Essays about McDonaldization

McDonaldization concept was first put into application by Henry Ford in his assembly line so as to increase the production of automobiles. This concept was then later applied by George Ritzer to express sociological events in society. The concept is used to refer to the replacement of sensibly consistent rules for traditional or rather irrational rules. In other words McDonaldization is a rationalization process at acute levels. To be more specific, according to George Ritzer it is the process that has led to the principles of fast-food restaurant dominating most sectors of the American society and the entire world at large, (Ritzer, 2010). In application, the process involves breaking of tasks into smaller tasks levels that are then rationalized to find a single method of completing each task efficiently. There are a number of characteristics that can be used to identify the concept of McDonaldization, (Ritzer, 2009). To begin with is the efficiency issue. Efficiency promotes optimum completion of a project due to the rational determination of production mode. Secondly is calculability issue. This involves the assessment of output in terms of quantity rather than quality. The third characteristic is predictability. The production process is well organized which enhances uniformity of output and standardization of outcomes. The fourth and last characteristic of this concept is control. This involves the substitution of human labor with more predictable non-human labor. The concept of McDonaldization can also be applied in other institutions such as in schools, hospitals, and churches, besides fast foods. For example in the case of hospitals, tasks are broken down into different categories which are then assigned to different individuals that have specialized in such tasks. It can be noted that in hospitals we have different departments such as examination, treatment, drug prescription, and also advisory department. All these departments are led by individuals who have specialized in whatever task that is undertaken in those departments, (Ritzer, 2010). Moreover, machines are largely being employed in hospitals at least in all the departments leading to a reduction in human services and increased use of machines. McDonaldization in hospitals has been very beneficial to our society in different ways. For instance, it has reduced the amount of time that patients spend waiting for services, and also improved quality of the services that are given, due to specialization hospital workers in their jobs. This concept has become very popular in our society today. It is being applied in almost all sectors of the economy may it be a service sector or a production sector. Replacements of man-power by machines in most of these sectors have become very common. For example, in most of the production industries the number of employees has greatly decreased while the use of machines has increased (Smart, 1999). McDonaldization concept has impacted the society both positively and negatively. From the positive point of view, it has led to the production of quality goods and services, increased production, and increased quality of life. On the other hand, it has negatively affected the society in the sense that people are losing their jobs due to the application of machines. It has also turned human being into machine like creatures by advocating for the principle of specialization. Finally, there are several ways that individuals and communities at large; can employ to resist McDonaldization. These includes; organizing and attending protests against this concept, educating one another of the side effects of the concept to the society, and training or rather learning to perform or undertake different types of tasks, (Smart, 1999). To conclude with, it should be noted that this concept cannot be disadvantageous in all sectors in the society. Therefore, it should be encouraged in those areas where it is of benefit to the society and discouraged in the areas where it negatively affects the society. References Ritzer, G. (2010). The McDonaldization of Society 6. Washington: Pine Forge Press. Ritzer, G. (2009). McDonaldization: The Reader. Washington: Pine Forge Press. Smart, B. (1999). Resisting McDonaldization. Boston: SAGE.

