McDonalds 2000 Annual Report Download - page 5

I am always
impressed—and
often amazed—
at the incredible
levels of dedication
and passion our
people have for
the business and
their communities.
I believe these
attributes are
uniquely
McDonald’s.
Letter to shareholders 3
As we look forward to continued progress in
2001, we know there is one key to our success
—our family of more than 1.5 million employees,
owner/operators and suppliers around the world.
They bring the McDonald’s brand to life for our
customers every day, and we count on them to
make our customers smile—every customer, on
every visit.
I am always impressed—and often amazed
—at the incredible levels of dedication and
passion our people have for the business and
their communities. I believe these attributes are
uniquely McDonald’s. I also am proud of the
vast experience and variety of backgrounds that
many of our people bring to The Golden Arches.
For example, on a recent trip I met a restaurant
manager in China, who studied medicine but
decided to pursue a career with McDonald’s.
On the same trip, I also met with our two joint-
venture partners in Korea, who were both
successful entrepreneurs prior to partnering
with McDonald’s.
In today’s society, any successful business
needs to recruit and retain good people. I believe
that, in many countries, we have a competitive
strength in this area. In fact, when I visited Brazil
recently, I was proud to learn that McDonald’s
received recognition as one of the top places to
work in the country. And we have dedicated our
efforts to being the best employer in each com-
munity around the world. We know that is the
surest way to guarantee our success as a
System, and your success as an investor.
Finally, I want to thank you again for being
part of McDonald’s. I appreciate your confidence
and look forward to enjoying success with you in
the future.
Sincerely,
Jack M. Greenberg
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Shareholder
March 8, 2001
example, we’re not on your list of options. So,
we are developing new concepts to leverage our
expertise in building best-in-class brands and to
capture additional meal occasions around the
world. These brands include Boston Market,
Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donatos Pizza in the
U.S.; and United Kingdom-based Aroma Café
and Pret A Manger.
We are also leveraging our food service
experience by participating in the development
of global Internet-related services. Last year, we
formed eMac Digital in partnership with Accel-
KKR, which is developing on-line technologies
to benefit both the McDonald’s System and the
food service industry.
So, we continue to focus on growing our
powerful McDonald’s brand, growing our promis-
ing new brands and leveraging our strengths.
Now, let’s look at what I believe is the third
investor expectation—being a socially responsible
organization. We work with a passion to make
the world a better place—whether it is offering
disaster relief after the recent earthquakes in
El Salvador and India, or celebrating the opening
of the 206th Ronald McDonald House in Mexico
City, or our continuing environmental and animal
welfare leadership. We are a neighbor that peo-
ple know they can count on in times of need.
We also have the incredibly rewarding
opportunity to go beyond the expected with our
global partners, especially on behalf of children.
In 2000, for instance, we joined with The Walt
Disney Company in sponsoring Millennium
Dreamers—celebrating the achievements of
2,000 outstanding young people from around
the world. We leveraged our sponsorship of the
Olympic Games to bring young leaders together
in an International Youth Camp program during
the Summer Games in Sydney. And we part-
nered with the Field Museum in Chicago to
support the reconstruction of “Sue,” the largest
T. rex fossil ever found, and to bring Sue’s story
to people through traveling exhibits.
So, we continued to take strides toward our
vision to be the best through our financial perfor-
mance, leadership and social responsibility efforts.