• The world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily
• Primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts (more recently salads, wraps and fruit)
• Each McDonald's restaurant is operated by a franchise
• A frequent topic of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics and consumer responsibility

• In 1948 Dick and mac mcdonald open their first restaurant called speedee
• In 1955 Ray Kroc takes over the business making the mcdonald brothers to leave the fast food industry
• In 1963 speedee is replaced with ronald mcdonald
• In 1980 The 6000th mcdonald`s restaurant opens in munich

• In 119 countries
• Over 31 000 restaurants worldwide
• employing 1.5 million people
• One in eight workers in the u.s. have at some time in their life been employed by mcdonald`s
• largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples in the u.s.
• the largest private operator of playgrounds in the U.S

• counter service and drive-through service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating
• McCafé concept is a café-style restaurant similar to Starbucks
• McDonald's Express have limited seating and menu and are usually located in a shopping mall
• McStop is a location targeted at truckers and travelers
• With Indoor or outdoor playgrounds, called "McDonald's PlayPlace" (if indoors) or "Playland" (outdoors)

• In 2006 “forever young” is introduced – it`s the first major redesign since the 1970s
• red will be muted to terra cotta, the yellow will turn golden and olive and sage green will be added
• less plastic and more brick and wood
• New areas (differnet music targeted at each):
- "linger" zone will offer armchairs, sofas, and Wi-Fi connections
- "grab and go" zone will feature tall counters with bar stools for customers who eat alone (plasma tvs with news)
- "flexible" zone will be targeted toward families (colorful patterns and flexible seating)

• Mcdonald`s corporation earns money as an investor, franchiser and an operator of restaurants
• 15% of McDonald's restaurants are owned and operated by McDonald's
Corporation directly
• 30% of restaurants are franchised, with the majority under the ownership of the company
• Others are operated by their business partners

• Criticised for its expansion, business practices, environmental, health, and labor record
• Using its political influence to increase profits at the expense of people's health and the social conditions of its workers
• misrepresenting their French fries as vegetarian
• contributing to the epidemic of obesity in society and failing to provide nutritional information about food for its customers
• Soya that is used to feed mcdonald`s chicken is destroying the amazon rainforest, soya farmers are guilty of further crimes including slavery

• more healthy choices in its menu
• switching its supplier of coffee beans and milk
(now from organic sources)
• Cooking oil with no trans fats
• Jobs with more prospects

• Using corn-based bioplastic
• addressing water management issues within their restaurants
• decreased packaging by 24 million pounds annually
• recycling vegetable grease by converting it to fuel for their diesel trucks
* All of these changes were made after the 1970s when mcdonald`s was criticised for its environmental policies

• In indonesia they`re serving mcrice
• Portugal is the only country in the world where they`re serving soup
• McDonald's locations in Wal-Mart stores offer freshly-popped popcorn and soft pretzels
• Beer is availiable at McDonald's in France, Germany and Spain
• The menu depends on the region, country and time of day

• an extensive advertising campaign
• usual media (television, radio and newspaper) and significant use of billboards and signage
• Sponsoring sporting events ranging from little league to olympic games
• Until today it has changed 23 slogans

• “mcdonaldization" of society
• increasing the standard of service in markets that it enters (asia)
• Partnering up with sinopec (china`s second largest oil company)
• The only countries in Europe not to have McDonald's stores are Albania, Armenia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Vatican City