Impact of CSR on McDonald's

This assignment explores the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the success of McDonald's. It investigates whether McDonald's actively participates in CSR initiatives, how these activities contribute to a competitive advantage, and the connection between CSR practices and the company's sustainable growth. The questionnaire provided seeks insights into employee perceptions of CSR strategies implemented by McDonald's, their impact on business viability, and potential recommendations for enhancing profitability through further CSR initiatives.

Managing project

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P2 Preparing the project management plan.................................................................................2
P3 Work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart...............................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
P4 Research through qualitative method.....................................................................................6
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................11
P5 Analysis of research.............................................................................................................11
P6 Recommendations on the basis of research.........................................................................13
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................14
P7 Reflective report...................................................................................................................14
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is referred to be a foremost consideration of almost
all type of organisational bodies operating in this contending world of business. CSR defines
those accountabilities of the establishments that are usually being performed by them to show a
responsible outlook towards serving the society with a need base concern of benefiting them. As
a result to which, they are required to undertake some considerable activities that will assist them
to meet out the set agenda of benefiting the society (Nyadzayo and et. al., 2016). Also, by which,
they can not only acquire a contending position in the market but can together but can together
enhance the sustainability of their business to a great extent. Wherein, this sustainability can be
measured by enumerating the financial strength of the organisation in the market along with an
ascertained level of profitability. The below report is based upon the CSR activities of
McDonald's to identify its role in escalating their position in the market.
TASK 1
P1 Aims and objectives of McDonald's
1. Research Title- The impact of CSR on a functional area (e.g., Sales and Marketing) within an
organisation to promote profitability and financial sustainability.
Overview of the study-
The current study has intended to demonstrate the role of CSR on the functional area of a
selected business organisation called McDonald's in promoting their profitability and fiscal
sustainability. Wherein, marketing is the undertaken operational area that has a direct link to the
applied practices of CSR. It is where McDonald's is one of the renowned business establishment
of UK with some serious goals for the fulfilment of their CSR (Inoue, Funk and McDonald,
2017). However, this in turn leads to escalate the sales of the organisation with an increased
merchandising of their offered commodities. Conservation of environment is reflected to be one
of their leading agenda and for which, they are constantly finding out ways to combat the
depleting surroundings by opting for recycling and reduction in carbon footprints, etc.
2. Research Aims and Objectives-

 Aim of the research: A foremost aim of this survey is “To determine the impact of CSR
on the sales and marketing of goods and services offered by McDonald's that in turn leads
to promote their financial sustainability and profitability”.
 Research Objectives: The above intended goal is hereby supported by some well defined
objectives for providing a guiding base of study to the surveyor. These are-
 To ascertain the need base importance of CSR in McDonald's.
 To identify the link between CSR activities of McDonald's and sustainable growth of
their business with increased profitability and fiscal sustainability.
 To discover the way in which the CSR practices directly leads to enhance the sales and
marketing of products offered by McDonald's.
 Research questions:
 What is the need base importance of CSR in McDonald's?
 How the CSR activities of McDonald's is linked with the sustainable growth of their
business and how does it lead to increase their profitability and financial
sustainability?
 What are the ways in which the CSR practices directly tends to enhance the sales and
marketing of products offered by McDonald's?
P2 Preparing the project management plan
Undertaking a planned approach is referred to be one of the most considerate way for
attaining the defined aims and objectives of the study where the present investigation is carried
to determine the impact of CSR on the operational area of a business. It is hereby based upon a
chosen food organisation named McDonald's and is inclined to acknowledge the way in which
the interpreted CSR practices in turn leads to embrace their profitability and fiscal sustainability
(Turner, 2014). This project management plan is apparent to assist the researcher in conducting
an uninterrupted survey by planning some below outlined measures-
1. Scope of the research project- The current study reflects an extended nature where it has
discoursed upon the practices that are usually undertaken by McDonald's to fulfil their
CSR. This itself represents a broader scope of existence in today's corporate world and
where this project has made exceptional efforts to lay down its importance in the
business.
2

