Cases in custom content development - 3

For some background to these cases, see my initial post.

Case 3

You were the project manager for an e-learning programme that was launched six months back. The purpose of the programme was to train administrative staff in a major systems change.

You have just met with your client who has raised a number of issues:

• The system is due for a revision within the coming month and this will require some changes to the e-learning materials. Unfortunately, the project team has been disbanded and there is no-one available to oversee the changes.
• Your client has heard some rumours that the company who developed the e-learning is experiencing some financial problems. He is worried because this company used their own proprietary development tool and, if they were to go out of business, there would be no way to maintain the content.

You are keen to avoid similar problems occurring in the future. What would you recommend?

An agent of Socialisation

Lulu Hypermarket in Qatar: A world-class achievement. Lulu has retail outlets ranging from The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen and Qatar. Being sourced out of EMKE Group, Lulu has over 20,000 employees of different nationalities and is planning on expanding chains to Saudi Arabia and India.

Lulu has served the society well with its presence. The products sold in the hypermarkets are of top quality and of affordable prices. Not only that, whatever comes to mind of items, either groceries or textiles, is always found. Very rarely that you would need any other shop to go to once you enter Lulu.

It is an agent of socialization because it brings different people together; I never once went to Lulu and not found someone I know shopping in the same isle. Being announced by Qatar Living as one of the most important tourist destination when in Doha, It seems very clear that Lulu has been keeping it’s top end protected.

Bringing people together in so many ways can bring the society even closer together, as so many meet different needs when shopping, all aim for the same goal, necessity for the home and family life. Some make it a trip to take the children on a ride in the weekend, others just to satisfy a need in the household.

From as much as I have taken these visits to Lulu, I surely can say being there every other day I’ve become an expert at knowing all the different ways in which Lulu has improved, failed and even evolved. Also extensive knowledge on where everything is, which makes it very sufficient for me to do my shopping there.

In a sociologist’s point of view, Lulu brings about diversity and culture to its name. It brings forth materials that are affordable and brings about change is efficient shopping methods to regular consumers who are well aware that they are receiving the best service and quality of production.

Besides having made a huge advertisement to Lulu, it is a great place to be to meet different people of different nationalities and backgrounds, all under one roof.

The Many Sides To Facebook

Back in 2004, a Harvard University student had an idea that would revolutionize the world in less than a decade and introduced the global population to another form of socialization. Facebook was originated with the intention of connecting college kids online so that they are in constant contact with one another. But what was meant to be a small website turned into an online phenomenon that helped kick start the social media frenzy we live in today.

Facebook still serves its initial purpose of connecting people online whether they’re right around the corner or halfway across the world. Sharing photos, videos, articles, statuses and so much more. Soon enough people of all ages created accounts and joined the hype as society projects the idea of Facebook as one of the “must-haves” in life.

Facebook does all sorts of good. From reconnecting family members and friends to being a great engine for social and political change in the Middle East by initializing the Arab revolutions. It’s accessible to anyone at any time with no restrictions and that type of freedom appeals to the public, but unfortunately that freedom could come with serious consequences. These include concerns such as cyber bullying, online predators, lack of face-to-face interaction and the fact that Facebook can be extremely distracting.

Cyber bullying is one of the very serious issues that is regularly overlooked by society, the fact that it happens online makes it seem less serious than real life bullying. Mainly affecting teenagers, Facebook has been known to cause drama among peers and make it very easy for someone to be targeted. This can be extremely emotionally traumatizing for anyone who experiences cyber bullying, as they feel trapped since all of it is happening right under the noses of the public.

Lack of face-to-face interaction has also become a habit among the younger generation today. Basically thinking ‘why leave my house to see my friends when I can talk to them from the comfort of my own home?’ In turn, people stay indoors the majority of the time, which could also lead to improper use of that time. For students in particular, myself included, Facebook is a major tool for procrastination that can distract you from doing homework, running errands, etc...

I would be the first to admit that social networking changed the way people perceive life as a whole, the world is becoming smaller day by day thanks to the technology available but all its advantages tend to overshadow its disadvantages which should be reflected seriously by everyone before giving into peer pressure and immediately creating an account just because everybody else has one.

