Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonalds restaurant in 1940, in San Bernandino, California. It began as a Bar-B-Que restaurant with drive-in, car-hop style service. Then, in 1948 the restaurant closed for three months, alterations were made, and McDonalds reopened as a self-service drive in featuring a 15₵ hamburger. In 1954, a salesman named Ray Kroc joined forces with the McDonald brothers after they decided to scope out a nationwide franchising agent. Kroc then opened a McDonalds in Des Plaines, Illinois. At the Illinois location, an architect by the name of Stanley Meston designed the first golden arches, and they have been a McDonalds trademark ever since. By 1965 over 700 McDonalds restaurants were opened throughout the world.
“McDonald's brand mission is to "be our customers' favorite place and way to eat." Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience.” --http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_faq/student_research.html#1
Some of McDonalds’ organizational strengths include the fact that it is an international organization, the atmosphere is unique, and they are socially involved in their local communities. McDonalds is an International Organization.
Being global (international) means that the company can advertise its product to a much larger market than companies that are only nationwide. On the other hand, being nationwide means that when someone from the USA, for example, is traveling to a foreign country with unfamiliar languages, they can have a sense of home when they go to the local McDonalds because they will already be familiar with the menu and the products offered. This strength is not considered a distinctive competence, though, because it is something
References: 1) http://mcchronicles.blogspot.com 2) http://aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_faq/student_research.html 3) http://ezinearticles.com/?McDonalds-Business-Analysis&id=687438 4) Griffin, R. W. (2008). Management. (9th ed.) Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin