Author Archives: Briana Lima

Retention

In my opinion, the most demotivating part of Harper’s job is the loss of a work-life balance. She previously had a great work -life balance with her previous boss and when David started, it went downhill. A lack of a work-life balance can be detrimental to mental health; being too consumed with work with no time for family, friends or hobbies is bound to make anyone unhappy.

If I were an HR manager meeting with David, I would advise him to take a closer look at the distribution of tasks, projects and responsibilities. Since Jose left, Harper took on some of his responsibilities; if another employee can share this load, they should. While I understand the transition for David is also probably overwhelming, he is the foundation of his team. I would advise on time management and setting aside time to work with Harper on her career development and discuss concerns that she has, reassuring that the line of communication is open.

The downside of losing Harper would be a loss of morale and productivity. Since Harper assumed some of Jose’s responsibilities, Marketable would be losing two people, per se. They would also lose a great employee who is dedicated to her work and eager to learn, help and excel.

The Founder

  1. What makes Ray Kroc and the brothers different from each other?

Ray Kroc is a businessman and the brothers are talented and creative innovators. Ray takes their hamburger kitchen/stand and transforms it into a multi-million-dollar corporation. In my opinion, their differences are what makes a business successful.  Having the creativity and inventions backed by an investor that will make the idea tangible and profitable is important. I think the brothers had a different idea in mind and didn’t really understand how the business world works.  This explains why Ray and Dick constantly bumped heads.

  1. 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?

I am conflicted on this answer. I think they did the right thing initially, because they had high-hopes of expanding their restaurant that they built from the ground up. They likely saw a prosperous future. Although Dick had many reservations, he ended up signing because Ray told them he would take care of the issues they had in the past when they tried to franchise. I also think they should’ve kept their business a local, “mom and pop” shop that maintained their values. Their business probably wouldn’t have grown much, but they would have had their dignity and pride intact, knowing they stayed true to themselves and their business.

  1. How did the local store franchisees make money?

The local store franchisees made money by the direct profit of the restaurants.

  1. How did Kroc make money? How was that different than the franchisees, running the local stores?

Initially, Kroc made money from the 1.4% profit from the franchisee’s location, per the contract. Eventually, after meeting with Harry, he decided to solely focus on buying the land for the McDonald’s locations and then leasing it to the franchisees. By doing so, he not only made profit from the 1.4% but also from leasing the locations.  

  1. Does this film change your view of McDonald’s?

It absolutely did. The ending was emotional because we watch the brother give up something they worked so hard for and built from the ground up. Part of me wishes they would have divvied up the task of making a business successful- Maurice could have focused on the restaurant quality and operations, while Dick focused on the business and franchising. That way they could have had full control over everything. When I think about McDonald’s quality of food now, I can see why the brothers wanted to keep their standard. I think they would be upset about what it has evolved into. While delicious, I have heard rumors that the food is basically filled with preservatives and not real food.

Old Navy

Old Navy is a popular and affordable brand loved by many families. I, personally, shop there for much of my business casual clothing; my toddlers’ wardrobes are also ninety-nine percent Old Navy. Known for their affordable priced items, it begs the question of how they can maintain these prices without sacrificing sustainability and ethical codes of conduct.
According to Good on You’s rigorous rating system, Old Navy ranks at an “It’s a Start”, meaning they aren’t fully sustainable or as sustainable as they should be, but are heading in the right direction. Old Navy utilizes low-impact materials which include recycled materials when manufacturing their clothing items. They have also taken the initiative to manage their water use in their supply chain by implementing water reduction initiatives. Panaprium gives them a three out of ten on their sustainability rating, largely because of their use of synthetic materials, which are terrible for the environment. Their clothing is not 100% organic or vegan, but they use recycled materials to manufacture their products, which is an initiative to lower their harm to the environment.
On the other hand, Old Navy is unfortunately known for not paying their workers a living wage. With factories in countries like Cambodia, Bangladesh and India, workers have protested the company because they have no union rights, are paid less than half of the living wage and work over sixteen hours a day. Old Navy has also been under fire in past for using child labor. In 2022, the Fashion Transparency Index gave them a 44% for their social and environmental policies and practices. Also, their supply chains do not possess any labor certifications that ensure a safe, fair, and ethical work environment.
Their goals to improve their overall sustainability practices include the elimination of unnecessary plastic packaging by 2030, sourcing 100% of their cotton from more sustainable sources by 2025 and reduce its GHG emissions by 90% in Scope 1 and 2 and by 30% in Scope 3 by 2030. There are no updates on how they plan to address their underpaid workers and repair their ethical violations.
Based on my recent understanding of Old Navy’s goals, it seems that they are headed in the right direction regarding becoming more sustainable within the next five to seven years. However, it seems as though the ethical portion of their business needs some insight. I would suggest paying their workers equal living wage, since the living wage is significantly lower than the US in the countries where their workshops are located. This may mean that Old Navy’s prices would increase, but for an ethical and good reason.

Sources:
https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/old-navy#:~:text=It%20works%20with%20international%20and,materials%20are%20cruel%20and%20unethical.

How Ethical Is Old Navy?
https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-old-navy/

Briana Lima

I am a business administration major, I currently work in healthcare with aspirations of going into healthcare management! I love cooking, trying new recipes, reading and entertaining.

My BMCC email is: briana.lima001@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu