Ethnography Study of Coffee House - 2553 Words

From Mc World and cow boy capitalism to cultural ecumene and glocalisation, theorists are continually inventing polychromatic phrases to explain their differing points of view on cultural shifts caused by globalisation. â€Å"Globalization has been associated with a range of cultural consequences. These can be analysed in terms of three major theses, namely, homogenization, polarization, and hybridization,† (Holton 2000). This essay seeks to lend credence to the hybridization thesis, by observing a coffee house located in the developing country of Trinidad and Tobago (TT). Focusing on the aesthetics of the cafà © and the purchase behaviour of its customers, this essay intends to evaluate the attempt of this organisation to create a coffee†¦show more content†¦They were polite, smiled often and added to the professionalism of a high end coffee bar. The six customers who entered were repeat purchasers, meaning they purchased from this cafà © before. This assumption was made because these customers knew what they wanted before they ordered and they knew where they wanted to sit. Two of the customers brought reading material and one student had a lap top. All customers appeared comfortable in this social setting and changed their behaviours to suit the calm, relaxing environment. My observation has led me to group the customers as follows: 1) Exuberant Students – young, fashionable and energetic students who perhaps think of coffee as a fashion statement or who enjoy sugar rushes, 2) Working Class Drinkers – employees who drink coffee to escape the world of work and 3) Indulgers – individuals who drink coffee because of the pleasure derived or those who seek caffeine fixes. Evidently this cafà © exemplifies globalisation and its influence on developing nations. The results of this ethnography will be analysed to determine whether a first world coffee culture habit can be ingrained in a developing society where coffee bars are not popular. Before this analysis, the various cultural tangents imposed by the globalisation process will be discussed. Coclanis and Doshi (2000:52) quoted Friedman (1999) who stated, â€Å"Globalization comes into existence when everyone feels the pressures,Show MoreRelatedEthnography, The Recording And Analysis Of A Culture Or Society1122 Words   |  5 PagesColeman and Bob Simpson, â€Å"Ethnography is the recording and analysis of a culture or society, usually based on participant-observation and resulting in a written account of a people, place or institution†. Ethnographies are in-depth studies of a culture which is unfamiliar from one’s own. One of the best places to observe and perceive human behavior is a coffee house. A coffee shop will involve multiple cultures and various behavior patterns to study. 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