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McDonald's 1
الأربعاء 6 يناير - 9:26
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the world's largest fast food chain ,
selling primarily hamburgers, chicken, french fries and carbonated drinks and
more recently salads, fruit and carrot sticks. The business was founded in 1940
with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick and Mac McDonald.
It was their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948
that established the principles of the fast-food restaurant. However, the company today
dates its "founding" to the opening of CEO
Ray Kroc's first franchised restaurant, the company's ninth, in 1955.
He opened his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois
in April 1955.
As the first and largest international
fast food franchise, McDonald's has become a focal point in public debate about
rising obesity rates, corporate ethics and consumer responsibility. This is
discussed in detail under Criticisms.
Corporate overview
McDonald's restaurants are found in 120
countries and territories around the world and serve nearly 54 million
customers each day. The company also operates other restaurant brands,
such as Aroma Café and Boston Market, and has a minority stake in Pret a Manger. The company owned a majority
stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill
through the spring of 2006, when it was in the process of selling its stake.
Until December 2003, it also owned Donatos Pizza. It also has a subsidiary, Redbox, which started in 2003
as 18-foot (5.5 m)
wide automated convenience stores,
but as of 2005, has focused on DVD rental machines.
Most standalone McDonald's restaurants
offer both counter and drive-through service,
with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating. Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, Pay and Drive
or McDrive as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing,
paying for, and picking up orders, though the latter two steps are frequently
combined. In some countries "McDrive" locations near highways offer no counter service or seating. In
contrast, locations in high-density city neighborhoods often omit drive-through service. There are also a few
locations, located mostly in downtown districts, that offer Walk-Thru service
in place of Drive-Thru.
Specially themed restaurants also
exist, such as "Rock-and-Roll McDonald's" 1950s themed restaurants.
Some McDonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or
outdoor playgrounds, called "McDonald's
PlayPlace" (if indoors) or "Playland" (outdoors). The first
PlayPlace with the familiar crawl-tube design with ball pits and slides was
introduced in 1987 in
the USA,
with many more being constructed soon after. Some PlayPlace playgrounds have
been renovated into "R Gym" areas, which emphasize physical activity.
[1]
The McDonald's Corporation's business model is slightly different from that
of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary franchise fees, supplies, and percentage of
sales, McDonald's also collects rent, partially linked to
sales. As a condition of the franchise agreement, the Corporation owns the
properties on which most McDonald's franchises are located. The UK business
model is different, in that fewer than 30% of restaurants are franchised, with
the majority under the ownership of the company. McDonald's trains its
franchisees and others at Hamburger University
in Oak Brook, Illinois.
According to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (2001), nearly one in eight
workers in the U.S. have at some
time been employed by McDonald's. The book also states that McDonald's is the
largest private operator of playgrounds in the U.S., as well as the single largest
purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. The meatfoods
McDonald's uses vary with the culture of the host country.
Criticisms
Because McDonald's multi-national,
multi-billion dollar business and standardized products and procedures have
come to symbolize globalization and the American way of life, the company has
often found itself a target of activism and a focal point of public debate. In
particular, it has generated much discussion about corporate ethics, consumer
responsibility, obesity, the environment, intellectual property and animal
rights.
Since the mid-1990s, a backlash against
globalization has been well-documented in the media, on the internet and in
books like Naomi Klein's No Logo. McDonald's restaurants have been
the targets of protests, peaceful and otherwise, by environmental, anti-globalization
and animal rights activists. The company's litigious approach to protecting its
business interests has not helped its image in the minds of its opponents.
This conflict, and the company's
approach to resolving it, was epitomized in the early 1990s
by what came to be known as the McLibel case. Two English activists, David Morris and Helen Steel, distributed leaflets entitled What's
wrong with McDonald's? on the streets of London. McDonald's wrote to Steel
and Morris demanding they desist and apologise, and, when they refused, sued
them for libel.
The trial, lasting more than two years,
was described as 'the worst PR disaster in history' for the firm. The company's
advertising techniques and business practices were scrutinized in the High Court of Justice
in London and reported extensively in the press,
who saw the case as a David and Goliath battle (under UK law, legal aid could
not be granted for a defamation suit, so Steel and Morris did most of their own
legal casework while McDonald's was represented by an extensive legal team).
