Category: Family

Introduction

The most important asset of an organization is its workforce; the organization would therefore ensure that it fulfills the needs of the workers to enable that they work effectively for the benefit of the organization. On the other hand, the most important factor that affects productivity of the workers is their motivation. Generally, highly motivated workers would have high productivity.

In addition, if a company were able to effectively motivate the workers while giving them the necessary incentives, the workers would be loyal to the company, while employee turnover would reduce drastically. Organizations therefore having policies that facilitate the working of the employees, rather than to control their actions, as happy employees would be able to function effectively (Halpern & Murphy, 2005, p. 68)

Different organizations have different methods of motivating their employees to enhance productivity. Some organizations have a scheme ensuring that the high performing employees are rewarded (reward based performance appraisal) while denying some of the benefits to the employees who fail to meet their set targets (Grote, 1996, p. 348).

In addition, companies have ensured implementation of policies, which not only consider employee who works in the company, but take a holistic approach that takes into consideration the employee as an individual who faces different other pressures related to his/her personal and domestic life (Hacket, 1998).

Most organizations therefore have a family work policy that caters for the needs of employees and ensures that there is no conflict between the employees job and their family needs or requirements. This policy does not only target employees who have children but also employees who do not have children (Rosenbloom, 2005, p. 423).

Even the US government considers the policy vital in the productivity of employees such that it allocates a certain amount of money in its annual budget to cater for family work policy of different states (Washington family leave coalition, 2010, p. 1).

The work family policies of governments vary from giving cash incentive to the parents who have children, provision of care to the children or allocating leave allowance to the parents of the children in question (Lewis, 2009).

Theory

Motivation and morale of the employees undoubtedly affects their productivity. These two lead to increased job satisfaction and loyalty of the employees. Organizations therefore take the issue of motivation of the employees very seriously. There are many different theories that are used to explain the motivation of individuals. These theories include:

• Jeremy Benthams the carrot and stick motivation theory
• Abraham Maslows need hierarchy motivation theory
• Douglas McGregor theory X and theory Y motivation theory
• Vrooms Valence x Expectancy motivation Theory

However, the mostly widely accepted motivation theory is the Maslows need hierarchy motivation theory. This theory was put forward by Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, who was of the perception that the needs of individuals form a hierarchy, ascending from the lowest to the highest.

Maslow was of the view that when a set of needs is satisfied, it stops being a motivator to the individual. According to this theory, the needs of individuals are as follows

Physiological needs

Generally, every person will primarily seek to satisfy basic needs, which are normally vital for human life sustenance; they include food, water, shelter, clothing, education, and healthcare.

Maslow was of the perception that, until these needs are met, no other motivation factors can be effective (Shah & Shah, n.d., part 3). Organizations therefore ensure that these needs are met to enable the employees to function effectively. Organizations would therefore provide housing, education, and healthcare to both the employee and members of his/her family.

Security or safety needs

Following the satisfaction of physiological needs, a person will seek to be secure physically, psychologically and emotionally. In this case, a person needs to be free of physical danger and loosing a job, food or shelter and protection against any emotional harm (Shah & Shah, n.d., part 3). Organizations would therefore try to take several measures to ensure that the job of the employees is secure to enable them to be fully motivated.

Social needs

This refers to the social needs of acceptance, affection, and friendship (Shah & Shah, n.d., part 3). To facilitate this, organizations ensure that they involve the employees and members of their families in various social functions some of which may not be work related to make the employees and their families have a sense of belonging to the organization.

Esteem needs

This refers to the need to be held in high esteem by both themselves and other people. This need usually arises after the person has satisfied the need to belong. This need produces satisfaction, prestige status, and self-confidence, all of which are very important to employees (Shah & Shah, n.d., part 3).

Organizations usually have put in place measures that ensure employees who perform better are promoted to increase their self-esteem and enable them to have better productivity.

Need for self-actualization

According to Maslow, this is the highest need, and it refers to the internal drive, which makes one to achieve full potential and self-fulfillment and aspire to become what one is destined to be (Shah & Shah, n.d., part 3). This is the most important aspect that ensures the productivity of employees.

All the measures that are taken by the company are to enable self-actualization of the employees, which would make them to have productivity at their best possible levels for the benefit of the organization and the employees themselves.

Most managers ensure that motivation of employees is intrinsic as opposed to being extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the person and is therefore stronger. The managers generally provide conditions that ensure employees motivate themselves.

Extrinsic motivation is the motivation where the managers try to motivate the employees through different mechanisms and is generally not as strong as intrinsic motivation, as it is difficult to know what motivates each individual (Employee Motivation in the Workplace: Different Types of Motivation Theories Part 3, 2009)

Literature

There has been a general argument by many experts involved in the field of management that companies need to put in place family responsive programs to enable them retain and attract highly qualified employees for competitive advantage building. Work family conflict has been shown by research to lead into decreased productivity of the employees, loss of work time, absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and poor morale.

In addition, work family conflict may also lead to other family related issues such as poor parenting and depression (Brush, 1993; OLaughlin & Bischoff, 2005, p. 80). Hence, tensions between work and home life increases stress and are generally bad to the employer, employees, and their families (Kolb, Williams & Frohlinger, 2009).

Most people used to believe that family work issues are mainly a problem that mainly concerns women. However, organizations are slowly starting to realize that work family issues are not only concerned with the women in their staff, but it also involves men.

These organizations have therefore put in place programs that would help in the reduction of work family stress to ensure optimal productivity of their employees (Worell, 2001, p. 1183).

There are usually several work/family conflicts that have been shown to affect the work/family life of the employees of an organization. One such conflict is the time-based conflict, which occurs when the time pressures required to fulfill a certain role make it impossible for a person to fulfill another role. These roles are mainly between work and family.

Time-based conflict occurs mostly if the number of hours an employee is required to work in an organization to have good productivity are so many such that they deny the employee time to cater for the family related issues. Another type of conflict is the strain-based conflict, referring to a conflict in which stress of a certain role performed by the employee affects the performance of duties in another field.

This strain is most common in professions that require an individual to perform several different tasks. An example is in the field of academia where lecturers engage in teaching, research, service and sometimes even private consultation i.e. private practice. This leads to the creation of family stress in the particular employees family.

The last type of conflict is the behavior-based conflict, which occurs when the behaviors supposed to be exhibited while performing a certain role conflict with the behaviors of another role performed by the same individual. A good example of the occurrence of behavior-based conflict is when an employee works from home.

The focus and energy that the employee requires in order to accomplish the work expectations is liable to conflict with the demand for attention from the children and/or spouses (Williams & Alliger 1991, from: OLaughlin & Bischoff, 2005, p, 80).

