McAunties and McUncles: Older Crew Members in Singapore's Fast Food Industry

Abstract

McDonald's Restaurant's recruitment & management strategies are examined in an attempt to explain the large numbers of older persons employed as McDonald's crew members in Singapore in the 1990s. After using 1997 interview data to examine the marginal status & position of both the crew member & the older person in Singapore, considered is how & why McDonald's had to recruit "McAunties & McUncles." The outcomes of these strategies are explored. It is concluded that a powerful capitalistic enterprise like McDonald's has the resources to maintain its lean & flexible strategy in Singapore, incurring only minor adaptational costs in the process. Also, McDonald's ultimately benefited because it has not just maintained its efficiency, but also, in the Singapore case, earned social prestige from this strategy.