- What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?
I think the most demotivating part of Harper’s job is the sudden leave of her team’s leader. Building up a working relationship with someone for years allows you to understand how they think and what their work ethic is like, and in doing so, it allows you to allocate a specific amount of time and energy toward your team’s end goal. When her team leader left, her workload increased in a way that didn’t allow her to maintain a healthy work/life balance. - If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help them re-engage Harper?
The simplest first act would be asking if David implemented employee retention strategies, starting with giving Harper a raise. As she states, she’d been working in the same position for the last four years. To suddenly increase her workload without any sort of compensation for her increased contributions to the company is a surefire way to lose a valuable employee. The next step is to offer pathways to clear communication, the same way Jose did before he left the company. David seems to have trouble engaging with his employees and they feel as if they are expected to know what to do without any guidance toward their end goal because of it. - What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?
The downsides of losing Harper as an employee are numerous. As an employee who has years under her belt working for Marketable, Inc., she understands how things work and what the most efficient and effective line of action to take is when achieving a goal. Furthermore, her team is also reliant on having her around as there is a clear dynamic built between them, and losing her would cause that dynamic to crumble as well as having her workload pushed onto another team member. This further pushes the cycle of someone leaving and then having someone else be forced to take extra hours to meet the company’s expectations, leading to even less employee retention.
Author Archives: Karim Badri
The Founder
- What makes Ray Kroc and the brothers different from each other?
The differences between Ray Kroc and the brothers are quite stark and rather easy to notice. While the brothers were wholly focused on making an efficient restaurant that focused on quality and customer satisfaction assurance, Ray focused on expanding and creating a chain that would solidify him as one of the richest businessmen to ever live. Additionally, there was no one to advise the brothers on business decisions; they trusted their guts and put faith in Ray, hoping he’d do right by them. - Do you think the McDonald’s brothers did the right thing by selling out to Ray Kroc? Did Ray Kroc give the brothers a good deal?
It’s easy to see that the McDonald’s brothers got the short end of the stick when it was all said and done, so no, they did not do the right thing by selling out. Ray screwed them over in a way that they could never recover from, and it eventually led to their inevitable bankruptcy. Even when threatened with a lawsuit, Ray put it perfectly; “You run a burger stand in the desert. I’m national. You’re ****ing local.” There was nothing they could do at the end. - How did the local store franchisees make money?
Franchisees made money depending on how their individual McDonald’s locations performed. It was a mixture of operating costs, revenue earned through sales, and the efficiency of the employees who worked there. - How did Kroc make money? How was that different than the franchisees, running the local stores?
Ray, at first, wasn’t making much profit from the McDonald’s name and brand. It wasn’t until he began buying vacant land and leasing it to franchisees that he started making real money. As McDonald’s expanded and more franchisees came to be, Ray’s revenue stream increased dramatically. He was no longer in the business of selling burgers but was instead in the business of real estate. Just think about how much money you’d be raking in, having all those properties being rented out whilst also getting a commission from the franchises. - Does this film change your view of McDonald’s?
I never did have a good opinion of McDonald’s for various other reasons, but this movie really solidified my distaste for them. To think that it was stolen from two brothers who genuinely cared about customer satisfaction and was replaced with the billion-dollar mega-corporation we know today is sad. I only hope that the real McDonald’s family, if there are any remaining members, got some sort of justice and compensation from the company that is STILL profiting off their name.
Ethics Writing Assignment
Karim Badri
Prof. BUCKLER
BUS 104-B054
26 November 2023
Ethics Writing Assignment
Upon reading the assignment, Dunkin’ Donuts was the first company that came to mind. Every morning, I buy an iced coffee along with an egg and cheese croissant from them before heading to school. It’s become a daily part of my routine and is one that I look forward to more than anything. What drove me to choose this company over all the others is something more personal to me, but I’ll go over that a bit later.
The first thing I want to go over is their commitment to replace ALL of their polystyrene cups with new double-walled paper cups by 2025. According to their estimates, that would remove one billion foam cups from annual waste streams which is massive. The switch to paper cups is also an excellent choice as well, as paper is biodegradable and will have a less harmful effect on the environment should it still be littered. I’ve always been someone who was passionate about the state of the Earth and climate change and have done what I could to lessen my personal impact on nature and the world around me.
Another goal that Dunkin’ is committed to is 100% compliance for sustainable, traceable, and no deforestation impact palm oil in donut fry oil. This is arguably even more important than their last commitment; deforestation has been a problem for decades and has only recently become worse. With the rapid rise in the human population, the need for housing, and the global economic market growing at a quickened pace to further meet the needs and wants of consumers, forested areas have been bulldozed down to make room for construction. In doing so, our air quality has become significantly worse, and the ozone layer is depleting. While it might not be the thing that saves us, any bit of awareness around the subject of our ecosystem and climate is helpful.
Furthermore, Dunkin’ has slowly and steadily been updating its menu. In 2020, they added a variety of options for both vegetarians and vegans to be able to enjoy their food and drink items more often. This allows for non-vegan products to become more sustainable by allowing those who could not consume them to have a wider array of decisions. It also comes into play for people like me who have lactose intolerance and IBS by allowing me to have my coffee with oat milk instead of dairy (yes, I still order the egg and cheese croissant anyway, don’t judge me).
For me though, the most important thing that led to my decision with Dunkin’ Donuts was the Israel-Palestine conflict. I’ve lost family members in Palestine to bombings and raids by the IDF, and to see companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s go out of their way to offer themed foods and drinks dedicated to the people who killed my family left a sour taste in my mouth. While Dunkin’ hasn’t outrightly spoken out against the genocide going on, they also have refused to show any sort of support towards it. For me, that’s enough to keep me loyal.
If there WAS one recommendation I had for them, it would be to speak out and rally behind the people who have been under a brutal occupation for decades. The Israel-Palestine didn’t just start in October, it’s been going on since the end of the Second World War. It’s a shame that so many people turn a blind eye to the death of innocents, especially when those who are disproportionately being killed are a minority in the US. Other than that, showing more solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community outside of Pride Month would be an excellent decision as well. Oftentimes I see major corporations change their logo for Pride Month only to remove it the SECOND that July rolls around, and, to them, that’s considered solidarity. Even if it’s only periodically, having events every couple of months can dramatically increase their social favor and show that they actually care about the community.
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Karim Badri
My name is Karim, I'm Muslim American and was born in New York. I major in Creative Writing and hope to become a teacher one day, but more than that I would like to be a voice actor. My current hobbies are writing and reading as of late and I love watching video essays that break down complex characters from any form of media.
My BMCC email is: karim.badri54@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu
