Fast and Pluribus: Impacts of a Globalizing McDonald’s

The expansion of McDonald’s in the twentieth century brought the fast food chain to more than 100 countries. But how well did it integrate into its new home(s)?

McDonald's Japan Swing Manager Miwa Suzuki presents a box of McChoco Potato on January 25, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan

The connection between globalization and McDonald’s is a tale of scholarly metonymy. There’s no textual shortage of evidence that references the now-global fast food chain’s success in other countries , often linking it to themes of self-sufficiency, post-industrial stability, and democracy-formed capitalism.

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Among these chunks of research is a more endogenous angle that examines the impact McDonald’s has had within offshore cultures; namely, how the American fast food model has been diffused across different countries. Such case studies, which look at individual cultural phenomena and their direct applications to globalization activity, refines not only the framework of McDonald’s in theories, but overall globalization processes and strategies as well.

Japan’s stylish renditions of fast food practices, for one, existed long before McDonald’s came to the country. Given the existing popularity of convenient and on-the-go meals—including conveyor belt sushi and street vendor meals—American fast food chains were bound to succeed. Scholars John W. Traphagan and L. Keith Brown investigate this supposition by employing an ethnographic model of research, building the argument that Japan not only assimilated—but basically swallowed whole—the McDonald’s dining model , to the point that younger people especially believe McDonald’s is a Japanese company.

Traphagan and Brown emphasize that, rather than “styles of preparation or ingredients,” fast food is defined by “a style of selling food.” Essentially, McDonald’s brought no real paradigm shifts to Japan—but rather constructed a space in which already-formed Japanese cultural practices could continue.

Their case study contrasts with that of geographers Ray Oldakowski and John McEwen, who similarly investigate McDonald’s and its cultural assimilation—but in Ecuador. Their evidence shows that the integration of American fast food dining followed a different path , and McDonald’s remains an obviously foreign establishment in the cityscape. McDonald’s didn’t attempt to adapt to Japanese or Ecuadorian culture (for McDonald’s, “the strategy has been one of consistency, i.e. McDonald’s prefers not to change its way of doing business to adapt to foreign cultures, rather, it changes local cultures to meet its own needs,” they note), but Ecuadorians clearly viewed the fast food chain as a deviation from local tastes, unlike Japanese consumers.

“[A] comparison of exterior designs revealed that the McDonald’s in Guayaquil [Ecuador] were very similar to the typical McDonald’s restaurants in the United States,” write the authors. Moreover, the menus were also similar. Only 2 percent of those polled considered the food served at McDonald’s similar to Ecuadorian food. In contrast, very few interviewees considered Kentucky Fried Chicken—another American fast food establishment—different from Ecuadorian food. Eighty-four percent reported that KFC was the most similar to Ecuadorian food, and 68 percent said it was actually where they dined regularly.

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“Those results suggest that McDonald’s might gain new customers, and more visits from existing customers, if they also offered menu items more typical of Ecuadorian food,” conclude the authors.

In neither Japan nor Ecuador did McDonald’s actively work to adapt itself to the tastes of the host countries, but the depth of integration into local dining customs differed between the two nations. Such observations could prompt additional nation-specific analyses and possibly reveal additional adaptations to the “strategy of consistency” associated with McDonald’s. However, the study of the globalization of fast food from a micro-cultural angle requires challenging assumptive attitudes around American businesses and classical theories, with one of the most popular—and infamously controvertible—examples being the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention , built on tropes of democratic peace through development. Globalization and its effects could also be examined in light of McDonald’s cultural impacts on its origin country of America, opening a conversation on socio-economics and class .

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Good Research Paper About McDonald’s

Type of paper: Research Paper

Topic: Customers , McDonald's , Business , Trends , Consumer , Consumers , Health , Food

Words: 1000

Published: 03/08/2023

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McDonald’s is one of the most recognized global brands that has been part and parcel of the consumer’s lifestyle worldwide on a daily basis since the companies launch in 1955 and ever since, the consumers are just lovin’ it. The success of McDonald’s is based on the superior marketing tactics to create demand and most importantly the response with respect to consumer demand in every era, with most recently the emphasis on healthy food. McDonald’s as a brand has been able to connect with the cultural and consumers behavioral changes in a successful manner to not only sustain the consumer relationship, but grow significantly by creating new products and services. The brand has been subject to quite vehement criticism in relation to the part of fast food in the rise of multiple health issues on a global level (McDonald’s History). Food as a brand is affected a great deal by the trends that are followed in a particular time period and consumer behavior is greatly affected in relation to a positive or negative perception of the brand due to a trend. Living in a highly digitized and globalized world and with the focus on health and wellness, McDonald’s has had its work cut out in terms of being the superior brand in the fast food sector. The competition launch of various brands positioned on health and wellness has created significant behavioral changes in the consumers’ consumption patterns. Following the trend, McDonald’s launched the trial of kale in the breakfast meals that accounts for 25% of the total sales of the company , besides, the milk will be without artificial hormones and human antibiotics free chicken as announced by McDonald’s recently (Will). The major trends that McDonald’s as an entity is following is based on low price products, tactical discounts to connect with the consumers, the introduction of healthy alternatives both in products and the process as mentioned above. McDonald’s, as mentioned in the first paragraph, is quite savvy in terms of getting connected with the pulse of the consumers in view of the trends that connects them to a product or service. The launch of MaCafe as a standalone brand has been proven a quite successful and vital strategy in connecting with the cafĂ© trend, enabling consumers to visit the cafĂ© and have a convenient cafĂ© experience, in a surrounding area that also included MacDonald’s signature products. This strategy has a significant behavioral impact on the visiting consumers that starts with, subliminally creating a need for signature products that would have not been there in the consumer’s mind if the cafĂ© was not connected with the restaurant. McDonald’s has had its share of critics, that blame the company for the obese culture that have hampered the children predominantly on a global level, all the products are under intense scrutiny and the consumers living in an age of the internet are more aware and in control of what they eat. A case in point is the article written in the medical daily (Baulkman), the article elaborates and comments on the company’s new line of presumed healthy Kale salads in Canada, that is supposed to have more calories than its burgers. Such articles when circulated in the social media and other channels create a negative impact in the minds of the consumers due to the viral effects of such news. The challenge of being able to connect with the consumer trend is to be able to satisfy the needs and wants of the primary target market of this generation, i.e. Millennials. The age group of consumers comprising 20’s and 30’s, look for quality, customization and ethics, the factors that are not to be found in a fast food chain like McDonald’s (Lutz). The health based trend, has impacted the menu and with the focus to connect with the millennial consumer to make them lifelong patrons. The addition of gourmet sandwiches, smoothies and salads is with the intent to flow with the consumer trend and be part of the popular lifestyle culture of the millennial consumer. The most vital consumer behavior trend indicated by Lutz is at the heart of the business plans of McDonald’s, i.e., low price food. In spite of Millennials insistence on quality and healthy food options, they lack both time and money thus, making McDonald’s and alike companies the primary staple for a quick bite. The consumer trend is heavily in favor of health based products and with an array of competitive brands in fast food and fast casual on the rise, McDonalds foray into newer markets to achieve new revenue streams will be limited. The focus of millennial segment will help the brand, sustain a consumer segment, besides; the McCafe is a key trend setter for McDonalds to keep attracting consumers in the restaurants. The breakfast needs to be taken care of in terms of creating new products and attracting newer segments, since it is the bread or rather ‘burger’ winner for the company in sales, as evidenced by the fourth quarter earnings of 2015, that had the stock opened at $122 which is an all time high (Filloon).

