Why is it that everything we do in Jordan has to have the “Jordanian curse”?
What’s the “Jordanian curse” you ask?
It’s always some sort of imperfection that manages to creep into our work (and I am not exempting myself from this, by the way).
You’d think that this is a “governmental phenomenon”. But it’s not. Even the private sector has the same problem. You’d think that capitalism and competition force better quality. Not so in Jordan.
This summer I noticed two things that exemplify the “Jordanian Curse” very well. The delay of opening some restaurants that were clearly trying to make it for the summer season (which will soon be over anyway) and the state of Amman’s newest shopping landmark, City Mall.
I don’t want to come across like a whining complainer, and yes, there are more important issues to write about in Jordan than shopping and restaurants. But think about this: if we can’t get our shiny showcases to work these days, can anyone expect that a public school in some remote area is being well maintained?
The aim of sharing my frustration is that I believe we SHOULD be doing better than this. We as consumers and citizens deserve better and Amman (and Jordan) should be presenting a better, more professional image to their visitors.
I find it amazing that restaurant owners and their contractors are willing to miss the summer season. This is lost business (and a loss of jobs too). Is our contracting sector so stretched that a little restaurant project can’t be finished on time? And how on earth will the mega-projects in Abdali and elsewhere ever be built and finished?
Then there is City Mall?
After a long delay and after being semi open for months now, the Mall is about to fully open and is promoting itself with a glossy ad campaign, promising choice, taste and luxury.
To be fair, City Mall has a great selection of stores and restaurants. When Virgin Megastore opens and when the Cinemas are added, this will be a great shopping destination. From a design point of view it is more friendly than Mecca Mall and thank goodness is is not “themed” (i.e it does not try to look like an old Venice or something like that).
So this could be a perfect mid sized mall..
But no. nothing is complete in Jordan with the typical “curse”..
For months, there were amazing bumps and holes in the ramps leading up and down to the parking lots.
A sign that announces “City Mall Management” offices looks like something you’d expect outside an army camp in a war zone (that sign was still up today, even as the lights for the opening were being installed).
Piles of building debris lie in front of the building (and the sides too).
And a quick walk through the mall around a week ago, produced the following scenes.
Again..
I find it hard to understand our brand of private enterprise.
And we could be doing so much better.
Comments
13 responses to “Jordan’s weird capitalism: semi-finished malls and restaurants that miss the summer season”
I understand that if they had the option, the mall would have been already finished. But, some other factors might have played a role. In business, it makes a perfect sense to open doors even if construction isn’t over yet. the mall’s management might have to pay fines to the stores if they are not allowed to operate. or may be they’re aiming for Ramadan, Eid, and X-mass. However, you make a good point by them missing on the summer shopping season.
as for restaurants, I have seen people opening a restaurant just because they want to, to show off, or for the adventure. no regard to hiring, permits, contractors, marketing, financing,…
Not to mention the shocking public safety issues and the hazards created by such hasty decisions.
Ahmad,
You touched the spot. the answer is Planning, Planning, Planning or shall i say Lack of Planning?. We lack planning. Worse, We Dont Believe in Planning. I know what i am talking about coz i am workig in Construction field and especialy in Planing.
Owners, Contractors and Consultants do not know why do they need to hire a planning engineer or a construction management.
Its a our of life anyway, we dont plan for small tiny things like a 30 minutes trip so jow we are going to plan for a Mega Project that will last for years!.
Studies says that the more time you spend on planning at the beginning of your project, any project, you will improve your chances to finish on time, within budget and to the required Quality.
Oh, i could write for days about this thing:) Sorry for this long comment.
Thank you Ahmad!! That was a great post to read..My problem is my house is under the jordanian curse..we had to move in before finishing everything because our old landlord practically kicked us out and we are now suffering from all the finishes that you can never properly do once you’re in..City mall is the exact same case, my husband and I noticed..To me it would have been much better if they delayed their official opening 2 months and lost some business because they would have been able to keep up the image they seem to be promoting..I feel it is intended to be a classier place , (and certainly more expensive one ) than Mecca Mall..so they really did need the glitzy outside to live up to that image..one more faux pas , did you catch their celebrations last night?that was a bit on the common side, so it seems after all they will be falling into the public demand trap..Its not like I expected them to have Pavarotti over, but last night, the sounds coming out of that place gave it the 7ada2ek al Hosain feel..
Sorry for the long comment, but living next to that place, I had to:) oh, and those tiles are stilll there?
“old Venice”
this reminds me with something..
