From Production Line to Segmentation of Production Essay Example for Free

From Production Line to Segmentation of Production Essay 1. Introduction Competition has changed: Technical Innovations, globalisation of markets, cultural shifts within societies and new and efficient competitors put strain on the organisation of production within a firm. Many markets display a state of saturation that leads to a change in growth: Not quantitative growth is what firms are aiming at, but qualitative growth (Wildemann 1998:1). The improvement of the production is one way to establish qualitative growth its means are twofold (at least): First, it is possible to change the production in order to produce a better output with less cost. Second, it is possible to synchronise production and market as to enable the production to react quickly to changes in the market, i.e. the consumer behaviour. One way to reach both aims is to reorganise the production, i.e. to segment the production: With the establishment of product oriented production units a cheaper production is possible (Maier 1993: 25). Economics owe the focus on the segmentation of production with all its advantages to Wickham Skinner (1969, 1974 and 1986). With his book The Focused Factory he provided the ground for what is nowadays discussed under the headline: segmentation of production. Skinner did not develop a new insight in efficient ways to produce; he transferred to the American and European auditorium what has been practiced in Japan since the beginning of Industrialisation. This paper deals with change; with the change in the way cars are manufactured. A car manufacturers production unit until now divided into different production lines has to be transformed into segmented production. This is a big change; a change, which has to be dealt with in other words, it, is a case for change management. The scope of this paper is therefore not limited to displaying the advantages of a segmented production (which nevertheless will be done in chapter 2), but extends further to the management of the respective change. Chapter 4 is devoted to the change management: How should the new organisation of production be implemented? What problems may occur? What solutions to the problems can be provided? These and more questions will be put and answered in chapter 4. In chapter 3 a brief overview of change management within the (alleged) broader framework of project management will be given. Chapter 5 sums the results obtained in the previous chapters and evaluates the va lue of change management. 2. Efficient production with segmented production units Segmentation of production is according to Wildemann a holistic approach, aiming at a better market- and product orientation of the firm (Wildemann 1998: 31). Therefore, it is necessary to link production units to a specific product. By that, the relation to Skinner is establish, who discovered the focussed factory for the Western Economies: a companys competitive strategy at a given time places particular demands on its manufacturing function, and, conversely () the companys manufacturing posture and operations should be specifically designed to fulfil the task demanded by strategic plans (Skinner 1969: 138-139). A focussed factory means accordingly flexible reactions to market changes and the cost efficient realisation of strategic plans, e.g. the development and introduction of new products. The focused factory is not a big factory. It is rather a small one where the different production units are linked to a specific segment of the market a specific product: A factory that focuses on a narrow product mix for a particular market niche will outperform the conventional plant, which attempts a broader mission (). Its [the factorys with the narrow product mix] equipment, supporting systems, and procedures can concentrate on a limited task for one set of customers. () Such a plant can become a competitive weapon because its entire apparatus is focused to accomplish the particular manufacturing task demanded by the companys overall strategy and marketing objective (Skinner 1974: 114). Given the fact (provided it is a fact) that smaller firms or factories are compared to bigger firms or factories and with respect to costs and production better off, it is not surprising that there is a considerable trend to segmenting the production. Furthermore, transaction costs within a small or segmented firm are smaller compared to the bigger ones. A transaction is the delivery of a property or good via an interface that can be technically divided. One activity ends another starts (Williamson 1990:1). While crossing the interface a sample of costs is produced costs that can be at least in parts avoided: The aim of a segmentation of production is to disentangle production units and capacity. Large units should be divided in small units. Teamwork should be establish small teams giving the individual employee more responsibility. This should result in more autonomy of the individual employee, and boost his or her motivation, thereby increasing the quality of the work done by the employees. In Germany, it was Dietmar Tress who conceptualised for the first time smaller units as an organisational structure. Smaller Units, so his thesis, reduce the time that is needed to produce a product. The lesser time it takes to produce a good or a product, the better the competitiveness of a firm, the better its ability to deliver goods and the smaller the amount of capital needed to produce the respective good or product. While evolving his thesis Tress realised the reasons that stood against an effective production. The reasons mentioned by Tress are: division of labour, old patterns of reasoning and bureaucracy (Feser 1999: 19). Having carved out the problems, Tress submit his solution: He proposes that all necessary functions (for the production) and the aimed link between product and demand should be concentrated in a single hand and that the production flow should be kept within reasonable limits (Tress 1986: 184). According to Tress it is decisive that the production flow is c lear, understandable, and transparent. A single employee should be able to single out his or her contribution to the product (Tress 1986: 185). Segmenting the production further provides capacity utilisation and to reach that goal teamwork is needed: Small groups of employees should work in a self-responsible way within decentralized teams. Furthermore, those teams should take over different tasks. At this point the interrelation between the discussion on segmenting production and the discussion on human resource management becomes obvious. According to Baron and Kreps (1999: 3) Human Resources are the key to organizational success or failure. Human resource management including the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may be seen as the countermovement to the alienation of the worker form the product of his work, as observed by Karl Marx in the 19th Century: Workers who contribute more broadly to a final product () are more apt to identify with a product and to reflect pride in its quality (Baron Kreps 1999: 317). Identification with a product raises the working morale, which means that the work satisfaction goes up. Worker or employees, who are content or satisfied with their work, work better. The determinants enabling this comfort are established by segmenting the production. And that is, where the problem starts: How can a segmented production be implemented? How can a factory divided in production lines become a focused factory divided in small working units or teams? The question at hand is a question of change management or project management. In the next part, the project of change will be unfolded. 3. Projects for managing change Change is something that happens all the time and everywhere. But change within a firm or to put it more scientifically change within economics appears to be a frightening prospect. Change cannot be left to itself; it has to be planned, controlled and coordinated. Problems, rising in the pursuit of change, have to be predicted, dangers for the project have to be identified and eliminated. All this is done by change management or within the (alleged) broader scope of project management. To put it differently, change management is the trial to direct change into the right channels. Project management is the trial to direct everything new within a firm into the right channels. It appears that there is not much difference between project and change management, one can almost say, they are different words meaning the same. A project is considered to be something unique, something that will not be repeated (Schelle 1999: 11). Project management means the totality of executive functions, the techniques, and means necessary to carry out a project. Replacing project by change, change management can be addressed as the totality of executive functions, techniques, and means that are necessary to alter something old into something new. At first it is according to most authors of the utmost importance for a change or project management to establish a structure plan, in which the implementation of whatever should be changed, is scheduled according to a time table connected with goals that have to be reached at a certain point in time. The structure plan is according to Schelle (1999: 93) a simple and useful tool. The structure plan is the meta plan. Apart from the structure plan there is the running order listing sub goals and so on. Once a project is initiated the control of the project is of crucial importance. A constant control is necessary to identify deviations from the plan or goal as soon as possible and to steer against unwanted consequences (Nà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½chter 2003: 377). Project control in this sense means to identify problems, to solve the problems, to recalibrate the project after some deviations from the plan occurred and to rescue the goal in spite of serious problems. Problems may emerge from different sources: Externalities may cause problems: Green activists may occupy the land that is designated to host the new factory, due to a seldom species of warbler. The construction of the new building itself may cause problems: A building contractor may file for bankruptcy. A delay in constructing the new factory may lead to an explosion of the costs and so on. Apart form those externalities there are sources that nurture problems within the firm: Employees may fear for privileges, for their job or for loosing power. Resistance to the change may arise from different sources all linked to the fact, that men is unwilling to change what seems to be good and worked well until now. And to convince employees of the benefits that come along with the new way of producing one thing is needed: change management. 4. From production lines to segmented production: An example Company R wants to segment its production. Being a car manufacturer organized in different product lines the company wants to become a focussed factory by establishing two production units each producing a specific type of cars. While segment A is chosen to produce the mini from start to end, segment B should produce the sport car. At the start of the change, company R is organised as follows in part 1 of the company the car body is being build, in part 2 the car body is being varnished and in part 3 the different parts of the car are being assembled. In the future company R shall be structured as follows: in line A the car body of the mini is being build, varnished and furthermore, the mini is being assembled; in line B the car body of the sport car is being build, varnished and assembled; At the moment three interfaces exist within company R: Between the car body builder, the varnish, and the assembler. Between these three parts of the company a steady flow of material has to be ensured. Furthermore, all three parts of the company depend on different suppliers. In the past a bottleneck between car body builder and the varnish has become a rule resulting in a temporarily standstill. So the new structure of the firm should guarantee a full capacity utilisation, by reducing the logistic efforts necessary to provide each of the three parts of the company with its amount of supply to avoid a standstill of machines and employees. Moreover, the link between company R and its markets should become closer. At the moment the company produces a monthly number of cars irrespective of the demand. If the demand goes up, the employees have to work overtime to satisfy the demand. If the demand goes down, the employees do their daily stint and the cars that cannot be sold were stored causing storing-costs. And this is where the project change comes into being. 