INSTRUCTION: You have read the prior articles on McDonaldization. Answer the questions below related to the articles. George Ritzer, the proponent of the theory of “McDonaldization”, said that it happens when society, its institutions, and its organizations are adapted to have the same characteristics that are found in fast-food chains. Is there any practical truth to this? How do you see this happening in real life? Pick a business or a company that interests In what ways has this company undergone the process of McDonaldization throughout its history? Has this process made the company more efficient? How so? What, if anything, has been lost because of this process? Why? How do local cultures respond to the influence of foreign culture? What are some examples of local cultures resisting the influence of foreign culture? What are some examples where local cultures have embraced foreign culture?
THE ARTICLE
Ashley Crossman
McDonaldization is a concept developed by American sociologist George Ritzer which refers to the particular kind of rationalization of production, work, and consumption that rose to prominence in the late twentieth century. The basic idea is that these elements have been adapted based on the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant—efficiency, calculability, predictability and standardization, and control—and that this adaptation has ripple effects throughout all aspects of society.
The McDonaldization of Society
George Ritzer introduced the concept of McDonaldization with his 1993 book, The McDonaldization of Society. Since that time the concept has become central within the field of sociology and especially within the sociology of globalization.
According to Ritzer, the McDonaldization of society is a phenomenon that occurs when society, its institutions, and its organizations are adapted to have the same characteristics that are found in fast-food chains. These include efficiency, calculability, predictability and standardization, and control.
Ritzer's theory of McDonaldization is an update on classical sociologist Max Weber's theory of how scientific rationality produced bureaucracy, which became the central organizing force of modern societies through much of the twentieth century. According to Weber, the modern bureaucracy was defined by hierarchical roles, compartmentalized knowledge and roles, a perceived merit- based system of employment and advancement, and the legal-rationality authority of the rule of law. These characteristics could be observed (and still can be) throughout many aspects of societies around the world.
According to Ritzer, changes within science, economy, and culture have shifted societies away from Weber's bureaucracy to a new social structure and order that he calls McDonaldization. As he explains in his book of the same name, this new economic and social order is defined by four key aspects.
- Efficiency entails a managerial focus on minimizing the time required to complete individual tasks as well as that required to complete the whole operation or process of production and
- Calculability is a focus on quantifiable objectives (counting things) rather than subjective ones (evaluation of quality).
- Predictability and standardization are found in repetitive and routinized production or service delivery processes and in the consistent output of products or experiences that are identical or close to it (predictability of the consumer experience).
- Finally, control within McDonaldization is wielded by the management to ensure that workers appear and act the same on a moment-to-moment and daily It also refers to the use of robots and technology to reduce or replace human employees wherever possible.
Ritzer asserts that these characteristics are not only observable in production, work, and in the consumer experience, but that their defining presence in these areas extends as ripple effects through all aspects of social life. McDonaldization affects our values, preferences, goals, and worldviews, our identities, and our social relationships. Further, sociologists recognize that McDonaldization is a global phenomenon, driven by Western corporations, the economic power and cultural dominance of the West, and as such it leads to a global homogenization of economic and social life.
INSTRUCTION: You have read the prior articles on McDonaldization. Answer the questions below related to the articles.
- George Ritzer, the proponent of the theory of “McDonaldization”, said that it happens when society, its institutions, and its organizations are adapted to have the same characteristics that are found in fast-food chains. Is there any practical truth to this? How do you see this happening in real life?
- Pick a business or a company that interests In what ways has this company undergone the process of McDonaldization throughout its history? Has this process made the company more efficient? How so? What, if anything, has been lost because of this process? Why?
- How do local cultures respond to the influence of foreign culture? What are some examples of local cultures resisting the influence of foreign culture? What are some examples where local cultures have embraced foreign culture?
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