Day 012 - 18 Jul 94 - Page 79


     
     1
         Q.   But it could have been?
     2        A.  I suspect anything is possible -- I would think that I
              would have known about it.
     3
         Q.   It would have been an important thing to do, would it not,
     4        to discuss it at the top level, if it was something as
              important as this?
     5        A.  Or to advise the board of the decisions made
              afterwards.
     6
         Q.   OK.  Would you be able to get the minutes of these
     7        relevant board meetings at all?
              A.  Not me, no.
     8
         Q.   You can ask for those, yes?
     9        A.  I cannot.  Right now I am on sabbatical from
              McDonald's.
    10
         MR. MORRIS:  We would make a formal request for those minutes
    11        to the court.
 
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If they exist.  We are back where we have
              been several times before.
    13
         MR. MORRIS:  Yes, we certainly are.  I will move on through the
    14        rest of this document, but if we can make a formal request
              for the minutes of the board meeting where this issue was
    15        formalised or consent given.
 
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you know whether it was actually
              discussed at a board meeting or not?
    17        A.  I am trying to remember.
 
    18   Q.   If your arithmetic is right, there must have been about a
              million brochures.  I do not know how many dollars they
    19        took to print each.
              A.  That amount of money is something that our senior vice
    20        presidents and executive vice presidents and divisional
              presidents have the authority to make without going to the
    21        board.
 
    22   Q.   I am asking, do you know whether there was a board
              meeting?
    23        A.  No, I do not.
 
    24   Q.   If they cost $5 each, that is $5 million.  I do not know
              whether $5 million needs to be discussed at a board
    25        meeting in a corporation as big as McDonald's.  It might
              be it has other ramifications, obviously, quite apart from 
    26        the cost of publication.  They may be important, but do 
              you know whether it was discussed at a board meeting? 
    27        A.  No, my Lord, I do not know.
 
    28   MR. MORRIS:  Presumably, if it was not discussed at a board
              meeting there would be some other way of knowing when the
    29        president made his decision?  He would keep records of
              decisions that he makes, presumably?
    30        A.  You impart much more formality to the operational
              processes of our corporation than sometimes exist.

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