George Ritzer's McDonaldization of Society

1219 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Mcdonaldization Burgurking

Hello, welcome to McDonald’s may I take your order…? A number three with a chocolate milkshake? No problem sir…that will be eight dollars and seventy-three cents”. One can say this is how our society works-fast, quick, instant-like McDonalds. George Ritzer’s McDonaldization of Society is based on his theory and social criticism on rationalization of society as a whole through the growth and principles of McDonald’s fast-food model of business. The book begins with an introduction chapter that describes the background of McDonalds and outlines the different chapters of the book. Chapter two discusses a history of socioeconomic developments that help to create ideas about McDonalds including theories of F.W. Taylor, Max Weber and Henry Ford, McDonalds in the present day, and what is predicted for the future of the McDonald system. In The McDonaldization of Society, author George Ritzer takes the main points of Max Weber’s work and updates them, providing an analysis of the impact of structural change on identity and human interaction. Instead of it being strictly about McDonald’s, it’s about how the principles of the fast food industry have come to control American society and the rest of the world. Max Weber’s central analysis of society was the process of rationalization, where normal ways of thinking are replaced by an ends/means analysis concerned with social control and effieinciecy. An excellent example of this, according to Max Weber, was the bureaucracy – a formal, large organization characterized by an authority structure (hierarchal), a division of labor, impersonality, written rules and regulations, and a an focus on technical competence. According to Ritzer, the fast-food restaurant has since become the primary forc... ... middle of paper ... ...as the same goal as far as efficient service as fast as possible without effecting the quality of their product. This is because McDonald's already has imprinted on people's minds that they will get the same burger, same friendly service, same salt-filled fries each and every visit in the quickest amount of time-which usually is not the case. They reinforce this idea on the minds of their customers through clever tools such as advertising on television-they make their fast food commercials look like McDonald’s is the be all end all and people fall for it. For example, every McDonald's sign is a tally of how many people in the world have dined there, which is currently at 99 billion served. The use of this sign reinforces to people that McDonald's is an icon in our society and many people will equate that large number with McDonald's being the best restaurant ever.

Show More
Related

  • Critically Analyse Ritzer's Theory Of Mcdonaldization Of Society

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this essay, I will be critically analysing Ritzer's theory of ‘Mcdonaldization' as well as examining the associated term ‘Mcjobs'. After identifying the key aspects of the topic, I will then decide whether I personally believe that a ‘Mcdonaldization of society' is occurring in modern times due to the increasing rationalization of the work organisation, which will be illustrated with real-world examples.

    Read More

  • Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Scholosser

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    The food industry has become a large part of the American lives by providing cheap, affordable, and fulfilling food. Now fast food has expanded globally creating a global phenomenon. In Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Scholosser, the books looks at the history of fast food and how it became a multi-billion dollar industry. Scholosser is an investigative journalist that seeks to uncover the truth about the fast food industry by researching its roots and exploring every aspect of the industry. Scholosser divided the book into two sections called “The American Way” and “Meat and Potatoes.” “The American Way” begins with the origins of fast food located in Southern California and how people such as Carl Karcher and the McDonalds brothers became the pioneers of the fast food industry. While the “Meat and Potatoes” explores the process, production and health issues concerning with the beef industry. He approached the issues of the fast food industry by interviewing teenage fast food employee, ranchers, franchise owners, meat packing workers, and people from Germany. Scholosser methods of dividing the book into two sections and interviewing workers from all part of the food industry help provide perspectives from all aspects of the industry to strengthen his argument. Scholosser argued that corporate greed and manipulation has made the fast food industry a danger to children and fast food employees.

    Read More

  • Mcdonaldization Of Society: The Interactionist View Of Mcdonaldization

    419 Words  | 1 Pages

    McDonaldization is the process in which the principles of popular fast food companies such as McDonald’s are appearing throughout the world in many aspects of our modern society. As McDonaldization sweeps across the globe, The authors of McDonaldization Revisited argue that “‘Americanisation’ is so often a synonym for cultural decline” (Alfino, Caputo, & Wynyard , 1998, p. 8). George Ritzer claims that this is due to the rationalization of society as McDonaldization is meant to signify the optimal fusion of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control (Ritzer, 2011). The intricacies of the human touch are utterly eliminated from this process, and what is left is an uninviting, cold, and unforgiving concept. When the novelty of something so foreign and American wears off, adaptation is needed to sustain one’s position in other countries. One research design type that researchers might utilize to view McDonaldization would be observation of the adaptation and cultural assimilation across different parts the world. This can be measured with ethnographies, the systematic study of the customs of people and cultures.

    Read More

  • George Ritzer's The Mcdonaldization Of Society

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    In today’s world, technology and current norms drive a large portion of everyday life that the vocabulary becomes a common universal language. For example, if you don’t know or understand something, just “google” or ask “siri” about it, write a “blog” about a recent experience, or witnessed the latest “post” that has received over 1.6K “likes”. George Ritzer describes the same thing with the fast food restaurant McDonald’s in his video “The McDonaldization of Society”. He defines McDonaldization as the process by which principles of the fast food restaurant have begun to overflow and dominate all aspects of our world.

