The brand I chose is one of the most iconic and powerful brands in the history of this nation and even the entire world. They are one of the most successful brands globally and almost everyone has come to their doors for a bite to eat. The brand I chose sells a variety of foods such as burgers, chicken, fries, salads etc. This iconic and influential brand that has been around for years and still going strong is the fast food chain called McDonalds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay This company was founded in 1948 by two brothers, their names were Richard and Maurice McDonalds. The first restaurant was in San Bernardino, California. They bought most of their appliances and the like for their burger restaurant from a specialty salesman named Ray Kroc, he was very intrigued by their request for blenders and eight malts. Kroc visited the store and was so intrigued by how such a small store could sell so many milkshakes. He saw great promise in the McDonald's brand and offered to start a franchising program for the two brothers. (Britannica, 2018) Fast forward to today, McDonald's is the largest restaurant chain in the world in terms of revenue. They serve over 69 customers every day in over 100 countries in approximately 36,900 outlets in 2016. McDonald's management functions have contributed greatly to its success as a brand and as an all-round effective company. The management functions of the companies ensure that all restaurants under the McDonald's name operate towards the achievement of common objectives and goals. What makes this company so successful and remarkable in its branding is that it is strongly associated with great customer relationships and is also known to be very innovative with its branding which is strongly maintained by its managerial functioning. The planning function is used to develop company objectives, while the control function measures and monitors company resources. What makes this company so successful and remarkable in its branding is that it is strongly associated with great customer relationships and is also known to be very innovative with their branding which is strongly maintained by their managerial functioning. The planning function is used to develop business objectives, while the control function measures and monitors business resources (Bailey R, 2017). What the organization function helps to do is basically build a very strong human resource in harmony and guide the organization function with certain activities to achieve very efficient and effective results. Therefore, these management functions greatly influence McDonald's overall competitiveness and performance. Additionally, the planning function ensures that the brand organization identifies and selects reasonable goals that measure goal achievement. The company considers this a very serious managerial role and function because it essentially confirms that all its restaurants must work towards shared goals. The managers of these stores benefit greatly from these objectives because they are there to ensure that the available resources are highly effective in achieving the set objectives that McDonald's has set for itself. The value of McDonald's offer is very good. What differentiates McDonalds from some of its competitors when it comes to value offering is that they have very convenient locations and have very comfortable seating and facilities within the store, which would be nice for people who want to relax while having something to eat and they can socializewith other colleagues. Their service is very fast and very efficient. They are very consistent with their quality menu items and have many acclaimed products, especially the Big Mac. They are very reasonable with their prices and are very broad with their food that any age can choose to enjoy. What makes their value offering unique is that they appeal to the majority of the audience. The food choices that a McDonald's has can appeal to an entire family. Such as Happy Meals, Quarter Pounders, Salads, Big Macs, etc. Overall, McDonald's has a distinct brand compared to its competitors for all these reasons. They give customers a reason why they should be loyal customers to the McDonald's brand. This is what allows them to have the longevity they have today in their markets. Then we have the analysis of the business environment. It is an absolutely true fact that every organization or company in this society including McDonald's is influenced by the business environment. Not because this company is so successful, it means that it is not influenced by the business environment. McDonald's is under what is called PESTEL which stands for political factors, economic factors, social factors, technological factors, environmental factors, legal factors and last but not the least political factors. Organizational business operations are always influenced by state policies and also the government. McDonald's business itself has always been under the control of government laws and regulations. Some of the most important issues regarding the government and its control over McDonalds and other restaurants include health, tax issues, employee licensing, and other important issues or concerns. (Greenspan, 2017). The company follows local government policies and also foreign investment policies for franchising business strategy. Political stagnation also affects McDonald's business. Economic factors also represent a serious problem for many or almost all business organizations. Some examples include that all businesses may be more affected by an ongoing global economic downturn. Due to international business operations, McDonald's has faced many different scales of measuring taxes and revenue in many different countries around the world. McDonald's has also faced some big problems due to the fact that there is an international currency, especially with its food distribution which is actually global. Others include local economic conditions that could affect McDonald's business. If the local economy is bad, it can affect the company because people will feel strongly discouraged from spending money on food. Then come the social factors. Over time people's lifestyle changes and as a result of this change it affects McDonald's due to its demand. Technology today plays an important role in this factor and people who are in touch with modern society expect a very updated service and technological advancement from McDonald's when it comes to organizational hospitality. That's why McDonald's today has a touch screen menu for ordering food or you can download apps from them to get certain benefits. At the same time, McDonald's is a global brand and its restaurants are present all over the world. The change in demand is different in these companies and countries. McDonald's is also in India, there are many Indians, Hindus who prefer vegetables and Muslims strongly avoid pork foods. McDonald's is known for selling fatty and meaty foods, but their approach must be different in that country, which means you need to do some research to know what would satisfy customersin India, especially with the menu. (Kannan, 2014) After that there