Consumer behaviour and marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer behaviour and marketing - Essay Example The only plausible way to do this is to ensure that the targeted customers are responding positively to the products or services of these companies. Marketing is one of the best ways to make sure that these customers have a connection to the companies’ products or services that is desirable. However, with the increased customer awareness and insight into brands all over the world, the marketing strategies of the companies have had to undergo a tremendous metamorphosis as a way of trying to predict the consumer behaviour and their influence on the businesses. According to Bian & Moutinho (2011, p. 200), customers have a great impact on the way a particular business behaves in the aspect of branding, usage, perception and even quality. The way the customer behaves towards a certain product is influenced by a number of different diverse factors. Some of these factors could be attributed to attitude of the customers towards a certain product of a certain company, fashion, culture among many others (Danaher & Rossiter, 2011, p.12). It is the responsibility of the companies to ensure that they come up with products that are in alignment with these different factors. In so doing, they must first identify which factor affects which type of the targeted customer and in the process come up with products that are considered appealing to this specific group of target customers. In other words, marketing is a strategy that puts the interests of the customer at heart. Companies are bound to fail if they come up with products without taking a survey of the market to identify the different needs of different customers. Different strategies of marketing are applied with respect to different fields. For instance, the kind of strategy that could be applicable to social marketing may not be fully applicable to another field such as manufacturing among others. However, no matter which field the marketing takes place, the main point of focus is on the customer. In every busin ess, the customer is the king. The customer is the main reason why people engage themselves in business activities (Geigenmuller & Outland, 2012, p. 430). This paper will indulge in the discussion of how the different forms of consumer behaviour influences the way companies conduct their marketing. It will illuminate upon the response of these companies in the marketing aspect with respect to changes in consumer behaviour. What happens to the marketing strategies laid down by different companies if the consumer behavior is varied? Since there are many diverse aspects of consumer behavior and attributes to name but a few such as fashion, culture, perceptions, attitudes, motivation and even group influence. Though these attributes sometimes intertwine, for the purposes of a clear investigation into this topic of influence of consumer behavior on marketing, this paper will narrow the attributes down to culture as a consumer attribute. Definition of terms For an in-depth and profound an alysis of this topic, a number of terms that will be applied extensively in this paper will be defined here. These terms are the consumer behavior as well as the culture concept of consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is a term used by different marketers and marketing strategists to describe extensively the way different consumers respond with respect to a number of factors. Consumer behavior

Ban Chiang Culture And Dong Son Culture History Essay

Ban Chiang Culture And Dong Son Culture History Essay For the origin of the metalwork in Southeast Asia, there were many different opinions of the scholars. Some scholars support that the metalwork in Southeast Asia was origin locally and some of them support that it was from India and China. But unluckily, there is not enough evidence to prove which of them would be the truth. Therefore, the origin of the metalwork in Southeast Asia is not clear and uncertain. Compare with the Ban Chiang culture, the Dong son culture was appeared later in Southeast Asia. The Dong son was also one of the flourishing cultures during Bronze and Iron Age period in Southeast Asia. In geography, the center of the Dong son culture was located in the Red river valley at the North Vietnam. It was named by the village where the archeologists had found. The Dong son culture was not form independently and it was probably developed from the local Neolithic cultures at Vietnam such as the Dong dau. Different to the Ban Chiang, there was the monarch kingdom (Văn Lang and Au Lac) appeared in Vietnam. The Dong son people did trade in Southeast Asia and also China and India by sea, it made the Dong son culture was influenced and transformed by the Indian and the Chinese. In 43 AD., the Dong son was occupied and rude by the Han dynasty in China. The characteristic of the Dong son culture was the bronze object with the high level craftsmanship. Till the Dong son period, the people mastered the technology and skill of the bronze making, they used the metals to make many different kind of metal tools. The metallurgy and the bronze making was in a very high level, and they developed their own sophisticated metallurgy techniques based on the special quality of the bamboo and they were able to use the bamboo to fashion a fire-piston that produced the heat required to liquefy metal.  [1]   The Dong son people used the metal tools in their life, especially the bronze. They used the bronze in making the agricultural tools such as the ploughshare, axe, spade, sickles and hoe etc, (few of them were made by iron) it reflected that the agriculture was high developed in Dong son and the ploughshare was the typical agricultural bronze tools in this culture, it showed and proved that the Dong son people had already domesticated and used the water buffalos strength in their agricultural activities. Besides the agricultural tools, many weapons were found in the relics of the Dong son culture. It might reflect that there were wars happened in this region. There were various of weapons were found and it included the arrows, axe, daggers, spears, swords and breastplates etc., different kind of these weapons showed that the military technology of the Dong son people was quite completed. On the other hands, the weapons were rich of decorative patterns, those patterns were vividly and detailed. The weapons were made in many different shape and the patterns was usually animals and human figures, it represented that the metallurgic technology of the Dong son people was very sophisticated and we can also see what the Dong son people looked like from the patterns. Not only metals, the Dong son people also used the potteries as the utensil for their daily life. The jars, pots, basins, vases and jugs with the decorative patterns were found in the Dong son relic. Some of these utensils found in the relic of burial were filled with the jewelry and even the skull, ash, human bones and remains of the dead people. This relic told us that the pottery jar was not just used for utensil, it was also used as the coffin in the funeral. In the relic, the archeologists found abundant of the jewelry. This jewelry was mainly made of bronze and there were other materials such as the gemstones, glass, iron and shells etc. Some of the ankles rings were decorated with the small bell and it would made sound when people move. It represented that not only for the dead people, the people alive were like to have the jewelry for making themselves more attractive. Except for the pottery and jewelry, there were musical instruments found in the relic. It reflected that the spiritual life of the people and the most representative musical instruments was the Dong son bronze drum. The usage of these drums was still uncertain (it might be used for religious, celebrations or regalia) but many evidences prove that the drums were traded as the goods in China and the Southeast Asia. The ship pattern on the drum might showing the trading activity and the star on the center of the tympanum might represent the mandala polity. Many of the patterns on the drums were seems showing the spiritual life of the people and the style of the drums were different in different regions. Some of the drums were huge and it made by the lost wax method, it made the pattern could be in more detail and showing the sophisticated of the metallurgic of the Dong son people. In conclusion, there was difference of the metal work and used between the Dong Son and the Ban Chiang culture. The Ban Chiang appeared earlier than the Dong son and its metal work was simple and mostly for the practical use. The Ban Chiang also used the bimetallic (bronze and iron) in the tools and iron in burial. Different to the Ban Chiang, the metallurgy of Dong son was more sophisticated and they used the lost wax method in the metal works. The skillful technology made the Dong son bronze working became diversification and many of the Dong son relics was in more detail than the Ban Chiang. The Dong son drums showing the trading activity and there was regalia of the Dong son people, it is very different to the Ban Chiang. The different style of the drums reflected that there were contacts between the regions and the metal working (lost wax method) skill was spread in Southeast Asia. The jewelry and different kind of the funeral of the Dong son showing that the Dong son society wa s more complicated than the Ban Chiang and there might have the social stratification in the Dong son society.

The Power of Peer Pressure Essay -- Peer Pressure Essays

Today, children can kiss their youth goodbye. Starting as young as 12 years old, tweens, the term coined for kids in between child and teen, begin to face the cruel world of reality: drugs, sex, alcohol and violence. At 12 years old, the world should be perfect. Instead, the world is far from it. Kids have too much exposure to the dangers the world has to offer at an early age because of what surrounds them. Because of the influences of peer pressure, parenting and, of course, the relentless media, today's children face problems at a young age that can potentially lead to serious complications in the long term. Everyone's doing it, right? Wrong. Peer pressure is when a child does something he or she does not want to do as a result of being pressured by friends. All children experience peer pressure and give into it at one time or another. Fortunately, most children are not "experimenting" with drugs, sex, alcohol and violence. Even though most kids are not indulging in these activities, there still are a handful who are and they attempt to pressure other kids to do what they a...

