Ethnography Starbucks

Data may be gathered either through primary or secondary sources. However, in the selected issue, primary method has been incorporated because it provides highly realistic and valid results about the changing cultural attitudes and community’s preferences towards cafes. An observation has been made while allowing direct involvement and engagement of all the key participants (Soule & et.al, 2016.). I have applied participation observatory technique at the Sweden-based Starbucks location, Stockholm, Central Plan 15. During the fieldwork, an observation has been executed on three days: Monday, Thursday and Sunday at distinguished time-frames respectively during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours.

Apart from this, interview and focus group is also considered as an very crucial empirical and complementary material to assemble and obtain necessary information to understand the culture of the people. I also used interview technique by conducting interview as an empirical material or resource to identify and understand the cultural belief and ideas of the people visited restaurant.

Questions that has been asked from the people

• Q. 1. In your opinion, does cultural have a strong influence over your buying decisions for food and beverages?
• Q. 2. With whom, you often prefers to visit Starbucks Coffee Shop and other cafeterias?
• Q. 3. How often do you visit restaurants with your families?

In order to interview the selected participants, consent forms has been sent to their prospective e-mail ids so as to get prior approval from the people that they are willing to express their views and information about their cultural background and how it affects their buying decisions.

With regards to anthropology and social theory, the term ethnography is regarded as the processing of observing and understanding other people’s behaviour either domestic or foreign. Here, I am observing Sweden people that will be carry out at below mentioned location:

Fieldwork: Place – Centralstation, 15, 111, 20 Stockholm, Sweden

Field notes and transcripts

Being an observer, I founded that Swedish people are very humble and speak very politely and peacefully with me. When I interviewed people, I discovered that they replied my questions very softly and thanked me as well. As my objective was to discover the cultural belief then I examined that Swedish parents greatly take care their children’s rights and freedom. Further, a single parent is allowed to absent from their work till the time when the child complete 18 years. Thus, while observing people in Starbucks, I founded that most of the time, either mother or father visit cafeteria with their one parent whereas Sunday is an off for both, so number of family visiting were comparatively higher on that particular day.

In the observation, it has been discovered that less proportion of the customers were family-oriented as on Monday out of 80 guests, 20 consumers came with only one parent, father or mother, 12 with both parents while rest of the 48 users with friends, life-partners, colleagues, tourists and others. However, on Tuesday, in total, 88 guests visited, out of these, 28 were with one parent, 16 visited with both their parents, and residual 44 with their couples, friends, co-workers and other relatives. Moreover, people who visited with their friends mainly aims at entertainment and spend higher time in cafes. However, persons who visited with families spent less time mainly due to their busy life schedules and business life. While noticing family-oriented consumes, I discovered that children eating attitudes and preferences highly affects buying decisions of parents.

However, Sunday was a vacation so higher number of guests visited that day as I noticed that in total, 127 guests visited Starbucks. Out of 127 audiences, 40 were family-oriented consisting father, mother and children. The reason behind high number of family-oriented visitors is that both of the parents were working so they are busy in their professional and working life from Monday to Saturday. Hence, they prefer to spent holidays with their family, thus, on Sundays, families mainly visit and spent sufficient amount of time. However, there were only 18 guests who were with their single parent may be due to separate living of mother and father. While, remaining visited to the cafes with their co-workers, friends, couples and other relatives and mainly came for enjoyment purpose and spent lots of time in gossiping with each other.

TASK 2

Position in the field

In the fieldwork, being an observer, aspects of objectivity have been considered by me to evaluate the problem or issue. Thus, all the details have been recorded by me on the basis of reality which shows that such study is free from the biasness, feelings and imaginations. In this, main aim of such study is to analyse cultural values and aspects that prevail in Sweden. Thus, being a researcher, observation has been conducted for the customers of Starbucks café. In this, scenario has been observed without any biasness. It can be said that the study is highly objective in nature. In order to meet the objectives, researcher has observed whether clients are accompanied with family or friends. Hence, by observing such aspects study on cultural values and beliefs of the people has been done (Lila, 1990). In order to fulfil the aims and objectives, specific pattern has been observed by scholars about the ways in which they talk and enjoy during their outings. Hence, all the aspects have been observed by scholar by taking into consideration the research aims and objectives. This aspect can be supported from the views of De Smit et.al (2016) who stated that investigation which is objective in nature provides readers with the highly effectual and appropriate framework for decision making.

