Title Of Paper Germany Essays - Geography Of Europe, Europe

Title of Paper : Germany Grade Received on Report : 92% Germany ( Deutschland) Germany is a country in the middle of Europe. At the north there is the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east are Poland and the Czech Republic. On the south are Austria and Switzerland and on the west are France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The official name is the Federal Republic of Germany. It has good relationships with its neighbours and other countries. Germany is in the Northern hemisphere and its capital city's are Bonn and Berlin. Population and Climate ( Bevolkerung und klima) Many people live in Germany. In 1993 Germany had an estimated population of 80,767,591. This means that Germany had about 226 people per sq km. Germany has a changing climate, with an average annual temperature of 9? C. In January the temperature changes from -6? to 1? C. This changes depending on the location. The average July temperature range from between 16? and 20? C. The some places in the north of Germany have a warmer climate than the central and southern parts of Germany. The precipitation is hers. In the south, on the Rhine, is an important industrial area on the cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Karlsruhe. Chemicals, machinery, and building materials are made. Stuttgart is the centre of a manufacturing areas because motor vehicles, electronic equipment, office machinery, textiles, and visual instruments are created. Products that are made in Munich are aircraft, motor vehicles, clothing, and beer. Many important industrial areas located in the north west of Germany. These are the Hannover-Brunswick area, where steel, chemicals, and motor vehicles are made. Another major manufacturing area is coastal p! ort cities like Hamburg, Bremen, Kiel, and Wilhelmshaven. The products of this area are refined petroleum, processed food, beer, ships, office machinery, and printed materials. Berlin is also a major producer of electronic equipment. About 8000 companies were working in East Germany in 1990.

Health Sector in Ghana and Investment Opportunities Essay Example

Health Sector in Ghana and Investment Opportunities Essay Example Health Sector in Ghana and Investment Opportunities Essay Health Sector in Ghana and Investment Opportunities Essay AFRICAN LEGACY FINANCE LIMITED| ANALYSIS OF GHANA’S HEALTH SECTOR| AVAILABLE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES| | JONAS HLOMADOR| 1/18/2011| This research document covers issues about the development of the health sector, cost/revenue analysis and investment opportunities available | INTRODUCTION The health sector of a nation is a major contributing factor to sustainable development. Issues about health policy, cost of health, health revenue and investment opportunities in the health sector are among the vital issues that are considered by any government that wants to achieve sustainable development. Among the eight international development goals dubbed (Millennium Development Goals) goals 4, 5, 6 talk about health care. These goals talk about reducing child mortality rate, improving maternal health care and combating HIV, Malaria and other diseases. Ghana is no exception. This research document captures the development of the Ghanaian health sector, a cost/revenue analysis, cost of health care, the challenges in the health sector and the investment opportunities available. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT The purpose of this document is to inform investors and other stakeholders about the * State of the health sector * Performance of the health sector * Investment opportunities available in the sector This document is first of all very informative concerning health issues. It also aims at forecasting the state and performance of the health sector in the next five years and beyond whiles highlighting areas of potentially viable investment opportunities. Further, serves as a good material for â€Å"Situational Analysis† or â€Å"Environmental Scanning† when embarking on health projects. THE HEALTH SECTOR IN GHANA HISTORY In the late 1970s, the Government of Ghana adopted the primary health care strategy as the vehicle for achieving â€Å"Health for all† by the year 2000. However the economic crisis in the early 1980s drastically reduced resources available to the health sector, resulting in deterioration in the population’s health status. Ghana then embarked on a Medium-Term Health Strategy (MTHS) that aimed to achieve â€Å"Health for all†, by improving service quality and efficiency. As the Ministry of Health (2000) states â€Å"Since 1995, health policy has been based on Ghana’s MTHS which sought to promote greater equity in access to health and outcomes. In pursuit of this objective, Ghana’s MTHS aimed at strengthening district health services, promoting community involvement in the delivery of health services, redirecting health resources to the needy or deprived areas. Although it is difficult to discern the factors that have contributed to the improvement in some health indicators, there was no doubt that the health reform had, to some extent, contributed to the improvements. Based on World Bank data, between 1990 and 1998, infant mortality decreased by a total of 16 percent while life expectancy at birth increased by 5 percent in Ghana. The HIV pandemic then surfaced in the late 90’s and early 2000,s putting more strain on health care. More funds had to be channeled into fighting this deadly disease. HIV awareness became top issue. Money had to be spent to import anti retroviral drugs. A major change occurred in the health services in October 2003. A new health bill was passed. The National Health Insurance Bill was been passed into law by the parliament of Ghana on the 2nd of October. This set up a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which enabled residents in Ghana to obtain, at least, basic healthcare services without paying money at the point of delivery of the service. This replaced the â€Å"cash and carry† system currently in place. The Bill also provided a policy and regulatory framework in the country for health insurance that would enable the nation to achieve the goal of equitable access to basic healthcare in relation to need rather than socio-economic or socio-cultural status The year 2007 marked the beginning of the third 5 Year Programme of Work based on the health policy developed by the Health Sector since 1995:‘Strengthening Health Systems for effective and efficient delivery of services to households and communities with a focus on improving maternal and child health outcomes’ is the theme of the Ghana