Mcdonaldization Essays (Examples)

...Mechanical (rather than human) means are to be used to move the car (and parts) from one step in the assembly process to the next....Complex sets of movements are eliminated and the worker does 'as nearly as possible only one thing with one movement' "(Ibid, 59).

Calculability "involves an emphasis on things that can be calculated, counted, quantified. It means a tendency to use quantity as a measure of quality. This leads to a sense that quality is equal to certain, usually (but not always) large quantities of things" (Ibid, 62) itzer points out that this was an approach from McDonald's early days. He cites evidence of the Big Mac as a name for a burger: big burger must be desirable, that "consumers are lead to believe that they are getting a large amount of food for a small expenditure of money. Calculating consumers come away with the feeling that…

A white collar worker at the managerial level may find it difficult to market him or herself as unique outside of the corporate hierarchy after being downsized. Even physicians, plumbers, and other individuals that practice certain 'trades' may find their professions standardized and their skill's inherent worth downgraded, as franchised service industries become more popular. Jiffy Lube has replaced the independent mechanic just like Starbucks has replaced the corner coffee shop.

Another interesting point is the actual inefficiency of these supposedly efficient structures. Cars supposedly make it easier for us to travel long distances, yet we get caught in traffic jams. Fast food is cheap, yet much more expensive and less nutritious than if we made these foods at home. Fast food also makes us unhealthy, raising our healthcare costs. The demand for predictability saps our creative skills, what makes us uniquely human -- even our schools and colleges are…

McDonaldization

Ritzer ends Chapter 2 with the example of the limited success of McDonaldizing the climbing of Mt. Everest. Explain why McDonaldization has been limited in the case of Everest. Using information from this section, develop your own example of a phenomenon where you think McDonaldization has been limited. Include an explanation of why you think this is so.

The McDonalization of Everest is an example of a situation that is too complex and irregular to be subject to the full breadth of the trend. To McDonaldize the accent of Everest, climbers fast-tracked the normal acclimation process, hired ill-trained guides, and relied on oxygen to support their journey. Climbers also relied on helicopters to provide a new starting point as well as a bunch of modern equipment to support the trip such as cell phones and computers. Although this opened the mountain to a new class of tourist, it also…

On the part of the customer, s/he saves effort and time by just browsing through web pages to buy the merchandise or products that s/he needs.

The second principle, calculability, pertains to the quantified nature of products or services offered to consumers. This practice is not only popular to enterprises that sell consumer goods, but it is also a popular practice in the services sector. Productivity of an employee in a communications center may be determined through a system wherein the number of calls received and dialed are monitored. In addition to this measure, an individual's productivity may also be assessed through the number of hours spent working in the office, determined through a time-keeping system.

The third principle, predictability is the implementation of standard behavior and actions, in order to make tasks faster and easier to conduct. This principle is evident in the adoption of standardized, formalized greetings that…

In sum, rationalization has institutionalized McDonald's and made it and its principles of standardization a part of every American's life.

However, it is also important to note that Ritzer attempts to provide a critical analysis of the whole McDonaldization process: that, while McDonald's have become an icon of the American society for the contemporary period, it has also become the symbol for the furthering of irrationality of the society as well. This claim is evidently a paradox, since what McDonaldization has brought to society is actually a move towards irrationality, wherein every action of individuals has become mechanical and standardized. Critical theorists (and Ritzer) consider this process as "dehumanization." Instead of giving people their full potential in enhancing their skills and knowledge at work, the prevalence of "scripted interaction" in almost every transaction conducted in capitalist societies have resulted to dehumanization as people are merely taught to memorize lines, actions,…

Sociology

"McDonaldization"

What are the principles that "McDonaldization" (George Ritzer's term) impose on our lives?

