PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A STRATEGIC MANAGER 7001

LEARNING OUTCOME 1
Introduction:
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain oI Iast Iood restaurants. It operates in 119
countries through 31,000 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 1.5 million people. The
corporation Iunctions mostlt by means oI Iranchisees.
McDonalds is one oI the many corporations that have successIully used a combination oI various
marketing strategies to be a globally successIul organisation.
Be able to identify personal skills to achieve strategic ambitions
1.1 Analyse the stratigic direction of the organisation
An organization`s survival in a competitive business world depends on its strategic plans and
how those plans relate to the business world. Having a good strategic plan is good but it`s not
enough to stir an organization to success and thus proIitability. The implementation oI such
plans is not without challenges and these challenges become proIound in a multicultural
organization. It takes coordinated eIIorts on across the entire organization especially senior
management to ensure the success oI strategic plans.
An organization that intends to be competitive in the business will seek talent and expertise
Irom a broad array oI countries and continents. These individuals will come Irom diIIerent
backgrounds, cultures, ethnicity and education. How a company manages its operations to
attain success entails an integrated processes and Iunctions. The company can bend to
socioeconomic conditions in the ways its tailors its goods and services without aIIecting the
cultural sensitivity oI either the workers or the market in which the product is sold. A good
example with the expansion oI MacDonald`s into the Indian market. Indian doesn`t eat beeI
due to sacred religious reason as the cow is view as a deity. So MacDonald has changed its
line oI beeI burgers which are popular with Americans with diIIerent meat which the people
oI Indian will like and which does not Iorce employees in India to cooks hamburgers with
beeI either.
Also cultural diIIerences in an organization could mean that diIIerent employees as well as
consumers in diIIerent markets have diIIerent taste and attitudes that deIine them. A
company could manage these diIIerences by designing products and services to meet the
needs oI likeminded cultures. The cultural needs oI individual employees could be
accommodated by making it easier Ior them to observe whatever traditional or religious
holyday they may have. An organization with Muslim employees might have to allow their
employees some time oII during Iasting seasons and other holydays especially iI the
organization is located in a predominantly Christian country. The organization could increase
production oI existing products or roll out oI new product line based oII the cultural holidays
in order to take advantage oI sales and market share. Most cultures celebrate their own
versions oI New Year and such Iestive occasions are usually tied to increases in purchases. A
good example will be the Iireworks industry and how it promotes its selI during Iestive
occasions.
1.2 Evaluate the stratigic skills required of the leader to achieve the strategic ambitions
Leadership has been deIined as 'the ability to inIluence a group towards the achievement oI a
vision or set oI goals, and managers as 'people who achieve goals through other people
(Robbins et al 2008, 695). With these deIinitions in mind, it would seem that appropriate
training Ior leaders and managers would be highly people oriented; developing emotional
intelligence skills, communication skills and appreciating the role oI human emotion within
the workplace. However, the Iocus oI such programs has been, and still is to a large extent,
on technical skills and rational thinking. Many Iactors contribute to this disparate Iocus; the
historical and cultural context in which such programs are developed and taught, the
assumptions and belieIs on how work directions translate into a good or service, the way
universities are structured and even the types oI students attending management and
leadership programs.
Until relatively recently, people were assumed to be 'rational creatures (Ripley 2009, 31).
This assumption meant that organisations and educators oI leaders/managers were oblivious
to the role oI emotion in the workplace (Kimura and Yoshimori 1989, 22). The utilization oI
rigid structures, explicit rules and procedures, designed to control and limit employee
behaviour (Napoli, Whiteley and Johansen 2005, 35) illustrate the reliance oI business
thinkers upon employee`s rational behaviour. Rules plus rational behaviour were thought to
produce a predictable and stable labour Iorce, which allowed management to consider
employed labour as a steadIast Iactor oI the production process. Given the correct rules and
procedures, it was thought that employees would Iall into line, and hence management and
leaders could Iocus on the technical and rational aspects oI the organisation, and did not have
to be overly concerned with employees or aIIective issues.
1.3 Assess the relationship between existing, required and future skills to achieve the
strategic ambitions:
Sometimes it is diIIicult to Iind the words to identiIy our skills. When we write a resume, Ior
example, we try to recall a speciIic skill we possess and it takes time to put those skills on
paper in the appropriate words. The attached inIormation can help you identiIy speciIic skill
areas. You probably possess most oI these skills but you just don`t realize it. II you Iind that
you are lacking any oI these skills, take some time to reIine the skills you do have, and work
to develop the skills that you need. All oI these skills will be useIul to you throughout your
liIe. For the purpose oI this booklet, most oI these skills you will read about are deIined as
'TransIerable Skills. You will, however, hear these skills reIerred to in other ways as well.
Read ahead to learn more about some oI the diverse skill sets that exist.
LEARNING OUTCOME 2
Be able to manage personal leadership development to support achivevement of strategic
ambitions
2.1 Discuss the opportunities to support leadership development
Over the past several decades, organizations` leadership development programs have oIten led to
the bad combination oI high costs and mediocre results. But when the nature oI a challenge is
itselI complex, one needs to tackle it by Iirst understanding its component parts and the
relationships between them, and then provide a sophisticated solution to match that reality. For
leadership development, this means taking a modern, blended approach that weaves together
Iormal training, inIormal learning approaches, and social learning opportunities that leverage the
latest technologies.
Consider the Iollowing overview oI what a modern, sophisticated leadership development
program can look like:
This Iigure, developed by Taleo`s partner DDI, represents a typical 12-month leadership
development program (each column represents a quarter), although many oI the same
components would apply Ior programs with shorter timeIrames. While it may look complicated,
a better perspective is to see it as being sophisticated and better matching the
inherent sophisticated nature of leadership development as a discipline. Let`s break it down into
each component part:
Kick Offs. Getting everyone on the same page regarding the goals and components oI the
program is an important Iirst step. This could involve one or more meetings, and typically
includes representation Irom executive leadership to help convey the importance oI the
program both Ior each participant`s development and the long-term health oI the
organization.