Health Service Strategic Framework. This framework which aimed at driving the work of the Service for the next five years was based on the belief that the desired rapid progress cannot be made without a strong functioning health system. SECTOR OVERVIEW The institutions or organizations in the health sector can be put under two categories * Administrative, Control Regulatory Bodies * Service Delivery Organisations Administrative, Control Regulatory Bodies The health sector is managed by two offices, the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services (GHS). Ministry of Health is the office responsible for budget allocation and policy definition, while Ghana Health Services, with branch offices at both the regional and district levels, is mainly responsible for the implementation of the budget and policies. The MOH also provides mobile health services, including immunization and family planning, to rural residents. Salaries are distributed by the Controller Accountant General (CAG) directly to the public health personnel through the banking system. Other recurrent expenditures are mostly distributed by the District Health Offices to health facilities. In addition, nongovernment entities are also very active in the health sector. Service Delivery Organisations The Service Delivery Organisations include government hospitals, polyclinics and private hospitals clinics. Ghana also has missionary health facilities, which are mainly hospitals of limited scale and health clinics. The higher-level health providers, in ascending order, are health centers or clinics, district hospitals, regional hospitals, and tertiary hospitals. Ghana also has a network of maternal homes, although they are mainly privately owned. All these organisations are supervised and funded by the administrative, regulatory and control bodies listed above. The vision of the health sector is to create wealth through health and to contribute to the national vision of attaining middle income status by 2015. THE MARKET COST/REVENUE ANALYSIS COST OF HEALTH FINANCING There are many sources of funding for the health sector. They include * Funding by the Government of Ghana through budget allocation to the health sector * Internally Generated Funds Funds from the growth in the National Health Insurance Scheme * Health Funds * Financial Credits * MDA funds Funding by the Government of Ghana While the total allocation to health, in nominal terms, increased by 33. 4% from 2007 to 2008, the proportional Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) allocation increased only slightly by 2. 1% in the same period which results in a neutral outcome of this indicator. Based on the Budget statement of 2009, the allocation to the health sector as a percentage of the total fiscal space for 2009 was 14. %. In 2010 the allocation to the health sector was †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. The computation of the budgetary allocation to the health sector as a percentage of the national budget is made difficult by the fragmentation of budgets at both national and sector level. . It is further hampered by the significant level of off-budget funding in the health sector. With that said, allocation to the health sector as a percentage of the national budget from 2006 to 2009 is as follows MTEF ALLOCATION| 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| MTEF ALLOCATION| 16. 2%| 14. 6%| 14. 9%| 14. 6| The GOG provides free public health services for immunization and certain communicable diseases. It also provides free health services for certain vulnerable groups such as children under 5, people over 70, and pregnant women. Internally Generated Funds The IGF are the fees collected from the patients who use the services and buy drugs provided by the health facilities. Health Funds Donors-pooled Health Funds are one of the many health funds the finance government projects. In addition, donor earmarked funds and donor-managed funds (projects) also contribute to total health expenditures Funds from Health Insurance Scheme The health insurance scheme now entered its 8th year of operation. Though there are challenges it has generally been a successful project. It seems to be serving its purpose both to the government and the citizenry as well. The wider the scope of the scheme more revenue is generated REVENUE By contrast, real health revenues (after adjusting for inflation) increased as reflected off the Financial Statements of health service organisations leveled off in 2006 and 2007 while falling in 2008. There has always been a tradeoff between quality health care and revenue generation especially in the public health sector. The public health sector has many challenges in delivering quality health care. The equipment and infrastructure available cannot support the demand for health care. The utilization of funds from the health insurance scheme in financing the health service sector has not been able to keep up with the increasing demand. Most of the substantial revenue generated from the health sector comes from the private sector where patients can access quality health. Presently the profit levels are very small. However there is potential for growth. Some challenges faced by the health sector are outlined below Challenges * Some health centre’s lack the necessary tools and devices especially for their clinical engineering unit and other vital service units * Non-computerized systems resulting in slow pace of work and health delivery. The recent computerization of most parts of the service industry has not really caught up with the health industry. * Inadequate residential facilities for health staff in certain regions. Inadequate ambulances for effective health service delivery * General lack of standby generators. The management of Millennium Development Account is doing their best to curb the challenge in this area by providing generators to hospitals to improve health service delivery. * Refusal by health professional to accept postings to certain places (e. g. the north) * Ghana’s brain drain of doctors and nurses is substantial a nd does seriously affect the capacity of the country to improve its human resource base in the health sector. Cost of Health Care Private health care is relatively more expensive since the cost of adequate medical equipments and highly trained and dedicated professional staff for delivering quality health care comes at a cost. The challenge in the private health sector is to seek to improve on operational efficiency or minimize operational cost to keep on doing business at an affordable rate. However people have become more health cautious in recent times. The health culture in Ghana is changing