Adios my friends...

This has been an interesting project as I had read very few blogs and had never even considered blogging myself.  However, I'v enjoyed it (for the most part) and have learned several things along the way.  I hope that you have learned something yourself over the past 15 weeks.

If you remember from my first blog, I chose McDonald's because I had worked there through the summers of my undergrad days (over 16 years ago).  I enjoyed my summers at McDonald's and think I would enjoy working for the McDonald's Corporation now.  However, I say that as I am envisioning myself working in the corporate office, not in the restaurant itself as I do not think I would handle customer complaints as well as I used to.  It does however, appear to be a good company to work for, with good benefits and promotion opportunities, and it has definitely earned good profits of late.  For instance, if you had invested $1,000 in MCD stock on 9/1/10 you would have purchased 13 shares of stock as the 9/1 stock price was $74.54 per share.  As of today your stock would be worth $1,031.94 as MCD closed today at $79.38.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

This gives you a net increase of $31.94 or a 3.194% return.  I would not be very happy with this return on investment as I could earn that in CDs.  However, MCD has paid high dividends to its' investors over the year and are expected to do so again at the end of 2010, so for a large stakeholder it will pay to own MCD stock.

Thanks for listening this semester.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  God Bless and good luck with your future studies.

Hmmm... Most Interesting Thing...

The most interesting thing I learned about McDonald's this semester is the fact that Mickey D's had acquired Donato's Pizza and Boston Market.  That's right, back in 1999 & 2000.  Now, mind you, they have since divested these acquisitions, but until this class I never knew they ever had attempted to diversify.  In case you missed it, you can see the complete information surrounding these acquisitions and divestitures by referring to my blog posting on October 16th.

The next most interesting thing I learned was how well the stock price has been performing in the past year.  Take today for instance, MCD closed today at $79.29 up $0.99 (or 1.26%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

One last JUST FOR FUN FACT:

If McDonald's meat quality is so high, why is it so cheap?

Because McDonald's serves so many people each day, it is able to buy in bulk and then pass along the value to you. This enables McDonald's to offer its' customers the best prices on the freshest, highest quality products.

http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/students/faq_for_students.html#11

Hope you enjoyed the fun facts.  I hope to post my final blog tomorrow!

Stock Price Update

MCD closed today at $78.26 up $0.33 (or 0.42%). 

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Stay tuned for the final two Blog posts later this week!!!

Ronald McDonald House

McDonald's is known for their Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).  If you watch much TV at all, then you have probably seen the McDonald's ads for "Hope" and "Happy Meals."  McDonald's will make a one cent donation to RMHC for each Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal that is purchased throughout the year. 

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/promotions/mchappyday.html

While one cent may not sound like a lot, I can only imagine the number of Happy Meals that McDonald's sells in a year.  I have a feeling the one-cent donation will be considerable.

My family has personal experience with RMHC and only sings its' praises.  I have triplet nieces that were premature and had a long stay in the hospital.  Their parents were able to stay at a Ronald McDonald House next to the hospital in order to be close by their children without enduring large expenses.  I am happy to say the girls are now 10 years old and as happy and healthy as can be.  RMHC has definitely provided for a lot of families needs.

STOCK PRICE UPDATE: 

MCD closed today at $79.01 down $0.51 (or 0.64%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3AMCD

Stock Price Update

MCD closed Friday at $79.64 up $0.62 (or 0.78%).  MCD continues to perfrom well.  Its' low for this 52-week period was $60.04, which occurred in December 2009.  What a difference a year can make.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

McDonald's Culture and Culture in general

The McDonald's culture could probably be best summed up in the words of McDonald's founder, Ray Kroc.

“If I had a brick for every time I’ve repeated the phrase Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value, I think I’d probably be able to bridge the Atlantic Ocean with them.” —Ray Kroc

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history/the_ray_kroc_story.html

Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value continue to be the mantra used by McDonald's and its' employees even today.  All decisions and policies are made with this in mind.  This corporate culture is maintained by its' different restaurants regardless of the country in which it is located.

While McDonald's is known for its' standardized food and service, it also must cater to the different cultures in the many different nations it has stores.  So, it has to adapt menus accordingly, but it still continues to follow the "Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value" plan.  For instance, in India Mickey D's does not serve pork or beef, so it greatly expanded its' vegetarian menu.  Additionally, McDonald's has made adjustments for other cultures as well to ensure it pleases the local consumer and maintains a loyal customer base all the while maintaining its' service and value.

 http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/130910/india___vegetables_for_mcdonalds_.aspx

While MCD took a hit on the stock price today closing at $77.42 (down $1.65), it is still performing very well overall proving that its' corporate culture is working. 

