How McDonald's Got Its Groove Back

by New Word City

How did the lumbering fast-food giant McDonald's cure its own sclerosis and become a newly lean, hungry competitor? Its comeback offers lessons for leaders everywhere in focusing on what their customers really want. For example, don't react to competitors, react to customers. When you broaden your market appeal, don't abandon your first customers. Don't skimp on product development.

McDonald's hit bottom early in 2003. Sure, it was still the biggest fast-food provider in the world. But the stock collapsed after the company reported its first-ever quarterly loss. Battered by critics, nibbled at by new competitors (Subway, Sonic, Quiznos), undermined by overbuilding and a failure to adapt to changes in consumer habits and tastes, the giant was out of breath and sagging over its belt. Behind the scenes, though, a turnaround had begun. A new team of leaders was out to rejuvenate the core brand, shed irrelevant activities, and adjust McDonald's operations to what the customer really wanted. The story of how they did it holds copious lessons for any business faced with bringing new life to a lagging brand. It demanded changes in every phase of a worldwide enterprise with $23 billion in sales, 31,000 restaurants, and fully 1.6 million employees. But the new McDonald's team had patience, determination, and a "Plan to Win.."..

"New Word City, publishers of digital originals, contributes 10 percent of its profits to literary causes."

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Soh Yun-Huei]

Interesting but barely skims the surface

Offers a very brief look at McDonald's turnaround but insights are rather generic. Felt more like a Cliffs Notes to an actual book.

[Sally]

Not counting this in my 2012 tally, because it took all of fifteen minutes to read.

Proof that I'll really read anything if it's free-for-Kindle? LOL. But actually this was pretty interesting. For what it was, I'd probably give it four stars, if I was only comparing it with books of the same ilk. It's short and succinct - perhaps even too short, I'd have actually cared for a teensy bit more detail on foreign restaurants! But comparing it to every book ever (er, that I've read) then three stars it is. Nice and average. Interesting without being mind-blowing. Actually worth the time to read - since, of course, it's only a quarter-hour job.

[Jane]

Fast read with no substance

[Sara]

COUNTDOWN: 7 DAYS LEFT FOR GETTING ITS GROOVE BACK!!