Contrasting Differences Between “the Cooperative” and “Hsbc Plc” Free Essays

string(65) " correct management of their expectations and agreed objectives\." The purpose of this essay is to explain and analyze contrasting differences between â€Å"The Cooperative† and â€Å"HSBC plc†, and to explain its stakeholders. At the end I will explain and evaluate their mission aims, objectives and impact of their companies. The simplest form of ownership and possibly the most common too, is sole-trading, which is owned by one individual. We will write a custom essay sample on Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc† or any similar topic only for you Order Now Possibly this individual opened his company by using his savings or quite commonly by means of a bank loan. He is capable of running every aspect of his business and is solely responsible for is business.Most multinationals generating billions of pounds per year of our days started as sole-trading companies. Partnerships are the next evolutionary step. They are owned by two or more individuals, usually specialists who join venture. As sole-trading all parties contribute privately towards the business’ capital through savings or bank loans, usually profits are shared depending on how much capital was invested by each party. There can be partners who usually do not take part in the running of the company called sleeping or dormant partners they mainly invest and share the profits.Private Limited Companies (Ltd) are companies whose ownership is divided into equal parts called shares, who own these shares in turn are called shareholder, only by consent of all shareholders can shares be sold to a particular buyer and usually who owns more shares ultimately has majority of the decision making. This type of company is considered to be an entity of its own, the owners only run it. Public Limited Companies (Plc) follow the same principle has Ltd companies but they must first of all, raise sufficient capital, minimum of ? 50,000. 0 by selling its shares in the stock market . A minimum of two directors, two member s and a qualified secretary are needed to trade as a Plc and its directors must provide statutory documentation to the companies house. Cooperative Companies are raised through an association between individuals united usually by socio-economical factors. Capital is raised privately and no matter how much one shareholder invests in contrast with others, shareholders he or she has only one vote, meaning this every shareholder has the same power. Democracy is the cornerstone of this type of company.Shared responsibilities towards decision planning policy making and aims of this company are done by every member, capital is owned in common property of the cooperative. Main advantages are equally shared ownership, equally shared profits depending on how much invested social and economic awareness services and products, environmental awareness. Main disadvantages can be financial control, management effectiveness poor planning, `and longer decision making less trust in the cooperative ideology. Franchises are defined as trading under the name of a third party company. The franchiser gives a license to the franchisee to trade under its name. Its main characteristic is how the business is ran, the franchisee owns and operates the business but the franchiser maintains control over the products or services sold, its marketing, quality and standards of the entire business. The two companies I will talking will be The Cooperative which falls into the cooperative type of company and HSBC Holdings which is under the public limited company category. HSBC Holdings exist to provide financial services worldwide.The Co-operative are democratically run by members to meet their common needs and aspirations Their main reason is not chasing profits like other types of ownership businesses, but the ability to steer their products and services in a more responsible direction. The Cooperative provides food and retail products, financial, funeral care, legal, pharmacy and travel services. HSBC Holdings provide a range of financial services, personal, commercial, corpo rate investment and private banking customers. The Co-operative is run by over two-and a-half-million of members who share on how the businesses are run.HSBC Holdings is run by a board of directors but the owners are the investors and shareholders who have bought the company’s various types of shares. HSBC Holdings is an entity of its own, meaning it has legal rights and responsibilities and is used in such way to conduct business totally in the interests of its shareholders who invest their capital and the employees who contribute towards the company with their labour. The Co-operative is defined as being an association of individuals who voluntarily unified to meet common cultural, social and economic needs.They come to be a democratically owned and controlled business. Its members have a say in how the business is run, by attending meetings, voting for their representatives, this way members influence policies, both at ethical and operational levels. The level of influence is irrespective of how much a member invests, it can be one pound or one hundred thousand pounds. Stakeholders are individuals or groups who contribute voluntarily or involuntarily with their wealth to create profitable businesses. They are the potential beneficiaries or risk bearers of their business.They can be active or non-active representatives members in their companies. Commonly these days stakeholder term is used to represent individuals or organizations who have legitimate interests in projects or entities. The concept of stakeholder can be more widely used to include other forms of individuals or organizations that may not take part in benefit or profit sharing but still have a â€Å"stake in the business involved, this can be employees, pressure groups, customers, suppliers, communities, governmental bodies.HSBC Holdings, and The Co-operative have various types of stakeholders and the ones with a direct influence