McDonaldization Process - Assignment Example

Week nine 1. What makes a meal? A meal is made up of food, fruits or drinks either as an essential or leisure activity (Joanne, 1989). 2. How has dining evolved & according to class and gender? Dining has greatly evolved with class and gender due to change of class and democracy, food tastes and availability evolved ‘table manners’ as people began to become more aware of themselves and how they are judged by others based on their sex, behaviours and actions (Norbert , 2000). 3. In what ways is dinning a social ritual?  Dining is a social ritual when it involves a number of people coming together with an aim of eating together in a ceremonial way as per the rules formulated by the society. Week ten 1. Explain how coca cola became a national symbol in the United States.  From the history of sugar and the use of sugar in many foods products lead to increased demand of the products among the common people and thus Coco-cola became the most dominant global food brands. 2. What is the difference between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ meanings of food according to Sidney Mintz? And can you apply this distinction to any other foods or commodities in contemporary life?  Mintz (1997) talks of ‘outside’ meaning of food as a power relationship with the history of sugar while the ‘inside’ meaning as the taste and popularity of food which can be applied to any other foods or commodities in contemporary life. The production of coffee in 3rd world countries is good example of food production and its political impact on nations. 3. Is McDonaldization exactly the same as rationalization for Ritzer?  What is different about it? According to Ritzer (2002), McDonaldization is standard .The concepts broaden Weber’s theories and are more dictatorial, identifying and predetermined means of production. These include standardisation and routinisation, hence minimising employee decision making and increasing efficiency. While rationalization is focused on Weber's theory of bureaucratic processes. 4. How does the McDonaldization thesis apply to consumption? And how does it apply to production?  The consumption of food has become less of a pleasure and more of a task, forgoing taste and quality for quantity. The perception of efficiency in production also translates into other areas of society such as the mass teaching of students, computerized handling of taxation returns and election results. Therefore Weber's theory of bureaucracy is utilised in McDonaldisation in the areas of efficiency, quantifcation, predictability and control. 5. Ritzer argues that McDonaldization is a process that is transforming the whole of society. Do you agree with Ritzer that many aspects of contemporary life are McDonaldized? And how so? If you disagree, give some examples of why you disagree.  McDonaldisation has subjected other food chains as well as customer behaviour whereby they comply with self service when it comes to shopping. Such behaviour can as well translate into everyday life, such as business management where employees are accountable for their contribution to their employer. Thus we are constantly observant of rules to abide in programmed manner.  Week 11 1. What are the things and feelings that come to mind? When I think of a modern city I feel and think of most vehicles on urban forms and aesthetic experience of road traffics for the people in modern city, thus leading to congestion. 2. How is the city a social institution? Cities are social institutions as they are social defined entities which contain groups of people following social constructed rules as well as more. Nevertheless, the volume of people plus the degree of acceptance and flexibility in the social rules needed to accommodates many differing groups means that people have the freedom to make personal choices without the judgements inherent in a much smaller, more homogenous community 3. What are the pros and cons that come with the anonymity of urban life? Pros: It allow to be urbanities to be who they desire to be or revisit Goffman present the individuals they desire to present in several grounds, while the cons are blasé outlook and seeing other urbanities only in their prescribed roles (Wirth, 2000). 4. What is urban culture or the culture of a city? This is the cultures of cities as well as town, for instance In the U.S, this culture of urban can be sometimes be employed as a euphemistic. 