2. Risk management- This reflected yet another major consideration of the researcher to
manage any associated risks with the project work that can hinder into its
accomplishment (Teller, Kock and Gemünden, 2014). On whose consideration, time and
resources are the two risky elements that are required to be managed by effectively
utilizing some considerable tools such as Gantt charts to manager time and activity based
method for budgeting, etc.
3. Cost control- It is with a special consideration of managing costs related to the study
with a defined budget where in the recent study, the entire investigation is required to be
done within a fixed budget of 500 GBP. It is together with a correspondent support of
activity based method that will in turn assist the surveyor to make accordant distribution
of funds on the basis of its dispersed activities.
4. Quality control- This is basically to assure the quality of the project by measuring it with
different parametric factors. It is a procedural method with some undertaken activities to
control the quality of the project and meet its stipulated requirements (Turkulainen,
Ruuska, Brady and Artto, 2015). Herein, benchmarking is stated to be one of the most
effective measure to control the quality of this project where its outcomes will be
significantly compared to other similar projects.
3

4

P3 Work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart
WBS is basically a structural representation of the current research work where it has
outlined the activities carried out for the achievement of its targeted goals. It is together
accompanied by a Gantt chart indicating the tasks allocated with assigned duration to each for a
timely attainment of its aims and objectives.
Structure of Work breakdown
Gantt Chart
5

TASK 2
P4 Research through qualitative method
Theme 1- Most of the employees are working in McDonald's since last 2 to 3 years.
6

7
6 months 1 year 2-3 year More than 3 years
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Since when you are working with McDonald's?
Frequency

Since when you are working with McDonald's? Frequency
6 months 1
1 year 1
2-3 year 2
More than 3 years 1
Interpretation- The above interpreted data have shown a majority of experienced top level
executives working from last 2 to 3 years. It is with an enumerated ratio of 2 such employees
with one who is working from more than 3 years and 2 are freshers with 1 working since a year
and another since 6 months.
Theme 2- McDonald's actively enforces the CSR activities in accordance to almost all
participant respondents.
8
Yes, Always
Only sometimes.
No, Never
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Does McDonald's makes an active participation in the
implementation of CSR?
Frequency

Does McDonald's makes an active participation in the
implementation of CSR? Frequency
Yes, Always 3
Only sometimes. 2
No, Never 0
Interpretation- It is in concord to 3 top level executives of McDonald's, who have supported an
active participation in the implementation of CSR by McDonald's with 2 who have specified an
irregular involvement into the same.
Theme 3- Almost all the respondents have agreed by this fact of CSR where its implementation
duly supports McDonald's to attain a contending position in the market.
CSR activities leads to provide a contending position to
McDonald's. Frequency
9
CSR activities leads to provide a contending position to
McDonald's.
Strongly agreed
Agreed
Neutral
Disagreed
Strongly disagreed

Strongly agreed 3
Agreed 1
Neutral 1
Disagreed 0
Strongly disagreed 0
Interpretation- 3 out of 5 are strongly in favour of achieving a contending position in the market
with the help of CSR. However, 1 has shown an agreed consent with another 1 with a neutral
acceptance towards it.
Theme 4- A majority of respondents have agreed by this fact where CSR practices are directly
related to the viability of the business.
Is there any direct relationship between the enforced practices of
CSR and the viability of business? Frequency
Yes 4
No 1
10
Yes No
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Is there any direct relationship between the enforced practices
of CSR and the viability of business?
Frequency

Interpretation- 4 out of 5 are agreed with the direct linkage between the CSR activities and
business viability where the applied tactics of CSR is apparent to assist into the enhancement of
its feasibility. However, 1 out of all have disagreed to this fact.
Theme 5- Protecting environment is the most supportive agenda of McDonald's to benefit the
society.
What are the present strategies of CSR that are mostly referred by
McDonald's to benefit the community? Frequency
Protecting environment 3
Women empowerment 1
Benefiting employees 1
Interpretation- 3 out of 5 have stated environmental protection to be one of the most progressive
CSR strategy of McDonald's with 1 in support of women empowerment and another 1 to benefit
the employees.
11
Protecting environment
Women empowerment
Benefiting employees
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
What are the present strategies of CSR that are mostly referred
by McDonald's
to benefit the community?
Frequency

Theme 6- Almost all study respondents have accepted the fact where the enforcement of CSR
strategies directly leads to a sustainable growth of McDonald's.
12

