Globalization and McDonald's

The more classical and neo-classical viewpoints would rest in favour of the effects globalization and the opposing viewpoint would derive from that of the radical/Marxist perspective.
             McDonalds has obtained sheer dominance within the fast-food industry and thus is a company which is particularly relevant when exploring and discussing the topic of globalization. The first McDonalds store was a typical drive-in opened in 1948 by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Currently, McDonalds is the world's largest restaurant chain with 35,000 restaurants which have expanded to more than 100 countries (Aboutmcdonalds.com, 2015). McDonalds tends to dominate in Western Europe, however controversially the store also operates developing countries where economies are often deemed unstable such as Guatemala and Argentina. The sheer global expansion of this company can be highlighted by The Economist's 'Big Mac Index' and although being "light-hearted guide to whether currencies are at their correct level" (The Economist, 2013) the fact that the "big mac" is being used to determine the equality of exchange rates between two different countries, certainly signifies the significant global power the company has obtained.
             'Glocalization' is a term used to describe "products and services that are both developed and sold to global customers but designed so that they suit the needs of local markets" (Online 2015). It is a process which has allowed McDonalds to strategize in a way that takes advantage of globalization, as they have achieved a global scale expansion, diversified and franchised to a multitude of different countries and cultures by adapting to the taste of local markets. 'Glocalization' is a controversial process and seemingly would be opposed to by the Radicals/Marxists as in George Ritzer's thesis of "The McDonaldization of Society" he describes 'McDonaldization' as "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world.