is the technology factor, technology plays such an important and crucial role in meeting the customer's expectations or needs. There are so many food chains around like Burger King, Dominos, KFC, Wendy's, Popeye's etc. which are all competing with each other. McDonald's needs to make sure it doesn't fall behind and to do so it needs to use all its access to technology to impact its customers. From near-perfect Wi-Fi, to equipment that can entertain customers and, as I mentioned, new touch screen ordering menus. This is what plays an important role for McDonald's to still be as successful as it is today. With the positive, can also come the negative. Environmental factors have played a negative role in the McDonald's brand due to the use of some rather harmful elements. It is noted, for example, that McDonald's uses non-biodegradable substances for its cups. Also remember that McDonald's uses polystyrene containers and its use is strongly discouraged. Another issue environmentalists have with the company is what the food packaging is based on. Because of the issues that concern these environmentalists. They are calling on franchises not to take any of these issues lightly and address them to spread awareness. Then there are the legal issues. It is very important to follow the rules, regulations and procedures to make sure that the ongoing operation is running smoothly. Some examples include safety regulations, property laws, registration, taxes, and the like. In Islamic countries it is essential to have authorization for Halal food and McDonald's should take note of the customer's beliefs in this regard. When every company makes sure to follow the legal process and not only a company but also everyone and everything in the society that is governed by rules and regulations that we practice will benefit enormously from our cooperation. Even though McDonald's is such a big company. They are and must be primarily responsible for this legal matter. When it comes to targeted marketing, McDonalds is one of the best today. Their target market ranges from young children to seniors. Their environment is very family friendly and they are well known and celebrated for their family friendliness. It is evident from their advertisements, their food, even their mascot, the clown Ronald McDonald, and the play place they have for children. The McDonald's environment can include anyone who simply wants something to eat. It not only caters to families with children but also caters to traveling workers with the breakfast menu and coffee served. It may also appeal to teenagers who simply want a place to rest and relax. They might have social gatherings with friends and just enjoy eating something. Not only that, but McDonald's targets an audience that is interested in living a very healthy lifestyle thanks to the salads it sells or even the fruit it sells. McDonald's audience is very large and this has been one of the key elements of the success of the McDonald's brand. McDonald's brand positioning is another key element of that company's success. They used a very adaptive type of product positioning while their company is heavily engaged in repositioning the product and service according to some changes. Here's a quote from the company itself: “McDonald's has become the low-cost family restaurant in the fast food industry. We have a narrow scope for a customer base and a low-cost strategy” (McDonalds 2016). Next we will analyze the competitive strength analysis of McDonald's. The competition is very fierce for McDonald's. Most of the competition comes fromfrom quick service food outlets, stalls or kiosks, full casual dining services, takeaway delivery services etc. Some of McDonald's biggest competitors include Starbucks, Subway, Burger King, KFC, and Domino's Pizza etc. meals for McDonald's are very strong. Not only could this be another threat to the McDonald's brand, but also people who prefer a home-cooked meal. McDonald's bargaining power is very low. Although it is low, McDonald's still works with some big suppliers, for example, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Coco Cola Company, Clorox Company and International Paper Company, Sealed Air Corporation etc. McDonald's franchisees and its company usually do not provide food, paper or other related items. Some of the important factors such as abundance of supplies, very low level of uniqueness of products by the actually supplied supplier and other related issues are the reason why each supplier reduces the bargaining power of McDonald's suppliers. The threat of new entrants trying to compete with McDonald's is severely weak. To be in the mix and become a successful competitor with the McDonald's brand you would have to create such a large number of outlets around the world. This requires a lot of time, effort and massive capital investments. A lot of work from others also needs to be involved, but it is extremely difficult for a new entrant to compete with the McDonald's brand when Subway, Starbuck, and Dominos are already struggling to compete with the McDonald's brand itself. There is still a long way to go to get into the debate of McDonald's biggest competitors. When it comes to promotional strategies. McDonalds spends a huge amount of money on their advertising campaigns which include television which is their main marketing tool, newspaper ads, billboards, sponsorship of major sports programs such as the Olympic Games, little leagues, Cup of the FIFA world and much more. When it comes to promotion, McDonald's has a very aggressive approach. But another positive trait of McDonald's campaign is the fact that they do not use negative campaigns against competitors. They do this because they want attention to be focused on the McDonald's brand and not on its competitors. Also, they have a very catchy and funny slogan that everyone knows "I'm Lovin It", created by Heye and Partner. They also used famous celebrities as spokespersons for the brand. For example. Michael Jordan, Justin Timberlake, Kobe Bryant, Venus Williams and others have all served as spokespersons for the McDonald's brand. Part of the work and educational experience for training at McDonald's takes place through the University of Hamburg. This is a training facility created by McDonald's to teach and train people to learn restaurant management. They believe and strongly emphasize the normal procedures in a restaurant which are cleanliness, good service and such qualities on behalf of the McDonald's brand for customers (n,d). By doing my research, I learned that there is a lot of work that is done behind the scenes to make sure McDonald's stays on top of the market in which it competes. There is so much time, energy and resources put into making McDonald's maintain its success. This is truly commendable and all of this is a testament to how great it is in business to properly market your brand in this way. In conclusion, although there is so much competition that McDonald's as long as it keeps up with its audience will keep it relevant and at the top of the food chain for years to come. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document from us now