Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Read the Following article and Answer the questions that follow.
Globalization is a very recently coined term in human history. It is characterized by the advent of global corporations &
institutions which operate in multiple nations as if there are no real boundaries between them and the intermixing of different
cultures, leading to a common global identity & Consciousness. In 2000, IMF identified four basic aspects of globalization- trade and
transactions, capital and investment movements, migration of people & wide dissemination of knowledge.
There are is no single accepted definition of Globalization, as it has multifaceted aspects which cannot be accurately generalized. Some
definitions have been attempted-
Globalization is a process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, ideas and culture.
Globalization as a concept refers both to the compression of the world and the intensification of the consciousness of the
world as a whole…. both concrete global interdependence and consciousness of the global whole.
Globalization can be defined as the intensification of world-wide social relations which link distant localities in such a way
that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice-versa. This is a dialectical process because such local
happenings may move in an obverse direction from the very distanciated relations that shape them. Local transformation is as much
part of globalization as the lateral extension of social connections across time and space
Globalization is the widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary
social life, from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the spiritual.
When the definitions of globalization that are put together, five essential characteristics of globalization can be identified[6]–
1. Global in nature- long distance transnational extensions of economics, polity, culture etc.
2. Globally inclusive in inputs as well as reach. Ideas/products from one part of the world is an extension of that in another
part of the world.
3. Interdependency between multiple facets of trade, society etc.
4. Stability and regularity in those relations.
5. Must include the ‘masses’ not just the ‘elites’. Existence of a global consciousness which must include all the people on the
planet, not just a select few.
The term Globalization is often interchangeably used with liberalization, internationalization, universalization & westernization. But
these terms are actually a part of the bigger picture of Globalization.
Efficiency- It is the process of choosing the optimum means to a given end. Every business venture looks for efficiency even
in a non McDonaldized society. But in a McDonaldized society, efficiency is thrust upon an individual. The single most efficient
method is the one that needs to be followed mandatorily. No one is free to choose his own methods of efficiency, one is
forced to accept the methods followed by the other institutions. Ritzer uses the example of an ATM to explain the scenario
of how over- rationalization defeats the purpose of efficiency- A person has to pay to obtain an ATM-cum debit, then to use
it, he has to find an ATM; pay for withdrawing his own money. Ultimately the person is ending up doing something which was
usually done for him till now[13], and also pay for doing the work himself; all in the name of efficiency and convenience.
Calculability- There is an emphasis on the quantity of the products sold & speed of the service offered. The more the
number of products sold (Size/Cost) & the faster the service provided, the better. This emphasis leads to the erroneous
conclusion that if the number of products is more, the product must be of good quality[14]. McDonald’s serves items like
‘Big Mac’ which are perceived to be the better products on the menu due to their size.
Predictability- There is an emphasis on things such as “discipline, order, systemization, formalization, routine, consistency,
and methodical operation”[15]. The experience of the customer at McDonald’s in Kolkata, India will be similar to that in
Bismarck, North Dakota, so will be the taste of the food. This totally defeats the purpose of experiencing a new culture if one
is vacationing in Ibiza, Spain and still eats McDonald’s burgers. This predictability has spilled into other industries as well,
especially in the television & the movie industry[16].
Control- There is an emphasis on controlling the workers and the customers. This is done to maintain a greater control over
the complete rationalizing process through increased mechanization. By substitution of humans by non-human technology
and by making tasks repetitive, forcing workers not to think, employers maintain greater control over their employees[17].
For example, checkers at a store can do their job by simply pushing a few buttons and scanning the barcodes of products; for
customers now there are ‘self-serve’ scanners, where they can scan the barcodes of the products they intend to purchase;
airplanes are being flown by computers- pilots just oversee the process[18]. Human skills and capabilities are of lesser value
than before.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTIONS: