Introduction
One of the world’s biggest and most recognizable fast-food companies, McDonald’s corporation, has many complicated components examined in this organizational need evaluation. The evaluation includes an in-depth analysis of the organization’s offerings, services, and personnel. It examines the motivations for this assessment’s execution and highlights its advantages for the business, stakeholders, and staff. The company’s evaluation plays a key role in determining performance and satisfaction among stakeholders and ensuring adaptability to the ever-changing business environment.
McDonald’s corporation is a well-known global restaurant that stands for the American fast-food industry. The company is originally from the United States, where Richard and Maurice McDonald founded it in the 1940s (McDonald, 2023). The company has a peculiar menu with signature meals such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Golden Arches worldwide. The company’s menu is quite diverse, comprising different types of desserts. The restaurant has a menu comprising hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fish fillets, salads, breakfast meals, and other side dishes such as French fries and apple pie.
Employee Demographics
Given that McDonald’s is among the world’s biggest employers, it has one of the largest workforces. The corporation’s workforce comprises various ages, genders, and backgrounds that make this company an embodiment of wider society globally, as shown in Table 1. McDonald’s encourages diversity in its staff to foster an inclusive and fair work environment where everyone feels at home.
Table 1: Employee Demographics (Researcher, 2023).
Reason for Selection
The reason for selection is that McDonald’s corporation is famous in the fast-food industry and spreads around the globe with the taste of dietary habits and working systems. Therefore, it perfectly illustrates what an organization with such widespread coverage and a varied workforce requires. The corporation has seen some downtrends in its financial statement for the past few months, raising a question.
Completion of the Assessment
Ten employees were sampled to carry out an organizational need assessment at McDonald’s corporation using a structured questionnaire. The evaluation was intended to gauge the situation of both male and female staff within the organization. It focused on the age composition, their roles, and the analysis of tasks not performed well so that priorities could be identified, which would help in addressing the problem areas.
Benefits of the Assessment
Benefit to Company
It is essential to undertake an organizational needs assessment to boost the organization’s efficiency and productivity. The company will use various methods to identify gaps in processes, skills, and resources within its areas of operation. The approach targets enhancing only areas of need within an organization, thereby achieving cost savings and effective resource use (Wong, 2020). Additionally, by integrating such organizational approaches as organizational strategies and other organizational initiatives, the firm will develop its competitiveness toward achieving its goals and objectives.
Benefits to Stakeholders
A well-planned needs assessment influences many stakeholders around the firm. The streamlined operations result in increased profitability, which may translate to a higher dividend or more substantial stock value for shareholders. The ability to provide improved services and products addresses issues identified during the evaluation, ultimately leading to better services and products for customers. The company may also be able to assist its suppliers by fine-tuning its processes, which are bound to enhance supply chain efficiency, resulting in timely supplies, which may open doors for new partnerships (Wong, 2020). Stakeholders are sure about improvement being a continuing act; hence, they trust and have faith in the business work.
Benefits to Employees
A needs assessment symbolizes the organization’s commitment to employees’ well-being. Openly communicating the evaluation results and an outlined plan helps create a culture where employees feel included and engaged in the overall operation with high morale (Wong, 2020). When employees know they are appreciated for what they have and this skill is developed, they become satisfied with their jobs, which translates into higher levels of commitment and more productivity, hence a cycle of organizational success.
Importance of a Needs Assessment
Organizations must perform a thorough needs assessment to fill in the blanks adequately. Without such an evaluation, managers rely on assumptions or stories that are usually inappropriate for guiding efficient resource allocation and appropriate strategies. An organization will remain effective by constantly evaluating wants to align its strategies with present realities (Wong, 2020). An evaluation helps in efficient resource allocation, enabling one to determine in which area the most investment is required and avoids the wastage of resources to irrelevant points.
