Gender Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Gender Stereotypes Essay Gender stereotypes are type of generalized or oversimplified perceptions, impressions, images, or opinions about men and women (Santrock, 2007, p. 177) It is also the presumption that a certain behavior or trait belongs to certain gender and cannot be applied to the other. In short, gender stereotyping can also involve assigning a certain label to a particular gender. One of the most common gender stereotypes are the ones associated with feminine and masculine behaviors. For example, it is common for most people to perceive that males should always be aggressive and tough. In addition, generally, in emotional situations, men are expected to hold their own and not breakdown or cry. It is also a general perception that young males should always strive to be athletic and active in sports and play toys such as guns, cars, and weapons. On the other hand, there are also several female stereotypes. For example, females are generally perceived to be emotional and are the first ones affected during a dramatic situation. In other words, females are expected to be more sensitive than males. Moreover, females are also generally perceived to be always demure and reserved. Furthermore, sexism is the attitude or idea that one gender is less valuable or weaker than the other or that one gender is better and superior than the other (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). It generally has two forms: old-fashioned and modern sexism. Old fashioned sexism is the belief that there should be differential treatment between women and men because women are significantly inferior to men while modern sexism is the rejection of the belief that there is still antagonism and discrimination towards women and their rights (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). One example of old fashioned sexism is when a male employee has a problem of having a female supervisor or boss. On the other hand, an example of modern sexism is when a male lawyer denies that there is discrimination against women even after his law firm rejected a potential lawyer partner simply because she is a woman. References Santrock, J. W. (2007). Adolescence 12th edition. McGr

Contrast Between Leadership And Management Management Essay

Contrast Between Leadership And Management Management Essay The paper is about todays leadership and discuss about the impact on leadership from diverse culture. Two leadership models are introduced with application of one famous leader. Mullins (2007) defined leadership as a relationship, which a person influences others on their behaviors. It is always associated with group activities. Many people may be confused with leadership and management. Leadership plays one function of management (Anon., 1997). Management has four major functions, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Kinicki Williams, 2006). Leadership has the function of leading. Leaders have followers by influence them, while managers get subordinates and rule them. Vick (2012) distinguished them by regarding managers as the liaisons between individual success and organizations success, and regarding leaders as instigators. Although its very ideal to play a role with the combination of leader and manager, a manager is not necessary to be a leader, vice versa. 1.3 The way leaders influence others One major reason is leaders can influence others by their power. Bartol and Martin (1991) stated that Power is the capacity to affect the behavior of others. It includes legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, information power, and referent power. By using different type of power, the followers may have different reaction. Hellriegel, Jackson and Slocum (2002) classified the reactions into three types: commitment, compliance, and resistance. Most Likely Response from Followers Type of power Used by Leader Expert Referent Reward Legitimate Coercive Commitment Compliance Resistance 1.4 Leadership with cultural diversity Nowadays, with the development of globalization, leaders are more likely to face followers with different cultures than before. In organizations, whether companies have international activities, they may have a workforce with diverse culture (Den Hartog Dickson, n.d.). 2 A Leader for Example Todays would is heavily affected by the developed technology. PC has become an indispensable part in the life. And the person who made PC universal is the co-found and chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates. He also founded Bill Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife, Melinda Gates (Bellis, n.d.). Bill Gates is an entrepreneur and a philanthropist as well. He had been the wealthiest man in the world for a long period. Bill Gates has many common traits which also appear in many other successful leaders. The following ones are some of them: Passion on career: Since first exposure to computers in 1968, Bill Gates was inspired passion on computers. He took part in many computer related activities, such as being hired by CCC to find bugs. He even dropped out of Harvard and set up Microsoft to devote into developing software (EVAN CARMICHAEL, n.d.). Spirit of innovation: Bill Gates has the spirit of innovation. Windows 1.0, an operation system which was far cry from existing ones at that time, is a brainchild of Bill Gates (Microsoft, n.d.). Ambition: 3 Leadership Model Leadership models are established for people to follow to 3.1 Transformational Model DuBrin (2010) stated that Transformational leadership focuses on what the leader accomplishes yet still pays attention to the leaders personal characteristics and his or her relationship with group members. Transformational leadership was firstly proposed by James MacGregor Burns in 1978. She conceptualized leadership as either transactional or transformational (Bass Riggio, 2006). The latest transformational model includes four elements, idealised influence (II), inspirational motivation (IM), intellectual stimulation (IS) and individualized consideration (IC), which are also known as 4Is. The variables of transformational leadership (Bass Riggio, 2006) Idealized influence: Idealized influence refers to the leaders generating trust, respect and loyalty from followers by their high level of ethical and moral behaviors. Followers approve the leaders and intend to imitate them. Idealized influence has two aspects, the leaders behaviors and followers perception. Inspirational motivation: Transformational leaders have strong vision for the future. They stimulate followers by giving challenge and meaning to followers work. Leaders make followers involve in imaging fascinating future and drive up followers enthusiasm and optimism. Intellectual stimulation: Transformational leaders encourage followers to be innovative and creative. Individuals mistakes are not to be criticized publicly. New ideas and approaches from followers are encouraged. Individualized consideration: Transformational leaders act as a coach or mentor and lay emphasis on individual followers needs for achievement and development. Different needs and wants of individual are recognized. Leaders prefer a two-way communication with followers and personalized interaction. The full range of leadership model The full range of leadership model is a combination of both transactional and transformational leadership. The components of transactional leadership include contingent reward (CR), management-by-exception (MBE), and laissez-faire leadership (LF). Fig.3.1 The full range of leadershipThe components are evaluated by two dimensions, activeness and effectiveness. Bass and Riggio (2006) stated that optimal leaders display LF leadership most infrequently, and display MBE and CR higher frequently. They choose transformational leadership, 4Is, most frequently. In contrast, poor leaders preform oppositely. Bill gates, a transformational leader Bill gates started Microsoft with a strong vision, a computer on every desk and Microsoft on every computer. He attributed the astounding success of Microsoft to the vision. (EVAN CARMICHAEL, n.d.). 3.2 Situational leadership model 4 Impact from cultural diversity Leaders use a combination of different leadership style. National cultural is one of the important factors which affect the decisions of choosing leadership style (Robbins and Decenzo). With the increasing globalization, the situation of cultural factor becomes more complex for the leaders. 5 Conclusion

Developing Corporate Culture within an organisation

Developing Corporate Culture within an organisation As defined in Assignment 1, culture is a set values, beliefs, common understanding, thinking and norms for behavior that are shared by all members of a society. Organizational climate, on the other hand, is the process of quantifying the culture of an organization. It is a set of properties of the work environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the employees, that is assumed to be a major force in influencing employee behavior. In laymens terms, it is the employees opinion of the workplace environment that could have a direct bearing on their performance. For instance, a high performance climate will encourage individuals to do what is needed to meet goals, satisfy customers, and exceed expectations. Likewise, a poor climate will result in loss of confidence in the organization, lower commitment and mediocre performance from employees. There are six factors to evaluation climate, and they are: Clarity Everyone knows what is expected of them. Standards Challenged with reasonable goals. Responsibility Employees given authority to accomplish tasks without checking for approval. Flexibility Employees are recognized and rewarded for good performance. Rewards Employees are recognized and rewarded for good performance. Commitment People are proud to belong to the organization. Using these six factors to assess the climate at the School Employee Retirements System of Ohio (SERS), we can evaluate SERS existing climate from their scores in the Denison Organization Culture Survey. Climate Factors Denison Organizational Culture Survey Score Clarity Vision: 81% Goals Objectives: 82% Strategic Direction Intent: 78% Standards Coordination Integration: 87% Agreement: 73% Core Values: 73% Responsibility Customer Focus: 79% Flexibility Creating Change: 77% Empowerment: n/a Rewards Launch a rewards and recognition programme such as their standardized merit system to recognize those that go above and beyond. Commitment Capability Development: n/a Organizational Learning: 82% Team Orientation: n/a SERS has definitely taken on board the feedback from their initial Denison Organizational Culture Survey scores in 2006 and progressed significantly using the Culture Change Monitor. In a mere three years, it has realized remarkable improvements across many areas of the Denison model and transformed into an organization with balanced top-down and bottom-up team work and involvement. Task 2 Recommend ways to improve corporate climate in an organization. SERSs effort and accomplishment in their transformation is indeed an incredible feat. It would be wise for them to keep at their efforts in establishing an open communicative environment and aim towards creating an inclusive and meritocratic culture. American marathon runner, Joan Benoit Samuelson, was once quoted saying, I look at victory as milestone on a very long highway. Likewise, the journey to victory for SERS is a long road ahead. Thus it is important for SERS to consistency review the data to ascertain the details to progress forward and achieve organizational success. SERS could perhaps make improvements in their efforts for diversity and inclusion, which would ultimately lend in creating a strong future for SERS. This can be attained through addressing the factors of difference and fully capitalizing on the potential contribution of all employees. Embedding diversity and inclusion will give SERS the competitive advantage and help cultivate