McDonaldization of Society Essay

The book of George Ritzer, has taken certain components from Weber’s work and presented a critical analysis with the impact you feel by the social structural change on human interaction and identity. Based on the book, Ritzer claims that the fast food organization and its structure is responsible for the current organizational force and this procedure or rationalization has displayed into the every day lives in the individuals and their interaction levels.

As has been defined simply by Ritzer him self: …Mcdonaldalization, …. is the process y that this principles in the fast food cafe are coming to dominate increasingly more sectors of yankee society as well as the world. (ritzer, 1993: 1) If one particular was to understand the growth on this franchise, the truth that it provides thousands of shops worldwide and it is located in suburbia, military angles, malls. And the road exchanges present the extent to which existence have been taken over by this procedure. It is not the particular fast food chains which symbolize this issue yet even the other chains just like those linked to Toys, Bookstores, newspapers and child care among several other folks.

There have been instances-increasing in number-that the more recent areas of business expertise are making use of this process. Everything is definitely handled and managed in a way to control the perceptions and mindset of individuals. There have been five dominant designs which were outlined by Ritzer in his book which center on the idea of efficiency, calculability, predictability, increased control, and the replacement of human simply by non-human technology.

The first one relates to the notion of efficiency in fact it is basically translated as the use of means in order to reach a goal or goal with the least amount of time and effort. The idea of productivity can be seen in addition the people in several business or perhaps industries understand it to be as it can differ for different business structures. This is certainly viewed as a benefit and advantage to the customer in all of the respects and forms. The several ways that this is achieved is visible through the use of the ATM machine, voice postal mail, and drive-up window companies salad bars etc which usually all cater to reducing the time required for that business purpose.

The customer may not be aware of this but in this process; he truly conducts various sorts of services and pays for them as well that were available to him before upon demand. It might seem being a noteworthy support but in actuality it is just a technique of cutting time and costs for the firm and elevating the cost intended for the customer. It takes learning using these new services, and in order to apply and make use of all of them the customer has to bear the excess costs for people value- added services. One more theme which in turn comes across is the idea and notion of calculability.

To be able to define this notion, what of Ritzer would be offer effective work with: ” this requires an focus on things that could be calculated, counted, quantified. Quantification refers to a tendency to emphasize volume rather than top quality. This leads to a sense that quality is corresponding to certain, usually (but not always) a great deal of things”. (Ritzer, 1994: 142).

There are several cases which can be used to explain the thought of making use of quantity- some of the junk food offerings including the Big Apple pc, Big Whopper, Wnedy’s Biggie meals and so forth which all point to the fact that top quality has been successfully replaced by quantity. An additional pertinent area which concerns the recognize of the visitor is the fact that time-saving plays an integral role in this procedure as well. You will find newer and improved dishes which permit the food to be made in very much shorter time and the micro wave food products cater to the need of such time old-fashioned individuals.

Another theme which can be presented efficiently is predictability. It is in reference to the look at that is enjoyed by the tries that are made to be able to structure the environment and hence, shock cannot have any effect on our sensible mother nature. Those who take action sensibly and use all their logic will always have an advantage as they will be well prepared before hand for any problems and issues that might arrive their approach.

The customer of this sort want the same flavor, quality and requirements that he received from one place product to be applied anywhere else. The sort of the entertainment industry can be utilised in this regard as the audience was created to water movies upon videos either regarding the same theme, sequels and even series regarding the same concern. Therefore , a sense of predictability has changed into a prominent feature of all our lives and we run by it.

Be it going to the business office from nine to five, going for some sort of entertainment on the weekends-we do follow a course which more or less is decided and is hence, predictable. A persons race is being doctrine by idea of predictability and any deviation has changed into a source of risk. The various other theme that was taken upon by the creator of this book was the concept of control throughout the substitution of non-human for human technology. In Ritzer’s own terms: “these two elements are closely associated.