4.1. Planning the change There are a lot of variables that administer a certain influence on the project deciding whether it is going to be a success or a failure. According to Eckrich (2003) two of those variables can be dubbed as structural and cultural conditions imposed by the environment within the firm or company. Structural conditions relate to the hierarchy within the company, while cultural conditions describe the way the employees within a company treat each other. Eckrich distinguishes cultural conditions into behaviour, attitudes and values, a distinction that reminds at concepts indigenous to social psychology. While social psychologists quarrel with each other on the relation between attitudes and behaviour (some of them even asking if there is any relation between both, cf. Six 1975, Bierhoff 1993: 280-288), Eckrich holds the opinion, that the behaviour of people is influenced if not determined by their attitudes, and by knowing the attitudes one can deduce the behaviour. Consequently, he recommends a questionnaire at the beginning of the change management project to discover the attitudes of the employees concerning the change of their working environment. Company R is a rather small company, employing 803 employees. It is best described as a company with flat hierarchies, stratified in management, departmental managers and masters. While the aim of this paper is to show the problems associated with the project change (or at least those that may be associated with the project change), I assume that the employees of company R take a critical stance to the change of the production, some of them even form a sort of resistance. Especially among the masters resistance is widespread. They fear they might loose responsibilities and some of them think they might even loose their job. The core of this paper is therefore concerned with what is called by Uebel and Helmke (2003: 415) escalations caused by individuals (personenbedingte Eskalationen). Escalations caused by individuals have to be distinguished from quantitative escalations and from qualitative escalations at least according to Uebel and Helmke (2003: 416). Of particular interest for this paper are escalations caused by individuals. (One might wonder if there are escalations which can be though of as being not caused by humans.) 4.2. Controlling the change Control is a matter of plan. To evaluate the progress of the project, the project manager has to look at the structure plan. He has to compare whether what has been reached is identical with what should have been reached. According to Nà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½chter (2003: 395) this is crucial, since it is the only possibility to identify deviation from the plan. To serve the purpose of early warning system the structure plan must be enriched with data, with the amount of time worked on a particular (interim) goal of the plan, with the state of the art and so forth. With respect to company R these rather general advices come to life: Important for the success of the segmentation in the company is an additional qualification of the employees. Furthermore, their work after the segmentation will be varied, i.e. they will have more different tasks to fulfil. This is in accordance with the results of the human resource management saying that employees that are not tied up in their daily routines, but kept busy with a bunch of different tasks show a higher degree of motivation and in the end do a better job than employees tied up in their daily routine. Independently from the results of the human resource management the change in company R is more than some can bear. For some employees the additional qualifications they are expected to achieve are a heavy burden and for the masters it becomes clear that the new structure of the company can only be reached by taking away the responsibilities from the masters. And in the end, Angst (fear) arises, and An gst (fear) is the widespread cause for resistance. 4.3. The problems of change Angst (fear) has been identified as the main reason of those showing resistance to the project of change. Following Uebel and Helmke (2003: 424), Angst (fear) can be subdivided into fear for power and fear for subject. While those with fear for power oppose the project due to their expectation that they will loose power, which means in the first place influence within the company, those with fear for subject oppose the project due to their expectation that they will loose responsibilities. The distinction is not a sharp, but rather arbitrary one. It is not obvious that the loss of responsibilities is not accompanied by a loss of power. However, those with fear for subject are anxious that they might loose reputation, end up with a smaller budget and so on. It has to be mentioned that Angst is a rather peculiar word for what is meant by Uebel and Helmke. They describe the common place that change has its pros and its cons. While change brings some advantages, some advantages of the old times will be lost. In other words, change may become a trade-off or worse, change might mean redundancy. Therefore, it is obvious from the very beginning that change management has to deal with problems. Problems are not something that arises as a matter of bad circumstances. Problems are the natural companion of change. In company R there are problems. The change of the production modus has been scheduled for spring and that was a mistake. In spring the demand for sport cars is high and a high demand and a different work environment is too much. The employees faced with frequent delays and the necessity to work overtime is dissatisfied. Resistance rises to protest. It starts with unofficial meetings held be employees and ends up in strike. The production stands still and so does the project. Change, it seems, has stopped. Uebel and Helmke write a lot about Angst (fear) and the different shapes it may use, and the risks Angst holds for the success of the project. But, as is the fact in company R, what can one do, if the problems are that massive that the project can be doomed to failure? Uebel and Helmke provide no answer. Instead they pronounce the value of plans for the crisis. One has to formulate worst-case scenarios within those plans (Uebel Helmke 2003: 428). Worst-case scenarios may be back or forward oriented. Backward orientation means that the problems can be solved and the goal of the project can be reached. Forward orientation means the contrary. The project is a failure and the plan has to include the plan X the withdrawal with as less causalities as possible. This provides no solution for company R. Is the change from line production to segmented production a failure? Is there a possibility to carry on? Hansel and Lomnitz (2003: 131-134) mention that there are no possibilities to reduce resistance with respect to specific goals of projects: An employee who will lose his job will not act in favour of the proposed change. To expect that, is out-of-touch. Furthermore, there are employees for whom it is dubious whether they will win or loose in the course of the project. So: resistance is natural and the only way to deal with resistance is communication and information. Transparency is the golden rule. The employees should know what change would bring, why change is necessary (Hansel Lomnitz 2003: 134-135). Maybe information can lead to a good end for company R. Rumours are the cause for concern in company R. Rumours about the real aim of the project being a job killer. Other rumours concern plans to reduce salary suspecting the hidden intention behind the plan to segment production is to cut down salaries. Those rumours may be dealt with in an agency theoretical framework: The relationship of agency is one of the oldest and commonest codified modes of social interaction. We will say that an agency relationship has arisen between two (or more) parties when one, designated as the agent, acts for the other, designated the principal, in a particular domain of decision problems (Ross 1973: 134). Starting from here it has to be considered that both sides face some information shortcuts, with the employees having no distinct knowledge of the goals pursuit by the management and the management having no accurate assessment of the behaviour of the employees during the course of the project and thereafter: In the course of the action some problems may arise due to the fact that information is not fully spread. The problems are labelled within the Agency theory as averse selection, meaning that one cannot be sure, if what the principal or the agent claims to provide is in fact what he can provide, moral hazard, which means that an agent or an principal can defect after the contract is established and hidden intention, speaking for itself (Krapp 2000). This excursion trip into the fields of agency theory results in the knowledge that Hansel and Lomnitz are right: The solutions to the problems the agency theory analysis is usually a form of information included in a contract. (Leaving the monitoring of the agent by the principal and the bonding of both to given promises aside.) So information, i.e. the spread of information may be a possible escape from the deadlock for the project change of company R. First, as a signal of confidence the project manager has been dismissed. He has proven to be unable to manage conflict. Under his rule rumour mill flourished and the actual state of the (project) art is much behind the expected state. The new project managers first act was to hold a meeting with all employees and to tell every single employee what he has to expect. In the end he succeeds in cranking the project. 4.4. The change or the end of the project In the course of the project experiences and knowledge should be collected for further or future change management, so as to learn from the errors made. The end of the project is marked by stocktaking. What has been reached is confronted with what should have been reached. Company R is nowadays a car manufacturer with a segmented production and therefore able to adapt its production in short time to the demand of the market. The segmented production started some weeks later than it has been scheduled, which is owed to the problems reported above. But the policy adapted by the new project manager has proven to function. He has succeeded in creating a common spirit and calming down the moods. The fact that work will be much more varied after the change has increased the motivation of most employees, the success of the project has become the intrinsic motivation for those employees: According to this survey, a large percentage of employees seem motivated at work by something other than the compensation received. () 72% responded that theyd continue to work even if they were already financially comfortable for the rest of their lives. Half the survey respondents agreed with an item stating that what I do at work is more important to me than the money I earn' (Baron Kreps 1999: 101). There is a specific quality inherent to work, a quality that is different from the motive to make a living. Intrinsic motivation stands for the fact that some or many or most of the workers want to do a work that is interesting, sophisticated, and provides a certain amount of reputation. Some of the employees of company R realised that a segmented production goes along with new job opportunities, with more responsibilities, with a flexible work scheme and so forth. Those employees made the change to their own project, a project they wanted to support and did support. 