Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Essay - 866 Words

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, three men considered to be the quintessential basis of ancient Greek philosophy. Not only were they responsible for Greek enlightenment, but also foreshadowed the coming of Christ in there speculations. Plato, the protà ©gà © of Socrates, became the first to document the philosophy of his teacher, which in turn is passed down to Aristotle. This process of mentoring aided ancient man in the intellectual evolution of politics and religion, known as the linear concept. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Socrates, the Athenian native ex-hoplite and his successors more often than not focused on three main schools of thought, religion, politics, and the spiritual essence. Socrates was not a defender of the gods, and†¦show more content†¦In terms of democracy Socrates’ faith slight, he had his doubts, primarily because he did not condone empowering the uneducated. He felt that some were not educated enough and were ignorant to political and social complexities, therefore should not have the equality of a greater mind in the matter. He was later tried and convicted for corrupting the youth and atheism, not before passed all his philosophy to his prized student Plato. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Plato carried on Socrates’ unique approach to philosophy and extended it one step farther. He expanded largely on Socrates works on immortality of the soul, truth, the existence of man on two planes, and why, only after death, one could see truth more clearly in one of his most acclaimed works, the Doctrine of Pure Form and Ideas. The doctrine of pure form and ideas illustrated how man was deceived by his senses and that they masked the real truth. In fact, Plato argued that a man would see a horse for example, in a whole new light after death, because only then could he see the â€Å"pure form† after the mask of his mortal senses was lifted. Furthermore, he believed that a pure form, in other words an essence that can see all for its genuine truth created the world, which many consider the true beginning of monotheism. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On the other end of the spectrum are his political contributions, whereby he took Socrates’ criticism of democracy to a new level. PlatoShow MoreRelatedSocrates, Plato, and Aristotle884 Words   |  4 PagesMike W. Civ. 1: Sec, 121-10 Dr. Maria Farina Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, three men considered to be the quintessential basis of ancient Greek philosophy. Not only were they responsible for Greek enlightenment, but also foreshadowed the coming of Christ in there speculations. Plato, the protà ©gà © of Socrates, became the first to document the philosophy of his teacher, which in turn is passed down to Aristotle. This process of mentoring aided ancient man in the intellectual evolution ofRead MoreSocrates, Plato, And Aristotle900 Words   |  4 Pagesphilosophers that have many different views and opinions on philosophy. In this essay, I will be talking about the three great philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and how they help to define what exactly philosophy is. These three Greek philosophers represent the birthplace of Western philosophy and help to shed some light on the actual meaning of the term. Socrates is from about 400 B.C. His final destination was simple. He wanted to assist others so that they could really investigate their ownRead MoreThe Big Three , Socrates, Plato, And Aristotle1035 Words   |  5 PagesWhen asked what famous Hellene philosophers they are aware of, most laymen would respond with the ‘Big Three’; Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. However, the Hellenic philosophical tradition was immensely rich beyond these three figures, with many other strains of philosophical thought emerging and withering throughout Ancient Greek history. One notable example of such a strain is the Stoics, a breed of philosophical thinking which was so strongly in favour of controlling one’s emotions, that the EnglishRead MoreThe Three Important Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle836 Words   |  4 PagesThere were many important greek philosophers. They all said something that is still known today. Some of these ideas are still accepted today as true . Three of these important philosophers are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They have all said something that is still accepted in modern society. Socrates was a greek philosopher that lived from four-hundred-sixty-nine BCE to three-hundred-ninety-nine BCE. He is one of the most influential Greek philosophers. He created the socratic method which, isRead MoreEssay on Comparing and Contrasting Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle708 Words   |  3 Pagesphilosophers. The most important philosophers from that time and always are: Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. Socrates: Socrates was a very important philosopher. He usually questioned a lot about traditions, religion and government. One of his ideas, now used at school, is the Socratic Method. This is that a person asks questions to the pupil, and while the pupil responds, the answer is becoming clearer. Socrates did not like to write any books. He always preferred staying at the market talkingRead MoreThe Evolution Of Education From Socrates, Plato And Aristotle To Medieval Europe753 Words   |  4 PagesEducation has changed over the years from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle to medieval Europe to even the twenty first century. When comparing the intended students then and the classes that were offered to them are vastly different than the intended students and classes that are offered now. Even the instructors are different from who can teach then to who can teach now. In ancient Greece, there were Sophist who were a group of philosophical teachers in the fifth century BCE. There were three mainRead MoreBoth Plato and Aristotle are among the most influential philosophers in the history. Socrates was900 Words   |  4 PagesBoth Plato and Aristotle are among the most influential philosophers in the history. Socrates was another famous philosopher who greatly influenced Plato. Plato was the pupil of Socrates and later Plato became the teacher of Aristotle. Although Aristotle followed his teachings for a long time, he found many questionable facts in his teachings and later on became a great critic of Plato’s teachings. Since Aristotle found faults in Plato, hence their work is easily comparable as it is based on theRead MoreHow Do the Ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Still Affect Us Today?1114 Words   |  4 PagesHow do Socrates, Platos and Aristotles ideas still affect us today? The most famous gift of Socrates to Western civilization is that of the Socratic Method. Socrates believed in deductive reasoning, or the need to reason about specific facts from principles. The Socratic Method involves the student in the learning process through questioning, and even when the teacher wishes the student to arrive at a specific answer, it is the student who is encouraged to draw the conclusion. The teacher doesRead MoreSocrates Plato Aristotle and Immanuel Kant Views on Happiness Government Religion and Objectivity2508 Words   |  11 Pageswhere happiness exists is a question that has been pondered by many great thinkers. Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Plato and Socrates had quite a bit to say on the subject. All of these well-known philosophers have a road map to happiness, religion, passion and objectivity. Yet, their theories differ ultimately in how to go about attaining each of them. For both Plato and Aristotle the good appears to be happiness. For Plato, this is where his interpretation of the meaning of Eudaimonism takes precedenceRead More Foundations of Political Thought Essays1664 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle and Socrates and Plato’s beliefs have similarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the absolute truth are the best equipped to rule society according to Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a more political science approach of discussing