Restaurant satisfaction Essay

Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys Can Keep Your Customers Coming Back Keep your customers coming back and recommending your restaurant to others with help from restaurant customer satisfaction surveys. Restaurant customer satisfaction surveys give you quantitative insight into the opinions and attitudes of your customers. You’ll obtain facts about what they want, what they expect, and if they plan to return to your restaurant again. If results show that your restaurant does not meet your customers’ expectations, you’ll know exactly what areas to target for improvement. Whether you own a fast-food restaurant, a dine-in establishment, or a chain of restaurants, Infosurv’s restaurant survey measuring customer satisfaction can provide you with valuable data you can use to make better business decisions. Gauging satisfaction with a restaurant customer survey can tell you about the demographics of your customers as well as give you insight into what they really think about: Food quality Menu selection Menu pricing and value Waiting times Promptness of service Professionalism and friendliness of server(s) Server’s knowledge of menu Decor Restaurant location Overall restaurant experience By assessing the wants and needs of customers – and then acting upon them – restaurants have continually found that satisfaction surveys encourage: Repeat business Positive feelings towards the restaurant because they showed that they cared about customer opinions Increased recommendations by current customers Increased spending within the restaurant Whether you need a restaurant satisfaction survey designed from scratch exclusively for your customers, or have an existing survey that needs to be administered, Infosurv takes extraordinary measures to ensure validity, reliability and bias reduction. Our goal is to help you compose a highly relevant survey instrument that will yield sound and valid conclusions while achieving the maximum survey response rate possible. Learn More About Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys From Infosurv To learn more about restaurant customer satisfaction surveys and the Infosurv Experienceâ„ ¢ please download our brochure. What Makes Customer Satisfaction Research Useful? Capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Mar. 25, 2008By Marian Singer, partner, FiveTwelve Group Ltd. Much has been written in the last couple of years about the promise of customer satisfaction research (CSR) to improve performance or shorten development cycles for businesses and organizations. This work is particularly germane in North America, where growth in many industrial and commercial markets is peaking and companies are scrambling for competitive advantage. The concept is simple: capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Customer satisfaction data is routinely gathered to support continuous improvement programs like TQM, ISO and Six Sigma. The answers to the questions â€Å"How are we doing? † and â€Å"What should we do better? † are the building blocks of a customer relationship based on measurable value. Answered correctly, they track improvements in the business relationship and identify areas for improvement. However, translating the answers into meaningful actions is difficult. The issue is not whether or not you are getting information about customer satisfaction; it is whether or not you are using information about customer satisfaction to act differently. Generally, two factors cause weak CSR: uninvolved stakeholders and useless data. Let’s explore what makes CSR useful. An engineered products manufacturer had recently been purchased by investors seeing promise in their technological leadership. Research was commissioned to help the new team understand current satisfaction and long term business durability. They were shocked to find that more than 90% of the business was at risk. While sales teams showcased and closed many initial orders, lengthy start-ups, late shipments and poor quality pushed customers away once they had adopted the technology. The manufacturer was, in essence, training customers to prefer the technology on behalf of their competition. Employees were frustrated too. They had heard complaints but hadn’t digested the consequences. Out of necessity, they assumed ample supply of new customers to replace the disgruntled ones. The costs associated with lost business hadn? t been clear. The team dove into the research, put answers into context, mined new feedback, and made survey adjustments even while they collected more information. They isolated common themes, asked why, and tested actions steps to recover the business. In the end, improved communication systems solved internal conflicts and kept customers in the loop. Investments in new secondary operations simplified customers’ processes and improved predictability. With these changes, the manufacturer was able to recover tenuous relationships, improve its pipeline and the satisfaction of its customers and employees in about a year. Today, the company monitors satisfaction routinely, taking care to not only benchmark against previous year’s performance but to test new ideas and gain a clearer understanding of the feedback it receives informally. So, how to ask the question â€Å"How are we doing and what should we do better? † When a business process like the collection of satisfaction data hardens into concrete steps, it loses flexibility, become sterile and impractical and as a result, can erode value. When data collection is exercise in scoring, ranking, and polling, it blocks inspiration, the creative process, decision-making, relationship-building and new learning that comes from effective listening. Weak CSR: Is a static process: A survey of customer satisfaction done once is a popularity contest. Done over time it can be a tool for decision-making, because it can show progress or setbacks. However, if you ask the same customers the same questions, year after year, eventually they