over the company are the internal stakeholders. In the case of HSBC Holdings these are the owners, board of directors, and employees. In the case of The Co-operative these are the owners, board of directors, employees’ and its members who actively are encouraged by the company to take part in the running of the business. The mportance of stakeholder is to support its organization in achieving its strategic objectives, by interpreting and influencing the external and internal environments and creating positive relationships, the stakeholders through correct management of their expectations and agreed objectives. You read "Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc†" in category "Papers" This management is a process that must be planned and guided by the principles stipulated by the stakeholders. In the case of the Co-operative we can see their entire business in managed in accordance of all their members.Has the business was created to help and support communities all their stakeholders from directors to staff members have the same influence on how the business is run. Most importantly all its shareholders agree the main factor of the company is to provide goods and services at reasonable prices, ethically viable and do not look for profit margins with the exception to stay in business and grow. HSBC Holdings believe their success is the only outcome required by their shareholders if not their stakeholders would not invest, good employees would not want to work for them and the customers would not want to bank with them. They want to be the largest international financial institution, have a cosmopolitan customer base and to have considerable financial strength. Except for The Co-operative whose stakeholders do not necessarily look for profits, like HSBC Holdings, both cases owners and senior staff look for performance and direct their business according to their aims and objectives they want to get a good return on their investment, non-managerial staff mainly look for quality and security of jobs, good pay of rates, job satisfaction, good benefits promotion prospectus.Their main external stakeholders even if not necessary for this essay I feel it is important to explain their importance too, governments look for low employment risks and ability to gain profits through taxation, trade unions look for working conditions, wages and legal requirements, customers for quality, value and more recently for ethical services or products and local communities who want to be involved in their business and expe ct job security, expect environmental and social issues best interests to be answered.Both companies have been around for more than a century, both believe their stakeholders internal or external have a fundamental importance in their companies both have different objectives and aims but, similarly both believe in managing their business in a sustainable way and taking responsible attention in their decisions to be successful in the long term. They have taken very different routes simply because the aims and objectives expected by their stakeholders are not just that.Creating aims and objectives is no easy task especially when both terms have vague distinctions and imprecise definitions. All business has a hierarchy which usually starts from their mission statement to their aims and finally to their objectives. Objectives give the business clear defined targets it is a detailed picture of the business and plans must then be setup to achieve the objective in question, they are stated into measurable targets using â€Å"S. M. A. R. T. † definition-. †-Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic and Time. Objectives can then be considered medium to long term goals required by a business to maintain its path these are the strategic objectives, the day -to-day or short-term objectives are called tactical objectives they help the strategic objectives being accomplished. Aim is the goal or general statement a business wants to achieve. They are important in developing implement and evaluate a business future. Aims are long term plans necessary for a business and where businesses objectives derive.Usually businesses may have several aims and objectives, all simply depend of the nature of the business. The most common can be to make profit, survive, expand, break even, improve quality, competitive value, and more recently, more and more business aim to be environmentally friendly. All of these help any business to be able to stay, in business. Objectives and aims provide a clear structure for all of the various activities that an organization carries out.Measuring how well an objective have or not been achieved, managers can make necessary arrangements to their activities to ensure progress and achievements of the stated mission statements, aims and objectives are followed. Aims and objectives within an organization are established at a number of levels from top level corporate objectives, all the way down to team objectives and individual objectives that create a framework for operational activities.An example could be the customer service department of HSBC Holdings which aims to satisfy customers, and the marketing department which aims to identify customer’s needs. HSBC Holdings mission statement is â€Å"We are the world’s local bank† meaning they want to be the largest international emerging markets bank, widespread international network focus on a unique international customer base and have unq uestioned financial strength. To achieve this their aim is to run a sustainable usiness in long terms, to do this they want to give their stakeholders sustainable profits, have and build long-lasting relationships with their customers, value their employee, respecting environmental boundaries and investing in communities. The Co-operative mission statement is â€Å"From community projects to a share of the profits, we’re good for everyone†. They believe in providing ethical services and goods from banking travel, pharmacy, legal services, funeral care, food and on-line shopping