Lessons learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lessons learned - Essay Example Unity is the focus on a single idea. Coherence is the intelligibility with the aid of logical and verbal bridges (Purdue OWL, 2007, para 5). Logical bridges are formed when the idea is carried from sentence to sentence. Verbal bridges are formed when keywords are repeated across the paragraph. "A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with" (Purdue OWL, 2007, para 8). This is a very good example of a topic sentence for a paragraph that describes the importance of the topic sentence. However, this need not necessarily be at the top of the paragraph. In a paragraph, transition sentences are used to connect ideas. A transition used at the end of a paragraph will help the idea flow easily to the next paragraph. Content is undoubtedly the most essential feature of writing, however, what makes the content presentable is grammar and mechanics. The mechanics deal with the conventional rules of writing while grammar with the forms of words and how they relate to each other. For example, using apostrophe in a plural or a singular word (boys' or boy's) is a matter of mechanics, not grammar. Also, choosing the right rhetorical strategy is essential for powerful writing. Exemplification is the strategy of using facts, and description is that of detailing (Shulman, 2004, para 2). Narration, process analysis, comparison, classification, definition, cause-effect analysis and argumentation are others that can be used in different appropriate combinations for different topics. Having chosen the topic, thorough research leads to in-depth knowledge which, again, adds conviction to your writing. Information can be gathered from what others have written (books, journals, etc.), said (interviews, discussions , etc.) and made (software, organizations, etc.) (Dix, 1997, para 16). You have to be aware of the limitations, authenticity and suitability of your chosen methodology. If written sources suit scientific research, it may be a survey that suits market research. The study of the techniques and strategies and the practical assignments have helped immensely in improving my writing from being just prosy to being more powerful, convincing, interesting and effective. References Dix, A, (1997). Research techniques. In Research and Innovation Techniques. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/dixa/topics/res-tech/intro.html Shulman, L. E. (2004). Rhetorical strategies of essay writing. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/rhetoric.htm APA and Styles Academic writing is a result of in-depth research into already published sources, relevant references, logical interpretation and subjective summarization. There are several established and accepted styles for writing, the rules of which are to be diligently followed

Healthcare Service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Healthcare Service - Assignment Example The vast services provided by the company consist of: brain injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, tracheotomy, long-term ventilator support, genetic neurological condition, Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease, and palliative care needs. The centres primarily function to provide top notch assistance in the recovery of patients. Capio emphasises on the provision of comfort and maximisation of individual capabilities. To further improve its services, the company promotes unlimited duration regarding the recovery period necessitated by the patients. As a private healthcare provider, Capio is operated through investments. It is, therefore, logical for the administration to seek for higher profits. Basically, survival in the industry requires sufficient profits to ensure that operations are maintained. Meanwhile, the nature of the company suggests that managers have to provide their share. In fact, the efforts of managers in determining the problems and providing efficient solutions will determine the success of Capio. Although the company appears to have robust operations, there are several aspects that have to be analysed in the efforts to improve profitability. Indeed, strategies are required and plans are needed to set the firms in the right direction. Regularly, the clinical managers and finance executives gather to discuss profit enhancement schemes. Part of the meeting tackles the major concerns of the company specifically the detriment to high income. The highlights of the meeting detailed several alarming circumstances. Part of these is the rising cost in operating the centres. In this circumstance, the role of the manager is to appraise the situation and create possible measures to prevent and mitigate adverse effects. The manager has to constantly communicate with the different entities involved with the firm. Most instances suggest that problems have to be viewed holistically. This approach, however, appears to be limited as some concerns are better comprehended specifically. Overall, the manager has to ensure that the functions of the centre remain within the context of its existence while evolving to a profit driven section of the company (Davidmann, 1998). The manager is provided with several approaches to resolve the current demise. In particular, traditional methods appear to be effective boosting the revenues of the centre. Also, modern strategies are useful in increasing the profit of the centre (Blanchard, 1994). It has to be noted that the manager has to follow processes and procedures. In addition, cooperation derived