The industrial revolution in the eighteenth century, changed dramatically the way of life for many americans. As fast food restaurants became a part of the american diet, many fast food chains competed aggressively to become the best, and maintain their spots at the top of the fast food chain. Given that many of these fast food restaurants still are profitable and successful today, there is no doubt that these companies are doing something to insure their food continues to draw people into their many restaurants and drive in locations. At an attempt to study the four principles of George Ritzer’s “McDonaldization of Society”, I observed three different fast food restaurants. My observations included McDonald's and Jack in the box..
George Ritzer came up with the term “McDonaldization of Society” to explain a sociological phenomenon occurring in society, and identified four important principles; these include efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. The first, calculability, is defined as “The optimum method of completing a task. The rational determination of the best mode of production. Individuality is not allowed.” (Burleson). The second is defines as “Assessment of outcomes based on quantifiable rather than subjective criteria.” (Burleson). The third is defined as “The production process is organized to guarantee uniformity of product and standardized outcomes.” (Burleson). Lastly, control, is defined as “The substitution of more predictable non-human
Fast food has turned into a genuine fundamental of our everyday life and made a religion of establishments that reaches out to the millions of Americans across the country. The Fast Food industry in a few eyes has been one of the sharpest developments this world has seen. It has been driven by our stomachs and our wallets for 40 to 50 years it's as yet developing to this date. The man who make-believe it can be known as the best representative, this nation has ever observed. The Fast Food Industry is big to the point that it has influenced our wellbeing, changed our way of life, and misshaped our territory as far back as the very first moment.
"McDonaldlization" as referred to by George Ritzer, author of The McDonaldlization of Society, is the establishment of rationalized systems and is an unconsciously embraced part of society. The four dimmensions that are McDonaldliztion is efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control. All of these elements established in most if not all jobs. Efficiency is the chooosing the most conductive outcome for a means to a given end. The Merriam-Webster 's meaning of efficiency is the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy: the quality or degree of being efficient. We have become well adjusted to getting everything we want in a quick efficient manner. From something as simple and mundane as wanting a red light to quickly change at an intersection to something serious like impatiently waiting for a pregnancy test. Efficiency is a vital trait in the business world. It is foundation on which either an business will thrive and become a business empire or if it will tank and end up becoming bankrupt. Conserving time, money, and materials is crucial while mainting an acceptable level of output. Becoming efficient in a business simpled means reducing the costs of wasted inputs.Traffic is a great example of efficiency. Everyone who drives the road have one thing in common; they 're all trying to get somewhere, and more than likely, in a quick manner. It is that sense of "wanting everything in a quick way" we have become accustomed to
The way that Burger King and other fast food restaurant chains do business and markets their products to consumers is due to the change in our society to where the consumer wants the biggest, fastest, and best product they can get for their money. This change in society can be attributed to a process known as McDonaldization. Although McDonaldization can be applied to many other parts of our society, this paper will focus on its impact on Burger King and Taco Bell restaurants. My belief is that the process of McDonaldization has lead our generations toward a more a much more efficient lifestyle, with much less quality. From my observations and studies of these fast food resturants, several themes have become
In a 2003 court case, “Caesar Barber v. McDonald’s Corporation, et al.,” Barber claimed he was unaware of the nutritional and fat content of the fast food he ate on a near-daily basis for decades, and which he claimed caused his multiple illnesses (Daily Caller). The people of the court ruled that Barber’s choice of food was the cause of his many health issues, not the restaurants which supplied the fast food. In this case, the court held the consumer responsible for his selections; however, the court’s expectation of personal responsibility in food selection will most likely become anachronous. The article “Is Fast Food the New Tobacco?” addresses the issue of rapidly growing fast-food chain restaurants, such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell, and the health issues that perpetuate from an increased amount of these restaurants. Anywhere we travel today, out of town, to a big city or a small village, consumers are bound to see some sort of advertising for fast food. Many billboards display life-size pictures of steaming hot sandwiches, fresh-cut fries, or an ice cold beverage. The streets are lined with bright, golden arches, fluorescent bells, or a red-headed, smiling little girl. All of these modes of advertisement draw consumers in, whether they be hungry or simply in a rush with no time to cook dinner at home, and feed them food that just isn’t up to par with healthy-eating standards. Notice, these restaurants don’t use force to bring customers in by the masses;
This book discusses the fast-food industry and seeks to describe the impact of the industry on the U.S. economy and society. Also, it talks about the guys who has been investigating the fast food industry for many years. From his broad research, he has uncovered an abundance of little-known, frequently unsettling truths about the fast food industry.