only in the United Kingdom.They are a group who base their aims on their ethical values, influencing this way the way they do business. Their aim in this way is to show good quality products and services do not have to come at the expense of honesty and social responsibility. We can see HSBC Holdings and The Co-operative mission statements, aims and objectives focus their business in maintaining their purpose. Both businesses believe in sustainability of their employees, communities and environmental values but differ on how their profits are shared and who runs the business.The Co-operative by being managed in a democratically way focus its aims and objectives in ethical issues, in the interests of all their internal and external shareholders. HSBC Holdings most important aim and objective are actually to produce profits for their internal shar eholders and expanding worldwide. Bibliography: www. hsbc. co. uk -Accessed more than once www. thecooperative. coop -Accessed more than once Tutor Handouts: http://go. guildford. ac. uk/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_9140_1%26url%3D How to cite Contrasting Differences Between â€Å"the Cooperative† and â€Å"Hsbc Plc†, Papers

New Media Network Communication and Internet

Question: Discuss about the New Media for Network Communication and Internet. Answer: New Media The content that is available in the internet on demand and is accessible from any digital device from any location is termed as the New Media. The New media usually involves the users actively and feedbacks are taken from the user to constantly evolve the technology (Bagdikian, 2014). It is much like social media where the user feels free to share their views and comment on any ongoing topic. Some of the examples of new media are: wikis, social media, blogs, online newspaper sites, video games, etc. The new media are differentiated from the old media based on the novelty and the oldness. The new media is digital whereas the old media is analog. The new media have the characteristics of customization, networkable, interactive and compressible (Madianou Miller, 2013). The New media is often mixed with Cyber culture but they are different things. The cyber culture is the social phenomenon associated with network communication and internet but the new media deals with the paradigms and cultural objects like digital to analog TV. The New Media uses digital technology for execution and distribution of the media (Bagdikian, 2014). The New media is the new form of media art and with the help of computers there is a faster calculation and execution of the task that makes the new media to represent new techniques which previously does not exists. New media can be used for many purposes like distribution of the platform, digital data control by the software, etc. References Bagdikian, B. H. (2014).The new media monopoly: A completely revised and updated edition with seven new chapters. Beacon Press. Madianou, M., Miller, D. (2013).Migration and new media: Transnational families and polymedia. Routledge

Counseling And Psychotherapy Essays - Clinical Psychology

Counseling And Psychotherapy Counseling v. psychotherapy is there a difference between the two? This paper will attempt to prove that there are several differences between counseling and psychotherapy. While counseling and psychotherapy have several different elements in each, the following information will also attempt to show the reader that there are some areas where the two overlap. At times this was a confusing topic to research. A fine line distinguishes the two topics and one must look hard to see this line. Definition of Counseling One survey taken by Gustad suggests a definition of counseling where he included three key elements. Counseling is a learning-oriented process, carried on in a simple, one to one social environment, in which a counselor, professionally competent in relevant psychological skills and knowledge, seeks to assist the client by methods appropriate to the latter's needs and within the context of the total personnel program, to learn more about himself, to learn how to put such understanding into effect in relation to more clearly perceived, realistically defined goals to the ` end that the client may become a happier and more productive member of his society (1957, p. 36). In lay terms counseling can be described as a face to face relationship, having goals to help a client to learn or acquire new skills which will enable them to cope and adjust to life situations. The focus is to help a person reach maximum fulfillment or potential, and to become fully functioning as a person. Definition of Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is the process inwhich a therapists assists the client in re-organizing his or her personality. The therapist also helps the client integrate insights into everyday behavior. Psychotherapy can be defined as "more inclusive re-education of the individual" (Brammer& Shostrom,1977). Objectives of counseling The objectives of counseling according to the Committee on Definition, Division of Counseling Psychology, American Psychological Association are to "help individuals toward overcoming obstacles to their personal growth, wherever these may be encountered, and toward achieving optimum development of their personal resources" (Arbuckle, 1967). In a paper written by Dr. T. Millard, it is stated that "Counseling provides clarity and a positive and constructive venue for the individual to sensibly examine the instinctive-emotional and rational (or irrational) motives which determine the drive, content, and even the form of human conduct." This shows the part which counseling plays in a clients treatment. Objectives of psychotherapy According to Everett Shostrom (1967) , the goal of psychotherapy is " to become an actualizer, a person who appreciates himself and others as persons rather than things and who has turned his self defeating manipulations into self fulfilling potentials (p. 9). Shostrom also feels that awareness is the goal of psychotherapy, "The