Product Life Cycle Stages Essay Example for Free

Product Life Cycle Stages Essay As consumers, we buy millions of products every year. And just like us, these products have a life cycle. Older, long-established products eventually become less popular, while in contrast, the demand for new, more modern goods usually increases quite rapidly after they are launched. Because most companies understand the different product life cycle stages, and that the products they sell all have a limited lifespan, the majority of them will invest heavily in new product development in order to make sure that their businesses continue to grow. Product Life Cycle Stages Explained The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own characteristics that mean different things for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their particular products. Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a company launching a new product. The size of the market for the product is small, which means sales are low, although they will be increasing. On the other hand, the cost of things like research and development, consumer testing, and the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if it’s a competitive sector. Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits, and because the company can start to benefit from economies of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses to invest more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage. Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the aim for the manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up. This is probably the most competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process which might give them a competitive advantage. Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and this is what’s known as the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who will buy the product have already purchased it), or because the consumers are switching to a different type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be possible for companies to  make some profit by switching to less-expensive production methods and cheaper markets. Product Life Cycle Examples It’s possible to provide examples of various products to illustrate the different stages of the product life cycle more clearly. Here is the example of watching recorded television and the various stages of each method: 1. Introduction – 3D TVs 2. Growth – Blueray discs/DVR 3. Maturity – DVD 4. Decline – Video cassette The idea of the product life cycle has been around for some time, and it is an important principle manufacturers need to understand in order to make a profit and stay in business. However, the key to successful manufacturing is not just understanding this life cycle, but also proactively managing products throughout their lifetime, applying the appropriate resources and sales and marketing strategies, depending on what stage products are at in the cycle.

Media Snatching :: Kidnapping Baby Snatching Essays

Media Snatching Baby snatchings and kidnappings have gotten popular attention in the past decades. Through media exploitation, safety awareness and fear inside of parents have heightened. No longer has an isolated case of a baby snatching become the scare of the day-it is the scare for a child’s first years. Are baby snatching and kidnapping a reality to everyone? Should everyone with a child fear that child’s abduction, or is it only a made up reality within the media? The fear of a baby or young child being abducted is natural and understandable. It is otherwise unfortunate that the media is able to use its power to purport a crime wave on a seemingly low-rate crime. Through extensive media coverage, parents and the world can perceive any place as a possible risk for child abductors. This point is expressed by Furedi when he states, â€Å"The intense level of media attention paid to the rare instances of baby-snatching has contributed to widespread demands for hospital security.† Frank Furedi is not the only person to comment on media coverage spreading angst. One article talks about Guatemala and its people’s fears of baby snatching and then the baby’s body parts being sold in the United States. Even after years of rumors of this type of believed behavior had subsided, a new wave of fear had returned to hit a group of people. â€Å"†¦Rumors about body part sales tap into ‘deep reservoirs of fear and anxietyâ€℠¢ among parents and are widely believed ‘despite total lack of evidence’.† Obviously, this statement is a clear example of how easily the public’s fears are created and manipulated by the media. Once an article or a telecast of some story is released, a public’s perception is changed, no matter if the intent of the media is to caution or to merely inform. This demonstrates the media’s power and how easily the public is a victim whether or not it is the media’s intention. Newspapers, television, magazine articles, and movies are all forms of communication that have contributed to spreading the baby snatching alarm. Not all times are these types of media correct with informing the public viewer. Sometimes the media can be so personable that it is made to seem like it could be happening everywhere and right under the noses of parents. This is an absurd but subtle accusation made by media coverage. For example, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems put out an article on a way of thwarting baby snatchings.

