SOCIOLOGY 2235 – Make Up Assignment Answer Sheet
NAME:
STUDENT #:
Article: Koeber, C., Wright, D. and Dingler, E. (2012). Self-Service in the Labor Process: Control and Consent in the Performance of “Consumptive Labor”. Humanity and Society 36 (1): 6 – 29.
- MAIN ARGUMENT(S)
The authors’ main argument revolve around their initiative to ascertain whether consumers’ perception of achieving a McDonaldized consumer experience through self-service influences their preference for as well as use of self-service. Using Ritzer’s theory and Burawoy’s theory, the authors argue that business entities employ McDonaldization principles in influencing consumers to give consent in performing self-service by presenting to them a favorable and appealing outlook of self-service. Based on the authors’ research findings, they hold that the greater the perception of consumers that a McDonaldized experience is achievable through self-service, the higher their preference for as well as use of self-service.
- Define consumptive labor. Give 3 examples of activities that constitute consumptive labour.
This term refers to the arrangement in which a firm’s consumers are deployed by a business organization as quasi-workers to undertake a range of essential tasks. First, as a quasi-employee, consumers play the role of selecting, producing, and purchasing of goods and services. Second, as a quasi-advertiser and marketer, a consumer takes part in advertising or the marketing of the firm’s brand names, services, or even products. Finally, as a quasi-supervisor, a consumer plays the role monitoring, supervising, and evaluating the firm’s employees prior to and after work.
- Compare Ritzer’s theory and the concept of McDonaldization to Burawoy’s theory. Which theoretical approach do the authors favour and why?concept of McDonaldization refers to a rationalization of production, work, and also consumption where the principles of calculability, predictability, efficiency, and control are employed through the use of nonhuman technologies. Whereas Burawoy’s theory outlines the hegemonic relationship which exists between managers and their employees in modern work environments, McDonaldization proves useful in providing a summary of the prevalent hegemony under which consumptive labor give consent to willingly undertaking unpaid labor. The authors favor Burawoy’s theory over McDonaldization due to the fact the latter is a product of a set of ideas that are in existence in a hegemonic culture whose aim is the legitimization and reproduction of social relations within the labor process. Therefore, McDonaldization is not a product of social organization but on the contrary provides a descriptive appearance of capitalistic culture in its latest stage.
- a) Research method:
- research method employed was a survey. The survey was comprised of 6 sections, out which only four were utilized. Section A contained demographic questions while section B contained questions on the frequency of the participants’ utilization of self-service in diverse settings. Section C inquired about the participants’ preference for self-service in various settings where self-service was available. Finally, section D had parameters that measured the extent to which the participants felt that McDonaldized experience was experienced most when self-service was applied compared to services from employees.
- Sample size
- sample size was 519
- Sample characteristics
- 519 were college students pursuing sociology courses at a Midwest medium-sized university in the United States. The selected sample constituted of 23% freshmen, 25% sophomores, 24% juniors, and 27% seniors. Additionally, 65.7% of the sample size was female, 14.1% had been married before, 14.6% had given birth to children, and 15.8% were a minority. In terms of age, the sample had an average age of 22.5 years.
- Outline the data presented regarding each of the three hypotheses that were proposed by the authors.
With self-service and McDonaldization being used as the index, together with other control variables, manifold regression were conducted on the data of the first hypothesis. On McDonaldization scale of 0 to 5, Unstd Beta was 1.170 whereas the Std Beta was 0.415***. The Female, Minority, the ever married individuals, individuals with child, and junior/senior recorded Unstd Betas of -0.120, -0.206, -0.306, 0.452, and -0.039 respectively. Under Std Beta the same categories of individuals recorded -0.025, -0.033, -0.047, 0.069, and -0.029 respectively.
With regard to the second hypothesis, 0.178 Unstd Beta and 0.258*** Std Beta were recorded based on a McDonaldization scale of 0 to 5 whereas on the self-service preference scale of 0 to 10, Unstd Beta of 0.080 and Std Beta of 0.329*** were recorded. The Female, Minority, the ever married individuals, individuals with child, and junior/senior recorded under Unstd Beta were 0.025, -0.014, 0.081, -0.032, and 0.048 respectively. Std Beta on the same categories of individuals recorded. 0.021, -0.009, 0.050, -0.020, and 0.043 respectively. Therefore, based on the data presented on the second and first hypotheses, the third hypothesis was therefore affirmed. It was therefore concluded that, consumers’ preference for self-service was directly proportional to their use of self-service.