In June 1997, the judge ruled in favor of
McDonald's, awarding the company £60,000 damages, which was later was reduced
to £40,000 by the Court of Appeal. The amount was low because the judge ruled
that some of the claims made by Morris and Steel had been proven, including
that McDonald's exploited children in its advertising, was anti-trade union and
indirectly exploited and caused suffering to animals. Steel and Morris
announced they had no intention of ever paying, and the company later confirmed
it would not be pursuing the money.
Steel and Morris later successfully
challenged UK libel law in the European Court, arguing that it was an
infringement of the right to free speech. The Government was forced to re-write
the legislation as a result. In 2005,
a film
was made about the court case.
In 2001, Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation included criticism of
McDonald's' business practices. Among the critiques are allegations that
McDonald's (along with other companies within the fast-food industry) uses its
political influence to increase their own profits at the expense of people's
health and the social conditions of its workers. The book also brings into
question McDonald's advertisement techniques where it targets children. While
the book does mention other fast-food chains, it focuses primarily on
McDonald's.
In June 2004, the UK's Private Eye reported that McDonald's was
handing out meal vouchers, balloons, and toys to children in pediatric wards. This was especially
controversial as the report was made within weeks of a British Government
report stating that the present generation may be the first to die before their
parents due to spiraling obesity in the British
population. In 2002, vegetarian groups (comprising of some believers of
Hinduism), successfully sued and won against McDonald's for suppressing the
fact that even after the discontinuation of frying the french fries in beef
tallow, the french fries still had beef extract added to them. This went
against the company's representation of the french fries being "purely
vegetarian". The french fries in sold in America still contain beef and
animal flavoring. McDonald's biscuits also contain beef flavoring along with
animal flavoring. McDonald's is criticized for not having many options for
vegetarians. The veggie-burger is not sold at most McDonald's. The main, purely
vegetarian options are salads and certain sweets. After much criticism,
McDonald's remains stubborn and unwilling to change their product to
accommodate vegetarians (i.e. removing beef flavoring from biscuits).
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the world's largest fast food chain ,
selling primarily hamburgers, chicken, french fries and carbonated drinks and
more recently salads, fruit and carrot sticks. The business was founded in 1940
with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick and Mac McDonald.
It was their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948
that established the principles of the fast-food restaurant. However, the company today
dates its "founding" to the opening of CEO
Ray Kroc's first franchised restaurant, the company's ninth, in 1955.
He opened his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois
in April 1955.
As the first and largest international
fast food franchise, McDonald's has become a focal point in public debate about
rising obesity rates, corporate ethics and consumer responsibility. This is
discussed in detail under Criticisms.
Corporate overview
McDonald's restaurants are found in 120
countries and territories around the world and serve nearly 54 million
customers each day. The company also operates other restaurant brands,
such as Aroma Café and Boston Market, and has a minority stake in Pret a Manger. The company owned a majority
stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill
through the spring of 2006, when it was in the process of selling its stake.
Until December 2003, it also owned Donatos Pizza. It also has a subsidiary, Redbox, which started in 2003
as 18-foot (5.5 m)
wide automated convenience stores,
but as of 2005, has focused on DVD rental machines.
Most standalone McDonald's restaurants
offer both counter and drive-through service,
with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating. Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, Pay and Drive
or McDrive as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing,
paying for, and picking up orders, though the latter two steps are frequently
combined. In some countries "McDrive" locations near highways offer no counter service or seating. In
contrast, locations in high-density city neighborhoods often omit drive-through service. There are also a few
locations, located mostly in downtown districts, that offer Walk-Thru service
in place of Drive-Thru.
Specially themed restaurants also
exist, such as "Rock-and-Roll McDonald's" 1950s themed restaurants.
Some McDonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or
outdoor playgrounds, called "McDonald's
PlayPlace" (if indoors) or "Playland" (outdoors). The first
PlayPlace with the familiar crawl-tube design with ball pits and slides was
introduced in 1987 in
the USA,
with many more being constructed soon after. Some PlayPlace playgrounds have
been renovated into "R Gym" areas, which emphasize physical activity.
