McDonaldization is a McWord developed by sociologistGeorge Ritzer in his 1993 book The McDonaldization of Society. For Ritzer, "McDonaldization" is when a society adopts the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant. The process of McDonaldization can be summarized as the way in which "the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of recent[quantify] idea about the worldwide homogenization of cultures due to globalization.[1]
McDonaldization is a reconceptualization of rationalization and scientific management. Where Max Weber used the model of the bureaucracy to represent the direction of this changing society, Ritzer sees the fast-food restaurant as a more representative contemporary paradigm.[2]
Ritzer highlighted four primary components of McDonaldization:
Efficiency – the optimal method for accomplishing a task. In this context, Ritzer has a very specific meaning of "efficiency". In the example of McDonald's customers, it is the fastest way to get from being hungry to being full. Efficiency in McDonaldization means that every aspect of the organization is geared toward the minimization of time.[3]
Calculability – objective should be quantifiable (e.g., sales) rather than subjective (e.g. taste). McDonaldization developed the notion that quantity equals quality, and that a large amount of product delivered to the customer in a short amount of time is the same as a high quality product. This allows people to quantify how much they are getting versus how much they are paying. Organizations want consumers to believe that they are getting a large amount of product for not a lot of money. Workers in these organizations are judged by how fast they are instead of the quality of work they do.[3]
Predictability – standardized and uniform services. "Predictability" means that no matter where a person goes, they will receive the same service and receive the same product every time when interacting with the McDonaldized organization. This also applies to the workers in those organizations. Their tasks are highly repetitive, highly routine, and predictable.[3]
Control – standardized and uniform employees, replacement of human by non-human technologies
With these four principles of the fast food industry, a strategy which is rational within a narrow scope can lead to outcomes that are harmful or irrational. As these processes spread to other parts of society, modern society's new social and cultural characteristics are created. For example, as McDonald's enters a country and consumer patterns are unified, cultural hybridization occurs.
De-McDonaldization
Organizations have been making an effort to deny the rationalization of McDonaldization. Efforts are related to focusing on quality instead of quantity, enjoying the unpredictability of service and product and employing more skilled workers without any outside control. Protests have also been rising in nation-states in order to slow down the process of McDonaldization and to protect their localization and traditional value.[4]
Some local case studies show how adjusting the rational model of McDonald's to suit local cultural preferences results in a diminution of the original McDonald's product. The more the company adjusts to local conditions, the more appeal the scientific calculations of the specifically American product may be lost. This can be used to justify McDonald's uniform approach. The ubiquity of McDonald's and the uniformity of its practices is a contributing factor to globalization.[5]
Examples
Junk food news, defined here as inoffensive and trivial news served up in palatable portions, is an example of McDonaldization. Another example could be McUniversities, which features modularized curricula, delivering degrees in a fast-track pick-and-mix fashion to satisfy all tastes. The diminished quality of these products can only be disguised by extensive advertising which constantly repackages them to look new.[6]
In penology, there has been a shift from punishments and treatment tailored to individual offenders, to attempting to control classes of offenders who are considered to be at high risk of recidivism through standardized penalties, such as those specified by three-strikes laws or sentencing guidelines. Offenders are classified by security level and sent to facilities deemed capable of adequately incapacitating prisoners in their risk category. Technology such as electronic surveillance, electronic monitoring, urinalysis, and computer-based offender tracking systems are often used in place of humans in the penal system.[7]
Response of McDonald's
The response from McDonald's, expressed by its representatives in the United Kingdom, is that Ritzer, like other commentators, uses the company's size and brand recognition to promote ideas that do not necessarily relate to the company's business practices.[8]
Education
It has been argued by a westerner that an example of the phenomenon of McDonaldization can be seen in education, where there is seen to be increasing similarity between that of Western classrooms and the rest of the world. Slater[9] argues that the class size, layout and pedagogy in Peru closely resemble that of America, with clear examples of Western culture focused on efficiency of transfer of knowledge in other parts of the world. Furthermore, Slater[9] goes on to demonstrate that the McDonaldization of education could have many negative side effects; particularly that it does not promote inquiry or creativity. Therefore, schools will become less effective at educating children as they will fail to develop critical and creative thinkers.