Pre-Assessments. These could include current skills assessments to provide a baseline
Ior later comparison, as well as personality and characteristic assessments, such as
StrengthsFinder or Myers-Briggs, as these can be enlightening to participants who need
to Iirst better understand who they are beIore they can successIully develop Iurther.

Core Curriculum. In most cases, some Iormal training will still be a part oI the blend,
leveraging any combination oI traditional classrooms, virtual classrooms, or selI-paced e-
Learning courses. Such curricula can leverage robust, realistic role-playing or simulation
activities, that let participants practice the new competencies they are learning.

Coaching and Mentoring. Each participant in a leadership development program
typically has one or more coaches or mentors, that they can interact with between Iormal
training events and as they begin to apply their new skills. The inIormal advice provided
Irom existing leaders is oIten the most helpIul aspect in the development oI an emerging
leader.

Action Learning. Given that the purpose is to develop leaders Ior the real world, it is
sensible to have participants work on real business problems. In some cases this can even
provide direct business value as a secondary beneIit oI the development program.

Social Learning. Given the punctuated nature oI Iormal training whether delivered in
the classroom or by e-Learning it is important to keep the conversations alive between
participants and subject matter experts. New social media technologies help to enable
social learning as a key component oI leadership development programs. Tools such as
Iorums, blogs, and wikis can be used to enable Q&A and general discussions, share
applications oI new skills in a variety oI real-liIe contexts, and brainstorm approaches to
the most challenging situations.

Post-Assessment. AIter the core curriculum is concluded, the results oI a post-
assessment can be used to compare with the pre-assessment, to help veriIy that behavior
changes will actually result Irom the program. AIter all, a development program is only
as useIul as the behavior changes it produces.