Job and Task Analysis in McDonald’s Corporation
Roles within the Organization
The corporation is a huge global company, with several positions that make it perform excellently. Fundamental roles exist at their core towards the day-to-day running of the entity. Among them are crewmembers who take care of customers’ services and food preparations, clean the work areas, and take 20% of the sampled individuals, as indicated in Table 2. They welcome guests, place the orders, compile the meals, and create the appropriate atmosphere for a delicious dinner. The other critical role involves restaurant managers, who are responsible for supervising the running of the activities (McDonald, 2023). They ensure no issues related to staff management, inventory control, financial reporting, and client services.
Table 2: Job and Task (Researcher, 2023).
Tasks Associated with Each Role
The detailed tasks for the crew include correctly taking orders from customers, producing food using McDonald’s standard recipe, cleaning the kitchen and dining area, and providing excellent customer service to crew members. The restaurant managers have added responsibilities such as planning and monitoring shifts for their employees and ensuring compliance with the local health and safety guidelines (McDonald, 2023). The shift supervisor ensures that tasks are assigned to crew members while ensuring workflow is properly synchronized in shifts, handles consumer complaints, and reports operational problems to top management.
Gap Analysis and Performance Analysis
Description of Performance Issues
The firm has had to deal with nutrition, technology, and environmental sustainability challenges. Innovation in the current day may keep the firm from facing financial difficulties. Its image may also suffer if it does not move quickly to address environmental concerns since there is rising client concern about responsibility (Tahniyath & Elbanna, 2022). These performance issues may be fatal to future profitability, consumer confidence, and corporate viability, necessitating strategic interventions and regulatory changes
Discussion of Existing and Potential Problems
McDonald’s Corporation has continued to have enormous success on a worldwide scale, but it also faces a number of difficulties that need ongoing observation. One of the existing challenges is creating worries about the food quality and nutritional value of its products/offerings. Customers now demand healthier menu options as public health awareness grows (Hallak et al., 2022). Furthermore, as shown in Table 3, sustainability remains an urgent concern as the focus shifts to reducing ecological repercussions, including changing packing and supply mechanisms.
Table 3: Gap Analysis (Researcher, 2023).
Explanation of the Identified Gaps
The gaps stem from the incongruence between customers’ expectations and what the entity offers. The technology gap signifies that a firm should upgrade its digital infrastructure at its own pace since customers nowadays expect companies to provide convenient and effective services (Hallak et al., 2022). Sustainability also emanates when the environmental landscape evolves, and customers keep demanding firms for environmentally friendly business approaches.
Priority Areas
Discussion of Priority Areas
McDonald’s corporation will do well if it first concentrates the solution on three strategic priority areas to remain relevant and competitive in the highly dynamic business setting. To begin with, it is essential to improve the menu diversification. The company needs to provide health-consciousness and dietary changes as they change with health-consciousness and healthy living, as indicated in Table 4. The entity must have a reliable digital platform to improve customer experience and operational efficiency (Tahniyath & Elbanna, 2022). Adopting environmentally friendly practices for sourcing, packaging, and waste materials will not only meet the changing values among consumers. Still, it will also serve to boost the overall brand image.
Table 4: Priority Areas (Researcher, 2023).
The Rationale for Their Importance
Menu diversification is central to this critical change in taste as it caters to increased demand for healthy foods. If McDonald’s expands its menu with nutritional options, it will be able to keep and draw in new customers as an inclusive brand. Online orders and deliveries have been an industry standard; therefore, digital transformation is necessary (Hallak et al., 2022). Moreover, sustainability measures must underpin viability in the long term. Companies are also beginning to realize that consumers now favor ecologically conscientious brands, and responding beforehand to such concerns can augment the business’s brand image, minimize operational expenditures, and facilitate a more sustainable world of tomorrow.
Causes of Performance Problems or Issues
A variety of circumstances can cause McDonald’s Corporation performance issues. One of the leading causes of this is the evolution of society and the shifting of consumer values. Companies that usually focus on pampering and convenience for their customers have had difficulty adjusting to the growing nutrition awareness and making better food choices (Ditlevsen et al., 2019). Technology is advancing so quickly that businesses needing to upgrade their digital infrastructure will face performance problems that will lead to inefficient services and disgruntled customers (Hallak et al., 2022). Other factors that might cause disruptions to ingredient supply and pricing changes and jeopardize overall operations stability and profitability include supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainties.
