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Advantages and disadvantages of rationalization
Comparing mcdonaldization to real life sociology
What is “McDonaldization?” What are its characteristics? Do you agree with this thesis
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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. First, efficiency refers to the most efficient or best means to an end. Ritzer uses the fast food restaurant as an example of the best means to obtain a meal, instead of actually preparing food at home. Individuals no longer have to go out to the supermarket, buy food and bring it home, prepare it over a hot stove, and let's not forget the tedious task of hand-washing the dishes. To avoid all these steps people can just drive down the street and pick up their meals from a fast food restaurant. Today, the inside-lines can even be avoidable with the addition of the drive through window. There are many advantages to the fast food restaurant, but as Ritzer explains there are also "irrationalities of rationality." In the example of the fast food restaurant, to prepare meals as cheaply, quickly, and easily as possible the health of individuals eating such... ... middle of paper ... ...ned gestures and tones helps reduce the uncertainties associated with using human technologies. Instead of actually using robots to canvass for organizations, the volunteers and personnel working of the fund raising effort are turned into robots. Or, with the use of the web-tree Davidson controls the uncertainties of registering for a class. Students have specific numbers that indicate in what order they are assigned a class; "first come, first serve" no longer applies. There are no lines in the Registrar's Office and the school designates certain times and dates in which students can register using the web-tree. The uncertainties of class registration are controlled, as well as the students. Rationalization has affected nearly every society worldwide and the above situations are just a few examples of rationalization.
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.
Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson’s Chew On This explores the dark secrets of fast food. The authors first describe the background of fast food and their tactics with customers, and then elaborate on the impact of fast food on society today. Their view on fast food is a negative one: through describing various aspects of fast food, the authors ultimately reveal how the greediness of businessmen has caused the loss of individuality and the growth in power of corporations. They explain the effects of fast food on health, traditions, and animals, clearly showing fast food’s negative impact.
In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser goes beyond the facts that left many people’s eye wide opened. Throughout the book, Schlosser discusses several different topics including food-borne disease, near global obesity, animal abuse, political corruption, worksite danger. The book explains the origin of the all issues and how they have affected the American society in a certain way. This book started out by introducing the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station beside the Colorado Springs, one of the fastest growing metropolitan economies in America. This part presents the whole book of facts on fast food industry. It talks about how Americans spend more money on fast food than any other personal consumption. To promote mass production and profits, industries like MacDonald, keep their labor and materials costs low. Average US worker get the lowest income paid by fast food restaurants, and these franchise chains produces about 90% of the nation’s new jobs. In the first chapter, he interviewed Carl N. Karcher, one of the fast food industry’s leade...
Over the last 50 years, the fast food industry did not only sold hamburgers and french fries. It has been a key factor for vast social changes throughout America. It has been responsible for breaking traditional American values and reinstating new social standards that specifically aims to benefit the industry’s growth. These social standards have inevitably changed the way the American youth respond to education and self-responsibility. Eric Schlosser, an author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, excellently uses logic to present the tactics used by the fast food industry to cheapen and promote labor along with the social changes that occurred in the American youth as a result. Schlosser aims to dismantle and dissect
The theory of “McDonaldization” describes the way different aspects of the modern world are taking on more and more of the “principles of the fast food restaurant” (Ritzer 1). Obviously, the term stems from the restaurant “McDonald’s” itself; however, McDonaldization is present in many restaurants, industries, politics, religion, and many aspects of social life as well. For example, the music industry has become increasingly McDonaldized. Artists are expected to produce many albums in a certain amount of time, they are expected to look the same and sound the same at any concerts they give, and most popular music is created through Auto Tune and producers cutting and pasting snippets of a song together. The modern idea of going on vacation is similarly McDonaldized. For example, you can go to another country, hire a tour guide to show you as many of the most popular spots as possible, as fast as possible. Your picture is taken in front of certain attractions, you are taken to certain places to eat, and you stay in certain places. It’s very efficient, the cost is easily calculated, and it’s incredibly predictable. For this paper, I will
This essay focuses on the topic of globalization, taking along several other factors with it. Increasingly in the world, it becomes obvious that the globalization is affecting almost all the businesses of the world. Every market in some way or the other is following the principles of globalization. For example, McDonalds is a chain of restaurants working in collaboration to deliver their customers with the best product and to achieve this McDonalds follows the concepts of globalization. This essay will discuss anc ethnographic study at McDonalds examining whether it confirms or denies the claims made about globalization.
