Command and control style of management

Command and control style of management Introduction The Command and control management method usually takes the form of a military management style. A manager- employee relationship is a mutual agreement whereby it should always be a â€Å"win- win† situation between the two parties (Linstead, Lilley, Fulop, 2009, p21).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Command and control style of management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When a manager assumes an unwarranted- commanding or authoritative stance with a junior employee, the subordinate staffs feels less respected and appreciated, and will acquire a reduced desire and self- confidence to contribute. Consequently, bottom- top communication will be reduced. This consequently reduces the manager’s capacity of making sound decisions, judgments and policies to the level of demeaning their perceptiveness to competency. Human beings work harder when they possess intrinsic motivation. This means that motivation comes when employees feel they are influencing organizational performance and decisions positively (Northouse, 2007, p12). The command and control style of management operates using intrinsic motivators that lean towards authority, threats, and monetary incentives. These motivations modes substitute employees intrinsic and natural motivation. A style of management that endows employees with a sense of ownership of their tools, methods, and results, as well as a good feeling of collaborating with and assisting fellow stakeholder (customers, co-workers, and suppliers) is a source of intrinsic motivation (Northouse, 2007, p13). Employees perform better because they enjoy how collaborative achievement makes them feel, as well as feeling appreciated and valuable. This line of thought is known as the â€Å"psychological pay† principle. Command and control or top- down management style takes the appreciative feeling from them.Advertising Looking for essay on busi ness economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research has reflected that individuals put more effort in undertaking tasks for people they respect, and possibly like. A manager ought to understand that the employees in the lower levels, who carry out all the manual labor, normally have a clearer perspective of the organization’s problems and challenges better than they can (Graetz, 2006, p26). A manager who has this fact in mind can obtain the employees’ efforts and support more effectively and easily in comparison to a â€Å"commander† with a mindset that he or she knows better than their junior employees can. This attitude and belief distances subordinates and mislays their respect, loyalty, and input. Worse enough, it may push them to undercut and sabotage the organization’s performance in mild ad mysterious ways, though unacceptable, just in their urge to revenge. Employees work in a dedica ted manner when they are not working under any threat. Some â€Å"commander† managers use mild threats to accomplish tasks (Northouse, 2007, p36). This may place employees in a condition where they do not foresee success. This can significantly kill an employee’s morale and work output. In addition, it does not only demotivate the employee affected, but also, for Co-workers who view the happenings, as they will dread facing the same predicament themselves. Employees actively and indirectly look down at a manger that they suspect or observe that he disrespects them and abusive (Graetz, 2006, p29). This will drastically reduce their work output, as they would be demotivated to work with the manager. Furthermore, it also results to employee turnover especially of the productive and experienced to other organizations within the industry, causing more damage to the organization. Unavoidably, once a manager acquires a negative image, it may consume much time and effort to re verse the perspective and employee attitudes towards the manager.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Command and control style of management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, a manager should put in mind that it could take a minute to damage self-image, and take years to mend the damaged image. Thus, disrespect subjected to a subordinate employee, even in private, poses an immense threat to a manger’s career. The risk of achieving a negative image is augmented for managers since; their subordinates look up to them for guidance, and they require them to be well positioned to accomplish tasks effectively and efficiently (Linstead, Lilley, Fulop, 2009, p42). In order to be successful in their roles and duties, managers are supposed to maintain a reciprocally affirmative and positive association with their employees. Command and Control Style of Leadership Assumptions First, there is the â€Å"divide and rule† concept, which focuses on dividing the organizational staff into two clusters: those giving direction and those following the direction (Northouse, 2007, p58). Secondly, another assumption is that the role of managers is to give employees instructions on how to undertake tasks, and the role of employees is to undertake the tasks directed to them. The third assumption is that the style values obedience and loyalty. The other assumption is that the style has the right to take an arbitrator role. The fifth assumption is that it gives significance to titles, assuming that with title brings about rank and privilege. Lastly, it assumes that titles bring about deference; this is belief that employee with minor titles will contradict those with major titles, and title alone is adequate to warrant the deference.