Details

Abstract / Summary

This case is about the employer branding strategies adopted by McDonald's Corporation, one of the largest fast food chains in the world. Since the 1980s, entry-level jobs at McDonald's had come to be associated with low-paying dead end jobs. The term 'McJobs' had become synonymous with low-prestige, low-benefit, no-future jobs in the service or retail sector particularly at fast food restaurants and retail stores. Though the term was coined to describe jobs at McDonald's, it was later used to refer to any low-status job where little training was required and workers' activities were strictly regulated. Because of its common usage, the term appeared in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in March 2001 and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) in 2003. The case discusses how McDonald's systemically tried to redefine the term 'McJobs' and improve its employer brand since the early 2000s. According to McDonald's, this negative interpretation of McJobs was not only inaccurate but also demeaning to the thousands of people working in the service sector. As employer branding was a critical management tool for companies to attract the right talent, McDonald's decided to try and revise the image associated with McJobs. This it did by taking various initiatives that also included advertising campaigns aimed at showcasing the benefits of working at McDonald's and bridging the divide between people's perceptions of the McJob and the real employment experience of people actually working for the fast-food chain. Experts felt that these were some of the best examples of a company successfully planning and implementing an employee branding strategy. However, the case also highlights the challenges faced by McDonald's in attracting new talent as derogatory comments continued to be made about McJobs and this could discourage prospective employees from taking up such jobs.

Field of Interest

Business & Economics

Author

Syeda Maseeha Qumer, fl. 2008

Copyright Message

Copyright © 2009 by IBS Center for Management Research

Content Type

Case study

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Original Publication Date

2009

Page Count

28

Publication Year

2009

Publisher

IBS Center for Management Research

Place Published / Released

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Subject

Business & Economics, Social Sciences, Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Job satisfaction, Jobs and positions, Branding (Marketing), Restaurants and Other Eating Places, Gerenciamento Estratégico, Manejo Estratégico, Gerenciamento de Recursos Humanos, Gestión de Recursos Humanos, Reino Unido, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Britain, Kingdom of Great Britain, United States of America, USA, US of A, America, Estados Unidos, McDonald's Corporation, Europe, United Kingdom, United States, Strategy

Keywords and Translated Subjects

Gerenciamento Estratégico, Manejo Estratégico, Gerenciamento de Recursos Humanos, Gestión de Recursos Humanos, Reino Unido, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Britain, Kingdom of Great Britain, United States of America, USA, US of A, America, Estados Unidos