Ethical and Morality Issues Analysis: McDonald's Case Study

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the ethical and moral issues associated with McDonald's, a global fast-food giant. The study examines several critical areas, including the company's contribution to the rise of obesity through its high-calorie, sugar-laden, and processed foods. It also addresses human rights violations concerning employee treatment and underpayment in less developed countries. Furthermore, the report explores McDonald's environmental impact, particularly its use of non-biodegradable packaging and lack of recycling efforts, along with its stance on sustainable beef sourcing and animal welfare. The report also critiques the company's advertising strategies, especially those targeting children, and its governance structure. The analysis concludes with a discussion of the company's moral standing, considering its impact on public health and the environment, and proposes recommendations such as promoting healthier food options, using biodegradable products, raising employee wages, and improving animal welfare practices. The report highlights the need for McDonald's to address these issues to maintain its brand image and ensure sustainable business practices.

Running head - ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
Analysis of ethical and morality issues
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Author’s Note

1ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
Introduction
Among the leading centers for fast-food, McDonald’s is a name that had been in the list
and also have established their franchises all over the world. The company has increased the
rapid growth of their facilities spanning in 118 countries that has a total of 30,000 numbers of
food centers that severs 46 million customers (McDonald's - Official Global Corporate Website,
2019). The company is currently enjoying a huge success rate that will be untouched for many
years. However, in spite of having such a huge brand name and loyalty of the customers, the
organization have been facing major problems regarding the non-marketing area that has led
some question on the ethics and morality of the company. The case study has will be discussing
about the ethical and moral aspects that the company need to resolve, following with
recommendations for the problems.
Major ethical Issues
Ethics has always been considered as a system that guides people at making decision. It
also acts as a principles of moral that makes help see the differences between their rights, their
responsibilities and picking up that is good to them (Sustein, 2015). Sustainable business ethics
is always tried to be maintained by the companies that guides them to conduct the strategies and
managing operations. For having a long term profit and growth that has sustainability ethics is
important for the business (Goodpaster, 2015).
Rise of Obesity
It has been tested that the foods served by McDonald’s has a lot of calories. Excessive
amount of sugar is added in it, accompanied with unhealthy fats. The foods are processed in a
great manner that takes toll on the heath of the customers. This can be classified as an ethical

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issue. There are some people who has made this as their daily diet which in turns moves forward
to a weak and unhealthy immune system which leads to obesity. Obese people have huge risk of
having heart disease and diabetes. Obesity Canada, Canadian Medical Association and other
organizations like WHO has declared obesity being a chronic disease. People in Canada that age
between 20 to 64 has died from obesity (Paradis, 2016). Obesity has also affected people apart
from health issues, hampering their social and economic aspects. Obesity has disgraced a lot of
other significant biases like at employment, education and healthcare. This has led the spread of
stereotypes that claims that obese people are lazy, lacks motivations and self-discipline
(Member, Hussey & Hussey, 2019).
Fig 1 – The graph showing obesity rise. (2019 Stakeholderdoce.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 1
February 2019, from https://stakeholderdoce.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/correlate.png)
Violation of Human Rights
When it comes to the employees and workers, the company has been lacking features that
deals with their rights. The organization has been unethical and abusive at countries that are less
developed for the human rights. They have been providing critical hours at work that has been
deteriorating the health of the employee’s. As the company has been under paying their worker,

3ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
the company has been left rich and their workers with extreme low salaries (Wong, 2014). The
article ‘You want fries with your poverty wages and exploited McDonald’s workers?’ (2014),
Jila Carrie Wong, the author, has explained the methods of the company exploiting rights of the
employees. An insight has also been provided by the author that discusses about a protest being
held by 200 workers at various fast food centers on November of 2012. The demands of the
workers were a hick at their hourly wages from $12 to $15, and that a union has to be formed.
Workers at fast food centers from all around the world to support the protest went into a formal
strike.
Environmental ethics
The organization has played a vital role in affecting the environment in a negative way.
There are many production facilities of McDonald’s in many countries. These facilities have
been polluting the environment. The company have acquired attention of many environmentalist
for polluting the land and the air. McDonald’s uses utensils made of plastic and paper to sever
their products. The company uses these products that are made of paper that comes from cutting
down trees other plastic utensils that are hard to decompose. There has been no effort from the
company to recycle any of their used products. Rather, McDonald’s just simply dumps them in
the open land that is much more convenient. Thus, this have been polluting the land (Bad and
Good Environmental Marks for McDonald’s, 2019).
Sustainability
On 2016, McDonald’s announced that they will be purchase sustainable and verified beef
that will be used to make their famous burger. Although, the company has not reported anything
further on the topic, without clearing meaning of sustainable beef. Any information regarding the
goals or the initiative this move have not been released, also they have not been clear about the

4ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
percentage or quantity of the meat source. The CEO have stated that the company is not willing
to state anything specific about the source or quantity of the purchase. Thus, the customers are
left blank without any knowledge about the announcements and have to buy products made of
meat that is unsustainable (Exclusive: Inside McDonald's quest for sustainable beef, 2014).
Animal Welfare and use of Acrylamide
Ethical treatment for the animals and other welfare committees for the animals have set
McDonald’s as their primary target. It have claims against the company regarding the food
regulations provided by the organizations. Charges like supply of the beef, accommodation
provided for the cattle, cruelty held against such animals, and feeding techniques have placed on
the company. McDonald’s has also held accused for the usage of Acrylamide, a compound that
spreads cancer. These claims have been proven as the compound is mostly found in food that has
been cooked in high temperature that clearly points to McDonald’s French fries, that is served
with mostly everything they produce. Due to the fact that consumption of acrylamide in a high
amount is required to cause cancer, the odds have turn out to be pretty low. Despite this fact,
McDonald’s did not produce any statement to the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic enforcing act
that would eventually alert the government. Thus, this move of the company has been classified
as unethical.
Advertisement Strategies
McDonald’s have used always innovative methods for the advertisement. Their Happy
Meal package has been the most improvised product. It has a variety of toys in it, accompanied
with characters from recent movies that attracts children mostly. The children advertisement
method has turned out to be a matter of concern for advocates and other Congress members.
These children consume processed food on a daily basis that will eventually effect the overall