The principles of McDonaldization are efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Efficiency with respect to this term means the best way to perform a task or complete an activity. The priority is to create the best mode of production for a product or service. The ability to be unique or show individuality is discouraged and affects the industrial conception of efficiency in a bad way. The priority is the product, not the people. Calculability is the ability to quantify factors and situations. The priority is the quantity of the product rather than the quality of the product. Predictability is the trait of the production process that ensures uniformity among the products. Predictability takes out the element of surprise and of innovation. All products look precisely the same. It is predictable, yet boring. Control refers to substituting…

McDonalidization is creating automated, highly efficient, quantifiable, and homogenized processes and systems. The term refers to the fast food chain but can be witnessed in almost every area of life, from education to entertainment. McDonaldization arguably began with assembly-line production, long before fast food existed. The trend has permeated much more than the industrial domain, and has impacted the ways people live their lives. Although McDonaldization has some benefits, such as increased efficiency, predictability, and standardization, the detriments to McDonalidization include dehumanization, immorality, lack of creativity, and loss of soul.

McDonaldization provides the illusion of saving time, because processes are automated. Many companies find that McDonaldization is necessary for them to meet performance standards or turn a profit. For some companies, it becomes critical to manage supply chains in a way that requires bulk purchasing. A mechanized workforce, literally and figuratively, is also part of the McDonaldization process. Some workforces…

Living in Modernity in Three Easy Steps

Perhaps it is only appropriate that a so-called guidebook to living in modernity is not in fact a book at all, but only a relatively brief overview, encompassing six to nine pages of text, easily condensed for the reader's evaluation into three easy steps. It is short. It can be potentially read and interpreted by a variety of individuals with varying levels of literacy. It is democratic and addresses the reader as part of a collective, but not as someone who is of a particular gender or social or professional hierarchy. It is friendly to those whose attention spans have been shortened by the Internet and the mass media, yet it also creates a program that is inspirational in nature, to the reader's sense of improving the self. It wishes the reader to become a better self, just like everyone else in the…

Another means in which Southwest Airlines resembles McDonald's is given by the very use of the onald McDonald House for charity events. McDonald's has been developing charity actions through sustained donations to the charity houses for nearly four decades now (Website of the onald McDonald House Charities). As of 1983, when a Southwest Airlines pilot lost his daughter to leukemia, the airline operator has also been annually donating money to the charity. Additionally, the company also volunteers employees to help in the charity houses (Airline Industry Information, 2005).

These actions of Southwest can be assessed from two distinct angles -- both similar to the angles of assessing the charity decisions of McDonald's. In this order of ideas, the first angle is constituted by the fact that the companies become respectable members of the community. They show their support to community causes and they are socially responsible by giving back to…

subordination of labor" a necessary condition for establishing an employment relationship? Are there other necessary conditions?

The capitalist take-over of production was at first merely formal. Capitalists took control of production methods via ownership and employed workers in their privately owned factories. Workers agreed to labor for the owners, because they believed that this was a more financially and socially beneficial relationship than working for their own farms, on their own privately owned land. The formal subordination of labor to capital thus is necessary in a situation of private enterprise, where labor can be rented cheaply to work on preexisting property owned by capitalists.

Why is the "real subordination of labor" described as a fundamental aspect of management? How does the unique nature of the human factor make this form of subordination problematic?

It is only later, in part under the pressure of workers' struggles, when capitalists begin to invest…

" In one supreme irony, as McDonald's makes Americans less healthy, McDonald's as a company is dependant on poorly-paid workers who receive few benefits, including healthcare. The workers are disposable as the food and the packaging they assemble for McDonald's patrons. It is in the company's interest not to keep them employed for long, so they remain part-time employees without real healthcare. They learn no skills and do not improve their promotional prospects. And often the only food they can afford, lacking adequate facilities or time to prepare a meal, is a McDonald's meal.

The slaughterhouses where the processed meats that go into McDonald's hamburgers are just as mechanized as McDonald's drive-through, only the cows that move through their doors do not exit intact. Yet the fate of the human executors of these cows is almost as terrible. Working conditions in slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants are dangerous. The workers are…

They think about the break, they go on the break and the come back thinking about the passed break and waiting to the future one. By the time they focus on the actual task, the next break is up. But if they get two breaks, of 30 minutes each, then they will not constantly interrupt their work and the efficiency would increase.

