So it is still snowing, but while I am at it I decided to share some thoughts about the AIU cafeteria. Now, its pretty common knowledge here, that the cafeteria gets pretty low reviews among the students. The cafeteria defends critcisim by saying that, this is the best it can do for the low flat rate meal plan.
Now, a few days ago a japanese friend of mine asked me to proofread his essay. It was an argumentive essay, in which he argued that the cafeteria's low quality is the result of it only caring about profit. At the time of me proofreading that, I didn't really pay attention at the content and focused on fixing the grammar and vocabulary. Later however, I couldn't help but think that I disagree with that point. The cafeteria's qulity is what it is, not because of it only cares about profit, but because it DOESN'T care about profit. I will explain how the meal plan works. Only 2 groups of students are allowed on the meal plan, freshman and international students. Japanese upperclassmen are excluded from the meal plan, but they are allowed to buy the meals from the cafeteria. Still, they account for a very small portion of the people buying the food as, they even need to call someone to the register when they come to pay as there is nobody regulary standing there. Furthermore, I would say that the cost is rather high for them.
Now, freshman living in Komachi Hall (the freshman dorm) as well as the international students living there are automatically included in the meal plan. International students living in the other dorm, the global village apartments are allowed to opt out, but only during the first week. I was in this group, and this really wasn't enough time to make a decision.
So, to put it all together, the freshman and international students are pretty much forced to buy the meal plan, while the upperclassmen are pretty much excluded from it. Now, what profit is there to be made here and what motivation would the cafeteria have to improve quality? The international students are here for a year at most, there's no reason to satisify them to keep coming back, and the freshman will become sophmores and they aren't really costumers either. Kind of a funny system if you ask me.
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He was just trying to bullshit on a paper and to cater to the professor's communist prejustices. I did it on a bunch of papers myself when I was in college. In fact, I _studied_ "Scientific Communism" and got an A (it was a mandatory class). You are applying critical thinking where it has no place.
ReplyDeleteI seriously doubt the paper had anything to do with that, besides its an English langauge class, it doesn't have that kind of sophistication. Besides, my focus when writing this was the cafeteria's operation, the paper just gave the thought.
ReplyDeleteI am confused with ". . . You are applying critical thinking where it has no place. . .". Why do you think the Internet blog is not correct place ?-)
ReplyDeleteWhat about "Scientific Communism". I see no relation between the Scientific Communism and the "Cafeteria" topic.
Very likely you messed it with the Political_Economy:
"political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production or consumption within limited parameters was organized in the nation-states"
Anyway, what do you think? Is the author correct thinking the cafeteria does not care about profit? Frankly, I see nothing wrong with the cafeteria. It is innocent. To impove the meal quality one should invite another one on campus should not one ?
I think you grasped the incentives in force for the cafe. But the author either bullshits in full knowledge or is too dense to understand your argument.
ReplyDelete". . . incentives in force . . .", Hmm, I did not discuss that.
ReplyDeleteDear ザイツェヴ I can not grasp whom you called "author" ". . . But the author either bullshits in full knowledge . . ."
Well, may be it is not a correct question to ask someone with "A" grade in the "Scientific Communism". One told me it is the brainwashing course isn’t it ? It sounds you was reading a few blogs concurrently and missed the right screen.