Developments of Music and How the Internet Has Changed the Music Essay

Developments of Music and How the Internet Has Changed the Music Industry for Artists - Essay Example Later on in the century, other modifications had to be fixed to the mechanism to enable audio playback for the sounds captured by the device (Inglis 2006, p. 111). This was essentially in the form of a phonograph, which was pioneered by Thomas Edison. The phonograph enabled for the reproduction of the recorded music as opposed to the phonautograph that only enabled recording but no playback. An advancement of the phonograph led to the invention of the world renowned gramophone, which then set a new bar in the production of, and recording of musical pieces. Emile Berliner held the patent for the gramophone, thereby cementing her name in the music production history. It also brought the onset of disks as a medium for storing sound pieces and later on allowing for their playback through a form of rotational mechanism. However, all these advancements in the production of music still relied on mechanical mechanisms, as their periods of invention fell within the time that could not allow f or integration with electricity (Fenlon 2009, p. 243). The onset of electronic recording was in the early 20th century, and this greatly improved the recording and production of music. This was especially with the advent of the microphone, which replaced the initial mechanical means of recording sound. After the introduction of the electric forms of music recording, most of the music production processes adopted the microphone as the chief equipment for recording music (Goetschius & Tapper 2001, p. 211). This was still reliant upon discs where the electronic recording would be applied either on a single side or on both sides of the disc. Furthermore, another breakthrough in the line of music recording came with the invention of magnetic form of music recording. This was through an... This essay approves that music production has been highly modernized in respect to technological advancements. This is especially since the first forms of music production were an easy task that involved neither a lot of people nor any forms of complex instruments or mechanisms. The pioneering music production mechanisms involved quick processes that took only a couple of days and the music would have been produced. These early forms of recording, such as acoustical recording mechanisms, involved live and direct recording of the music on a medium. Through this, music was passed through some medium to finally reach the audience. This report makes a conclusion that upcoming artists need not be within recording studios as they can easily send their raw musical compositions to producers through the internet who then process it and give them feedback still through the internet. On a general outlook, the internet is used throughout the production of music in the contemporary world. All processes ranging from the recording to the advertising and distribution is web based and the process has been made even faster. The development of music from the initial phases pioneered by Thomas Edison to the era of the internet in relation to music production has highly influenced the trends in how music has developed. All the stages have been essential in music transformation, with the internet being the most revolutionary in most perspectives.