Setting stricter deadlines, but -- as a manager -- being prepared for them to be delayed. This strategy is useful as the stress of an upcoming deadline will often press the employees to be more active and efficient (Schilling, 2007). This does not mean that the employees would be exploited, only that the time allocated to procrastination is decreased.

Developing and implementing a reward system, based on performances. In other words, it would be necessary for the managers at the Junction Hotel to evaluate the efficiency of each…

McDonaldization

Directly linked with cultural globalization and actually deriving from the basic concepts at the forefront of globalized culture - glocalization and grobalization - is McDonaldization. The term is generically used to present the strategies implemented by the American fast food chain in 'conquering' the world, strategies which are now more broadly applied by other companies in various industries. And their strategies are worth analyzing. In ussia for instance, the company's success is given by their early penetration of the market (only a few months after the fall of the Soviet egime) and by their choice to personally run their operations (unlike Subway, KFC or other American emblems which used franchising and failed in ussia). Penetration of the ussian market was a difficult task for the company at least from a legislative stand point, which demands foreign companies to go through 20 or 30 agencies and get between 50 and…

count includes cover page, abstract, table contents, list references appendices; place supporting material exceeds word limit appendices.

Ray Kroc's organizational process of 'McDonaldization' and the birth of the American franchise

One of the great ironies of McDonald's is that a company whose name is synonymous with standardization was actually quite a unique invention when it was born in the mind of the great innovator and entrepreneur Ray Kroc. Kroc was so successful at patenting his formula for creating cheap, predictable burgers, fries and milkshakes that his company's golden arches became an icon of Americana. The word McDonaldization has come to refer to the extent to 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," in the words of sociologist George Ritzer (Waters 1998). Rationalization, efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, according to Ritzer, are…

The mother and grandmother responded to being observed by facial expressions of disapproval, but these were short lived, and both women became more focused on their plates and the child, ignoring that they were being observed. This was an amazing defense mechanism, a false consciousness, which that allowed them to continue manifesting their disorder in a public setting. It was difficult not to experience a sense of empathy for the child, who would no doubt become a product of habitus, or a product of her environment. She is a young child whose own destiny has been sidetracked by her mother's and grandmother's overeating maladies.

Today, the term "McDonaldization" has been applied to the system and syndromes revolving around the fast food industry (Cohen, . And Kennedy, P. 2000, Global Sociology, MacMillan, London, p. 378). However, the hypothesis that is presented here, as a result of this observation study, is that…

Accordingly, the significance of the application of the conflict perspective to American food is that its accuracy is so blatantly valid that it has progressed almost unnoticed through our nation's history. Out of the philosophical roots of Marx, conflict theory has evolved and broadened its scope; today, it is most commonly used to evaluate the legal system, but the core conflict remains that between the proletariats and the owners of the means of production. In this way, the conflicts surrounding the exponentially expanding fast food industry reach between the working class and the social elite. McDonalds's, in particular, represents one of the most glaring examples of how the social elite in society have managed to package, sell, and justify their prominent position in American society to the masses.

The central premise of social conflict theory is that individuals and groups within society generally use their power -- as much of…

In this regard, Francis adds that, "The determining factor will be ASEAN's ability to provide the leadership necessary to create a strong, independent East Asian Union" (Francis, p. 77). In addition, Bowles (2002) notes that the ongoing efforts to create improved Asia/Pacific regional cooperation are fundamentally efforts intended to balance the influence of the United States on the region and the world in general.

4. What are the main hypotheses of the work?

The guiding hypotheses of the proposed study are as follows:

H1: Encouraging China to participate in as a coalition leader in an East Asian Union in the future would serve to ensure that the price it would have to pay in terms of loss of trade and investment if it acts against the interests of the union's other members would be prohibitively high.

H2: Former Cold War alliances will be replaced by new ones in the future…

Kazakhstan's Largest Import Partners

Source: Based on tabular data in Kazakhstan at 4.

As can be seen in Figure 1 and 2 above, although the U.S. does not even occur as a blip on the CIA's economic radar as a trade partner, it is clear that the trend is upward as can be clearly seen from the statistical data below. Historic export data to Kazakhstan is provided by the United National Statistics Division in Table 2 and Figures 3 through 6 below.

