponsor bias occurs when the interviewees know the sponsor of the study, and this means that their opinions and ideologies towards the sponsorship will bias their answers. It can be solved by maintaining a neutral stance; however, it is appropriate to ensure the respondents are not aware of the sponsors’ involvement to ensure they give out honest opinions. That aside, confirmation bias is the most common form of biasness in research. And it occurs when the moderator forms their ideology then utilizes respondents’ information to confirm that belief or hypothesis. On the one hand, data that suites the precise hypothesis is considered reliable and credible; on the other hand, data that does favor the moderator is eliminated. To eliminate confirmation bias, researchers must continuously re-examine respondents’ impressions and reevaluate various hypotheses.

Observation 

Observation of the respondents throughout the interview process is essential since the primary purpose of this research is to analyze and evaluate various aspects and factors affecting the fast-food industry in Canada; primarily, those that are situated within shopping malls. As a result, the main interview target area will be the Fairview Mall & Conestoga Mall; to be more precise, the fast food outlets will be the A&W Burgers, KFC burgers, Subway, and the Swiss Chalet. The preferable method of observing the respondents will be controlled examination. And it is essential because it does not consume a lot of time. Secondly, the data that is collected in most cases is easy to quantify and evaluate. Also, controlled observation helps test for reliability since it easy to implement a sampling schedule, and other researchers can use the same codes in any case they want to replicate the study. However, before the observation method is implemented, there must be a precise observation plan.

And this study will observe a five-step observation plan. To be more precise, step one will be identifying the objective of the study, which is to analyze and evaluate a variety of aspects affecting the popular fast-food enterprises in Canada. The second step is establishing a recording method. And here, all the disruptive or unfamiliar data collection devices will be abolished. As a result, the study will utilize questionnaires to take note of the data from the observation process. The third step of the observation plan will be to develop the precise questions and techniques of asking them. In this study, we will utilize questionnaires, and the interview process will be unstructured to foster reliability and validity. The fourth stage of the plan is to observe and takes notes on important information. Here the study will utilize controlled observation since it enables efficient collection of data that is easy to quantify and evaluate. The last step of the examination plan will be behavior analysis, which will be conducted through the interview process.

In most cases, respondents modify aspects of their responses, especially if they are aware that they are being observed, and this situation is known as the Hawthorne Effect (van de Graafn& Lange, 2019). As a researcher, there are various initiatives that I can do to minimize the Hawthorne Effect of Observation. Dishonesty of information comes from discomfort during an interview, which in turn arises when respondents fee like outsiders. As a solution to this challenge, the informal introduction is essential to build on the relationships with all the participants. But before initiating a connection, it is vital to gauge the respondents in a bid to determine the type of people in the study. Another method of minimizing the Hawthorne Effect is by facilitating a non-threatening perception (van de Graafn& Lange, 2019). And here, the study will ensure we portray the right image; for instance, the dressing style and mode of interaction. That aside, creating a rapport is also essential in mitigating the Hawthorne Effect.

Also, it creates harmony and understanding, which often leads to friendly relationships. What is more, it facilitates efficient communication and trustworthiness between the moderator