Super Size Me & McLibel

Abhimanyu Das 1B Aman Rai 4B Anant Sharma 5B Apurva Raj 9B Himanshu Verma 22B Swati Jindal 49B

McLibel Background
The case happens in London which has been described for a number of years as the Libel Capital of the World Libel is defined as defamation in form of written, broadcast, or otherwise published word. It is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image (Source: Wiki) English law allows actions for libel to be brought in the High Court for any published statements which are alleged to defame a named or identifiable individual (or individuals) in a manner which causes them loss in their trade or profession, or causes a reasonable person to think worse of him, her or them. This was in this context that McDonalds brought two Greenpeace activists to court in response to their allegations defaming the corporation.

McDonalds Vision Statement

We aspire to end hunger one meal at a time by providing low cost- high quality nutritional food globally. Corporate Responsibility Statement: It all comes down to the food. Thats what McDonalds is all about. The food we servehow and where we serve itthe welfare of our employees and our suppliers employeeswhere the food comes fromand so much more. Running restaurants is a multi-faceted endeavor, but ultimately, it all comes back to the food Values in Action From the start, we've been committed to doing the right thing. And we've got the policies, programs and practices in place that allow us to use our size and scope to help make a difference. Because what's good for us, is good for us all.

McLibel Background
Obesity is a pervasive problem in America, and as people increasingly become overweight, their health suffers
64% of all Americans overweight and 30% are obese; the percentage of children age 6 to 19 that are overweight has doubled in the last two decades

Health risks: heart disease, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure The nutritional content of fast food--high in fat, sugar, and calories--is linked to weight gain and consequent health problems. McDonalds bears the brunt of criticism because: McDonalds is a powerful multinational corporation and the fast food industry leader
McDs has more than 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries McDs feeds more than 46 million customers per day McDs employs more than 1.5 million people

McLibel Background
Steel and Morris were two of the five protestors who refused to apologize and went to trial. They had no legal representation, virtually no expense funds, and they were denied their request for a jury trial. Still, the relatively inexperienced defendants managed to put up a substantial legal argument against McDonalds. Hence, the caption of the documentary states Two people who wouldnt say sorry. Disputed Points Claims of promoting unhealthy food Dubious advertising to mislead the younger generation Animal cruelty Bad working conditions etc. Complicity in rainforest destruction

McLibel Verdict
The McLibel Verdict The judge in the case found the McLibel Two had proved some of their allegations, and failed to prove others. Proved Child exploitation via company advertising Falsely advertising McDonalds food as nutritious McDonalds food represents a health risk to long-term customers Cruelty to animals McDonalds is strongly antipathetic to unions and pay low wages Not Proved Complicity in rainforest destruction McDonalds food causes cancer and heart disease Implicated in starvation in the developing world Bad working conditions

Ethics in Business
Defining Ethics A companys relationship with its stakeholders defines its ethical values Stakeholders can be:
Employees Shareholders Consumers Suppliers & Competitors Civil Society: Pressure Groups, NGOs, Local Communities Government & Regulation Environment

We operate our business ethically. This value is at the heart of all of our corporate responsibility efforts McDonalds

McDonalds Five Focus Areas

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY Increase adoption of energy efficient equipment and technology in the restaurants Improve tracking of restaurant energy consumption data Increase energy awareness and education across our business to continue to realize savings to the bottom line and benets to the environment EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE Energize our restaurant crew and managers and differentiate Global Employee Value Proposition Enhancing employee commitment and the customer experience COMMUNITY Leverage local and global resources to have greater impact on children, families and communities Increase Financial and volunteer support to Ronald McDonald House Charities through communication outreach Increase participation in the corporate volunteer program

McLibel Background
NUTRITION AND WELL-BEING Accelerate and expand food and beverage choices containing fruit and vegetables across our menu Increase awareness of fruit, vegetable and dairy options for children available on our menu SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN Set goals and make tangible progress for priority products as identied in our Sustainable Land Management Commitment Reduce environmental impacts of direct suppliers by continuing to utilize our Supplier Environmental Scorecard as a continuous improvement tool

Ethics Is it just an eyewash

McDonalds spend over $1.8 billion every year worldwide on advertising and promotions, trying to cultivate an image of being a caring and green company that is also a fun place to eat. Children are lured in (dragging their parents behind them) with the promise of toys and other gimmicks. But behind the smiling face of Ronald McDonald lies the reality McDonalds only interest is money, making profits from whoever and whatever they can, just like all multinational companies.

McDonalds Annual Reports talk of Global Domination - they aim to open more and more stores across the globe -but their continual worldwide expansion means more uniformity, less choice and the undermining of local communities.

PROMOTING UNHEALTHY FOOD ???

McDonalds promote their food as nutritious, but the reality is that it is junk food - high in fat, sugar and salt, and low in fibre and vitamins. A diet of this type is linked with a greater risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Their food also contains many chemical additives, some of which may cause ill health, and hyperactivity in children. In 1991 McDonalds were responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning in the UK, in which people suffered serious kidney failure. With modern intensive farming methods, other diseases - linked to chemical residues or unnatural practices - have become a danger to people too (such as BSE).