Development Meetings and 1ob Growth Experiences. It is crucial that each
participant`s manager is involved throughout the process, including at the conclusion oI
the Iormal program to make sure development will continue as appropriate.
2.2 construct a personal development plan to direct leadership development
My personal development plan will be based on analyzing my personality, my leadership style
and my learning style. The objective oI this essay is to initiate my own personal development
plan. To begin with, there will be a part to evaluate my personality, combined with an online
MBTI Personality Test. AIter that, my leadership style will be Iocused on and I will also analyze
how this style shapes my career development. Then, I will depict which way oI learning is
suitable Ior my Iuture development. To conclude, there will be an important part to examine my
personal development action plan which will speciIically list some essential and Ieasible
activities to enrich my working competencies and skills so as to accomplish my own goals and
objectives.
As Mullins (2005) states, 'Psychologists have deIined personality as consisting oI stable
characteristics which explain why a person behaves in a particular way. Besides, to take a
holistic view oI personality, it is important to take into consideration the dynamic processes,
which means Iocusing on the ways in which an individual`s traits interact. Armstrong (2006)
indicates that personality can be regarded as the relatively stable and enduring aspects oI
individuals that distinguish them Irom other people.
There are many type theories oI personality which identiIies numerous types oI personality
which can be used to classiIy people and many underlie a personality test. Additionally, one oI
the most widely used type theories is Carl Jung`s theory on which Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI) is based (Mullins, 2005). MBTI, which is oIten applied to recruitment processes to
select appropriate vacancy candidates Ior the given jobs, identiIies sixteen types oI personality
based on individuals` extroversion or introversion and their cognitive Iunctions oI thinking,
Ieeling, sensation, intuition, perception and judgment. As Mullins states, MBTI has promoted
substantial research interest, particularly in connection with the correlation between personality
type, occupations and management style. However, MBTI has not demonstrated adequate
validity and reliability although its popularity and use has been gradually increasing and there is
not suIIicient, well-designed research to justiIy the use oI the MBTI in career counseling
programs (Psychometric Success, 2009). On the other hand, types do not appear to predict
individual Iuture perIormance (CoIIield, Moseley, Hall & Ecclestone, 2004).
2.3 Devise an implementation process for the development plan:
Implementation the personal development plan is to putting into action the action plans to
achieve the goals and at the end oI this exercise it should be made clear that whether:
The plan actually worked and iI so then to what extent and which areas needs more attention and
consideration. To achieve the proIessional qualiIication resources (Iinance, time, cooperation oI
management) require.
The implementation problem could be Iail to achieve the qualiIication because oI time
management or diIIicult to become a proIessional. II an employee show perIormance and
achieve all tasks then there may be chances Ior him to be promoted at higher position. To
become chieI accountant I need to show perIormance and quality work at individual level.
The possible implementation could be there is tough competition between other accountants. The
change oI Iield can become leaning problems sometimes. Resources are required to start own
business, the resources are Iinance, experienced staII and market. Possible problems could be I
might Iail to manage Iinance or big companies will not let me enter into market.
LEARNING OUTCOME 3
Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership development plan
3.1 Assess the achievement of outcomes of the plan against original objectives:
During the last decade, provision oI property right incentives was introduced on a broad range
and became reality even Ior the bottom level oI companies` hierarchic structure. McDonald`s
is no exception. Up Irom the restaurant manager`s levels, stock options have become a main
tool aiming Ior long term proIit. At McDonald`s stock options typically have a liIetime oI ten
years, a vest over Iour to seven years and have an exercise price equal to the Iair market value
at the grant date. The amount oI stock options to receive depends on the level oI
responsibility, the achievement oI plan objectives and the implementation oI key strategies.
In addition, McDonald`s strongly encourages its employees to participate in ownership oI the
company. The minimum level oI ownership ranges Irom one to Iive times the basic salary.