5. About change and its management The aim of this paper is twofold: on the one hand the subject is change management. But change management is a general concept, which one can describe in general terms as did Uebel and Helmke (2003). The problem is, that general terms despite sounding good have nothing to say about the management of change. Therefore, an example have been chosen to elucidate what change management really is. Change of a car manufacturers production from production lines to a segmented production, has been chosen as an example. The segmentation of the production is expected to be a project of change management that can often be found in reality. This is due to the advantages a segmented production provides its users with: a more flexible reaction to the demands of the market and a less costly production. Having established the example used to exemplify the change management it was necessary to describe what is known as project management. Thereby, it could be shown that the topics of project management and change management are not different as they both deal with new things that should replace old things. So it has been decided to treat them as equal. Then company R has been introduced. Company R is a medium sized company with flat hierarchies and massive problems occurring during the course of the change from production line to segmented production. The problems or escalations as some dub them are related to individuals, individuals or employees who resist for different reasons the proposed change. To deal with resistance and to provide the ground for the new organisation of the production is the task of change management. And, it appeared, that the best way to manage change is by adapting an open communication policy. This is what Hansel and Lomnitz propose and what has been derived from a brief look at the agency theory: Both sides trying to establish a deal have an information deficit on their side. Both do not know, if their counterpart is opportunistic in the sense of Williamson (1990), i.e., that he is trying to cheat. This is what the rumour mills in company R produced: the segmented production is a fake used by the management to cut down salaries, sack employees and rationalize the company. In the end, the project manager had been sacked and the segmented production had been established. The key to the solution was information and intrinsic motivation. Information had been provided by the new project manager, telling the employees that no one will be sacked and that salaries go if anywhere than up. Furthermore, the hint that a new organisation of the production provides new opportunities for qualification and new responsibilities raised the intrinsic motivation of many employees. They made the change to their project and supported it. And at the end of the paper a rule for change management can be derived: For a successful management of change it is necessary to involve the employees and to improve intrinsic motivation. 6. Literature Baron, James N. Kreps, David M., 1999: Strategic Human Resources. Frameworks for General Managers. New York a.o.: John Wiley. Beer, M., Eisenstat, R.A. and Spector, B., 1990: The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press Bierhoff, Hans-Werner, 1993: Sozialpsychologie ein Lehrbuch. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Burghardt, Manfred, 2002: Projektmanagement. Leitfaden fà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½r die Planung und Steuerung von Entwicklungsprojekten. Erlangen: Publicis Corporate Publishing. Feser, Bjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rn, 1999: Fertigungssegmentierung. Strategiekonforme Organisationsgestaltung in Produktion und Logistik. Wiesbaden: Deutscher Università ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ts-Verlag. Hansel, Jà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rgen Lomnitz, Gero, 2003: Projektleiter-Praxis. Optimale Kommunikation und Kooperation in der Projektarbeit. Heidelberg, Berlin, New York: Springer. Krapp, Michael, 2000: Kooperation und Konkurrenz in Prinzipal-Agent-Beziehungen. Wiesbaden: Deutscher Università ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ts-Verlag. Lewin, K., 1947: Frontiers in Group Dynamics: Concept, Method and Reality in Social Science; Social Equilibria and Social Change. Human Realtions, 1 (1); 5-41 Maier, Denis, 1993: Einfà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½hrungsstrategien fà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½r Fertigungssegmentierung. Eine empirische Untersuchung. Università ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen: Dissertation. Marshak, R.J., 1993. Lewin Meets Confucius: A Re-View of the OD Model of Change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29 (4): 393-415 Mintzberg, H., 1978: Patterns in Strategy Formation. Management Science, 24 (9): 934-948 Nà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½chter, Norbert P., 2003: Projektkontrolle. S. 375-392 in: Bernecker, Michael Eckrich, Klaus (Hrsg.): Handbuch Projektmanagement. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen, Wien: R. Oldenbourg. Nà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½chter, Norbert P., 2003: Projektsteuerung. S. 393-411 in: Bernecker, Michael Eckrich, Klaus (Hrsg.): Handbuch Projektmanagement. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen, Wien: R. Oldenbourg. Rinza, Peter, 1998: Projektmanagement. Planung, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½berwachung und Steuerung von technischen und nichttechnischen Vorhaben. Heidelberg, Berlin, New York: Springer. Ross, Stephen A., 1973: The Economic Theory of Agency: The Principals Problem. American Economic Review 63 (2): 134-139. Schelle, Heinz, 1999: Projekte zum Erfolg fà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½hren. Projektmanagement systematisch und kompakt. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen: dtv. Skinner, Wickham, 1986: The Productivity Paradox. Harvard Business Review 64, 55-59. Skinner, Wickham, 1974: The Focused Factory. Harvard Business Review 52, 113-121. Skinner, Wickham, 1969: Manufacturing Missing Link in Corporate Strategy. Harvard Business Review 47, 136-145. Six, Bernhard, 1975: Die Relation von Einstellung und Verhalten. Zeitschrift fà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½r Sozialpsychologie 6, 270-296. Tress, Dietmar W., 1986: Kleine Einheiten in der Produktion: Wer wachsen will, muss kleiner werden. Fà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½hrung und Organisation 55, 181-186. Uebel, Matthias F. Helmke, Stefan, 2003: Eskalationsmanagement in Projekten. S. 413-429 in: Bernecker, Michael Eckrich, Klaus (Hrsg.): Handbuch Projektmanagement. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen, Wien: R. Oldenbourg. Wildemann, Horst, 1998: Die modulare Fabrik. Kundennahe Produktion durch Fertigungssegmentierung. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nchen: TCW-Transfer-Centrum GmbH. Appendix 1 Theoretical Framework Phase Models of Organizational Change Any change process can be thought of as going through distinct phases or stages. The purpose of this section is to provide theoretical background information of phase models of change. Linear Models Linear models see the change process as linear, progressing from a present state, through a transition state to a future state. The implicit assumption is that the future state is more desirable than the present state. Lewin provided one of the early fundamental linear models of the change process. He observed that any living system is always in a state of change, but will tend toward a quasistationary equilibrium. (Lewin 1947: 15-16). The level of behaviour of the system at any moment is the result of two sets of forces: those striving to maintain the status quo and those pushing for change. When both sets of forces are equal, current levels of behaviour are maintained. In order to change the equilibrium, one can either increase those forces pushing for change or decrease those forces maintaining the current state. Lewin viewed the change process as consisting of three phases or stages (Lewin 1947: 34-35): 1. Unfreezing. This step involves the forces maintaining the systems behaviour at the current level. Unfreezing is accomplished by introducing information that shows discrepancies between behaviours desired by group members and those behaviours they currently exhibit. 2. Moving. This step shifts the system to a higher level of group performance. It involves developing new behaviours and attitudes through changes in structures and processes. 3. (Re-)Freezing. This step stabilizes the system at a new state of quasi-stationary equilibrium. It is accomplished through the use of supporting mechanisms that reinforce the new state, such as systems, structures and policies. The new equilibrium can thus be made relatively secure against change (Lewin 1947: 35). Circular Models While the linear models follow the European science, East Asian and Confucian traditions offer a very different theory of change. The model of change underlying Confucian philosophies was summarized by Marshak (1993). As shown in Figure 1, there is continual cyclical movement among the five elements that make up the universe. Movement is a natural process and occurs in a specific sequence. When it is out of balance or out of order, unfortunate consequences result. Thus in this model everything and everyone is interconnected and part of continuous cycles of change. Figure 1: Five agents cyclical change according to East Asian philosophy (source: Marshak 1993:399) Appendix 2 Theoretical Framework Overview of the Three Forces for Change In the literature of organizational change, there is a widespread disagreement whether change should be implemented top-down or bottom-up. Top-Down Direction Setting Top-down change is seen to have the advantage of a clear direction towards an end state, to provide the integrated perspective that only top management can provide and to promise rapid change. However, top-down change can often lead to resistance and lack of commitment from middle managers and employees who might feel that top management does not really understand the problem. With regard to the RM Division, it becomes clear that management follows a top-down approach. RM`s general managers take major decisions on new technology an workers are not included in the decision-making process. The result is a lack of commitment and machine operators use any means they could to beat the system. Bottom-Up Performance Improvement The other line of argument favours a bottom-up approach to change, as this seems to address many of the shortcomings of top-down change by actively involving employees in the change process. But also a pure bottom-up approach has its problems. It often lacks direction and a link to corporate strategy, it can lead to costly duplication of effort, it often leads to little transfer of learnings and it can be slow to get results (Beer et al. 1990: 68). The RM Division did not follow a bottom-up approach for implementing the change. It is worth mentioning at this point that the RM management missed, as a result of not actively involving the employees into the change process, to address the disadvantages of a top-down approach. In addition, the above-mentioned advantages of a bottom-up approach were not realized during the change process. Horizontal Process Redesign Recognizing the limits of the pure top-down or bottom-up approaches to change, some authors have therefore argued that the solution is to combine the two approaches (Beer et al.1990). A combination of the two approaches holds the promise of obtaining their respective benefits while minimizing their disadvantages. However, it is argued, that fundamental change requires not only top-down direction and bottom-up performance improvement, but also a third force for change: horizontal process redesign. Horizontal process redesign views organizations as made up of key processes that produce a result for the customer. It attempts to bring the benefits of process thinking to the whole organization and emphasizes the importance of redesigning a small number of core business processes that cross the traditional functional boundaries. Likewise, it can occur at three levels: across organizations, across functions and within functions (see Figure 2). Horizontal process redesign sees reengineering as a key activity at all levels of the organization. However, in order to avoid sub-optimisations, one should start at the top management by mapping out the high-level processes first. In this way, once the subprocesses are considered, their role within the higher level processes are clear. This was not being realized at the RM Division: Instead of defining and explaining the new processes to the workforce, only immediately prior to the introduction of the new technology management had explained to the workforce the basic principles behind automation, disregarding the need for understanding the new processes. Particularly a proper introduction of the new core processes across functions was neglected. These mainly included the fact that previously, operators were involved in setting and adjusting machinery and now were simply operating their machines. At the same time, the process control department was to take greater responsibilities, and to be expanded. Would management have explained the new processes properly, operators would have been clearer about their role in regard to the process control department. Instead they found themselves in a favourable position, performing wider functions than management expected of them. In addition, they could use non-optimum methods to achieve the best possible piecework rates for subsequent production and only reluctantly gave up any rights to use the controls. This all can be seen as a result of a missing explanation of the redesigned core processes to the workforce. The second major problem was that of re-establishing piecework rates on the new machinery, because operators were enjoying average earnings and resisted this move. At this point it would have been helpful to establish a detailed timeframe in which the phases of the change process are listed, in connection with the procedure of handling the piecework rates during and after each phase. The basic agreement, which was being made, did not serve this purpose.

