Understanding the Phenomenon of McDonaldization

Understanding the Phenomenon of McDonaldization McDonaldization is a concept developed by American sociologist George Ritzer which refers to the particular kind of rationalization of production, work, and consumption that rose to prominence in the late twentieth century. The basic idea is that these elements have been adapted based on the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant- efficiency, calculability, predictability and standardization, and control- and that this adaptation has ripple effects throughout all aspects of society. The McDonaldization of Society George Ritzer introduced the concept of McDonaldization with his 1993 book,  The McDonaldization of Society.  Since that time the concept has become central within the field of sociology and especially within the sociology of globalization. The sixth edition of the book, published in 2011, has been cited nearly 7,000 times. According to Ritzer, the McDonaldization of society is a phenomenon that occurs when society, its institutions, and its organizations are adapted to have the same characteristics that are found in fast-food chains. These include efficiency, calculability, predictability and standardization, and control. Ritzers theory of McDonaldization is an update on classical sociologist Max Webers theory of how scientific rationality produced bureaucracy, which became the central organizing force of modern societies through much of the twentieth century. According to Weber, the modern bureaucracy was defined by hierarchical roles, compartmentalized knowledge and roles, a perceived merit-based system of employment and advancement, and the legal-rationality authority of the rule of law. These characteristics could be observed (and still can be) throughout many aspects of societies around the world. According to Ritzer, changes within science, economy, and culture have shifted societies away from Webers bureaucracy to a new social structure and order that he calls McDonaldization. As he explains in his book of the same name, this new economic and social order is defined by four key aspects. Efficiency  entails a managerial focus on minimizing the time required to complete individual tasks as well as that required to complete the whole operation or process of production and distribution.Calculability  is a focus on quantifiable objectives (counting things) rather than subjective ones (evaluation of quality).Predictability and standardization  are found in repetitive and routinized production or service delivery processes and in the consistent output of products or experiences that are identical or close to it (predictability of the consumer experience).Finally, control within McDonaldization is wielded by the management to ensure that workers appear and act the same on a moment-to-moment and daily basis. It also refers to the use of robots and technology to reduce or replace human employees wherever possible. Ritzer asserts that these characteristics are not only observable in production, work, and in the consumer experience, but that their defining presence in these areas extends as ripple effects through all aspects of social life. McDonaldization affects our values, preferences, goals, and worldviews, our identities, and our social relationships. Further, sociologists recognize that McDonaldization is a global phenomenon, driven by Western corporations, the economic power and cultural dominance of the West, and as such it leads to a global homogenization of economic and social life. The Downside of McDonaldization After laying out how McDonaldization works in the book, Ritzer explains that this narrow focus on rationality actually produces irrationality. He observed, Most specifically, irrationality means that rational systems are unreasonable systems. By that, I mean that they deny the basic humanity, the human reason, of the people who work within or are served by them. Many have no doubt encountered what Ritzer describes here  when the human capacity for reason seems to be not at all present in transactions or experiences that are marred by rigid adherence to the rules and policies of an organization. Those that work under these conditions often experience them as dehumanizing as well. This is because McDonaldization does not require a skilled workforce. Focusing on the four key characteristics that produce McDonaldization has eliminated the need for skilled workers. Workers in these conditions engage in repetitive, routinized, highly focused and compartmentalized tasks that are quickly and cheaply taught, and thus easy to replace. This kind of work devalues labor and takes away workers bargaining power. Sociologists observe that this kind of work has reduced workers rights and wages in the US and around the world, which is exactly why workers at places like McDonalds and Walmart are leading the fight for a living wage in the U.S.  Meanwhile in China, workers who produced iPhones and iPads face similar conditions and struggles. The characteristics of McDonaldization have crept into the consumer experience too, with free consumer labor folded into the production process. Ever bus your own table at a restaurant or cafà ©? Dutifully follow the instructions to assemble Ikea furniture? Pick your own apples, pumpkins, or blueberries? Check yourself out at the grocery store? Then you have been socialized to complete the production or distribution process for free, thus aiding a company in achieving efficiency and control. Sociologists observe the characteristics of McDonaldization in other areas of life, like education and media too, with a clear shift from quality to quantifiable measures over time, standardization and efficiency playing significant roles in both, and control too. Look around, and you will be surprised to find that you will notice the impacts of McDonaldization throughout your life.

