GRIN - McDonald’s Competitive Strategy (2024)


Term Paper, 2013

9 Pages, Grade: A


Excerpt

McDonald’s Competitive Strategy

Executive Summary

McDonald created a global advisory council which is entrusted with the duty of providing recommendations on nutrition. McDonald’s has spearheaded a program to introduce healthy food for some customers. Customers can select hamburgers or salads depending upon their needs and requirements. Additionally, apples can be selected for children when parents purchase Happy Meals. McDonald’s products are filled with nutritional information which offers better choices and autonomy to customers. McDonald’s aggressive business strategy is based upon the premise that its restaurants should be located at strategic locations. Burger King’s management is dynamic because it always seeks to utilize the power of new media as a means of ensuring that organizational targets are attained in an effectual manner. Burger King has strived to harness the power of social media to launch new products, track customer feedback, and respond to complaints. Burger King is also successful because of its innovative products like its Whopper. French Toast Sticks, Caesar salads, veggie burgers, and others are examples of innovative products that are offered to customer segments. Burger King has always had a limited menu but it has focused on niche markets. The development of a comprehensive supply chain management system means that KFC can control the power of its suppliers. It trains suppliers so that the adequate standards of hygiene and safety can be maintained. Additionally, it has a monitoring and auditing mechanism to ensure that suppliers comply with the organizational standards and requirements. KFC’s training program for its workforce is based upon imparting technical, managerial, and communication skills.

Introduction

Competitive advantage is determined by the presence of smart and prudent goals. Business organizations need to have strong strategies that leverage their key strengths as a means of attaining economies of scale. The business strategy of the organization should be based upon operational efficiencies. Additionally, successful organizations strive to create an environment where they are able to achieve their critical targets through dynamic business processes and functions. Organizations need to have the ability to successfully deploy strategies that can take advantage of new opportunities. Additionally, they must be able to respond to complex situations in an efficient and effective manner. McDonald’s is an industry leader in the fast food industry. Its key competitive advantages have included nutrition, convenience, affordability, innovation, quality, hygiene, and value added services. The success of the organization has been its ability to leverage its key strengths so that it can overcome weaknesses. The long term profitability of McDonald’s will depend upon its ability to embrace change. It needs to improve operational efficiencies to reduce costs. It should integrate technology as a means of ensuring that its key standards can be attainable. Burger King and KFC are two competitors of the organization. Burger King has been successful because it has been able to focus on product diversification, reliable customer services, and continuous innovation. KFC has been successful because of its emphasis on quality food along with huge restaurants that provide considerable excellence to its customers.

Company Profiles

McDonald’s is one of the leading firms that is operating in the fast food industry. It has been successful because of its cheap food. It has offered nutritional value while raising awareness about health. Additionally, it has expanded into different markets through the use of innovative and creative strategies. Burger King has also been a major player in the fast food industry. Its success is its ability to target niche markets in a proficient manner. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is renowned for its recipes including the famous fried chicken. The organization expands rapidly in international markets while offering quality food at affordable rates.

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GRIN - McDonald’s Competitive Strategy (2024)

FAQs

What competitive strategy does McDonalds use? ›

McDonald's Generic Strategy (Porter's Model)

McDonald's generic strategy is cost leadership, which builds competitive advantage through cost minimization. The company has standardized processes designed to maximize efficiency, minimize costs, and ensure profitability despite the use of competitive selling prices.

What competitive strategy does McDonalds employ to achieve global brand success? ›

McDonald's business strategy utilizes a combination of cost leadership and international market expansion strategies. Franchising form of new market entry is utilized within McDonald's business strategy to a great extent.

How does McDonalds beat the competition? ›

McDonald's Keys to Success is their Focus on Customer Satisfaction. McDonald's Operations Competitive Strategy focuses on cost, speed, and nutrition. They prioritize making the customer “happy.”

What are the strategies that the McDonald brothers did to maximize its profitability in the business? ›

McDonald brothers brought efficiency by innovating assembly line operations for their restaurant. They focused on just a few high selling items such as burgers, fries and drinks, and figured out an efficient way of order delivery.

Is McDonald's a perfectly competitive market? ›

Many firms have similar marketing strategies and recipes but McDonald's is still unique. Thus, the market can't be perfectly competitive since the goods aren't hom*ogeneous. The market can't be a monopoly because there are other sellers of fast food. It is also not an oligopoly because there...

What is the strategy statement of McDonald's? ›

We serve delicious food people feel good about eating, with convenient locations and hours and affordable prices, and by working hard to offer the speed, choice and personalization our customers expect.

Which strategy contributed to the success of McDonald fast food chain? ›

McDonald's success today is largely attributed to its franchising model, consistency, and innovation. Through their franchising model, they were able to enjoy rapid growth.

