...Option #2: McDonald’s and Obesity Lauren Derman CSU-Global Campus International and Multi-Cultural Marketing MKG400-1 Michael Aubry July 28, 2016 Option #2: McDonald’s and Obesity Obesity, as it relates to fast food, has been tied together in controversy for many years. It is an uphill battle that continues to occur throughout the globe; however, one fast food restaurant, in particular, has been blamed for contributing to the obesity problem especially in young people as this epidemic continues to grow. In this paper, we will discuss the problem as it relates to the case study written specifically about McDonalds and their influence on the explosion of child obesity. Additionally, we will examine further a few of the most important questions regarding the case as it relates to the Ronald McDonald mascot, the merits of law that would require warning labels or health messages within the commercials for the corporation, as well as the current attitude towards the rising issue of obesity and the various approaches to solving the problem. Ronald McDonald Vs Joe Camel As the problem of obesity continues to debilitate our youth and contribute to life-threatening illnesses and diseases, it is very easy for stakeholders and consumers such as parents point the finger at Ronald McDonald. The vibrantly dressed corporate mascot most recognized for his iconic clown makeup and big red shoes has recently been compared to that of Joe Camel his extreme opposite in marketing advertisements...
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...start to blame others for this epidemic. There are two sides to this controversy. Consumer vs Company. Many people believe that the companies targeting children and adults with advertising everywhere are to blame, however there are others who blame the consumers for not being aware of the effects the food industries’ product. Parents are constantly sucked into the belief that one of those said fast food companies. Parents even started suing McDonald's for failing to successfully advise the public of the negative effects of their products, even showing the example of...
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... Children and teens see all different kinds of fast food marketing strategies everywhere. From television ads, internet ads, cell phones, magazines and so many other ways it’s astonishing. Fast food restaurants make sure that they use toys that are popular at the time to market to children so that they will want to get the happy meal with the toy like a doll or an action figure. If a new movie is coming out then the fast food restaurants make sure they get the toys for that movie. They have both girls and boys toys. Fast food restaurants also like to use flashy ads to draw kids to want their food. Over 10 billion dollars are spent on advertising to children. Fast food places need to cut back on the advertising would be very beneficial. They know that children are a big influence on what their parent buy for food. On average children view over 40,000 commercials a year, which are mostly for candy, cereal, toys, and fast foods. A lot of the time parent will not object to the idea of getting something fast and easy so that they do not have to cook themselves. Interview with Shannon Brownlee According to Shannon Brownlee, who is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, at Washington, D.C. that it is hard to really say that fast food places are encouraging unhealthy eating habits, because you have to know how people respond to the advertising. She says that it is very clear though that the amount of fast food which people are eating has gone up in the last...
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...describing the sugar and obesity epidemic in our nation. Marcia Clemmitt is social policy reporter for CQ Researcher and a former editor in chief for Medicine & Health. The formal information given on obesity suggest that the audience is anyone that is struggling with obesity or gaining knowledge on this issue. The statistics and unbiased views serve as a resource to others. There are multiple graphs that reflect the states within the U.S with the higher numbers of obese children. The article on Sugar Controversies was found by using CQ researcher and their advanced search option. CQ Researcher is a resource that contains many articles on the hot topics of today. This article focuses in on the affects a parent has on their child’s eating habits. The author,...
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...English 101 2 May 2012 Childhood Obesity on the Rise Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the world, and is showing no sign of slowing down. Obesity is a vicious cycle that starts with simply carrying an extra five or ten pounds and leads to obesity in no time. There is less of an urge to go out and get in shape. People see it and want it, but aren’t taking the right steps to do so. With the growing attraction for television, video games, and computer use combined with the easy capability to get highly fattening foods in a quick low price, it looks like it’s going to be a problem for a long time to come. This fast food problem has become an accepted means of a meal. In his book True Enough, Farhad Manjoo examines the Committee on Food Habits and their research on how Americans think about food. Manjoo states that, “even for something as fundamental as eating, people look to others to determine the reality around them. You eat to live, but what you eat is more a cultural choice than a mere act of biological survival” (49). There is a big controversy over whether or not obesity is a genetic disease. That debate gets more and more intense as the rates of childhood obesity rise. Some people believe it is a disease because it comes genetically for biological reasons. Other people believe it is not a disease at all, rather it is a chosen lifestyle combined with bad eating habits and the environment for which they live in. I believe that childhood obesity is caused by a variety...
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...The term addiction is most commonly associated with drug abuse. Until recently, food specifically sugar has gained enough momentum to be compared and classified as addictive as cocaine is (Ahmed et al.). There are 300,000 deaths per year related to obesity in the United States, making it the second most preventable cause of death (Flegal et. al). In comparison, there are only 47,000 deaths related to drug use (National Center for Health estimated Statistics). This essay will explore, sugar, the underlying issue contributing to the obesity epidemic. In the documentary from “Sugar Coated” they state that “in the past 30 years obesity rates have doubled to 600 million… and diabetes rates have tripled to 347 million worldwide.” Comparably in that...
