McDonaldization in the Darwish Household

       
          Today in class, we discussed the theory of McDonalization, which is a process where society is increasingly run like a fast food restaurant. While the professor was explaining the four dimensions of this concept, I could not help but notice how the processes relate to my everyday life and family structure. The first dimension, efficiency, is the optimum method of completing a task. My family is heavily reliant on schedules, and everyone planning their week in advance. We like to know what everyone is doing for us to decide when is the best time for us to gather as a family and what is the best activity we can during that time span. With my schedule, I plan when I should complete my homework, extra curricular activities and miscellaneous errands without it interfering with my family activities.
          The second dimension is calculation. This is an assessment of outcomes based on quantifiable rather than subjective criteria. With my example, we “calculate” the best time for us to spend time as a family after everyone has informed our parents with our schedule for that week. We usually spend every dinner together during weekdays and dedicate our entire Friday to our family. This step is essential as it decides what time we should all gather together and how much time we have available. This will determine whether we’ll be staying at home, going out to a restaurant, or watching a movie at the cinema.
         The third dimension is predictability, which is the production process organized to guarantee uniformity of product and standardized outcomes. This relates to my family structure as every week, we are able predict that we will gather during dinner, as well a lunch on Friday. Also, when our schedule is complete, we can predict what to expect for that week and hopefully assume a certain outcome.
          The last dimension is control. This is the substitution of more predictable non-human labour for the human labour, either through automation or the de-skilling of the workforce. One of the main reasons my family and I are able to spend a lot of time with one another is because of our smartphones. We are able to send messages to our parents informing them with our schedule for that week and thus they are able to tell us immediately what activities they have planned.
          Personally, I prefer having a formula set up on how one should behave as it brings a certain standard of efficiency to one’s life. With this schedule, I am able to complete all of my tasks and spend a lot of time with my family and friends as well. Every day is productive and effectual.

Here are some photos of three past family activities that we have completed at home (All photos taken with my Iphone camera):
- Movie night

-Breakfast buffet

-Outdoor gathering when the weather is nice

Cai Guo-Qiang Gunpowder's Project impact On Qatar

From November 2011 through December 2011, I’ve been working with Chinese Contemporary Artist and Curator; Cai Guo-Qiang, hosted by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar. Cai initially began working with gunpowder to foster spontaneity and confront the suppressive, controlled artistic tradition and social climate in China.















While living in Japan from 1986 to 1995, Cai explored the properties of gunpowder in his drawings, an inquiry that eventually led to his experimentation with explosives on a massive scale and the development of his signature "explosion events". While I was participating in this project, I noticed that sociology has a very huge impact on the process was running on through the whole project. At the beginning, there was a huge discussion of hosting the Gunpowder Project here in Qatar by engaging the young generation with it, however, Mathaf has broke the norms by introducing the Gunpowder Project in Qatar. Everyone who heard about the huge explosion that is going to be held in Qatar got worried about it, however, the advertisement around Doha Town helped people to get engaged with the process of the project and actually people signed to participate in this new norm happening in Qatar.















From day one, I’ve been noticing many sociological aspects from culture, mcdonaldzation, to individuality vs. collectivism. Even though, it’s Cai’s individual artwork, he broke the norm by involving us the audience from China and Qatar, in his project by assigning us tasks to complete his work as a group instead. I found that he had assigned each participant with specific tasks and everyone would be working with efficiency, calculability, predictability under his control, which symbolize mcdonaldzation. On the other hand, the gender and ethnicity was not a problem with him at all. There were many people from this region and foreigners too collaborating in his project, which is a morality's gesture from him. By hosting here in Qatar I believe, he had a huge impact in spreading his culture through his Artworks by attracting the audience and engaging them to spread and share his values. I learned from this experience that, culture could be extent through many various ways rather than the old fashioned techniques; it needs only an influential vision and strength to accomplish the intention.





It's All over the News!!








The Project's Conclusion.

McDonaldization Spread

McDonaldization refers to the increasing presence of the fast-food model in many organizations that are involved in shaping people’s daily lives. It is a process whereby the principles of restaurants are dominating many sectors of Qatar society, as well as of the rest of the societies. When it occurs in the university, work, travel, leisure, shopping, healthcare and education become subject to this process. You can find shopping malls, food courts, and sports stadiums; even cruise ships reflecting this trend toward standardization.



Each industry is based on a principle of high and efficient productivity, which translates into a highly rational social organization, with workers employed at low pay, and customers experiencing ease, convenience and familiarity.
Ritzer’s four primary components of McDonaldization can be applied here. Firstly, there is calculability. McDonaldized services are quantified. The customer’s burgers and fries are an exact size, and are delivered within a specified time. Quality is redefined as quantity. Secondly, there is efficiency. This means that in a time-pressured society, mcdonaldized services are desired because they are fast. The third one is predictability. This means that the products and services are standardized at all times and everywhere. They are the same. The fourth one is control. Where possible, technology is substituted for human labor. The goods and services are automated. Irrationality and rationality is the fifth aspect. Irrationality means that the rational systems are unreasonable systems. This further means that they deny the human reason, the basic humanity of the people who work within or those that are served by them.



In conclusion, McDonaldization is a good business model that many industries have adopted the same organizational characteristics. It aids society a lot because they get goods and services efficiently and effectively.

McGorgeous

When I think of a beauty salon, the last thing that would come to my mind is McDonald's; however these organizations are actually very similar. Their similarities are not focused on what they offer, but rather how they offer services and products. I've been to beauty salons many times and I never made a connection between them and McDonald's until I learned about McDonaldization. The McDonaldization of society theorizes "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as the rest of the world" (Ritzer 1993, p.1). This process of socialization incorporates four fundamental dimensions- efficiency, quantification and calculation, predictability and control. All of these four dimensions have been applied to beauty salons in Qatar. I wanted to find out more about this process and how it has influenced so many organizations, so this weekend I went to a salon to really observe how things got done!



