Sociology Mid-term #2 (McDonaldization)

George Ritzer

Set of organizational principles

Effieciency, Uniformity, Predictability, Control

Teenagers

Minorities - women/non-whites

Doesn't prepare one for a far more desirable occupation that requires high level of education, thoughts/creativity

Every customer gets the same amount of product

Limits what customers in the cars & employers can and cannot do in their booth.
Ques --> pressure from other cars --> no personal interaction is possible

Tightly scripted - leads to deskilling of workers, employee actions and ability to speak/interact with customers are limited and controlled.

1) lower labor costs2) need for fewer employees3) less conflicts/troubles due to the short period of time you have interacting with a customer & time spent working

The distinction is decreasing

1) Capitalists paying workers less than the value they produce and keeps the rest of the money2) Customers are being brought into the labor process. Led to performing tasks that were formerly done by paid employees3) Customers = ripped of even more than the workers as they get paid nothing4) ex. gasoline station

Lower class as the higher class are sent to non-mcdonaldized schools

Large segment is moving in a postindustrial direction where high levels of education and training is needed

Henry Ford- making things cheap & affordable to more people- trying to produce cheaper cars & give high wages to workers- birth of mass consumption- one of the 1st companies with company benefits- increased rationalization yet some people quit since it was hard to keep up with the pace.