Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Business and Policy Studies

Series Vol. 68 , 05 January 2024


Open Access | Article

Golden Arches Across Cultures: Understanding McDonald’s Global and Local Consumer Behavior

Kunpeng Yang * 1
1 University of Connecticut

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, Vol. 68, 85-91
Published 05 January 2024. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Kunpeng Yang. Golden Arches Across Cultures: Understanding McDonald’s Global and Local Consumer Behavior. AEMPS (2024) Vol. 68: 85-91. DOI: 10.54254/2754-1169/68/20241358.

Abstract

Amidst globalization, the fast-food industry, notably brands like McDonald's, has attracted significant interest. McDonald's dominates in the U.S. and has seen remarkable success in markets like China. Yet, despite its global image, differences in marketing and consumer behavior exist between these nations. This study aims to dissect the distinctions between McDonald's in China and the U.S., focusing on product adaptability, advertising, and consumer behavior. The intent is to grasp how global brands localize in varied cultural environments. Historically, McDonald's transitioned from a U.S. local brand to a global powerhouse. The U.S. formed its foundational market, while China presents both vast opportunities and challenges. Key questions addressed include McDonald's product adjustments for diverse cultures and whether advertising should be country-specific. To answer these queries, this paper mixes qualitative and quantitative research. Data will be sourced from consumer surveys and interviews, and a thorough analysis of McDonald's advertising in both nations. Secondary data will also be examined for a holistic view. This approach aims to pinpoint McDonald's strategic adaptations and potentially guide other global brands in localization endeavors.

Keywords

brand influence, consumer behavior, globalization and localization, product adaptability

References

1. Levitt, T. (2014, August 1). The globalization of Markets. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1983/05/the-globalization-of-markets

2. Watson, J. L. (2006). Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia. Stanford University Press. P12.

3. Yunus, N.K., Razak, M.Z. and Ilias, A. (2013) Expectation towards McDonald’s Malaysia: A Study on Service Quality. International Journal of Independent Research and Studies. 2(3) p.119-129

4. Light, L., and Kiddon, J. (2009) Branding Strategies for Success. UK: Pearson Education.

5. Douglas, S. P. and Wind, Y. (1987). The Myth of Globalization Columbia Journal of World Business 22(Winter):P. 19–29.

6. Ceil, Chenoy. “Service Quality and Branding Strategies at McDonalds.” SSRN, 13 June 2017, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2984100. P8

7. “MCD: Mcdonald`s Annual Reports.” StockLight, stocklight.com/stocks/us/accommodation-and-food-services/nyse-mcd/mcdonald-s/annual-reports. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

8. Hoyer, W. D. (2012, August 10). Consumer behavior. Google Books. P10 https://books.google.com/books/about/Consumer_Behavior.html?id=RQYLAAAAQBAJ

9. Maheswaran Durairaj, 1994, Country of Origin as a Steretype: Effects of Consumer Expertise and Attribute Strength on Product Evaluations, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 21, No. , pp. 354-365.

10. Lee, M. and Ulgado, F.M. (1997) Customer evaluation of fast-food services: a crossnational comparison. The Journal of Services Marketing. 11(1). p.39-52.

Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.

2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.

3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open Access Instruction).

Volume Title
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Business and Policy Studies
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-267-1
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-268-8
Published Date
05 January 2024
Series
Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences
ISSN (Print)
2754-1169
ISSN (Online)
2754-1177
DOI
10.54254/2754-1169/68/20241358
Copyright
05 January 2024
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated