McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food restaurant, serving customers in 119 different countries. 

Why is the franchise so successful? As the current CEO put it, “McDonald’s success thrives on adapting to consumer demands.”  For example, they introduced the “Filet-o-Fish” in 1963 in Cincinnati for the Catholics who did not eat meat on Fridays, which eventually became a part of the standard menu. In addition to providing free wi-fi with Nintendo and starting their first delivery service in Singapore, they also were one of the first franchise restaurants to offer nutrition information on their food. Now, they offer salad and other healthier options (although the health issue is still questionable…) Nevertheless, McDonalds has strived through economic booms and recessions, and although their food may not be as healthy as Subway’s sandwiches, McDonald’s ability to successfully react to consumer trends and establish their points of difference from other fast food franchises is something that earns the respect of all businessmen and women.

I chose to blog about McDonalds because of the discussion we had in class (9/27/2012) on Burger King expanding into Russia. I believe McDonalds to be the most dominant fast food franchise, especially because Glen Bell (founder of Taco Bell) and James McLamore (founder of Burger King) were both inspired by McDonalds as well.

For more information on how the current CEO runs the corporation, click here.

Reference:

In our recent assignment, we were asked to complete a live case study of a sports apparel company called LuluLemon. As part of our method to  recommend the CEO of the company whether she should expand LuluLemon geographically or increase their product line, we were introduced to two tools; the issue sorting tool, and the fishbone diagram.

The fishbone diagram looks like this:

The box at the very right of the diagram is where the event goes, and the diagram branches off to show how different causes lead to the event.Each cause then branches off into smaller sections that show factors that may influence these causes.

The issue sorting too looks like this:

This diagram allows us to see what the importance and urgency of things. The grid is divided into four sections, each one showing something important or unimportant, and urgent or not urgent. This diagram is commonly used by managers to analyze developments in the external environment.

We were asked to complete each of these diagrams in our groups in class. Our fishbone diagram was centered around a fictional issue of LuluLemon’s decrease in profit and margin. These are some of the causes we came up with:

• The economic crisis that the world faces right now
• The increase in the prices of material and manufacturing
• The increasing competition from other corporations, such as Nike and Under Armor
• The lawsuits that LLL has to file against those who infringe their patent rights

Personally, I thought that these diagrams were an excellent way of organizing our ideas into a comprehensible form. The issue sorting tool (priority matrix) was especially appealing to me, since I was introduced to this during my studies in High School. Instead of applying the diagram for business purposes, we used it for task management, but it was an effective tool nonetheless. For our future assignments where we are asked to conduct case studies, I will make sure to utilize these tools to their full extent.

Enbridge is planning to build what will be called the Northgate Pipeline. This oil pipeline will run from Alberta to Kitimat in BC, passing through vast expanse of nature.

There is a risk of the line rupturing and causing a natural disaster, ruining the natural environment of BC. Numerous organizations as well as residents of BC have been protesting against this new pipeline installment. These people believe that it is ethically wrong to put nature in subject to a potential disaster. However, the opposition argues that although the pipeline will be in BC, the oil inside it actually belongs to Alberta, and therefore, they hold the authority to build it. Meanwhile, the governments of the two states are currently having a dispute over the percentage of tax that will go to BC. Currently, BC is only expecting to receive 8.2% of the tax revenue.

Although many would argue against the establishment of the pipeline, I do not believe that this is ethically wrong. The new oil would create new jobs, contributing to the development of the economy in BC. Enbridge announced that they would be investing another $500 million in safety improvements, which should show that the company understands the implications that an oil spill might cause, and are taking measure to prevent it.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Pipeline+fuels+Alberta+clash+expert+says+target+should+Enbridge/6984078/story.html