Shooting at McDonald's in Finland
/The Story
Three people died this week during a shooting incident while on line at McDonald's drive-through in southern Finland. Although McDonald's may not have liability for the situation -- the shooting resulted from an argument between drivers -- this would be considered a crisis situation for the company.
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Discussion Starters
- What is the local McDonald's responsibility during an incident like this? How should management respond?
- Who are McDonald's internal and external consistuencies? How should McDonald's communicate with each after this incident?
- What, if any, action should McDonald's Corporate (in the U.S.) take? How do you see the Finnish store interacting with McDonald's headquarters during this situation?
Assignment Ideas
- Imagine you're the store manager of this McDonald's. Write an email to your manager (probably a regional director for all McDonald's stores in Finland) describing what happened and your response. Consider that your manager may forward this on to the Corporate office.
- As the store manager, write an email to your employees. You'll want to explain what happened, reinforce emergency procedures, and assure employees of store safety.
- As the store manager, imagine that you and Fagerholm, the detective inspector, are planning a news conference about the incident. What will you say to explain what happened and reassure the public that your McDonald's is safe? Write a script and deliver the news conference.