The Canadian Health Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Canadian Health Act - Essay Example This paper explores the strategic failures of these five criteria with regard to the present Canadian healthcare system. I tend to argue that the Canadian health care lags behind in quality even though it is characterized by an excellent policy framework. To begin with, the public administration criterion mainly intends to describe the system of healthcare administration by a public authority. Under this system, the concerned public authority administers the healthcare insurance plan on a non-profitable basis. Similarly, the comprehensiveness criterion demands that the healthcare insurance plan must insure all services which are ‘medically necessary’ for each province (Parliamentary Information and research Service, n.d.). At the same time, the third criterion universality has designed to ensure the unbiased healthcare services to everyone. Hence, this system gives access for all the residents to healthcare insurance and other related services. It is identified that port ability is a very similar criterion to universality. It asks to make provisions for extending the insurance coverage to all persons who are temporarily absent from their respective provinces or from Canada. The last criterion accessibility requires the indiscriminate services to the insured person without considering their age, income, or health status. Although the five criteria seem to be the powerful ingredients of the Canada health Act 1984, in my opinion, the criterion of comprehensiveness is the most fruitful one. It is defined under section 9 of the Canada Health Act 1984 and demands that the health care insurance plan must â€Å"cover all insured health services provided by hospitals, physicians, or dentists (surgical-dental services which require a hospital setting) and, where the law of a province permits, similar or additional services rendered by other health care practitioners† (lecture notes; slide 38). This criterion ensures the coverage for all healthcare serv ices under health care insurance plan. It is opined that improved health care facilities are the part of social justice since all individual have certain interests regarding their health. Choudhry (1996) tells that the basic idea behind this criterion is that an individual gets wide range of opportunities in order to cover his/her disability. The effect of this criterion saves the Canadian people from the overburden of healthcare expenses. Hence, people do not need to put off their medical consultation on the ground of lack of finance. It is estimated that lion’s part of the expenditure on Canada’s dental care services were financed privately. In order to overcome this difficulty, the comprehensiveness criterion of the new Act covers dental services also. Similarly, healthy generation is the essential requirement and asset of every nation since this factor adds value to the manpower requirements of the economy. Although the terms of the Canada Health Act 1984 are enoug h to cover the need of the Canadian society, some of its features fail to meet its actual intentions; especially, universality, accessibility, and comprehensiveness. The criterion of universality demands the cent percent serviceability to persons who are covered under healthcare insurance plan. However, there are not enough doctors in the country to satisfy this demand. As a result, the universality factor fails to meet its actual requirements. Similarly, the accessibility factor tries to avoid all health care disparities

Organisational Culture, Artifacts, role of Artifacts in Organisational Research Paper

Organisational Culture, Artifacts, role of Artifacts in Organisational Change and S.M.A.R.T Objectives - Research Paper Example In essence, organizational culture refers to the â€Å"pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved problems that have worked well enough to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems† (Willcoxson & Millet 2000). Culture is not a distinguishable aspect of an organization. Organizational culture is a principal set of beliefs and values coherent among leaders in steering the organization, and interpreted by the employees and managers into proper conducts and armored through incentives and permits. Organizational cultures are formed and transformed over time. Needless to say, there is a broad correspondence among authors and scholars on how the organizational culture reacts to and replicates industry attributes and community traits held by the organization employees. Moreover, it also typifies the traits and values of its leaders or founders (Gordon, 1991). Schein denotes that organizational culture is both defined and epitomized by â€Å"group strictures and prescriptive criteria and that provide the basis for allocating status, power, rewards, authority and respect†. Culture defines â€Å"what a group pays attention to and monitors in the external environment and how it responds to its environment† (Brown, 1995). ... In reference to Kelly (2008), â€Å"Organizational culture is the essence of organizations defining what’s grave and setting the standards by which to measure success†. The health care and public health systems in United States have had a recurring trend and an emergent culture. Over decades, there has been limited diversity in leadership, with women given little opportunities to hold executive positions. In addition, there has been an existent disparity in salaries between women and men in the health care and public health systems (Lantz, 2008). Cultural Artifacts Across the world, cultures formulate tangible and intangible artifacts that typify their culture. Willcoxson & Millet (2000) define artifacts as the â€Å"visible structure and practices, such as policies and procedures, which can be monitored and changed if necessary†. Artifacts include observable symbols and signs, physical structures, language, ceremonies and stories. In reference to Willcoxson & Mi llet (2000), â€Å"artifacts provide the lasting glue that holds the organization together and provides an anchoring point to ground the organization†. In the United States health care and public health system, gender inequality is an impending artifact. Role of Artifacts in organizational change In reference to Kelly (2008), changing organizational culture to maintain the organization’s feasibility can be extremely â€Å"challenging unless grounded on sound logic†. Organizational change involves alteration of the artifacts. Artifacts can be used in changing the organizational culture. In the process of organizational culture change, comprehension of cultural artifacts is critical. Artifacts should be adapted to support changes in the organization culture. Needless

Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cuban Missle Crisis - Essay Example The role of Khrushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis provides insights to the success or failures of him as a leader of the Soviet Union. However a lot of research on his role in the event has focused primarily on explaining the reasons of his decisions to place the missiles in Cuba. Taubman, points out that placing of the missiles in Cuba are viewed by Khrushchev as a cure for the entire world thus alleviating the domestic troubles and showing to his colleagues that he was a worthy leader. Khrushchev in his memoirs explains his decision of placing the missile and crisis as; â€Å"We shipped our weapons to Cuba precisely for the prevention of aggression against her! That is why the Soviet government reaffirmed its agreement to the removal of the ballistic rockets from Cuba† (Khrushchev). The reasoning behind placing of the missiles as given by Khrushchev was logical and can be considered as a justifiable personal reaction. According to White, it was noted that Khrushchev as a pe rson was ‘innovative and conciliatory,’ but also ‘erratic and dangerous’ (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis), thus such decision coming from him can be attributed to his incongruous personality mix. However the decision of Khrushchev was in view of the Soviet Union’s â€Å"Caribbean Crisis† and in an attempt to counter the increasing global power of US and the hostile stance it had taken in Latin America. In the last month of year 1962, Khrushchev stated that he could see â€Å"a possibility of defending the freedom-loving people of Cuba by stationing missiles there.† (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis). For Khrushchev, Cuba was a ray of hope in the iron curtain, through which he could see the opportunity to bolster the image and power of Soviet Communism and to reject the Beijing accusation. Through this he had the opportunity to address the most critical iss ues concerning the Soviet Union, like: settlement over Berlin, military strategic parity with US and to attain communist prestige in the eyes of Beijing. Although the decision of Khrushchev for placing the missile can be seen as a serious tactical blunder, but his actions during the crisis along with response from Kennedy helped in preventing an atomic war. Although another medium could have been adopted by Khrushchev to strike a better deal for Soviet Union, however he deserves respect for risking his careers, setting aside his pride and withdrawing the missiles. Since the 1962, the unbroken state of Cuba is attributed to the Cuban-Soviet relations serve as a victory for the Soviet Union (Roeschley) Also, as a result of the Soviet-American pact on not invading Cuba was a success for the Soviet in securing victory for Latin American states thus protecting Cuba from another attack like that of the Bay of pigs. In his memoirs, Khrushchev recalls it as, â€Å"if Cuba fell, other Latin American countries would reject us, claiming that for all our might the Soviet Union hadn’t been able to do anything for Cuba except to make empty protests to the United Nations, we had to think of some way of confronting America with

Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body by Susan Bordo Essay

Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body by Susan Bordo - Essay Example Technology has played a vital role in the evolution of advertisements, and television, radio, print media, LED screens etc are the most readily and widely accepted sources of advertisements. The studies conducted on consumer behavioral psychology have given marketers a boost in tackling their consumers. Basic human needs and desires can be a very effective accelerator for marketing since they grab attention more easily. The primary trends in advertisements that Bordo talks about in â€Å"Beauty (Re)discovers the male body† are of clothing and fashion. These two goods have found their most successful marketing approach which is to tell the consumer what is beautiful and what is not. The advertisements of these two products have primarily changed the perception of beauty and that can be observed in the recent years. The concept of masculinity has shifted in the recent years. Once the Marlboro described masculinity as tough, rough and calm in its advertisements, now masculinity i s more associated with the white collar look. The role of genders in advertisemnts has changed in a peculiar sense. The essence has been the same. The portrayal of men and women has been for the same purpose but it has changed its mode and approach. The aim has been to provide the consumer with a unique identity and for that the consumer can be convinced of what identity he/she wants. Self image has become increasingly important over the last two decades and this self image is primarily related to the appeal their appearances produce to other people. The desire to look like someone else and the desire to have someone else is in essence the reason for the war of the sexes. The video commercial of Calvin Klein underwear X can be an ideal depiction of objectification of men. The commercial stars four male models with seemingly perfect bodies; three of them white and one black. The commercial is in black and white and the models seem to be oiled up. Each guy addresses the viewers indivi dually in his underwear. Almost all the underwear that they are wearing highlights the outline of their penises. The commercial starts with one model calling the viewers. After the first model makes his statement, the camera shifts to the next model and after he makes his statement the camera shifts to the third models and this is how the advertisement continues showing all four models addressing the viewers in a cycle. All four male models are extremely confident and blunt. They convey confidence, through an image they portray, that anyone can succumb to their sexual appeal. The models have stiff but not exactly Schwarzenegger bodies. For convenience in visualizing the advertisement, the advertisement can be broken down into parts. In the first part of the commercial each model asks the viewers if they want to see his penis. Though the word â€Å"penis† itself is censored, the audience, as is evidently intended by the advertisement’s producers, can well make it out. I n the second part the models assert that the viewers want to see their penises. They are shown to be so good at reading the minds of people from their experience that they know for sure that the viewers want to see their penises. One of the models asks the viewers to look at his face not at his crotch. In the second part of the commercial one of the models makes a bargain for showing his penis. His statement sounds like â€Å"

Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cuban Missle Crisis - Essay Example The role of Khrushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis provides insights to the success or failures of him as a leader of the Soviet Union. However a lot of research on his role in the event has focused primarily on explaining the reasons of his decisions to place the missiles in Cuba. Taubman, points out that placing of the missiles in Cuba are viewed by Khrushchev as a cure for the entire world thus alleviating the domestic troubles and showing to his colleagues that he was a worthy leader. Khrushchev in his memoirs explains his decision of placing the missile and crisis as; â€Å"We shipped our weapons to Cuba precisely for the prevention of aggression against her! That is why the Soviet government reaffirmed its agreement to the removal of the ballistic rockets from Cuba† (Khrushchev). The reasoning behind placing of the missiles as given by Khrushchev was logical and can be considered as a justifiable personal reaction. According to White, it was noted that Khrushchev as a pe rson was ‘innovative and conciliatory,’ but also ‘erratic and dangerous’ (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis), thus such decision coming from him can be attributed to his incongruous personality mix. However the decision of Khrushchev was in view of the Soviet Union’s â€Å"Caribbean Crisis† and in an attempt to counter the increasing global power of US and the hostile stance it had taken in Latin America. In the last month of year 1962, Khrushchev stated that he could see â€Å"a possibility of defending the freedom-loving people of Cuba by stationing missiles there.† (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis). For Khrushchev, Cuba was a ray of hope in the iron curtain, through which he could see the opportunity to bolster the image and power of Soviet Communism and to reject the Beijing accusation. Through this he had the opportunity to address the most critical iss ues concerning the Soviet Union, like: settlement over Berlin, military strategic parity with US and to attain communist prestige in the eyes of Beijing. Although the decision of Khrushchev for placing the missile can be seen as a serious tactical blunder, but his actions during the crisis along with response from Kennedy helped in preventing an atomic war. Although another medium could have been adopted by Khrushchev to strike a better deal for Soviet Union, however he deserves respect for risking his careers, setting aside his pride and withdrawing the missiles. Since the 1962, the unbroken state of Cuba is attributed to the Cuban-Soviet relations serve as a victory for the Soviet Union (Roeschley) Also, as a result of the Soviet-American pact on not invading Cuba was a success for the Soviet in securing victory for Latin American states thus protecting Cuba from another attack like that of the Bay of pigs. In his memoirs, Khrushchev recalls it as, â€Å"if Cuba fell, other Latin American countries would reject us, claiming that for all our might the Soviet Union hadn’t been able to do anything for Cuba except to make empty protests to the United Nations, we had to think of some way of confronting America with

Art Therapy Essay Example for Free

Art Therapy Essay I. Introduction, History, and Problem Art speaks of originality, individuality, a creative process, graphic materials, colors, textures, spontaneity, risk, alternatives, and imagination†¦ Therapy implies taking care of, waiting, listening, healing, moving towards wholeness, growth provoking medicine, human exchange, sympathetic understanding† (Fleshman and Fryrear, 1981, p.75), quoting from a research paper of Dr. Carol Lark of The Art Center in Missouri. So what then truly is Art Therapy? Art therapy is a form of psychological therapy that employs artistic media, not verbal communication, as its principal means of communication to help and cure patients, who are suffering from traumatic experiences, mental or physical problems, and behavioral imbalance. Art media includes painting or drawing, photo image, sculpture, clay art, color art and other forms that showcase their feelings, moods, and maybe even show hidden talents or abilities that they are not aware of. But clients who are in need of this therapy do not have to be skilled in the arts, for the main concern is not the aesthetics of the creation but to cause change and growth in the life of the client. Art therapy is a procedure administered by an art therapist in a designated art therapy room to bring about a successful result of the practice. The art therapist is a highly-trained and experienced professional whose skills are tested by a patient in a complex and difficult task to improve his/her well-being. They are well educated about human nature and development, psychological theories, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural and artistic language and traditions, and the healing probabilities of art. Art therapist convenes with people of all ages and social standing either in individual or group settings. The art therapy room or â€Å"creative arena† (Case, 1992, p.19) is the place where a â€Å"triangular relationship† (Case, 1992, p.19) is formed by the art work created, the patient or client, and the therapist. This kind of relationship is what makes art therapy different form other clinical practices of therapy. This arena is expected to be a place of security and of peace so that the right therapeutic process is administered thoroughly and far better results are achieved. Art therapy was first coined by an artist named Adrian Hill who was practicing it with his tuberculosis patients at the King Edward VII Sanatorium in Sussex to recover from their illness. In its formative years in the United States, from the early 1930s through the middle 1950s, art therapy was practiced by fine artists and art educators in medical, psychiatric and educational centers and facilities. Although the first post was established in 1946, early stages of the profession of art therapy were seen in the 1950s. There were debates and discussions whether it is to be considered a profession or an acceptable mode of therapy in psychology. Through the other disciplines, these are psychology, sociology, anthropology, physiology, aesthetics, and education, it later became known as a profession and was officially recognized in the health service in 1981. It became extensively distinguished from then on and is continuously expanding. Since art therapy is practiced by different therapists, it is rather a diverse career or clinical practice. However, despite the diversity of work, I believe that art therapy improves/changes attitude of people who have psychological problems. II. Function/Significance of Research This research is designed to further address the argument within this kind of profession: whether it is the art creation itself that serves as a healing mediator, whether it is the existence of the therapist that uplifts the distraught, whether it is the art therapy place that serves as a temporary haven, or is it the overall components of art therapy-the art, the therapist, and the therapy room- working together as a team to improve the condition of the patient. It aims to present an understanding of art therapy as an effective psychotherapeutic approach to patients and give them an idea of the progress of this clinical practice. The discussion in the rationale page is an extensive talk about the real claims of art therapy as a healing process to psychologically-impaired individuals. It talks about the factors that comprise a sound art therapy session and the affirmation seen by therapists on their clients after the artistic experience is explored. This paper intends to introduce to the readers both the theory, applications, and practices of art therapy and gives them the imagination to discover the value of it through different work settings. There is also the attempt to summarize the most important points and features of this kind of practice for understanding of new readers to this field. Although, the foremost objective of this paper is to make people believe what they think is unbelievable in the arts and its purpose. To let them realize that healing is not just a personal struggle if you let other people come into your life and show you the way to personal redemption. III. Rationale (explore the hypothesis) When Hill started to practice art therapy, he discovered that painting has two purposes for the patient: it became a way to kill the time and it also provided them a medium to release anxiety and trauma. Even in the most serious or aggravating situations in our lives, through artistic expressions we experience a sense of power and liberation; our dignity and self-respect are stimulated by this creative activity as opposed to those who say that creative expression is a shallow approach to good health and well-being. History shows that self-repair and total transformation is achieved through the dominant force of art expression. Victims of disaster, tragedy, despair, or the daily dangers of life respond to these kinds of cases with affirmations of care and love for each other due to the healing process of art therapy conducted in peaceful and safe places of free expression. Take for example the case of 9/11 terrorist attacks. During their time of grief, people gathered together to release the negative emotions and commemorate the loss of their loved ones. Despite the hatred and anger, compassion among them superseded everything. Within the area of attacks, people offered flowers, prayers, songs, and presented memorabilia such as drawings, sketches, photo images of the victims. These are true examples of artistic expression, both the verbal and nonverbal medium that help the families and friends of the victims overcome the pain and trauma of losing a loved one. â€Å"Psychological safety is a primary element of the healing environment† (Kalmanowitz, 2005, p.xiv) because they are afraid to reveal themselves in places where they believe their artworks and actions will be misunderstood and shamed. In this tragedy, even though the towers were the targets of attacks, these people felt secure