Creativity of the McDonalds' Management in the UAE

• Main Author: Bohari, Abdul Manaf
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Subjects: H Social Sciences (General)
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/25039/1/indexecofi.docx; http://repo.uum.edu.my/25039/

This study was aimed at assessing the strategies adopted by McDonald's in the UAE. Being a leading brand in the global fast food restaurant chain business, McDonald's strategic decisions have attracted the attention of industry analysts as well as researchers from around the world. McDonald's expansion strategies have been one of the key focus points for discussion since long. Its localisation and diversification attempts have been successful in the previous ventures of the brand, as can be witnessed in the context of UAE as well. In this study, emphasis has been levied on studying the creative aspects of the strategies applied by McDonald's in the UAE. To accomplish this purpose, the 4Ps model along with SWOT and TOWS matrices were used in the study, which proved quite effective to gain an insight to the strategies adopted by the restaurant chain in the UAE. The study findings thus revealed that McDonald's approach in the UAE has been continuously evolving in its entirety, which has helped the company to flourish in the market. McDonald's target market segment in the UAE comprises customers from almost every age group, ranging from children to families. It serves through nearly 148 outlets in the UAE presently, which includes technologically equipped kiosks, drive-thrus and outdoor seating facilities. Its menu is designed on the basis of its customers' preferences, which contains fresh halal meats and organic food products sourced both nationally and internationally. It follows the open door policy wherein the restaurant shares information regarding its food preparation process with its customers and other stakeholder groups. The company has been much appreciated for its initiatives to engage customers and employees in its initiatives that have contributed to customers' preference towards the brand. Nonetheless, the restaurant chain has also been criticised for the poor nutritional values of its food items, for which it needs to take appropriate measures