Specifically, replacing human by simply non-human frequently oriented to greater control. The great way to obtain uncertainty and unpredictability within a rationalizing system are persons –either the people who work within these systems or the people who are dished up by these people. “(Ritzer year 1994: 148) For the human per see, every thing is designed and done for him before hand and he runs as a simple obedient automation machine which operates because ordered by machine without having thinking in the behalf being carried out. If one was going to look at the different areas of one’s life, it could be seen that from the kitchen to the living room, everyone make effective use of technology in one way or another.

The machines the actual tasks for people and all of us being cared for as simple handlers of which. As per the assert of Ritzer: “the next thing in this advancement is to have customer the actual scanning” Ritzer (1994: 150) This review clearly implies the fact the fact that humans have got over time allowed the equipment to overtake them in cases like this of managing and carrying out the work. The computer and equipment have been recognized as the measurement conditions by which we all assess yourself and our skills.

Precisely what is being seen as a development is usually that the human abilities and capabilities are becoming rapidly worn away in the fact of development and the humans are only being used in order to facilitate the processes of the machines. The last idea which was examined and reviewed by the publication would be those of the irrationality of rationality. This topic mocks the rationality of the systems that are a method to obtain the pleasure of the owners of these product companies.

This book represents some that if analyzed correctly it could be seen that below these logical systems possibly even called-there is situated an edge of irrationality. In Ritzer’s own words: ” most specifically, irrationality ensures that rational devices are uncommon systems.

Simply by that I signify they deny their basic humanity, your resource, from the people who operate within will be served simply by them. (Ritzer, 1994: 154) All of us have already been victims at different points at period when we have had to wait quite long for the foodstuff, groceries which can make us problem the rationality of the fact that even though more has been paid for the efficient -ness and efficiency of these devices, yet at the conclusion those incredibly systems are being undermined by the fact of rationality. We makes use of the products and services which are aimed at offering us with better solutions and effects only to give us with below desired effects.

The dependency increases of all on these very systems and in effect, it becomes a mere trap while the humans rely heavily on these kinds of for their diverse purposes and aims. Yet , this same aggresive cycle makes an even more serious effect while the environment which can be sued pertaining to the basic uses of breathing is polluted and afflicted in a number of harmful ways. In Ritzer’s book: “the communal meal is usually our principal ritual pertaining to encouraging the family to assemble together every single day.

If it is shed to all of us, we shall have to invent new ways to be a family members. It is worth considering whether the shared joy that food provides is worth letting go of. (Visser, 1989: 42, in Ritzer, 1994: 156). The easy availability of readymade meals and so forth have made issues much more much easier for the current generation and so, a number of essential elements that were present first have seen to become fading. The world is becoming seriously dependent on manmade objects and services which effect is definitely making it drop its own identity.

The above portion of the paper efficiently discussed the elements of the book as well as the following daily news would critically analyze these types of themes and ideas. The author of this book has offered some very simple views and understanding of the various themes. Mcdougal presents a comprehension that the human values is surely an unnecessary location which would not require exploration and what actually needs attention happen to be those systems which are endangering the humans’ ability to think. Through his analysis, Ritzer is able to apply his concepts to a broad variety of phenomenon which include the financial and sociable aspects too.

What results in is a failure in order to explore the cultural dimensions even though his evaluation is a sociable analysis-it yet fails in many ways. what is clearly needed is a social perspective and in order to add to the ordre stance of Ritzer, particular important areas such as the strategies of resistance and critical views need to be focused on as well. One of many weaknesses that are inherent through this book is the fact that by simply representing McDonald as the paradigm of McDonaldization the actual progress can be negated and undermined within a lot of methods. There comes throughout an increased dependence on the Weber theory and that what can be used to defeat the problems is the multiperspectivist approach.

The rationale of the book plainly comes as a procedure for presenting the sociological theory of Weber to justify the theory with a number of scientific data uses. He increases the analysis of Weber that was further carried out by this book when he tries to restructure a vast assortment of areas which usually extend from your general sociable dynamics plus the larger framework of the social organizational structure. What comes across as a strong concept through the book is a concept of ingestion and the part of production which plays a significant area in the McDonaldization procedure is actually overlooked.

