Business
Economic, Political, Legal and Social Influences on McDonalds

McDonalds is a well-known fast food chain which is impacted by a wide range of macro environmental influences. To remain successful it is necessary for the firm to be able to adjust and adapt to these changes. Some of the most important factors include economic, political, legal and social issues. The aim of this paper is to assess the way in which these factors may impact on the firm and assess the way that the firm has responded and may respond in the future.

key influence within the global economy which has impacted on many firms has been the recession. The general pattern seen in economies during a recession is a decrease in income leading to an aggregate decrease in demand (Nellis and Parker, 2006). The goods and services which are most sensitive to a decrease in demand are the non-essential goods and…...

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A key influence within the global economy which has impacted on many firms has been the recession. The general pattern seen in economies during a recession is a decrease in income leading to an aggregate decrease in demand (Nellis and Parker, 2006). The goods and services which are most sensitive to a decrease in demand are the non-essential goods and services bought out of discretionary spending (Nellis and Parker, 2006). McDonald's food is convenience and is not essential, so it is susceptible to a decrease in demand. The firm did see a decrease in some sales in some areas following the start of the recession. The overall results for the firm demonstrated a decreased by 3.3% in 2009, when the turnover fell to $22,745 million compared to $23,522 million in 2008 (McDonalds, 2010). However, the firm showed a smaller decrease compared to many other fast food firms and also managed to recover with a range of strategies.

The menu was adapted and the firm introduced a specific menu selection for the budget conscious; in the U.S. this was the dollar saver menu, in the UK it was the pound saver menu. This included a number of existing items highlighted as well as small specific items introduced, such as the Chicken Mayo in the UK. The firm has also tapped into the provision of alternate products competing with firms that traditionally had higher prices, benefiting from the downshifting of spending. This has included increased ranges of gourmet coffee to provide a lower cost alterative to Starbucks (Newsweek, 2010). There has also be the introduction of other premium drinks, such as smoothies, which is also credited with helping to increase sales by up to 15% in the U.S. (New York Post, 2011). This extension into related goods, which fit in with the menu, but may be seen as a value offering compared to other market suppliers appears to be a very successful strategy which may be extended. As the economy improves and more income is available this may also be a strategy which may also be used to increase the range at the upper end of the menu range.

There are also political influences. A major influence is value added tax, (VAT), a sales tax added by government, In the UK this was recently increased to 20%, which effectively increased the price of products. Many of the measures dealing with the economic issues will be useful here; due to the influence tax has on price. However the firm may also face an interest choice in the future; in a recent European case brought by a German fast food burger seller saw a ruling which stated that VAT should not be paid on food sold for immediate consumption (Bridge, 2011). So far governments, including the UK government have not made any changes, in the UK the government claims this would not have any impact, but it appears that the firm,

usiness Economics
Vincent

There is a process by which there is both a decrease in the number of jobs that is increasing, and this is coupled with a global transfer of jobs to less developed countries. oth of these have an impact in the decrease in availability of jobs in the advanced countries. The latest news on this front is from the United States. On the 5th of the current month, there was an announcement from the Labor Department that there has been growth in the United States economy and this had led to the creation of 21,000 new jobs. The previous predictions from the economists had been that there would be a creation of 150,000 jobs, and this number is far below the expected growth. The number of jobs created is also far lower then the growth in population that occurred during that period. The rate of unemployment in the population…...

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Bibliography

Bender, Siegfried; Li, Kui-Wai. "The Changing Trade and Revealed Comparative Advantages of Asian and Latin American Manufacture Exports" March 2002. Retrieved at   Accessed on Bortolotti, Bernardo; Fantini, Marcella; Siniscalco, Domenico. "Privatization around the world: evidence from panel data" Retrieved at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V76-47C8TWR-2&_user=10&_handle=B-WA-A-A-WU-MsSAYZW-UUW-AUYWBCWBVC-AUDEEBBAVC-BAWEYUWYB-WU-U&_fmt=full&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2004&_rdoc=14&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%235834%232004%23999119998%23466581!&_cdi=5834&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=fc6b7c0aa0055af294e78ae7d375c227Accessed  on Global Agenda; Brown' red box, full of pink slips "The Economist. 8 March, 2004 Retrieved at  http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2516331Accessed  on Kanwar, Sunil; Evenson, Robert E. "Does Intellectual Property Protection Spur Technological Change?" Retrieved at  http://www.econ.yale.edu/growth_pdf/cdp831.pdf . Accessed on Puzzling through the Jobless Recovery -- Or Is It a Fundamental Shift?" Retrieved at  http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=955Accessed  onhttp://www.econ.yale.edu/growth_pdf/cdp843.pdf .