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health of those children. Many medical association In Canada has reported the rise of health
related issues among children. Such unethical means have made McDonald’s victimize of
various lawsuits.
Governance order in the Corporation
The governance at McDonald’s have a poor structure. Due to the huge number of
negative issues that can be founded inside the company, the governance is lacking validity. It has
affected the decision making capability of the company in essence of their workers. A report was
issues by CNBC that demonstrated the poor working governance of the company and the conflict
that has led to huge catastrophe in their food. It was also stated in the report that McDonald’s
action that include their employees are unethical by all means. The sales of the company has
suffer a drop worldwide (Staff, 2014).
The Moral of McDonald’s
Considering the issues that deals with morality, the company’s actions are need to be
analyzed thoroughly. It can be labelled as an action of immorality if the solo goal of the company
is to make money by selling faulty foods that will risk the well-being of their customers.
Although, the corporation’s ingestions cannot be called immoral if they are availing food in a
reasonable price for their customers, which is merely lack of solutions that does not have a
selfish motto. Conclusion cannot be drown without the knowledge of the real purpose of
McDonald’s. However, there have been many scenarios where the moral aspects of the company
can challenged and a schematic diagram could be drawn. The company has been selling food that
are a composition of added sugar, accompanied with lot of calories that would increase health
issues. It can be termed immoral if McDonald’s is providing services that could harm their
customers.

6ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
It is the fault of the company if they are not selling safe food to their customers and
maintain the safely quality. The company also have been throwing out a tons of their products
too. McDonald’s have a policy where the entirely fresh made sandwich will be thrown away if
not being sold within ten minutes. As per the clarification, McDonald’s have stated that it help
them is maintain quality services to their customers (McDonald's - Official Global Corporate
Website, 2019). McDonald’s has found itself into a moral dilemma. McDonald’s have been
disposing tons of food to maintain their standards. However there are more that 1.2 billion
people around the world that are unable to access any kind of food (Kuzmin, 2016). Utilitarian
ethics have been contradicted by such complex policies, exposing the bad side of the company in
the open. McDonald’s kept this policy intact due to the reason of values it will produce to the
customers putting the food quality condition in the minds of the customer. Thereby, it will boost
the sales of the company, providing heavy return to the management. However, different
approaches could be done instead of throwing away the food. It could be distributed among the
poor (Ives & Bekessy, 2015).
Recommendation
McDonald’s have faced major issues regarding the rise of obesity. The unhealthy food is
slowly killing the population, whereas they are brutally butchering the animals too.
Recommendations can be made regarding the approach of a more healthy solution that would not
spread obesity or health issues. The use of biodegradable products could be a scope for the
company. These products would not only stop pollution, in turn it would save the environment.
Wages of the workers should be raised that would roll out the human right violation claims.

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Conclusion
The case study thus concludes, overviewing the company’s views that deals with the
ethical and moral background. McDonald’s will proceed on breaking the laws without proper
moral aspects that would eventually harm both people and the environment around them. The
brand name and the overall sales of McDonald’s have been affected due to the non-marketing
background. The proper analysis of the stated issues above would assist the company in
overcoming the issues.
References
Bad and Good Environmental Marks for McDonald’s. (2019). The Academy for Systems
Change. Retrieved 1 February 2019, from
http://donellameadows.org/archives/bad-and-good-environmental-marks-for-
mcdonalds/
Exclusive: Inside McDonald's quest for sustainable beef. (2014). GreenBiz. Retrieved 1
February 2019, from https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/01/07/inside-
mcdonalds-quest-sustainable-beef
Goodpaster, K. E. (2015). Business ethics. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-6.
Gostin, L. O. (2015). The Americans with Disabilities Act at 25: the highest expression
of American values. Jama, 313(22), 2231-2235.
Ives, C. D., & Bekessy, S. A. (2015). The ethics of offsetting nature. Frontiers in
Ecology and the Environment, 13(10), 568-573.
Kuzmin, E. (2016). Sustainable food security: Floating balance of markets.

8ANALYSIS OF ETHICAL AND MORALITY ISSUES
McDonald's - Official Global Corporate Website. (2019). Corporate.mcdonalds.com.
Retrieved 1 February 2019, from
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd.html
Member, S., Hussey, B., & Hussey, B. (2019). Obesity in Canada - Obesity
Canada. Obesity Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019, from
https://obesitycanada.ca/obesity-in-canada/
Paradis, E. (2016). Obesity’as a process: The medicalisation of fatness by Canadian
researchers, 1971–2010. Obesity in Canada: Critical Perspectives, 56.
Staff, C. (2014). McDonald's July sales worst in 10 years. CNBC. Retrieved 2 February
2019, from https://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/08/mcdonalds-july-sales-fell-
more-than-expected.html
Sustein, C. R. (2015). The ethics of nudging. Yale J. on Reg., 32, 413.
Wong, J. (2014). You want fries with your poverty wages and exploited McDonald's
workers? | Julia Carrie Wong. The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2019, from
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/15/poverty-wages-
exploited-workers-mcdonalds-protests