BUS 251.

11| Research Proposal

Team: Breath-takers

Starbucks is the leading coffee company based in Seattle, Washington, the U.S. It has more
than 24,000 retail stores in 70 countries (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2019). Starbucks aims
to sell coffee with a social experience. Hence, its portfolio consists of tangible products and
intangible products or the services. Its tangible products are the direct consumption products-
caffeinated and caffeine-free beverages, snacks and merchandise products- coffee mugs,
coffee packaging. Needless to say, its intangible product is the premium coffee experience in
a social ambiance with the top-notch customer service.

Since fiscal 2016, Starbucks corporation has been looking into laying down its footprints in
Asian markets. The new company strategies are targeting upper-middle-class people for
future market expansion (Let's look at Starbucks' growth strategy, 2016). In recent days
Starbucks is facing a raft of challenges, including a cooling US market and heavy competition
from rivals (Patton, 2017). It has the opportunity to recover its market share, through the
expansion in Bangladesh. Market expansion decision in Bangladesh will not only serve
financial profit but also it will go hand in hand with the strategic plan of Starbucks.

According to Eric Goldschein, 90% of coffee production takes place in developing countries and its consumption
is centered to the industrialized region (2011). This globally proven claim worked as an initial inspiration for us.
By looking at the GDP figure of Bangladesh, it can be said that it has consistent growth. In 2018, Bangladesh had
a 7.9% annual GDP growth (Tradingeconomics.com, 2019), which led us to look into its industrial production
growth. Bangladesh's industrial production rose 13.4% in February 2019, following an increase of 11.0% in the
previous month (Ceicdata.com, 2019). With the increasing industrialization, going out here for a coffee is getting
more social connections than having it for a physical need. Besides, Bangladeshi people love celebrations and
its culture offers various festive practices throughout the year. This aspect opens up the horizon of opportunities
for Starbucks in Bangladesh while having limited core competitors, namely- Gloria Jeans, North End, and Crimson
Cup coffee. Due to the unique geographical location of Bangladesh, it has both the tropical and the monsoonal
climate (ThoughtCo, 2019). This unique climate will facilitate Starbucks to offer more customized and weather
suited menu. Considering Bangladesh’s growing economy, the emerging lifestyle of middle-class and upper-
middle-class citizens and socializing based culture, we can precisely predict that Starbucks will successfully be
able to communicate their brand and their values to Bangladeshi people.
For our primary data, we are going to conduct an online survey, designed exclusively for brand
communication and consumer behavior, and targeting 18- 25 years old Bangladeshi
respondents. We are hoping to have a sample size of at least 50 respondents for this survey.
As for our secondary data, we plan to use online resources, as in online journals, magazines,
newspapers, and blogs. For our country analysis and the insight of the coffee industry in
Bangladesh, we are going to use Google Scholars to seek published papers and other related
past researches.

We are expecting to complete our primary data collection by the end of the third week of July
and our secondary data collection by the first week of August. We will complete writing the
draft copy of the research paper within the second week of August and will be done with the
editing and finalizing by 17th August. Thus, we are confident to be able to submit the paper
within 19th August, 5 pm (local time of Dhaka, Bangladesh).

We hereby request your approval for our research proposal. If you wish us to modify or
improve our proposal, we will submit it after incorporating all the necessary changes. We
would also be grateful for your assistance and advice in conducting our research and
completing the paper.

apparel industry is the gate of choice for most developing countries in their quest to step into
industrialization.

For our primary data, we are going to conduct an online survey, designed exclusively for brand communication and consumer behavior, and
targeting 18- 25 years old Bangladeshi respondents. We are hoping to have a sample size of at least 50 respondents for this survey. As for
our secondary data, we plan to use online resources, as in online journals, magazines, newspapers, and blogs. For our country analysis and
the insight of the coffee industry in Bangladesh, we are going to use Google Scholars to seek published papers and other related past
researches.

We are expecting to complete our primary data collection by the end of the third week of July and our secondary data collection by the first
week of August. We will complete writing the draft copy of the research paper within the second week of August and will be done with the
editing and finalizing by 17th August. Thus, we are confident to be able to submit the paper within 19th August, 5 pm (local time of Dhaka,
Bangladesh).
For our primary data, we are going to conduct an online survey. The survey will be exclusively designed for brand communication and
consumer behavior targeting 18 to 30 years old Bangladeshi respondents. We are hoping to have a sample size of at least 40 respondents
for this survey. For our secondary data, we have planned to use online resources, as online journals, magazines, newspapers and blogs. For
our host country analysis and the insight of the apparel industry in Bangladesh, we are going to use Google Scholars to seek published papers
and other related past researches.

We are expecting to complete our primary data collection by the end of the third week of November and our secondary data collection by
the last week of November. We will complete writing the draft copy of the research paper within the first week of December and will be
done with the editing and finalizing by 8th December. Thus, we are confident to be able to submit the paper within 10th December, 5 pm
(local time of Dhaka, Bangladesh).

We hereby request your approval for our research proposal. If you wish us to modify or improve our proposal, we will submit it after
incorporating all the necessary changes. We would also be grateful for your assistance and advice in conducting our research and completing
the paper.