International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 6(11) 2019, Pages: 11-20 Contents lists available at Science-Gate International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences Journal homepage: http://www.science-gate.com/IJAAS.html Exploring the internal factors affecting job satisfaction in the fast food industry in Malaysia Anantha Raj A. Arokiasamy * School of Economics and Management, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang Selangor, Malaysia ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: The food industry in Malaysia is a fast growing industry. It keeps Received 7 April 2019 transforming due to the high demands of food and beverage products. In this Received in revised form industry, having talent, skillful and knowledgeable employees in a company 22 August 2019 is important. This means that the satisfaction of these talented employees is a Accepted 23 August 2019 priority in this industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the internal factors affecting the job satisfaction of employees at fast food outlets Keywords: in Malaysia. Twelve fast food outlets were targeted at Klang Valley, Kuala Job satisfaction Lumpur, Malaysia. A quantitative study was conducted, and questionnaires Working conditions were collected from 440 fast food employees. Data was collected using a Pay structured questionnaire based on the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Promotion Questionnaire (MSQ). The collected data was analyzed by adopting mean Fairness scores, Pearson’s r correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The study showed that internal factors like pay & benefits, fairness and promotion, working conditions, coworkers and communication significantly influenced employee job satisfaction in the fast food industry. The research provided a better understanding regarding the factors affecting job satisfaction in the fast food industry. The results can help managers to identify strategies to increase employee job satisfaction by increasing their motivation for the job performed thus leading to higher productivity and increased customer satisfaction. © 2019 The Authors. Published by IASE. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction refers to the extent to which a person likes his/her job (Spector, 1997). The level of job satisfaction *In Malaysia, Roziyana (2012) argued that job reflects-and is affected by-one’s work experiences as satisfaction is getting more attention but not much well as his/her present situation and future empirical research is done in this area. However, expectations. Job satisfaction is an attitude very they stated that managers in Malaysia are sensitive to the features of the context in which it is increasingly aware of the issue of job satisfaction studied. There is no model of job satisfaction due to two reasons. They explained that one of the applicable to all work settings as there are no reasons is that the managers believe that they have general truths regarding the factors and the the moral responsibility to provide a satisfying work mechanisms accounting for such an elusive and environment for their employees. The other reason subjective concept. Lists of fast food chain brands in is that they believe that the workers who have a high Malaysia were shown in Table 1. job satisfaction will be able to positively contribute The Malaysian fast food industry has grown to the company. These show that the employees’ job rapidly since the 1960’s and there are now more satisfaction is important because it can have a direct than 1000 fast food outlets in Malaysia. The impact towards a company’s performance. Job expansion of the fast food industry can be evidenced satisfaction is an attitude emanated from employees’ by the increased number of outlets. The rapid perceptions of their jobs or work environments and development of the Malaysian fast food industry may have also been influenced by a new and faster pace of life in major cities and the need to combine meal- * Corresponding Author. times with time engaged in other activities such as Email Address: [email protected] shopping, work or travelling (Ali, 2008). Today is the https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2019.11.003 era of fast food chains. Fast food restaurants are Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9784-6448 universally and expected to be expanding and 2313-626X/© 2019 The Authors. Published by IASE. growing over the years. Due to relatively inexpensive This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license costs and quick, convenient service, fast-food (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) 11 Anantha Raj A. Arokiasamy/International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 6(11) 2019, Pages: 11-20 restaurants have become “home away from home” employees can provide good service to patrons and for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Wright and Davis, increasing satisfaction of customers leads to loyalty 2003). to the company. The customer is one of the most important keys to organizational performance in the Table 1: Lists of fast food chain brands in Malaysia fast food industry (Chiang et al., 2005). Employees No. Brand Name Category Specialty working in the fast food industry face a different Fast 1. A & W Burger situation in terms of work hours, conditions, salary Food Fast offered than regular restaurant staff hence different 2. Burger King Burger Food factors affecting employee job satisfaction in the fast Fast 3. Subway Burger food restaurants. Service rendered by staff is an Food important element in the fast food restaurant to Fast Burger and 4. McDonalds Food Chicken achieve business success (Ting, 1997). Locke (1969) Fast Burger and emphasized that satisfaction is “a person’s feeling of 5. Marry Brown Food Chicken pleasure resulting from comparing a product’s Fast 6. Domino’s Pizza Pizza perceived performance in relation to his or her Food Kentucky Fried Chicken Fast Burger and expectations”. The aim of this study is to determine 7. (KFC) Food Chicken the internal factors affecting job satisfaction in the Fast 8. Pizza Hut Pizza fast food industry. The internal factors include Food operating conditions, pay and benefits, fairness and Fast 9. 4Fingers Crispy Chicken Chicken Food promotion and communication are the independent Fast variables; job satisfaction and customer satisfaction 10. Texas Chicken Chicken Food is the dependent variable. The purpose of the study was to determine the Fast-food business is one of the most common internal factors affecting employees’ job satisfaction business mainly in developed countries showed that in the fast food industry in Malaysia. The study delivers food process more quickly than any other focused on pay and benefits, fairness and promotion, system other restaurants and it takes time to working conditions, coworkers and communication prepare food and ready to eat and or submit to as the major elements that affects employee job customers. America franchises have dominated the satisfaction. fast food industry in Malaysia (Malik et al., 2010). It includes Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, 2. Literature review Kenny Rogers Roasters, A&W, McDonald’s, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza and etc. These example fast 2.1. Job satisfaction food brands have gain popularity among Malaysian. However, local fast food gain small market share if Job satisfaction defined as “An attitude that compared to American franchises. The first local fast individuals have about their jobs”. It results from food brand is Marry Brown which established in their perception of their jobs and the degree to 1981 whereas the most successful local fast food which there is a good fit between the individual and brand is “Ayamas”. the organization. Job satisfaction is a personal In Malaysia, the fast food industry is regarded as attitude towards work and a positive emotional one of the important industry and job satisfaction situation when employees reach their expectation on plays an important role in the lives of staff at any their work and careers (Ivancevich et al., 2004). The industry (Ali and Ahmed, 2009). Although the fast attitudinal nature of job satisfaction implies that an food industry plays a vital role in contributing to individual would tend to stay with a satisfying job Malaysia’s economy, human capital problems have and quit a dissatisfying job (Judge and Church, consistently occurred in this industry but has often 2000). In research literature job satisfaction is been neglected by researchers. As the industry has closely associated with organizational commitment more than 100,000 employees, recruitment and (Heskett et al., 1997). According to Dienhart et al. retention of employees are among the most (1992), job satisfaction is made up of five (5) important challenges it faces. Therefore, an components: understanding of employees and the possible causes why they leave is important to better prevent labor Attitude towards colleagues turnover from happening. The causes of labor General working conditions turnover have not, to date, been substantially Financial benefits documented for the Malaysian fast food industry. In Attitudes towards supervision addition, many turnover studies which deal with other industries may not be of relevance due to Job satisfaction occurs when a job meets the unique features specific to the Malaysian fast food expectations, values and standards of an individual industry. Customer service is an essential and will influence their commitment and component in the service sector and maximizing performance (Rogers et al., 1994). The greater the customer satisfaction can and will lead to higher degree of the expectations being met the higher will profit. This can be accomplished through committed the level of job satisfaction be. According to Igalens employees (Lee and Way, 2010). Committed and Roussel (1999), staff will be satisfied if they are 12 Anantha Raj A. Arokiasamy/International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 6(11) 2019, Pages: 11-20 justifiably treated by the outcomes they receive or order to compete for the most talented workers, the processes that are implemented.