5 Assignment 08

Toniann German

Soc: #8

Mcdonaldization is a term invented by George Ritzer. It is used to describe the process of rationalization in today’s society. McDonaldization is the process in which principles of fast food restaurants have begun to dominate very aspect of society. We are living in a fast pace world where people are obsessed being able to calculate, predict and control as much as they possible can. The reason for this is because of fast food establishments like Mc Donald’s that feeds off society by making their products convenient and affordable. The process of Mcdonaldization takes one task and breaks it down as small as possible. The task is rationalized to see how it can become more efficient. For example, making a hamburger might take you ten minutes however if you only had one job in the process of making the burger you may be able to produce 10 or 20 burgers in ten minutes. George Ritzer goes more in depth with this idea by describing the five dimensions of Mcdonaldization.

Efficiency: Efficiency is the best and fastest method for completing a task Ritzer discusses the efficiency seen into Todays societies as we step away from our stoves and kitchen mittens and move more towards fast food or frozen foods. Due to this we see an increase in food production in fast food industries hence the reason for wanting to create more at a faster pace and create foods that do not take long to cook.

The second principle is predictability: if things are predicable then we tend to feel more secure. Ritzer describes our predictability when it comes to food, because we are familiar with how food taste from fast food we will never question or worry about that changing. This reminds me of small medium and large sizes that are offered. With this option one can predict how much food will come each container. Predictability spreads like a virus, taking over our communities so that things seem more familiar to us and give us comfort. As a result, shopping areas, fast food restaurants, highways, traffic signs, and even schools are pretty predicable in appearance.

The third and fourth dimensions of Mcdonaldization is control and calculability, it is the focuses on the quantity of a product rather than the quality of a product.

The fifth dimensions involved. One of the issues that arise due to Mcdonaldization is the replacement of human workers for technology. Technology is replacing the need for human workers, this is because industries crave predictability and countability, while trying to eliminate uncertainties.

This connects to Max Weber in that his idea of rationalization was the process of replacing traditions with efficiency. With Ritzers explanation of Mcdonaldization we see that family traditions such as home cooked meal and family dinners are disappearing and are being seen as an inconvenience in the lives of this new upcoming fast pasted society.

Ritzer describes rationalization with an example of a system that has been developed by one of the biggest fast food corporations in the world. McDonalds has evolved to create a comfortable and efficient fast-food dining experience that has also shaped society and developed a system in to accommodate today’s family dinner style.

Ritzer breaks down Mcdonaldization into a system of five dimensions. The first dimension is efficieny. In the Mcdonaldization process, the main goal is to take advantage of the modern day family limitations of being able to sit down and have a home cooked meal by creating the most efficient dining experience. (Ritzer 372)

The next dimension is Predictability. In Mcdonaldization, a standard menu and taste has been created to ensure that no matter which Mcdonalds you visit, you will get an almost identical experience with looks, service and taste. This creates comfort and trust so that people continue to visit anywhere they are and can receive that feeling of familiarity. (Ritzer 374)

The third dimension is calculability and quantity. This component in Mcdonaldization, we experience the emphasis on size of a burger or the number of customers that McDonalds has instead of focusing on the quality of the food. This is just another method used to detour people from possibly nutrition and focuses more on supersizing meals and popularity of the restaurant. (Ritzer 375)

The fourth and fifth dimension is substitution of non-human technology and control. In the Mcdonaldiztion process, the key is to have that assembly line like system in order to be quick, efficient and to give that uniform experience at any Mcdonalds location. Some examples of this are the use of machinery to make the food or to train the employees that they do have in a way that makes the experience the same because they are trained to behave in a robot like manner. Saying the same exact thing and using machinery to do most of their work. It is just a matter of pushing buttons rather than thinking. This rational system ultimately creates the control over their workers in order to make them both quickly replaceable or to phase out the need for a human being. Not only controlling the employee but also controlling the customers maneuvering throughout the restaurant or drive thru.

All of these dimensions of rationalism are similar to the theories of Max Weber. Weber’s description of the Spirit of Capitalism explains the process by which capitalist have a system generated to control consumers in the similar fashion as Mcdonalization. Also, in the theory of the Protestant work ethic, we see that the idea of making things by hand or being a craftsman is looked down upon or becomes obsolete. The Protestant work ethic is a more elite way of living such as Mcdonaldization with technology.

McDonaldization is the term George Ritzer uses to describe the traits that modern American society finds itself acquiring as it moves towards revamping rationalization. Our capitalist society’s main goal is to achieve maximum cheap production through speed and efficiency. In doing so it starts to mirror the fast food industries principles of operation. As per George Ritzer, there are five principles that make up McDonaldization and our modern society seems to be moving more in that direction.

