McDonalds in Beijing: The Localization of Americana
(1997)
The main theme of the chapter is the localization of McDonalds in Beijing, China. The author focused on the active participation of McDonalds’ management and staff on the one hand and the Beijing customers on the other hand in the localization process. The author supported his arguments by examining the image of McDonalds in the minds of ordinary Chinese people. He also tackled McDonalds’ efforts to fit into the Chinese market as well as the ways in which Beijing consumers have appropriated McDonalds for their own use. According to Yam (1997), McDonalds is regarded by the Chinese people as a capitalist, transnational enterprise that symbolizes the sweetness of current life in contemporary China. McDonalds and its foreign food have become synonymous with progressive changes that make life more enjoyable in China (p.41). The author discussed how some Beijing residents see McDonalds. In the eyes of Beijing residents, McDonalds represents Americana and the promise of modernization. Yam (1997) discussed the role of the media in shaping the way the residents view McDonalds. According to him, McDonalds’ highly efficient service and management, its spotless dining environment, and its fresh ingredients have been featured repeatedly by the Chinese media as exemplars of modernity. McDonalds’ scientific management and the company’s unwavering standards have been a hot topic of discussion in many major newspapers (p.41). The author presented an argument about how the media influenced the customers’ perception about McDonalds and its promise of modernization. He supported his argument by citing a commentator who published a series of articles on McDonalds. Then he raised the issue of equality. According to him, other news items associate the success of transnational food chains with their atmosphere of equality and democracy. No matter who you are, according to one of these reports, you will be treated with warmth and friendliness in the fast food restaurants; hence, many people patronize McDonalds to experience a moment of equality. He dug deeper by examining the Chinese culinary culture and asking some of his informants. He found out that banquets in Chinese restaurants are highly competitive. People try to outdo one another by offering more expensive dishes and beverages. It is typical for the host of the banquet to worry that customers at neighboring tables might be enjoying better dishes, thus causing him or her to lose face. To avoid such embarrassment, many people prefer to pay the extra fees necessary to rent a private room within a restaurant. Such competition does not exist at McDonalds, where the menu is limited, the food is standardized, and every customer receives a set of items that are more or less equal in quality. There is no need to worry that one’s food might be lower in status than a neighbor’s might. According to Yam (1997), McDonalds has become the best alternative for people without a lot of money, but who need to host a meal (p.42).
Consumer Behavior in Beijing
Another perspective that Yam discussed to illustrate his study on the localization of McDonalds in Beijing China is the consumer Behavior in the city. He conducted an ethnographic survey of consumer behaviour in Beijing and discovered that the stories commonly told about McDonalds have taken on a surreal, even mythic tone. According to him, it is believed among a number of Beijing residents that the potato used by McDonalds is a cube shaped variety. He reported that a 20-year old woman working at McDonalds thought that the secret behind McDonalds’ worldwide success (p.43). He was told that the key to the corporation’s success is the cube-shaped potatoes. Yam (1997) also reported that both the employees and customers of McDonalds use half-Chinese, half-English terms to make their experiences at McDonalds restaurants exotic, American, and to a certain extent, modern (p.43). The author noted how Beijing McDonalds presents itself to the public. According to Yam, By the autumn of 1994, McDonald’s had not yet placed any advertisements on Beijing television. According to the General Manager, it was pointless to advertise McDonald’s on television because Chinese commercials, unlike their counterparts in the West, appear only during the interval between programs. After watching one program, audiences tend to switch to another channel, which means that advertisements have little chance of being seen. Newspapers and popular magazines were regarded as a better way to present McDonald’s public image. In the Beijing region, McDonald’s relied on Berson-Marsteller, a transnational public relations company, to deal with the Chinese news media. The main source of information about McDonald’s in China is a short booklet that sketches the history of the American-based corporation and its famous business philosophy, MSC & V, or quality, service, cleanliness, and value. The absence of what