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Characteristics Shared by Managers Whose Mannerisms Match the Command and Control Assumptions They make vital decisions individually within the department; thus, managers should be obeyed, as they reveal a representation of infallibility (Linstead, Lilley, Fulop, 2009, p61). In addition, the managers play favorites, and are the only distributors of sanctions and rewards, which are dispensed according to the manager’s pleasure or displeasure. Main Problems of Command and Control The command and control style aims at acquiring information to feed into the process of decision- making, though the employees in the lower level of the organizational hierarchy are only asked to supply raw data, and not required to suggest a course of action, since that role is left for command (Northouse, 2007, p64). The employees in the lower hierarchy level are thus informed on the local situation, and not about the wider picture, from which they are barred. The managers fear that if the minor emp loyees were aware of the wider perspective, this might alter their analysis of their direct environment. Secondly, the decisions of the commander depend on the second- hand or third- hand information. In spite of the fact that the leader or manager has his eyes on the wide picture, there are high chances that the commander may be misinformed on the vital facts on the ground (Northouse, 2007, p58). Another problem is that, it takes long before information made at the top management level is transmitted down the chain of command. The last serious problem is that command and control depends on a single individual’s judgment, that is, the commander. Thus, the possibility of success and failure depends on a single individual’s decision- making expertise and skills. There is a modern model of leadership style that has emerged. According to this mode, the management and control of modern organizations requires a higher level of consultation, collaboration, and employee empowe rment (Linstead, Lilley, Fulop, 2009, p66). The decision- making process ought to be brought nearer to the consumer and leaders have to support input and innovative ideas from the entire organization. The new model supports consultation such that contemporary managers and leaders are required to undertake continuous consultations with the entire organization (Graetz, 2006, p38). The consultations must result to a consensus prior to implementation of key policies. An organization that constantly seizes the opportunity to combat probable issues and challenges, which ensue from a new plan, has a higher chance of successfully implementing its plan. The success arises from the fact that the plan is not imposed on the employees, but rather they have imposed. A further pillar of the model is empowerment. Organizational managers and team leaders ought to be allowed enough space in choosing the best course of action within the entire strategy (Graetz, 2006, p42). Contemporary managers and l eaders ought to issue their teams the direction and goals, and then trust them to undertake quality verdicts for themselves. The contemporary leadership style also aims at shifting the decisions nearer to the consumer. In numerous organizations, the teams nearest to the consumer are best positioned to identify their needs (Northouse, 2007, p67). Contemporary leaders should set up systems to assure the requirements of all stakeholders are heard and involved in decision- making process in a sequential and structural way, as well as empower them to undertake fast and effective decisions. An additional pillar of the contemporary model is tapping organizational intelligence. The entire organization is more knowledgeable than the leadership and is an enormous resource of ideas and energy (Northouse, 2007, p58). Some contemporary organizations permit employees to influence the organizational direction by exhibiting their preference for various projects. Other organizations reward and encou rage entrepreneurial ideas from any stakeholder, and develop small ad hoc committees to explore and these ideas. The other leadership style is the achievement related style. This mainly entails instilling an inspiring purpose (Graetz, 2006, p56). A major source of enthusiasm and self- drive is a credible, clear and stimulating organizational function. This purpose is a â€Å"reason for existence† which in turn, interprets into a â€Å"purpose for being there†, which by far surpasses monetary gain. Every manager ought to underline precisely a strong reason for his unit. The purpose statement is impressive mainly because it was originated from a small company away from the attention of executives and professional wordsmith. In this style, the leader gives recognition to employees. Managers should ensure that all contributions made by employees are recognized, be they small or large. Workers have clearly stated repeatedly how much they treasure a compliment (Graetz, 2006, p59). However, the same employees are also apprehensive and distressed when the managers do not make an effort to express gratitude to them for a well-done job but are swift to condemn them for making mistakes. Instead of leaving employees contented, recognition augments their achievements, and pushing them to accomplish more. Moreover, another pillar of this style is communicating fully. Information in an organization ought not to be distributed based on â€Å"need to know†. This is normally a method of entirely, destructively, and unnecessarily, limiting information flow in an organization (Graetz, 2006, p62). Inadequate employee communication channels are one of the greatest causes of employee negative attitudes. Very few barriers should be placed in the organizational information flow in order to enhance employee morale and respect for the organization and senior managers. Follow- up on employees should be undertaken to ensure that they have clearly understood the messag e. One more aspect of this style is promoting teamwork. Most tasks require teamwork for effective accomplishment. Research has revealed that quality of group efforts in problem solving out passes the quality of work by individuals working separately. Thus, teamwork boosts employee motivation (Northouse, 2007, p70). Managers should group employees into self- managed teams handling matters such as scheduling, quality control, and costing. Such teams only demand little management efforts resulting to a favorable decline in management costs and layers. A manager requires undertaking careful assessment of the best combination of team players (Northouse, 2007, p71). Meanwhile, it is vital to develop an opportunity for cross- learning and variation of methods, ideas, and approaches. The manager should clearly inform the newly developed team of their role, the mode of its operations, and the organization’s expectations from them. Conclusion It has posed to be a complex task for the m anagement team to develop management systems that effectively encompass these principles. However, modern organizations are forced to drift towards that direction. The modern- day highly- knowledgeable and movable knowledge- workers cannot tolerate a ‘production line’ working approach. They continuously anticipate being asked for their contributions. A leader who is not tapping all the knowledge, skills, and experience of his or her Co-workers is wasting numerous talents, as well as failing to encompass employees in a combined effort to develop a high- performing and successful organization. Reference List Graetz, F. 2006. Managing organizational change. Milton: John Wiley Sons Australia. Linstead, S., Lilley, S., Fulop, L. 2009. Management and organization: a critical text. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Northouse, P. G. 2007. Leadership: theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Having single sex schools in the United States and the benefits of it Essay

