Chapter 16, Checks and Balances, Chapter 17, Exporting Americana Summary and Analysis

McDonald's not only faces public relations problems in the 1970s, but faces the internal struggle to maintain profitability, partly through the profligacy of its franchisees. Franchisees are becoming rich everywhere but franchisees-franchiser issues begin to arise again. Expansion brings complications. Franchisees begin to feel distant from the corporation and internal dissent is hard to predict as it originates from many corners.

Eventually the McDonald's Operators Association, or MOA, is formed; it is a body of elected representatives from the population of franchisees that meets with McDonald's leaders. The group starts as adversarial and McDonald's is caught by surprise as this is not characteristic. However, McDonald's takes the charges seriously.

The author discusses some of the charges, some of which involve real estate flaws and other important abuses. Health, financial...