Revision/Editing Group Project Blog

I feel that my group got off to a bit of a slow start. It was difficult to figure out how to explain our subject to the class in a ten minute presentation. After throwing around a few ideas I feel like we have decided on a general outline for our power point presentation. At the end of the last class Sam took charge of the group and explained what he felt would be a good presentation. I felt that Sam had some great ideas and by combining them with ideas from others I feel like we will easily be able to create a strong power point to show the class. We did not yet begin working on the actual power point so I feel like we might have to continue working on the project after the time allowed in class, but I am confident we will complete the project and be ready to present it to the class on Monday.

Community Observation Progress

So far I have observed the community of the Panera Bread at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham on two separate occasions. Both times I sat quietly watching each member of the community. So far I have come up with a few generalizations about the Panera Bread community. First starters most of the people at Panera seem to be dressed for a job in business. Most of the men there are wearing collared shirts and ties, while the women mostly wear suits or dresses. I get the feeling that Panera is sort of a classy place compared to other sandwich shops like D'angelos where you might see more blue collar customs (construction workers, garbage men, etc). In addition I have come to realize that most of the customs at Panera bring in a laptop or a black berry so that they can complete their work while they eat. Already it was easy to see that technology plays a big role in the Panera Bread community. I also made other observations about the community, some observations had nothing to do with the individual customers but more of the environment that Panera has created for them. Next to the fountain soda machine at Panera is a bowl filled with lemon slices, so that customer can add lemon to their ice water or tea. This observation also seems to prove my generalization that Panera is trying to appear fancy or classy to its customers. The generalizations that I have made about the community have helped me to form my interview questions. I plan to ask members of the community what it is about Panera that they like, if they come to Panera for the Wi-Fi access to do their work, if they feel the prices are fair, and most importantly if they come to Panera for the unique menu and beverages and the little perks that Panera provides like the lemon slices. I feel that after my interviews I will have a better understanding of why these business men and women are drawn to Panera Bread at Derby Street.

Community to Observe

The community which I plan to observe for this assignment is the Panera Bread community in the derby street shoppes in Hingham. I find that Panera has delicious food and I often go there to get one of my favorite sandwiches, the bacon turkey bravo. However whenever I walk into Panera I can not help but feel out of place as I look around and see everyone in their suits and ties sitting down drinking their fancy teas and working diligently on their laptops. I feel that these kind of "yuppy" business types are drawn to Panera Bread, although I am not exactly sure why (though I do have some ideas). Anyways I figured it would be fun to observe this community and try to figure out what it is about Panera Bread that causes these business men and women to spend so much of their time and money there.

It Takes a Tribe...or does it?

I am not sure that I completely agree with David Berreby's article. One thing I do agree with is his statement that "Human beings will give a lot, including their lives, for a group they feel part of." I agree with Berreby that humans want to belong to a group or tribe and are willing to give up certain freedoms and ideas of individuality to do so. However I do not agree with Berrreby that colleges and universities play such a prominent role in this. In my experience as a commuter I have not really every felt part of a group at Bridgewater State. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but I am not particular concerned with whether or not the Bears win or lose. Some might say that it is because I haven't been at the school long enough to get involved with following the team, but when I was in high school I never attended any sporting events either. I was never really into the school spirit thing. I feel that Berreby's article was saying that everyone who attends a certain college ultimately considers that college as a part of their identity and that they incorporate the schools traditions, colors, songs etc. into their lives. I do not agree with Berreby when it comes to this aspect of his article. If feel that many students today go to college and simply just go to their classes and do their homework and that's all the time they spend doing school related things. Maybe I am wrong but it is my opinion that students are more concerned with doing their assignments so that they can earn a good grade, pass their classes, graduate, and ultimately get a good job rather then worrying about fitting in with the rest of the students, learning the school song and wearing the school colors. I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel that students in college today are more worried about what is going on in their own lives then worrying about finding a tribe to fit into.