Fundamentls of Entrepreneurship Essay Example for Free

Fundamentls of Entrepreneurship Essay Fundamental of entrepreneurship is an individual who takes initiative to bundle resource in innovative ways and is willing to bear the risk or uncertainty to act. The purpose of done this assignment to know and understand that entrepreneurship play role to started new business enterprise. Moreover, entrepreneur for started new enterprise that SPM JATI (cooking oil), need review performance of his business, identify strength and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action that will capitalize on the company’s strengths, and overcome its weaknesses and finally business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. Without this cannot complete the task to started new business. Before I start my assignment, I had obtained some information from my lecture and I also get information about entrepreneurship from internet. Through internet I know that entrepreneur of review performance to started new enterprise that SPM JATI (cooking oil), strength and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action and business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. Entrepreneurship must face all kind of problem and know need to solve the problem then only can achieve in business, if the entrepreneur run away from business it show he or she cannot face it the business and don’t know how to solve the problem. Task 1, is mention a bout review the performance of SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil. It’s easy to focus only on the day-to-day running of SPM JATI enterprise. It’s simply include business efficiency, financial position, business goals and conduct a customers and market analysis. Task 2, is indentify about SPM JATI enterprise, strength could be seen in terms of SPM JATI staff extremely polite and helpful and your competitor’s staff has very few customer-friendly attributes, products SPM JATI provides cooking oil, customers loyalty is demand, and location located at. And weakness, an object’s look every aspect of SPM JATI enterprise whether its products and service could be improved. Task 3, is analysis the company strengths and weaknesses. And how to overcome the weaknesses of company. Task 4 is talking about help jerry to investigate ways in which business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened Task 1: 2. 2 How would you review the performance of his business? 2. 1. 1 Introduction task 1 In this task talking about review the performance of business of SPM JATI Company. This task explains about operation management. Product planning, location planning, process planning, supply chain management and quality management. 2. 1. 2 Answer Review the performance of SPM JATI Enterprise cooking oil for financial position, it’s often fail because of poor financial management or a lack of planning. Often the business plan that was used to help raise finance is put on a shelf to gather dust. When it comes to SPM JATI Enterprise cooking oil business success, therefore, developing and implementing sound financial and management systems. . Product planning Product planning and product control work hand in hand to ensure that consumers get the products they want, when they want. Product planning involves evaluating the product and placement, price, package and position. SPM JATI cooking oil using product planning. Price must standard and the package look nice and the customer attract to the package. Location planning Location is also very important for service and manufacturing ventures, which have such costs as advertising, promotion and distribution that are a direct result on where they located. SPM JATI company location is very near customer and other shop also. Location has to be convenient for customers and their employees need adequate parking. That means locating near to key suppliers in areas for pick-up and deliveries. JATI company choosing the best location for business that us the first step to target the customers. Process planning A business plan is used when starting a new business or new product into market. SPM JATI cooking oil develops the products and maintains the products. SPM JATI cooking oil planning buys a new machine that is automotive packing machine to improve the business and supply in big scale. Supply chain management Supply chain management is the oversight materials information and finance as move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to consumer. The product flow includes the movement of goods from a supplier to a customer as well as customer returns or service needs. SPM JATI cooking oil supply to wholesaler and the wholesaler supply to consumer this is supply hain management of SPM JATI cooking oil company. Quality management SPM JATI Company maintains the good name and reputation of the company. To gain a competitive advantage, many companies will implement a quality management system to ensure they produce the best products. 2. 1. 3 Conclusion The conclusion is when I do this question I got a lot of idea about the business and also I can understand very well about what is product planning, location planning, process planning, supply chain management and how much important to business. This steps all SPM JATI company follow and maintain the business Task 2: 2. 2 Help Jerry identify his company’s strength and weaknesses. 2. 2. 1 Introduction task 2 In this task discuss about SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. SPM JATI Company strengths is understand consumer needs and provide high level customer service. Weakness is not enough workers in the company and also the labor costs very high. 2. 2. 2 Answer: The impacts of internal strengths and weaknesses on the success of the ‘subject’ of analysis. The internal strengths and weaknesses of you, your staff, your products, and your business. The internal strength that make’s organization more competitive than its marketplace peers. And the internal weaknesses with organization that will keep it from achieving its objectives; it is what an organization does poorly. Strength This involves looking at the strength and weaknesses of SPM JATIenterprise cooking oil. Internal strength of business SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil, could be seen in terms of SPM JATI enterprise staff, products, customers loyalty, processes, or location. SPM JATI enterprise cooking oil,strengthterms staffextremely polite and helpful, very important to be totally honest and realistic. Next products, cooking oil, customer loyalty is when a supplier received the reward of his efforts in interacting with his customer. Customer loyalty tends the customer to voluntarily choose a particular product against another for his needs. Location for SPM JATI enterprise are very good because very near to customer and wholesaler also. So when very near to customer the supply cost become low and can save money also. The name of company very popular everyone knows about JATI cooking oil and the products quality. JATI Company understands the consumer needs. JATI Companyprovides high level customer service. Have a presence in retail markets. And also the customer like and go for JATI cooking oil. Weakness Company weaknesses are a lack of resources or capabilities. SPM JATI Company has higher labor costs. Competitor who can have similar productivity from lower labor costs. SPM JATI also not enough workers and the management are not very good. 2. 2. 3 Conclusion In this task discuss about the company strengths and weakness. Explain about the SPM JATI company strengths and weakness. Task 3: 2. Following the analysis of the company strengths and weaknesses, recommend a plan of action that will capitalize on the company strengths, and overcome its weaknesses. 2. 3. 1 Introduction In this task discuss about the strengths and weakness of Jerry Company SPM JATI enterprise. So need to find out some step to help Jerry Company to improve. And also discuss the overcome company weakness. 2. 3. 2 Answer Company strengths The first strengths for jerry JATI Company are good name in market everyone know about the company and the brand. JATI Company provides high level customer service. Customer also likes to buy JATI products because customer likes the packing and the good service also. JATI Company supply goods time to time. Overcome company weakness After I discuss about strength and weakness of Jerry Company that is SPM JATI enterprise. Jerry can be try to improve the products and packing. Customer service is very important in business, Jerry Company must focus on customer service. First the weakness of SPM JATI Company is higher labor costs. After that SPM JATI company not enough workers in the company so cannot produce more products because very less worker. SPM JATI must take new worker for company and can produce more products. SPM JATI company have 3 lorry but that is not enough for supply goods because a lot of order from customer and wholesaler. So need to buy new lorry, for more supply goods for customer and the business also can develop if supply more goods for customer the company can make high profit. 2. 3. 3 Conclusion As a conclusion, I help to find the steps or ways to help Jerry Company to improve and do much better then now. Next is, found the ways to solve jerry company weakness Task 4 2. Jerry has bought you a one-week return ticket to his holiday home in Penang. He wants you to helpHim investigate ways in which the business existing performance could be maintained and strengthened. 2. 4. 1 Task 4 introduction In this task discuss about to help jerry investigate ways in which the business existing performance could maintained and strengthened. I help jerry how to improve the performance of SPM JATI Company. So for one-wee k I will take care jerry business and help him also to improve the business. 2. 4. 2 Answer The ways to improve the company performance I have help jerry to promote his company name and product. I do which customers buy a lot of JATI product they all get some gifts from company. Next is, I give some donation under JATI company name then only people know about the company and what they are selling or produce. This also one good type of advertising. If company name popular in market then all customer know about the company and the business sales also increase. And I ask jerry to do some offer or discount. When customer purchase JATI product the price be half price for few month, to promote the product. Another idea is make t-shirt for customer, like which shop sell a lot of JATI products give them t-shirt. 2. 4. 3 Conclusion Conclusion is, this is the ways to improve the company performance and steps. When jerry follow the steps above sure jerry company will be improve and success on his overall business performance and also can increase the business sales or monthly turnover can increase. This steps all are very good to business improve and can increase the production of the company so jerry must follow the ways to improve. But now Jerry Companyimproves ready, so for no problem for Jerry Company. I think Jerry Company does better sales and better business management. Because jerry know ready what is steps and ways to improve the company performance. 3. 0 Conclusion As a conclusion when I finish this whole assignment I can understand what is business strength and weaknesses. And how to take care the business and also how to solve the problem. So when jerry follows all the ways or steps of business, sure the business will successes and can make more profit. Every entrepreneur must know the business strength and weakness.