Table 2.

Comparison of Exports to Kazakhstan: orld, Russian Federation and the United States (Millions of $U.S.)

Trade partner 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 orld 5,226 5,896 6,486 5,206 5,871 8,788 8,619 12,926 19,938 Russian Federation 2,361 2,480 2,285 1,578 1,146 1,751 1,748 1,967 2,769 United States 43-59-139 70-81 209-159 98 265

Source: United Nations Statistics Division 2008.

Figure 3. Exports to Kazakhstan: Comparison…

Brand Reinvention: The New, Old McDonald's

The name McDonald's is virtually synonymous with the idea of 'branding.' The idea of McDonaldization seems to imply the standardization and Americanization of both culture and food. However, the brand image of McDonald's has in fact gone through a number of reincarnations, over the company's long history. One of the most notable shifts occurred when the company shifted from its slogan of "You deserve a break today," or "It's a good time for the great taste," to "Mmm...I'm lovin' it."

During the 1970s, when more and more women were becoming 'liberated' from the stove, and going to work in record numbers, the idea of being not having to slave over a hot stove was seen as a positive benefit of eating McDonald's hamburgers. The idea that it's always a good time to eat burgers and fries similarly stressed the ease and convenience of fast…

finfacts.com/brands.htm

Levitt, T. Globalization of markets, Harvard Business Review

Ritzer, G. 2004, the Globalization of Nothing, Pine Forge Press, California.

rnoldy, B. ustralia at the crossroads of globalization http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0307/p01s03-wogi.html

James, P. ustralian Social ttitudes ustralian Humanities Review 2006 avaliable online: http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/HR/archive/Issue-pril-2006/james.html

rnoldy, B. ustralia at the crossroads of globalization the Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0307/p01s03-wogi.html

Garrett G., Globalization's Missing Middle Foreign ffairs 2004 http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20041101faessay83608/geoffrey-garrett/globalization-s-missing-middle.html

Sauer-Thompson, G. Globalization and ustralia's future: a big worry http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/philosophy/002932.html

The Economist Intelligence Unit

Sauer-Thompson, G. Globalization and ustralia's future: a big worry http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/philosophy/002932.html

rnoldy, B. ustralia at the crossroads of globalization http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0307/p01s03-wogi.html

James, P. ustralian Social ttitudes ustralian Humanities Review 2006 avaliable online: http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/HR/archive/Issue-pril-2006/james.html

Globalisation is often portrayed as a process of economic, political and cultural homogenisation

popularity of foreign restaurant: consumer attitude and behavior toward foreign cuisines in Bangkok

Thailand as a tourist destination

Thailand has become a tourist destination hotspot for its scenic beauty, the humble nature of their people, and the relative value of foreign currencies relative to the baht. According to EIU ViewsWire (2003), "Growth in the tourism industry in recent years was the result of the depreciation of the baht against non-Asian currencies (which improved competitiveness relative to destinations outside the region), aggressive marketing campaigns and an increase in the number of airlines offering flights to Thailand." (EIU ViewsWire, 2003)

Additionally, according to EIU ViewsWire (2003), "Tourist arrivals rose by 5.8% to just over 10m in 2001, despote the global economic downturn and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., bringing in Bt 295bn (U.S. $6.6 bn) in revenue. Thailand benefited from its reputation as a safe and stable society and…

' The author argued, "[t]he effect, if not always the original intent, of advanced branding is to nudge the hosting culture into the background and make the brands the star. It is not to sponsor culture but to be the culture" (160).

The phenomenon of making of the logo as the culture of society can be traced back to the popularity of event sponsorships as a strategy for brand expansion. In an attempt to make people more aware and familiar with their brands and logos, promotional strategies have become more customized to specific demographics and cultures. As a way to reach out to as many people as possible, companies developed event sponsorships that are unique to a community or group, and, as Klein stated, make their brand and logo the "star" of the event rather than the people or event itself. However, once these cultures are 'penetrated' by the logo,…

In support of this overarching aim, the following objectives were also be used.

