Re: Starving people refuse to eat food aid
Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-origins@moderators.isc.org
Juho Julkunen wrote:
> In article <mike-D131B4.1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Mike Ash (mi...@mikeash.com) says...
> > In article <MPG.256f39b29...@news.kolumbus.fi>,
> > Juho Julkunen <giao...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > In article <mike-945851.0...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> > > Mike Ash (mi...@mikeash.com) says...
> > > > In article <10i9g5t1ncdr33m17...@4ax.com>,
> > > > Hatunen <hat...@cox.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > > Implicit in the rationale is the fact that the Big Macs are
> > > > > almost the same the world over and use the same raw materials, so
> > > > > the goods and services involved are fair for comparison.
> > > >
> > > > Right, but those raw materials are not necessarily equal everywhere. See
> > > > the story in this thread from the fellow who worked at one in Germany,
> > > > and they got their Iceberg lettuce shipped in by air freight instead of
> > > > just using local stuff, or the one talking about how the one franchise
> > > > in Iceland was forced to close up shop because corporate policy required
> > > > them to source the materials from continental Europe instead of using
> > > > local materials.
> > >
> > > You know, thinking about that I'm not convinced local materials were a
> > > better choise in Iceland while króna was still good elsewhere.
> >
> > Sure, but you'll notice that the business did ok during that period.
> > It's after the collapse of the currency that this policy, which may have
> > been good before, turned sour and drove it out of business.
>
> Yeah, it still looks a little like recession was a more proximate
> cause. It causes problems for many business plans.
>
> But hey, whatever doesn't work for them. Apparently here in Finland
> McDonald's is operating at a loss, subsidised by home office, and has
> been doing that for years. Losses here are small fries compared to
> their budget, I suppose.
Still, it seems unlikely that keeping a loss-making business open in
one country would make sense even to an international megacorp.
But isn't McDonalds a franchise, each restaurant actually owned
privately and operating the McDonalds system and paying for the
privilege? Or is that someone else, or is it different between
countries?
What seems to have happened in Iceland is that they just took down the
McDonalds signs and changed the menus?
Kurt Busiek
talk-o...@moderators.isc.org <rja.ca...@excite.com> said:
> Juho Julkunen wrote:
>> But hey, whatever doesn't work for them. Apparently here in Finland
>> McDonald's is operating at a loss, subsidised by home office, and has
>> been doing that for years. Losses here are small fries compared to
>> their budget, I suppose.
>
> Still, it seems unlikely that keeping a loss-making business open in
> one country would make sense even to an international megacorp.
>
> But isn't McDonalds a franchise, each restaurant actually owned
> privately and operating the McDonalds system and paying for the
> privilege? Or is that someone else, or is it different between
> countries?
Some McDonald's are owned by franchisees, some are owned by the corporation.
> What seems to have happened in Iceland is that they just took down the
> McDonalds signs and changed the menus?
No, they closed. The franchisee plans to reopen under another name,
but the restaurants are closed now and apparently haven't reopened yet.
kdb
--
Visit http://www.busiek.com -- for all your Busiek needs!
Mike Ash
<60cf5388-5ff6-422f...@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-o...@moderators.isc.or�g
> > But hey, whatever doesn't work for them. Apparently here in Finland
> > McDonald's is operating at a loss, subsidised by home office, and has
> > been doing that for years. Losses here are small fries compared to
> > their budget, I suppose.
>
> Still, it seems unlikely that keeping a loss-making business open in
> one country would make sense even to an international megacorp.
Take the long view: pay a pittance to keep the thing operating, on the
off chance that it will finally take off and sprout up on every corner
like it has in so many other countries.
I mean, if you can carpet the capital city of Communist Fricken China
with the things, surely there's some hope for Finland.
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon
Dimensional Traveler
> In article
> <60cf5388-5ff6-422f...@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
> Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-o...@moderators.isc.or�g
> <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>
>>> But hey, whatever doesn't work for them. Apparently here in Finland
>>> McDonald's is operating at a loss, subsidised by home office, and has
>>> been doing that for years. Losses here are small fries compared to
>>> their budget, I suppose.
>> Still, it seems unlikely that keeping a loss-making business open in
>> one country would make sense even to an international megacorp.
>
> Take the long view: pay a pittance to keep the thing operating, on the
> off chance that it will finally take off and sprout up on every corner
> like it has in so many other countries.
>
> I mean, if you can carpet the capital city of Communist Fricken China
> with the things, surely there's some hope for Finland.
>
off their people with Big Macs and other imported American consumer
goods. :D
--
7 Years - 2265 Experiments - 10 tons of explosives - 705 Myths
Myths - Will - Fall!
Hatunen
wrote:
>In article
><60cf5388-5ff6-422f...@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
> Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-o...@moderators.isc.or�g
> <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>
>> > But hey, whatever doesn't work for them. Apparently here in Finland
>> > McDonald's is operating at a loss, subsidised by home office, and has
>> > been doing that for years. Losses here are small fries compared to
>> > their budget, I suppose.
>>
>> Still, it seems unlikely that keeping a loss-making business open in
>> one country would make sense even to an international megacorp.
>
>Take the long view: pay a pittance to keep the thing operating, on the
>off chance that it will finally take off and sprout up on every corner
>like it has in so many other countries.
>
>I mean, if you can carpet the capital city of Communist Fricken China
>with the things, surely there's some hope for Finland.
Maybe the Finns jushave better taste than the Chinese.
--
************* DAVE HATUNEN (hat...@cox.net) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *