The Odyssey vs the Lord of the Rings - 1526 Words

Comparing the Odyssey to the Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings and Odyssey are two very weird stories in my opinion. The two stories include several similarities. The most noteworthy similarity of the two that were in common was the use of themes. Both included similar themes such as, life, death,power, brotherly love, myth, temptation, and journey. One thing I noticed was the use of several different themes included in both stories. In the Lord of the Rings the inhabitants of Middle Earth join to save themselves from enslavement. Centuries before, a ring was forged putting much power into control of who had it. Some men fell into that power, but an alliance of men and elves defeated it. The Ring was†¦show more content†¦In the case of the Sirens, the theme is revisited simply for its own interest. With their ears plugged, the crew members sail safely by the Sirens’ island, while Odysseus, longing to hear the Sirens’ sweet song, is saved from folly only by his foresighted command to his crew to keep him bound to the ship’s mast. Homer is fascinated with depicting his protagonist tormented by temptation: in general, Odysseus and his men want very desperately to complete their nostos, or homecoming, but this desire is constantly at odds with the other pleasures that the world offers As for the authors, Tolkien was well-versed and well-educated in the classics. He spoke ancient Greek fluently and would have known the works of Homer inside and out. No doubt his works were influenced by Homer in at least a minor way. Unfortunately we know very little about Homer, and in fact some scholars’ debate whether he even existed, so drawing comparisons to the two authors may be difficult. What we can consider however is the theory that Homer was a member of a group of poets called the Homeridae, which literally means hostages. These men were believed to be descendants of prisoners of war and as such, were not sent to war due to their dubious loyalties. Homer no doubt bore witne ss to many conflicts and used his writings to warn against the dangers of war. Similarly, Tolkien confined the Lord of the Rings after heShow MoreRelatedThe Managerial Odyssey1882 Words   |  8 Pagespositive motivation (When is motivation effective?). He then went further into detail about the motivations I should stay away from. He told me the positive motivations were the ones that got me through life and not just the day (Short-term motivators vs. long-term motivators). I told him my motivation was to defend the good against the bad at all costs. I wanted to lay my life down on the line for those who couldn’t defend themselves against the bullies. I knew what lied ahead of me when I madeRead MoreMovie Review : Star Wars2035 Words   |  9 PagesNetwork. Peter Jackson went on to direct The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit movies. Christopher Nolan made the successful reboot of the Batman series and directed the confusing Inception. Joss Whedon went on to ma ke the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and direct The Avengers, and Ridley Scott who directed The Martian and The Gladiator (10). Before Star Wars came out there was nothing ever like it before 1977, with the exception of 2001: A Space Odyssey. But even then they are not very similarRead MoreMovie Review : Star Wars1848 Words   |  8 PagesPeter Jackson went on to direct The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit movies. Christopher Nolan made the successful reboot of the Batman series and directed the confusing Inception. Joss Whedon went on to make the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and direct The Avengers, and Ridley Scott who directed The Martian and The Gladiator (C. Taylor). Before Star Wars came out there was nothing similar to it before 1977, with the exception of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Even then they are not very similarRead MoreIndependent Film Industries Reinforce The Global Construction Of The Hybrid Genre3665 Words   |  15 Pagesthe audiences engaged understanding of the complex plot. The international popularity of the genre could be explained by Kitses thematic identities[12], as in every culture there is the idea of law vs. crime, social responsibility vs. self-interest and brutalisation vs. censorship. In this way seemingly different adaptations of the gangster genre across the worlds film industries actually work within the same generic conventions forming a global generic hybridity orRead MoreHow to Read Lit Like a Prof Notes3608 Words   |  15 Pageseither in plot or theme or both. Examples: i. Hamlet: heroic character, revenge, indecision, melancholy nature ii. Henry IV—a young man who must grow up to become king, take on his responsibilities iii. Othello—jealousy iv. Merchant of Venice—justice vs. mercy v. King Lear—aging parent, greedy children, a wise fool 7. †¦Or the Bible a. Before the mid 20th century, writers could count on people being very familiar with Biblical stories, a common touchstone a writer can tap b. Common Biblical storiesRead MoreDfsdfsdfsdf7285 Words   |  30 PagesThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | Bethesda Softworks | August 11, 2009 | August 11, 2009 | August 6, 2009 | $19.99US | 5.87 GB | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Bethesda Softworks | May 15, 2012 | May 15, 2012 | | $59.99US | 3.68 GB | Enslaved: Odyssey to the West | Namco Bandai Games | November 1, 2011 | November 1, 2011 | December 20, 2011 | $19.99US | 4.91 GB | Eschatos | Qute | | | February 28, 2012 |  ¥2,600JP | 198.82 MB | Espgaluda II | Cave | | | March 6, 2012 |  ¥2,600JP | 657.32Read MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesJuggernaut Starbucks: A Paragon of Growth and Employee Benefits Finds Storms Boston Beer: Is Greater Growth Possible? 29 46 PART II MARKETING WARS 61 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Cola Wars: Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi PC Wars: Hewlett-Packard vs. Dell Airliner Wars: Boeing vs. Airbus; and Recent Outsourcing Woes 63 86 PART III COMEBACKS Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 McDonald’s: Rebirth Through Moderation Harley-Davidson: Creating An Enduring Mystique Continental Airlines:Read MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesconsider ahead. One thing, however, is virtually certain: Colin Powell will continue to exert strong leadership whatever his role. Peter Jackson When Peter Jackson read The Lord of the Rings trilogy at the age of 18, he couldn’t wait until it was made into a movie; 20 years later he made it himself. In 2004 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King took home 11 Academy Awards, winning the Oscar in every category for which it was nominated. This tied the record for the most Oscars ever earned byRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages269 United Chemical Company 269 Byron vs. Thomas 271 Active Listening Exercise 272 SKILL APPLICATION 274 Activities for Communicating Supportively Suggested Assignments 274 Application Plan and Evaluation 274 274 SCORING KEYS AND COMPARISON DATA 276 Communicating Supportively 276 Scoring Key 276 Comparison Data 276 Communication Styles 276 Comparison Data 276 SKILL PRACTICE Diagnosing Problems and Fostering Understanding: United Chemical Company and Byron vs. Thomas 278 Observer’s Feedback Form

Computer Addiction The Greatest Invention - 1607 Words

Computer is the greatest invention, which be applied in many ways fields such as mechanical, electronics, robotics etc. Computers serve to help people and make their life easier and their activity more productive, but there has appeared a problem of the computer addiction or dependency, especially among the young people. Computers are convenient devices that many of us use daily. They have become an integral part of our lives, allowing us to work from home, stay in contact with friends and family, for entertainment purposes and to keep track of important issues such as finances, stocks and shares, and international news. People can now search for pretty much anything and everything. There is literally a whole world of knowledge at our fingertips as soon as we log on to the World Wide Web. Some websites provides free resources for students and professionals. But bear in mind - computers are not foolproof. They crash. They get bugs. They can misinterpret words and give you a differ ent one than the one you wanted. Identity fraud is not something you want either. Companies can spam your inbox. Hackers can steal your money. There are trackers and viruses that can log every key you type including passwords. Personal information can be leaked into the unknown realm of the internet. And people can become obsessed. However, this is all surely down to the individual using the machine. There is no mistaking that the internet and computers have benefited all of our societyShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of The Internet1263 Words   |  6 Pagesthat we have today. The internet is a worldwide system of computer networks and people use this technology everyday. It’s on computers, on game systems, and even on phones. However, it