Having single sex schools in the United States and the benefits of it - Essay Example The stakeholders involved in the production of more single-sex educational environments include parents of these young children who are responsible for promoting learning and advancing motivation for achievement related to knowledge and personal development. Additionally, teachers and the administrative environment in these schools are stakeholders as they are the driving force behind curriculum development and work consistently to create a more unified classroom environment. The students, obviously, represent another group of stakeholders who would be affected, the primary stakeholder faction, as single sex classrooms would seem to limit diversity related to gender socialization. All of these stakeholders are affected by the decision to segregate genders in the classroom and it would, ultimately, impact the quality of education and learning. Having identified the key stakeholders affected, it is important to recognize the many positive advantages of single sex classrooms. Research o n these types of educational environments indicates that single sex schools have constructive benefits, especially for young girls. Girls in single sex classrooms are more prone to speak freely, have a higher tendency to major in science and mathematics, and are more motivated to attend college or graduate school (Sadker & Zittleman, 9). Thus, there is evidence that socialization is improved and motivation to learn beyond the public school environment is enhanced in this type of environment. Another case study identified that children in single sex classrooms developed a stronger sense of community and exhibited a much stronger respect for the educator (www2.ed.gov, x). This same case study research further reinforced the quality of a single sex educational environment by uncovering that a more optimistic student role modeling occurred when compared to coed schools (www2.ed.gov). The reasoning behind whey these social factors were improved in single sex schools is unclear, however i t may be a byproduct of a closer camaraderie between students or the provision of an educator that is intensely familiar with one specific gender and can therefore provide more than just knowledge, but focus on gender-specific psychological factors as part of their curriculum program. One notable public figure, Hillary Clinton, also supports the existence of single sex environments, being quoted as remarking, â€Å"Certainly, there should not be any obstacle to providing single sex choice within the public school system. We could use more schools such as this† (brighterchoice.org, 1). Clinton is referring to the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in New York City as the reference for her opinion on single sex schools, citing the positive achievements gleaned from a case study single sex school environment. Her rationale for this assessment is unclear, however it reinforces that even top level public figures believe that coed schools should not be the only option availabl e in today’s society since they have been proven to achieve encouraging results in educational provision and life-long learning. Women’s rights groups, however, are the largest opponent of single sex schools as they believe it suppresses women’s rights. One adversary of single sex education cited the Bush administration’s alleged attempt to remove gender equality from schools as a rationale for opposing gender-segregated classrooms. â€Å"

Principle of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Principle of Management - Essay Example At the same time, international consolidation and aggressive pricing approaches have concerted the market dominance within certain major players and reinforced their control on the suppliers. The international sourcing of raw materials has created new business prospects for supermarkets such as Tesco to carry out import activities from locations with cheap labour and cheap resources. In fact, Tesco presently captures a major share of supermarket in the UK. In last decade, the opportunity for supermarkets to purchase from manufacturers had increased intensely (Brown & Sander, 2007). Tariff declines, trade liberalisations, modernisations in communication technology, enhanced transport system and better capital flexibility have transformed the supply chain system for supermarkets. The international sourcing has generated new prospects for Tesco in the developing nations to sell the products. However, the global sourcing has also created numerous manufacturers, which in turn has intensif ied competition among organisations. The challenges faced by supermarkets nowadays include the aspects of increasing the return of the shareholders, maintaining low cost for product offerings, increasing flexibility by ‘just-in-time’ delivery and strengthening control related to product quality and providing utmost customer service standards (Brown & Sander, 2007). Supermarkets are the first and the foremost commercial organisations that perform in highly competitive environment with high concern on end result. The increased globalisation, changing life patterns and demographics have opened opportunities for supermarkets in developing nations. However, in order to stay competitive in the market, supermarkets require significant information on... This paper describes the four functions of the management are considered to be substantial for Tesco to overcome many challenges and to take the advantages of the opportunities. In order to be successful in the future endeavours of the business, Tesco can use the managerial functions to a great extent and can turn the business to be effective and efficient. Better management is helpful for Tesco to develop an environment which can provide enhanced flexibility in business. In order to stay competitive, systematising the business plays a vital part for organisations which can only be accomplished though effective managerial functions as observed in the discussion provided. This essay tells that the four managerial functions can be adopted by Tesco in several aspects of business which would provide great effectiveness in the international market. The managerial functions are beneficial for Tesco to gain competitive advantages and to exploit the business opportunities. Better management will definitely lead to gain cost efficiency and make the company feasible to compete with upcoming difficulties in the global as well as the local markets. It concluded that Tesco has also adopted enhanced planning procedures in the business for increasing the customer service. It is one of the significant challenges for Tesco to provide personalised services to the customers. Through collaborative planning, Tesco has enhanced its supply chain capabilities for making better anticipation of the demands of the customers and providing customised services to them accordingly. Therefore, it can genuinely lead to better customer satisfaction

