McDonald’s: Customer Driven Essay

What does it mean to be customer driven? One Fortune 500 Company that lives to please and satisfy their customers is, McDonald’s. According to the article The Ray Kroc Story (2012), McDonald’s passion for quality and customer service all began with a man named Ray Kroc (p.1). In 1954, Ray came across a restaurant in San Bernardino, California run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. He was immediately captivated by how effective their small operation was. Ray found that the restaurant only offered a limited menu, which consisted of burgers, fries, and beverages. Due to the limited variety, the brothers were able to focus on what was really important, which was quality customer service. Ray Kroc had formed a vision. The article The Ray Kroc Story (2012), he pitched his vision of McDonald’s restaurants all over the United States to the brothers (p. 2). In 1955, one year after discovering the small restaurant in California, Ray Kroc founded the McDonald’s Corporation. Five years later, Ray bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name, and by 1958 McDonald’s has sold its 100 millionth burger. According to the article The Ray Kroc Story (2012), Kroc’s unique philosophy was that he wanted to build a restaurant system that would be famous for its food consistency, its uniform methods of preparation, and that was customer driven (p. 3). He wanted to be able to serve burgers in Alaska that would taste the same in Alabama. To make this a reality he persuaded franchisees and suppliers to buy into his vision. This was that they were not working for McDonald’s, but rather for themselves, for McDonalds. Ray Kroc never stopped working for McDonald’s. He worked there right up until  he passed away on January 24, 1984 (p. 4). He worked out of his wheelchair in his office, nearly every day, in San Diego, California. Ray Kroc’s legacy and passion for quality, service, and efficiency continues to still be an integral part of McDonald’s today. McDonald’s has more than 33,500 restaurants worldwide. It also has 1.7 million employees, throughout 119 countries. McDonald’s mission statement and list of values truly shows how they are customer driven and what they focus on, to continue being successful. The article McDonald’s Mission and Vision (2010-2012), their brand mission is to be their customers favorite place and way to eat (p. 1). They operate around seven core values every day. The first value is that they place the customer experience at the core of what they do. They say that their customers are the reason for their existence. They show their appreciation by providing every person that walks through their door, and drives through their drive thru with high quality food. Their goal is quality, service, cleanliness, and value for each and every customer. Second, they are committed to their customers. McDonald’s provides ample opportunity, they nurture talent, and they develop leaders. This company believes that a team of well-trained individuals, coming from diverse backgrounds, working together fosters respect, and is key in their continued success. The third value according to the article McDonald’s Mission and Vision (2010-2012) is that they believe in their system (p. 1). McDonald’s has a business model that Ray Kroc compared to a three legged stool. His philosophy was based on the simple principle of the three legged stool: one leg was McDonald’s, the second leg was the franchisees, and the third leg was McDonald’s suppliers. Fourth, they operate their business ethically. This company believes that sound ethics is good business. They strive to hold themselves and to conduct their business to a high standard of fairness, honesty, and also integrity. McDonald’s believes that they are individually accountable and collectively  responsible. Fifth, they give back to their communities. McDonald’s is serious about the responsibilities that come along with being a leader. They try to make the world a better place by helping their customers build better communities, supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and by leveraging their size, scope, and resources. Sixth, they grow their business profitably. This company is a publicly traded company. Being that they are publicly traded, they work to provides sustained profitable growth for their shareholders. In order to do this they have to focus continually on their customers and the health of their system. The last and final value that McDonald’s lives by is that want to continuously improve. They consider themselves a learning organization. One of the goals under this value is to anticipate and respond to changing customers, employees, and system needs through constant innovation and evolution. Ray Kroc (2010-2012) once said, â€Å"McDonald’s is a people’s business† (p. 1). One major way this company shows that it cares about its customers, can be seen through the company’s involvement in their customers communities. McDonald’s is a part of a global network of local family restaurants, and they are proud to give back to the communities they serve. They demonstrate this by supporting local sports teams, helping talented young athletes, and taking steps to improve neighborhoods. Two example of this can be seen through McDonald’s involvement in the McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games, and Camp Mickey D’s. Every year the company brings the top high school basketball talent in the nation together to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Camp Mickey D’s was created by Sybel Pici, owner of three McDonald’s franchise in Texas. This program helps students come to terms and grips with the challenges of the workplace, while making a connection between school and work. One of the most widely recognized ways that McDonald’s shows it is customer  driven is through its support of the Ronald McDonald House Charities. According to the article The Ronald McDonald House Charities (2010-2012), the Ronald McDonald House Charities was founded on the idea of strength through numbers (p. 1). Through this customers and families find strength from staff, donors, and each other. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families whose children are in hospitals or need medical treatment. Since 2002, McDonalds has brought together its franchisees, suppliers, employees, and customers to take part in a worldwide annual fundraiser. This fundraiser has brought in nearly $170 million for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and other various charities. McDonald’s has many strong suits. First, they rank high on the Fortune Magazine’s food service companies that are most admired. They have global operations all over the world. McDonald’s has cultural diversity in the foods that are provided based on the location. This company has great locations in theme parks, airports, Walmart stores, and along well traveled roads. They have efficient operating guidelines in the assembly line fashion. One weakness is that they are failing the pizza test market therefore limiting the ability to compete with fast food pizza providers. Their training costs are high due to high turnover. They have minimal concentration on providing organic foods. McDonald’s has large fluctuations in the net and operating profits making impacts on investors. There are quality concerns due to franchised operations. Last, they focus on burgers and grease fried foods and not on healthier options for their customers. One opportunity that McDonald’s has is they are opening more joint ventures with several different retailers. They have become more responsive to the social changes and healthier options. They are advertising the capabilities of WIFI. The company has been expanding on the advertising in regards to being more socially responsible in the environment. They have expanded in to newly developed parts of the world. They have opened products up to allergen free options such as peanut free and gluten free foods. Last they have ventured into more enticing beverage choices. One threat is that their marketing strategies are enticing people all the way from small children to adults and they take criticism because of it. McDonald’s has lawsuits for offering unhealthy foods with addictive additives. They have contamination risks. One threat is that there are a large amount of other fast food places that are open and serve as competition. The competition is focusing on healthier dieting by consumers. Last there is a downturn in economy which limits people to going out to eat. Through the vision of Ray Kroc, a Fortune 500 company was formed. Through McDonald’s mission statement and seven core values, this company has had continued success over the years. The success of this company is a direct result of being a truly customer driven company. References McDonald Mission and Corporate Values :: AboutMcDonalds.com. (n.d.)._† Official Global Corporate Website :: AboutMcDonalds.com_. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mission_and_values.html Ronald McDonald House Charities :: McDonalds.com. (n.d.). _Home :: McDonalds.com_. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_communities/rmhc.html The Ray Kroc Story :: McDonalds.com. (n.d.). _Home :: McDonalds.com_. Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history/the_ray_kroc_story.html

