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Chick-fil-A: International Expansion Challenges

Bertrand Guillotin

Product #:9B20M046
Supplier:Ivey/Temple
Discipline:Entrepreneurship, International Business, Strategy, Sustainability
Setting:Canada, United States, 2019
Details:Case (PDF) • 11 pages • 2020-03-20 (Rev: 2021-10-21)

Subjects:

Business managementLeadership and managing peopleEntrepreneurshipInternational businessStrategyManagement

Industries:

Food and beverage sector

Geography:

North AmericaCanadaUnited States
Your Price:$9.71

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This case describes the immense success of Chick-fil-A in the United States and its first major international expansion efforts in Toronto, Canada, and Reading, England amid increased competition in the United States. Although Chick-fil-A had become the third-largest fast-food chain in the United States in 2018, a public relations controversy that had simmered since 2012 over the company’s conservative Christian values still dogged the company’s expansion attempts in 2019. How should the company address the backlash from supporters of LGBTQ rights and ensure the success of Chick-fil-A outside the United States?

Learning Objectives

This case is suitable for students in undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on global strategy, strategic management, leadership, Public Relations (PR) management, or international marketing. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to
  • understand the processes behind a firm’s competitive actions, such as responding to competition and market saturation;
  • assess the best ways to handle protests from population groups with opposing values;
  • assess the impact of societal changes on a firm’s internationalization strategy;
  • evaluate the business impact of leadership decisions and public statements (e.g., a CEO’s religious or political statements);
  • understand international expansion amid increased competition in a domestic market; and
  • understand international growth strategies and their implications.
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Case Study: Chick-fil-A: International Expansion Challenges (English version) | Ivey Publishing