5. What is meant by a car culture? In what ways can cars be seen as an extension of the self? Can cars represent group identity? A car culture refers to the task that the car has taken within a society. Rather than simply for transport purposes, the car has developed into an integral aspect of modern life efficient movement of cars in the urban city is a priority. In what ways can cars be seen as an extension of the self? Cars can form an identity in terms of environmental choices to drive and the type of car a person drives says a lot about the driver. Can cars represent group identity? Cars can represent group identity based on the meeting joints an interactions of the owners, thus u will get a certain class of people with certain class of cars, for instance, fuel guzzlers and economic fuel cars. Week Twelve 1. What is the difference between a house and a home? A house may be defined as a construction as the poster put it, while a home is the individuals who live in that house and make it secure and pleasurable place to be, and may be anywhere a person lives(Greig, 2000). What home activities and rituals do we take for granted? The amount of energy we expand throughout our day we take it for granted, and we forget that we are not machines we need to refill, refuel as well as recover so as to to carry on to deliver good-quality, and one of the main challenge is efficiently controlling our emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical and innovative energies (Greig, 2000). What are their social relevance and implications? The social relevance and implication to these activities is that, when we feel ecstatic, united, rejuvenated, and fittingly challenged people show up at their places of work as well as their career in their own ways, and show up positive, fully involved plus ready to face the challenges of the day. In what ways are houses gendered? I think the house is gendered based on the activities taking place every day, for instance, in past male used to be perceived as a primary breadwinner but nowadays either can be that is male or a female as long as they having enough incomes, but if a woman is a housewife, she is suppose to perform all duties in the house. 1. What makes a nation homely? A nation homely when it lack the corporal beauty or even being distasteful, whereas homey means having a home feeling being cosy as well as comfortable. 2. Do you agree with Marc Auge’s notion of non place? Can non-places be meaningful? Yes, because non place are space of transport as well as transit which are lacking any historical significance plus strong symbolism. Non-place can be meaningful because of various aspects such as ecological psychology that is how individuals structure their everyday activities around common places like Grocery store (Augé, 19950. Consequently, this proposes that meaningful sites correspond to sites around the users related to exact activities. 3. What are some of the experiences of migration? In migration experiences entail the following: Mixed emotions, this includes happiness, apprehension, guilt, sadness. The excitement emotions of the new are dashed with the grief of emotions for leaving the loved ones behind. Challenge of change: People migrating from one place to another are mostly in fear of what they do not know, therefore what is initially is perceived as quite manageable slowly and become get used with time. 4. Why is migration a controversial topic? Migration is a controversial topic in such a way that the United States cannot hold-up the costs as well as losses related with millions of unlawful aliens. With joblessness as high as it is as well as the United States in a financially viable slump, the various unlawful aliens taking works from civilians plus sending funds exterior the United Stated is just insufferable to several American civilian. 5. How do migrant communities re-construct their homes and sense of identity in Australia and where do they mostly settle? The migrant communities in Australia re-construct their homes anywhere in Australia they desire but they tend to settle where there are opportunities of employment or in their own cultural societies. Describe your everyday encounters and experiences of living with cultural difference? There are several experiences and challenges that face a person living with cultural difference such as misapprehension arise out of unawareness since not a lot of people are willing to admit that they do not understand some terms as well as abstract concepts. People living in a different culture may also experience language barriers, racisms, as well as religion differences. 6. How can we overcome cross-cultural conflicts and racism To attempt to address the changing needs of educational systems in antiracism education. To educate people on the mediate conflicts linked to cultural misapprehensions To try and address the sources of conflict in the programme which results into severance is at the central of antiracism education. To offer workshop, tips, as well as techniques for conversing efficiently in cross-cultural environment Reference Augé, Marc (1995). “Non-places : Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity”, New York. Greig, Alastair (2006). “House and Home’ in P. Beilharz and T. Hogan (eds)”,  Sociology: Place , Time and Division, New York, Oxford. Joanne, F. (1989), “The Meanings of Food in the Public Domain”, in Dining Out, Cambridge, Polity Press. Norbert. E. (2000), ‘On Medieval Manners’ and ‘On Behaviour at the Table’, in The Civilizing Process, Oxford, Basil Mintz, Sidney (1997), ‘Time, Sugar and Sweetness’, in Carole Counihan and Penny van Esterik (eds) Food and Culture: Ritzer, George (2000), ‘McDonaldization and its Precursors’, in  The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Press. Wirth, L. (2003[1938]), ‘Urbanism as a Way of Life’,  The City Reader, London, Routledge: pp, 97-104 Read More