from other entities of the company is a major boost in the profit maximisation initiatives. Primarily, the centre is concerned with the exceeding cost incurred because of the operations. The two major contributors to the increase are the staff cost and the medical consumable. Accordingly, the use of agency staff has increased the burden of the centre. In addition, medical consumables have increased by 64% compared with the figures registered during the previous year. Basically, these are problems that will adversely affect the outcome of the net profit. Increased costs both in materials and in labour are valuable reductions to the revenues obtained for the year. Other important aspects that were revealed as a result of an investigation involved procurement and stock management. Based on the results of the investigation, the procurement process is independent from the

Gender inequity in sports

Gender inequity in sports This essay will seek to describe the issue of women in sports, and discuss the reasons for this, with relevance to some of the concepts covered in this course. It will also go on to discuss the improvements and positives observed in recent years, and explore some other possible measures to improve the situation in the future. 2. Background In Ancient Olympics, competitive sports were masculine affairs. While males compete to show their prowess, women were prohibited to even watch competitions, much less compete. Quite simply, even in this day and age of supposed equality and meritocracy, sport still remains a male domain, especially on the community level. Even with improved opportunities and treatment, there is still an invisible barrier between sport and the everyday woman. In the next section, this essay shall explore some of the reasons for this situation. 3. Reasons 3.1 Introduction to Gender Ideology in sports The concept of ideology is one that we take for granted, or rather, something we do not even think about. It refers to the ideas and explanations we have been given since young, to explain personal and social life. We have been using our ingrained ideologies to make decisions and judgments ever since we could, without ever questioning or knowing them. In addition, Taylor (1994) mentioned that our identities are formed based on dialogical relations with our significant others. In other words, the complexities of our identities are not formed through cultural identification alone (monologic model) but through the interactions with people who are important to us. Gender, even more so than race or class, is a pivotal organizing factor in social life. While a persons sex is decided by physical characteristics such as genitalia, gender is a social construct formed and shaped by the society (James A. Banks).It is the fundamental way humans classify each other. Thus, we are especially reliant on gender ideology and it is extremely influential on how we organize our thoughts, actions and lives, and how parents bring up their offspring. The deep-rootedness of gender ideology means that everyone makes decisions based on it, from children, teenagers, parents to people in power. Gender ideology plays a big role in how sport has been carried out throughout the ages. The idea that men are supposed to be strong, aggressive, fast and competitive is reproduced in many sports. Conversely, women are not encouraged to play sports because the above traits are not associated with women (womens athletics: coping with controversy). Thus, a woman exhibiting the above traits would be going against the gender ideology that most people submit to, and this would make her an anomaly. A woman would have to cope not only with her community seeing her as not feminine, she also has to deal with lack of resources and financial support because her politicians also have the same ideology and do not support women in sport. Fortunately, the situation has considerably improved from the past. 3.2 Gender Ideology: dominance and stereotypes The fact that males are the dominant group is also accepted by most as part of their understanding of gender ideologies. This is correspondent to John Clammers point that social inequalities are seen as natural and hence not to be tampered with. Thus, sport has also suffered as a consequence of the dominant group pulling the strings and the subordinate group accepting it as it is. In the catalogue of marginality as discussed in Tatum (1997), gender is one of the categories of dominance and subordination. The dominant group, in this case male, are seen as the norm for sports. This element of identity is therefore taken for granted, giving males the power and authority to control females, who are members of the subordinate group. As a result, the inequities go unnoticed by the males. Furthermore, the stereotypical representations of the males may lead females to focus on their difference from the norm and lose belief in their own abilities and equal rights to sports. Tatums point about the catalogue of marginality is also relevant to the situation. Members of the dominant group, in this case males, take it for granted and do not notice the inequities. Whereas Tatum says that members of the subordinate groups, in this case females, further focus on their difference from the norm and lose belief in their abilities and equal rights to sports. Peoples submission to gender ideologies has led to the persistence of certain stereotypes. A simple example would be the one where girls are supposed to like pink and boys are not supposed to. This can be seen from the fact that the majority of girls