a competitive culture. For example, SERS could launch a global diversity drive and arrange networking events for affinity groups whereby particularly sub-sets of employees can network and exchange experience. Here, members can come together to discuss key issues and learn from each other, very much similar to their existing leadership development programme. On the employee development front, the SERS University is a good development to embed a learning culture within the organization. With this platform, employees are given the resources of a university to help them advance their careers, realize personal enrichment and achieve success. Additionally, the employee culture of SERS could be weaved into employee development course to inculcate a culture that focuses high engagement. Last but not least, it is recommended that SERS launch their own sustainability campaign to formulate a culture that is part of life and spirit of the communities it serves. It could be accomplished by involving volunteers across the company to donate time, money and resources to help those in need. Furthermore, SERS could offer educational resources such as books, classrooms, teachers to children in need. Task 3 Proposed a framework of organizational values that meet the specific strategic and operational needs of an organization The Competing Values Framework (CVF) developed by Quinn, Rohrbaugh could be proposed to conduct organizational analysis of the existing organizational values. The CVF was initially developed from the research on major indicators of effective organizations. Based on statistical analysis of a comprehensive list of effective indicators, Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) discovered two major dimension underlying conceptions of effectiveness. The first dimension is related to organizational focus, from an internal emphasis on the well-being and development of people in the organization to an external focus on the well-being and development of the organization itself. The second dimension differentiates organizational preference for structure and represents the contrast between stability and control and flexibility and change. Plotting this to illustrate, we get a spatial model that forms four quadrants, each with its own set of distinct indicators. Graphically, the CVF can be illustrated as the following: Each quadrant represents one of the four dimensions as depicted in the Denision Organizational Culture survey. These are the four major modes of organization and management theory. In the first quadrant on the upper left corner, we have the Human Relations Model which stresses on flexibility and internal focus. Here, cohesion, morale and human resources development are regarded as a criteria for effectiveness. On the upper right corner, we have the Open System Model. In this quadrant, emphasis is placed on flexibility and external focus, and the primary concerns are the readiness, growth, resource acquisition and external support. Moving on to the lower section of the diagram, the left quadrant is the Internal Process Model, while the right quadrant is the Rational Goal Model. The former emphasizes on control and internal focus and stresses the role of information management, communication, stability and control. The latter emphasizes on control and external focus, and looks upon pla nning, goal setting, productivity and efficiency as effective tools. Using the similar methodology, an alternative model of the CVF demonstrates the applicability towards leadership. Here, eight categories of leadership behaviors emerge, and can be illustrated as the following: Within each quadrant in this alternative model, each represents two roles that aligned with the four modes of organization and management theory. Human Relation Model Mentor is helpful and approachable, and is responsible for the personal development. Facilitator promotes teamwork, cohesiveness and manages interpersonal conflict. Open System Model Innovator possesses the creative and out-of-the box thinking skills, whereas broker possesses the political astute, persuasive, influential and powerful. Internal Process Model Monitor role checks on the performance and handles the paperwork, while coordinator facilitates the structure, schedules and the coordination efforts. Producer Role Model Producer role is responsible for the tasks and work, and motivate employees to attain stated goals, while director role engages in planning and goal setting, sets objectives and establishes clear expectations. This Competing Value Framework (CVF) can be a useful framework of organizational value that meets the specific strategic and operational needs of an organization. Management should take into account all of these eight roles and achieve a balance in competing demands and expectations. As such, this tool could help diagnose their existing and desired culture, and identify organizational gaps. Furthermore, it could be used as a tool for teaching and provide help in better understanding the similarities and differences of managerial leadership roles. Task 4 Identify internal and external stakeholders of an organization. Stakeholders in an organization are simply individuals or group that has an interest in the outcome of your objective. Internal stakeholders are defined as the people who are already committed in their responsibilities as board members, staff, volunteers, and/or donors. External stakeholders, on the other hand, are the people who are impacted by your work as clients/constituents, community, partners, and others. Internal Stakeholders can be represented by the following groups: Board members: Responsible for appointment of management in an organization, take accountability of management for their use of resources and the results of the stewardship of management. This stakeholder may engage in economic decisions which include whether to buy or sell an investment or whether to reappoint or replace the management. Staff members: Employees and their representative groups are