RP ideas

I've been thinking about the research paper topic since the end of last semester when Dr. Murphy asked us to think about it and do some research about the topic. I tried to organize a simple outline to help me with the work. However, after today's junior CC class, I think I might want to redirect my research paper topic.

Originally I was thinking maybe I can do some research about McDonald's because I watched the documentary about the company which triggered my curiosity that makes me want to know more about how fast food restraunt works. But today it seems that the topic is too broad that I might want to specify more. If I still want to work on with “the inconvenience truth about fast food industry,” the paper will be too generalized and lack of arguments.

However, after reading through some relevent sources, I got two ideas: one is to obeserve how McDonald's apply its business management techniques on food industry, the other one is to see how other companies use Mc-methods in their companies. The book The McDonaldization of Society inspires me. The author George Ritzer analyzes the McDonaldization of Society through a sociology view and he even suggests that hundreds of thousands of companies apply the five important elements,which are efficiency, calculability, predictability, increased Control, and the replacement of human by non-human technology, into their own business. I think the latter one will be more interesting. I will keep working on it.

Here's the original outline I was trying to make. I will modify it later when I come up with a better title.

The Inconvenience Truth about Fast Food Industry: McDonald’s in Context

1. Introduction

1.History of fast food industry
2.The elements of prosperous fast food restaurant

2. Body

1.McDonald’s as the leader of fast food industry
2.The inconvenience truth of McDonald’s
3.McDonald’s effect/ McDonaldized
4.Globalization v.s. McDonald’s

3. Conclusion

references:

"Anti Mcdonalds Website." 16 May 2009 .

Evison, Brian S. To McDonaldize, Or Not To McDonaldize? That Is The Question. Publication. 2008. Bemack Planning Services, Inc. 17 May 2009 .

United States. McDonald's. 16 May 2009 .

Ritzer, George. The McDonaldization of Society. New York: Pine Forge P, 2004.

Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2004. Google Video. Google Video, 30 June 2007. Web. 8 Aug. 2009. <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1432315846377280008>.

Wilson, Bee. "Burger off." New Statesman (London, England: 1996) 129 (2000): 48-9. OmniFile Full Text Select. Web. 7 Sep. 2009.

Wilson, Tracy V. "How Fast Food Works." 22 August 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. 06 September 2009.