Biflavone and a Plant Sterol Isolated from Antidesma bunius

Biflavone and a Plant Sterol Isolated from Antidesma bunius A Biflavone and a Plant Sterol Isolated from Antidesma bunius (Linn.) Spreng. Ivan L. Lawagai,* Suad Naheedb, Mohammed Mosihuzzamanc, Allan, Patrick G. Macabeoadeg, Erickson Paragasefk, Peter Prokschh, Alicia M. Aguinaldoaeg Keywords: Antidesma, Antidesma bunius, Amentoflavone, Betasitosterol, biflavone, sterols 1. Subject and source Antidesma bunius (Linn.) Spreng. (Euphrbiaceae) ‘‘bignay† is a common plant found throughout the Philippines. The bark is poisonous as it contains an alkaloid thus, is used medicinally. The leaves are acidic and diaphoretic, and, when young, these are boiled with pot-herbs, and employed by the natives in syphilitic infections (Quisumbing, 1978). The leaves are sudorific and are employed in treating snakebite in Asia (Morton, 1987). The leaves of Antidesma bunius, commonly known as â€Å"bignay†, are traditionally used by native Filipinos to control diabetes (Lawag et al., 2012). Fresh leaves were collected from the hills of Brgy. Agustin Navarra, Ivisan, Capiz Province in January 2009. The plant was identified by Asst. Prof. Rosie A. Madulid and a voucher specimen (USTH 5357) is deposited at the UST Herbarium, Botany Laboratory, Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, Philippines. 2. Previous work Dammara-20, 24-dien-3ÃŽ ²-ol and friedelin were isolated from the stem and leaves of A. bunius (Hui and Sung, 1968). In 2008, Samappito and Butkhup identified the flavonoids catechin, Procyanidin B1 and Procyanidin B2 from the fruits and Gallic acid, quercetin, catechin and epicatechin were also detected from the fruits of A. bunius (Santiago et al., 2005). 3. Present study 3.1. Extraction and isolation Dried and ground leaves Antidesma bunius (1610 g) were extracted with 80% ethanol to give a green syrupy extract (240.0 g) which was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) using solvents of increasing polarity starting with hexane, hexane-dichloromethane (1:1), dichloromethane, dichloromethane -ethyl acetate (1:1), ethyl acetate, ethyl acetate-methanol (1:1), and methanol to give seven fractions. The fifth fraction (4.04 g) was further fractionated twice on silica gel packed on VLC using solvents of increasing polarity starting from hexane and ending with methanol giving five fractions each, respectively. Fraction three which was purified twice on silica gel using hexane-dichloromethane (1:1) and hexane-dichloromethane (95:5) furnished 1 (16.13 mg). Isolation of 2: the fourth fraction (12.34 g) after VLC was chromatographed on silica gel using 5-10% gradients of methanol in dichloromethane to give ten fractions. Fraction three (42.3 mg) was further purified using Sephadex LH20 using 20% gradients of methanol in DCM to give 2 (5.9 mg). (1)(2) 3.2. Identification of purified compounds The compounds were identified as Stigmast-5-en-3ÃŽ ²-ol or ÃŽ ²-sitosterol, a plant sterol, (1) (Balamurugan et al., 2012) and (Sosinska, et al., 2013) and 3,8-biapigenin (Amentoflavone), a biflavone (2) (Chari et al., 1977) and (Ryu et al., 2010) on the basis of their IR, LR-EIMS, LR-ESIMS and NMR (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 1H-1H COSY, HMBC and HSQC) spectral data and by comparison of spectra reports with the literature. 4. Chemotaxonomic significance Other Antidesma species like A. menasu (Risvi et al., 1980a), (Risvi et al., 1980b) and A. pentandrum (Chen et al., 2004), (Kikuchi, 1983) are known to contain plant sterols. A. puncticulatum is known to contain flavonoids (Nuengchamnong and Ingkaninan, 2009), while A. laciniatum was reported to contain both plant sterols and flavonoids (Tchinda et al., 2006). The isolation process that was presently preformed on the ethanolic leaf extract of A. bunius afforded compounds 1 and 2 which were coherent to the compounds that were previously isolated or reported from the other Antidesma species. Although the said compounds were reported for the very first time in A. bunius, compound 1 was also reported to be present in A. pentandrum (Chen et al., 2004) and in A. laciniatum (Tchinda et al., 2006), while compound 2 was reported to be present in A. laciniatum (Tchinda et al., 2006). This further establishes the chemotaxonomic relationship of A. bunius towards the other species of the genus Antidesma. Although plant sterols (Hui and Sung, 1968) and biflavones (Samappito and Butkhup, 2008), (Santiago et al., 2005) were previously reported in the leaf and bark extracts A. bunius, this is the first report that indicated the presence of ÃŽ ²-sitosterol (1) and Amentoflavone (2). Compounds 1 and 2 therefore add up to the list of isolated and identified compounds from the leaves of A. bunius. References Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal Plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Philippines. Balamurugan, R., Stalin, A. and Ignacimuthu, S., 2012. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 47, 38 – 43. Chari, V. M., Ilyas, M., Wagner, H., Neszmelyi, A., Chen, F., Chen, L., Lin, Y., Lin, Y., 1977. Phytochemistry 16, 1273 – 1278. Chen, Y.C.; Cheng, M.J.; Lee, S.J.; Dixit, A.K., Ishikawa, T., Tsai, I.L.; Chen, I.S., 2004. Helvetica Chimica Acta 87 (11), 2805 – 2811. Hui, W. H.; Sung, M. L., 1968. Australian Journal of Chemistry 21(8), 2137-40. Kikuchi, H., Tensho, A., Shimizu, I., Shiokawa, H., Kuno, A., Yamada, S., Fujiwara, T., Tomita, K., 1983. Chemistry Letters (4), 603 –606. Lawag, I., Aguinaldo, A., Naheed, S., Mossihuzzaman, M., 2012. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 144(1), 217 – 219. Morton, J., 1987. Bignay. p. 210–212. Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. Nuengchamnong, N., and Ingkaninan, K., 2010. Food Chemistry 118, 147 – 152. Samappito, S.; Butkhup, L., 2008. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 11 (13), 1654 – 1661. Santiago, D.M.O., 2005. MS Thesis University of the Philippines, Los Banos. Sosinska, E., Przybylski, R., Hazendonk, P., Zhao, Y. Y., Curtis, J., 2013. Food Chemistry 139, 464 – 474. Rizvi, S. H. Shoeb, A. Kapil, R. S. Popli, S. P., 1980. Experientia 36. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel (Schweiz). Rizvi, S., Shoeb, A., Kapil, R., Popli, S., 1980. Phytochemistry 19 (11), 2409 – 10. Ryu, Y. B., Jeong, H. J., Kima, J. H., Kima, Y. M., Park, J., Kim, D., Naguyen, T.T.H., Park, S., Chang, J. S., Park, K. H., Rho, M., Lee, W. S., 2010. Bioorganic Medicinal Chemistry 18, 7940 – 7947. Tchinda, A..; Teshome, A.; Dagne, E.; Arnold, N.; Wessjohann, L., 2006. Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia 20 (2), 325 – 328. Current Affiliations: iChemistry Department, Adamson University, Ermita, Manila, Philippines. jJinnah University for Women, Nazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan kDepartment of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA * Corresponding author. E-mail address:*[emailprotected] (I.L. Lawag)

How children become gendered adults

How children become gendered adults At birth we are identified as male /female through biological factors, whereas our gendered identity is produced through how female /male we feel, and our gendered role is nurtured through our cultural environment and social beliefs. The nature side of the debate suggests that our gender is decided at the same time as our sex, and our behaviour differences are instinctive and have helped us survive. The differences are mostly put down to the way our bodies and brains differ. Our chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive organs put us in one gender category. However it does not explain how there is different gender roles across different cultures hence ignores how gender roles could be learnt. Nurture helps explain our development within our cultured environment, and life experiences prepare us for our gendered adulthood. Environmental theories highlight how culture affects the individual, social learning theorists suggest that our gender is learnt, and challenges the nature point of view that it is innate. When we are born our sexual organs decide what gender we are, and our parents and culture influence our gender identity through learnt behaviours. Males and females are treated differently from birth; parents are powerful role models in the early years and expectations of appropriate behaviour for the childs gender can be rewarded or punished, thus a child will be more likely to repeat the rewarded behaviour which helps reinforce what is considered acceptable behaviour for the childs gender. As a child develops and grows they gain an understanding of gendered behaviours through their social environment, developing an understanding of gender identity. They learn to identify particular behaviours appropriate to their gender and will model and imitate through reinforcement, association with same sex p arent, and same sex models, and it is ongoing throughout their childhood and on into adolescence. (Smith 2002) Criticisms to this are that when a baby is born the way it is treated by adults is influenced by its sex. A study done by Will, Self and Datan in 1976 shows that when the same baby is dressed in blue/ pink adults behave differently to it. Children tend to model their behaviour on the same sex parent and learn what is most appropriate for their gender, leading to praise which reinforces their identity, they can also imitate their same sex models behaviour through play and toys. In todays society children are often raised by one-parent families and this theory does not allow for the fact that these children may be being brought up by a different sex model yet still continue to behave in their gendered role through dress and encouragement of appropriate/ behaviour regardless of having anyone to model it on. It can be criticised for placing too much importance on particular models behavioural influences and losing site of the childs individual personality by portraying children as a pass ive part of the process and ignores individual motivation and self-regulation Cognitive development was developed by Piaget believing that our gender identity develops first and then children pay attention to same sex role models. Kohlberg went on to suggest there are three main stages to gender identity that children go through; gender identity (up to three years) where the child can identify their sex but are not aware that it is fixed and cannot change. Gender stability, (three five years) where the child is aware that their gender is fixed but still make assumptions of peoples gender by clothes and hairstyles. Gender constancy (six years onwards) where the child is aware of their gender regardless of peoples appearance. (Stainton Rogers, 2001). When gender