Models of work family issues

To determine how work/family issues affect employees, different models and perspectives can be used. The models used mainly focus on the following

• Job type characteristics: this mainly concerns the flexibility of the job and personal control of the employee.
• Individual characteristics: this concerns the level of commitment and satisfaction towards the roles of parenting or the work, which the individual performs.
• Quantitative factors: this is mainly concerned with the time, which an individual spends catering to wok related issues, or time that he has to meet parenting or household needs (OLaughlin & Bischoff, 2005, p. 81).

However, various scholars have suggested that time demands does not primarily predict the work family stress. The role of strain and work family issues have been explained to be as a result of a person being overly committed to one role while neglecting the other, hence leading to the strain in the neglected field.

Greater commitment in the specific field makes the individual dedicate most of the time to the specific field hence making him/her to have less time for the performance of other roles, leading to poor performance of the neglected role (OLaughlin & Bischoff, 2005, p. 81). In most situations, the neglect is mainly in the family roles of the employees hence leading to the strain by the members of the family.

The rational method clearly explains work/family related stress. According to this model, employees may spend many hours in meetings or at their work place to the detriment of the family roles that the employee must perform. The greater investment result in stress is one field.

This type of stress is most common in women employees who are in high control positions, as they are unable to meet their domestic obligations (OLaughlin & Bischoff, 2005, p. 81).

This paper will discuss work family issues of the employees of Microsoft, the global leader in computer software development. The company has among the most flexible employment opportunities available to its employees, making the company to be ranked among the 100 best employers by the Fortune magazine (Erb, 2011).

The employees can work from home, design their own offices, schedule their own leaves, and have access to unlimited broadband connection if they live within the campus of the company. The company considers the work family issues a very important aspect, which ultimately determines the productivity of its employees.

This paper will consider work family issues of the employees of both genders so as to get a clear picture of the work family issues of the employees. In addition, the paper will also consider the employees in different ranks within the organization as they are usually exposed to different working condition.

Method

To get a clear understanding of family work issues, questionnaires that were posted in the company website regarding the same were analyzed. The questionnaires were answered by employees in all the ranks of the company. An analysis of a sample that contained 200 employees, 100 of who were female was made.

The employees questioned ranged in rank from the software programmers to the people who were involved in the management affairs of the company. The analysis of the results was clustered into two; gender of the employee and the rank of the employee in the organization, as this would give a clear picture of the work family issues.

In addition, the respondents included both the employees who were living in the companys quarters and those who were living outside the company quarters. Nevertheless, all the respondents asked the questionnaires were either married or parents as these are the people who are mainly affected by family work issues.

The following questionnaires were posed to the employees of Microsoft via the company website.

1. Have you ever been absent from work due to family related issues?
2. Do you think that your job is affecting your parenting or family related issues?
3. Does your spouse complain that you are spending too much time working from the office?
4. Have you ever worked from home? If yes how often do you work from home?
5. What reasons made you work from home?
6. Do you prefer working from home?
7. Does working from home affect your parenting abilities?
8. Does your spouse complain you are neglecting your parenting or family roles due to working from home?
9. Have you ever worked while you were on a family holiday? If yes was it due to pressures on work which you knew was awaiting you or were you doing it simply because you loved the work?
10. Have you ever requested leave to attend to family matters? If yes, were you granted the leave or not?
11. Which company practice do you think takes into consideration the work family issues of the employees?
12. Has the company ever involved you and your family in its social activities?
13. How many hours do you have to engage in family or private matters?
14. Does your boss complain that your family issues are interfering so much with your work?
15. Does your work hinder you from performing certain family issues, which in your opinion are very necessary?
16. Does more time to spend with your family enable you to perform your duties effectively or does it hinder you from performing you duties and produce the desired results?
17. In your opinion, do work family issues affect your productivity?
18. Do you think the company is doing enough to address the work family issues of the employees? If yes, does the knowledge that the company caters for your work family issues give you motivation in your work?
19. Do you think that having a family work policy is a privilege to the employees or do you think it is a right, which the employer must grant the employee?

Results

The results were presented in two different parts. The first part of the results showed work family issues based on gender of the employees whereas the second part of the results was on family work issues based on the position of employees in the company. Similar answers were clustered into one group and an analysis of the results was made based on the answers, which were most common among the employees of the company.

Effects of family work issues on productivity

Most of the respondents were of the view that family issues affect their productivity. In fact, almost all the respondents had missed a few days of work to attend to family issues. The employees who were mostly affected by family issues were women as they were generally considered to have the highest responsibility in catering for children. Single parents faced the most work/family related stress.

The ability of the company to cater for their family issues in the employees working time made most of the employees feel motivated and loyal to the company. Most of the respondents praised the flexibility of working hours that the company offers, with the ability to work remotely from home being wide regarded as a factor that made many employees to have high productivity.

However, the ability to work from home made spouses or children of most respondents to complain that they were spending less time with their family. This was made even worse by the fact that, in some cases, employees were transferring work from their office to home, making them to work even during family times.

The tendency of the company to evaluate the performance of employees based on their output rather than time spent behind their desks was regarded by most of the respondents as the practice that made the employees to have time to cater for family issues. Hence, most of the employees were able to attend to family issues, which they regarded as important provided that they could create time to complete their office work.

Work/family policy a right or a privilege

Most of employees were of the view that the company ought to have a work family policy. The policy was not necessary a privilege to the employees. However, certain features of the work family policy enabled employees to cater for their individual needs and to have better job satisfaction.

In fact, almost all the respondents were of the view that the work family policy affects their loyalty to the company. The good work family policy of the company was a motivating factor to the employees just like higher pay or recognition for achievements of the employees.

Work/ family issues and employee position

The position of employees was regarded as the factor that increased work/family related stress. Workers who were generally in higher management positions were generally under more work related stress due to the higher responsibility associated with the positions.

Employee who faced the most work related stress were women who were in higher management positions. Single parents who had children in their teenage years faced the highest work/related stress, as they had to juggle between parenting responsibilities and job responsibilities bestowed upon them due to their position.

Discussion

The results underpin the importance of work family issues for employees and the human resource managers of most organizations. Work family issues are mainly significant if the employees of a company are mostly married or have children. Microsoft was initially a company that was mainly made up of employees who were in their twenties. However, there has been a general shift in the average age of employees of the company.

Most of the employees of the company are now in their thirties. This facilitated the company to be responsive to the family work issues, as most employees in this age group have children or are married (Work-life balance newsletter, 2004, p. 4).

In addition, the company does not judge the work of the employees based on the time they spend in the office i.e. the employees do work by the clock. The flexibility of the working of Microsoft enables the employees of the company to manage their work to fit their individual needs.

