Word: mcdonaldization
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...wrong with being rich and famous?" he asks. "It's better than being broke and not known!" This he knows from experience. In his poor-and-anonymous days, Nelly, 29, supported himself with jobs that ranged from sorting packages on the graveyard shift at UPS to dressing buns at McDonald's. "It's not all smiles like you see on TV," he says. "The McDonald's I worked at used to have a heavy-ass lunch rush--a week's work in three hours. But when I was there, I discovered that I'm pretty good at working hard...
...Both for locals and for visitors from abroad, nothing seems to symbolize India's transformation from a stagnant third-world country into an emerging economic super-power as much as its sparkling new malls. American brand names like Levi's and McDonald's clutter the air-conditioned interiors, teenagers in low-cut jeans hang out in groups, cappuccino is sold at kiosks, and everyone appears to be having a great time. Eager to cash in, India's real estate developers are in a frenzy: up to 600 malls are likely to be up and running in India...
...planned malls do come up, 70% of them will fail," predicts Vikram Bakshi, managing director of McDonald's (Northern India), which is a prominent attraction in numerous Indian malls. Bakshi, who says McDonald's won't be present in 70-80% of the capital's new malls, points out a fundamental problem facing malls that are already operating around New Delhi: a lot of people come to see them and to enjoy the air-conditioned luxury, but not many spend money there. Usha Varadharajan, owner of The Next Shop, which sells gift items like crockery and soaps in the Centrestage...
...What's driving India's mania for malls? Bakshi of McDonald's says real estate speculation is one major factor: "In many cases, it's the 'loot-and-scoot' model. You see an opportunity, you build a mall, you sell out and leave." Mall builders like Unitech and DLF acknowledge that there has been speculative mall building, but blame it on smaller competitors that lack their long-term vision. Instead of putting a check on the mall-building glut, says Bakshi, India's state and local governments are all too happy to encourage it. "Governments sell land because they...
...Phil Jackson is gone. So is Shaq, Gary Payton, Rick Fox and possibly Karl Malone. Bryant is the lone star, a few million dollars lighter for his legal fight--plus the $4 million "I'm sorry" ring for his wife--and toxic as a marketing personality. His contracts with McDonald's and Sprite are finished. He still has a $45 million deal with Nike, but don't expect a Kobe sneaker anytime soon. He'll have to make do with a $136 million, seven-year contract he signed with the Lakers in July...