very fast. Ghana is by far becoming a middle income country with many of its citizenry having more disposable income. This situation has led to the demand for better health care; and consumers are looking at private health care. Cost of public health care has been fairly affordable with the help of the National Health Insurance Scheme since 2003. However the assistance offered by the insurance scheme is limited to basic health needs. Health care services outside the basic health care bracket are still a subject of concern in the public health area. Players in the public health care sector must however improve on their quality of service by motivating public health workers through the setting up of reward systems and consistent review of salary levels to meet the demand of changing times. INVESTMENT INCENTIVES GUARANTESS Ghana is a safe investment destination. Guarantees against expropriation of private investments under law are buttressed by the Ghanaian Constitution. Some investments guarantees are detailed below 1. Free transferability of capital, profit and dividends. 2. There are import duty exemptions on imported machinery for the health industry. 3. Capital allowances are granted to persons who own depreciable assets and use these assets in the production of income. Depreciable assets are grouped in Classes and the applicable capital allowance rates implemented. E. g. Computers and Data Handling Equipment have a rate of 40% 4. It has been argued that the development of information and communication technology (ICT) provides leapfrogging opportunities for developing countries. Ghana has not been left out in this revolution. According to the Data Development Group of the World Bank, ICT infrastructure in Ghana is progressing better than other low-income countries and above the 1. % average for Sub-Saharan Africa. ICT infrastructure is also very favourable although there is room for improvement. The  Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence, a joint Ghana/India project has been commissioned with a responsibility to produce the human resource capacity needed for the emerging ICT industry in Ghana and the sub-region. The  Multi-Media Centre is also to serve as an incubator where new private companies in the industry can be nurtured and relocated to the Technology Parks Business Centre, which is to be set up at Free Zone enclave at Tema. These notwithstanding, various investments in ICT infrastructure by existing Internet Service Providers and telecommunication companies are helping to improve communication service delivery in the country. Others too are launching systems that aim at enhancing the provision of high-speed access to the internet and multimedia capabilities. Recently, the Government signed an agreement with Microsoft Corporation under which the largest ICT Company in the world would provide resources to improve ICT education in Ghana. Vodafone Ghana recently launched the fastest internet cafe in Africa with over 40 megabytes per second. The Vodafone internet cafe and retail store, with its WiFi area can seat up to 100 customers in air conditioned comfort plus the outdoor seating area. Top of the line graphic card and multimedia kits are also installed for those that love online gaming. The new Vodafone Internet Cafes Retail stores are located in Cantonments, Accra North, Accra Central, Accra Mall, Tema, Kumasi, Koforidua, Ho, Tamale and Takoradi . The effect of all these has been the modest growth in ICT activities in Ghana. A host of foreign companies has been attracted to Ghana. Some of these are Affiliated Computer Services, Data Management International Inc. , Rising Data Solutions, Global Response, Busy Internet, AQ Solutions and Supra Telecom. Indications are that a lot more are in the pipeline. GHANA’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE * Availability of Skilled Professionals Doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other workers are highly skilled professionals with many years of experience who are very good at their job. There are policies that govern the work of health professional to ensure that the life a patients are safe guarded against in experienced new junior doctors in special service areas. Improved Academic and training Institutions The University of Ghana Medical School, The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals are well known institutions that are noted for churning out quality doctors, lab technicians and other health professionals. There are many nursing training institutions the supply the health sector with quality nurses and paramedics * Peace and Stability in Ghana Ghana has a very stable political climate. * Developed Legal and Regulatory Environment Ghana has a relatively developed legal and regulatory environment compared with neighboring countries. * Macro Economic Policies The macroeconomic policies of the government are designed to accelerate the progress of growth and transformation of the economy under competitive conditions * Excellent Work Force As previously said, the work force includes highly skilled and experienced professionals who are very good at what they do. There are also systems that help to improve the efficiency of this work force * Availability of fund sources There are many sources of funding in the health sector as stated above. They incude health funds, funds from government budgetary allocation, internally generated funds, MDA funds, financial credits and funds from the national health insurance scheme. * Availability of land There is adequate land availability to put up more health service facilities and centers. * Foreign Ownership Foreigners are allowed to own substantive equity share s in hospitals and clinics countrywide. * High Safety Standards Investing in Ghana is very safe due to the highly stable political environment for nearly 30 years. INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES ICT infrastructure and Computerization in the health sector The recent ICT integration in most service sector industries is yet to take a full swing in the health sector. Investment opportunities are there for investors who want to supply health centers with software and hardware needs that will speed up work and improve the quality of delivery. As stated earlier, such investors will benefit from tax incentives and investment guarantees the government has provided. The initial capital for a comprehensive ICT enablement of private hospital project ranges from GH? 10,000. 00 to GH? 40,000. 