Impact Of Agents Of Socialization On Pester Power Education Essay

Impact Of Agents Of Socialization On Pester Power Education Essay Introduction In this ever changing world, there is an increasing trend in the recognition of pester power of children by the marketers. Pester power is basically the influencing power of the children which they exercise in their routine life to get what they want and indirectly affect the buying decision of their parents. The basic reason behind the acknowledgement of pester power is that exposure of the children is growing over time as they are getting more social so dictating buying decisions of their parents. Thus pester power will be the main focus of my dissertation and the researcher will attempt to determine various factors of socialization that are gradually playing their role in strengthening this kid-influence on parents purchase of products. Background The term Pester Power first originated in US in late 1970s, described as the power children had, by repeated nagging, of influencing their parents to buy advertised or fashionable items. Nicholls and Cullen (2004) studied this parent-child relationship which results in pester power and developed a matrix for it which shows that while a family in making a buying decision parents and child both have to make a tradeoff between desire of control over decision and self realization of resulting purchase. Figure below is the matrix developed by Nicholls and Cullen (2004) it depicts that when children has high self realization and parents have high desire for control their interaction results in pester power of children. Source: Nicholls, A. J., Cullen, P. (2004). The child-parent purchase relationship: pester power, human rights and retail ethics. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Problem discussion Children has an increased access to pocket money and a bigger say in purchase decisions is a result of children getting more information from various sources, being more social and demanding as well. This increase in population of youngsters and their influencing power determines a large potential customer base for marketers. Objectives and research question Based upon above background of study and problem discussion, purpose or main objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of how the agents of socialization of children make them influence their parents purchase decision. In order to conduct this research, research questions are Primary Research question RQ: Do the agents of socialization have an impact on pester power of children? Subsidiary Research questions RQ2: Does parents/peer pressure has an impact on pester power? RQ3: Do advertisements and TV programs have an impact on pester power? Literature Review Kids represent an important market segment to marketers because kids have their own buying behavior. More importantly, kids could monitor the buying decisions of their adult parents because they are the adults of future. Today most of the advertisers spend more on TV advertisements having children content to attract more children which are going to change the behavior of their parents. There are different variables involved in pester power effectiveness. That is what McNeal and Yeh, (1997) has also stated that due to increase in awareness of children market potential had increased in three ways that the children were spending money they had, that is essentially their pocket money, to satisfy their own needs and wants. Secondly, they influenced their parents spending and finally they eventually would become a loyal customer base for the companies in the long run. Interaction with parents is the first thing that influences children buying behaviors. The parents teach their children the buying behavior. Same proposition was given by Ward et al (1977) that primary socialization agents for children were parents and children behavior in adulthood was dominated by their parental influence. If there is a direct and clear communication between the children and their parents then children could be easily influenced by their parents. Mostly the pester power works if there is more emotional engagement between the parents and their children. Children learn from their parents the way in which they live, buy and eat. Moore and Moschis (1981) and Mascarenhas and Higby (1993) stated that the most instrumental among social entities were parents from which children learnt consumer behavior. Another researcher Moschis (1985) has concluded that interaction of children with all other entities was majorly influenced by their parents, when they were in direct or in direct contact with each other. Along with this he also postulated that, because of the nature of parent-child relationship, effects of other agents of socialization like peer groups and mass media were modified to a large extent. Peer Pressure is the second component of the research question, which influences children buying behaviors. Children spent a lot of their time in certain peer groups such as at school, play places or street friends belonging to different families. A child learns a lot from other children. The extent to which these gatherings influence varies from situation to situation. For example, a child can even make a decision to buy his school bag by looking at other children. Same element of influence was studied by many researchers including Parsons et al., (1953), David and Roseboroug (1955), Moschis and Moore (1981) has described the impact of peer pressure in two ways, expressive consumption and effective consumption. By expressive consumption they mean the social motivations and the materialistic values that are associated with the purchases while on the other hand, purchase styles and modes of consumptions were categorized as effective consumption influence. This study comes in line with my study that social motivation and the purchase patterns of both the parents and peers influence children. This influence may or may not be productive as Bachmann, et al (1993) stated that consumption learning from peers affected child consumer socialization directly or indirectly. Another research, stated earlier, by Ward (1974) has explained the relationship of parental influence and peer pressure with age that as age increases parental influence is over shadowed by peer pressure Impact of advertisements content and TV programs on children has gained significant importance by researchers and marketers. Berns (2004) has given a reason for the fact that children are now being used as a marketing tool is their cognitive immaturity, he argued on this point by saying that children were more likely to believe that the images or characters they see on TV were real. Some of ways in which this agent of socialization influences the pester power of children are: Making children desire things which their parents do not want to purchase by showing attractive contents in