Health is a condition of mental, physical and social well being where infirmity and illness are absent. It involves the capacity for enjoyment of life and proper management of the body’s processes and reactions to external stresses. The concept of health has received many modifications throughout the years. Today, it is known as an essential concept for our understanding of ourselves and the universe. A well-rounded healthy lifestyle is essential to achieve health.

It was the British philosopher John Locke, who laid the foundation for today’s concept of general well-being. According to him, “health refers to the condition of being able to enjoy life”. He believed that there are three levels or facets of health, physical, mental, and social, and they are interdependent. A healthy individual has all the aspects of health, while an unhealthy individual has only one or two of these three facets. These facets of health are described in a comprehensive framework by the Public Health Service.

The framework is made up of six main aspects, each of which contributes to the overall health status of an individual. These aspects are physical factors such as immunity, nutrition, active breathing, limb strength, muscle tone and flexibility. Mental health services are also included here. They include the ability to understand and manage one’s environment, distress, social support and feelings of self worth. The last factor, heart disease, can be considered to be an affective aspect of individual behavior and therefore a critical aspect in improving health.

There are many determinants that have been used to determine health status. Some of the prominent determinants are the following: general health, the presence or absence of any chronic illnesses, prevalent emotional problems, and the existence of social problems. These determinants were used to categorize different categories of individuals according to their health status. Some of these categories are categorized as internal, external, and inter-related.

The categories further divided into three broad groups namely, individual-level, family-level and society-level. Each of these was determined by the prevalence and intensity of social determinants. For example, if an individual has developed a social determinant for unhealthy eating habits, it would be expected that his/her health outcomes would be affected by it. On the other hand, a healthy individual with no history of eating disorders would not likely to develop them. However, this does not mean that all determinants are equally important. Some determinants such as the availability of resources may have an impact on health outcomes, while others like genetics are more influential.

Despite the differences in health status, there are also stark differences in health promotion activities and in their impact on health. This is reflected in the existing discrepancies between health status and health promotion. Most organizations are committed in improving the health of the entire population. Programs focus on reducing health disparities and achieving the targets set by governments. These programs aim at creating awareness about health risks and promoting healthy lifestyles.

If you have not heard of Toto before then you must have come across it recently. It started off as a traditional rice plantation business in the late 1890’s. By the early twentieth century, Toto had established itself as a major manufacturer and exporter of sugarcane. Its wide range of products, including sugarcane, rubber and petroleum products, have made it a major global player in the clothing and footwear industry.

Toto has several facilities in Japan such as showrooms, factories and depots where they display their wares. Most of their products are sold under the name of “TOHO” (abbreviation for Toilet) or “TO” meaning toilet and we will use them interchangeably with their Japanese counterparts. These Japanese facilities generally produce a small amount of products a year but a great deal of them are exported to various parts of the world. Most Japanese companies do not employ labour force from abroad.

The company is led by a few individuals namely; Hiroyuki Takahashi, Minoru Okumura and Hidehiko Yamazaki. They are all active members of the “Gai” (company) and are ex-employee’s of leading Japanese firms. It was founded to meet the growing demand for high quality Japanese toiletries by maintaining a record of their manufacturing processes. Over the years, the company has expanded its product range to suit the ever-growing market demand for eco-friendly toilets.

There is a wide variety of Toto toilet models in the market that are suited to different budgets. The range of “Toilet tots” includes traditional, contemporary, functional, theme-based, luxury, back-to-schools, green and biodegradable varieties. Amongst the “Toilet tots”, the latest product to be launched by the company is the “Kake-chan” which is considered to be the first self-cleaning toilet. The company further plans to launch more new toilet products throughout the coming years. As per its marketing strategy, Toto believes that with proper marketing and promotion, Toto will definitely be able to attain a position of strength within the global toilet market.

The company is also working on the joint venture with other companies from Japan and Korea to produce more “Toilet tots” and to promote the product in the domestic market. There is no doubt that the demand in Japan for eco-friendly toilets will be continuing to rise with time. This is one of the reasons why Toto believes that it will be a good idea to develop its own toto toilet brand so as to retain its competitive advantage over the other companies.

Apart from the domestic market, Toto has also entered the European market with the launch of its line of toilets called Toilet des Flotsam. It is believed that the firm has spent a lot of money for the research and development of these toilets. The European market has a large number of environmentally friendly people who use toilet seats. Toilet seats manufactured by the company are expected to find a niche in the market. However, it is very important to remember that not all companies have equal performance.