Question 1

Suggestive selling, accepting credit cards as payment, and expanding operating hours to 24 hours are strategies used by the fast food industry to

Accepted Answer

These strategies are aimed at increasing sales by making it more convenient for customers to purchase products and encouraging them to buy more, rather than directly affecting production costs or improving the products themselves.

Question 2

Humans have a moral obligation to treat animals with kindness and empathy, and when "we no longer recognize the animals in a factory farm as living creatures capable of feeling pain and fear…we debase ourselves." This statement indicates that treatment of animals should be

Accepted Answer

The statement emphasizes the importance of treating animals with kindness and empathy, which are emotion-driven responses, rather than treating them as mere tools or through purely logical or cost-effective considerations.

Question 3

Which one of the following is an example of an externality cost?

Accepted Answer

Externality costs are costs that are not borne by the parties involved in a transaction but are imposed on others. The cost of restoring contaminated and barren land is an example of an environmental externality, where the negative impacts of pollution or land degradation affect third parties not directly involved in the production or consumption of goods.

Question 4

A hamburger purchased in a U.S.-based Wendy's and a hamburger purchased in a German-based Wendy's has the same appearance and taste. This phenomenon represents which feature of McDonaldization?

Accepted Answer

Predictability is a key feature of McDonaldization, referring to the assurance that products and services will be the same in any location of a franchise, such as a hamburger having the same appearance and taste in Wendy's restaurants in both the U.S. and Germany.

Question 5

Order takers at a fast food restaurant ask every customer whether he or she would like to "supersize" their drink or meal. This strategy is an example of

Accepted Answer

Suggestive selling is a sales technique where the seller asks the customer if they would like to include an additional purchase or upgrade a current purchase. In this scenario, asking customers if they want to "supersize" their drink or meal is a classic example of suggestive selling, aiming to increase the sale amount by suggesting a larger, more expensive option.

Question 6

The McDonaldization of society involved four principles. These principles are

Accepted Answer

The McDonaldization of society, a concept developed by sociologist George Ritzer, involves the principles of efficiency, quantification/calculation, predictability, and control. These principles describe the process by which the characteristics of fast-food restaurants are coming to dominate more sectors of society and more regions of the world.

Question 7

The organizational trend guided by instrumental-rational action in which the principles governing fast food restaurants come to dominate other sectors of society is known as the

Accepted Answer

The term "McDonaldization of society" refers to the process by which the principles of the fast food industry, such as efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, increasingly dominate other sectors of society. This concept was introduced by sociologist George Ritzer in his book "The McDonaldization of Society."

Question 8

A hospital advertises a heart procedure that allows patients to return to work in two weeks instead of the standard six weeks following surgery. This use of numerical indicators to allow patients to evaluate the speediest recovery time represents which dimension of McDonaldization?

Accepted Answer

The use of numerical indicators to allow patients to evaluate the speediest recovery time represents the dimension of McDonaldization known as quantification and calculation. This dimension emphasizes the importance of measurable outcomes and the ability to calculate and quantify aspects of services to improve efficiency and predictability.

Question 9

Which of the following is one of the strategies McDonald's used to become a global giant?

Accepted Answer

McDonald's strategy to become a global giant includes creating new markets by adapting its menu and marketing strategies to cater to local tastes and preferences, thereby expanding its customer base worldwide.

Question 10

Virtually all major fast food companies have introduced low-fat foods on their menus, and most have proved unpopular with consumers. This shows that multinationals, such as McDonald's, are

Accepted Answer

The introduction of low-fat foods by fast food companies, despite their unpopularity, indicates that these companies are attempting to cater to a demand for healthier options, but consumer preferences still lean towards higher-calorie, higher-fat items. This suggests that the companies are responding to consumer tastes rather than ignoring health concerns.

Question 11

McDonald's 600-page operations and training manual (that specifies everything from where sauces should be placed on buns to how thick pickle slices should be)would be of interest to sociologists studying

Accepted Answer

The manual is an example of the formal dimensions of organizations, as it outlines specific procedures and standards that must be followed, reflecting the structured and official aspects of organizational operations.

Question 12

Factory farms, or CAFO's, raise thousands of cows and tens of thousands of chickens in tight quarters where they are fattened up for slaughter as quickly as possible. This emphasis on raising as many animals as possible in the shortest amount of time illustrates

Accepted Answer

Instrumental-rational action focuses on achieving the most efficient means to an end, which in the context of factory farms or CAFOs, is raising as many animals as possible in the shortest amount of time for slaughter. This approach emphasizes efficiency and outcomes over values or traditions.

Question 13

Weber made several important qualifications regarding instrumental-rational thought and action. Which of the following is not one of those qualifications?

Accepted Answer

Max Weber's concept of rationalization primarily concerns the organization and standardization of social and economic life, rather than how individuals actually think. Choices B, C, and D reflect aspects of Weber's view on instrumental-rational action and the broader process of rationalization in society.

Question 14

With the help of science, the fast food industry has been able to produce a uniform-looking and uniform-tasting potato. However, this potato comes at a cost-it requires heavy doses of chemicals that pollute land and surrounding waters. Sociologists call this a(n)_________________ cost.

Accepted Answer

An externality is a cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit. In this context, the pollution caused by chemicals used in potato production is an external cost to society and the environment.

Question 15

The "on-paper" workings of an organization correspond with

Accepted Answer

The "on-paper" workings of an organization correspond with the formal dimension of organizations, which includes the official, documented rules, procedures, and structures designed to guide and control the organization's activities.

Question 16

Mohammed works in a fast food restaurant. When he fills drink orders, the dispenser automatically fills the cup with ice and soft drinks and shuts itself off. This is an example of what McDonaldization principle?

Accepted Answer

The principle illustrated here is "control," specifically through the use of technology to standardize and regulate the process of filling drink orders, ensuring consistency and minimizing human error.

Question 17

In a British-based McDonald's court case, employees testified that they routinely witnessed managers and employees watering down soft drinks and failing to throw away food that had been dropped on the floor. These observations relate to

Accepted Answer

The observations relate to the informal dimensions of organizations, which encompass the unofficial and unwritten ways that organization members interact and get things done, often diverging from the official rules and procedures.

Question 18

According to the Pizza Hut Web site, the company needs a herd of 250,000 dairy cows producing at full capacity 365 days a year to fill the company's demand for cheese toppings. This view of cows reflects __________ action.

Accepted Answer

The view of cows as a resource to meet the demand for cheese toppings reflects instrumental-rational action, which involves achieving a specific goal (in this case, meeting the demand for cheese toppings) through the most efficient means possible (utilizing a herd of dairy cows at full capacity).

Question 19

The term "iron cage of irrationality" is used to describe the

Accepted Answer

The term "iron cage of irrationality" refers to the concept that systems designed to be rational can often lead to outcomes that are irrational or detrimental to individuals' autonomy and humanity, highlighting the unintended consequences of rationalization.

Question 20

Egg suppliers regularly deprive hens of food and water for as long as two weeks, as the practice increases egg production. This view of chickens reflects

Accepted Answer

This view reflects instrumental-rational action because it involves calculating the most efficient means to achieve a specific goal, in this case, increasing egg production, regardless of the ethical implications for the hens.

Quiz 6: Formal Organizations: With Emphasis on Industrial Food