Take a Stroll Down the Customer’s Journey

TAKE A STROLL DOWN THE CUSTOMER’S JOURNEY Recent studies done by Word Stream show that the average conversion rate for pay-per-click advertisers is 2.35%, which is about the same chance some have of becoming a millionaire. What happens between the click and the customer being converted or not? What sort of journey does the customer go through, and how can companies make sure that each customer stays on the path to a purchase? If marketers zoom out and take a look at what a potential customer’s journey might look like, they can fill in the gaps between what a customer wants that experience to be and what kind of experience you would like to give them. Visually mapping that journey, gathering all of the data points, the analytics, the emotions, and strategies involved is one of the best ways marketers can begin to understand their customer. We spoke with two Houston marketing experts to get some insights on how they are using the customer journey map to help their clients. Graph showing search conversation rate distribution (Image from Word Stream) But What Exactly is a Customer Journey Map? It’s easy to get lost in marketing and advertising jargon, but the core of what a customer journey map is really quite simple. It tells the story of what a company’s customer would go through to buy their product or service, or whatever the company’s particular end goal is. The journey a customer goes through could lead down a hundred different paths. A map could focus on the web journey, an experience at a traditional brick-and-mortar store, a call experience, or the map could encompass every route. More touchpoints mean a more complicated map, but it is the important or key ones that are crucial to get down. Source: Behance The experience a customer has with a company is already on its way to overtaking importance in price and product, and according to a recent report, by 2020 it will have succeeded. Experience will be 16% more important than price. Beau Pedraza, the SEO Lead at Forthea, a Houston-based internet marketing company, agrees. The ultimate goal is not just to satisfy the end goal by having a customer purchase a product, or engage with a call to action. It’s to make it easy and intuitive for anybody to reach that end goal and then come back because we made their experience easy and seamless. There’s the human side of it that I think a lot of people in marketing, especially digital marketing, forget about. With   two-thirds of customers willing to spend more with a company that they believe has better customer service, it is definitely worth the time spent to make a customer journey map. How Do You Track the Customer Journey? The most important part of beginning to map the customer journey is the customer or user themselves. Brandi Lalanne, the Senior Digital Strategist at The Black Sheep Agency, a cause-driven Houston marketing firm, said it best. You need a user in order to map them down the path. Designing CX, a website dedicated to helping customer experience innovators and change agents, laid out some fairly simple steps in a course on creating a customer experience map, and it starts with selecting a user. Select a user. Do you want to map the journey of a stay-at-home mom? Or maybe the person you want to map works 40 hours or more a week. Or theyre a student in college. Or maybe, you need to map them all. Getting to know the user and what route they might take is important in creation of the map. Map out a user’s step-by-step experience. This is where marketers can make sure that their customer is going to have a good experience and set them off on the right path. The Designing CX course suggests working from point A to point B, starting with assumptions and then gathering hard data. Does your user go straight to a phone call, or maybe to the website first? After the phone call, what happens? Is there a research phase, a waiting phase, a purchase phase? You have to keep asking yourself, â€Å"What happens next?† Map the answers to this question, but remember, everything is from the customer’s point of view. Map touch points and systems â€Å"on stage† and â€Å"backstage.†Identifying the touchpoints, every physical or virtual interaction, for each step of the map is what is important here. This could be where the hard data comes in. Pedraza explains.We use an assortment of methods of the digital side ranging from Google AdWords to Google Analytics, and other analytics that are at our disposal. We also use call tracking; we use ad data; we use all the granular offerings that each one provides. They tell us how the customer engages, [how they] use the site, how they flow through a website; if they go to the home page, what’s the next page they go to. If they arrive on a landing page, where are they ultimately trying to go?If your data tells you that the average phone wait time before a customer will hang up is 12 minutes, then you will want to make sure that your customer’s experience reflects that. Does it take a customer 2 hours or 2 days to decide to purchase? Analytics can show you where you need to make improvements, changes, or if there is redundancy in your touchpoints.Google Analytics has proven paramount in tracking customer experience. Ariat, one of the nation’s leaders in equestrian footwear and apparel, used analytics in their website relaunch. The measurements and data allowed the company to see where improvements were needed, ultimately leading to a 14% increase in conversion. Add customer attitudes and needs. On the other side of hard data is the emotional side. Empathy mapping is a huge part of the customer experience, and that is the fourth step in the Designing CX course. Pedraza believes that this step is of the utmost importance. We like to see what people think about our clients, and that information should never be discounted it’s [the end user] that is the engine that drives it all. They are the ones that our clients are interested in, and we should be interested in them as well. To find out the emotions, Pedraza suggests asking for reviews or surveys from past customers, using the analytics, asking yourself what your customers are saying about you, or just using a little guesswork.Tracking emotions and empathy can be difficult, because, as Lalanne states, â€Å"You can’t track joy as a metric.† However, as the below image shows, the emotional experience is an important part of the map. Human emotions by nature are on a consta nt roller coaster, but companies will want to keep their customer as stable as possible.By knowing how the customer feels and is treated at each touch point on the map, companies can glean valuable information to help direct the customer to a purchase. Identify problems and opportunities.The last step in the course might be what marketers have the most trouble with. Once the map is finished, some marketers might find themselves asking, â€Å"now what?† Lalanne laughs about this, reiterating how important it is to refer back to the map. It’s continuously living and breathing, if you refer back to it, you’ll be fine.It is understanding the customer’s journey that can lead to improvement.Sometimes, that is precisely what the map helps you do. Such was the case with Pedraza. Assuming the end user for a particular project wouldnt utilize a mobile site very much, Pedraza left off the mobile part of the journey.I felt like in the map that we created initially we were missing these big segments on mobile, and when we started to cater to mobile, we saw these massive uptakes from 10 to 15% in traffic in about two months†¦That was the biggest thing that really got me on customer journey mapping†¦ that esp ecially in our line of work, that we have all these assumptions of what people might do or what people might think†¦but you need to be willing to test your own theories and willing to accept that you just might be wrong.After your map is finished, it will also show you whether your brand ideas and promises match up with your actual customer experience. Does your company promise fast service, while your map suggests otherwise? Why exactly do your customers emotions take a turn for the negative during the purchase process?Designing CX suggests redesigning the experience as needed to influence attitudes. If your map isn’t working, it’s OK to change it. Keep referencing the map. Keep it alive. A customer’s journey never ends, and neither should your map. Why is the Customer Journey Important? We’ve already noted that customer experience is on its way to becoming the most important factor in a customer’s decision making, and word of mouth is playing a huge roll in its rise. Esteban Kolsky notes that 13% of unsatisfied customers will tell at least 15 or more people about their experience; adversely, 72% of satisfied customers will share their experience with six or more people. This year, 86% of companies expect to compete mainly on the experience of a customer, a 50% increase in the last four years alone. In a world full of consumers, paying close attention to the customer is possibly the best strategy a marketer could have. Before hanging up, Lalanne left off by stressing this point. I think everyone should [make a] customer journey map. If you really care about your users and your audience, then you should take the time to understand them as if they’re an actual person and not just a data point.