constancy is reached Kohlberg believes that children pass through cognitive development stages and acquire gender related behaviours by developing gender identity. Although cross cultural studies support the Kohlbergs stages through this theory children can describe themselves as boys or girls and know how to choose gender associated toys and activities before they can relate to gender sexual differences. It supports that gender recognition happens before gender identity becomes fixed. Weakness of this theory suggests that it solely takes stages of development into account, placing little importance on the role of biology, emotion, social environment or culture. It also does not account as to why masculinity and femininity are valued by society differently. (Haralambos.M, 2002) Sandra Benn says that it fails to explain why sex has dominance other potential categories such as race, religion and eye colour. (Stainton Rogers, 2001) In conclusion one thing both theories have in common is that they rely on observation and identification children have with members of the same sex. The differences Kohlberg believed that as a result of three stages of gender identity a child goes through, the child develops a gender recognition through cognitive understanding to his/her gender and gender roles. Bandura social learning theory suggested that childrens gender identity was done through socialization rather than biology and that childrens behaviour is seen to be learned from their society through process of reinforcement and modelling. Gendered behaviours can be learned through reinforcement and we are more likely to copy behaviour if we have seen others rewarded for that same behaviour. . I believe that both social learning theorist and cognitive development theorists oversimplify gender identity, although both agree that society and culture have some influence over gender identity, it is difficult to accurately assume that the role of socialisation alone produces gender identity as they do not take in to consideration the biological factors of chromosomes, hormones and sexual organs in the development of gender identity or roles. Both biology and socialization play a part in our understanding of our gendered identities and roles in our cultures. (973 words) Works Cited Haralambos.M, R. F. 2002. Psychology in Focus for A Level . Lancashire: Causeway Press. Maccoby. E.E, J. C. 1974. The Psychology of Sex Differences, (as reported in various commentaries). Stanford: Stanford University Press. Stainton Rogers, R. R. 2001. the Psychology of Gender and Sexuality. Berkshire: Open University Press. Unkown. 2007. About Gender. Retrieved January 3, 2010, from www.gender.org.uk: http://www.gender.org.uk/about/index.htm#psycho

Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and he

Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover  Ã‚        Ã‚   In his work "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover", Peter Greenaway displays the complexity of his main character Georgina. We witness her constant struggle to break free from her hateful and disgusting husband. She realizes her pernicious dependence on Albert. His coercion, oppression and abuse make Georgina's life unbearable. Her need for freedom is expressed in her involvement in a sexual relation with a man completely different from her husband and his cronies. Their relationship begins silently and is based almost entirely on sex. Sex gave her a measure of control in a world in which her real influence was limited and problematic (Giddens, p.70). The happiness that the lovers derive from the closeness, affection and tenderness of their sexuality are things that Georgina was missing in her inauthentic life. Passion appears as a strong element in their liaison and till the circumstances allowed them to make love unnoticed, their relationship was a carefree and happ y experience. When their affair was discovered by Georgina's husband and Michael was afterwards brutally killed, Georgina is left with her confused feelings, unable to assess the real value of the relationship she had with Michael.       In the situation of Georgina there is a sentient need for a creative and rewarding relationship. This physical-psychological desire, however, does not have love as the basis of a long-term, deep emotional relationship between two individuals (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, pp. 78-79). It is more the bodily desire for the body of another that dominates her mental life (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, p. 76). In the Georgina's need for... ...       Works Cited Greenaway, Peter. "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". Dis Voir. Paris, 1989. Singer, Irving. The Pursuit of Love. The John Hopkins University Press. London, 1994. Soble, Alan., edited by. The Philosophy of Sex. Contemporary Readings. Revised Second Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1991. Rank, Otto. Beyond Psychology. Dover Publications. New York. Copyright (c) 1941 by Estelle B. Rank. 1958. Lepp, Ignace. The Psychology of Loving. Translated by Bernard B. Gilligan. A Mentor Book from New American Library, Times Mirror. New York, 1963. Giddens, Anthony. The Transformation of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford University Press. Stanford CA, 1992. Schneider, David J. Social Psychology. University of Texas, San Antonio. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1976.    Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and he Georgina’s Struggle for Freedom in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover  Ã‚        Ã‚   In his work "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover", Peter Greenaway displays the complexity of his main character Georgina. We witness her constant struggle to break free from her hateful and disgusting husband. She realizes her pernicious dependence on Albert. His coercion, oppression and abuse make Georgina's life unbearable. Her need for freedom is expressed in her involvement in a sexual relation with a man completely different from her husband and his cronies. Their relationship begins silently and is based almost entirely on sex. Sex gave her a measure of control in a world in which her real influence was limited and problematic (Giddens, p.70). The happiness that the lovers derive from the closeness, affection and tenderness of their sexuality are things that Georgina was missing in her inauthentic life. Passion appears as a strong element in their liaison and till the circumstances allowed them to make love unnoticed, their relationship was a carefree and happ y experience. When their affair was discovered by Georgina's husband and Michael was afterwards brutally killed, Georgina is left with her confused feelings, unable to assess the real value of the relationship she had with Michael.       In the situation of Georgina there is a sentient need for a creative and rewarding relationship. This physical-psychological desire, however, does not have love as the basis of a long-term, deep emotional relationship between two individuals (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, pp. 78-79). It is more the bodily desire for the body of another that dominates her mental life (Goldman, Philosophy of Sex, p. 76). In the Georgina's need for... ...       Works Cited Greenaway, Peter. "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". Dis Voir. Paris, 1989. Singer, Irving. The Pursuit of Love. The John Hopkins University Press. London, 1994. Soble, Alan., edited by. The Philosophy of Sex. Contemporary Readings. Revised Second Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1991. Rank, Otto. Beyond Psychology. Dover Publications. New York. Copyright (c) 1941 by Estelle B. Rank. 1958. Lepp, Ignace. The Psychology of Loving. Translated by Bernard B. Gilligan. A Mentor Book from New American Library, Times Mirror. New York, 1963. Giddens, Anthony. The Transformation of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford University Press. Stanford CA, 1992. Schneider, David J. Social Psychology. University of Texas, San Antonio. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1976.   

Because I Could Not Stop for Death :: Literary Analysis, Dickinson

Because I Could Not Stop for Death is proclaimed to be Emily Dickinson’s most famous poem. This poem reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. She portrays death being a gentleman that surprises her with a visit. Emily illustrates everyday scenes into a life cycle. While her metaphors explore death in an imitable way, her lines often contain as much uncertainty as meaning. Life and death are but trails to eternity and are seen less important when viewed in the framework of eternity. Emily Dickinson’s poem Death is a gentleman taking a woman out for a drive.† Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me† (Dickinson 1-2). Emily describes being a busy woman who is caught up with everyday situations. When it comes to death, no one plans on a time or date to die; what Emily is identifying as a tragic event is translated to being a casual experience. Emily writes, â€Å"The carriage held but just ourselves, and immortality,† (3-4). Emily describes her ride with death, but affiliates a third rider Immortality. â€Å"Davidson does not emphasize what is gained after death; she emphasizes what is lost because of death,† (Privatsky 35). Emily’s third passenger has a wide variety of interpretations. Normally, one doesn’t think about death, yet Emily’s approach to death is similar of the approac h to immortality. My viewpoint is Emily construes her belief in a soul that does not die but live on till eternity. â€Å"The idea of immortality is confronted with the fact of physical disintegration. We are not told what to think; we are told to look at the situation,† (Tate 26). According to Dickinson’s words, He slowly drove He knew no haste (5-6). Emily describes a relaxing slow pace towards an unknown destination. On the way she enjoys the peaceful scenes. â€Å"We passed the school, where children strove, At recess – In the Ring-â€Å"(Dickinson 9-10). Emily is reflecting in her past, this may also be seen as the beginning of a life cycle. Emily then goes on to say, We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- (11). The phrase that she decides to use is judicious because she is not the observer, but instead she is the observed. At that point, she further goes on to describe â€Å"Setting Sun-â€Å" as the last scene in her ride.† All three of these ima ges suggest phases of the life cycle that the speaker has passed and is passing through and clue us in on her experience†¦Time has stopped for her, and the fields of grain do the gazing, not her,† (Semansky 34-35).