The Effects of Technology on Society Essay -- Papers Computers Modern

Today we swim in a sea of ever-changing technology that affects us as much as our thoughts and actions shape it. The technology we have chosen, either by the preferences of those who use it, or the agendas of those who own and benefit from it, has had its own influence on us from gross examples such as increased pollution, or a higher Western-style standard of living, to the way one person perceives another. Some people who resist using some, or even all technology; they are often called Luddites by those who embrace all things new; another type calls themselves Neo-Luddites, such as Kirkpatrick Sale. In his book Human scale, Sale describes the slow rotting of the stones of the Parthenon and other ancient monuments to civilization from the acid pollution developed by our present Industrial civilization and compares it to the slow disintegration our industrialized society has seemed to have undergone. He identifies effects of technology which have been harmful to the human condition and the environment, but seems to not quite "get it" about the Luddites: they were not fighting the machines themselves; they were struggling against powers of society that, for the past century, through enclosure and the abolishment of commonality [and the subsequent arisal of a class of people who lived by renting their labor: the working class] (Laslett, 195), had been seeking to disempower and disenfranch ise the mass of people, and were now striking anew with the latest, and most powerful manifestation of their social policies, the Industrial Factory. The men of Nottinghamshire who died as Luddites were fighting a system, not a technology, a system whose intentions were not to cut costs and increase efficiency, but to increase the co... ... Bibliography: References Black, Bob (1987). The abolition of work. In Sylvere Lotringer and Jim Fleming (Eds.), Semiotext[e] USA (pp. 15-26). Browning, J. (1996, July). New stars for a new media. Scientific American, p. 31. Laslett, Peter (1984). The world we have lost. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Law, John, Ed. (1991) A sociology of monsters: essays on power, technology and domination. London: Routledge. Martinez, E. (1996, April). You call this service? Technology Review, pp. 64-65. Noble, David F. (1984). Forces of production. New York: Alfred A, Knopf. O'Malley, C. (1995, June). Drowning in the net. Popular Science, pp. 78-88. Sale, Kirkpatrick (1980). Human scale. New York: Coward, McCann, & Geoghegan. Stix, G. (1994, December). The speed of write. Scientific American, pp. 106-111.