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...“Aspartame: Sweet Friend or Bitter Enemy?” Responding to the Public (Week 5 Alternative Assignment) HCS 539 What is Aspartame? “Human beings have an attraction to sweet food. Even ancient cave paintings at Arana in Spain exhibit a Neolithic man procuring honey from a bee’s nest. (Blachford, 2002). Aspartame is the name for a non-carbohydrate, non-nutritive artificial sweetener. It is synthesized from two amino acids, aspartic acid and the essential amino acid phenylalanine. It is the most commonly used sugar substitute on the market. It was first isolated and discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter. Schlatter was a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. It was an incidental finding while Schlatter was in the process of making an anti-ulcer drug. While turning a page in his reference materials, he licked his finger, only to find it incredibly sweet. During initial safety testing, there was some early debate as to whether aspartame was carcinogenic , or cancer causing, in laboratory rats. It was subjected to further studies before it was submitted to the FDA for approval as a food additive. Aspartame was finally approved for use, in dry foods, in 1974. Searle was initially not allowed to market it until 1981. In 1980, the FDA convened a board of inquiry into the claim that aspartame could have carcinogenic properties in rats, particularly brain cancer. The board’s findings were equivocal. They found that aspartame did not cause any documented...
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...later his successor, Charlie Bell, resigned after being diagnosed with cancer, leaving the post to Mr Skinner, who was billed the “accidental CEO”. McDonald’s was also hit by negative publicity. The documentary Super Size Me was playing in cinemas, showing the world through film-maker Morgan Spurlock’s diet the dire effects of subsisting on McDonald’s. “Everything was going wrong for McDonald’s,” says Steve West, analyst at ITG Investment Research. “The restaurants were disgusting and the food was horrible. The best thing that happened to McDonald’s was Super Size Me.” McDonald’s announced on Wednesday that Mr Skinner would retire this summer, ending a 41-year career that he began as a trainee restaurant manager in Carpentersville, Illinois. The 67- year-old will be replaced by Don Thompson, who has been chief operating officer since 2010. Mr Skinner, an architect of the company’s “plan to win” strategy that has become a playbook for the fast-food industry, leaves with the reputation as a turnround artist and leaves his successor with the challenging task of maintaining the company’s momentum. Last year, McDonald’s recorded its strongest comparable store sales in the US since 2006 and plans to invest $2.9bn this year to open another 1,300 outlets, including nearly 175 in the US, 250 across Europe and 250 in China. In February, it had its 106th consecutive month of positive same-store sales growth in the US. Its stock price has soared...
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...Should over-eating that leads to obesity be considered an eating disorder? Introduction The twenty-first century has seen many changes in body image from previous decades, ranging from all different body shapes and sizes. As the media is glorifying slenderness and a thin physique the rates of obesity all over the world are still increasing at an exceptional level. Obesity can be simply defined as having too much excess body fat that is considered healthy for a person’s height. Obesity after several decades of controversy has been finally recognised as a disease by the obesity Society in 2008. Just like all other diseases obesity can have very serious consequences on a person’s health. There are a lot of factors that come into context to determine if someone is obese or not. Currently the most convenient way to diagnose obesity is by examining a person’s BMI (Body mass Index). If an adult’s BMI results come back with a figure ranging between 25-30 they are likely considered to be overweight thus any score over 30 is on the scale of obesity. Obesity rates will continue to soar if people don’t take immediate action. Obesity is not always the result of excessive over eating or an extreme lack of exercise and physical activity, but it also is the result of biological and behavioural factors. (A)What are the causes of obesity? The cause of obesity is not always clear. Individual differences will play a huge role in determining what the cause of obesity is. The most known...
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...The debate about health care involves issues concerning the right to have healthcare insurance as well as those 65 and older, obesity epidemic, smoking and how each of these topics affects health care in the United States. The number of people with health insurance has steadily increased among with the elderly, who face additional challenges when it comes to seeking health care. The projected increase of Americans classified as obese or who smoke has also had an impact on our health care system. The rising cost of health care and health insurance will have a great impact on the future of the economy. Today’s health care system is increasingly complex regarding cost-controlling measures and the affordability of insurance premiums. The...
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...available information today than ever before, we don’t know what we should eat, or even what we’re eating. The truth is that every phase of the food cycle, from manufacturing to consumption, has become corrupted. This corruption, furthermore, will have ramification for future generations. This is because food manufacturing is not only making our bodies sick, but it also has a devastating impact on our environment as well. Using corn as an example, this essay seeks to explain how we are becoming sickened by food. Unsurprisingly, farms are responsible for producing much of the food we eat, as well as the food for the animals we eat. Ideally, in a natural farm system, agriculture has a symbiotic relationship with its ecosystem. For example, natural, healthy soil contains water and nutrients for crops to grow. When the crops are harvested, their remains go back into the earth and act as fertilizer to replenish lost nutrients. Similarly, when livestock grazes, their waste is returned to the earth in the form of fertilizer. Fundamentally, in a natural system, whatever is taken from nature is given back. When food is grown in this manner, it reaches its potential in terms of taste and nutrition with no destructive effects on environment and ourselves. But less than one percent of the world’s farms operate in such a way. The implication is that the foods we eat are most likely produced by farmers whose goals are not the achievement of quality and sustainability, but rather profitability...
