Communication Plan McDonald’s Essay Example

packages instead of the plastic bags.

McDonalds also wanted to reduce their pollution they produce with transporting equipment and activity. LXP, an Armada Supply Chain Solutions company and McDonald’s distribution partner, implemented multiple initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases caused by transportation equipment and activity. In addition, LXP initiated a conversion program from over-the-road trucking to intermodal in 2008 and through December 31, 2009 had reduced its carbon footprint by 1,173 tons while simultaneously increasing the number of loads by 4,062 and removing 2,224 cars from the road.

McDonald’s home office now has an official Green Team Steering Committee comprised of members from 14 U.S. and corporate departments. They represent a wealth of passion and change leadership. In 2010, each month will feature one or two green events, and their “Green Ambassadors” will be reaching throughout the year to build knowledge.

2. What internal groups will be involved in this change:

The internal groups that will be involved in this change are their public relations/marketing department, because they have to renew their whole image. Transfer their image from un- environmental to green and environmental.

Also their transport department, because they had to reduce its carbon footprint by removing a lot of cars from the road.

The home office also had to go through a change, because there is now an official Green Team Steering Committee working there to. Those are the groups who will be involved the most in this change.

3. What kind of internal communication is recommended during this kind of change?

It is a must that all employees, whether they work for one of the

restaurants or at the office, have to be updated. Restaurant workers need to know if and when they are using sustainable items, such as packages. Office people, most importantly the management staff need to know what the situation is, how it develops and so on. Therefore, high levelled internal communication is a major priority.

According to the Green Team Steering Committee, who will held a monthly event anyway, they should be responsible for spreading the news. Though, it is hard to do so face-to-face. I belief that McDonalds uses their intranet for most news and activities to keep their staff updated.

Organisations and people who influence internal actions also have the possibility to check report releases on the public website http://aboutmcdonalds.com

4. What can you do about reluctance to the change?

Since sustainability and green living have become such a big issue nowadays, I do not think that many people are disaffected to this organisational change, rather see it as advancement. However, it is hard to improve to production progress within a short period. McDonalds needs to invest time and money to do research and to come up with improvement results. In the long term, this could lead to less assurance of gatekeepers, shareholders and other interested parties. The best thing to do then is to release a report with a summary of results that they have might found out due to research and advancements.

Another thing McDonalds could do is to advertise on several media to get the attention of customers. Hereby, they get to know what currently occupies McDonalds.

5. What role do the (middle) managers play

in the change process?

Internal and external factors are a major part of the business environment when it comes to any of the four functions of management. External factors, meaning how companies small and large may be up against challenging effects with recession, competitors actions, and interference through government actions, a take over or even a re-organization.

In our case, McDonalds managers had to change their entire planning and work methods in order to follow the new sustainable program. Some major changes forced management to reorganize and retrain their staff. Changes came from multiple fronts such as:

energy efficiency This could mean shutting down a part of the kitchen when it is not busy in the restaurant. A new energy saving policy would drive managers to make sure that themselves and also their employees carry out the policy correctly.

Packaging A new packaging material is a big part of the new sustainable campaign of McDonalds. This has maybe been one of the most discussed issues of McDonalds. New packaging means new method and/or use of materials. Therefore changes could come from the packaging supply side which could lead to a logistic change where managers have to adjust their planning. Thinks of delivery times and staff instructions for the use and disposal of the new packaging

recycling & littering Whit a new packaging comes a new way of disposal and according to the new campaign of McDonalds that means recycling. Management should make sure that staff will be trained to handle the packaging appropriately and they should be able to recycle it in a more sustainable way.

It all comes

down to the fact that McDonalds is going through a massive re-organization and that the managers have to make sure that the rearrangements are carried out correctly and that the changes process runs along smoothly. McDonalds would need to “invest heavily in training their entry level workers, because they may not have been adequately prepared for. Finally the managers and the staff, contribute to the positive ‘green and sustainable’ new image of McDonalds.

6. What is the role of the internal communication department?

According to job offer on the McDonalds corporate career website, the internal communication department is responsible The for development and management of internal communication strategies to support McDonald's U.S. business. This role involves creating communication programs and plans that effectively reach and engage internal audiences and improve understanding of key initiatives. In our case that would mean that internal communications is responsible for an affective and clear delivery of the changes that will be made. The Internal communication department will also provide strategic counsel and communications support for members of McDonald's leadership team when requested.