EXPLOITING WORKERS ???

Workers in the fast food industry are paid low wages. McDonalds do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staff have to work harder and faster. As a consequence, accidents (particularly burns) are common. The majority of employees are people who have few job options and so are forced to accept this exploitation, and theyre compelled to smile too! Not surprisingly staff turnover at McDonalds is high, making it virtually impossible to unionise and fight for a better deal, which suits McDonalds who have always been opposed to Unions

EXPLOITING WORKERS ???

Bad business ethics example - "McDonald's Legislation In 1972, Ray Kroc, the companys founder made a rare donation of $250,000 to Nixon's re-election campaign and in return got a favourable legislation that allowed companies such as McDonald's to pay teenage employees 20 percent less than federal minimum wages Most observers consider this a typical case of corporate influence on lawmakers to enact legislation that serve their selfish ends and harm society. Unionization - McDonalds also doesn't allow employees to unionize, and in one instance where workers at St. Hubert Quebec did form a union, the company closed down the unit promptly.

Environmental Destruction/ Murdering Animals???

ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION ??? Desertification McDonalds forced to admit to using beef reared on ex-rainforest land preventing its regeneration.

Shifting agriculture
McDonalds are the worlds largest user of beef Enteric Fermentation Global warming Every year McDonalds use thousands of tons of unnecessary packaging, most of which ends up littering our streets or polluting the land buried in landfill sites. MURDERING ANIMALS??? The menus of the burger chains are based on the torture and murder of millions of animals. Most are intensively farmed, with no access to fresh air and sunshine, and no freedom of movement. Their deaths are barbaric - humane slaughter is a myth. We have the choice to eat meat or not, but the billions of animals massacred for food each year have no choice at all.

McLawsuit 2002-03
A group of obese teenagers who ate at McDonalds 3-5 times per week sued McDonalds for causing their weight problems. They alleged that: McDonalds advertising and promotional representations create a false impression that its food products are part of a healthy lifestyle McDonalds said it would have nutritional information available to customers but it wasnt The court ruled in favor of McDonalds but the resulting press coverage put the issue

once again in the forefront. This case was what gave Spurlock the idea for Super Size
Me. 2002 first time McDonalds posted a quarter loss in its history.

Story Board
Story of a very healthy, middle-aged man named Morgan Spurlock Decided to find out how bad fast food actually is for the body. The hypothesis was that America is so obese is because of the amount of fast food that they consume.

The Experiment
He would eat at McDonald's three times a day for an entire month. He had to order supersized meals when asked and not on his own He had to eat everything on the menu at least once(which he actually did in 9 days). He also could not walk more than the average American exercises each day. He asked many people what they thought of McDonald's and how often they ate there.

Effects of the Experiment

At first, the new diet did not make a huge difference to Spurlock. But after about a week he started to feel a change in his physical and mental health. He felt tired, irritable, and depressed, with quick mood swings. He acquired stomachaches, and physical activities wore him out quickly. When he visited his doctors, he learned that he was gaining about a pound a day, and his cholesterol and blood pressure were rising. By the end of the month, he had gained 24.5 pounds, thirteen percent of his original body mass. It took Spurlock 5 months to lose 20 pounds (9 kg) & another 9.5 months to lose the last 4.5 pounds His doctors warned that he had done irreversible damage to his liver and heart.

Conclusion
Fast food is dangerous, unhealthy, and likely the reason why America is so obese. This documentary also showed the relationship between advertisements and people's reactions to them. At the beginning, McDonald's advertising techniques were discussed Another issue is the way McDonald's targets young children with ads Studies done on this subject make it clear that these ads increase a person's desire for an item by making it seem fun. Seeing an advertisement for McDonald's on television will make a person more likely to choose to eat there Many Americans watch television at such an early age. They are greatly influenced by the fast food messages they receive there. Is it ethical for McDonalds to sell & advertise for unhealthy fast food?

Findings
The reasons for America being such an obese nation is fast foods Not only are most people fairly sedentary, but America's serving sizes are very large compared to those in other countries. The movie ends with a rhetorical question, "Who do you want to see go first, you or them?" with a cartoon tombstone for Ronald McDonald ("1954-2012") as a backdrop.

After Effects
McDonald's discontinued the Super Size option six weeks after the movie's premiere, as well as its recent emphasis on healthier menu items such as salads, and the release of the new adult happy meal. It is claimed by McDonald's that these changes had nothing to do with the film.

Conclusion
The main question facing McDonalds is whether they can continue their world dominance in the fast food industry by promoting active, healthy lifestyles when their mainstay products continue to be linked to obesity and related health problems. McDonalds has done a laudable job in marketing the concept of consumer choice and in establishing a generous corporate social responsibility program. However, in the U.S. at least, McDonalds has not reduced advertising to children, reformulated its trans fat cooking oil, or lowered fat, salt, and/or calorie counts on its core products. Rather than diminishing, the issue of health and nutrition continues to escalate and McDonalds remains a key target.