interested in the well-being such as the stability and profitability of their employers. They are interested in information which enables them to assess the ability of the enterprise to provide remuneration, retirement benefits and employment opportunities. Donors: The investors of the organizations that provides the risk capital. They are concerned with the risk taken, and return on equity from their investments. They need information to make informed decision of either buying, holding or selling. Shareholders are also interested in financial metrics to discern the ability of the organization to meet dividend payments. External Stakeholders can be represented by the following groups: Clients: Clients or customers are the source of revenue for the business. Community Partners: These are the association boards, regulatory bodies that are concern with the business codes of conduct that the organization follows. Others: Could range from their Corporate Social Responsibility partners, group alliances, the charities that are in partnership with, and the environment. Using NHS as a case study, we can identify the following list of internal and external stakeholders: Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders Director of Public Health Head of Health Intelligence and Information Procurement Director of Nursing Public Health Strategists Public Health Management Analyst Director of Programmes and Services Research Scientist Communications Environmental Health Intelligence Analyst Public Health Manager Trustees Board committee members Local Authority/council Providers Acute trusts Patients Service users Customers Suppliers Funders Quality assessors LINk group Special interest groups Health visitors/school nurses Wider public health workforce Media Task 5 Evaluate the effectiveness of an organizations existing communication strategies. Communication is one of the basic functions in an organization and its importance can hardly be overemphasized. It is the process of transmitting information, ideas, thoughts, opinions and plans between various parts of an organization. In other words, it is an active two way process that involves listening, speaking, writing and reading. Effective communication in the workplace is essential to provide clear direction and expectations to employees. This will help promote higher productivity, improved performance and increased customer loyalty and profit. Communication strategy in an organization is defined as a management technique for determining the most effective method of communicating in an organization. It outlines the process for communicating and sharing information on project benefits and facts to target audiences and stakeholders. In order to evaluate the effectives of SERSs existing communication strategies, it important to analyze this with respect to its internal and external stakeholders. Communication among internal stakeholders Since 2006, SERS have come a long way in establishing increased communication and promote a culture of openness. One avenue of communication among employees is the daily newsletter publication that provides the latest updates on community information and events, new hires and other relevant organizational information. In addition to that, monthly publications are handed out to employees detailing highlights from monthly board meetings to keep employee abreast on major organizational decisions. This provided employees a structured platform to keep track of major changes and also foster inclusion by encouraging participation in meetings. The set up of cross-function teams was another initiative on the communication front. This enabled staff to work in teams to address key issues, set specific goals and milestone to ensure accountability for their team. Here, cross-functional teams were responsible in the evaluation of the existing performance management process and the creation of competency models for every job function. These models communicated the performance metrics by first defining SMART goals, thus giving employees a sense of empowerment and accountability for reaching their goals. Communication among external stakeholders On the communication initiatives among external stakeholders front, not much have been mentioned in this case study. Extending this with additional research, SERS is currently exploring new ways to communication with their strategic partners. This involve identify and delivering solutions that will bring the greatest impacts to their external stakeholders. Currently, SERS is looking at providing multiple service channels for their existing members to include face-to-face, electronic, web, multi-lingual, etcetera. They have also engaged in lobbying and public education to minimize the potential for detrimental legislation. Task 6 Develop new communication strategies of an organization that address differences in belief, values, customs and language. The ability to communicate is essential to organizational success. We have come into an age of knowledge, and the ability to communicate effectively is the key to harness that knowledge. A good communications strategy would allow for better control and help structure issues in perspective to ultimately address the difference in belief, values, customs and language. Today, SERS has clearly identified its new model in its mission statement affirming its dedication to communication and collaboration to help them identify, and deliver solutions for, the issues of greatest impact to their members and retirees. In the initial stages of the development of a new communications strategy, it would be ideal to make this a collective process and involve participation of all members. This will help facilitate the brainstorm session and pool the necessary skills and competencies to develop an appropriate communications strategy for SERS. This strategy can be structured in several stages: Phase 1 Preliminary outline prepared by the close collaborators. Phase 2 Outline submitted to various partners for comments and