Brass Alloys and Their Chemical Compositions

Brass Alloys and Their Chemical Compositions Brass is any alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with zinc. In some cases, copper with tin is considered ​a type of brass, although this metal historically has been called bronze. This is a list of common brass alloys, their chemical compositions, and the uses of the different types of brass. Brass Alloys Alloy Composition and Use Admiralty brass 30% zinc and 1% tin, used to inhibit dezincification Aichs alloy 60.66% copper, 36.58% zinc, 1.02% tin, and 1.74% iron. Corrosion resistance, hardness, and toughness make it useful for marine applications. Alpha brass Less than 35% zinc, malleable, can be worked cold, used in pressing, forging, or similar applications. Alpha brasses have only one phase, with face-centered cubic crystal structure. Princes metal or Prince Ruperts metal Alpha brass containing 75% copper and 25% zinc. Its named for Prince Rupert of the Rhine and used to imitate gold. Alpha-beta brass, Muntz metal, or duplex brass 35-45% zinc, suited for hot working. It contains both and phase; the -phase is body-centered cubic and is harder and stronger than . Alpha-beta brasses are usually worked hot. Aluminum brass Contains aluminum, which improves its corrosion resistance. Its used for seawater service and in Euro coins (Nordic gold). Arsenical brass Contains arsenic and frequently aluminum and is used for boiler fireboxes Beta brass 45-50% zinc content. It can only be worked hot, produces a hard, strong metal that is suitable for casting. Cartridge brass 30% zinc brass with good cold-working properties; used for ammunition cases Common brass, or rivet brass 37% zinc brass, standard for cold working DZR brass dezincification resistant brass with a small percentage of arsenic Gilding metal 95% copper and 5% zinc, softest type of common brass, used for ammunition jackets High brass 65% copper and 35% zinc, has a high tensile strength and is used for springs, rivets, and screws Leaded brass Alpha-beta brass with an addition of lead, easily machined Lead-free brass As defined by California Assembly Bill AB 1953 contains not more than 0.25 percent lead content Low brass Copper-zinc alloy containing 20% zinc; ductile brass used for flexible metal hoses and bellows Manganese brass 70% copper, 29% zinc, and 1.3% manganese, used in making golden dollar coins in the United States Muntz metal 60% copper, 40% zinc, and a trace of iron, used as a lining on boats Naval brass 40% zinc and 1% tin, similar to admiralty brass Nickel brass 70% copper, 24.5% zinc, and 5.5% nickel used to make pound coins in the pound sterling currency Nordic gold 89% copper, 5% aluminium, 5% zinc, and 1% tin, used in 10, 20, and 50 cents in euro coins Red brass American term for the copper-zinc-tin alloy known as gunmetal considered both a brass and a bronze. Red brass usually contains 85% copper, 5% tin, 5% lead, and 5% zinc. Red brass may be copper alloy C23000, which is 14 to 16% zinc, 0.05% iron and lead, and the remainder copper. Red brass also may refer to ounce metal, another copper-zinc-tin alloy. Rich low brass (Tombac) 15% zinc, often used for jewelry Tonval brass (also called CW617N, CZ122, or OT58) copper-lead-zinc alloy White brass Brittle metal containing more than 50% zinc. White brass may also refer to certain nickel silver alloys as well as Cu-Zn-Sn alloys with high proportions (typically 40%+) of tin and/or zinc, as well as predominantly zinc casting alloys with a copper additive. Yellow brass American term for 33% zinc brass