Works Cited

Baulkman, J. McDonald’s New Kale Salad Boasts Greater Calorie Count Than Double Big Mac. Medical Daily, 2016. Web 08 April, 2016. Filloon, W. McDonald's Sales Are Up, Thanks to All-Day Breakfast. Chains. Eater, 2016. Web 08 April, 2016. Lutz, A. Millennials are lying about what they want to eat and it’s causing huge problems for McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. Retail. Business Insider Singapore, 2015. Web 08 April, 2016. McDonald’s History. About McDonald’s, 2016. Web 08 April, 2016. Will, G. McDonald’s, the ‘progressive burger company’. Japan Times, 2015. Web 08 April, 2016.

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McDonald’s: Company Analysis, Essay Example

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Introduction

McDonald’s has revolutionized the way in which people from all over the world eat fast food. When thinking about the success of the McDonald’s it is equivalent to thinking about the American Dream. The McDonald’s franchise was not the first, but it has been the premier example of a successful business model that started from just a single-drive in food place by a pair of brothers. McDonald’s has grown to have over 30,000 locations within over 100 countries. The McDonald’s franchise has followed the standards of innovation, consistency, and resiliency.

There have been roadblocks and challenges along the way, but for the most part McDonald’s has seemed to weather the storms. Their business strategy entails acknowledging the challenges from external and internal sources and commandeering a way to stay on top of the issues when they service. This following business analysis is to provide a critique overview of McDonald’s history, their business strategy, their internal and external environment, and examine the driving forces behind McDonald’s success. This information along with their successful financial statistics will allow the paper to see into the future 40 years ahead in determining if the company will sustain their success, and their impact on the environment. A strategic plan will be develop to keep McDonald’s as the market leader and ahead of their competition in the future.

McDonald’s is considered one of the first pioneers of the fast food industry. It began when Patrick McDonald opened “The Airdrome” in California at 1937. After three, years his two sons, relocated the entire building and opened the restaurant with a different name “McDonald’s Bar-B-Que Restaurant. It was a regular drive-in featuring an extensive menu and car hop service. The company was founded by brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald. The McDonald’s brothers opened their first McDonald’s restaurant located in San Bernardino, California in 1948. At the time, the menu included hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. In 1954, the two brothers met with Ray Kroc, a 52 year old Multimixer salesman, who was impressed with their company and decided to pursue them nationwide (McDonalds, 2013). The biggest event at that time in 1960 was the announcement that McDonald’s has sold more than 100 Million more hamburgers in more than 100 restaurants in America, and opened up the Hamburger University in 1961. When students “graduated” they received a Bachelor degree of “Hamburgerology”.

The Business started to develop, and in 1967, McDonald’s starts the business internationally. Therefore, nowadays we can see McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries around the world. McDonald’s changed history with creating the first Drive-thru. The first drive-thru restaurant was opened in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The local army fort where there was no shortage of solider were usually not allowed to leave their vehicle wearing their army fatigues. In order for McDonald’s to continue to serve them, they solved this problem by introducing a new service “drive-thru”. The Drive-thru became one of most successful implementation in services field.

From this innovation in their fast food service, McDonald’s started to expand the business at a rapid pace. In 1963, the Ronald McDonald clown debuted as the spokesperson (clown), while McDonald’s sold their 1 billion number of burgers. The Big Mac introduced in 1968 was an instant hit, soon after; the famous frozen French fry was also introduced. To meet the needs of workingwomen the Happy Meal was introduced in 1979; the meal included a burger, fries, a soda and a toy. By June 1993, McDonald’s had 2,576 companies operating, and had over 9,000 franchises. In over 60 countries, they had over 1000. In the United States daily there were over 18 million people visiting a McDonald’s location.

Developing Business Strategy

At the time, McDonald’s had the second biggest brand recognition of any global brand. They had a high brand awareness with a $1 million advertising budget dedicated to the company. They introduced the new ad campaign in 1991, “Great Food at a Great Value,” that was successful in promoting productive value-meal combinations. In 1992, they followed up with their largest outdoor advertising campaign by a single brand. Their advertising messages focuses on customer satisfaction and value. Due to their increase brand awareness it was particularly pertinent to McDonald’s as many customers that were buying impulsively, and would select the McDonald’s locations out of a manner of convenience. An estimated 28% of the company revenues were obtained from their franchise fees. This amount was based on the percentage of sales gathered to cover the corporate services costs that included R&D and centralized marketing research. Now over 70% of McDonald’s restaurants are franchises. McDonald’s usually placed businesses in new countries aligned with company-owned restaurants that are located capital cities. There are franchised after they have well been established.

To attract more mature customers the company launched its Arch Deluxe in 1996, but the low-fat burger fell down. In 2001 subway surpassed McDonalds as a fast-food chain with 148 more stores than McDonalds, causing McDonalds to announce its first ever quarterly loss. The coffee based specialty drinks were successfully launched in 2006. In 2012, McDonalds sustained to emphasize beverages, value, breakfast, and traditional core favorites. They expanded the McCafĂ© beverage offerings with the Chocolate Chip FrappĂ© and Cherry Berry Chill. McDonald’s has expanded the coffee business offering over 1,600 McCafĂ© locations, which in different countries such as Europe have different areas that are normally being located inside the restaurants that provide specialty coffees, desserts and snacks. In addition, McDonald’s has increased their convenience and accessibility, and with extended operating hours, self-order kiosks, optimized drive-through, and opened over 250 new restaurants.

