McDonald’s - Success through Development of a Rational System Essay

McDonalds - Success through Development of a Rational System At first, most people must experience laughed at the idea of a chain of restaurants selling identical products both 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. McDonalds is now the foreign market leader for fast food, and has been ever since its pioneering first restaurant was launched in San Bernardino, California in 1948. Historical BackgroundThe original founders of McDonalds, 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 font 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 railcar salesman, heard of the brothers generation of around $350,000 in annual revenues, and instantly became positive(p) that its concept could work in other cities. Kroc became the first franchisee appointed by the McDonald brothers, and opened his first restaurant the take noteing year in diethylstilbestrol Plaines, Illinois. In 1961, Kroc bought all the rights to the McDonalds concept from the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million. Kroc was somewhat of an obsessive individual, fixated with rules, regulations, procedures, and respect to his strict rules of discipline. Kroc was especially concerned with maintaining McDonalds clean image, as well as that of life in general, and could regularly be seen picking up litter outside of his restaurants in order t... ...o follow. However, as stated earlier, rational systems consort to generate irrational consequences, and it is the impact on society as a whole that a business must consider before adopting a similar code of practice. I feel that if too many businesses follow this model, it wouldnt make the world a better place, but only a bigger breeding ground for exploitation, pollution, and concealment. BibliographyShook, C. / Shook, R. (1993) Franchising the business strategy that changed the world. London. learner Hall.Ritzer, G. (1996) The McDonaldisation of Society. California Pineforge Press.Daniels, J. L. (1993) McDonaldisation revisited. Critical essays on consumer culture. Westport Praeger Publishers.McDonalds Corporation (1996) Crew Handbook. London.Microsoft Encarta (1999). Microsoft Corporation.www.mcspotlight.org