Mcdonaldization

Mcdonald's and you

McDonaldization of Society In today's' complicated and ever changing society, we often

try to achieve a sense of stability and familiarity around us. One way our culture has

tried to make life a little easier is by implementing a function now know as

McDonaldization. McDonaldization is defined as the process by which the principles of the

fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as

well as the rest of the world. (1) The success of McDonalds, and of McDonaldization as a

whole, is due to four basic factors--efficiency, calculability, predictability, and

control. One of the first functions of McDonaldization is efficiency. Efficiency means

choosing the optimum means to an given end. In our society, people like to have things go

as quickly and as smoothly as possible, but they do not want to find out the fastest way

themselves. Instead, people like to have a system that has already been used and that

they know works. Efficiency has its advantages for both consumers, who get what they want

quickly and with little effort, and for workers, who can perform their tasks in a simple

manner. The fast food industry is very streamlined, because hamburgers are the simplest

food there is to make. Other foods also do not need a lot of ingredients, and they are

simple to make and to eat. Most of the food is also prepared so one can eat it with their

hands, thereby reducing the need for utensils. In the process of McDonaldization,

consumers are forced to do a good deal of work as well. They have to stand on line, carry

their own food, and throw out the garbage. This is not as efficient for the consumer, but

it saves time for the workers. Education, health care, and the work place are all

becoming McDonaldalized in order to become more efficient. Efficiency in McDonaldization

has streamlined many processes, simplified goods and services, and forces the consumer to

do work as well. Another factor of McDonaldization is calculability. This tends to put

more of an emphasis on quantity rather than quality, but it allows the consumer to get a

lot of food quickly. When things are easily counted, it facilitates the process by making

it more predictable by using the same amount of materials. Part of McDonalds is an

emphasis on size. Everything is super sized, or have names that make food items seem

larger than they actually are. Calculability, however, also leads to the quality of the

food being neglected. Because people feel as if they are getting a lot of food for their

money, they are not as worried about how good it tastes. Food is always weighed and

measured precisely, which is another part of calculability. All burgers weigh the same

amount, there are the same number of fries in each container, and the new drink machines

dispense the same amount to each cup. This same theory is seen in our education system.

Students are herded through, and no one really pays much attention to what or how they

are learning, just that they receive high grades so they can get into a good college.

Health care has also seen the impact of these, because now patients are mainly treated

just to squeeze some money out of them, and doctors seemingly don't truly care about

their patients anymore. Calculability basically reduces the quality of goods, but

improves the quantity of them. The third function of McDonaldization is predictability.

In our society, people usually want to know exactly what to expect from a given

situation. Predictability gives the consumer a break from having to make difficult

decisions, and the worker can perform their task with little effort. The needs of

everyone become easily anticipated. One of the first places predictability became common

was with motel chains. Before motels became franchised, guests didn't know exactly what

they would be getting, for the good or the bad. But then hotels such as Holiday Inn and

Howard Johnson's started, and guests knew exactly what they were going to get when they

stayed there. This new practice was copied in the food industry, namely by McDonalds.

First, they started with a large and noticeable sign, that could be easily recognized.

People from around the world now know the McDonalds symbol is a giant yellow M. Something

else that is predictable is the way employees are forced to interact with customers.

Employees have a set script that they must follow, and this gives them some control over

their customers. Their work is also done in the same manner, for example, the hamburgers

all must be cooked the exact same way for the same amount of time. They also must dress

and act in a certain way. Customers themselves behave predictably in fast food

restaurants, as they get their food, carry it to their table, eat, clean their trash, and

leave. Now everyone knows this is the way one must act in a fast food