In 2010, Don Thompson was elected and continues to be the president and CEO of McDonald’s, currently one of the world’s largest food service companies. McDonald’s Corporation franchises and operates McDonald’s restaurants that provide menu at different price points providing value in 119 countries. McDonald’s customer-focused Plan to Win (“Plan”) offers a common framework for a global business while also allowed for local adaptation. From the implementation of various initiatives surrounding the five pillars of McDonald’s: Plan, People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion.

McDonald’s has improved the restaurant experience for customers globally and grown worldwide comparable sales and visitor counts in each of the last nine years. As of December 31, 2012, there were 34,480 restaurants in 119 countries, 27,882 were franchised or licensed that included 19,869 franchised to established franchisees. There are over 4,000 licensed to developmental licensees and over 3,000 licensed to foreign affiliates that are located in Japan. While McDonald’s operates over 6,500. (McDonald) All restaurants are operated either by the Company or conventional franchisees fall under the franchise arrangements, and the developmental licensees and foreign affiliated markets are under the license agreements. The franchises that fall under the conventional franchise arrangements contribute a measure of the capital required by investing initially in the seating, equipment, signs, and decoration of their restaurant businesses. They have helped by reinvesting into the company over time. Modernizing the customer experience continued through McDonald’s grand remodeling approach, which provides latest restaurant designs and retailing efforts. The enhanced appearance and functionality of McDonald’s restaurants, which provide a more relevant experience for customers. In 2012, there were over 900 existing restaurants remodeled, the adding drive-thru capacity to attract additional guest counts.

Their Financials are continually improving:

McDonald’s: Company Analysis, Essay Example

Internal Analysis

McDonald’s brand mission statement is “To be our customers’ favorite place and a way to eat.” McDonald’s global processes have been aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win centering on the five factors of an exceptional customer experience: Products, People, Price, Place, and Promotion. McDonald’s has stayed dedicated to improving their operations and enhancing their customers’ experience. (McDonald’s) This mission includes becoming the first company for people in each local area independently in location. In McDonald’s, there is a strategy named “Plan to Win” since 2003. It exists in the field till now, and it forced McDonald’s to have 32 months of international, comparative, and productive sales which is the longest streak in the last 25 years. McDonald’s has had a success which lies generally above the industry average growth. To maintain the excellent service to all customers and continue to attain success with a profit through strengths such as McDonald’s process innovation and technology. Their vision refers to exceptional quality, cleanliness, high quality service and excellent value in customer service.

McDonald’s company states that their values in business are the corporate responsibility of the company. Both factors work together with independent franchisees and suppliers in order to achieve a maintainable future not only for the company but for all the surrounding communities. McDonald’s strong values having helped them to become the success they are, and how it is incorporated into their daily routine. The one the primary cores of the McDonald’s values are customer satisfaction. One of the reason for McDonald’s business are the customers. They are trying to explain the admiration by serving a high quality food and excellent service. McDonald’s strive to achieve a welcoming environment, and are committed to the people who are working for them. McDonald’s maintained a well-trained team with intercultural experiences and diverse backgrounds that are a part of their success.

The business model which contains the “three-legged stool” (suppliers, operator and employees) as the primary foundation for developing the business globally. The most prominent is to keep the balance between those “stool’s legs”. Ethics is also one of the values. McDonald’s tries to conduct their business with fairness, honesty and integrity. McDonald’s states that: “We are individually accountable and collectively responsible”. (McDonald’s). This necessitates not only focus on attainment more money but also on customers and the health of the whole system. The changing environment, customer, employee and systems need lead to the McDonald’s progress and innovation as well.

Their business strategy is rooted in their care paid to their customers and customer satisfaction. The customer service philosophy is talking about to retaining customer loyalty and dedication is the central core. If the company do not incorporate the principles of customer service to serve their customers, a company cannot survive. Customers will continue support the company products or services if the company cares about customers, their comfort and concerns. Adam Smith’s legendary Wealth of Nations (1776) said that customer service is the essence of the basic principles of competition. If one company wants to succeed, the company needs to comprehend what kind of products or services customers need at different times. If not the customer will lead to other companies understand what they want to satisfy their needs.

The products produced can be separated into several groups: Hamburgers, Chicken, pork and fish products. They have French fries, Soft drinks, and healthy alternatives such as salads and desserts. Their biggest seller are their hamburgers. They have Big Mac, Double Cheeseburger, McDouble, Big N’Tasty, etc. The most edible items on the menu with its signature taste are the French fries. The main reason for this is that no matter what other product the customer is willing to take, but in every set the first salads were added to the menus in 1985. Currently there are more, and more people are concerned about their health so, McDonald’s puts its all efforts to gain more and not lose any of customers throughout the world. Coca Cola is the biggest soft drink supplier to McDonald’s, followed by specialty coffees, and Hot and iced tea that is delivered by S& D Coffee in the US. McDonald’s also offers hot chocolate, assorted juice and other local beverages such as milkshakes are available in different markets all around the globe. The desserts that McDonald’s offers includes such items as ice-cream (McFlurry), McDonald-land cookies, Freshly Baked cookies, Pies, Cinnamon melts, the fruit and yogurt parfait, smoothies and other items which depending on the country and region.

External Analysis

The fast food restaurants industry is just one of the numerous components of the extensive food services listing. The total estimated revenue from this sector is about $1.86 trillion (US dollars) during the year 2012. Around $706.7 billion is the estimated earnings in 2012. This contributes to around 38% of the food service sub-sector of the world. The revenue from the industry is expected to grow at an estimate of 3.2% in 2012. On a global level, the fast food industry plunged down because the global recession arose and the unemployment rate hit high in the United States and many other countries. To keep the market position and to keep up the idea, some of the fast food operators set up promotional activities to attract customers and also shut down some of the underperforming stores (Smith, 2012). The recovery of McDonald’s after the global financial crisis is at a surprising pace, and the rate in sales growth continues to grow. One of the biggest fast food restaurant in the world announced that it is still gaining market shares from its competitions. The high rate of unemployment does not alter telling people to spend money and eat at McDonald’s. It has suggested and improved breakfast menu with the new frappe drinks. It was the critical success factor in recovering after the huge losses. The surprise of industry execs, McDonald’s reported a growth of 6.0% worldwide while the comparable store sales growth was almost 3.8%. The company is forecasting the further expansion of 5-6% worldwide. The chart below shows the slowdown experience in 2008.

