Degree
Master of Business Administration
Faculty / School
Faculty of Business Administration (FBA)
Advisor
Dr. Saima Hussain, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing
Committee Member 1
Dr. Saima Husain, Head of Department – Marketing, Business Administration – Academic Affairs, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
Project Type
MBA Research Project
Keywords
https://ir.iba.edu.pk/do/search/?q=Shan%20foods&start=0&context=8598587&facet=">Shan foods, Culinary citizenship, Country of origin, Product portfolio, Indian consumers
Abstract / Summary
Shan Foods is one of Pakistan’s most successful brands, and since its inception in 1981, it has become one of Pakistan’s largest producers of recipe mixes and masalas. Under the stewardship of Mr. Sikander Sultan, the brand has made a global name for itself as it operates in 65 countries including Pakistan. The company’s ambitions are even greater as they strive to increase their global market share and expand their overseas offerings.
In this research study, a group of final year MBA students from the Institute of Business Administration, explore the consumption patterns and ethnic preferences of overseas Indians. The Indians represent a major migrant population with their global total at 272 million, with 17.5 million migrants in 2019 only, according to the United Nations. The Indian community in USA alone is 48 million as of 2019. Shan Foods major offering is within the South Asian cuisine and therefore makes the abovementioned statistics very relevant to the company.
This qualitative research explores the concepts of Culinary Citizenship and Country of Origin. Recreation of dishes indigenous to their home country is a culturally symbolic and an expression of identity for Indians living abroad. To be able to recreate these dishes using ingredients sourced from their country of origin develops a sense of pride and ownership and fuels into the identity which forms a community and the basis of an ethnic representation abroad.
To better understand the consumers, in-depth interviews were conducted with various participants across targeted regions. The in-sights from these interviews were used to develop a questionnaire which was circulated in the six selected regions. The study uses a convenience sampling approach and the results were critically analyzed to quantify the findings.
After thoroughly assessing results from the primary research and evaluating diverse themes and product portfolios, the report provides a comprehensive strategy focused upon increasing brand’s awareness with Indians abroad and ensuring enhanced interaction and communication with them.
Recommended Citation
Ahmed, A., Shaikh, M. S., Aziz, S. F., Shehzeen, S., & Syed, Y. (2020). Exploring consumption patterns and ethnic preferences of overseas Indians with respect to masalas & recipe mixes (Unpublished graduate research project). Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://ir.iba.edu.pk/research-projects-mba/16