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

October Sales Figures

McDonald's posted another good sales month.  The month of October showed global comparable sales growth of 6.5%.  Performance by segment was as follows:

U.S. up 5.6%

Europe up 5.8%

Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa up 5.3%

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876&p=irol-newsarticle&ID=1493057

These strong sales numbers only improved the stock price as MCD closed today at $79.70 which is up $0.20 (or 0.25%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Scandals, Viral Videos... Mickey D's has both

Who could forget the 2004 documentary, "SuperSize Me", where filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonald's food for 30 days.  The film starts by showing a physical exam of Spurlock with the results stating that he is in great shape.  However, by the end of the 30 days Spurlock had gained 24.5 pounds.  Additionally, Spurlock stated, "My cholesterol shot up 65 points. My liver basically turned to fat. It was so filled with fat the doctors said it was like pate; it was reaching a toxic level, putting me in risk of having non-alcoholics type of hepatitis, hardening of the liver, cirrhosis of the liver. It got really frightening for a while. And the impact it had on my sex life was also another aspect my girlfriend didn’t anticipate.” 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/06/earlyshow/leisure/main615975.shtml

This movie has appeared to have an impact on McDonald's as they have made a number of changes since then.  The "Super sized" menu items are gone. There new "healthier" options being offered in the form of grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled chicken wraps, and various salads.

In addition, McDonald's endured a recent scandal (in Kentucky no less) when an 18 year old employee was strip searched.  A jury in Bullitt County, Ky., awarded Louise Ogborn $5 million in punitive damages and $1.1 million in compensatory damages and expenses.  Read the complete, horrific story through the following link:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3688563&page=1

Stock Price Update

MCD closed today at $79.30 up $0.12 (or 0.15%)

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Recruitment

McDonald's has a good "Career" section on their website.  It breaks down job opportunities between restaurant opportunities and corporate opportunities.  After choosing one of these, it then takes you into a job search page and allows you search by job category, state, etc. for open job opportunities.  Also under the "Career" page, you can look at business functions, benefits, contact info, Hamburger University, etc.  They also list interview tips, and other info, so feel free to look around.

http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/careers.html

McDonald's further enhanced their recruiting efforts by partnering with Monster.com to list available positions.  

http://jobsearch.mcdonalds.careers.monster.com/

STOCK UPDATE:  closed today at $78.40 up $0.52 (or 0.67%)

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Stock Price Update

The stock price for MCD closed today at $77.48 which is down -$1.28 (or -1.63%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

It appears that several stocks took a hit today due to speculation over the Federal Reserve.  The following excerpt was taken from an article on tradershuddle.com:

"The market started in negative territory after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Fed is likely next week to unveil a program of U.S. Treasury bond purchases worth a few hundred billion dollars over several months; this measured approach would be less aggressive than what the currency and equity markets have been pricing in, boosting the bearish sentiment."

http://www.tradershuddle.com/20101027105548/Stocks/most-stocks-fell-on-fed-ease-doubts-dow-leaders-mrk-mcd-aa-hpq-xom.html

JUST FOR FUN TRIVIA ANSWER:

Only Lucian took a venture to guess how many sesame seeds are on a McDonald's bun.  Well, Lucian you were a bit off as there are approximately 380 seeds on a McDonald's sesame seed bun.  Yes, that is what their website claims... 380.  Surprised me too! 

Earnings are IN and Quite Good!!!

As promised McDonald's released its' 3rd Quarter Earnings today.  The numbers were quite good and some areas of interest listed on the McDonald's Investor Page are:

"Global comparable sales increased 6.0%, with the U.S. up 5.3%, Europe up 4.1% and Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa up 8.1%

Consolidated operating income increased 8% (11% in constant currencies) over the prior year

Diluted earnings per share were $1.29, up 12% (15% in constant currencies) over the prior year

Returned $1.4 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends"

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876&p=irol-newsarticle&ID=1485461

The good earnings report had a positive impact on the stock price as MCD closed today at $78.44 up $1.03 (or +1.33%).  Huge daily gains over yesterday's close.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Mickey D's exceeded Mr. Kalinowski's prediction (see my 10/18 post) of third quarter earnings per share estimate of $1.27 by posting actual figures of $1.29 per share.  Way to go McDonald's!!!

JUST FOR FUN TRIVIA QUESTION:

Now, please don't go looking for the answer, just take an educated guess...

Approximately how many seeds do you think are on a McDonald's Sesame Seed Bun???