Definitional argument-euthanasia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definitional argument-euthanasia - Term Paper Example As a result, their meanings become changed, and they are used more frequently in these new contexts. One example of such a concept is that of euthanasia, which has been used negatively for decades in association with Hitler’s Germany. The negative connotations of euthanasia follow the term unjustly, even today as the practice the word refers to becomes more accepted in throughout the world. By looking at some definitions of euthanasia given by others, we can perhaps formulate what is perhaps the most inclusive understanding at the concept. Definitions of euthanasia often depend upon the political and ethical assumptions underlying them. One can choose a staunchly conservative ethical view that emerges out of a Christian ethical system and oppose euthanasia categorically as wrong. Or one can adopt a more liberal stance and view euthanasia as a matter of choice among individuals whether to live or die, which seems to emerge from a utilitarian ethical perspective. Former Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop represents the conservative Christian side of the spectrum in a definition of euthanasia that characterizes it as the ending of a life which is perceived to be devoid of value (Koop). The liberal, or utilitarian, perspective might direct us to a lighter view of the practice, one intimately connected with utility. That definition might be read like: the ending of a life in order to maximize a sufferer’s happiness and minimize suffering (LeBaron). On this view, we engage in euthanasia as a means o f alleviating suffering and as a service to the sufferer’s individual right to choose how one lives or dies. Less politically- or ethically-centric views of euthanasia direct us toward more neutral definitions of the practice. Philosopher Philippa Foot, for instance, wants us to move away from standard dictionary denotations of the word (â€Å"a quiet and easy death†) that she finds

Ethics in Cyberspace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in Cyberspace - Essay Example Following the explosion of internet popularity, there is the transfer of power struggles all over the world to the internet. All internet users ranging from businesses, private users, search engines, as well as any probable information source are making an attempt of controlling, manipulating, biasing, while, at the same time, censoring their information found on the internet in case they recognize it or not. As a result, the public gets to view a number of issues or events, which might be altered or not altered at all, thereby easily bending views in frightening manners. There are several computers based ethical dilemma; one set of matter deals with the emergence of various new ethical dilemma, or those taking new form, as a result of increase in Internet and Social Networking. Presently, there are various ways of gaining information concerning others, which were inaccessible, or available with ease, prior to the rise of computers. Therefore, ethical issues concerning storage of pri vate information are presently turning into an ever rising problem; this gives rise to the problem of selling this information for monetary benefit. This leads to distinctive ethical situations with regard to access, security, as well as the utilization of hacking within positive, as well as negative situations. Circumstances relating to the copyright breach of software, movies and music tend to be a hot topic with the increase in file sharing programs like Napster. The ethical questions arising from software piracy are whether it is immoral to copy software movies or even music. ... This happens to be a clear definition of the concept of an Opt-In against Opt-Out situation (Tavani 2010, p.25). Following the explosion of internet popularity, there is the transfer of power struggles all over the world to the internet. All internet users ranging from businesses, private users, search engines, as well as any probable information source are making an attempt of controlling, manipulating, biasing, while, at the same time, censoring their information found on the internet in case they recognize it or not. As a result, the public gets to view a number of issues or events, which might be altered or not altered at all, thereby easily bending views in frightening manners. There are several computers based ethical dilemma; one set of matter deals with the emergence of various new ethical dilemma, or those taking new form, as a result of increase in Internet and Social Networking. Presently, there are various ways of gaining information concerning others, which were inaccess ible, or available with ease, prior to the rise of computers. Therefore, ethical issues concerning storage of private information are presently turning into an ever rising problem; this gives rise to the problem of selling this information for monetary benefit. This leads to distinctive ethical situations with regard to access, security, as well as the utilization of hacking within positive, as well as negative situations. Circumstances relating to the copyright breach of software, movies and music tend to be a hot topic with the increase in file sharing programs like Napster. The ethical questions arising from software piracy are whether it is immoral to copy software movies or even music. Apart from that, questions

