Introduction What the f@#k? may well have been what McDonald's Director of Social Media, Rick Wion, likely thought when he learned that customers were complaining that one of the talking Minion toys distributed in the company's popular Happy Meals was using some colorful language. Specifically, customers said McDonald's Caveman Minion toy said, What the f@#k? in one of its recorded phrases. With thousands of YouTube videos and Facebook posts, the toy's alleged foul language went viral. Wion and executives at McDonald's Oak Brook, Illinois headquarters quickly had decide what, if anything, do about the controversial Happy Meal children's toy. McDonald's Corporation Ray Kroc founded McDonald's in 1955 (Love, 1986). company's mission was to be our customers' favorite place and way eat and drink (McDonald's, 2015). company also touted its commitment business ethics and social responsibility. Sound ethics is good business, the company's values statement said. At McDonald's we hold ourselves and conduct our business high standards of fairness, honesty, and integrity. We are individually accountable and collectively responsible (McDonald's, 2014). In light of this pledge, Rick Wion wondered how McDonald's should respond the Happy Meal cursing Minion kerfuffle. fast-food giant served hamburgers, including its Big Mac and Quarter Pounder; chicken sandwiches and Chicken McNuggets; Filet-O-Fish sandwiches; French fries; soft drinks, coffee, and milkshakes; salads; desserts, including ice cream and fruit pies; breakfast items, including McMuffin sandwiches; and Happy Meals for kids. McDonald's had more than 36,000 restaurants and served approximately 69 million people daily (McDonald's, 2015). In fiscal year 2013, the company's net income was $5.58 billion; in 2014 it decreased 15% $4.75 billion (McDonald's, 2015). company's stock price on July 8, 2015 was $95.65 per share. Ritzer (2010) explained McDonald's reputation as a global icon as this way: restaurants themselves are depicted as spick-and-span, the food is said be fresh and nutritious, the employees are shown be young and eager, the managers appear gentle and caring, and the dining experience itself seems fun-filled. Through their purchases, people contribute, at least indirectly, charities such as the Ronald McDonald House for sick children. (p. 11) In spite of its reputation, Rick Wion knew McDonald's practice of including cross-promotional collectible toys in Happy Meals was controversial, albeit effective. Schlosser (2002) noted that the practice doubled or tripled weekly sales of kid's meals: The chains often distribute numerous versions of a toy, encouraging repeat visits by small children and adult collectors who hope obtain complete sets (p. 47). Marketing success didn't silence critics. McDonald's executives knew that marketing fast food children via premium toys had been associated with childhood obesity, eating disorders, and problems with dental health (Quilliam & Rifon, 2008). In response the link, San Francisco and Santa Clara County, both in California, passed laws prohibiting the distribution of toys with meals marketed kids (McAlister & Cornwell, 2012). McDonald's success with simple toys in Happy Meals made the company one of the biggest toy distributors in the world (Schlosser, 2002; Guenette, 2013). That title also came with occasional problems, including a 2014 recall over choking concerns linked its Happy Meal Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop Toy (Consumer, 2014). Over the years, McDonald's cross-promotional Happy Meal toys included Teenie Beanie Babies, Smurfs, Spiderman, SpongeBob, Power Rangers, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and the Minions from the popular Despicable Me movie franchise. Happy Meal Minion Controversy Minions were described as small, yellow, cylindrical creatures who have one or two eyes and who love eating bananas (Despicable, n. …

Protect wild, tomorrow's child Protect land from greed of man Take out dams, stand up to oil Protect plants and renew soil gonna stand up and save Earth? gonna say that she's had enough? gonna take on big machine? gonna stand up and save Earth? This all starts with you and me Lyrics from Neil Young's Who's Gonna Stand Up? Introduction Kyle Roberson joked that if you cut him he'd bleed Starbucks. In fact, Roberson's loyalty to Seattle-based company earned him Gold Level membership in Starbucks' Customer Rewards Program. I would describe myself as a loyal customer and a regular visitor to Starbucks both locally and when traveling, he said. They brew a consistently good cup of coffee no matter where you go and that can't always be said for other coffee shops which can be hit or miss with their roasts. To keep up with news about Starbucks, Roberson followed company on social media. I follow both Starbucks US and Canada on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Swarm, and Instagram, he said. That's how he learned about singer-songwriter Neil Young's call for a boycott of Starbucks in November 2014. He later read more about Young's boycott online and in newspapers. Those news articles led Roberson to understand that Neil Young opposed genetically engineered foods. In calling for boycott, Young, a longtime environmentalist, accused Starbucks of suing Vermont over landmark legislation state enacted mandating labeling of food products made with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Roberson, a former Vermonter who lived in Seattle, supported Vermont's GMO labeling law and was concerned about Young's claims. Could he continue to patronize Starbucks if what Neil Young said was true? Roberson, a librarian, decided to learn more about issue and began researching Vermont's GMO labeling law, GMO producer Monsanto, and Starbucks' relationship with Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a trade group for food and beverage companies. Vermont's GMO Labeling Law The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) described genetic engineering as the name for certain methods that scientists use to introduce new traits or characteristics to an organism. For example, plants may be genetically engineered to produce characteristics to enhance growth or nutritional profile of food crops (U.S. Food, 2014). Genetically engineered foods were sometimes referred to as GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified and genetically engineered foods first came to light in 1999 when U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a statement to U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Basic Research on importance of regulating genetically engineered foods (U.S. Food, 1999). Though FDA did not support nor oppose genetically modified foods as of 2015, federal agency did play a role in overseeing and regulating them (U.S. Food, 2013). The topic of genetically engineered foods was not present in politics again until January 2013, when bill H.112 was proposed in Vermont Legislature, requiring products made with genetically modified foods to include a label (Ford & Ferrigno, 2014). According to bill, intent of legislation was to provide that food is misbranded if it is entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering and it is not labeled as genetically engineered. This bill was signed into law by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin in May 2013 and required foods made with GMOs to be labeled by July 2016 (Ford & Ferrigno, 2014). Monsanto, a U.S.-based agriculture company, was leading producer of genetically modified seeds at center of GMO controversy. The company had more than 21,000 employees in 66 countries and was committed to helping to bring a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world (Monsanto, 2015). …

This paper describes the process taken to develop a quantitative based and Excel™-driven course that combines BOTH Management Information Systems (MIS) and Decision Science (DS) modeling outcomes and lays the foundation for upper level quantitative courses such as operations management, finance and strategic management.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a combination of people, processes and technology that seeks to understand a company's customers. It is an integrated approach to managing relationships by focusing on customer retention and relationship development. CRM has evolved from advances in information technology and organizational changes in customer‐centric processes. Companies that successfully implement CRM will reap the rewards in customer loyalty and long run profitability. However, successful implementation is elusive to many companies, mostly because they do not understand that CRM requires company‐wide, cross‐functional, customer‐focused business process re‐engineering. Although a large portion of CRM is technology, viewing CRM as a technology‐only solution is likely to fail. Managing a successful CRM implementation requires an integrated and balanced approach to technology, process, and people.

Abstract Customer relationship management (CRM) is a combination of people, processes and