McDonald’s Corporation emerged as the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving 119 countries; it has become an icon in the fast food industry. Competitors (such as: Burger King Corporation, Subway, Starbucks, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, and YUM Foods), struggle due to McDonald’s heavy caliber presence, in fact, due to its presence, McDonald’s does not have any real competitors. Therefore, McDonald’s presence reflects the following issues: food quality, unbalanced meals, service, and employee turnover.…
Globalization is common in most large organizations as they thrive to maximize revenue and expand customer base by establishing operations in different countries and within different cultures. Consequently, these organizations have to consider cultural perspectives of the country in which that plan to operate. McDonald’s, established in 1954 by Ray Kroc in conjunction with the McDonalds brothers and with over 30,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries, is one of the world’s biggest fast food restaurant chains employing 1.7 million people” (McDonalds, 2010-2012). This organization is no different and has to face issues resulting from globalization such as dietary preferences or needs from culture to culture or country to country as well as religion as it relates to its advertising and such..…
In his book entitled ‘The McDonaldization of Society’, George Ritzer nicely encompasses concepts from sociology, management, and economics to provide a profound understanding of our modern society. According to George Ritzer, McDonaldization is defined as the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world. Toys “R”Us, Wal-Mart, Gap, Jiffy Lube, and Home Depot are all examples of companies that want to become the McDonald’s of their industry. The success of McDonald’s is also evident worldwide as over half of the company’s revenue comes from overseas operations serving 50 million customers a day. Indeed, this fast-food restaurant has become more than just a company. It has become a part of our culture.…
McDonald’s is a well-known icon and influence on our culture for many reasons. McDonald’s can be seen in many television sitcoms and movies as far back as 1973, as well as a huge sponsor for the Olympics that increase its hold on the society. Through the catchy commercials that boast new products declaring individualism, Americans embrace the individualistic choices and feed into the hype. Also, being a household name that even children can recognize the golden arches and Ronald McDonald, and crave it while you drive by. Personally, I was not immune to the grand opening of McDonald’s close to my hometown, where my parents drove 30 minutes to eat there. Beyond the American borders, it has become a global representation of the Western world abroad as the logo and symbols of McDonald’s are easily recognized by anyone and age from any country. How did McDonald’s take over the world? This is simple to answer: A strong business model.…
There are many businesses that we frequent in our day to day lives that are global in nature. We rarely give thought to their presence in another country. McDonald’s is a name that is recognized by all ages, in over 117 countries (Talpau & Boscor, 2011). McDonald’s is a 192.95 billion dollar restaurant industry (Bloomberg Industry Market Leaders). According to Kuratko (2013), McDonald’s is one of the biggest fast food industries in the world, due to the founder’s innovative ideas, not by inventing a product.…
Schlosser explains the introduction of multinational companies like Mc Donalds has had an profound effect on the culture of foreign countries. Transformations have taken place which could be perceived as beneficial or corrupting to that culture. The globalization of McDonald’s has raised many debates on both sides of the issue. The pro- globalization belief is that it enhances culture rather than adulterate. According to Schlosser there has been a loss of traditional values with the introduction of non traditional food into the culture of foreign…
McDonalds has been a leading fast-food chain in the restaurant industry since 1955. Not only have they created some of America’s favorite pastime foods, but also they’ve been a leading force in creating global change with innovative additions such as drive-thru restaurants, college credits from their Hamburger University to chicken McNuggets and more!…