    Read More

  • McDonaldization

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    sociologist George Ritzer argues that the relationship between McDonald’s and our society runs even deeper. Beyond its commercial propaganda and symbolism, Ritzer says, McDonald’s is a potent manifestation of the rational processes that define modern society.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Schlosser, E. (2004). Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal (first ed., Rev.). New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

    Read More

  • The Globalization of McDonald's

    2634 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kincheloe, Joe. The sign of the burger: McDonald's and the culture of power. Philadelphia: Temple Univ Press, 2002. 9-185. Print.

    Read More

  • Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser writes about the fast food industry. However, his book is not merely an expose of the fast food industry but is even more a consideration of how the fast food industry has shaped and defined American society in America and for other nations as America exports its fast food culture to others. Schlosser describes a great deal of American culture to the fast food mentality, and he finds that globalization is taking the fast food culture around the world at a rapid rate. Schlosser addresses a number of specific issues related to food production and distribution. He connects the social order of a society to the kind of food it eats and the way it eats that food, with American society very much defined by the fast food culture that has developed. Schlosser tends to represent the theory stressing the importance of interdependence among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system, as can be seen from how he connects fast food to other social processes and institutions.

    Read More

  • Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation: Fast Food's Impact on Society

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eric Schlossers book Fast Food Nation is not only an expose of the fast food industry but also shows how the fast food industry has shaped and defined society in America and other nations as the fast food culture spreads globally. He connects the social order of society to the kind of food it eats and the way it eats that food, and relates fast food to other social processes and institutions. His facts are based on years of research and study, and are presented in and easy to follow narrative. Schlosser is so thorough and convincing in his argument, it's impossible to read this book and not feel disenchanted by the unethical practices of fast food companies, shocked at its effect on our society, and empowered to do something about it. Fast Food Nation takes a look at what we don't see behind the fast food business, and questions a high cultural cost verses a low dollar value meal.

    Read More

  • The McDonaldization of Society

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The McDonaldization of Society The McDonaldization of society may sound somewhat misleading but the term actually refers to the rationalization of society. The use of the word "McDonaldization" just simply indicates that the fast food restaurant is one of many great examples of rationality. Ritzer discusses five dimensions that characterize rationality or a rationalized society: efficiency, predictability, calculability, the use and preference of non-human technology, and the control over uncertainty. The five characteristics can be noticed in various aspects of society which exemplifies the extent that rationality affects our society and societies worldwide. In this paper I will summarize Ritzer's discussion of these five characteristics and give possible examples of each dimension.

    Read More

  • Rational Organizational Design

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    RITZER, G (2008) The McDonaldisation of Society (5th edition) London: Sage. (Ch. 3 – Efficiency)

    Read More

  • Customer Service at McDonalds

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonalds provide high quality products, such as burgers, fries, drinks, muffins, etc, which are safe and reliable that it does what it is supposed to do, but not only does the quality of the products matter, the good value for money affects the business. E.g. buy one extra value meal and get one free with a food voucher that represents the offer only. They ensure that a high standard of the product is carried out at all times and they try to compete very competitively with other fast food businesses with their good value for money. Also a customer would know if the product is good value for money by checking in another food outlet like KFC for their services and products.

    Read More

  • Social Issues

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is Mcdonaldization Inevitable? George Ritzer’s, Mcdonaldization of Society, is a critical analysis of the impact on social structural change on human interaction and identity. According to Ritzer, Mcdonaldization “is the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as rest of the world” (Ritzer, 1). Ritzer focuses on four foundations of Mcdonaldization: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. These are the commandments of any rationalized corporation. However, they are not carried out from the point of view of the consumer. Efficiency, for example, may entail the placing of great inconveniences upon a consumer for the sake of efficient management. Calculability may involve hiding certain information from the consumer. Predictability and control may involve a company's ability to predict and control consumer behavior, not the consumer's ability to predict what kind of product or control what kind of service he gets. Ritzer calls such breakdowns "the irrationality of rationalization." Ritzer points out the irrationality of rationality, as all of the supposed benefits of Mcdonaldized systems backfire: waiting in long lines, suspect quality, little or no customer service, little or no customer service, the illusion of large quantities for low prices, and severely limited selection of choice. Throughout Mcdonaldization of Society, Ritzer describes Mcdonaldization as largely negative and often destructive. While Mcdonaldization is rapidly taking over American society and spreading to the rest of the globe, it is not something unjustly imposed on the American people. The consumerist culture of America has groomed the public to seek efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. These principles grow in importance and value in contemporary America. Even when given the choice to avoid a Mcdonaldized establishment or product, people will flock to it. I agree with Ritzer’s analysis of a Mcdonaldized society, but I feel that Ritzer has failed to provide any real solutions to the Mcdonaldization process. I will support Ritzer’s analysis of the Mcdonaldization process, but also show that it is inevitable and essential in the American society to have a rationalized system. Ritzer stresses that “Mcdonaldization” does not just refer to robotlike assemb...

    Read More

  • An Analysis of McDonald's

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDonald's is the world’s leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants in 121 countries serving 45 million customers each day.

    Read More

  • Fast Food Abuse Essay

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    McDonalds is one of the world’s largest fast food chains, feeding many people for low prices. What people don’t understand is what is actually

    Read More

More about George Ritzer's McDonaldization of Society

Open Document