Category: Fast Food

Introduction

Branding products is an essential part of fast food industry player success; it requires a healthy foods as well as a good corporate social responsibility. Currently not much has been done on this topic and hence it becomes of critical necessity in the present trends of corporate social responsibility and demand of healthy foods. It is imperative to develop sound and strategic brand and maintaining those factors that affect brand of a product to have an effective selling. The product needs to be marketed with forceful plan of action.

MacDonald has used the strategy of acquiring powerful brands as a tool that has kept them market leaders. By having control over the power brands they have managed to expanded internationally. A good brand image should be consistency, of good quality, be sustainable and Innovative. In other words it should be easier to set the product at functional level and be able to maintain it, to be able to co-exist; being able to produce combination in the market that speaks high volumes. It should be able to sold in difficult situation when there is an economy slump where people cant afford to buy luxury items for example making a loss in the first quarter and coming back strongly in the second quarter by making profit and paying dividends to the shareholders, would boost the confidence and trust of the shareholder in the Companys brand.

According to Thomson and Rampton (2006) the brand image should be able to provide customers with a degree of excellence and comfort, making them outshine from the rest of the group that is they provide a unique material, there should be diversification in the Products of the brand, so that it is not just dependent on just one particular item. The company should adapt creativity that is diversification in/of the product would be needed to give verity to the customer; an option that would give them a chance to look for something better than the rest of the market could not achieve its par excellence or excels to take advantage to that items.

For MacDonald to be able have such a good brand image should consider to critical issues; corporate social responsibility and healthy food. According to Price (2007) corporate social responsibilities includes, the ethical practices that the firm must follow, how environmentally conscious is the firm and over and above how they are responding to the stake holders of the firm. Change in views now demands a firm to be looked upon as a corporate citizen rather than just a business unit. So like a citizen the firm is now equally responsible for the welfare of the society as well as the organization itself. This means when the firm starts operating from the first day onwards they are making a contract with the society to follow the above mention obligations. The degree or extent to which a firm will indulge it to these activities depends upon various aspects like, how critical or important is the role of the stakeholders, what is their financial strength, how had been their past economic performances and also most importantly what is the true intent of the firm towards the social issues. In brief the practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs are viewed as a marketing strategy by the companies as the main focus of the business remains the same that is to retain and increase their current level of consumers. So CSR as a tool in the hands of the firms are serving the dual functions like fulfilling their social responsibilities as well as generating indirect or direct awareness to the consumers.

Methodology

The research with relevance to the above stated aspects was conducted by reviewing secondary data which is readily available. The various sources of secondary data that have been reviewed as part of this research are  a large number of international journals, books and obviously the World Wide Web. Research is the process of finding a solution to a problem or a question through the use of scientific tools and techniques.In a nutshell, research is a methodical and purposeful study conducted to obtain solutions for specific problems. Research is a process of collection of data in an organized manner with subsequent recording and analyzing of such data that will help in an effective decision making process argues Kumar, Aaker and Day (2002).

According to Proctor (2003) there are basically two types of research methods that are prevalent. They are primary research which can further be classified into qualitative research and quantitative research and secondary or desk research. If a qualitative research method is adopted, it is possible to explore various attitudes and perceptions. This method also helps in understanding how such attitudes and perceptions were formed.

According Kumar, Aaker and Day(2002) quantitative research, on the other hand, is descriptive in nature and helps in obtaining hard data by way of surveying a set of sample population to find out the kind of behaviors, attitudes etc, that are exhibited by the selected sample. Secondary research can be defined as the combination and analysis of readily available secondary data. Secondary data is the data which already exists and can be published information.

According Kumar, Aaker and Day (2002) this research is based on the data provided and categorized into two groups with the corporate social responsibility and healthy foods. The survey instrument is the data provided which is analyzed to give meaningful detections about food and eating habits. The use of a questionnaire and optional questions will also be enhanced and the participants will be picked randomly as they shop in this spots, for their foods of choice. The context and eating preferences displayed created the measure in which the information collected could be related to the date in hand to the actual market place. The consumers perception on food and eat, including feelings and behavior when deciding what to food to eat was determined by the age group class and the time factor. Also the study established the cost factor as a determinant on the consumers preference of food which prompts them to opt for particular products and not the other ads Kumar, Aaker and Day (2002).

It is important to use the brand image to lead to increased exposure as well as to attract more people to specific brand, which will increase the number of business for the company and enhance the branding of the company and its products argues Ries and Jack (2000).The methodology applied is critical survey and analysis of extensive literature review on the topic of brand image and corporate social responsibility, and Healthy food with the objective to provide comprehensive review of literature and analysis of data collected.

In this report I depended on secondary sources of data and market research, the primary survey was conducted in MacDonald. The first objective of the study was to find out the influences of corporate social responsibility and healthy food on brand image. For this the first important step was to find out the list of customers patronizing MacDonald to interview them. When the list is obtained, weight is observed and his opinion is sort the issue of CSR and healthy food. With those figures a Histogram and regression graph can be plotted. This Histogram and regression graph will give visual implications of which factor is influencing with great dominance. These data will distinctively show the percentage of influence of each factor on brand image. With the findings the company can match their product range and can identify whether their brand is competitive in the market because of CSR, healthy foods or both.

Discussion

The participants were asked why they bought food based on the health factor. There is consumption of foods that contains high-calories like for example fast foods and the increase in the portion sizes also add to the gaining of weight. There is density in the calories to those foods that are considered to be high-fat. The loading up on soft drinks, including candies and desserts may promote the so-called gain weight. The foods as well as beverages of high sugar and at the same time eating away from home may definitely increase the intake of calorie.

Overweight are labels for weight ranges that are greater than what are generally considered healthy for a given persons height showed. Similarly, these terms are related to weight ranges that have been shown to increase the chances of acquiring certain diseases and other health problems. By taking a persons weight and height to calculate a number called the body mass index (BMI), overweight ranges for adults can be determined. On the eating preference the consumers preferred foods that were eaten by all and which was easily available. It all bulled to the personal desire for a particular product.

CSR

It describes the process and outcome to enact CSR. (Kerr, and Johnston, 2008, p. 2) It is the degree by which the firm makes use of its socially responsible processes. It is the measure of the firms actions policies in the social ground. This can be measured in the way of the Principles of social responsibilities that was with the firm, the Process of social responsiveness, that is the action which the firm have taken to adapt the policy and finally the Outcome that is response or the social impact of the policies that resulted from the Process.

according to Price (2007) though there would be change and difference in outlook and constant modification of idea and theories, but no one can ignore the fact that CSR as a practice is gaining its importance. A companys role is becoming more important and prominent in the society. One may say a company is using its CSR practices as an effective direct marketing tool or to create brand awareness, but the fact is there is an effort on the part of these firms to indulge itself in social and philanthropic activities. The companies have realized that their performance cannot be judged by a single yardstick. Corporate performance, especially for the global companies are measured in different dimensions. Their contribution to the society, the environmental issues and their participation in the global development and welfare are also strictly scrutinized now. As we have observed from the various theories that in the short run though consumers and investors look at the economic performance of a company but in the long run, the other performance comes into picture. So with the increase in competition and expectation from a company, its about time they should start acting. It is not necessary that the companies have to invest a huge amount in these activities or do something which does not match their present business scenario, but what is expected is very simple. They should be environmentally and socially responsible in whatever way its suits their business.