McGorgeous

When I think of a beauty salon, the last thing that would come to my mind is McDonald's; however these organizations are actually very similar. Their similarities are not focused on what they offer, but rather how they offer services and products. I've been to beauty salons many times and I never made a connection between them and McDonald's until I learned about McDonaldization. The McDonaldization of society theorizes "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as the rest of the world" (Ritzer 1993, p.1). This process of socialization incorporates four fundamental dimensions- efficiency, quantification and calculation, predictability and control. All of these four dimensions have been applied to beauty salons in Qatar. I wanted to find out more about this process and how it has influenced so many organizations, so this weekend I went to a salon to really observe how things got done!



Efficiency: The other day I was at a McDonald's drive-thru and I noticed a board on the wall that said the time taken to place an order and until you receive it is a guaranteed 90 seconds. When people use a drive-thru, they're obviously hungry and want to satisfy themselves in the quickest way possible. Likewise, beauty salons have several employees that tend to customers depending on what they want. For instance, some work on hair, makeup, manicure, pedicures, etc. so that the task can be done as efficiently as possible and to avoid any waiting time. Like consumers in McDonald's that move from hungry to full, customers in a beauty salon transition from feeling ugly to feeling pretty.

Quantification and calculation: Similar to how the prices at McDonalds are standardized in every branch, the prices for each different service in the salon are also set. When you first walk in the salon there is a poster with all the different services customers can choose from and their corresponding prices, just like a McDonald's menu. The prices in all the salons may not all be exactly the same, but they are in the same range. Also some salons offer express services, for example, some promise to perform a mani/pedi in 10 minutes. Customers can also make appointments beforehand so they can come in during a time that is convenient for them without having to wait. Many salons also provide services at home that allow customers to enjoy offers from the comfort of their own house.



Predictability: If you order a big Mac in a mall and then go to a gas station and order the same thing, you will expect and receive the same quality of what you purchased. This is the same for beauty salons. For instance, when I go in for my mani/pedi I expect my fingers and toes to look exactly how I predict them to be. This predictability can be seen in other services and other salons in Qatar and outside. Predictability can also refer to discipline, routine and order and one clear example of this is uniforms. Both McDonald's and beauty salon employees wear uniforms to show exactly here they belong within the organization. For instance, the cashier at the salon would wear a different colored apron than the other employees and the manager of the salon doesn't wear a uniform, just like a McDonald's manager who wears regular clothes.



Control: The food at McDonald's is assembled in a controlled and regulated manner. Each employee has a job that they do in a sequenced chronological order that will help ease the flow of production and delivery of the product. Equally, beauty salons employee numerous people for certain services. For example, if I'm going in to do my hair, my hair would be washed by someone and another person would move over and start working on it. Also what I noticed, beauty salons tend to get busier during the Eid holidays and to control the crowd, customers would be issued numbers and wait for their turn. This keeps things in order and maintains regulated production of the service. Ritzer also discusses the heavy involvement of machinery in Mcdonaldization. For example, in beauty salons everything uses machines, there's even a dryer for your fingers and toes after you apply nail polish. Each step in a beauty process involves a machine and nobody questions what the employees are doing, they only care about the end product. Similar to how the food in McDonald's is assembled to reach a certain quality, the same is done in the form of services for customers in a beauty salon.

McDonald's is recognizable in almost every part of the world with its golden arches which distinguish it. Beauty salons in Qatar are no exception, they are scattered almost everywhere due to their popularity and they have standardized everything from prices, target audience and symbolism. For instance the majority of beauty salons are for females only and they all have the silhouette of a woman to distinguish them. In these two different organization we see how McDonaldization is evident and all four dimensions are applied in beauty salons. We see how this fast food chain has changed, revolutionized and influenced how organizations perform and deliver services and products to customers.

Social Status defined by Material Culture

Maintaining a social status in the 21^st century is a tricky business. Back in the day when the birth of a child into the right family guaranteed it’s “enhanced” social status, people were fully aware of their places in the society. Now however, in many parts of the world, simply having ancestors who once held an important position in the society doesn’t fully guarantee the same to the successors. With the increasing flow of money in the global economy, money has become an increasing factor in achieving a higher degree of social status. In other words, money has become a symbol of power worldwide. I think at this point in time, it is okay to generalize the fact that the money has become a material culture which influences the social status of everyone. This form of achieved status has become very common in developing countries like India. A man with riches gets greater attention from the people around him than a mild-mannered reporter, even if he turns out to be Superman’s cousin.

