Working for McDonald's in Europe:an unequal struggle.

Essay by bajeejaC-, October 2003

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McDonald's: it is the world's premier entrepreneurial success story, a company whose growth worldwide continues to be astonishing. In tough financial times, McDonald's proved that ingenuity, trial and error, and gut instinct were the keys to building a service business the entire world has come to admire. In the years since McDonald's: Behind The Arches was first published, McDonald's has been a trendsetter in advertising, focusing on different ethnic groups as well as the physically disabled. McDonald's created McJobs, a program that employs both mentally challenged adults and senior citizens. And because its franchisees have their fingers on the pulse of the marketplace, McDonald's has evolved successfully with the health food revolution, launching dozens of new products and moving toward environmentally-safe packaging and recyclable goods. Inspiring, informative, and filled with behind the scenes stories, this remarkable saga offers an irresistible look inside a great American business success.

The history of the McDonald's system is the story of an organization that learned how to harness the power of entrepreneursnot several, but hundreds of them." This work is not the story of Ray Kroc, McDonald's colorful founder, but that of all of the individuals, including the McDonald brothers, suppliers, financiers, franchisees, as well as the early employees, who made McDonald's the undisputed champion of the fast food industry. The complex financial arrangements that were necessary to McDonald's success are made clear, as is the company's commitment to quality, service, and cleanliness. This entertaining work is highly recommended for most public and academic libraries. Michael D. Kathman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Collegeville, Minn.