AIS Implementation Case Study Free Essays

Steve Cowan is the owner of a distribution company of salon hair products. The company, Professional Salon Concepts, (PSC) was growing and decided to upgrade their AIS to support the demands of the company. Steve hired Mike, his brother-in-law to assist him and the two of them began to research the different products available believing they could better determine the needs of the company than a consultant could. We will write a custom essay sample on AIS Implementation Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now After a short time they bought first one and then changing their minds and bought a second system. After a short training period the new system was installed with some very problematic first few days. Eventually the system was up and running but never fully doing what they had originally wanted from the new system. Romney Steinbart (2009). Implementing new AIS is something that businesses everywhere have to consider at some point and time. The case of PSC and how they went about choosing and implementing their AIS is what we will be looking at. There are six main points of consideration I will be covering in this study. The first is a look at how good of a job PSC did in selecting, installing and implementing their new system. We will look at what they did wrong and what they could have done differently. We will try to determine how PSC could have avoided the missing features, the conversion and reporting problems they had. Next we will review Steve’s analysis of his numbers and determine if his conclusions were correct. Looking at his new shipping system we want to see if there is a way that PSC’s customers can defraud the company. Finally, we will take a look at the level of service PSC received from the company where they purchased their new AIS and how it could have been improved. Steve’s Assessment Selecting the New AIS PSC spent months researching software and attending demonstrations. While doing research on their own is not a bad thing they however dismissed the possible use of consultants. Again not always a bad thing but when they did their research, it is not clear if they had a confirmed set of requirements of their needs in the new AIS. As a result PSC never compared companies through a request for proposals, (RFP); if they had they could have sent their requirements to the vendors. The vendors would then have sent back their proposals to PSC. After eliminating vendors that do not meet the minimum requirements, PSC could then do a comparison of the remaining vendors before making a final decision. Romney Steinbart (2009). The key is the set requirements and minimum standards they were willing to settle for. In the end they had decided on one system, paid for it and had started installing it when they changed their minds and went with a different company. The company, DSM was chosen almost on a whim. DSM could not demonstrate all of the features PSC had wanted and took a reassurance that they would get those features without documentation. PSC also did not do an extensive background check into DSM before they purchased the new AIS. Installation Installation and implementing of the new AIS was anything but smooth. In retrospect even Steve knew they did not take the time needed to properly test or to train employees on how to use the new system. Three months was not sufficient time to try and work out the possible problems they would have with the new AIS. While Steve felt that training was very important he greatly underestimated the amount of time that was needed for proper training of employees on the new systems. The operators should have been involved from the beginning to determine what was needed and how it was being implemented into the new AIS. Each of these operators should also have been included in the design of the interface they would be using. If their input was not a possible part of the design they should have at the very least been included in the original installation and testing part of the new systems to determine what the possible problem failures would be and to better learn the new systems. Missing Features How could PSC have avoided the problem of the missing features? If PSC had gotten RFPs the problem of missing features in the system they chose would have been eliminated during the vendor selection process. However, in the route they did take those features that were important to Steve but were not included in the AIS could have been included by having a systems requirements list and a written contract with the specifications explicitly written out. Conversion and Reporting How could PSC have avoided some of the conversion and reporting problems it faced? As I stated before, more time was needed in the testing and training portion of the conversion before the new AIS went online. One trick I learned from our own system change at the city I work in is to train a few operators on the new systems during the testing phase and then have them train a few more in their own departments. By using your own employees to train each other they are gaining a better understanding of how the system works. This way on the day of the change you have more people who understand the system and how to fix or correct the things that can go wrong. The more people you can have trained this way before the system change the better off you will be at the critical moment. Steve’s Analysis Steve’s analysis of the numbers is incomplete in my opinion. Steve looked only at the initial cost of the package but he did not look at recurring costs of up keep of the hardware and software, systems maintenance, conversion cost, training expense, cost of running the testing phase as well as several other things. The conversion alone cost him a 15% drop in sales and none of these expenses were calculated into the cost of the new AIS. Steve and Mike should have consulted an accountant to help with the crunching of numbers before they had purchased the AIS from DSM. One other mistake they made in this purchase was not to have the extra features written into a contract as a part of the cost. Shipping and Fraud Is there a way PSC could be defrauded by the new multi-box shipments? After looking online for ways the only thing I could come up with was for the customers to claim that not all of the boxes were received. Because they only require one packing slip for multiple boxes, one of the boxes could just not make it to the stores or items could go missing from the shipments. I don’t think it would be hard to say that one of four or five boxes was missing an item. Without a packing slip in each box it would be easy for something to be overlooked when they are being packed. I’m not sure if there is another way the multi-box one packing slip approach could be defrauded. Level of Service On a level of one to five, one being the best, I would probably rate DSMs level of service about three. DSM was not the worst company I have read about but they could have stepped up their service. One of the things they could improve on is their training. Training was something of a disaster judging from the first day. More of the employees should have been trained and trained much better than they were. Another area of improvement would be in the testing phase of the installation before the new system went online. The sales person made assurances that it was apparent after the fact that they had no right to made or no intention of keeping. The extra features that PSC was told would be included in their package were only going to be added for an extra fee that PSC would have to shoulder the majority of. One feature was added at an additional cost of ten thousand but the second feature was never added. Conclusions In the end Steve was satisfied with the new AIS. While the new AIS did decrease the turnaround time to only twenty minutes from five hours it never did do all the things they had wanted. PSC is negotiating with DSM to write the programs that will complete the processes he wants the AIS system to do, for an additional cost. Upgrading from the system they had was necessary but, I can’t help wondering if they wouldn’t have been better off sticking with the original $20,000 purchase and having a company write the programs they were missing. The price PSC paid for the AIS from DSM was rather steep in comparison. In the end Steve said he was satisfied but I have to wonder if he really was or if he was just trying to feel ok with what had happened and what he paid. How to cite AIS Implementation Case Study, Free Case study samples