Amber Mileski Essays - Neurochemistry, Neuroscience, Drug Culture

Amber Mileski Essays - Neurochemistry, Neuroscience, Drug Culture Amber Mileski English 111 Compare and Contrast 26 March 2017 Fighting the Battle Against Drugs The use of drugs has increased in recent years, according to numerous articles in medical journals. They threaten communities all over the world because of how affect the organs of the body and their functions. Crack and cocaine are two of these dangerous drugs. Thus, it is important for health care professionals to have knowledge about them in order to deal with any problems related to their use that patients may experience. They are similar but very different. Crack and cocaine have three similar effects on the human body. Although crack is heat resistant and cocaine is destroyed by heat, both cause hypertension. Also, crack and cocaine brin g about physiological and psychological damage, depending on pre-existing conditions and the extent of drug use. For example, hallucination, psychosis, paranoia, and aggressive behavior may occur, and an overdose of either may cause cardiac collapse or convulsion. Finally, use of both drugs can lead to addiction. The high from smoking crack and cocaine can be outweighed by numerous amount of negative effects. The most common side effects that have been reported are i rritability , anxiety, headache, depression, a ggressive, paranoid behavior , a bdominal pain , and sudden death due to a heart attack or stroke (The E ffects of Crack Use, 2017). They both have short term and long term effects on the body. The short-term physical and mental effects of using crack and cocaine are generally more intense than the effects from snorting powdered cocaine and are like what is experienced when injecting cocaine. These effects are also like other commonly abused stimulants such as methamphetamine. People who use it often don't eat or sleep properly. They can experience greatly increased heart rate, muscle spasms and convulsions. The drug can make people feel paranoid, angry, hostile, and anxious even when they aren't high. Regardless of how much of the drug is used or how frequently, crack cocaine increases the risk that the user will experience a heart attack, stroke, seizure, or respiratory failure (The E ffects of Crack Use, 2017). Long-term effects from use of crack cocaine include severe damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys. Users are more likely to have infectious diseases. Continued daily use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite, resulting in malnutrition. Smoking crack cocaine also can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior. Despite crack and cocaine's similarities, they have three major differences. First, although crack and cocaine are derived from the coca plant, they differ in form. The actual chemical effects of crack vs. powder cocaine are not different. However, the chemical makeup of crack vs. powder cocaine does differ. Powder cocaine is the hydrochloride salt form , this is how is exists in nature. Powder cocaine is a white powdery substance that is abused by snorting and which can be dissolved in water . Crack is one the form bases of cocaine. Crack is essentially powder cocaine mixed with water and baking soda which is dried into a solid mass. This mass is cracked' into rocks that are smoked. Another difference is that the criminal punishment associated to their use and possession are very different. P ossessing 500 grams of powder cocaine carries the same penalty as possessing 28 grams of crack (Cocaine.org, 2014). Normally, the brain releases dopamine in these circuits in response to potential rewards, like the smell of good food. It then recycles back into the cell that released it, shutting off the signal between nerve cells. Cocaine prevents dopamine from recycling, causing excessive amounts to build up between nerve cells. This flood of dopamine ultimately disrupts normal brain communication and causes cocaine's high. Another major difference is how they enter the body. Powder cocaine is usually snorted through the nose and absorbed through nasal mucosa membranes, and also can be injected (Cocaine.org, 2014). Crack is t he crystal that is heated to produce vapors that are inhaled into the lungs. This form of cocaine is called Crack, which refers to the crackling sound of the rock as it's heated . C rack contains as much as 90 percent pure cocaine whereas cocaine contains from 15

What Type of Nurse Are You

What Type of Nurse Are You There are so many different types of nurses. These include registered nurses, travel nurses, nurse practitioners, and operating room nurses just to name a few. Have you ever wondered what type of nurse you might be if you decide to pursue nursing as a career? Or maybe if you are in the right field of nursing based on your wants? This quiz is perfect to help you decide based on your likes.  Source [ Playbuzz ]

Outsourcing and offshoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outsourcing and offshoring - Essay Example which in fact are expensive and time consuming in dealings. The corporate headquarters of Dell Inc. is located at Round Rock, Texas. This is where the company was first started. Dell has regional headquarters in Bracknell, England, for Europe, Middle East and Africa and in Singapore to serve the Pacific Rim, including Japan, India, China, Australia and New Zealand. The company manufactures its computer systems in nine locations: Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Eldorado do Sul and Hortolandia, Brazil (Americas); Limerick, Ireland (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Penang, Malaysia (Asia Pacific and Japan); Chennai, India (India) and Xiamen, China (China). Dell sells its products and services worldwide. The company started its international activities in the year 1987 by opening a subsidiary in United Kingdom (Dell). The reason for any company to open a subsidiary in a different country is the ability of the company to capitalize on low cost labor, easy access to raw materials, low transportation costs, and avoidance of import duties. Usually, firms which aim for a high market share in international markets opt for this kind of strategy (Research). Dell Computer Corporation has got a global supply network which helps the company in its overall product quality along with lowering the costs. Though the company's principle headquarters and design centers are located at Austin, Texas, the company has managed to expand its operations worldwide. Each one of the company's establishments is specialized uniquely. The main headquarters of the company situated in Austin, Texas deals with software development and documentation alongside handling the system development of notebooks, desktops and servers. The company has got two global lines of business namely Dell Imaging and Dell Displays. Singapore center of Dell which was started in the year 2005 is the home for both these global business lines of the company. The entire portfolio of displays along with projectors and