Global Realization Summary and Analysis

Plauen is a small town in Eastern Germany with a history of contrasts. At one time a thriving center of the German textile industry, it became a center of Naziism and then a part of Communist East Germany. Toward the end of World War II, Plauen was heavily bombed by Allied forces, and much of the town was never re-built. Today, Plauen has a wool factory and other small industry. When the Berlin Wall came down, McDonald's was one of the first American companies to move into East Germany, and it built the first McDonald's on an empty parking lot in Plauen.

The thrust of fast food into the global marketplace has been systematic and aggressive, led by McDonald's and KFC. Today, McDonald's opens about five new restaurants each day, at least four of which are in foreign countries...