The concept of revenue is carressed upon is for certain cases ( Ritzer 1996: 44, 62F)although it could have been better handled if the creator had focused it in through the justification process of production and consumption. Being element of a rationalization process, McDonaldization is a phenomenon through which the earth markets will be being rationalized and reorganized in order to improve the capital accumulation. The social dimension and aspect of the McDonaldization procedure which the corporate and business word makes effective utilization of in order to make the family members values and attract the interest of the viewers and visitors.

Therefore , the organization and business McDonald’s is not merely offering services and products in fact is selling certain ethnic values and inculcating all of them as well. The process of purchase and so forth is merely a tiny part of the real value chain. Therefore , McDonaldization is in fact a part of a interpersonal phenomenon which includes its own ethnic values and codes which were largely disregarded by the book and its creator.

The US is actually a race which will consists of the values including family etc which are crafted to by simply these dispenses as they enhance these countrywide values and validate those to the entire land. Therefore , mcdougal undermines the various aspects and methods of McDonald’s which is a great ideological and cultural trend as well as as an economic a single. The ethnic dimension is essentially overlooked and ignored by the author inside the pursuit of representing the monetary process.

The idea of homogenization is also presented in a extremely generalized manner and the regular of the technique of McDonaldization can be portrayed through the book and what is disregarded is the fact is definitely the variety and variety of the buyer practices inside the different areas and regions of the earth. Each distinct region and area provides its merchandise offerings which will differ to a large extent which has been mainly ignored by the author with this book. The social justification and the diverse phenomena which is experienced by various events and creeds are not provided at all which in turn presents a serious flaw and weakness of this book plus the author effectively.

The subjective process of the method are disregarded in the quest for the theory of rationalization and the presentation of Ritzer’s ideas are clearly as well objective and fail to emphasize the various subjective and ethnical values of McDonaldization. Ritzer argues the fact that concept of Modernization (Ritzer, 1994: 148f) is actually McDonaldization is definitely perceived as but one has to analyze that whether it truly is that or is a reality actually different. There are aspects of this method which are plainly interlinked while using traditional beliefs and the statements of the writer of the McDonaldization process becoming the cause of the modernists can be undermining this important area and aspect of the McDonaldization process.

While the rationalization technique of production and consumption happen to be areas and aspect of the McDonaldization method, they obviously do not surpass the entire that means and existence of the whole process. Actually the reality from the process is the fact that that the McDonaldization process will not only correspond with Weber’s theory of justification and Marx’s theory of commodification but there are various other postmodern components which are attached to it. Ritzer’s attempts to distance the analysis of post modernity from the McDonaldization process are in link with his inability to bring out your connections involving the cultural dimension and the McDonaldization process.

An important area of the postmodern theory is a cultural feature which has been associated with the transactional culture that is enacted upon this McDonaldization process and created even more. The connection that is certainly created between this process over a global and native scale has been analyzed by this book but you may be wondering what has been ignored is the social functions, diverse meanings and experiences that are generated by McDonald’s in many regions. This kind of paper hasn’t only symbolized the styles but also represented the flaws and weaknesses natural in this publication and might have been done in order to improve the understanding of the procedure.

References The McDonaldization of Society simply by George Ritzer (ISBN 0-7619-8812-2) McDonaldization: You by George Ritzer (ISBN 0-7619-8767-3) The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions simply by George Ritzer (ISBN 0-7619-5540-2) McDonaldization of America’s Police, Courts, and Corrections by Matthew M. Robinson McCitizens by Bryan Turner Fighting off McDonaldization, education. Barry Intelligent Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia by James D. Watson Sociology of Intake: Fast Food, Credit Cards and Internet casinos, ed. George Ritzer The McDonaldization better Education, education. Dennis Hayes & Robert Wynyard Stunning a Disappointed World by simply George Ritzer Ritzer, George (2008). The McDonaldization of Society.

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