TheSevenContinentsofCorporateAmerica

In the time it takes you to read this sentence McDonalds will have sold 375 hamburgers worldwide. That is
75 hamburgers per second, and thats just McDonalds. Communities cringe worldwide as Wal-Mart
franchises rise up in the historical heart of Prague, and as China and South Africa become polluted with
billboards promoting Coca-Cola and Pepsi. With each of these major chains that grow in sacred
destinations around the world, not only are we destroying local communities and businesses but also we are
pushing for a cultural genocide by forcing American ideologies onto other cultures. With each new
McDonalds, a small organic cuisine forecloses. Soon the Paris, France that we all dream of will not be
known for the Eiffel Tower, but for the golden arches on every single street corner.
Americanization means that global communities become American in characteristics, or absorb traditions
and culture from the US. Many companies fight the argument that this is negative for the world with the
idea that these large chains do not hurt, or even disturb communities that feel the affects of free trade and
free markets. They argue the idea that these corporations bring wealth to other countries, so that they may
spend more time embracing their own culture. In reality what really brings in revenue for these places is
tourist profit, when tourists leave the US, most want to experience some alternative way of culture.
However because shops in Hong Kong have rich ethnic food does not mean customers wont go for a cheap
burger from McDonalds.
Although major American corporations provide cheap product alternatives, they kill cultural diversity by
pushing American ideologies transnationally.
Even though the effects of these corporations are drastic, they are looking to make improvements.
McDonalds in France are beginning to create meals that embrace the idea of the French culture where lunch
is minimal, but their breakfasts and dinners have multiple courses. In Lewis Francourts article, Born in the
USA, Francourt states that: Perhaps the greatest strength of McDonalds France, in addition to its uncanny
ability to predict French consumer preferences, is its ability to redefine the American model that has
worked so well in the U.S. McDonalds France has created an entire ecosystem that has been critical to its
current success...It then strengthened ties to French agribusiness, advertising widely that 95% of the
companys ingredients come from France, with the rest coming from the European Union. (Lewis 1). This
idea can lead us into the future of products and food moving transnationally. The issue is that American
corporations try to change culture to benefit them selves, when they should be changing their company to
benefit diversity. Businesses need to begin to put priorities into making themselves as communally
accessible as possible, and this may help to improve the culture of the business by receiving opinions from
the community.
Thefactofthematteristhatjustbecausecompaniesgainprofitforthegovernmentdoesnotmeanthatthey
dontmakecountlessothernegativeadjustmentstotheworld.Theyinfluencedifferentculturesbypushing
fortheperfectAmericanlifestyle,whenthefactisthat63.1%ofAmericaisobese.Bypushing
corporationsweareshovingAmericadownthethroatsoftherestoftheworld.InthearticleGoldenArches
East,theauthorexplainsthat:A good example is the rise of a child-centered culture in Hong Kong.
McDonalds certainly did not create this emergent cultural system, which was initiated by complex changes
in demography, family structure, and consumer practices. (Watson, 2)
When corporations invest in a country for their production facilities, they generally search for the most cost
efficient places to develop products. Corporations want a country with low minimum wages and avoidable
environmental laws in order to create a simple system of production. However, creating a balance between
a desperate government and a country that will begin to break into revolution is a very delicate matter. In
these countries there is usually pressure from corporations to change tradition and culture so that their work
is more beneficial. For example, in order to produce potatoes in China for McDonalds, the corporation
forced workers to alter their small traditional farming style to make room for non-native potatoes in order
to speed up the production of French fries. The video McDonalds in China, explains hot the company
produces food internationally. Well the growers had small plots and they essentially used a rubber hose to

irrigate their potatoes in small garden-sized plots. (McDonalds in China.) Just because these production
rates are not beneficial for the corporation does not mean they have the right to change a culture.
With developing lifestyles in Europe and the Eastern hemisphere, it is imperative that American
corporations respect tradition and culture in order to maintain diversity throughout the world. These
worldwide corporations should add multi cultural dishes to their menus to maintain values that keep
communal diversity intact.
If America doesnt change the way they produce, advertise and sell products then the world will,
essentially, become America. However, this does not mean that we need to be separate cultures in order to
keep the traditions of our world alive. We can progress through globalization without having to change the
way we interact with each other and spread ideas; we just need to be careful and aware of how American
and transnational corporations can affect the world. Uniting our people through culture and global diversity
needs to be a priority, or the next generation might find themselves living with an American flag wrapped
around the globe.
Citation:
Citation: Balko, Radley. "Globalization and Culture." Global Policy Forum. N.p., Apr. 2003. Web.
www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/162/27607.html
"McDonald's in China | Inside China | CNBC International." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-2rFqQ8ze8

"Born in the USA, Made in France: How McDonald's Succeeds in the Land of Michelin Stars Knowledge@Wharton." KnowledgeWharton Born in the USA Made in France How McDonalds Succeeds
in the Land of Michelin Stars Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
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"Association for Asian Studies." Association for Asian Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
http://www.asian-studies.org/EAA/EAA-Archives/8/1/478.pdf