What is McDonaldization of the society?
The recent past has experienced a significant emergence if various sociological phenomenon’s that have and continue to have a colossal impact on society. McDonaldization occurs as one of the most pertinent sociological phenomenon that has evolved into an issue of concern in the society. In fact, the topic on McDonaldization is perhaps one of the most equivocal topics of all time. While much has been hypothesized and documented regarding the concept of McDonaldization, it is of the essence to note that this concept connotes the process by which the culture of fast food restaurants has generated immense adoration from various societal entities (Ritzer 373). This is evident by the fact that fast food restaurants have transformed into long chain business units that are widely distributed in the society.
Notably, there exists pertinent notions, which indicate that McDonaldization is a recent occurrence, which just emerged in the recent past. In fact, various scholars tend to think that McDonaldization started in the 1950’s when the first hamburger restaurant was established by Roy Kroc. Such notions are yet to be confirmed as there exists some evidence, which depict the underlying factors of McDonaldization were indeed practiced in the past. McDonaldization has often been perceived to mean an increase in interest or likeness for first-foods. Nevertheless, this concept has an underlying meaning. To be precise, McDonaldization has been continually used to refer to the rationalization of the society. Speaking of rationalization, this refers to a sociological concept, which refers to the substitution of traditional rules with rules that are streamlined to suit the needs of the populations in the contemporary society (Ferrante 91).
Arguably, the process of McDonaldization does not occur in isolation nor spontaneously. Instead, McDonaldization is based on the underlying assumption that task should be divided into smaller tasks in order to find the most efficient way of executing tasks. For this purpose, McDonaldization of the society refers to the division of various societal tasks into smaller units. Thereafter, an individual is assigned the responsibility of completing a given task. In a nutshell, McDonaldization of the society refers to the development of bureaucratic societal units. Deductively, McDonaldization of the society occurs in cases where bureaucracy as employed across different societal institutions with the sole intent of dividing societal operations into constituent parts (Ritzer 376). As a result, people are trained on specific operations, which they can complete in an efficient way. From this analysis, McDonaldization of the society is a way in which tasks are subdivided to every individual based on an individual’s level of competency and education.
Four principles of McDonaldization
The concept on McDonaldization is based on four cardinal principles, which include efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control (Ferrante 82). With regards to efficiency, the concept of McDonaldization as aforementioned herein connotes to case where tasks are subdivided into smaller tasks, which each task assigned to a person who proficient on the same. Certainly, this enhances efficiency in that subdivision of tasks eases the completion of the tasks. On a similar note, the concept on McDonaldization relates to bureaucracy, which has been adopted widely in the contemporary society. Bureaucracy as a concept of McDonaldization enhances efficiency in that it enhances the establishment of smaller units within one unit, whereby each unit is assigned specific tasks. This reduces the pilling up of tasks, which results in inefficiency in execution of the said tasks.
In line with control as a principle of McDonaldization, it is of the essence to note that rationalization as a concept that is embedded with McDonaldization enhances control. To be precise, rationalization allows for substitution of inconsistent societal facets with ones that are consistent. This is crucial in enhancing control of societal units that have been rationalized. Predictability as a principle of McDonaldization is a feature that is notable in a case where tasks are carried out in a systematic way. As such, it is easy to predict the result of tasks that are done according to stipulated structures. Finally, calculability is feasible as an underlying principle of McDonaldization in that with the use of efficiency emanating from subdivision of various tasks within a given unit (Ritzer 377), offers a comprehensive platform in which possible results can be computed. This is mainly accredited tot the fact that each unit calculates its returns; hence, getting a cumulative figure is eased. Conclusively, offers a possible means of assessing progress in terms of various concerns.
Strategies utilized by organizations such as McDonalds use to reach global markets
Evidently, organizations such as MacDonald’s have perfected the art of reaching various consumer segments beyond the local into the global segments. This is made possible by different strategies. The use of technological innovations aligned with the internet is the main strategy utilized by these firms. As such, they established their own internet databases, which makes it feasible for their customers to access their products from any part of the globe. In addition, organizations such as MacDonald’s have developed their own social media platforms, which attract following from their consumers from international markets. In a nutshell, the process of globalization aligned with the use of the internet has made the world a global abode where customers can be reached easily (Ferrante 163).
Work Cited
Ferrante, Joan. Sociology: A Global Perspective. London: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Ritzer, George. The McDonaldization of Society 6. Los Angeles: Pine Forge, 2011. Print.
