KFC for Kentucky Fried Chicken Persuasive Essay

KFC for Kentucky Fried Chicken is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US). It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain overall (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with over 18,000 outlets in 120 countries and territories as of December 2012. The company is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands is a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurant chains. KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great. Sanders identified the potential of the restaurant franchising concept, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Utah in 1952.

KFC popularized chicken in the fast food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of hamburgers. By branding himself as "Colonel Sanders," Harland became a prominent figure in American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. However, the company's rapid expansion saw it overwhelm the aging Sanders, and in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown, Jr. and Jack C. Massey. KFC was one of the first fast-food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in England, Mexico, and Jamaica by the mid-1960s.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, KFC experienced mixed fortunes domestically, as it went through a series of changes in corporate ownership with little or no experience in the restaurant business. In the early 1970s, KFC was sold to the spirits distributor Heinlein, who was taken over by the Reynolds food and tobacco conglomerate, who sold the chain to PepsiCo. The chain continued to expand overseas, however, and in 1987 KFC became the first Western restaurant chain to open in China. The chain has since expanded rapidly in China, which is now the company's most profitable market.

PepsiCo spun off its restaurant division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands. KFC's original product is pressure-fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders' recipe of 11 herbs and spices. The constituents of the recipe represent a notable trade secret. Larger portions of fried chicken are served in a cardboard "bucket," which has become an icon of the chain since it was first introduced by franchisee Pete Harman in 1957. Since the early 1990s, KFC has expanded its menu to offer other chicken products such as chicken and wraps, as well as salads and side dishes such as French fries and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks, the latter often supplied by PepsiCo. KFC is known for the slogan "finger licking' good," which has since been replaced by "Nobody does chicken like KFC" and "So good."

Unethical issues in KFC Company

Provide Greasy Unhealthy Food

The growing and bustling population of today is obviously different from the population of the previous decades in terms of health and nutritional attitudes and behaviors. People today are more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reason for this increased awareness is because of the fact that information is everywhere and every reports and research about nutrition seem to link fast foods with the growing number of obesity.

Being one of the most popular fast food restaurants and with millions of people patronizing the products and foods offered by the company, it is important the company adheres to ethical standards specifically in terms of providing healthy foods. However, it has been observed that KFC is using oil that contains Tran's fatty acids and contains monosodium glutamate, which is MSG. This is noted to increase cholesterol and even increased the risk of having heart disease and obesity. As authorities discovered this, the case was carried over by the consumer group Centre for Science in the Public Interest which told the company to use healthier cooking products than the one they are using.

Protests by PETA

KFC is the world's largest chicken fast-food chain in the world with more than 9900 stores at an average annual consumption of nearly 800 million chickens all over the world. In order to reduce costs, KFC chicken suppliers kept the chickens in overcrowded cages and gave drugs to urge their growth so that they are usually too heavy and can't even walk. In the year 2003, the PETA organization (Association of Ethical Treatment of Animals) found a video exposing a KFC supplier abusing chickens with a cruel trick and this immediately aroused public attention.

In the video can see the staff do anything to abuse the chicken, they often cut off their wings, slammed them to the wall, punched them as sandbags, and kicked them like football. At slaughter, the chicken' throats are slit and dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water while they are still conscious. They abuse the chickens alive to death and then gave them to outlet frying as delicious fried chicken serve all around the world.

Advertisement Mislead

Nowadays, advertising communication plays an important role in our society. As we all know, fast food is high-fat and calorie food, cellulose content is low, and long-term consumption will lead to obesity, endangering the liver and other organs healthy. But fast-food ads never mentioned these issues, always promoting eating fast food is a modern lifestyle and fashionable, the food is fresh and tasty, nutrition and healthy. This is a food culture and lifestyle misleading from advertising, especially to young people and children. In 2003 autumn, KFC played the "health card" a TV ad, saying that Kentucky Fried Chicken "has the human body the necessary carbohydrates, is a daily non-integral part of the menu."

This ad exaggerated the Kentucky Fried Chicken features, many people were discontent with this broadcast, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission specifically to this investigation. Under pressure from all sides, soon KFC Company takes off this advertisement. This year July, ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), found that the U.S. KFC has an ad misleading consumers to think that fresh chicken is on daily basis delivered to every KFC outlet, this is suspected of misleading consumers. Advertising content shows a young chef's side of a chicken sprinkled with flour, saying: "I want to cook the most delicious food, the secret is to use the correct materials, like this fresh chicken". Ad adds the narration: "Kentucky Fried Chicken, fresh meat. Every store, Every day." But the ASA found that KFC chicken is delivered to each store three times per week, so it was decided shall not be broadcast the ad, unless the modified.