advertisements. Encouraging children to influence or advocate the buying behavior of their parents Presenting children as heroes in a particular situation such as showing a scene in which other children are in danger and one child adopts the rule of savior etc. Making Children feel inferior by showing them that if they will not buy a particular product they are not good but bad. According to OGuinn and Shrum (1997),a advertising and programming content are the two channels of communication which inform children and young people about products and encourage them to purchase. Another point that O Guinn and Shrum (1997) has stated in their findings is that consumer behavior was learned by children more easily if they were targeted with persuasion shown in commercials and various TV programs. Expansion in media messages and continuous changes in media environment are two key contributors for increasing the level of advertisement subjected towards children. Store Visits and Retailing environments also influence children buying behavior as Shim, et al (1995) proposed that children became more conscious about the information regarding products such as price and brands the more often parent took their children for the shopping. Keeping this in view marketer induce sales by adding some incentives for children to influence their parents to buy a product. For example, a fast food restaurant usually adds play place along with the dining hall or some retailer give away toys, snacks, sweets as gift with the products purchased. Although products are for adults but retailers make children pester their parents to buy that product. The attractive display of product also works in inducing this power more efficiently; these kinds of purchases made by parents under the influence of children are usually impulse purchases. According to research conducted by Schulman and Clancy (1992) on the most admired after school activities among the children depicts that watching TV got the highest attractive scores while second on the list was shopping which shows that in either of the two cases our research questions are being supported that these agents of socializations are impacting children behavior to a large extent. Cartoon character and Celebrities endorsement also has some bearing on children buying behavior. A recent study conducted by Dotson and Hyatt (2005) states that association of brands with certain popular sports, music and stars had increase the level of influence on children. Almost all children watch cartoon programs and other children oriented TV programs such as Quiz shows, Sports Shows etc. By introducing heroic characters like super-man, spider-man and various celebrities in advertisement make children buy that product because of emotional attachment of children with these things. Product category and stage of decision making process are being varied by children as the amount of influence they exert and product they prefer. For some product categories they influence purchase made by the parents and for some other products they are active initiators, information seekers, and buyers. Children influence is different for different products, product sub division, nature of socialization of children and they prefer product what they are attracted towards. Beside of the goods which are for direct consumption, children shows their influence in buying of goods for their family as their parents are less involved in the goods are preferred by them and preference increases in case of less expensive and the products for their own use. (Belch, 2004) Today, most of the marketers are targeting kids because of the change in demographics and psychographics of children population. The first learning point for the children about Where to buy is from family. The family characteristics such as family environment and parental lifestyle enhances the impact of the role of children in the different stages of taking buying decisions, as stated by Belch (2004) as well. Most of the children, when they go out with their parents on shopping, learn where a particular product or service is available and how they can reach them. The second source of children learning about where to buy comes from peer or social group they usually spend their time. As Belch (2004) stated that cultural values influence consumption related behaviors of children. The third source of children learning about where to buy comes from different advertisements and TV programs. There is big problem for children and their parents as viewers because young children are easily at tracted towards the content of advertisements and promotions. Theoretical Framework The independent variable in this study is agents of socialization and the dependent variable is pester power of children. Agents of socialization Pester power Independent variable Dependent Variable Operationalization In order to quantify independent variable, agents of socialization, the researcher has identified two indicators based upon the findings of literature review which are operationalized as under: Parent/Peer pressure: How the parents buying behavior and patterns are learned by the children because they are in constant contact with them and to what extent the interaction of children with their peer transform their preferences for products? Advertisements / TV programs: How much attention children pay to what they see on television, the retail environment impact children in nagging for a particular product and to what extent children get inclined towards a cartoon character or even children in a commercial? In order to quantify the dependent variable, pester power the researcher has identified three indicators which are operationalized as follows: Product preferences: How much differences in preference of children make them influence their parents purchase decision? Where to buy: How do children know from where they can get their desired product? How to buy: Do they know the tactic of buying the product, by nagging? Hypothesis The hypotheses developed for conducting the research are: H1: There is a relationship between agents of socialization and pester power Null Hypothesis: There is no relationship between agents of socialization and pester power Alternative hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between agents of socialization and pester power. Objectives of the Research Study Several factors such as interaction with parents, interaction with peers, shopping experiences and advertisement (Normal + Celebrity endorsement) has increased the nagging behavior of children. The more increase in interactions of a child with all these factors; it gives rise to pester power or the power of nagging in the child. For measuring pester power, the researcher has prepared a questionnaire (See Appendix) for measuring the impact of these two variables (parent/peer pressure and advertising) on pester power in children. The objective of this study is to measure the nature of relationship that exists between parent/peer pressure, advertising and pester power. Another objective is to find out if only these variables are there to boost up the pester power or there is also something else which has not yet been discovered in the previous research conducted (literature review) on pester power. Due to limited time and money constraints, it is not possible to get accurate and pure results, but the researcher will try his best to get the better results from limited resources. The finding of this study will also be helpful in the professional career of researcher being a business student. There is dramatic increase in the population of youngsters. Being an entrepreneur or marketer, this study will help the researcher to devise an efficient marketing communication strategy in his professional career for example this part of population can be targeted in marketing campaigns because of their larger proportion in the total population and maximum net marketing contribution can be obtained out of it. Secondly, this study will also be beneficial to the parents. The reason is, due to increase in population of youngsters, the marketers are targeting them in their marketing communications. This trend has positive as well as negative effects. Some marketers are using unethical tactics to market their product which is socially unacceptable. This study will help the parents to efficiently control the exposure of children to advertising and parent/peer pressure to minimize pester power and its negative effects. Research Methodology Design This study will be a questionnaire study. In questionnaire study, the respondents will be given a questionnaire and they will have to select from only available options. It is not a laboratory experiment where the environment of respondents can be controlled. It is a social research and the respondents are humans. The environment or context of this research cannot be controlled. The researcher will conduct questionnaire surveys. Questionnaire surveys are appropriate because these surveys allow quantification of data and thus quantitative evidences will be used to justify the results from research study. Questionnaire Surveys will help to gain required responses which can be further converted in quantitative terms for research. Subjects To test above mentioned hypothesis, the researcher will need to find data about agents of socialization and level of pester power. This data will be collected from parents having kids entering a shopping mall. The researcher will be using non-probability sampling method. A sample size of 100 parents entering shopping malls will be taken. Large shopping malls will be targeted for carrying out this research study. Convenience sampling method will be used for this research study. Instruments Instrument for carrying out research is already discussed above which is questionnaire surveys (quantitative research) for getting deep insights of the research problem. The researcher chose questionnaire surveys to get desired responses because quantification of data was desired. Moreover, the subjects find it easy to select an answer from given responses and therefore the response rate of questionnaire surveys are high. An interviewer completed questionnaire of close-ended statements will be used. Each questionnaire is expected to be completed within 10 minutes. So, questionnaire surveys are more flexible than any other instruments for research. Therefore, the above instruments for research study are reliable. Similarly statistical tests like z-test and t-test will be used to measure the reliability of measures. Context The research will be applied to the retail industry of United Kingdom (UK) by visiting the retail chains, retail stores and shopping malls. The research will be conducted from parents visiting the retail stores, retail chains and shopping malls of UK retail industry. Only those parents will be interviewed who will have the children under the age of 10-20 years old. Results Results obtained from the research study will be tested and validated by statistical measures using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. A z-test and t-test will be used to test significance among variables. Moreover, ANOVA will also be used to test significance of variables. Similarly, results obtained from focus groups and in-depth interviews will be tested qualitatively by recording video of these events. Research Paradigm This study Impact of agents of socialization on pester power is a quantitative, deductive and correlation study. The study is quantitative because it involves collection and analysis of numerical data as questionnaires responses can be measured on different scales and could be coded. The study is deductive because hypotheses is tested as There is a positive relationship between agents of socialization and pester power. The researcher arrived at the above hypothesis from the literature review. Now, the researcher already has a statement in the form of hypothesis, and this statement would be tested by collection of data and analysis which is a deductive approach. Finally this study is correlation study because a relationship is being measured between two different kinds of independent variables and dependent variable. In this study, agents of socialization are independent variables and pester power is dependent variable. Ethical Concerns The participants of the research study will be involved in the research with their informed consent by explaining them the purpose of the research study. The participants of the research study will be at minimal risk with no physical harm. A briefing would be given to respondents about the purpose of study by explaining the true nature of our study in order to have their informed consent. The respondents will be given a free choice to opt for giving information and responding to the questionnaire. The element of confidentiality and privacy will be of major concern during this study. The researcher will ensure confidentiality by using dummy data. Limitations It is a single mans effort and therefore some limitations will also be associated with the project and these limitations would be constraints of time and cost. In case of questionnaires surveys, participant in hurry or thinking about something else may choose a wrong response. Moreover, fatigue, anger and hunger may alter the interpretations of surveys. There could be human errors in the analysis and presentation of results. Conclusion The prime users of the study conducted will be the marketers who have to develop their advertising campaign. This point is also very important for parents as well, they try to reduce this pester power in their children, because it bring about negative changes in them, this is the reason that many countries like Canada have banned such advertisements that enhances pester power in children.

Wal-Mart Case

Wall-Mart Stores During the time of this case, there are multiple organizational capabilities that took place within the continuous growing Wall-Mart stores during 2003 as well as the years that led up to the time of this case. From the beginning of the store and the vision of Sam Walton, he used all of the different criteria for the BRIO framework. Near the beginning of the creation of Wall-Mart, Sam Walton, the founder of Wall- Mart, had many visions and a clear sense of direction he was working with.Some examples of organization he had that put him above the rest was his sense of worth for the employees by calling them associates, and allowing all employees to be able to reach him on his home phone number. This created a sense of a strong company culture within the Wall-Mart community due to the founder's efforts at communication. He worked on making connections with his employees. This shows a sense of multiple things within the BRIO framework including Value because it portrays a charisma and a personality to the customers by how the company is run and how it treats its employers.A huge part in making the firm valuable in the eyes of consumers includes their slogan, â€Å"everyday low prices†. This is attractive to all consumers because it is the lowest price but yet, comparable to some of Its competitors. Wall-Mart has guaranteed that it is the lowest price because weekly It checks out Its competitors as well such as Smart and Target. This is one of the biggest factors when it comes to Wall-Mart because people shop when it is not only super cheap, but super convenient as well.Being able to have a department store with everything you could need while eater on adding a grocery market section to Wall-Mart raised prices and the number of shoppers there alone. It is convenient because you can go Into one store for almost all of your needs at the lowest price. A resource that is rare that Wall-Mart has Is the way It started up with the distribution which included buying more merchandise directly from the manufacturers. Initially, the scale of operations was a bit modest. After Wall-Mart grew into Superstructures, this was an initial resource and capability that was rare to what other competitors had as well.It grew sales dramatically from what it had initially as mentioned above because of the high convenience and ability to buy all of your needs out In one store. Militantly the form and Idea of buying high-volume at a low merchandising cost, and buying in bulk was so rare in the market and one of its first of its kind. Compared to Smart and Target though, Smart almost failed when trying to keep its prices as low as Wall-Mart. This in fact, leads right up to the point of how costly to imitate Wall-Mart can be when looking at the BRIO framework.To be costly to imitate Wall-Mart used a bit of the other things competitors and others were doing, and Integrated these things Into what Wall-Mart was already it was discussed how Walton wou ld head to other competitors to investigate different options. He would do this for details as even as minuet as how many cars competitors parking lots could fill. There was also room to create the Superstructure as well as ‘Neighborhood Markets' which are smaller division stores around the suburban areas to create a smaller more relative size to the community.These are to seen with any of the competitors and thus must be harder to imitate since they don't have the resources. Another source that Wall-Mart has taken the advantage, due to being costly for competitors to imitate over with in the past years around this case, is the ability to extend their hours of operation to some 24 hour Wall-Marts. There are no other department, supermarket, or neighborhood stores that do this because of the cost of keeping the store open. This along with the expansion not only around the U. S. , but also the expansion globally has put Wall-Mart ahead of the rest.Organized to capture value is d isplayed in multiple different areas when it comes to Wall-Mart. One of them that continued to grow from when the company first started was its investments in information technology. Compared to when it would take months to compare the inventory-taking lags decreased from months, to weeks, to very close to actual time due to the IT transformation. It automatically linked the distribution centers to computers in the stores and suppliers. This helped utilized the firms' resources and capabilities by being able to maintain a better log of inventory.Other specifics that Wall-Mart does to maintain an organized way to capture value is to put to practice the SOOT analysis. This helps put into perspective what the company has, and perhaps things it could improve on, on a regular basis. One last thing that stuck out to me for this subject was a Balanced Scorecard which is huge within the managing community. For example, this is used often in management to balance financial results, set objec ts, measures, targets, and initiatives in terms of learning and growth, business process, and lastly, the customers.The last thing that Wall-Mart has done to have more availability to organize the capture value is by making goals, setting plans and executing these plans. Making goals, planning and organizing are all essential in a productive and efficient business as big as Wall-Mart in these days today. Through all of these different steps, Wall-Mart has been and will continue to improve in ways which every growing company should. However, BRIO is definitely something that will help keep the absolute and competitive advantage above all the other competitors and it has since its beginning around the sass's.

Today’s Soldier Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay

We usually think of war injuries as being physical, although one of the most common war injuries is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the effects can be devastating. PTSD is an emotional illness classified as an anxiety disorder and usually develops because of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe event, often experienced in combat. Although this condition has likely existed since humans have endured trauma, PTSD has only been recognized as a formal diagnosis since 1980 and statistics regarding this illness indicate that approximately 7%-8% of people in the United States will likely develop PTSD in their lifetime, with the lifetime occurrence in combat veterans ranging from 10% to as high as 30%.†¦show more content†¦The more severe or chronic symptoms of PTSD can include but are not limited to; flashbacks were they relive the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time, reacting as though the events were still occurring. Have a n increased tendency and reaction to being startled, and a disproportionate suspicion to threat along with shame or guilt and irritability or anger. They may also suffer the inability to experience pleasure, feel emotionally numb, and a reduced interest in activities they once enjoyed. Have poor concentration, difficulty remembering things, and experience hearing or seeing things that are not there. Furthermore, it is common for them to develop poor self-esteem, have poor relationships, self-destructive behavior, hopelessness about the future, substance abuse, and anti social behavior along with depression. Soldiers with PTSD may tend to avoid people, places, and things that remind them of the event. They often avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, seek isolation, and are highly sensitive to normal life experiences. 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Example Geography Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2516 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Geography Essay Type Cause and effect essay Did you like this example? Examination of the scale and extent of gentrification and its implications in London. Introduction Definition Gentrification refers to the physical, social, economic and cultural phenomenon where by working class and / or inner-city neighbourhoods are converted into more affluent middle class communities by remodeling building, resulting in increased property values and in the displacement of the poor. (Absolute Astronomy, 2005) It was Ruth Glass (1964) who was first believed to have brought the issue of gentrification to the fore with definitions such as the one outlined below. One by one, many of the working class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-classes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" upper and lower. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Example Geography Essay" essay for you Create order Shabby, modest mews and cottages two rooms up and two down have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences Once this process of gentrification starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed. (Hamnett, 2000) This displacement of the working class and the rehabilitation of poorer and derelict housing has led to the transformation of an area into a middle class neighbourhood. (Smith, 1996) Gentrification has been described by Slater, (2002) as a fascinating, powerful and often frighteningly rapid process which plays an important role in fashioning the physical and social form of cities. Like the more widespread process of suburbanization, it is a process which has had a profound impact on the lives of urban residents in hundreds of cities. Scale of Gentrification in London According to Butler and Robson (2003a) there are four social fields of human activity these are: housing, employment, education and consumption. It will therefore be these factors which are discussed here in identifying the scale of gentrification in the London area. Ruth Glass (1964) statement shows the effect that gentrification has had on the housing market: it is the process by which the original, poor and working-class residents, are displaced from neighbourhoods by rising costs and other forces directly related to an influx of new, wealthier residents. The Housing market is therefore an excellent indication of the change in an area, based on the contention that working class people can no longer to afford to live in these areas with rising rents and house prices. Atkinson (2000) has tried to measure the gentrification of an area through measuring this displacement of certain types of people. London has experienced massive de-industrialisation, but has also seen rap id expansion of business and financial services such as banking, legal services and management consultancies as well as the continued growth of a number of creative industries such as advertising, film and videos creation, music, fashion and design. (Hamnett,1999) Cities such as London have been characterised by the transformation of their industrial occupational, income and residential structure. The rise of cities such as this with their cultural interests and housing market demands has, in large part, been responsible for the growth of gentrification in post-industrial inner cities. Also of importance in discussing the scale of gentrification is the on going social processes through which formerly deprived or undesirable areas are transformed and made congenial to the requirements of middle class life. (Butler and Robson,2001) such as employment, education and capital. Schools and education are major issues in gentrification. Butler and Robson (2003b) highlight thi s problem. Inner London is different from the rest of the country in that it is only relatively recently that it has acquired middle -class households with children being left with what is widely seen as an