The Perils of Affirmative Action Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Top

The Perils of Affirmative Action    On January 16th of this year, I picked up the Washington Post and read an article by Richard Cohen that weakly criticized the lack of ethnic diversity in President Bush's new cabinet. The article was an interesting analysis of the ethnicity of Bush's cabinet, but it is even more significant as it dealt with an issue that is becoming of greater concern in this country: affirmative action. This issue has affected me in the past. I live in Northern Virginia, which is a very race-neutral area, and last year during my college application process was the first time in my life when affirmative action affected me. The applications say the race checkbox is only being used for statistical purposes, but when somebody sees these tiny little words on such a very important document, who doesn't get a nagging feeling that their future might be determined by the color of their skin? A lot of students worry about this checkbox. At the time it seems so unfair. You've worked hard for four long years, t aken the SATs twice, joined as many clubs and sports as possible, and yet that might not be enough. The issue of affirmative action is an important one, one that directly shapes our economy and our country. It influences the way people work and live, but should it? The issue of race in this country lingers while it is realistic for us as a people to get rid of it. In today's society, why should race be an issue to anyone, black or white? How can we create a country that is free from fear of the "other" race? There has been a strong pull in the last few decades to ethnically diversify the workplace, as most companies have been and still are dominated by Caucasians. The call for diversification is a big facto... ... in getting a job only pits one race against another in the job market. If nothing is done about affirmative action, then it will eventually grow to become a monstrous proponent of prejudice. What, then, should be done about affirmative action? Well, I for one believe that the idea of affirmative action has become entrenched in our minds. Diversity has become very sought-after, and not just because the government is looking over people's shoulders. Therefore any existing government affirmative action programs are not needed and should be phased out. Affirmative action won't go away. It will always be in our minds, but it will no longer be binding. Employers will no longer have to worry about race in hiring an employee, just their qualifications. Only then can we as a country truly strive for equality, and an end to the race issue that has plagued us for centuries.

Customer Loyalty and Customer Satisfaction Essay

Customer Loyalty can be difficult to define given the different views that are presented within the literature. Zithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996) determine that loyalty includes a customer’s intention to stay with an organisation and that loyalty includes four elements: repurchase intentions, recommending the service provider to other customers, less complaints and tolerance of price increases. Oliver, (1999) provides a different definition and describes loyalty as a customer’s overall attachment to a product, service, brand or organisation. A better appreciation of the factors that influence the loyalty of customers, particularly their attitudes and changing needs can help companies to develop strategies to prevent customer defection (Coyles & Gokey, 2002). Customer loyalty is important as it can have a powerful impact on a firm’s performance and it is considered to be a source of competitive advantage (Lam, et al., 2004). There is a strong level of agreement that customer loyalty and satisfaction are linked; however, there is an absence of consensus as to what constitutes customer satisfaction (Caruana, 2002); in addition, despite the fact that many loyal customers are satisfied, this does not always translate into customer loyalty (Kuo & Ye, 1999, Jones & Sasser, 1995) and studies have shown that satisfied customers may express a desire to switch to a competitor but it may prove to be difficult due to a lack of suitable alternatives (Pantouvalkis & Lymperopoulos, 2008, citing Mittal & Lassar, 1998). In contrast however, Reicheld & Sasser, (1990), indicate that high customer satisfaction should provide increased loyalty, which makes it less likely that a customer will decide to switch to a competitor. In addition to customer satisfaction, it has been suggested by numerous Researchers that there are other key antecedents to customer loyalty including perceived value, service quality, corporate image, reputation, trust and switching costs (Ishaqa, 2012, Lam et al, 2004, Bitner, 1995); however, although Researchers have posited that there is a connection, it can be argued that the connections is not fully understood, due to the number of potential antecedents (Wang & Wu, 2012); hence the relevance of this research. Perceived value- Perceived value can be defined in simple terms as the benefits received and the sacrifices made by the customer, although some studies have also proposed that perceived value is multi dimensional (McDougall & Levesque, 2000). It is also important to consider how perceived value can be increased and this may be achieved by delivering a better service, providing customisation of services (Coelho & Henseler, 2012) or reducing the customer’s cost perceptions (Ravald & Gronroos 1996). A customer’s perception of value could motivate them to continue to utilise the services of a service provider (Wang, 2010) and customers may also stay loyal to a company if they feel they are receiving greater value than they would from a competitor (Lam, et al, 2004, citing Bitner & Hubbert, 1994, Bolton & Drew, 1991; Sirdeshmukh et al, 2002). Another consideration of why a customer may stay loyal, rather than move to a competitor is the anticipated switching costs, including the cost involved in changing to an alternative, loss of loyalty benefits and developed routines and procedures (Lam, et al., 2004). In situations where switching costs are high, customers may stay with a service provider regardless of the perceived value (Wang, 2010) Service quality- Some studies have examined service quality as an antecedent of customer satisfaction (Rust & Oliver 1994; Spreng & MacKoy 1996), which as indicated earlier, is posited by some studies to link to perceived value. Parasuraman et al, 1988, developed the SERVQUAL model which can be adapted to suit the needs of an organisation and defines service quality as comprising of five dimensions including reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. As part of the model the customer will compare their expectations with the perceived performance of services, or according to Santos, (2003), where the customer will make an overall judgement of the service offered. Whilst the SERVQUAL model is said to provide a good indicator of overall service quality (Buttle, 1996), it has been questioned whether or not the model can be applied to a range of industries and if the five dimensions are sufficient (Hu, et al, 2009, citing Buttle, 1996, Carman, 1990, Cronin & Taylor, 1990). Some Researchers have also argued that  the SERVQUAL model has shortcomings, as the model only measures the quality of interaction and tangibles such as dà ©cor, etc., but not the actual quality of the service outcome (Sureschander, et, al, 2001). Brady & Cronin, (2001) proposed a model which includes the quality of interaction, physical environment and the outcome. Given the fact that for this study the outcome relates to the quality of homes, or the end product, it will be important to determine how this influences service quality perceptions, in addition to considering the SERVQUAL model. Also, according to Barber & Goodman, (2011), since the SERVQUAL model was developed, the debate on how to define and measure customer expectations, perceptions and performance and to understand how to address the gap has not been addressed. It is important to understand where gaps exist with the services provided and customer expectations, as meeting customer expectations is a significant driver of customer satisfaction, which can increase loyalty intentions (McDougall & Levesque, 2000). The reality is that different customers have different service needs and expectations (McKnight, 2009) and it is important that this research also provides an insight into how customer expectations can be met. Corporate image- Several authors propose that service quality is determined by an evaluation of the corporate image of the organisation (Martà ­nez Garcà ­a & Martà ­nez Caro, 2008) and the relationship between satisfaction and corporate image have been reported in a number of studies (Razavi et al, 2012, citing Lai et al, 2009, Leblanc, 2001; Kandamplully and Hu,2007) Gronroos, (1984), indicated that image, including corporate image is built mainly via the customer’s experience and the manner in which the service is delivered. Bitner, (1992), proposed that the physical environment is instrumental, yet in later years these views have been extended to include a wider definition, including the business name, architecture, products and services and general impression of quality (Nguyen & Leblanc, 2001).