The first principle is Efficiency, which is the emphasis on looking for the best and fastest route to reaching the set goal. An example of this is how the fast food restaurants want to produce the fastest way to feed it’s customers by cutting corners in production. This is also true, with the busy modern families who want to find the fastest way to feed their families when they are on the go; therefore they find themselves either eating at a fast food restaurant or having frozen TV dinners.

The second principle is Predictability: It is to always know what you are getting. Fast food restaurants only offer a limited menu, as they don’t want to take chances in making any changes on the tastes of their menu items. Our society wants to know what to expect that is why TV dinners are so popular, as they tend to consist of the same entries; they are either Chicken with mash potatoes, turkey with roasted potatoes or something very similar.

The third principle is Calculability: It is the emphasis of quantity rather than quality. This is seen as how McDonalds advertises how many billions of hamburgers they have served versus telling us how delicious their hamburgers are. We see this in our modern school system as it places it’s emphasis on the standardized exams and the students are then reduced to their scores.

The fourth principle is Substitution of Nonhuman Technology: In the effort to limit human error, companies take away the human skills and build them into technology. For example most cash registers now have the prices of their menus items already program into them. Most individuals now days can’t seem to live without their smart phones. There is no need to call for the operator as they can use their phones for assistance.

The fifth principle is Control: It is to standardize a set of rule. This is used as companies / fast food industry want to control how their employees do their jobs to maximize their productivity. We also see how control comes into play as parents set many different rules to try to keep their unruly children in line.

Max Weber and George Ritzer both explain economic rationalization in their own terms. Max Weber explains the spirit of capitalism as the ideas and set values of hard work that derived from the protestant reform as the major contributors to the rational pursuit of economic gain. The Protestant work ethic influenced their people to work hard that in return contribute to the accumulation of wealth and the growth of capitalism. As per George Ritzer, McDonaldization is based on the principles that thrive in a vast consumption based economy that is goal oriented and in return fuels Capitalism.

In this reading, George Ritzer hypothesizes a conversion into a more McDonaldization society. These societies reflect the way McDonald’s are efficiently run and how its uniformity is superior to excellence and personalization. This form of rationalized thinking for life coincides with Max Weber describes in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, in the sense of how economical businesses are run.

George Ritzer speaks of a very rational society while speaking of McDonaldization. This outlook motives a purposefully obtainable systematic order to achieve one’s end goals. Ritzer offers a coherent step by step breaks down of five dimensions. The rationalized dimensions for society all coincide with our economy as workers and consumers. This results as a mean for supply and demand.

Firstly, Ritzer notes the best way to achieve an end goal is through efficiency. With the use of a metaphor, he illustrates our efficiency. The transformation of how we obtain our meals has changed for with the notion of efficiency. We’ve gone from cooking all day in the kitchen prepping our meals from scratch and the pass down recipes, to frozen TV dinners. The extremes of our eating patterns have resulted in the measure of taking out and fast food restaurants.

Then, Ritzer emphasizes the importance of predictability.  Formation of patterns affects what we purchase in our daily lives. In continuous with the food method, he emphasizes the relationship we share with food and our senses of the familiar. If this meal tasted good a few months ago, it should taste equally as good tomorrow, a taste for predictability coincides with what we perceived as efficient. The notion of a predictable notion equates to a mindset of comfort and security.

Next, Ritzer disputes the need for measuring the quality of things VS. quantity. This battle offers its own challenges as it is based on personal experiences and opinion. Purchasing the best quality gives the consumer the same security as predictability. The downfall of measuring life is that all things cannot be scaled a numerate measurement, such as things like food, and employment.

Fourthly, Ritzer gives insight on the replacement of man by technology. Fast food employees will eventually be replaced by machines. The workers that remained will be given a very specific job with zero room for creativity, and no form of hands-on craftsmanship will be given.

Lastly, Ritzer simply brings clarity to the notion of the importance of having some control over various elements of their lives.

George Ritzer describes McDonalization as a wide range process of rationalization that is occurring in American society. McDonalization is the idea that we as human beings have to live a fast pace life using fast food, nonhuman technology using efficient appliances, efficiency and predictability. He uses this metaphor in order to help us visualized how fast food restaurants are the present-day examples of how rationalization develops. And how all these advantages are in place to distract us from seeing all the negative effects of living in this society and what is causing us. (Ritzer p.372) mentions that we are ultimately concerned with the irrational consequences that often flow from rational systems.