Though the convenience that is provided by fast-food retailers which was valued by the growing numbers of travelers and families in the first part of the 90’s, the recession and fierce competition had produced a decline in growth and decreasing profits for the fast food sector. Predominantly the most hard-hit were independent restaurants that found it problematic to compete with the value-pricing strategies of the burger chains’ and their powerful advertising budgets. As a result, independents encompassed only 56% of all the restaurants in the U, S Sales declined in 1993, down from 63% in 1986, the restaurant industry in fact indicates that saturation in the “limited menu” portion of the restaurant industry was forcing growth-oriented chains to expand overseas and consider alternate outlets domestically. The growth in the restaurant industry includes the: total sales growth for this section during 1990–1991 that was only 0.3% in the U.S. Customer satisfaction, nutrition, and the price which seemed to form the basis for competition nationally. Even though all of the rapidly growing restaurant chains have pursued various strategies. “For example, Rally’s advertised “We get it right or you get it free,” Boston Chicken emphasized nutrition by roasting, steaming and baking its dishes, and Checkers, a double-drive-through burger chain, offered made-to-order burgers at lower prices. Drive-through window sales industry-wide reached $25 billion in 1992.” (GlobalENS 3)

(WikiInvest)

One of the problems that the fast food industry is facing is the criticism about the product, for being high in fat content, increase in body mass index (BMI) and putting on weight. A number of books and documentaries have increased awareness among the public about the harmful consequences on one’s health. The various articles get the health conscious consumers skeptical towards fast food and look for other resources to meet their likes. The rise in commodity prices has significantly affected the fast food industry. The cost of food and beverage inputs comes up to approximately 33% of costs, and higher cost of other raw materials has drastically reduced the profit margin. Due to fierce competition from other players in the market, trying to build a price increase is not possible either. Instead, many of the fast food franchises promoted meals at a remarkably affordable price, affecting their limits making plenty.

Situational Analysis (PEST Analysis)

Demographics will appear where most of your potential customers live their age, gender, needs, likes and dislikes. It appears that McDonalds has been successful in creating and fulfilling a need for just about everyone and appears to have hit on every demographic.

  • Daily traffic at McDonald’s is 62 million people, more than the population of Great Britain
  • McDonalds feeds 68 million people per day. That is similar to 1% of the world’s population.
  • McDonalds hires over a million workers in the U.S. every year with over millions of employees worldwide. (Business Insider)

The socio-cultural aspect of McDonald’s is rooted in their 27 billion in revenue each year that has made it the 90th largest economy in the world. $8.7 billion of this revenue comes from the franchise stores only, making McDonald’s richer than Mongolia. One in every worker in the United States has been employed by McDonalds. As for entertainment, McDonalds offers a recreation area for kids with slides and games, and free WIFI for adults. Parents get a break as their children eat a happy meal and play in the play area. McDonalds is an equal opportunity employer. Male, female, young and old, different nationalities and even handicapped people can be found working at McDonalds.

The political and legal aspect of McDonald’s takes into account the global offerings that they must adhere to. Although global consumer confidence continues to negatively affect the overall sales in retail for the food industry, yet McDonalds is still outperforming the market as it has grown its market share. The other significant contributors to comparable market sales were the U.K. and Russia. Despite ongoing economic challenges, McDonald’s priority remains: growing the overall business by balancing a strong focus on their unique value offerings, endless premium product innovation, and new products. In APMEA, comparable sales rose 1.4%, and approximate visitor counts rose 2.2%, despite a challenging year of economic pressures, partly due to Japan’s uneven recovery and the slower economic growth of China. Several problems have been due to economic uncertainty and government-initiated austerity measures implemented in many countries.

McDonalds has worked hard to streamline the customer experience through their major remodeling initiatives, which offer modern restaurant designs and retailing efforts. The enhanced appearance and functionality of the restaurants delivers a more enjoyable experience for the customer. Over 900 existing restaurants were remodeled during 2012 with the most adding drive-thru capacity to attract additional guest counts. McDonalds has also extended the accessibility of more convenient locations with extended hours and efficient drive-thru service. More than half of the restaurants use some form of various order points to maximize drive-thru capacity, including 1,500 with hand-held order takers to help improve customer service times. As mentioned earlier McDonalds also offers free WIFI and television to its customers. McDonalds tries to invest in the latest technology.

McDonalds incorporates a long-term, average annual constant currency, financial goal to measure business as they continue to build the business. McDonald area has also delivered strong results for their shareholders ever since its inception. McDonald’s long term, average annuals constant currency financial targets are: 1. Statewide sales growth of 3% to 5%, 2. Operating and revenue growth of 6%, and 3. POIC in the high teens. McDonalds strives to keep its prices affordable and uses a cost low advantage strategy to be competitive in the food industry. McDonalds also recognizes their responsibility to give back to the community locally and globally. In 2012 McDonalds sponsored the 2012 London Olympics. The McDonald house was built to help families and children that are dealing with cancer. Globally, McDonald’s uses a customer focused plan that provides a common framework for a global business and continues to prepare for local adaptation. Multiple initiatives encompass the five pillars of the McDonald plan. The five pillars include—People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion, each incorporated to enhance the restaurant experience for customers worldwide. This idea has grown worldwide comparable sales and visitor counts in each of the last nine years. McDonald’s restaurants are located throughout the entire world.

Environmental Impact

Environmentally, McDonald’s has strived to continue their success in trying to in waste reduction, and being a leader in protecting the environment. Since 1993, Michael Quinlan, McDonald’s CEO, felt pretty confident about his company’s environmental performance. McDonald’’ formed a partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which has helped to win over the approval of the customers and its efforts to reduce waste, combined with its highly-publicized move from polystyrene “clamshells” to paper-based sandwich wraps. It has helped to repositioned McDonald’s as the market leader, and purport the image in protecting the environment. In 1994, however, there was another problem with a nonprofit environmental group, this groups called the Beyond Beef Coalition, aimed at McDonald’s in a bigger plan to reduce beef consumption. The environmental complaints this time held to launch an attack at McDonald’s that did not criticize supplementary factors of their business but, rather, aimed at their central products and growing markets. “Quinlan did not want this campaign to devalue the reputation the company had solidified through the EDF partnership.” (UMich 5) It has been proved that as income rises, so does meat consumption. Take in for example the Koreans in 1975 and Japan that red meat consumption doubled as the population has grew in Asia so has the meat consumption. As more people around the world are adopting an American Style diet, they are consuming meat at a faster pace than the world’s farmers are able to produce.