Benthic Marine Ecosystems

The Earth is a delicate web of ecosystems which are interconnected and intertwined and have an impact on the rest of the system. Changes or disturbances to any component of this complex web can have wide carrying serious effects often even on components that are seemingly unconnected. One of the major and important components of this complex and fragile system is the benthic marine ecosystem which plays an important role in maintaining the ecological balance. The Benthic marine ecosystem exists at the lowest level of a body of water of an ocean or a lake called as the benthic zone.It comprises of ‘benthic organisms’ or ‘Benthos’ that live in close association with the soil at the bottom of the water body which is very essential for all their biological activity. Benthic marine ecosystems are often disturbed because of human activity resulting in disturbance to the entire marine ecosystem and ultimately to the overall Earth’s system. Since Benthic ecos ystems form such an integral and important part of the entire ecosystem and have such far reaching impacts it is essential to understand the potential threats to the benthic ecosystems and its impacts.Threats to the Benthic ecosystems and their impacts and comparison to the pelagic ecosystem Human actvities of trawling and by-catch Trawling has always posed a threat to marine ecosystems as there is a lack of selectivity due to the nature of the trawl net and there is capture of a huge and diverse number of untargetted aquatic life called by-catch. This has a serious impact on the chemical , physical and biological nature of the Benthic marine ecosystem. Huge biomass is removed through trawling.This results in reduced marine fish landings and productivity as Benthic habitats house fauna which serves as food to many marine life and provides shelter and protection to smaller fishes. Eg A single passage of the beam trawl is known to kill 5-65% of the resident fauna and mix the top few c entimeters of the sediment. It has an effect that is similar to forest clear-cutting. (Trawling and by-catch: Implications on marine ecosystem , Biju, A. K. &, Deepti, G. R. (2006)) Trawling causes the most serious physical disturbance on the sea-floor.They can burrow deep furrows on the ocean floor, remove corals rocks , stir up sediments, smother benthic organisms creating havoc and destroying a lot of marine life and biodiversity. Dragging of trawl nets and formation of sediment clouds may affect the natural balance between physio-chemical parameters and decreases the dissolved oxygen and the benthic fauna composition . Trawling is known to flush out nutrients and contaminants and release lethal gases such as methane , ammonia hyydrogen sulphide thus affecting the life and mortality of organisms.Benthic communities also play an important role in remineralisation and release of nutrients in marine ecosystems. All this ultimately affects the entire marine ecosystem and aquatic biod iversity impacting the entire ecoystem. However it is seen that the impact of trawling on the pegalic ecosystem is minimal as they are buffered by their physical environment and phytoplanktons and some other organisms which are a major component of this ecosystem are able to vary their cell nutrient content irrespective of environmental changes due to trawling.However it is somewhat difficult to analyse the imact sometimes as some pelagic species depend on benthic communities for food and shelter during the early stages. Also the effect might just be to increase the population of some species when compared to other species that may not have a very significant impact as these species are relatives at the top of the food chain. Eg The Gulf of Thailand showed an increase in the cephalopod species when trawling was done frequently.Stable states are often returned to over a duration of time when trawling is stopped which may not happen in case of benthic communities. Trophic cascades in Benthic marine ecosystems : Fishing Fishing is one of the most exploitative acts of human beings . There are many indirect impacts of fishing other than just removal of target and non target organisms. There are many fishing tools which disturb the benthic natural environment by taking out benthic sessile organisms that provide a critical structural habitat important for the organisms activities.Fishing can cause mechanical effects to the bottom of the water bed by dragging the fishing gear across it resulting in habitat changes and reduction in refuge for animals. Stellwagen Bank, a heavily fished area, was observed in 