[1]
The McDonald's Corporation's business model is slightly different from that
of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary franchise fees, supplies, and percentage of
sales, McDonald's also collects rent, partially linked to
sales. As a condition of the franchise agreement, the Corporation owns the
properties on which most McDonald's franchises are located. The UK business
model is different, in that fewer than 30% of restaurants are franchised, with
the majority under the ownership of the company. McDonald's trains its
franchisees and others at Hamburger University
in Oak Brook, Illinois.
According to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (2001), nearly one in eight
workers in the U.S. have at some
time been employed by McDonald's. The book also states that McDonald's is the
largest private operator of playgrounds in the U.S., as well as the single largest
purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. The meatfoods
McDonald's uses vary with the culture of the host country.
Criticisms
Because McDonald's multi-national,
multi-billion dollar business and standardized products and procedures have
come to symbolize globalization and the American way of life, the company has
often found itself a target of activism and a focal point of public debate. In
particular, it has generated much discussion about corporate ethics, consumer
responsibility, obesity, the environment, intellectual property and animal
rights.
Since the mid-1990s, a backlash against
globalization has been well-documented in the media, on the internet and in
books like Naomi Klein's No Logo. McDonald's restaurants have been
the targets of protests, peaceful and otherwise, by environmental, anti-globalization
and animal rights activists. The company's litigious approach to protecting its
business interests has not helped its image in the minds of its opponents.
This conflict, and the company's
approach to resolving it, was epitomized in the early 1990s
by what came to be known as the McLibel case. Two English activists, David Morris and Helen Steel, distributed leaflets entitled What's
wrong with McDonald's? on the streets of London. McDonald's wrote to Steel
and Morris demanding they desist and apologise, and, when they refused, sued
them for libel.
The trial, lasting more than two years,
was described as 'the worst PR disaster in history' for the firm. The company's
advertising techniques and business practices were scrutinized in the High Court of Justice
in London and reported extensively in the press,
who saw the case as a David and Goliath battle (under UK law, legal aid could
not be granted for a defamation suit, so Steel and Morris did most of their own
legal casework while McDonald's was represented by an extensive legal team).
In June 1997, the judge ruled in favor of
McDonald's, awarding the company £60,000 damages, which was later was reduced
to £40,000 by the Court of Appeal. The amount was low because the judge ruled
that some of the claims made by Morris and Steel had been proven, including
that McDonald's exploited children in its advertising, was anti-trade union and
indirectly exploited and caused suffering to animals. Steel and Morris
announced they had no intention of ever paying, and the company later confirmed
it would not be pursuing the money.
Steel and Morris later successfully
challenged UK libel law in the European Court, arguing that it was an
infringement of the right to free speech. The Government was forced to re-write
the legislation as a result. In 2005,
a film
was made about the court case.
In 2001, Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation included criticism of
McDonald's' business practices. Among the critiques are allegations that
McDonald's (along with other companies within the fast-food industry) uses its
political influence to increase their own profits at the expense of people's
health and the social conditions of its workers. The book also brings into
question McDonald's advertisement techniques where it targets children. While
the book does mention other fast-food chains, it focuses primarily on
McDonald's.
In June 2004, the UK's Private Eye reported that McDonald's was
handing out meal vouchers, balloons, and toys to children in pediatric wards. This was especially
controversial as the report was made within weeks of a British Government
report stating that the present generation may be the first to die before their
parents due to spiraling obesity in the British
population. In 2002, vegetarian groups (comprising of some believers of
Hinduism), successfully sued and won against McDonald's for suppressing the
fact that even after the discontinuation of frying the french fries in beef
tallow, the french fries still had beef extract added to them. This went
against the company's representation of the french fries being "purely
vegetarian". The french fries in sold in America still contain beef and
animal flavoring. McDonald's biscuits also contain beef flavoring along with
animal flavoring. McDonald's is criticized for not having many options for
vegetarians. The veggie-burger is not sold at most McDonald's. The main, purely
vegetarian options are salads and certain sweets. After much criticism,
McDonald's remains stubborn and unwilling to change their product to
accommodate vegetarians (i.e. removing beef flavoring from biscuits).
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