Ethical consideration

For conducting observational research more effectually prior permission has been taken by scholar from the owner of Starbucks. The rationale behind conducting investigation with proper permission and authority is to abide by set ehical considerations. Besides this, to follow and maintain ethical aspects to alarge extent researcher has done the observation without informing to respondents. According to viewpoints of Soule & et.al. (2016) it is the responsibility to conduct study in observational method without giving information to the respondents about it. Hence, by following all such aspects study has been conducted by researcher on he culture pattern of the families and individuals. However, on the critical note, Chatzidionysiou and et.al. (2016) said that study cannot be said to ethical when respondents do not have idea about this. However, in the observation research, it is prior condition to conduct whole investigation in a structured way without consulting to others. Moreover, it has been ensured to keep the personal information of respondents confidential so as to not hurt their sentiments in any way. The observation is conducted with utmost care to abide by all set of ethical considerations.

Quality of material and text

Further, it can be said that quality of material which is involved in such study is highly reliable. Moreover, all findings have been recorded after making an in-depth investigation of the time at which clients arrive at Starbucks. Along with this, detailed study also has been made on people in terms of with whom they enter in the café and spend time. Thus, findings and discussion of such observational research is reliable to a significant level (Ethnologic European Journal of European Ethnology, 2012). In addition to this, proper citation has been made to ensure that content is unique in nature. Along with this, presentation of study is highly structured because in this time, motive and days of study are mentioned by the scholar in a clear and precise manner. On the basis of the views of Soule & et.al. (2016) reliability, validity and presentation are the main elements of study which makes it more effective and attractive in nature. Thus, by following all such aspects, fair and appropriate view of the study has been presented by scholar.

In the fieldwork, I have worked as an observer with the motive to find out suitable solutions of the issue into consideration. In this, main aim of such study is to analyse cultural values and aspects that prevail in Sweden. Thus, being a researcher, observation has been conducted for the customers of Starbucks café. In this, scenario has been observed without any biasness. It can be said that the study is highly objective in nature. In order to meet the objectives, researcher has observed whether clients are accompanied with family or friends. Hence, by observing such aspects study on cultural values and beliefs of the people has been done. In order to fulfil the aims and objectives, specific pattern has been observed by scholars about the ways in which they talk and enjoy during their outings. Hence, all the aspects have been observed by scholar by taking into consideration the research aims and objectives. This aspect can be supported from the views of De Smit et.al (2016) who stated that investigation which is objective in nature provides readers with the highly effectual and appropriate framework for decision making.

For conducting observational research more effectually prior permission has been taken by scholar from the owner of Starbucks. The rationale behind conducting investigation with proper permission and authority is to abide by set ethical considerations. Besides this, to follow and maintain ethical aspects to large extent researcher has done the observation without informing to respondents. According to the viewpoints of Soule & et.al. (2016) it is the responsibility to conduct study in observational method without giving information to the respondents about it. Hence, by following all such aspects study has been conducted by researcher on the culture pattern of the families and individuals. However, on the critical note, Chatzidionysiou and et.al. (2016) said that study cannot be said to ethical when respondents do not have idea about this. However, in the observation research, it is prior condition to conduct whole investigation in a structured way without consulting to others. Moreover, it has been ensured to keep the personal information of respondents confidential so as to not hurt their sentiments in any way. The observation is conducted with utmost care to abide by all set of ethical considerations.

Further, it can be said that quality of material which is involved in such study is highly reliable. Moreover, all findings have been recorded after making an in-depth investigation of the time at which clients arrive at Starbucks. Along with this, detailed study also has been made on people in terms of with whom they enter in the café and spend time. Thus, findings and discussion of such observational research is reliable to a significant level. In addition to this, proper citation has been made to ensure that content in unique in nature. Along with this, presentation of study is highly structured because in this time, motive and days of study are mentioned by the scholar in a clear and precise manner. On the basis of views of Soule & et.al. (2016) reliability, validity and presentation are the main elements of study which makes it more effective and attractive in nature. Thus, by following all such aspects, fair and appropriate view of the study has been presented by scholar.

References

• Chatzidionysiou, K. and et.al., (2016). OP0285 The Eular Task Force for Standardising Minimum Data Collection in Rheumatoid Arthritis Observational Research: Results of A Hierarchical Literature Review.Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.75(2). pp. 166-166.
• Davies, Charlotte Aull (2008). Reflexive ethnography: a guide to researching selves and others. 2., [rev. and updated] ed. London: Routledge.
• De Smit, E. & et.al., (2016). Heterogeneity of Human Research Ethics Committees and Research Governance Offices across Australia: An observational study.The Australasian medical journal.9(2). 33.
• Ethnologic European Journal of European Ethnology (2012). “Special Issue: Irregular Ethnographies ”. 41(1). p.50
• Lila, A., (1990). Can there be a feminist ethnography? Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory. 5(1). p. 727.
• Soule, M. C. & et.al. (2016). Understanding motivations to participate in an observational research study: Why do patients enroll?.Social work in health care.55(3). 231-246.
• Soule, M. C. & et.al., (2016). Understanding motivations to participate in an observational research study: Why do patients enroll?.Social work in health care.55(3). pp. 231-246.