One’s failure is Another’s Success Essay Example

Tavistock in Devonshire County, UK.

McDonald's opened a store in 1999 but closed on December 9, 2006 due to unsuitable trading patterns. However, locals believed that the closure was due to the superior quality of their local food beating off McDonald's competition. The Tavistock farmers market was recognized as the best in the region, further emphasizing the prominence of local food. McDonald's spokeswoman acknowledged the importance of having suitable restaurants in the right places. Both Altamura and Tavistock communities viewed McDonald's as an invader on their peaceful soil due to their pride in local food and culture. McDonald's failed to profit in both locations as they did not provide local food products or connect with the culture. In my opinion, McDonald's should have conducted a study on the community's culture before establishing the restaurant instead of attempting to adapt afterwards.

After familiarizing oneself with the culture and individuals of the town, it is advisable to provide them with a basic blueprint. If the majority of the community does not desire the presence of the business in town, McDonald's should refrain from establishing itself there. It is wrong to impose a product upon people who originally had no interest in the business. The situation faced by McDonald's in these two towns closely resembles that of Wal-Mart in Germany. The executives at Wal-Mart did not conduct research on product sales or European workplace ethics. As stated by Shaefer (p.68), "German shoppers, who were accustomed to efficient and impersonal service, were put off by the friendly and outgoing manner exhibited by Wal-Mart employees." Additionally, German employees, who had grown up in a culture that accepted on-the-job romances, found the company's

policy against such relationships to be peculiar.

Wal-Mart has learned the valuable lesson of not imposing its corporate culture on foreign customers and employees, which McDonald's should also take heed of. McDonald's should focus on buying and using local products as much as possible and even consider incorporating local dishes into their menu. By following these steps, McDonald's may have avoided being forced out. Learning from mistakes is crucial for success, as demonstrated by the experiences of McDonald's in Altamura and Tavistock. These failures provided valuable lessons for the company on how to approach foreign cities and towns when opening new stores. In India, McDonald's was able to turn their failure into a thriving success. They faced challenges in adapting their menu to a country where cows are considered sacred, but eventually found a successful strategy.

McDonald's made several changes to their menu, including replacing the Big Mac with a mutton burger, adding chicken kabobs and veggie-burgers. Additionally, they established a "50-50 joint venture with two well-connected Indian entrepreneurs" (Mucha & Scheffler, 2007). As a result, McDonald's experienced success in India with certain stores reporting a 40% increase in sales compared to the previous year (Mucha ; Scheffler, 2007).