Make your guesses, and I'll give the correct answer on the next post and we will see who gets the closest. 

Stock Update on Eve of 3rd Quarter Earnings Report

MCD peaked today at $78.13, before finally closing at $77.41 which is up +$0.42 (or +0.55%). 

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Based on the $0.42 increase from yesterday, it looks like Joe Investor is expecting good 3rd quarter returns tomorrow.   Until then...

Earnings Update

McDonald's will release its' 3rd quarter earnings on October 21st.  It will be aired on their conference call webcast at 10:00 a.m. Central Time.  You can listen via the link below:
   http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/webcasts_podcasts/3Q10_Earnings_Conference_Call_Webcast.html

Analysts believe MCD will report higher earnings than initially forecasted.  Janney Capital Markets analyst, Mark Kalinowski, raised his third quarter earnings per share estimate by 2 cents to $1.27.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/10/18/business-specialized-consumer-services-us-mcdonald-apos-s-analyst-note_8021286.html?boxes=financechannelAP

MCD closed today at $77.32 down -$0.16 (or -0.21%). 

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

We will have to wait until Thursday to see how the announcement will affect the stock price, and also to see if Mr. Kalinowski's predictions are correct.

McDonald's Acquisitions

Between 1998 and 2000 McDonald's acquired Donato's Pizza, invested in a Chipotle Mexican Grill, and acquired Boston Market.  It acquired Boston Market after its' parent company, Boston Chicken, Inc. filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and began a restructuring process.  The Boston Market acquistion was in 2000 and cost McDonald's Corporation approximately $174 million.  Of the 751 Boston Market restaurants acquired in the purchsase, some would continue as Boston Markets, while others would be converted to McDonald's, Chipotle Mexican Grills or Donatos Pizza restaurants.  This acquistion was part of McDonald's Corporation's domestic growth plan. 

 http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/food-beverage-stores/385486-1.html

In 2006, McDonald's Corp. fully divested its investment in Chipotle Mexican Grill. 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=916004&highlight

McDonald's may be wishing they had waited to divest those shares of stock as Chipotle is currently trading on the NYSE for $181.87.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3ACMG

The acquisition of Donato's Pizza in 1999 cost McDonald's Corp. $150 million.  However, it divested that company as well by selling it back to the original owners, the Grote family, in 2003.  The amount of the sale was undisclosed.

http://www.buyerzone.com/professional_services/franchises/rbic-second-act.html

And, finally, McDonald's sold the Boston Market chain to Sun Capital for an undisclosed sum in 2007.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-08-06-boston-market_N.htm

With the sale of Boston Market, McDonald's had divested all its' other ventures by 2007 and decided to get back to the basics and focus on its' primary hamburger chain.  As MCD appears to be doing quite well these days, it seems that divesting all other interests and focusing on its' core competencies has proven to be a successful strategy for MCD.  

Mickey D's... BIG in China

McDonald's has been in China for more than 20 years now.  It currently has more than 60,000 employees in more than 1,100 restaurants in mainland China and plans to expand to 2,000 outlets in three to five years.  It has expanded to the point that McDonald's has opened a Hamburger University in China to help with sustainability of employees and management.  

According to Tim Fenton, the company's president for Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa, China is McDonald's Inc.'s, fastest-growing global market.  Additionally, he said the country's $300 billion-a-year "informal eating out" market is expanding at an annual rate of 10 percent, compared with 2 to 3 percent in the United States.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36095820/ns/business-consumer_news

McDonald's has a website for its' Chinese market of which I have listed below.  If you can read it... then BRAVO to you and I am highly impressed!

http://www.mcdonalds.com.cn/

China is yet another example of McDonald's success.  Its' global markets are a large contributor to its' financial growth of late.  Today MCD closed at $75.58 down just -$0.01 (or -0.01%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

JUST FOR FUN FACT:

How many pounds of french fries do you think McDonald's serves each day???  Well, according to their website McDonald's serves approximately 9 MILLION pounds of fries per day!  Wow, I bet that makes Mr. Potato Farmer very happy!!!

McDonald's and Outsourcing

In 2010, McDonald's extended an agreement with Xerox-owned Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) to manage its' IT services.  ACS specializes in this sort of work and McDonald's has obviously found it to be the best situation for them, as they extended this agreement for another five years after having already utilized ACS for six years previously.  Additionally, by outsourcing IT, MCD can put its' focus and efforts on its' core compentency of providing affordable fast food.