schoolbags are sold in pink color, and boys bags can be in any other color but pink. This may seem harmless enough, but consider it that people also submit to the idea that boys like to do sports, girls do not. Or worse still, boys need to do sports to become manly, but girls do not need to, thus they do not need to do sports. This is a common idea perpetuated by many, unknowingly, due to their deep-rooted gender ideologies. As parents give a football to their sons and a doll to their daughters, they are again passing on the wrong message to their children. Although some may argue that parents are giving these gifts based on their childs interests, research has shown that girls and boys between the ages of six and nine are actually equal ly interested in sports. (XXX, intro section) The ideas that women are weak, vulnerable and susceptible have also led to other myths preventing women from taking part in sport. The media, another institution controlled by the dominant group in society, males, have assisted in perpetuating the following myths about women who play sports that they become unfeminine, develop eating disorders, suffer more knee injuries because of weaker female anatomy, and become lesbians. (XXX, intro section) These myths may sound ridiculous to the women of today, but these were real reasons women in the past were prevented from taking part in sport. And definitely, there are families around today who are not supporting their daughters sporting interests due to the fact that women are weak and should not be partaking in vigorous activity. Even within the sporting arena, less rough and less demanding sports were created for women e.g. netball and softball. In the case of netball, basketball was deemed too aggressive and manly, thus, a non-contact s port where players were not allowed to touch each other and leave their boundaries was created for women. Even if girls do persevere in sports, they often find themselves playing with boys and in the minority (need paraphrase). Based on the above circumstances mentioned, girls lack opportunities to play and develop motor skills. As a result, the rate of girls (by age 14) dropping out of sports is six times higher than boys. In such situation, boys do not positively reinforce the participation of girls. Clammer (?) hypothesized that reinforcing of the category race as the dominant mode of social classification is a product of the dominant ideology in Singapore. In this case, males are being reinforced Reinforcing of male as a dominant force in sport reinforces gender as a dominant mode of social classification. The creation and reinforcing of race as the dominant public mode of social classification is itself a product of the dominant ideology or political culture, which is strongly Chinese in its characteristics. 3.3 Gender ideology: Trivialization of women in sports The media, as described above, is another controlling arm of the dominant group in society, and has a big part to play in the trivialization of womens sports. Up till as recent as the 1990s, horses and dogs were accorded more column inches in US sports pages than women. And even now, 90 percent of all sports television hours are devoted to mens sports. Womens events are seen as less important and are less likely to be covered by the media. Only in major competitions such as the Olympic Games, or feminine events such as ice-skating and gymnastics, do we see the achievement of female athletes. And there is a lack of inspirational and positive stories about the triumph of female athletes. All too often, male reporters sensationalize stories of women athletes who challenge men, of women athletes being stabbed or abused, or of women athletes dying from eating disorders. Another way both the media and spectator trivialize womens sport, is seeing it as second rate because women do not have the same power and speed as men. People who persist in such ideas feel that since women cannot perform to the same physical standards as men, they do not deserve the same support. This is an example of how members of the dominant group dictate what the norm for humanity is (Tatum). Although top women athletes have also excelled in their sport through discipline, skill and finesse, some are still not according women with equal recognition. Charles Taylors point of misrecognition comes into focus here. In this case, those who are trivializing womens sport are not giving equal respect and dignity to women, though like men, they are also human beings. Womens efforts in sports are being misrecognised as inferior and not worthy of appreciation. 3.4 Gender Ideology: New factors The gender ideologies that privileged sport as an exclusive male domain and resigned women as weak are not as strong as in the past. However, gender ideologies about the general role of men and women in society are still hampering the progress of women in sport today. Consider a household in this day and age; typically, both husband and wife would be pursuing careers. And still, it is the wife who is the one who has to shoulder the responsibility of childcare and housekeeping. This means, during her limited free time, a working mother who may have the interest and inclination towards sports has to sacrifice her time for her household instead (Teo, 1999). The male in the household still has more freedom for athletic and leisure pursuits, due to the longstanding ideology that women are the housekeepers. 