has also led a lot of people to spend too much time in front of the computer, so much so that it becomes the center of their lives. (PsychGuides) Now I know what you’re thinking â€Å"Now this isn’t related to me at all†. teenagers are the most prone to the addiction however. adolescents often become addicted to the InternetRead MoreThe Cost Of Computers And Television s Impact On Society1194 Words   |  5 PagesComputers have been around for what seem like decades, it’s a way of life if nothing else we rely on it so much in our daily life. It wasn’t always like this our computer technology has been advancing astronomical. When once computers were seen as a simple calculator for simple calculations. We valued them as they were specialized machines for each person and each person could have a different experience with the computer, recently computers have skyrocketed with improvement in the early 20th centuryRead MoreTechnological Advancements During The 21st Century Essay1333 Words   |  6 PagesCentury has been the dawn of technology. In fact, access to computers and high-speed Internet connections are almost if not mandatory in this day and age. The world relies heavily on technol ogies, whether it is for school work, healthcare information, job search or even down to personal relationships, it is apparent and used everyday. However, does this make a person a   technological zombie? Well, if anything technologies such as, computers, phones, tablets, laptops, and anything essentially via wirelessRead MoreAre we too Dependent on Computers?1091 Words   |  4 PagesToday we live in a modern age where technological development is one of the greatest gifts to humanity. Technology is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function (Wikipedia). It also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangementsRead MoreEffects Of Internet Addiction On Children And Adolescents1682 Words   |  7 Pages in exposing much information on the network. Internet addiction, which is a problem that occurs when people become completely dependent on Internet connectivity, which can lead people to have symptoms of anxiety and violence, because having no access to the network. Internet addiction is similar as to having an addiction with alcohol and drugs because the brain generates alterations, which lead the person to become dependent on that addiction at hand. The emergence of the Internet was a big changeRead MoreImpact Of Technology On Society : What Is Technology? Essay1557 Words   |  7 Pagesto a new level. The process of human communication has evolved over the years with many inventions and discoveries heralding revolutions or a lift from one level to another. The invention of pictographs or the first written communication in the ancient world gave us written communication. These writings were on stone and remained immobile. The invention of paper, papyrus, and wax, culminating in the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, made possible transfer of documents from oneRead MoreEffects of The Internet On Teenagers Essays783 Words   |  4 Pageshouses either watching TV or playing computer and maybe do their homework. Internet is one of the most recent changes in the last two decays. Not surprisingly, this new phenomenon is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the last century, but unfortunately this occurrence has made some negative impact on our society and children. Teenagers are the most common group of society who can get artificial by the internet. As a matter of fact, internet addiction is a common habit for teenagers whichRead MoreThe Internet : A Positive Step Towards Education, Organization And Participation Essay1516 Words   |  7 Pagesinitially developed to aid in the progress of computing technology by linking all the best academic computer centers. The internet has no single â€Å"inventor†. Instead, it has evolved overtime. The internet started in the United States more than 50 years ago as a government weapon in the cold war. For years, scientists used the internet to communicate and share data with one another. It is a series of computers and servers that connect together to create networks, and many other servers are privately ownedRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology1740 Words   |  7 Pagespeople walking down the street and oblivious to the world around them while they are immersed in the world of their smartphone s. By looking at where we are now with our days so connected to the Internet and the ubiquitous presence of smartphones and computers, the question has been raised as to whether our use of technological innovation has brought more peace and happiness to our lives or has reaped us of a more fulfilled and purposeful existence. It comes as no surprise that technology is looked atRead MoreSmartphones And Its Impact On Society1183 Words   |  5 Pagesthought was ever possible. New inventions have impacted our lives so dramatically, that most people cannot imagine a life with the comfort of technology. One of the most groundbreaking inventions is the smartphone, now being able to communicate with anyone across the world, access the internet on the go, and utilize a plethora of apps. The ability to access an unlimited amount of information on a handheld device is truly incredible. However, every improvement or invention comes with unseen consequences

Protecting the Human Race Essay Example For Students

Protecting the Human Race Essay Soccer changed my attitude but this essay is beyond soccer. As a defender, my main objective is to prevent goals. Every time I let a goal pass by, the guilt and regret helped me grow as a better defender. This protector instinct changed the selfish boy who took the last Gatorade after the long game of soccer to a first line up who is willing to sacrifice his playing time for a potential player who needs more experience. One day, my coach asked me, â€Å"Junwoo, as a coach, I wanted to turn you guys into responsible men. What do you want to be? † This answer was easy. â€Å"I want to be a defender†. My coach replied, â€Å"for sports scholarship? † I replied, â€Å"Soccer taught me team chemistry, but now I want to study pharmaceutical chemistry and be a protector of the human race. † Many epidemics killed many innocent lives. At first, people were helpless, suffering from the odd pain. Epidemic such as Smallpox, Polio, and Cholera all took away many lives, but fortunately through research cures and vaccines were invented to help combat contagious diseases. Polio for example caused much death, but even the survivors have to suffer from permanent disability. Dr. Jonas Sulk and Dr. Francis Thomas Jr. are the heroes that created the vaccine for polio and saved many lives. When a disease breaks out I want to be like these two men who can minimize the damage for the future generations. There are also other diseases and epidemics that took lives and yet to be cured. Disease such as HIV, SARS, and Ebola are all diseases without an effective cure. HIV can be prevented from effective use of protection, but there are other diseases that are airborne or transmitted through polluted water. However, waterborne and airborne disease can spread exponentially especially where the environment is not hygienic as seen in many developing countries. By researching such disease and looking for the common genes that allow air or water transmission, I can not only increase my knowledge in epidemics but also find chemicals or drugs that can prevent such disease from spreading via uncontrollable medium. The world has become a smaller place. Even at airports, the customs are wary about passengers that came from the outbreak origin. Regardless of being infected or not, many innocent passengers are quarantined for these reasons. This is a conflict between national security and human rights, therefore it is a forced compromise that is controversial. However, with research I believe there will be alternatives to prevent airborne or waterborne disease from spreading with more efficacy than a simple CDC instruction of proper hand washing. Some say that my choice of major goes against my protector instinct. I am not ignorant. I know that pharmaceutical companies are now Empires. There are many ethical questions revolving this industry. Some say that Adderall is important for ADD, some say it has become a problem due to abuse. There are pain killers that truly help someone, yet the societal abuse of pain killers also gave birth to substitute opiates which are also controversial. However, these ethical questions do not affect me since my goal is to prepare for the potential outbreak of new disease. This summer Ebola stole many lives in Western Africa. The Walking Dead despite its fictional scenario could possibly break out without a warning. By studying medicine and disease with a degree related to medicinal chemistry, I will research, prepare, and standby under any circumstance like the pilot of Air Force One. I admit I am not the best soccer player, but I will minimize the damage while blocking the attack from the disease. Who knows maybe during research I might accidentally find a revolutionary cure like Penicillin or help find men’s lost confidence like Viagra.