Business -- Economics
Business Expectations and Community Involvement

Successful businesses bring many things to the communities in which they are located. Because they are successful and profitable they are often admired by most of the people that reside near them. The question at hand is whether these businesses should concentrate less on their maximization of profit and instead use some of their resources to give back to the communities. It would seem as though the answer to this would be a resounding "yes." Unfortunately, not all businesses are willing to do this.

Many businesses only have interest in how much profit they can make. They are not concerned about those around them, and they certainly do not give things back to the community. These businesses fail to realize some things. First of all, by using raw materials and resources from the community, potentially polluting the air of the community if the business is…...

Business Economics - GM545
Academic Term: May 2012 Session

Email ID:

Factors affecting the price of Gasoline:

It is an established fact that market forces of demand and supply are responsible for fluctuation in prices of commodities. Where demand is greater than supply, it is going to result in price hike i.e. An upward shift in the demand curve and vice versa.

Same principle governs the prices of gasoline at pumps and service stations. Where the retailer increases his prices, disregarding the competition, the demand of a gasoline at that particular pump will decline with business shifting to the competition. Where the demand reduces greatly, the retailer will further reduce his prices for customer retention.

Hence, it is competition in the retail industry which affects the prices greatly. This is the very reason why a gasoline station at a distant area or the one within the city shows price difference.

Another factor which may affect the prices…...

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References

Goettemoeller, J.A. (2007). Sustainable Ethanol: Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-Fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence (Brief and comprehensive account of the history, evolution and future of ethanol). Prairie Oak Publishing, Maryville, Missouri. ISBN 978-0-9786293-0-4.

Sowell, T. (2000). Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy

Sterk, R. (2010). Cold weather wreaks havoc on orange crop, markets

Orange juice futures volatile but large stocks limit upside, Retrieved from  http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/Opinion/Ron%20Sterk/Cold%20weather%20wreaks%20havoc%20on%20orange%20crop%20markets.aspx

Starbucks has the potential to benefit from the improving economic conditions. The firm appeals to the mass market, selling a non-essential product. Sales of non-essential products suffer most during economic downturns. Furthermore, when there is a recovery, firms that sell items of a relativity low cost that are still perceived as 'luxuries' may benefit from even small increases in the level of disposable income (Kotler and Keller, 2011). A key indicator of the economy in the U.S. is the unemployment level; this has dropped to 7.5% in 2013 with a recent Wall Street Journal survey of economists indicating they expect a further 180,000 jobs will be created each month for the next 12 months in the U.S. (Casselman and Izzo, 2013). As increase employment emerges wages are also likely to increase; raising the level of disposable income where the increases are above the rate of inflation. There is a general…...

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References

Baye Michael, (2007), Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Casselman, B; Izzo, P, (2013), Economic Road Clearing, but the Going Is Slow, Wall Street Journal, [online]   accessed 5th June 2013http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324059704578473383938968700.html 

Economagic, (2013), PPI: Dairy Products, [online]   accessed 5th June 2013http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/charter.exe/blswp/wpu023 

Forecasts.org, (2013), Crude Oil Forecast, [online]   accessed 5th June 2013http://forecasts.org/oil.htm 

A lower price enables an airline to remain well above the competition.
Economies of scale and scope are vital to the performance of an organization no matter the industry the organization is involved in. An organization can only remain competitive if driven to achieve economies of scale (Bronson & Morgan, 1998). Tactics an organization may adopt to achieve economies of scale and scope will include optimal market coverage, increasing sizes, superior "internal growth" and raised capital (Bronson & Morgan, 1998). Another important consideration for organizations include efficiency. One might define efficiency as "the ratio of inputs to outputs" (Bronson & Morgan, 1998).