Accountant Code of Ethics Violation

Questions: 1. a) Katrina Ng is a manager on the audit of a not for profit entity.She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the not for profit entity,but the position is honorary and does not involve her actingin a management capacity for the not for profit firm. b) Peter Beattie , a public accountant , provides tax services, management advisory services,bookkeeping services and conducts audits for the same client .As the firm is small the same person frequently provides all the services .2.a)You have been asked to do the audit for a new client this financial year .While you are satisfied that there appears to be no material misstatements for the information during the current financial year the client will not provide any information about the opening balances of accounts at the start of the financial year.b) You have just started auditing the financial statements of a client which has not been followingthe Australian Accounting Standards since it began operating five years ago. Answers: 1 a) Katrina Ngs Case Katrina has violated the accountants code of ethics because she lacks the auditors independence. By allowing herself to be a member of the Board of Directors, her independence is questioned since she will be easily manipulated by the other Board members when auditing and hence will not give the true position of the company. In this case, the fundamental principle of objectivity will be violated since she will allow undue influence of other Board members to override professional or business judgments. Katrina will violate the principle of integrity which requires her to disassociate herself with reports and communication where she believes the information entails a materially misleading or false statement. This is because she will obscure information needed to be included leading to misleading information. b) Peter Beatties Case Peter Beattie will have violated the accounting code of ethics by frequently providing all services for the same client. This is because there is a possibility of conflict of interests between auditing and bookkeeping services. Peter cannot audit his own work without being biased or omitting some information that may lead to misleading information. He will thus violate integrity principle since he will not disassociate himself from reports that might be misleading to the client. He will also violate the principle of objectivity by allowing conflict of interest to override professional and business judgment. By offering bookkeeping and auditing services, Peter will violate the obligation of objectivity which requires him not to compromise his professional judgment due to conflict of interest. 2. a) I shall have violated the accountants code of ethics by allowing the client not to disclose any information linked to opening balances of accounts at the beginning of the financial year. There is a need to disclose these information as required by the law and ethical practice. This means that I shall have violated the client to override my professional judgment due to his undue influence (Langenderfer and Rockness 2015). Therefore, this will mean that I shall have suspended the principle of objectivity and integrity in my professional practice. I shall have omitted information that are really important to the public and this will compromise my profession as a professional accountant. I need to advice the client to comply with relevant laws and regulation which requires full disclosure of information. b) I shall have violated the accountants code of ethics by allowing myself to audit the financial statements of a client that does not follow AAS. Specifically, I shall have violated professional behavior principle. This principle imposes the obligation for me as a professional accountant to comply with appropriate laws and regulations and to avoid such action that I know or need to know could discredit the profession (Loeb 2014). For example, because this firm has failed to follow the law, I should not offer my services. This is because in doing so, any reasonable and informed thirty party who weighs the particular facts and conditions existing to professional accountants would probably conclude that my actions affect the good reputation of accounting profession. References Langenderfer, H.Q. and Rockness, J.W., 2015. Integrating ethics into the accounting curriculum. Accounting Ethics: Theories of Accounting Ethics and their Dissemination, 2(1), p.346. Loeb, S.E., 2014. Enforcement of the code of ethics: A survey. The Accounting Review, 47(1), pp.1-10.

Ultimate MLA Citation Format Complete 8th Ed.