0 depending on the scale of work and the equipments, resources and materials used (computers and other network gear, level of technical knowhow of IT contractors and other environmental factors such as computer literacy level of hospital staff among others). Establishment of Competitive Private Hospitals Clinics The work load on the government hospital units are too much for public health service wo rkers. Investors with adequate capital can invest in private hospital ventures that are well managed and work at achieving high operational efficiency while incurring low operational cost. The capital requirement for an ideal ultra modern hospital or clinic will range from US$8 million to US$15 million depending on such factors as size of clinic/hospital, diversity of delivery services, number of equipments to be stocked etc. With adequate corporate finance advise investors can obtain returns in adequate amounts and with these cash flows occurring within adequate time frames whiles minimizing risk of the whole investment to acceptable levels. Establishment of Specialized Clinics Recently, acupressure and acupuncture clinics are taking a significant stage in health care delivery. They offer curative and palliative treatment to their target groups who are mainly the aged in society and the affluent. The Spa service companies are also there for people who can afford a little luxury. There are a few of such spa services companies already in the system. They are making significant profit (e. g. Allure Ghana Spa Services). The Capital requirements for such projects are very varied depending on the scale/size or the project. It ranges between US$10,000. 00 to US$20,000. 00 for a typical start up. With a thorough situational analysis and business plan, investors can invest in such ventures and make significant gains Importation of Pharmaceutical Drugs Though the health insurance covers the purchase of some drugs, the pharmaceutical industry makes billions every year selling drugs that are not covered by the NHIS. Building Of Nursing Training Centers Private nursing training schools are also very good investment areas. More than ever before there is an increase in the shortage of nurses across the world, and this trend is expected to even become worse. Ghana needs more nurses for her health services. Every country needs nurses. Almost every country is scrambling to find and keep them. The International Council of Nurses notes a shortage that spans the world. As of 2009, U. S. medical facilities were in need of an additional 100,000 nurses. By 2012, there could be up to 1. 1 million unfilled nursing positions in the United States. Australia, the UK, and the US receive the largest number of migrant nurses to fill the employment gap in the health sector. Australia received 11,757 nurses from other countries between 1995 and 2000. The U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) records show that more than 10,000 foreign nurses were given H-1A visas to enter the United States within the same time frame. Saudi Arabia also depends on the international nurse supply with 40 nations represented in its nurse workforce. In only four years, the U. K. admitted 26,286 foreign nurses from 1998 to 2002. Netherlands needed to fill 7,000 nursing positions in the year 2002, England needed to fill 22,000 positions in the year 2000, and Canada will needed about 10,000 nursing graduates at the beginning of this year 2011. Meanwhile tens of thousands of Ghanaians especially the youth seek non existing employment opportunities as many students application for admissions are turn down year after year by nursing training institutions. Ghana stands to gain tremendously if stake holders in education, health, Employment and Social welfare and society can deploy a program to train more nurses for the countrys healthcare facilities and for export to other countries where there are increasing shortages of nurses such as UK, Austria, Norway, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. A nurse in Ghana earns between $3,600 and $4,800 annually after tax but with rising transport and food costs, many are forced to take on a second job in private health and then to work back-to-back shifts working between 15 and 18 hours a day. As of 2002, salaries for registered nurses in the United States were around $48,090, with the top 10% earning more than $69,670. Salaries for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) were around $31,440 with the top 10% earning more than $44,040. The working period for both RN and LVN is 6 hours and a nurse who works at two jobs earns a double of these salaries. International recruitment and nurse migration are increasingly being seen as solutions to nursing shortages. Historically, nurse migration has been mostly opportunistic or based on individual motivation and contacts. During the past decade, however, active large scale planned international recruitment has occurred with developed countries recruiting nurses from both other developed countries and developing countries. In addition, developing countries are recruiting from each other, even within the same geographic region according to the International Council of Nurses. Currently there are 10 public nursing training colleges accredited by the National Accreditation Board in Ghana. These are Government sponsored institutions and trained nurses from these institutions would be required to serve the country for 5 years before they can have the release of certificate for them to work abroad. This is because in theory a nurse wishing to work abroad would have to produce a certificate as proof of qualification and so until any fine has been paid, the Health Ministry can withhold the certificate. There are good business prospects for Private Nursing Training Outfits that can develop recruitment programs for their trained nurses to work abroad while such nurses pay a percentage of their earning to the institutions once they are gainfully employed outside. Foreign or local investors with huge capital who are ready for long term investments can look into Private Nursing Training Projects. Importation of Hospital machinery The import duty exempt and the high demand for hospital machinery make investments in such ventures very lucrative and profitable. Government Partners to improve quality of service in the public sector The sources of funding to the public sector is in adequate to support the needed pace of growth. Investors with substantial capital can partner with government to undertake developmental projects in the public health sector that aims at improving the quality of service. CONCLUSION The health sector is a vital part of a nation’s development. Adequate and feasible policies which will help improve the sector attract investor interest and eventually ensure a steady and significant development of the sector.