Televisions are taken care at the Singapore center. These global lines also include Dell printers and other associated software of the company. The company established a design center in Bangalore, India in the year 2001. The company's design center at Bangalore focuses on software development, server development, international product support, Test engineering and documentation along with enterprise solutions. In the year 200, the company established a design center in the city of Shanghai in China. This center focuses on the system development for desktops along with client system testing and other services related to notebooks and desktops. The company also started a design center in Taiwan in the year 2003 which takes care of data center solutions and notebook and server development. Each of the design centers of the company located at various destinations specialize in different areas. Each center focuses on different activities depending upon the market in which the center is located. The manufacturing units of the company located at various parts of the world manufacture products and the sale of those products is done in those respective regions and they also re-import the products to other places depending on the need and demand. Over the years, Dell has developed the capacity to integrate

Teaching the Lnguage Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teaching the Lnguage Skills - Essay Example It is a believed by many parents that inborn intelligence will control how well their kids learn to read no matter what type of instruction is given, however, the evidence suggests otherwise. It has been proved that, in general, IQ has very little bearing on early reading ability. Only recently, the researchers have found that children who have difficulty learning to read usually have acceptable level of IQs (Rayner et al. 2002). It is a fact that teaching children to read well in their early age obviously helps to develop a priceless lifetime habit; thus, it is not surprising that educators have placed enormous emphasis on finding the best way to teach these skills (Rayner et al. 2002). At one time, a great deal of debate in educational circles centred on whether whole-word or phonics instruction was the most effective way of teaching reading skills. But over the past decade or so, arguments have revolved around the relative merits of phonics and whole-word's successor, whole-language. The concept of whole-language approach has been adopted by many teachers because of its intuitive appeal. As making reading fun ensures to keep children motivated, and learning to read depends more on what the student does than on what the teacher does (Rayner et al. 2002). But the prospect of keeping kids interested would not have been enough by itself to convince teachers to use the whole-language method. What really made it a success was an educational philosophy that empowered teachers to compose their own curricula and encouraged them to treat children as active participants, an enticing combination that was promoted with flair by some educator celebrities. The presumed benefits of whole-language instruction and the stark contrast to the perceived dullness of phonics led to its growing acceptance across America during the 1990s (Rayner et al. 2002). It has been clearly demonstrated that understanding how letters relate to the component sounds of words is critically important in reading. The research on the topic shows that there is no doubt about it: teaching that makes the rules of phonics clear will ultimately be more successful than teaching that does not. Admittedly, some children can infer these principles on their own, but most need explicit instruction in phonics, or their reading skills will suffer. This conclusion rests, in part, on knowledge of how experienced readers make sense of words on a page an understanding that psychologists have developed over many decades. One of the first researchers to investigate the nature of reading was James M. Cattell, an American psychologist of the Victorian era (Rayner et al. 2002). To test whether proficient readers were taking in words letter by letter or all at once, he performed a pioneering experiment, exposing subjects very briefly to whole words or to individual letters and a sking them what they saw. He found that they were better able to report words than letters. Thus, it seemed apparent to him that people do not

Analysing The Role Of Women In Social Care Social Work Essay

Analysing The Role Of Women In Social Care Social Work Essay It could be argued, that work within the social care profession is predominantly women-centred due to the fact it is mainly a female profession. However, research shows that this may not be the case. Although the majority of staff is indeed women, men, however, make up the majority of senior management roles (Dominelli, 2004). This inevitability produces a situation whereby, the decisions regarding policy are made mainly by men for women. The focus of this study is to critically examine the fact that although women overwhelmingly undertake the majority of the caring roles within the social care profession, these organisations remain firmly under patriarchal power. This essay will consider the role of women as professionals, carers and managers within social care organisations. It will examine traditional theories of management, the challenges faced by women who become professionals and managers and strategies appropriate for the effective delivery of care. To conclude it will consider whether there is indeed a role for female managers within an environment dominated by men. Social work can be seen as originating from industrialisation in the nineteenth century and the Charity Organisation Societies of Great Britain and America (Payne, 2005). Dominelli (2004) argues these organisations promoted friendly visiting and prevented disorganised charitable giving. This organised way of working was the first step to establishing social work as a discrete area of activity and as a profession (Adams, 2003). Professional relationships inside hospitals reflected the Victorian patriarchal family ideal, where female nurses were perceived as mothers and carers and male doctors as fathers (Deacon, 2002). These stereotyped ideas eventually characterised the power relations within other bureaucratic structures (Payne, 2000). Professionalism was viewed as a practice based on a long training period, a degree of autonomy, with membership to a group. This particular degree of social distance characterised professions as enjoying high status and autonomy (Payne, 2005). Nurses and social workers were consigned to the category of semi-professional, on account of their perceived limitations of their training, knowledge base and autonomy (Nazarko, 2004). The claim that nursing and social work lacked the basis of technical or abstract knowledge, that domestic skills and interpersonal skills were more suited, could be argued, reinforced the discourses of semi-professionalism (Banks, 2001). In addition, work based in state welfare bureaucratises, such as those of social work and nursing, did no commenstrate with the traditional idea of professionalism (Payne, 2005). Thompson (2002) supports this argument stating social workers and remedial therapy occupations were often viewed as semi-professionals as they did not fulfil all the attributes within the trait approach (Thompson, 2002). Sharkey (2000) takes this further, critical of implications of the associations of women with the caring role, stating that it represents a social construction and is division of power exerted over women by men. In the same way sexism is constructed, it must be viewed that other marginalised groups, such as black, disabled groups are subject to the same issues of power imbalance (Dominelli, 2004). To counter this imbalance and provide professionalism with a career structure and job security, most professionals in health and social care work in large formal organisation (Moonie, 2004). Traditional concepts of professionalism has changed as professionals are employed in either a clinical or an expert role to perform certain, clearly defined, tasks or be involved in service management (Bradshaw, 2004) Miller (2004) argues that professionals attempt to seek to reclaim professionalism by seeking power over territory by defining an area of expertise which is theirs alone. Thompson (2002) believes by the seeking of power through a claim of expertise, may actually disadvantage the very people whom professionals aim to help. In attempt to counter imbalance of power, professionals possess specific codes of conduct and ethics (Banks, 2001). Scott (2001) argues this is necessary, that professionalism implies not just expertise, but moral responsibility. For the social worker, their moral philosophy is embedded within a specific professional Code of Practice (Adams, 2003). Rather than self regulating groups with claims of moral conduct, it may be that professionals are operating obstructive practices (Banks, 2001). With the emergence of consumerism and the subsequent contract culture, there has been an increase in the administrative approach and the growth of procedures and one could argue, will undermine their pledge for moral responsibility (Adams, 2002). Dominelli (2002) suggests social workers are increasingly having to meet the demands of government performance strategies, the cloak of specialist knowledge could be interpreted merely as a disguise to win resource battles, or to exercise group power politics (Adams et al, 2009). It could be argued that this is inevitably a result of a globalising world economy, a New Right philosophy of value for money and a demand that people look after themselves (Means et al, 2003). Furthermore, within the current political climate, professionals have to be committed to providing seamless, client led services, with a greater demand for accountability for the public resources expended in service provision (Brechin et al, 2000). According to Butcher (2006) many professionals may find problems arise within the agency context. They may find there is dichotomy of interest with their role as a professional and the role and responsibility within the organisation (Butcher, 2006). In the first instance, the interest of their client may be paramount, however, acting as gatekeepers they manage the planning and distribution of services (Bauld et al, 20004). The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 implies professionals share power, however, acting as gatekeeper may only mean power and control will still remain with the state (Sharkey, 2000). To counter oppressive practices alongside organisational constraints, professionals can work in a number of anti-oppressive ways (Tibbs, 2001). Social workers can look at particular ways of thinking that will counter the oppressive elements of a professional status. For example, social workers working from an anti-sexist or anti-racist way. Professionals can utilise legislation and agency policy and use them as tools to effectively bring about change and combat oppression (Killick, 2001). . The government policy of caring in the community could be said to further reinforce oppression, whereby, informal care is reliant on the goodwill of women to undertake the free caring role of a relative or to undertake low paid work within social care (Bradshaw, 2004). By contrast, following the natural assumption that men should be in paid work, if men do undertake the caring of a relative or friend, they often considered incapable of undertaking domestic work so are usually offered more help and support than a woman in a similar situation (Scott, 2001). To counter this imbalance and provide professionalism with a career structure and job security, most professionals in health and social services work in large formal organisation (Alcock, 2000) The majority of roles advertised by social services usually refer to caring such as social care, community care and residential care. However, such language could be said to be a concept associated with women and adapted from natural role they adopt during childbirth and afterwards (Cree, 2003). Women are brought up to believe that caring for others is a fundamental part of their existence (Powell Hewitt, 2002). This argument suggests that there are fundamental differences between men and women. Women are said to be emotional and caring so are more associated with the humanistic types of work such as undertaking the physical care of a person (Sharkey, 2000). Whereas, men are considered to be less emotional, hold authority and power, whereby management is seen as a natural course within their career (Jones, 2003). It has been further suggested that assumptions of being a successful manger, or similar status jobs, is based largely on male behaviour (Malin, 2000). However, a study of research undertaken on leadership styles by Malin (2000) found that women were similar to men in terms of leadership styles and therefore just as suitable to be managers. Any differences found were said to be qualities such as feelings and emotions, that organisations may need more of this in the future (Means et al, 2003). However, despite there being similarities in leadership style, for women who seek a management post, their feelings and emotions represent a block. Women are expected to undertake the more emotional caring tasks, whereas men are perceived to be more suitable to the macho task of management (Yeates, 2001). Advertisements for management posts reflect this attitude, with a notable absence of references to caring. Designed to reflect the status of the post, usually include language such as target. analytical, objectivity, determination, placing importance on salary, related packages, expectations to work outside normal hours and high status (Zinn, 2008). It could be argued, management positions that are advertised using language that is bureaucratic and masculine in their approach are designed specifically to attract able bodied white men (Jones-Devitt Smith, 2007). It could be argued, the very nature of the job specification only serves to exclude