Cross-Cultural Perspective - McDonald's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cross-Cultural Perspective - McDonald's - Essay Example During recent years, the company faced severe competition the United States of America (considered to be the home market for the organization. This severe competition led the company to focus on revenue being gathered from international market. Internationally, fifty percent of the company’s retail outlets are franchised to local people of that particular market/country in which the company operates. Hence the main revenue generated is from Royalties, Rents, etc. McDonald’s has followed a brilliant strategy by focusing on the smallest of details within the international market. This includes McDonald’s focus towards social, religious and cross cultural issues that the company faces in all the different countries in which it operates. One of the major cultural issues that the company has faced over the years of its operation is the fact that it is hugely criticized for adversely affecting local customs of eating and lifestyle in the area in which it operates e.g. the replacement of traditional teahouses in Japan by American fast food franchises. The company has expanded so much that it can be found in more than 120 countries around the globe. Individuals find McDonald’s retail store very easily because of the increased number of retail stores within any particular city e.g. Rome has more than 33 McDonald’s retail stores and it is because of such reason that people may get tempted to try out the products offered by the restaurant because of abundant retail stores at every corner. People who might not be fond of such food may opt for it because of the cleanliness and the environment that the offer within their different restaurants. McDonald’s offers different products so as to suit the differing cultural and religious perspective e.g. Hamburgers are not offered in Muslim countries because of a Muslim religious restriction towards eating Pork. To cater to the demand of these Muslim customers, McDonald’s have setup o utlets which offer food termed as â€Å"Halal†. In India, the scenario is totally different, the country is known for its vegetarian eating habit and it is because of this reason that the Indian market is served with totally different products such as the sandwich known as the â€Å"McAloo Tikki† (sandwich with a fried breaded potato and pea’s patty). These cross cultural differences do not restrict themselves to product only, the website being created for the different countries too have cross-cultural aspects addressed in them. The company has to focus on many ethical issues in order to maintain their standard of being a global organization. The company has taken many steps in order to prove to the world that the organization’s social responsibility towards the environment is properly dealt with. McDonald’s has completed a comprehensive sustainable land management commitment in order to ensure that the sustainability of the organization’s supply chain is maintained and improved. The company clearly shows that it cares for its customers and its environment by acquiring their unprocessed or minimally processed raw materials from legal and sustainable managed sources. McDonald’s care for the environment can be easily witnessed from their packaging

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy Essay

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy - Essay Example As the vast oil reserves were discovered, the economy or group of economies experienced significant changes in various macro-economic aspects (TÃ ©treault). From business point of view, oil is not only a fuel but also an object for trade. Many authors and academicians agreed that it a very important source of foreign exchange and contributor to economic development. Middle East’s aggregate oil reserves are accountable for approximately 66% of total oil supply in the world. Monopoly in oil industry has resulted in wealth creation at a rapid pace in majority of countries in the region. Apart from the vast reserves, another reason behind oil monopoly of Middle Eastern (ME) countries is that these countries have been a great support to the world economy during major oil and energy crisis in 1979-81 and 1985-86. However, the oil industry is also a reason of economic misery in the ME region, it has resulted in power intervention, political corruption and militarization (TÃ ©treault; Toft 7265-7274). Oil is considered as a resource of paramount importance in domestic as well as international economic and political environment from importers’ as well as exporters’ point of view. While oil is the main source of economic development and global recognition for ME countries, the ME economy does suffer from various disturbances as a cost of owning the largest reserve of the lucrative resource. It was observed during the study that the oil wealth has created national economic distortion and imbalance in power and wealth distribution. Keeping in view the disadvantages of oil as a source of economic development, the paper presents arguments against the heavy dependence of ME economy on oil as a source of economic sustenance. The primary reason behind tremendous importance of oil in the Middle East is its role in the world economy. Oil is a source of national importance not only to small developing economies but also to major developed economies such as