A world without the Big Mac, Happy Meals, Chicken McNuggets, and the phrase “I’m lovin’ it,” is almost inconceivable. People around the globe have become accustomed to the high gleaming golden arches that make up the famous emblem for McDonald’s. McDonald’s has grasped the concept that culture flows from power. In this case, the American culture flows through the veins of this fast-food giant and the more that is supplied, the greater the demand. It is no secret that McDonald’s has become one of the world’s largest fast-food retailers. It has become a well known icon that has played a huge part in globalization, with chains located in many different countries… transforming the meaning of fast-food all around the world. Everyone has heard of McDonald’s, but where did this familiar name come from? When people think of American food, it is not uncommon for two golden arches to appear in their minds. This story began with two brothers Dick and Mac McDonald who owned and ran a small restaurant in San Bernardino, California during the 1940s. In 1954 a man named Ray Kroc came across these two brothers while selling multi-mixers and was impressed with the business they were running. The menu was compact, listing options for only a few burgers, fries and beverages, but the restaurant was effective in its operation. Ray Kroc pitched the idea of spreading McDonald’s restaurants across the United States and in 1955 he founded the McDonald’s Corporation. By 1960 he bought the exclusive rights to the name. Kroc was able to expand substantially on this small business so that by 1958 McDonald’s sold its 100 millionth hamburger. (“McDonald’s.com”) Ray Kroc wanted to build a restaurant system that was famous for its food and also ... ... middle of paper ... ...Print. Kincheloe, Joe. The sign of the burger: McDonald's and the culture of power. Philadelphia: Temple Univ Press, 2002. 9-185. Print. Mallaby, Sebastian. "Winning Hearts and Stomachs." Phil Taylor's Website. University of Leeds, UK, 29Jan2007. Web. 30 Apr 2011. . Malone, Elizabeth, and George Ritzer. "Globalization Theory: Lessons from the Exportation of McDonaldization and the New Means of Consumption." Amerstud (2008): 97-112. Web. 26 Apr 2011. . "Our History: McDonalds.com." McDonald's.com. McDonald's, 20April2011. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . "Ray Kroc." Ray Kroc Biography. Web. 20 Apr 2011. .
McDonald’s Corporation has held a prominent position in the fast-food market for much of its existence. A person would be hard pressed to find consumers who would not readily recognize the famous golden arches, as the company has expanded its market globally. However, as global consumer tastes shift to a more heath-conscious public which cares less about “super sizing” and more about “slenderizing” the popular burger chain has been experiencing a drop in sales. McDonald’s strategy for its globalization plan has included the concept of localizing their product (to a degree) for an international market; for example, local managers in British versions of the restaurant are able to make their own decisions that pertain to adapting to the current market. A difficult challenge for the corporation’s marketing team is how to reposition this wildly successful brand in a stagnant British market.
McDonald’s Corporation started out in the way that many businesses do, with one idea and a brilliant mind or two. The year was 1948, when two brothers by the names of Mac and Dick McDonald, set forth with the idea to provide a low cost, quickly produced meal. Thus, the restaurant we know today was born. The menu consisted of only nine items such as: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato chips, and pie. The staple of this menu was the hamburger for only 15¢. In 1954, a milkshake salesman named Ray Kroc stopped by the brother’s hamburger stand to sell them more milkshake machines. Upon learning that the brothers were looking for a national franchising agent, he quickly realized his future would be in
McDonald’s, a franchise known world-wide started out as a little burger stand in San Bernardino, California. It was started by brothers Mac and Dick McDonald, and Ray Kroc visited their restaurant in 1954. A year later he founded the McDonald’s Corporation, which was based on the successful burger stand run by the McDonald brothers. Three years after the McDonald’s franchise was founded, it had sold its 100 millionth hamburger. What factors led to McDonalds’ national and international success during the 1970s? McDonalds' national and international success in the 1970s was caused by its menu options, the cleanliness, and its spread around the world.
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, is a stark and unrelenting look into the fast food industry that has ingrained itself in not only American culture, but in many cultures around the world. There is almost no place on earth that the golden arches has not entered. Aside from Antarctica, there is a McDonalds on every continent, and the number of countries that have fast food restaurants is growing on a daily basis. Schlosser describes in detail what happens behind the scenes, before the hamburger and fries come wrapped in environmentally safe paper and are consumed by millions of people daily.
sociologist George Ritzer argues that the relationship between McDonald’s and our society runs even deeper. Beyond its commercial propaganda and symbolism, Ritzer says, McDonald’s is a potent manifestation of the rational processes that define modern society.
