Design of Goods and Services

How product design is applied in decision-making of McDonalds’ company?

Currently, most companies are phasing out the use of Styrofoam in fast food packaging. McDonald’s food company does not follow this trend since it introduced a new product in the market and has since started to use this form of packaging. It is the largest food company and it is using Styrofoam cup to serve its sweet tea for only $ 1. The food company uses a large 6 Styrofoam cup despite having disposable food cups such as those made by paper. The use of the cup is significant in its promotion strategies. Their strategy in decision making relies on life cycle impact as opposed to end-of life impacts. The management intends to focus on optimizing life cycle of packaging materials (Wynyard, 2010). They always evaluate packages for impacts across several aspects such as resource use, weight and recyclability. They do not only base their product design on the idea on the ability to recycle. Environment is also a factor in decision making but it does not entirely affect decisions of the managers. Other factors include functionality, supply availability and cost that help in customer’s expectation.

Can you describe a Product Life Cycles in the organization?

The managers have done their best to help products become age defying. This has enhanced their stay in the maturity stage of product life cycle for decades. Their products also depend on continuous reinvention on product concept. McDonald has been making food products for more than a century and the name has been a household name selling to different states in the U.S. the manager has worked hard to keep their food products fresh by adding a stream of new tastes, sizes, color, packaging and new products (Alfino, 1998). It uses its local knowledge including its capital to build a brand and develop market by raising profitability for most of its brands in long term. The food company has also licensed its brand name for use on lunch boxes and in different products.

How different Issues for Product Development are applied in the organization

McDonald has undergone several development license models that have been applied in several companies. It uses its local knowledge including its capital to build a brand and develop market by raising profitability for most of its brands in long term. For example, the recent change made on JV to DL in South West Indian’s McDonald, will sustainably create a significant and future opportunity of most of its brands. With the current development of technologies, shifts of demographic goals, fluctuating customer tastes, dynamic competition and transformation of economies, there has been a necessity for McDonald’s food company to align with the environment by reacting to external events (Alfino, 1998). The food company does this by reacting to external events and shaping the business around the food company. Strategic changes adopted by McDonald are an answer to frequent response to perceived weaknesses and stringent environmental factors. Its strategic change has taken forms arising from spread of markets occupied by the food company. The management intends to focus on optimizing life cycle of packaging materials. They always evaluate packages for impacts across several aspects such as resource use, weight and recyclability.

Reference

Wynyard, R. (2010). McDonald’s Food Products. ID: Magazine of International Design, Vol.

52, Issues 3-4. Design Publications Publisher

Alfino, M. (1998). McDonaldization Revisited: Critical Essays on Consumer Culture.

Greenwood Publishing Group