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McDonald’s and Burger King are on the cutting edge of technology. They both employ state of the art cash registers and both have electric timers built into their cooking machines. Although the cooking styles vary between Burger King and McDonald’s, the method of production is the same. Large batches of food are cooked at once then placed under heat lamps or put in the microwave when an order is placed. Both stores have the same drive through technology with a speaker and a well-lit menu to relay the message to the cooks. Usually whoever takes the order is also the same person to collect the money; however, a different person usually puts the order together for the customer. IV. Employee Motivation The motivation of both stores for employees to perform well is hard to ascertain from just observing, but it appears somewhat obvious. The people working in these establishments appear to have a lower social economic status, and the fact that a paycheck is coming at the end of the week may be the only motivation they have. The stores do have an “employee of the month” plaque on the wall, but it is doubtful that this is motivation to strive day in and day out for. There is also the fear of potentially losing their jobs if they perform sub standard. V. Communication Both stores employed a very open communication policy. Employees were talking, sometimes shouting at one another to be heard. The management was openly involved in the employees routines and the employees felt no barriers to prevent their communication with the manager. Sometimes in both stores, there would be a break down in communication somewhere along the line and that would result in extended waiting times for customers and sometimes, screwed up orders. VI. Environment The environment at McDonald’s and Burger King seems to be a simple, yet unstable one. It is apparent that the majority of people who work there, are not choosing their employment as a career option. Therefore, the workforce is constantly changing and adapting to new employees and new situations. VII. Job Design The design of the job in both McDonald’s and Burger King ran smoothly at times. There was autonomy between the different positions. For example, the fry person would just make fries. If he ran into a problem, he could use his knowledge of the fry machine to fix the problem without having to go to management. There was a visual barrier between the different positions, however no position seemed more glorified than another one. VIII. Leadership Style There was similar leadership style employed by the management at both stores. Task orientation was essential to meeting the goal of fast food. Each person had to be focused on the task at hand, because during certain hours of the day, both stores were very busy. There seemed to be little flexibility from management if it meant compromising their goals. IX. Policies/Procedures/Rules/Standards Standardization seemed to be the key at both stores. One can walk into any McDonald’s in the country and find that a “Big Mac” is the same everywhere. Similarly, a “Whopper” will taste the same at every location. Therefore, the ingredients, and cooking methods must remain constant throughout. There can be no variation. Rules and procedures were posted on clear signs and made directly available to the employee. X. Organization Climate There seemed to be individual autonomy for the most part at both stores. However, the reward system was not easy to identify. They seemed expected to do their job consistently and accurately, perhaps in fear of punishment. They received cooperation from management as long as they were working diligently. Contrast between McDonald s and Burger King Analysis: I. Organizational Goals At first glance there are no posters on the wall that state the goals that McDonald s are trying to each. A customer can find a list of the McDonald s goals in what look to be children s flyers round the restaurant. The flyers stated that McDonald s goal is 100% total customer satisfaction. Also if you weren t completely happy with your meal that the restaurant would do whatever it took to make it right. This is not a very realistic goal for a fast food restaurant because with the amount of food that is served everyday there is no way that every customer will be satisfied. When I got to Burger King there were no pamphlets for the customer to read. There was nothing that let the consumer know what the company was all about. There was a large sign, which read the slogan Workin for You. This was what appeared to be the organization goal and it was interesting to see that the slogan was in improper English. Although this goal is much more realistic than the McDonald s counterpart. II. Organizational Structure Although the structure of the two organizations are basically the same there were two differences that I noticed. One difference is in the specific tasks of the employees working the front. In McDonald s there is one person who takes your order and gets your food. Only one person is helped at a time because the cashier has to wait for the food and then serve you. In Burger King there are two separate stations to order and then pick up your food. At the beginning of the line the customer orders and pays in exchange for a number. Then you move down the line to where the customer picks up the food in accordance with the number. This greatly speeds up the lines and reduces the waiting time. The other difference is in the management. At both restaurants there is one manager that handles all the employees working at the time. In McDonald s the manager was no where to be found but in Burger King the manager was at the front letting himself be seen and talking with the customers. He also wore a different colored uniform to signify his position in the organization. III. Technology The production level of the two restaurants is the main difference in their technology. McDonald s makes their food in mass