PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The main problem from McDonald's case, McDonald's Polishing the Golden Arches, is how to classify McDonald's strategy through Plan to Win into one of the five generic competitive strategies. Before we solve this main problem, we should determine the chief economic and business characteristics, the five forces analysis, and also the driving forces of the fast-food industry. After that we identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats by using SWOT analysis. Finally, we classify McDonald's strategy into one of the five generic competitive strategies.
ANALYSIS
The chief economic and business characteristics of the fast-food industry
In 2003 sales for the U.S. consumer food-service market totaled approximately $408 billion. For the sandwich segment, the top 30 sandwich chains had U.S. system wide sales of approximately $64 billion. Future growth in the sandwich segment was expected to be only around 2 percent annually for the foreseeable future. McDonald's and Burger King were the earliest and most aggressive hamburger chains to begin to expand internationally. The products of the various sandwich chains in U.S. were strongly differentiated, continuously follow the trends that are changed all the time.
The five forces analysis and the driving forces of the fast-food industry
By using the Porter's five forces model of competition, we identify rivalry among fast-food chains and buyers as the strong forces that make the competition in fast-food industry more and more tighten. In general, McDonald and its main competitors (Burger King Corporation, Wendy's International, Inc., Hardee's, and Jack in the Box) are active in making fresh moves to improve their market standing and bus...
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...simultaneously by making the restaurants more efficient to increase the speed of service and emphasizing hospitality, accuracy, and cleanliness with new training and incentives programs worldwide.
2) Leadership marketing
McDonald should maintain "I'm lovin' it" all the time and treat it more than a marketing campaign in order to deliver a global brand message through advertising, packaging, and restaurant experiences. This can be used for shaping McDonald's employees attitude in serving the customers.
3) Innovation
McDonald must make a lot of innovation in order to satisfy its customers and win the competition because successful innovation can strengthen the market position of the innovating companies. For example, by featuring a variety of Value, Premium, and wholesome menu offerings, McDonald can deliver the right products at the right price for its customers.
This goal of this analysis is to shadow some light on K-Mart and Target and with the help of extensive research. In this analysis we can find out what each company can do, where they lack and what has to be done in order to keep the company profitable and alive. Thus, we will try to look at the Target wholly and then it will identify a successful business strategy and thus show that the strategy has moved the Target into one of such leaders in the industry. When we will take a look at K-Mart and then we will move on the identification of a failed business strategy and then show that the strategy has been holding this company at the back. After that we will try to perform a cross- case analysis by contrasting and comparing the case studies on the points of difference and the parity. This will help us in looking at a side by side difference of a SWOT analysis and also the five force analysis.
An analysis of 2013 advertising expenditures found that ?US companies spent $5.5 billion on fast-food advertisements and $6.8 billion on separate food, beverage and confectionary categories? (Henderson 191). The majority of these advertisements were focused on high-calorie and low-nutrient foods. McDonalds is generally regarded as the king of all burger chains; having brought fast food to the world and being the first company to ser...
PR Newswire (n.d.). Press Articles - FASCINATING MCFACTS ABOUT MCDONALD'S INTERNATIONAL. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/prnews_9dec96.html
From a study completed by Chicago-based Research International USA completed a study called “Fast Food Nation 2008. The panel consisted of 1,000 respondents of ages 16-65 who provided their inputs with an online survey which was conducted between March 13 through 2008. Which was based on results on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s are gaining popularity even through the economic hardship and recession. Marketing strategy has become more of influence on kids and young American’s. As population grows and the demand increases of fast food restaurants are expanding their stores to capturing more consumers. Fast food chains are also willing to change their menus to continue to gain and retain repeating customers. With each generation that passes, brings fast food chains into more homes and continues impacting lives.
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.
OPPORTUNITIES: McDonalds has many opportunities to change its look, menu, and customer service. McDonald’s started building newer building incorporating the arch, along with more modern furnishings. The menu has changed by adding more breakfast items and introducing the McCafe in certain areas.
