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George Ritzer's Theory Of The Mcdonaldization Of Society

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McDonaldization of society For my essay I have chosen George Ritzer and his theory on the McDonaldization of society. The theory stems from the well-known rationalization theory by Max Weber. This essay will discuss Ritzers application of Webers ideas. I will introduce and explain his theory. I will give examples of how it affects us and applies to modern day society, through fast food restaurants, banks and supermarkets. I will explain how it affects both the consumer and the employee. To finish up I will summarize this in a conclusion at the end of the essay. George Ritzer coined the term McDonaldization in his book The McDonaldization of Society (1993) to describe a sociological phenomenon that’s occurring in our society. You would be forgiven for thinking it started by the McDonald brothers in the 1950’s with their chain of fast food restaurants. However, Henry Ford was in fact the McDonaldization forerunner with his idea of an assembly line for improving the production of motor cars. His innovative vision radically changed how many motor cars could be produced and was very efficient. This allowed Ford to build more cars at a cheaper cost. In turn more people were be able to buy the car. The process of McDonaldization predates the McDonalds institution, however that franchise is the model of modern day rationalization (Gottdiener, 2000, p. 33). Essentially, McDonaldization is the process of rationalization, but on a much deeper level. Rationalization is a sociological

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