Employees can therefore create their own working patterns. In addition, employees are given the flexibility of scheduling their own appointments to a time which best suits them (DTI, 2004, p.14). Thus, employees are able to schedule their own time to cater for family or personal issues without having to ask for formal permission or undergo the long bureaucratic process of asking for leave, which is present in most companies.

The knowledge that the company caters for the work family issues of the employees makes most of the employees to be motivated and hence enabling them to perform at their very best. Among the most important aspects that help in motivation of the employees was the fulfillment of their needs.

By fulfilling some of the needs of the employees the company was able motivate the employees and have them performing at their very best. The factor that mostly catered work/family issues of the employees was the flexibility in the working hours of the employees. The company generally uses its work family policy to intrinsically motivate the employees and therefore ensure that they have high productivity.

Conclusion

It is obvious that most of the employees in companies involved in highly specialized activities are usually at the stage in their life where family issues affect them to a very high extent. Work family issues significant affect the productivity of the employees.

Human resource managers of various organizations have come to this realization and have therefore ensured that the company puts in place policies that cater for the work family issues of the employees to prevent the employees working under undue stress, which may be created by either of the two.

Family work policy is regarded by most of the employees as a factor, which largely influences their decision to work in a certain company. Companies that have good family work policies are able to have their employees working at their highest productivity level are also able to retain the employees.

References

Anon. (2004). Creating solutions for work-life balance. Work-life balance newsletter. Web.

Anon. (2009). Employee Motivation in the Workplace: Different Types of Motivation Theories Part 3. Compensation today. Web.

Brush, C. C. (1993). Attitudes toward work-family issues: the human resource professional perspective. Review of business. Web.

DTI. (2004). Fathers-to-be and antenatal appointments a good practice guide. Department of trade and industry. Web.

Erb, G. (2011). 7 Northwest companies listed among Fortunes 100 best employers. Buget sound business journal. Web.

Grote, R. C. (1996). The complete guide to performance appraisal. NY: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Web.

Hackett, G. (1998). Balance work, family issues to boost productivity. Portland Business Journal. Web.

Halpern, D. F. & Murphy, S. E. (2005). From work-family balance to work-family interaction: changing the metaphor. New Jersey: Elsevier. Web.

Kolb, D. M., Williams, J. & Frohlinger, C. (2009). Negotiating work family issues. Womens media. Web.

Lewis, J. (2009). Work-family balance, gender and policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Web.

Olaughlin, E. M. & Bischoff, L. G. (2005). Balancing Parenthood and Academia: Work/Family Stress as Influenced by Gender and Tenure Status. Web.

Rosenbloom, J. S. (2005). The handbook of employee benefits: design, funding, and administration. NY: McGraw-Hill Professional.

Shah, K & shah, P. J. Theories of Motivation. Lay networks. Web.

Washington family leave coalition. (2010). Work/Family Issues in Congress. Washington. Web.

Worell, J. (2001). Encyclopedia of women and gender: sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gender, Volume 1. London: Elsevier.

Introduction

A business is an activity of engaging in trade for the purpose of making profits. The profits are to be realized through the sale of goods and services to customers. A business can also be defined as an enterprise that is involved in selling goods and services at a price with the core purpose of satisfying their customers, earn profits, and increase wealth for the owners. There are different categories of businesses.

These include the sole proprietor, which is owned and managed by a single individual. In addition, there is the partnership business, which is an association of two or more people who come up to start a business together. In partnership, the partners raise capital and run the business together with the sole purpose of making profits.

Finally, there is the company or corporation where more than ten people may wish to start a business and register the business to make profits. There is no maximum number of stakeholders in a company, and the company acts under the legal guidance with the constitution of the country where it is registered (Poza, 56).

Family business

A family business is a business enterprise that is owned and managed by at least two members of the same family. In family business, the entrepreneurs are usually related by blood or marriage. The interest of the business is to make profits (Halkias, 12). The business is run and controlled by the whole family, but may also be run by the person with the largest share holding in the enterprise.

The profits for the business are usually shared according to the number of shares each controlling interest or person has in the company (Shams and Lane, 256). It can be noted that some of the most successful enterprises are family owned and controlled. For example, Walmart in the United States and Samsung in Korea (Alderson, 23).

Family business in the Middle East

Family businesses in the Middle East region are run and controlled at least two members of the same or related families. The family forms the management team for business and controls the operation of the business. Most of these family businesses were started a long time ago and have been passed from generation to generation, and control is under the family name (Barrett and Moores, 46).

The success of most family-owned businesses can be attributed to the fact that family members are loyal and very dedicated to the business. In this case, each stakeholder is concerned with the welfare of the business (Gasparski, Ryan and Kwiatkowski 89). Notably, almost 80% of the businesses in the Middle East are family-owned.

These businesses are thought to have been started as entrepreneurs in the mid 1960s, and have continued to expand over the years to modern, large businesses that are taking the world by storm. For example, the Alghanim Industries Company is among the most prominent businesses in the Middle East.

The company operates in more than 40 countries. The company is involved in diverse businesses within the manufacturing, engineering, retailing, and the insurance sectors (Stewart, Lumpkin and Katz, 65). Most family businesses are controlled by family members who have always had the upper hand in exercising control and management.

A group of experts in management is appointed during family meetings to undertake the running of the business. Family business should understand the changing economic environment in order to adapt and continue making profits. This is aimed to ensure that the family business remains in operation and grow just like any other business (Iqbal, 123).

Most family businesses do not survive the third generation despite being successful. This also applies to most firms in the Middle East. In this case, conflicts arise due to control of the business and may lead to collapse of the business (Gupta, 29).

For the business to be successful and survive the third generation, the parties involved in the complex fight for control over the business should be met through discussion, and a balancing act reached by all parties (Carlock and Ward, 38). Each family is unique in its own way, and the identity of the family keeps changing as the generations change.

In this respect, the younger generations wish to have control of the business without experience on how to run the business. The governance structure of the business keeps changing when business inheritance takes place where each leader comes up with a new strategy on how to run the business (Jamali and Sidani, 59).

Conclusion

For a business to reap the profits and be successful in its operation, the entrepreneur should draw up a good business plan that will see the business grow and expand to greater levels. Its operations should be efficient in order to make profits that will cater for its expenses and expansion. In the Middle East, most successful businesses are family-owned.

This explains the booming of businesses in the area due to clear and strategic management in all areas of operation. The business owners are aware of some of the threats that these businesses are likely to face in the near future, and thus make plans on how to deal with them. Some of the challenges that family businesses face are discussed during family meetings where understanding and agreement are met by all the parties involved.