What are the main competitive strategies used by the global business? ›

There are four main types of competitive strategies proposed by Michael Porter.
  • Cost leadership strategy. Businesses that follow this strategy sell products/services at the lowest prices in the industry. ...
  • Differentiation strategy. ...
  • Cost focus strategy. ...
  • Differentiation focus strategy.

How would you describe McDonald's business strategy What are the foundations of its competitive advantage? ›

The business strategy of McDonald's is to provide instant service at competitive prices. They follow a cost leadership model whereby they minimize costs to offer a low pricing to the customers. They have a front attack approach (Brand positioning) i…

What was the secret to McDonalds success? ›

“Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value” was Kroc's motto.

These efforts towards process repetition and efficiency not only set the basis for McDonald's success from the standpoint of customers' expectations, but also help McDonald's stay on top in a culture where producing at a quick pace is commonly expected.

What is the secret behind McDonalds success? ›

McDonald's enterprise dominates the fast food industry with a brand value of over $155 Billion. The secret of McDonald's success is a revolutionary system that revolves around logic, persistence, and opportunity. It was introduced into the business by its founders the McDonald brothers.

What can McDonalds improve on? ›

How McDonald's Can Improve Customer Service
  • Recognize that people matter. Match your investments in products and processes to your investments in your people. ...
  • Shifting the paradigm. ...
  • Rethink your definition of service. ...
  • Train your employees. ...
  • Put your money where your mouth is. ...
  • Establish daily rituals.
Apr 12, 2013

What is the main reason why McDonalds strategy was effective in increasing their sales? ›

This worked for two reasons: First, McDonald's invested a ton of money into ensuring that there was consistent quality across its franchises. Second, the company invested in sourcing products from individual regions, and tailored menus to match regional tastes.

What is McDonalds competition? ›

McDonald's is one of the largest and most well-known fast-food chains in the world. Privately-owned Burger King is McDonald's closest competitor. Yum Brands operates Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Subway is the largest restaurant chain in the world in terms of size, but sales have been sliding since 2012.

What strategies did Ray Kroc apply to make McDonalds different from other fast food restaurants? ›

Kroc established strictly standardized operations for all McDonald's franchises that included portion sizes and food preparation, packaging and ingredients. Customer service standards were also high, although franchisees were allowed to decide how to market their businesses.

Why is McDonald's so competitive? ›

McDonald's is an industry leader in the fast food industry. Its key competitive advantages have included nutrition, convenience, affordability, innovation, quality, hygiene, and value added services. The success of the organization has been its ability to leverage its key strengths so that it can overcome weaknesses.

What is a good example of a perfectly competitive market? ›

What Is an Example of Perfect Competition? Consider a farmers market where each vendor sells the same type of jam. There is little differentiation between each of their products, as they use the same recipe, and they each sell them at an equal price.

What sets McDonald's apart from its competitors? ›

Successful brands want to search constantly for fresh ways to keep their customers interested. This is what sets them apart. McDonald's and their fast-food competitors are trying to stay one step ahead of each other. In this case, the company that best caters to the needs of its customers wins the race.

What is McDonald's main goal? ›

Here at McDonald's, our purpose is to feed and foster communities. As the leading global foodservice retailer, we believe it's our responsibility to make our impact on this world a positive one.

What are the 3 pillars of growth strategy for McDonald's? ›

Our Business Model and Growth Strategy
  • Franchisees bring the spirit of entrepreneurship and commitment to communities.
  • Suppliers are dedicated to highest levels of quality and safety.
  • The company facilitates learning and sharing across McDonald's more than 36,000 restaurants.

Who was the most responsible for McDonald's success? ›

Ray Kroc, The Salesman

Although Kroc did not invent McDonald's and originally saw the concept as an opportunity to advance his milk-shake mixer business, his passion for Quality, Cleanliness, Service, and Value drove McDonald's to success.

What are the 4 competitive strategies? ›

Here are four types of competitive strategy and an example for each:
  • Cost leadership strategy. ...
  • Differentiation leadership strategy. ...
  • Cost focus strategy. ...
  • Differentiation focus strategy.
Mar 10, 2023

What are the three 3 competitive strategies? ›

According to Porter's Generic Strategies model, there are three basic strategic options available to organizations for gaining competitive advantage. These are: Cost Leadership, Differentiation and Focus.

What are the three 3 strategies for competitive advantage? ›

Building a Competitive Advantage

Michael Porter, the famous Harvard Business School professor, identified three strategies for establishing a competitive advantage: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus (which includes both cost focus and differentiation focus)[1].

What functional level strategies has McDonald's pursued to boost its efficiency? ›

Which of the following is a functional-level strategy McDonald's pursued to boost innovation? McDonald's adopted growth accelerators including ordering flexibility, enhanced customer experience, mobile ordering, and delivery options.