Does the implemented CSR strategy aided in the sustainable
growth of McDonald's? Frequency
Yes 4
No 1
Interpretation- Almost all the participant respondents with 4 out of 5 have indicated an approval
towards the enforcement of CSR where it in turn leads to provide a sustainable growth to
McDonald's. However, a single respondent have not supported it and has in turn showed a
contrasting thought towards it.
13
What are the present strategies of CSR that are mostly referred
by
McDonald's to benefit the community?
Protecting environment
Women empowerment
Benefiting employees

TASK 3
P5 Analysis of research
This section has defined the methodologies undertaken by the researcher to carry out the
investigation for determining the impact of CSR on the profitability and fiscal sustainability of
McDonald's. For which, below are the techniques adopted by the surveyor to research upon it- Design of the research- This defines the pattern of the study where the present one is
based upon descriptive research design to conduct an in-depth investigation of the chosen
theme of CSR (Focacci, 2017). Philosophy of the research- This tactic demonstrates the philosophical approach
undertaken by the surveyor to carry out the research work in a moralised way (Liu, Zou
and Gong, 2013). For which, here the investigator has opted for interpretivism
philosophy of research that has in turn concentrated upon the subjective nature of the
selected topic of CSR. Gathering data- This refers to the measures of data collection where both primary and
secondary methods of data collection are preferably used by most of the researchers to
investigate into the elected theme of research. Herein, the surveyor has together opted for
both these tactics of data collection where the primary data has been collected directly
from the study respondents. This has been done by arranging a survey to interrogate 5 top
executives of McDonald's (Xu, 2014). However, the secondary data collection has been
done by referring to some pre established results of such investigation carried out by
other proficient academic scholars. This together involved the scrutinization of
McDonald's company records and the reports submitted by the governmental bodies of
their marketplace. All of these are taken up from verified sources such as the authentic
website of the company and governmental sites, etc. Sampling- This is basically used for the distribution of the targeted participants of the
study to proportionately select them. There exists total two leading methods of sampling
namely random and purposive. Here, the random method of sampling is mostly used to
non probably select the respondents where the present research work is based upon the
tact of purposive sampling method (Patanakul, 2015). This means that the study
participants are probably selected on the basis of some specifications. Also, the selection
14

of 5 top executives of McDonald's have reflected a purposive measure of sampling where
they are intentionally chosen from the organisation and are representing it in the survey. Research approach- An undertaken approach of research is apparent to specify the
overall range of study where the recent survey is based upon inductive research approach
that is evident to intensify its scope (Heizer and Barry, 2013). This is mainly due to its
shift from a specific context of CSR in McDonald's to a general reference of all similar
organisations where they can together refer to apply the outcomes of this study. Analysis of data- Herein, the data will be analysed with the help of qualitative tool of
analysis that will in turn reflect a thematic analysis of the gathered set of information
from the participated respondents (Phillips, 2013). It is undertaken in support of the type
of its topic that is subjective in nature.
 Ethical consideration- Ethical dilemma mostly takes place at the time of collecting
primary data where in the current research work, it has been done by interrogating the
participant respondents of the study (Kendrick, 2015). This duly necessitates the
investigator to take a prior permission of the responders to avoid any sort of forceful
strain on them to participate with no willing sense of their own. Additionally, referring to
attested resources is together referred to be yet another ethical consideration at the time of
collecting secondary data.
P6 Recommendations on the basis of research
This is to recommend McDonald's some effective ways for practising CSR activities that
will ultimately lead to the improvement of their profitability and financial status where presently
they are found to be active in certain beneficial measures that in turn is applied for the welfare of
the community. This is to recommend McDonald's some effective ways for practising CSR
activities that will ultimately lead to the improvement of their profitability and financial status
where presently they are found to be active in certain beneficial measures that in turn is applied
for the welfare of the community. Below are the recommendations for McDonald's with
reference to their undertaken activities of CSR-
Improvements are required due to deficiency of certain elements.
 First issue was that implementation strategy required proper arrangement for the
application.
15