Works Cited

Alderson, Keanon. Understanding the Family Business. New York: Business Expert Press, 2011. Print.

Barrett, Mary, and K. Moores. Women in Family Business Leadership Roles: Daughters on the Stage. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2009. Print.

Carlock, Randel S. and J.L. Ward. When Family Businesses Are Best: The Parallel Planning Process for Family Harmony and Business Success. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Print.

Gasparski, Wojciech, L.V. Ryan and S.M. Kwiatkowski. Entrepreneurship: Values and Responsibility. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2010. Print.

Gupta, Vipin. Culturally-sensitive Models of Family Business in Middle East: A Compendium Using the Globe Paradigm. Hyderabad, India: Icfai University Press, 2008. Print.

Halkias, Daphne. Father-daughter Succession in Family Business: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Farnham, Surrey: Gower, 2011. Print.

Iqbal, Zubair. Macroeconomic Issues and Policies in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington, D.C: Internat. Monetary Fund, 2001. Print.

Jamali, Dima and Y. Sidani. Csr in the Middle East: Fresh Perspectives. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.

Poza, Ernesto J. Family Business. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Shams, Manfusa, and D.A. Lane. Coaching in the Family Owned Business: A Path to Growth. London: Karnac Books, 2011. Print.

Stewart, Alex, G.T. Lumpkin and J. A. Katz. Entrepreneurship and Family Business. Bingley: Emerald, 2010. Print.

The organizational Behavior

The family is the societys key organization. It is extremely imperative that the family engages in family meetings. Similar to any organization, there is a need for anticipations, vivid missions, team building, setting goals, and planning, which ensures a smooth running.

Hence, every family member should possess a particular role. In a class college, organization, and family, the job description is imperative in defining the members obligations and roles. Moreover, a clear job description promotes more input from individuals, which gives the members a sense of ownership.

The family, college class, and organization are characterized by universality. The three are present in all human society levels, everywhere, and always. In the three, the members are united by a common goal.

Hence, there is some form of emotional basis. In the family, people are united by affection and mutual love, which enhances sympathy and empathy towards each other. It is evident that in the class and organization, members have to collaborate to fulfill the set goals, which unites them. Another similarity between the three is the limited size.

Management Roles

The family council comprises of the family members. In a college class, the council constitutes of the entire class and class teacher. Finally, the employees and management comprise the organization council. In a family, the male parent has the responsibility of governing the family.

The female parent assists the male parent in running the family. In a college, the class teacher oversees the overall running of the class. The class prefect, who has a closer relationship with the students, ensures maintenance of order. In an organization, the manager is the overall overseer.

The success of an organization, class, and family depends on regular meetings. In a meeting, members get the opportunity to be heard, distribute responsibilities, receive encouragement, congratulate exemplary roles, set goals, share, plan for events, solve conflicts and recurring issues, set objectives, and express complaints and concerns.

Leaders in the three organizations have to ensure that the appropriate leadership style is used. Depending on different circumstances, it might be necessary to change the leadership style. Moreover, leaders have to engage in critical controlling, organizing, and planning. The available resources should be dedicated towards goal achievement.

How Diversity Contributes to Efficiency and Effectiveness

Diversity in the family, organization, and college class ensures that effectiveness and efficiency are achieved. To ensure that diversity is achieved, there is a need for constant role rotations. For instance, the secretary and manager roles should be rotated after a certain period. It is worth noting that every member in an organization is gifted differently.

Therefore, there is a need to give everyone the opportunity to contribute towards diversity. Furthermore, every member should be given an opportunity to voice their ideas. Scheduling weekly meetings ensures every member presents updates from their departments, and that all pressing issues are discussed. The meetings should be evaluated regularly, and openness and mutual respect should be upheld.

When families visit their family friends, they get an opportunity to learn new things and skills. Sometimes class competitions assist classes to learn new ways of doing things. It is worth emphasizing that diversity comprises of ones background, cognitive style, gender, and race.

The way members in an organization perceive others is extremely important. Therefore, the human resource management should deal with transformations, adaptability, and communication.

Introduction

A family business is a commercial establishment which one or more members of one or more families possess substantial ownership interest and considerable commitments that are related to the existence and operations of the business (Leach & Pedder 2007 p.1-4).

Members who are involved in family businesses are supposed to juggle challenging and complex roles that involve ownership, family and business. This is because some members can either be owners and not involved in the daily running of the business while others may run the business but have no stake in ownership of the business it is therefore that appropriate structures are put into place to govern and form a clear distinction between the business and family making.

Complex relationship in family businesses that family managers need to overcome in order to efficiently run family business enterprises.

While many people may believe that family businesses are somehow disadvantageous and risky to carry because a clear boundary cannot be set to distinguish business and family, This may simply be a lie because it is wrong to assume that family businesses are likely to fail according to Leach and Pedder (2007 p.44), who believe with good planning structures and business strategy such businesses can succeed and grow into big organizations.

Swot analysis, advantages and disadvantages of family businesses

Family businesses have their own advantages and disadvantages just like any other form of business be it a partnership, a corporation or a sole entrepreneurship the advantage of family business may include the fact that family members share common values and goals as far as the business is concerned, often family business share a common purpose at heart which is part of the family pride.

Family business also most of the time ensures strong commitment and passions from family members therefore family members may end up putting extra effort and more hours into the business to ensure it succeeds this is mainly because the business may be the primary source of income for the family (Leach & Pedder 2007 p.69).

Loyalty is another advantage of family businesses this is because often blood is considered thicker than water therefore stronger ties exist between family members therefore fostering loyalty.

Lastly when family members come together to raise capital and share loses there arises financial benefits in family owned business. Therefore with the presence of trust and family ties that are close family businesses are more likely to enjoy stability because these members behave like stewards who have a long term view of the business in mind (Gersick & Davis 1997)

There also exist some demerits for family businesses and one of them is that a business can turn out and become a breeding ground for family conflicts and problems which will in the long run affect the business performance.

Degrees of managerial and professional incompetency and may exist in such business set up because of lack of exposure and nepotism that may be as a result of employing family members as employees who I real life lack the capacity of handling functional activities of business professionally (Carlock & Ward 2001 p.66).

It often becomes difficult for older family members to retire and leave full business control to younger generations due to the level of attachment they have with the business. Both the disadvantages and advantages of family business can be manipulated by clear planning to overcome external environmental challenges.

Therefore the strengths may include togetherness, loyalty and dedication together with likelihood of business stability as compared to the threats which would be family conflicts that may arise from time to time in the business set up.