The Beyond Beef Coalition saw the expansion of the “cattle culture” to the developing world as one of the greatest threats to the global environment. “The Coalition was comprised of individuals and organizations involved in environmental protection, animal rights, public health, and world hunger. “ (UMich 4) Similar to the Environmental Defense Fund, this groups of activist aimed at McDonald’s for its business strategy due it to being the industry leader, and one of the largest buyers of beef throughout the world. The goals of the Coalition were: to reduce individual beef consumption in the “U.S. by at least 50%; to replace beef in the diet with organically raised grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits; to change current cattle-industry practices, and to promote humanely and organically raised beef as an alternative for those who continue to include some beef in their diet.” (UMich 6) The main aim for the McDonald’s campaign was to notify at least 1 million McDonald’s customers about beef’s negative effect of on the environment through a large campaign around their thousands of McDonald’s locations around the United States. The volunteer activist group, Beyond Beef protested outside of a McDonald’s establishment on April 17, 1993 to leave leaflets and children’s literature that informed passersby’s of McDonald’s environmental costs with beef. The activist groups collect names for petitions in an effort to assist individuals to reduce their beef consumption by 50%, and to encourage McDonald’s to make a vegetarian component to their U.S. menu. By doing so they are also able to deliver 25% of advertising to the new item. According to research conducted by the University of Michigan, there has been no other commercial entity such as McDonald’s that has been responsible for the encouragement of prime beef consumption. In the United States alone in their over 9,000 restaurants in addition to tens of thousands around the world, McDonald’s proudly displays they have served over 85 billion hamburgers and counting. (UMich 5) According to them the real cost of beef is:

* Tens of millions of cows slaughtered;

* Trillions of gallons of water used to develop their feed;

* Millions of tons of methane, a greenhouse gas, released;

* Millions of acres of public land eroded and destroyed;

* Enough grain fed to cows to produce millions of hungry families with a daily meal. Most McDonald’s patrons are unaware of how their individual decisions as consumers make up to create such a devastating global consequences.

The Future (SWOT Analysis)

From their most recent financial statistics, McDonald’s has made in 2012 $27.56 billion in revenue, and $5.46 billion in profit. They have over 1.8 million employees in 2013, and they have over 34, 000 local restaurants that serve 69 million people in over 119 countries on a daily basis. (McDonald’s) Their main competition now is Subway, Wendy’s, Yum! Brand (Jack in the Box, etc.) Inc., and Burger King. Using the SWOT analysis, we can see that that are several strengths that include that they are the market leader, and they have the largest fast food market share in the world. They have better brand recognition than most other global companies that are valued at over $40 billion. McDonald’s is the one of the most recognized brands throughout the world. They have an annual $2 billion budget allocated for advertising, and is able to adapt their food menus to match the local community. In an effort to strengthen their brand they have partnered with notable brands that include Heinz ketchup, Dannon Yogurt, Pepsi and Coca Cola, and others that add value to the corporation.

However, there are several weaknesses that McDonald’s must overcome in the future to sustain their success. These factors include the negative publicity they contrived from critics that heavily criticized their unhealthy food choices that are targeted towards children let alone the rest of their demographics. McDonald’s helps to contribute to the problems of obesity that has expanded to be a factor around the world. The increase in introducing healthier food choices could potentially lower McDonald’s popularity as competition will soon spring up to offer better healthier food alternatives. While customers are their focal point, they also have an increasing number to employee turnover, as employees are low paid and low skilled. Yet the major problem with McDonald’s is their low differentiation from other fast food competitors, and opts to compete based on price than product differentiation.

In developing a strategic plan for the future, one must incorporate all of these factors as they will continue to be a problem and strength in the far future. Their current market share is broken down:

developing a strategic plan

The long term strategy must recognized that the external factors will continue to change. McDonald’s must thus constantly monitor and erect the most efficient and effective actions to taken into response to the situations. McDonald’s needs to continually be involved in government related programs, the image created can be further supplemented by the active link to the political system. By engaging in programs that promote international growth, contribute to employing more national citizens, and maintaining a positive relationship with the government, McDonald’s will continue to maintain its’ market share. McDonald’s needs to comply and cooperate with various resources that can be used to implement new government programs that benefit society. Changes in economic factors such as the price of raw materials have effects on the profit margin. McDonald’s needs to take control of their suppliers, in becoming self-sufficient, they are able to forecast the changes in the deficit, and minimize the proverbial dip in profit margin. The growing concern in health will continue to be a critical component as society progresses. The changes in health and factors will continue to change. If America continues to eat the way they have been doing, the factors of chronic diseases will be a primary concern for the customer base. McDonald’s will continually invest in Research and Development in order to develop more products that create a neutral balance that benefits those that are looking for healthier alternatives for consumers. This change will help to improve McDonald’s image overall, and win the confidence of the general consumers, which will continue to lead to a better profit margin.

McDonald’s image

The values estimated for the next five years includes an increasing amount of income, focus on the changing trends and the amount of attention being paid to placing healthier choices on the menu. These include the strategy of heaving a salad and fruit bar for those that are looking for healthier choices. Also placing vegan choices on items, which can be served in a like manner for burgers and fries, but with vegan ingredients. The threats to new entrants have been high as there are certainly no legal barriers that have kept competition from entering the industry. Since McDonalds is already an established company and in 40 years will continue to grow they will enjoy the luxury of maintaining a large amount of market share with new restaurants in developing countries. By offering menu items at a value price, more consumers will continue to demand McDonald’s products. While many of the competition have tried to imitate, by continuing to use quality products people will continue to be the preferred Choice. As evident in this financial chart in the next five years, the income, sales, profits, and margin will continue to improve. By the year 2043, McDonald’s will be the largest franchise in the world. They will employee the most people around the world that contributes to countries GDP, and push for more products on their menus that cater to all types of food choices.

McDonald’s could be on pace to be the first trillion dollar company, and will be able to use improved technology to support its millions of customers that will no doubt still take to consume their trillions of burgers that will be served, on a daily basis. McDonald’s will still need to provide a strategy of sustainability that will help to reduce their environmental impact on beef and waste reduction with smaller packaging, better recycling alternatives, and using more organic food choices to cut down on water consumption. The feasibility of this long term strategy working for McDonald’s is extremely high. Experts have agreed that the type of strategy that McDonald’s currently implements has allowed them to be a public mainstay that more and more companies wanting to invest and buy franchises to place on every corner. Potentially with McDonald’s adhering to these type of strategies used they will be one of the first companies to make a trillion dollars, and can possibly help developing companies by employing more and more people. It can also cross over to providing better training and educational classes that will help with low skilled workers, and helping them to compete with more people around the world. McDonald’s will need to invest in other companies such as competitors like Yum! Brands, that has a diverse portfolio. By investing they will be able to add and grow to their customer base and their profit margins. This will set up for McDonald’s to remain a success beyond forty years from now.

