Executive Summary Standardisation is an outcome of globalisation. But some authors argue that these two are synonymous. With the advent of globalisation and the internationalisation of business, products were designed, demanded, sold, distributed and marketed the same way all throughout the world. It was known as the universal way of selling a product, the opening salvo of international marketing. Changes evolved. Organisations have to introduce various changes in their marketing strategies, product orientation, employee management, and other organisational strategies. Cultural diversity is a trend in the age of globalization. Meanwhile, the demand for localized products is growing. Adaptation is one innovation that global organisations have to apply in their marketing strategies to adjust to cultural differences. McDonald’s India is the main focus in our study of standardisation and adaptation. The company encountered problems and had to modify their organisational strategies because it had to adapt to a different kind of culture, a culture which recognizes cow meat as sacred, and Hindus are prohibited to eat beef. McDonald’s products are always western in origin, and when it came to penetrate foreign markets, it had to adapt to the cultures of the countries of destination. This is what they call adaptation, as opposed to standardisation of products. McDonald’s India suffered rough sailing in the initial stages. Later on, it had to pause and reintroduce adapted strategies never forgetting that it was entering a delicate venture with a unique and diverse culture. How the company did it is a test of the company’s desire to succeed, and the primary focus of this paper. However, there have been criticisms that McDonald’s do not apply diversity in its marketing strategy and that as an international organisation McDonald’s is an agent of globalisation. How true, we will find the answer by examining the ‘McDonaldisation’ of India, or the glocalisation of McDonald’s in the India market. Introduction How did the hamburger come to Asia? What is the difference between a McDonald’s hamburger served in India and a McDonald’s hamburger made in the USA or in the UK? These questions seem to just inhabit in the advertising campaigns of a company like McDonald’s or some other competitors, considering that global fast food chains sell whatever kinds of hamburgers people want. But these issues all point to the question of culture. The thing that we put in our mouths always reflects the culture that we have. How did McDonald’s do it? Thus, our first theory comes to fold: adaptation is coping with a culture of a country where an organisation operates. If an organisation wants to do business in a country with a different culture, it has to adapt. It always has to cope with the local culture. Cross-cultural aspects affect the people in the organisation, including organisational knowledge, marketing, product mix, etc. But international organisations have their own way of doing international marketing. Some do not believe in the dictum that they have to follow the political, social, technological, and legal environment in the country they want to penetrate. They only need to modify a little of their products and strategies, then they can dictate what they want.