Still struggling to nail the MLA citation format? Don’t worry it happens to the best of us when asked to present an MLA format bibliography for an essay. The best way to overcome such a challenge is by having a look through this MLA citation guide. Below you can get acquainted with some helpful tips and tricks as well as multiple MLA format examples. Contents What is the MLA Citation Format? What Version of the MLA Format is Currently in Use? So What Does the New Version of the MLA Format Require? Easy-To-Use MLA Formatting Guidelines Why Should I Use an MLA Citation Guide When There Are Online Generators? Additional MLA Citation Format Tips What is the MLA Citation Format? It can be quite challenging for students to learn how to apply various referencing styles to avoid plagiarism. Such situations often lead to individuals seeking out a reliable and accessible MLA citation guide. So what exactly does the MLA citation style stand for and what are its requirements? The MLA citation format (Modern Language Association style) is most often used by students while writing papers or citing sources which are relevant to the liberal arts subjects as well as humanities. Throughout this MLA citation guide, we will ONLY be referring to the latest version that is required from students, namely the MLA citation format 8th Edition. However, if this article is not enough for you to grasp the fundamental concepts it is best to consult the MLA Handbook since it will offer additional MLA format examples concerning: MLA Research Papers Use of MLA Citation In-Text Structuring Footnotes/Endnotes Example of Bibliography/Reference/Works Cited Page Related article to APA Formating: APA Citation Guide - Learn How to Cite Anything in APA Format If you want to know more about Chicago / Turabian Citation Style: The Ultimate Chicago Citation Style Guide What Version of the MLA Format is Currently in Use? As previously mentioned, currently the MLA format required by most academic institutions is the 8th Edition which was published in April 2016. Throughout the new MLA citation format handbook, students are shown how citations should be done according to this style. It incorporates both MLA in-text citations as well as the required structure for an MLA bibliography. Due to the evolution of professional writing as well as academic writing one can clearly see that following a simple set of rules is not diverse enough to cope. Thus, the MLA citation format has emerged as a referencing style which can be applied to an extensive list of sources from a multitude of academic spheres. One of the main differences is the current MLA citation format Handbook uses a list of principles instead of the old set of specific rules. Overall the goal is to have students learn how to reference correctly using a flexible method, which is universally applicable. This MLA citation guide seeks to highlight all the new elements in an efficient and easy-to-learn manner, so you can get your research paper’s sources referenced correctly in no time. So What Does the New Version of the MLA Format Require? Now that we have a pretty good idea about what the MLA citation format stands for and how it has evolved to where it is today let's get into the specifics. In the section below we will explore all the requirements of the new MLA citation format. Universal MLA Citation Format According to the MLA citation format Handbook, it is inefficient to research a new style of referencing for each type of source: E.g., Books, Journals, Websites, etc. That was one of the leading concerns directing the creation of this latest version. Nowadays one can even use tweets as a direct source. For example, we are quite often faced with all kind of tweet feeds coming from Donald Trump or the NFL players choosing to sit down during the National Anthem. Thus, since technology gives us access to new platforms which can be used as a direct source, it would be a nightmare having to learn a new MLA citation format for each of these social media platforms. To help young academics and professionals cope with the growing availability and types of resources that can be used the MLA citation style presents us with a universal format which can be used to create appropriate citations. The way it is done now is by locating the so-called â€Å"Core Elements† of whatever type of source you are looking to include in the MLA bibliography. What they represent in this scenario are the elements making up the information needed to be listed for each source in particular. The list below covers the order in which these items must be presented for any new MLA citation format. MLA Citation Style Core Elements In a Nutshell: Author Title of the source Title of the container Other contributors Version Numbers [ Page Number, Article Number, etc.] Publisher Official date of publication Location *Note: As in the previous MLA citation format Handbooks the correct punctuation marks must be applied after each Core Element is listed. *Basic MLA Format Example: Author. Title. Title of the container. Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location Including â€Å"Containers† in our citations This new requirement of the MLA citation format is designed to help the visual structure and ease with which an examiner can backtrack sources. So what exactly is a â€Å"container† in the new MLA citation format? In essence, when referencing a smaller section of a large source, E.g., Chapter 5 from House of the Spirits, the container becomes the large source as it contains the smaller source we are trying to use in our assignment. MLA Format Example: Allende, Isabel. â€Å"House of the Spirits.† Chapter 5: The Lovers, translated from Spanish by Magda Bogin, Dial Press Trade Paperback, 1982, pp. 99 - 110. Allows the use of Pseudonyms for Authors Names As previously mentioned the development of social media platforms has been noted by those developing the MLA citation format. Thus, to help keep up with the times' students may now use screen names, twitter handles or usernames instead of the author's credentials, even if they are available. Doing so makes it significantly easier to reference sources in-text as well as when constructing one's MLA bibliography. To help highlight what this change incurs for students, we have provided an MLA format example of both the primary outline as well as the finished version below to increase the positive impact this MLA citation guide can have. Basic Outline: Do not include HTTP:// or https:// when referencing tweets using the MLA format. @TwitterHandle. â€Å"Full tweet text content†. Twitter, Date Posted, Time Posted, Available at Twitter URL MLA Format Example: @realDonalTrump. â€Å"Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election.† Twitter, 15 Oct. 2016, 5:23 A.M., twitter /realDonaldTrump/status/787267564405653505 MLA Journal Article Citations New Format This comes as a rather significant change to the MLA citation format since in the previous version there was little to no indication that the numbers students or examiners saw in periodical citations referred to issue numbers of the volume it is a part of. To help highlight this new change, we will explore the same source cited using both MLA styles. MLA 7: O'Carroll, John. â€Å"The Dying Of The Epic.† Anthropoetics 30.2 (2011): 48-49. Print. MLA 8: O'Carroll, John. â€Å"The Dying Of The Epic.† Anthropoetics, vol. 30, no. 2, 2011, pp. 48-49. Avoid including URLs This section of the MLA citation format Handbook is quite straightforward as it suggests that students steer clear of adding the HTTP:// or https:// when referencing any source while using the 8th version. City of Publication Requirement Changes For those students who have already experienced the MLA citation format requirements from previous versions, this will come as quite a shock. In the 8th release, it has been established that this information carries little to no significance as the city of publication can often change due to reprints or edits. Thus, it has been deemed that including such information is trivial and can be safely omitted by students working on an MLA bibliography. Nonetheless, there are a set of circumstances where students must include this information. Such an issue becomes a requirement if there are different versions of the resource in question. For example, if a version of the same book is published in the UK and one in the US. Enjoy having more flexibility with the MLA citation format In comparison to the previous versions of the MLA format, the 8th provides a substantial degree of freedom regarding how it is presented. In theory, one may say that there is no right or wrong way to include a source of one's references due to certain aspects being ignored according to what the focus of the work is. What it means for students is that they must focus on what pieces of information are most relevant to the task at hand. Thus, when applying the MLA citation format to a movie