The Meaning Of Machiavellis Claims On The Survival Of Religious Institutions Or State

Machiavelli asserts that for a Religious institution or state to survive, it is obliged to frequently restore its original principles (Machiavelli 1). According to him, deterioration in character and observation of religious norms are inevitable. This is evident in most cases if the institution fails to undergo a significant restoration to its earlier principles.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Meaning Of Machiavelli’s Claims On The Survival Of Religious Institutions Or State specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He further argues that the human mind is subject to negligence and assumptions. Such a restoration therefore, is bound to cause rejuvenation in the moral development and observance of religious rules among the people. This essay seeks to posit that Machiavelli is justified to make that particular claim as regards the survival of a religious institution or state. Machiavelli holds the view that it i s beneficial for a religious association, state or institution to be brought back to its starting point when everything is almost done in a perfect manner. This restoration not only remodels the faith and beliefs of the people, but also renews their reverence for their leaders and other matters that relates to religion. Machiavelli classifies the factors that lead to this religious restoration into two groups: intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are internal aspects that lead to such a transformation and restoration of religious institution. These factors may include the presence of a virtuous spiritual leader who emphasizes on the restoration of the religious institution. On the other hand, extrinsic factors are external aspects that lead to the restoration. Such factors include political instability and the state of morality in the society. A good example of how intrinsic factors cause the restoration of a religious institution is through the restoration of immacula te Christian virtues by Saint Dominic and Saint Francis. These were individuals who were disgruntled by the moral decadence in the society. They were therefore forced to put a lot of effort in the restoration of the earlier flawless principles of Christianity to the people. This particular society followed the initial principles which called for dire need to restore the same. These virtuous leaders served as epitomes of a Christ-like nature and led a life that was to be exemplified by the believers at that time. Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, is the best example of how external factors such as political instability can lead to the restoration of religious institutions to earlier principles. His predecessor, King Romulus, had waged many wars against neighboring towns and conquered some of them.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, King Numa used a religious approach to t he establishment of his Rome. He restored the art of peace and the worship of gods among the Romans. In addition to that, he appointed religious ministers and priests who led the people back to their old religious ways. The restoration of religious institutions to earlier principles is not an easy task. The success of such an endeavor depends on a number of factors. First, the state of the society as far as the observance of earlier religious principles should be gauged. This will assist in gauging the likelihood of the success of such an activity. There is a higher chance of success of the restoration if the society has slightly or mildly deviated from the principles. A huge deviation from the principles is a possible harbinger that the entire process may not yield the desired results. For instance, with the current promiscuity that has engulfed the postmodern world, effort to restore some of the religious institutions to earlier principles is likely to prove futile. Another factor to consider in the restoration of the religious institution to earlier principles is the gap of time between the planned restoration and the last restoration. This is because this time gap has a direct impact on the level of licentiousness in the society. A longer time gap breeds a society which is more immoral while a shorter time gap indicates a less morally incorrect society. There have not been major religious restorations in recent times and the possibility of the success of such a program in the postmodern world is minimal. The restoration of religious institutions to earlier principles is necessitated by the retrogression in the same. The decline in the observance of religious norms is countered by such restoration. This will see the desired religious levels attained. One major effect of this restoration is the turning of individuals from living an irreligious life to living a life that seeks peace with everybody. The overall effect is a peaceful correlation between people i rrespective of their religious backgrounds. This leads to the political stability of a nation. Other positive effects of the restoration of religious institutions to earlier principles include reduced levels of delinquents and recidivism among former criminals. In conclusion, Machiavelli is totally justified to say that for a Religious Institution or a State to survive for a longer period, it is essential that it should frequently be restored to its original principles. This is because the restoration leads to a rejuvenation of the moral virtues that were enunciated in the earlier principles.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Meaning Of Machiavelli’s Claims On The Survival Of Religious Institutions Or State specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is also clear from the foregoing discussion that certain factors influence the process of religious restoration. In the same manner, a number of aspects need to be put into consideration when carrying out the entire process of religious restoration. Finally, the restoration of a religious institution to earlier principles has many positive effects. Bibliography Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Discourses. New York: Penguin Classics, 1984. Print. This essay on The Meaning Of Machiavelli’s Claims On The Survival Of Religious Institutions Or State was written and submitted by user UatuTheWatcher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Open Innovation Essays

Open Innovation Essays Open Innovation Essay Open Innovation Essay UNIVERSITY OF BATH, MSC IN INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT Connect and Develop PGs big stake in open innovation Limali Panduwawala Suvidha Venkatesh Pedro Parraguez Xiajing Zhang 27/11/2009 Abstract: This report explores Ps Connect and Develop open innovation initiative. Its focus is to analyse this innovation strategy in the context of the formal academic theory, other PGs programmes and the company situation. Its objective is to understand the impacts, challenges and problems of implementing a large open innovation initiative inside a corporate giant such as P. Keywords: Procter Gamble, P, Open Innovation, Connect and Develop, Innovation Networks Connect and Develop, Ps big stake in open innovation 1 Introduction Innovation is the main driver for economic growth and progress of companies. In the age of the internet, it assumes even greater importance as maintaining competitive advantage becomes tougher with technology that brings the world closer and collapses the concept of time and space. Procter Gamble is a company that has been a pioneer in this field of innovation. They are global manufacturers and marketers of consumer products with complex operational networks. PG have been able to maintain their position in the market by adopting various innovation techniques and strategies. This report looks at the innovation strategies adopted by PG, particularly with a focus on Open Innovation. The report describes the theoretical framework of the innovation model the company has used along with its Innovation strategy and its management, followed by an analysis of the PG Open Innovation model, its problems and challenges and our conclusions. 