Results

Both quantitative and qualitative data were used to establish the relationship between corporate social responsibility, healthy food and brand image because the ticked answers could not solely be used. The qualitative information about the influences of CSR and the reasons behind the choices of MacDonald taken provided an extra check for reliability. In the factor of social concerns, the participants did agree on some of the items like saying that CSR contributed to their patronizing MacDonald. These results however, indicated that most people prefer those eating places that are had healthy foods because health concerns and it means that there is a vanity to eat as well as fresh foods at all times.

Health concerns are popular when one wants to eat not unless he or she is unwell on under a strict diet. Creativity in foods was a preference to, 70% of the participants agreed to being consumers of these foods while 40% said that they only buy these foods for their young ones. Time limitation showed that 80% of the affected consumers want to the fast foods whole 20% want to fast foods because they like the food adds Elfhag and Rssner(2008).

Analysis I

Corporate Social responsibility was found to be a great influencing factor that influenced patronizing of Macdonald as is related to the global influence because most people like feeling that they are eating what others can easily identify with while creativity in food is mainly used to boost the appetite and tempt one to buy. Most food companies know this and thus advantage of this factor to get people to consume their products by creating togetherness that paints picture of a people who are sharing that eating values and preferences. The reason as why most people count on this season is that the foods are easily available, affordable and popular. Also one can count on the nutrition value of the food influence one to buy particular food stuff. It can be noted that CSR and healthy foods factors influenced brand image the same way. However CSR played a major role as shown in the charts below.

This research shows showed the corporate reputation to depend on the social responsibility more than the type of food. Ignorance of social responsibilities was also found to be harmful for the company as evident from the punishment by the consumers. Consumers have been found to be expecting more socially responsible acts from the companies and pressurizing them in this regard. As a result the general global trend for the companies is to take more socially responsible actions to please the consumers as well as the investors.

CSR and Healthy food are intended to produce increased consumption at MacDonald through this brand image is created. For these reasons, at times, implant their convincing message with truthful information through.

To counter this fast foods are taking idea of making their precuts better- there is the organic food with the some companies going organic and getting down on plans to turn lunch spots which mainly fast food joints into places where office workers can have a meat loaf sandwich made with organic beef. The health concepts of whole meals are enhancing the health concern element into the people food preferences without necessary changing the design of the food.

The health factor when eating takes a back seat as long as one is not unwell with most people opting to have their preferred foods. Big companies take a big scoop of the consumers who want to recognize with their success with a larger population preferring to buy their products adds Elfhag and Rssner(2008).

Analyze II

The factors that determine the foods consumed are steady because of it being counteracted on the basis of being affected by the price, time, proximity, marking stature and the health of an individual.

According to this research weight is influenced by Healthy food. In order to avoid such worst health issues, the physical practitioners recommend that obese adults should adopt habits of well-balanced dieting along with regular exercise for the physical maintenance. It is recommended by the experts that the obese individuals should try to adopt moderate ways of dieting for the reduction of obesity-related health problems.

• Price:-The people who are influenced by the social element that comes with eating a certain food find themselves in the dilemma of having to choose the social class in which they can afford to buy food.Fast foods are affordable and even without the time limitation some consumers just buy it because of the financial limitations.
• Time:- This is an element that affect food consumption even though someone may have a preference for the healthy food, he or she may not be able to go for it due to lack of time and thus just rush to a fast food against his or her personal preference.
• Proximity:- When one is hungry most people tend to buy what is within their reach, the creative foods are usually available thus proximity affects what one eats. When one is unwell he or she is inclined to go for the health conscious products even though sometimes this fact takes a back seat for some lessons.

Implication

Food and eating preferences are personal exceptions which can be influenced by modes of adverts and the mindset created by the marketing lines. Social indirections can be as a result of peer pressure as well as the global influence. This so because eating habits and food preferences are subject to change with time due to the external factors that influence us.

A fast food consumer can change his or her preference and start going for the health conscious meals due to changes in his or her health. Creativity in food mainly attracted the young one and this can change when one outgrows it. Time also determines what we eat- on day when one is haste he or she can go into a fast food whole on less busy day there is enough time to go to the social places.

List of References

Elfhag, K., and S. Rssner..(2008) Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. Obesity Reviews 6.1 (2005): 67-85. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

Keller, K. L 2002, Strategic Brand Management: 2^nd Edition- Prentice Hall Kumar, V., Aaker, D.A. and Day, GS 2002, Essentials of Marketing Research. New York. Wiley & Sons Price, T 2007, Corporate Social Responsibility: Is good citizenship good for the bottom line? CQ Research, 17 (28).

Proctor, T 2003, Essentials of Marketing Research, London: Pitman Heinneman Ries, A. & Jack, T 2000, Positioning- The Battle for Your Mind- 20^th Anniversary Edition: McGraw-Hill Thomson, C. & Rampton, L 2006. Putting Your Customers First, Market Research. Melbourne press, New York.

Healthcare problem and research question

In healthcare, it is prudent to assess relationships between healthcare problems and suspected causative factors. If causative factors are determined and positively correlated to healthcare problems, then preventive measures can be put in place (Polit & Lake, 2010). Correlation analysis statistical tests are used to show a relationship between variables (Jackson, 2012). Correlation analysis tests do not accommodate the assumption that the variables are dependent. However, they assume that the variables follow a normal distribution. Correlation analysis shows or disputes correlation between two variables. There are three relationships that are expected in correlation analysis (Jackson, 2012). The first relationship involves a decrease in one variable when the other variable increases. The second relationship is manifested when both variables increase simultaneously. The third relationship shows no correlation between the two variables (r=0.0). The proposed study will attempt to answer this question:

What is the relationship between eating fast food and obesity?

Many research studies have attempted to associate obesity with fast food. Obesity is a global healthcare problem affecting many people. This research question fits to be addressed by the correlation analysis because it has two types of variables, i.e., fast food and obesity. The study will focus on determining whether fast food has causative effects on obesity.

Hypotheses

The study will use both the null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis will be as follows:

• H₀: µ_{obesefastfoodconsumers} = µ_{obesenonfastfoodconsumers}

Where:

• H₀ = the null hypothesis
• µ_{obesefastfoodconsumers} = the average number of participants who will be obese and will be fast-food consumers, and
• µ_{obesenonfastfoodconsumers} = the average number of participants who will be obese, but not fast food consumers.

The null hypothesis will imply that there will be no difference in the number of obese persons who consume fast food and those who do not.

