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PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis to explain company's international strategy for McDonald If you need a PESTLE Analysis, just send your instructions at ivythesis@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENT                                                                                                           Page I.     INTRODUCTION                                                                                                                 3 II     BACKGROUND                                                                                                                   3 III    PESTLE ANALYSIS A.        POLITICAL FACTORS                                                                                                 4 B.        ECONOMIC FACTORS                                                                                               4 C.        SOCIAL-CULTURAL FACTORS                                                                                 5 D.        TECHNOLOGY FACTORS                                                                                          5 E.         LEGAL FACTORS                                                                                                         6 F.         ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS                                                                                   6 IV   CONCLUSION                                                                                                                   7 V     RECOMMENDATION                                                                                                         8 VI   REFERENCE                                                                                                                         9 I.                  INTRODUCTION Globalization has made the globe considerably smaller.  States lines have turned into practically a divider separating certain regions of a massive unitary community.  Businesses are the one that are highly affected by this occurrence.  The virtual closeness of states has made trade and commerce an international event.  Together with these advances, the key standards of business are similarly taken into account.  The discussions in this paper shall involve an analysis of the international expansion strategy utilized by a multinational company.  In this case, the situation surrounding McDonald’s will be taken into consideration.  The following annotations and propositions employed in the following discussions are to be supported by claims on journals and academic pieces that address international expansion strategies and international marketing theories. II.               BACKGROUND The modest beginnings of McDonald’s in Illinois turned out to be among the main brand names in the international scene.  It has been synonymous to what is widely-accepted the fast-food concept. The company operates over thirty one thousand stores all over the world to date. It was one of the first to perfect the concept of fast service in the food industry in its early days of operations in 1955. Given that the products of the company are mainly western in character, its operations has also expanded to the Asian region. The first McDonald’s store operated in Hong Kong in 1975.  The first shop operated at Paterson Street in Causeway Bay.  Up to this data, the functions of McDonald’s in Hong Kong covers over two hundred restaurant chains spread in the whole of Hong Kong alone.  In the rest of the globe, it operates thousands of store franchises that functions autonomously. III.            PESTLE ANALYSIS Pestle is an analysis of the external macro environment in which a business operates. According to  (2008), pestle stands for political, economic, social, technology, and environmental factors. A.       Political Factors The international operations of McDonald’s are highly influenced by the individual state policies enforced by each government. (2001, 705) For instance, there are certain groups in Europe and the United States that clamor for state actions pertaining to the health implications of eating fast food. (2005) They have indicated that harmful elements like cholesterol and adverse effects like obesity are attributable to consuming fast food products. On the other hand, the company is controlled by the individual policies and regulations of operations. Specific markets focus on different areas of concern such as that of health, worker protection, and environment. All these elements are seen in the government control of the licensing of the restaurants in the respective states. For instance, there is an impending legal dispute in the McDonald’s franchise in India where certain infringement of rights and violation of religious laws pertaining to the contents of the food. The existence of meat in their menus in India is apparently offensive to the Hindu religion in the said market. There are also other studies that points to the infringement of McDonald’s Stores with reference to the existing employment laws in the target market. Like any business venture, these McDonald’s stores have to contend with the issues of employment procedures as well as their tax obligations so as to succeed in the foreign market.      B.       Economic Factors Organisations in the fast food industry are not excused from any disputes and troubles. Specifically, they do have their individual concerns involving economic factors.  Branches and franchises of fast food chains like McDonald’s has the tendency to experience hardship in instances where the economy of the respective states is hit by inflation and changes in the exchange rates.  The customers consequently are faced with a stalemate of going over their individual budgets whether or not they should use up more on these foreign fast food chains. (2004) Hence, these chains may have to put up with the issues of the effects of the economic environment.  Particularly, their problem depends on the response of the consumers on these fundamentals and how it could influence their general sales.  In regarding the operations of the company, food chains like McDonald’s tend to import much of their raw materials into a specific territory if there is a dearth of supply.  Exchange rate fluctuations will also play a significant role in the operations of the company. As stated in the paragraph above, McDonald stores have to take a great deal of consideration with reference to their microenvironment. The company’s international supply as well as the existing exchange rates is merely a part of the overall components needed to guarantee success for the foreign operations of McDonald’s. Moreover, it is imperative that the company be cognizant of the existing tax requirements needed by the individual governments on which they operate. This basically ensures the smooth operations of the McDonald’s franchises. In the same regard, the company will also have to consider the economic standing of the state on which they operate on. The rate at which the economy of that particular state grows determines the purchasing power of the consumers in that country. Hence, if a franchise operates in a particularly economically weak state, hence their products shall cost higher than the other existing products in the market, then these franchises must take on certain adjustments to maintain the economies of scale. C.       Socio-Cultural Factors Articles on the international strategies of McDonald’s seem to function on several fields to guarantee lucrative returns for the organisation.  To illustrate, the organisation improves on establishing a positive mind-set from their core consumers.  McDonald’s indulge a particular variety of consumers with definite types of personalities. ( 1994) It has also been noted that the company have given the markets such as the United Kingdom, an option with regards to their dining needs.  (2005) pointed out that McDonald’s has launched a sensibly valued set of food that tenders a reliable level of quality for the respective market where it operates.  Additionally, those who are aged just below the bracket of thirty-five are said to be the most frequent consumers of McDonald’s franchises. ( 2005)   The multifaceted character of business nowadays is reflected in the harsh significance of the information on the subject of the existing market.  This procedure is essentially identified in the field as market research. (1997)  Information with regards to the appeal and potential fields of the market would double as obstructions to the success of the company if this area of the operations is neglected.  