expressing their grief because mainly of the overflow of emotions encompassing the area. They felt that it was okay to pour out their pain, and they were not alone. Volunteer groups, either professional or non-professional clinicians, stood by them and comforted the down-trodden. But the process did not end there because survivors were involved in support group therapy that uses art as the basis of healing. Any creation or image presented by the client signifies an emotion or thought, even the past, present, or future phases of his/her life. Inner experience and feelings surface through the art process in a chaotic raw form. These art materials provide a concrete way through which the conscious and unconscious aspects of a person can be revealed. Art or expressive therapy grants an opportunity for the individual to discern the bad habits that generate conflicts within himself and conflicts with other people. â€Å"Making the invisible visible is a major function of the art in art therapy† (Lark, 2001, p.1). The object appears to the therapist as an extension of the client’s self with a symbolic meaning yet to be understood by both of them. The object or image is telling us a story. It opens opportunities to enter and read the human psyche. The making of an artwork encourages discipline and self-esteem, and requires socialization within the confinements of the therapeutic sessions. The judgment and comprehension of the therapist is based on how the object is made and what art materials are used to complete the image. Therapists are expected to learn the underlying meanings of it since this was part of their education and practice. Therapists are expected to be sensitive people on matters of sensitivity of the client’s mind and soul. Let’s take another example designed by art therapy practitioners. The â€Å"House-Tree-Person technique† (Hammer, 1964, p.9) is one of the popular and widely-used psychoanalytic tasks used as an approach in art therapy. The House-Tree-Person technique requires the client to draw a house, a tree and a person on a white paper. This drawing or image evaluates how the client sees himself or herself in the world through the comprehension of the therapist. The branches of the Tree overextended upward or outward are interpreted by the therapist as the subject’s over striving for success. Windows situated against the wall of the House, so the side of the House also serves as one side of the windows, represent feelings of lack of self-confidence. If in profile view, only one part of the person-for example, head or body- is shown, an elusive attitude in social affairs is projected. For deeply depressed patients, lack of complete details and use of very faint lines are a combination found in their works. A feeling of isolation, exposure, and helplessness in the face of environmental pressures is, on the other hand, seen in a line sloping downwards and away from the drawn whole. Meanwhile, art therapy with individual clients and groups should also be considered as to the client’s presentation of his art. Individual client setting is requested when he/she feels more comfortable in creative expression if it is a direct one on one approach. Group therapy setting is rather joined by an individual if she feels profited by another person’s warmth and physical closeness, which is based on the philosophy that man is a social being. However, group clients still break away from each other at some points and that has to be understood and patiently addressed by the therapist. IV. Methodology of Research The methodology of research I used is mainly through the inductive technique or the collection of data and evaluation of results. Definition, background, historical context and other useful data were collated from resource books on art therapy and from the suppositions of clinical practitioners of art therapy. Data collected were also taken from some research and background academic papers of art therapy professionals. The case sample on the 9/11 attacks were based on newspaper and television accounts, audio-visual and printed memories and notes of the tragedy by journalists. The concrete sample of House-Tree-Person technique was taken from an author’s description. Most research details were gathered from the books and resource papers of authors Lark, Case, Kalmanowitz, and Hammer, carefully examined and understood. Although interviews were not taken, personal notes of motivation and daily observation on people around were also bases on this research. Motivational quotations were also extracted from the resources to define the drama of the whole healing process. V. Conclusion of Research Art therapy can be used with children, adolescents and adults in a wide variety of settings and applications. As an integrative therapy, it offers a necessary option for clients who may need an experiential, less verbally-driven approach. People in all walks of life turn to creative expressions, some may not even be aware that they are already exposed to this activity, because of the lack of knowledge and help from professionals. There are national organizations in and outside America looking after the improvement or development of standards and training in art therapies. One is seen in private offices or corporations, outpatient clinics and hospitals, community and rehabilitation centers, prisons, and schools or universities. They work with individual or group to paint, draw, or do other artwork and derive the importance of imagery used in their creations. These professionals and organizations work hand in hand with each other to bring about a better quality of service in art therapy for their craft and for the benefit of their clients. It has to be realized by the people around psychologically-problematic cases that healing does not only come from the successful art therapy sessions, but their support also contributes to the whole process that they want to achieve for themselves or for other people. Lest they forget that some of the causes of their depression, stress, trauma, and tensions come from their family and society. The successful interpretation of the art object by the therapist, the willingness of the client to open up to the therapist and to other people as well, the comfortable and secure setting of the therapy room, and the artwork itself be it aesthetically balanced or not, all of these components of art therapy are relevant to the client’s well being. The absence of one component means the incomplete and ineffective process of art therapy. Kalmanowitz (2005) also believed that â€Å"the healing qualities of art relate to the total spectrum of the soul’s experience and that art therapy’s relevance is dependent upon its willingness to meet new challenges and go to places where troubles in the human condition exist† (p.xii). Friedrich Nietzsche also once said that unless we deal with our pain, we are truly lost. So much has been said to validate the real nature of art therapy in personal and communal perspectives then and now. But one thing is for sure, art therapy and its relations with other disciplines will continue to develop in the future. Art therapy really changes/improves the attitude of people with psychological problems. We just have to look within ourselves and we might find the urge to help them; we have to look again within ourselves and we might find ourselves needing the therapy for our own conscious and unconscious demons tearing us apart. In these difficult times, we are everyday faced with disconcerting situations where we are left in the middle of the struggle and we do not know how to fight back. These kinds of situations when treated with neglect, thrown away in the air as if it is nothing, are the ones that are dangerous to the human psyche. Do you want to see yourself dancing in the streets naked? Can you see one of your family members killing herself or himself? Would you like to see a world of deranged men acting as beasts? That is why God created us in his own image and likeness, for us to realize that we are made human beings to love and be loved just like he did. References Case, C. and Tessa Dalley. (1992). The Handbook of Art Therapy. New York: Tavistock/Routledge. Fleshman, B. and Jerry L. Fryrear. (1981). The Arts in Therapy. Chicago: Nelson-Hall. Hammer, E. (1964). The House-Tree-Person (H-T-P) Clinical Research Manual. New York: Western Psychological Services. Hill, A. (1941). Art versus Illness. London: George Allen Unwin. Kalmanowitz, D. and Bobby Lloyd. (2005). Art Therapy and Political Violence: With Art, Without Illusion. London: Bruner-Routledge. Killick, K. and Joy Schaverien. (1997). Art, Psychotherapy and Psychosis. London: Routledge. Lark, C. (2001). Art Therapy Overview: An Informal Background Paper. Retrieved from http://www.art-therapy.com/ArtTherapyOverview.htm. Waller, D. (1993). Group Interactive Art Therapy: Its Use in Training and Treatment. London: Routledge

Comparison of Adidas and Nike Footwear

Comparison of Adidas and Nike Footwear COMPARITIVE STUDY OF Brand of Leading Footwear Giants With special reference to Adidas and Nike ABSTRACT BRANDING The 1980s marked a turning point in the competition of brands. Management came to ralise that the principlal asset of a company was in fact its brand names. The brand is not the product but it gives the product meaning and defines its identity in both time and space. Too often brands are examined through their component parts: the brand name, its logo, design or packaging, advertising or sponsorship, the level of image and brand awareness or, more recently, in terms of financial valuation. The brand is a focal point for all the positive and negative impressions created by buyer over time as he comes into contact with the brands products, distribution channel, personnel and communication. The brand continues to be, at least in short term, a byword for quality even after the patent has expired. The brand performs an economic function in the mind of consumer and thus has a lasting and memorable effect on the companys activities, be it as distributor or owner of the brand. Legally a brand is simply a symbol which distinguishes a companys product and certifies its origin and thus only obtains its value through registration and conformity. In order to understand in what way a strong brand is a generator of growth and profitability, it is first necessary to remind ourselves of the fnctions that it performs with the consumers themselves, and which are the source of this valuable goodwill. Once these functions are valued, the consumer seeks out the brands and becomes attached, indeed loyal, to them and, in accordance with the valuation, is often prepared to pay more for the branded product. On the other hand, when these functions are either not fulfilled or not valued by the public, the attraction of the branded product decreases and its premium price becomes unacceptable. Branding means much more than just giving a brand name and signaling to the outside world that such a product or service has been stamped with the mark and imprint of an organization. Brands are a direct consequence of the strategy of market segmentation and product differentiation. It is no wonder that the word â€Å"brand† also refers to the act of burning a mark into the flesh of an animal as a means to claim ownership of it. Branding though, is not about being on top of something, but within something. The product or service thus enriched must stand out well if it is to be spotted by the potential buyer and if the company wants to reap the benefits of its strategy before being copied by others. The brand should have its own specific point of view on the product category. It is this conception whichjustifies the brands exixstence, its reason for being on the market, and provides it with a guideline for its life cycle. A brand is both the memory and future of its products. Products are mute: the brand is what gives them meaning and purpose, telling us how a product should be read. A brand is both a prism and a magnifying glass through which products can be decoded. Brands become credible through persistency and repetition. Whats in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare Shakespeare was wrong. A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet †¦. Which is why the single most important decision in the marketing of perfume is the name. Al Ries and Jack Trout An idea, in the highest sense of that word, cannot be conveyed but a symbol. Samuel Taylor Coleridge A brand is an external manifestation of what happens inside the organization. The brand is the most powerful asset of a company. It is the instrument by which the products move. It is the symbol of a companys promise. Branding is the process by which companies distinguish their product offerings from competition. A brand is created by developing a distinctive name, packaging and design, and arousing customer expectations about the offering. By developing an individual identity, branding permits customers to develop associations like prestige and economy with the brand. Buying a brand reduces the risk of the customer and eases his purchase decisions. Brand superiority leads to high sales, the ability to charge price premiums, and the power to resist distribution power. A brand is a distinguishing name or symbol (such as a logo, trademark, or package design) meant to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a Group of sellers. Its purpose is to differentiate the goods or services from the goods or services of the competitors. A brand gives signals to the customer the source of the product, and protects both the customer and the producer from the competitors who would attempt to provide identical products that appear to be same. The strength of brand is directly proportional to the expectations of the customer about it. The brand is the culmination of all the activities of the organization. The brand name conveys the set of values and attributes embodied in the brand. When we think of M with curved top reminds us of the delicious burgers served at McDonalds outlets. This is how a symbol reminds us of the brand when it becomes applicable in the whole universe. A BRAND CONVEYS the following message Ø Attributes: can be both specific and abstract. Size colour and weight are specific. McDonalds gives identification of pure and hygienic food served by it. Ø Benefits: refer to the consumer perception of the needs that are being satisfied. McDonalds gives us healthy food, which is hygienic and ready to eat. Ø Values: Wipros values are to deliver best products and services by applying these values. Ø Culture: Mercedes represents German culture: organized and efficient and comfortable cars. Ø Personality: Raymonds fabrics provide a gentle, caring and lovable mans look to its users. Ø User: Barbies indicate that its user would be a small kid and not a teenager or an old man A successful brand has several essential attributes. The presence of most of these attributes can guarantee long-term eminence of the brand.  · The brand provides the benefits that customer desire. Customers buy a brand because its attributes, its image, its service and many other tangible and intangible factors create an attractive whole.  · The brand stays relevant.  · The pricing strategy is based on consumers perception of value. The company has to arrive at the right blend of product quality, design, features and price. Value pricing should not be adopted at the expense of essential brand-building activities. Whatever price the company decides to charge, it should be able to demonstrate that customers are deriving value from it in proportion to the price they are paying.  · The brand is properly positioned. Successful brands keep up with competitors by creating points of parity in those areas where competitors are trying to find an advantage, while at the same time creating points of difference to achieve advantages over competitors in some other areas.  · The brand is consistent. Maintaining a strong brand means striking the right balance between continuity in marketing activities and the kind of changes needed to stay relevant.  · The brand portfolio and hierarchy should make sense. The Gaps brand portfolio provides maximum market coverage with minimal overlap. Banana Republic serves the higher end, the Gap brand covers the basic style and quality segment, and Old Navy serves the mass market. Each brand has the distinct image and its own source of equity. Brand at each level of the hierarchy should contribute to the overall equity of the portfolio through their individual ability to make consumers aware of the various products and foster favourable associations with them.  · The brand makes use of and coordinates a full repertoire of marketing activities to build equity.  · Brand managers understand what the brand means to consumers. LITERATURE REVIEW Define the Market Market is the place where the sellers and buyers meet. It does not have any demographic limits. Market research  · Market research gives the knowledge about customers, its attitude, approach. Market research is collection of data which will make a person (as a business) more aware of how the people, you hope to sell the product of the company to, will react to your products or services. Conducting market research There is no uniform way of conducting market research, yet there are number of ways in which we may carry out your research but we need to carefully consider the reason of this choice and what you hope the evidence will suggest to you. There are various methods but Questionnaires and personal interviews are one of the most common ways in which you can conduct market research, and there are many methods of gathering data this way: Direct Interview, Mail Survey and Telephone interview of person. Marketing mix The Marketing Mix (The 4 Ps of Marketing) In marketing decisions we are to take decisions about the four following categories:  · Product which is produced by the company  · Price which is charged by the company  · Place (distribution) where it is sold by the company  · Promotion what is done to increase sales of the company These four Ps are those parameters that the marketing manager can control, subject to the internal and external constraints of the marketing environment. All the four elements of the marketing mix for a target market should reinforce one another and contribute positively to companys value proposition for the target market. The correct process to get its marketing mix right is that the company decides its positioning and sets each element of the marketing mix to conform to its positioning. Most companies start with fixing their marketing mix elements individually and only much later in their evolution do they consciously think about positioning. Different elements of the marketing mix send conflicting signals to the customers. Customers are confused about the companys true positioning. Such companies are not reaping the values that they could have from their marketing mix as customers pay less to compensate for the conflicting signals they get from one of the elements of the marketing mix. When customers get conflicting signals from the store, they always look to bargain for a lower price. If the same product had been sold from a brand ed store, all the four elements of the marketing mix would have presented a consistent image of high quality and premium product. Customers would not have bargained. Product Decisions Product means to tangible, physical products as well as services. Here are some examples of the product decisions to be made by the marketing manager:  · Brand name  · Styling of the product  · Quality of the product Price Decisions Marketing manager is to decide which pricing policy is to be decided by him for his product range so that consumer is satisfied and he is not losing profit. There are no fixed rules to be followed. Some examples of pricing decisions to be made include:  · Pricing strategy (skim, penetration, etc.)  · Cash discount and early payment discounts  · flexibility in pricing of the product of the company  · Price discrimination Decision about Distribution (Place) of Product Distribution means the process of delivering the goods to its customers. Some examples of distribution decisions include the following:  · Distribution channels  · Market coverage (inclusive, selective, or exclusive distribution)  · Warehousing arrangement  · Distribution centers of the company  · Transportation Promotion of goods It represents the various aspects of marketing communication. It is the communication of information about the product to generate a positive customer response. Marketing communication decisions include the following items:  · Promotional strategy (push, pull, etc.)  · Advertising of the product  · Personal selling sales force  · Sales promotions Swot analysis S Strength W Weakness O- Opportunity T- Threat This is very important for the company because it tells the weakness and the strong points of the company and if company then it is easier for the company to operate and also the profits as well as the market share of the company get increased so that it gets some synergy in its operation. Brand Image Brand image relates to the customers perception of the brand. Brand image can be defined as the set of beliefs held about a particular brand. Brand image is the sum total of impressions that consumers receive from many sources, all of which combine to form a brand personality. Brand image is also described as the way in which a particular brand is positioned in the market, i.e., hoe the consumer perceives the product. Brand image is a set of associations, usually organized in some meaningful way. Brand image is the understanding consumers derive from the total set of brand-related activities engaged by the firm. Implicit in all the above definitions is that brand image is a consumer-constructed notion of the brand. Consumers ascribe a persona or an image to the brand based on subjective perceptions of a set of associations that they have about the brand. For example, Lexus may be associated with lixury and status, while Volvo may have safety associations in the mind of the customers. McDonalds may be associated with a symbol such as the Golden Arches, or children may link the fast food giant to a place where they can have fun. The key difference between the brand image and brand identity is that whereas identity stems from the source or company, image is received by the receiver or the consumer. Brand message is packed or wrapped in terms of brand identity, and it is unpacked or unwrapped by the consumer in the form of brand image. Identity represents the firms reality while image represents the perception of the consumer. Brand attitude Attitudes towards brand are dynamic, and are learnt over a period of time. Therefore, each encounter of the consumer with the brand either reinforces the existing attitude or forces him to re-evaluate it. Consumers form attitudes about brands to consumption for several reasons:  · They simplify complex subjects  · They protect self-esteem  · They help us adjust to world  · They allow us to express fundamental values. There are three main sources of attitudes:  · Direct experience with the brands and situations  · Explicit and implicit learning from others about the brand  · Personality development Attitudes are not observable. Attitudes relative to purchase behaviour are formed as a result of direct experience with the product, word of mouth, exposure to mass media advertising, the internet and direct marketing. Attitudes are not synonymous with behaviour though they may result from behaviour. Attitudes have consistency, though they are not permanent, and can and do change. Once