Dramatic situations Essay

Examine carefully your chosen scene and discuss how well in your view Shakespeare succeeds in presenting good theatre with a variety of dramatic situations in order to entertain his audience. Shakespeare wrote ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ towards the end of the 16th century. The play was aimed at all social classes, meaning that there had to be humour in the play to suit everyone’s taste. The scene that I have chosen to examine is Act 5, Scene 2. Which is the last scene of the play. This scene follows on from Act 5, Scene 1 where Katherina has just reluctantly kissed Petruchio and Petruchio feels very pleased with the way everything has turned out. It then enters Act 5, Scene 2, where Lucentio is welcoming everyone to the banquet, which was being held to celebrate the three marriages. I chose to do this scene because I think that this scene rounds the play off nicely as nearly all of the characters are there in it and there are a variety of dramatic situations. After Lucentio has finished welcoming everyone Petruchio says â€Å"Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat! â€Å". If I was directing the play I would make Petruchio butt in with that straight after Lucentio has finished talking because I think that he is saying it quite sarcastically, as he was wanting to draw attention to himself because previously in the play we learnt that he is quite mad character, for example when he turned up at the wedding he was wearing crazy clothes. I found that quite amusing but in the Royal Shakespeare production that we saw I don’t think they made him say it with enough expression, I thought that they would have made a bigger deal about it. To draw even more attention to himself I think he should say it quite loudly and stand up because the audience would be focused on him. I think that Shakespeare made Petruchio’s character quite a quirky one because all through the play he brings humour and it leaves the audience wondering what strange thing he will do or say next and it is all very unexpected. After that, on line 14 and 15 I think that the tone gets a bit more serious. On line 14 Baptista says â€Å"Paudua offers this kindness, son Petruchio† In the text there is no exclamation mark so if I was directing it I would make him say it in a stern, serious voice. Petruchio says after that â€Å"Padua offers nothing but what is kind† I think that when he says that he should again say it quite quickly and immediately after Baptista did because that brings out his ‘cheeky’ character and it is entertaining because there is an argument and this is an amusing way to start off quite a formal event.

