Application Paper
Application Paper
McDonalds is a one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world. The organization has a strong reputation; however, it has constantly been criticized for contributing to increased cases of obesity in the society. Health nutritionists have questioned McDonald’s dishes that contain too much calories. Despite constant complaints from customers, McDonald’s management has failed to provide balanced meals, which include more fruits and vegetables. The lack of proper action from the management has led to the loss of customers to other brands that seem healthy and customer friendly (Brown, Lamming, Bessant & Jones, 2005). The use of Trans-fat in their dishes has lead to a reduction in customers as Trans-fat is associated with cancer. Besides, the management has failed to make appropriate changes to address this concern. McDonalds has also been condemned for underpaying their employees. Consequently, the company has witnessed high employee turnover, which has affected the company negatively. Furthermore, this aspect has earned the company various legal actions as the management has constantly been sued for neglecting its employees (Adeniyi, 2010). The McDonalds management team has failed to attract low-income earners by coming up with fair prices. Low-income earners are quite a number especially in the current situation whereby the world’s economy is struggling. McDonalds does not update their menu frequently to satisfy different customer tastes. Failing to address the identified issues and stiff competition has made McDonalds lose market.
Discussion
The McDonalds management has failed to show interest in improving the quality of services they offer. The company’s poor management is illustrated by the fact that no changes have been made despite customer complaints. Employees are not motivated since they are underpaid and working under pressure from the management. The management seems not to have established a department that looks into the customer’s suggestion and complaints (CEO, 1991).
Good management entails teamwork between the management team and other employees to create a good working environment, which is also suitable for the customers (Northouse, 2012). The management should set up a good and reliable business model that accounts for interests and concerns raised by company’s stakeholders. In essence, the management should embrace the concept of situational leadership to address the discussed concerns. The idea of situational leadership requires leaders to align their style to the competence and needs of the subordinate (Northouse, 2012).
McDonalds should review its menu by adding balanced dishes with more vegetables and fruits, as more people are concerned with their health. The management should start using vegetable oil, as it is healthy as opposed to Trans-fat that causes health related issues. Changes made by the management regarding the cooking oil issue and adding balanced meals to the menu will attract customers who prefer balanced meals and healthy food. This will solve the public health issue. McDonalds’ management should review their employees’ salaries that will boost their morale, therefore, leading to an increase in productivity. Offering good salaries will act as an effective supporting approach that will lead to high performance (Northouse, 2012). The McDonalds management should introduce new and fair prices catering for low-income earners and students. The management should consider providing additional services to cater for the diverse customer needs. This perception is upheld by the concept of situational leadership that focuses on leadership in a situation (Northouse, 2012). This theory states that different situations require varied strategies of leadership (Northouse, 2012). Consequently, embracing a specialized leadership strategy that focuses on addressing each of the identified issues will foster success at McDonald.
References
Adeniyi, M. A. (2010). Effective leadership management. Leadership and style. Bloomington. AuthorHouse.
Brown, S., Lamming, R., Bessant, J. & Jones, P. (2005). Strategic operation management. Introduction to operation management, 2. Retrieved on May 24th, 2014, from http://www.academia.edu/3047883/Strategic_Operations_Management
Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) (1991). The empowerment approach. Retrieved on May 24th, 2014, from http://ceo.usc.edu/pdf/G915190.pdf
Northouse, P. G. (2012). Introduction to leadership: concepts and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