George Ritzer explained that McDonalization and rationalization go hand and hand because rationalization leads to McDonalization which is a fast pace society. The relationship between Ritzer and Weber is that in (p.6) the Spirit of Capitalism is best understood as part of the development of rationalism as a whole, and this is deduced from the fundamental position of rationalism on the basic problems of life. In Ritzer McDonalization its understood as part of bureaucracy and society although in contemporary America is no longer bureaucracy, rationalism developed into McDonalization. A society that focuses on doing things efficiently an on finding the best and fastest way of doing things. (Ritzer p.372) He mentions McDonalization brings efficiency in the work force but we need to be careful because it replaces humans with non-human technology (machines). Ritzer and Weber are speaking on changes to society. Ritzer talks about the changes and the effect living in a fast pace society is causing on people. How we are used to going too fast food restaurants and how technology is taking over our jobs. Another part of rationalization is the effort we make to guarantee predictability from all the places we go, and if predictability is not offer or we are uncertain about what is going to happen we prefer not to be involved.  For example: how we go to McDonalds and how they have different stations where we can place our order without needing a person to help us. This is a good and a bad thing because it makes the process of ordering food faster and more efficient, it is also a bad thing because it replaces people jobs with machines. Weber on (p.7) was speaking more on how rationalism is a historical concept which covers a whole world of different directions just like McDonalization does and how was helping change capitalism.

According to Ritzer, McDonaldization is broken down into four different components, which are efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. He wants us to understand that society and human plays a big part in this social structure. He compares McDonaldization to fast food restaurants and when we think about fast food we think of something quick. Fast food restaurants are dominating the society. That is the efficiency part of fast food, it is convenient, it is the fastest way of getting something without losing time. He explains this on page3, how the food production, and the organized productivity makes it more efficient for us to sit all day, and more efficient means a good thing for some! With so many fast-food chains all over the place it gives the people something quick a reliable, Its quality over quantity. In the end of it all as consumers we are always going to receive the same service for the same product every time and that is the way society is always going to be controlled. It is not going to change, the only thing that is going to change is humans are going to be replaced by machines. On page 6, he says that manual work is history and we are going to replace human technology with non human technology. We are basically getting rid of humans, period. Everything now, is pre-packed or automated and you are basically not required to think anymore, just put the button and you are done! He says that we should be able to rationalize things in a good way. Human act on things and they don’t think rationally, saying” I want think” rather than, “its not good for me.” Its all about the quickness. Comparing this to Max Weber, these kinds of work puts a stop in society and a stop in human creativity. Humans suffer from these bureaucracies because its no longer an interaction but a business. Technology has has such a big impact in our lives, that it is almost impossible to get away from. Our lives are already in control, how much more are we going to let it control us. People are being replaced by machines as much as possible, and it makes it that much easier for us. Its changing the society. Ritzers argument is that it is taking a toll on all aspects of our lives and this is the kind of thing that leads to many other problems in the future.

“McDonaldization” is the way society adopts the characteristics of the fast food restaurants. A nation driven by rationality, speed and efficiency. Ritzer used the success of the fast food restaurants as a metaphor to explain the trends happening in society.

The Ritzer’s work states five key aspects by which fast food restaurant’s work production and consumption can be compared. These aspects are calculability, efficiency, predictability, substitution of nonhuman technology and control over uncertainty.

The way fast food restaurants are set up to provide food fast make it more convenient, efficient at a high speed for people on the go anywhere at anytime make it efficient which cut time and cost. He spoke about predictable where he compared TV dinners with home cooking from scratch and which one is more predictable than the other. He also spoke about calculability which is the emphasis on quantity over quality. Where he uses McDonald’s burger to make his point about how they tell you about how many burgers were sold than the quality of its burgers.

Also, he touches on the recent events that is happening in society where machines is starting to replace humans in the workplace. For example, the self-help machines in the lobby McDonalds, the ones in the AT&T stores even the ATM machines in the banks they replaced the tellers. It’s funny when he stated that McDonalds haven’t had robots serving food yet which at the rate we are moving it’s a matter of time before it happen. But he stated that their work make them act like robots due to the automated work that they must perform for example drink dispensers that stops when cups are filled. What I found most interesting is when he mentioned religion and mentioned drive in churches and the replacement of human by television screens.

He then draws on control where he states that corporations also have control over uncertainties of life, death, birth, and production and control over the employees and customer who they serve. For example, drive through windows at night when the stores are closed.

