LIFESTYLES

As the twenty-first century advances, consumers are demanding better servicing in business operations to help simplify their harried lifestyles. The progression of lifestyle changes, in combination with technological and global evolution, will influence the way business and marketing operations function. This article focuses on how family, job, cultural background, social class, social activities, and employment have revolutionized business and marketing operations.

FAMILY INFLUENCES ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Family life continues to evolve. In the 1950s in America, it was common to see larger families with several siblings. It was also common at that time for the mother to stay home to take care of the household and children while the father worked to support the family.

In American culture in the twenty-first century, one is more likely to see smaller families. It is also common for both parents to work outside the home to support the family and household. The role of the "traditional" mother has changed whereby she is out in the workforce pursuing a career and helping to support the family. In addition, there are many more single-parent homes. Because of both of these trends, many preschool children stay with day-care providers and many older children are at home alone for two or three hours after school until a parent gets home from work, making today's children more self-reliant than children in the recent past. The cultural shift in America directly correlates with U.S. Department of Labor statistics that estimated that employment of child-care workers would increase 36 percent or more for all occupations through 2012.

The amount of time that families spend together thus has changed significantly from previous generations. Working couples have lost an average of twenty-two hours a week of family and personal time between 1969 and 1999. This trend has opened up a market known as e-commerce as parents do not have the time to do the tasks necessary that were once part of their everyday life and still have time to spend with their children. Because of technological advances, however, businesses are providing time-saving services. For example, retail shopping from purchasing clothes to groceries may all be accomplished online, with those purchases being delivered right to one's door. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the first quarter of 2005 e-commerce estimates increased 23.8 percent over the numbers from the first quarter of 2004, while total sales increased 7.8 percent during the same period.

JOB INFLUENCES ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

In the past, businesses were managed very differently than they are today. Technology and its rate of advancement have revolutionized the way job objectives are met in business operations. For example, higher education has changed drastically because of technology. Online education, by providing flexible class schedules, reducing the time-taking courses, and making educational opportunities more affordable, is one response to the needs of adult learners. Because students can attend classes from their homes, the jobs of faculty and the business operations of higher education have changed notably.

The advancement in technology has taken over a large share of the e-commerce business in the everyday homes across America and global society. According to a survey conducted in July 2005 by AC Nielsen, a leading research firm, an amazing 724,000 Americans responded that they relied on eBay for their main support for income. Furthermore, the study identified another 1.5 million eBay users who stated that additional income was generated from selling consumer goods. Reported in 2004, 150 million eBay users bought and/or sold consumer goods valued at over $34 billion.

With this growing trend, the U.S. Postal Service and eBay launched a national tour to support small business and entrepreneurs since many eBay sellers use the U.S. mail for shipping. As the global job structure continues with the paradigm shifts that influence the way business

operations function, such partnerships will continue to be forged.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Business operations in the twenty-first century need to be especially conscious of the cultural differences and/or similarities of all countries. Advances in technology have made the world a global business operation. With one click of the mouse one can immerse oneself in a culture very different from one's own. Business conducted on the Internet and e-commerce is the melting pot of ideas, culture, and people that is not just limited to American society.

Language and Communication

According to Stefan Lovgren, a writer for the National Geography News, "The next four major languages—English, Spanish, Hindi/Urdu, and Arabic—are likely to be equally ranked by 2050, with Arabic rising as English declines." Corporations need to act on this trend, as this will surely influence business operations in the global marketplace.

The overall culture of an organization is reflected in behaviors that are considered the "norm" in both verbal and nonverbal communication. Americans tend to speak directly to one another, maintaining eye contact with the person to whom they are talking. Hand gestures are commonly used while making presentations or in one-on-one conversation to better explain a point.

Corporate Culture and Clothing

Generally, corporations determine any organization's corporate culture by defining a corporate mission statement and following this statement in their day-to-day practices. Proper business attire was once considered suits and ties for men and business suits for women. That is no longer the case in many organizations, especially in the high-tech industry where the business environment is more casual and jeans and slacks are now considered acceptable.

Gender

Jobs are no longer gender-specific in the American culture. Women, once relegated to administrative and support-staff roles, are now in upper-level management positions alongside or above men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 1983 and 2002, the share of women working in the automobile body and repair industry tripled. Furthermore, the share of men participating in the field of dressmaking also increased dramatically during the same period. Gender is no longer a predetermination of a person's role in business and as the twenty-first century continues, more and more occupations should become gender-neutral.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CLASS ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

What comprises social class? Is it the neighborhood in which one lives? The occupation one has? The income one earns? The wealth one has acquired? There is no generally agreed-upon definition of social class, but most people agree that social class does exist. Grouping people together and assigning them a status in society is as old as society itself.

The social class of a particular group of people influences the role of business and marketing operations. The key to success in business and in marketing operations is twofold. First, identify the market for the product. Second, identify the social class one is dealing with in that market. Businesses must become familiar with the customs and culture of the particular social class with which they are trying to do business.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Marketing to a particular group often incorporates depictions of social activities as a part of the advertising campaign. For example, Mountain Dew commercials once portrayed young teenagers riding mountain bikes and engaging in extreme sports. A commercial for Grey Poupon mustard portrayed upper-class adults using the product while being chauffeured in a luxury car. In both examples, the companies needed to verify who constituted the market for their product first. Second, they had to learn the characteristics of those people.

Playing golf is reinforced in the corporate culture in many organizations as an important social activity. Instead of remaining inside on a beautiful afternoon, the executives get to conduct business while on the greens. The social activity is an advantage for executives looking to "close a deal," or make a connection in other business circles.

EMPLOYMENT INFLUENCE ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Jobs have changed significantly because of technological advances and global influences. Many corporations do business at an international level, which requires travel abroad for many of their employees. With virtual conferencing becoming more widespread, business travel as it is known today will evolve and change. The technological development of the Internet will have major implications and influences on global business and marketing procedures.

Business operations must integrate new and different marketing procedures to keep current with the changing job market. The trend of online education has opened up the market for the consumer and the employee to teach and learn at home. The consumer of the twenty-first century has less time to dedicate to a brick-and-mortar post-secondary educational institution; schools that understand this trend will benefit. Changes in the corporate and postsecondary educational marketplace require lifelong learning by both employees and employers in order to service the consumer.

Marketing operations must embrace e-commerce, internal links via Intranets, and Internet marketing and retailing because these tools can extend business operations and create new opportunities for growth. As technology, lifestyle, and employment change, business and marketing operations must also change in innovative ways as a matter of survival.

CONCLUSION

Consumers today require businesses to provide them with convenience to help simplify their harried lifestyles. This requires business and marketing operations to be aware of the impact of such demographic variables as family, job, cultural background, social class, social activities, and employment. All these demographic variables play an essential role in business operations. Lifestyles and technology have both changed radically, and the global marketplace is a reality. The key to business success is to understand the diversity that exists in the global marketplace and to respond innovatively and swiftly to society's changing needs. Corporations that understand the lifestyle changes of the twenty-first century global marketplace will be able to thrive and continue to service their consumers.