Blended Families

Family Report – Blended Families Blended families, also known as  stepfamilies, are more  familiar  now than ever. Statistics show that 65% of remarriages include  children from previous relationships. When families blend  to create stepfamilies, things rarely progress  as  smoothly  as planned. Some children might resist the many changes they have to face, while parents might become frustrated or disappointed when their new family doesn’t function the way they want to or like their previous family did. The three most important things blended families need to do  are  have appropriate discipline,  overcome their difficulties,  and spend quality time with each other. The most common problem in blended families is discipline. In disciplining children, parents should remember the Bible passage  Ephesians 4:2 â€Å"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love. †Ã‚  New customs,  personalities,  and memories are all added to the new household. However, it is still important that a child is the child and an adult is still the adult. Children need a balance of love and discipline in their lives. Stepparents must give their stepchildren their much needed affection, as they would do to their own children. As you do this, the loving feelings will grow in time. It is the role of every parent (step or natural) to obey their responsibility of properly raising children and children have a responsibility to honor and listen to their parents. It would be very helpful if  the natural parent talked to their children early on to acknowledge the control the  stepparent has  and the respect that needs to be given towards the stepparent. When the children know ahead of time what is expected of them, their acceptance of the new family will be much easier. When two separate families come together, there are going to be many conflicts. Talking about them and understanding the other's feelings is a necessary and critical thing to do. It's very tempting for parents to stand up for their own child and point a finger at the stepchild and it's equally tempting for parents to accuse their spouse of unbalanced discipline. In times like these, parents should remember the  Bible  passage  Ephesians 4:29, 31-32: â€Å"Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgive one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. †Ã‚  Parents must understand that their  children are thrown together with near strangers and suddenly feel they have to compete for their parent's attention. It will take time to build a history, but someday the feelings  will grow from affection into familial love. It may take time and most likely won't be very easy, but it is well worth the effort in the end. Quality time is crucial in blended families. Stepparents should remember the Bible passage  Isaiah 66:13: â€Å"I will comfort as a child is comforted by its mother. †Ã‚  Stepparents also need to be understanding about the fact that the children need quality time with their natural parent. This gives the children time to know they are still important and that the stepparent is not trying to come between them and their natural parent. It is also very important to go for an outing as a whole family. Parents can't forget to make time for the two of them without the kids as well. Children do not have enough maturity to understand the dynamics of a new family and how loving it could be; but adults should. Much like when couples adopt a child, they chose to marry into a family with children. Pray a lot for them and with them, nurture them, care  for them, and accept them even when they seem to push away. Blended families are becoming more and more important in our society. It’s very crucial for adults today to understand what the most important things are in creating a blended family. Having appropriate discipline will help the children grow up to be polite, civil, and courteous. Overcoming difficulties and spending quality time with your new family will help you all become closer and have a healthy relationship. Therefore, it’s clear that having appropriate discipline, overcoming difficulties, and spending quality time with each other are the three most important things for a blended family to do.

Mind My Karaoke †Music Business Plan Essay

Executive summary Karaoke is a Free Web based Application Software for pc , Smart phones and tablets. it is Initially Designer for the Indian Music Industry where people are Interested in social Networking and interacting with each other through various Mediums. Karaoke will appear close to Social networking, with a Fresh and New concept of people making their own karaoke version of their favorite latest songs from All Different languages all over India and share it With their friends and Well wishers, using it as an Recreational medium. With Increasing and Unbelievable Piracy rate in India Karaoke will help The record Companies , Artists and the Consumers as well. A Web based Application Software, where sharing Karaoke songs and Interacting with friends is new and easy to adapt and interesting as well. The Karaoke offers up to date Original karaoke tracks with good quality and voice modulating options for the amateur singer who use it as a recreation and Fun. The karaoke itself acts as an Social Networking Medium where it meets Facebook , Twitter and Sound Cloud which are one of the Top rated Social mediums in this generation to make it more Interesting. Business Idea The Increasing Piracy rate in India, especially in the Music Industry where 95% of the Music Downloaded in India is claimed to be Illegal ( RIAA report – 2010). India when Compared to the Other Countries sadly remains in the top five , with a High piracy rate in the Film Industry. The Film Industry suffered loss of  £ 450 476 000 ( INR 4000 00 00 000 ) due to Video and Audio piracy. There is drastic increasing level of music piracy through Online and Offline year by year, where there is no sign of decreasing piracy rate. The Indian Film Industry is a growing Industry where the numbers is on increase. India is the Largest producer of films according to the BBC report 2009. In 2009 India Produced 2961 films on celluloid includes 1288 feature Films. The are more than ten subdivisions in the Indian Film Industry which contains more than ten languages of Films, i.e. Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi, Punjabi, Sindhi and many m ore. where each state has an unique Language of their own. Minimum of 100 Movies each from the languages of Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada release in Cinema theatres every year. 95% of the Movies has Songs which is a typical characteristic of the Indian Film Industry. Each Movie releases a Music Album from the Movie itself containing a Minimum of 4 Tracks which helps the growth of this product. The Main advantage of KARAOKE is the increasing number of people who use social Networking and Applications for Recreations, Fun and staying in Touch with Friends. India ranks Third in the World for Social Networking users. In India now it has become a Fashion that people Express their Emotions in Public through Social Networking Thus karaoke would be an Entertaining application for them. The karaoke also offers the Original versions of the Songs for Download at cheaper Price where the Customer can buy it after Listening to the preview of the Songs. As the Application Software is designed for Multi platform it can be used in Smartphones a nd Tablets as well This makes the Application Portable and Fun to use it Wherever we are. The KARAOKE has an Unique Feature of Auto Voice tuning Option, where it helps to cut off Background and Ambience noises making it easy for the Users and it also Helps the Amateur Singers to Tune their Voice for Better Quality and Fun. It provides various Features likes gives a chance to Listen to the Original track for a Limited number of times before Buying are recording the Karaoke Version, in each purchase of a Karaoke Track it offers a Free online Lyrics Script for that Song, where people can even change the lyrics as well, not it any way of offering the Composer, Artist or the Record Labels. The KARAOKE has a new Approach towards the Music Industry where it Helps to Reduce Music Piracy in India. Where people can Buy the songs Only which they like at cheaper price instead of Buying the Whole Album. KARAOKE soles the Purpose of Interest of the Consumers from All over India who likes Songs and likes to Sing songs. This product will Grab the Kids and Youngsters as well. People in In India are connected to Internet and Social networking most of the Time. Nearly 620 330 040 Facebook Users prevail in India Ranking the Third Highest Facebook Users country in the World. So Publishing and Sharing the Product through Facebook would help and which would also Favor the Facebook. The Karaoke has a Separate Webpage which acts like an Social networking Website where people can like and comment on others Karaoke songs, give an Unique name for their Karaoke song and share them on  Facebook, twitter and Sound cloud. Though KARAOKE is Unique in its own Kind with different Approach towards Karaoke. There are Six Prevailing Competitors for KARAOKE Competitors 1. Meraghana.com 2. Redkaraoke.com 3. Taranaa.com 4. Desikaraokedownload.com 5. Karaokehindi.com 6. Latestbollywoodkaraoke.com SWOT analysis Strength – new innovation towards karaoke – works both as social networking and helps music industry from Piracy as well – low cost – latest songs – sharing with friends – can be operated through Mobile Phone and Tablets as Well.|Weaknesses – original karaoke versions released can be pirated – songs Offending the Composer and Record labels can be made – idea cannot be copyrighted | Opportunities – low cost options for single songs instead of buying the whole album – listen to the songs for limited number of times before the Download. |Threats – existing and new competition can arise with similar products – cost of Web hosting and server space in Rise | 3. BACKGROUND The Team Consists of Members with Knowledge of Music Industry in India,  Music Engineers , Application and Server Maintainers. Software Developers. Me therefore having quite a Good knowledge about the Indian Music Industry and pursuing Audio Production Course acquiring Knowledge in Both Artistic and Technical aspects and having knowledge about the Karaoke Music Interests in India will solve the Purpose. Realizing the Piracy threat and Detailed research how piracy affects the Indian Music Industry helps to bring up this Business Plan. For Additional helps and technical Assistance People will be recruited in Future of the Business if Needed. The Team shall be Expanded in Future of the Product when it goes Global when it is introduced in Other Countries, shall incur Help from the Countries Respectively for Further Assistance. 4. Ownership The Ownership of this Product this Project would Belong to the Creator of this Product and the Financier of this Project in 15 % and 85% respectively in the Profit Margin. where the Creator would be Developing the Product with Different Ideas and new Innovations making it Interesting for the Consumers. where the Record labels would have Partnership with the Composers and Artists for Making the Karaoke Version, which is Simple with the Same Original Track without the Vocals and the Record Label will have Royalty and Copyright Agreement with the Composer and Artists of the Songs. 5. Company Structure The Company Structure includes the Team and the Space for Accommodating the Server and Technical Support. Though This will be an Free Application Software the Investors Play a Vital role and they Handle the Artists and Composers regarding the Royalties for each song that is sold through the KARAOKE. 