Efficiency of an organization may be measured in various ways including by observation through accounting (Bronson & Morgan, 1998). An organization particularly a franchised business location will continually measure efficiency to ensure they are minimizing costs and saving time to help facilitate economies of scale and scope.

Tactics Businesses Use…...

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References

Acumen Professional Intelligence Ltd. (2005). "Business Environment - British Airways." Acumen Enterprise, 31, October 2005:

http://www.acumenenterprise.com/Business/Business_Environment_British_Airways_L18237/

British Airways, (2005). "Global Warming and Aviation." 31, Oct 2005:

 http://www.britishairways.com/travel/crglobalwarm/public/en_gb

Business Economics
The Limitations of the National Income Accounts in How They Represent Our Standard of Living

The national income accounts have been the center piece in all matters concerning economics across the globe. These rules are a primary source of reference in determining the economic status of a given nation. It is the most preferred indicator of the rate of improvement and making comparison across nations. However, it is not the perfect indicator for the economic state due to its limitations that give a false image of the highlighted economy (McEachern, 448).

To start with, the national income accounts do not include other financial details such as the non-market productions in a given country. These include activities such as preparations in various productions. For instance, in preparing food in a restaurant, one does not include the energy used by the person preparing the food before taking it for sale. hen such…...

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Works Cited

Gwartney, James D., Stroup, Richard L., Sobel, Russell S., & Macpherson, David A. Economics: Private and Public Choice. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008

McEachern, William A. Economics: A Contemporary Introduction. New York: Cengage Learning, 2011.

Tucker, Irvin B. Macroeconomics for Today. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010.

International Networking and the Outcomes of Global Networking
The purpose of the research proposed is to examine international business economics and specifically the impact that global networking has had upon organizations and corporations that are global providers of products and/or services. Research questions in this proposed study include those which ask as the questions of: (1) What is the impact of global networking on international business economics both in the U.S. And in developing countries throughout the world? And (2) Does affiliation drive business growth and profit for international organizations?

International Networking and the Outcomes of Global Networking

According to the work of Contractor and Lorange (2002) entitled "Cooperative Strategies in International usiness: Joint Ventures and Technology Partnerships etween Firms" there is increasingly acknowledgement that alternative forms of international business operations involving "negotiated arrangements between two or more firms." (Contractor and Lorange, 2002) This model involves the collaboration and cooperation by and between…...

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Bibliography

Changes in Global Organization (nd) World Bank report. Retrieved from:  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGEP/Resources/335315-1257200391829/gep2003chap2.pdf 

Contractor, FJ and Lorange, P (2002) Cooperative Strategies in International business: Joint Ventures and Technology Partnerships between firms. International business and management series. Vol. 2 Cooperative Strategies and Alliances in International business. Rutgers University. Graduate School of Management, Wharton School. Emerald Group Publishing 2002. Retrieved from:  http://books.google.com/books?id=BwfRrH5jEKgC&dq=International+Business+Economics&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Heinsz, WJ (nd) The Institutional Environment for International business. The Wharton school, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from:  http://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/henisz/papers/wiib.pdf 

Mataloni, Raymond J., and Daniel R. Yorgason (2002) Operations of U.S. Multinational Companies: Preliminary Results from the 1999 Benchmark Survey." Survey of Current Business. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. March.

Economic Environment of a Business
The objective of this work is to summarize the economic environment of a business including information relating to microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international trade aspects

The business organization is a "micro-economic unit" and the business environment is that which makes provision of the "macro-economic context within which firm operates." (eddy, ) The business environment can be categorized into the 'economic' and non-economic' and the 'micro- and macro-environment. (eddy,, paraphrased) The firm is an economic institution in a market system with the behavior of the firm reflecting the result of the decisions that were economic in nature that the manager of the firm made.