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/01/27/240097/McDonalds-commits-to-outsourcing-for-11-years.htm

STOCK PRICE UPDATE:  MCD closed today at $76.10 (nice!) that is up $0.24 cents (or 0.32%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Which Generic Strategy does McDonald's Use?

I would have to say that of the generic strategies listed in our text, McDonald's appears to employ the Low-Cost Provider Strategy as its' primary strategy.  I say this as the price competition among rivals is very vigorous, and products among rivals are fairly identical.  However, of late, McDonald's has also begun employing a product differentiation strategy by marketing new and innovative products with its' McCafe offerings, new snack wraps, etc. 

These strategies are continuing to work for MCD as today's stock price closed at $74.95 up $0.03 (or 0.04%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

McDonald's Competitor, Jack in the Box, Closing 40 stores

While McDonald's appears to be thriving in the downturned economy, it appears to have had an adverse affect on the McDonald's competitor, Jack in the Box.  Jack in the Box is reported to be closing 40 of its' stores by October 3rd.  These closures are reportedly due to poor Return on Investments.  See full article below:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/09/29/jack-in-the-box-to-close-40-restaurants-marketnewsvideo.html

Meanwhile, MCD's stock price went up slightly today and closed at $74.51 up $0.06 or (0.08%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Some Strengths and Weaknesses

Based on my research throughout this blog process I have identified a few strengths and weaknesses at ole McDonald's.

Strengths
Brand Recognition
Reasonable Prices
New Product Innovations
Global Market Share
Charitable Program
Good Advertising

Weaknesses
Unhealthy Menu Items
High Employee Turnover

In my quick assessment, the strengths outweigh the weaknesses which probably helps explain part of the reason the stock price is continuing to perform so well.  Today MCD closed at $74.63 down -$0.13 (or -0.17%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Did you know McDonald's has an Executive Chef???

I never knew until I started doing this blog that McDonald's has an Executive Chef.  That's right, an Executive Chef trained in the culinary arts!!!  He is Chef Dan Coudreaut and he was schooled at the Culinary Institute of America and was once a chef at the Four Seasons.  He is now the Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Innovation at McDonald's.  He has been with Mickey D's since 2004.  Attached is a link with some question and answers from Chef Dan.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/trends_innovation/chef_dan_coudreaut.html

His tasty innovations at reasonable prices is part of the reason the stock price has been doing so well of late.  MCD closed today at $74.64 down from yesterday -$0.49 (or -0.65%).  However, Chef Dan may need to come up with a new recipe if this negative trend continues for the long-term.

What's working at McDonald's???

Found the article below on foxnews and thought it was a fairly good synopsis of the things McDonald's has recently implemented to not only improve profits but its' image as well.

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/09/22/road-to-recovery-whats-working-mcdonalds/

The stock is continuing to hover around the same price.  It closed today at $75.13 down -$0.38 (or -0.50%).

New product - Angus Snack Wraps

McDonald's has a promtion going for the New Angus Snack Wrap.  It comes in three varieties:  Mushroom & Swiss (430 calories), Deluxe (410 calories), or Bacon & Cheese (390 calories).  It is only being offered at participating stores.  They are promoting it as a snack, but that is a pretty high calorie count for a snack (at least in my opinion). 

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/promotions.html

I personally have not tried the wrap, but it looks somewhat appealing on the website.  If anyone out there has tried it, please weigh in and post a comment.  We will have to see if these remain on the menu as not all promotions make it long-term.  Of course sales will play a large part in that decision.

The MCD stock price made improvements since Friday and closed today at $75.11 up +0.79 cents (or +1.06%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

 

Mission Statement

The following is the answer McDonald's gives when asked by student researchers what its' mission statement is:

"McDonald's brand mission is to "be our customers' favorite place and way to eat." Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience."

http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_faq/student_research.html?DCSext.destination=http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_faq/student_research.html#1

Not sure if the authors of our text would love it, but McDonald's must be doing something right as they have been performing quite successfully for many years.  Which brings me to the current stock price.  MCD closed today at $74.32, down -0.48 from yesterday.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Until next time...

Did the stock rebound???

MCD's stock price opened today at $75.25 appearing to rebound from the loss it took after announcing its' August sales figures last Thursday.

http://www.tradershuddle.com/2010091381511/Stocks/pre-market-update-gapping-stocks-c-bac-aa-ebay-mcd.html

However, it did not sustain the opening price and ended up closing at $74.57 which is down -$0.44 (or -.59%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Guess the rebound did not happen after all... at least not yet, but I suspect it will.  We will have to stay tuned to find out.

