Ethics: Cross Cultural Perspective

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Week 5

Felecia (Lisa) Alexander

ETH/316

June 29, 2015

Joel Nkemakolam

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Week 5

The purpose of this essay is to identify a global organization with a multinational presence, identify and research a cultural issue that affects this organization's interactions outside the United States, define the issue and provide an overview of how it became an issue in the organization, and analyze the ethical and social responsibility issues McDonald’s organization must deal with as a result of being global.

Food is an important element in defining culture. Cross-cultural perspectives on food play a significant role in the international realm. Fast food was unknown before the introduction of McDonald’s overseas. McDonald’s restaurants are a global organization with a multicultural presence. McDonald’s entrance into the global market has not been easy. There are concerns about how the spread of standardization of the McDonald’s franchise is affecting cultures and the environment. Protests in Brazil, labor grievances in Moscow, and protests in France regarding hormone fed beef are a few of the concerns McDonald’s has had to address in countries abroad.

In regards to the environment, “McDonald’s has been accused of having a negative impact because they continue to use paper and plastic based cutlery and eating utensils, which means McDonald’s is continuing to abuse the environment by tearing down trees to help make their eating utensils, as well as throwing out their plastic wastes, which is damaging, as plastic is difficult to break down” ("Ethics Of Mcdonalds", n.d.).

“McDonald’s has come up with a dozen ways to cut its materials use behind the scenes, but these advances have not been publicized” (Meadows, 1989).

References

Ethics of mcdonalds. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mcdonaldsethics.weebly.com/mcdonalds-ethical-issues.html

Meadows, D. (1989). Donella Meadows Institute. Retrieved from...