In response to your request, I investigated the (insert area location)McDonalds, located off of Wisconsin Avenue. After analyzing the behavior of the employees, I noticed some policy issues that should be addressed. Included in this report are a few steps that could be taken to improve the location and increase overall customer satisfaction.
The term “fast-food” is usually distinguished by food served very quickly to a customer by drive-through or carry-out. Fast-food restaurants are highly associated with low-cost and malnutrition foods with brief consumer and employee interaction, and below average cleanliness based on restaurant health inspection reports. Chick-fil-A has changed the usual perception of fast-food restaurants. Rather than burgers and potato fries, Chick-fil-A serves chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. Chick-fil-A also shows their appreciation for employee to customer relations, rather than ignoring the social aspect of serving customers when operating at a fast pace. Chick-fil-A’s menu selection, customer interaction, and clean eating
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.
To begin with, efficiency, with the aim of maintaining time for doctors take care of patients. Efficiency means the optimum method for getting from one point to another. For general out-patient clinics, making appointment is necessary before you get consultant. Doctors only spend around a few minutes consulting to a patient, and one case per each time in order to manage large amount patients who were waiting.
For millions, fast food restaurants are the source of positive associations with birthday parties, play dates and accessible comfort food. For others, they represent a lifeline meal on a busy day, or the secret to quieting a cranky toddler on a long trip because hurrying residents of cities have no time to cook a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fast food presents even in the lives of people who are trying
Section 1: Typically, we need a well-balanced meal to give us the energy to do day-to-day tasks and sometimes we aren’t able to get home cooked meals that are healthy and nutritious on a daily basis, due to the reasons of perhaps low income or your mom not being able to have the time to cook. People rely on fast food, because it’s quicker and always very convenient for full-time workers or anyone in general who just want a quick meal. Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation argues that Americans should change their nutritional behaviors. In his book, Schlosser inspects the social and economic penalties of the processes of one specific section of the American food system: the fast food industry. Schlosser details the stages of the fast food production process, like the farms, the slaughterhouse and processing plant, and the fast food franchise itself. Schlosser uses his skill as a journalist to bring together appropriate historical developments and trends, illustrative statistics, and telling stories about the lives of industry participants. Schlosser is troubled by our nation’s fast-food habit and the reasons Schlosser sees fast food as a national plague have more to do with the pure presence of the stuff — the way it has penetrated almost every feature of our culture, altering “not only the American food, but also our landscape, economy, staff, and popular culture. This book is about fast food, the values it represents, and the world it has made," writes Eric Schlosser in the introduction of his book. His argument against fast food is based on the evidence that "the real price never appears on the menu." The "real price," according to Schlosser, varieties from destroying small business, scattering pathogenic germs, abusing wor...
Another point of reason I would like to argue about is fast-food restaurants are everywhere and it is difficult for one to find any alternatives. I would also like to ask of the consumers to look at it from another view. There are many choices available to consumers each day some can do harm, while othe...
Colleges and universities have been affected by the process called “mcdonaldizaton” because we can relate to the four organizational principles of mcdonaldization. We relate to efficiency. McDonald’s cook food in at a fast pace. We tend to think just because we rushed fast through the work that the work will be good when that is wrong. Sometimes McDonald’s rush through food and the order can come out bad. The next principle is predictability. McDonald’s have certain formulas they go by to cook the food, so does colleges and universities. We have a certain deadline when things are supposed to be due. We learn a certain unit or section every week. The third principle is uniformity. McDonald’s food is all the same size. Fries are cut a certain inch. The cheese weigh so much and the weight of a regular hamburger is a certain amount. Colleges and universities have certain
First, fast food and home-cooked meals differ in the time. The people choose fast food because they do not have time to prepare a proper meal and it can be prepared very quickly. Jekanowski, Binkley, and Eales (2001) claimed that fast food outlets’ main sales point is convenience. The fast food companies open a lot of branches in the different area so that the customers just need a few minutes to buy a set of fast food even it is complete with a drink.