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...Obesity Capstone Implementation Project Dr. Reid Hope Locklear UNCW Obesity This process of this project was focused on Obesity in which I used information from my Community Assessment to help prepare this project. During completion of the Community Assessment it became clear that one of the major disadvantages that my community suffered from was Obesity. My target audience included a group of participates that range in the age of 20-35 years old in equal numbers of both female and male participates. Teaching was conducted at the local Bariatric Center. My goal in this project was to make participates more aware of the risk associated with obesity and teach them a healthier lifestyle. Program Objective: The objective to this teaching plan was to have participates be able to recall ways to have healthier choices in regards to diet and exercise. They would be able to demonstrate a knowledge base on the way to lead a more heather lifestyle. In the first stage of this teaching experience I wanted to get a base as to what members of the group felt it meant to be obese and their view on obesity and risk associated with this disease. I asked the question to 10 participates within this group if the participate was aware that Obesity was a disease? 10 out of 10 stated that they were not aware that obesity was a disease. I proceeded to ask the participates to use one word to describe...
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...Chipotle's CSR: Mission or Marketing? Megan Rehkemper Webster Abstract Companies with CSR stated standards tend to make the headlines when their actual business practices are contrary to those standards. Chipotle, one of the fastest growing chain restaurants, is no stranger to this controversy. The company has made great strides in offering “Food with Integrity” yet it still lacks in credibility. This paper will analyze Chipotle’s CSR and how its standards have led many to question the company’s core values. Chipotle's CSR: Mission or Marketing? The heightened media attention on CSR is at least partially in response to society’s interest in socially conscious businesses. Consumers are willing to pay a premium price for environmentally-friendly brands. At the same time, there is much skepticism as to whether companies are intentionally or accidently misleading consumers. Chipotle, one of the fastest growing fast-casual restaurant chains in the world, declares it serves “Food with Integrity”. What does that mean? The company’s reputation has taken some hits in recent years due to lack of transparency. Lessons have been learned along the way yet there is still a credibility gap. Many wonder if Chipotle is telling the public a feel-good story or the truth. This paper will take a look at the company’s CSR: intent vs. execution vs. depiction. Genetically Modified Organisms GMO’s are plants or animals who have been inserted with a gene from an unrelated species...
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...A trademark protects any phrase, symbol, and/or design that identify the source or origin of the goods or the services of one party from those of others. Federal registration are not required but recommended, as it adds value to the goods or services set forth in the registration. Trademarks can be licensed to third parties, it to third parties, be sold with a specified value or used as equity for business development. A patent protects the functional expression of an idea, it grants the property right to the inventor in exchange for public disclosure of the invention. In order to qualify for a patent, an invention must be novel, useful and non-obvious. A registered patent can be used to raise funds for business, licensed or sell the invention. A copyright protects works of authorship, the specific creative expression of an idea through any medium of artistic expression that has been tangibly expressed. Copyright provides licensing fee and royalty payments. Copyright’s filing fee is small, registration period is relatively short, and the examination process is administrative. For trademark, the filing fee is much higher with a longer registration period, and an adversarial examination process. Registration and filling are desirable but not requite for both copyright and trademark, however it is a necessary step for issue patent. Both Copyrights and patents are under federal law while trademark laws differ in each state. There is also a federal trademark law. Once a work...
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...CASE STUDIES Burger King case study Targeting the Superfan as a means of retaining growth in the fast food market Reference Code: CSCM0246 Publication Date: April 2009 DATAMONITOR VIEW CATALYST After years of poor sales, Burger King has turned its business around and now enjoys healthy business growth. This case study looks at how the company did this by refocusing its marketing towards the Superfan, namely young adult males who have a penchant for fast food. SUMMARY • Diageo was accused of neglecting Burger King under its ownership, letting the brand fall off the radar at a time when fast food in general was reporting favorable growth. The fast food chain's fortunes began to change after it was sold to a private equity triumvirate, which set about investing in promoting the business to the devoted fast food eater. This focus was a success, leading Burger King to gain 'cool status' in many peoples' eyes and to achieve strong growth. • Burger King's focus since being sold has been in targeting the Superfan, that is the 18–35 year old male who enjoys fast food. Company marketing efforts have focused on appealing to this consumer type, using both traditional and new media as a means to gain their attention. • Burger King's marketing has often been controversial, with two 2008 efforts standing out. The Whopper Virgins documentary, in which members of remote communities were given burgers to try for the first time, was deemed offensive and patronizing, while a Facebook...
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