Objectives:

he proposed study has three objectives as follows:

1.2.1

o deliver a comprehensive and critical review of the relevant literature concerning the relevant issues.

1.2.2.

o administer a custom survey to various luxury hotel managers concerning their current branding strategies to identify commonalities and significant differences.

1.2.3.

o provide a synthesis of the secondary and primary research that can be used as a set of best industry practices for promoting brand awareness and customer satisfaction in the hotel industry today.

1.3

Statement of Study Problem.

A wide range of factors have been cited in the literature for the growth of branding within the hotel industry, with virtually all authorities agreeing that the basic motive for such initiatives is increased profitability and a sustainable competitive advantage. In this regard, Allen (2007) reports that, "What has recently come…

Schlosser: Fast Food Nation

The fast food industry has been infused into the every nook and corner of American Society over the last three decades. The industry seen to have originated with a few modest hot dog and hamburger of Southern California have been perceived to have extended to every nook and corner of the nation, marketing an extensive range of food products to which affordable customers are found widely. Fast food is presently provided at restaurants and drive-through, at stadiums, airports, zoos, high schools, elementary schools and universities, on cruise ships, trains, and airplanes, at K-Marts, Wal-Marts, gas stations, and also at hospital cafeterias. As per an estimate the total expenditure of Americans on fast food during 1970 was about $6 billion. (Introduction: Fast Food Nation - The Dark Side of the All-American Meal)

The expenditure had a massive increase to about $110 billion in 2000. Americans presently perceive…

" To determine the empathy / entropy paradox is the grave test of our species' aptitude to endure and flourish. At any time a new energy government has congregated with a new communications upheaval, society is pressed toward further difficulty. This time around is serious nevertheless, we may not have sufficient time to change. The Empathic Civilization is rising, but will it happen fast enough to ward off global catastrophe?

The author said, "It is increasing difficult to find anything in the world untouched by globalization" (169). This appears to be a reliable and authoritative theme as the author seems to give modest hope that we will ever come out from a consumerist mindset and way of life. itzer seems to demolish hope that globalization will dwindle and possibly give us glimpses of what once was and no longer will be. There emerges be a core fear of "nothing."

Globalism,…

Globalisation leading cultural damage exploitation uderdeveloped nations peoples." It include (a) Definitions "Globalisation" (b) Logic linking globalisation free market processes liberal creed.

Negative effect of globalization to under developed countries

Globalization has been a widely discussed topic among various authors, economics and business analysts and its' from the studies and research that the essay has been built on.

First the essay will explain what globalization is and some of the characteristics of globalization; secondly essay will try and relate globalization to free market process and the liberal creed after which it explains why social responsibilities need to be integrated to the economic policies of a country, thereafter the essay embark on the topic of study and looks at the negative impact of globalization in under developed countries and the way it has caused irreparable damage to this countries' environment, society and culture without even closing the gap in terms of…

Taylorism' / 'Scientific management.'

Introduction to the Evolvement of Management Theory during the 19th and 20th Century

With the coming of the Industrial age at the turn of the Century, and a new era, came the need for more efficient management techniques. Several Classical Theories evolved during the early years of this discipline. Fordism arose from a synthesis of the other earlier theories. Fayolism philosophy included close communication between bosses and workers. Taylorism developed a theory known as "Scientific Management" to study and set appropriate work quotas based on research. Lillian Gilbreth believed that workers were motivated by both direct and indirect motives. Arthur Gantt developed a task chart to help monitor and plan projects more efficiently.

After the Classical theorists, the Human Relations Movement began to take into account the reasons for individual responses. The first of these theorists was George Elton Mayo who conducted experiments at the General…

school is Doing well?

Performance of Schools in America has been consistently improved through presenting rationalized steps as solutions towards their betterment.