attitude develop, they are not always easy to change. Often the goal of marketing is to change attitude about a brand or a company. Attitudes occur within a situation. From a marketers perspective, it is important to consider the situation in which the behavior takes place, or one might misinterpret the relationship between attitude and behavior. Branding for a business means one need to stand out from the herd when it comes to business. Branding makes the company stronger and more adaptable than your competitors. Brand gives the business an immediate advantage because it is a backbone, or a frame work, on which company hangs its products. Brand gives awareness of the product to the customer. A branded business carries with it an ideology. If people know the brand they know the company and what it stands for. A brand carries with it the power to inspire and influence your customers. Brand creates a set of subconscious associations in minds of the customers of the company and sets you apart from the herd. Brand gives the customer satisfaction, surety about the following: 1. Quality of product of company 2. Reliability of product of company 3. Customer service (after sales /before sales) 4. Uniformity of material, size etc. Advertising campaigns uses the following for their product 1. Their Logos 2. Their Slogans 3. Their Promises We absorb every day that a lot of advertising promotion Logos, slogans and associated advertising methods (particularly background music) stick like mud. â€Å"Ek idea jo apke duniya badal de† â€Å"Im loving it†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ can name the brands. Company need to grab its audience and need to keep them until they are fully aware that it exists and that it mean business. It is advisable for the company not to copy its competitors, be original instead  ­ look to companies that inspire you for inspiration. There are some other ways of advertising but Word of mouth is by far the most effective form of advertising. People ignore Pop-up windows, but theyll listen to their best friend. If company provides a quality service people will recommend for it to the other prospects and help to make them customers. If company can provide quality at decent price customers will come back, inspiring customer loyalty is part of a strong brand identity. If company is lacking to shape its business, it may want to hire a professional to help shape your business model, or to improve its advertising scheme. Company should not limit itself; putting blinkers on is a way of staying focussed; but it also leads to missed opportunities of growth. INTRODUCTION Brands in todays intense global economy are strategic assets and a key source of competitive advantage. A brands equity adds or detracts from the power of the brand. It must be managed and leveraged to produce strong long-term performance and lasting revenue growth. Strong brand-building and measurement skills are crucial to achieve these critical objectives in todays fiercely competitive global economy. The brand performs an economic function in the mind of consumer and thus has a lasting and memorable effect on the companys activities, be it as distributor or owner of the brand. Brands create market segmentation and product differentiation. â€Å"Brand† also refers to the act of burning a mark into the flesh of an animal as a means to claim ownership of it. Branding though, is not about being on top of something, but within something. The product or service thus enriched must stand out well if it is to be spotted by the potential buyer and if the company wants to reap the benefits of its strategy before being copied by others. Brand equity It means to the value inherent in a brand name. This value stems from the consumers perception of the brands superiority, the social esteem that using it provides, and the customers trust and identification with the brand. For corporate world, their most valuable assets are their brand names. Well-known brand names are referred to as megabrands which attracts the customers. Companies prefer to leverage their brand equity through brand extensions rather than taking the risk launching a new brand. Brand equity is most important for low involvement purchases such as inexpensive consumer goods that are brought routinely and with little processing of cognitive information. Brand equity enables companies to charge a price premium an additional amount over and above the price of an identical store brand. A relatively new strategy among some marketers is co-branding (also called double branding). The basis of co-branding, in which two brand names are featured on a single product, is to use another products brand equity to enhance the primary brands equity. Brand loyalty and brand equity increases market share and profits are increased. Definition of Brand Equity Brand equity is the value and power of the brand that determines its worth. The brand equity can be determined by measuring;  · The price premium that the brand charges over unbranded products;  · By assessing the additional volume of the sales generated by the brand as compared to other brands in the same category;  · Returns to shareholders;  · Assessing the image of the brand for various parameters that are deemed important;  · Assessing the future earning potential of he brand; Various activities of the firm determine brand equity. These activities may enhance or diminish the brand value. Activities that are synchronous with the overall vision for the brand enhance equity, and any activity that goes against this overall vision reduces brand equity. The customer-based brand equity framework defines customer-based brand equity as the differential effect that consumer knowledge about a brand has on the customers response to marketing activity. Positive customer based brand equity results when consumers respond more favourably to a product, price or communication when the brand is identified than when it is not. Sources of brand equity occur when consumer are aware of the brand and hold strong, favourable and unique brand associations. Any action that a firm takes as part of its marketing programme has the potential to change consumer knowledge about the brand in terms of some aspects of brand awareness or brand image. Managing brand equity, however, requires more than taking a long-term perspective. Brand equity must be actively managed over time by reinforcing the brand meaning and if necessary, by revitalizing the brand. Who should be involved in process of building brands? Brand managers were originally dominant in brand building. However, the traditional brand manager concept has been criticized since changes in the external environment and within the firm raise doubts about its appropriateness. Limitations in the brand management concept have resulted in the move to categry management. In some firms the CEO is in charge of brands, which is advantageous as CEOs have authority, a long term perspective and control over resources. CEOs also have many objectives and may be subject to performance measures which conflict with the aims of building a strong brand. As such the â€Å"brand champion†, a senior executive with sole responsibility for managing and building one particular brand, is emerging as an alternative. However, as the role of marketing departments has declined branding mayhave ceased to be their sole responsibility. External parties may also be involved. Agencies attract employees who are interested in brand strategy, and these employees often develop brand strategy toolkits and gain insight and experience because of their exposure to different brand and brand contexts. Consumer involvement is also critical. Stages in building a successful brand  · Identify external opportunities  · Identify internal capabilities  · Define the brand and develop a brand concept  · Consider feasibility of brand  · Ensure internal commitment  · Position and