The idea of a life cycle is used in biology and other areas.
A life cycle is the alternation of generations , according to the definition of the concept in the field of biology . This means that, in eukaryotic organisms, sexual reproduction exhibits an alternation of nuclear phases: meiosis leads to a haploid phase and the fusion of the gametes generates a diploid phase.
Marketing , meanwhile, uses the concept of life cycle to analyze the conditions of a product in the market . This means that a product goes through various stages from its birth to its end (when it stops being produced).
Product life cycle
In the development stage , the product is very expensive since it does not generate income. Upon entering the market , the product begins to sell, although with a low sales level. In the product growth stage , costs begin to be reduced by scale production and profits increase. The cycle continues with a maturity stage where maximum sales levels and highest profitability are reached. Finally, the decline stage begins, where sales, prices and profits fall.
In this case, it is essential to emphasize that when any company carries out the life cycle management of a product it has on the market, it resorts, for its development and good results, to such useful tools as, for example , marketing .
However, other instruments that become essential when it comes to achieving optimal results are budgets , as they allow the promotion of the product itself, as well as advertising .
Sometimes the fact occurs that the expected sales and profits are not obtained, so those responsible will find it necessary to take action on the matter to put an end to the situation. Hence, they are strongly committed to developing actions such as relaunching the product itself, extending it or updating it.
In marketing, the life cycle refers to the various stages that a product goes through.
The concept in the environment
According to the environmental point of view, the life cycle is a concept that allows measuring the environmental impact of a product from the moment its raw materials are extracted from nature until it returns to nature as waste.
In addition to all this, we cannot ignore the existence of the Ibero-American Life Cycle Network , which has the following slogan: "For a sustainable world." And that entity, made up of organizations of various types (educational, governmental, professional, technological...), has among its main objectives to ensure that today's society acts to achieve the elimination of the different existing environmental impacts.
Other uses of the notion of life cycle
Finally we have to explain that there is a song titled "The Life Cycle" and that it has already become part of our cultural heritage. This is the main song from the animated film " The Lion King" .
Finally, for engineering and computing , the development cycle is the period that begins with the implementation of a technological standard and ends with the development of new, more efficient tools.