The Shortcomings of Standardized Testing - 1636 Words

Since the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. Though these tests were put in place to create equality, experts note that they have created more inequality in the classroom. In efforts to explore this issue further, this essay reviews two articles on standardized testing. This essay reviews the†¦show more content†¦However, this fails to take into account different environments and their influence on the students’ performances. As a result, standardized tests should be specialized to the environment of the lea rners and the educators. According to Ravitch’s article, she changed her mind on the effectiveness of standardized tests four years after advocating for its use in the public education system. The change came after she evaluated its outcome on the American education system. The No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2001 to reinforce the statutes of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The act stipulated that all states in the union must formulate assessment methods that would be used to evaluate a student’s understanding of basic concepts. In order for the federal government to allocate budgetary funding to any state for education purposes, the states must assess all students at specific points of their education. Though the act does not necessarily specify a national standard that each state should attain, each state must set in place its own standards. According to Birman, et al., (12) the act increased the federal government’s influence on the curriculum, teachers’ qua lification and funding changes. Birdman et al. assert that the act illuminated the role of educators on the students’ performance. 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Being a teacher requires balancing the two, keeping in mind the duties of a teacher as well as your own shortcomings. â€Å"Good teaching is forever pursuing better teaching; it is always dynamic and in motion, always growing, learning, developing, searching for a better way (Ayers 160).† Tests have always been a quality assessment of learning and ability, but they don’t accuratelyRead MoreThe Use Of Ketamine As A Narcotic Medication Prescribed As An Anesthetic Agent And An Analgesic Essay891 Words   |  4 Pagesintranasal ketamine data (Lee, Della Selva, Liu and Himelhoc h, 2005). One shortcoming can be found in Lee et al. s analysis of meta-analysis s results. The overall effect size for day 1 had an overall standardized mean difference of 1.01, which, based on the lecture we were given the day this assignment was assigned, can be deemed as statistically questionable(dissimilar to what the meta-analysis states). Another shortcoming can be discovered in Price et al. 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A Manager’s Performance and Success Free Essays

Knowledge about organisational behaviour has become very important to a manager’s performance and success. Therefore, it is not surprising that writers often claim to have the information that managers need if they are to excel in their jobs. In Search of Excellence is one of the most well known books of this type. We will write a custom essay sample on A Manager’s Performance and Success or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the book, Peters-and Waterman outlined seven principles that they claimed to be excellent management tactics and a â€Å"7-S Framework.† In Search of Excellence is a book dealing with many different principles of economics and what makes big business’ excellent. The first idea that the author discusses is his chart of the 7-S Framework. The graph is very simple but the ideas are fairly complex. In their research, they found that their concepts were too hard to explain and easily forgettable. They made this framework to deal with strategy, structure, style, systems, staff, skills, and shared values. This has 7 S’s and a graphical representation to visualize. This shows the businessman that problems can be managed. For example, anyone assuming that a new manager of a Macdonald†s will perform exactly as the old manager did is ridiculous. The workers must adjust and adapt to the new manager’s way of business. The first principle is a bias for action. This is basically saying â€Å"Stop talking and do something about it.† When Macdonald†s has a rush of customers and their supplies for making food are low, they (usually) don’t say â€Å"You know what, I have no more cheese† or â€Å"Could someone get me some more cheese?† They take action and get the cheese, make it if necessary, and get the problem solved as quickly as possible. The second Principle they deal with is to be close to the customer. This means good service and listening to what the customer has to say. If the producer, Macdonald†s, is not in touch with what the customer wants to eat, then the business will most likely fail. Although it also refers to customer satisfaction; quality food made right and good service, â€Å"Have a nice day and enjoy your meal!† The third basic principle is productivity through people. This deals with the individual as the best means for efficiency improvement rather than capital investment. If Macdonald†s could put everyone in the area of work they most enjoyed (drive-thru, washer,†¦) then they could produce more food and maximize their business. The forth basic principle is hands on, value driven. This is the standard setting and enforcing values in a company. This is keeping the boss in touch with the assembly line worker and projecting the company’s original ideas, instead of an image of some suited businessman who confines himself in an office. The fifth and often obvious principle is to stick to the knitting. The basically says that if a company is in the food business, it should not branch off into the computer business unless they have no where else to expand in the industry they are already in. The sixth basic principle is a simple form, lean staff. This means leaving few people up top to manage a company and keep the form of management simple. The seventh and final basic principle is simultaneous loose-tight properties. This is another value-based principle. This could be described as the ability for a worker of Macdonald†s to do his/her job in his/her own way as they incorporate the company’s values and concepts into their work. These values demonstrate that they don’t just work because they work, but rather because they just make sense. In search of excellence shows that the excellent companies had been based on the basics. The companies had to try to keep things simple. Sometimes, to a big business, it might seem logical that business should be run more complex the larger it is. From research, this is usually not true. Ignoring the seven principles above would be foolish in the business world. How to cite A Manager’s Performance and Success, Essay examples