2 2. 1 Theoretical Framework Innovation networks One assumes that innovation is a stand-alone concept which works well independently. In reality this is not true. To convert a good idea into a profitable product/service a lot more input from different people and different perspectives is required. Making innovation happen is about bring people or teams together in a creative and productive manner. In the era of globalisation with access to high-speed infrastructure and with teams on the move all the time, building, maintaining and developing networks becomes the key issue in the process of innovation. Usually innovation is seen as core process with a defined architecture with external influences acting on it. However, in reality it is not such a simplified structure. It is far more complex than that. The path of knowledge around an innovation project is more complex and interactive, appearing like some kind of ‘social spaghetti’ where different people talk at different times about different issues. (Tidd and Bessant, 2008) A network can be defined as a complex interconnected system or structure, which is used to get work done. A network consists of nodes or points of action which are occupied by 2 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation individuals, companies, research institutions, universities, governments, customers and so on. These networks are greatly affected by how economic activities are influenced by the social setup and the position that the nodes or points occupy in the network. Therefore, a network can be influenced in two ways, i. e. by the interaction within the network and through the differences in position of the nodal players, which can cause power and control imbalance. Networks work best when the advantages of Co-specialisation, sharing infrastructure and standards and other benefits outweigh the costs of network governance and maintenance. (Tidd and Bessant, 2008) The above mentioned innovation networks, are the conceptual grounds where the Open Innovation (OI) model emerges, thus they are a critical structure to understand Ps Connect and Develop model. 2. 2 Open innovation In the traditional model of innovation, the focus was mainly on research and development laboratories, where invention of new concepts and technologies were carried out using internal and external sources of information. These RD labs usually concentrated on bringing out new technologies for self-commercialisation. This process can be viewed in the form of a funnel, where a large number of varied ideas and concepts can be trimmed down to few of those concepts and ideas that best meet the requirements of the company. (OECD, 2008) In recent times, companies have become more open with their innovation process, leading to revolution described as â€Å"Open Innovation† by Chesbrough (2003). This ‘open innovation’ model is a more dynamic model when compared the traditional model as there is much more interaction between knowledge assets outside the company as well as inside. Henry Chesbrough (2003) in his book â€Å"Open Innovation: New Imperative for creating and profiting from technology† defines open innovation as a concept in which companies must use ideas from inside as well as outside sources and find internal and external ways to reach the market in order to advance their technological capabilities. Open innovation combines these 3 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation concepts of inside and outside ideas into systems and structures so that there is some order in the chaos. In another book â€Å"Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovative Landscape† he defines open innovation as the flow of knowledge internally and externally such that it moves the process of innovation at a much faster pace and so that new markets can be found for the use of this innovation. Open innovation means that firms should start using ideas and technologies from external sources and knowledge assets to create new and improved products/services. In the process, they should let others use their unused ideas which in turn can become a profitable venture by itself. This process would require an open business model to be in place. 3 Innovation Strategy at P One of the core strengths of the company is its Innovation strategy. Its CEO A. G Lafley believes that innovation is at the heart of P business model. The company uses innovation to create value with retail partners, satisfy customers and to create new business models to maintain sustainable growth (Datamonitor, 2009). The company boasts of a range of industry firsts (Appendixes 7. 1 and 7. 2). P uses a unique design for innovation comprising of five major categories (Datamonitor, 2009): ? ? ? ? ? Defining innovation broadly Investing in innovation at industry levels Managing innovation with discipline Delivering innovation that builds consumer trust and loyalty over time Using global brands and an outstanding team of innovation leaders to lead innovation One unique feature in P strategy is that innovation is involved in every area of the product which makes contact with the customer, such as the packaging, the shopping experience, the in-home product usage experience as well as the product itself (Datamonitor, 2009). A good example is the company’s family care business where the innovations are customer focused rather than technology focused. This means that each product offers customized benefits to meet different consumer needs. The company also involves its customers in the innovation process on a daily basis. 4 Connect and Develop, Ps big stake in open innovation The company supports sustainable innovation, investing heavily in RD to bring better quality products to the market. PGs budget for RD amounts to nearly $2 billion an year: twice the amount spent by Unilever, PGs biggest competitor. This proves the company’s dedication towards sustainable innovation (Datamonitor, 2009). 3. 1 Managing Innovation at PG Historically PGs innovation strategy was focused on its internal capabilities. The company had minimal experience externally and was not involved with its competitors. The model used by the company was a traditional stage gate model (Heimberg, 2008). This model (See appendix 7. 5) helped PG until 2000 when the company faced major financial difficulties. With the increase in the pace of innovation, costs, fast followers, constrained resources and more consumer demands the traditional model was unable to deliver the required results (Heimberg, 2008). The company required a growth rate which exceeded the industry growth rate†. This Figure 2, Open Innovation Model (Heimberg, 2008) Figure 1, Stage gate Model (Heimberg, 2008) equired collaboration with external sources (Lafley, 2008); commonly known as Open Innovation. This initiative was named connect and develop where the company collaborates with external sources for innovative ideas and technologies. When the process began the 10-15% of the innovations at PG included ideas from external sources and today this has increased to 50%, resulting in the company achieving a 6% organic growth in an ind ustry, which is growing at 2-3 %. ( Lafley, 2008) 5 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation The company today works on a ‘proudly found elsewhere’ culture which has opened the door for many innovations. Although Connect and Develop is now considered the major Innovation initiative taken up by the company, there are several other strategies which drive the success at P. 3. 