McDonaldization Essay Example

technology has the potential to replace human labor. The success of McDonald's has inspired many companies globally.

George (2000) claimed that McDonaldization has a widespread impact on various aspects of society including education, work, health care, travel, leisure, dieting, politics, the family, and more. The principles of fast-food restaurants are becoming dominant in many sectors around the world. In daily life, McDonaldization can be applied to explain various examples. HKCCHKCC is an instance of McDonaldization as it demonstrates the principle of efficiency through the presence of division of labor.

The director, along with the deputy directors, must handle administrative issues, while the lecturers' primary role is teaching students. The I.T. department remains unspecified.

Assistances are employed to resolve technical difficulties, while the reception center staff receive both call and form applications. Additionally, the canteen staff assist in supplying individuals with food and beverages. Furthermore, the lecturers' performance is measured through quantifiable means.

Instead of using open-ended questions to evaluate lecturers' performances, the SFQ gives marks on a scale of one to five, quantifying their effectiveness. Similarly, students' academic performance is measured by their GPA, providing quantifiable results. The predictability of lecturers' quality is ensured by ensuring identical lecture notes across different classes.

Students may anticipate receiving similar teaching materials compared to other classes as there is standardization in HKCC. Computer technology can be utilized to grade multiple choice questions instead of relying on lecturers. Automation replaces human labor in this regard. Another instance of McDonaldization is evident in the utilization of technology in the public healthcare system.

Efficiency is demonstrated through specialization. Various doctors, each from a different department, have distinct responsibilities. Experienced nurses are tasked with identifying urgent cases.

Meanwhile, specifically trained nurses assist clients who require special attention.

The hospital cleaner would assist in maintaining a cleaner environment, which would contribute to the overall treatment process. The concept of calculability is evident in the establishment of rules to regulate the length of each patient's treatment, with a maximum limit of 5 minutes. This would serve as a measurable component of the system.

The aim of doctors is to increase their profits and reduce their costs by seeing more patients each day due to globalization and localization. McDonald's has achieved great success by implementing the four rational principles of McDonaldization, leading to the expansion of its business globally. This is evidenced by the presence of McDonald's restaurants in 117 countries worldwide, demonstrating a pattern of globalization.

McDonald's is a major worldwide foodservice provider, operating over 32,000 local restaurants and serving over 60 million individuals daily. ("Our Company - About McDonald's", 2010). As globalization and localization are interconnected, "Glocalization" has been coined to combine both aspects. In order to achieve worldwide expansion, local characteristics are blended in to aid the company in flourishing in a particular geographical area. This corresponds with the idea of "Think global, act local". Today, McDonald's strives to offer more than simply food, which can be seen in their menu offerings.

McDonald's offers diverse flavors based on local customs and cultural values in various locations. In India, due to religious beliefs, beef-free hamburger options are available. Similarly, during the Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong, McDonald's provides vegetarian burger options in accordance with the local culture. In Japan, Bacon Lettuce Egg Wraps and Shrimp Fillet-O's are also available to cater to Japanese

taste preferences.

According to "The Japanese McDonald's Menu" (2008), the dining experience in Western cities is largely driven by the desire to quickly satisfy hunger. Thus, the atmosphere is not as comfortable. Conversely, McDonald's in Asia offers a more pleasant environment and has been adapted to serve as public gathering spaces.

In order to meet the public's desire for communal spaces within their culture, events such as birthday parties and revision sessions are hosted. However, the McDonaldization process, which emphasizes efficiency, predictability, calculability and control, also has negative consequences. This is known as the paradox of rationality and specifically McDonaldization leads to dehumanization.

The paradox of rationality includes inefficiency, high cost, illusion of fun and reality, false friendliness, disenchantment, health and environment hazards, homogenization, and dehumanization. Some argue that these factors represent the fifth dimensions of McDonaldization. Based on Weber's symbolic interaction theory, rationalization leads to dehumanization and restricts humans to an 'iron cage.' Therefore, this text will mainly explore dehumanization as the most contentious drawback of rationality.

High turnover rates can be attributed to the minimal personal relationships between staff and customers, which is a result of the majority of employees being part-time. Moreover, the lack of knowledge regarding customer needs and preferences among employees is also a contributing factor.

When customers order food, their only interaction with staff may occur. However, because workers are trained like machines, they can come across as impersonal to customers. This lack of interaction can lead to alienation. The job itself is often referred to as a "Mcjob" and requires minimal skill and low pay.

According to George (2000), employees are often restricted in utilizing their full range of skills and creativity

in their job, which leads to a decrease in individual creative output and imagination. This, in turn, can result in job dissatisfaction and instability- another potential factor that contributes to employee turnover.

McDonald's has low-paid workers handling easy tasks, making turnover rates high. This enables the company to easily replace workers with machines. However, McDonald's could benefit more from their employees' potential. Unfortunately, employees are limited to performing only low-skilled jobs, resulting in ineffective use of their skills. Furthermore, this dehumanizes customers.

Customers at McDonald's are frequently rushed through their meals as if they are part of an assembly line, which can make them feel like livestock and lead to low satisfaction levels. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that other fast food establishments have adopted the principles of McDonaldization, while also prioritizing corporate social responsibility.

As McDonaldization principles are adopted by businesses such as KFC and Burger King, society is becoming more aware of the dehumanizing aspect of this phenomenon. The previously concealed fifth dimension is now out in the open.

Some individuals are dissatisfied with McDonald's operations, to the extent that they refuse to dine there. Nowadays, people tend to discuss corporate social responsibility (CSR) more often. Carroll and Buchholtz (2003) define CSR as society's economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations of organizations at a given point in time (p.36). Entities are required to take a more comprehensive approach to their responsibilities, encompassing not only stockholders but also employees, suppliers, customers, the local community, and so on.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is crucial for sustainable development and to minimize dehumanization, as focusing solely on profit and rationalization could render a system or business fragile. Entities must

consider the welfare and rights of employees and customers in order to achieve this goal. While McDonaldization, an example of rationality, has a significant impact on our daily lives due to glocalization, it's essential to remember that rationality can also encompass irrationality.

Although there is a widespread acknowledgement of the dehumanizing effect of corporations, efforts are being made to push back against it. This has resulted in the concept of corporate social responsibility.