According to Wong, the influence of McDonaldization has also affected Higher Education classrooms.[10]
Efficiency – Computer graded exams limit the amount of time necessary for instructors to grade their students.[10]
Calculability – Letter Grades and Grade Point Averages are used and calculated to measure a student's success over the course of their academic career.[10]
Predictability – Course availability and requirements have become more standardized amongst universities, making it easier to find similar courses and content at different locations.[10]
Control – Courses are structured very specifically and must meet certain requirements and follow certain guidelines. Courses begin and end at the same time on the same predetermined days and last for a specific number of weeks.[10]
A study by Carroll (2013) describes how e-learning has become one of the biggest phenomena of educational literature in recent years. Although the potential promise of e-learning is often expected within the process of learning, much of the emphasis is in fact on the electronic issues to facilitate learning, with little regard for its consequences on the learning process. Consequently, this often erodes the human factor in learning – making the learning process a more isolated experience. This article suggests that academics should become more cautious with their acceptance of facilitating learning through e-learning platforms without fully understanding the impact on students learning experiences. It also explores the changing role of students in discovering, questioning, and seeking knowledge into that of ‘consumers of pre-packed education.[11]
The McDonaldization of Education is not only limited to physical classroom settings. It is predicted by George Ritzer[12] that MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) will make future education even more McDonaldized. While it is possible to create a new original MOOC every semester, it is more likely a basic structure will be created and subsequently altered each time in order to make their creation more efficient. Over time as the interest and quality of MOOCs increases, the same pre recorded MOOCs may be used by many different universities, creating predictable content for MOOC students. Computer graded exams will be used more frequently than written essay exams to make it more efficient for the instructors. Yet since MOOCs limit the amount of contact between student and teacher, it will be difficult to engage the course on a deeper and more meaningful level.[12]
^ abcRitzer, George (2009). The McDonaldization of Society. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press. doi:10.4135/9781446279007. ISBN978-0-7619-8812-0.
^Ritzer, George (2008). The McDonaldization of Society. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press. pp. 351–384. ISBN978-07619-8812-0.
^Turner, Bryan S. (2003). "McDonaldization: Linearity and Liquidity in Consumer Cultures". American Behavioral Scientist. 47 (2): 137–153. doi:10.1177/0002764203256180. S2CID 220676247.
^John Scott and Gordon Marshall (eds.), "McDonaldization". A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. 8 Apr. 2013
^Shichor, David (1997). "Three Strikes as a Public Policy: The Convergence of the New Penology and the McDonaldization of Punishment". Crime & Delinquency. 43 (4): 470–492. doi:10.1177/0011128797043004005. S2CID 145111157.
^McDonald's UK. "Questions Answered". Make up your own mind. Retrieved 2007-09-15. Due to the global scale of the McDonald’s business, many commentators seek to use its brand and international presence to support various positions and theories that they wish to put forward.
^Carroll, Noel (2013). (PDF). European Journal of Higher Education. 3 (4): 342–356. doi:10.1080/21568235.2013.833405. S2CID 54702355. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-01.