Comparison to other Iast Iood companies
The average salary Ior a Iast Iood restaurant manager in the United Kingdom ranges Irom
17.000 (~ 26.800 t) to 22.000 (~ 34.700 t)
Ior beginners and reaches levels up to 51.000
(~ 80.000 t) later (aIter twenty years oI working experience). At the London-based
company PRET A MANGER a restaurant manager earns between 18.000 (~ 28.600 t) and
32.000 (~ 51.000 t) a year. In addition one can obtain up to 30 bonus on the annual salary
- based on the individual perIormance.
Compared to the Iigures cited above, McDonald`s attractiveness lies slightly above the
average and the rare Iigures oI competitors indicate that the bonus to Iixed salary is weighted
in a way which is comparable to McDonald`s compensation package. Too, the Iocus on
QSC&V (quality, service, cleanliness and value), a concept which has been adapted by most
Iast Iood chains, Iinds it way into the remuneration scheme oI almost every company.
3.2 Evaluate the impact of the achievement of objectives on strategic ambitions:
Marketing strategies directly impact Iood purchasing and eating habits. For example, in the late
1970s scientists announced a possible link between eating a high-Iiber diet and a reduced risk
oI cancer . However, consumers did not immediately increase their consumption oI high-Iiber
cereals. But in 1984 advertisements claiming a relationship between high-Iiber diets and
protection against cancer appeared, and by 1987 approximately 2 million households had begun
eating high-Iiber cereal. Since then, other health claims, supported by scientiIic studies, have
inIluenced consumers to decrease consumption oI Ioods high in saturated fatand to increase
consumption oI Iruits, vegetables, skim milk, poultry, and Iish.
OI course, not all marketing campaigns are based on scientiIic studies, and not all health claims
are truthIul. In July 2000 a panel oI experts Irom the U.S. Department oI Agriculture supported
complaints made by the Physicians Committee Ior Responsible Medicine that the "Got Milk"
advertisements contained untruthIul health claims that suggested that milk consumption
improved sports perIormance, since these claims lacked scientiIic
Companies oIten use characters to appeal to young consumers. Ronald McDonald Iirst appeared
on T.V. in 1963, portrayed by Willard Scott. The clown is known worldwide, and according to
McDonald's, is the most recognizable Iigure next to Santa Claus.
In addition, the panel agreed with the physicians' claim that whole milk consumption may
actually increase the risk oI heart disease and prostate cancer, and recommended that this
inIormation be included in advertisements.
The tremendous spending power and inIluence oI children on parental purchases has attracted
marketers, and, as a result, marketing strategies aimed at children and adolescents have
increased. Currently, about one-Iourth oI all television commercials are related to Iood, and
approximately one-halI oI these are selling snacks and other Ioods low in nutritional value. Many
oI the commercials aimed at children and adolescents use catchy music, jingles, humor, and
well-known characters to promote products. The impact oI these strategies is illustrated by
studies showing that when a majority oI television commercials that children view are Ior high-
sugar Ioods, they are more likely to choose unhealthIul Ioods over nutritious alternatives, and
vice versa.
3.3 Review and update the leadership development plan:
Annual Review of Management Performance
AIter consulting with the independent Directors the Chairs oI the Compensation and Governance
Committees shall approve the annual goals and objectives oI the CEO, which shall be consistent
with the Company`s goals and objectives relevant to the CEO`s compensation established
annually by the Compensation Committee in accordance with its Charter. In order to ensure
alignment in these discussions and in evaluating the CEO`s perIormance, the Chair oI the
Compensation Committee shall be a member oI the Governance Committee. Each year, the
Chairs oI the Compensation and Governance Committees shall consult with the independent
Directors in evaluating the CEO's perIormance and shall thereaIter jointly provide the CEO with
a perIormance review Ior the preceding year. Consistent with this evaluation, the Compensation
Committee shall establish the CEO's salary, bonus and other incentive and equity compensation
Ior the year. In addition, the Compensation Committee shall also annually approve the
compensation structure Ior the Company's oIIicers, and shall approve the salary, bonus and other
incentive and equity compensation Ior the Company`s oIIicers above the level oI Vice President.
Succession Planning The Board shall regularly review leadership development initiatives and
short- and long-term succession plans Ior the CEO and other senior management positions,
including in the event oI unanticipated vacancies in those oIIices.