revisions. Comments are also received from individuals, groups, etc. Phase 3 Management meets to finalize the strategy, and input/feedback from a communications expert is prompted. Phase 4 Once established, the strategy must be communicated to partners, groups and all members in the organization. The ideal way through the development process is to hold regular team meeting to keep everyone up to date on the needs and to keep the dossier active. This ongoing process allows the strategy to be continually verified during meetings, and evolve to adapt its existing requirements. At SERS, there are a few suggestions to be included in this new communications strategy. SERS can introduce new technologies to facilitate communication among staff. This could be implemented by installation of instant messenger applications, video conferencing tools and email to allow internal stakeholders to communicate more efficiently. SERS could bring its daily newsletters and monthly publications through its intranet and allow members access this information remotely or in the free time. Embed diversity and inclusion by launching a global diversity drive and arranging networking events for affinity groups whereby particularly sub-sets of employees can network and exchange experience. Here, members can come together to discuss key issues and learn from each other, very much similar to their existing leadership development programme. Adopt an open door policy to create an open atmosphere and allow junior members to freely discuss ideas or views on various issues. Creation of special occasion like an SERS day to allow employees from different departments to get to know each other on a personal level and engage in team building activities. Establish a feedback system to ensure a two-way process in the evaluation of colleagues and managers. Anonymity can be enforced by allowing employees to post feedback through an opaque ballot box. Conduct periodic surveys with their internal and external stakeholders to monitor existing performance and seek out avenues for improvement. Taking into account these suggestions for SERS coupled with the 4 stage action communications strategy, SERS will be able to achieve better manager employee relations, bring about improvement in motivation and morale, and ultimately increased productivity and ensure organizational success.

The Work of Frida Kahlo Essay -- Self Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trots

The work of Frida Kahlo often labeled and defined as feminist art continues to describe and establish what feminist art is. Wife of the well known and highly regarded Diego Rivera, Frida struggled to become an artist in her own right. Her extremely passionate love for and devotion to her husband manifested itself in an unusual manner in their already unconventional and unique marriage. However it is partly this obsession with Diego that helped motivate her own success as a feminist artist. Her passionate political and revolutionary spirit resonates in the subjects of her paintings as she herself states, "I want my work to be a contribution to the struggle of the people for peace and liberty." (Herrera p.263). She confronts her pain and suffering and openly exposes herself in her work. Essentially Kahlo's work includes and encompasses all of the theories and themes discussed in Art History 466. Pain and suffering, active political and social awareness are present in her paint ings, and most importantly an acute awareness of the power of the feminine and of feminist art is prevalent as well. The passionate, seductive and exotic nature of Frida's work is used combined with humor, pain and endless emotion emphatically stating her awareness of the power she as a woman and an artist possessed, despite her unquestionable and undeniable insecurities, frustrations and suffering. She utilized these attributes to her advantage in producing some of the most astonishing works unarguably and undisputably renowned for their aesthetic and intellectual superiority. Despite its initial appearance of a simple image lacking the usual surreal qualities of Frida's work, her Self Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky is saturated in sensuality and mystery demanding further investigation. With her directed, seductive gaze Frida holds a private conversation with Leon as she presents herself as a gift to him. In her biography on Kahlo, Hayden Herrera notes Frida "was flattered to be loved by the Great Russian, fascinated by his mind and moved by his desire. Frida was delighted to have an affair with Trotsky" (Herrera p.212). Kahlo's portrait, while presenting a relatively small image, is monumentalized by the saturation of passion and emotion that she shares with Trotsky. The portrait, lacking the usual bloody and shocking imagery often seen in Kahlo's work, is not di... ... Numerous times of ill health in Frida's life coincided with times she felt more alone, depressed, upset and helpless as a result of present occuances. Thus, even Frida herself could not deny the effect Trotsky had on her and her life, as additionally evidenced in the monumental qualities of her image peaking out from "Behind the Curtains". Through her portrait Frida is saying thank you while still teasing her former lover with her seductive irresistible image. She is acknowledging Trotsky's's effect soon to be felt as the "bomb", being Frida, bursts through the "ribbon." The "ribbon" is the pain and suffering, the limitations and frustrations caused by Diego. The "ribbon" represents a Frida truly becoming an artist in her own right. She, of course, realizes the role Trotsky played in this revelation as evidenced in the Self Portrait she presented to him on the seventh of November, 1937, "with love." With girlish fascination Frida flirted with the political idol only to find it was she to be admired and idolized. Kahlo combats the struggle of a woman presenting herself as if announcing, "Yes, I am to be looked at, to be noticed, to be remembered and to be fantasized!"