The alternative hypothesis will be as follows:

• H₁: µ_{obesefastfoodconsumers} > µ_{obesenonfastfoodconsumers}

Where:

• H₁ = the alternative hypothesis
• µ_{obesefastfoodconsumers} = the average number of participants who will be obese and will be fast-food consumers, and
• µ_{obesenonfastfoodconsumers} = the average number of participants who will be obese, but not fast food consumers.

The alternative hypothesis will imply that the number of obese fast-food consumers will be more than obese persons who will not be consuming fast food.

Variables in the study and expected relationship

The study will assess the relationship between one independent variable (fast food) and one dependent variable (obesity). The independent variable will be expected to have effects on the dependent variable. If the relationship will be negative, then one variable will be found to be increasing while the other variable will be decreasing. If the relationship will be positive then both the variables will be found to be increasing or decreasing simultaneously. When using the correlation analysis, the null or the alternative hypothesis is rejected or accepted depending on the relationships of the variables (Burns & Grove, 2009).

A positive correlation will be expected to exist between the variables. This will imply that the number of obese persons feeding on fast food will be more than obese persons who will not be consuming fast food. A positive correlation between the independent variable (fast food) and the dependent variable (obesity) will lead to rejection of the null hypothesis, but adoption of the alternative hypothesis. Therefore, the study results will give essential information on the causative effects of fast food on obesity.

References

Burns, N., & Grove, S. K. (2009). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier.

Jackson, S. L. (2012). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach (4^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Polit, D. F., & Lake, E. (2010). Statistics and data analysis for nursing research. New York, NY: Pearson.

The modern world is a rapidly developing place in all spheres of humanity, and productions of fast food and access to take-out combined with little exercise have raised very many health concerns. It causes a change in human behavior, perception of self-image, and health risks that pose a serious threat.

There are several issues and causes of obesity in the US. The primary one is the culture and the changes regarding what is acceptable. Diabetes and heart disease are becoming predominant, as extra weight puts a strain on the heart, as well as the rest of the body. The whole nation is affected, as increased health risks put pressure on the healthcare system and affect the economical wellbeing of the country.

The individuals are suffering just as much the limited lifestyle causes people to eat faster and more in a single time. Thus people face the danger of significant life-shortening because of detrimental health effects. The long working hours, the availability of junk food, and the relaxation time that is characterized by being at home and little activity, all factors that contribute to people becoming overweight (Fedorak 51).

The fact that the United States is experiencing an increase in its influence over the world and pop culture adds to the negative effects on the domestic, as well as international populations. The economic development and its high level is another reason why people are forced to lead unhealthy lifestyles. The increase in pollution and industrialization, as well as the rise in technology and a lesser need to contribute physically, heighten the bodys inability to fight excess weight.

This sort of issue can be seen all over the world, as people are becoming more dependent on technology and the ease of avoiding activities (Wilk 7). Previously, people had to walk longer distances, contribute to farming and other active work, whereas today, office employment, internet and ability to get easy access to food or even order it without leaving the house, made society very inactive.

Some medical procedures, such as operations and minor adjustments to the physical appearance, have given people an easy way out, depleting will power and care for future health. The modern society has changed so much that even human genes have adjusted to the changes and make people predisposed to obesity-related diseases. Industrialization and changes in the pace of life have caused fast food to become a factor that affects peoples life as a result of social shifts.

The nutrition and the type of food that is consumed play a great role. Someone might be busy with work and eat only once a day. This becomes detrimental to health, as the body is hit with an extreme amount of food at one time. This makes the organism store a portion of proteins as fat so that they can be processed at a later time. Technology has modified foods making cooking times shorter and nutrition almost absent (Schlosser 6).

The picture would be very different if people exercised more and rationed their food, to be separated into three to five meals daily. The cultural view that being overweight is acceptable, and people are not openly degraded according to the way they look has also been a contributing factor. Baggy clothes, a mixing of cultures and styles have distanced people from previously valued norms. The most alarming part of the problem is that there is a significant increase in child obesity.

As parents become busier with their careers and developing businesses, children often resort to eating foods that are high in cholesterol, greater amounts of sugar, and refined carbohydrates. Fast food has had an enormous effect on the social life of children, and the cycle keeps being perpetuated. Children are at a much higher risk of obesity and heart strain, as their bodies are not as strong, and their metabolism is much weaker, compared to adults. Also, modern media and entertainment lead to the reinforcement of fast food culture.

Children are provided with vast entertainment means, from personal computers to laptops, play stations, portable devices, and even interactive consoles. Instead of playing soccer outside and going fishing, people can sit on a couch or stand in front of a TV and perform 2 to 3 moves in one spot.

The availability of fried foods in schools and the proximity of fast food restaurants allows for easy access. Even the prices are relatively low, as compared to restaurants and the service provided (Olfman 110). The easiness with which fast food and its consumption spreads, have led to a causal relationship between the food people consume and their daily lives.

The fact that there are several causessocial, cultural, and personal, leads to many negative effects in several aspects of life. Peoples confidence and self-respect can exist independent of body image and future health risks. Even though obesity has become a concern, and people are becoming more aware of the problems and unnecessary risks, the culture leaves little choice.

The government and people of the United States must take steps and implement vital changes immediately, as it is better to prevent problems than to solve them. All the effects can be reversed if people make health their primary goal.

Works Cited

Fedorak, Shirley. Pop Culture: The Culture of Everyday Life, Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2009. Print.

Olfman, Sharna. Childhood Lost: How American Culture is Failing Our Kids, Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. Print.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

Wilk, Richard. Fast Food/slow Food: The Cultural Economy of the Global Food System, Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira, 2006. Print.

Introduction

In the past 40 years, the world of fast food has penetrated even the remote areas of American society. It was an industry, which had been started by a few hamburgers, and hotdog stalls in California but has now spread all over the nation with a huge number of fast-food items. Nowadays, not only do drive inns and restaurants serve fast food to the customers but they are also found at hospital eateries, gas stations, supermarkets, airplanes, ships, trains, stadiums and even on school and college campuses.

Paying customers are ever ready to pay hundreds of billions of dollars on fast food and it has been found that Americans are more eager to spend money on fast food than on their cars, computers and even higher education. (Mayhew, 261-284) Thus, we can imagine what a profound effect fast food has had on the people of America.

Discussion

The underlying changes in the American economy have accelerated the rapid development of the fast-food industry in the nation. During the 1970s, the hourly wage of an American worker had reached its peak and had steadily declined over the years. Even women joined the workforce at that time in huge numbers due to the need of paying their bills and the number has been increasing since. These statistical changes benefited the fast-food industry providing the people with cheap meals that were not made at home and employing young men and women, who needed extra money, at very low salaries.

Eric Schlosser in The Minimum says that the American restaurant industry has, in recent times, became the principal private employer of the nation and in Colorado Springs. It has also been one of Americas fastest-growing states, in terms of its population, as from the 1970s its population has increased from about two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand. However, the restaurant industry of the state has grown at a quicker rate. While earlier there were around twenty restaurant chains in the state now McDonalds and Pizza Hut have twenty individual restaurants there. (Schlosser, 10-14).