for example, one may either reference the director if they are assessing motifs or choose to reference the name of the actor if they are performing an in-depth character analysis. In a sense, this has made life easier and harder at the same time while trying to piece together an MLA bibliography. The best MLA format example will contain the most relevant information tailored to help readers locate the original source with ease if they are required to do so. Easy-To-Use MLA Formatting Guidelines Regardless of the subject, your MLA bibliography has been assigned to sticking to the formatting guidelines is vital. Hence, students must be aware of the requirements concerning the MLA bibliography as well as the in-text MLA citations. Here is a the new general list of guidelines that must be applied: Use standard format A4 paper [ white 8  ½ x 11† paper ] Set the document to create 1 inch margins on all sides of the paper. Indent the first word of every paragraph [ 1 inch and a half ] Indent set-off quotations [ 1 inch from the left margin ] Use 12 point size while typing up the assignment As far as font choices go, Times New Roman is recommended. Nonetheless, students may write with any legible fonts they enjoy as long as it is easy to read and italicized text is noticeable. The entire paper has to be double spaced, including the bibliography page. Always make use of one space after periods or any other punctuation marks. However, if the instructor has given out different requirements then they must be adhered to. Create a title page or structure the document with a running header without a title page. As far as the other significant elements that can be found in an MLA format essay we will go through each of them together throughout this entire section of the MLA citation guide. Title Page or MLA Header: Start on a blank piece of paper from the top of the page and flush down the left margin. The corresponding elements must be double spaced between each other: The student's name The instructor's name Course Number Date the assignment is due After these details have been correctly listed, make use of another double space as instructed by the MLA citation format and center the title of the work. It is important NOT TO bold, underline or write the title using all capital letters. Apply the general MLA format which italicizes only that which needs it such as the title of the book being reviewed. According to the 8th MLA citation format, students SHOULD NOT place a period after any heading or the title itself. Remember to make use of double space between the first lines of the text and the title. Page Numbers: The page numbers are always placed in the upper right-hand corner 1 inch and a half from the top, flushed from the right margin. The student's last name must be typed up before the page number on each page. The easiest and fastest way to do so is by setting the processor in Microsoft Word to automatically add one’s last name and page number on each of the document's pages. Never place a â€Å"p.† before the page number, since this annotation is used to determine what page is being referenced from our sources. Ask the lecturer if students should place the page number on the first page or not since this is a requirement that is unique to each teacher requesting MLA format assignments. Tables and Illustrations: The MLA citation format dictates that any tables or illustrations used must be placed as closely as possible to the segment they are related or referring to. All tables and Illustrations should be labeled accordingly with the following MLA citation format: Table/Illustration, corresponding Arabic numeral, appropriate title. Keep in mind that it has to respect the fonts and placement style used throughout. Other structural requirements are: The information describing the table or illustration must be located above it, flushed from the left-hand side and on a separate line. Include any additional information, such as origin, extra notes, etc., beneath it. All notes that are to be included should be labeled using letters rather than numbers. Illustrations should be labeled as Fig. Followed by the respective Arabic number and a caption describing it. The caption in the new MLA citation format should be placed underneath the illustration. The benefit of illustrations that already contain their source of origin does not need to be cited in the text according to the new MLA format, as they have previously been acknowledged. In-Text Citations: Most students find the correct application of MLA citation in-text the hardest one to master out of them all. Nonetheless, this version of the MLA format carries across one of the fastest and most efficient ways to do so without wasting any time. In essence, the goal of using MLA style in-text citations is to give credit to the respective author when drawing inspiration or even directly quoting them. As far as the requirements go for this version it is quite straightforward since we must make use of parentheses in the following manner throughout the MLA format essay: Author's Surname, Page reference from the borrowed material E.g. Allende, p. 122 The methods students can apply to incorporate these citations into their MLA format essay often vary and are up to the individual to decide upon. Nonetheless, the best approach is to mention them as closely as possible to the relevant material such as using them at the end of a paragraph, sentence or direct quote. Keep in mind that students can paraphrase or summarize the main idea of the quote and merely reference where the ideas have come from in their MLA format. Feeling a bit confused about what might fit you best? Don’t worry we will go through an MLA format example below to make things crystal clear. Some students prefer to incorporate the MLA citation into their text as follows: According to I. Allende, Esteban Trueba’s love for Carla is misguided and often overzealous because he â€Å"does not fully understand her feminine nature† (122). However, the most popular MLA citation alternative is slightly different: As Esteban looks to expand his family, his efforts to impregnate his wife are not met as he expected since â€Å"he does not fully understand her feminine nature† (Allende 122). These are just two of the many ways students can make the MLA style more personal when seeking to paraphrase or add a direct quotation. Why Should I Use an MLA Citation Guide When There Are Online Generators? Despite how frustrating it is sometimes to get acquainted with the MLA format guidelines, there are many benefits to mastering them. Nonetheless, students often realize there is a multitude of online MLA citation machines which can get the job done for you. As tempting as it sounds at first students must recognize that not all these generators are updated, meaning they could be using an old version of the MLA citation format. On top of that, it is hard to confirm whether the reference they produce is, in fact, the correct MLA format without being intimately acquainted with it. Thus, no matter how you twist and turn it at the end of the day it is best to learn how to apply the MLA format to keep from wasting time needlessly. Once the student has familiarized himself with the core elements and requirements of the MLA citation format they know what the correct version of a reference should look like, be it for an in-text citation or the MLA bibliography. Therefore, by understanding how everything comes together, it becomes easy to detect a decent MLA citation machine from one which will get you accused of plagiarism. Overall, by being aware of all the new simplified MLA citation requirements, the student will actually end up saving time when faced with assignments that require adequate referencing. Additional MLA Citation Format Tips The following section is tailored for those students looking to go the extra mile to impress their tutors as well as their peers. These tips will let you wow anybody with how well you have come to understand the MLA format. So without any further adieu here are some great tricks to make sure everything is absolutely perfect: Remember that an annotated bibliography is not the same thing as the MLA bibliography/Works cited page. The annotated bibliography consists of a literature review which summarizes and evaluates the quality of the sources used in the MLA format essay. Each of the major sections deserves its own page unless you have chosen to use a running header instead of a title page. The MLA bibliography must always be placed at the end of the assignment unless instructed to do otherwise. The title has to be centered on the page regardless, situated 1 inch from the top of the page. Avoid starting one’s sentences with numerals, and it is considered more academic to spell out the number. Try to use numerals before symbols or abbreviations, E.g., 9 lbs. Keep in mind to double space the assignment as well as using 1-inch margins all around