Works Cited

“C- Case Sustaining McDonald’s Environmental Success.” Pollution Prevention in Corporate Strategy . 1995. Web. 10 Dec 2013. http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/CORPpdfs/CORPcaseC.pdf

Gus Lubin, M. B. “19 Facts About McDonald’s That Will Blow Your Mind.” Business Insider . 2012. Web. 10 Dec 2013. www.businessinsider.com/19-facts-about-mcdonalds-that-will-blow-your-mind-2012-4?op=1

Kowitt, Beth. “Why McDonald’s wins in any economy.” CNN Money . 23 Aug 2011. Web. 10 Dec 2013. http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/23/why-mcdonalds-wins-in-any-economy/

“McDonald’s Investors. Company profile” McDonald’s . 2013. Web. 8 Dec 2013. http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/company_profile.html

“McDonald’s Corporation .” 4-Traders . 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://www.4-traders.com/MCDONALDS-CORPORATION-4833/financials/

“Making a difference one family at a time .” McDonald’s . 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013 http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_communities/rmhc.html

“Our History.” McDonald’s. 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013. http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcdonalds_history_timeline.html

Rosenbaum, Eric. “McDonald’s: More than a trillion served, by robots,” CNBC . 8 Dec 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013. http://www.cnbc.com/id/101253344

“SWOT Analysis.” Strategic Management Insight. 10 Mar 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/mcdonalds-swot-analysis.html

“10-K Form McDonald’s Corporation.” United States Securities and Exchange Commission . 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013. http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/63908/000119312511046701/d10k.htm

“Stock:McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). “Wikinvest.” 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/McDonald%27s_Corporation_(NYSE:MCD)

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Maniac punches woman in front of nyc mcdonald’s in latest random attack on female pedestrians: cops.

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A brute punched a female pedestrian in the face after he stumbled out of a Union Square McDonald’s — as unprovoked attacks on women in the Big Apple surge, cops said.

The 23-year-old victim was walking on Avenue of the Americas near West 14th Street around 10 a.m. March 20 when the attacker stepped out of the fast-food eatery and punched her without warning, cops said.

Surveillance video released by the NYPD late Tuesday shows the suspect running off after the attack, heading south on Sixth Avenue.

The attacker senselessly punched a 23-year-old woman in the face after stepping out of a McDonald's near Union Square, cops said.

The victim was taken to Lenox Health Greenwich Village Hospital, where she was treated for an injury to her nose, police said. 

The still-at-large menace was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, brown pants and blue jacket. 

The unprovoked assault comes amid a disturbing spate of women being randomly punched while walking in the city.

The attacker senselessly punched a 23-year-old woman in the face after stepping out of a McDonald's near Union Square, cops said.

Among the victims was Halley Kate, an influencer with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, who posted a video last week saying she was assaulted so viciously that she blacked out.

Skiboky Stora, 40, a criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record, was busted in connection with the sucker-punch, authorities said.

In another random assault last week, 57-year-old Brooklyn school bus aide Dulche Pichardo was randomly slugged by an unhinged man — a brutal attack that broke her jaw and knocked out several teeth — as she walked home from work in Crown Heights, cops said.

Franz Jeudy, 33 — who has a rap sheet of similar sucker-punch attacks and a long history of mental illness — was slapped with misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, attempted assault and harassment in connection to the attack, according to a criminal complaint.

Despite the victim’s severe injuries, Jeudy was set free by a Brooklyn judge on supervised release because the offenses are not bail-eligible.

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McDonald’s Products Within International Markets Research Paper

Background of mcdonald’s, product positioning, analysis of the issues, hypothetical strategies, implementation procedures, expected results, conclusions, works cited.

Fast food businesses managed to survive the global financial crisis that the entire world faced since 2007. However, the fast food businesses too began to suffer the consequences of the crisis. In 2009, some fast food chains closed some of their branches as they posted low sales levels. McDonald’s, Yum Brands, KFC and Pizza Hut all posted decline in sales in 2009. The crisis intensified competition in the fast food industry.

Participants in the industry tried to beat competitors through the introduction of new products and prices. McDonald’s is one of the companies that participate in the fast food industry. It faced stiff competition from numerous competitors worldwide. Some of the key competitors include Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut and Yum Brands.

McDonald’s can use product positioning to ensure that it leads in the fast food industry. It can use this strategy to enhance its brand and lead other companies in the industry. This strategy requires that it pays close attention to the needs of the customers (The Times 100 1).

This is essential because there is international promotion and export, psychological and sociological issues that can affect the position of a product in a market. This paper examines product-positioning strategies that McDonald’s can use to promote itself and stay ahead of its competitors in the international market.

It mainly focuses on India and Africa as segments of the international markets. Additionally, it considers the international markets as areas outside the United States.

McDonald’s is a well-known brand internationally. It is a company that has international operations. Two brothers, Dick and Mac, established the company in 1937. In 1948, the company began to sell fries, hamburgers, soft drinks and shakes. In 1953, the company began to franchise the business.

The first franchises were in California and Arizona. The brothers adopted a system of operations that was efficient and ensured fast movement of customers. Currently, the company operates approximately 31000 restaurants internationally. Moreover, the company has employed about 1.5 million individuals in its restaurants. The company has operations in more than 120 countries.

The advantage that the company has had is that it uses a system that ensures efficiency in operations. The company uses intense media hype to support the efficient process that it adopted. The media hype has been a campaign strategy that the company adopted.

Product positioning involves stimulation of a company’s brand and its services. The brand image of a company shows how clients perceive an organization. Companies promote their brands to develop personalities of their organizations.

Product positioning and branding are effective only if a company maintains consistency (The Times 100 1). Consistency is important in promotion strategies that a company adopts. Images and colours that a company uses in promotions like adverts provide a brand with distinguishable features. McDonald’s uses the Golden Arches logo to position its products in the fast food industry.

McDonald’s faces stiff competition in all the markets in which it has operations. In addition, it faces other challenges in its international operations. Economic statuses of some of the countries in which it operates pose promotion challenges. Technological and legal challenges also affect the operations and competitiveness of McDonald’s. Success of McDonald’s in some countries is also affected by social factors.

These challenges necessitate the need for identification of market needs. McDonald’s must identify the needs of customers to develop effective promotion strategies. After identification of the needs of customers is when it can position its products appropriately within each market (Mueller 29).