Hamlet (Free Will) Essay

Your father dies, you are left with emptiness and many things to ponder, months later a ghost appears and he delivers insane news about your uncle that makes you want to kill him; you have just entered the mind of Hamlet. When listening to superstitious people or relying on intangible objects to predict a future outcome, this raises the question of whether we are living by free will or forces larger than ourselves. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, The Ghost is a character that does not spend much time on stage but has a very meaningful position in the play. When coming to the conclusion of whether or not Hamlet lives by free will, or controlled forces larger than him; we must analyze the concept of being responsible for our own actions, whether God controls what happens, and if Hamlet is actually controlled by other forces larger than him. As we grow older, we are taught to be responsible for our own actions. We are told that there is no one to blame but ourselves when we make a mistake. Hamlet is a tragedy; in a tragedy, the hero has to possess a tragic flaw. Tragic heroes are not supposed to be driven by outside forces, but they must already possess the flaw within themselves. It can be inferred that Hamlet’s flaw is indecisiveness. He could not decide what to believe for himself, therefore, this causes him to make poor decisions. Hamlet had many plans which are executed in a bad way; no one is responsible for that, but himself. Hamlet says, â€Å"To be, or not to be, that is the question:/whether’ tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/ And by opposing end them. To die to sleep-/no more; and by a sleep to say we end/†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3. 1. 56-61). This soliloquy portrays one of the many times within the story where Hamlet has no idea what he wants to do with the situations placed before him. He debated his actions and this proves that he is the only person responsible for his decisions. It is easy for the reader to believe that the larger force could be God as well. There are parts in the play where Christianity is relevant, which could make the reader believe that the larger force is God. Everything happens for a reason; though, at many times people are clueless as to what the reason may be. Everyone has a conscious; we constantly carry the angel of good on one shoulder, and bad on the other. â€Å"Not a whit, we defy augury. There is special providence in a fall of a/ sparrow. If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (5. 2. 185-187). In this quote, Hamlet expresses that God controls everything, even the sparrow’s death. This goes with the saying; there is a time and place for everything. If something happened at a later time, it is because it was meant to happen that way. It is evident that Hamlet believes God controls the fate of men and everything else as well. Our fate is predetermined, but the way upon getting there is not. Now, many people could blame God could for not showing us the way more clearly. This aspect is left for interpretation, because it could also be inferred that the person didn’t stop to hear what the good and bad devil on their shoulders had to say. Not taking accountability for your own actions is a part of human nature. We tend to blame our surrounding for our actions, which is why the reader could blame Hamlet’s action on other forces larger than him. The ghost in the story is very significant and can be seen as the reason why Hamlet chose to make bad decisions. The ghost says, â€Å"I am your father’s spirit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1. 5. 9). According to this quote, the ghost is Hamlet’s father. Growing up, we learn our values from our parents; they teach us right from wrong and we know that no matter what they say we simply have to do what they tell us. Since the ghost is Hamlet’s father, he feels obligated do something because he loves him dearly. Our parents have an effect on us. As human beings, we never let someone do something to a person we love. If someone close to us is hurting, we tend to be hurt as well. In the story, we can see that Hamlet has a very close relationship with his dad because he is willing to do anything for him, even kill people. Hamlet’s automatic instinct is to take revenge; the ghost clearly has a powerful effect on his actions. Whether it is free-will, the power of God or other larger forces, Hamlet makes decisions that result in the loss of many lives; Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, and himself. Hamlet is proof that many things have an effect on our lives and that he lives by free will. Things that affect you are only influences; it is your decision if you chose to bring them into action. No one has the will power to make you do anything. Sometimes we are misled by certain influences but it is up to our mental strength to help lead us down the right path. This play should make every reader realize that there is a consequence for every good or bad action, and we are not the only ones affected by our decisions.

Summary for the article ‘Mortgage Mess’

Steve Gass, a woodwork enthusiast, lawyer and physicist was able to come up with a safer saw that prevents accidents. Although, on his own effort, he was able to sell these innovative tools quite well, few people in the business are willing to adapt it into the mainstream because according to them, â€Å"safety doesn’t sell†.The writer starts by sharing the experience of a foreman in using the â€Å"safe saw†, showing that it was effective in preventing accidents.The writer then uses statistics by saying that 40,000 Americans are injured by power saws every year and 4,000 of them are hurt badly enough to require amputation.She then gives Gass’s explanation on how the saw works. Whenever it the saw’s blade was touched, its body would absorb some of the shock like a circuit breaker and it will instantly activate the brake.Afterwards, she would talk about how surprised Gass was about the slow response to his new technology in spite of the fact that â⠂¬Å"Everybody in woodworking knows someone who’s lost a finger or had an accident.†Finally, she points out that power saw accidents can leave you with very high medical expenses and it would be best to use this new technology to ensure safety and to lower costs.II.  Ã‚   New VocabularyTinkering (n.)   – an act of fiddling with something in an attempt to repair it.Amputation (n.) –   to cut off a limb or other appendage of the body, especially in a surgical operationPrototype (n.) – something having the essential features of a subsequent type, and on which later forms are modeledLiability (n.) – anything for which somebody is responsible, especially a debtPlaintiff (n.) – somebody who begins a lawsuit against another person (defendant) in a civil court

