Functions of Management and Roles of Management - Assignment Example

? Functions of Management and Roles of Management Introduction Management is generally defined as the way of accomplishing the organization’s objectives by managing the activities performed by others in the organization. It is considered that management is predominately concerned with managing all the factors that would help an organization to achieve its common goal more efficiently. The activities of management are divided into different functions in order to execute the various tasks efficiently in accordance with the predetermined goals of an organization. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the leadership functions adopted by the management body of McDonald’s. Furthermore, this paper intends to ascertain the primary reasons of McDonald’s behind securing a leading and most profitable fast-food restraint in the world (Sabharwa, 2012). Discussion With the advent of globalization and the rapid development in technology, it is very vital for every organization to adapt new techniques and strategies that would help them in maintaining and retaining a leading position in the market. Accordingly, McDonald’s is considered to be one of the leading fast-food restaurants in the world. The fast-food chain was established in the year 1940 in California USA. Currently, the fast-food chain has a total number of 34,000 stores across the world and it further intends to expand its number of stores in future. It is worth mentioning that at the initially the business faced many challenges from increasing competitors like Burger King and Subway. However, the effective management practice has embraced the fast-food chain to establish itself as a leading and one of the most renowned fast-food brand around the world. The primary reason behind its success can be attributed to adaption and execution of modern management function within the organization. It is worth mentioning that the fast-food chain with its effective management practice has been constantly involved in updating its stores according to the changing requirements of the customers globally. . It can be argued that the efficient management function has helped McDonald’s to establish itself as one of the leading and most popular fast-food chains in the world. The various management functions performed in the organization are discussed below. Planning Planning is an important task and is the first function of management. Good planning contributes towards making effective decisions in subsequent stages. Accordingly, McDonald’s has framed and implemented different marketing strategies to seek large customer base and loyalty. The prime focus of the fast-food chain has been to offer products at affordable prices. The fast-food chain has also emphasized on meeting the needs of children by increasing its product line especially meant for the children preferences and expectations. The fast-food chain widely considers promotional activities as an effective tool for increasing its competitiveness at global market segment. The fast-food chain has uses slogans such as “We love to see you smile,” “I’m Lovin’ it,” and “Food, Folks, and Fun,” among others as a medium for promoting its product and services. Another important component of the fast-food chain has been its ability to change its strategies quickly according to the changing business environment (Conrad, Grover, Vinciguerra & McKnight, 2009). Organizing The business model of McDonald’s is slightly different manner than other fast-food chain. The organization is considered to be one of the largest holders of franchisors around the world. After its establishment the organization has almost 34,000 stores and serving millions of customer’s daily worldwide. The strategy of providing franchisee is considered to be one of the most important functions of the company as it has helped the business in managing its brand awareness and expanding its business globally. Leadership The leadership in McDonald’s has always been a prime factor for its success. The organization follows transformation style of leadership which relies on making decisions based on the changing business environment. It is worth mentioning that the major focus of the organization’s leaders has been to meet the customer preferences and expectations along with improving its restaurants. There has been continuous succession in CEO. The CEO of McDonald’s is often viewed as symbolic driver and a leader of the organizations initiatives and ideals. The primary objective of McDonald’s CEO has been to satisfy the discriminating needs of their customers (Boje & Rhodes, n.d.). Controlling The organization practice strict control over its operations in order to ensure that quality product is delivered to its customers. The company has articulated certain policies and code of conduct in order to ensure proper discipline in the worldwide market segment. The organization emphasizes that every employees are treated with respect and dignity. Furthermore, the organization strictly prohibits the practice of forced labor and child labor. Additionally, the organization constantly involved in monitoring of its operations in order to ensure that all the activities are in conformity with the established standards. The organization often conducts inspections of its suppliers and their business practices with a motive of attaining quality products from its suppliers. Again, the suppliers refusing to allow inspections are duly terminated from the list of approved suppliers (McDonald’s, 2013; McDonald’s, 2009). Conclusion It can be argued that the various functions of management has significant role for the success of any organization. Accordingly, management of McDonald’s is required to display their functions in the most effective manner. In other words the success of McDonald’s can be attributed to the competency of its management to plan, organize and control the various activities of the organization. Over the years the marketing and promotional strategies introduced by McDonald’s have widely facilitated in retaining leading position in the global fast-food industry. Moreover, the franchising has offered the organization to expand its business globally in the most efficient manner. It can be admitted that succession in the CEO despite the increased turnover has embraced fast-food chain with new and innovative leadership ideas which has proved to be an essential component for its success. Finally, the monitoring and establishment of code-of conduct has contributed towards delivering quality products to its customers globally. References Boje, D. M. & Rhodes, C. (n.d.). The leadership of Ronald McDonald’s: double narration and stylistic lines of transformation. Retrieved from http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/research/bitstream/handle/10453/5993/2006003900.pdf?sequence=1 Conrad, K., Grover, M., Vinciguerra, S., & McKnight, D. (2009). McDonald’s marketing mix. Principles of Marketing Management, pp. 1-8. McDonald’s. (2009). Worldwide corporate responsibility online report: the values that we bring to the table. Retrieved from http://www.McDonald’s.at/presse/maps/McDCSR.pdf McDonald’s. (2013). Our people. Retrieved from http://www.McDonald’s.com/us/en/careers/our_people.html Sabharwa, S. (2012). Managerial roles in small business. Retrieved from http://www.du.ac.in/fileadmin/DU/Academics/course_material/EP_06.pdf Read More