The economic environment of a business in today's globalized business society is complex in nature. There is an inherent link between the business sector and it relationship with the government, capital market, household sector and the international business sector -- all of which serve to influence…...

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References

Palwar, V.K. (2010) Economic Environment of Business 2nd Ed. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved from:  http://books.google.com/books?id=hNBEId591wYC&dq=Economic+Environment+of+a+Business&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Reddy, R.I. (2004) Business Environment. APH Publishing. Retrieved from:  http://books.google.com/books?id=NQv9vKgF_3MC&dq=Economic+Environment+of+a+Business&source=gbs_navlinks_s

UK National Environment

In UK, the allocation of resources is purely based on the forces of demand and supply. This form of economy is a free economy in which competition is embraced and firms have to become efficient to increase their level of competitiveness. The government only intervene to provide the necessary infrastructure and to ensure that consumers are not exploited by the businesses. Besides, the government will formulate policies that ensure fair competition and collect revenues for the country development agenda. With these, businesses must ensure that they operate within the law and abide by the regulations that are set by the state. Barr Company can therefore conduct business in a competitive industry without government interference on what form of business to do or the amount of prices to charge on their products. The management has large latitude of choice to make on how to produce, what to produce, and…...

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References

2003. Soft drinks in the UK, London, Euromonitor.

A.G., B.P.L.C. 2012. a.G, Barr plc financial results 2012 [Online]. Available:  http://www.agbarr.co.uk/agbarr/newsite/ces_docstore.nsf/wpg/1B9A74B86C552270802579CD00485134/$file/Final%20results%20announcement%20January%202012.pdf .

AGRAA, a. 2007. The European Union: economics and policies (8th ed.), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

BOTHA, a. & KOURIE, D. 2008. Coping with continuous change in the business environment:knowledge management and knowledge management technology, Oxford, Chandos Pub.

Economics Course
Economics impacts on many areas of life subsequently it will impact on many areas of professional life. eflecting on the lessons learned, including the knowledge and skills gained, the real value is in the way that economics concepts can be applied to the real world; not only to explain event that are seen in the macro-environment, but to guide the way personal decisions will be made with that knowledge.

The first indicator of the lessons and concepts taught in the class being absorbed and developing into transferable knowledge has emerged with an increased understanding of the way that the economy operates and the influences which are present in the economy that are driving up prices.

There are many examples of the economic concepts; one example is the way that supply and demand has impacted on oil prices which has had a knock on effect in the economy as a whole and…...

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References

Baye Michael, (2007), Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Greimel, Hans, (2012. April 30), Toyota wants high-volume U.S. Prius output by '15; Hunt is on for N.A. hybrid parts suppliers, Automotive News, p4

Nellis JG, Parker D, (2006), Principles of the Business Economics, London, Prentice Hall.

Scholes, Louise; Siegel Donald S; Wilson, Nick; Wright, Mike, (2012, Feb), Private equity portfolio company performance during the global recession, Journal of Corporate Finance, 18(1), 193.

Economics
Observing the Influences that Impact Market Equilibrium

Purchasing fresh produce in a farmers market offers an opportunity to buy direct from a supplier. The process of buying fruit and salad items direct from the suppliers, rather than though an intermediary such as a supermarket, increases the exposure of the purchaser to price fluctuations. Visiting the market, which is held every weekend, over a number of weeks it was possible to see how different influences would impact on the supply and demand for the products, and how this impacted on the prices. The prices of the little gem lettuces appears to be one of the more sensitive products; this may have been due to their short shelf life. These lettuces, unlike other produce, are not suitable to be held for any period in cold storage, so there is not the ability to hold a supply ready for the peak demand.

In the first…...

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References

Baye Michael, (2007), Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Nellis JG, Parker D, (2006), Principles of the Business Economics, London, Prentice Hall

The paper is written generically, so this may be changed for other produce items with a short shelf life.

