"The McDonaldization of Society"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the book by Ritzer which criticizes American culture for being too commericalized. The book focuses on the four foundations of McDonaldization: Efficiency, calculability, predictability and control as the focus for a rationalized corporation. Individuality, unpredictability, and attention to quality have no place in these dehumanized systems. The paper looks at how these foundations are transferred on to human society.

From the Paper:

"It is necessary to examine this system to understand how it applies to child care in contemporary American society. The concept is derived from the work of the German sociologist, Max Weber, on the rationalization of the West. The first emphasis, efficiency, is about finding the best means to whatever end we choose or have selected for us. Secondly, calculability involves an emphasis on things that can be quantified, often at the expense of the quality of production and product. Third, a McDonaldized world is one which is predictable, where products and services are the same from one time or place to another. Lastly, control, especially over people (workers and customers), through the substitution of non-human for human technology."

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