Overview of the Company and Current Operating Position

Please choose any multi national company, which operates in different country like mc Donald , KFC or any retail company and write a report on it.

McDonald’s specializes in fast food having over 35,000 restaurants in over 100 countries spread all over the globe. The organization has over 70 million customers that it serves in a day. In the US, it has captured a large market share which is approximated to be 17% and followed by Yum with a share of 11%.   The menu presented by the organization is uniform; however, to make sure it is in one line with the international market, the organization offer local food that is relevant to the local customers. The main competitors are Wendy and Burger King (Jones, 2014).

The company value is espoused in the trademark (QSC&V) – Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Values with the application of “Plan to Win” strategy. These permit the organization to deliver the greatest experience to the customers through the use of this strategic initiative of planning to win in the competitive market (Jones, 2014).

Cost leadership

Cost leadership is when the organization devices way of creating their product and selling to the customers at a lower process different from those of competitors. It is hard to employ methodology because the administration has to constantly reduce expense at each level to stay focused (Agyapong and Boamah, 2013). The organization keeps running on low edges where it is hard for the rivals to contend with a cost leadership promoting technique creating a competitive advantage. McDonald’s has a procedure of offering their products at low costs. They have a division that enables it to select and prepare fresh food instead of prepared food (Marchi, Maria, and Micelli, 2013). It likewise depends on a couple of supervisors. These reserve funds in different procedures enable the organization to offer its sustenance at low costs. The organization’s, wide restaurant network, utilizes an unmistakable recruiting strategy for it to be a leader in cost cognizant. Additionally, the company uses extensive economies of scale so as to gain cost advantage (case study, 2017).

Focused Differentiation Strategy

A focused differentiation system requires offering one of a unique product features that satisfy the demands of a limited market (Becerra, Santaló and Silva, 2013). While a differentiation system includes offering products that have unique features that interest and attracts an assortment of clients, the need to fulfil the needs of a tight market implies that the quest for uniqueness is regularly taken to the “next level” by firm by utilizing a focused differentiation technique (TheAssociatedPress, 2017). Therefore the interesting features given by a firm with respect to the focused differentiation strategy are frequently specific. McDonald’s is employing this strategy to differentiate their products from those of competitors (Barin Cruz, Boehe, and Ogasavara, 2015). Burgers, for example, are produced instantly and the product comes in different sizes based on the customer needs with affordable cheap pricing (Ray Gehani, 2013).

Review of Company’s International Competitive Strategy

Intensive Growth Strategies

McDonald’s employs market penetration as well as market development strategies to expand to new emerging markets as well as expanding the customer base. Also, the organization employ promotion entry as it is an important technique for growth (Grant, 2016). Additionally, the Company grows by attaining more customers in business segments where it has already penetrated (McGrath, 2013). The strategic reason that is related to this intensive strategy is a global extension directly taken over to new areas (Levy, 2014). The non-specific system of McDonald’s supports this strategy since there is ow expenditures and low prices enable the firm to successfully go into new markets. For example, McDonald’s opening new stores in North America as well as Europe by differentiating, combined venture or ownership that is commercial (Panmore, 2017) is easy because they have already created a name in those areas

The structure of the organization details the system in which the components of the organization coordinate in order to attain the business objective. The organization structure of McDonald’s is arranged in a way that establishes a pattern of interactions existing between different business sections with the aim of supporting autonomy as well as organizational flexibility (Harper, 2015). The organization has succeeded in the application of its corporate structure and it is the reason for increased efficiency and high performance in the global fast food restaurant industry. The organization’s structure has a global hierarchy, performance-based divisions and function-based groups based on their significance (McDonald’s, 2017).

The global hierarchy of McDonald takes care of all the operations worldwide. This component of the structural stresses company control. For illustration, the organization’s president directs the tasks of all trade areas (McDonald’s, 2017). Instructions are delivered emanating from the president to the managers in the middle, and to the supervisors as well as faculty. The organization’s hierarchical structure is run and is similar for most international commerce relations (Daft, 2015).