and further marginalise women. This is synonymous with the glass ceiling phenomenon, whereby women face obstacles when moving into management such as dominant male attitudes and culture, discrimination and womens own expectations (Carney, 2006). Subsequently, this presents several fundamental problems for women. The policies and procedures of organisations are being managed by men to benefit men, important decisions are undertaken by men and women suffer discrimination, womens skills and abilities are not being utilised (Clarke, 2004). It is important to understand, however that for many women workers within social care they are already victims of abuse of power, at work and home, as carers of the system and by individuals. For example studies of gender abuse, have found abusers are overwhelmingly men (Moonie, 2004). It could be argued that the abuse of power is part of the fabric of womens lives (Glasby Littlewood 2009). According to Moonie (2004) men are the very group who perpetrate most of the abuse which result in individuals requiring social services intervention, are themselves in positions of power, such as managers, within organisation. For example in 1991 a number of men who held positions of responsibility within care homes were found guilty of physical and sexual abuse of children in their care (Zinn, 2008). It could be argued; therefore it is not possible for a group of people to make sound decisions regarding victims of abuse, if they themselves abuse their power. Therefore, if women are to challenge this abuse of power, they need to be given equal access to management; therefore human resource policies should facilitate this. Women are brought up to believe a fundamental part of their role is to care; they have the advantage of trying to juggle home life with work life (Yeates, 2001). Work/life balance policies, flexible working, part time working and crà ¨che facilities are some responses to enabling women to participate as men do. According to Zin (2008) these responses are a solution invented by men aimed specifically for women under the guise of equal opportunities. This only serves to reinforce male and female stereotypes (Miller, 2004). Furthermore, management posts are not always included in such equal opportunity policies and therefore, likely to exclude a higher proportion of women from management. Although arguably, a change in retention and recruitment policies to enable women to become managers is important to facilitate this, it could be further argued, a change in attitude and culture regarding gender roles is more fundamental (Powell Hewitt, 2002). Women it seems are acceptable management material if they are the same as men and unsuitable if they differ. A workforce study undertaken by the National Institute for Social Work found workplace attitudes to be reflective of society a third of staff surveyed reported incidents of racism from colleagues and managers, with 45% reporting such behaviour from service users and their relatives (Jones-Devitt Smith, 2007). Feminists argue that a focus on structural change and a challenge of dominant male assumptions is the way forward if attitudes are to change (Jones, 2003). Furthermore, it could be argued the structure of social services only serves to reinforce the attitude of women as carers. For example residential workers, home care assistants, care worker, roles usually undertaken by women (Adams et al, 2009). Therefore, a removal from dominant patriarchal attitudes appears to be a long way off. Theories of how organisations structures functions are broadly male dominated and further serve to reinforce the ideology of management (Cochrane, 2001). As a result the structures and processes of social work within social services are also basically masculine. The hierarchical principles and management of social services departments are associated with pyramidal structure of authority and control (Cochrane, 2001). It could be argued, this supports the view that patriarchal values remain embedded within organisations but interestingly, conflict with the caring role of social welfare organisation. An organisation with a flatter structure where there is no hierarchy, but each person takes on a specific role for the benefit of the organisation and the client, is more synonymous with the caring aspect of social work. Also that of a feminist theory, whereby organisations take a collective approach (Scott, 2004). This type of organisational structure can be seen within smaller voluntary organisations (Clarke, 2004). Organisations such as social services are structured within a more bureaucratic, hierarchical style. Clarke (2004) believed that where there were high numbers of employed staff, it was necessary to initiate rules and procedures within a clear line of command. As a result of this masculine model of organisational structure, policies, consciously or subconsciously, reinforce the idea that gender differences are a product of nature rather than social construction (Yeates, 2001). Once a person becomes a manager, their effectiveness is dependent on several factors including style. Yeates (2001) introduced the scientific management approach. It required workers to undertake tasks in a specific way in an attempt to make organisations rational, studying how management methods could effectively control the workers in other words, how to find the most efficient ways of doing a job (Scott, 2001). This appears to fit with bureaucratic mechanisms within a large social welfare organisation. In contrast Deacon (2002) considered the importance people make within organisations and identified a humanistic approach to management. He believed the behaviour of people produced an informal structure which influenced how an organisation functioned, which in turn influenced which management methods should be adopted (Deacon, 2002). Clarke (2004) argues that managers can adopt interpersonal approaches and be open and honest showing their real feelings rather than adopting an authoritarian approach by checking up on staff. This method seems compatible to work within social care, rather than the masculine traits traditionally associated with management styles (Bauld et al, 2000). It could be argued, however that management is a balance of the two, a combination of problem solving, such as case management, organising the department, resources etc, and affective interpersonal skills. Within male dominated environments, this balance can be difficult to achieve (Powell Hewitt, 2002). For women managers, to show a caring side could be perceived as weak. If a woman adopts a male approach she is considered aggressive. She is seen as different and not compatible with what is the perceived norm (Brechin et al, 2000). In some cases, adopting the male style of management and fitting the culture of masculinism can produce a negative and unproductive style of management for example women mangers not approving of mothers who have children pursuing a career (Bradshaw, 2004). For some this may not pose a problem, having wanted and being able to gain a senior management position. For others, they have felt in order to survive it has been necessary to adopt the male style of management but do not to notice it any more.