Sociology comparing material to book Essay Example for Free

Sociology comparing material to book Essay The Youth, the combustible younger generation as we call it, is the backbone of any society or country. Dynamic and motivated youth is the asset of the country. Dejected and frustrated youth is the liability. This section of the society if remains dissatisfied, leads to several social evils and problems. In this book, Jay MacLeod provides details about the Clarendon Heights, a low-income American Housing Project. But the problems are not exclusive of the Clarendon Heights. What is mentioned in the project is the mirror of the prevailing state of affairs and shows how the youth struggle against poverty, issues related to defeatism and racial discrimination. MacLeod’s elucidation of the problem is open and straight. He explains how the same old discrimination between the whites and the blacks attains new dimensions in the present era. In his writing, he highlights about two study groups. One is the black minority group called The Brothers and the second group is of white youths called the Hallway Hangers. MacLeod’s question is, and it is the question of all the right-thinking g people, as to why the group of the blacks is discriminated against on all counts. The notions of equality etc. repeated from several platforms are hypocritical in nature. They are far away from truth and the ground realities, according to Macleod. Perceptible discrimination exists between the two groups. MacLeod’s question is, having been bestowed with the same educational and living conditions, why the aspirations of then two groups are different. The American system and law doesn’t discriminate against any citizen black or white. Where lays the difficulty then to achieve the identical goals for the two groups! He identifies the nature of social structure that causes the problem. MacLeod next examines whether inequality can be remedied by education. Education does some damage control exercise but it too cannot provide the final solution. The problems engulf more than one area social, economic, cultural, race etc. The prevailing conditions amongst the youth relate to the admixture of all these aspects. MacLeod is the research scholar and therefore his approach is methodical and well-studied. He has interviewed many youth and youth groups of both the races and the discussions involve many problematic subjects of the materialistic civilization, like sex, drugs, parents, poverty, parents, crime etc. The perseverance of the author is noticeable as he revisits the same youths, putting them questions as for their aspirations, attainments within this period and the experiences. The book, therefore, is a story related to reality. The continuing conflicts between the cultures and sub-cultures, their impact on social disposition of various sections have been explained thoroughly in the book. Adolescent struggles are no ordinary struggles. They build or break the personality and life of an individual. Macleod has tried to give an honest analysis of all these interesting trends taking shape in the America mainly in the youth section and the society as a whole consequently. They say, â€Å"It is better to deserve without receiving, than to receive without deserving†, but the modern youth is not always ready to digest the philosophy of doing one’s duty and waiting indefinitely for the results. They compare the prospectus and progress of each other. Human tendencies like envy and heart-burning play the dominant role. The root cause of the social conflicts is the dissatisfaction in the individual minds. The suppressed thought processes give rise to violent action processes, and are an impediment to healthy progress of the society. Every class has some permanent assets and liabilities associated with its class structure. Take for example the important concepts of Bourdie’s social reproduction theory. Working class children tend to follow and end up with working class jobs. But with the changing times, and extensive career counseling available, individual choices do play a predominant role. It is not surprising now to see a cab driver’s son owning a flourishing transport business, and the offspring of an unskilled mechanic turning out to be a brilliant mechanical engineer. The views on class structure of other theorists such as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx, are also part of the truth, but not the absolute truth. They hold good for a particular stage of the class struggle, and once the desired stage of economic prosperity is reached, they suffer from contradictions and demand change. Coming to the linguistic approach exposed by Basil Berstein and Shirley Brice, the restricted linguistic codes used by the working class children put them in a disadvantageous position since their counterpart use specialized codes which are the ones normally used in the academic setting in the schools. The working class families possess a strong desire that their children should be better off as compared to their status. Most of them are explicitly interested in improving the lot of their children for which the first step is to provide them with proper level of education Basic conditions need to be created by the Government, for the people to become basically sound and industrious. Opportunities provided by industrial evolution, materialistic civilization and internet revolution make children of working class families turn out to brilliant scholars and establish industrial empires. What is required of the education system is, it must have the intrinsic capacity to change the thought process of an individual. Only when the thought process is changed, the action process will also change. Society changes for the better when the overall action process changes. This is what is called self-actualization with intrinsic motivation. Philosophically speaking, you are the creator of your destiny, not the victim. Even speaking scientifically, every action has the reaction and the intensity