education system which is seen as amongst the worst performing, particularly at secondary level, in the United Kingdom. Middle class households have the assets to be able to find non local schools or use the private education system. Working class families do not have these same resources available and therefore these children are not being given the same opportunities as their middle class peers to obtain a higher standard of education, and therefore the education infrastructures of the areas are being transformed. Employment patterns have also undergone notable changes. In Inner London, a decline has taken place amongst the skilled, manual and routine, non-manual groups whilst the growth in recent years, has occurred amongst the professional middle class. (But ler and Robson,2003b) However it has been noted by Sassen (1991) who suggested that changes in the labour market of global cities results in social polarisation.S ocial polarisation is the various ways in which many areas are becoming more socially distinct over time. In this case we are seeing areas with an originally small middle class population, becoming richer as the middle class population increases and the working class population decreases. Hamnett, (1999) states many residents work in business or creative industries in the central city or its environs, and have long or irregular hours and therefore want to live close to work and the cultural and entertainment facilities offered by the central city. He goes on to note that traditional central areas are expensive and in short supply. Consequently, the new middle class have sought out new living opportunities in the inner city. There has also been a noted increase in feminisation of the professional work force and the formation of dual career families. (Butler and Robson, 2003b) Over the last few decades more women have chosen to continue their careers as well as become mothers. This has led to the need to relocate to the inner city to avoid travelling long distances and consequently saving time. This factor can therefore contribute to the gentrification of an area and has be noted by Butler and Robson (2001) there is a large concentration of mothers or nannys pushing buggies as well as evidence of traditional family arrangements being present in Battersea. Localised patterns of gentrification by differing middle class groups are characterised by differing relations of forms of capital. This has involved examining different strategies of capital deployment in the attempt of a given group to transform the locality in which can be seen positive changes in both the material infrastructure and symbolic values of places. (Butler and Robson , 2003a) Akinson (2000a) noted the benefits this capital has had on a community through increasing the status of an area, its capital wealth leading to a decrease in social problems. Extent of Gentrification in London The gentrification of parts of inner London which began as early as the 1960s are now taking on an increasingly diverse pattern as different areas develop an identity of their own and expand the choice for the middle classes. Gentrification appears to be occurring mainly in the South and East of the city; this can be seen in areas as different as Docklands, Brixton, London Fields, Battersea, Barnsbury, Southwark and parts of New Cross. Many studies undertaken by Hamnett (2003)Butler and Robson,(2003a, 2003b) and Atkinson (2000) highlight these areas and inner London and show the scale of the gentrification in the London area. All of these areas have been gentrified, but the processed has occurred for a range of different reasons. Gentrification does not appear to occur as a geographical phenomena but occurs as a result of social factors influencing the extent of gentrification. Research undertaken by Butler for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has given ev idence to suggest that fact. The Docklands areas represent the sharpest differences with other middle class settlements. In this area people want convenient urban living which makes minimum demands on them. It is convenient for work in the City, has minimum maintenance and low social obligations and these appear to be what matters to the inhabitants. London Fields has a relatively minority middle class presence but the inhabitants of this area are drawn here by the strong social networks the new residents here have created. Brixton is busy and far more ethnically diverse. This area has long been thought of as the centre of Britains Afro Caribbean community. It is now more culturally and socially heterogeneous than it was, but social groups still live alongside each other here and there is also a lot of entertainment and services for the younger professional. The single, childless households of the early gentrifies of these areas have given way to the new dominant duel learner households. Nearly forty per cent of these households have children living at home. Butler and Robson (2001) noted and abundance of mothers with young children in their research area. They suggested that the main reasons for middle class people living in Battersea was, firstly its location, as it is only ten minutes for Victoria. Secondly it has one of the biggest night time economies south of the Thames. There are a large number of wine bars, bistros and restaurants all doing an apparently healthy trade, which increases the appeal of this area for young professionals and those with young children. Implications of gentrification in London Gentrification is best explained as the social and spatial manifestation of the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial economy based on financial, business and creative services, with associated changes in the nature and location of work, in the occupational class structure, earnings and incomes as well as the structure of the housing market. (Hamnett, 2003). As has already been discussed house prices in the London area have significantly increased. The