Most of the workforce of the fast-food chains consists of teenagers as the baby boom expansion of the 1960s and 1970s among that age group had coincided with the growth of the industry. They were ideally suited for such jobs since they lived with their parents had very little working skills and the wages that were given to them would not have been enough for an adult. The employment terms were also highly flexible and attracted not only teenagers but also homemakers who took such jobs as the first one.

However, with the decline in the baby boomers, the fast food companies also employed the handicapped, immigrants and the elderly. The fast food companies had made available thousands of jobs for the workers and even employed the disadvantaged and poor American people. People who could hardly read and had very disturbed lives acquired basic work skills. However, their attitude towards minimum salary, overtime payments and trade unions indicates their actual selfish motives for employing the less privileged people of the nation.

Most of the companies assert that the operators stick to the company-made minute details regarding things like store designing, purchasing and food preparations. Nevertheless, the companys policies regarding its labor practices are completely liberal allowing the operators to fix the salaries based on the local labor market. Their elevated turnover rates and peripheral hiring patterns have not only absolved the companies from being directly responsible for a major part of the workforce but have also spoiled the workers efforts to form unions.

Whenever union activities are suspected among the workers, an experienced group of managers is sent to the restaurants to shut them down. They are even forced to sometimes undergo polygraph tests to determine the persons responsible for forming the unions thus, preventing them from acquiring a grip on the business. The workers have even organized strikes for better payment and behavior of the managers but some of the workers were fired when they tried to form a union in the restaurant. (Lee, 75-84).

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, it is mandatory to pay overtime wages to those workers who work more than 40 hours a week. However, most of the workers in the fast food restaurants do not qualify for overtime wages and those who do are seldom paid. Most of the workers are employed as crewmembers and thus, are paid on an hourly basis. They work whenever required at the restaurant and the managers ensure that they work for less than 40 hours a week so that they do not qualify for the overtime wages. Only one or two percent of the workers have a fixed salary along with medical benefits and a fixed employment term. Only they have an opportunity of being promoted but that too after working for a long time at a very low salary. (Øgaard, 23-34).

It is also true that almost a fourth of the total workers in these fast food restaurant industries receive the minimum wage than other industries in America. The years between 1970-90 saw the minimum wage of the workers decline by almost 50%, even though the fast food industry expanded rapidly, and has been decreasing ever since. The daily life of the teenage students who work at fast-food restaurants has changed significantly as they are a lot poorer today and have to work for longer hours after their school. However, they cannot leave their jobs as most of them come from families with low incomes and thus, have to work to support their families and themselves.

As their salaries are very low most of the youngsters work for almost seven hours after attending school thus, getting very little time for their studies. This affects their academic performance gravely. We also have to consider the issue regarding the safety of the employees at their workplace. Although injuries like minor burns from grills, boilers and fryers are very common, there have also been growing incidents of violence in restaurants. The fast food restaurants due to their convenient locations become attractive targets for burglaries. At times even the cashiers and managers are killed by the robbers who run off with their prize money. (Pepper, 249-255)

Conclusion

As fast food companies have high turnover rates, they should promote modern labor policies for the introduction of permanent careers in the fast food industry instead of relying only on low-paid workers. Until and unless the employers provide health benefits, security measures and other such benefits to the workers, they will not look for a permanent career in this industry. The workers not only need job security but also a fun-filled environment in their workplace. The employees who are happy with their jobs will also be the most motivated ones. Rewarding them and awards bring about a feeling of pride and make them feel that the management care about them.

It has been found out that if the minimum wages of the workers were restored to the one that was there during the 1970s, then the cost of a hamburger would not be increased much. The fast food managers also need to be treated as an executive and not made to do chores like cleaning the floors, serving the customers or preparing food, which is the job of their employees. Some of them even work for longer hours than their employees work but are paid less. They are also sometimes forced to do certain unethical tasks, like destroy employee records, and work overtime without pay. (Mayhew, 261-284).

This has to stop and they should be giving the salary they rightfully deserve. Most of them work hard mainly for a promotion which they almost never receive. It has also been found that a restaurant worker on average receives one-third of the payment that workers in other industries earn. Even though the companies are not able to increase the minimum wages of the workers, they are going on hiring newer people. This is mainly due to the competition between the fast food companies. The operators and managers have no control over the fixed costs of the business like franchise fees and leases, and thus, are constantly under pressure for keeping the wages as low as possible.

Works Cited

Lee, Seok-hoon, Yong-pil Kim, Nigel Hemmington, Deok-kyun Yun; Competitive service quality improvement (CSQI): a case study in the fast-food industry; Food Service Technology; 4, 2, 75-84; School of Services Management, Bournemouth University, Poole, Dorset, UK, 2004.

Mayhew, Claire & Michael Quinlan; Fordism in the fast food industry: pervasive management control and occupational health and safety risks for young temporary workers; Sociology of Health & Illness; 24, 3, 261-284; Industrial Relations Research Centre, University of New South Wales, 2002.

Øgaard, Torvald, Svein Larsen, Einar Marnburg; Organizational culture and performance: evidence from the fast food restaurant industry; Food Service Technology; 5, 1, 23-34; Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, 2005.

Pepper, Audrey W; The Relationship Between Fast Foods And Convenience Foods;Definitions And Developments; International Journal of Consumer Studies; 4, 3, 249-255; The Queens College, Glasgow, 2001.

Schlosser, Eric; Fast-Food Nation: The True Cost Of Americas Diet; Rolling Stone magazine (USA), Issue 794, 1998.

Introduction

More and more Americans eat fast food and since it is relatively inexpensive, tastes good and can be ordered and consumed quickly, fast food has become the national diet. However, prolonged consumption of fast foods is known to cause severe obesity and related health problems such as respiratory diseases, coronary problems, diabetes and other diseases. What is worse is that children have become victims of the unhealthy trend and childhood obesity and childhood diabetes have increased dramatically. This fact was demonstrated by Morgan Spurlock in his documentary film Super Size Me, released in 2004. The author recorded his experience by eating only fast food for 30 days and ate super sized meals three times a day. After one month, Spurlock gained twenty-four pounds and the body mass increased by 13%. It took him 14 months of strenuous exercise to come back to his original weight (Spurlock, 2003). Research by scientists suggests that fast food is addictive as hard drugs since the brain is conditioned to receive its dose of sugar and fat and over a period of time, the addiction is very hard to leave (Laurence, 2003).