of the reaction is in proportion to the intensity of the action. Which means, the well-meaning efforts are bound to fructify and will make individual prosperity an attainable reality though one’s well-directed efforts. Which is the authentic and real American Society? Is it, as described by Jay Macleod, â€Å"Horatio Alger’s accounts of the spectacular mobility achieved by men of humble origins through their own unremitting efforts occupy a treasured place in our national folklore? The American dream is held out as a genuine prospect for anyone with the drive to achieve it. † (Macleod, 1995,p, 3) or as told to us about Freddie, â€Å"I ain’t goin’ to college. Who wants to go to college? I’d just end up getting’ a shitty job anyway. †Ã¢â‚¬â€this statement pronounced with certitude and feeling, completely contradicts our achievement ideology. †(Macleod, 1995,p, 3) These two statements provide the true picture of the American society today and the state of mind of the younger generation. When the torch is passed on from one generation to the next generation, it depends what the new generation does with what their forefathers and parents left and from where they left. In the absence of the take-off ground and facilities, they go round and round, unable to achieve any progress. MacLeod links individual lives with social theory to forge a powerful argument about how inequality is created, sustained, and accepted in the United States. The book provides the perspective of the achievement ideology and explains how it is not possible for everyone to climb the ladder of social mobility. The author is an honest critic of the prevailing conditions in the U. S. society. His discussions are engaging and you rightly guess that it is the power of the pen of the professional. Some critics say that the book is the socialist junk. What Macleod does is to point out where America’s much acclaimed capitalist model has failed or needs modifications. It is, therefore, not correct to label him as a socialist. His views about racism and socioeconomic discrimination are strong and without reservations. Given the ground realities in US, it is wise to accept his views than to offer unsubstantiated criticism. Macleod cleverly explains both the groups studied by him failed to get out of poverty due to reasons other than racial discrimination. Poor aspirations and lack of determination contributed to their stationary position in the social ladder of prosperity. He also explains how societal structures limit and restrict the actions of the individuals and curb the upward mobility. Unlike thinkers like Gramsci, MacLeod doesn’t’ believe that Communist Revolution can ever ambush America, and he thinks that the remedy of communist philosophy is worst than the capitalistic disease. Speaking about individual cases, Macleod points out that all the subjects interviewed by him, had regrets about their non-performance when they should have worked hard. Shirking responsibility and buttering people can never bring permanent success for one in life. Many had regrets that they did not work hard at schools and thus wasted their opportunities. The contents of the book provide insight in to the lives of the teenagers in U. S. , both whites and blacks. Laziness could be one of the reasons for poverty, but according to the author there are other barriers that cry a halt to the progress and make the people remain poor. Segregation may be legally dead in USA, but in reality the tremors of segregation are still felt in many walks of life of the black people. It revels at the mind-level. It is easy for the people from the Upper Class to sit on the ivory tower and dub the poor as lazy and good-for-nothing. Macleod’s sense of metaphor makes the examples provided by him appealing and they add to the strength of his arguments. References Cited: Macleod, Jay: Book: Aint no Makin It. Expanded Edition: Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Westview Press (July 11, 1995) Language: English ISBN-10: 0813315158 ISBN-13: 978-0813315157

Exploring the Horror of Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

Exploring the Horror of Heart of Darkness "The horror, the horror!" Kurtz exclaims prior to his last breath of life on earth. In those final moments, Kurtz was able to say something so true about the whole mess of human life. A life dominated by the fittest, perceived differently through each human eye, and full of judgement lacking understanding of all sides. The various ways the world is viewed causes many problems amongst its people. Whether they are about racism, wealth, or even common sense, conflicts are still subject to arouse. Why? The answer to this is not yet clear because of its complexity and endless variables. Yet what is clear is that it ties into two other aspects-prejudice and social Darwinism or survival of the fittest. Perception is the seed from which those two aspects grow. Throughout `Heart of Darkness', its readers are given a taste of the many different perceptions belonging to the characters. As the Belgian doctor examines Marlow before his long journey to the Congo, he questions Marlow of his sanity and predicts the trip will have an effect on him mentally. Marlow eventually becomes insane to some of the readers, while the others argue the opposite. Depending on how Marlow's actions were perceived determined their overall view of him. Racism was also argued through Marlow's actions. A shade of skin seemed to somehow be viewed as a factor that determined a person or that person's individual rank in a sense. It was as though Marlow always looked down at the dark colored Africans and preferred to communicate only with whites of his own "kind." For instance at the beginning of the novella, Marlow finds a group of Native Africans chained together.... ...arkness" has a deeper meaning about life and how humans react with it. Perception causes human beings to view things differently from one another, which leads to misunderstandings and unnecessary quarreling. Misunderstandings mixed in with fear of the unknown cause prejudice to arouse and people to disregard and treat others with disrespect and inequality. The inequality of people in society is marked by Social Darwinism, in which only the fittest and most accepted survive, leaving no possibility for those who are different to thrive. The darkness of the world is truly a deeper shade of black containing the fears, nightmares, and misunderstandings of its people. A never-ending pathway is thus created for inequality amongst people who should be working side by side, forgetting their differences, and helping to make the world a better place.

Impulsive Buying Essay

Impulsive consumer behavior is widely recognized nowadays. Impulse buying accounts for almost 80% of purchases in some product categories and shopping is a major leisure and lifestyle activity in many countries (Kacen & Lee 2002). Impulsive buying generates over $4 billion of annual sales in the United States. Impulsive consumer buying behavior is regarded as a hedonically complex purchase behavior in which the thoughtful, deliberate consideration of all information and choice alternatives is precluded. It has been suggested that purchases of new products result more and more from impulsive buying rather than planned purchases. Furthermore, the globalization in the expression of technologies, telemarketing and the internet increases the consumer impulsive buying opportunities. Impulse buying is a pervasive and distinctive aspect of the consumer’s lifestyle and is also a focal point for considerable marketing management activity. A study conducted some decades ago found that between 27 and 62 percent of consumer’s department store purchases fell into the impulse category. Also the century we live in and the marketing innovations such as credit cards, ‘instant credit’, 24-hour retailing, telemarketing and online shopping make it now easier than ever for the consumers to purchase things on impulse. The attempts by researchers to find a clear definition of a phenomenon that cannot be solely described as unplanned behavior and the opportunity to examine the factors that intervene in its expression was the motivation for this thesis. Furthermore, the history of associating impulsiveness with human weakness and the psychologists and economists’ focus on the ‘irrational’ aspects of such behavior sparks the interest into the topic and uncovers the potential for further research in the field. It is also interesting that the factors that are linked to impulsive buying are also likely to be influenced by culture. Theoretical Framework The understanding of the concept was greatly improved by Stern (1962). Pure impulse purchasing occurs when consumers experience truly impulsive buying, the novelty or escape purchase which breaks a normal buying pattern. His conceptualization was based on the premise that impulsive buying can be pure, planned, reminder and suggestion, and is linked to consumer’s exposure to stimulus. Kollat and Willet (1969) interchangeably used â€Å"unplanned† and â€Å"impulsive† purchasing. Rook and Hoch (1985) focused attention on the cognitive and emotional aspect of consumer’s involvement in impulsive purchasing. The construction of the phenomenon’s definition was resting on consumers’ descriptions of thoughts and emotions experienced during impulse purchasing situations. They came up with 5 distinctive elements that draw the difference between impulsive and planned purchases: (1) feeling a â€Å"sudden and spontaneous desire to act†; (2) being in a â€Å"state of psychological disequilibrium†; (3) experiencing a â€Å"psychological conflict and struggle†; (4) reducing â€Å"cognitive evaluation†; (5) consuming â€Å"without regard for the consequences†. Summarizing the five dimensions, Rook (1987) identified impulsive purchasing as a â€Å"sudden, often powerful and persistent urge to buy something immediately. It is a hedonically complex and emotionally conflicting behavior which is prone to occur with diminished regard for its consequences.† As it can be seen, a shift in the elements comprising the definitions can be observed. Piron (1991) offers a new definition as an answer to his critique of the previous attempt for definition: impulse purchasing is (1) unplanned, (2) the result of an exposure to a stimulus, (3) decided â€Å"on the spot†. Kacen and Lee (2002) define the concept as â€Å"unplanned purchase† that is characterized by (1) relatively rapid decision-making, and (2) a subjective bias in favor of immediate possession. They further contributed with their work by investigating how cultural factors affect impulsive buying which gains better insights about understanding the phenomenon. The authors’ research makes a contribution in recognizing that understanding impulse buying solely on a Western point of view is incomplete. The Western-individualist emphasis on the self, individual needs and desires, and hedonistic pleasures encourages impulsive buying behavior. The Eastern-collectivist notions of the self, the interdependence, emotional control, emphasis on group needs and desires would discourage impulsive buying. Emotions Emotions being the main driver of impulsive buying behavior have been the subject of debates in terms of terminology. Scientists use the term affect as a general category that encompasses emotions, moods and attitudes. The mental state of readiness that arises from cognitive appraisals of events or thoughts is what characterizes emotions. The line between emotions and mood is difficult to be drawn. It is often said that mood is longer lasting and lower in intensity than an emotion. Other researches add to this that emotions are typically intentional while mood is generally non-intentional and global. Attitudes are often considered instances of affect. Some authors define them as evaluative judgments rather than emotional states. Others make no distinction between evaluative judgments and affect. Still others propose that attitudes have two components: cognitive and affective dimensions. To sum up, the terms emotions, affect, attitudes, moods are all used inconsistently in the literat ure. Rather than focusing on exploring the definitions of impulsive buying behavior, the contribution of this thesis will be to examine the emotional arousal behind the phenomenon