A Knight in Shining Armor essays

A Knight in Shining Armor essays In her 1989 novel A Knight in Shining Armor, author Jude Devurax shows her readers how the power of love can overcome obstacles, and win in the struggle of good against evil. It takes a journey through two time spans showing the difference in civilizations and the importance of believing in yourself and keeping true to your dreams. A Knight in Shining Armor begins as a girl named Dougless Montgomery has taken a trip to visit the English Countryside with her boyfriend, Robert, and his daughter, Gloria. As the trip progresses she gets in a fight with her boyfriend and he abandons her in the foreign country with no money, or way of getting back to America. Being stranded at a church, she feels as if she is a failure, and leans on a nearby tomb stone crying out for her Knight in Shining Armor. Suddenly a man dressed in armor and carrying a sword appears on the scene. He is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyke, who was executed on a charge of treason in 1564, but had somehow heard Douglesss cries. He now found himself in the year of 1988, standing next to Dougless. Dougless takes him around the new time period teaching him of all her knowledge, and helping him to understand and discover this new world he has come to live in. When he learns that he has been executed and made a fool of during his lifetime, he and Dougless try to find the answers of why he had been put to death. They embark on this journey travelling to Nicholass castles and looking into books and research, to try to discover the reasons of Nicholass unfortunate death, and of what had occurred. In this journey, they also fall in love and begin to have a relationship, in which they do not want to leave each other. Nicholas does not wish to return back to his family, wives, and life of luxury. Through this process they are never quite aware of when Nicholas will disappear just as quickly as he appeared into Dou...