Solution of KFC Company

Provide Healthy Product

The traditional ethical stance of the company is to prevent actual problems in health and nutrition. However, there is an obvious lack of long-term plans that will also maintain these developments even in years to come. KFC Company should realize that there does not only have a responsibility to their current customers but to future generations as well. The scope of responsibility as cited in this discussion should include the provision of respect for others, honest and pure intentions as well as protection from harm. The management of KFC should be responsible for maintaining the healthy and nutritional food that future generations will need as well so as to survive. Nowadays, people are more concerned with their health and figures than ever before.

Obviously, the reason for this increased awareness is because of the fact that information is everywhere and every reports and research about nutrition seem to link fast foods with the growing number of obesity. In this case, KFC should start research on a healthier ingredient like offering roaster chicken instead of fried chicken and provide low fat, low calories product to consumers. For example, McDonald's recently announced that they will use organic milk to produce coffee and chocolate in the future. As consumers were increasingly concerned about the source of food, McDonald's also had to be improved their own ingredients in order to increase the turnover.

McDonald's (UK) director Steve Easterbrook said, British consumers increasingly focusing on the quality of food sources and the realm of ethics, which has led to Britain's organic dairy products has been greatly welcomed, so we also decided to provide our customers with changes in the quality of milk. At the same time, we also hope that through this change, can increase the level of consumption of organic milk, and organic dairy products market, and contribute to the development.

Well-known dairy company Arla is a McDonald's milk supplier said the organic milk market development more and more powerful, and we are very pleased to see McDonald's fast food industry lead the transition to organic dairy products. Other than that, in 2008 McDonald's launched a new "cooked in a canola oil blend' symbol on the packaging of menu items cooked in oil to help inform customers that these products are cooked in a blend of canola and sunflower oil which is virtually trans-fat-free and less than 10 percent saturated fat.

In March, McDonald's introduced a new range of seared, 100 percent chicken breast fillet products, providing a skinless, lower-fat alternative to deep-fried chicken. Hence, KFC should develop and provide a healthy product by using alternative oils which do not contain Tran's fatty acids and reducing the amount of MSG increasing the amount of protein in the process. This will convey a message to the consumers and let them know that KFC's chicken will maintain its taste without using a great amount of MSG and oils which can contain Tran's fatty acids and will not harm to the consumer's body.

By changing of the menu and the ingredient of cooking, may rebuild their image and reputation from the public because image plays an important role in the company in order to survive in the future. The selflessness theory of the Seven Principles of Public Life issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) state that the holder of public office should act personally in term of public interest not only gain benefit themselves. Therefore, KFC should not only promote their new product, but they should also put themselves in the shoe of their customers by understanding their requirements and being responsible to make sure that the products are not harming the consumer's healthy lifestyle.

Responsibility for Animal Welfare

With economic development and social progress, people's towards animal attitude have a series of changes. As result, some countries come up with animal welfare laws and regulations. In addition, with the improvement of living standards in developed countries food safety and health have become increasingly stringent requirements, and the WTO also requires this. PETA advocates promoting animal welfare, the main purpose is to have better human beings, in a reasonable and humane use of animals at the same time taking into account the welfare of animals that live to a comfortable and not painful death.

Some studies show that in dirty and dense environments, pigs, chickens, ducks, and other animals, their immunity will be greatly reduced and it is easy to fall ill, thus causing animal diseases. If an animal suddenly suffers in a terror state, it will secret a large quality of adrenal and it will affect the quality of the meat and these hormones may have hazardous to human health. After exposing the video of the inhumane slaughter of chickens, PETA has been keeping open condemnation of KFC. KFC company should pay enough attention to this case, and continuously improvement of the chicken breeding method and its living environment. This is the only way to ensure the chicken welfare, otherwise, KFC will face enormous obstacles from the public.

Besides that, KFC should make a commitment to require supplier farms to take measures to improve the animal breeding environment, not forced feeding, not cruelty to animals, and reduce suffering as much as possible during when slaughtering process, or they will stop purchasing from them. PETA organization had proposed a change of using poison gas to slaughter chickens, this can reduce the pain of death to zero and reduce the contact between handlers, and would not affect the quality of meat. Thus, KFC company should consider this propose and do its best to implement it in the future. To support this view, deontological theory explains that it is a moral duty for an individual to make the right decision determined not by its consequences but by obligation and commitments.