might be called hard news has led Chinese reporters to repeat McDonald’s corporate philosophy of MSC & V–which, incidentally, reinforces the Chinese government’s promotion of upgrading and modernizing the local business environment (p.44). The author discussed the efforts that have been made by the local management to promote McDonalds to the Beijing consumers. The local management conducted kitchen tours that aimed to promote the corporation’s image as an exemplar of modernity. These tours emphasized on the message that McDonalds foods are cooked in accordance with strict scientific methods and are guaranteed fresh and pure. In addition to the freshness and purity of its food, McDonald’s management also emphasizes its nutritional value. In a published interview, a high-level manager maintains that the recipes for McDonald’s foods are designed to meet modern scientific specifications and thus differ from the recipes for Chinese foods, which are based on cultural expectations. A central feature of this “scientifically designed” food is that it includes the main nutritional elements a human being needs daily: water, starch, protein, sugar, vitamins, and fat. Thus when one spends 10 to 15 Yuan to have a standardized meal at McDonald’s, one is guaranteed enough nutrition for half a day. Given the general eagerness for modernization, shared by both the government and ordinary people, and, in the realm of consumption, the growing appetite for all things foreign, or Western (yang), McDonald’s has benefited greatly from the cultural symbolism it carries. Bolstering the “genuineness” of its food, the Beijing restaurant keeps its menu identical to that of its American counterpart. The author’s ethnographic inquiry revealed that whereas children are great fans of the Big Mac and French fries, most adult customers appear to be attracted to McDonald’s by its American “style” rather than its food. Many people commented to me that the food was not delicious and that the flavor of cheese was too strange to taste good. The most common complaint from adult customers was chi but boa, meaning that McDonald’s hamburgers and fries did not make one feel full; they are more like snacks than meals. To support this argument, the author conducted a survey among students at a major university in Beijing and collected 97 completed questionnaires. The result of the said survey revealed that majority of the informants (75%), classified McDonalds foods as snacks. It also revealed that more than half (55%) of the informants did not feel full after eating at McDonalds restaurants. He also found out that although people have reservations about the food at McDonalds, they are still keen on going there not because of its filling food but because of the fulfilling experience that the consumer gets. Most informants said that they liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, the style of eating, and the experience of being there (p.47). Prior to McDonald’s opening in Beijing, the company’s name was already popular among trendy consumers and it was only natural that, when the first restaurant was opened in Beijing in April 1992, thousands lined up for hours in order to partake of the experience, along with the new cuisine offered by this famous restaurant . Eating at McDonald’s had become a meaningful social event for Beijing residents, though to be sure, different people came to the restaurant for different reasons. Many people, especially those constrained by their moderate income, visited McDonald’s restaurants only once or twice, primarily to satisfy their curiosity about American food and culinary culture. A considerable proportion of customers were tourists from outlying provinces who had only heard about McDonald’s or seen its Golden Arches in the movies. Tasting American food has recently become an important aspect of Chinese tourism in Beijing, and those who achieve this goal boast about it to their relatives and friends back home (p.48). For younger Beijing residents who have higher incomes and wish to be “connected” more closely to the outside world, eating at McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut has become an integral part of their new lifestyle, a way for them to participate in the transnational cultural system. As one informant commented: “The Big Mac doesn’t taste great; but the experience of eating in this place makes me feel good. Sometimes I even imagine that I am sitting in a restaurant in New York City or Paris” (p.49). Young couples from all social strata are also frequenters of McDonald’s because the eating environment is considered romantic and comfortable. The restaurants are brightly lit and clean and feature light Western music; except during busy periods they are relatively quiet. In addition to the exotica of hamburgers, the restaurant offers milk shakes, apple pie, and ice cream, all of which makes McDonald’s one of the best places in Beijing to conduct courtship (p.50).
