Franchising †Fast food Essay

Now a days, fast food is becoming a cheap and yet a popular way for people who are too busy to cook. But the cheap price of the fast food is nothing in comparison to the true price that these people are paying. Every 4 out of 10 adults in the USA will become obese in the next 5 years if they keep eating this food the way they are. Eating fast food like this is causing major health risks. Since this food is so cheap, it makes it convenient for people to go out and get food instead of staying home to cook. In addition, fast food companies are trying to target kids. If the companies get to the kids at a young age, they will get hooked on the food. Because of all this, people need to stop eating fast food before it gets out of hand. This fast food world has spread tremendously around the globe, and obesity has shortly followed. In addition to this it has also brought heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and many other types of illnesses. Fast food isn’t only making people fatter, but its also increasing people’s chances of obtaining type two diabetes. People’s muscles and fat cells that have type two diabetes lose the ability to take in a sugar called glucose from their blood. The glucose builds up and reaches very high levels and because of this they get damage to the eyes, neuropath (loss of feeling), kidney disease and heart disease. Most of the people who have type two diabetes are obese or overweight. A long-term study between the link of fast food, obesity and diabetes were tested. It compared the people who would eat fast food at least twice a week to the people who ate it less than once a week. The results showed that the people who are more fast food gained about 10 pounds more then the people who are it less than once a week over a fifteen-year period. Eating fast food can cause many diseases such as Hypertension, Heart Disease, Cancer, Gall Bladder Disease and E. coli, which is one of the worst forms of food poisoning. E. Coli is spread through undercooked burgers and it is very difficult to cure. 4 % of the people who have this poison develop hemolytic uremic syndrome and close to 5 % of the kids who develop this die. E. Coli is now becoming the major reason for renal failure for American kids. People would rather spend their money on a cheap burger that tastes good compared to a burger that tastes just as good for six times the price. The great thing about fast food is that over these many years their products taste hasn’t changed. â€Å"The whole experience of buying fast food, has become so routine, so thoroughly unexceptional and mundane, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light. † Says Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Millions of people a day are buying fast food because it’s so convenient to get to. Today’s economy is also dropping and because of this going out to buy fast food has become easier to feed people’s families. Instead of a family going out to a restaurant to feed the family for 60 dollars, they can go to a fast food restaurant and spend about one third of that. These fast food restaurants are making a lot of money off this cheap food With the money they make, they spend some of it for advertising to grab people’s attention Since most kids watch TV they are the ones that are affected most by this McDonald’s spends billions of dollars on advertising each year. Most of the kids know Ronald McDonald more than they do their own president. Just about 30% of all children each day eat fast food according to a Harvard study. This is part of the reason why America is the fattest country in the world. According to Alan Green, on average, kids who eat fast food gain an extra 6 pounds in weight each year. â€Å" The numbers, though alarming, are not surprising since billions of dollars are spend each year on fast-food advertising directed at kids, â€Å" said lead author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at children’s Hospital Boston. Borzekowski says that most people prefer the branded fries compared to unbranded fries and the same results were found about branded chicken nuggets and non-branded chicken nuggets. â€Å" Its no surprise that branding works,† says Borzekowski. In another test done by Borzekowski, they took two burgers from McDonalds and put one in a non branded wrapper, Borzekowski had the kids try both and astonishingly most kids tasted a difference in the two burgers. The majority of the preferred the McDonalds wrapped burger. McDonalds also finds ways of getting to the kids, because in Seminole County, the kids are rewarded with Happy Meals if the have a nearly perfect attendance or it they do well on their report cards. In fact, Stuart Elliot of the New York Times says that the Florida schools are â€Å"using children’s report cards to help stimulate sales { at McDonalds }. † Kids can get a number of Happy meal choices such as four chicken McNuggets, a Hamburger and small fries or a cheeseburger with apple dippers. These kids are being rewarded with fast food, which is part of the reason that they are becoming obese. The concepts of conformity and organizational homogenization, while repugnant in a democratic society, can actually aid big businesses and more specifically franchises in promoting quality assurance and brand loyalty. Large corporations, such as McDonald’s, are able to maintain stability and control by removing any factors that may create unfamiliarity for their customers. The goal of McDonald’s is to create a fast food empire founded on conformity to ensure a common experience. For example, everything from the menu, to the restaurant facade, to the golden arch flag waving proudly beside our American flag, demonstrates their efforts to create a sense of comfort through familiarity. McDonald’s target market expects the same service, experience, and product whenever they enter a franchise location. Large corporations recognize the power of consistency and the importance of conformity within their ranks. When Ray Kroc says, â€Å"We have found out [†¦ ] that we cannot trust some people who are nonconformists. [†¦ ] The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization†, Kroc was trying to emphasize the importance of conformity and need for trust in the organization’s goals. Kroc had created a successful formula and needed his employees to share his vision. The American fast food industry has made a significant impression on our social and economic landscape. The concept of â€Å"flipping burgers† has become synonymous with entry level employment for teens and other unskilled laborers. The industry employs hundreds of thousands of people at all levels. The industry also occupies a prominent place in our popular culture. From commercials on television, to the ads on the side of the bus, to the billboard on the side of highway 95, the fast food industry has made itself a visible force in the American economy and pop culture. The fast food industry’s size also allows it to play a significant role in our political system. Companies such as McDonald’s have a keen interest in labor, tax and trade policy. While Ray Kroc’s vision of conformity and trust in the collective over the individual contradicts our concept of a free society, it is essential to the success of a company using the franchise business model. Consistency and organizational trust are the keys to ensuring customer familiarity and brand loyalty.