In 1954 a man called Ray Crock bought the rights to a hamburger stall in California, owned by two brothers called McDonald. It became the McDonald's chain that now operates about 21,000 restaurants around the world. It is said that a new one opens every three hours. McDonald's is perhaps the most aggressive example of corporate identity.
McDonald's is defined by its logo, the Golden Arches, which is very simple and very powerful because it is applied to so many materials: packaging, menus and even buildings. Staff rituals represent another facet of corporate identity. Nowhere is this more apparent than at McDonald's, which trains its employees at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois.
The first McDonald's restaurant was built at Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. It is now a museum with 1950s cars permanently displayed alongside. The golden arches are transformed into architectural elements, soaring over the building.
McDonald's has become emblematic of globalization. This is sometimes referred as the "McDonaldization" of society. Because McDonald's is so closely identified with the United States, its expansion has been seen as a form of American cultural imperialism. Along with America's recent foreign policy, including the war in Iraq, some people argue that America is becoming a new imperial power.