McDonald’s experience in Beijing is a classic case of the “localization” of transnational systems. Efficiency and economic value–the two most important features of McDonald’s in the United States–appear to be far less significant in Beijing’s cultural setting. When Chinese workers load their families into a taxi and take them to McDonalds, spending one sixth of their monthly income in the process, efficiency and economy are the least of their concerns. When customers linger in McDonald’s for hours, relaxing, chatting, reading, enjoying the music, or celebrating birthdays, they are taking the “fast” out of fast food. It is clear that McDonald’s restaurants in Beijing have been transformed into middle-class family establishments, where people can enjoy their leisure time and experience a Chinese version of American culture. The author made an in depth analysis of localization of a transnational system like McDonalds in Beijing. He presented several arguments in order to arrive in a conclusion. He discussed the localization process and thoroughly analyzed the behaviour of the local market. He presented strong arguments that were supported by different information such as survey and interviews. He used different resource materials such as published articles in order to present a clear discussion. He made a detailed assessment of the consumer behaviour and characteristics. He also studied the effects of McDonalds to the consumers, how consumers view McDonalds and the driving forces that make consumers patronize the fast food chain. He also studied how the Beijing residents embraced the American culture and the role that McDonalds play in bridging the gap between American and Chinese cultures.
Representations of Conflict in the Western Media
The manufacture of Barbaric Periphery
Philippi Atkinson
The article is about the interactive role of media in reflecting and helping to shape public opinion. The article is divided into three parts. First is a discussion of the structural factors that encourage superficial reporting of distant conflicts. Second is an analysis of new barbarism discourse and its impact on policy. Finally, the author discussed the implications of this type of media coverage on western understanding of and responses to such events. This summary will tackle the first part of the article, which is superficial reporting.
According to Atkinson (1999), the reach and influence of the media in the modern world is so pervasive that it shapes, unconsciously, the way we think about foreign cultures which we have little other contact. The media exerts an enormous power also on these cultures, in its effects on areas as diverse as foreign policy formulation, demand for exports or tourism revenues, or even visa applications to the West (p.102). It has been argued that the media greatly influenced the extent and nature of Western responses in times of war and disasters. The media has always played a major role in the formation of ideas about foreign culture, first through the press, and, since the advent of film technology, through the more powerful medium of television. This has served to ‘bring into our living rooms’ images of previously inaccessible disasters and conflicts, contributing to the much heralded globalization of human experience, and increasing the difficulty for the West of ignoring or dismissing such far away events (Atkinson 1999, p.102). The author discussed the Western media and highlighted its tendency to reinforce the values associated with Western culture. It has been argued that the media can only reflect the ideologies and understanding of its own culture. The media tends to reflect the concerns of its Western audiences, and their own internal fears and questions.
Media Institutions
According to Harrell-Bond and Carlson (1996), the media is dominated by western agencies, which in the 1980s were producing and transmitting over 90 percent of the world’s news. Some media corporations are funded by the government and their output reflects to some degree the policy and agenda of the state. Most of the private corporations controlled by individuals or small groups of businesspersons with particular biases pr traditions, which thus project their news accordingly. Atkinson (1999), argues that media coverage lack depth in reporting of foreign cultures and is influenced by Western political considerations (p.103). The author also raised the issue of superficial coverage. According to her the news lack detailed assessment and the trend towards directing news to the ‘lowest common denominator’, by using simple stories and easily understandable images, is combined with the nature of news reporting, as fast-moving and predominantly space-filling, to produce a situation where sensationalism rules, and little in-depth political analysis is developed. News producers have to be aware of all stories and potential stories as they are happening, and choose which to cover for various reasons, but above all what they believe will be of interest to the maximum number of people. Their main driving force is to fill space, in seconds or in column inches, and their own understanding of the issues they are covering is, by necessity, limited. The author presented different examples and scenarios to support the argument. Superficial reporting and journalistic prejudices in terms of simplification or misrepresentation, according to Atkinson, may result in the portrayal of positive or negative imagery, but both are potentially damaging in that cultures are in some way misrepresented. A common image of diverse Third World cultures is that of happy peasants tilling the land or engaging in simple crafts, working hard but honestly, with a backdrop of sunshine and blue skies. This image is often presented through the tourist industry, which seeks to attract Westerners to visit countries supposedly unsullied by the negative aspects of industrialization. Authenticity is a major selling point, and cultural phenomena such as dances or dress-styles are shown as if they are unchanged over many generations. While there may be little in such images that is inherently disturbing, the portrayal of falsely romantic images strengthens the stereotyped views many hold of Third World countries as simple and backward, and acts to obscure important modern realities, such as political repression or the drugs trade (pp.104-105).
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