The mcdonalization of society : revised new century edition / George Ritzer.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

′This is an important book. Its wide recognition is well deserved. Its central strength is the clarity and brevity with which it makes accessible an extraordinarily important and complex process shaping the postmodern world.′ - Peter Hoffman, Loyola Marymount University

′I love this book; it is a contemporary classic. . . . I would certainly use this book in an undergraduate theory course.′ - Philip Cohen, University of California, Irvine

One of the most popular sociology books of all time has been thoroughly updated to examine how McDonaldization has roared into the 21st century. The McDonaldization of Society: Revised New Century Edition , discusses how McDonaldization and the broader process of globalization (in a new Chapter 8), are spreading more widely and more deeply into various social institutions such as education, medicine, the criminal justice system, and more.

This Revised New Century Edition provides many new, relevant examples from recent events and contemporary popular culture, including the ever-increasing global proliferation of McDonald′s and other fast food franchises, shopping malls, and similar commercial entities. Their impact is examined in the post-September 11, 2001 era.

The McDonaldization of Society is ideal for use in a wide range of higher-education courses and will be of equal interest to anyone interested in social criticism. The book offers readers new insight into the society they are constructing around them.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface
• 1 An Introduction to McDonaldization
• McDonalds as a Global Icon
• The Long Arm of McDonaldization
• The Dimensions of McDonaldization
• The Advantages of McDonaldization
• A Critique of McDonaldization: The Irrationality of Rationality
• What Isn't McDonaldized
• McDonald's Troubles: Implications for McDonaldization
• A Look Ahead
• 2 McDonaldization and Its Precursors: From the Iron Cage to the Fast-Food Industry
• Bureaucratization: Making Life More Rational
• The Holocaust: Mass-Produced Death
• Scientific Management: Finding the One Best Way
• The Assembly Line: Turning Workers Into Robots
• Levittown: Putting Up Houses
• Shopping Centers: Malling America
• McDonald's: Creating the "Fast-Food Factory"
• Conclusion
• 3 Efficiency: Drive-Throughs and Finger Foods
• Streamlining the Process
• Simplifying the Product
• Putting Customers to Work
• Conclusion
• 4 Calculability: Big Macs and Little Chips
• Emphasizing Quantity Rather Than Quality of Products
• Giving the Illusion of Quantity
• Reducing Production and Service to Number
• Conclusion
• 5 Predictability: It Never Rains on Those Little Houses on the Hillside
• Creating Predictable Settings
• Scripting Ineraction With Customers
• Making Employee Behavior Predictable
• Creating Predictable Products and Processes
• Minimizing Danger and Unpleasantness
• Conclusion
• 6 Control: Human and Nonhuman Robots
• Controlling Employees
• Controlling Customers
• Controlling the Process and the Product
• The Ultimate Experience of Control? Birth and Death
• Conclusion
• 7 The Irrationality of Rationality: Traffic Jams on Those "Happy Trails"
• Inefficiency: Long Lines at the Checkout
• High Cost: Better Off at Home
• The Illusion of Fun: Ha, Ha, the Stock Market Just Crashed
• The Illusion of Reality: Even the "Singers" Aren't Real
• False Friendliness: "Hi, George"
• Disenchantment: Where's the Magic
• Health and Environmental Hazards: Even Your Pets Are at Risk
• Homogenization: It's No Different in Paris
• Dehumanization: Getting Hosed at "Trough and Brew"
• Conclusion
• 8 Globalization and McDonaldization: Does It All Amount to... Nothing?
• Globalization
• McDonaldization and Grobalization
• Nothing-Somthing and McDonaldization
• Nothing-Something and Grobalization-Glocalization
• The Case for McDonaldization as an Example of the Glocalization of Something
• The Case for McDonaldization as an Example of the Grobalization of Nothing
• Conclusion
• 9 McDonaldization in a Changing World: Are There Any Limits?
• The Forces Driving McDonaldization: It Pays, We Value It, It Fits
• Other Major Social Changes: McDonaldization in the Era of the "Posts"
• Are There Any Limits to the Expansion of McDonaldization?
• Looking to the Future: De-McDonaldization?
• Conclusion
• 10 Dealing With McDonaldization: A Practical Guide
• Creating "Reasonable" Alternatives: Sometimes You Really Do Have to Break the Rules
• Fighting Back Collectively: Saving Hearts, Minds, Taste Buds, and the Piazza di Spagna
• Coping Individually: " Skunk Works," Blindfolded Children, and Fantasy Worlds
• Conclusion
• Index
• About the Author