Environmental factors affecting McDonalds Corporation

Environmental factors affecting McDonalds Corporation Introduction All global and domestic organizations or corporations have external factors that affect their operations. Some of the factors may be controlled by the organizations but in most cases, the organizations have no power to control most of the factors (Nicoulaud, 1989). However, they may be able to manage or influence them. These factors are what make up the business environment of every organization.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Environmental factors affecting McDonalds Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These factors always influence the domestic marketing decisions. A number of these factors that exist but all organizations have their unique set of factors that affect their operations. What affects one company may not affect the other. Examples of these include regulations, technological factors, economic factors, competition and social factors. The McDonalds Corporation, just like any ot her company, faces several external factors that affect its operations. The external factors that affect this company include political factors, economic factors, socio-cultural factors, technological factors, regulatory factors (laws), demographic factors, and other environmental factors such as those touching on waste disposal (impacts to the environment). Influence of global economic interdependence McDonalds Corporation is dependent on the global economy and is affected by the trade practices and agreements. The global economy usually faces. This may cause the shift of demand in the market. One of the economic issues facing McDonalds is the credit crunch issue. This meant that people had less disposable income and this means that they have less money to spend. The low Gross Domestic Product in most of the economies has also been a challenge to the corporation. The increasing interest rates and effects of inflation have had negative impacts on the McDonalds Corporation. This mean that McDonalds would sell less than they usually do. In order to combat this issue, McDonalds has adopted an affordable menu in order to favor also the low-income earners and those affected by the global economy. Demographics and physical infrastructure Several demographic factors have influenced the operations of McDonalds Corporation. They include the ever-increasing population and the existence of different age groups. Others include geographic shifts in population and the presence of educational groups.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Influence of cultural differences McDonalds Corporation has established its business in various countries in the world. This means that it comes across people from different socio-cultural backgrounds. The different cultures of people have different preferences and the organization needs to understand them all in order to fi t into the economy. Different people around the world have different types of foods and McDonalds has faced several challenges when it came to the type of food to serve its customers. One such group of people is the Muslim community. The company had to adopt the halal concept. This particularly applied to the issue of meat in the burgers. In the Indian community, McDonalds had to do away with beef from its menu (Goyal Singh, 2007). The Indians view the cow as being sacred and do not believe that it should be killed, let alone being eaten. This has forced the company to introduce fish and chicken for such a non-vegetarian society. Social responsibility and ethics versus legal obligations As much as McDonald is serving delicious meals to its customers, the health implication is wanting. It has been estimated that about 64 percent of adults are overweight and obese. This has serious economical implications. The approximate annual cost is a whopping $ 117 billion per year. This is caus ed by the high fat content and calories in the foods served by McDonalds (Nicoulaud, 1989). This has led the government to intervene and try to regulate some of the ingredients that are used in making the food (legal concern). Other legal issues include those concerning operating hours, tax laws and labor. The growing public awareness of the health risks that one subjects him or herself while consuming fast foods has negatively affected the operations of McDonalds. McDonalds has tried to combat this issue by building a good reputation. It has taken part in various different social events that allows it to give back to the society by offering good services. Effects of political systems Various policies and laws have affected the business operations of McDonalds. Since McDonalds has established its operations in several different countries, it has been faced with challenges dealing with the different policies and laws that govern the different countries.Advertising We will wri te a custom assessment sample on Environmental factors affecting McDonalds Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The political decisions of countries are usually not static since they change over time. This means that McDonalds Corporation needs to adjust its operations with the changing political environment. Various international pressures influence political decisions. Usually, local fast foods restaurants are not influenced by the politics of the land. This is because they do not usually hold as much public interest. However, McDonald is a global company and it holds a lot of public interest. Therefore, it has to be accustomed to the politics of the land. It has to abide by the laws and policies set. Influence of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1997 Since McDonalds Corporation has developed businesses in foreign countries, it is supposed to observe the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). This regulation was enacted in order to restrain companies from committing illegal and fraudulent activities in the countries where they are doing business. In the event that the company is involved in such activities, it is liable to huge fines and sentences. Therefore, McDonalds needs to comply with such laws and other related local, national and international legislations. Technological factors affecting McDonalds McDonalds is a fast food restaurant and, just like any fast food restaurant, it has been faced with issues to do with the integration of technological advancements into its business. Several technologies are available for such companies. They include the use of heat regulators, general equipment and other control devises. Point-of-sale systems also need to be installed in such corporations. Financial information and communication systems and inventory management systems are also necessary for such corporation to remain relevant in the ever-changing corporate market. All these are connected to technology and t hey are meant to improve the operations in the businesses. This would give an edge to the operations of the organization. McDonalds caught up with the latest technologies since it has installed Wi-Fi systems. This allows its customers to access the internet free of charge.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion Companies face several environmental factors that affect their marketing decisions. Some of these factors are easily controlled and managed by the companies but many of them are uncontrollable. McDonalds also faced several of these challenges and it has managed to control some. However, some of them are beyond its capability and the company has struggled to live with them successfully. This explains why the McDonalds Corporation is one of the world’s leading in business. References Goyal, A., Singh, N. (2007). Consumer perception about fast food in India: An exploratory study. British Food Journal, 109(2), 182-195. Nicoulaud, B. (1989). Problems and strategies in the international marketing of services. European Journal of Marketing, 23(6), 55-66.