reason is that change occurs with awareness!" (1967 p. 103). Shostrom feels that awareness is a form of non-striving achieved by being what you are at the moment,l even if what you are means the phony manipulative role that we all play sometimes for external support (1967 p. 103). Professional opinions Not all therapists feel that there is a distinction between counseling and psychotherapy. C.H. Patterson feels that it is impossible to make a distinction, He feels that the definition of counseling equally applies as well to psychotherapy and vice a versa. Donald Arbuckle (1967) argues that counseling and psychotherapy are identical in all essential aspects. Others believe that there is a distinction. Psychotherapy is concerned with some type of personality change where counseling is concerned with helping individuals utilize full coping potential. IN Donald Arbuckle's work he included Leona Tyler's thoughts on the differences between counseling and psychotherapy. Leona Tyler attempts to differ between counseling and psychotherapy by stating, "to remove physical and mental handicaps or to rid of limitations is not the job of the counselor, this is the job of the therapist which is aimed essentially at change rather than fulfillment (Arbuckle 1967). Differences between counseling and psychotherapy One of the major distinctions between counseling and psychotherapy is the focus. In counseling, the counselor will focus on the "here and now", reality situations. During psychotherapy, the therapist is looking into the unconscious or past. A psychotherapist is looking for a connection of past to undealt with problems which are now present in the real world. Donald Arbuckle states, "There is a further distinction to be made. This involves the nature or content of the problem which the client brings to the counselor. A distinction is attempted between reality-oriented problems and those problems which inhere in the personality of the individual" (1967, p.145). Counseling and psychotherapy also differentiate when it comes to the

Free Essays on Hcg

.K. You have been on an awesome 4-month cycle of Sustanon and Dianabol. You’ve gained a massive 20 lbs, and are extremely pleased with your results. You can’t stop looking in the mirror. But there is a problem now starting to eat away at you. You are going to run out of steroids very soon (you know you need a break anyway), and your testicles are the size of raisins. Your body is producing less testosterone than a 9-year-old girl, and you are scrambling to figure out what to do to avoid a nasty post-cycle crash that could potentially strip away some of your hard-earned muscle. The opinions on how to restore endogenous testosterone production post-cycle seem to be different everywhere you look. What option is best? Without an understanding of exactly what is going on in your body, and why certain compounds help to correct the situation, choosing the right post-cycle program can be quite confusing. In this article I would therefore like to discuss the role of anti-estroge ns and HCG during this delicate window of time, while detailing an effective strategy for their use. The Axis The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis, or HPTA for short, is the thermostat for your body’s natural production of testosterone. Too much testosterone and the furnace will shut off. Not enough, and the heat is turned up, to put it very simply. For the purposes of our discussion here we can look at this regulating process as having three levels. At the top is the hypothalamic region of the brain, which releases the hormone GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone) when it senses a need for more testosterone. GnRH sends a signal to the second level of the axis, the pituitary, which releases Luteinizing Hormone in response. LH for short, this hormone stimulates the testes (level three) to secrete testosterone. The same sex steroids (testosterone, estrogen) that are produced serve to counter-balance things, by providing negative feedback signals ... Free Essays on Hcg Free Essays on Hcg .K. You have been on an awesome 4-month cycle of Sustanon and Dianabol. You’ve gained a massive 20 lbs, and are extremely pleased with your results. You can’t stop looking in the mirror. But there is a problem now starting to eat away at you. You are going to run out of steroids very soon (you know you need a break anyway), and your testicles are the size of raisins. Your body is producing less testosterone than a 9-year-old girl, and you are scrambling to figure out what to do to avoid a nasty post-cycle crash that could potentially strip away some of your hard-earned muscle. The opinions on how to restore endogenous testosterone production post-cycle seem to be different everywhere you look. What option is best? Without an understanding of exactly what is going on in your body, and why certain compounds help to correct the situation, choosing the right post-cycle program can be quite confusing. In this article I would therefore like to discuss the role of anti-estroge ns and HCG during this delicate window of time, while detailing an effective strategy for their use. The Axis The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis, or HPTA for short, is the thermostat for your body’s natural production of testosterone. Too much testosterone and the furnace will shut off. Not enough, and the heat is turned up, to put it very simply. For the purposes of our discussion here we can look at this regulating process as having three levels. At the top is the hypothalamic region of the brain, which releases the hormone GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone) when it senses a need for more testosterone. GnRH sends a signal to the second level of the axis, the pituitary, which releases Luteinizing Hormone in response. LH for short, this hormone stimulates the testes (level three) to secrete testosterone. The same sex steroids (testosterone, estrogen) that are produced serve to counter-balance things, by providing negative feedback signals ...