same increase in rent costs has also occurred due to landlords realisation that increased income could be made from houses, flats and apartments in run down, inner city areas providing they met an acceptable standard for the middle classes. As the inner city areas fell in to decay and there was a fall in the price of inner city land relative to rising land prices in the suburbs forming the basis of the Rent Cap theory formed by Smith, 1981. Cited on Tom Slaters Website. Low income families have therefore been fo rced out of the area as they cannot afford this increase in rent and cannot afford to purchase their own property in these areas. Slater also noted a change in local amenities, services and shops. If you walk past a gourmet delicatessen, are novated Georgian house, a Starbucks Coffee outlet, rows of expensive cars, or a flash new estate agency, the chances are that you are in an area which is experiencing or has just experienced gentrification. The shops and conveniences that were once needed for the working class community are not suitable for those with a more expendable income and less of a community spirit. London is a cultural and economic diverse city. In the late 1990s twenty two per cent of Inner Londons population were not UK nationals (Buck et al.2002) However, Londons middle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" classes share a common relationship to each other which is largely exclusive of those who are not people like us. (Butler, 2003) Butler and Robson (2003b) noticed thi s increasing segregation between the classes and cultures of London. With settlements attracting certain individuals and where the community integration is of people who do the same, act the same, look the same, so families have no contact with the families of different class or ethnicity. The claim that London is a city going global has become a clichÃÆ' © but never the less reflects many of the major trends such as finance, labour markets and producer services, but wider ones such as multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism appear to be being lost. Education standard decline has also been assessed as an implication of gentrification but parents solution to this problem in gentrified areas appears to be pretty standard. Children are educated generally outside their catchment areas and often in other boroughs. The social structures of many gentrified areas have been changed and some have argued for the better, with the removal of some social problems which can occur in working class areas. The implications that this has had for London, has been the redefining of areas and the perceived improvements that these areas have benefited from. However, the down side to gentrification cannot be ignored. The original working class residents of these areas have been displaced, unable to keep up with rising living costs and are unable to compete with others willing and able to pay more to get in to an area. Local community spirit has already began to suffer and will continue to decline in the long term as original residents have become segregated from the new middle class inhabitants. Conclusion Gentrification is a complex phenomenon with its exact causes relatively unknown due to the fact that no one theory seems to suit all cities where this process has occurred. For London the causes appear to be massive de-industrialisation combined with an increase in white collar employment in the area. House prices have risen as have rents on properties in the areas which have been gentrified could well be classed as a cause of gentrification as it displaces the original working à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" class inhabitants, but it can also be viewed as an indication that gentrification is occurring or has already occurred. In London gentrification is widespread affecting many inner city areas the most notable have been referred to in this study. Through studies of these areas, the reasons for gentrification have been shown to be diverse depending on the needs of the new inhabitants. This has lead to extensive areas of London being gentrified to suit all new comers needs. The scale a nd impact of gentrification has been seen through looking at property prices, education impacts, social changes and the flow of capital in to these deprived areas. Increased property prices and flows of capitalism in to areas leads to an overall improvement of the economic structure of the area. Social problems become less significant and areas left to decay and become derelict are redeveloped and improved. However, although gentrification has had such a positive impact on so many people and areas, the faults of the process must also be noted. Areas traditionally used for working à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" class housing have been lost. Individual characters of neighbourhoods are being slowly eroded as the needs of the residents have change with chains of stores colonising high streets. The original working class residents have been displaced and forced to move to areas outside of London where property values and rents are more realistic for their incomes, and the ones who have man aged to stay are some what segregated from the new residents who prefer to have their own network of friends. The community will then suffer due to a lack of diversity and a lack of resident collectively identifying problems and dealing with issues such as poor school standards. Some have argued and noted (Hartman1979 and Marcus, 1986) that gentrification has been both prevalent and socially harmful to areas, while others view as it bringing benefits to communities, increasing their status, capital wealth and improvement of social problems. As gentrification is widespread and in the case of London comprehensive, this essay will therefore evaluate the extent and scale of gentrification in London as well as the implications it has had on the city both negatively and positively.