Académie Française, the Moderator of the French Language

Acadà ©mie Franà §aise, the Moderator of the French Language The Acadà ©mie Franà §aise, often shortened and simply called  lAcadà ©mie, is an organization which moderates the French language. The primary role of the Acadà ©mie Franà §aise is to regulate the French language by determining standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary, as well as adapting to linguistic change by adding new words and updating the meanings of existing ones. Due to the status of English in the world, the Acadà ©mies task tends to be focused on lessening the influx of English terms into French by choosing or inventing French equivalents. The Primary Function of the Acadà ©mie Officially, the Article 24 outlines that The primary function of the Acadà ©mie will be to work, with all possible care and diligence, to give our language definite rules and to make it pure, eloquent, and capable of dealing with art and science. Maintaining a Common Linguistic Heritage The Acadà ©mie fulfills this mission by publishing an official dictionary and by working with French terminological committees and other specialized organizations. Strangely, the dictionary is not sold to the general public, so the Acadà ©mies work must be incorporated into society by the creation of laws and regulations by the above-mentioned organizations. Perhaps the most notorious example of this occurred when the Acadà ©mie chose the official translation of email. Obviously, this is all done with the expectation that French speakers will take these new regulations into consideration, and in this way, a common linguistic heritage can theoretically be maintained among French speakers around the world. In reality, this is not always the case. Created by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635 The Acadà ©mie Franà §aise was created by Cardinal Richelieu under Louis XIII in 1635, and the first Dictionnaire de lAcadà ©mie ranà §aise was published in 1694 with 18,000 terms. The most recent complete edition, the 8th, was finished in 1935 and contains 35,000 words. The next edition is currently underway. Volumes I and II were published in 1992 and 2000, respectively, and between them cover A to Mappemonde. When complete, the 9th edition of the Acadà ©mies dictionary will include approximately 60,000 words. Its important to note that this is not a definitive dictionary, as it generally excludes archaic, offensive, slang, specialized and regional vocabulary. Linguistic and Literary Patronage The secondary mission of the Acadà ©mie Franà §aise is that of linguistic and literary patronage. This was not part of the original purpose of lAcadà ©mie, but thanks to grants and bequests, the Acadà ©mie now offers about 70 literary prizes per year. It also awards scholarships and subsidies to literary and scientific societies, charities, large families, widows, underprivileged persons and those who have distinguished themselves by courageous acts. Peer-Elected Members Essentially a linguistic jury, the Acadà ©mie franà §aise is a group of 40 peer-elected members, commonly known as Les Immortels  or  Les Quarante. Being chosen as an Immortel is considered a supreme honor and, except in extreme cases, is a life-long commitment.Since the creation of lAcadà ©mie Franà §aise, there have been more than 700 Immortels who were  chosen for their creativity, talent, intelligence and, of course, particular linguistic adeptness. This range of authors, poets, theater people, philosophers, doctors, scientists, ethnologists, art critics, soldiers, statesmen and churchmen assembles at lAcadà ©mie into a unique group of people who make decisions on how French words should be used by analyzing how they actually are, creating new terms, and determining the beneficiaries of the various awards, scholarships, and subsidies.In October 2011, the Acadà ©mie launched an interactive feature called Dire, Ne pas dire on their website in the hopes of bringing pure French to the cyber masses.