The implementation grounded divisions are the most specific part of McDonald’s various levelled structure. Prior to the rearrangement, the organizational structure was based on geographic divisions (McDonald’s, 2017). After the reorganization, the company used operation as the purpose for the new dissections in its hierarchical configuration based on marketplaces like the worldwide principal marketplaces, the high growing markets, and the initial markets and corporate with different representations (Harper, 2015).

McDonald’s maintains function-based groups in its categorized structure. For illustration, under corporate activities, the organization has a HRM section, an record supply chain as well as franchising section, and a lawful section. This structure permits McDonald’s to look the important functions of the trade (McDonald’s, 2017).

Existing Organizational Design Structure and Control Issues

The strategy of “think global and act local” gave the organization an upper hand fast-food industry. They altered their promoting techniques to be harmonized with social, economic and socio-political variables depending on the country they enter (Gereffi, 2014). In the application of this strategy, the organization is able to change and adjust their items and services so as to fit the inclination of local customers. This is the reason of contrast seen in the different branches worldwide in terms of costs, environment, and the promotion of products (Arregle et al., 2013).

The localization strategy is gainful for foreseeing the altering requirements and dispositions of clienteles in the trade. It also makes functioning efficiency, which allows applying variations habitually. As it happened that any alteration happens in one state – McDonald’s changes that nation’s particular strategy as opposed to whole system and branches globally (Xu and Meyer, 2013).

The franchise business model facilitated structure as well as organizational togetherness as it contributes a phase to trade chances for individuals in emerging markets. It creates new job openings as well as self-growth for local persons (Nielson, 2013). The local staffs support with set up a friendly and company image plus addition to the achievement of the group. This model similarly provides crucial assistance with the explanation of promotion plan for that marketplace locally (Najafi, Dubois and Hulthén, 2013). The organization adopted this model because there is the rapid expansion with the use of low capital investment and benefit from the local knowledge that is demonstrated by the menu differences in different countries (Peterson, 2015). Excellence is the consideration of relationship; clienteles could evaluate the company with respect to the quality of products.  Subsequently, the first step to pull customers is via superiority goal which they ensure that they come for the products again in future. McDonald’s used its amazing items and services to acquire clients’ fulfilment and to make the task simpler for the staff (Businesswire, 2018).

A fantastic supply chain includes the whole procedure of coordination and management of the brand, keeping control and delivering products dependably on time, to the correct place and at the most ideal cost with the least cost (Vitasek, 2017).

The organization has the biggest supply chain in the world for fast food. It serves approximately 68 million clients in a day. It is spread on over 119 nations with over 36,000 outlets. The organization is known for being an extraordinary enterprise as a result of its quality and having the best diversifying opportunities (Vitasek, 2017). The organization makes progress toward high standards in order to maintain its consistency. The organization offer products that are mostly dealing with entertainment for kids and their items comprises of toys as well as merchandise which is the most recent products in the market for youthful clients (Kiger, 2016).

Entry Strategies Used To Enter Other Regions/Countries

The organization in the last ten years has been concentrating mostly in the optimization as well as maintenance of the supply chain with specialization in cultivated organization that follow the guidelines needed by the suppliers in the provision of raw material and also food items (Vitasek, 2017). Additionally, in the distribution of their products, the organization adheres to ethical sustainability, environmental as well as economic principles (Seuring, 2013).

In the storage of their products, the organization has separated it into three areas as frozen food, dry and refrigerated sustenance. In order to ensure that there is no spoilage of products, the keeping section that is set for each category of products is retained at a specific temperature because of varieties of climate and atmosphere (Dekker et al., 2013).

The distribution also have separate sections for the three remarkable groupings of products keeping in mind the objective to effectively transport to food at the same time keeping up amend the temperature of the product(Kiger, 2016).

The menu is reserved and let to be in control with no changes in a frequent manner. This has led to the making of profit owing to the fact that the customer is very comfortable with the company’s products (Kiger, 2016). When there is the menu of such manner, the staff in the kitchen gets to handle the clients in hours when customers are many with the application of known procedures. They know the requirements of the products which clients are favourable of like the chunks as well as fries because they can are before they are requested as well as delivered to the client in a short period (Jacobs, Chase and Lummus, 2014).

