THE NEED OF HAVING FAST FOOD CHAIN IN UiTM SHAH ALAM
...nchisee to set up a fast food restaurant or chain that caters to students’ need on campus. 1.4 Research Questions This study hopes to answer the following questions: i. Is there any need of having fast food chain in UiTM Shah Alam campus? ii. What is the most suitable fast food chain to have on campus? 1.5 Scope of Research/Limitation I had carried out this study from 4th January 2005 to 10th March 2005 and encountered several problems. Among the problems faced were inadequate reference materials in library and on the Internet. I had to conduct more group discussions with my friends and consult my lecturer to get some ideas on this matter. Due to the budget and time constraints in carrying out this study, it was limited to only UiTM Shah Alam students who are staying in campus as its subject concerned. CHAPTER II 2.0 Literature Review The word fast food, according to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (Fox, 2003) means food such as hamburgers which is prepared quickly and that you can take away with you. Time, transportation, and financial constraints have made most students have improper meal yet they need a quick and healthy food. The idea of having fast food chain on campus will give the students immediate access to it. 2.1 Fast Food on Campus in United States Over the years, the number of fast food franchises on campus in United States is increasing. Price (1993), found that Taco Bell has outlets on 17 college campuses, and Pizza Hut has kiosks on about 100 campuses. As in March 1993, Burger King had 25 campus outlets. Other fast food chains on campus include Subway, Carl’s Jr., and Hardees. Florida International University in Miami recently added a Starbucks. University officials say the food revolution from operating by themselves on food services to hiring private companies is smart business. Many students opted for cheaper fast food restaurant off-campus, so schools invited in the competition. Early arrivals include standbys such as Burger Kings and Taco Bell. (Kumar, 2003) Fast food and the college life go together like burger, fries, and a Coke. The business of the college coupled with the convenience and above mentioned belly-fill-the-buck makes fast food seem like a necessity. (Allen, 2001) Cost and speed of service are other factors before health which some students base their decisions on. Fitting a college student’s budget and schedule, McDonald’s extremely cheap and fast. (Myrick, 2003) The travel time of customers is more important than distance. In fact, most customers have no concept of distance but do have a strong concept of time. (Melaniphy, 1992) Therefore, convenient/strategic location of fast food outlets will be the major concern for customers. 2.2 Fast Food Chain on Campus in Malaysia Fast foods have become the main or standard food as college campuses. However, this is quite new in Malaysia compared to other countries. We are well aware that fast food chains such as McDonald’s are already in our midst and appear as part of our popular culture, bringing with them their cultural baggage and economic beliefs into the local surroundings. (Anuar, 1998) Some studies, however, consider fast food as unhealthy and just full of fillers, salty and oily food but it is getting more and more popular among students. DeGroot (2004) for instance, mentioned that students prefer fast food to what is offered in the dining hall perhaps because it is such a cultural norm. Students knew it’s not really good for them, it’s not really healthy, but they indulge anyway, especially with the lack of extra time and conveniences to make or eat ‘real’ food. With fast food restaurants beyond walking distance, students who live on campus especially will have another choice when they are tired of traditional dining hall food. Fast food also offers wide selection/variety of food menu. Maybe the on campus fast food restaurants offer the same price as off-campus restaurants but when the students do not have to spend money on traveling. This makes it the main choice place to eat for them. CHAPTER III 3.0 Methodology i. This study was conducted from 4th January 2005 to 10th March 2005. ii. Questionnaires had been distributed to 100 UiTM Shah Alam students who are staying in campus. iii. Data obtained had been analysed using statistics and discussed by using tables and graphs. iv. The inclusion criteria for this study were UiTM Shah Alam students who are staying in campus. v. The exclusion criteria were UiTM Shah Alam students who are staying off campus. CHAPTER IV 4.0 Findings Questionnaire It was found that: i. 15% of the respondents ate fast food more than once a week. The other 40% ate fast food once a week while 25% of them only had them in every two weeks. The other 20% ate fast food once a month. ii. The respondents’ reason to have fast food had been ranked in the following sequence: its fast service, selection/variety of choices of menu, reasonable and affordable price, good food and drink, convenience and peer pressure. iii. 90% of the respondents thought there was a need to have fast food in UiTM Shah Alam campus while the other 10% thought ...