differentiate the brand  · Structure organizational resources  · Market testing  · Operationalization The brand concept is based on the consumer needs that a brand can satisfy. A brand with a functional concept is designed to solve externally generated consumption needs. A brand with a symbolic concept is designed to associate the individual with a desired group, role or self image. A brand with an experimental concept is designed to fulfill an internally generated need for stimulation and/or variety. Brand identity originates from the company, i.e., the company is responsible for creating a differentiated product with unique features. The marketing mix strategy plays an important role in establishing a brand identity. The four Ps product, promotion, price and place- can play an important role in this process. Brand identity is the common element sending a single message amid a wide variety of its products, actions and slogans. This is important since the more the brand expands, the more customers are inclined to feel that they are, in fact, dealing with several different brands rather than a single brand. Through brand identity, a company seeks to convey its individuality and disinctiveness to the relevant public. It is through the development of this identity that managers and employees make a brand unique. The brand identity is made up of the following components:  · Brand vision  · Brand culture  · Positioning  · Personality  · Relationships  · Presentations Brand equity† has two components, we can more easily determine a reliable way to measure brand equity, and to track changes in brand equity over time. The components of brand equity are: a) retention and attraction of customers, b) stem from peoples experiences and c) perceptions of a brand. How should brand equity be reinforced over time? How can marketers make sure that consumers have the desired knowledge structures such that their brands continue to have the necessary sources of brand equity? In a general sense, brand equity is reinforced by marketing actions that consistently convey the meaning of the brand to consumers in terms of brand awareness an brand image as follows:  · What products does the brand represent; what benefits does it supply; and what needs does it satisfy?  · How does the brand make those products superior? What strong, favourable and unique brand associations exist in the minds of consumers? Both of these issues- brand meaning in terms of products, benefits and needs as well as brand meaning in terms of product differentiation depend on firms general approach to product development, branding strategies and other strategic concerns. The most important consideration in reinforcing brands is the consistency of the marketing support that the brand receives both in terms of the amount and nature of marketing support. Brand consistency is critical to maintaining the strength and favourability of brand associations. Brands that receive inadequate support, in terms of such things as shrinking research and development or marketing communication budgets, run the risk of becoming technologically disadvantaged or even obsolete. Consistency does not mean, however, that marketers should avoid making any changes in the marketing programme. On the contrary, the opposite can be quite true being consistent in managing brand equity may require numerous tactical shifts and changes in order to maintain the proper strategic thrust and direction of the brand. There are many ways that brand awareness and brand image can be created, maintained or improved through carefully designed marketing programmes. Brand loyalty occur when a customer makes the choice of purchasing one brand from among a set of alternatives consistently over a period of time. Brand loyalty is usually rated as the most important indicator of brand equity. Loyalty is a dual edged sword, an opportunity for those that consistently deliver on their promises; high risk, for those who dont. (Martin Hoffmitz, Executive Vice President) Loyalty is developed in the absence of something better. (Justin Lees, Commercial Controller) BRAND EQUITY BRAND LOYALTY MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT Companies work hard building the strength of their brands to earn more profits. Bottom line job of marketing is to Build a brand, cultivate its strengths, prune its weaknesses, and make it more valuable to its owners. Marketing does ultimately work in concert to make a firms brands more valuable. Ways to Measure Brand Equity Measuring of brand equity establishes a baseline and track changes in its brand equity over time. Company must consistently work to improve the strength of its brands. it must trace progress, or risk flying blind. Changes in a quantitative measurement of brand equity can show the company the effects of its work, and aid in setting marketing and management priorities in the next business planning cycle. A company measures its brand equity to aid in assigning a monetary value to a brand. Wall Street measures the strength of a brand by looking primarily at current and historical financial measures, with minimal use of information directly from the voice of the marketplace (i.e., current and prospective customers). LOYALTY IN THE MARKET PLACE Whether husbands are loyal to their wives or not, whether employees remain loyal to their employers or not, marketers are realising the need to have a large number of loyal customers. The purpose of any organisation does not end with just getting the customers. Retaining them in their fold is an equally important task. No successful company is satisfied if a customer buys the product of the Company just once or twice. He/She must be made to buy the same brand again, and again. This is should be the core strategy for many of the fast moving consumer goods. Often consumers may not be aware of even the total set of brands available in the market of the product category under consideration. Again, they do not consider for choice all the brands they are aware of. They have an evoked set or a consideration set of brands within which they normally switch from one to another. Consider the case of toilet soaps. There are any number of toilet soaps available in the market. But consumers usuall y choose from their evoked set only. Suppose, the evoked set of brands for toilet- soaps for a consumer consists of Hamam, Rexona and Lux, she will buy only from these three brands. At the same time, she may buy one particular brand more often than other brands in the evoked set, which is a different issue to be taken up later. Footwear Technologies adiprene Ø Shock absorbing material under the heel. Ø Provides heel cushioning and stability. Ø Provides extra absorption of harmful impact forces. Ø Adds stability a ground contact. adiprene Ø Elastic material under the forefoot. Ø Allows a more efficient push-off. Ø Retains natural forces at toe-off for added forefoot efficiency. Ø Maximizes energy use. torsion Ø Helps control of the natural independent rotation of the heel and forefoot. Ø Creates stability and control. Ø Helps the forefoot adopt to surfaces easily. Ø Maintains mid-foot support. Traxion Ø Lugs in shoe bottom provide optimal ground penetration and maximum grip. Ø Lug placement optimizes comfort while increasing surface contact. Ø Adds stability at ground contact. Ø Meets the specific needs of different sports and surfaces. Pro-Moderator Ø Usage of TPU as lightweight mid-sole support system reduces weight of shoe giving greater mobility. Ø Improved durability of mid-sole adds to life of shoes providing consistent and stable run. Ø Direct moulding on mid-sole frees your foot from thick inserts giving improved toe-all. GeoFit Frame Ø An Internal footwear technology that enhances fit and comfort by placing padding in anatomically correct areas. Ø Every piece of anatomically moulded padding follows the form of the foot, evenly distributing pressu