McDonald's Corporation

MCDONALD'S CORPORATION
McDonald's Corporation (New York Stock Exchange: MCD) is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving more than 58 million customers daily. In addition to its signature restaurant chain, McDonald’s Corporation held a minority interest in Pret A Manger until 2008, was a major investor in the Chipotle Mexican Grill until 2006, and owned the restaurant chain Boston Market until 2007. A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself.
Industry: Retail-Restaurants.
McDonald's primarily sells: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, shakes, and desserts. In response to obesity trends in Western nations and in the face of criticism over the healthiness of its products, the company has modified its menu to include alternatives considered healthier such as salads, wraps and fruit.

HISTORY
The business began in 1940, with a restaurant opened by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. The original mascot of McDonald's was a man with a chef's hat on top of a hamburger shaped head whose name was "Speedee." Speedee was eventually replaced with Ronald McDonald by 1967 when the company first filed a U.S. trademark on a clown shaped man having puffed out costume legs.
The first McDonald's restaurants opened in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, El Salvador and Sweden, in order of openings.
The original mascot of McDonald's was a man with a chef's hat on top of a hamburger shaped head whose name was "Speedee." Speedee was eventually replaced with Ronald McDonald by 1967 when the company first filed a U.S. trademark on a clown shaped man having puffed out costume legs. Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain.
The two golden arches were initially designed to resemble the new arched shaped symbols on the side of the newborn restaurant. Later, the designer of the McDonald’s logo merged the two arches to outline the famed “M” now identified globally. Hence, the McDonald’s logo possesses a simple golden colored “M” which reflects the name of the food chain.
Shape of McDonald’s Symbol Logo

ADVERTISING
Slogan: I'm lovin' it is an international branding campaign by McDonald's Corporation. It was created by Heye & Partner, a longtime McDonald's agency based in Unterhaching, Germany, near Munich, and a member of the DDB Worldwide Communications Group, Inc.
You deserve a break today.
Food, folks and fun.
McDonald's has for decades maintained an extensive advertising campaign. In addition to the usual media (television, radio, and newspaper), the company makes significant use of billboards and signage, sponsors sporting events ranging from Little League to the Olympic Games, and makes coolers of orange drink with their logo available for local events of all kinds. Nonetheless, television has always played a central role in the company's advertising strategy. To date, McDonald's has used 23 different slogans in United States advertising, as well as a few other slogans for select countries and regions.

HEADQUARTERS
The McDonald's headquarters complex, McDonald's Plaza, is located in Oak Brook, Illinois. It sits on the site of the former headquarters and stabling area of Paul Butler, the founder of Oak Brook. McDonald's moved into the Oak Brook facility from an office within the Chicago Loop in 1971.
Type: Public (NYSE: MCD)
Dow Jones Industrial Average Component
Industry: Restaurants
Founded:
May 15, 1940 in San Bernardino, California;
McDonald's Corporation, April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois
Founder(s):
Richard and Maurice McDonald McDonald's restaurant concept;
Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation founder.
Number of locations:
31,000+ worldwide
Area served:
Worldwide
Key people:
James A. Skinner
(Chairman & CEO (chief executive officer))
Products:
Fast food
(hamburgers • chicken • french fries • soft drinks • coffee • milkshakes • salads • desserts • breakfast)
Revenue:
▲ US$ 22.6 billion (FY 2008)
Operating income:
▲ US$ 6.51 billion (FY 2008)
Net income:
▲ US$ 4.31 billion (FY 2008)
Total assets:
▲ US$ 29.2 billion (Q2 2009)
Total equity:
▲ US$ 13.2 billion (Q2 2009)
Employees:
400,000 (2008)
Website :
McDonalds.com

FACTS AND FIGURES
McDonald's restaurants are found in 119 countries and territories around the world and serve 58 million customers each day. McDonald's operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 1.5 million people. The company also operates other restaurant brands, such as Piles Café. Focusing on its core brand, McDonald's began divesting itself of other chains it had acquired during the 1990s. The company owned a majority stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill until October 2006, when McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle through a stock exchange. Until December 2003, it also owned Donatos Pizza. On August 27, 2007, McDonald's sold Boston Market to Sun Capital Partners.
The corporation's revenues
The corporation's revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonald's revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion, and 9% growth in operating income to $3.9 billion.
Playgrounds
Some McDonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or outdoor playgrounds. The first PlayPlace with the familiar crawl-tube design with ball pits and slides was introduced in 1987 in the USA, with many more being constructed soon after. Some PlayPlace playgrounds have been renovated into "R Gym" areas.