How does McDonalds attract customers? ›

McDonald's runs a very successful series of marketing and advertising campaigns to make sure all of our customers are aware of our offers, promotions and good work that McDonald's is involved in. This includes TV, print, display, radio, and online advertising.

What is McDonalds greatest threat? ›

Stiff competition from rival companies is one of the greatest threats to McDonald's growth and development. McDonald's operates in a highly competitive market with numerous well-established fast food chains, and each of them is striving to capture the largest market share.

Where was McDonalds unsuccessful? ›

But studying failure in business is just as important as studying success. McDonald's, one of the most epic brands in the world, failed in Iceland due to external circ*mstances and internal management problems (up to some extent).

What challenges are McDonalds facing? ›

Overall McDonalds has come a long way. From facing constraints including beef ban, lack of poor infrastructure and storage, vegetarian population, political issues, to becoming the most preferred fast food brand, it surely has won the hearts of Indians.

What are McDonalds goals for the future? ›

McDonald's Corporation is today announcing its global commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The move will include science-based emissions reduction targets and will see it join the SBTi Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.

What is the future growth of McDonalds? ›

Future Growth

McDonald's is forecasted to grow earnings and revenue by 10.1% and 5.5% per annum respectively. EPS and ROE are also expected to grow by 11.3% and 179.8% per year respectively. Analyst coverage for McDonald's stock is good.

What is the push and pull strategy of McDonalds? ›

McDonald's use both pull as well as push process; all processes except for those involved in the Customer Order cycle are push processes. That is, products will be pushed from the suppliers, to the distributors, to the restaurants where customers will then demand for that product, creating a pull effect.

Does McDonald's offer competitive pay? ›

McDonald's offers comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, family planning, employee perks, competitive pay, and paid time off.

What is McDonald's pricing strategy? ›

McDonald's pricing strategy involves price bundling combined with psychological pricing. In price bundling, the company offers meals and other product bundles for a discount. This is especially so because of the lack of regional or global alliances among suppliers.

What type of marketing strategy does McDonalds use? ›

McDonald's marketing strategy includes investing in online and offline marketing methods that spread its clear, brand-centered messages to a large audience and using other channels like its dedicated mobile app to reach and keep loyal customers.

What is Ray Kroc's strategy for success? ›

According to him, “The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it.” The second part of his formula – “doing something about it” or executing – is the real key lesson.

Does McDonald's use a multinational strategy? ›

After joining the company in 1955, Ray Kroc purchased the McDonald's chain. Its new headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois. And all of this forms the basis for the McDonald's international strategy.

Which companies use cost focus strategy? ›

  • Budget food goods or other domestic tools distributed only by local supermarkets are each a cost focus strategy example. ...
  • Other cost focus examples include Coca-Cola, Rolls-Royce and Walmart. ...
  • A cost focus strategy also entails concentrating on lowering operational costs as much as feasible within an organization.
Oct 28, 2021

What is McDonald's sustainable competitive advantage? ›

Quality Experience -It is impossible to become a leading sustainable brand if the company's quality is associated with only the products. McDonald brothers not only focused on the quality of products, services, and processes but also on the quality of infrastructure for enabling awesome experiences.

What are 3 reasons McDonald's is successful? ›

McDonald's success today is largely attributed to its franchising model, consistency, and innovation. Through their franchising model, they were able to enjoy rapid growth.

What business strategy to gain competitive advantage? ›

The four primary methods of gaining a competitive advantage are cost leadership, differentiation, defensive strategies and strategic alliances.

What is competitive advantage business level strategy? ›

Competitive advantage refers to factors that allow a company to produce goods or services better or more cheaply than its rivals. These factors allow the productive entity to generate more sales or superior margins compared to its market rivals.

What does McDonalds need to improve on? ›

McDonald's should be focusing on improving the quality of its core products. Locally sourced ingredients, organic food, and a high standard of quality are not necessarily the first thing consumers want from McDonald's.

What are the 4 growth strategies? ›

These are Product, Placement, Promotion and Price.

What is an example of a focus competitive strategy? ›

Examples Of Focus Strategy
  • Pepsi has a diverse product portfolio. ...
  • Bio-oil sells body and face oil that especially caters to pregnant women and new mothers struggling to find solutions for stretch marks and other skin issues.
  • SwitchFix Co. ...
  • Lefty's sells products that are specifically designed for left-handed people.
Oct 28, 2021

What do you mean by competitive strategies? ›

Competitive Strategies: Organizational

In other words, competitive strategy means to define how the firm intends to create and maintain a competitive advantage with respect to competitors. Holding a competitive advantage over competitors means to be more profitable than competitors over the long term.

What are the 3 generic strategies for competitive advantage? ›

The two basic types of competitive advantage combined with the scope of activities for which a firm seeks to achieve them, lead to three generic strategies for achieving above average performance in an industry: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus.

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