Discussion

Schlosser (p. 3:9) speaks of the widespread infiltration of fast foods in USA. The industry in 2001 was worth about 110 billion USD. The fad of eating Fast Food also called, as Junk Food has almost become an epidemic. What seems very alluring is that for a few dollars, people could eat their fill with apparently tasty food and no one was bothered about the harm it caused. Over the years, small businesses went out of business and were replaced by franchises of companies such as McDonalds, Taco Bells, Dominos, Starbucks and many others. The fast food industries have a huge requirement for potatoes, vegetables, beef, chicken and other food raw materials and the traditional farmer it seems was not able to meet the insatiable demand. Large corporate organizations bought a number of farms, used genetically modified plants and animals to produce the maximum at the least cost. This has changed the agricultural landscape of America. To provide for the huge amount of meat required, meat-processing practices were even worse. Sick and diseased animals, infected with E-Coli were slaughtered in unhygienic abattoirs. Often illegal immigrants processed the meat and the meat products were contaminated with harmful pathogens. Items such as hamburgers with E-Coli can cause lifelong health problems, similar to what HIV and AIDS patients experience. Some have experienced severe diarrhea, urinated blood, the brain got liquefied, and the patient who survived was often crippled for life. Children are the worst victims, since their bodies do not have much resistance. While such infections can be caused by any uncooked and contaminated meat, and not necessarily from hamburgers, all reported cases of pathogen poisoning occurred due to consumption of fast foods. To meet the urgent demand for meat, slaughterhouses often ignore safe methods, process worn out dairy cows for ground beef and that is one of the reasons why fast foods are to be blamed. When government tried to intervene and implement strict regulations, the powerful meat and fast food companies lobbied to block all attempts to use microbial testing of the federal meat inspection program.

Schlosser (p. 122-123) has also reported on the secret and insidious manner in which the mouth-watering flavor is created by using advanced chemical engineering. Chemicals of the required flavor such as almonds, apricots, roast beef and any other cooking smell can be manufactured in chemical laboratories. Minute amounts of the chemicals are mixed with the food material and the final, ready to eat product gives out the required mouth watering smell. The scary part is that these chemical flavors are extracted from items such as sawdust for natural smoke flavor, cochineal extract that is made by crushing small bugs to give foods a pink color, to name a few. Such additives can cause severe allergies to people besides vegetarians may find it offensive when they find that ground beef is used to create a vegetable flavor.

Schlosser (p. 242-245) shows how obesity has increased over the years. The US has the highest rate for obesity when compared to other developed nations and more than 50% of adults and 25% of children in USA are obese. Most of the cases of obesity can be directly linked to heavy consumption of fast foods that have very high amount of calories and cholesterol. While it is true that sedentary lifestyle has increased, the easy access to fat forming fast foods has accelerated obesity. Children are specially targeted by using childrens advertisements, forming alliances with toymakers to supply toys along with food, sponsoring sports events and so on. As a result, children drink about 12 ounces of soda daily on average. Such drinks have replaced traditional drinks such as milk, while burgers have replaced cereals and cornflakes. Many schools have fast food franchises, this has led children to skip nutritional breakfast and switch to fast food.

It is obvious that fast food companies have become more and more reckless and have long ago abandoned any conscience. It is only profits that they are interested in, they are not bothered if traditional agricultural farms, and practices are uprooted or if the health of children and adults is sacrificed at the altar of money. These companies have played on the basic requirement of humans, food and this is a crime that millions of Americans have fallen a victim to. Everyone wants to save money and eat proper food and people are hard pressed for time. Fast food companies have played on this inherent physiological need to build their empire on the bodies of hapless Americans who were forced to visit such outlets since traditional breakfast and food places were forced out of business. So it was either a question of starve or eat fast food and fast food companies have exploited this need and so we have everyone from school children, truck drivers, college students, office workers and other people becoming daily victims.

With conscience gone and only greed acting as the business motive, it would be naïve to expect these companies to change their methods. When people become obese, productivity falls and there are increased healthcare costs, that the already overburdened health care system cannot bear anymore. Young adults die of coronary attacks and suffer from respiratory problems and productive lives are cut short. What is heart rending is the sight of diabetic obese children waiting at hospitals for their insulin shots to pay for their innocent sins of becoming fast food junkies.

Conclusion

How many more children have to die before the megalomaniac fast food companies remove their eyes from their hoard of dollars and ask themselves about the evil they have unleashed. Perhaps never!

References

Rosenwasser, David and Stephen, Jill. Writing Analytically, 3rd Edition. Wadsworth Publishing. 2003.

Laurence Jeremy. 2003. Fast food is addictive in same way as drugs, say scientists. Web.

Spurlock Morgan. 2003. Super Size Me: IMDb. Web.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation, The dark side of the all American meal. NY: Harper Perennial Publications. 2001.

Introduction

The aspects of fast food, and related issues, generally entail numerous facts and considerations, and, all the research papers, which argue on the matters of fast food often touch upon the aspects of history, popularity, and harm. Originally, these are the most popular aspects of fast food research, and, it should be emphasized that few touch upon the aspects of alternatives. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the factors, associated with fast food alternatives and challenges, which may arise while implementing healthy fast food.

Whether Fast Food is Really Harmful

The issues of harm, associated with the consumption of fast food have been already discussed widely by numerous researchers. Surely, the amounts of fats, cholesterols, sodium, and calories, in general, are immense, which makes fast food not only harmful but even dangerous in some measures for health and life. Nevertheless, few state, that the main danger is covered not in the amounts and power of harm factor, but in the regular consumption of fast food, especially by inactive people. Those, who restrict their ambitions in consuming fast food, and prefer various alternatives are not endangered, nevertheless, there are people of various origins who prefer fast foods to any other food, independently on the warnings, or even regardless of the worsening of health. As it is stated in Ritzer (562):

In a research experiment done by Pediatrics, 6,212 children and adolescents ages 4 to 19 years old were examined to find out some information about fast food. After interviewing the participants in the experiment, it was discovered that on a given day 30.3% of the total sample have reported having eaten fast food. Fast-food consumption was prevalent in both males and females, all racial/ethnic groups, and all regions of the country. Children who ate fast food, compared with those who did not, consumed more total fat, carbohydrates, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Children who ate fast food also ate less fiber, milk, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables.

In the light of this statement, it should be emphasized that the real value of fast food researches is explained by the stated statistical information, thus, all the potential risks may be easily analyzed and applied for any research.

The risk factors of fast food consumption are high blood pressure, obesity, and related heart diseases. Nevertheless, there is a strong stereotype on the matters of fast food, as people believe that all fast foods are dangerous and harmful. Most fast-food chains also offer vegetarian foods, low-fat (diet) meals, and beverages (like sugar-free sodas, low-fat milkshakes, etc). Thus, these foods are healthier, and often entail all the features, why fast food is preferred: these are tasty, fast, available for eating on a go, and caloric enough. (Van Giezen, 24) Moreover, soups are also available for daily meals, and consumers have an opportunity to order a cream-free soup, thus, lowering the fat rates in the daily ration. Consequently, the values of alternatives are rather high, as they may lower the obesity and heart disease rates.

