Competitor And Financial Analysis : Burger King Essay

Burger King and Wendy’s are among the top fast food chains in America, but this fact doesn’t elude either chain from having their negative and positive features. Burger King is cheaper, and has a wider assortment of food than Wendy’s, which makes Burger King more desirable to many Americans. What Wendy’s lacks in diversity, and lower priced food when compared to Burger King becomes irrelevant due to the higher speed and superior quality food they offer. Both qualities of Wendy’s help to maintain equal competition between the two in the fast food market of America.

Unlimited, endless, fast food choices, and yet there are two that stand out above the rest. McDonald’s and Burger King are the two biggest burger fast food chains in the world. So let me ask you this, who has a better menu? Who’s Cheaper? And which one is healthier? This debate will once and for all come to an end, once all of these points have been met throughout my paper. McDonald’s vs. Burger King has been a long running argument. You will finally come to realize that McDonald’s is the better choice for you.

About everyone at some age, at some point or another, and in some country has gotten a sample of American's symbol for fast food through the golden arches of McDonald's. This report will attempt to analyze the external and internal sectors that affect the company's success. The external analysis will provide opportunities and threats while the internal analysis will show indicators of strength and weakness. It will then follow up with critical issues, strategic alternatives, recommendations and implementation. The case studied is found in Appendix 2 of Mary Coulter's "Strategic Management in Action" book.

Since Richard and Maurice McDonald founded in 1948, McDonald's has grown from a small restaurant in California into one of the most recognized brands in the world with a chain of outlets that spans the globe. For over 50 years, McDonald's defined the fast food industry while indelibly etching its golden arches logo on the face of both American and global culture through such icons as character Ronald McDonald and the Big Mac sandwich. Millions of people started their very first jobs at McDonalds while even more began to have their eating habits redefined by the chain. Concepts like the drive-thru window were introduced along with the Happy Meal for children in order to provide a fast, affordable, and enjoyable dining. Ray Kroc, saleman

Finances were examined in affective processing, in the context of figuring out who should the people invest in to get there profitable outcome. Both MCD and QSR are going to have their differences in what they each bring to the table, however, reviewing the cash flow, income statement and financial activities, this narrative research paper is going to explain what is going to have the greater advantage in the end. The bigger bang for your buck if you will. Processing all the information will give us the insight to figure out this great comparison.

Thesis Statement: Although McDonald’s and Burger King are similar; they have evident differences in their advertising models, food and their commitment with the community.

REFERENCES•www.mcdonalds.com, accessed on 18 July, 2008•www.mcdonldsindia.net, accessed on 18 July, 2008•en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's, accessed on 19 July, 2008•http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/263943/mcdonalds_strategic_marketing_mix.html?cat=4, accessed on 19 July, 2008•www.kfc.com, accessed on 25 August, 2008

The two companies that I will be comparing in this project are McDonalds and Wendys. Both of these companies are competitors in the same industry. I am using the information from their 2005 Financial Statements.

McDonalds (McD’s) and Burger King (BK) are key players in the fast food industry and have been competing for many years. They both provide similar food that is prepared quickly for a low price. So what sets them apart? The difference between McD’s and BK is their corporate culture – operational management. The manufacturing method at McD’s follows the “Doing It All For You” versus “Having It Your Way” at BK.

If we look at the fast food industry today there is room for success. Based on RNCOS’ new US Fast Food Market Outlook 2010, fast food industry growth rate is strong. Especially, hamburger sales growth is reported at the healthy rate of 4.6% in 2008. The market is expected to grow to cross the $170 billion marks by 2010.It is believed that due to the economic meltdown, fast food industry is benefiting from people being more prices conscious. People who were enjoying nice means at fancier restaurants are now turning their choice of means to more economical ways.

While McDonald’s and Burger King have fought over a percentage of the same market share, each company has a unique strategy with which they’ve approached the market. McDonald’s aims to deliver an inexpensive, standard, quality meal with high level of uniformity both in burger structure and in delivery times. Burger King also strives for an inexpensive, quality meal, but focuses on allowing the customer a degree of flexibility in the menu – a goal reflected in their long-time slogan, “Have it your way.” This difference results in distinct objectives for each restaurant that resonate

The second force that acts on the industry is the threat of new entrants. Fortunately for McDonald’s and it’s over 30,000 restaurants world-wide, the corporation has set itself in a position of dominance. Using a growth strategy, “McDonald’s is continuously expanding its reach which makes it increasingly difficult for new fast food restaurants to enter the industry, through franchising, McDonald’s is able to reach nearly every corner of the globe” (Shell, Ellen Ruppel).

Since McDonald’s is the most well know fast food chain in the world with a market cap of 69.35 billion, brand recognition is their biggest strength. The secret of McDonald’s success is its willingness to innovate and maintain consistency in the operation of its many outlets. In recent years McDonald’s has introduced Premium Salads, Snack Wraps, fresh Apple Dippers in the United States, and Corn Cups in China. Also, McDonald 's products are priced so low that economic conditions are almost insignificant.

1. Competitors – As there are many other restaurants who are trying very hard to compete with McDonalds like KFC, Burger King, and Burger Fuel etc. They are also serving people with same kind of services like McDonalds and burger king is really giving a tough competition to McDonalds at the moment.

• What measures could Burger King do to dethrone McDonald’s as well as hold off the challenge of a number of other chains that were growing in size and competitive power?