Resisting McDonaldization, ed. Barry Smart (OCLC 1243595390)
Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia by James L. Watson (OCLC 237048310)
Sociology of Consumption: Fast Food, Credit Cards and Casinos, ed. George Ritzer (OCLC 966077765)
The McDonaldization of Higher Education, ed. Dennis Hayes & Robert Wynyard (doi:10.4324/9781315270654)
Enchanting a Disenchanted World by George Ritzer (OCLC 632375942)
The McDonaldization of the Church by John Drane (OCLC 315753136)
January 09, 2023
mcdonaldization, mcword, developed, sociologist, george, ritzer, 1993, book, society, ritzer, when, society, adopts, characteristics, fast, food, restaurant, process, summarized, which, principles, fast, food, restaurant, coming, dominate, more, more, sectors,. McDonaldization is a McWord developed by sociologist George Ritzer in his 1993 book The McDonaldization of Society For Ritzer McDonaldization is when a society adopts the characteristics of a fast food restaurant The process of McDonaldization can be summarized as the way in which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of recent quantify idea about the worldwide homogenization of cultures due to globalization 1 McDonaldization is a reconceptualization of rationalization and scientific management Where Max Weber used the model of the bureaucracy to represent the direction of this changing society Ritzer sees the fast food restaurant as a more representative contemporary paradigm 2 Contents 1 Aspects 2 De McDonaldization 3 Examples 4 Response of McDonald s 5 Education 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingAspectsRitzer highlighted four primary components of McDonaldization Efficiency the optimal method for accomplishing a task In this context Ritzer has a very specific meaning of efficiency In the example of McDonald s customers it is the fastest way to get from being hungry to being full Efficiency in McDonaldization means that every aspect of the organization is geared toward the minimization of time 3 Calculability objective should be quantifiable e g sales rather than subjective e g taste McDonaldization developed the notion that quantity equals quality and that a large amount of product delivered to the customer in a short amount of time is the same as a high quality product This allows people to quantify how much they are getting versus how much they are paying Organizations want consumers to believe that they are getting a large amount of product for not a lot of money Workers in these organizations are judged by how fast they are instead of the quality of work they do 3 Predictability standardized and uniform services Predictability means that no matter where a person goes they will receive the same service and receive the same product every time when interacting with the McDonaldized organization This also applies to the workers in those organizations Their tasks are highly repetitive highly routine and predictable 3 Control standardized and uniform employees replacement of human by non human technologiesWith these four principles of the fast food industry a strategy which is rational within a narrow scope can lead to outcomes that are harmful or irrational As these processes spread to other parts of society modern society s new social and cultural characteristics are created For example as McDonald s enters a country and consumer patterns are unified cultural hybridization occurs De McDonaldizationOrganizations have been making an effort to deny the rationalization of McDonaldization Efforts are related to focusing on quality instead of quantity enjoying the unpredictability of service and product and employing more skilled workers without any outside control Protests have also been rising in nation states in order to slow down the process of McDonaldization and to protect their localization and traditional value 4 Some local case studies show how adjusting the rational model of McDonald s to suit local cultural preferences results in a diminution of the original McDonald s product The more the company adjusts to local conditions the more appeal the scientific calculations of the specifically American product may be lost This can be used to justify McDonald s uniform approach The ubiquity of McDonald s and the uniformity of its practices is a contributing factor to globalization 5 ExamplesJunk food news defined here as inoffensive and trivial news served up in palatable portions is an example of McDonaldization Another example could be McUniversities which features modularized curricula delivering degrees in a fast track pick and mix fashion to satisfy all tastes The diminished quality of these products can only be disguised by extensive advertising which constantly repackages them to look new 6 In penology there has been a shift from punishments and treatment tailored to individual offenders to attempting to control classes of offenders who are considered to be at high risk of recidivism through standardized penalties such as those specified by three strikes laws or sentencing guidelines Offenders are classified by security level and sent to facilities deemed capable of adequately incapacitating prisoners in their risk category Technology such as electronic surveillance electronic monitoring urinalysis and computer based offender tracking systems are often used in place of humans in the penal system 7 Response of McDonald sThe response from McDonald s expressed by its representatives in the United Kingdom is that Ritzer like other commentators uses the company s size and brand recognition to promote ideas that do not necessarily relate to the company s business practices 8 EducationIt has been argued by a westerner that an example of the phenomenon of McDonaldization can be seen in education where there is seen to be increasing similarity between that of Western classrooms and the rest of the world Slater 9 argues that the class size layout and pedagogy in Peru closely