But to be more exact, its how a person carries around his money that makes all the different in the world. In India, a rich family is expected to have at least two expensive cars at minimum along with drivers. The other wealthy people would almost always shun the one driving a car by a local manufacturer.

But this does not mean that there are only two status in society - rich and poor.

There are those which lie in between. For example, taking the example of Indian farmer, there is a gradient of distinction between the rich farmers and poor ones; even though, farming is considered a completely different status in society. A farmer is considered wealthier in society depending on his possession of land, his cattle, and other living stock.

A social status in general creates various interesting things to the economy of a country. In some Asian countries like China, large corporations hire Caucasian men to be the face of the company while expanding across borders. This is done to increase the “validity” of the company. The person is hired simply because he is Caucasian (white-skinned) and speaks good English. The person need not even have any commendable qualifications. This can be seen as an example of a master status overshadowing even that of the CEO (in certain cases). This can also be seen as impression management.

In Qatar, its interesting to see how perceived social statuses can play out on the road while driving. Drivers generally tend to give way to more expensive looking cars than ones that seem like they were made in a shed by Jeremy Clarkson (an observation my father and I share in common). And also, similar to the Indian culture, the possession of multiple cars is another indicator of a higher social status. This generally goes the same for other third world countries wherein the difference between the rich and poor is large.

Socialization - A Perspective

When I noticed the idea of socialization, I started to notice how my views of the world have gradually changed. We are all sponges sucking up the norms and behaviors of those around us. Therefore, there is no difference between any human being and I, except for being sponges at different places.

For example, all the social expectations regarding what’s right and wrong are artificial. All the ideas of what to do and what not to do is flexible over time. Yet, how come we see so many similarities between cultures in the world? What guides our universal values and morals, and what stopped them from diverging through out the centuries? If Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy views the world as theater in which we play roles in, then the world is full of many similar plays.

My theory to this is simple. At a certain point of time the majority of the world’s population were close to each other. They traded and communicated with a shorter proximity, and developed general code of ethics that they agreed upon. Huge empire such as the Greek and the Roman Empire had huge social impacts in the territory they controlled. And in both case, those territories have spread over more than ten countries of today.

Even in the modern Arab history in the Arabian Gulf, such normalization process took place between tribes. Each tribe has its own territory, and every territory has its own unique culture. However, they all come together when it comes to how to treat guests. That is feeding him and hosting him for three days at least, before even asking him why he came about.

Sociologists often consider the nurture aspect when looking at people behavior. However, I believe the nature has a role in shaping culture too. The environment in which people live in changes the way they view the world, and those that live in it. It also changes simple behavior such as temper and humor. Why is that many people that live in huge crowded cities have a bad temper and are angry all the time? Why is that people that live close to the sea, have a calmer behavior? This is true to all the countries I’ve been to. It is also valid here in Doha, between the Bedouins that live in harsh environments in the desert and the Hathars who have lived traditionally in smaller villages on the coastlines. Yet, because this observation is not based on any scientific study, I’m in no position in stating it as a fact.

Cases in custom content development - 2

For some background to these cases, see my initial post.

Case 2

You have been the manager of a project to develop a new e-learning component to your organisation's induction programme. The e-learning will be used by all new employees.

You have just conducted a project review with your team and the following issues were raised:

• The development phase was significantly delayed because you discovered that the output produced by your chosen authoring tool was incompatible with many of your organisation's PCs. You had to switch to a new tool and this involved considerable re-work.
• During the testing phase, your client saw the finished output for the first time. Unfortunately she disliked the style of illustrations used throughout the programme and asked for them to be changed. This resulted in a budget over-run and a delay of two weeks.
• Once the programme had been implemented, it became evident that many users were confused by aspects of the graphical interface. Until this point, the only people who had tested the programme were members of the project team. Revisions were swiftly made to the interface and this resolved the problem, although negative feedback had spread quite widely by this stage.

You want to avoid similar problems occurring in the future. What would you recommend?