Term Papers on McDonaldization Of Society

Term Paper Title	McDonaldization Of Society
# of Words	1240
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.96

McDonaldization of Society

     McDonaldization of society, could the structure of such a
familiar fast-food chain-store be turned around and analyzed as that of
an intense bureaucratic structure showing other institutes how to expand
and exist? Acording to Robert Keel's article "The McDonalfization of
Society", in the Decemer 1989 issue of Psycholgoy Today, it already
has.
     Ever since McDonalds sprund to existance in the middle of the
20th century, it has grown immensly to approx 12,000 outlets world-wide.
Developing into a necessity for people, McDonalds has been a typical
chain-store on nearly every major intersection.  This chain-store has
also been imitated by all sorts of corporations, regardless of the
sector that might have been in, Toy Stores [Toys 'R Us], Newspapers
[USA Today], and many more have followed being coined George Ritz's
term of "the McDonaldization of Society".
     The term McDonaldization of Society referring to the formal
organization characterized by a heir-archial struture format which
McDonalds displayed. A beaurocracy was exactly what McDonalds was, t
had all the features of a beaurocracy, a division of labour (frier,
cashier, managers, etc..), written rules and legislations (how to cut
slabs of cheese, how many slices to get from the slab and the procedure
on how to put the cheese slices on the food product).  This format
guided the employees to produce virtually everything with maximum
efficiency.  This beaurocratic structure whihc mcDonlds employed
managed to have five dominant themes: efficiency, calculability
predictability, Increased control and the replaecment of human by
non-human technology.
     Efficiency is the process of choosing the optimum means to
reach a given end.  This method is usually the only option offered in a
society following the McDonaldization theory, therefore, efficiency
becomes a rationalization.
     An example use to the show the use of efficiency is a typical
salad bar at a restaurant.  Instead of expecting a plate with salad on
it from the chef you are to go up to the salad-bar and serve yourself.
This ends up with us 'customers' doing most of the work and in addition
usually paying more for this aility, a sense of ineffient efficiency on
the customers part.
     Predictability is another key feature which would indicate a
McDonaldization society.  Emphasis on predicatability gives customers
the sense of that no matter which georgaphic location they might be in,
they can always expect the same standard.  This gives people the idea
that they won't expect a bad burger from one chain store and a good one
from another.
     Calculability allows, all things to be calculated counted and
quantified.  Quanitfication refers us to lead to an erraneous conclusion
that more of a product is better; hence, terms such as a 'Big Mac' and
'Supersize' are famous and ordered for they are assumed to be better in
quality since there is more food on the plate.
     Increased control and replacement of human by non-human
technology is basically a theory where the less humans you have
working, the chances of causing an error are significantly reduced. The
less humans you have working for you also means that you have greater
control  over the productions since it would be mainly non-human
technology doing the work.
     Already the substitution of non-human technology for humans has
occurred.  Flying an aeroplane is now mostly done by a computer itself,
the pilot is basically needed to simply overlook the operations and
incase of an emergency.
     Rational systems undobtedly start a new series of irrationality
that eventually comromise and perhaps undermine their rationality.
Having to wait in a long line during peak times at fast food
restaurants to obtain food which is unhealthy. To raise our children on
this idealogy and also rob ourselves of our basic 'family events',
where the family gets a chance during a hectic day to sit and talk and
have a meal s now substituted with an Extra Value meal which tastes the
same,you made yourself work for it...

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