I think you’re right, we are bound to the curse of imperfection by the shackles of carelessness and lack of art.
Dude, I just realized ancient civilizations did better work than us. Maybe forced labour is the answer!
Great article Ahmad. The other problem besides the lack of planning, is that the management behind these institutions have no form of customer care whatsoever. I still did not spot a single customer care office in the mall, or a hotline to get in touch with. How can a mall that has over 250 outlets, operate without a customer care center? Even if a customer care existed, it is not my fault as a consumer that I didn’t figure out where the office is located in, because it’s management’s duty to inform us consumers of their customer care policy and office ad hotline number.
The thing that really pissed me off, is that the mall was scheduled to be up and ready for business in Summer 2006, and then delayed the opening to Fall 2006, then to Spring 2007, then to Summer 2007. When I addressed this issue in Venture, I got an angry call from management next day of publishing. Again, why should I, be sympathetic with you, if you cannot manage your resources properly?
This just shows you how in Jordan, we really lack professionalism, and the sad part, is that its contagious!
Pheras mentioned customer care in Jordan. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist. The water pressure in my neighborhood has been practically non-existent since the government started working on the 4th Circle tunnel over a year ago. Multiple calls from the tenants in my building have yielded zero concern from the water company. And this example is indicative of current state of customer care in Jordan.
Here in Germany malls are squeaky clean, they offer perfect service, the prices are correct, everything works very well and is uber-convenient. All this perfevtion makes me sick. Usally I don’t go there unless I wanna feel like I’m buried alive.
Maybe I’m just another ordinary case of the grass is always greener on the other side but is there any chance the Jordanian curse can spread over to Germany?
Thank you for bringing up one of the largest problems we face. I do agree that this problem has trickled its way into many other aspects, yet to stay on the mall subject her is my thought.
Large scale construction in Jordan is a fairly new concept (for local contractors), to both consultant and contractors. Many construction companies bid for projects in which they have no business bidding for. They do not have the experience, the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, and company infrastructure required (IT systems, HR, payroll, budgeting, credit rating, etc ) to carry out such projects. Another aspects of our construction industry, is that the lowest bidder is the contractor that is awarded the contract, which seems logical; NOT in the construction industry!! In many developed countries the second bidder is the winner, because the lowest will usually have cut corners, overlooked some aspects, or simply taking a risk, and there are many large construction companies that went belly up that are out of the market these days simply because they nibbled more than they can chew.
Also, the relationship between the consultant and the contractor. You would think they would interact on a partnership basis, trying to collaborate on solving problems, and both have the goal of producing a marvel, yet they still share the defensive sentiment for one another, causing many projects unnecessary delays. Finally, I think short site and lack of vision is another factor.
Having said the above, this is not to say we are not seeing improvements; it is a learning curve, and it is part of the development process. I do believe with more growth development, market mechanism will regulate and improve quality. There are many great Jordanian contractors that produced great projects, the Interconn Aqaba, King Hussein Convention Center at the Dead Sea, Le Royale hotel (although it had some structure problems) to name a few
Ha! No surprises there. I’ve been listening to Amen FM (actually I’m sort of forced to do so, since taxi drivers love that station for some strange reason), and many citizens expressed similar complaints. In fact, even burst water pipes that have been not leaking, but spraying water for days did not garner any form of attention whatsoever.
And for a fleeting moment, I thought that relinquishing Lima’s services, and turning back the water company to Jordanian hands would sort of enhance the company’s performance. But your story proves otherwise. Apparently, the government “evaluated” the performance of Lima, and decided not to extend their contract. There are 13 things wrong with that sentence, because Lima did a much better job than Miyahuna.
And here’s another thing that’s really interesting: The only water Minister that dared to address the Ministry’s lousy customer serivce, and that actually working on developing the Ministry’s customer sericve, was Zafer el Alem, who had to resign due to the water crisis in Mafrak.
Oh well…
Shame on them! Thanks Ahmad for mentioning city mall’s short comings. I hate the place, hate it, and again hate it. The project is literally a built murder; architecturally with those very shameful finishes and design shortcomings (did u see the knee-jerk design of the platform preceding the escalators?), and urban wise (out of numerous things, the roads are NOT planned).
And they boast top-notch designer stores.
I say they make use of the spong in the ad to clean the dirty floors, and deploy the sppons for hitting anyone who isn’t doing a good job at that.
ya 3alam, the mall aint finished yet … the guys are still working …. and they do accept any complaint or notice, and act upon it …. even when sending them through their website ….