Have you ever wondered how the business empire of McDonalds was started? With over ninety nine billion served, it was started in 1940 in San Bernardino, California. It was started off as just a Bar-B-Q that served just twenty items. Its first mascot was named “Speedee” They eventually realized that by setting up their kitchen like an assembly line that they could be much more productive and get their food done faster, with every employee doing a specified job; the restaurants production rate became much higher. A milkshake machine vendor came into their small restaurant one day, his name was Ray Kroc. He saw how much potential the restaurant has, so he bought it out and opened one of the first franchises. Within the first year of Ray Kroc buying it, there were one hundred and two locations all around the world. McDonalds currently is one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world and currently has served over sixty four million customers through one of their thirty two thousand sites. It has almost become a way of life for America. Though, McDonalds started off as a small business between two brothers, it grew into one of the largest restaurant franchises in the world and greatly affects our society and how we eat our food.
CHANGING PREFRECE depended vastly on the fast food manus. For example we can mention about SALAD. Now salad was never considered as a part of fast food menu. But with the change of taste and preference, fast food chains like Windy, Taco Bell, and McDonald have introduced SALAD into their menus. This preference is not stopping only with salads. In 2002, McDonald’s introduced great tasting new products including premium salads, n salads plus menu; Chicken McNuggets made with white meat; Fish McDippers; Chicken Selects; and new breakfast offerings like the McGriddle sandwiches. Here as a fast food chain, McDonald did not have to introduce new dishes in their menus but with the impression and image in the market analysis, of increasing demand and chan...
These are opportunities because they are all options McDonalds can take advantage of in order to expand their company. By doing these, McDonalds will bring in more customers as these changes will attract consumers that are looking for a fast food restaurant that possess these
With strength ultimately comes weakness and McDonald's has its fair share, especially in the last few years. Many weaknesses are due to the external environment which includes market saturation, increased price competition, and food and labor costs. These weaknesses affect many firms in the fast food industry so McDonald's is trying to effectively combat these forces using a differentiation strategy. Developing new products such
McDonalds provide high quality products, such as burgers, fries, drinks, muffins, etc, which are safe and reliable that it does what it is supposed to do, but not only does the quality of the products matter, the good value for money affects the business. E.g. buy one extra value meal and get one free with a food voucher that represents the offer only. They ensure that a high standard of the product is carried out at all times and they try to compete very competitively with other fast food businesses with their good value for money. Also a customer would know if the product is good value for money by checking in another food outlet like KFC for their services and products.
I have selected Mc Donald’s as an organization on which I would be making this report. I would be discussing Mc Donald’s competitive advantages over other organizations by applying a Resource based view of strategy. This report would highlight the resources and capabilities Mc Donald’s has and how can it utilize those resources to gain competitive advantage over its rivals.
The menu at McDonald's typically consists of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, drinks, shakes, and a recent influx of healthier alternatives. McDonald's also is widely known for their breakfast menu, which consists of sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, hash browns, and breakfast drinks. Since McDonald's appeals to such a wide audience, it must constantly re-evaluate its menu depending on feedback and market research. McDonald's expends considerable resources to update its menu and introduce new products in order to be more in tune with its target audience (The Times 100).
In today’s market, McDonalds faces numerous challenges such as fierce competition, a more health conscious customer, and the continual need for improved customer satisfaction and menu. McDonalds needs to go through some changes in order to remain ahead in the fast-food industry.
Strategic management is the way of implementing different business strategies and plans to attain certain specific aims and objectives. It involves collection of decisions and different rules and policies that tend to define the results that are generated in the form of better business performance. For undertaking these activities, management should possess an in depth understanding and be able to assess the general and competitive external and internal business environment to take proper business decisions (Cornelis, 2010). McDonalds is an organization that offers a range of products and services in a very effective manner that makes it a market leader in providing fast food services all over the world. By enforcing suitable strategies, McDonalds can increase its level of sales and will also help in upgrading as well as sustaining the market by acquiring competitive advantage (Schoenberg, Collier and Bowman, 2013).