Ethical issues

The likelihood of favoritism, nepotism, abuse of resources, and mistreatment of employees and lack of accountability are among the business ethics issues that family businesses are likely to face. The best way to overcome them is separating the areas of management and family or applying strict rules and procedures that are to be followed by each member. A good way may include assigning tasks and duties to family members and having a principle of non interference. (Carlock & Ward 2001 p.66).

Motivation

According to Abraham Maslows Needs Hierarchy Theory (1983), employees have five levels of needs which include physiological, safety, social, ego and self-actualizing. Physiological needs are imperative as they maintain human existence and one cannot continue to exist without them. They include food, water, warmness, refuge, sleep, medicine and education. Safety needs are the desires to be free of physical danger, job security, ownership of personal assets and protection against emotional harm.

Social needs comprise the need to fit in and acceptance from others not forgetting the need for affection and companionship. Ego/esteem needs consist of satisfaction of supremacy, prestige status and self confidence while self actualization is the drive to become what one is capable of becoming, it includes growth, achieving ones potential and self fulfillment. Maslow argued that for one to move on successfully to the next level, the needs at the lower level have to be completely achieved and fulfilled so as to be motivated by the higher needs level.

In simple terms, for example, one would not be motivated by social status before he has achieved security or one would not be motivated by safety before he can afford the basic needs, food, shelter, clothing, education, medication, water and sleep. This shows that individuals have to work hard to get enough money so as to satisfy their needs and the needs of their dependants completely.

In such a scenario, an employee would be motivated by the money he receives at the end of the work period as then would the employee be able to fulfill his needs therefore proving Maslows hierarchy needs theory. It is therefore necessary when rewarding employees who are family members or non family members to make sure that all the contents of theory are put in the final mix of the reward systems.

Successful business families

Over 80% of businesses in American businesses happen to be owned by families great businesses such as Wal-Mart, firestone, Gucci, ford motors all started as family businesses which were initially owned and fully ran by families. Toyota is also one business which started as a family and is now the biggest car manufacturing and selling company.

Wall-Marts success family occurred because of superior strategic planning that set out policies and procedures that set clear boundaries in the management, ownership and succession of its business enterprise. A clear and sober framework of business that structures ownership and management strategy and sets strategies to do with commonality of goals was put in place to form a distinction of business values and family values therefore maximizing on the success of Wal-Mart (Leach & Pedder 2007 p. 6-14).

If such systems were not put in place then there would have been a high degree of conflict and lack of accountability that would have affected overall performance of the business in Wal-Mart. Therefore by creating a distinction in family, business, and management wall-mart has ensured good governance that tackles the issues of power and control and responsibility allocation and aims to achieve the common goals of all involved parties (Gersick & Davis 1997p. 44).

Conclusion

The field of family business is often a field that raises many issues but it is important to note that the success of any business depends on control systems that are put in place to ensure success of such businesses. The existence of clear strategic guidelines separating ownership from, management and family must be put in place to handle all the dynamics involved in running such a business. Every member of the family should know the role that he or she is supposed to play and boundaries which are not to be crossed must be put in place to ensure that business remains business and family matters do not interfere with business.

Reference

Carlock, R. S., & Ward J. S., 2001. Strategic Planning for the Family Business: Parallel planning to unify the family and business. New York: Palgrave.

Gersick, K. E., & Davis, J. A. 1997.Generation to generation: life cycles of the family business.New York: Harvard Business Press.

Leach, P., & Pedder, R., 2007.Family business: the essentials. London: Profile Books.

Maslow, A. H., A theory of human motivation, Psychological Review, vol. 25, 1943, pp. 370-396.

Importance of Versatility

When family business encounters challenges, it may be difficult for leaders to choose between the roles of a CEO, a manager, a father or mother, and so on. One may, for example, note the situation when both of managers who are the daughters of the companys CEO are sick, while their work is needed within two hours. In this regard, the leader may be confused because of the need to react in the most proper way to benefit both the family and business.

Ransburg (2014) considers that the concept of versatility as the ability to do many different things well is critical for strategic and operational decisions (para. 6). It is pivotal for a leader to manage several roles simultaneously, acting as a parent, a supervisor, or taking any other required position. The combination of several roles is likely to lead to greater collaboration of family members based on openness and mutual respect.

Among the advantages of versatility implemented in family business, there are increased effectiveness of management, short- and long-term planning, and growth opportunities. It is important to find a balance between the mentioned roles. As noted by Ransburg (2014), leaders in family business should involve others in the process of decision-making yet take the decisions based on objective facts.

At the same time, the author claims that family members may need feedback on their performance, while excessive guidance may disturb the companys performance. In other words, empowerment and delegation are two core elements that need to be integrated into family business, focusing on versatility. It is also rather significant to point out the fact that a good leader needs to adequately perceive others responsibilities and performance, thus treating them not only as a parent or manager but as a versatile CEO.

Building Family Harmony Starts with Living Our Values

Strong commitment of all family members involved in business is one of the cornerstones in successful perpetuation. Family harmony implies that their ideas and perceptions may be different, yet family members are able to find a compromise (Houden, 2015). In particular, the situation when they may communicate their differences in a constructive manner and prevent misunderstanding may be regarded as family business balance. Houden (2015) cites the structure suggestion in the book When Family Businesses are Best: The Parallel Planning Process for Family Harmony and Business Success by Randel Carlock and John Ward. This structure unites family values and cultures, thus promoting such vital issues as vision, strategy, investment, and governance.

Most importantly, a leader should ensure that actions taken in terms of family business are based on values. Integrity, honesty, support, care, respect, and togetherness are mentioned among the qualities, the application of which is helpful in achieving family harmony (Houden, 2015). To create the cooperation of all family members, it is possible to organize meetings and share assumptions and differences.

The mismatch in vision may lead to great misunderstanding and family imbalance. The specificity of family business makes it consider the connection with the future generation. Since modern business environment tends to change rapidly, values of the upcoming generations may also be altered with time. Therefore, leaders should plan in long-term and align values with potential changes. Harmony maintenance should be assigned a top priority if family business wants to preserve its integrity and effectiveness. All in all, family harmony acts as a competitive advantage that distinguishes it from non-family owned firms and, probably, from other family companies that fail to achieve and maintain common vision.

Infusing Innovation into Family Business Strategy

The contemporary ever-developing world sets new opportunities in business area that are largely associated with innovation. Schmieder (2015) states that the search for the best innovation starts with the identification of the family companys current economic conditions, and the high growth period is relevant to initiating changes. Another option is innovation at the extremes that proved to be good for infusing innovation.

Such a decision is aimed at increasing the production or improving its quality. For example, it is possible to introduce more automation in processes or consider the use of technology in logistics. In other words, both difficulties and success may drive innovation in family firms as a way to address challenges and accomplish better performance.

