Week 4 Assignment

Liberty University

29 March 2020

General Problem:

The general problem to be addressed is how fast-food chains and food outlets are changing their operations during the pandemic of Corona Virus. in the world, especially in the United States. The fast-food industry is one of the biggest industries in the world with an estimated $539.63 billion in 2016. This number has grown a lot in the last five years. The global fast-food market has a growth rate of approximately 4.20% from 2017 to 2022 but this growth rate has eventually become negative in 2020 when the world came under influence of the Corona Virus, scientifically called COVID-19. It started to spread at the end of 2019 from China and now has spread in over 190 countries by infecting over 660,000 till now. This number is yet to grow. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic and since there is no cure to it, the best course of action as per experts is a precaution. Under WHO precautionary measures, staying inside one's home and having no contact outside the world is the most suitable solution to escape the virus. Most countries have gone down on either complete or partial lockdown to ensure the safety of their citizens. Fast food chains which were previously place of getting food on one's way to the office, home or college or sitting with friends and family is not more the same because it is very risky and can act as spreading point of virus. That is why many hotels and fast-food chains have closed their dining areas. Some organizations have done it voluntarily, others have to do it under government regulations. The United States is fast becoming one of most affected countries in the world and all the fast-food chains are closed or limed offer limited services. They are providing their services through the drive-through, delivery and carryout but even this method of providing food is reducing because it can also act as a source of potential spread of the disease. Hence the fast-food industry at large is under a lot of pressure and the question is how to deal with it (Day, 2020). Comment by Terrance Woods: Why is this a problem? What is it affecting? Why is it worthy of research? The statement of the problem should be a rational and reasoned argument that posits the problem as a problem and indicates the necessity for the research. You have not done that here in your general problem statement. More appropriate wording will be – The general problem to be addresses is the unprecedented change in fast food chain operations and debilitating effect it is having on future viability. Comment by Terrance Woods: You will need to cite this… This information was taken from some outside source. Comment by Terrance Woods: Again missing citation Comment by Terrance Woods: This does not sound grammatically proper.

Specific Problem:

The specific problem to be addressed is how McDonald's is going to deal with a decrease in demand in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. McDonald's is one of the largest fast-food chains in the United States with approximately 16,000 outlets in 2019. These outlets are present in every corner of the United States as McDonald's has become a household name in most households. McDonald's earn a vast portion of its revue from the American market which was estimated recorded at 21.08 billion in 2019. McDonald's was growing at an exponential rate, but after the Corona pandemic, not only the growth rate has stopped but it has started to move negative in terms of revenue. The main reason is to avoid the spread of the virus, which is mandated under government guidelines for all fast-food chains in which McDonald's is included. In compliance, McDonalds has closed its dining area and now services are only available through the drive-through, delivery and carryout. Even with these services, people are avoiding ordering food from outside which is reducing the demand exponentially which is a big challenge for McDonald's. How to deal with this problem needs to be answered through informed decisions (Shennan, 2020). Comment by Terrance Woods: The specific problem statement is also not a question. The specific problem must be a narrowly focused subset of the general problem that is practical to study.

Feedback

You will have to rethink and rephrase both your general and specific problem statements. I also suggest that you review the course material on how to properly craft research statements before attempting to do so. Writing an effective problem statement is critical to the success of your study. Remember, the problem statements are not questions. It a rational and reasoned argument that posits the problem as a problem and indicates the necessity for the research.   It drives the purpose of the study, the choice of research design, and the resulting conclusions. It is a rational and reasoned argument that posits the problem as a problem and indicates the necessity for the research. 

You had several missing in text citations. Please consult your APA manual on how and when to cite outside sources in your work.

References Day, J. (2020, March 25). Which Fast Food Restaurants Are Closed or Open Due to Coronavirus? Retrieved from 997 Now: https://997now.com/big-bay-mornings/so-which-fast-food-restaurants-are-closed-or-open-due-to-coronavirus/ Shennan, R. (2020, March 23). Which restaurant chains have closed? Full list of fast food venues that have shut due to coronavirus crisis. Retrieved from Yorkshire Evening Post: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/health/coronavirus/which-restaurant-chains-have-closed-full-list-fast-food-venues-have-shut-due-coronavirus-crisis-2505658