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McDonald's and the Environment (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of McDonald's and the Environment (B)


McDonald's announces its decision to change from polystyrene "clamshells" for its sandwich packaging to a new paper wrap.

Authors :: Sharon M. Livesey

Topics :: Sales & Marketing

Tags :: Marketing, Public relations, Social enterprise, Sustainability, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "McDonald's and the Environment (B)" written by Sharon M. Livesey includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mcdonald's Clamshells facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in McDonald's and the Environment (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Marketing, Public relations, Social enterprise, Sustainability and Sales & Marketing.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the McDonald's and the Environment (B) casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing energy prices, technology disruption, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, wage bills are increasing, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing commodity prices, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of McDonald's and the Environment (B)


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in McDonald's and the Environment (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Mcdonald's Clamshells, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Mcdonald's Clamshells operates in.

According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.




SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix


SWOT analysis of McDonald's and the Environment (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in McDonald's and the Environment (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Mcdonald's Clamshells
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Mcdonald's Clamshells




Strengths McDonald's and the Environment (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Mcdonald's Clamshells in McDonald's and the Environment (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Mcdonald's Clamshells are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.

Analytics focus

– Mcdonald's Clamshells is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Sharon M. Livesey can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.

Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field

– Mcdonald's Clamshells is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Mcdonald's Clamshells in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the McDonald's and the Environment (B) Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.

Strong track record of project management

– Mcdonald's Clamshells is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Organizational Resilience of Mcdonald's Clamshells

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Mcdonald's Clamshells does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Mcdonald's Clamshells has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Mcdonald's Clamshells in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Mcdonald's Clamshells digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Mcdonald's Clamshells has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Mcdonald's Clamshells has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

High brand equity

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Mcdonald's Clamshells to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.






Weaknesses McDonald's and the Environment (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of McDonald's and the Environment (B) are -

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Mcdonald's Clamshells 's lucrative customers.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Mcdonald's Clamshells has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Mcdonald's Clamshells, firm in the HBR case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the McDonald's and the Environment (B) HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Mcdonald's Clamshells has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Sharon M. Livesey suggests that, Mcdonald's Clamshells is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study McDonald's and the Environment (B), in the dynamic environment Mcdonald's Clamshells has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Mcdonald's Clamshells has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

High dependence on existing supply chain

– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Mcdonald's Clamshells supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - McDonald's and the Environment (B), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Mcdonald's Clamshells vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Mcdonald's Clamshells is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Lack of clear differentiation of Mcdonald's Clamshells products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Need for greater diversity

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Mcdonald's Clamshells is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Mcdonald's Clamshells to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.




Opportunities McDonald's and the Environment (B) | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) are -

Manufacturing automation

– Mcdonald's Clamshells can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Sales & Marketing segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Mcdonald's Clamshells to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Mcdonald's Clamshells to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Mcdonald's Clamshells can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Mcdonald's Clamshells operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Mcdonald's Clamshells to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Mcdonald's Clamshells to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Mcdonald's Clamshells to increase its market reach. Mcdonald's Clamshells will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.

Loyalty marketing

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Mcdonald's Clamshells can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Sales & Marketing segment.

Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions

– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Mcdonald's Clamshells in the consumer business. Now Mcdonald's Clamshells can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Mcdonald's Clamshells can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Mcdonald's Clamshells can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Mcdonald's Clamshells in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Mcdonald's Clamshells is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. McDonald's and the Environment (B) case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.




Threats McDonald's and the Environment (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) are -

High level of anxiety and lack of motivation

– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Mcdonald's Clamshells demand

– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.

Increasing wage structure of Mcdonald's Clamshells

– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Mcdonald's Clamshells.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Mcdonald's Clamshells has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Mcdonald's Clamshells can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Mcdonald's Clamshells in the Sales & Marketing industry. The Sales & Marketing industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.

Capital market disruption

– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Mcdonald's Clamshells.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Mcdonald's Clamshells is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Backlash against dominant players

– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Mcdonald's Clamshells business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Instability in the European markets

– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Mcdonald's Clamshells will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.

New competition

– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Mcdonald's Clamshells in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Mcdonald's Clamshells with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Environmental challenges

– Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Mcdonald's Clamshells can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of McDonald's and the Environment (B) Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants. We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –

First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.

Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study McDonald's and the Environment (B) is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.

Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of McDonald's and the Environment (B) is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Mcdonald's Clamshells needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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