George Ritzer’s book The McDonaldization of Society is based on his theory and social criticism on rationalization of society as a whole through the growth and principles of McDonald’s fast-food model of business. The book begins with an introduction chapter that describes the background of McDonalds and outlines the different chapters of the book. Chapter Two gives a history of socioeconomic developments that lead up to the creation of McDonalds including theories of F.W. Taylor, Henry Ford and Max Weber, McDonalds in the present day, and what is predicted for the future of the McDonald system. The next four chapters break up the McDonaldization principles and how each one can be applied to society outside of McDonalds – big business, education and health care as a few examples. Efficiency is the first principle introduced. The chapter talks about how McDonald’s fast-food model encourages efficiency, similar to that of the assembly line developed by Henry Ford, in creating a fast-paced environment. The next chapter discusses calculability and how McDonalds emphasizes quantitative processes over qualitative products; everything must be measurable. Predictability is covered in the fifth chapter, which refers to the idea of gaining customer comfort in the stability of product offerings. The final principle chapter deals with control; particularly those of customer habits and employee work styles. The seventh chapter addresses the drawbacks and problems associated with having a McDonaldized society. Globalization is covered in Chapter 8 with a solid definition of globalization; the something/nothing principles and how the fast-food model has affected foreign societies. The last two chapters in the book discuss options and alternatives for dealing with living in a McDonaldized society and how Starbucks is now taking over the role as an international mega-chain influencer on society in comparison to McDonalds.…
In1954, Ray Kroc, a salesman tries to sell the brothers multi-mixers, but instead has a stroke of luck, a sense of timing and an idea borne in his head and hamburgers become his future. A short year later in Illinois, Kroc opens his first McDonalds in Illinois and approximately ten years later, there are 700 locations throughout the United States and becomes a public company by 1965. With a vision, a great team, a quality burger, McDonalds changes the course of history and becomes one of the most familiar names worldwide. With its signatures arches, its 15 cent burgers, its triple thick milkshakes, the introduction of Ronald McDonald, its approach to business and cleanliness, it’s not too much of surprise that merely 12 years after Ray Kroc’s first opening, the company became international and opened doors in Canada and Puerto Rico.…
We then take a look at the massive number of fast food restaurants around the world, but primarily focus in on McDonald’s. With more than thirty thousand restaurants in over one hundred countries on six continents, McDonald’s is by far the largest fast food chain in the world, serving over forty-six million people worldwide every day and accounting for forty-three percent of the fast food market in the United States (Spurlock, 2004). The convenience of eating a meal at a McDonald’s is obvious, and their widespread number of locations make it easy to obtain their products; from highways and plazas to airports and hospitals.…
Food is an important element in defining culture. Cross-cultural perspectives on food play a significant role in the international realm. Fast food was unknown before the introduction of McDonald’s overseas. McDonald’s restaurants are a global organization with a multicultural presence. McDonald’s entrance into the global market has not been easy. There are concerns about how the spread of standardization of the McDonald’s franchise is affecting cultures and the environment. Protests in Brazil, labor grievances in Moscow, and protests in France regarding hormone fed beef are a few of the concerns McDonald’s has had to address in countries abroad.…
Everyone knows McDonald’s, every kid’s and adult’s favorite fast food restaurants. McDonald’s has successfully infiltrated different market economies around the world. McDonald’s first established in 1948 in San Bernardino in California, over 50 years, this cooperation has able to expand itself into 119 countries throughout the world. How did it become so successful? It took the smart approach and researched the taste and need in each country before entering the market. McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food chains around the globe. It has located itself in 119 countries over the past 50 years since it has been established. Even though fast food is eaten mostly in western cultures, McDonalds has positioned itself in every single continent, integrating into different countries culture. This company has successfully marketed themselves globally, and is a good example of a global brand that everyone recognizes despite of culture, gender, and ethnicity.…
McDonald’s has grown to become the largest restaurant chain in the world (Dess, et al., 2009). It all started with a vision by a milkshake machine salesman from Oak Park, Illinois (Dess, et al., 2009). He envisioned a chain of restaurants selling burgers and fries and more milkshakes than one could have imagined (Benvenuti, Dosija, Georgiev, Shah, & Wu, 2003). As a multi-mixer milkshake machine salesman, his idea was initially an innovative way to sell his product (Benvenuti, et al., 2003). Little did he know at the time how popular the franchise business would become as it expanded rapidly throughout the country, the fast food industry was born (Benvenuti, et al., 2003).…
(2) Based on the assigned video, how global is McDonald’s global strategy? What are the structure, process, people and cultural implications for the success of McDonald’s strategy?…
A thorough understanding of the case leads us to the following opportunities and threats for McDonald's.…