Through identification of the needs of the customers, McDonald’s has a better chance to satisfy the market compared to its competitors. The company has to identify its customers before it positions its products in the market. It must identify possible clients in all the markets in which it has business operations. To achieve this, McDonald’s must perform market research.

After McDonald’s has identified its target population, it has to develop a promotion mix that appeals to the recognized group. It has to develop a promotion strategy that incorporates price, product and place characteristics. The company has to ensure that its products are well received in the market, and the clients are able to afford the set prices (The Times 100 1).

Additionally, the company has to identify the television programmes that the targeted population like to watch. Identification of these programmes also assists the company to position its products appropriately. The identification of a promotion strategy and mix helps McDonald’s to improve sales and increase consumer loyalty.

Market research also assists McDonald’s to identify factors that influence the behaviours of its customers. There exist factors that influence the purchase decisions that people make. Thus, McDonald’s has to know that these factors complement the features of the products that it offers to the customers. These factors can be psychological, sociological or economical.

All these factors are vital in product positioning. Moreover, these factors can be crucial to the customers than the products sold. Through identification of these factors, McDonald’s can shape the minds of the customers. Hence, it can determine how to position its products appropriately within a market.

McDonald’s faces a number of challenges in its attempts to position its products within the international markets. The challenges can be in terms of prices, perception and competition among others. The issues can be classified into three broad categories. These categories are international promotion and export management, psychological and sociological.

International promotion and export management relate to price strategy and methods of operations that a company uses in its overseas operations. McDonald’s faces challenge in the establishment of the appropriate price for its products in some of the markets in which it has operations. Poverty and low amount of disposable income are key issues that the organization has to tackle.

The products that the company offers are perceived as expensive in some countries. In Africa and India, for example, many people cannot afford the prices. Additionally, the company has to target cities only with the products that it offers. People in semi urban regions are unable to afford the products sold by the company. They have low levels of disposable incomes and most of them practice agriculture.

The layout of McDonald’s is also a source of challenge in some of the international markets. Some societies are used to the hotel environment and not the fast process system associated with McDonald’s operations. This challenge emanates from the consumption patterns of such societies. They are used to consumption of breakfast, lunch and supper. Normally, lunch and supper involves consumption of a balanced diet meal.

The composition of breakfast depends on the culture of a household. However, the layout of McDonald’s restaurants promotes the consumption of burgers and other fast foods. However, Burgers are not considered as healthy foods for consumption, especially at lunchtime in these societies (Misra and Yadav 27).

Psychological challenges faced by the company in international markets relate mainly to religion, personality and lifestyle. McDonald’s sells hamburgers that contain beef or pork. However, extremely few people in some countries in which it operates consume beef and pork. In India and some Arab countries, cows are considered sacred (Tiffany 1).

Hence, it is a challenge for the company to enter these markets and increase overall sales revenues. Many people in such countries are vegetarians. They cannot consume the burgers that the company sells.

The company has to find ways through which it can capture these markets. These markets have high populations and can assist the company to increase revenues. India, for example, has a population of over one billion people (Misra and Yadav 28).

The perception and lifestyles of many people in international markets is also an issue that brings challenges to McDonald’s promotion strategies. Perception and lifestyle patterns are sociological issues. However, they affect the strategies that the company can use to position its products within some of the international markets.

Consumption patterns, for example, affect the strategies that the company can use to promote its products. People in some societies prefer to eat together at lunchtime. However, the pattern that McDonald’s has adopted encourages people to eat away from home. This is not common in some societies especially in Africa and India.

Based on the challenges described above, McDonald’s must identify suitable solutions. It must identify the challenge that it faces in each market and formulate a strategy that will position its products appropriately. One psychological factor that McDonald’s can identify is vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is widespread in some of the countries in which it has operations.

Some of these countries have high populations and promise high sales returns. The company must identify a strategy through which it can position its products in these markets and increase its sales revenues. This can assist it to stay ahead of its competitors like KFC and Pizza Hut. For example, in India, consumption of beef is prohibited. However, India has a large population and can assist McDonald’s to increase its sales revenues.

Muslims and Indians do not consume beef or pork. Furthermore, they consider cows sacred. However, McDonald’s was interested in the high population of the country. Hence, it developed a product that was able to position itself appropriately within the Indian market. KFC and Pizza Hut do not have a product that can position itself in the Indian market like the Aloo-Tikki burger developed by McDonald’s (Amoako-Agyei 1).

The Hamburgers that McDonald’s normally produce are made of beef. However, since many people in India are vegetarians, the company developed Aloo-Tikki. It is made of potatoes and spices and with no beef. The company also made hamburgers made of chicken and fish fillets. Moreover, the company separated the preparation processes of the hamburgers.

This was done to promote the “vegetarian experience” idea that the company developed for the market. Thus, the company managed to position its products after it identified the needs of the market. It understood the psychological factors associated with beef consumption in the Indian market (Tiffany 1).

One sociological factor that influences product positioning is consumption habits. In many countries, people like to eat out only on extraordinary circumstances. In Africa, for example, people meet and eat at home to share their experiences during the day. However, due to globalization, growth of cities and increase in full time employment opportunities, the trends have changed.

The growth of cities has promoted the need for fast food restaurants. However, consumption behaviour in Africa is different from that of western societies. Hence, McDonald’s had to develop new products and services for the African market. The strategy positioned its products before those of its competitors. Many African countries are used to the restaurant environment and not the streamlined structure of fast food businesses.

Additionally, consumption pattern in many African countries involve breakfast, lunch and supper. Lunch and supper involve consumption of meals that provide appropriate nutritional balance. Breakfast is normally based on a household’s culture. McDonald’s had to develop a strategy that considered these factors. The strategy has helped the company to position its products appropriately within the African market (Amoako-Agyei 1).

Product positioning is also influenced by international promotion and export management factors. Valuation of food in monetary terms is a sensitive matter in some of the countries in which McDonald’s operates. McDonald’s had to adopt a strategy that focused on the ability of customers to pay. Normally, the strategy of McDonald’s is to enhance sales volume.

It normally provides its products and services at prices that are considered affordable. However, many people perceive the prices that it offers as high. Therefore, it has targeted certain sections of the populations with its products in international markets. For example, in India and Africa, it targets the wealthy and the upper middle class people with its products.

These people have the ability to pay for products offered by the company (Amoako-Agyei 1). Moreover, it targets people who have been exposed to western culture. It also operates in principal cities only in India and Africa. People in semi urban areas are not able to afford the set prices.

This strategy has helped the company to position its products appropriately within international markets. The strategy has ensured that the company operates in urban areas where there is continuous growth in disposable incomes. This has enabled the company to maintain leadership in the fast food industry.