The Donation of Constantine Essay Example for Free

The Donation of Constantine Essay The Donation of Constantine has been considered a forgery, especially since 1440 A. D. by Lorenzo Valla in his Declamatio: â€Å"So all these are yours, supreme pontiff? And it is your purpose to recover them all? To despoil all kings and princes of the West of their cities or compel them to pay you a yearly tribute, is that your plan? † (Valla, 27) â€Å"The Donation† is a very controversial document that became an instrument used by the Papacy to ‘officially justify’ its political power and control. This fraudulent document has been thought to have been written 5 centuries later, between 750 and 800 A. D. The basis of the document itself was the transfer of power from Constantine to Pope Sylvester when Constantine converted to Christianity by baptism in 324 A. D. : â€Å"So the pontiffs, who are the representatives of that same chief of the apostles, should obtain from us and our empire the power of a supremacy greater than the earthly clemency of our imperial serenity is seen to have had conceded to it, (†¦)And we ordain and decree that he shall have the supremacy as well over the four chief seats Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Jerusalem, as also over all the churches of God in the -whole world. And he who for the time being shall be pontiff of that holy Roman church shall be more exalted than, and chief over, all the priests of the whole world† (Donatio Constantini) The reality, however, was that Constantine had been baptized later in 337 A. D. , by the Bishop of Rome. The donation in question consisted in surrendering the imperial insignia, the Lateran Palace, and the Roman and Italian territories. Besides, Rome was the capital of the great Roman Empire and the seat of the Apostles. So, the idea was that these Bishops of Rome, the representatives of Christ, should inherit Rome and its seat. In the beginning, the Bishop of Rome at the time of Constantine was not a very powerful public figure. Nevertheless, he benefited from his closeness with Constantine who had been in Rome to quietly and gradually assert authority as the head of the Emperor’s religion. (Williams, 522) The rise of the predominance of the Bishops of Rome ‘owning Rome and Christianity’ was subsequently supported by different rulers like Theodosius the Great who instituted a law that stated that any nation seeking the protection of the Pope in Rome would have to become a Christian nation. (Williams, 523) Unfortunately, numerous upheavals in power in the territories surrounding Rome became evident when pagan nations moved into Britain; Arian Kings moved into the remaining West while the Lombards established their domination next door to Rome. They were not the only threat to the authority of the Pope of Rome. At the same time, the emperor of Constantinople had been an enemy of the Pope; the emperor had even tried to assassinate him. (Williams, 524) The only way for the Pope (Stephen II or III) to secure his power was to enlist the help of a powerful ruler with whom he could forge an alliance. This ruler was the Frankish king Pepin III, nicknamed â€Å"Le Bref,† French for â€Å"the Short. † Pepin the Short became an ally against the Lombards who were dangerously threatening to take over all the Italian territory. In order to get the help from the Frankish king, Stephen traveled through the Alps all the way to Gaul where he anointed Pepin as well as his two sons Carloman and Charlemagne. Subsequently, Pepin and his two sons battled the Lombards, beat them, and took over their territory, formerly a Byzantine territory. In order to fulfill their alliance, Pepin gave this territory to Stephen in the Donation of Pepin, freeing Rome from Byzantine control. This conferred authority over these territories was the beginning of the papal states, dramatically increasing the political influence and religious power of the papacy. The papal power was confirmed and supported by Charlemagne. In 799, Pope Leo III had been mistreated by the Romans and sequestered. Charlemagne came to his aid and Leo crowned him emperor on December 25, 800 A. D. Charlemagne became the renewer of the Western Roman Empire and kept up his father’s relations with the Pope while becoming his protector. Charlemagne was a ruler always at war for most of his reign and conquered many lands like Saxonia, forcing the pagan population to embrace Roman Catholicism. (Ganhof, 220) (Becher, 19-81) Conclusion The ascension of Charlemagne to the throne originated from his father’s alliance with the papacy. Around 750 A. D. , the Donation of Constantine falsely validated the Pope’s authority on Rome and the Italian territory. This authority was confirmed and supported by Charlemagne whose loyalty to the Pope earned him the imperial seat of the Western Roman Empire. He was crowned in 800 A. D. by Pope Leo III. Works Cited Valla L. Discourse on the Forgery of the Alleged Donation of Constantine. Trans. by Christopher B. Coleman. Scanned Proofread by Jonathan Perry. New Haven: Yale University Press 1922. Hanover Historical Texts Project. 2001. Donatio Constantini. 750-800AD. The Medieval Sourcebook. The Fordham University of Medieval Studies. July 22, 2006: December 3, 2006. Williams SH. The Historian’s History of the World: A Comprehensive Narrative of the Rise and Development of the Roman Empire. History Association Publication, 1904. Ganshof, F. L. The Carolingians and the Frankish Monarchy: Studies in Carolingian History, trans. Janet Sondheimer, Ithaca, N. Y. : Cornell University Press, 1971. Becher, M. Charlemagne, trans. David S. Bachrach, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.

