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.
