Differences between the two sectors of my business
McDonalds –
McDonald’s are run to gain a profit and sell as much products as possible in order to aid the growth of the company. They are widely renowned for being one of the best companies in the tertiary sector and one of the biggest companies in this sector.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance –
YAA operate in the same sector, however, they don’t operate to gain a profit and are private as they are a charity. They will be primarily aimed towards providing a service to the public and those In need of their fantastic services.
During my investigation into these two businesses and charities I took part in some interviews with some members and key stakeholders of the businesses and recorded the conversations, one through person and one through Email. First of all, I will show the transcript I took part in between me and a member of the public (Customers) at McDonald’s Barnsley’s store on Old Mill Lane. I aimed to ask primarily around the 4P’s (Product, Price, Place & Promotion) and their overall opinion on the organisation along with improvements they could think of for them. During my first inetview, It was a woman, around middle aged and currently inside McDonald’s at the time, therefore the information I was receiving was legit and was useful to use.
Me: Do you think that McDonald’s prices are reasonably affordable for you and your family?
Customer: Definitely, I think they are fair and within reason, they beat the majority of the competitors and have a lot to choose from as opposed to many other fast food outlets.
Me: Do you think the price range in general of McDonald’s is fair and reasonable?
Customer: I think the most expensive meal I’ve ever bought for myself has come to around £6.50 and many would think that’s very cheap for a meal away from home. I think that’s very reasonable and fair.
Me: Do you think McDonald’s have a good standard of product? And are you happy with the products they sell to you?
Customer: Yes, their products taste much better than other fast food chains and are quite addictive too. I am often very happy with the products since I’m here practically all the time.
Me: Do you often buy the same thing each time you enter an outlet or do you alternate a lot?
Customer: I usually just buy the chicken legend meal, which is fairly filling for its price.
Me: Do you believe that this store (Old Mill Lane) is placed in the correct place within Barnsley?
Customer: Kind of. It’s alright if you have a car but since it’s near an industrialised area, it can be useful if it was within the very centre of Barnsley like KFC. But I’m happy with it here personally.
Me: Almost done. What is it what makes you return to McDonald’s as often as you believe you do?
Customer: Probably the prices, the deals they always have on and the short distance I have to travel to get to it. It’s simple and it feeds me and my family.
Me: Where is it where you most often see a McDonald’s advertisement?
Customer: They do a lot of Billboard advertisements and I often see a lot of promotions and offers on the back of bus tickets….I use a lot of offers that they give which is one of the reasons I return so often.
Me: Is there anything you would say for what you believe could improve McDonald’s?
Customer: I would say that the main concerns are the healthiness of the food they sell. They could have healthier options that are actually healthier, as I heard that their salads are actually more fattening than their burgers!
In my next interview with a stakeholder of McDonald’s I asked questions towards the attention of a staff member at the same McDonald’s outlet on Old Mill Lane. This was on the same day and immediately after the interview finished above.
Me: Do you think you serve your customers a right standard of quality product?
Staff Member: Definitely, no doubt
Me: Do you believe McDonald’s offers a spectrum of healthy to non-healthy foods – for all people?
Staff Member: Yes, There’s plenty of salads on offer and other healthier options on the menu we have. Obviously there are going to be things on the menu that aren’t healthy, such as the bigger burgers we offer.
Me: From your point of view, are your prices fair and reasonably affordable for all?
Staff Member: Absolutely, we have meal deals and also the saver menu which is widely promoted to draw in many ‘less income’ customers.
Me: Do you think that McDonald’s does well for the prices they have in store?
Staff Member: Yep, I think that’s clearly seen by the fact that there’s so many outlets! Everywhere you go there’s a McDonald’s pretty much nearby.
Me: Do you think this outlet (Old Mill Lane) is placed in the correct position within Barnsley town centre? Why/Why not?
Staff Member: Whatever I say it won’t change the location! I think we generate a large amount of customers at all times of day due to us being very close to the college, yet I think if we were up that hill (Old Mill Lane) we could create more income, but here’s fine.
Me: Where do you think the ideal place would be in Barnsley for a McDonalds?
Staff Member: I’d just stay where we are now, as I said previously there’s possibility we could increase customer rates if it was easier to get to in the very centre of the town around where KFC is, however, I think it easy to get to anyway.
Me: Since you clearly work at McDonald’s and no doubt it’s a huge, tempting business for many people to apply to work for, how hard was it to get your job and how did you here of the vacant position?
Staff Member: There was around 50 applicants for my job and other jobs vacant at the time of me applying, luckily I got the job! I saw the advertisement online on a job website.
Me: Do you get a lot of customers coming into the store asking for the seasonal products they see on billboard, TV and many other platforms of advertisements?
Staff Member: All the time, they really make a difference to how much people come into the store during each season and how much we lose after a certain seasonal item has ended.
During the next stage of my interviews between my business and my charity, I will show the interviews that took place between me and certain stakeholders of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. During these interviews, I asked my brother, who had been in an air ambulance once when a collision occurred to my little brother in which an Air Ambulance had to take him to hospital as soon as possible. I also took part in an Email conversation between one of the head members of the YAA. Both will be seen below. During these interviews, I took the same approach as above and tried to ask questions orientated around the 4P’s and other key influences that can be done towards the YAA charity.
Me: Were the members of the YAA nice and pleasant when you went in the ambulance?
Brother (Customer): Yes they helped me massively to put away the pain I was in.
Me: Do you think the YAA promotes well? Have you seen their logo’s been used anywhere publically?
Brother: Yes, I noticed that they were sponsoring Huddersfield Town’s Shirts that will get a lot of attention. Maybe they could do even better so that they get even more publicity and more funds from it.
Me: Were the members of the YAA who treated you fully determined and concentrated on assisting you?
Brother: Definitely, They calmed me down greatly and stopped me from concentrating on the pain from my broken leg, they made sure I got to the hospital as quick as they possibly can and I’m sure they do with every other person they come across.
Me: Do you think the charity is located properly and in the right distance to get to every person they possibly get called out too?
Brother: I heard that they had two locations with helicopters in each to dispatch from, in opposite locations across Yorkshire. That’s clever as they should be able to cover the whole area of Yorkshire with ease with whichever location is closer.
Me: Just how quick did they manage to get you to the hospital after arriving at the scene?
Brother: it must have been shorter than 10 minutes and we lived around 15/20 miles away! Really great and useful way to get people to safety.
Me: Were you thoroughly pleased with how you were treated overall?
Brother: Yes, I hope they survive and continue to help people all over Yorkshire. They are greatly useful and everyone should donate to the services they offer to everyone as they are needed massively.
Me: Would you recommend the YAA to anyone else who may require their assistance?
Brother: Yes, they are incredibly helpful and have probably saved tones of lives. They are much needed within Yorkshire and need funding to last and survive.
During my next interview, it was between me and an important member of the YAA (Sarah Silverwood – South Yorkshire regional fundraising manager), this was done through Email and can be seen below.
Me (Morganrodgers99@outlook.com):
Sarah (s.silverwood@yaa.org.uk):
Me:
Sarah: