Description
Now in its Eighth Edition, George Ritzer's McDonaldization of Society continues to stand as one of the pillars of modern day sociological thought. By linking theory to 21st century culture, this book resonates with students in a way that few other books do, opening their eyes to many current issues, especially in the areas of consumption and globalization. Through vivid, story-telling prose, Ritzer provides an insightful introduction to the ways in which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world. This new edition has been fully updated to include a new focus on McDonaldization of the workforce.
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Citing the 2012 rise of social movements concerned with increasing the minimum wage as the reason for the restructuring of this eighth edition, Ritzer discusses these movements in the context of McDonaldization. New to the book is the concept of prosumers--a conflation of producers and consumers--which is discussed in the context of the four hallmarks of McDonaldization: effiency, calculability, predictability and control. Also new is the discussion of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which threaten to accelerate and expand the McDonaldization of education. There are nine chapters: an introduction to McDonaldization; the past, present, and future of McDonaldization; efficiency and calculability: consumers 1; predictability and control: consumers 2; efficiency and calculability: McJobs and other McDonaldized occupations 1; predictability and control: McJobs and other McDonaldized occupations 2; the irrationality of rationality; dealing with McDonaldization; globalization and the possibility of the DeMcDonaldization of society. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
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