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
George Ritzer, in his book The McDonaldization of Society, has given a good understanding of the kind of world we live in. He describes the concept of McDonaldization, which is the process in which the principles that form the basis of McDonalds are greatly influencing the rest of society. McDonalds runs its business on the following key elements: efficiency, calculability, predictability and control by non-human technologies. A fifth element, which Ritzer perceives as a disadvantage of McDonaldization, is the irrationality of rationality. This is the idea that a society which is based entirely on rationality is not a normal human society because humans are not
Health care is something that affects every person in this country, and the rising cost is making it nearly impossible for people to afford. In The McDonaldization of Society, George Ritzer shows how the health care industry is changing and how the phenomenon of McDonaldization is effecting how we receive health care. Healthcare has become more efficient, calculable, predictable, and controlling. In the following sections, I will explore further these aspects of McDonaldization and how they relate to the health care industry.
McDonaldization is becoming the new wave of job types where workers are being deskilled, dehumanized and exploited. Machines are taking over tasks which the employees used to do such as bank machines (interact). The McDonaldized jobs now instead of making the employee do all the work they have the customer working too, for example when the customer cleans up after eating. These jobs are becoming less interactive and personal because workers are becoming dehumanized and only allowed to follow a script, there is also the fact that fast food Company’s use drive through, where limited interaction occurs and are many restrictions. These types of jobs which the author George Ritzer labeled
The primary component, efficiency has a focus on finding the best means in accomplishing any task. It is the determination of the best method of production (Ritzer, 2011). According to this element, it is important to minimize the time that is required to accomplish the individual tasks along with carrying out the operation as a whole or process of production and distribution (George Ritzer and the McDonaldization of Society: Definition and Principles). The second component of McDonaldization is the idea of calculability, which is an assessment of quantifiable objectives instead of the evaluation of quality. In other words, quantity is emphasized more than quality as a criterion (George Ritzer and the McDonaldization of Society: Definition
George Ritzer 's book The McDonaldization of Society opened and exposed one of what can be considered societies major flaws: McDonaldization. Ritzer suggests that in the late 20th century the socially structured form of the fast-food restaurant has become the organizational force representing and pushing rationalization further into everyday lives and individual identity. Henry Ford was the first McDonaldization pioneer with his vision of an assembly line for improving the production of automobiles. His revolutionary idea dramatically changed how many automobiles could be produced and was very efficient.
. Through his research which states that by simply neglecting the variety and diversity of consumer practices in different regions and parts of the world and the various uses to which consumers can put McDonaldization, using its products and procedures to serve their own needs. There are many ways Mcdonaldization can be resisted in: social institution, education, the economy, family, as well as religion and military that our society can reverse the effects on the way we live.
George Ritzer describes McDonaldization as “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 the rest of the world”. McDonaldization is the idea that our society is becoming more efficient and more fast paced. Rational systems can be defined as “unreasonable, dehumanizing systems that deny the humanity, the human reason, of the people who work within them or are served by them”.1 Today there are many types of businesses that are increasingly adapting the same values and principles of the fast-food industry to their needs. Rational systems are dehumanizing our society and seem to be even more irrational than convenient. “Almost every aspect of
McDonaldization involves a process of rationalization described by George Ritzer that is utilized by sociologists (Ritzer 292). Ritzer elaborates the aspect of McDonaldization of society is manifested in situations, for example, where a society adopts the features of a fast-food joints. Worth a note, fast-foods are growing very popular because they highly fits with most individual contemporary lifestyle.
The building square of McDonaldization is Max Weber's idea of legitimization, which is the way toward supplanting customary and enthusiastic idea with reason and proficiency. Weber trusted that most social orders all through history were represented by convention and that the most noteworthy pattern in present day humanism is an expanding legitimization of all aspects of our day by day lives. He likewise trusted that defense would proceed until the point when our general public would turn into an iron enclosure, dehumanizing everybody