Analysis of How to Talk to a Hunter by Pam Houston

Analysis of 'How to Talk to a Hunter' by Pam Houston How to Talk to a Hunter by American writer Pam Houston (b. 1962) was originally published in the literary magazine Quarterly West. It was subsequently included in The Best American Short Stories, 1990, and in the authors 1993 collection, Cowboys Are My Weakness. The story focuses on a woman who continues dating a man a hunter even as the signs of his infidelity and lack of commitment mount. Future Tense One striking feature of the story is that it is written in future tense. For example, Houston writes: You will spend every night in this mans bed without asking yourself why he listens to top-forty country. The use of future tense creates a sense of inevitability about the characters actions, as if shes telling her own fortune. But her ability to predict the future seems to have less to do with clairvoyance than with past experience. Its easy to imagine that she knows exactly what will happen because it or something just like it has happened before. So the inevitability becomes as significant a part of the story as the rest of the plot. Who Is the You? I have known some readers who resent the use of second-person (you) because they find it presumptuous. After all, what could the narrator possibly know about them? But for me, reading a second-person narrative has always seemed more like being privy to someones internal monologue than like being told what I, personally, am thinking and doing. The use of second-person simply gives the reader a more intimate look at the characters experience and thought process. The fact that the future tense sometimes changes to imperative sentences like, Call the hunters machine. Tell him you dont speak chocolate only further suggests that the character is giving herself some advice. On the other hand, you dont have to be a heterosexual woman dating a hunter to be dating someone whos dishonest or who shies away from commitment. In fact, you dont have to be romantically involved with someone at all to be taken advantage of. And you definitely dont have to be dating a hunter in order to watch yourself enact mistakes that you see perfectly well are coming. So even though some readers might not recognize themselves in the specific details of the story, many might be able to relate to some of the larger patterns described here. While second-person might alienate some readers, for others it can serve as an invitation to consider what they have in common with the main character. Everywoman The absence of names in the story further suggests an attempt to portray something universal, or at least common, about gender and relationships. Characters are identified by phrases like your best male friend and your best female friend. And both of these friends tend to make sweeping declarations about what men are like or what women are like. (Note: the entire story is told from a heterosexual perspective.) Just as some readers might object to second-person, some will surely object to gender-based stereotypes. Yet Houston does make a convincing case that its difficult to be completely gender-neutral, as when she describes the verbal gymnastics that the hunter engages in to avoid admitting that another woman has come to visit him. She writes (hilariously, in my opinion): The man who has said hes not so good with words will manage to say eight things about his friend without using a gender-determining pronoun. The story seems entirely aware that its dealing in clichà ©s. For example, the hunter speaks to the protagonist in lines from country music. Houston writes: Hell say you are always on his mind, that youre the best thing thats ever happened to him, that you make him glad that hes a man. And the protagonist answers with lines from rock songs: Tell him it dont come easy, tell him freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose. Though its easy to laugh at the communication gap Houston portrays between men and women, country and rock, the reader is left wondering to what extent we ever can escape our clichà ©s.

USB device encryption. Types of USB flash drives Essay

USB device encryption. Types of USB flash drives - Essay Example Corsair flash padlock Kingston data Traveler secure Ironkey secure Flash drive Lexar jumpdrive secure II Looks like pull-off cap with Numeric pad down the front Uses 256-bit AES hardware based encryption Uses AES,CBC-mode, 128-bit encryption Uses 256-bit AES encryption Has speed of 15.9MB/sec Speed of 20.2MB/sec Speed of 18MB/sec (4GB) 15.5MB/sec Has average read rate of 15.4MB/sec Read rate of 24MB/sec Read rate 25MB/sec 15.9MB/sec Price range between $27-$39 for 1GB Price from $60 for 512MB Price $149 for 4GB and $71.50 for 1GB Price ranges $15.48 for 1GB has five numbered buttons as entry to security No minimum characters required. Generate password to about 99 characters. 32 characters for name and password I would recommend Kingston data traveler secure flash drive. This is because it is small in size thus portable. Too its password protection and its data encryption are compatible with several operating systems such as windows 2000, windows XP and Win98SE. The flash device has high speed both read and write. It durability cannot be doubted. That is why there is a five year warranty on a device bought. Data protection is the base line of this device. It has a higher security levels. Its high memory also acts as advantage to this device as privacy edition can hold up to 8GB. Computer foot print Creating a new foot print Downey and Stein have outlined how to create a new foot print. In the library manager screen first choose create new footprint. Name the footprint appropriately using an appropriate name such as ‘mybank†. Make a drawing of the outline in the zoomed window. Select save as and thereafter choose on create new library button. Create a new directory with the details about the bank accounts. Name the directory such as â€Å"library†. This has to be separate from where the layout and capture files were initially stored. Give a name to the new library file such as â€Å"homefile†. Save it in â€Å"mybank†. At last th ere are two files â€Å"homefile† that contain the foot print â€Å"mybank† Using ones EID credentials, log into foot prints of your bank. Click on the new request button that appears at the top-left corner. The incident information has then to be filled. The notes should be through so as to supply ITS with enough information for quick identification and to easily resolve the issue. The contact information is updated in the contact information. The information can be modified as it may be appropriate so as to enable contact with the ITS. The data is then saved. The updates are received through the email or by logging into the footprint system. Data on the details will be displayed in a â€Å"hours per day† and â€Å"days per month†. Time/days location ISP provider processor RAM Computer IP 10-11.00 11-12.00 12-1300 The characteristics that will help identify the computer in use will include computer’s IP address, mother board details and also the n ame accorded to it operating system. If access into footprint data is attempted either from a different computer or different way from the characteristics given, access first of all will be denied. The second option will be where one will be asked for a password before accessing the information. The last one will be where an individual must register as members to gain access. HTTPS This is a combination of hyper text transfer