The relationship between “McDonaldization” and the economic rationalization of Max Weber is that is used to represent the direction of the changing society. The principles of how the fast food restaurant is dominating society while weber spoke about how religion is pushing capitalism. So, both speak about the force behind the changes in society. Ritzer states that efficiency. Predictability, control and substitution are the force pushing the change in his article.

In his essay, George Ritzer posits that there has become a “McDonaldization” of society, meaning that society mirrors the way in which McDonalds’ are run-efficiency and uniformity are superior to quality and personalization (Ritzer, p.1). This rational way of life also carries over to businesses and is similar to the economic rationalism that Max Weber describes in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

When Ritzer discusses the McDonaldization of society, he describes a rational society, in which motives are purposeful and set in place in order to reach different end goals.  He breaks down the way in which it is rational into five dimensions.  First, he mentions how we do things more efficiently, the best way to get to an end.  He uses the metaphor of how we choose to get our meals to describe the transformation of efficiency that has taken place.  We have gone from cooking meals from scratch, to using recipes, to heating up frozen dinners, to finally eating at fast food restaurants, most of which have drive-thru’s to order from (Ritzer, p.3).

Next, Ritzer states the importance that predictability plays in our lives, especially when we are attempting to choose what to purchase.  Knowing that a meal will be just as tasty as it was when we had it a month ago, allows us to feel a certain security and confidence in returning to a place we had previously dined (Ritzer, p.3).  Then, Ritzer argues that we have a need to be able to measure the quality of things, which can be challenging, and therefore we try to measure them by quantity (Ritzer, p.5).  It makes us feel good to know that we are performing our best and that we purchased the best car.  The problem here is that not all things, such as grades, food, and employees, can be measured by a score (Ritzer, p.6).

The fourth dimension Ritzer brings to light is the replacement of humans by non-human technology.  The people working in fast food restaurants are soon to be replaced by machines (Ritzer, p.6).  Those workers who are not able to be replaced are still told exactly how to perform their jobs, leaving very little room for creativity and craftsmanship (Ritzer, p.7).  Finally, Ritzer explains our need to have control over various aspects of life, including other lives themselves.  We are so concerned with having control over other people, especially employers over their workers and businesses over their clientele (Ritzer, p.7).  He warns that rationality has negative effects as well, such as making things more impersonal and taking the excitement out of the unknown (Ritzer, p.8).

All of these dimensions of a rational society can be related to the economy; most of them lead to a higher production of goods and sales.  They can also, especially efficiency, be related to Weber’s description of economic rationalism, in which Protestants worked harder in a more purposeful and calculated manner in order to earn more money (Weber, p.7).  It seems as though this idea is still continuing to evolve today.

Based on Ritzer’s reading, he compares our production, work and consumption to fast food restaurants in the way that they both process. He calls this term “McDonaldization”, which both sides production, work, consumption and fast food restaurants can be compared based on the four key aspects. These four key aspects are efficiency, calculability, predictability and standardization and lastly control. Ritzer explains each of these four aspects and how they could relate the production, work, consumption and the fast food restaurants. The main goal for fast food restaurant is give food to the consumer as fast as they can, as well as decent prices, which is what makes them so reliable and a choice for many people. The way production and work is efficiency is because it requires some type of equipment to cut down time on production or time that it takes to complete the task. The way consumption is the aspect of predictability and standardization is because the work is being made to have a routine and a way to be made so that each time it is identical or close to it. The way production and work is control is by management controlling their workers, making sure they are achieving the task has efficient as possible at time management rather exchange human employees for machines (technology) that will do the same task those employees had. It is again like a fast food restaurant, get the task completed as soon as possible but the job needs to be done well because the faster and better the task gets done the more consumption they will obtain.
The relationship that I see that Ritzer’s work of “McDonaldization” has with the economic rationalization of Max Weber is that both signify that there is a reason behind economy. As for Max Weber, he explains how religion it is being used as a reason to expand capitalism, for Ritzer those four key aspects, efficiency, calculability, predictability and standarlization and control, are what he calls “McDonaldization” which is the reason to expand capitalism as well. Both religion for Weber piece and the McDonaldization are what help capitalism expand because the profit is important as it is the goal. It is ways to get the workers to work harder and achieve more during their job because it will benefit the capital but that is not what it is being told to those workers. The workers are the tools which are very highly needed for both McDonaldization and Economic Rationalization to work.

Due Sunday, November 6th, by midnight. Word count: 400 words. Please make sure everything is in your own words. If you paraphrase, make sure to include the proper citation.

Drawing on details from Ritzer’s work, explain what mcdonaldization is and its relationship to the economic rationalization that Max Weber described in his work The Prostestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.