The brand I have chosen is one of the most iconic and powerful brands in the history of this nation and also the entire world. It's one of the most successful brands in the world and almost everyone has walked through its door for something to eat. The brand I chose sells a variety of foods like burgers, chicken, fries, salads, etc. This iconic and influential brand that has been around for years and continues to grow is the fast food chain called McDonalds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay This company was established in 1948 by two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonalds. The first restaurant was in San Bernardino, California. They purchased most of their appliances and other appliances for their burger restaurant from a specialty goods salesman named Ray Kroc, he was very intrigued by their request for shake mixers and eight malts. Kroc visited the store and he was very intrigued by how such a small store could sell so many milkshakes. He sees great promise in the McDonald's brand and proposes starting a franchise program for the two brothers. (Britannica, 2018)Fast forward to today, McDonald's is the largest restaurant chain in the world by revenue. They serve more than 69 customers every day in more than 100 countries at approximately 36,900 outlets in 2016. McDonalds management functions have contributed significantly to its success as a brand and an efficient company at all levels. Business management functions ensure that all restaurants under the McDonald's name work toward common objectives and goals. What makes this company so successful and impressive in its brand is that it is strongly associated with excellent customer relations and it is also known to be very innovative with its brand which is strongly maintained by its managerial functioning. The planning function is used to develop the company's objectives, while the controlling function measures and monitors the company's resources. What makes this company so successful and impressive in their brand is that they are strongly associated with excellent customer relations and they are also known to be very innovative with their brand strongly maintained by their managerial functioning. The planning function is used to develop the company's objectives, while the controlling function measures and monitors the company's resources (Bailey R, 2017). What the organizing function helps to do is basically build a very strong human resource in harmony and lead the organization of the function. with certain activities to achieve very effective and efficient results. Therefore, these management functions greatly influence the overall competitiveness and performance of McDonald's. Additionally, the planning function ensures that the brand organization identifies and selects reasonable goals to achieve the goals. The company considers this a very serious management role and function because it essentially confirms that all of its restaurants must work towards the common goals. The managers of these stores greatly benefit from these goals because they are there to ensure that the available resources will be very effective in achieving the goals set by McDonald's. McDonald's value offering is very good. What differentiates McDonalds from some of its competitors when it comes to offering value is that theyhave very convenient locations and have very comfortable seating and in-store facilities, which would be good for people looking to relax while eating and dining. they can socialize with their other peers. Their service is very fast and very efficient. They are very consistent with their quality dishes and offer many acclaimed items, including the Big Mac. They are very reasonable with their prices and they are very broad with their food that any age can choose to enjoy. What is unique about their value offering is that they target a majority of audiences. The food choices offered by McDonalds can please an entire family. Like happy meals, Quarter Pounders, salads, Big Macs, etc. Overall, McDonalds has a distinct brand compared to its competitors for all these reasons. They give customers a reason why they should be loyal customers of the McDonald's brand. This is what allows them to have the longevity they have today in their markets. Next, we have the business environment analysis. It is a very true fact that every organization or company in this society including McDonald's is affected by the business environment. Just because this business is so successful doesn't mean it isn't affected 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 least political factors. Organizational business operations are always influenced by state policies and also by the government. The 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 care, tax issues, employee licensing, and other major issues or concerns. (Greenspan, 2017). The company follows local government policies as well as foreign investment policies for the franchise business strategy. Political stagnation is also affecting McDonald's business. Economic factors are also a serious problem for many, if not almost all, business organizations. Some examples include, all businesses can be severely affected by continued economic decline on a global scale. Due to its international business activities, McDonald has encountered many different scales of tax and income measurement in many countries around the world. McDonald's has also faced major problems due to the fact that there is an international currency, especially with its food distribution which is effectively global. Others include local economic conditions that could affect McDonald's operations. If the local economy is critical, this may affect the business as people will feel strongly discouraged from spending money on their food. Next come social factors. With the passage of time, people's lifestyle changes and hence it affects McDonald's due to the demand. Technology plays an important role in this factor today and people in touch with modern society expect updated service and technological advancements in organizational hospitality from McDonald's. That's why McDonald's today has a touch screen menu to order food or you can download apps to get some benefits. At the same time, McDonald's is a global brand and its restaurants arepresent throughout the world. The evolution of demand is different in these companies and countries. McDonald's is also present in India, there are many Indians and Hindus who prefer to eat vegetables and Muslims strongly avoid pork foods. McDonald's is known for selling fatty and