What's the impact of McDonald's on the American society ?

794 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Fast food leading to obesity

What's the impact of McDonald's on the American society ?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

→ The effects on the American society

I - The impact on the consumer

II - The impact on the society

III - The impact on the environment

Conclusion

Bibliography

Today, if you are hungry you can easily find a fast food and when you think at it, what's the first thing that comes into your mind ? It's probably McDonald's.
Since his first restaurant was opened in 1940's, McDonald's has conquered the worldwide. According to his website, there are 30,000 restaurants in over 100 countries !
G.Ritzer an American sociologist wrote a book about this, in 1993 called « The McDonaldization of society ». In this book, he explains that the process of McDonaldization can summarized as the way in which "the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world."
Therefore, we might ask what's the reason of this huge success? We will see the real impact of McDonald's on the actually society.

I - The impact on the consumer (health)

There was little obesity data taken in the 1940s, so it's hard to tell what's the obesity rate on the American society. Nevertheless, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and prevention) in the 1950’s, 33% of Americans were overweight and 9,7% were obese. And 40 years later, the obesity rate rose to 30% in 1990 and 56% of people being overweight. This is a dramatic increase in a very short amount of time. Considering that McDonald’s was growing very rapidly in America over this time period it is very easy to associate that McDonald’s has had a direct impact with the obesity rate.

The movie « Super...

... middle of paper ...

... influence too, and which have the same impact of the society. To my mind, the biggest impact of McDonald's on the American society is obesity. Nowadays it's a vast problem which spread out in the worldwide, especially in industrialized countries anyway many people believe that fast food restaurants should be held legally responsible for the obesity in America.

Bibliography

http://lcamp10.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/whats-to-blame-for-obesity/

http://transformetrics.com/content/food-inc-and-america%E2%80%99s-war-obesity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3P5tmkjHa8

http://www.debate.org/opinions/do-you-believe-fast-food-restaurants-should-be-held-legally-responsible-for-the-obesity-in-america

http://themcdonaldseffect.blogspot.fr/

http://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/pdf/mcdonalds-ia_01.pdf

http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go-outside/the-greening-of-mcdonalds/

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food restaurants following the same basic ideal that is tasty foods served fast at a minimal cost (2011). Schlosser explains how fast food restaurants have gained substantial market share of the consumers; he also shows that by marketing to children and offering less unhealthful fare, that are purchased from mega-companies which are often camouflaged with added ingredients and cooked unhealthful ways, that these companies are indeed causing irreparable harm to our country (2004).

    Read More

  • McWorld: The Globalization of Food Industry Empire

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    McDonalds. What had started as a humble family owned drive-through has become a multi-million dollar industry. Everywhere one goes, there are reminders of how amazingly widespread this company has become, whether it be seeing McDonald’s famous golden arches on a billboard or hearing the catchy “I’m Lovin’ It” tune in a commercial. But more than this, McDonalds has become part of our global identity– our McWorld.

    Read More

  • The Maze Runner and Fast Food Nation

    3333 Words  | 7 Pages

    Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.

    Read More

  • what we eat

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American life has been transformed by the fast food industry not just changing the American diet but also the culture, workplace, economy, and the landscape. “Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants-mainly fast food restaurants.” (Schlosser) This could be due to the fact that about two-thirds of working women are mothers. The impact of fast food on the American culture is transparent when just looking at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has become the world’s most famous brand; the golden arches are more known than the Christian cross. “A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald.” (Schlosser) McDonald’s is responsible for 90 percent of new jobs in The United States. The landscape has changed due to the fast food ...

    Read More

  • Market Research Implementation: McDonalds

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    When researching McDonald’s through online sources, it is clear that nutrition is a major concern of the public visiting the fast-food chain. Secondary research conducted shows that there are several case studies and other secondary source searches around the same topic. McDonald’s has often been the center of nutritional attention within the fast-food industry. Secondary research shows that the restaurant has recently made changes to the American Happy Meal to reduce the amount of French fries offered and replace the portion with fruit (Strom, 2011). In a study conducted by McDonald’s a secondary source reports the meal cuts calories by 20% for the children’s meal (Strom, 2011). This is a critical move by the organization on children’s obesity is currently a hot topic within food chains and attention is driven by the Obama administration. Secondary research also shows that although the public has major health concerns with the food chain, profits are increasing during a high point of an economic recession (Dahan & Gittens, 2008). Acco...

    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

  • The Globalization of McDonald's

    2634 Words  | 6 Pages

    A world without the Big Mac, Happy Meals, Chicken McNuggets, and the phrase “I’m lovin’ it,” is almost inconceivable. People around the globe have become accustomed to the high gleaming golden arches that make up the famous emblem for McDonald’s. McDonald’s has grasped the concept that culture flows from power. In this case, the American culture flows through the veins of this fast-food giant and the more that is supplied, the greater the demand. It is no secret that McDonald’s has become one of the world’s largest fast-food retailers. It has become a well known icon that has played a huge part in globalization, with chains located in many different countries… transforming the meaning of fast-food all around the world.

    Read More

  • McDonald's: A Global Company

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Royle (1999) McDonald’s is a very large multinational enterprise (MNE) and the largest food service operation in the world. Currently the company has 1.5 million workers with 23,500 stores in over 110 countries with the United Kingdom and Germany amongst the corporation’s six biggest markets, and over 12,000 restaurants in the United States. In 1974 the United Kingdom corporation was established and in 1971 the Germany corporation was established, currently the combined corporation has over 900 restaurants and close to 50,000 employees in each of these countries (Royle, 1999).

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds And Globalization Case Study

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonald’s was the first company to try to export America’s fast food and changes in eating habits to other nations. McDonald’s has over

    Read More

  • Analysis of McDonald’s

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    The McDonald's Corporation is the largest chain of fast food restaurants in the world. It is franchised in over 119 countries and serves an average of 68 million customers daily. The company started in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald in the United States. They reorganized their business as a hamburger stand in 1948. In 1955, Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent. He purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its global-wide growth (McDonald’s 2014).

    Read More

  • McDonalds and Their Impact On Society

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    He saw how much potential the restaurant has, so he bought it out and opened one of the first franchises. Within the first year of Ray Kroc buying it, there were one hundred and two locations all around the world. McDonalds currently is one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world and currently has served over sixty four million customers through one of their thirty two thousand sites. It has almost become a way of life for America. Though, McDonalds started off as a small business between two brothers, it grew into one of the largest restaurant franchises in the world and greatly affects our society and how we eat our food.

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds And The Sustainability Of Mcdonald's

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Typically the fast food industry is associated with urban development, franchised operations which become chain restaurants across the globe that offer standardized meals, so that consumers can enjoy their favorite meals anywhere (Borade, G. (2012). Tracy V. Wilson states that McDonald’s was the first fast food restaurant to utilize a speedy assembly-line system to prepare food when the McDonald brothers opened up a redesigned restaurant in 1948, in which other chains followed a couple years after in the 1950’s (Wilson, n.d.). The speedy delivery made McDonald’s the largest fast-food chain restaurant in the world

    Read More

  • Obesity and Fast Food

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ritzer, George. The McDonaldization of Society. Revised New Century Edition. California: Pine Forge Press, 2004.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mcdonalds

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Economies of scale are the advantages that accrue as organizations become bigger and expand their activities. The firm that I chose is McDonalds. It is one of the world’s largest fast food restaurant chains. McDonald’s economies of scale allow for bulk purchase of products, faster growth, specialized management, and franchise support. Additionally, profits received and significant cost savings are a big part of McDonald 's economies of scale.

    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

More about What's the impact of McDonald's on the American society ?

Open Document