4. Improvements and positives As aforementioned in portions of the essay, the situation has improved considerably over the years. The global womens movement over the past thirty years has helped to challenge the traditional roles that women have and weakened male control over womens lives. The movement has also emphasized that womens lives are enriched when they develop themselves physically and intellectually. These ideas and changes have aided in emancipating women especially in developed nations, encouraging them to participate in and pursue sports. (sport in society) Specifically in the sports arena, there have also been leaps of improvement in the quest for equal rights. In the United States, since Title IX was passed in 1972, women have had a legal basis to push towards equity in college and high school sports. Of course, equity is still not a reality in terms of facilities, programs, funding, and media coverage. But there has been encouraging signs; participation, peer, and self-acceptance of womens sports have all increased in the past 10-15 years. (women, sport and culture). To cite a recent example, the Pakistani womens cricket team won Pakistans first Asian Games gold medal in eight years an achievement that would not have been possible if women in the country did not have decent access to sports (Chang, 2010). This milestone points to the need for even better reform of ideologies and better opportunities for women in developing countries. Achieving gender equity through a multicultural education Multicultural education is a reform process which features the importance of all students despite gender and other social categories having equal opportunity to school (Banks). Stereotypical gender differences in sports have denied girls participation in physical activities. In physical education context, a PE teacher has to understand that the dynamics of gender can influence ones knowledge of students. Failing to do so may result in simplistic prescription of pedagogy (Grant). Teachers being aware of stereotypical perceptions of females in sports can correct the misconception amongst girls that sports is not for them. This can be done through modifying their teaching approaches to encourage girls in class that they can also excel or benefit in sports. 5. Conclusion Although sport participation and the acceptance and support of female athletes has increased exponentially since the late 1970s, future increases are not a given And even now, the reality is that women in some societies still struggle against the traditional gender ideologies that hamper their participation in sport. In developed countries, gender inequities still exist in support, funding, and sport-related jobs. To further effect change, the gender ideologies that are related to sport must be put out onto the table and examined, before any subsequent action can be taken. (sports in society). Multicultural education is a platform for achieving greater gender equity in sports.

More Sympathy for the Creature than Frankenstein Essay -- Mary Shelley

The novel, Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley and was first published in the year 1818. Although it was supposedly a failure at the time it was released, (a time of many scientific advances, especially in human anatomy), the novel has never gone out of print and certain questions about the book have never, and most likely, will never be answered. In the essay I hope to give my view on the question: which of the two characters does the reader have most sympathy for, Frankenstein or the creature. Victor Frankenstein’s narration of the novel immediately puts the reader into his exclusive mindset, and therefore we are only given his feelings and his perspective on the events. This being so, we are more easily able to sympathise with his predicament. For instance, we are able to find sympathy for him at the news of his brother’s death, and indeed the rest of his family. The suffering that Victor goes through here is characteristic of this type of gothic novel, and is common in romantic fiction. We also feel sorry for Victor as he had â€Å"worked hard for nearly two years† in the process, ruining his health and depriving himself of rest, only for the â€Å"beauty of the dream† to vanish with the animation of the creature. He uses personification to make his â€Å"dream† seem more important, and to make his loss more sharply felt. Of course, Victor’s narration adds emphasis to his suffering, something that he does not do when referring to the creature, or if he does it is to emphasise the creatures â€Å"inhumanity† etc. If it were the creature narrating, I believe that the events would be given in a more two sided fashion. Victors narration changes the perspective in which we perceive the novel. Victor is constantly seeking to gain more sympath... ...e of language of Montavert, indicates that he bears the creature hatred, due to his use of words and phrases, â€Å"abhorred monster, fiend that thou art!† words such as â€Å"fiend† sound especially harsh due to the use of the letter F, followed by a vowel. Also the word: â€Å"abhorred can be elongated to give a similar, disdainful effect. I believe that the creature is far more worthy of sympathy than Frankenstein , especially at the beginning before he has committed any crimes. At this stage he is entirely innocent, and so any hatred towards him is irrational, just like hatred towards a newborn child is irrational. However Frankenstein shunned the creature, and this act is extremely hard to forgive, many of Frankenstein’s other mistakes are entirely forgivable, and are part of being human, but this act, was truly monstrous, making Frankenstein impossible to give sympathy to.

