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McDonalds
McDonald's
Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the world's largest chain of fast-food
restaurants, primarily selling hamburgers, chicken, french fries,
milkshakes and soft drinks. More recently, it also offers salads, fruit
and carrot sticks.
The business began in 1940, with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick
and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Their introduction of
the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 established the principles of the
modern fast-food restaurant. |
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The present corporation dates its founding
to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines,
Illinois on April 15, 1955, the ninth McDonald's restaurant overall.
Kroc later purchased the McDonald brothers' equity in the company and
led its worldwide expansion.
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With the
successful expansion of McDonald's into many international
markets, the company became a symbol of globalization and the spread of
the American way of life. Its prominence also made it a frequent subject
of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics and consumer
responsibility.
The McDonald's Corporation's business model is slightly different from
that of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary franchise
fees, supplies, and percentage of sales, McDonald's also collects rent,
partially linked to sales. As a condition of the franchise agreement,
the Corporation owns the properties on which most McDonald's franchises
are located. The UK business model is different, in that fewer than 30%
of restaurants are franchised, with the majority under the ownership of
the company. McDonald's trains its franchisees and others at Hamburger
University in Oak Brook, Illinois.
According to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (2001), nearly
one in eight workers in the U.S. have at some time been employed by
McDonald's. (According to a news piece on Fox News this figure is one in
ten). The book also states that McDonald's is the largest private
operator of playgrounds in the U.S., as well as the single largest
purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. The meatfoods McDonald's
uses vary with the culture of the host country.
Because McDonald's multi-national, multi-billion dollar business and
standardized products and procedures have come to symbolize
globalization and the American way of life, the company has often found
itself a target of activism and a focal point of public debate. In
particular, it has generated much discussion about corporate ethics,
consumer responsibility, obesity, the environment, intellectual
property, animal rights, the death of many due to heart problems, to
offense of both the Islamic religion and the Jewish religion, and the
destruction of modern society. |
McDonalds NEWS
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(AP:NEW YORK) Shares of some top food companies are up at 10 a.m.: Burger King rose $.38 or 1.5 percent, to $25.16. CKE Restaurants rose $.22 or 1.8 percent, to $12.75.
Publ.Date : Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:09:22 GMT
2008 Univest Grand Prix - Teams Announced A roster of 27 international pro and elite teams will compete in the September races. Free online race coverage.
Publ.Date : Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:28:48 GMT
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About McDonalds | wwwmcdonalds |
McDonalds Restaurants | Mc Donald.com | Hamburgers
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Sources: Wikipedia, Company Web Site |