Significant Figures Example Chemistry Problem

Significant Figures Example Chemistry Problem Here are three examples determining significant figures. When asked to find significant figures, remember and follow these simple rules: Any nonzero digit is significant.A zero between two nonzero digits is always significant.Trailing zeros are significant if they are at the end of a number and to the right of the decimal point.Leading zeros to the left of the first nonzero digit are not significant. For example, placeholder zeros in the number 0.005 are not significant (only the 5 is significant).If a number ends with a zero, but it is not to the right of a decimal point, it may or may not be significant. Generally, its safest to assume it is not significant. If you take a measurement where the final zero is significant, be sure to include the decimal point to make yourself clear. Significant Figure Example Problem Three students weigh an item using different scales. These are the values they report: a. 20.03 gb. 20.0 gc. 0.2003 kg How many significant figures should be assumed in each measurement? Solution a. 4.b. 3. The zero after the decimal point is significant because it indicates that the item was weighed to the nearest 0.1 g.c. 4. The zeros at the left are not significant. They are only present because the mass was written in kilograms rather than in grams. The values 20.03 g and 0.02003 kg represent the same quantities. Answer In addition to the solution presented above, be advised you can get the correct answers very quickly by expressing the masses in scientific (exponential) notation: 20.03 g 2.003 x 101 g (4 significant figures)20.0 g 2.00 x 101 g (3 significant figures)0.2003 kg 2.003 x 10-1 kg (4 significant figures)