JUST FOR FUN:

Well, Mr. Hamburger University Gradute, Lucian, answered the trivia question correctly.  The first McDonald's to host indoor seating was in Denver, Colorado.  Way to go, Lucian!!!

August Sales Figures Are In

McDonald's reported a global comparable sales growth of 4.9% for the month of August.  All segments reported an increase, but the Asian/Middle East/Africa segment definitely led the way:

U.S. up 4.6%

Europe up 2.2%

Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa up 7.8%
 
http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876&p=irol-newsarticle&ID=1468973
 
While Mickey D's is putting a positive spin on these numbers, and they do look good on the surface, those playing the market obviously do not agree as the stock price took a big hit closing at $74.37 which is down 
-$1.71 (or -2.25%). 
 
http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd
 
We'll get a better picture of the company when they post their 3rd quarter earnings which are expected to be released October 21st.  Until then...
 
JUST FOR FUN:
 
Here's a TRIVIA QUESTION for you (correct answer will be given on my next post):
 
The original McDonald's opened in 1940 as a Drive-In.  The first McDonald's to actually have indoor seating opened in 1962 in what U.S. city???

External Factors - Bad Economy & Product Differentiation Boosts McDonald's

The biggest external factor affecting McDonald's is the weak econonmy.  As consumers plan to spend less money, they look for lower cost dining options which results in good news for McDonald's investors as the sales continue to increase.  Additionally, McDonald's is attempting to differentiate some of its product offerings from the other fast food chains, and thus rolled out the McCafe real fruit smoothies and frappes on July 13th.  These new product offerings appeared to contribute to the 5.7% sales increase McDonald's posted in July.  The August sales figures are tentatively planned to be released on September 9th and we will have to wait and see the results, but the expectation is another GREAT month.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20100907&id=12009837
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_history.html

MCD stock closed today at $75.80 which is up $0.71 (or 0.95%).

http://www.google.com/finance?q=mcd

Mickey D's #1 in Price Momemtum

MCD has the highest price momentum in its segment of the market by trading at 99.99% of 52-week high and posting a 5.5% price change over the last 4 weeks... WOW that is HUGE!!!

http://www.cnanalyst.com/2010/09/top-10-dow-30-stocks-with-highest-momentum-mcd-dd-kft-ko-t-vz-ibm-cat-pg-cvx-sep-02-2010.html

If only we had been clairvoyant and loaded up when the stock was at the 52-week low of $53.88 (of course we would have needed thousands in cash just lying around in order to purchase a large amount of shares), then today we would have cashed out for over a $20 increase per share as MCD closed at $75.02 today on the NYSE.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876&p=irol-stockquote

More McDonald's info

McDonald's (stock ticker symbol MCD) closed Friday at $73.99 which is up 0.83 (or 1.13%) from the previous day.  McDonald's tracks this on their investors website at:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97876&p=irol-stockquote

Additionally, the corporate governance tab on the McDonald's website displays most everything a potential investor would want to know about Mickey D's.  Feel free to check it out and click on any of the links on the left-hand-side to see most of the items for McDonald's that are covered in Chapters 1 & 2 of our textbook from the basis of their business to the board of directors and the role they play in decision making.

 http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/corporate_governance.html

Hopefully you'll gain some knowledge of the McDonald's corporation by following my blog, but I will also occasionally attempt to bring humor along the way to keep it somewhat entertaining.  Here is my first go at some humor...

JUST FOR FUN:  Okay, if you remember from my previous post, I mentioned that I worked at McDonald's when I was a pup.  Back on my very first day at McDonald's I was going to be trained on the grill.  Well, for those of you that may not know, you grill 12 burgers at a time and flip them and place them on buns (all 12 at once) with a GIANT spatula (or at least that is how they used to do it back in the day).  Anyway, I pick up the 12 burgers no problem, but as I begin to scoot them off onto the 12 buns...SPLAT... all 12 hit the floor.  Needless to say, I was quickly moved to cashier the following day.  Hmmm, ironically that is about the time I declared a major in Accounting - could there be a connection???

Following McDonalds for MGT 656

I was on CNN Money attempting to find a company to follow for the next 14 weeks and saw an article on McDonald's.  I thought "how cool" as that was where I worked in the summers (over 16 years ago) while I was in college getting my undergraduate degree.  The article mentioned that McDonald's stock is up due to the recession.  I thought this concept sounded intriguing and therefore, picked McDonald's as my semester long project.  If anyone actually has an interest in the aforementioned article, you can find it at:

 http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/27/markets/thebuzz/index.htm


Will post again in a couple of days!!!