Does McdonaldS Offer A Model Which Other Businesses Should Follow Ess

Does Mcdonald'S Offer A Model Which Other Businesses Should Follow? Does McDonald's offer a model which other businesses should follow? At first, most people must have laughed at the idea of a chain of restaurants selling identical products all over the country, but little did they know that the genius idea that they had mocked would go on to revolutionise the business environment of the future. McDonald's is now the international market leader for fast food, and has been ever since its pioneering first restaurant was launched in San Bernardino, California in 1948. Historical Background The original founders of McDonald's, and the fast-food concept, were brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. In 1948, they modified their drive-in restaurant, creating the standard for the contemporary fast-food restaurant of modern times. From the introduction of a limited menu of just nine items, and by focusing on efficient production and service, the brothers were able to halve the price of their hamburgers to 15 cents. Ray Kroc, who, at this time was a 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman, heard of the brothers' generation of around $350,000 in annual revenues, and instantly became convinced that its concept could work in other cities. Kroc became the first franchisee appointed by the McDonald brothers, and opened his first restaurant the following year in Des Plaines, Illinois. In 1961, Kroc bought all the rights to the McDonald's concept from the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million. Kroc was somewhat of an obsessive individual, fixated with rules, regulations, procedures, and obedien ce to his strict rules of discipline. Kroc was especially concerned with maintaining McDonald's clean image, as well as that of life in general, and could regularly be seen picking up litter outside of his restaurants in order to maintain the high standard of cleanliness upon which many of his principles were based. During the 1960s, McDonald's invested a great deal of capital into advertising and marketing campaigns. In 1962, the golden arches were adopted as its corporate logo, with the introduction of Ronald McDonald as its mascot arriving the following year. In 1965, McDonald's Corporation went public, and by 1966 was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1967, its first restaurants outside of the United States were opened in Canada and Puerto Rico. 1968 saw the introduction of the company's flagship product, the Big Mac. Throughout the 1970's, McDonald's became involved with a lot of charity work, establishing its own charity called the Ronald McDonald House, providing temp orary housing for the families of seriously ill children. Kroc had always believed in giving something back to the community in order to make the world a better place. In 1973, McDonald's added breakfast items to its menu. The Quarter Pounder was introduced in the subsequent year, as sales reached $1 billion. 1974 saw the opening of the first restaurant in the UK, in Woolwich, South London. In 1975, McDonald's introduced ?drive-thru? window service, which allowed motorists to order and receive food from their cars. Nowadays, this type of business accounts for around half of all McDonald's sales in the United States. In 1983, Chicken McNuggets were added to the menu, giving customers an alternative to beef. Founder Ray Kroc died in 1984. Ronald McDonald Children's Charities was founded in his remembrance to raise funds in support of child welfare. In 1989, McDonald's became listed on the Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, and Tokyo stock exchanges. Through the 1990s smaller outlets known as ? Express? stores were opened in hospitals, zoos, airports, and even on ferries. These outlets served a limited menu and lacked some of the amenities of larger stores. In 1996, McDonalds signed a 10-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company. This agreement has led to the introduction of restaurants at Disney theme parks, and the promotion of Disney films through McDonald's. Packaging is the primary source of advertising, along with the addition of limited edition products added to the menu. Examples include Pocahontas and The Lion King. Franchises The McDonald's Corporation is the largest worldwide franchised food service organisation. In the 1960's, Ray Kroc franchised restaurants for the low sum of $950, demanding 1.9% of sales. As the success of Kroc and his organisation depended on the prosperity of the franchisees, this mutual interest was a