Critically analyze Walter Lees Perspectives of the American dream. Why Research Paper

Critically analyze Walter Lees Perspectives of the American dream. Why is Walter determined to achieve the American dream - Research Paper Example Loraine Hansberry, one of the eminent African-American writers, wrote the play ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ in the year 1959. With all the vow of equality since ages, America was not able to establish the term to its truest sense has been well depicted through the play. Experiences of the two generations of the Younger family and their struggles and challenges encountered owing to the laws pertaining to the labor and housing discriminations in America have been made very explicit in the play. The black populace in America genuinely suffered from a hollow vision of American Dream due to the discriminative policies taken by government in the areas of work and stay. The agendas are different for two generations but the oppression remains the same and the contrast of experience in the case of Big Walter Lee as evoked through Mama’s voice in the play with that of Walter Lee’s perspective of American dream as a younger generation definitely helps to build a coherent and concise panorama of American Dream in the Afro-American society of the United States. ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ tries to throw light on the racial issues and impact of those issues on the notion of American Dream covering the agony of almost two generations. This essay intends to present the conflict and contradiction of generations manifested through the comprehension of American Dream by Walter Lee. A close introspection into the plot of the play ‘ A Raisin in the Sun’ launches its readers into a plethora where they get the opportunity to comprehend the hardships and the challenges encountered and undertaken by the African–American labor class from 1920s to 1950s. One must definitely take into consideration about the fact that Loraine Hansberry has covered a great span of time in her play, ‘A Raisin in the Sun’. Walter Lee (younger) is present in the play and the readers are aware of

Behavioural Problems and Emotional Disturbances in School Students Essay

Behavioural Problems and Emotional Disturbances in School Students - Essay Example Having even one student with psychological and /or behavioural difficulties means that there will be a breakdown in communications with all the ensuing problems that involves. According to Pravda ( 2000) the National Institute of Mental Health declared that they estimate that there are 12 million American school children with mental illness, and that there are approximately 4 % of American school children have either attention deficit disorder ( ADD) or ADHD - Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder. Similar statistics will apply in other western countries. This means that on average there is one or more such child in every class. Kids Matter ( 2010) states that approximately half of all serious mental health condition shave their beginnings before adolescence. A child with a mental health problem can be defined as being someone with behaviour that is disturbing to themselves or to others and which affects their ability to function socially. In document 3 The American National Sur vey of Children and adolescents ( page 3 1997-2010) breaks down difficulties experienced into four groups. Some of these may seem to be purely physical difficulties , but these can present or add to mental health issues if they cause stress to the children concerned. :- (1) Neurological, as when a child is perhaps especially clumsy, ( dyspraxia) or has a mild degree of spasticity which affects his ability do such things as write clearly or who is frequently dropping things. These children find difficulties using both large and small muscles and could exclude themselves from play as it is just too difficult to catch balls etc. Teachers who are aware of their particular difficulties will be sympathetic to their needs and won’t for instance attempt to force them to undertake athletic tasks which are beyond their physical difficulties and will encourage them in what they can do. Simple things can help such as using special pens , or just winding tape round a normal one to give th em something larger to grip can help. Occupational therapists may be able to give positive advice and support. (2) Cognitive, as when a child is operating at an intellectual level below what might be expected for his chronological age. It is necessary to discover whether there is a particular problem which can be helped. Can the child hear and see clearly perhaps? Regular medical checks for all school children should pick up on such conditions. (3) Language, perhaps a refusal to engage with others. This could be due to depression, anxiety or autism among other possible reasons, including physical ones such as tongue tie or deafness. It can prove very difficult to teach children if they cannot engage and communicate. Teachers need to come up with strategies that encourage to participate, rather than just asking questions of whole classes to which only a proportion of children will respond. (4) Behaviour, e.g an inability to concentrate, or temper tantrums, swearing as in Touretteâ₠¬â„¢s Syndrome, or a constant seeking of attention. However individual children may have any combination of these problems, which the survey reveals are much more likely to be obvious in those in contact with social agencies. A child with autism to whatever degree for instance may have difficulties in understanding because of their difficulties in interpreting

A Brand For Each Brand Position Strategy Marketing Essay