Herman Melville :: essays research papers

Herman Melville In 1850 while writing The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne's publisher introduced him to another writer who was in the midst of a novel. This was Herman Melville, the book Moby Dick. Hawthorne and Melville became good friends at once, for despite their dissimilar backgrounds, they had a great deal in common. Melville was a New Yorker, born in 1819, one of eight children of a merchant of distinguished lineage. His father, however, lost all his money and died when the boy was 12. Herman left school at 15, worked briefly as a bank clerk, and in 1837 went to sea. For 18 months, in 1841 and 1842, he was crewman on the whaler Acushnet. Then he jumped ship in the South Seas. For a time he lived among a tribe of cannibals in the Marquesas. Later he made his way to Tahiti where he idled away nearly a year. After another year at sea he returned to America in the fall of 1844. Although he had never before attempted serious writing, in 1846 he published Typee an account of his life in the Marquesas. The book was a great success, for Melville had visited a part of the world almost unknown to Americans, and his descriptions of his bizarre experiences suited the taste of a romantic age. As he wrote Melville became conscious of deeper powers. In 1849 he began a systematic study of Shakespeare, pondering the bard's intuitive grasp of human nature. Like Hawthorne, Melville could not accept the prevailing optimism of his generation. Unlike his friend, he admired Emerson, seconding the Emersonian demand that Americans reject European ties and develop their own literature. "Believe me," he wrote, "men not very much inferior to Shakespeare are this day being born on the banks of the Ohio." Yet he considered Emerson's vague talk about striving and the inherent goodness of mankind complacent nonsense. Experience made Melville too aware of the evil in the world to be a transcendentalist. His novel Redburn based on his adventures on a Liverpool packet, was, as the critic F. O. Matthiessen put it, "a study in disillusion, of innocence confronted with the world, of ideals shattered by facts." Yet Melville was no cynic; he expressed deep sympathy for the Indians and for immigrants, crowded like animals into the holds of transatlantic vessels. He denounced the brutality of discipline in the United States Navy in White-Jacket. His essay The Tartarus of Maids, a moving if somewhat overdrawn description of young women working in a paper factory, protested the subordination of human beings to machines.

Consumer Decision Making Process Essay

The consumer purchase decision process is generally viewed as consisting of sequential steps or stages through which the buyer passes in purchasing a product or service. The various steps in this process, as well as the relevant internal psychological processes, those occur at each stage such as motivation, perception, attitude formation, integration and learning. 1. Problem recognition—is the first step in the consumer decision-making process. This is caused by a difference between the consumer’s ideal state and actual state. There are various causes of sources of problem recognition. These include: a. Out of stock b. Dissatisfaction c. New needs / wants d. Related products/ purchases e. Marketer induced problem recognition f. New products Look more:  the consumer buying process begins when essay 2. Information Search—being the second step in the consumer decision making process, involves a scan of information stored in memory to recall past experiences or knowledge regarding purchase alternatives. External search involves go to outside sources to acquire information such as personal sources, marketer controlled sources, public sources, or through personal experiences such as examining or handling a product. 3. Alternative Evaluation— At, this stage the consumer compares the various brands and services, he or she has identified as being capable of solving the consumption problem and satisfying the needs or motives that initiated the decision process. The evoked set is a subset of all the brands of which the consumer is aware and actively considering in the decision process. A goal of marketers is to ensure that their brands are included in the evoked set of consumers. 4. Purchase Decision—as an outcome of the alternative evaluation stage the consumer may develop a purchase intention or predisposition to buy a certain brand. Once this intention has been made and an intention formed, then the consumer implements it and makes the actual purchase. Many purchase decisions are made on the basis of brand loyalty which is a preference for a particular brand that results in its repeated purchase. Many purchase decisions for non-durable, low involvement items take place in the store and decision and purchase occur almost simultaneously. For these types of decisions top-of-mind awareness of a brand is important as is the influence of packing, shelf displays, point-of-purchase materials, and various sales promotion tools. 5. Post-purchase Evaluation—the consumer decision process does not end once the product or service has been purchased. After using a product or service the consumer compares the level of performance with expectations. Satisfaction occurs when the consumer’s expectations are either met or exceeded, while dissatisfaction results when performance is below expectations. Another possible outcome of purchase is cognitive dissonance which refers to a feeling of psychological tension or post-purchase doubt a consumer may experience after making a difficult purchase choice. Consumers often look to advertising for supportive information regarding the choice they have made. 6. Variations in Consumer Decision Making—consumers do not always engage in all five steps of the purchase decision process nor proceed in the sequence presented. There are three major variations of the consumer decision making process. †¢Routine response behavior—many purchase decisions for low-priced, frequently engaged in brief internal search and making the purchase. Marketers of products characterized by routine response behavior must get and/or maintain their brands in the consumers’ evoked set and encourage brand loyalty. Those not in the evoked set must encourage trial and brand switching.