The company considers matters of the environment very seriously and hence they extremely conscious of the implication of observing the surroundings and the consequence those suppliers can effect whereas delivering raw resources. They collaborate with actions that hunt for methods to guarantee environment protection and preserve environments healthy. They reduce the utilization of non-inexhaustible materials and non-reusable material (Kiger, 2016). They endeavour to retain their assistants for the long-run giving inspiration makes them to stay. Keeping in mind the goal to serve over 200 million clienteles per year, they ought to get stuffs from various suppliers from different locations globally. The major suppliers are McCain, Bimbo, and Coca-Cola (Stadtler, 2015). Thr figure below illustrate how the company’s value chain has been arranged.

Figure 1: The McDonalds’ value chain analysis

Source: Dudovskiy,(2016)

McDonald’s in human resource management adjusts to every specific circumstance based in the country, thus one could depict the procedure as “glocal”. The organization is every dedicated to staffing locally and promoting from within the company in that local area. This implies that the organization has managers who comprehend both the corporate and the local societies (Vance and Paik, 2014).

The accentuation while staffing is that the candidates are customer?oriented; they have the correct attitude that is seen more critical than specialized capability. The organization trusts that the ideal approach to emerge from the group is to fulfill the majority of the clients’ needs. This is accentuated in staffing, promoting and screening; this is a standard strategy in the globe and is another case of the globalization technique (Binder, J., 2016). The organization offers training opportunities to its staff. The company through the hamburger university offers training in advance operations which is specifically meant for managers, operators, assistant managers, and prospective franchisee. In order to gather for different people from different cultures globally, the training at the university is offered in 22 languages (Brewster, Chung and Sparrow, 2016).

The market erosion that is experienced due to heightening competition is compelling the company to reduce the labor force for the creation of operational efficiency. These are skilled employee and the adopted strategy of reducing off is a self-defeating strategy because the competitors are getting employees with standardized training.

There is increasing resistant from franchises due to the move by the organization to have a uniform pricing strategy as well as high fees of franchising. Additionally, the expanded international market demand payments from franchises which are higher. This is forcing franchises to sell their businesses. On the other hand, there are challenges in competing in the foreign market due to rival businesses that have local appeal to the local customers. Also, there are challenges in the management of franchises because some units may opt to do business in their own ways which erode the conformity needed in the delivery of services.

There are issues concerning the nutrition level of the products, junk food that may cause health problems to young children. This has created skepticism by the health practitioners and there are threats of lawsuits that target the company’s strategy. This may affect the young market segment leaving consumers to a limited choice of meals.

The opposition is creating inclination for other tastier items offered by competitors. At the same time, its entrance technique to other markets with profound culture qualities has created an irreconcilable situation, for example, Italy’s moderate food culture. The organization is still using the traditional form of advertisement which in most cases fails as compared to the emerging technology which has given rise to social marketing given that the taste of the clients’ changes with time.

The organization still has the capability of keeping the market share irrespective of the stiff competition that is rising if only they employ and maintain competitive differentiation at a higher level beyond those of its rivals. The first approach that the company has to take is the internationalization strategy. Under this strategy, the organization has to take and hold the majority in organizations where they are working together such as Chipotle Mexican Grill. This is going to assist the organization in serving the international taste in the local markets mostly in the US where most of its outlets are situated thus saving the domestic market and fight competition.

The organization has to redesign the menu and consider including nutritious meals while doing away with products that are under scrutiny in matters health and make the meals to be flexible. Additionally, the company has to change fast to the changing customer lifestyle so as to be at speed with the growing international market. Moreover, the company needs to stretch the financial muscle and invade the emerging markets and carry out buyouts of subsidiaries as a way of repressing on the competitors. This has to incorporate social, digital and mobile marketing.

In order to penetrate deeply into the market, the organization must go a step further and build outlets in places near the bus, train stations as well as airport terminuses.

Despite the stiff competition, the organization must be patient in laying-off of the employee who has the right skills and expertise because these employees are going to be hired by the rivals and will compete favorably given that the company trained them well to be above standards. The franchisee’s fees must be reduced to a level that is manageable to both parties and the management have to be providing strategic evaluation for the changes in the environment

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