 Second issue is that firm is unable to identify implementation strategies to increase
female employees in the organization.
To solve these issues certain recommendations have been given. These are :
 HR department should be incorporated with the top level management employees so that
they can collectively design and implement strategies by giving priority to CSR.
 Some strategies should be designed for female employees to recruit them in the
organisation. Female employment would show company's concern for benefits of
women.
TASK 4
P7 Reflective report
This research work has provided me an insight knowledge about the CSR activities that
are usually undertaken by the businesses to combat the prevalent competition in the market. It
has made a thorough investigation into the procedures that are being followed by the
organisations to practice their CSR. By which, I together got to know about the CSR activities of
McDonald's to operate into the corporate world of business for achieving a contending position
in the market. It together revealed yet another factual dimension of CSR where its suitable
application not only leads to give a competitive outlook to the business but together helps them
to raise their sustainable agenda of growth. Though this survey was done by referring to the tools
of project management, from which, I duly got to know about the tactics required for managing a
project. By which, I learned about the work breakdown structure and Gantt chart and their
significance in effectively managing a project to accomplish its goals on time.
CONCLUSION
The above report has summarised a research conducted on the CSR practices of
McDonald's and its impact on the viability of their business with increased profitability and the
feasibility of their fiscal measures. It was done by referring to some well defined objectives that
in turn addressed a need base importance of CSR in McDonald's by together identifying the link
between their undertaken CSR activities and its role in the sustainability of business. Lastly,
some considerable ways have been discoursed by which the CSR practices can tend to intensify
the functionality of McDonald's with rising number of sales and marketing.
16

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Focacci, A., 2017. Managing project investments irreversibility by accounting relations.
International Journal of Project Management. 35(6). pp.955-963.
Heizer, R. and Barry, R., 2013. Operation Management, Sustainability and Supply Chain
management (Vol. 11). Pearson, UK.
Inoue, Y., Funk, D.C. and McDonald, H., 2017. Predicting behavioral loyalty through corporate
social responsibility: The mediating role of involvement and commitment. Journal of
Business Research. 75. pp.46-56.
Kendrick, T., 2015. Identifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-proofing
your project. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
Liu, J.Y., Zou, P.X. and Gong, W., 2013. Managing project risk at the enterprise level:
Exploratory case studies in China. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management. 139(9). pp.1268-1274.
Nyadzayo, M.W., Nyadzayo, M.W., Leckie, C., Leckie, C., McDonald, H. and McDonald, H.,
2016. CSR, relationship quality, loyalty and psychological connection in sports.
Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 34(6). pp.883-898.
Patanakul, P., 2015. Key attributes of effectiveness in managing project portfolio. International
Journal of Project Management. 33(5). pp.1084-1097.
Phillips, J., 2013. PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides).
McGraw-Hill Osborne Media.
Teller, J., Kock, A. and Gemünden, H.G., 2014. Risk management in project portfolios is more
than managing project risks: A contingency perspective on risk management. Project
Management Journal. 45(4). pp.67-80.
Turkulainen, V., Ruuska, I., Brady, T. and Artto, K., 2015. Managing project-to-project and
project-to-organization interfaces in programs: Organizational integration in a global
operations expansion program. International Journal of Project Management. 33(4).
pp.816-827.
Turner, J.R., 2014. The handbook of project-based management (Vol. 92). New York, NY:
McGraw-hill.
17

Xu, Y., 2014. Understanding CSR from the perspective of Chinese diners: the case of
McDonald’s. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 26(6).
pp.1002-1020.
18

APPENDIX
Questionnaire Name- Gender- Age-
 Since when you are working with McDonald's?
◦ 6 months
◦ 1 year
◦ 2-3 year
◦ More than 3 years
 Does McDonald's makes an active participation in the implementation of CSR?
◦ Yes, Always
◦ Only sometimes.
◦ No, Never
 CSR activities leads to provide a contending position to McDonald's.
◦ Strongly agreed
◦ Agreed
◦ Neutral
◦ Disagreed
◦ Strongly disagreed
 Is there any direct relationship between the enforced practices of CSR and the viability
of business?
◦ Yes
◦ No
 What are the present strategies of CSR that are mostly referred by McDonald's to
benefit the community?
◦ Protecting environment
◦ Women empowerment
◦ Benefiting employees
◦ Anything else, please specify________
19

 Does the implemented CSR strategy aided in the sustainable growth of McDonald's?
◦ Yes
◦ No
 Any improved strategies you would like to recommend for enhancing the profitability of
McDonald's with increased profits.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
20

1

2

3