6. TEAM Once the Product is Developed by the Developers for introduced in the Market, it needs Technicians for Trouble shooting and further technical assistance during the First 3 Months of the Product Launch where the Developers will be responsible for Sorting it out according to the Agreement they Have with the Company. Software will be Further Developed and maintained depending upon  the Increase in number of Consumers. 5. THE PRODUCT The Product KARAOKE is a web based Application Software for Pc , Mobile phones and Tablets. KARAOKE is an Application Software which acts like an Social Networking web where Consumers From India can Sing and make their Favorite Karaoke Songs from All Different Languages in India. The Key Feature of this Product is Consumers have access to use Up to date Latest Karaoke songs from more than 10 Different Languages in India. The Product is Economic when compared to the other Karaoke Web downloads in India, where People can listen and choose their Karaoke songs before buying it, and they can Buy single original versions of the Song they like rather buying the whole Album. KARAOKE has various Facilities where people can sing and manipulate their voice to make it better or Hilarious according to their wish, with Various Vocal Auto Tune Option. When They buy a Song from KARAOKE, they can sing the Original Lyrics where they would be given a free online Free Lyrics script for that song or they can make their Own Lyrics within the Terms and conditions, Where any Vulgarity or in offence to law shall be immediately removed from the Web. Once they are Done with Recording the Song, they can Upload it only once through the Application, But they can keep their Downloaded Karaoke version With them. Consumers will have all access to Training and Trials on the webpage. When they Uploaded a Song, they can Upload it with different recording again and so they have to buy the Track again for Uploading and they can’t Claim Copyright for their Lyrics or the Tracks. Any Unlawful Act by the Consumers will be taken to Account where they can continue using the Product. When People report spam or any other Disrespectful to one another, the song shall be removed with further Notice. KARAOKE allows the consumers to like and comment on Others songs and can Rate on others Songs, consumers can Upload their Songs on Facebook, Twitter, Sound cloud and on the Same KARAOKE webpage as well. As KARAOKE web page acts as a Social Networking web, consumers can name their Own songs with the name they like and give a Description or Story For that songs, Where they can express the memories of the songs and Emotions through words. In The Initial Stage of the Karaoke From the Launch of the product  till it gets Familiar with the people, they get a Beneficial Package when they Invite people to the Product, they get free Songs and can make their free song and Share it, which helps the Product as a Promotion. KARAOKE is quick to Access even on Mobile phones and Tablets where they all need is Internet and the Product. KARAOKE will be Introduced as Free Subscription Application Software, Where People get a Free Songs from latest and Up to date songs on the Web, which helps them to know about the Product and get Familiar with and they are allowed to Share the song. They next Benefit they Get is, As they Invite People to the KARAOKE they get a Free Songs After Inviting 20 people as they Join they KARAOKE which makes it More Interesting for them and Which could help them more to know about the product. Where these Beneficial Schemes helps the Product’s Promotion and Marketing and makes it Familiar to the Younger generation who are Active on Social Networking. KARAOKE will Act as a Fun and Recreational Element. KARAOKE will also sell Original Versions of Up to Date songs at Cheaper price, which helps The Indian Music Industry to Fight Against Piracy. There are More than Hundred Websites which Offers illegal Download, which the Government wants to shut down but the numbers are still on increase and this Product would help Fighting Against Piracy. Later After making the Product Familiar the Product can be Redesigned to launch in different Countries. KARAOKE after a Steady success, will have a Dealership will Mobile Networking Companies, because in India Many people use a facility called caller Tune where people calling one another would listen to their Favorite song instead of the normal ring, where KARAOKE would offer that they can use their own karaoke song which they made as their Caller Tune, this would make the Consumers more Interesting where they always in a search of Something New. 6. MARKETING PLAN Having knowledge of Indian Music Industry and being aware of the High Piracy rate in India and the Attitude of the Indian Consumers who are Keen on trying something which is new to the market and which helps to Interact with one another, friends and Family. This Would help them as an Recreation and to stay in touch with each other in an Unique way like ever before. So we  understand that people need something new which would help them Forget Illegal Download and make them buy Original tracks and karaoke versions and make this as an entertainment more interesting which already prevails but not quite popular. Here Kotler’s 4Ps of Marketing Help to Address a marketing Strategy (mellow 2009). Product The Consumers want to Try something new when Products like this Launches in the Market. They are connected to Social Networking most of the time to stay in touch with One another. As People in India are Music Lovers and Movie Lovers as well they would like to try this product as well. KARAOKE is a fun Filled Entertainment and Recreational solution for the People who Love music and love to make Music where they can purchase Original tracks. This Product will have a strong connection with the Amateur singers mainly, as they want to sing songs and make it sound good just where they are, and to share it with friends, this will help them to attain what they need. KARAOKE is a simple and effective Application in which they can make their song wherever they are, all they need is a pc or Mobile phone or tablet with internet connection. Karaoke provides more Interesting options which would make it User friendly. Place As KARAOKE is a Free Version Application Software, they can Directly Download it from the Web page or through Online Application stares of their Mobile phones and Tablets. After Downloading the Application, when they need to Buy Karaoke Songs and Original Songs, they can Buy it with their Credit Cards and Debit Cards, which the Webpage would give proper Guidance. Another Important point of sale will be through Advertisement links on Facebook, twitter and Sound Cloud, where people can join and purchase the songs on go. No direct cash transaction would take place, everything would go through secured online debit and Credit card payment. Price The Product is Very Cheap and Economic when compared to its Competitor although this is a new Innovation and unique of its Kind. The Application Software would be Absolutely Free with free Upgrades as well. When KARAOKE is compared to it market competitors it is economic, where the competing websites offer monthly and Annual package of  £15 and more, which are higher than the KARAOKE, where only few Websites offer single song download which is Much more expensive than our Product. To make it comfortable for the Consumers KARAOKE offers single songs downloads at cheaper price where if people are not likely interested anymore they don’t have to lose their money. KARAOKE offers Original Songs and Karaoke Version at the same Cost where each of them would be charged  £0.11( INR = 10) which is the most cheap and reasonable cost for a Track in the Indian Market. Where as iTunes sells each song at a cost of  £0.14 ( INR = 12 ). iTunes when compared to KARAOKE, it is reasonably cheaper. As the this would be an attractive and cheaper price for the Consumers of the Indian Market. As the Competing Websites Offers Annual Packages, most of the Websites doesn’t Offer Latest songs, which is more likely to be a draw back for their own fortune. where they are more like Forcing to Consumers to purchase the Monthly or Annual Package. where as KARAOKE doesn’t gives the Consumers the Whole freedom where they can choose what they would like to Buy and Use. Promotion The Product will be Promoted in a Number of ways to Target the Younger generation. These people Mainly Include from the Age group of 16 – 35, where the Other Age Group Promotion would also take place. As the First Step of Promotion, The Application Software will be given as a Free Download where People can explore and understand about the Product. The Next step would be that Each and Everyone who had joined the KARAOKE would be given a Free Karaoke Song of their own choice which is Present on the Web. where people will now be allowed to experience the Product and share it with their Friends and get a good knowledge about the Product. The next step of promotion would be with Regional Celebrities from Different languages, will be doing a karaoke version of a famous song and will be out on the Web and social networking sites and their fan Pages ,where it will be shared for promotion, this will help the Product get popular. The Next Step would be, when people invite more than 20 people and as the invited people join, the  Invite would get a free Song again, This will increase the number of users of the product and makes it Quite popular among the Youngsters. Now KARAOKE would have Enough users and they would start liking the product as they Would start Purchasing the songs. Facebook, twitter and Sound Cloud would play an Important Role in Promoting the Product as people make their Karaoke Song and share it with their Friends Online. Advertisements on Social networking sites would take place. As KARAOKE has new fun filled Features like Auto Voice tune, Funny effects, it is quite easy to get familiar and effective with kids and Youngsters. Later on After getting steady market and Consumers, KARAOKE will have collaboration withe Mobile Network Companies to use their own songs of the Consumers as their Caller Tunes, where we would get paid by the Mobile Network companies and they would be charging from the Consumers. As Each and Every week in India more than 2 Music Albums are released so people will be more Curious about making new karaoke songs and this will add up to their Entertainment. 7. SALES AND DISTRIBUTION Primary sales would be through the Official Web page and Application stores of the Mobile Phones and Tablets. where Advertisements about new songs and deals would be Published and shared through Social networking and the Followers in them. Advertisements about the release of new Albums and updates about Upcoming Songs would be done through the Official Webpage and Social networking. As Karaoke Acts as an Social Networking site it solves the Purpose. This would take quality time to Get popular and effective in the Market as this Involves people from Different states and Different Languages from India. As the Celebrity Advertisements would help in Promoting the product will help the sales of the product in a period of Time. Distribution will be Done in the Web page and in Social Networking sites as well through Advertisements and information, where the Followers would get Up to date information’s. Distribution will partly be done by the consumers as well as they do their song and share it with others, which would be beneficial for both the Consumers and the producers. After a number of people had acquired and account with KARAOKE, the next step for the company would be upgrading the product to make it useable for a large number of  people and making it user-friendly after receiving feedback from the Consumers. 