The price may be changed as needed

(Png; Lehman, 2007)
As far as supply is concerned, if one were to assume that all the firms within an industry, like for example, in a government holding, are identical, then a market supply curve would be made up of the supply curves of all the supply curves of the individual producers in the country. (Adams; Periton, 2006) the elasticity of demand therefore measures the responsiveness of the demand to the changes in the factors that may affect demand. Therefore, this means that the elasticities of demand can be estimated for price, income, prices of related products or services, and the advertising expenditure needed. (Png; Cheng, 2001) as far as the factors affecting elasticity of supply are concerned, one must note that the longer the time one takes over the supply of a product or a service, the more elastic the supply becomes. Supply is stated to be elastic if…...

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References

Das, Satarupa. (2005, Apr) "The Concept of elasticity in economics" Retrieved 14 December, 2007 at  http://www.nvcc.edu/home/sdas/elasticity/ 

Piana, Valentino. (2004) "Elasticity" Retrieved 14 December, 2007 at  http://www.economicswebinstitute.org/glossary/elasticity.htm 

N.A. (n. d). "Economics basics, elasticity" Retrieved 14 December, 2007 at  http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics4.asp 

Wessels, Walter J. (2000) "Economics"

Business Finance
How firm raise capital by using venture capital? What conditions we need to raise capital by using venture capital?

Many startup companies are not mature enough to obtain capital from the public or secure a loan with the local banks in their area. They therefore, have to rely on venture capital as a way of raising capital for the firm to continue with the daily operations. Firms hence, raise capital by going out and looking for people who are willing to invest their money in a company that they see has the potential for growth. The company looks for a number of people who can pitch in large amounts of money depending on the nature and type of the business which if successful is expected to give above average returns to investors (Krishnan & Ivanov et al. 2011).

There exist certain conditions for a firm to secure capital from a venture…...

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References

Krishnan, C.V., Ivanov, V.I., Masulis, R.W., & Singh, A.K. (2011). Venture Capital

Reputation, Post-IPO Performance, and Corporate Governance. Journal Of Financial & Quantitative Analysis, 46(5), 1295-1333.

Hsu, Y. (2010). Staging of Venture Capital Investment: A Real Options Analysis. Small Business Economics, 35(3), 265-281.

Hopp, C. (2010). When Do Venture Capitalists Collaborate? Evidence on the Driving Forces of Venture Capital Syndication. Small Business Economics, 35(4), 417-431.

The graphic shown in Figure 1 was also provided in the article (Porter, 2008).
Figure 1: Five Forces Model

(Porter, 2008)

This model's effectiveness does not however capture the increasingly critical role of tacit and explicit knowledge in businesses. The tacit knowledge, of the type that is learned from the continual streamlining of core processes, is not easily captured and communicated. It is often called tribal knowledge as this type if intelligence often stays within workgroups where it originates and seldom is captured for broader use. Specific knowledge, or the type of intelligence that can easily be captured and communicated, is often not used to its full potential as well. Studies in the auto industry suggest that knowledge, not products or pricing, is the new competitive advantage (Dyer, Nobeoka, 2000). The Five Forces Model does not recognize how important knowledge is as a competitive force in the definition of competitive advantage and…...

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References

Jeffrey H. Dyer, & Kentaro Nobeoka. (2000). Creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing network: The Toyota case. Strategic Management Journal: Special Issue: Strategic Networks, 21(3), 345-367.

Ormanidhi, O., & Stringa, O.. (2008). Porter's Model of Generic Competitive Strategies. Business Economics, 43(3), 55-64.

Michael E. Porter. (2008, January). THE FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES THAT SHAPE STRATEGY. Harvard Business Review: Special HBS Centennial Issue, 86(1), 78-93.

Core Competency or Unique Strength of the Business

Electronic payment adoption factors play a crucial role in revenue growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in todays digital economy. With the increasing trend towards cashless transactions and the growing popularity of online shopping, businesses are recognizing the importance of embracing e-payment solutions to stay competitive and attract customers. In this literature review, we will explore the various factors that influence the adoption of electronic payment methods by SMEs and discuss how these factors can impact revenue growth. One of the key drivers of e-payment adoption among SMEs is convenience. Studies have shown that customers prefer the convenience of....