2 Complementary P Innovation Strategies 3. 2. 1 User driven innovation: User driven innovation mainly focuses on developing products based on customer needs. P carries out user driven innovation by engaging their customers as co-designers (Datamonitor, 2009). 3. 2. The Corporate Innovation Fund: This can simply be described as an in-house venture capital firm which hands over successful innovations to the relevant business units in the company. The firm carries out the initial concept, design, engineering and qualifications work prior to handing over the ideas; and specializes in high-risk, high reward ideas (Datamonitor, 2009). 3. 2. 3 Innovation Net: A knowledge sharing solution at P, Innova tion net provides access to 18,000 knowledge workers at P from the R to the Patent/Legal and Business Information systems (AskMe, 2001). The main function of innovation net is to allow users to catalogue, locate and maintain employee knowledge. This provides employees with the ability to take immediate action when required. (Haimila, 2002) 3. 2. 4 Enterprise 2. 0: This is P version of web 2. 0 which is a set of web based software service that helps increase the involvement of employees in establishing and managing data. In addition to this, the company is also allowing its employees to personalize its web portal by adding RSS feeds of news and business information (Hines, 2007). This web-based service includes the customer and the suppliers web portals, online hubs for all the interactions with supermarkets, suppliers and technology providers around the world Recent research has shown that innovation within the business can only occur if the structure of the business and the internal talent of the organization are structured to encourage collaboration between the employees and knowledge sharing (O’Hara, 2009). 6 Connect and Develop, Ps big stake in open innovation Therefore, the above initiatives indicate the efforts taken by PG to promote successful innovation within the company. . 3 PG’s Connect and Develop Model Explained From RD to CD Besides all the innovations above, PG has given great attention to product innovation. At first, like every other company, they had an RD group which is good for exploiting knowledge and doing research inside the firm itself. However, the drawbacks are also obvious. There is no guarantee that all these blue-sk y researches will be a success and it has high risk and cost associated (Bessant and Tidd, Table 12. 2, 2007). Besides, only by getting out of the lab can researchers find and listen to customer wants and needs. Initially, less than 10% of PG technologies were being used in products. Which meant that many unused technologies were being kept hidden, much like antiques-valuable but useless. What’s more, with knowledge increasing and refreshing at an exponential rate and much important innovations being carried out in small entrepreneurial firms (Bessant and Tidd, 2007), PG realized it is impossible for them to complete everything alone while at the same time create satisfactory operating results for their shareholders. Things had to be changed. Therefore, PG decided to introduce a new business model to cope with both the desire for external ideas coming in and own ideas going out. Instead of the traditional inhouse research model â€Å"Research and Development†, they formed a department called â€Å"Connect and Development† which is based on â€Å"Open Innovation†. The idea was to bring together external research institutions, customers, suppliers, individuals and even competitors to develop the market for new products. They established a web site (www. pgconnectdevelop. com) to communicate with the resources outside. The mechanism works like this: they simply put all their needs on this website in classified categories, and then anyone who is interested or has the solution could propose their ideas and get assessed by a specialized team. Payments can range from US$10,000 to US$100,000 (Bessant and Tidd, 2008). After this model has been applied, PG is able to drive new innovation through collaboration with external partners in at least 50% of the cases (Sakkab 2002, cited by Dodgson, Gann, Salter 2006, P. 6). Furthermore, this model seems to work 7 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation well: in 2004, P reported a 17% increase in volume, a 19% increase in sales, a 25% rise in earnings and a total shareholders return of 24% (ANOY 2005). Thanks to the invention of the internet, another way for P to gain more external resources is to find solutions in other technology brokers such as Innocentive, Yet2 and NineSigma. 4 Discussion: Connect and Develop problems and challenges Mixing elements from open innovation models, articulating multiple innovation networks and investing heavily in knowledge management tools, (i. . Innovation Net) P has created its own novel way to deal with the new challenges of generating growth in mature markets through innovation. Nevertheless, they are not exempt from problems and challenges. Below are briefly described some of the most critical issues identified, that if not addressed properly might put in risk P long term success. 4. 1 The dangers of â€Å"outsourcing† innovation Bein g able to access external knowledge and leveraging in this way, innovation sounds like a very reasonable strategy. Nevertheless, important risks lie behind it; Firstly Lean innovation might become fragile innovation and lead to a progressive loss of internal capabilities to develop their own innovations. This might damage in the long term their most important competitive advantage, their expertise to innovate. One example of this risk is in the aeronautical industry, were Boeing and Airbus are distributing their manufacturing and R capabilities so widely, that experts believe they might lose an important part of their critical knowledge over time. (Aron, Singh, 2005) 4. Managing the intellectual property and its negotiations in an open environment Although P believes that connect and development will become the dominant innovation model in the twenty-first century (Huston, Sakkab, 2006), the drawback is obviously about how to protect its intellectual property. Case becomes much more complicated after the open innovation model is applied. In the past, all the innovations were kept inside of the co mpany, and P only needed to decide whether to apply for the patent for a certain 8 Connect and Develop, Ps big stake in open innovation innovation or not, fairly simple. However, in this model, there are many in-licensing and outlicensing of innovation and technology, which makes the protection of the intellectual property a big problem. The company needs to consider the most appropriate way to protect their new inventions. For example if the inventor does not have good protection, they are creating something that others can have for free (Docherty, 2008). Therefore, patents should be looked at closely. Another problem that arises from this issue is how to manage hundreds or thousands of relationships with small technology providers (individual inventors, university departments, private RD labs, etc. that have no formal relationship in the long term with PG and do not share the same incentives. Internal success cases (shown in appendix 7. 3), like the Magic Eraser shows clearly the complexity of the Connect Develop programme and how it must deal in an ad-hoc way to handle every case. Thus to innovate systematically in an open environment, huge trans actional costs are usually incurred; cost that are not present when the innovation occurs in a closed fashion. 4. 3 Issues about how to select and filter really innovative ideas To cope with the complexity found in the CD model, PG tries to select technologies as mature and proven as possible (Huston, Sakkab, 2006). This is good to reduce implementation and technological risks, but it reduces the chances to customize and produce radical innovations because PGs R department intervenes only in the final stages. This filter certainly limits the potential of the open innovation model, adding a cap on it, and also generates a problem because internal R capabilities are less exercised, aggravating the issue expressed in point 4. 1. . 4 Identifying the Serial Innovators† According to the Pareto Principle (80-20 rule) we should expect that most of the valuable innovations come from a very reduced group of bright individuals. This is particularly important when the challenge is to identify the serial innovators in an open innovation environment. This is because of the high number of individuals involved and the fact that they are not inside the company. For PG identifying and nurturing this valuable group will became a key issue and an interesting potential competitive advantage. 9 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation 4. 5 Connect Develop financial results In spite of the fact that sales and profits increased over time after the implementation of CD and some of its notorious success cases (Appendix 7. 4), it is still not clear if this strategy has given PG a significant advantage compared with their traditional model of innovation before the year 2000. Stock market trends indicate that PG has followed a very similar stock price trajectory compared with its industry (Figure YYY) and so the real effect of CD is difficult to calculate in financial terms. Regardless of all the original hype, CD does not seem to be a real game changer in this business arena, or at least not yet. Figure 3, PG stock price evolution, Yahoo! Finance 10 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation 4. 6 The complexity of the system and its interactions Connect and Develop and all the other innovation initiatives inside PG, have created a complex set of structures and interactions, transforming the management of this system into a challenge by itself. At the heart of these interactions and the management of innovation, PG have two critical positions; The Technology Entrepreneurs and the Research Fellows, the first are the scouts, hunting new innovations outside of the company and later lobbying inside to bring them in. The second are in charge of the conceptual development and continuous refinement of CD, acting as the back office of this intricate system. To understand better this sort of spaghetti model of innovation and the challenges of its management a simplified overall view of the system is provided below in figure 3. PG’s Innovation Ecosystem User Driven Innovation Corporate Innovation Funds Innovation Technologies Connect Development Suppliers Networks Proprietary Innovation Net Technology entrepreneurs Research Fellows Open NineSigma (Multidisciplinary) Suppliers Portal Customers Portal YourEncore (senior RD talent) Selection usually restricted to mature technologies Enterprise 2. 0 Idea search focus: ? ? ? Top ten consumer needs Adjacencies Tech Game Boards Yet2. com (IP broker) InnoCentive (Specific problems) Figure 4, PGs ecosystem 11 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation Conclusions PG’s Connect and Development programme has become a clear business case when it comes to implementing an open innovation initiative inside a large company. They have created a completely new set of complex tools, networks inside and outside their company and invested strategically in this specific option to drive a major part of their innovation in new products. Thus, Connect and D evelop represents a big stake and compromise in the long term, with a new business paradigm that has not fully been tested yet, and involves an intricate network of activities and concepts. On the Backstage of CD, we find several interconnected innovation networks with customers, suppliers, internal staff and external innovation agents. Knowledge management tools are also embedded deeply in the structure, supported by innovation technologies based on information and communication technologies (ICT) such as web platforms like â€Å"Innovation Net† and other special software that help the work of the research fellows and technology entrepreneurs, who are the vital links in the Open Innovation implementation of PG. All this involves great complexity, new risks and challenges. So far, in terms of financial growth (Appendix 7. ) it seems that Lafley (PG’s CEO) has chosen the right path. Nevertheless, this is clearly just the beginning of a long journey that depends greatly on the skills to manage a heterogeneous and worldwide network of innovators without losing the vital internal capabilities and competitive advantages in this process, something that is yet to be proved. 12 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation 6 References ? Annon, 2005. Procter Gamble’s innovation success- new research, new products, new markets. strategic direction, VOL. 21 NO. 7 ,p. 13. Annon, 2009. Yahoo! Finance Website. [Accessed 26 november 2009]. Available from: http://uk. finance. yahoo. com/q? s=PGm=USd=. Aron, R. , Singh, J. (2005). Getting Offshoring Right. Harvard Business Review, 83(12), 135143. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database. AskMe, 2001. Procter and Gamble enhances innovation by purchasing another instalment of AskMe enterprise [Online]. Available from: realcominc. com/pdf/PGPressRelease. pdf [Accessed last on 16 November 2009] Bessant, J. and Tidd, J. , 2007. Innovation and Entrepreneurship. England: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Bessant, J. and Tidd, J. , 2008. Managing Innovation. 4th ed. England: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Carvin,N. 2009. PG: Look ahead to September 2009 quarterly results. [Online]. Available from financial-gauges. com/2009/09/pg-look-ahead-to-september-2009. html [Accessed last on 17 November 2009] Chesbrough, H. 2006. Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovative Landscape. Harvard business School press, Boston, Massachusetts Chesbrough, H. 2006. Open Innovation, The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts Cooper, R. G and Mills, M. S. , 2005. Succeeding at new products the PG way: Work the Innovation Diamond[Online]. Available from proddev. com/pdf/Succeeding_at_New_Products_the_PG_Way. pdf [Accessed last on 15 November 2009] Datamonitor, 2009. Procter and Gamble Company, The. [Online]. Available from http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/pdf? vid=9hid=4sid=6810e15d-3545-4d7b -9b0440b0f06408d8%40sessionmgr4 [Accessed last on 14 November 2009] Docherty, M. , 2008. Protection beyond patent[Online]. Available from: http://venture2. typepad. com/innovationnet/intellectual_property/ [Accessed last on 25 November 2009]. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 13 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation ? Dodgson, M. , Gann, D. , AND Salter, A. 2006, RD Management. The role of technology in the shift towards open innovation: the case of Procter Gamble, pp. 333-346. Friscia,T. ,2008. A Conversation With Procter Gamble CEO A. G. Lafley. [Online]. Available from amrresearch. com/Content/View. aspx? compURI=tcm:7-37226 [Accessed last on 15 November 2009] Haimila, S. , 2002. Procter Gamble pampers RD. [Online]. A vailable from kmworld. com/Articles/News/KM-In-Practice/ProcterGamble-pampers-RD8498. aspx [Accessed last on 17 November 2009] Heimberg, J. 2008. Open Innovation at PG from Research Develop to Connect Develop. Online]. Available from gdch. de/strukturen/fg/wirtschaft/vcw_va/heimburg. pdf [Accessed last on 20 November 2009 ] Hines, A. , 2007. Web 2. 0 inside Procter and Gamble. [Online]. Available from http://blogs. bnet. com/intercom/? p=394 [Accessed last on 24 November 2009] ? ? ? ? ? Huston, L. , Sakkab, N. (2006). Connect and develop –inside PG’s new model for innovation. (cover story). Harvard Business Review, 84(3), 58-66. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database. Learning Markets, 2009. Procter Gamble down but not out; PG, KMB, CL . [Online]. Available from earningmarkets. com/index. php/200908053510/News-Feed/NewsFeed/procter-a-gamble-down-but-not-out-pg-kmb-cl. html [Accessed last on 22 November 2009] O’Hara, J. , 2009. Sustainable Innovat ion. [Online]. Available from realinnovation. com/offsite. asp? A=FrUrl= busmanagement. com/p astissue/article. asp? art=26868issue=165 [Accessed last on 22 November 2009] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2008. Open Innovation in Global Networks [Online] Available from:http://lysander. sourceoecd. org. ezp1. bath. ac. uk/vl=2368171/cl=13/nw=1/rps v/cgibin/fulltextew. l? prpsv=/ij/oecdthemes/9998010x/v2008n14/s6/p64. idx [Accessed last on 24 November 2009] Reuters, 2009. Warner Chilcott Ltd. To Buy Procter Gamble Co. Unit For $3 Billion. [Online]. Available from reuters. com/finance/stocks/keyDevelopments? symbol=PGpn=2 [Accessed last on 19 November 2009] ? ? ? ? 14 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation 7 7. 1 Appendixes General Company Profile Procter and Gamble commonly known as PG started as a soap and candle company in Cincinnati, Ohio in the year 1837. Today it is a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer products. There are three main Global Business Units (GBU), the company focuses on: Beauty, health and well being, and household care (Datamonitor, 2009). The role of each GBU is to recognize common consumer needs, develop new product innovations. By successful innovations and marketing strategies GBUs also helps build the PG brands. The other main sector of the business is the Global operations group which is subdivided into Market Development Organization and Global Business Services. Being the world’s largest consumer goods company, PG markets more than 300 brands in over 180 countries and functions in Europe, Asia and he Americas (Datamonitor, 2009). Some of the company’s major products include Tide, Pampers, Pantene, Pringle, Gillette and Ariel (Carvin, 2009). The major strengths of the company include its focus on Innovation, Leading market position, strong brands portfolio and a diversified range of products. One of the major weaknesses of the company is its dependence on Wal-Mart. This can lead to a weakness in the bargaining power of the company especially considering that fact that 15% of PGs revenue since 2006 is through sales to Wall-mart (Datamonitor, 2009). An increase in PG product recalls were also noticed in the past couple of years and this can tarnish the brand image of the relevant products. The company should also expect to face difficulties due to Global economic changes, counterfeit goods and increasing regulations on products (Datamonitor, 2009). In the fourth quarter of the Fiscal year 2009 PG faced one of the most difficult financial periods in decades (Learning Markets, 2009). The company has sold off its Folgers coffee business and in August 2009, signed a deal to sell its Global Pharmaceutical business. (Reuters, 2009). 15 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation PGs Major Competitors (DataMonitor, 2009) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Unilever Avon Products, Inc. Colgate-Palmolive Company Henkel KGaA Kimberly-Clark Corporation Reckitt Benckiser PLC Energizer Holdings LOreal S. A. 7. 2 List of PG Innovations (DataMonitor, 2009) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Tide: the first heavy-duty laundry detergent Crest: the first fluoride toothpaste clinically proven to prevent tooth decay Downy: the first ultra-concentrated rinse-add fabric softener Pert Plus: the first 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner Head Shoulders: the first pleasant-to-use hampoo effective against dandruff Pampers: the first affordable, mass-marketed disposable diaper Bounty: the first three-dimensional paper towel Always: the first feminine protection pad with an innovative, dry-weave top sheet Febreze: the first fabric and air care products that actually remove odours from fabrics and the air Crest White Strips: the first patented in-home teeth whitening technology â€Å"PG continues to be one of the few companies in the consumer product industry that create new categories and brands, new performance standards, and new definitions of consumer value. Swiffer and Febreze created entirely new product categories. Crest ProHealth, Olay Regenerist and Definity, Pampers Baby Stages of Development, and Tide with Bleach redefined high performance in their categories. Olay innovation has created new 16 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation consumer experiences that are as good as/ or better than several-hundred-dollar department and specialty store brands† (DataMonitor, 2009). PG has formed a unique design for innovation which has helped them maintain consistent innovations across the wide range of products the company manufactures. 7. 3 Successful cases Pringles potato crisps In order to make the potato crisps more fun and attracting, PG is thinking of putting animals, jokes on each crisp. One researcher suggested ink-jetting pictures onto the potato, nonetheless, it was very difficult because this need a very fast-processing printer and also provided different images and colours. For PG, they also have to negotiate with an ink-jet printer company which will take at least two years. However, they discover a professor from Bologna, Italy, has already invented an ink-jet method for printing pictures on cakes through their European network. It only takes less than a year for PG achieve double-digit growth from technology provided to market penetration. Pampers diaper Pampers diapers, with annual sales of more than 8 billion U. S. dollars, is the worlds first disposable diaper brand. Nonetheless, the none-leaking underlying coating technology was actually not first invented by Pampers. It is transferred from a U. S Navy department which researches in the submarine technology. Mr Clean Magic Eraser (The Osaka case) This interesting case shows how scattered the product development process can be. Everything starts with a PGs technology entrepreneur looking for new products in Osaka, Japan when he finds in the shelves and interesting new cleaning solution based on a novel sponge. After tracking the sponge providers, he ends up in BASF (German Chemicals manufacturer) who developed originally this solution as effective insulation for buildings. After negotiating directly with them PG starts commercializing an 17 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation innovative new set of household cleaning sponges developed in close alliance with BASF. 7. 