Common Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Common Assessment - Research Paper Example The company has been a subject of criticism for its products mainly due to the fact that they are causing high levels of obesity to the customers. In an effort to curb this recent challenge that it has been subject to mainly in the western countries, McDonald’s Corporation has introduced healthier items in its menu which are inclusive of: fruits, salads and wraps. The fast food restaurant as has already been preempted has operations in markets globally hence it is fairly distributed in very many countries. In regard to this paper though, the main attention will be placed in India, France, England and China as a critical analysis and comparison is carried out on the marketing mix that the company employs mainly in the identified countries. McDonald’s Corporation’s 4P’s Marketing Mix McDonald’s forms part of the brands that are best known worldwide hence its main aim in marketing is to continue building stronger its brand in international markets by b eing a perfect listener of its customers. It is important though to take note of the fact that McDonald’s faces stiff competition from other fast food restaurants hence the need for a very competitive and effective marketing mix so s to continue emerging as the best in the diverse markets. Having identified the target customers that it is dealing with, McDonald’s comes out strongly to create a marketing mix that optimally appeals specifically to the target group (Kurtz 2010). The four main tools of marketing that are used in marketing mix are: product, price, promotion and place. In order to come up with the perfect marketing mix that optimally works for the benefit of the company basic questions are answered by the marketing department at McDonald’s. The questions whose answers determine the type of marketing mix to be used are: which products are well received in the market; what prices are the consumers willing to pay for the desired products; what television programs, newspapers are and advertising journals are mostly red and viewed by the consumers and which restaurants are mostly visited. This then offers the basis for identification of specific marketing goals of the company. With the marketing goals available, then the marketing mix (which is the focal interest point of this paper) can then be formed. Just as it is the case in other companies, the marketing mix of McDonald’s involves the four Ps which are exclusively analyzed in the following part in reference to McDonald’s. In regard to the ‘Product’ McDonald’s places more emphasis on efforts targeted at developing a menu which has what the customers do want. This is determined in McDonald’s using market research which is a very active department in the company given the fact that the requirements of the customers do change over time very rapidly. The fashionable foods today may be highly disregarded by the customers the next day (Kurtz 201 0). In an effort to keep up with the pressure that is created by the ever changing wants of the customers, McDonald’s has literally changed the old products with new products and it is still continuing to do so as to remain competitive in the market. In regard to its products, McDonald’s is very keen in knowing the fact that during the life cycle of a product in the market, changes do occur. Investment is therefore injected in the product depending on the stage at which it is in the market. It is due to this approach that at a given time, McDonald’