Questions answered

There are 6 questions about “Corporate Social Responsibility” in the “How do you operate?” topic.

Click on a question to read our answer.

1. How have you gone from being an unethical corporation to being an ethical one? What steps have you taken?
McDonald’s has always taken its ethical responsibility very seriously, and has numerous policies in place in order to ensure that both globally and locally the company is operating in as ethical a way as possible. Whilst McDonald’s is a very successful brand, a portion of that success is attributed to the company’s attention to social and ethical responsibility. Throughout different areas of its business, McDonald's tries to proactively ensure that the best measures and highest ethical standards are in place. These include the supply chain, which is assessed against McDonald's Agricultural Assurance Programme right across Europe, recently resulting in an award for animal welfare from the RSPCA. On issues such as the environment, McDonald's presence in the local community can be seen through litter patrols and the annual anti-littering campaigns. The same can be said for recycling, where Hamburger boxes, Chicken McNuggets boxes, French fry cartons and apple pie boxes are made from 72 per cent recycled paper whilst the take-away bags, trayliners and cup carriers are made from 100 per cent recycled paper. Other initiatives include the conversion of cooking oil used in the food preparation into bio-diesel fuel. Since the end of 2008, the company's entire UK delivery fleet has been running on biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil combined with a limited amount of rapeseed oil: this is the equivalent of removing 2,424 family cars from the road each year. Globally, McDonald’s has joined the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, which was created by the food industry to improve conditions for local communities. This great new initiative led McDonald's to change its coffee to Full Bean Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee. This was chosen because the programme takes a holistic approach to supply chain sustainability. This means that because farms are certified based on social and environmental standards that guide farmers towards long-term sustainable farm management, the quality of the coffee produced is generally higher. These are a few examples of the efforts that McDonald's is putting in to remain a positive and progressive business - but there is always more to be done, particularly as available technology around recycling, waste and energy use improves. (August 2009)

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2. Could you please tell me the political and technological factors that affect McDonalds? I cannot find them in the student pack. Thanks
Thank you for your question. Like most big companies, McDonald's engages with a variety of different stakeholders in the countries where it does business, as well as monitoring all pending political initiatives. McDonald’s is a large multinational business with many stores on high streets and in shopping centres across the country. As such, the company is affected by the external factors that impact all retail business in the UK. So for example, interest rates, unemployment, local environment and consumer confidence are a few of a changing list of variables. All these factors impact on the way people shop in and around locations such as the high street and shopping centres, and thus will have a knock on impact on McDonald's and the way it conducts itself as a business.

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3. should people claiming disability benefit for obesity be banned from mcdonalds?
The obesity issue in the UK and other parts of the world is both serious and complex, but one that ultimately depends on individual choice and circumstance. We provide our customers with nutritional information to assist with their food choices and we also offer a menu with a variety of choices, including options like salads and toasted deli sandwiches. In addition, McDonald’s is a firm advocate of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle, both of which are proven to be effective in tackling obesity.

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4. Hi, I'm a Business Studies Degree student writing a business report on McDonalds Stakeholders. I am also an ex employee of the company who worked for you for 3 years. I was wondering if you could please tell me How do McDonalds stakeholders influence the objectives of your organisation?
Within McDonald’s business there are different types of stakeholders. Internally there is McDonald’s Global corporation, based in Chicago USA. McDonald's UK business reports to McDonald's Global. In the UK McDonald’s is also made up of franchisees which represent roughly 50 per cent of the stores. Externally, McDonald’s most important stakeholders are its customers. The company listens to them and takes note of how they think and feel about the brand, its food and business. There are also stakeholders such as the media and politicians, all of whom comment on the company, and it goes without saying that the company takes note of their comments too. Beyond this, McDonald's mission statement is to be its customers' favourite place and way to eat. The company aims to provide its customers with food of a high standard, quick service and value for money. All the company’s philosophies revolve around this objective. We suggest you download one of McDonald’s Student Information Packs. These have been developed after receiving many questions from students wanting to know more about the company and are designed to help address the type of questions that you may ask about the company operations. To visit our 'Schools & Students' page cut and paste the link below into your browser. http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/about-us/schools-and-students/schools-and-students.shtml (July 2008)

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5. Why do you think McDonald's has such a bad reputation? Perhaps corporate whitewashing efforts like this reveal much about McDonald's poor public image. Most people can see through the hype - only those who have been rendered into stupid eaters by the very rubbish you sell will fall for it.
As the recognised leader in the quick service restaurant industry, McDonald's is often the target of myth, rumour and misinformation. McDonald’s is a successful business and tends to receive a high level of both praise and criticism. Where this criticism is unfair or negative, McDonald's likes to take the opportunity to address the issues head on and this website is a good example. Make Up Your Own Mind was set up to answer questions about its business in the UK raised by people like yourself in an open and transparent way. (September 2009)

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6. what are mcdonalds ethical issues? how could they improve them?
Firstly McDonald's apologises unreservedly for the late reply to your question. There were some technical problems which caused some questions to slip through. Regarding your question; it is no secret that McDonald's is a very successful brand, and this is something that the company is very proud of. A portion of this success is attributed to the company's attention to its social and ethical responsibilities, which McDonald's takes very seriously. Throughout different areas of its business, McDonald's tries to proactively ensure that the best measures and highest ethical standards are in place. These include the supply chain, which is assessed against McDonald's Agricultural Assurance Programme right across Europe, recently resulting in an award for animal welfare from the RSPCA. Or issues such as the environment, where McDonald's presence in the local community can be seen through litter patrols and the annual anti-littering campaigns. Over 250 clean-ups were held in 2006 across the UK. This also extends to recycling too. Hamburger boxes, Chicken McNuggets boxes, French fry cartons and apple pie boxes are made from 72 per cent recycled paper whilst the take-away bags, trayliners and cup carriers are made from 100 per cent recycled paper. Other initiatives include the conversion of cooking oil used in the food preparation into bio-diesel fuel which is then used for the company's distribution fleet. These are a few examples of the efforts that McDonald's is putting in to remain a positive and progressive business - but there is always more to be done, particularly as available technology around recycling, waste and energy use improves. There are a number of useful Student Information Packs that have some further information about the company. You can view these by visiting 'about us' at www.mcdonald's.co.uk.

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