A Brand For Each Brand Position Strategy Marketing Essay The  brand position  or  brand positioning  is how the brand is perceived in the context of competitive alternatives. As brand consultants, when we develop brand positioning statement for clients, we include a target customer definition, brand essence, brand promise, brand archetype and brand personality, giving the  intended  brand position/positioning (as opposed to the actual brand position in the mind of the customer) greater depth. Brand Positioning Basics Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category. It will happen whether or not a companys management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position. But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions. In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the relative competitive comparison their product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing products, in the collective minds of the target market. De-positioning involves attempting to change the identity of competing products, relative to the identity of your own product, in the collective minds of the target market. The Process of Brand Positioning Generally, the product positioning process involves: Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are) Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product space Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product on the relevant attributes Position. The process is similar for positioning your companys services. Services, however, dont have the physical attributes of products that is, we cant feel them or touch them or show nice product pictures. So you need to ask first your customers and then yourself, what value do clients get from my services? How are they better off from doing business with me? Also ask: is there a characteristic that makes my services different? Write out the value customers derive and the attributes your services offer to create the first draft of your positioning. Test it on people who dont really know what you do or what you sell, watch their facial expressions and listen for their response. When they want to know more because youve piqued their interest and started a conversation, youll know youre on the right track. 1) Lifestyle Louis Vuitton Brand Value: up 2% to $19.78 billion The most valuable luxury brand for the past five years, Louis Vuitton  continued to position itself as timeless and authentic. Its focus on its heritage as a travel brand helped it to retain its core customer-the jet setter. The brand increased prices, invested in creativity and heightened the focus on quality rather than compromising its brand value it is a high class brand for the super rich lifestyle. 2) Price Leadership LOreals Noisome brand face cream is sold in upscale beauty shops, whereas its Plenitude brand is available for one-sixth the price in discount stores-even though both are based on the same chemical formula this show the price leadership of LOreal as it is selling products of same formula at higher price at one place and lower at other place. 3) Attributes Iphone Iphone attributes are to provide the best user experience to its users. This smartphone has a faster processor because it has the custom A5 chip, which is the one that users will find on the iPad 2. Consequently the iPhone 4S is faster in processing speeds, downloads, and games. Another benefit it that the iPhone 4S is compatible with CDMA and GSM cellular bands therefore it can be used in more places around the world. Apple features the new Assistant, which has turned the iPhone 4S into a voice recognizing personal assistant. It is very useful to the blind and for hands-free texting, among other tasks. The iPhone 4S comes with a new camera with 8MP with easy editing features such as crop, rotate, enhance, and red-eye reduction. It also features a backside illumination sensor and a bigger aperture, which provides better low-light and The iPhone 4S comes with a new camera with 8MP with easy editing features such as crop, rotate, enhance, and red-eye reduction. It also features a backside illumination sensor and a bigger aperture, which provides better low-light and white balance correction. It also features face detection and image stabilization besides the capability to capture hd. 4) Product class BMW Z4 It is sports convertible car for speed lovers who want something different from Their car. While the brand says its buying audience is very different to its communications audience, it aims to target the 25-44 year old age bracket as part of its strategy to target a younger and broader market. The premium car brand is hosting a virtual vs. reality racing initiative at BMW World today (5 September) offering fans the chance to race F1 driver David Coulthard. 5) COMPETITION PEPSI Pepsi positions itself on points of difference as well as points of parity. Pepsis POD is their forward thinking attitude. I dont believe any of the other cola brands (including Coke) are very strong in that area. This falls into image differentiation. Pepsi has the image of being action oriented and I think that a large part of their target audience associate themselves with the brand because of that image. Pepsi also considers themselves the bold, refreshing, robust cola which Coke and other colas could also claim. These points of parity are product differentiations. 6) Occasion Wrigleys gum Wrigleys gum is an alternative at times when smoking is not permitted. Wrigleys Nicogum would be positioned as Herbal cure and not a drug-based one. To create a distinct image in the mind of the target market Wrigleys will have to educate consumers about the advantages of herbal treatment over a drug-based one. The benefits are, Herbs are provided in natural forms and are not addictive but acts  asa powerful nutritional supplement. Herbs provide physical and  mental well-being andare known to possess tremendous healing properties. Herbs are preferred source of  health care for 80% of the world. It reduces the need of smoking for avid smokers. 7) User Levis Dockers Levis Dockers are targeted primarily to men in there 20s to 40s as people need variety of cloths to wear in the office and college at a reasonable rate which can be purchased frequently and new things add up in the wardrobes. Dockers focused a lot on placing their product creating an authentic in store concept shop for the mens department to create a friendly and accessible environment and make the trial as easy as possible.   The communication strategy at the beginning of Dockers was based on their timelessness, sociability, high quality (wit the references to the Levis) and a classic, not high-fashioned way to wear.   8) Quality Toyota The Toyota name has earned a reputation for quality and integrity, as well as a commitment to responsible management and environmental practices. Ethical behavior extends beyond legal requirements. It means honesty, equity, social responsibility and integrity in everything we say or do.

Ideas inside of us

Wearing headphones or earphones, turning on favorite songs are the best ways to escape from these distractions. Many studies show that some genres of music such as Jazz or Baroque could help the brain signals processing faster. For instance, when listening to a Jazz song, I feel happier, more relaxed and reducing stress. Music really helps my mind regain the energy that I easily continue focusing on the work. The human brain is very smart, but it is also lazy to concentrate for a long time. When doing one thing for a long time, the brain feel bored, hence it easily gets off the track.Some student share experiences that when they focus on study for two or three hours, they feel hardly to keep their mind going on the lesson. Different changes happened however, when they listen to music that helps everything back to its orbit. As a result, music really helps students kept their concentration on studying. Another advantage of listening to music is that music can helps students get creati ve ideas while studying. From joy to ad from happiness to despair, music really has a special ability to leading our emotions.If I need to write a sympathy essay sharing the sorrow with people dying on the war, I should choose a blues ballad song to listen while writing. If am solving an equation in algebra, I need to find a little hard rock of Linking park. Music can simulate students' creativity as a cup of coffee. Listening to music while studying could help students get ideas that they might not realize before. If you want to find something to boost your creative, do not think bout coffee but try some music, it is truly a healthy caffeine medicine for our students.Music leads the emotion and emotion paves the way for creative ideas inside of us. Sometime, you stuck with a problem, find no way to escape the cycle, so you need something helping you get out of that. Let turn on the cellophane, and play some Pop, ideas will come to you. As can be seen, music is an effective medicine helps us get ideas that are more creative. One other advantage of listening to music while studying is that it helps students have a better memory. Our studies prove that Classical or Zen music can help students easily remember the numbers in math or years of history.Music has the ability to transport our memory back in time just like a time machine. Some formulas or sequences students have studied for a long time might be forgotten. Now, they are recalled exactly as learned yesterday thanks for Classical music. Some students cannot remember and revise what they learned because they are under the pressures of the test ahead. In that case, listening to Zen music could release the pressure, slow the heartbeat and inspires students' confidence that help them recall their memories better.Moreover, students will not be bored or stressed when dealing with a long night trying to revise some ideas for a presentation. With a good mood from music, they can better learn facts and lectures tha t they confront for a presentation. Also, fast music affects students' abilities to remember things out loud. In the same way, slow music helps students think more deeply and keep this information in students' memories. Therefore, music is really a helpful tool for students' memories.