(Dominelli, 2004) This means women are pressured to join prevailing norms, if they want to avoid being different (Deacon, 2002). Statutory provision within social care could be said to support this argument. child protection work is considered a controlling aspect of social work, which fits with the controlling aspects of management (Payne, 2005). Interestingly enough, this is synonymous with the community care framework and the concepts of care mangers. Tibbs (2001) argues this is another strand in the masculinsation of management within social services. However, the values that are fundamental to the caring role for the client within social services is not necessarily transferred into the values of management of care as management becomes increasingly bureaucratic and procedural (Nazarko, 2004). Furthermore, tasks that consider the care of the customers and staff are essential within an environment that requires a supporting management team (Jones-Devitt Smith, 2007). Womens contribution should be widely recognised if such a service is implemented. Work undertaken by Bradshaw (2004) found organisations that are managed by people who believe in the potential of workers and customers, produces excellent organisations. This language appears to be intrinsic within the modern social services department, whereby best value, quality protect and performance indicators underpins governments strategy for improving services and working environments (Glasby Littlechild, 2009). This philosophy on caring is further emphasised by awarding star ratings for local authorities for providing high quality services. Within this philosophy of caring environment, it is likely that more women would be attracted to management posts and take part in the organisations quest for excellence (Killick Allan, 2001). Moonie (2004) indicates women managers have much to offer the organisation since the emergence of customer care and total quality management. Although Miller (2004) suggests this simply is a political move, under the guise of community care legislation, a way of meeting resource demands and residualing services. As a result of the market of care, consumerism and competition, there is pressure for local authorities to become more business like (Deacon, 2002). Senior managers are now recruited from the commercial arena where it appears, they know nothing about social care. With the emergence of business management posts and the values and models that underpin those of a commercial organisation, such as marketing strategies and performance indicators, bureaucratic procedures and control increases (Jones, 2003). Nevertheless in an organisations quest for excellence women managers could prove invaluable. Tibbs (2001) argues that women managers will have a tendency to put issues of staff care, such as support and supervision above administration. Leadership or management within a group is central to the function of facilitating organisation or group effectiveness and performance (Payne, 2000). Therefore a manager who is humanistic in their approach, it seems is able to meet current government policy with regards to welfare provision (Miller, 2004). Looking for the impact of effective leadership in more detail it is necessary to consider the concept of leadership and also the role of the manager in supervision (Carney, 2006). Leadership can be performed at an informal level within the team or at an organisational level (Butcher, 2006). Research into leadership by Carney (2006) established that satisfaction and group effectiveness can be affected by the type of leadership within the group (Carney, 2006). Although, Cochrane (2006) proposes that leadership roles vary according to the managed level within the organisation. According to Cree (2003) the most important element is influence and that leadership suggests a process of group support, goal achievement and group contentment. To understand leadership, it is necessary to understand the distinctions between managed and leadership, Deacon (2002) argues to be an effective manager it is necessary to exercise the role of leadership. Considering this, leadership is not necessarily just a function of a formal manager but acts of leadership by a person who has specific leadership qualities (Bradshaw, 2004). For example a manager is said to have continually co-ordinate and balance in order to compromise conflicting values (Powell Hewitt, 2002). Whereas leaders, may work in but can be said not to belong to an organisation. They are able to consider what events and actions mean and express empathy with other people. (Jones-Devitt Smith, 2007). It could be argued womens attributes are compatible with the philosophy of empathy and consideration for others (Glasby Littlechild, 2009). Cree (2003) suggests that leadership styles are more effective and more consistent with the type of humanistic management that social w ork requires. Supervision is an also an arena where women, it could be said function better than men (Moonie, 2004). Women maybe more able to empathise and discuss an individuals issues and concerns. However it could be argued this may be too simplistic. According to Miller (2004) not all women may be able to undertake effective supervision, whereas there may be male managers that are equally as capable of adopting a humanistic style of supervision. Payne (2000) suggests that regardless of what attributes that can be brought to supervision there are areas of supervision which may hinder team work and professional development. Supervision may be unavailable due to time restrictions, the abuse of power such as withholding information or asserting negative control, a lack of feeling supported particularly as managers are not in touch with service users lives (Tibbs, 2001). Certain leadership styles may determine how effective supervision is for team members and supports Adams (2003) view of discrepancies in supervision. Social services departments have a history of retention and recruitment and this reflects in inconsistent management (Thompson, 2002). For example, regardless of gender differences, some managers work in a democratic way, consistent with the humanistic approach (Sharkey, 2000). However others may adopt a more authoritative supervision process. This can have the effect of controlling or obstructing team members as a result of asserting authority or power over decision making (Carney, 2006). Subsequently, this can leave managers with high levels of dissonance within the team, which in turn, affects the effectiveness of the team (Jones-Devitt Smith, 2007). Butcher (2006) indicates the supervision process can become a management tool of accountability but suggests it can be also be used as a tool to improve personal and professional development and practice. If supervision is to encourage personal satisfaction and encourage group cohesiveness and effectiveness, it should go below the