Innovation at midrange refers to more irresolution since business runs well, and changes seem to be not so necessary as everything goes traditional. In this connection, Schmieder (2015) claims that proper questions should be posed and asked to determine the innovation that can benefit the family company. In particular, the questions about further development, production, and adaptation to digital world may be considered.

In addition, the improvement of the existing strategies may also be the focus of the questions. When pondering over infusing innovation, a leader should engage all family members in the processes of decision-making and creative thinking, as stressed by Schmieder (2015). There are various approaches to implement innovation, each of which should compose critical questions, family member involvement, and personal best practices. The strategic planning may be taken as a framework for elaborating and infusing innovation in family business.

References

Houden, D. (2015). Building family harmony starts with living our values. Web.

Ransburg, D. (2014). Family business leadership: The importance of versatility. Web.

Schmieder, J. (2015). Infusing innovation into family business strategy. Web.

The entire infrastructure of peoples culture/civilization/society is comprised of a socialization process. This process is interwoven with personal impressions, ideas, emotions and prejudices as ideologies. Inherited norms, customs, and ideologies are vital components that comprise the socialization process.

Such a process equips an individual with the necessary skills needed to function in their society and thereby insures social and cultural continuity or permanence (Clausen, 5). Key to the socialization process is the family unit which is the cornerstone and basic/indelible institution of any civilization.

Through the family unit, in particular the nuclear family unit (a biologically related family comprised of a father, mother, and children who dwell in one household) the above mentioned components are taught.

How has the socialization process via the family unit been reflected in the artistic component of culture? It is mirrored simply through mass media entertainment (film/cinema, radio, television, etc.) whose influence and proliferation has been phenomenal.

Technological expediency made it an unequaled facet of entertainment in the 20^th century and cultural measuring rod. A cadre of distinguished and thought provoking films has depicted the family unit and its dynamics with Kramer vs. Kramer among them.

The 1979 American film version of Avery Cormans novel of the same, Kramer vs. Kramer was a directed by the prolific director/screenwriter Robert Benton and stared Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, film legend Howard Duff and newcomer/child star, Justin Henry.

The film chronicles the separation and eventual divorce of Ted (Hoffman) and Joanna Kramer and its impact on them as well as their son, Billy (Henry). A workaholic advertising executive, Ted has become mentally estranged from his family compelling Joanna, a stay at home mother who feels she has lost her sense of self, to leave.

Catapulted into single parenthood, Ted struggles to relate and connect with Billy. Thru time and with the help of his neighbor/ kindred spirit Margaret (Alexander), another single parent, they cope and eventually bond.

Joanna returns for Billy and an emotional/heart wrenching custody battle ensues with Ted being represented by hardcore attorney John Shaunessy (Duff). Under the premise that a mother is best fit to raise a child, the court awards custody to Joanna. In the end Joanna sincerely comes to the realization that it is better for Billy to remain with Ted.

Kramer vs. Kramer was indicative of the social reality of the 70s and 80s which saw a dramatic shift in attitudes about parenthood. Although a mother physically births a child, both parents are involved in the conception, nurturing and raising process.

The traditional or stereotypical nuclear family portrays a two parent home where the father is present physically but not mentally in the nurturing and raising portion as depicted by Ted. Society promotes and encourages a two parent home with the hidden reality that the mother must be present to truly raise the child or is better suited to raise a child (e.g. custody awarded to Joanna). A hidden imbalance existed in the Kramer home and Joannas leaving brought this imbalance to the forefront.

It took the removal of the mother to illustrate the importance of the father being in the home to help raise children. Ted was not a nurturing father/parent and only focused on what he wanted Joanna to be as parent/wife and not himself. As he confesses in one scene, I kept trying to make her be a certain kind of person. A certain kind of wife that I thought she was supposed to be (Kramer vs. Kramer).

Both parents must be actively involved in the nurturing and raising of their children. Loss of sense of self and self worth in a parenting situation (Joanns leaving) is the result of lack of concern for each others wellbeing and teamwork. A parents true value to their children is imparting a sense of themselves (character, etc.) to them. The films ending implies that although the family unit is broken, both Ted and Joanna come to accept and value each others roles (father, mother) and most importantly their primary parental responsibility  the wellbeing of their child.

Bibliography

Clausen, John A. Socialization and Society. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1968.

Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979.

Storyline

Written by Charlie Ness, The Godfather is a movie that premiered in the 70s and revolves around crime; the storyline of this movie is that Don Corleone is the person in charge of a Mafia family that is based in New York. In the movie, the Dons is getting married and as a father, he is doing everything to see that the wedding of his daughter goes well.

His son Michael has returned from war but he has no intentions of participating in the business that his father does. In the this movie, the Don is seen to be good to those people who respect him, his business and his family and will not have anybody stand in the way of his family and business.

Still in the movie, the Turks family would like to get into the business of selling heroine and approaches Don Corleone whose political influence in New York could provide a good head start for their intended business. Don is however adamant in accepting what would have been an otherwise very lucrative proposal.

The Don later sends one of his men Luca Brasi to Turks empire; Luca is however captured by Turks men and later in the movie the Don is shot a number of times in an attempt to assassinate him. Turk then later asks his men to offer the same deal to Dons son.

Analysis of the movie

An analysis of this movie brings out key aspects of teams and organizational culture. To begin with, Don Corleone is the head of his business empire; he has established a great empire and also has great political aspects.

Due to his well-established career, the Don has influence and would have managed to connect the drug cartels with the necessary networks in the business within no time.

However Don Corleone has another side of him; he was merciless, ruthless and was willing to do almost anything to keep his empire and family intact. Anybody who dared stand in his way or compromise the interests of his businesses stood to be eliminated (Puzo 23).

Primary Leaders

The primary leaders in this movie are Don Corleone and Turk. They are in charge of big business empires and they are the ones who make major decisions. They are the ones who give orders in their empires and they managed to get people to respects and fear them as well.

The two empires were like teams and as it is clearly seen in the movie, every team has a leader. One team was led by Don Corleone while the other was led by Turk; every member of the team was expected to support the rest of the members to ensure that the objectives of the team were achieved.

Organizational culture

This movie represents a culture of organization where there are teams that have leaders; in this case, these teams are known as the mafia. The mafia leaders in this movie are represented by both the Turk and Don Corleone. The mafia happens to be organized crime organized groups that have a main leader and subjects who work under the instructions of these leaders.

Normally, the leaders are the ones who give instructions to subjects and the work of the subjects is to implement the instructions; usually, the subjects tend to be submissive to their leaders but brutal and almost violent when carrying out the orders given by their leaders (Puzo 23).