resemble that of America with clear examples of Western culture focused on efficiency of transfer of knowledge in other parts of the world Furthermore Slater 9 goes on to demonstrate that the McDonaldization of education could have many negative side effects particularly that it does not promote inquiry or creativity Therefore schools will become less effective at educating children as they will fail to develop critical and creative thinkers According to Wong the influence of McDonaldization has also affected Higher Education classrooms 10 Efficiency Computer graded exams limit the amount of time necessary for instructors to grade their students 10 Calculability Letter Grades and Grade Point Averages are used and calculated to measure a student s success over the course of their academic career 10 Predictability Course availability and requirements have become more standardized amongst universities making it easier to find similar courses and content at different locations 10 Control Courses are structured very specifically and must meet certain requirements and follow certain guidelines Courses begin and end at the same time on the same predetermined days and last for a specific number of weeks 10 A study by Carroll 2013 describes how e learning has become one of the biggest phenomena of educational literature in recent years Although the potential promise of e learning is often expected within the process of learning much of the emphasis is in fact on the electronic issues to facilitate learning with little regard for its consequences on the learning process Consequently this often erodes the human factor in learning making the learning process a more isolated experience This article suggests that academics should become more cautious with their acceptance of facilitating learning through e learning platforms without fully understanding the impact on students learning experiences It also explores the changing role of students in discovering questioning and seeking knowledge into that of consumers of pre packed education 11 The McDonaldization of Education is not only limited to physical classroom settings It is predicted by George Ritzer 12 that MOOCs Massive Open Online Courses will make future education even more McDonaldized While it is possible to create a new original MOOC every semester it is more likely a basic structure will be created and subsequently altered each time in order to make their creation more efficient Over time as the interest and quality of MOOCs increases the same pre recorded MOOCs may be used by many different universities creating predictable content for MOOC students Computer graded exams will be used more frequently than written essay exams to make it more efficient for the instructors Yet since MOOCs limit the amount of contact between student and teacher it will be difficult to engage the course on a deeper and more meaningful level 12 See also Society portal Companies portal Business and economics portalAmericanization Cocacolonization Cultural globalization Disneyfication Fast Food Nation 2001 book Food Inc Fordism Globalization Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention Jihad vs McWorld McWords McWorld Super Size Me 2004 documentary film WalmartingReferences Pieterse Jan Nederveen Globalization and Culture Global Melange Rowman amp Littlefield 2009 3 28 Ritzer 2004 553 a b c Ritzer George 2009 The McDonaldization of Society Los Angeles Pine Forge Press doi 10 4135 9781446279007 ISBN 978 0 7619 8812 0 Ritzer George 2008 The McDonaldization of Society Los Angeles Pine Forge Press pp 351 384 ISBN 978 07619 8812 0 Turner Bryan S 2003 McDonaldization Linearity and Liquidity in Consumer Cultures American Behavioral Scientist 47 2 137 153 doi 10 1177 0002764203256180 S2CID 220676247 John Scott and Gordon Marshall eds McDonaldization A Dictionary of Sociology 1998 8 Apr 2013 Shichor David 1997 Three Strikes as a Public Policy The Convergence of the New Penology and the McDonaldization of Punishment Crime amp Delinquency 43 4 470 492 doi 10 1177 0011128797043004005 S2CID 145111157 McDonald s UK Questions Answered Make up your own mind Retrieved 2007 09 15 Due to the global scale of the McDonald s business many commentators seek to use its brand and international presence to support various positions and theories that they wish to put forward a b Slater 1999 a b c d e Wong 2010 Carroll Noel 2013 E learning the McDonaldization of education PDF European Journal of Higher Education 3 4 342 356 doi 10 1080 21568235 2013 833405 S2CID 54702355 Archived from the original PDF on 2018 12 01 a b Ritzer 2013 Ritzer G 2013 MOOCs and the McDonaldisation of Education Introduction to Sociology http georgeritzer wordpress com 2013 01 12 moocs and the mcdonaldization of education Date accessed 30 October 2013 Slater R O 1999 trans La MacDonalizacion de la Educacion Educacion Vol 8 No 15 http firgoa usc es drupal node 5029 Date accessed 30 October 2013 Wong D 2010 http www stanford edu group ccr ccrblog 2010 02 mcdonaldization and higher edu html Date accessed 30 October 2013 Further readingThe McDonaldization of Society by George Ritzer ISBN 0 7619 8812 2 McDonaldization The Reader by George Ritzer ISBN 0 7619 8767 3 The McDonaldization Thesis Explorations and Extensions by George Ritzer ISBN 0 7619 5540 2 McCitizens by Bryan Turner OCLC 7385339725 Resisting McDonaldization ed Barry Smart OCLC 1243595390 Golden Arches East McDonald s in East Asia by James L Watson OCLC 237048310 Sociology of Consumption Fast Food Credit Cards and Casinos ed George Ritzer OCLC 966077765 The McDonaldization of Higher Education ed Dennis Hayes amp Robert Wynyard doi 10 4324 9781315270654 Enchanting a Disenchanted World by George Ritzer OCLC 632375942 The McDonaldization of the Church by John Drane OCLC 315753136 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title McDonaldization amp oldid 1103358249, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