surface in the analysis of problems and situation (Adams et al, 2009). It could be argued a feeling of being listened to and heard can only serve to increase team moral and performance. In turn effective supervision can be used as a tool for negotiation, problem-solving and more importantly learning (Adams et al, 2009). Women managers could use supervision to make their own individual mark on the workforce without the need of masculine formal systems and practices (Butcher, 2006). By paying attention to things that matter to people which are often neglected such as enquiring about the progress of a problem or a staff member needs to leave work on time to meet childcare commitments (Bradshaw, 2004). As mentioned, this method of working can develop team moral and performance, such as effective team and collaborative working. Facilitating teams to work collectively together to identify areas of organisational improvements and service delivery, it could be argued is considered a necessary requirement of professional workers within social services (Brechin et al, 2000). The caring strand of management means women are at an advantage when it comes to utilising these skills in management, in particular women are brought up to think about other peoples needs to empathise and listen (Zinn, 2008). Indeed it is not to be said that the caring tasks should be done by women alone only to validate the skills women bring to the role of manager, through their perceived roles as carers (Scott, 2001). In terms of operational planning, women managers are able to influence the situation and bring along new understanding of management for both men and women, rather than the traditional methods (Bauld et al, 2000). Instead of an aggressive style, an assertive style will allow individuals to stand up for themselves. People can manage in a supportive way in order to empower and obtain consensus rather than conflict (Thompson, 2002). Patriarchal norms and mens way of behaving does not have to be considered the norm. It could be said, women should be taken seriously without having to act like men (Alcock, 2000). Both men and women can validate the caring side of managing within social services, recognising both work and personal commitments. This is increasingly evident for social workers within social services; managers appear to be more responsive to the holistic needs of staff (Banks, 2001). Moonie (2004) suggests it is difficult to determine whether there has been a genuine commitment of the organisation towards recognising workers needs or the fact that the majority of middle managers consist of mainly women who are generally more sympathetic in their approach. Payne, (2000) outlines it could also be political, due to the nature of the work within statutory social services, has inevitably led to recruitment and retention crisis, whereby this needs to be effectively managed if standards are to be maintained. Power can be used in an ethical and caring way to empower both clients and workers. Paying more attention to the abuse of power, workers must limit their use of controlling power (Glasby Littlechild, 2009). Women can learn to understand power and be less afraid and use it more directly. Managers can use power in positive ways, such as implementing equal opportunity policies (Carney, 2006). Caring itself should be challenged as a concept. No longer synonymous with womens work, it should be constructed as a role that all people can undertake, a skill to be learnt by both men and women (DoH, 1999). Women can stop automatically undertaking the caring jobs. This in turn will serve to change the attitudes and perceptions society has of specific gender roles. Finally government legislation should be strengthened and include enhanced equal opportunity laws and substantial improvements to maternity benefit and leave. Carney (2006) argues that underpinning all policy are principles that men should also be responsible for childcare and that childcare should be publicly funded and community based and most importantly there should be a balance between family life and paid work and leisure activities. Social work is a changing profession dominated by men, who make policies for an essentially controlling activity (Dominelli, 2004). However social services have a culture of caring whereby the majority, which are women, are committed to this ethos. It could be argued that women endeavour to support this caring ethic and are challenging a patriarchal structure by using good human relationship skills and attention to quality of service.

A Clean Well Lighted Place Analysis Essay

A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway is a cryptic short story about a deaf man in a bar late at night with the waiter getting frustrated with him because he wishes to go home. The dialogue slowly turns to two waiters who inject a symbolic exchange. This entire piece of full of symbology and is in my opinion a story up the the interpretation of each individual reader. â€Å"In the daytime the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. In this sequence we see the first comparison made between light and darkness, and we see the daytime being described as dusty and the in the night the dew eliminated the dust. This state of moistness or lubrication perhaps represents a state of mental lubrication, free from the dullness of the day. It’s also interesting that a deaf man would be able to tell the difference between the sounds of the day and sounds of the night. In my opinion this means that at night when it’s expected to be desolate the man feels more at home than he does in the daytime when there is expected to be commotion. â€Å"Last week he tried to commit suicide,† one waiter said. â€Å"Why? † â€Å"He was in despair. † â€Å"What about? † â€Å"Nothing. † â€Å"How do you know it was nothing? † â€Å"He has plenty of money. â€Å"† This is a humorous dialogue about the condition of money vs happiness. The man is described as being in despair, but yet they know now what he has to be despaired about if he has means to provide him happiness. However they do not see the true ironic sadness of the situation. A old man is sitting alone in a cafe at night downing shots of brandy. It is obvious to the reader that the old man does not have a very pleasant life. They sat together at a table that was close against the wall near the door of the cafe and looked at the terrace where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind. A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him. † This is the second time the â€Å"shadow of the leaves of the tree† is mentioned, this is demonstrative by the author that this is important and essential symbology to understand. Obviously the eaves can produce no real shadow since it’s night, however since it is under an electric light the leaves produce a false shadow from a false light. The legal definition of false light is a â€Å"portrayal that is highly offense to a reasonable person† but not so much so that it’s defamation. This allows the old man sitting there to perhaps portray himself as offensive