Conclusion

The Godfather clearly shows how organized crime gangs work with hierarchy being quite evident; it is a chain with each branch having an authority that it carries out. The issue that comes out from the movie is that even the leaders of the mafia groups are affected in the on goings of the group.

Works Cited

Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. New York: New American Library, 2005.

Introduction

One of the basic building blocks of a successful and functional society is the establishment and consequent adherence to values by the members of the community. Values can be defined as what society judges to be of importance or worthy. These values color our human reality with new ways of understanding. Considering the importance of values to society, the teaching of values to the younger generation has taken center stage in the eyes of society. The question has arisen as to whether the state or federal government should come up with a set of values and teach the same in school or whether the teaching of values should be the responsibility of families. This paper shall argue that the teaching of values should be the premise of families and the state should only offer additional information on values. To reinforce this claim, this paper shall outline the merits of having the family teach values to the youths.

A Case for the Family Teaching Responsibility

For people to coexist harmoniously, they have to have a sense of what is acceptable. This sense of shared moral and social values according to which the members of the community are expected to behave is the defining characteristic of a community. Bridgeman, Lind, and Keating (2008) articulate that these shared morals and values have to be learned from somewhere and peoples sense of what they ought to do is to a large part formed by experiences of what is done by the adult and family members who were responsible for them as children. The family, therefore, presents the best avenue for this teaching to take place. This is a thought which is corroborated by Kamerman and Kahn (1997) who assert that the family as a unit is the most important social institution since it is in this set up that continuity of individuals values is assured and learned needs are transmitted from one generation to the next. The family system is therefore the system within which children get to learn from a very tender age how to behave and respond to situations.

While learning of values can take place in various environments, the values have the greatest impact when they are taught in an environment that encourages positive relationships. Families are characterized by the formation of relationships between various family members. According to sociologists, family relationships are important to people since they result in stability, intimacy, and companionship and are in fact central to peoples core personal values (Bridgeman, Lind and Keating, 2008). Pandey and Singh (2008, p.310) define personal values as the deepest beliefs and sentiments we subscribe to and state that values have a direct bearing on a persons success and accomplishments in life. It can therefore be deduced that the family which is the institute where personal values are learned is a very important institute since this core values result in the success of the individual and the society at large.

The family acts as the best venue for teaching children cultural values which may not be shared by an entire nation. Moroney (1986) suggests that cultural values run the risk of becoming extinct especially in the postindustrial age where society is increasingly becoming integrated and inter-cultural interactions are rife. It would be outrageous to expect the government to possess the means by which to preserve cultural values especially in countries that have multiple cultural backgrounds. As such, the family presents the best means for teaching these cultural values to the children and therefore ensuring that they are passed on from generation to generation.

A Case for State Teaching Values

Families all over the world are characterized by differences in many attributes including size, values, and ideals to name but a few. As such, most families have different values and for this reason, the federal government may be required to take up the role of teaching values so as to offer standardized values for all. In some instances, there may lack of commonly held values among the families making up a community. In such a scenario, it is to be expected that each family will teach their children their own acquired values which may be contrary to those of the rest of the community. Moroney (1986, p.149) states that in a society that is flooded by multiple differing values, the state has a major role in identifying, articulating, and shaping these values.

Children are constantly in the process of acquiring values and this being the case; they need a lot of guidance. While families provide this guidance, the children spend most of their time in institutes such as schools in which the government stipulates the curriculum. Bridgeman, Lind, and Keating (2008) suggest that the values of the community can be taught in such institutes so as to assist in the task of socializing the youths. The government can therefore play a role by expounding on the community values to the children through these socializing structures such as schools. By so doing, the government can play an active role in ensuring that the values taught to children at home are reinforced.

Conclusion

This paper set out to argue that the teaching of values should be left to families. This paper has demonstrated that the family is best positioned to instill values that are of great importance for a well-functioning community. Through this paper, it has been demonstrated that the best results can be obtained by giving the family the responsibility to teach values in the home setting. The paper has however taken care to highlight the importance that the state plays in values. The role of the government should however be restricted to providing additional information on the values to the children as opposed to creating the values.

References

Bridgeman, J., Lind, C. & Keating, M. (2008). Responsibility, law and the family. USA: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Kamerman, S. B. & Kahn, A. J. (1997). Family change and family policies in Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Oxford University Press.

Moroney, R. (1986). Shared responsibility: families and social policy. NY: Transaction Publishers.

Pandey, S. & Singh, M. (2008). Women Empowerment and Personal Values as Predictors of Reproductive Health. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, Vol. 34, No.2, 309-316.

Introduction

Gender symbols are used to identify the life form sex or the human beings gender. It should be stressed that the differentiation between gender symbols is closely connected with the historical phenomena of Patriarchy and Matriarchy. The structure of the society varied in different countries with the pace of history. The roles in the family and gender responsibilities identified in the society from ancient times appeared to have completely different forms, for example, in Japan, America, Africa, and the whole of Europe. The concepts of social structuring and the formation of gender symbols are considered to be the central issues of family-oriented marketing developing on the international level.

Patriarchy

The identification of patriarchy can be based on the aspect of the fathers primary role in the family and in society in general. The development of this form of structure is closely connected with the formation of feminism and various feministic movements taking place some centuries ago. The welfare of the whole community in states with a patriarchal system depended on males and their contributions to social well-being.

The analysis of the patriarchal system of social structuring showed that this form dominated western civilization. This fact explains the majority of feministic movements fighting the rights of women. Despite the fact that western countries predominantly had this form of social structure, the current situation shows that some states of the Middle East, South, and East Asia remained patriarchal and support all rules of this structuring.

The establishment of gender roles in society can be merely explained by cultural and social conditions accepted in the national group. Thus, the phenomenon of patriarchy is considered to be the sociological constructions result being transferred from one generation to another. Besides, the sociologists believe that this system is dominant in the states with low economical development and traditional cultural system. There is a tendency to believe that the system of patriarchy is beneficial. This fact is explained by its influence on social organization and human evolution.

One of the vivid examples of patriarchal countries is considered to be China. The domination of this form is rooted in ancient history when women had no status at all. Nowadays the history left a print on the development of current society. It is important to stress that the generation of the 21st century suffers a slight pressure on Chinese females. For example, women are to get married before 30; the introduction of the Chinese child policy explains female infanticide incidence. Nevertheless, comparing the contemporary situation with that of previous centuries it should be noted that the rate of female trafficking has been considerably reduced. (Mies, 1999).

The system of patriarchy dominated in the countries of Europe. Such a situation was experienced until the 19th century causing the number of feminist movements and critics. As a result, society managed to fight the establishment of gender roles equality in the family. So, nowadays both males and females have identical positions in society.