are going to ask you to stop. It is very important to evaluate customer satisfaction routinely, to expose changes, but it is equally important to change it up to test new ideas, show responsiveness and build better relationships over time. Customer satisfaction is dynamic. The CSR process should be too. Ignores Context: Most CSR surveys assign a subjective value to tasks or functions like delivery, development, sales management, or customer service. If, however, the satisfaction score isn’t understood in terms of its relative importance to the customer, it is difficult to see impact on business health. For example, a customer might state that their satisfaction with pricing levels is relatively low — say a 3 on a 7 point scale. Without context, a natural reaction might be to re-examine pricing policies — and those of competitors — to look for guidance. If, however, pricing scored low in terms of importance in comparison to lead-time, a supplier would know that improvements in delivery could dampen the need for reactionary discounting. By knowing the context in which attributes are evaluated, suppliers can better allocate efforts, grow sales and save margin. Before asking â€Å"How we are doing? † CSR should first establish the importance of an attribute in order to provide context. Is Quantitatively Biased: CSR surveys are often biased by the preponderance of closed questions like force ranked lists and 1-7 scoring. Learning about low satisfaction with service may be informative, but investing the time to uncover ideas for improvement is what is crucial to improving a customer relationship. To illustrate, a customer with little tolerance for late deliveries may score delivery as important but add that a simple call to reschedule would satisfy. Without this background, a manufacturer might have invested to retool, having overestimated the hazard. Always ask â€Å"Why? † Keys to Success Treat customer satisfaction as philosophy It’s counter to think that something as fundamental as listening to customers should be institutionalized, but in these days of consolidation and distant markets, it is absolutely necessary. As the knowledge economy continues to evolve, we see that high performers are distinguished by continuously improving CSR processes that get as much attention from process experts as LEAN or Six Sigma. A good first step is to view CSR not as a project thrown over the wall to the new MBA intern, but instead, as a philosophy of listening and interacting with customers. Design CSR that can flex and learn, like people do It’s also counter to think that CSR should be designed to flex with what is known at the moment, but this is actually a sign of effective learning and communication, which are the key ingredients to usefulness. The ability of a research team to make changes along the way depends on whether they see and understand the trends early enough. The important factors determining CSR success are not sample size or repetition, but research transparency and the volume of critical thinking done during the project. Act Small CSR exists because companies are big. The complexities that are introduced when groups enlarge encumber simple activities like listening, thinking and doing. But these are the activities that create value and wealth. To make them simple again, build a great CSR process to do the basic, smart things that entrepreneurs are forced to do. It’s Never the Data If you ask â€Å"How are we doing and what should we do better? † tomorrow, the answers that you get will be different than the answers you got yesterday. The most important ingredient to CSR is the action that you take with what you learn, and the ability of the customer to see and feel value from those actions. Marian Singer is a partner at FiveTwelve Group, Ltd. , a research and consulting firm that works to improve way that businesses, investors and member organizations listen to their customers and markets and how they act on what they learn. www. fivetwelvegroup. com http://www. industryweek. com/companies-amp-executives/what-makes-customer-satisfaction-research-useful Customer Satisfaction Survey By F. John Reh We all know customer satisfaction is essential to the survival of our businesses. How do we find out whether our customers are satisfied? The best way to find out whether your customers are satisfied is to ask them. When you conduct a customer satisfaction survey, what you ask the customers is important. How, when , and how often you ask these questions are also important. However, the most important thing about conducting a customer satisfaction survey is what you do with their answers. How You Ask Whether Customers Are Satisfied There are many ways to ask your customers whether or not they are satisfied with your company, your products, and the service they received. You can ask them: Face-to-face As they are about to walk out of your store or office, ask them. Call them on the phone If you have their phone number, and their permission, you can call them after their visit and ask how satisfied they are. Mail them a questionnaire This technique has been used for a long time. The results are predictable. Email them a customer satisfaction survey Be careful to not violate Spam laws Email them an invitation to take a customer satisfaction survey When To Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best time to conduct a customer satisfaction survey is when the experience is fresh in their minds. If you wait to conduct a survey, the customer’s response may be less accurate. He may have forgotten some of the details. She may answer about a later event. He may color his answers because of confusion with other visits. She may confuse you with some other company. What To Ask In A Customer Satisfaction Survey There is a school of thought that you only need to ask a single question in a customer satisfaction survey. That question is, â€Å"will you buy from me again? † While it is tempting to reduce your customer satisfaction survey to this supposed â€Å"essence†, you miss a lot of valuable information and you can be easily misled. It is too easy for a customer to answer yes to the â€Å"will you buy from me again? â€Å", whether they mean it or not. You want to ask other questions in a customer satisfaction survey to get closer to the expected behavior and to collect information about what to change and what to keep doing. By all means ask the basic customer satisfaction questions: How satisfied are you with the purchase you made (of a product or service) How satisfied are you with the service you received? How satisfied are you with our company overall? And ask the customer loyalty questions† How likely are you to buy from us again? How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others How likely are you to recommend our company to others. Also ask what the customer liked and didn’t like about the product, your service, and your company. How Often Should You Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best answer is â€Å"often enough to get the most information, but not so often as to upset the customer†. In real terms, the frequency with which you conduct a customer satisfaction survey depends on the frequency with which you interact with your customers. My state renews drivers licenses for five-year periods. It would be silly for them to ask me each year what I thought of my last renewal experience. Conversely, if I survey the commuters on my rapid transit system once a year, I will miss important changes in their attitudes that may be driven by seasonal events. What To Do With Answers From A Customer Satisfaction Survey Regardless of how I ask my customers for their feedback, what I ask them in the customer satisfaction survey, and when I survey them, the most important part of the customer satisfaction survey is what I do with their answers. Yes, I need to compile the answers from different customers. I need to look for trends. I should look for differences by region and/or product. However, I most need to act on the information I get from my customers though the survey. I need to fix the things the customers have complained about. I need to investigate their suggestions. I need to improve my company and product in those areas the mean the most to the most of my customers. I need to not change those things that they like. Most importantly I need to give them feedback that their answers were appreciated and are being acted upon. That feedback can be individual responses to the customers if appropriate, or it can simply be fixing the things that they tell you need to be fixed. What’s Next in Customer Satisfaction Surveys?

Dating Single Parent Essay

Dating and the Single Parent is a book five star book, because Deal has done a marvelous job presenting useful steps for single parents who are divorced and is thinking of re-entering back into a dating relationship, or even remarrying. The book is divided into sections of dating to present a sequential sequence of steps to determine whether the single parent is ready, and what right decisions they need to make if they have children. The book is honest, and practical when it comes to addressing situations that every single parent goes through while trying to reenter the dating life. The book presented questions along with real life realties of dating when there are children involved in the mix. Deals admiration how the book as written from a strong biblical perspective. Deals main goal in this book is to motivate its readers to do the necessary work of a relationship building. The Appendix 2 of the book begins with a sample purity pledge. This section of the book organized activities for dating couples to involve in, such as flirtation and hugging, without having to be sexual involved with one another. Section one of the book focuses on dating with kids and dating willingness. Before an individual is ready to date the individual must have a goal in dating. Deals helps single parents determine whether or not they are ready to re-enter back into the dating world. Some single parents are single due to previous marriages that failed, which lead to divorce. Deal describes divorce as a traumatic experience. Yet some single parents never really get over the horrifying experience of divorce and remain single. But Deal has puts together a checklist to help single parents determine whether or not they are ready for the dating world Deal presents biblical principle throughout the book reminding single parents to always put God first in any relationship decision they decide to make. The part that stood out to me the most in this section was the discussion on when children are involved, how dating gets complicated. Ron Deal gives excellent advice on how to determine if kids are ready for dating, what to expect when dating a single parent, and things to consider before getting engaged, and growing the family into a step-family. Section two gives people supportive advice on right places to capture love. The section is split up into chapters labeled as â€Å"yellow light,† â€Å"red light, â€Å"and â€Å"green light.† Deal provides warning  signs that people should take into consideration when trying to date the opposite sex. Signs that single parents should take into consideration is â€Å"how will this person influence the kids?† â€Å"Is the man willing to date the person and their kids?