Plan Your Remodeling and Home Improvement Projects

Plan Your Remodeling and Home Improvement Projects It all begins with a dream. Cathedral ceilings! Skylights! Room-sized closets! But, the dream may turn into a nightmare, unless you plan ahead. Before you remodel, follow these steps to get your home improvement project on the right start. How to Remodel a House: 1. Draw Your Dream Even before you consult an architect, you can begin sketching out your ideas and imagining your dreams- just get over the reasons not to remodel your home first. If you are adding or expanding a room, think about how the space will be used and how the changes will affect traffic patterns. Also consider how new construction will affect the overall context of your home. An oversized addition may overwhelm your house or crowd a small lot. A simple home design software program can help you visualize your project. Which Home Design Software is Best?Symmetry and Proportion in DesignFree Tools to Help You Choose House Paint Colors 2. Learn From Others One of the best ways to get inspiration and to avoid pitfalls is to follow the experiences of other homeowners. A number of Web sites offer online chronicles of home improvement projects, along with reply forms, message boards, and chat rooms that let you ask questions and get feedback. Ask around about local networking in addition to these: DIY ChatroomReddit has a number of DIY communities, including Home ImprovementThis Old House 3. Think Ahead Although you may dream of having a spacious new addition, the project may not make sense if you plan to sell your house in a few years. A luxury bathroom can price your house beyond the values in your neighborhood. Some projects, such as vinyl siding on a Queen Anne Victorian, will actually decrease the value of your home. Moreover, your own familys needs may be very different in a few years. Will the plans you draw today fit your future? Plan for StorageBuild to Save EnergyChoose the Best Plans 4. Count Your Money Even the best-laid budgets can go bust. Chances are, your remodeling project will cost more than you expect. Before you set your heart on high-end ceramic tile, find out how much you have to spend and make sure you have a cushion against cost overruns. For must-have items that could wipe out your savings account, explore home improvement loans and other financing options. If you own your home, a line of credit is often the best bet. Consider online borrowing from reputable companies that bring together small investors with borrowers. The Better Business Bureau reviews companies, such as the Lending Club. Some people depend on crowdfunding, but you should know your comfort level and understand what youre getting into. How Much Will It Cost?Build on a BudgetBuilding Cost Estimators 5. Choose your team Unless you plan to take on the entire remodeling project by yourself, youll need to hire helpers. Naturally, youll want to make sure that the folks who work for you are qualified, licensed, and properly insured. But, finding the best team for your remodeling project goes beyond a simple reference check. The architect who has won top awards may have a design vision very different from your own. If you have an older house, hire someone who knows the time period when your house was built; putting a finger on historical appropriateness is an undervalued skill. Use these resources to find the professionals you feel comfortable with. Do You Need an Architect?How to Find an Architect 6. Negotiate a Contract Whether you plan a simple carpentry job or a major project requiring the services of an architect and a general contractor, misunderstandings can lead to disaster. Do not begin remodeling without a written contract. Make sure everyone agrees on the work that will be completed and how long it will take. Also be clear on the types of materials that will- and will not- be used. Top 10 Building / Remodeling Contract Issues 7. Get Permissions In most parts of the world, a legal permit is required before you make structural changes to your home. The building permit assures that the remodeling project meets local building codes and safety regulations. If you live in a historic district, the permit also assures that exterior changes to your home are in keeping with neighborhood guidelines. General contractors will usually take care of the paperwork, but small-time workers may not... and the permits become your responsibility. 8. Plan for Problems - Make Ground Rules The larger the remodel job, the greater the chances are for frustrations. There will be equipment breakdowns, supply shortages, miscommunications, and delays. Draw up a few friendly rules for workers- tell them where they may park their trucks and store their equipment overnight. If concrete is involved, know where the leftover will be dumped. And, dont expect contractors to take care of your pets- the family dog and cat may be happier at a relatives summer camp. Also, take care of you and your family. Plan for ways you can indulge yourself when times become especially stressful. Schedule a day at a spa and reserve a night at a romantic bed and breakfast inn. You deserve it! Why Remodel a House? Theres a difference between renovation and remodeling. Renovation is aligned with preservation and restoration- keeping up with repairs and the original intent of an historic house. The word itself means to make new again- re- novus. The root of remodeling is something different. It shows a dissatisfaction with the current model, so you want to do it again, to change something. Too often people get involved in remodeling a house when what they really need to do is remodel themselves or a relationship. So you might want to ask yourself this: Why do you really want to remodel? Many people have good reasons to make a change- life events (does someone now use a walker or wheelchair?), different circumstances (are the parents about to move in?), or preparation for the future (shouldnt we install a home elevator now, before we need it?). Some people just like change, and thats okay, too. The first step in any home remodeling, though, is to take a step back into self-reflection. Know why youre doing something before you make the plan how to do it. You might save yourself a bunch of money- and a relationship. Good luck!