In the case of McDonald’s they establish a good system in determining the needs of the market.  The company uses concepts of consumer behaviour product personality and purchasing decisions to its advantage. (  1998) It is said to have a major influence on the understanding of the prospective performance of the organisation in a particular market. (2000) D.    Technological Factors McDonald’s generates a demand for their own products. (2006) The company’s key tool for marketing is by means of television advertisements.  There are similarly some claims that McDonald’s are inclined to interest the younger populations more.  The existence of play spots as well as toys in meals offered by the company shows this actuality. ( 1995) Other demonstration of such a marketing strategy is apparent in the commercials of they use.  They employ animated depictions of their characters like Grimace and Hamburglar. Other advertising operations employ popular celebrities to promote their products.  The like  has become endorsers for McDonald’s worldwide “loving’ it” campaign.  Moreover, the operations of McDonald’s have significantly been infused with new technology.  Elements like the inventory system and the management of the value chain of the company allows for easy payments for their suppliers and other vendors which the individual stores in respective markets deal with. The integration of technology in the operations of McDonalds tend to add value to their products. Basically, this is manifested in the improvements on its value chain. The improvement of the inventory system as well as its supply chain allows the company to operate in an international context. E.        Legal Factors There has been the recurrent bellowing in opposition to the fast food industry.  This has similarly made McDonald’s apply a more careful consideration on their corporate social responsibilities.  On the whole, this addressed the need of the company to form its corporate reputation to a more positive one and a more socially responsible company. ( 2005) The reputation of McDonald’s is apparently a huge matter.  Seen on the website of the company, it seems that they have acquired strides to take in hand the key social censures that they have been berating them in the past decades.  The company has provided their customers the relevant data that they need with reference to the nutritional substances of their products.  This is to attend to the arguments of obesity charged against the products of the company.  In the same way, the consumers provided freedom in choosing whether or not they want to purchase their meals. This is tied up with the socio-cultural attributes of the market on which they operate. For instance, operations in predominantly Muslim countries require their meat to conform to the Halal requirements of the law. In the same regard, those that operate in countries in the European Union should conform to the existing laws banning the use of genetically modified meat products in their food. Other legal concepts like tax obligations, employment standards, and quality requirements are only a few of important elements on which the company has to take into consideration. Otherwise, smooth operations shall be hard to achieve.   F.        Environment The social responsibilities of McDonald’s on the state are influential to the operations of the company.  These entail accusations of environmental damage.  Among the reasons why they are charged with such claims is the employ of non-biodegradable substances for their drinks glasses and Styrofoam coffers for the meals. (1997) Several civic groups in Hong Kong have made actions to make the McDonald’s franchises in Hong Kong aware of the rather copious use of Styrofoam containers and the resultant abuse of the environment.   (1997) further indicated that in 1995, McDonald’s Hong Kong went over the Styrofoam used by both Australia and the United States combined. IV.       CONCLUSION Debatably, the most significant contribution of this generation is the combination of globalization and internationalization in the businesses sector.  Developments in the international setting have an effect on the more particular factors in the operations in individual organisations. Alterations could take placer and require intense modifications to the operations such that it could have an adverse effect on the entire structure of the company.  However, as indicated in the arguments and comments in this paper, this could be acquired by setting a certain level of flexibility in the organisation.  This level of flexibility is basically acquired through the acquaintance of both the internal and external environment of the company. Even though McDonald’s may have been deemed as demigod in the fast food business in the international scene, what it preserves as revealed in its processes is the need for flexibility.  The slight changes that take place in the market have an effect on the operations of the business in any case.  This denotes that having the information on the effects of these alterations swiftly provides these fast food industry giants to take fine-tuning actions on their acts and still preserve their market position.  As implied in the introduction of this paper, the markets of nowadays manifest a cutthroat rivalry with the individual competitors, recognized brands or otherwise. Hence, any business in spite of the muscle of the brand name or the size of its reserves could not afford any failures in their individual markets.   V.        RECOMMENDATION The following recommendations shall be based on the conclusions and arguments above.    l          Political Factors   Since it is apparent that the company is expanding continuously, it is wise to deal directly with the proper authorities in the respective markets that they intend to operate in. This way, a good way of establishes good relationship with the government. It is advisable that the company rests on the good graces of the government on which they will be penetrating. To do this, all they have to do is accomplish all the prescribed acts and satisfy all the prerequisites for doing business. The company must also be acquainted with the law in order to know what their responsibilities and their possible liabilities.   l          Economic Factors   Before penetrating the market, the company must carry out a well conducted market research, especially in the movements in the economic environment. The frequency of the shifts in the inflation rate as well as the fluctuations in the exchange rate affects the operations of the company.   l          Socio-cultural Factors   Obtain the relevant information from the target market in addition to the individual customers of the organisation. It is imperative that before a franchise is granted to a particular market, a well drafted and comprehensive market research should be conducted initially so as to establish the acts that would conform to good customs, public policies, and morals of the said state. Similarly, the company should find out the shifts in areas like the consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns of the market. Fundamentally, this is the key condition for executing a suitable customer relationship management system.   l          Technological Factors   Use the internet to their advantage. The cost-effectiveness, interactivity and real-time effects of the communications are a good way to find suppliers. It is also a good way to correspond with the respective McDonald’s headquarters in every state. The company must also look into the use of IT to enhance their inventory operations. As the operations in its inbound and outbound logistics improve, the company will expect significant savings and reduction of costs in the operations.     l          Environmental Factors   Find out the environmental regime that governs the operations in every market. Monitor the waste disposal of the company. Minimize the use of Styrofoam materials and plastic cups. Constant updating of the social corporate responsibility is imperative. This should also entail that the headquarters should take in hand a manner of internal control of those that would infringe upon this company objective. Sanctions such as revoking of the franchise license or a particularly high fine should be installed to serve as a deterrent to infringement.      l          Legal Factors   Hire local counsels to deal with the legal conflicts in individual markets on which the company may encounter. This is shall ensure the company that the lawyers that will handle their legal affairs are more versed with the legal regime that would iron out certain creases on their operations.

PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis to explain company's international strategy for McDonald If you need a PESTLE Analysis, just send your instructions a...

UK Labour Market

Most feminists believe that the position of women in the labour market is an important source of disadvantage. Discuss.   UK Labour Market             The UK labour market serves an important role in the country’s economic growth. This is because of the importance of their contribution in the production of goods and services across different business activities that take care of the needs and wants of society. To monitor the condition of the labour market, the government utilises productivity as the measure of the trends in the status of UK employees. According to  (1999), productivity serves as the largest sole element of economic growth. This means that increasing productivity involves targeting the closure of the productivity gap arising between the productivity levels of other western countries and the UK as well as the productivity gaps arising within the labour market caused by factors such as gender gap. These gaps need filling if the UK expects to optimise the productivity levels of its labour force. These endeavours involve serious decisions on government labour policies to create a working environment conducive to the achievement of the optimum productivity contributions of employees. However, an initial step in policy-making is the investigation into the nature, extent, characteristics and causes of these gaps. An important productivity gap that needs focus centres on the differences in the productivity levels of men and women. According to statistics, greater levels of productivity come from men relative to women so that women are seen as underperforming contributors in the workplace. The cause of this perception needs investigation to determine its truth as well as identify ways of addressing this issue.     Gender Gap in the UK Labour Market             Based on studies, productivity gap based on gender is due to two causes, which are 1) deficit in labour skills and 2) failure in the labour market.             Skills deficit has been identified as commonly occurring across the labour market contributing to low levels of productivity. This is defined as the allocation of labour force to jobs that are not appropriate to their skills level due to the rigidities in the labour market. The result is the underperformance of employees because they lack some of the skills necessary in meeting the requirements of the job but they are retained as employees because of the lack of other more qualified applicants. (2000)             In relation to gender, women on the average hold lesser educational qualifications relative to men. Even if young women have been able to shorten the gap due to higher educational attainments, the average woman remains less qualified when compared to the average man. The extent of the gap is expressed through the explanation that if the average woman will become at par in educational level with the average man, she needs to incur .3 years of additional education. However, in terms of age group, women over the age of 40 constitutes majority of the female population creating the education gap because of their status as unemployed or employed part time. The greater number of women beyond the 40 and older age group constitutes a significant portion of the women population who are employed so that they contribute greatly to the gap. (2000)             Although there are a significant number of women who are unemployed or employed part time because of their limited skills, studies show that 63 percent of women who are unemployed and 66 percent of women who are employed part-time would like to enhance their skills by undergoing education and training. Despite their willingness to enhance their employment skills, 63 percent of women who are unemployed and 63 percent of women who are employed on a part-time basis find it hard to set aside money for additional education and training. Out of the total number of women keen on enhancing their skills for employment, 79 percent consider as the most important help free education and training. ( 2000)             Failure in the labour market refers to a situation developing in the employment status of people in the labour market that creates a productivity gap based on gender. Some of failures in the labour market cover segregation, discrimination, interruptions in employment due to lack of flexibility in employment conditions, and the persistence of part-time employment.             In relation to segregation, the labour market shows a stark concentration of both male and female workers in various occupations, with women represented excessively in occupations with lower income. This type of gender segregation causes a certain level of rigidity in the labour market that averts the allocation of people who are most qualified to a particular job. This constitutes a failure of the labour market to place people, regardless of gender, in positions that fit their qualifications even if this defies gender infrastructures. (Rubery 1998) This means that the issue of gender segregation that causes women to be excluded from certain job positions because of their gender even if they are better qualified than their male contenders for the job, contributes to the productivity gap. There are certain occupations or professions where women are excluded from engaging in high or key positions because of their gender and not because of their qualifications. Jenkins, Lucio and Noon (2002), conducted a study of the employment conditions in postal work and determined that the continued consideration of postal work as a man’s work has created a situation that excludes women from engaging in this work even if they have similar qualifications with their mail counterparts. The persisting power struggle linked to the persisting perception of postal work as allocated for men has segregated men and women in this occupation. This segregation contributes to the inability of the UK labour market to reach optimum levels of productivity.             