Strategic Initiative

If the strategic plan is properly prepared and understood, then the company will continue to grow and thrive. Wall-Mart is a multimillion dollar empire that provides goods and services to communities all over the world. They are able to do this is because they are constantly looking for new ways to keep their business growing while keeping their customers satisfied and coming back for more. In this paper, Team C has developed a strategic planning initiative that will help Wall-Mart appeal In the local community.The strategic plan will help readers understand how financial planning plays a large part in the success and failure of a business by looking at costs and sales in the community, and finally ascribing the risks that are associated with the strategic planning initiative and financial effects they may have on the company. Strategic Planning Initiative Financial planning is about finding out how the business is going to financially in the future. This means that reports from acco unting and other departments have to be correct or else the forecasting will not be accurate.When a business is working on their financial planning they need to prepare a cash budget. Financial planning helps a business to know how the profits will look in the future which In turn will help them plan on other things. This is where the strategic planning comes Into play. The company can plan how much merchandise to receive for parts of ten year. I nee can also Tugged Tort Dulling expansions, malfeasance, Ana toner necessary things. By knowing how much they can spend on certain projects with the amount they have received from the financial forecasting they can budget properly.They can take the time to plan smart and know what they can do for the company and what they cannot do. Wall-Mart is planning on getting their supplies and merchandise from responsible sources. They want to make sure that the products that they sell to their nonusers are safe to eat and that with our busy lives t hey want the products to stand the wear and tear. With the help of the safer and stronger merchandise, Wall- Mart is planning on increasing sales and make sure that they are making the importance of their values known.With this said from the annual report, Wall-Mart is also working with Michelle Obama to make their food products healthier and their produce cheaper. (womb. Anytime. Com) Mrs.. Obama is helping to reduce obesity in children and trying to make foods healthier. Wall-Mart has been meeting with the first dad and are going to take their brand, Great Value, and make it to where it has less fats, sugars, and unhealthy salts. They are going to come out with healthier soups, salad dressings, rice and snacks.Wall-Mart is also trying to get Kraft to follow their examples and produces healthier products. Initiative Affects on Costs The new initiative will not have a major effect on cost for Wall-Mart. Wall-Mart will continue to use its current manufacturers to be able to provide t heir consumers with the most economical prices. Some things that have caused a change in cost for Wall- Mart would be the improvement of labor productivity and also organizational changes that have been made.There may be several changes that may occur in the upcoming year, but with their past experience Wall-Mart is fully prepared to embrace the changes in the most efficient way possible. They will continue to provide better health benefits to their employees and will be more strategic in their advertising. Also, with the Wall-Mart website they are cutting cost by not having so many items to ship and stock in their stores. It also provides their consumers to have easy access to he products which will expand their clientele.Initiative Affects on Sales Wall-Mart's two initiatives that our team focused on are not only driven by expectations of rising sales, but are thoughtful of improving society in small ways. The initiatives focus on improving the health of consumers, helping them to make smarter choices when doing the food shopping. Very aware of the effects of the economy, Wall-Mart is also finding ways to make these healthy choices affordable and realistic. Quality and values are what they are aiming to reveal, being responsible ND thoughtful so that buying Wall-Mart products is an easy and smart solution for better everyday living.With such a strong platform, these initiatives should easily lure American's into one of their 3,804 stores, targeting the common need to live smart and healthy lives on a budget, in order to accommodate the current state of ten economy. â€Å"We are expanding our assortment, re-allocating selling space Ana enhancing productivity initiatives to reduce costs† (Wall-Mart, 2011). By working with suppliers Wall-Mart is aiming to expand assortment in all categories and make the assortment more relevant. We continue to implement productivity initiatives throughout the stores, supply chain and logistics to improve returns. As we s ee top- line sales increase through our focus on IDLE (everyday low prices) and from operational and merchandising improvements, we can further enhance our ability to drive expense leverage† (Wall-Mart, 2011). With cost reduction and commitment to the focus at the core of the Wall-Mart organization, everyday low prices, sales will continue to rise, and the trust and loyalty consumers already show will grow even trotter.Risks Associated with Initiative and Financial Effects As with any business it is important to assess the risks and the financial affects of a business initiative. For Wall-Mart, three initiatives have been identified. The first is purchasing supplies from a responsible supplier. The second is to produce healthier food products in conjunction with the support of Michelle Obama. The third is to promote cheaper produce which will encourage families to eat healthier. The identified associated risks are the possibility of limited resources from so-called expansible suppliers causing Wall-Mart to limit goods that they sell.In addition, there is the possibility of higher cost associated with responsible supplier which will then be trickled down to consumers. Lastly, there is definite risk of botulism or reduced sales associated with purchasing lower quality produce in order to meet their initiative of cheaper produce. With any risk there are also potential financial affects which are the effect of the associated risks. For Wall-Mart they may find that they have to pay more for goods that are form responsible manufacturers and appliers which in turn which trickle down to the consumers causing them to pay more for goods.In turn, causes Wall-Mart to lose customers due to higher pricing. On the other hand if Wall-Mart is able to budget for the absorption of the additional costs and see no price rise to their consumers then they may actually see a financial benefit. Wall-Mart envisions cheaper produce as a potential benefit to its customers and it ca n be but the key to this success will be purchasing cheaper produce that is still quality produce and offering it at an everyday low price to consumers.On the other hand if Wall-Mart offers cheap produce that is not quality produce they may see a reduction in revenue and a loss of customers in this area. Conclusion Wall-mart has over 3,804 stores worldwide, and is the largest leader in retail sales. Wall-mart is able to do this by expanding their business into other countries and providing great quality items to their customers at low prices. The best way for Wall-mart to grow even bigger than they already are is to create a strategic initiative plan that is firm and reliable.