meaty foods, but its approach needs to be different in this country, which means research needs to be done to find out what would satisfy customers in India, especially when it comes to the menu. (Kannan, 2014) After that there is the technological factor, technology plays a major and crucial role in meeting the customer's expectations or needs. There are so many food chains like Burger King, Dominos, KFC, Wendy's, Popeye's, etc. who all compete with each other. McDonald's needs to make sure it doesn't fall behind and to do that it needs to use all of its technological access to impact its customers. Near-perfect Wi-Fi, amenities that can keep guests entertained, and also, like I said, new touchscreen ordering menus. This is what plays a major role in McDonald's current success. Positive can lead to negative. Environmental factors have played a negative role in the McDonald's brand due to the use of quite harmful elements. For example, it should be noted that McDonald's uses non-biodegradable substances for its glasses. Also remember that McDonald's uses polystyrene containers and it is strongly discouraged to use them. Another problem environmentalists have with the company is that food packaging is based on it. Because of the issues that concern these environmentalists. They call on franchises not to take any of these issues lightly and also handle them to raise awareness. Then you have the legal issues. It is very important that you follow the rules, regulations and procedures to ensure that the running operation runs smoothly. Some examples include safety regulations, property laws, registration, taxes, etc. In Islamic countries, it is crucial to have Halal food clearance and McDonald's must note what the customer's opinions are on this matter. When every business makes sure to follow the legal process, not just a business, but everyone and everything in society that is governed by the rules and regulations we practice will benefit greatly from our cooperation. Even though McDonald's is a very big company. They are and must be the main responsible for these legal problems. When it comes to targeted marketing, McDonald's is one of the best today. Their target market ranges from toddlers to seniors. Their environment is very family-friendly and they are very well known and celebrated for their friendliness. This is evident from their advertisements, their food, even their clown mascot Ronald McDonald and the play area they have for children. The McDonald's environment can include anyone who just wants something to eat. They not only appeal to families who have children, but they also appeal to traveling workers with their breakfast menu and the coffee served. It may also appeal to teenagers who just want a place to relax and unwind. They could have social gatherings with friends and just have a good time while eating something. Not only that, but McDonald's targets an audience that wants to live a very healthy lifestyle through the salads they sell or even the fruits they sell. McDonald's audience is very large and this has been one of the key elements in the success of the McDonald's brand. The positioning of the McDonald's brand is aanother key element of the success of this company. They used a very adaptive type of product positioning as their company is heavily engaged in repositioning the product and service based on certain changes. Here's a quote from the company itself: “McDonald's has established itself as the low-cost family restaurant in the fast food industry. We have a narrow customer base and a low-cost strategy” (McDonalds 2016). Next we will analyze the competitive strength analysis of McDonald's. Competition is very tough for McDonald's. Most of their competition comes from quick service food establishments, street stalls or kiosks, full service casual dining, takeaway delivery services, etc. Some of the biggest competitors of McDonald's include Starbucks, Subway, Burger King, KFC and Domino's Pizza, etc. meals for McDonald's are very strong. Not only that, but people who prefer a home-cooked meal could pose another threat to the McDonald's brand. The bargaining power at stake for McDonald's is very low. Although it is low, McDonald's still works with some large suppliers, namely Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Coco Cola Company, Clorox Company and International Paper Company, Sealed Air Corporation, etc. McDonald's subsidiaries and its company generally do not provide food, paper or other related items. Some important factors, such as abundance of supplies, very low level of uniqueness of products actually supplied by the supplier, and other related issues, explain why each supplier reduces the bargaining power of McDonald's suppliers. The Threat The number of new entrants trying to compete with McDonald's is very small. To be part of the group and become a successful competitor to the McDonald's brand, you will have to create a very large number of points of sale around the world. It requires a lot of time, effort and massive capital investment. There is a lot of other work that needs to be involved as well, but it is extremely difficult for a newcomer to compete with the McDonald's brand when Subway, Starbuck, and Dominos are already struggling to compete with the McDonald's brand itself. It will take a lot to be added to the conversation of McDonald's biggest competitors. Regarding promotional strategies. McDonalds spends huge amount of money on its advertising campaigns which include television which is its main marketing tool, newspaper ads, billboards, sponsorship of huge sports programs like Olympics, little leagues, the FIFA World Cup and much more. When it comes to promoting, McDonald's takes a very aggressive approach. But another positive trait of McDonald's campaign is the fact that they do not use negative campaigns against their competitors. They do this because they want the focus to be on the McDonald's brand and not its competitors. Plus, they have a very catchy and fun slogan that everyone knows "I'm Lovin It", created by Heye and Partner. They also brought in popular celebrities to be spokespersons for the brand. For example. Michael Jordan, Justin Timberlake, Kobe Bryant, Venus Williams and many others have all been spokespeople for the McDonald's brand. Part of the professional and educational experience required for training at McDonald's comes through the University of Hamburg. This is a training center created by McDonalds to teach and also train people to learn restaurant management. They believe and strongly emphasize normal procedures in a