McDonalds: External Environment

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The response addresses the queries posted in 1645 words with references.

//Before writing about the Strategic Audit of McDonald's Company, it is necessary to perform an External Analysis of McDonald's. Maintaining the length of the page, I will be explaining the key points in the external environment. Here, I am beginning with the introduction//

McDonalds: External Environment

Introduction

The external environment of a company consists of the opportunities and threats. It consists of the micro and the macro environment. The micro environment consists of an analysis of the industry and the competition while the macro environment comprises of the PESTEL analysis, that is, the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment. (Ramaswamy & Namakumari, 2005)

Environmental Analysis

?X Packaging design is an elementary part of top quality customer service. A lot of of the products have exclusive and distinctive packaging designs to provide insulation, help in making sure that the food is safe, and making them easy for carryout. This gives them loads of continuing opportunities to reduce the impacts of their packaging on the environment and to provide industry leadership in natural resource protection. From the time of the early 1990s, they have paid attention on two major environmental aspects of their packaging¡Xthe entire amount of material used and the percentage of the material that is recycled content. In 2005, the overall packaging weight (in 8 of their 9 key markets) was 0.14 pounds per transaction count (each total cost rung up in the cash register). 31.5% of the total material used was recycled paper. They have taken many steps to make their packaging more environmentally friendly.

?X Some of the important guidelines for packaging are:

1. Eliminate unnecessary packaging.

2. Prefer or advocate the use of materials made from renewable sources.

3. Reduce the total amount of material used in our packaging.

4. Design consumer packaging for its capacity to be recycled.

5. Prefer materials and processes that reduce pollution¡Xlike, make best use of the recycled content and unbleached fiber.

?X McDonalds is also taking part, via their prime packaging supplier, in two multi-stakeholder associations¡Xthe Paper Working Group and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Both of them look for promoting practices that would aid in making packaging more steady and reliable with the long-term health of the environment.

?X The forests that provide raw materials for paper and other wood fiber materials are under considerable pressures because of worldwide demands of the consumers and industry. To some extent, these pressures can be lessened by using recycled content. McDonalds have been working on several aspects to integrate environmentally responsible fiber procurement practices into the ...