I. Executive Summary
McDonalds is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and they currently serve over 119 countries worldwide. Having once been the leader in fast-food, McDonald's has suffered a series of setbacks with short-lived successes since the early 2000's. Having to overcome the death of two new CEO’s, as well high employee turnover rate and a need to expand and change menus due to changing world health view. McDonalds has sought to overcome these challenges with strategic focuses of a “Plan to Win” and “being better, not just bigger”. With the focus being set and the help of new leadership, McDonalds has been able to overcome the challenges it faced. The golden arches are once again shining bright, and McDonald’s is now doing better than ever.

II: Identification of the Problem:
McDonald's faces two major problems - their employee turnover rate, and people's changing health views. As the obesity level in America rises, so do the lawsuits against fast food restaurants where the people eat. Even though McDonald's is not forcing consumers to eat their meals at their establishment several times a week, sometimes every meal during the day, they still are being pushed to provide nutritional labels on their food items, so that people are aware of the ingredients and calorie content.
When it comes to employee turnover rate, it is hard to keep employees who want to work at McDonald's, because many see it as a temporary job, or a start to entering the workforce, but few view it as a life-long career. This lackluster attitude can then be seen by the customers, who see that reflected in their service and their food. Customers want the same experience no matter which McDonald’s they go to, but if they have a bad experience at one, why would they want to go to another? The problem then becomes why should McDonald’s invest so much money on employee training when the employee is going to quit before the year is out? It is a good idea to have them all trained the same, but costly and ineffective if they aren’t going to stick around.
III. Proposed Solution to the Problem
When it comes to the employees, it would be beneficial to make sure to hire enthusiastic and passionate team leaders and management - the attitude of those higher up the chain will influence how those lower will act. If a manager is constantly down on his/her employees or lamenting about hating work, employees aren't going to want to stick around and deal with that, nor will it help to raise morale. By offering training for management, perhaps quarterly or semi-annually, McDonald’s can ensure that those who are in a position to teach and recruit new employees know what they’re doing, and how to act appropriately and professionally. McDonald’s could also have many different managers form a region get together, discuss what works in their stores and what doesn't, and share tips. Chances are someone else may have a solution or suggestion to help out whatever the problem may be. As far as people's changing views on health, offering healthier menu options and smaller portions would be a good starting point. If someone wants to have a larger portion, such as the super-size, then they can, but don't offer that as the only choice. The menu should offer just as many healthy alternatives as there are unhealthy choices. Promoting healthy alternatives to fries such as apple slices will help with sales. This will make people feel like their food choice isn’t as bad as previously expected. Hiring a spokesman like John Cisna would be a great idea. Cisna actually lost 37 pounds after eating nothing but McDonald’s for three months straight - this would be very similar to Jared from Subway. Small changes like this can make a big difference to the public perception about McDonald’s.
IV. Implementation and Assessment
Ask for customer feedback on new menu options, and really listen to what the customer says. Different regions tend to have different tastes and likes, so by looking at what works best in the Midwest as opposed to the Northeast, McDonald’s can raise sales in that area by offering more of what the people like and want. When it comes to healthier options, start with something promotional or seasonal, and if it generates a good response, look at making it a permanent menu fixture.
With employees, ask for their feedback as well - they're working the front lines, and really seeing and hearing what the customers think about everything. When it comes to their performance, offer an incentive for them to stay longer. "Sell so many of x-product in x-amount of time, receive [insert reward here]," or something similar. Make work a fun environment to be at, not just a "job." Not everyone hired will see it that way, and some will still treat it as just a job, but there will be those who won’t, and who will want to stick around and make McDonald’s a great experience for everyone.