Title: Cultural differences and McDonald's: a multi-country comparative study

Authors: Mahmood A. Khan; Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih; Kyuho Lee; Inhyuck Ha

Addresses: Hospitality and Tourism Management, Virginia Tech, Falls Church, VA 22043, USA ' College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan University, Egypt ' School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 95409, USA ' College of Business, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NC, USA

Abstract: The current study assesses the cultural differences in the perceptions of McDonald's services in four countries, the USA, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Egypt. Countries were selected because there were enough variations based on the Hofstede's cultural dimensions. Using individual respondents and Hofstede's cultural dimensions, the study determined that there were statistically significant differences between the countries regarding perceptions of food quality, socialising place, and convenience. In general, the USA perceived McDonald's more critically than other countries whereas Egypt and Vietnam viewed it more favourably. The most apparent application is that culture needs prime consideration before planning to enter any country for business, irrespective of how popular, standardised operations, and procedures are. It is critical to determine the service perceptions of the target market particularly for an international chain restaurant, where similarities and differences of the various countries and cultures may have a profound impact. Other implications for practitioners and academics are discussed.

Keywords: quick service restaurants; QSRs; cultural differences; Hofstede's cultural dimensions; McDonald's; service perceptions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2022.127123

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2022 Vol.31 No.4, pp.391 - 411

Received: 08 Mar 2019
Accepted: 03 Oct 2019

Published online: 23 Nov 2022 *

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