to the waiter, as we will see in a later exchange, but not so much so that he defames himself. The man is also able to view from the terrace the soldier and the women passing by. This might be the man looking down and reminiscing on memories of old. Another exchange that struck me was between the two waits discussing the events of the attempted suicide of the man. â€Å"†He’s drunk now,† he said. â€Å"He’s drunk every night. † â€Å"What did he want to kill himself for? † â€Å"How should I know. † â€Å"How did he do it? † â€Å"He hung himself with a rope. † â€Å"Who cut him down? † â€Å"His niece. † â€Å"Why did they do it? † â€Å"Fear for his soul. † â€Å"How much money has he got? † â€Å"He’s got plenty. † This exchange shows the audience the severity of this mans drinking, and drinking almost goes without symbology itself as an expression of relieving anything from stress, to recreation, to wallowing in pity. They again fail to recognize the plight and sorrow this man has, they suffer from a delusion that this man’s great wealth brings him joy and happiness, however again we can tell that it doesn’t. The waiter’s also state that the man’s niece who came and saved him did so out of fear for his soul, not fear for his life, but fear for his soul. To me this is indicative that this man’s life is in such a sorrowful that it’s not worth saving, but his soul is all that remains of him, and the only thing that is worth saving of him. Again we see in the continued dialogue between the two waiters, and we see the more they speak the more they reveal about this man. They also continue to speak about him in a false light, that is being offensive without defamation. â€Å"†He stays up because he likes it. † â€Å"He’s lonely. I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me. † â€Å"He had a wife once too. † â€Å"A wife would be no good to him now. † â€Å"You can’t tell. He might be better with a wife. † â€Å"His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down. † â€Å"I know. † â€Å"I wouldn’t want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. † â€Å"Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him. † â€Å"I don’t want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work. † The man stays up late because he is lonely, and had a wife, but the other waiter speaks of him in a false light because he says â€Å"A wife would be no good to him now† which would be in my opinion considered offensive. They also speak ill of his age, however the other waiter defends him by saying he is clean and doesn’t spill, even while drunk. Being clean represents the man exercising a lack of vulgarity, and he is civilized and dignified by not spilling, even in a compromised state of being intoxicated. They also continue to be offensive to him by one of the waiters stating â€Å"I don’t want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work† The exchange between the two waiters further reveal the reason and life behind the lonely man in the cafe. â€Å"†Why didn’t you let him stay and drink? † the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. â€Å"It is not half-past two. â€Å"†I want to go home to bed. † â€Å"What is an hour? † â€Å"More to me than to him. † â€Å"An hour is the same. â€Å" â€Å"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home. † â€Å"It’s not the same. â€Å"No, it is not,† agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry. â€Å"And you? You have no fear of going home before your usual hour? † â€Å"Are you trying to insult me? † â€Å"No, hombre, only to make a joke. † â€Å"No,† the waiter who was in a hurry said, rising from pulling down the metal shutters. â€Å"I have confidence. I am all confidence. † â€Å"You have youth, confidence, and a job,† the older waiter said. â€Å"You have everything. † â€Å"And what do you lack? † â€Å"Everything but work. † â€Å"You have everything I have. † â€Å"No. I have never had confidence and I am not young. † â€Å"Come on. Stop talking nonsense and lock up. † â€Å"I am of those who like to stay late at the cafe,† the older waiter said. â€Å"With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night. † â€Å"I want to go home and into bed. † The hurried waiter speaks that he wishes to leave so he can get some sleep, and they reveal that the extra hour saved by the waiter meant more to the man than it did to the waiter. The two waiter’s eventually get into the topic of having youth and confidence, where one states that he has great confidence and youth and the other says he has never had confidence and is not young. This statement reveals more about the nature of the old man, showing that the old man lacked youth and confidence that he used to have, and drinks to regain what’s left of his dignity and pride, as demonstrated earlier. The older waiter also states that he doesn’t desire to leave earlier, as to provide a sebastion of hope and light for those who need it, like the deaf man. The waiter thinking to himself while sitting at the bar shows us the real reason why the deaf man tries to commit suicide, and the real reason why a clean and well-lighted place is needed in the middle of the night. Turning off the electric light he continued the conversation with himself. It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be clean and pleasant. You do not want music. Certainly you do not want music. Nor can you stand before a bar with dignity although that is all that is provided for these hours. What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread. It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. We see here now that the man wanted to end his life because it was nothing and he was nothing, and that a empty hollowness that he had. He did not despair and was not in grief, but simply felt an emptiness and only a clean well-lit place such as this cafe provided. In closing we find the older waiter conversing with himself â€Å"He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it’s probably only insomnia. Many must have it. † We find here that this older waiter does to some extent feel the same emptiness as the old man does. He find the daylight as a time to sleep, opposite of normal. He finds the daytime as a lack of activity, and the night as a time for activity. The waiter is in some ways institutionalized and imprisoned to the service of those who feel empty. After all of this we find the significance of all of this imagery and symbolism we see the story of a man whose life has essentially finished it’s course, only that his heart remains beating. We see a man who is often looked down upon because of the extent of his drinking and is seen in a â€Å"false light†. We find a man who does not drink to forget or drink to remember or drink because he is in sorrow or grief, but he drinks because of nothing. He drinks because he feels nothing and experiences nothing. We find that his wife and days of youth and confidence have left him and not he has absolutely nothing. This man and many others like this find cafe’s such as this one that are clean and well-lit to be bastions and beacons of hope to those who have this feeling of nothingness.