McDonald’s : l’impact des composantes matérielles et des servicescapes sur les perceptions des clients et le comportement des employés

"Explain the impact of physical evidence and servicescapes on customer perceptions and employees' behaviour 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, banks servicescapes are dedicated to the interaction between customers and employees. Their perceptions and behaviour 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', 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. Denominations change from a company to another, from a country to another (think to the reference of Vincent Vega statements about sandwiches names in Europe, in Pulp Fiction!), but a sandwich is a sandwich. It's difficult to make it attractive nowadays. Mc Donald's faces tough competition of new products and kinds of outlets, newcomers on both national and international markets. The multinational even closes outlets, in the wake of a long period of extension, success, and outlet setting.
- Fast food dishes are discussed to be junk food: menus are acknowledged to be unhealthy, excessive consumption leads to obesity, (as Morgan Spurlock's 'Supersize Me' suggests).
- Exploitative advertising and marketing dedicated to children ('propaganda' that could prejudice against their health and eating habits), have undergone several criticisms.
- Environmental damage due to excessive packaging, in a context of clearing forest and animal rearing has altered Mc Donald's corporate image.
- Awareness of the 'Global Food' issue, and the responsibility for the reduction of local gastronomy.
- Mc Donald's outlets offer a lower quality in terms of comfort in comparison with sit-down restaurants.
That's why it is important for a Mc Donald's outlet to differentiate from another restaurant; moreover, to overcome a long list of deep rooted ideas that highly account for Mc Donald's lack of influence over the last decade (ailing financial health, decreasing attendance, weak attraction of MD's Stocks). Physical evidence and servicescapes are highly exploited in the perspective of enhancing customers' perceptions and fostering employees' behaviour on the workplace.