Reference no: EM133611730

Ageism is the most pervasive form of prejudice in Australia, according to the Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson. A study by the Australian Human Rights Commission showed a rather grim picture of our nation's attitudes towards older people. Among the key findings are Australians see older people as nice, if frail, onlookers to life, rather than key participants. The study found that those in the 40-61 year age group are most likely to encounter ageism in being turned down for a job.

According to Ms Karvelas, ABC's senior journalist, "there is a mainstream acceptance of the idea that when people reach a certain age they are past their use-by date and should be carted off - that their time is up, they should vacate the space", which of course she says "is, at odds with contemporary thinking on how modern workplaces should operate, and it is steeped in problematic stereotypes." The senior journalist goes on to affirm that "Diversity matters not just because any thriving society will include all because it's the right thing to do, but because it also delivers the best results - a range of perspectives, a plethora of lived experience and ideas."

Having recognised the magnitude of this social issue, the ABC (the TV channel), produced Old People's Home for 4-Year-Olds, an Australian factual television series that follows 11 retirement home residents and 10 pre-school aged children, who spend time with each other playing games and participating in different planned and mixed activities. This first season of the intergenerational experiment won an International Emmy award for showing the physical and mental health benefits of bringing together a group of aged care residents and pre-schoolers.

Assume that the ABC has hired you to design a promotional campaign to challenge the above prejudice towards the elderly. The ultimate objective of the campaign is to encourage a change in younger people's behaviour and nudge them to be more accepting of senior citizens.

Completing this task will require you to draw on the Theory or Reasoned Action (TORA) to develop a marketing campaign aimed at changing the current negative attitude towards the elderly.

List all the components that make up the TORA model to illustrate the attitudes and social norms which lead consumers to form prejudices towards ageism. Make sure you clearly outline all elements of the TORA model, as applied to this situation. Be specific. For example, don't just say "beliefs," but specify what these beliefs are in the context of being more accepting of the elderly.