Sales Manager at Omnico, Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sales Manager at Omnico, Inc - Case Study Example From the report, Buddy identified that Omnico’s position was very low when compared to other industries. It indicated that the firm’s salespeople had not been maintaining a long-term relationship with their customers. Based on recent financial reports, Buddy concluded that acquisition of new potential customers would be more expensive. Hence, realizing the significance of customer retention, he tried to convince his sales people about this matter. However, some of the subordinates opposed to his opinion and argued that intense follow up activities would negatively affect the sustainability of the business. In addition, they added that customers would re-buy from Omnico only when they were satisfied with the company’s products and services; hence Omnico’s product lines would be the main factor that affects the sales volume. Buddy’s concepts seem outdated for it does not have much significance in modern industrial sectors. He conceptualizes business strategies on the ground of his 35 years’ experience. In the words of Fifield (1998, p. 290), market and marketing trends have recently changed a lot as compared to last two decades. In olden days, continuous follow-ups and salespersons’ potential determined the sales volume because customers did not have sufficient information regarding various products and services. Therefore, the marketer’s communication skill and customer relationship influenced the market to a large extent. In contrast; subsequent to the growth of high-tech communication facilities like internet, nowadays customers are well aware of the products and services offered by modern marketers.  

Relationship between the subject you have chosen and the Bible Essay

Relationship between the subject you have chosen and the Bible - Essay Example It has been conjectured that the Hebrew Bible assumed its present form around the second century AD (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Interestingly, those believe in the Bible contend that it is perfect and that though science has been subject to errors, no such defect is to be found in the Bible. These people further contend that whatever pertaining to science is mentioned in the Bible, is totally accurate (Encyclopaedia Britannica). God provided man with considerable information in the Bible, and only now has science started to catch up with this information. The Bible is correct when it discusses even the most difficult subjects in nature or physics. God was favourably disposed to the patriarch Abraham, whom he promised at Genesis 13:16 to provide with innumerable descendants (Let Us Reason). Cosmology was nothing new to the Hebrew Bible, which clearly states at Genesis 15:5 that the stars are uncountable. This is reiterated at Jeremiah 33:32, which declares that the stars cannot be cou nted. At this juncture, it should be noted that these biblical quotes related to a time when there were no telescopes. At that stage of development, man was able to number the stars. For instance, Hipparchus, arrogantly declared that the number of stars was 1,026. This was increased to 1,056 by the Roman Ptolemy after 150 years (Let Us Reason). Moreover, in the year 1608, Galileo invented the telescope, which brought about a rapid increase in the number of stars seen by man. Around 100 billion stars have been seen with modern 200 – inch telescopes, and this is with regard to just the Milky Way, our galaxy. The number of stars is overwhelming, given that there are billions of galaxies (Let Us Reason). This indicates the foresight of the Hebrew Bible. Modern high powered telescopes have led astronomers to the conclusion that there are more than 100 billion stars in our galaxy and that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. The number of stars has been es timated by Henry Morris to be at least 1024 stars (Let Us Reason). However, it has been contended that the Bible has contributed significantly to the development of modern science. Biblical content could be interpreted either to confirm or oppose scientific claims. There was no uniformity of interpretation and the extant requirements would dictate the interpretation to be made. During the 16th and 17th centuries, important changes were made to the interpretation of the Bible (Harrison 115). Consequently, the previous practice of allegorical interpretation was being discarded for interpretation that was based on the historical or literal sense. At this juncture, Protestant reformers and humanist scholars brought about a system of interpreting nature on the basis of taxonomic and mathematical considerations (Harrison 115). One of the books of the Hebrew Bible or what the Christians term the Old Testament is the Leviticus. This book was written before 1400 BC. It provides a description of the value of blood. Thus, Leviticus 17:11 states that ‘‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul (Clarifying Christianity).† This depiction is mirrored to some extent by science, which states that blood transports water and nourishment to the cells of the body, controls the temperature of the body, and

Positioning And Differentiation Strategies