8. Competitors KARAOKE faces Competition in two Different ways, thought KARAOKE is a whole new different product from their competitors. One way of Competition would be through Existing Websites which are available for Karaoke songs Downloads. The other way of Competition would be through the Duplication of the Product and piracy of the Tracks released through KARAOKE. There are Six main competing websites, which shall be stated below and compared with KARAOKE. 1. meraghana.com : which offers a Subscription Plan for $4.95 (INR = 270.67 ,  £ = 3.05) a Month and $49.95 (INR = 2731.27 ,  £ = 30.76) a year for unlimited usage. The cost of this Product is very High for the Consumers as meraghana.com has very fer consumers. which doesn’t offer any new Songs and concentrates on a Single language from India and it does not offer any free additions like the Lyrics script and Movie Information’s. 2. Redkaraoke.com Which Offers a Subscription plan for $2.99 (INR = 163.49 ,  £ = 1.84) a Day , $6.99 (INR = 382.21 ,  £ = 4.30 ) a Month and $39.99 (INR = 2186.65 ,  £ = 24.63) a Year, where there rates are too high even for a single day subscription and they do not offer any new songs or sharing facilities and there is no add on to the Product as much. 3. Taranaa.com Which Offers a Yearly Subscription for $20 (INR = 1093.60 ,  £ = 12.32 ) a year. They do not offer any monthly Subscription or single song Download options was KARAOKE does and they do not Offer any new songs which disappoints the Consumers, and they do not offer different languages. 4. Desikaraokedownload.com it is a free karaoke songs downloading Website, though it is illegal  Downloads its Quite Popular where people can download the karaoke songs and record it separately on their own devices, where as the website does not produce any facilities for recording and Sharing the tracks. As it is an illegal download there is no proper quality of the tracks. 5. Karaokehindi.com Where Each Track Cost $5 ( INR = 273.40 ,  £ = 3.08 ) which makes it too expensive for the consumers when compared to the other competing websites, and they do not offer any monthly or yearly subscriptions as the other websites do. They offer only old songs and not the Latest tracks which could grab the youngsters attention. 6. Latestbollywoodkaraoke.com This Website Offers up to date karaoke tracks, including the Latest releases for Free, but it is illegal Download where the songs are not Copyrighted at all. The Tracks which they offer are manipulated poor Quality tracks. Though they provide latest songs the do not provide any recording facilities or sharing facilities. SWOT analysis for KARAOKE when compared to its Competitors Strengths – Can be used in Mobile phones and Tablets too, which makes it Portable. – Easy to Use and an Interesting piece of Entertainment. – Sharing Facilities on Social Networking websites. – new innovation towards Karaoke because it is unique in its Own kind. |Weaknesses – duplication of the product – Piracy of Tracks which are released through KARAOKE – risky promotional Tactics, giving free tracks initially for promotion where the Competitors don’t. – Heavy investment needed. | Opportunities – As it is Interesting for the Youngsters to use – support from music composers and record labels to promote the Product – it is a free Application Software, which acts like a social networking – young generations interest in music and making music. |Threats – new customers switching to Similar Forthcoming products. – people should afford to spend money for buying songs and Karaoke Tracks. – price / feature war with competitors – composers can officially release karaoke versions themselves, which would affect them the most again | As the SWOT Analysis compering the Competitors shows that KARAOKE offers a better deal and new interesting Elements which would attain success in market with the Younger generations Interest on it, Though it has its own weaknesses and threats, by more offers and Advertisements and Development of the Product will help the product to stand up in the Market. KARAOKE is Unique in its own kind as mentioned earlier and there is no similar product this, though it has competitors. The competing website are expensive and does not offer any New tracks Usually which would make lose interest among the Youngsters, who seek latest updates, even when few Websites offer they are Illegal downloads with Poor Quality. KARAOKE would act as a Social Networking piece, which would impress the Younger generation to spend Quality time on it, this will give back the senses to the consumers where they get used to Buying songs and Karaoke tracks for minimal price rather downloading it illegally. The Strength of the Product lies in support from the Composers, Artist and the Record labels, as this is a new Innovation where people would like to Invest and make money in return and this would pay the Royalty for the Artist and composer as well. By analysis the characteristics of the competitors has been revealed where they are expensive and drawbacks in different forms, this would give back life to the karaoke involved Entertainment. 9. Customers The First set of Target Customers are the Younger Generation between the Age  of 16 – 35 who are prone users of Social Networking like Facebook and twitter, where the people who are interested in trying new Products, that makes them happy and Interactive. Thus KARAOKE would serve as a medium for their Social interaction through karaoke tracks and their singing abilities. The next set of Target Customers will be from all age group who are Music lovers and who love to Sing, even if they are amateur singers, so this Product will do justice to users from School students to working Professionals. This Product will be beneficial to the Elderly people who are interested in singing prayers songs and other religious songs by themselves. People From Different states of India would Buy and try out Other Language tracks in which they are Familiar and interested to pursue, there are few Consumers who would know more than one language and are interested in all language songs, this product will help to solve their requirements. As there are Consumers from Different parts of India where each one has different interest towards karaoke and Social Networking as well, this would help to extend the market. As People outside India are interested In Indian Songs and Indian Karaoke Tracks, they would even purchase their likes from this Product and this will help in extending the market of the Product Internationally and Developing the Product. India ranks third in the use of Social Networking Websites. There are 62 713 650 Facebook users as per the statistics record which has been taken recently, where 48% users are from the Age group 18 – 24 and 27 percent users from the Age Group 25 – 34, which contains the majority of more than 75% below the age group of 35 which shows a number around 47 035 238. Where most of the Youngsters will be Music lovers and interested in making karaoke songs Songs when something new is projected, even when only 2% of the people are interested from the age group 18 -35, there would be nearly 311 650 consumers for this product, So this will be a sure figure where people will be interested in using the Product which is Absolutely good for a new Product during it launch. 10. BUDGET Initially the Business team ail require a Time period of Six months for  Developing the Software and Trouble shooting them, to make it perfect during the launch of the Product, it may take a month extra for Fine tuning the product for better Outcome. The Initial Investment for the First Six months including Software developing and miscellaneous expenses rather than Software Development will be  £12000 (INR = 10,68,000) and  £4000( INR 3,56,000) respectively. After completing the Product and after rectifying the Products mistakes, the Product will be ready for it Launch. After the launch we need further investments for Promotion and increasing number of users. After the Launch, The fresher’s who are new to the Product will be Given a Free song of their own choice, where it is roughly calculated with the number of consumers estimated above, which would cost about  £35 016 (INR 31,16,500) where it is a whooping investment. after they invite Twenty more people to the Web and as they join the web application, the Invite would be Giver and additional free song where the figures are calculated at the maximum and the maximum expense would be  £35 016 again. The estimated Profit Margin will start after One year of the product launch as it a new investment, where as if the Product is successful soon and has many consumers, they get back the initial in Six Months time. Advertisements for the Products will cost  £3000 which can be compensated with the money the product earns through Advertisements about movies and music Album on the Official web page. As the Product gets families the advertisements revenue for the Product will also Increase. the estimate profit Margin on the sec on year will be 30% resulting in a net profit of  £60,000. 11. INITIAL INVESTMENT An estimated Initial Investment of  £16000 +  £73 032 in six month interval respectively, a Total of  £89032 will be needed for the Product. Which would include the Web development and Server management cost including a sum of  £12000 and  £4000 for the Miscellaneous expenses, this would cover all the expenses including the labor charges and transportation. Where  £ 3000 from the whole Budget will be allocated for the Celebrity Advertisements and advertisements through other mediums. Free Advertisements of Facebook and twitter would not incur any charges where they are mutually beneficial. The projection is that at least 2% of the total social Networking circle start using the Product which will be around 311 650 consumers Using the Product. In the First Three Months 25% from the product consumers, which will have 77912 consumers will buy at least One song at a minimum rate which would contribute the revenue at  £ 8735. in the next Three months which Six months all together will have 50% of the consumer buying at least One song which would give another  £ 8735, and the product will be earning through Advertisements of the web page which will contribute a minimum of  £3000 in the first six months which will gradually increase. Thus the Initial investment needs are explained. 12. Barriers Internal Barriers The Internal Barriers which could arise is, Effective investments from the Investors with Confidence to Bring up a Good Quality Product and the Time for Testing the Product and trouble shooting may take much time as predicted to be. It could take Six to nine months for Marketing the Product through promotion and make the Product Familiar with the Consumers. This my be due to unforeseen Circumstances such as illness, job relocation, etc. External Barriers Eternal Barriers would arise by the Lack of Potential Investors, who can cope up with the Development of the product. Finding a Good Software development and server management team could also be a barrier. Technical barriers like the speed and effectiveness of the product in mobile phones and Tablets could arise. Advertisements should reach the consumers well before the product is launched. Effective Competitors, Duplication and piracy could also be a barrier. 13. Profit and Exit The profit margin for this product is gradual initially with 30% after the First year, the main idea of the product is to take it gradually producing good quality and customer satisfaction. It takes nearly one year to get back the Huge Investment on whole and does not need much investment and running cost after the First year. The main aim of the product is get a Steady and gradual market with strong Consumers. Further development of the Product will depend upon the income and expenses after the First three years. The Profit target will be  £ 1 053 432 including the expenses and charges incurred after the First year, Where the company successfully makes Profit out of the Product.