Roles and Functions Paper

HCS 325 Roles and Functions Paper 10/22/12 The four major functions in managing health care accurately are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Managing health care is important especially for employees and your place of business (Lombardi). These factors ensure quality service without any rest stops or burdens being an issue. Within the health care field, employees usually have trouble with communicating with the higher authority due to issues and lack of time.Planning is important to ensure that goals are being set and that the future looks brighter than what it already is. Planning comes along with meeting needs and focusing on the employees well being. Organizing is ensuring that all things are done and made on time (Hagemann). Organizing comes along with ensuring that there is no time to make residents/patients wait for care. Leading is one of the most important parts of management because this can leave a reputation that either looks good or bad.This is the time wher e employees should offer suggestions and speak up on any problems that they may have on the job. This is also the time to set goals for employees to meet by a certain period. This gives the manager time enough to challenge those who work under him so that he/ she can get a hint of what assignments should be given to what employees based off how they perform. Controlling is very important because this way everyone is following guidelines and rules along with working as a team rather than individual performance.Employees should be able to call on one another to help each other out so that no one feels left behind or less than. (Hedlund) The most important role for a health care manager and leader throughout a diversified health industry is to maintain balance meaning always be sure that everyone is comfortable as well as equality towards each individual. The manger should have different innovative ways that will cover a diversified health care industry. I will love to gain more inform ation about how to be more of a leader than a manager in a health care setting. T * The References * Lombardi, D. N. , & Schermerhorn, J. R. (2007). Health care management: Tools and techniques for managing in a health care environment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. * Hagemann, Bonnie; Stroope, Saundra. T+D. Jul2012, Vol. 66 Issue 7, p58-61. 4p. 1 Color Photograph * Hedlund, Nancy; Esparza, Angelina; Calhoun, Elizabeth; Yates, Jerome. Physician Executive. Sep/Oct2012, Vol. 38 Issue 5, p6-12. 6p. 1 Color Photograph, 1 Diagram. Roles and Functions Paper Managers in the health care field have many important roles and functions. As the health care system continues to evolve, sound management is critical to the survival of health care institutions (Johnson, 2005). Every manger’s main duty is to succeed in helping the organization achieve high performance while utilizing all of the organization’s human and material resources (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Mangers in the health care field must strive to improve daily operations and make future planning on ways to improve efficiency and productivity. According to Lombardi and Schermerhorn (2007), on a daily basis health care managers must recognize performance problems and opportunities, make good decisions, and take appropriate action. This is achieved by using the process of management; planning, organizing, controlling the use of resources, and leading to accomplish performance goals. One of the day–to-day responsibilities of a health care manager is informing the team members about what is expected of them. Health care mangers must also recruit, train and develop team members (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Other responsibilities are the following: coordinating with other teams, plan meetings, figure out the work schedules, and clarify goals and tasks. The most important responsibility of a health care manger I believe a health care manager has is to ensure that each team member has the tools he or she needs to be productive. Mangers must also take on certain roles in order to ensure that team members are being productive. There are three categories that the roles of a health care manager fall in; interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Interpersonal roles involve interactions with people inside an outside the unit (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). Informational roles of a health care manager involve giving, receiving, and analyzing information. Finally, the decisional roles of a health care manger involve using information for decision making, problem solving, and addressing opportunities (Lombardi and Schermerhorn, 2007). The most important role of a health care manger I believe is giving, receiving, and analyzing information because communication between management and team members ensure that the needs and wants are being met. There are many responsibilities and roles a health care manger must fulfill. The most important responsibility of a health care manger I believe a health care manager has is to ensure that each team member has the tools he or she needs to be productive. The most important role of a health care manger I believe is giving, receiving, and analyzing information because communication between management and team members ensure that the needs and wants are being met. By completing this course I hope to learn more about the responsibilities and roles of health care mangers. I would also like to apply what I have learned while taking this course to my work habits, so that I can improve my management skills.