and factors moderating people’s inclination to such a type of behavior. This will include interpersonal influence and the presence or lack of self-control. Early research concluded that susceptibility to interpersonal influence is a general trait that varies across persons and occurrences. Further, susceptibility to influence by others is related to personal characteristics. Cox and Bauer (1964) pointed out that people with low self-esteem comply with others’ suggestions in order to avoid social disapproval. Berkowitz & Lundy (1957) also found out that persons who score low in interpersonal confidence ratings are most susceptible to peer influence. Problem statement and research goal Previous research has numerous attempts for giving a clear definition of impulsive buying but somehow the definitions capture different aspects of the phenomenon and fail to address a complete and exact definition. Much of the work on impulsive buying inherently implies negative attributes to the concept. However, once consumers buy products for fun, fantasy, social or emotional gratification, impulsive buying may be viewed as a valued pastime rather than a simple acquisition of goods (Hausman, 2000). Researchers have shown that many factors influence impulsive buying such as consumer’s mood, trait buying impulsiveness, demographic factors, and culture. This study aims at discussing emotions, interpersonal influence and self-control as factors expected t have a substantial influence on consumer’s impulsive purchases. Feelings do predict behavior. So if you are feeling hurt, threatened or bored, what are you likely to do? What about if you are happy or interested? Would you go to the movies, go out with friends or go shopping? What about buying things not intended? To assess how well people control their impulses, regulate emotions, manage performances, maintain self-discipline, and break out of bad habits, is a difficult task. The consumption experience is replete with emotion, often of a high degree of intensity. What has been overlooked is the social aspect of emotions, while most of the research done is concerned with the individual conceptualization of emotions. Emotions are not simply internal events but are communicative acts and are also addressed in the consumption environment of an individual (Parkinson 1996, Bearden 1989). A matter of discussion is how the emotional state of an individual influences his impulsive buying behavior. Whether positive or negative emotions, the two extremes of the emotional state, have a stronger effect has been a matter of debate for a long time among researchers and is still argued. Furthermore, does shopping with others have an impact on impulsive purchases (Luo 2005)? If emotions are social and are expressed in a stronger way when being with a friend or family member, then it can be expected that the tendency to indulge in impulsive purchases will increase. However, another factor also plays a major role in the buyer behavior – self-control. Every individual has a different ability for self-control and self-control failure may be the reason for impulsive purchasing. Can we control our behavior and emotions when we are depressed or when we are happy? Will the presence or lack of self-control evolve into impulsive purchases? The main problem investigated is: * How does the emotional state (positive VS negative emotions) influence impulsive buying behavior? Statement of the Hypothesis H1: More positive emotional state (strong positive emotions and weak negative emotions) can lead to higher impulsive buying behavior. Since emotional experience is taken to be mainly private, emotion communication is seen to depend on prior account on individual emotions. Often, a person’s relationships with others are a central concern of emotions. Given the obvious importance of interpersonal relations that cause emotions, it might seem surprising that psychological research has focused mainly on non-social manipulations in which a single individual is presented with his/her emotional range. Many of the things that get people emotional about relate to other people (Parkinson, 1996). Emotions can feed into the ongoing interpersonal process and cause similar or contrasting emotions in others. H2: The presence of others at the time of purchase has a positive effect on impulsive buying behavior. Shoppers could be often heard to say â€Å"I really shouldn’t†. The prices are high, the budget is tight, and an item is not desperately needed so it seems that a reasonable behavior for the buyer would be not to purchase the item. But there come the alliance of wants, impulses and emotions that all serve to convince the shopper that the item will bring happiness, at least for a while. Thus, the decision in this situation is dependable on the conflict between strengths of self-control and desire. Self-control refers to the self’s capacity to alter its own states and responses (Baumeister, 2002). The ability to maintain self-control and successfully implement long-run decisions depends on the relative strength of the opposing forces of desire and willpower. In psychoanalytic theory, the conflict of desire and willpower is presented as a fluctuation between primary process thinking which is impulse driven, irrational and seeks immediate gratification at any cost, and secondary process thinking which is patient, logical and has the will to postpone gratification for future long-run goals (Loewenstein & Hoch, 1991). State of the Art Related Literature For over fifty years, consumer researchers have strived to form a better definition of impulse buying. Early studies on impulse buying stemmed from managerial and retailer