McDonald Business Ethics

Establishing a culture of sound business ethics within an organization is challenging, to say the least. Companies that market products that are not considered to be “healthy” for consumers have additional challenges. Using the CSU online library, research a company that markets “unhealthy” products. Examples might include tobacco or alcohol companies but these examples are not all-inclusive. Respond to the following questions.

Briefly describe the company and its product and the ethical dilemma associated with the production and distribution of its products.
Describe how the perception of the product differs within cultures both within the United States and globally.
How has this company handled the ethical implications of its product with a focus on social responsibility, integrity and business ethics?
Explain how leadership within the organization can instill a culture of ethics within the marketing department as they strive to advertise a product that is not healthy for the customer.

Introduction

McDonald Company is one of the fast-food restaurants that had registered continuous higher performance in the industry. The organization offers quality fast foods to consumers in various parts of the US that have resulted in its enhanced performance over the years. Despite its profitability, the company has to deal with the issue of health risks associated with its range of products. To evaluate the impacts of the health risk challenges of the various McDonald products, this paper is an analysis of the ethical implications of the organization’s products and activities. The analysis focus on the issue of social responsibility, business ethics and integrity.

McDonald’s company focuses on the production and sale of fast foods to consumers from different parts of the world. As much as fast foods are considered convenience foods by various customers, their adverse implications on the health and well-being of the consumers have resulted in the questioning of the ethical nature of the business. The company has been accused of taking part in and contributing to the many cases of obesity that are reported in the United States of America.

Business ethics requires that a company conducts its operations with a maximum level of honesty, integrity, and fairness for the various clients. The issue of social responsibility is also critical where the organization is expected to take part in activities that support the community and enhance their growth and development.

McDonald’s Social Responsibility 

Further, the franchise strategy implemented by the company has not only enhanced its access to various markets but has also led to the overall increased performance and growth of the organization (Mujtaba & Patel, 2007). Despite this high level of performance, McDonald’s still faces certain challenges in its operation. The company is criticized for the production of fast foods that are not only high in calories but are overly considered unhealthy since they have limited content of healthy nutrients. The company has considered the production of a wide range of food products however; the negative publicity has remained pervasive based on the perceptions of the customers.

McDonald’s Business Ethics

The attitude and perceptions of consumers towards the products offered by McDonald’s. The central focus of the report is to evaluate McDonald’s business ethics and the efforts adopted by the company to avail of healthy foods and consequent potential in the current  Many organizations are compelled to evaluate the perceptions of customers towards their products to understand the quality of their products and services. Gilbert et al (2004) assert that the direct link between customer satisfaction and overall performance of the organization makes it’s mandatory that the level of satisfaction of the company’s customers is evaluated. The potential determinants of customer satisfaction include perceived product value and food quality.

McDonald’s Integrity 

McDonald’s has maintained a lead in the fast-food industry for some time now. However, the recent issue of the health risks associated with its range of products is likely to jeopardize the overall performance of the organization in the future. The study conducted to ascertain the level of preference for the company’s products as currently observed shows that a significant number of customers still feel that the products pose a significant health risks to the consumers. As much as an enhanced product and service quality is assured, the preference for the products has greatly reduced. Apart from just introducing products high in essential nutrients and those that possess minimal health risks to the consumers, the organization should communicate the same to the customers to create awareness on the existence of such products. As such, it is recommended that the company continue with the production of foods low in calories, preferably baked products and fresh foods using naturally available raw materials.