A lot of people think that Ray Kroc created McDonalds. I will tell you that this is not true; he started out as a milkshake mixer salesman. One day he got a huge order for eight milkshake mixers from a small restaurant in California, he was really curious why they needed so much. He went to investigate and found Dick and Mac McDonald with their small business. According to www.mcdonalds.com they said “Ray Kroc told the McDonalds brothers that they should spread their business all over the U.S., in 19...
The influence of Ray Kroc to McDonald’s brother to pursue a goal to be well known in the world has paid off. Nowadays, the company is serving for more than 70 million customers and helping 1.8 million employees worldwide (Company Profile). They have surpassed a lot of challenges and changes through the years but the influence of the founder, Ray Kroc, is still visible and felt. Don Thompson, president and chief executive officer, reinforces the global strategy “plan to win” in giving priority on its customer service. Thompson’s drive for global strategic innovation and collaborative style pushes to optimize its menu, modernize customer satisfaction, and expand worldwide. Among the collaborative structure of the company is the establishment of Hamburger University in Illinois to train franchisees and employees about how to run the business. It proves that they value and devote their time and effort for their future leaders to adopt its organizational cultur...
In Golden Arches East, James L. Watson investigates how the McDonald’s culture of fast food appeals to people in the cities of East Asia, particularly with how the company connects with American culture. Watson focuses on key concepts when visiting each place, including localization of America in Beijing, food choices, identity and nationalism in Seoul, and changing manners and etiquette in Tokyo. Each city has a different aspect and attitude about McDonald’s that is determined by gender, age, and wealth of people. McDonald’s started the globalization of fast food across the world, in which cultural transformations and a new trend have arisen but has kept indigenous culture intact.
Ray Kroc used different advertising methods at different levels to make a famous brand name. With the great success and saturation of the local market, in 1970, McDonald’s started an energetic push to make McDonald’s a global presence. Today, most of the restaurants out of 35,000 located in more than 100 countries are operated as franchises and affiliates. “More than 70% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women.” (mcdonalds.com).
Ritzer, George. "An Introduction to McDonaldization." The McDonaldization of Society. New Century ed. California: Sage: Thousand Oaks, 2002. 4-24. Print.
According to Royle (1999) McDonald’s is a very large multinational enterprise (MNE) and the largest food service operation in the world. Currently the company has 1.5 million workers with 23,500 stores in over 110 countries with the United Kingdom and Germany amongst the corporation’s six biggest markets, and over 12,000 restaurants in the United States. In 1974 the United Kingdom corporation was established and in 1971 the Germany corporation was established, currently the combined corporation has over 900 restaurants and close to 50,000 employees in each of these countries (Royle, 1999).
Vignali, C. (2001). McDonald’s: “think global, act local”--the marketing mix. British Food Journal, 103(2), pp.97--111.
"Studying McDonald's ABroad: Overseas Branches Merge Regional Preferences, Corporate Directives." Editorial. Nations Restaurant News 11 Nov. 2005: n. pag. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Imagine the world 50 years ago. Now think about it 40 years ago, 30, 20, and 10, then today. When these changes are examined, they may seem like a gradual shift, but none are as drastic as the shift that has most recently occurred. Ideas like this are explored in The McDonaldization of Society by George Ritzer. It is also discussed how alongside the innovations that have erupted so rapidly, society has changed and generally become more “McDonaldized” in all aspects.
In modern society technology has made an advancement in history and has helped launched a new advancement for society. It is a great source that helps get job done and has made work a lot faster and more efficient. However, some might consider these advancements to be a little too overwhelming. In society today, people are always on the go so they often look for ways that are fast and efficient. For example, now and days we often see many fast food restaraunts all over the place, just waiting for the average busy consumer to stop by maybe on their way to work or something to grab a bite to eat. These fast food restaurants are often easy to spot and become so familiar to most people that going there can be part of the everyday routine. According to the following sources online there is a theory called “McDoanldization”, that is used to describe the spread of the fast food chain industry, and how it has influenced the society’s social structure and even how people behave and act. McDonaldization is a theory created by George Ritzer, who has come up with a theory to explain how a society is becoming “rationalized.” This relates to how corporations have taken control of how the government runs society. According to the sources online, Corporations of Fast Food Industries have taken over and created a process that helps eliminate aspects of individuality in society. It has become a fast growing trend and takes conformity to a whole new level. According to the theory McDonaldization is based on four central principles: predictability which is the ability to recognize and familiarize yourself with that place based on what you expect from it. For example when people go to a fast food joint they expect to see the standard c...