Children of Incarcerated Parents

Effects on Children of Incarcerated Fathers Most of the prisons in America are overcrowded. They are overcrowded with men, most of which are fathers and nearly half of these incarcerated fathers were living with their child or children before going to prison. The effects on these children can be detrimental. This can also cause strained relationships with the mothers or other family members doing their best to take care of these children while their father is away.There can be social as well as emotional problems, but luckily there are many states that are trying to accommodate for the parent being gone with programs and camps for these children. Many social issues occur with a child of an incarcerated father as they grow older. It is common knowledge that if a parent or any caregiver disappears from a child’s life, that child’s attachment to that person will diminish. It is hard to establish a child’s trust and takes time, so if a parent disappears that the chil d has depended on, it can affect the future of the child.He/she may grow up thinking they cannot get too close to someone, fearing they’ll lose that person. A lot of behavioral problems can also occur in a child. This may happen at home, in school, or in the streets. â€Å"Absence of the father is associated more with ‘acting out’ behavior (such as hostility, use of drugs or alcohol, running away, school truancy, discipline problems, aggressive acts and involvement in delinquent activities (Rosenburg 2009). † Being antisocial is looked at as a list of multiple behaviors that disrupt normalcy. As the child of an incarcerated parent grows to be an adolescent, there may be even more social problems.Now the child is growing up and can get into more trouble for their social deviance. When it comes to getting in trouble, they may use excuses to cause them to get into more trouble. After all, what excuse is better than, â€Å"My dad did it? † It is very sa d when kids are isolated socially from their peers because of their situation; even when it is not their fault. There was a study done in Oregon with 22 children with incarcerated fathers. Within this group, six children admitted they had no friends and four of these children said other parents would not allow their kids to play with them because there â€Å"dad was in jail. These children grow up with feelings of shame, embarrassment, and mixtures of hope and fears of their relationships with their fathers, which leads them to be treated differently as they grow older. A father being gone in prison is also a huge financial strain on their families. Whether it be from the father having a job (legal or illegal), the family still depends on that income to help support the family. A lot of families need help through Public Aid to get through these difficult times. The family turns to food stamps, medical assistance, and child care assistance.There are also many emotional issues that o ccur for a child dealing with a father in prison. Sometimes the child or children stay with another caregiver while their father(s) is/are in prison. It becomes way harder for the mother alone to maintain a household if she has relied on the father for help and support. This can cause emotional problems with the caregiver the child is staying with. There are many kids that are taken care of by their grandparents, other relatives, friends, or even foster care.These kids can become unstable very quickly because if there is no relative to take care of them, they have to immediately be placed in foster care because they become dependents of the juvenile court. They are automatically thrust into a more stable household, but because that is what they are not used to, their personalities become shaky. â€Å"The 1980 Federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Reform Act mandate that children who are placed in foster care must either be returned to their parents or placed with long-term guardians within 12-18 months (Hairston 2007). This gives the parents a chance to fix what they have done and realize what they are doing to their children, so they do not have to go through more emotional hardships. When abruptly removing a child from their father is ignoring the emotional needs of that child/children. They end up feeling vulnerable, alone, and frightened While being a father in prison, it is still necessary to establish a parental connection with their son or daughter. It has been said that it is most beneficial to have both parents in the child’s life. They must create their own role even though they are behind bars.A study showed that most incarcerated fathers have feelings of â€Å"helplessness and difficulties in being a ‘good father (Rosenburg 2009). † There are many reasons why the fathers may feel this way. A lot of mothers refuse to bring the children to a prison or jail, but a lot of mothers may have a problem with finances, transporta tion, or time. There are strict rules and codes to follow when visiting a prisoner, so it would be difficult for a child to act normally with their father. Waiting times can be long, children will be frisked, and chances are it will be hot, dirty, and crowded.The caregiver may say that is emotionally scarring and the visiting can have a bad influence on the child. When a father is sent away, he is not sent to a prison in accordance with the family’s home. For those that are close, they are lucky, but if a person is in the state’s Department of Corrections, they can be sent anywhere in the state. When these fathers are taken away, the children receive little or no support on how to deal with their grief, loss, anger, shame, and fear. Depending on where the father is in prison, different programs can be available.There are parent education courses- which most prisons teach special parent-child visits, child-oriented visiting activities, parent support groups, and custody and parental rights services. These programs are designed to develop and strengthen attachments, provide access to services, and address the issues that face the incarcerated parent when it comes to parenting. There is also a service for father behind bars that provides publications on self-help support groups. It serves many prisons with incarcerated fathers in the US and Canada.There are more and more states doing something to lessen the impact of a parent going to prison on the child. States are now addressing the needs of a child at the time a parent is arrested. New laws are now requiring more extensive training to ensure the safety of a child at the time of arrest. Some states are also requiring judges to now consider the effects of a parent’s incarceration on the child. â€Å"One Tennessee judge routinely requests that a video of the father interacting with the child accompany family impact statements (Christian 2009). Some policies are being imposed to require child -friendly visiting areas within prisons and jails, training correctional officers to have a better understanding of visiting children, and reducing the cost of maintaining contact. Welfare agencies in New York are now requiring arrangements to be made for the child to keep a meaningful relationship with that child, unless there is clear evidence that a relationship would be detrimental to the child. These arrangements would include transportation and providing social and rehabilitative services to resolve or correct the roblems which prohibit normal contact with the child. Most normal parenting classes do not meet the needs of incarcerated parents. If these programs want to succeed in decreasing criminal activities, they need to be more specific to maintaining a presence in a child’s life. There are nurseries and different accommodations for mothers that are incarcerated, so why not fathers? In New York, there is a facility called The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. They also have a children’s center with their own building, which allows overnight and summer visits for older children.There are inmate caregivers that work as associates in the center, which have gone through an accredited program that prepares graduates to teach in an accredited nursery anywhere in the country. There is a dayroom designed for the kids to play and the other inmates to form new friendships. It is an excellent opportunity for these children to make new friendships with other children going through the same thing. Why should these only be applied to women inmates with children? It is no surprise that fathers are just as important in a child’s life as a mother is.If there were more daycare centers for men’s prisons, there would probably be less violence and problems within the population of the prison. If the Department of Corrections would give these men an incentive for their good behavior to see their families in a more â€Å"home-like† sett ing, there would be a lot less lockdowns. Many issues occur within a child when their father goes to prison. There will be social and emotional problems, including anger, depression, shame, and guilt. They will be socially isolated and for any child, that is not a positive thing in their life.Although these issues have been going on for a long time, states are now presenting new laws and implications for families with an incarcerated father. Little changes in the judicial system will help keep these kids out of trouble and continue to maintain a strong relationship with their father. Having two parents is the best basis for raising a child and even if one of the parents is absent, it is still best to maintain a paternal bond with the child. As a single mother of a child that has been raising a child going through this, I have constantly kept in contact with my daughter’s father.I understand the importance of having a family and one day, they will be able to have a normal rela tionship with each other. I understand the programs and meetings he attends in the prisons within the Illinois Department of Corrections to become a better person and a better father. If I don’t believe in him, his daughter will never believe either. I have admired my dad ever since I can remember and I want my daughter to feel the same way about her father as I always have. References Christian, S. (2009, March).Children of incarcerated parents. Retrieved January 30, 2013, from http://www. ncsl. org/documents/cyf/childrenofincarceratedparents. pdf Hairston, C. F. (2007, October). Focus on children with incarcerated parents. Retrieved from http://www. fcnetwork. org/AECFOverview%20of%20the%20Research%20Literature. pdf Shlafer, R. J. , & Rosenburg, J. (2010). Attachment and caregiving relationships in families affected by parental incarceration. Attachment & Human Development, 12(4), 395-415. doi:10. 1080/14616730903417052