Matriarchy

The social form called matriarchy is aimed at providing the leading role in the family and in society to the women. The system of matriarchy was thoroughly studied from the period of the 19th century. There are some countries with societies being completely matriarchal; they are usually called matrilocal and matrilineal social groups. It is important to stress that there are some social groups of strong matrilocal form; in this case, they are called matrifocal societies. Examples of such social groups are peoples of the Nairs of Kerala, Mosuru social group referring to the Lake Lugu, and the matrilineal Minangkabau of West Sumatra. (Matriarchy, 2007).

Some people believe that early Japan refers to matriarchal forms of society. But the society tends to be stereotyped through the submissive female population of the country. Nevertheless, the clarifications and proves of this fact have never been provided. According to the article taken from the book Gender in World History:

Peter N. and other historians have speculated as to whether or not agricultural Japan was a matriarchy prior to contact with patriarchal China (Was Japan once a Matriarchy? 2009).

There are some historical facts proving vivid female enjoyment by the culture at an early period. Besides, there were various social distinctions such as body markings and tattoos differing warriors from other people. Women played important roles as shamans and being centralized in various religious ceremonies. Nevertheless, the system of gender domination has changed to the opposite one and the population experienced patriarchal rules and atmosphere. But these were only slight notes of males domination because women still felt the advantages of strong social position and important status provided before.

One more social group of the matriarchal system is considered to be Africa. Such a position closely interacts with religious and political spheres of social life. The development of Islam and Christianity were women-centered from the very beginning of their formation. African family was perceived as the background of the society taking into account the position of goddess-based religions dominating there. Nevertheless considering political and economical spheres it should be stated that the nation suffered tensions in the interaction of matriarchy and patriarchy since previous centuries; though womens roles still remained to be the central ones. (Amadiume, 1998).

Gender Symbols

Gender symbols were developed as astrological signs in the period of ancient Rome. The sign of male is considered to be the pointed Mars symbol while females are represented through the symbol of Venus with the cross. Besides, there are some others gender symbols denoting various forms of human interrelations. For example, the Mercury symbol was created to identify hermaphroditic personality; or a symbol of transgender having the form of male and female signs combined with the third one. In addition to it, the double female symbol is used to denote womens sisterhood (in some societies) or lesbianism. Male symbols being double interlocking are used to define gay men; this symbol takes place since 1970. (GLBT Symbols).

So, astrological symbols were used to identify not only genders but gender interrelations and orientations. They are still important for modern sciences and are still continuing to develop.

Conclusion

It is important to underline the key elements analyzed in the report: the need for gender roles differentiation has been considerably reduced with time. It is connected with the social positions of modern people; women get free access to education becoming more independent. As a result, the requirement of strong physical power or males decision-making was reduced with time. Nowadays most societies managed to reach gender equality making a positive impact on the cultural and social development of the population.

References

Amadiume, I. 1998. Re-Inventing Africa: Matriarchy, Religion and Culture. Zed Books.

Corpus Mmothra. Web.

GLBT Symbols. Gender Symbols. Web.

Matriarchy. Matriarchal Age. 2007. Web.

Mies, M. 1999. Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labor.

Vajra Rainbow. 2005 Gender Symbolism & Tantra: Khandro Pawo Mirroring in Was Japan once a Matriarchy? 2009. Imomuss Journal. Web.

Introduction

The family and education are major socializing agents in society and to be particular the United States of America. The majority of the citizens in America go through these two important institutions in society before becoming law-abiding and patriotic citizens of the United States. This follows then that for this goal to be achieved the two institutions must be in the appropriate states to facilitate the upbringing of the younger and future citizens into American citizens.

The family

To begin with, the family is the fundamental basic unit of society. This institution is supposed to play its role well before handing over the children to teachers in the various educational institutions. The condition of the family in the United States is not all that well as expected. In Central America, there is poverty and congestion. These families are also characterized by social and political instability. Due to these factors, the family in the United States can be said to be in crisis. In terms of structure, the conventional nuclear family is being transformed into a larger unit with several nuclear families. There is also the creation of a mobile household setting instead of the usually fixed households. With such settings, the family is not in a better position of fulfilling its societal responsibilities. The family as a unit has undergone diversity. For instance, most of the families in Central America are based on de facto unions which tend not to be formal. Methods of generating family income are changing with women and children also being involved. This is done through seeking self-employment and informal business activities. Women in the families are taking male roles by becoming administrators and organizers of the homes. (William and Julian,2008). Adolescents in the family are also engaged in income-generating activities such as selling in the streets and even some in covert prostitution. This impacts negatively on the socialization of the children. The absence of the father in some of the households modifies the head of the household with the mothers taking up the roles of their husbands. In the units which have emerged, the family has to come a unit of conflict. Inter-family relations have been tampered with. This is because of inequality and violence which exists in the family between generations and the gender. As s result of these changes, the family cannot be said to be fully in charge of fulfilling its responsibilities to society. The family is not achieving what is expected of it in terms of socializing individuals into better citizens in the future. On the other hand, education is yet another socializing agent in the United States has also attracted the attention of many and who have ended up criticizing the situation of education in America.

Education

The education system in the United States is not doing all that is required to fulfill the objectives of education to the American citizens. Education is supposed to bring about social integration in society. This aim of education has not been well catered for by the education system. There is an outcry that education in the United States has lost creativity and innovation. The curriculum has reverted to the old traditional education which has been overtaken by time. This does not go well with the products of this kind of education. There tends to be a mismatch between the education provides and what is required by the employers in the job market. According to studies carried out on several college and university students, their teachers are feeding them with past theories instead of current events like the war in Iraq which can be very important to them.

Issues of inequality between black and white students are also evident in the education system. The white parents tend to look down upon the integrated public schools and prefer taking their children to the so-called big academies.

This negatively affects the education of the children especially when parents are advocating and widening the gap between the rich and poor and the blacks and whites.

The whites still take their children to expensive schools even though they do not admit to the fact that they do so because of racism. Affirmative action in the universities in the United States is an issue that has not been well addressed by the education system. Affirmative action is a very important issue that determines how well the education system socializes the students into responsible and productive citizens. Failure by the education system to adequately address this issue shows that all is not well with the state of education in America.

In conclusion, even though the family and education system in the United States is the main socializing agents of the society, there has been negligence on the part of leadership in as far as providing the required direction towards institutions that can efficiently fulfill the objectives they are created for.

If the current leadership does not look into the state of family and education then the society should be prepared for products that are not well socialized into better citizens of the country.

References

William Kornblum and Joseph Julian. Social Problems: (thirteenth edition). Prentice Hall. (2009).