Recommendations and Solutions
One should provide several recommendations and options to deal with challenges and exploit the available chances at McDonald’s Corporation. To begin with, menu differentiation has to be emphasized in particular due to changing customer tastes in the firm and the need to embrace healthier food choices. (Tahniyath & Elbanna, 2022). Nutrition experts should be involved in partnership with them, and a good understanding of the target market is required for this purpose. The enterprise should purchase and utilize safe organic foods, reduce waste, increase recycling, and implement energy-saving and storage technologies (Avotra et al., 2021). McDonald’s can inform consumers of these attempts and promote itself as an environmentally responsible entity.
Growth Opportunities
McDonald’s Corporation continues to experience significant growth opportunities globally. One important channel is international development, especially in many emerging economies whose high income and urbanization lead to higher consumer expenditure. Through this, it should devise its menu and market to satisfy various cultural preferences, thereby building customer loyalty (Tahniyath & Elbanna, 2022).
Another aspect of advancement is technological innovations. Digitalization through mobile ordering apps, delivery services, and self-serviced kiosks improves customer comfort, thus increasing sales. Furthermore, the business may take advantage of healthy nutrition trends by providing more nutritious alternatives that would appeal to people who are health conscious (Tahniyath & Elbanna, 2022). Collaborations with local suppliers and farmers support sustainability; this goes in tandem with the increasing preference for environmentally sound ways.
Conclusion
In conclusion, McDonald’s must address performance issues and capture the available chances to maintain its relevance within the evolving market environment. Diversification of the menu, digitization, and embracing sustainability practices will enhance the business brand image and increase customer satisfaction, thereby guaranteeing long-term success. Adapting to these changes through active positioning will keep the company ahead in the fast-food industry, serving customers’ needs as well as those of the environment.
References
Avotra, A. A., Chenyun, Y., Yongmin, W., Lijuan, Z., & Nawaz, A. (2021). Conceptualizing the state of the art of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Green Construction and its Nexus to sustainable development. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 9. Web.
Ditlevsen, K., Sandøe, P., & Lassen, J. (2019). Healthy food is nutritious, but organic food is healthy because it is pure: The negotiation of healthy food choices by Danish consumers of Organic Food. Food Quality and Preference, 71, 46–53. Web.
Hallak, R., Onur, I., & Lee, C. (2022). Consumer demand for healthy beverages in the hospitality industry: Examining willingness to pay a premium, and barriers to purchase. PLOS ONE, 17(5). Web.
McDonald. (2023). The McDonald’s story. McDonald’s Corporation. Web.
Tahniyath, F., & Elbanna, S. (2022). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation: A Review and a research agenda towards an integrative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 183(1), 105–121. Web.
Wong, S.-C. (2020). Competency definitions, development and assessment: A brief review. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 9(3). Web.
Appendix
Appendix 1: McDonald’s Employee Questionnaire
Please answer the following questions:
- Demographic Information
- Gender
- ✓ Male
- ✓ Female
- Job Role (Select one)
- ✓ Supervisor
- ✓ Crew Member
- ✓ Manager
- Gap Analysis:
- In your opinion, what are the existing issues or gaps related to the following areas at McDonald’s?
- Nutritional Gap: (Please describe any concerns related to the nutritional content of the menu or customer expectations)
- Technology Gap: (Please describe any technology-related challenges or opportunities for improvement)
- Sustainability Gap: (Please share any thoughts on sustainability practices and potential areas for growth)
- Priority Areas
- Based on your experience, what areas do you believe McDonald’s should prioritize for improvement?
- Menu Diversification: (What can be done to enhance the menu in terms of variety, nutrition, or customization?)
- Digital Transformation: (What improvements are needed in terms of digital ordering, delivery, or technology utilization?)
- Sustainability Initiatives: (How can McDonald’s better address environmental sustainability?)