Multiple Chapters on "Thai Consumer Behavior Toward Coffee Shop in Thailand"

Multiple Chapters 24 pages (6960 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

consumer behaviour toward coffee shop in Thailand

Setting the context

Despite the fact that it has taken a second place due to the internationalised economic crisis, the process of globalisation is still actual and of tremendous importance. It refers specifically to the process by which markets are liberalised and the limitations imposed by boundaries are eliminated. Globalisation is generally assimilated with economics and it is best understood in the context of liberalised markets and free trade. But it in fact goes beyond economics and trade and it includes the transition of political, social, cultural, technological and otherwise values from one global region to the other.

Social globalisation is often referred to as Americanisation, or the process by which the American values, the American way of life, the music, the language and so on are promoted and then adopted by other countries. As an extrapolation, the process has been named westernisation, to imply the transition of the western values to the rest of the world. But despite intense nuances of particular global regions predominantly influencing others, fact remains that the East has also influenced the world in several manners.

One example in this sense is given by the propagation of the Middle Eastern carpets, which became world wide recognised and appreciated -- especially the Persian rugs. Another example is constituted by the financial investments the oil magnates have made within the Western societies. One last example is constituted by coffee, the energetic drink which is believed to have first been discovered in the Ethiopian highlands, but for which the timing is unclear. From Ethiopia, the beverage spread throughout the Arab world initially, and then to the European continent and eventually to the American continent (Law, 1850).

The coffee industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, with coffee exports going beyond six million tons a year. Coffee trading commenced within the Arabian Peninsula and the popularity of the drink soon expanded throughout the rest of the world (Smith, Gupta and Gupta, 2007). Coffee consumption gradually evolved from an old fashion way of grounding the coffee beans in recipients made form stone and then drinking the beverage at home into a modern activity. Coffee is now drunk on the streets, in restaurants, in special coffee shops and in virtually any location. It is consumed at each time during the day and the variety of coffee-based products is virtually endless.

In this context of coffee discovery and consumption evolution, it is to be observed that the East discovered and popularised the beverage, but it was the West which created its consumption culture. Starbucks is the most relevant example in this sense as they created an entire coffee drinking culture and they have exported this culture world wide. Given this realisation, a question is being posed relative to the means in which coffee is now viewed and consumed in the East, especially in light of the consumption implications of the West.

In order to answer this question, the particular case of Thailand would be assessed. The scope is that of reviewing the means in which Thai customers respond and react to coffee shops. In other to find the answer to the posed question, a questionnaire would be constructed, filled in and then processed. The significance of the research process is a dual one. On the one hand, the endeavor reviews the literature and researches the market to find specific answers to constitute theoretical findings. On the other hand, it constitutes a starting point for coffee shop managers who seek to better know their customers and to improve their customer attraction and retention strategies.

1.2. The problem statement

In light of the situation previously presented, the problem statement at the basis of the research endeavor becomes clearer. As a parenthesis, the problem statement represents the concise presentation of the research questions to be answered. It helps the researcher focus on the specific task at hand and it is also useful as it generates additional questions -- aside the already issued greater question -- which would help in finding an answer to the posed inquiry (University of Tennessee, 2006).

At this level of the research process, it is necessary to answer a series of questions, such as:

1. What is the main topic of the research? Or otherwise put, what is the central problem in the research endeavor?

2. Who will benefit from finding an answer to the problem?

3. What will be the form of the findings?

4. How will the findings be retrieved?

Here are the adherent answers:

1. The central issue of the research is that of Thai consumer attitudes towards coffee shops in Thailand.

2. As it has been mentioned throughout the introductory section, the answer to the research question would support future research endeavors, as well as offering coffee shop owners and managers the possibility to better know -- and as such better serve -- their customers.

3. The findings will be presented in essay format as the result of both primary as well as secondary research.

4. The findings would be retrieved initially from the specialised literature, which in fact represents the academic stage in the analysis. The second stage of the analysis is represented by the construction, completion and analysis of a questionnaire. The analysis of the specialised literature represents the research from secondary resources whereas the analysis of the actual coffee consumers represents the research from primary sources.

1.3. The research aims and objectives

As it can be deduced from the previous sections, the main scope of this research endeavor is that of identifying the behaviour and attitudes of Thai consumers towards coffee shops in Thailand. Starting from this broad scope, several aims and objectives are identifiable. The research aims refer primarily to the outcomes expected to be generated through the research, whereas the objectives revolve more around the means in which the aims would be accomplished (Bryman and Bell, 2007).

In this order of ideas, the aims refer to the following:

The identification of the behaviour of Thai consumers regarding coffee shops

The identification of the attitudes of Thai consumers regarding coffee shops

The offering of complex and relevant answers which support the development of future academic researches

The offering of complex and relevant answers to the participants in the coffee industry and market in order to support the development of the coffee sector.

In regard to the research objectives, these refer specifically to the following:

The analysis of the available literature with the scope of familiarisation with Thailand and the coffee industry and market

The construction of a detailed questionnaire

The gathering of responses to the questionnaire questions and the analysis of the answers

The construction of relevant findings based on the questionnaire questions and their adequate analysis

The identification of the main elements which determine a certain consumer attitude or behaviour regarding the coffee shops in Thailand

Help the general or academic reader to better understand the coffee industry in Thailand

Help the Thai coffee shop owner or manager better understand the market

1.4. The hypothesis

The starting point of this research endeavor is that the consumption of coffee in Thailand is changing due to the forces of globalization as well as due to modernisation. Both phenomena are common in Thailand and they are expected to reveal manifestations within the consumption of coffee as well.

The globalisation of Thailand commenced in the 13th century, as the country -- a kingdom as a constitutional monarchy (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010) started to trade merchandise with China. By the 18th century, Thailand had vast partners which included Japan, Indonesia, Spain, France or even the United States. At that stage, the Thai population lived at bare subsistence levels, all production surplus having been collected by the government.

During the following two decades however, the new leaders developed and implemented a series of social, political and trade reforms. They represented the starting point in the modernisation of Thailand. The most relevant example of Thailand's desire to become globalised was its decision to send the princes of the kingdom to European countries to study. Upon return to Thailand, they were charged with the implementation of the Western views in the southeastern Asian country. The princes "were responsible for the reforms and modernisation of education, health care, military, public administration, transportation and communication, laws and justice etc. By adoption and adaptation of the Western models and technology" (Pupphavesa, 2002). The result was a gradual transition from an enclosed and subsistence economy to a commercial economy and the creation of a developed society, placing emphasis on the well-being of the individuals.

Ultimately then, it is at this stage assumed that, just like the country is facing new challenges and new influences which force it to adapt and develop alongside, the coffee market and industry is also faced with the necessity to evolve and as such serve new needs. The role of the following pages will be that of assessing the elements which characterize the modern day consumption of coffee in Thailand.

2. Literature… READ MORE

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