Californian Wine Culture and its McDonaldization

Bc. Adela Turlington

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

This bachelor thesis aims to explore the possible appearance of Ritzer’s McDonaldization aspects in California wine culture encompassing wine demand and supply. The thesis is divided into the primary sections of theoretical part, analytical part, limitations, conclusion and recommendations. The theoretical part contains background information regarding George Ritzer’s concept of McDonaldization and the history of California’s wine industry from its origin to the modern day. The analytical part contains the methodology and subsequent analysis. A multi-faceted research approach was chosen, conducting both an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The methodology was chosen to understand the aim and fulfill the following research questions: [1] Which factor of McDonaldization affects consumers the least? [2] Which wine factors influence consumers’ wine purchasing process the most? and [3] How do industry professionals view McDonaldization? Limitations were noted and future recommendations made. Conclusions and analysis were drawn, with the results indicating that the principles of McDonaldization are evident in the Californian wine industry.

Keywords

calculability, Californian wine, control, efficiency, McDonaldization, predictability

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 15. 6. 2023

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 11. 9. 2023
• Supervisor: Ing. Jiří Zelený, Ph.D.
• Reader: Ing. Darina Svobodová

University College Prague – University of International Relations and Institute of Hospitality Management and Economics, Ltd.

Bachelor programme / field:
Hospitality Management / Hospitality Management