首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Fast-food firms have to be a thick-skinned bunch. Health experts regularly lambaste them for peddling food that makes people fat
Fast-food firms have to be a thick-skinned bunch. Health experts regularly lambaste them for peddling food that makes people fat
admin
2012-12-30
39
问题
Fast-food firms have to be a thick-skinned bunch. Health experts regularly lambaste them for peddling food that makes people fat. Critics even complain that McDonald’s, whose golden arches symbolise calorie excess, should not have been allowed to sponsor the World Cup. These are things fast-food firms have learnt to cope with and to deflect. But not perhaps for much longer. The burger business faces more pressure from regulators at a time when it is already adapting strategies in response to shifts in the global economy.
Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof. When consumers need to cut spending, the logic goes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. Such "trading down" proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants. Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with discounts and promotions, such as $ 1 menus and cheap combination meals.
As a result, fast-food chains have weathered the recession better than their pricier competitors. In 2009 sales at full-service restaurants in America fell by more than 6% , but total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains. In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britain, total spending on fast food increased. Same-store sales in America at McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food company, did not decline throughout the downturn. Panera Bread, an American fast-food chain known for its fresh ingredients, performed well.tooiits boss, Ron Shaich, claims this is because it offers higher-quality food at lower prices than restaurants.
But not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate. Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall. In a severe recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast-food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl’s Jr. , have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because at the same time they are "slugging it out with a global powerhouse" in the form of McDonald’s, which ramped up spending on advertising by more than 7% last year as others cut back.
Some fast-food companies also cannibalised their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items. But in many cases that strategy backfired. Last year Burger King franchisees sued the company over its double-cheeseburger promotion, claiming it was unfair for them to be required to sell these for $ 1 when they cost $ 1.10 to make. In May a judge ruled in favour of Burger King. Nevertheless, the company may still be cursing its decision to promote cheap choices over more expensive ones because items on its "value menu" now account for around 20% of all sales, up from 12% last October.
Analysts expect the fast-food industry to grow modestly this year. But the downturn is making them rethink their strategies. Many companies are now introducing higher-priced items to entice consumers away from $ 1 specials. KFC, a division of Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, has launched a chicken sandwich that costs around $ 5. And in May Burger King introduced barbecue pork ribs at a hefty $ 7 for eight.
It seems that the "small-profit-and-quick-return" strategy
选项
A、is totally abandoned by fast-food chains.
B、will work quite well in the near future.
C、doesn’t turn out as fast-food chains wished.
D、is taken into consideration by fast-food firms.
答案
C
解析
推断题。按照题目顺序定位至末段。第二句指出“But the downturn is making them rethinktheir strategies.”,这与首句“Analysts expect the fast-food industry to grow modestly this year.”构成对照。后面的例证中提到的一个策略就是“薄利多销”,由“Many companies are now introducinghigher-priced items to entice consumers away from $1 specials.”可知,该策略没有达到预期效果,故[C]符合文意。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/MfaO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Airpollutionexistsnotonlyoutdoor,butalsoindoor.Ithasgreateffectsonpeople,andtherearemanymeasurestakentocor
Airpollutionexistsnotonlyoutdoor,butalsoindoor.Ithasgreateffectsonpeople,andtherearemanymeasurestakentocor
Airpollutionexistsnotonlyoutdoor,butalsoindoor.Ithasgreateffectsonpeople,andtherearemanymeasurestakentocor
Airpollutionexistsnotonlyoutdoor,butalsoindoor.Ithasgreateffectsonpeople,andtherearemanymeasurestakentocor
ReligionsoftheEastAfewyearsagomanywell-knownpeoplecametotheEasttostudytheAsianreli-gions.Theywerecuriou
ReadyforAnythingJustinwasalwaysprepared.Hismottowas"Neverthrowanythingout,youneverknowwhenitmightcomeinh
A、religiousgroupsmustbetrouble-makersB、religiousconflictsoftencausesocialunrestC、religiousconflictsoftenendeasily
LegendsaboutKingArthurhaveexistedsincethe6thcentury.Storiesofthemanandhisdoingshavegrownfarbeyondanythingt
Teachersandotherspecialistsinearlychildhoodeducationrecognizethatchildrendevelopatdifferentrates.Givenanythingt
随机试题
患者女性,20岁,已婚,痛经进行性加重2年,就诊妇科门诊。如果该患者选择复方口服避孕药后出现了阴道出血的不良反应,来门诊咨询,下列说法正确的是
1分子甘油彻底氧化后可产生ATP分子
门静脉高压症并发上消化道出血首选的有效措施是()
A.氢氧化铝凝胶B.血液透析C.口服碳酸氢钠D.蛋白同化激素E.抗生素慢性肾功能不全轻度代谢性酸中毒()。
根据凯利的三维理论,如果(),就更可能做出内部原因的归因。
设a,b都是不等于1的正数,则“3a>3b>3”是“loga3<logb3”的()
对下列加点词语的解释全部正确的一组是()。
假定某采用页式存储管理的系统中,主存容量为lMB,被分成256块,块号为0,1,2,…,255。现有一个共4页(页号为0、l、2、3)的作业被依次装入到主存的第2、4、l、5块中。请问:若作业执行中要从第0页的第75单元和第3页的第548单元读信息,
表达式5Mod3+3\5*2的值是
Thepassagemightbetakenfrom______.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtheauthor’sviewpoint?
最新回复
(
0
)