George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland and his awards include the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Contribution to Teaching Award. He has authored numerous books, including several student textbooks, and is editor of The Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2005), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007 and continuing online), and The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization (forthcoming). His books, the best known of which is The McDonaldization of Society (1993; 2008), have been translated into over 20 languages.