BUS 500F
Professor: Assael
Students: Chloe – question 1,4, and 6
Elva – question 3,5 and 7
Emily – question 2 and 8
Chapter 8
Question 1. How do you account for the reluctance of competitors to imitate the successful efforts of another firm in their industry? Under what circumstances is imitation likely to be embraced?
There is much reluctance of competitors to imitate the successful efforts of another firm in their industry. And the only way to be successful by imitating is to beyond the original one. This idea can be proved by the example of McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
McDonald’s Corporation is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. McDonald’s primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, French fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes, the company has expanded its menu to include salads, fish, wraps, smoothies and fruit. (Wikipedia, 2013)
Wendy’s is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. As of March 2010, Wendy’s was the world’s third largest hamburger fast food chain with approximately 6,650 locations, following McDonald’s 31,000+ locations and Burger King for the first time in the company’s history. Wendy’s menu consists primarily of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries and beverages, including the Frosty, a form of soft serve ice cream mixed with frozen starches. Before late 2011 and as of late 2012, the company no longer has a signature sandwich, such as the Big Mac or the Whopper. Instead, the square burger patties are their signature items. In the industry of fast food, while Wendy’s provides almost the