Consuming Fast Food Alternatives. Challenges

Originally, the main part of the consumers of fast food do not mention and take into consideration the fat and cholesterol values when ordering meals in fast-food chains. If these values are not emphasized in commercials, and social advertisements, the implementation of the diet fast foods will be useless. (Mechling and Cronin, 234) Thus, people should be aware of the matters of harm and alternatives for staying fit and healthy. The main problem of health care, which is challenged, is the ignorance of publicity, as most people do not care about their own health, and the health of their children letting them consume fast foods in unrestricted amounts. Consequently, the obesity rates grow and slowly becoming the norm of everyday life. Nevertheless, as fast-food chains provide the opportunity for health worsening, similarly, they may become the initiators of a healthy way of life, offering healthy foods instead of trans fat foods, large portions of caloric foods, and food with carcinogens. Thus, the largest fast-food chains often offer vegetable salads and fruit meals, which are tasty and not as caloric as various burgers. Moreover, fast-food chains, which offer healthy alternatives to fast food are constantly appearing, providing consumers with all the required menus, for the visitors had an opportunity to consume healthy, low fat and, low cholesterol and low caloric foods. Additionally, as it is stated by Alter (173): Most fast-food chains and restaurant chains provide their nutrition information online. Thus, people, who care about their health should resort to search engines to find all the required information and assess the nutritional data of the foods.

Conclusion

Finally, it should be emphasized that fast food consumption is closely associated with the increasing rates of obesity and heart deceases. Nevertheless, healthy alternatives of fast food exist, and they are healthy, caloric, and tasty, nevertheless, the greatest challenge is the ignorance and lack of the required information.

Works Cited

Alter, David A., and Karen Eny. The Relationship between the Supply of Fast-food Chains and Cardiovascular Outcomes. Canadian Journal of Public Health 96.3 (2005): 173

Mechling, Linda C., and Beth Cronin. Computer-Based Video Instruction to Teach the Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices for Ordering at Fast-Food Restaurants. Journal of Special Education 39.4 (2006): 234

Ritzer, George. McDonaldization of society. Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Pine Forge Press, 2004.

Van Giezen, Robert W. Occupational Wages in the Fast-Food Restaurant Industry. Monthly Labor Review 117.8 (2008): 24

In chapters 5-10, Eric Schlosser addresses a range of important issues that surround the development of the food industry in the United States of America. The first central idea revolves around the intense industrialization of the food industry that has led to the creation of large corporations holding the majority of the market. Schlosser explains this situation through the prism of regular people from the perspectives of farmers engaged in the production of meat. He recalls the original anti-trust initiatives of the American government that aimed at preventing such a development. However, since the 1980s, corporations have resumed their conquest of the industry, leaving little or no space for regular farmers. He mentions that the patterns of land ownership in the American West resemble those of rural England (Schlosser 46). This idea implies that farmers are left in the position of serving the corporations that wield actual power with littler personal gains. This is a strong and thought-provoking message regarding the present issue.

In fact, the struggle of the regular people in the face of the new age of corporate fast-food domination is another key theme of the authors discussion. Schlosser devotes much attention to the struggle of meat-farming workers who endure serious physical and mental challenges in their line of duty. The psychological aspect of the job receives sufficient coverage, as Schlosser talks about the people whose daily tasks include killing a high number of living beings. Furthermore, those whose physical and mental health take a hit are discouraged from contacting the officials in order to keep matters outside of the publics attention. As a result, society sees the embellished façade of the fast-food industry, which is built non only on the corpses of the animals but also with the blood and sweat of regular people who work for the profits of corporations. Or, as Schlosser calls them, cogs in the great packing machines (57). This line perfectly summarizes the role to which regular workers efforts have been reduced by the new age of the food industry.

Work Cited

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Mariner Books, 2012.

Success Factors in the Fast-Food Industry

Convenient locations play a critical role in the success of fast-food kiosks. These points include the busy commercial strips, shopping malls, and high-traffic areas. These places have a constant movement of crowds, which will always crave some snacks. Such locations are still costly to rent for kiosk owners. However, the continued presence of people who want ready-made dishes promises high-profit margins (Heizer et al. 452). Food should always be served fast in these shops to keep customers. Most people walk into these restaurants on their way to various destinations, and they expect to find quick service.

Restaurants need to establish a specific brand of food that customers are sure of getting. Most people decide what dish they want before walking into a food shop. A good reputation for a given class of food is beneficial. For example, McDonalds and Burger King became popular by consistently offering simple and recognizable burgers (Bernsdorf et al. 102). This led to their growth beyond the United States to other international markets such as the United Kingdom. The kiosk should also maintain consistency in operation so that people are sure to find food anytime they visit. Other factors, such as food innovation and creative advertisement, are also critical to a restaurants success.

The availability of adequate facilities and equipment ensures work efficiency in these shops and maintains the foods in good quality. Worn-out and outdated equipment at the workplace reduces the morale of the workers. It gives the restaurant a bad reputation, which can negatively affect the customers turn-up. While the technology is growing, it is necessary to maintain the quality of the equipment and repair worn-out ones to ensure a smooth workflow. Appropriate food storage equipment such as microwaves and refrigerators will ensure that the food quality is preserved and spoilage is avoided.

Controlling the inventories while at the same time selling the food products at a reasonable price to make a profit is of much concern in the modern food supply chain. The restaurants need to ensure that there is not too much supply, which will lead to spoilage, and not too little, which will result in failing to provide the customers with meals. This is a critical concern as most food inventories are perishable and expensive to keep fresh for a long time.

Cost management is also a critical factor in the success of the shop. It is necessary to know the cost of the products and services. This will make it possible to identify the value of the profit received. The business needs to manage its costs and always ensure that the expenses incurred are less than the revenues (Bernsdorf et al. 110). The excess amount represents the gains from the income obtained during that particular period. To maximize the returns, the restaurants should major in the brands that give high-profit margins. That is the only way to keep revenues coming into the shop.

The quality of services offered in a restaurant is a vital factor in its success. People always want high-quality products and services. Whenever they notice a problem with the quality of foods served, they are not likely to show up again. This may send away customers that are necessary for the kiosks operation. Low customer turn-up translates into a smaller cash flow, and financial instability is the reason for the closure of most fast-food kiosks. Most of the food industry inputs come from farm produce. The ability to maintain the products fresh and in good quality is one of the ways for a supply chain to promote its success. Proper storage and faster transportation minimize the spoilage of the farm produce before being utilized. If that happens, it translates into reduced losses to the restaurants (Heizer et al. 454). It comes as a strength as consumers need quality foods that are close to their natural state.

Current Basis of Competition

The competition in this industry is mainly price wars; restaurants lower their prices to the levels that will attract customers without incurring losses. Some have adopted offering free delivery of food to clients homes as a means to increase sales. Most fast-food chains have embraced information technology in their operations and incorporated online ordering of foods delivered to customers by a third party or an employee of the food store.

Restaurants have also upscaled food varieties in their menu to keep the consumer base as competition becomes more pronounced due to the opening of new food kiosks. Some restaurants carry out promotional activities such as discounted offers of dishes, free delivery of foods, and even gifting loyal customers with meal vouchers (Heizer et al. 453). This helps to keep customers and attract more people. Most of the franchised fast-food outlets carry creative advertising programs that make their food brands popular. Food adverts are typical on Television, and posters are displayed at strategic places.