Improve Public Relationship

TV media has an important impact on people to their moral values, self-awareness, and values. Advertising can influence people's attitudes to change and affect people's consumer attitudes and values. Therefore, if the information in ads is no false it will cause a negative impact on the socio-cultural. Young people and children are important consumer groups for KFC, many parents are concerned about KFC food contained in low nutrition and high-calorie, worried that will cause children's bad eating habits and nutritional imbalance caused by such issues. In fact, the media has a huge influence, if used properly will be able to play a significant positive effect.

KFC should development of many more healthy, low-calorie meals and other nutrition and health portfolio selection, and should clearly mark on the number of calories, nutrients, energy, nutrient density, and consumption of different age groups. So, KFC can advocacy healthy diet and exercise ideas in their ads, indicating nutritional information, educating parents on the correct idea, and providing children with the correct healthy diet knowledge. KFC company can also partner with other public relation company holding long-term, large-scale, cross-media public relations activities to advocate the concept of the importance of health, encourage healthy eating and regular exercise habits, and provide testing of body fat index (BMI) to the public and also pay attention to the needs of disadvantage ethnic communities.

Besides, by promoting healthier eating habits to the public, it will win back consumers' confidence and increase its publicity with a more favorable corporate image. According to Mike Roberts, McDonald's president and chief operations officer, he said that "There is nothing more important to McDonald's than building customer trust and loyalty around the world". Furthermore, the ethical theory of moral relativism can apply to people who believe that an act is right if approves by the social group to which the person belongs.

Practice & Value

In my opinion, ethical business, safety, environmental responsibility, and social and sustainable development are the best practices that KFC Company should have. KFC shall always identify the needs, wants, and interests of its consumer and provide the desired satisfactions more effectively than its competitor in such a manner that preserves or improves the well-being of both the consumers and society especially in terms of healthy and nutrition. KFC had act responsibility to committed providing their customers with safe, delicious meals and maintaining operating their restaurants under the highest food safety standards. This commitment is at the heart of operations and supply chain management and is evident in every aspect of the business from raw material procurement to restaurant food preparation and delivery.

KFC believes treating animals humanely and with care is a key part of its quality assurance efforts. This means animals should be free from mistreatment at all possible times from how they are raised and cared for to how they are transported and processed. Their goal is to only deal with suppliers who can provide an environment that is free from cruelty, abuse, and neglect. Between recognize of maintaining high standards of animal welfare is an ongoing process. Training and education have and will continue to play a key role in efforts. KFC will continue to work with experts so that the quality assurance employees and suppliers have the training and knowledge necessary to further the humane treatment of animals.

The inclusion of the social responsibility concept in the business sector is not only necessary to broaden the companies' involvement in social matters. The application of social responsibility to organizations is in fact a main contributory factor to their profitability and ensures that they always follow ethical matters while doing their business. The findings of Mohr and Webb showed that social responsibility plays a significant role in consumer appeal. The perceptions of consumers, however, tend to vary with regard to this aspect. Nonetheless, this stresses the importance of social responsibility not only in benefiting the stakeholders but also in achieving the goals of the companies towards growth and profitability.

At present, the management of KFC has already realized the growing importance of social responsibility and that integrating this concept cannot be sufficiently supported by the optimization of shareholder value. Additionally, KFC has essential managing company in health, safety and community responsibilities which may lead to KFC Company's continuing success.

Proper Advertisement lead

Advertisement is very essential for any business. Advertisements can make a business wider without advertisements, no business can run properly.

Suggestion & Strategic Options

One of the responsibilities of an organization is to make sure that all its actions and business operations adhere to the ethical standards provided by the law. Other than strategies for marketing and management, businesses have considered other elements that play significant roles in success. One of these important elements is ethics. As business requires social interaction and dealings, a strong recognition of what is morally right or wrong is then essential. In this reflective discussion, various ethical theories will be described. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the role of each theory in business and how these theories can be helpful to modern operations.

All in all, it can be said that having a business organization that considers ethical management is a business that can easily gain respect and a good reputation from the customers. Contrary to the belief that social responsibility undermines businesses' profitability goals, this actually helps in generating profit through customer loyalty and a good company image. For Kentucky Fried Chicken, the company must be able to ensure that the products that they offer are healthy and nutritional, so as to ensure also that their gain customer trust, loyalty, and respect.

Cite this Page

KFC for Kentucky Fried Chicken Persuasive Essay. (2016, Aug 08). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/kfc-for-kentucky-fried-chicken/

copy to clipboard