4 Financials All numbers in thousands PERIOD ENDING 30-Jun-09 79,029,000 38,898,000 40,131,000 30-Jun-08 83,503,000 40,695,000 42,808,000 30-Jun-07 76,476,000 36,686,000 39,790,000 Total Revenue Cost of Revenue Gross Profit Operating Expenses Research Development Selling General and Administrative Non Recurring Others Total Operating Expenses Operating Income or Loss Income from Continuing Operations Total Other Income/Expenses Net Earnings Before Interest And Taxes Interest Expense Income Before Tax Income Tax Expense Minority Interest Net Income From Continuing Ops Non-recurring Events Discontinued Operations Extraordinary Items Effect Of Accounting Changes Other Items Net Income Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments Net Income Applicable To Common Shares Figure 5, Income Statements 07-09, Yahoo! Finance 24,008,000 16,123,000 25,725,000 17,083,000 24,340,000 15,450,000 560,000 16,683,000 1,358,000 15,325,000 4,032,000 11,293,000 462,000 17,545,000 1,467,000 16,078,000 4,003,000 12,075,000 564,000 16,014,000 1,304,000 14,710,000 4,370,000 10,340,000 2,143,000 13,436,000 $13,436,000 12,075,000 $12,075,000 10,340,000 $10,340,000 All numbers in thousands 8 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation PERIOD ENDING 30-Jun-09 13,436,000 30-Jun-08 12,075,000 30-Jun-07 10,340,000 Net Income Operating Activities, Cash Flows Provided By or Used In Depreciation Adjustments To Net Income Changes In Accounts Receivables Changes In Liabilities Changes In Inventories Changes In Other Operating Activities Total Cash Flow From Operating Activities Investing Activities, Cash Flows Provided By or Used In Capital Expenditures Investments Other Cashflows from Investing Activities Total Cash Flows From Investing Activities Financing Activities, Cash Flows Provided By or Used In Dividends Paid Sale Purchase of Stock Net Borrowings Other Cash Flows from Financing Activities Total Cash Flows From Financing Activities Effect Of Exchange Rate Changes Change In Cash and Cash Equivalents Figure 6, PG Cash Flow 07-09, Yahoo! Finance ,082,000 (1,265,000) 415,000 (742,000) 721,000 (728,000) 14,919,000 3,166,000 1,769,000 432,000 134,000 (1,050,000) (712,000) 15,814,000 3,130,000 921,000 (729,000) (273,000) (389,000) 435,000 13,435,000 (3,238,000) 166,000 719,000 (2,353,000) (3,046,000) (50,000) 547,000 (2,549,000) (2,945,000) 673,000 (211,000) (2,483,000) (5,044,000) (5,689,000) (81,000) (10,814,000) (284,000) $1,468,000 (4,655,000) (8,180,000) (2,815,000) (15,650,000) 344,000 ($2,041,000) (4,209,000 ) (4,079,000) (4,190,000) (12,478,000) 187,000 ($1,339,000) 9 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation Last Trade: Trade Time: Change: Prev Close: Open: Bid: Ask: 62. 87 $ Nov 25 0. 07 (0. 11%) 62. 80 62. 94 N/A N/A Days Range: 52wk Range: Volume: Avg Vol (3m): Market Cap: P/E: EPS : 62. 70 63. 48 43. 93 64. 55 8,244,877 12,486,000 $183. 25 B 14. 65 x 4. 29$ 1. 72$ Dividend: 1y Target Est: 66. 25$ Figure 7, PG Long Term Stock price, Yahoo! Finance 7. 5 PGs Innovation or Initiatives Diamond Figure 8, PGS Innovation Diamond. Cooper Mills, 2005) The initiatives diamond is used by PG to guide their new product efforts and focuses the management’s attention on the criteria important for success. The diamond can be divided into two sections where the top half involves strategic aspects which identifies the product innovation strategy such as goals, the mix of new products required to meet the goals and the essential resources(Cooper Millsa,2005). The bottom half fo cuses on delivering specific new projects/initiatives. It is more operational and helps identify how the methods to manage projects successfully using PGs idea-to-launch SIMPL method (Cooper Mills, 2005). 20 Connect and Develop, PGs big stake in open innovation SIMPL: Successful Initiative Management and Product Launch Model This is PGs version of a stage-gate model and is a method used to impel products from the idea phase to the launch and post launch phases. Figure 9, PGs SIMPL Process (Cooper Mills, 2005) As can be seen from the diagram the SIMPL model has four main stages. These

Consumer Protection- Discussion post 5 Assignment

Consumer Protection- Discussion post 5 - Assignment Example On the other hand, a mortgage has two parties, which include the borrower and the lender. In an instance where the borrower is unable to pay, in mortgage the foreclosure and sale of the property have to use the judicial process (Vobeckà ¡, Kosteleckà ½, & Lux, 2014). The lender files the lawsuit. In a deed of trust, however, in case the borrower fails to pay, the home can be auctioned. This method does not use the courts, and the trustee is the one who auctions the home (Super, 2013). The deed of trust is more efficient and faster since it does not involve a judicial process. Different states have different laws on deeds of trust, and thus one may need to review such rules before deciding on which to use. Epstein, R. A. (2014). Public accommodations under the civil rights act of 1964: why freedom of association counts as a human right. Stanford Law Review, 66(6), 1241-1291. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1548675357?accountid=45049 Vobeckà ¡, J., Kosteleckà ½, T., & Lux, M. (2014). Rental housing for young households in the Czech Republic: Perceptions, priorities and possible solutions*. Sociologicky Casopis, 50(3), 365-390. Retrieved from

Compairing between Islam religion and Liberalism Essay

Compairing between Islam religion and Liberalism - Essay Example The principal beliefs of Muslims fall into six chief categories (primarily referred to as â€Å"articles of faith†), namely: faith in unity of God, angles, afterlife, prophets, destiny/divine decree, and books of revelation (Ridgeon, 2003). The religious concepts and practices of Islam encompass five pillars of Islam, which are considered mandatory for all believers as the core concepts and obligatory acts of worship. The five basic acts in Islam touch on virtually every aspect of life and society and encompass aspects such as creed, daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting at the time of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person’s lifetime. Muslims advocate Sharia law, which is an Islamic law shaped by traditional Islamic scholarship. According to Islam, Sharia law is an expression of the divine will and comprises of a system of duties endowed upon all Muslims by virtue of their religious belief (Hashemi, 2009). Liberal religion represents a religious tradition that accommodates the theological diversity of a congregation instead of a single creed, authority or writing. Liberal religion draws resources from a diverse range of traditions, which makes it impossible to delineate the religion as either Christian, Jewish, or any certain religious faith. Liberal theology covers diverse philosophically and biblically inspired religious movement, which developed as a consequence of the enlightenment (Ridgeon, 2003). Liberalism is a method of biblical hermeneutics representing an undogmatic means of understanding God via the application of scripture. Liberals hold that human beings are not necessarily altruistic, although they are capable of reasonable decision making. Liberalism advocate for a free and responsible pursuit of truth and meaning, freedom of conscience, and application of the democratic process within the society. According to Liberalism, the ultimate objective