Gunboat Diplomacy :: Political Science

Theodore Roosevelt’s was a President who believed that the United States should be a strong country by military strength. He believed that that we had to a power in the world and a force in the world. Roosevelt wanted a two ocean navy. He wanted a navy that could come and go to the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. With the idea of wanting power in the both oceans he began plans for the construction of the Panama Canal. This is where the essence of the Gunboat Diplomacy comes in. Gunboat Diplomacy involves intimidation by threat or use of military force. He ended up taking Panama and then leaving the Congress to debate the situation out and while debating was building the canal. The invasion of Panama to depose Manuel Noriega was the root of Gunboat Diplomacy. Before the Panama Canal was constructed, the country of Panama was a province of Columbia. The Federal Government of the United States used the Monroe Doctrine to construct an imperial diplomacy, which initially staked out a sphere-of-influence that warned Old World powers not to attempt any further colonial adventures in the New World: the New World was to be dominated by the United States. The drive to build the canal as a short-cut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans came about largely from the interests of the United States Navy, which recognized that the strategic control of the continent would devolve on anyone who had control of a canal at the narrowest point in the land: and there was the geo-political aspect of control of the Pacific Ocean. The British Navy had already proven the necessity of controlling the ocean as a supply line for colonial expansion. The biggest obstacle to building the Panama Canal was the issue of who would control it. The next biggest obstacle was the fact that the area was covered with jungle, which was a breeding ground for diseases Western medicine had never encountered. When President Roosevelt got behind the Navy to push its interests, influenced by the British Naval tradition, and intending to launch an American Naval tradition to rival the British in colonial expansion, he immediately embraced the plan to build a canal through the Isthmus of Panama. The only problem was that it belonged to another country. The Isthmus of Panama was a backwater, an inconsequential country province with no pretensions of independence. The entire project for independence was a proto-type for the kind of covert CIA operations Americans would be famous for in the Third World later in the century.

Service Container C#

Service Container Presented by: Anton Cherkasov Service Providers  §Services are the basic building blocks of the . NET design-time architecture. They help to expose access to specific features from external objects.  §Designers and components can obtain other services through the use of service providers. A. NET service provider is represented by the System. IServiceProvider interface. The interface  provides a mechanism for retrieving a specific service object, given the type of object to retrieve.Here is the only member of this interface: object  GetService(Type  serviceType) This method, when overridden, will return an object that represents the specified service type. If the service provider cannot return an object of the specified type, then callers should expect the return value to be null. IServiceContainer Interface  §A service container allows for services to be added and removed to it. Therefore, external objects can have more control over what a service provid er exposes.A service container is actually a service provider. The interface that represents a service container is System. IServiceContainer, which is derived from IServiceProvider, as shown: public interface IServiceContainer : IServiceProvider IServiceContainer Interface Methods  §Here are the two methods of this interface: AddService: This method adds the specified service to the service container. This method has four overloads. void AddService(Type serviceType, object service); oid AddService(Type serviceType, ServiceCreatorCallback callback); void AddService(Type serviceType, object service, bool promote); void AddService(Type serviceType, ServiceCreatorCallback callback, bool promote); RemoveService: This method removes the specified service from the service container. This method has two overloads. void  RemoveService(Type  serviceType); void  RemoveService(Type  serviceType, bool  promote); ServiceContainer Class  §The . NET Framework comes with a class that is already derived from IServiceContainer to be used with the designer framework.This class is: System. ComponentModel. Design. ServiceContainer  §This class has two constructor overloads: the default constructor, and one that takes a parent service provider as a parameter. This class uses a Hashtable to store the available services. It stores both service instances and service callbacks into this table for retrieval. How does it work? Pros  §The combination of services, providers, and service containers form a simple design pattern that gives a lot of advantages. For example: creates weak binding between client components and the services they use; – creates a simple repository and service discovery mechanism that allows easily scale the application (or part thereof). – allows for lazy loading of services, there is a method AddService overload, creating services, when they ask for the first time; – is an alternative to static classes; – supports prog ramming, based on contracts; – applicable to implement the service-factory; – suitable to create an architecture that supports plug-ins. Questions?