The decision allows McDonald’s’ corporate operations to be held responsible along with its thousands of independently-owned franchisees when it comes to dealing with disputes over franchisees’ treatment of workers for participating in protests calling for higher wages. It’s a major victory for a union movement that has been battered lately, but which has found a stalwart ally in the Obama administration.
With this ruling, the Obama administration may have begun an overturning of one of the pillars of the powerful and lucrative American franchise model, in which brands have expanded much more robustly than they could otherwise by attracting investments from independent business owners. These investors take on the ownership risks of running franchises and then pay the brands a portion of their proceeds for benefits such as marketing, common IT systems and so on.
Representatives of both McDonald’s and other companies were up in arms at the news. “There is no legal or factual basis for such a finding, and we will vigorously argue our case” in appeals, the quick-serve restaurant chain wrote in a memo to franchisees.
McDonald’s also said in a statement that “this decision changes the rules for thousands of small businesses, and goes against decades of established law regarding the franchise model in the U.S.”
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