Positioning And Differentiation Strategies The increasing competition that organizations are experiencing in the face of globalization and innovation has of late resulted to them seeking to enhance their competitiveness. This has been achieved through application of various management as well as marketing strategies. Some of those strategies are meant to enhance organizations as brands of choice through effective brand positioning. Consequently, differentiation has also become crucial as one of the key means of effectively positioning organizations relative to their competitors. In that respect, this analysis identifies UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. Group as two organizations in healthcare industry for analysis on their application of positioning and differentiation strategies. The analysis notes the best practices in positioning and differentiation strategies application as well as compares and contrasts the strategies application by the two organizations. Body Organizations Overview UnitedHealth Group is a parent company to various health insurance and health care service organizations. It is the second largest publicly traded US company in health insurance providing healthcare services worldwide in healthcare consulting, specialty services and healthcare management. Serving over 75 million people globally, the organization has a large scale advantage extending across its product lines which helps it attract new hospitals in its members list and in negotiating for low prices. The companys service is divided into two main business lines; Health benefits and Health Services with UnitedHealth care delivering Health benefits while Optum is in charge of Health services. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) On the other hand, WellPoint is among the largest health benefits organizations in US. The organization has over 36 million members in its affiliated health plans as well as 67 million being served by its subsidiaries. It offers a wide range medical services and products. (WellPoint, 2013a) Positioning Strategies Organizations are experiencing increasing changes in information technology, globalization and market competition that is changing the business landscape calling for them to implement effective positioning strategies to enhance their competitiveness. (Njuguna, 2009) Consequently, organizations apply positioning strategies which refers to the applications they use in defining their services and products to customers minds against the competitors brands. (Karadeniz, 2009) This is due to the fact that, positioning is a key element in the modern day marketing being crucial to organizations in growing their customer base as well as the brand equity. (Manhas, 2010) In that respect, an effective positioning of an organization involves considering: The target market. The difference with competitors. How the difference can be communicated to customers. The value of the difference to customers. (Manhas, 2010) In addition, organizations employ positioning strategies that seek to identify and address brands positioning and differentiation from comparing brands, identify opportunities for potential markets to introduce new brands and reposition the existing ones as well as identifying the underserved segments that the existing brands serve. (Gwin Gwin, 2009) Organizations also employ experiential positioning as a strategic process seeking to understand clients desires and needs and providing services that deliver certain experience and communicates an organization promises to clients in a different way from competing brands. (Padget Mulvey, 2009) Positioning strategies should follow the process of creation of competitive advantages, selection of the right competitive advantages and choosing a competitive positioning strategy. It also entails engaging in effective communication to the target market. (Kardeniz, 2009) In that respect, UnitedHealth and Wellpoint position their services to customers depending on transaction factors, packaging, availability, pricing, advertisement, and benefit factors. The strategies applied also depend on composition factors defining the quality of service and their consistency. (Manhas, 2010) Positioning their brands also relies on brand communication which seeks to help clients identify the source of the brand. They use distinctive qualities of their brands as additional stimuli to the brand name including color, symbols, taglines and advertising styles. (Ramoniuk et al, 2007). The positioning strategies applied by UnitedHealth and WellPoint include: Positioning within the market through differentiation of a product or service. In this case, the differentiated service share attributes to the competitors service but are superior in differentiated attributes. Positioning through creation or establishment of a new market from the competitors, a strategy that uses differentiation attributes to give a perception about the services different attributes from that of competitors. (Mita Bettman, 1989) In this consideration, UnitedHealth Group positions itself as an organization with all connections relevant to the healthcare including that of right doctors and patients, between right patient data and physicians, between right information and consumers as well as between patients and their needed medicine. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) The organization has also established itself as the national exchange centre for essential information entrusted with the globally largest clinical data. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealth also sets itself as a leader in healthcare technology system. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) Example is the organizations Health Coverage through which it directly provides various health insurance plans to students, families and individuals aged below 64 years through Golden rule Insurance. Through this service, the organization positions itself as a preferred service provider for the target segments. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) WellPoint WellPoint seeks to make health care easier through improvement to their system as well as improving the clients healthcare access. (WellPoint, 2013a) The organization uses health affiliated companies and healthcare plans to drive innovation, empower customers as well as control healthcare costs. (WellPoint, 2013a) Differentiation Strategies In a bid to establish competitive advantage, UnitedHealth and Wellpoint delivers services that provide valued features of quality, reliable delivery and flexibility. (Spencer, Joiner Salmon, 2009) It also entails developing of added value through remarkable differentiation to set the service apart from their competitors. Their differentiation is a component of their positioning strategies. (Barna Chapman, 1986) In that respect, their well positioned brands through differentiation bears the qualities of being different, creative and striking. (Karadeniz, 2009) Their products and service differentiation as a means of effectively positioning themselves has benefits in that brands have to be differentiated from the competitors for them to attract clients. In addition, it enhances their ability to maintain market share since more differentiated brands have loyal customers who are not much sensitive to competitors brands. (Ramoniuk, Sharp Ehrenberg, 2007) However, differentiation is dynamic in that, the porters generic differentiation strategy has developed to strategies including differentiation through service innovation, marketing and image management and customers responsiveness as ways of responding to environment complexity. (Spencer, Joiner Salmon, 2009) Thus organizations seek to establish their positioning through application of various types of differentiation that include service differentiation in which the service has different attributes from that of competitors, price differentiation and niche offers that establish segments which are different from the mass market. In addition, they carry out differentiation through added services by providing extra services which motivate customers as well as service differentiation through communication. (Grimm Malschinger, 2010) In that respect, United Health seeks to position itself through differentiation in its service provision through innovation. An example is the Health4Me mobile application that offers consumers health information regarding benefits, registered nurses information as well as physicians and hospitals locations. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealths cancer care is differentiated in transaction through a payment model that bundles payments to ecologists ensuring continuity of the patients care as well as improving their healthcare quality. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealths iPlan integrates health reimbursements accounts with highly deductible health plans. This expands ordinary plans to include employer groups health savings accounts. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) United Health also has differentiated service delivery through its care coordination. This channels resources to physicians and consumers eliminating the prior authorization. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) On the other hand, Wellpoint applies some differentiation to its service delivery with an aim of effectively positioning itself as a competitive healthcare service provider. Some of the differentiation strategies applied are noted below Operating in an industry where physicians face the challenge of having to incorporate a huge volume of articles and data into practice and putting them in operation in their patients care. In this respect, WellPoint has in collaboration with IBM established the IBM Watson application program that helps doctors analyze huge volume of data and get results in less than three seconds which has enhanced the organizations ability to deal with complex cases. (WellPoint, 2013b) Wellpoint also provides their clients with an online feedback tool through which they provide feedback on their experiences with physicians as well as rate their services. (WellPoint, 2013b) Wellpoint also provides a virtual enrolment centre which provides customers with a platform to engage the organizations employees. Through the platform, customers can also access benefit plans, healthcare plans as well as prescriptions information. (WellPoint, 2013b) Thus both organizations seek to position themselves as preferred healthcare service and benefits providers. To achieve this UnitedHealth seeks to focus on the target markets needs of healthcare information by offering differentiated service which has more information provided as added services and through healthcare education through Optum insights. On the Other hand, Wellpoint seeks to position itself as an organization whose services are easier and effective to access. This is done through the various innovations aimed at making consumer experiences as efficient as possible. However, both organizations have some similar strategies in their focus on effective utilization of healthcare data to position themselves as efficient providers of services based on informed decisions. This is clearly visible in UnitedHealths utilization of its large healthcare data while WellPoint utilizes the IBM Watson application program to access and analyze large volume of healthcare data. (WellPoint, 20 13b) Conclusion The analysis has demonstrated effective positioning as crucial in establishing successful brands that are capable of effectively competing in face of increasing rivalry in the healthcare industry. It has also brought out the need for firms to identify their target markets, their competitors brands competitiveness as well as their ability to deliver value to their target markets as a means to positions themselves favorably relative to their competitors. Differentiation has also come out as a key element of positioning strategies as it seeks to set an organizations brand apart from the competitors through various differentiation strategies. In conclusion, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Group have been demonstrated to be applying some similar positioning and differentiation strategies as well as contrasting strategies in a bid to set their brands as unique compared to the competition brands. Consequently, the strategies application has had a significant impact with both organizations having established themselves as the brands of choice in their respective locations and being nationally ranked position one and two in terms of market share and performance.