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| George Ritzer’s term for rationalization, the identical process extensively described by Weber. |
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| A theoretical framework or worldview within which middle-range theories and generalizations regarding social reality are formulated and tested. |
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| Weber's term for the process by which modes of precise calculation based on observation and reason increasingly dominate the social world. |
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| The contracting of services or manufacturing to another organization in order to reduce costs. When this is done with a contract to a business in another country it is called “offshoring.” |
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| The paradox of supremely rational organizations—that is, bureaucracies—acting in ways that are very irrational in terms of the well-being of the total society. |
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| George Ritzer’s term for how the consumption of goods and services is carried out in a society. |
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| A set of ideas developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor that involve simplifying, rationalizing, standardizing, and coordinating the actions of workers to produce maximum efficiency. |
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| Contemporary social theory that derives its main elements from Karl Marx's ideas. |
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| An ideology claiming that science and the scientific method alone can provide true knowledge and understanding of the world. |
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| The retreat of mysticism, belief in the supernatural, and awe from social life, with these elements being replaced by secular values, rationality, and scientific understanding. |
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| multinational corporation |
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| A business corporation that operates in two or more countries. |
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| cathedrals of consumption |
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| George Ritzer’s term for commercial displays meant to inspire awe, wonder, and enchantment in the consumer—shopping centres, casinos, and sports stadiums are examples. |
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| An economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution in which the goal is to produce profit. |
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| The spread of American cultural elements—products, lifestyles, customs, institutions, and ideologies—around the globe. |
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| detailed division of labor |
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Definition
| The breakdown of product manufacturing into simple discrete steps, with each task assigned to an individual worker. |
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| A formal organization marked by a clear hierarchy of authority and written rules of procedure, staffed by full-time salaried officials, and striving for the efficient attainment of organizational goals. |
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| The consumption of goods and services to the point of abnormal excess. |
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| The development of extensive worldwide patterns of economic, social, or political relationships between nations. |
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