interests. Research in this vein placed its emphasis on the taxonomic approach to classifying products into impulse and non-impulse items in order to facilitate marketing strategies such as point-of-purchase advertising, merchandising, or in-store promotions. This approach is limited by a definitional myopia, which simply equates impulse buying to unplanned purchasing (Bellenger, Robertson, and Hirschman 1978; Kollat and Willet 1967; Stern 1962). Impulse buying generates over $4 billion in annual sales volume in the United States. With the growth of e-commerce and television shopping channels, consumers have easy access to impulse purchasing opportunities, but little is known about this sudden, compelling, hedonically complex purchasing behavior in non-Western cultures. Yet cultural factors moderate many aspects of consumer’s impulsive buying behavior, including self-identity, normative influences, the suppression of emotion, and the postponement of instant gratification. From a multi-country survey of consumers in Australia, United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, our analyses show that both regional level factors (individualism–collectivism) and individual cultural difference factors (independent –interdependent self-concept) systematically influence impulsive purchasing behavior. (Julie Anne Lee, Department of Marketing, University of Hawaii–Manoa) According to Jacqueline J. Kacen, Department of Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Impulsive consumer buying behavior is a widely recognized phenomenon in the United States.It accountsfor up to 80% of all purchases in certain product categories (Abrahams, 1997;Smith, 1996), and it has been suggested that purchases of new products result more from impulse purchasing than from prior planning (Sfiligoj, 1996). A 1997 study found that an estimated $4.2 billion annual store volume was generated by impulse sales of items such as candy and magazines (Mogelonsky, 1998). Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping (1999), affirms that many purchases are being made on the premises of stores themselves as customers give in to their impulses. Furthermore, technologies such as television shopping channels and the Internet expand consumers’ impulse purchasing opportunities, increasing both the accessibility to products and services and the ease with which impulse purchases can be made.Impulsive buying behavior is a sudden, compelling,hedonically complex purchasing behavior in which the rapidity of the impulse purchase decision process precludes thoughtful, deliberate consideration of all information and choice alternatives (Bayley & Nancorrow, 1998; Rook 1987;Thompson, Locander, & Pollio, 1990;Weinberg &Gottwald,1982). This description is largely based on interviews and surveys of Westerners.

News is not simply reported by the media, it is created by...

The content of the newspapers is not fact about the world, but in a very general sense ideas. Fowler (Roger Folwer - Language in the News - Routledge - 1991 - Pg.1) In todays society it would be naà ¯ve to assume that the news we receive is unbiased. It is safe to say the facts are reported if someone is murdered, the story maybe covered in the news, but the placement of the piece, emotive language used, duration or any other factors involved would immediately inform the audience to the merit of the story. In effect dictating to the viewer the version of reality they., the media/government want us, the audience to see. The factors that govern what is reported are news valves and as it is recognised that this code of conduct†¦show more content†¦Those who owned factories or shops, the bourgeoisie were comfortably supported by the labour of others. He wanted a society not controlled by the division between capital and labour. Marxism states that we live in a capitalist society divided into classes broadly speaking, working, middle and ruling classes. The power in society is found in the state, the mass media only exist to uphold the capitalist state in power. The Marxist manipulative model, as its name suggests, believes the news is constructed and in some cases invented to influence public opinion and change society for political gain. The hegemonic model was developed by Antonio Gramsci he believed that the media whether knowingly or not is used to promote beliefs and ideologies of the dominant class in society. The masses, working class, need to believe that the views they are being given support their existing beliefs. The media does create the news and reality is being constructed not to bring about change but to maintain the balance of the governing body. The ruling ideas become the ideas of the whole society to allow capitalism to survive. Chomsky extended the hegemonic model instead of the media reflecting the dominant views of the elite, he thought the media was the elite. A countering view that could destroy the hegemonic model is that technology will and is shaping societys views and beliefs. New technologies are allowing more people not just the elite to promote their ideas via theShow MoreRelatedFans: The Most Active and Creative Group Within Media Audiences1497 Words   |  6 Pagesactive group out of all of the media audiences. This could be because of the lengths fans go to in order to find out about the latest news concerning their idols or to get the latest merchandise provided by their idols. The examples of the activities fans engage in such as waiting in line for hours to receive front row tickets to their favourite artist’s concert is argued to make fans the most identifiable and visible media audience. 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