With regard to discrimination, this comprises a failure of the labour market because it prevents qualified people from being allocated to jobs that match their requirements due to their gender. This is closely linked to segregation but the difference is that in segregation, qualified women are prevented from taking on jobs or positions even when they are most qualified while in discrimination women are given little choice but to take on jobs deemed as appropriate for women. This results to the depression of the potential productivity levels of women because of the mismatch arising from the skills of women with their present job. (1998) In the case of postal work, the  (2007) provides that maintaining competitiveness in the workplace and achieving the status of the employer of choice involves the need for employers to have high level of awareness, flexibility to change, and creativity in attracting the most qualified people for the job. This recognition constitutes an initial step towards understanding the existence of segregation and discrimination in the workplace in order to achieve significant change.             In terms of employment interruptions due to lack of flexibility in the workplace conditions significantly affect the productivity. Even if men experience greater incidence of unemployment, women experience higher incidence of taking time off work in order to provide care for family members. A significant number of women suffer downward movements in employment mobility from their best job prior to having children to their present job. However, women with higher educational attainment, higher income, and employed with firms offering greater work flexibility are able to retain their job even after having children. (2001) This means that women are able to maintain their best jobs even with family responsibilities and childcare if the employer offers flexibility in the workplace in the form of maternity and other benefit leaves. Moreover, income also constitutes a determining factor for the ability of women to balance employment and caring. Income is necessary to support care, lessen the burden for women, and enable them to balance work with familial responsibilities.                In relation to the persisting part time employment status of the workforce, especially women workers, this contributes to the level of productivity lower than the potential productivity levels that women can contribute to economic growth. Most women employed in firms without work flexibility and with low income give up their jobs for part time employment after giving birth. After their children grow up, women tend to remain in part time employment because of their short employment histories and limited work experience. Part time women workers rank higher in the UK with 23 percent, relative to other European countries while 44 percent of women without dependent children remain in part time employment. There is need to combine education and skills training with employment flexibility and income to minimise part time employment and support the optimum contribution of women to productivity. (2001) Policy Implications             To achieve optimum levels of employment productivity, gender gap in employment need to be addressed. There are two major causes of gender gap in the workplace, which are deficiency of women in skills and failure in the labour market. On the average, women have lower levels of educational attainment because of the higher number of women belonging to the 40 years old and above age group that are either unemployed or employed part time. Majority of the women belonging to this group who are willing to engage in higher education and skills training find it hard to pay for their own education and training. This means to address gender gap in productivity, the government need to provide accessible higher education and training. Women experience the failure of the labour market to accommodate their skills offering due to restrictive conditions in the labour market such as segregation and discrimination. This means that the government need to create an employment environment that enhances women competitiveness in the labour market across different positions based on qualifications and not on gender.

UK Labour Market

Most feminists believe that the position of women in the labour market is an important source of disadvantage. Discuss. UK Labou...

PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis to explain company's international strategy for McDonald If you need a PESTLE Analysis, just send your instructions a...

PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis of McDonalds

PESTLE analysis to explain company's international strategy for McDonald If you need a PESTLE Analysis, just send your instructions a...