The measurement and formulation of performance and standards regarding the school was intended to take care of the problematic system of the school. The aim of the reforms was to standardize and systemize so that there is a clear picture of the schools for the public to judge the performance. The schools in America are not under the Ministry of Education although there is a department of education in the Federal State. There are fifty educational departments in the U.S. which serve around fifty two million people in more than one million schools. Among the different solutions presented, rationalized steps were the only solution used to improve the performance of schools. The concept of rationalization has a lot of features. (a) The outcome of the rubrics and standards…

International Education

There are several models that identify different formats for international higher education, and the focus in this paper will be on just two of those models. hen looking at international educational models, there is a dramatic difference between the Cross Border Model (CBM) and International Student Mobility (ISM). Those two models will be compared and contrasted in this paper.

International Student Mobility

According to the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) among the oldest models of international education is the model of "International Student Mobility" -- the model in which a student moves to another country in order to attend a higher educational institution in that foreign country (Bernardo, 2002). The countries that draw the most students from abroad include: the U.S. (which receives around 30% of all foreign students); France; Germany, the UK; Russia; Japan; Australia; Canada; Belgium; Switzerland; Austria; and Italy (Bernardo, 7). Bernardo explains that…

Globalisation Led to a Convergence of Business Cultures and Practices?

Globalisation, generally defined as the economic, political, and cultural convergence of the world, is undoubtedly a major hallmark of the modern world (French, 2010). The world has increasingly become interconnected in terms of economic activities, communication, technology, social aspects, as well as politics. Indeed, the once diversified and distanced world has converged into a small global village because of globalisation. Globalisation has led to the interdependence of not only politics and economic activities, but also culture (Grewal, 2008). Cultural convergence is now a widely-recognised phenomenon (Cojocaru, 2011). Owing to increased contact amongst people from diverse cultural backgrounds, cultural practices have become ever more similar, consequently resulting in the convergence of business cultures and practices. Organisations now experience lesser cultural difficulties when doing business across cultures. As a result, the study of comparative business cultures may be becoming less relevant. While…

Globalization arguably began even before Marco Polo’s expeditions, possibly being traceable to Alexander the Great’s establishment of overland routes between Eastern Europe and India. The assumption that globalization equals Americanization is profoundly arrogant, and is also ignorant of the history, meaning, and implications of globalization. Globalization implies integration and interdependence of the world. Predating the United States of America, globalization nevertheless reached a peak in the 20th century, when a globalized economic, political, and cultural landscape became inevitable and entrenched. While it seemed that McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Shell, and other proudly American companies have dominated the corporate landscape of a globalized international economy, a wealth of non-American companies have likewise participated in the dissemination and distribution of ideas and neoliberal policies that characterize postmodern globalization.

In some ways, globalization is the antithesis of Americanization. As Collins (2015) points out, globalization “has led to the continuing deindustrialization of America,” as labor…

The ethics of using labor at rates far below what would be necessary in their own nations, with no requirement of paying healthcare, no workers' compensation insurance, no unemployment insurance, or even the threat of unionization sadly ensure this practice will continue. Yet when one considers this aspect of westernization it is clear that globalization in fact does not provide benefits to everyone in the long-run.

Towards a More Egalitarian Model of Globalization

Instead of blindly moving into a specific region or nation of the world and developing either one of several factory types as defined by Ferdows in much of his work on globalization of manufacturing, or attempting to create entirely new distribution channels to sell to residents, companies need instead to take a more egalitarian approach to global expansion. In their article the End of Corporate Imperialism, Prahalad & Lieberthal (et.al.) and in Dr. Prahalads' book the Fortune…

Crash

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Crash

Crash is a 2004 film that analyzes racial and social tensions that are rampant in society. Crash is divided into a series of vignettes that converge through a series of automobile accidents. The film features an all-star cast that includes Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Pena, Chris Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frasier, Terence Howard, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, and Thandie Newton. Issues of race and ethnicity, in addition to gender, can be seen in the storyline that involves Dillon, Phillipe, Howard, and Newton.

In the film, Matt Dillon plays racist LAPD Officer John Ryan and Ryan Phillipe is his more tolerant partner, Tom Hansen. In the film, Ryan and Hansen pull over TV director Cameron Thayer and his wife, Christine, because the vehicle that they are driving matches the description of a vehicle that was recently stolen. In the first encounter…