Effects of Economy Shutdown on the Industry

The global pandemic has hit every part of the economy, and restaurants are also deeply affected. They have shown a severe collapse in revenue base and customer traffic. The governments effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 has also proved detrimental for the food industry. Unlike other risks, the Covid-19 eruption is by any standard exceptional. It comes with high levels of uncertainty, extreme scope and presents a situation that is far beyond the experience of many business owners. This disease has infected and killed millions around the globe. In addition, the global economy has been hit hard by this pandemic to the extent of bringing all production activities to a standstill.

Similar to another sector of the economy, the fast-food industry is facing numerous disruptions. They arise from various sources in the supply chain, including the suppliers on different levels, customers, storage and distribution, production process, and external forces such as political issues and conflicts. Besides, the food supply chain is associated with delays and uncertainty caused by the dynamic nature of the industry and transmits a risk tendency. Fast-food restaurant owners have implemented different measures to tame the spread of the virus including disinfection, cleaning, screening, and monitoring the workforce for Covid-19.

The shutdown of the economy due to the global Covid-19 pandemic significantly affected restaurants and the food industry, it has reduced the traffic of people in restaurants and along the busy streets. The food kiosk workers were laid off, and the shops revenues decreased drastically (Cant and Woodcock 3). The distribution of food products from groceries was further affected when lockdowns were initiated to curb the virus from spreading. It also made it hard to deliver foods to clients homes as peoples movement was restricted only to workers essential groups. Many small kiosks were affected beyond recovery because of the challenging economic conditions.

Following the pandemic, many fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds, Chick-fil-A, Wendys, Shake Shack, Arbys, Panera Bread, Subway, and Starbucks indefinitely closed their dining spaces and resorted to food deliveries and carryout. Suppliers of meat and seafood also ran out of business as the food industry is deeply hit and lost its customers (Cant and Woodcock 3). Most of the farmers also suffer from the spoilage of their products. They produce a surplus during the onset of the pandemic anticipating large sales during the peaks; however, this never happened. Most of these products stay past their expiry dates. This accounted for great losses to the suppliers and food store owners.

Risk Mitigation

To keep the inventory at an optimal level, fast food restaurants can be tied with the sales point at which the excess supplies are sold. This will ensure that the restaurant department holds what it needs and the extra inventories are sold. There are also modern inventory management tools that can automatically trace stocks and predict shortages or surpluses (Heizer et al. 454). Inadequate communication should no longer be a weakness along the food supply chain since numerous technological inventions have eased this process. Web-based services are nowadays available where people can hold meetings virtually along the supply chain. This is even more effective during the economic shutdown period during which movements are restricted between some countries and regions.

To maintain the freshness and quality of the food supplies, it is necessary to select appropriate packaging for the products, more so for foods ready for delivery. This will ensure these foods reach clients in a good and safe condition. There is an emerging technology called blockchain in which users keep all information regarding a transaction. Data fed into this digital platform can never be manipulated or deleted. Restaurant managers can find unmanipulated data from this platform, which is crucial when tracing a product.

Measuring the cost associated with the supply chain is the first step towards solving its consequences. The business should keep track of the costs by storing such data in a spreadsheet. The expenses can be analyzed to come up with less costly strategies (Heizer et al. 454). However, the spreadsheet cannot manage the costs associated with complex food supply chains, hence the need for network solutions.

Gaining the visibility of the suppliers financial stability will enable the management to avoid the risk of dealing with third-party vendors. A supplier who is not financially stable is likely to hire another vendor to supply the products creating some external risks. Restaurants also need to hire reliable freight carriers to transport products to other franchises. It is necessary to keep these cargo carriers on track to ensure the safety of the products. Moreover, restaurants that have ways for online ordering should ensure that agents responsible for the delivery of the foods are credible.

The restaurants also need to put measures in place to curb the possible spread of the Covid-19. One of the mitigations measures that business owners can implement includes installing sneeze guards which have a pass-through opening below the barrier at the various customer service points and checkouts. Other measures include placing the electronic payment terminal at a distance from the cashier, ensuring check-out lanes are properly utilized, implementing visual cues that indicate points where a customer should stand, limiting maximum customer capacity at the entry, and providing remote shopping alternatives.

Works Cited

Bernsdorf, Kamille, et al. Accessibility of Fast-Food Outlets Is Associated With Fast Food Intake. A Study in the Capital Region of Denmark. Health & Place, no.48, 2017, pp. 102-110. Web.

Cant, Callum, and Jamie Woodcock. Fast Food Shutdown: From Disorganisation to Action in the Service Sector. Capital & Class, 2020. 

Heizer, Jay, et al. Operations Management. Prentice-Hall, 2008.

Blake, Christine, et al. Elaborating the Science of Food Choice for Rapidly Changing Food Systems in Low-and Middle-Income Countries. Global Food Security, vol. 28, 2021.

Researchers consider the interaction of changing the food environment to food choice. The authors of the article are members of the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior of the University of South Carolina. This study helps to understand the interaction between various environmental factors that shape food choice, which is important for considering the determinants of consumer behavior.

Herman, Peter, et al. Social Influences on Eating. Springer International Publishing, 2019.

The book examines the influence of the social environment on food choices, and also explores how unconsciously it may occur. The authors of the book are members of the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto who specialize in healthy eating and weight issues. This book allows to consider a wider range of potential factors influencing food choices, as well as to consider the problem from different angles.

Powell, Patricia, et al. Food Choices of Young Adults in the United States of America: A Scoping Review. Advances in Nutrition, vol. 10, no. 3, 2019, pp. 479-488.

The authors of this study examined various factors that influence the food choice of young people aged 19-24 in the United States. The researchers are current members of the School of Public Health Australia, as well as academic staff of the University of Queensland. The resource can contribute to the identification of the main factors influencing food choice in order to further consider them in more detail.

Wongprawmas, Rungsaran, et al. Food Choice Determinants and Perceptions of a Healthy Diet among Italian Consumers. Foods, vol. 10, no. 2, 2021.

In this study, the authors examine the determinants of food choice among Italian consumers. The researchers are current members of the Department of Food and Drug of the University of Parma. This study allows to identify less obvious factors influencing food choice and consider their potential applicability to the United States. Additionally, the source helps to understand the broader context of food choice determinants to compare global and local patterns.

Zepeda, Lydia. Bad Choices in Our Food System. Cambridge Scholars Publisher, 2021.

The book explores how the food system, including relevant policies in the US, influences consumer food choices. The author is Professor Emerita of Consumer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA and also holds a PhD and MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Davis. This resource is extremely useful for looking at the structural factors that influence consumer behavior.

In his book Fast Food Nation (2001), Eric Schlosser argues that fast food has greatly influenced American society and culture. As he discusses the development of the nation about the development of fast-food chains, Schlosser begins to paint a picture of how philosophies introduced within organizations such as McDonalds have served to reduce the general quality of life for the average American in a variety of areas.