Efficiency: The other day I was at a McDonald's drive-thru and I noticed a board on the wall that said the time taken to place an order and until you receive it is a guaranteed 90 seconds. When people use a drive-thru, they're obviously hungry and want to satisfy themselves in the quickest way possible. Likewise, beauty salons have several employees that tend to customers depending on what they want. For instance, some work on hair, makeup, manicure, pedicures, etc. so that the task can be done as efficiently as possible and to avoid any waiting time. Like consumers in McDonald's that move from hungry to full, customers in a beauty salon transition from feeling ugly to feeling pretty.

Quantification and calculation: Similar to how the prices at McDonalds are standardized in every branch, the prices for each different service in the salon are also set. When you first walk in the salon there is a poster with all the different services customers can choose from and their corresponding prices, just like a McDonald's menu. The prices in all the salons may not all be exactly the same, but they are in the same range. Also some salons offer express services, for example, some promise to perform a mani/pedi in 10 minutes. Customers can also make appointments beforehand so they can come in during a time that is convenient for them without having to wait. Many salons also provide services at home that allow customers to enjoy offers from the comfort of their own house.



Predictability: If you order a big Mac in a mall and then go to a gas station and order the same thing, you will expect and receive the same quality of what you purchased. This is the same for beauty salons. For instance, when I go in for my mani/pedi I expect my fingers and toes to look exactly how I predict them to be. This predictability can be seen in other services and other salons in Qatar and outside. Predictability can also refer to discipline, routine and order and one clear example of this is uniforms. Both McDonald's and beauty salon employees wear uniforms to show exactly here they belong within the organization. For instance, the cashier at the salon would wear a different colored apron than the other employees and the manager of the salon doesn't wear a uniform, just like a McDonald's manager who wears regular clothes.



Control: The food at McDonald's is assembled in a controlled and regulated manner. Each employee has a job that they do in a sequenced chronological order that will help ease the flow of production and delivery of the product. Equally, beauty salons employee numerous people for certain services. For example, if I'm going in to do my hair, my hair would be washed by someone and another person would move over and start working on it. Also what I noticed, beauty salons tend to get busier during the Eid holidays and to control the crowd, customers would be issued numbers and wait for their turn. This keeps things in order and maintains regulated production of the service. Ritzer also discusses the heavy involvement of machinery in Mcdonaldization. For example, in beauty salons everything uses machines, there's even a dryer for your fingers and toes after you apply nail polish. Each step in a beauty process involves a machine and nobody questions what the employees are doing, they only care about the end product. Similar to how the food in McDonald's is assembled to reach a certain quality, the same is done in the form of services for customers in a beauty salon.

McDonald's is recognizable in almost every part of the world with its golden arches which distinguish it. Beauty salons in Qatar are no exception, they are scattered almost everywhere due to their popularity and they have standardized everything from prices, target audience and symbolism. For instance the majority of beauty salons are for females only and they all have the silhouette of a woman to distinguish them. In these two different organization we see how McDonaldization is evident and all four dimensions are applied in beauty salons. We see how this fast food chain has changed, revolutionized and influenced how organizations perform and deliver services and products to customers.

Hamburgerology, and what it led to!

McDonaldization of TGI Friday's

According to Ritzer, McDonaldization is the process where the whole society, and not only restaurants, is increasingly running like a fast-food restaurant.



As it was Friday, I decided to examine McDonaldization at TGI Friday's and in the same time have a delicious dinner with my sister at my favorite restaurant. Upon setting there and observing what was going on, I was surprised that many aspects of the restaurant, which in the past appeared to me as common senses, are actually McDonaldized, but most of the people are unconsciously practicing them.

While observing the cycle of interaction between the customers and employees, I realized that the restaurant’s hospitality is standardized. For example, whenever a customer gets in the restaurant, there will be a nice lady standing in front, smiling, holding a candy basket, and repeating the same exact phrases over and over for every customer who is approaching her or even leaving the restaurant. The waiters and waitresses do the same behavior as well, "Would you like a drink or fries with that?" or "Thank you, have a nice day!" According to sociology, these repetitive phrases and actions of the employees are small examples of the machine-like theme identified in the McDonaldization theory.

What is special about TGI Friday’s, from my personal experience, is the fact that its employees, especially the waitresses and waiters are trying to create an intimate relationship between the customers. Based on the way they interact and dress, I can say that they are not very professional but helpful and joyful.



From the way they were dressing, I was able to distinguish the different roles that each employee had and identify their positions. For example, waiters were wearing clown-like outfits, which has helped create senses of humor and vitality in the atmosphere.Managers or whoever seemed higher in position, were wearing professional outfits like dark suits with ties.

The whole business involves attributes of efficiency, calculation, predictability, and control. Their service was so efficient; employees were working as a team most of the time. In other words, individuality is not allowed. Employees were also doing their best in advising and interpreting customer wants. Therefore, customers are encouraged to expect certain service standards, which allow for an efficient service. Information technology is also used to ensure that these services targets are met. For example, they used machines to accomplish certain tasks like refilling drinks and accounting.






In terms of calculation, I realized that TGI Friday's emphasizes quantity rather than quality of its products. The food menu, for example contains over 30 items and the cocktail menu is similarly extensive, along with the desert menu. In addition, the ways in which the food is portrayed on the menus, give the customer an illusion of the quality.

In short, McDonaldization has extended its reach into more and more regions of society. It is affecting every aspect of our lives including cultures, beliefs, and the ways people think. Although there have been many benefits and conveniences that are related to this process of McDonaldization. Its increasingly rational outcomes are becoming irrational.