† Last section Ron Deal provides readers with valuable guidance on marriage commitment, and step families. Deal’s has developed an interest ing perception on step-families. Throughout schooling many people have been taught that blended families were made up of step-families. But Deal argues that step-families should not be looked upon as blended families. Deal encourages single parents to take their time on dating and to trust in God for pursing a health Christian based relationship. Dating and the Single Parent Book so remarkable, because often time’s single parents suffer with trying to regain love, along with trying to find someone to accept their children. Deal offers awesome pointers to finding a relationship with kids, dating, and finding long lasting love. Discipline should always be done with love and with God’s approval, but not to make the children angry Ephesians 6:4(King James Version). Potential Use for Premarital Christian Couples The book, Dating and the Single parent does an excellent job at studying the difficult process of finding love in the center of having children and trying to date. Ron Deal does a marvelous job at citing biblical principles for single parent to follow while dating. I believe it’s unique that Deal offers biblical insight throughout the book. For example Deal refers to Christianity and faith in god when discussing learn all you can about stepfamily living. For example I’ve personally herd family members and friends say that stepfamilies are not Gods ideal for the Christian house hold. Many people believe this tale because they feel as though stepfamily ministry lessen to what God intended. I believe that Deal presents valuable content to premarital couples in the church, since church is the place where all types of families meet to hear spiritual teachings. Deal encourages couples to lean all you can about how stepfamilies function, operate best, and why they have the uni que complexities that they can do. Blended step families seems to be a growing trend in the United States of America. In fact blended families have been around since Christ created earth. Remarkable fact Jesus Christ was a part of a blended family. Remember Mary  and Joseph were in a commitment when she told Joseph she was pregnant. Mary and Joseph had not been sexually intimate when Mary told Joseph she was with child. At times Joseph thought about leaving Mary, but did not. Joseph chose to sick by his pregnant fiancà ©e, who he thought had betrayed him. Joseph was willing to go through the battle of scorn and believed in God. Joseph accepted Gods calling for him to love and care for Mary and Jesus. Ironically when you look at family dynamics point of view you can recognize that Christ, Joseph, and Mary were a blended family, a non-traditional unit. It’s very interesting to study that Christ came into the world experiencing a blended- family. In addition, Deal discusses how it is important for singles to take a good look at themselves in the mirror before trying to date again. When self is able to look, examine them they are able to piece together their motivations for dating, fears, loneliness, and unresolved hurt. In order for an individual to move forward in a healthy relationship one must be able to trust God when making future dating decisions and choices during dating process. Ron Deal teachings in his book presented challenges that face today’s modern Christian blended families. Deal presents awesome techniques to help strength relationships. Ron deal helps single parents and those who are dating understand unique family dynamics. Ron Deal help parents recognize that their families are lobed and favored by God. Critique As a future professional counselor, and friend to others, professional counselors should recommend this book to any person who is single with children, and or someone who is dating an individual who has children. Ron Deal has developed a straightforward spiritual guidebook for Christian single dating. The book Dating and the Single Parent opened up my eyes about the truths of relationship and family compatibility, by presenting scenarios to help me make decision.. It was great the way the author Ron Deal incorporated biblical teachings. Like Ron Deal teaches when a single parent is dating or thinking about remarrying someone, they should choose someone who involves setting a godly example for children and blessing them as God blessed us. Deal suggest all throughout the book for single parents whom are dating to â€Å"trust in God to manage the relationship.† Building a family after being single for so many years takes courage, perseverance,  tough skin, and determination. As mentioned earlier the bible presents many teachings of blended families, like Christ family with Joseph being Christ stepparent. I believe that Ron Deal book goes into great deal about giving guidelines for Christian families experiencing dating, and second marriages, while following biblical principles As Christian stepparents, it is important that they love children who are involved in the family unconditionally. Ministry teaches that it’s important that you don’t marginalize your step kids. It is important that the family that it is forming has some kind of respect and acceptance form one another in the family. As a new parent (step) entering the family they must submit themselves to the children with their heart. Another important principle that Deal discusses is educating oneself on stepfamilies. When single parents blend to create stepfamilies, sometimes the progress is not so successful. Many children do not want change and will become angry and frustrated with new family members. Even though remarriage is supposed to be a wonderful joy, many kids are often not as excited as parent and new stepparent. Deal has put together foundations for building a stepfamily. Deal suggests that single parent should take their time, and give everyone a chance to get to know one another and get use to the idea of marriage. Overall Dating and the Single Parent is a great read for single parents who are dating or who are thinking about entering the dating world. The book focuses on dating, and stepfamily relations. Deal sets forth approaches towards building romantic relationships on a Christian basis. References Demo, D. H., & Acocl, A. C. (2006). Singlehood,marriage,and remarriage the effects of family structure and family relationships n mathers well being. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 338-407. doi:10.1177/019251396017003005 Sweeney, M. M. (2010). Remarriage and stepfamilies. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 667-684. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00724.x