The Board is responsible Ior the selection oI the CEO. In assessing the possible CEO candidates
as part oI its annual review oI succession plans, the independent Directors shall identiIy and
periodically update the skills, experience and attributes that they believe are required to be an
eIIective CEO in light oI the Company`s business strategy, prospects and challenges. The Board
shall also take into account perspectives provided by the incumbent CEO relating to the
perIormance oI internal candidates.
LEARNING OUTCOME 4
Be able to advocate a staff welfare environment that supports organizational values
4.1 Evaluate the impect oI corporate commitment to staII welIare on organisational values:
With well over one million employees, McDonald`s impact on the workIorce has been
signiIicant. By 2000, one out oI eight Americans had, at some time in their liIe, worked Ior this
company. As labour was one oI the largest expenses and most unpredictable aspects oI the
McDonald`s system every eIIort was made to rationalize the workIorce. Apart Irom
implementing technology to replace human labour, McDonald`s decided to use a youthIul
workIorce.
Yet youth labour proved a double edge sword. McDonald`s treatment oI its young workers
emerged as one oI its earliest and most challenging public relations concerns. Critics argued that
youth`s lack oI experience and eagerness to please leIt them vulnerable to corporate exploitation.
McDonald`s public relations experts have sought to legitimize its labour practices with articles
about employee incentive programmes. They have also been careIul to Ieature happy and helpIul
servers in their marketing campaigns. The declining teen population in the 1980s lead the
company to hire more new immigrant workers, seniors, and disabled workers, helping to distance
the corporation Irom the controversy oI youth labour.
4.2 Discuss how a staff welfare enviroment can affect achievement of organisational
objectives:
Community and family values
McDonald`s began its expansion in the late 1960s in medium-sized towns, where its appeals to
cleanliness, value Ior money, Iriendly service and Iamily looked in step with the mainly white
middle classes suburban inhabitants. Yet as the chain expanded into city centres and small towns,
it ran up against those Ior whom McDonald`s suburban values provoked a negative register. In
1969, when a black community in Cleveland boycotted McDonald`s restaurants, in protest over
the corporation`s denial oI Iranchise opportunities Ior black people, McDonald`s value oI mass
inclusiveness was challenged.
In 1974, the urban residence oI Greenwich Village, New York, loudly protested that a second
McDonald`s chain would threaten local Iamily owned shops, create more traIIic congestion,
encourage loitering, and contribute to litter problems. Protesters Irom Hell`s Kitchen New York,
to Belmont in the Bronx, rallied against the opening oI McDonald`s restaurants. Every location
McDonald`s Iailed to secure was more than simply a loss oI income; it was a blemish on
corporate image. Public relations staII worked tirelessly to turn around community opinion.
4.3 Consider the influence of a corporate commitment to staff welfare on the development
of oranisational values:
We also hypothesize that subjective evaluations oI various aspects oI the team experience will
positively inIluence these important outcomes (H1a-d below); however, we ultimately expect
that team perceptions will indirectly inIluence commitment and turnover intentions via other
employee attitudes (H4m in Table 1). These are the overarching hypotheses guiding this study.
We will Iirst the outline the rationale Ior our hypotheses regarding the relationships between Iour
aspects oI the team experience and the two outcome measures oI commitment and intent to quit,
then review the logic oI several mediational hypotheses regarding the pathways between team
perceptions and these important employee attitudes.
Aspects of Team Experience
Team social relations. Here we reIer to aspects oI the team experience that are perceived to
provide social support, harmony, cohesion, and positive social relations: being respected by
other team members, Ieeling Iree to communicate ideas, working easily and well with others on
the team, and so on. Costa (2003) notes that team trust and cooperation are positively related to
attitudinal commitment. Perceptions oI social support or coworker solidarity in the workplace
Work have also been shown to be positively associated with organizational commitment (Cohen
& Bailey, 1997; Cordery, et al., 1991; Parris, 2003)
Conclusion:
The business practices oI McDonald`s are, to put it kindly, slightly suspect. By keeping
employee wages low and reIraining Irom hiring Iull time workers, the company was able to save
money on health care packages and employee beneIits. In addition, McDonald`s was able to gain
ground on its competitors in the 1970`s when a depression caused most other Iast Iood chains to
halt their growth. McDonald`s used its superior resources to continue to grow and expand. Now,
the restaurant is perhaps the greatest symbol oI contemporary American capitalism. By
saturating nearly every market it has entered, McDonald`s now envisions itselI as a stabilized
company, not as interested in entering new markets as they are in exploiting those markets in
every way available to them. The company is also more able to respond to consumer demands
that, earlier in its existence, would have been impossible. But as one oI the most powerIul
businesses in the world, McDonald`s can pretty much do as it pleases- an advantage that has
come to characterize the history oI the business.