1993 and 1994 before and after a certain type of fishing gear was introduced. Benthic communities were adversely affected. (Sustaining Marine Fisheries (1999)). Fishing or harvesting in an unplanned manner leads to changes in the population of aquatic life which can disturb the benthic ecosytem . There is a coupling between benthic and pelagic systems both of which a re affected due to this activity.Since benthic fauna and organisms are the target organisms of fish , reduction in their population can result in increase in density and diversity of infaunal species which is a potential threat to the ecosystem. However once the fishing activity is stopped populations do stabilize and return to normal atleast in case of pelagic systems which easily recover. Climatic changes and global warming environment pollution Global warming and climatic changes have a major impact on Benthic communities . Photosynthesis is inhibited due to global warming and ozone depletion in the benthic zone.Solar UV-B radiations are found to impair the reproductive processes of organisms in the benthic zone. It reduces the size of benthic populatons and reduces their mortality. Coastal areas in many countries which are developing rapidly with major ports, tourist spots and pollution in coastal areas result in deterioration of Benthic populations Eg Lebanon. Persistent Organi c Pollutants(POP’s), Radioactive discharges, PCB’s, Oil and Gas discharges and dumping from ships are potential threats to benthic ecosystems. The ill effects of pollution can be summarised into three main ill effects .It can increase the concentration of Hydrogen ions thus increasing the acidity in those ecosytems, it can reach toxic levels that impair the ability of benthic organisms to grow and reproduce, and it can ultimately disturb the entire food web . ( The Structure of Marine Ecosystems, Steele, J. H. (1974. )) It is also seen that in case of pelagic ecosystems it is not possible to analyse exactly the direct effect of global warming and climatic changes on the pelagic species and they can be misleading and inaccurate and effect would be in terms of predator requirements.However it is seen that in case of pelagic phytoplanktons there is decoupling between photosynthesis and nutrient intake Shift in nutrient and bio-chemical ratios will result in changes in the ecosystem. Oftentimes newly introduced species ,such as from ballast water from ships, also pose a threat to benthic ecosystems of an area as they disturb the complex and the delicate food web. Eg the Svalbard area of Norway lists 11 new species( microalgae and benthic organisms) as per the European Environmental Agency. Oil spills from ships and pipeline as well as land-based pollution pose a threat.In the benthic ecosystem hydrocarbon pollution could cause adverse changes such as destruction of species in the lower trophic level, which could be useful in the breakdown processes of carbon , nitrogen and sulphur cycles and also the disturbance to the food web due to extinction of some species. Studies were conducted during the oil spill from the ocean vessel ‘MV River Princess’ regarding the effect of the oil spill on the benthic organisms. ( Ecotoxicological effect of grounded MV River Princess On Intertidal Benthic Organisms off Goa, Ingole, B &, Sivadas, S &, Goltek ar, R (2006).After research and lab tests it was seen that there were reduced levels of oxygen due to reduced benthic biomass and increased respiratory activity by some aerobic bacteria which can mineralize the Hydrocarbons from the oil spill. Population of various fauna were found to be completely altered thus the biodiversity was adversely affected furthur reducing the concentration and mortality of aquatic life. There was a 60% reduction on the number of species available. All these changes had adverse effect on the marine ecosystem. References 1. Biju, A. K. &, Deepti, G. R. (2006). Trawling and by-catch: Implications on marine ecosystem2. Ingole, B &, Sivadas, S &, Goltekar, R (2006). Ecotoxicological effect of grounded MV River Princess On Intertidal Benthic Organisms off Goa 3. Orheim, O. (2006). Protecting the environment of the Artic Ecoystem 4. Grassle, J. F. 1997. Report to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Workshop to Consider the Scientific and Technical Aspects of a Cens us of Marine Benthic Species. 5. Steele, J. H. (1974). The Structure of Marine Ecosystems. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 6. Sustaining Marine Fisheries ,(1999), Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources ,Ocean Studies Board

Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Shows...

Growing up is different for everyone. Some people are given everything that they want; others have to work for even the one meal they might get a day. This is something that has gone on for as long as humans have walked this Earth. In the novel’s by Mark Twain you get to see both sides of this, the more wealthy side of growing up in Tom Sawyer and the more poor side being Huck Finn, even though these completely different characters end up being friends, you would never think they could be. They become friends through all of the adventures they go on. If you were tell either of them what they were doing was dangerous neither of them would care, they did not see any danger in what they were doing because they loved the adventure side of it†¦show more content†¦The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that really can touch you in a lot of ways and one of those ways is the friendship between Huck and Jim. While on the raft that they had created Huck and Jim got a lot of bonding time and throughout these days and nights they got to know one another very well. This was a weird relationship because of how Jim was a slave and Huck was not. At the beginning of this story Huck just thinks of Jim as property that could not talk, feel or be a human being. He just does not think this because Jim is who he is, it is the culture that he grew up in. Blacks were not people, just property. By the end of this book Huck sees Jim as a real human being and that is a big part of this book. This is how Huck tells us that he sees Jim as his equal and not below him, the way that almost everyone else looked at him. This is a great way to describe how Huck’s and Jim’s relationship was by the end of the book. Huck was not going to just leave Jim after everything they have been through and he ended up using a lot of time and effort in order to try and free him. Although, he was already free because Miss Watson had died and she had set him free. Huckleberry Finn really transformed from a boy to a man throughout the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Huck starts off the novel being aShow MoreRelatedThe Concept of Race in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain631 Words   |  3 PagesWithin his criticism of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gregory Fowler uses examples from both the book and Mark Twain’s own life to discuss the different ways in which racism has morphed. Instead of analyzing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn critically and solely, Gregory Fowler critically analyzes parts of the book and its effect to prove the different ways in which slaver morphs through the uses of allusions, exemplifications, and anecdotes. Fowler’s opening paragraph consistsRead MoreTwain And Huck s Intersecting Childhood1318 Words   |  6 Pagesand Huck’s Intersecting Childhood Mark Twain is the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is a humorous and heroic book about a boy, Huckleberry Finn, and a slave, Jim, that run away in order to help Jim gain freedom. Along the way, they run into many troubles and obstacles, but they keep going no, matter what. Their story is heartwarming, controversial, and very famous. Twain uses his own childhood experiences in his books; such as how Huck Finn grows up, the main characters, religionRead MoreParent Figures in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1398 Words   |  6 PagesName Course Course Instructor Date Parent figures in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck indirectly searches for a home among the different characters, with whom he interacts. The theme of parental figures is core to this piece of work. There are different characters, which represent parental figures. These are important to Huck, as they help to shape him into a man. The characters that are a representation of parental figures include Jim, MrRead MoreEssay on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Not a Racist Book578 Words   |  3 Pages Is the Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Racist or Not? The book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist book. The main arguments against it are the characters’ personalities and the dialect they used. This book is criticized by Twain critics and on the top ten ban list for school reading material. If people just concentrated on the main plot of the story, instead of the fine details that makes the novel realistic, they would agree that the accusation of this novel being racist is ridiculousRead MoreAnalysis Of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn 1679 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of an Important Character Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about growing up, facing the world, and fighting for what’s right. Huckleberry Finn matures greatly throughout the book, and Tom Sawyer plays an important role in showing this change. His character allows the reader to see Huck’s increase in maturity throughout the story. Tom is the constant, his immaturity not changing from the beginning to the end of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, while Huck is the changing variableRead MoreEssay on A Brief Biography of Mark Twain1322 Words   |  6 PagesSamuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835. Clemons grew up in a town called Hannibal, Missouri. Here Sam Clemens saw an array of different type of people pass through his town. People such as: gamblers, entertainers, thieves, and even slave traders that influenced his childhood memories. We see traces of his rugged hometown deeply embedded with southern tradition. Clemens was known as a mischievous boy that smoked, led of crew of pranksters, and often played hooky from school. AtRead MoreThe Revolutionary Novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain1533 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the most controversial pieces of American literature; loved by many but detested as well. It is arguably one of the most important bildungsroman, and one of the first modern pieces of literature. The novel addresses issues such as slavery, racism, religion, and social consciousness, in a way that no one could write about it, except Mark Twain. Not only does it address these issues, it also satirizes them, which is what makesRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2083 Words   |  9 PagesSatire in Huckleberry Finn In the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, we are told a story about a young boy and his slave companion’s journey down the Mississippi River and all of their encounters with other characters. Twain constructed a beautiful narrative on how young Huck Finn, the protagonist in the story, learns about the world and from other adult characters, how he is shaped into his own person. At the time this book was made however, this novel provided serious socialRead More Mark Twains Writings and Race Essay1954 Words   |  8 PagesMark Twains Writings and Race Samuel Langhorne Clemens, whom readers know as Mark Twain, has written many novels including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876; The Prince and the Pauper in 1882; Puddin’ Head Wilson in 1883; and Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which was completed in 1883 (Simpson 103). Throughout Mark Twain’s writings, Twain had written about the lifestyle in the South the way it was in truth and detail. Mark Twain was not predjudice in his writings,Read MoreLiterary Analysis: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1756 Words   |  8 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.† (Twain, ix) Mark Twain opens his book with a personal notice, abstract from the storyline, to discourage the reader from looking for depth in his words. This severe yet humorous personal caution is written as such almost to dissuade his readers from having any high expectations