McDonald's: impact of physical evidence and servicescapes on customer perceptions and employees' behaviour

Résumé du document

"Explain the impact of physical evidence and servicescapes on customer perceptions and employees' behavior within the service sector. Provide relevant service sector examples." McDonald's is an interpersonal service company, in Bitner's categorization, which highly resorts to physical differentiation and visual effects. Hotel, restaurants, and bank servicescapes are dedicated to the interaction between customers and employees. Their perceptions and behavior on this environment are influenced by servicescapes, which act as an interactions facilitator, and leads to greater performance. To some extent, fast food restaurants also refer to the class of ?self service', since websites, self service entertainment activities, and the minimized interaction between customers and employees, are massively used. Direct customer targeting and convenience determine attractiveness, customers' perceptions and therefore, customers' actions.

Extraits

[...] I Impact of Physical Evidence and servicescapes on customers' perceptions a. Servicescapes: Package? Yes, facilitator? Yes; Differentiator? When necessary; Socializer? Not really Environment and cognition McDonald's reputation for cleanliness and welcoming dedication has altered for the worse over the past years. The latest trials of the multinational company to improve it were not efficient: in addition to its reputation for fast service and convenience, McDonald's stores used to be nationwide acknowledged to be "spotlessly clean," in Dennis Lombardi's words, senior vice president in a fast-food research firm. [...]

[...] - Town: the cities specificities are also observable in restaurants: e. g fresco representing McDonald's heroes in front of the Ottawa Parliament in a restaurant of the tourist district of the Canadian capital. - Region: once again, McDonald's restaurants mimic regional idiosyncrasies: in Kansas, McDonald's restaurants evoke local farms and mural frescos depict Ronald and his friends in granaries, wheat exploitations. Environment and emotion It's hard to place emotion in these restaurants where there is little interaction between customers and employees, everything is so fast, ephemeral, artificial However, McDonald's servicescapes tend to provide both convenience and emotion by providing access to entertainment technology: - the company is introducing wireless networking, PlayStation 2 video games consoles, internet terminals, flat screen televisions and music videos. [...]

[...] A consequence is bad internal responses, and staff shows artificial kindness to customers -because of speed and thus stress standards. Cashiers fail to appear sincere. It's rather the implementation of a ‘Smile, Hello, Goodbye, Thank you' standard Therefore this model of servicescapes doesn't really enhance employees' behaviour. b. Impact of Physical Evidence - McDonald's Handbook: sets corporate values, security rules, career opportunities - McDonald's has asked creators to design more fashionable uniforms, in order to seduce both employees and customers. [...]

[...] To some extent, fast food restaurants also refer to the class of ‘self service', by the fact that websites, self service entertainment activities, and the minimized interaction between customers and employees, are massively used. Direct customer targeting and convenience determine attractiveness, customers' perceptions and therefore, customers' actions. It is difficult to depict a rosy picture of Mc Donald's: the era of Mc Donald's successful outlets reputed for cleanliness, fast service and a child-friendly atmosphere has been severely shaken by the emergence of new threats and challenges: - In a context of growing demand, the restaurant industry has massively diversified: Japanese, Indian, Chinese, vegetarian, macrobiotic restoration stores flourish everywhere and propose a vast array of diversified and trendy dishes, while McDonald's still sell roughly the same sandwiches. [...]

[...] The management doesn't resort to abusive physical evidence: toys, huge amount of disposable packages Should McDonald's base its strategy on a more human, close-to-customers management, create the conditions to recover its lost popularity, by: - avoid children areas (noisy, dirty, dangerous, hypocrisy on childhood- friendly vocation) - fix to the product (ads in connection with the product). McDonald's doesn't create the conditions for people's enhancement, using the previous recipes (that they have considered, undoubtedly!). It has made the choice of ultra productivity, to the detriment of employees' working conditions and customers' satisfaction. However It works! People are increasingly eating Macs' References Books, Thesis, Working papers and reviews DAVET, S. (1998) Elvis Costello trempe sa plume dans la mélancolie de Burt Bacharach in Le Monde, p (27 th october). [...]