The Beginnings of Feminist Oppression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Beginnings of Feminist Oppression - Essay Example The transgressions of sexual behavior have been attributed to Eve and have resulted in the subjugation of women for 2,000 years. The story of the Garden of Eden has been characterized by sexual overtones and depicts sex as sinful. Yet, it has forever been the greater sin for the woman. Eve was the temptation that Adam succumbed to. Paul writes in Corinthians that, "Let those who have wives live as though they had none" (17). Paul preaches that marriage and therefore women are a necessary evil. According to the original scriptures as taught by Paul and later Augustine, woman's only purpose is procreation. Laws were written and the foundation of the church was based on this institutional bias against women.The monopoly on morality has been used by individuals as well as the church to maintain power. Augustine declares that Adam's sin, the sin of the carnal knowledge of Eve, transformed the "structure of the universe itself". The eventual result was the punishment of death. To validate its authority the Catholic Church adopted Augustine's belief that "death comes to us by will, not by necessity" (145). The continued belief that sex equates to sin, and henceforth death, has been handed down and promotes the church as the only moral authority and our only hope for salvation.Elaine Pagel's book, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, is a straightforward explanation for the bias we see in our laws and prejudices towards women. It helps to explain why a woman's sexuality may be condemned.

Consumer Behaviour College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer Behaviour College - Essay Example This term, central to any understanding of consumer behaviour, refers to how consumers view a product/service, its price and its quality, among others. It focuses on subjective consumer interpretations of a product's attributes versus its price, what its possession and use will contribute to a consumer versus its price. Within the context of consumer theory, personality has two meanings. The first is consumer personality and the second is brand personality. Ideally, correlation between the two motivates the consumer market to purchase the brand in question and exhibit loyalty towards it. In both instances, personality refers to perceived attributes and characteristics. Consumer market segmentation is integral to focused marketing and the identification of potential consumers. The elderly refers to the consumer market segment which is comprised of the aged, generally those at, or above, pension age. This type of segmentation is restricted to age. The second type of segmentation is concerned with economic status. It effectively refers to consumer income and, more specifically, to those in the upper income brackets. The affluent are the rich consumers, irrespective of gender and age. The ever-increasing popularity, both national and global, of plastic surgery is amply evidence in the appeal of television shows and serials such as "Extreme Makeover" and "Nip/Tuck." Plastic surgery is now openly discussed and is no longer confined to emergencies or to the female market. In other words, plastic/cosmetic surgery is regularly performed for beautification and anti-ageing purposes and not out of necessity and is now being undertaken by both males and females, not just the latter. 3.1 Industry Facts and Figures The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (cited in Ruiz, 2007) estimates that the number of cosmetics surgeries performed per year has increased by almost 50% from 2000 to 2006. Market researcher, writing on the size of the industry and market, assert the impossibility of gauging the size of the industry/market as statistics are based upon procedures performed in hospitals and not those carried out in private clinics (Davis, 1995). Hazarding a guess, nevertheless, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (cited in Ruiz, 2007) asserts that it is a multi-billion pound industry. Indeed, tens of billions of pounds are spent on the global plastic surgery industry per annum (Jeffreys, 2005). It is, in other words, an extremely lucrative, constantly growing market. 3.2 Consumer Characteristics Several

DELACROIX Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DELACROIX - Essay Example In London, Delacroix studied various works of English painters who he greatly admired and inspired some of his later works (Villarreal par. 25). The trip to London brought Delacroix closer to mimicking the works and colorful style of Reuben’s paintings. Such influence of English paintings and artwork was evident in his later work in 1930, July 28: Liberty Leading the People. The painting Liberty Leading the people commemorated the recent French revolution as this canvas was a reflection of the artist’s change of style. Delacroix fascination for the work of English painters started early in his career pushing him to visit London. Various elements of artistic migration are evident in Eugene Delacroixs works especially after a visit to England. Most of Delacroixs works between 1820 and 1830 were greatly influenced by the English painting particularly after visiting London in 1825. Delacroix visited England accompanied by his artistic English friends Thales Fielding and Richard Parkes. Even early before 1830 and before the visit to England, Delacroix had great interest in English paintings especially the use of watercolors and oil techniques evident in English landscape paintings. The artist’s friendship with English friends greatly influenced the love and interest in English works. Delacroix’s works when during the time he was in England show great influence from the English painter, Sir Thomas Lawrence. Most of the artist’s works depend on his interpretation of the British portraits according to his understanding and personality. One of Delacroix’s most outstanding works during the period he was in London was the portrait of Louis-Auguste (Baron) Schwiter in 1826. The painting is similar to most English portraits from the time by trying to capture schwiters character as he is posing and standing in a park. Delacroix does not portray a relaxed attitude of Schwiter but chooses to emphasize on