Not only have they served to undermine traditional American values, but fast food organizations and business concepts theyve introduced have also served to reduce our access to basic human rights, devaluing our social expectations through their influence on the very fabric of our knowledge.

These are necessary tactics, Schlosser argues, for these organizations to maximize their profits by convincing consumers to purchase inferior products proven, in many cases, to be detrimental to health, at premium prices, and in high demand. These are strong accusations to make and seem to grossly exaggerate the probable impact the fast-food concept could have on a thinking public.

However, by examining Schlossers arguments with input from other experts in the field, it seems that there may be a greater element of truth of Schlossers claims than one would be comfortable admitting. In the end, one must conclude that fast food, as a commodity, has contributed a great deal toward the degeneration of American society by destroying traditional American values, removing social rights, and weakening the physical health of the nation through inferior products.

Schlosser begins his argument by narrating the history of the fast-food industry as the McDonald brothers incorporated the concepts of the factory line worker to the production of immediately available food products. Even within this history, he builds his case arguing organizations like McDonalds drove out the independent restaurants through the application of factory processes to food production, the development of franchises to spread this mechanized process, and through the bold new move of advertising to children.

That franchises are still edging out the independent options is evident in a warning published by the Council of Independent Restaurants of America: If the dinner-house chains have their way, the dining scene in most cities will soon offer the limited choices that consumers now find in shopping malls throughout America: the same 30 or 40 stores in every location (cited in Nye & Drake, 2008). This is because they can offer seemingly more food for less money in more locations at a quicker and more predictable pace while retaining the ability to sustain long-term market slumps in a given geographic location.

The fast rate of production is due to the assembly-line approach to food preparation. Authors Heizer and Render (2006) illustrate how Mcdonalds has used a combination of new technologies and Taylors scientific studies to bring the production process to its most efficient level that is expertly timed to have the completed assembly arriving for the customer at approximately the same time as their change.

While this whole process seems to dehumanize the traditional associations Americans have had of eating around the family table, these organizations managed to divert attention through media campaigns professing alignment with these values. For example, Ronald McDonald continues to be a well-known character for no other reason than he offered a friendly playground for children to disappear into while Mom and Dad shared a relatively private meal.

While this seems to support family values in that everyone is eating dinner at the same time, no one is together as the kids are playing probably independently in the playground and the restaurant is too noisy for Mom and Dad to do anything but wish, independently, they were somewhere else. As these ideas proved successful, they have leaked into other areas of the marketplace, undermining American rights.

By pulling down the American value system in its dehumanization of the eating process and infiltrating the minds of the young through appealing media campaigns, the fast-food industry has also managed to degrade our social rights in this country. Schlosser argues theyve done this by influencing our children for future control through influencing educational curriculum selections and redirecting school funding while reducing current workers rights by exploiting immigrant and undereducated or younger workers. These claims are again supported in other literature, sometimes to an almost word-for-word extent: Fast food industries are a regular presence in school cafeterias.

The industry has programs where employees regularly work with high school students, influencing course offerings through monetary support to the schools. (Poetter et al, 2004:126). As to the claim that fast food organizations have introduced a business model that thrives on the exploitation of its workers, a newspaper study conducted in Alabama in 2007 reported Trailing Wal-Mart employees were workers for fast-food giant McDonalds, with 1,615 children on Medicaid. There are a total of 1,380 Medicaid children whose parents work for Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, fast-food businesses owned by Yum! Brands (Haas, 2007).

It should be noted that the low-cost department store chain Wal-mart was also built upon the same assembly-line, mechanized scientific process model introduced by McDonalds. By first destroying any expectations among children that things should be any different and then exploiting workers to the point where they have lost the ability to organize, the fast-food concept has fundamentally robbed the American people of rights they worked so hard to gain during the previous centuries of our existence.

More than destroying our spirits and rights, the fast-food concept has finally affected the types of products we are now offered as sustenance for our bodies and our children. Because of the influence, these companies have managed to attain in key governmental and oversight positions, Schlosser argues that there has been a reduction in the safety levels of food preparation itself as well as in the quality of the food itself.

The hectic schedule for food preparation, using equipment that reaches temperatures above 500 degrees in only seconds, emphasizes the potential for injury within the food preparation cycle itself (Heizer & Render, 2006) while the fast-food industry has gained a great deal of criticism in the quality of its products. A majority of the food offered at fast food establishments remain high in caloric content, introducing a great deal of fat and very little in the way of nutrition into the American diet. Health experts believe that constant promotion of high-calorie food is contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by encouraging preferences for junk food and contributing to poor eating habits (Byrd-Bredbenner & Grasso, 2000).

There is little doubt that the nutritional content of a typical fast food meal remains at the lower end of the spectrum. High-fat, high-sugar foods are widely available, taste good, and cost less than healthier foods. Vending machines are ubiquitous, Kentucky Fried Chicken delivers and most fast-food outlets now serve breakfast (Murray, 2001). While some chains have added a few healthy food options, such as mandarin oranges or yogurt, the truth remains that the large majority of their menu items, as well as the featured items of their advertisements, are focused on the high dollar, low-quality products of yesteryear.

While the claims of Eric Schlosser seem to be overly paranoid about the possibilities of one market to influence an entire culture in these ways, there does seem to be a great deal of support for his arguments among experts in the field. It seems almost ridiculous to argue that fast food has destroyed some of our more cherished American values as we see the breakdown in the family and the disunity as they each grab an individually wrapped, impersonal sandwich and retreat to their various corners to fill their human need for sustenance.

As the family unit begins to break down with fast food concepts a contributing factor, Taylors scientific process continues to bleed the human element out of the process, reducing each individual to an easily replaceable part and thus eliminating any power the individual might have to bring about effective change or resistance to exploitive practices. With this kind of power in hand, the fast-food organization, along with all other organizations that have followed this same assembly-line approach to human management, have managed to bring about changes in social policy that enable them to continue degrading the food supply and the health of the nation physically, mentally and spiritually by influencing education, politics, economics, and nutritional well-being.

Works Cited

Byrd-Bredbenner C & Grasso D. Commercials During 1992 and 1998. Journal of School Health. Vol. 70, (2000), pp. 61-65.

Haas, Eric. Ask Rockridge: Ending the Amnesty for Abusive Employers. Rockridge Nation. (2007). Web.

Heizer, Jay & Barry Render. Operations Management. (8^th Ed.). New York: Prentice Hall, 2006.

Murray, Bridget. Fast-food Culture Serves up Super-Size Americans. Monitor on Psychology. Vol. 32, N. 11, (2001). Web.

Nye, Melinda & Tom Drake. Out to Eat. New Jerseys Great Northwest Skylands. (2008). Web.

Poetter, Thomas S.; Thomas Lee Goodney & Jennifer L. Bird. Critical Perspectives on the Curriculum of Teacher Education. University Press of America, 2004.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin Corp., 2001.