There exist hypothetical strategies that the company can use to tackle the challenges identified. The company can determine an appropriate promotion strategy that can assist it to position its products in the international markets. It must identify the objectives of a promotion strategy that it can use. Objectives express the goals that a company hopes to achieve through a promotion strategy.

Objectives also direct the promotion plans adopted by a company and are vital in the assessment of the strategy used. Objectives can focus on acquisition of market share or improvement of sales volume and so on. The company has to identify its long term and short-term objectives to position its products. Notably, the long-term objectives can be divided into short-term objectives.

Hence, in India, the long-term objective can be to increase sales while the short-term objective can be to introduce the products in the market. On the other hand, the short-term objective in Africa can be to change consumption patterns while the long-term objectives can be to increase sales (Mueller 29).

The second step is to define the methods that can be used to achieve the objectives formulated. In this hypothetical strategy, a promotion mix can be used. McDonald’s has to offer products that clients want. The company has to ensure that there are numerous choices for its potential clients. It must also be ready to change products regularly to ensure that clients are satisfied.

Hence, in a market like India where people do not eat beef, the company can develop numerous alternatives to products that already exist. However, it has to ensure that it does not interfere with the sales growth of a product that customers already know.

Thus, it is essential for the company to monitor the life cycle of a product that it has developed for each market. Additionally, the company has to use adverts to position its new products within the international markets.

The promotion mix that the company can use also has to consider prices of products sold. The company has to consider the psychological aspects associated with prices of products. It must consider the perception of customers about the prices that it charges for products sold in the restaurants.

Hence, the company should charge relatively uniform prices in all markets even though some customers may feel that they are high. Low prices may make certain sections of the markets feel that the quality of the products is low. Thus, the company must protect the image and integrity of McDonald’s brand in its price strategy.

Low prices may also make competitors like KFC match with the costs of McDonald’s. This may not result into an increase in demand for products offered by the company. Hence, price reduction is not an effective strategy that McDonald’s can use to improve the position of its products within different markets.

Promotion mix that the company can use should include all communication methods. Adverts are the most effective method that the company can use to tackle sociological and psychological issues that affect a product’s position. The company can use radio and television adverts to promote the products that it sells. The company can then use adverts and other promotion methods like displays at the point of trade and fidelity schemes.

McDonald’s can develop a communication strategy that involves different promotion methods. This can assist the company to tackle the challenges posed by sociological and psychological factors associated with different markets. For example, television adverts can inform Indian clients that the hamburgers sold at McDonald’s do not contain beef.

On the other hand, newspaper adverts can provide the same Indian customers with more details about the hamburgers. Additionally, it is essential that the messages provided by the different promotion methods complement each other. Any contradictions may confuse the customer and affect the position of products sold by the company.

The promotions that the company adopts must also catch the attention of the customers. The adverts must ensure that psychological, sociological and other issues are tacked. The adverts must inform potential clients the benefits that the company provides.

For example, it can inform customers that the fast process system saves their time. It saves their time so they can be punctual at their work places. This can make customers who prefer to go home at lunchtimes reconsider their actions.

Finally, the company has to use layouts that are efficient and that make customers comfortable. The place of operation is vital in the promotion of a product. The place of operation has to consider many features other than the layout and points of distribution. McDonald’s must consider social aspects that are essential to some communities. For example, some communities like to eat together.

On the other hand, McDonald’s like a system that is fast and efficient. Hence, in such communities, the company can adopt a layout that considers the sociological needs of clients and at the same time ensures speed and efficiency in service delivery. The area of operation also has to consider the ease in management of all the activities that take place within the restaurants.

The first step is to conduct a market research. This can assist the company to identify the potential customers, their ability to pay and their characteristics. Additionally, the company can determine psychological, economic and sociological aspects of the markets that can affect the position of the products that it offers. Secondly, the company can determine the best market entry method.

The company can identify the best method based on the features and beliefs of the potential customers. It can develop and promote products that meet the needs and features of the customers. The company can then develop promotion methods that explain to the customers why the products suit them (Doole and Lowe 8).

In this way, the company will tackle issues that it identified through market research. The promotion strategies used must also ensure that the international brand of the company is not compromised by the modifications made on the products offered to the customers of a region.

The implementation of the hypothetical strategies described should assist the company increase the volume of sales. The strategies can assist the company to shape the minds of clients and at the same time meet their needs. The strategies can enable the company to maintain international standards in promotion and export and tackle sociological and psychological issues associated with different international markets.

The strategies can also enable the company to develop new versions of products that it normally sells (Doole and Lowe 8). The new versions can suit the needs of different segments of the international markets.

Finally, the strategies can assist the company to maintain leadership in the fast food sector. This can be achieved since the strategies can assist the company position all its products appropriately within the different markets in which it has business operations.

The goal of this paper was to determine ways through which McDonald’s could position its products within international markets. It examined ways through which the company could do so by identification of effective strategies. It considered international promotion and export, psychological and sociological issues that can affect the position of products offered by the company.

It then provided different examples in Africa and India and provided strategies that could be applied to solve the problems posed. Additionally, this paper provided hypothesized strategies that can be used to improve the position of products offered by McDonald’s.

It discussed promotion strategies that the company can employ to tackle the challenges posed by the different markets. It also discussed the advantages that can be realized through implementation of the strategies. Finally, it provided a brief procedure that can be used to implement the hypothesized strategies and the expected outcomes of the plans.

Amoako-Agyei, Erika, Egypt’s McArabia: How McDonald’s and other global firms integrate into African markets . 2011. Web.

Doole, Isobel, and Lowe, R. International Marketing Strategy: Analysis, Development and Implementation , London: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Misra, Sanjay, and Yadav, P. International Business: Text and Cases , New Delhi: PHI learning, 2009. Print.

Mueller, Barbara. Dynamics of International Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives , New York: Peter Lang, 2011. Print.

The Times 100, The marketing process: A McDonald’s Restaurants case study . 2012. Web.

Tiffany, Hsu, Vegetarian McDonald’s: Its first non-meat restaurant to open in India . 2012. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024, February 28). McDonald's Products Within International Markets. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcdonalds-restaurant/

"McDonald's Products Within International Markets." IvyPanda , 28 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/mcdonalds-restaurant/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'McDonald's Products Within International Markets'. 28 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "McDonald's Products Within International Markets." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcdonalds-restaurant/.

1. IvyPanda . "McDonald's Products Within International Markets." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcdonalds-restaurant/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "McDonald's Products Within International Markets." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcdonalds-restaurant/.

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