McDonald's needs kids more than today's kids need McDonald's. Perhaps no one knows that better than CEO Don Thompson, who was seriously put on the hot seat by a 9-year-old girl at Thursday's annual shareholder's meeting in Oak Brook, Ill. For a few moments, Hannah Robertson - whose mother, Kia, is a kid's nutritional activist and creator of an interactive children's game on nutrition calledToday I Ate a Rainbow - stood and lectured the CEO of one of the world's biggest brands. Read the whole story...

Ford Motor Company plans to roll-out 200,000 additional vehicles this year to meet customer demand in the U.S. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company said it expects to get the added volume in part by cutting back its two-week summer shutdown at select plants. That alone should add another 40,000 units of volume, Ford said. Ford is also shuttering its build operations in Australia. Read the whole story...

7-Eleven Inc. is launching #AWESUMMER Slurpee Days. From May 24 through May 27, medium Slurpees will be available for 49 cents. Actress Ashley Benson launched the program at a Los Angeles 7-Eleven with a "ceremonial first sip." The "Pretty Little Liars" and "Spring Breakers" star set her cup on a Slurpee machine that set off a chain reaction that resulted in the raising of a banner launching the promotion. Read the whole story...

Michelle Gass, who had long been considered a possible replacement for Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz, and who spent the past two years working on a turnaround for Starbucks' troubled Europe, Middle East and Africa region is going to Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Kohl's. The retailer Wednesday said it has hired Gass in the newly created position of chief customer officer. She will oversee marketing, e-commerce and something Kohl's calls "the customer's total omnichannel experience." Read the whole story...

American retailers are opposed to joining an international plan to improve safety conditions at garment factories in Bangladesh as their European counterparts and consumer and labor groups dismiss the companies' concerns about legal liability. Said Gap's chief executive, Glenn Murphy, responded. "If we were to sign onto something that had unlimited legal liability and risk, I think our shareholders should care about that." Read the whole story...

Rolls-Royce, the luxury car brand owned by BMW, is reviewing its global advertising business, currently held by Partners Andrews Aldridge. The account covers digital work such as online films and direct marketing. It is being reviewed through AAR in a procurement-led process. RFP's were sent out last week and Partners Andrews Aldridge, which has worked with the automaker since 2008, focusing primarily on CRM, trade events and direct marketing. It fended off competition from Publicis Chemistry to retain the business in 2011. Read the whole story...

McDonald's is moving in a different direction in Japan than in the U.S. The company has just released its highest calorie item ever in Japan: the Mega Potato. The Mega Potato is almost a pound of fries, and contains 1,142 calories. The Mega Potato will hit Japanese restaurants nationwide this week, according to the site. The Mega Potato costs 490 yen. McDonald's latest exercise in caloric excess in Japan is in stark contrast to what it's attempting in the U.S. Read the whole story...