ORGS 2010 Lecture 9: The Smile Factory.docx

• School: York University
• Department: Organization Studies
• Course: ORGS 2010
• Professor: Frank Miller

Document Summary

Amusement center has been a consistent money maker since initiation in 1955. Disneyland ride operators comprise the largest category of hourly workers on the payroll. Attributes that make a disneyland operator: single, white males and females, in early twenties, without facial blemish, above average height, below average weight, straight teeth, conservative grooming, straight posture and good health. Getting and keeping a job means conforming to exacting set of appearance rules. Employees that initiate contact with customers, despite the company rules, appear odd in eyes of other employees: interactive skills focus on keeping people happy and amused. Employees bring good looks, college affiliation, career aspiration, achievement and other personal badges of status to the job. Employees with differentiated skills find themselves at top of internal status ladder. Rank ordering: upper-class prestigious ambassadors and tour guides; bilingual young women, ride operators performing skilled work, other ride operators, proletarian sweepers, sub-role or peasant status food and concession workers.