Symbolic And

Their efforts seem to have paid off, as evidenced by the enduring well-defined, and strong images of some of the world's popular brands (e. G. Marlboro, Ivory, Pepsi). In line with this evidence, theorists and practitioners (CB. Gardner and Levy, 1955; Park et al. , 1986; Rise and Trout, 1 986) have recommended that developing, communicating, and maintaining a brand's image is crucial to its long-term success. 32 Brand image important The importance of a brand's image in its long-term success necessitates having a framework for strategically managing the image over the long term Park et al. , 1986).Brand managers have had very little direction for setting up such a conceptual framework. One notable exception is brand concept management (BCC) proposed by Park et al. (1986). BCC proposes that every brand image should be based on a brand concept or a brand-specific abstract meaning. In its general form, a brand concept can be either symbolic or functional, and thus comprises one aspect of a brand's image. Functional brands satisfy immediate and practical needs. Symbolic brands satisfy symbolic needs such as those for self-expression and prestige, and their racial usage is only incidental.For example, in the category Of wrist watches, the brand Cassia would be considered a functional brand since its usefulness lies primarily in its ability to tell the time correctly. The brand Moved, on the other hand, would be considered a symbolic brand since it is used primarily for its status appeal, and its ability to tell the time is only an incidental reason for its usage. Once a concept is selected for a brand, park et al. (1986) advise that it should be maintained over the brand's life for sake of consistency. Symbolic or functionalWhile the notion of brand concept management is intuitively appealing, the proposition that brands can be either symbolic or functional in their appeal to consumers raises a number of interesting issues. The first issue is whether symbolism and functionality are two distinct concepts or are two ends of one brand concept continuum. In addition to the uniqueness of these two concepts, park et al. (1986) assume that each of these concepts is unidirectional. Whether that is really so has not been examined in empirical research to date.Also, to our knowledge, no measures or scales have been plopped that would assess whether a particular brand is symbolic or functional. Thus, empirical research has not directly examined these related issues. An understanding of such issues would also be very useful to marketing managers in planning positioning strategies for their brands. In this exploratory study, a set of scales are developed to assess a brand's symbolic and/or functional value to consumers. In the process, we JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 up. 2-43 @ MAC UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0736-3761 examine the issue of distinctiveness and dimensionality of the two brand incepts. Two schools of thought Brand concept Backgro und There is a long tradition of research into human needs and motivations. While there are a large number of theories and models that explain the nature of human motivation for consumption behavior, a simple typology would suggest two distinct schools of thought. The rational school or the â€Å"economic man† model suggests that consumers are rational and try to maximize total utility.They do so by buying products based on objective criteria like price per ounce or gallons per mile (Coffman and Kane, 1994). In arriving at this excision, consumers generally go through a variety of cognitive operations that include deciding the importance of each attribute in a product category, gathering information about competing brands' attributes, judging the levels of each attribute in competing brands, and finally using a judgment rule to decide on the optimal brand (for an exhaustive review of the information processing literature, please see Bateman, 1979).A number of researchers, how ever, contend that the rational model is appropriate only for goods which consumers value for their tangible and utilitarian benefits, and does not adequately capture their motivation for consuming products that satisfy their emotional wants (CB. Levy, 1959; Ditcher, 1960; Holbrook, 1980). For example, Hiroshima and Holbrook (1982) note that the rational model does not capture the multistory imagery, fantasy, fun, and emotions associated with the consumption of some products.They refer to this type of consumption, based on individual tastes and intangible product benefits, as hedonistic consumption. Thus, in contrast to the rational or information processing approach, the emotional or hedonistic school holds that consumers' motives are motional in nature. In this perspective, individuals use personal or subjective criteria such as taste, pride, desire for adventure, and desire for expressing themselves, in their consumption decisions (Coffman and Kane, 1994). Consumer behaviorist's have long recognized the importance of both types of motivations (CB.Katz, 1960; Metal, 1983). Empirically, several researchers have noted the existence of these two different types of motivations and the different product attribute categories that tap into these motivations (CB. Metal, 1988; Metal et al. , 1990; Sahara and Siring, 1991). Thus, both theory and research support the idea that consumers' needs are driven by functional/ utilitarian as well as by symbolic/expressive motivations. In keeping with this tradition, park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) noted that consumers' needs could be classified as being either functional or symbolic.They assert that functional needs are related to specific and practical consumption problems whereas symbolic needs are related to Selfridges and social identification. To tap into these two different types of needs, Park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) proposed that all brands should have a â€Å"brand incept†, which is an overall abst ract meaning that identifies a brand. They suggested that a brand concept be either symbolic or functional, thus tapping into consumers' symbolic and functional needs respectively. Park et al. S (1986) brand concept management framework advises managers to select a specific concept for a brand at the time of its introduction and then use the marketing mix to support and reinforce it over the brand's life. This helps consumers understand with clarity what a brand can do for them. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 33 Functional or utilitarian deeds The existence of different types of motivations among individuals suggests that within most product categories, consumers' needs could be either functional or symbolic in nature, and brands could be positioned to satisfy either of these two types of needs.Thus, functional or utilitarian needs of consumers could be exploited with a â€Å"functional† brand, I. E. One positioned with a functional brand concept or meanin g. Similarly, a brand could be positioned as a â€Å"symbolic† brand to tap the needs of those who wish to enhance their self-image or their social image. Park et al. Rather argued that brands should be positioned to appeal to either one of these types of needs, but not both, for a number of reasons. A brand concept that is both functional and symbolic poses problems for consumers because they cannot clearly relate the brand to either their functional or their symbolic needs.In addition, it increases the number of competing brands and makes brand image management difficult. This argument, however theoretically compelling, has not been tested in empirical research. In one related research, park et al. (1991 ) Were able to show that nonusers' reaction to functional extensions of functional brands was more favorable than their reaction to prestige extensions of functional brands. In the same study, consumers also displayed a more positive reaction to prestige extensions of prest ige brands than to functional extensions of prestige brands.Please note that, in this study, the authors assumed that brand concepts could be either functional or prestigious (not symbolic). Unanswered questions Several questions, though, remain unanswered. Are functional and symbolic brand concepts adequately distinguished in consumers' minds? If so, what are mom characteristics that help in distinguishing these brand concepts? Is the prestige of a brand an adequate representation of a brand's symbolism to its customers? Are functionality and symbolism merely the two ends of a continuum?In any event, is there a mechanism to assess the functionality or symbolism of brands? The paucity of research to illuminate these issues resulted in this study. This study was set up to answer the preceding questions: to investigate the phenomenon of the functionality or the symbolism of brand image and to develop scales that would help classify a brand as functional or symbolic. Apart from the the oretical contributions, the issues raised in this study have a number of managerial implications for brand positioning.Method In line with this study main objective of exploring the issue of brand mage functionality or symbolism, scales containing items thought to measure a brand's functional or symbolic value to consumers was developed. The scale was validated by testing the scale's ability to discriminate between brands a priori identified as functional or symbolic. Correlations among the items in the scale and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the data were seed to investigate the dimensionality of brand functionality and symbolism.Stimuli lie Pairs of brands were identified in a few commonly used product categories, such that one brand in each pair was, a priori, thought to be functional and the other symbolic. In other words, the first brand was thought to primarily satisfy functional needs whereas the second brand was thought to mainly satisfy the symbolic needs of consumers of the product category. The pairs of brands which were selected are shown in Table l. 34 Product category Symbolic brand Functional brand Watches Role Timex 2 Sports shoes Nikkei Converse 3 Cosmetics Lana ¶me Amiability 4 Hair cream Paul Mitchell Suave 5 Ice cream Hagen Dads Scaliest Table l.Item generation Adjectives or phrases thought to indicate a brand's symbolism or functionality were first generated by the authors and a focus group of graduate students at a university. The focus group noted the difficulty of coming up with adjectives describing functional or utilitarian appeal. Based on these processes, three adjectives and phrases were identified as relating to functionality and 17 as relating to symbolism. Three sets of questionnaire items Three sets of questionnaire items were developed for the 20 adjectives and phrases.The first set of questions sought respondents' agreement with various statements about individuals' use of a brand to express themselves. Th e second set of items sought respondentBrand symbolism The 17 adjectives and phrases representing brand symbolism were assessed with three sets of items. In the first set of items, respondents were to agree with these statements: (1) â€Å"people use (brand) as a way of expressing their personality'; (2) † (brand) is for people who want the best things in life†; (3) â€Å"a (brand) user stands out in a crowd†; and (4) â€Å"using (brand) says something about the kind of person you are†. The second set of items sought to evaluate these brand characteristics: (1) hemolytic; (2) prestigious; (3) exciting; (4) status symbol; and (5) distinctive v. Invitational. The third set Of items evaluated these characteristics Of the brand's user: (1) sophisticated v. Simple; (2) not at all v. Very romantic; (3) not at all v. Very successful; 35 (4) unique v. Ordinary; (5) stylish v. Plain; (6) expressive v. Subdued; (7) glamorous v. Sedate; and (8) not at all v. Very ele gant. Survey design and administration Two separate questionnaires were prepared with questions on five of the ten stimulus brands such that each questionnaire contained questions about one f the brands within a product category.Thus, a subject would answer the above questions with respect to either a symbolic brand or a functional brand within a product category but not both. This procedure was used to eliminate any comparative biases in responses. The survey was administered to 62 graduate students at a major south-eastern university. Rest Its Analysis of correlations TO obtain a preliminary idea of the pattern Of relationships among these items, the correlations among the items were first examined.