A critical review of the potential of certification to assist in the Essay

A critical review of the potential of certification to assist in the development of more sustainable tourism - Essay Example This is in respect to the varying types of tourism found in different destinations, including the unique presence of niche tourism segments, as well as mass tourism in general. Essentially, it regards the portrayal and upholding of specific values, which make a great global difference, not only in reference to the millions of global travelers, by also those directly impacted by existing tourism. Above all, it entails the observance of responsible tourism, which is aimed at making positive differences to tourist destinations, the local populations present, and fundamentally so, the environment. Sustainable tourism is essentially, the attempt of making the lowest possible impacts on not only a given region’s environmental ecosystems, but also the local cultures present. The culture aspect regards the traditions, way of life, folklore and heritage present, which uniquely identify such regions as distinct tourism destinations. In addition, as Mowforth and Munt (1998) portray, is the requisite aspect of job opportunity creation for the local populations, thereby enabling greater wholesome sustainability of such regions and destinations. The ultimate aim of this type of tourism is ensuring the development achieved, provides a foundation of positive experience, for not only the tourists and tourism companies at large, but also the local residents (Mowforth & Munt, 1998:44). Thus, sustainable tourism pertains to the adopted practices implemented in successful eco-tourism. As a term, sustainable tourism is often interpreted in oxymoron terms. This is informed by the fact that tourism as an activity, majorly depends upon, and continuously increasing air transportation (Mowforth & Munt, 1998:490). Unfortunately, this mode of transportation is linked to the contribution of significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. These are emitted from combustion, rising high into the stratosphere and hence contribute to the

Oral or written argument Essay Example for Free

Oral or written argument Essay Given that the ideas can not be truly and completely explained by words, one have to recognize that every oral or written argument ever told or explained is inherently subjective. Therefore, every fact described by a human is an opinion, and every opinion is somehow a fact. Thusly, every word should be considered from two points of view: from the point of view of fact and from the point of view of opinion. This relates to the testimony before the court as well. Every judge should realize, that even the most honest person can interpret the facts wrongfully or simply mistake. Moreover, even the judge himself is not free from subjectivity, although the level of objectivity is one of the key factors determining his or her professionalism. Therefore, upon examination of the testimony, a judge has to consider it as one fact and witnesses probable level of subjectivity as another fact. At that it would be useful to classify the questions put before a witness during examination into two groups. Some of the questions are questions of fact (whats happened? ), other questions are questions of opinion (do you think that? ). For sure, the second kind of questions includes a greater extent of subjectivity, although the first kind can not be recognized completely objective as well. In order to find out the truth, all the testimonies have to be reviewed in combination. Neither of the testimonies can be absolutely true and accurate. Only consideration of the testimonies and other proofs in the case would allow a judge to create a more or less straight story of the case. Question 2 As a judge, I have to answer several questions in order to determine whether a person with multiple personality disorder should witness or not. Firstly, I have to find out whether a person can witness at all. In order to do that I would call the experts to examine that personss mental condition and his or her state at the moment. In case the experts recognize, that the person is principally able to provide a valid testimony, I would further doubt his or her possible words and ask myself a second question: how critical the persons testimony is for the case and how can it influence my view of the case. My decision can not be bases solely on the testimony of mentally infringed individual, yet his or her testimony may be usefull for clarification of some circumstances. I would rather rely on such witness to determine the facts, than in case I needed his or her opinion. In case I came to a conclusion, that I still need this witness, I would properly examine him or her in the presence of the experts who would observe the individuals behavior during examination and inform me of possible deviations. Having completed the examination, I would consider how much do the words of the witness conform with other testimonies and proofs in the case. In case I would find no logical controversions, I would consider the words of such witness as a valid testimony. Yet I would keep in mind, that this testimony is provided by a doubdtful witness and critically evaluate this testimony. Works Cited: http://www. boogieonline. com/seeking/know/meaning. html

Supernatural in Shakespeares Macbeth - Witches and Lady Macbeth Hold t

The Witches and Lady Macbeth Cause the Downfall of Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth shows the gradual descent of the character Macbeth into the moral abyss.  Ã‚   Macbeth's yearning for power draws him to the murder of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's family. It is difficult to understand how a courageous, gentle man such as Macbeth, could be involved in such villainous activities. In truth, it was the witches and Lady Macbeth that transformed into evil Macbeth's natural desire for control and authority.   The play, Macbeth clearly illustrates that wicked intention must, in the end, produce wicked action.      Shakespeare focuses on Macbeth's courage early in the play.   For example, Duncan and the sergeant both compliment Macbeth's mental and physical bravery in Act I, Scene II.   Macbeth "carv'd out his passage"(I.ii.21) until he and the enemy general were face to face.   In the same act, the reader is told that Macbeth is brave because of his "disdaining Fortune"(I.ii.19) In addition to his quality of courage, Macbeth is also a gentle man.    Demonstrating his love and devotion for his wife, Macbeth refers to her as "his dearest partner of greatness"(I.v.11).   Lady Macbeth views his kindness as somewhat of a problem for their quest for power.   She says that Macbeth is "too full o' the milk of human kindness"(I.v.17)   to place them on the   throne of Scotland as a result of murder.      Macbeth realizes that Duncan is, in fact, a good and humble king.   Other than to fulfill self-centered desires and uncontrolled ambitions, there is no valid reason to murder him.   However, both his wife and the three witches soon pressure Macbeth to murder Duncan.   The three witches are supernatural in... ...es are ruined.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Biggins, Dennis. "Sexuality, Witchcraft, and Violence in Macbeth." Shakespeare Studies VII (1975)    Callaghan, Dympna. Woman and Gender in Renaissance Tragedy. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press International, Inc., 1989    Foakes, R.A. "Images of death: ambition in Macbeth." In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1982.    Muir, Kenneth. "Introduction." In Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992.    Novy, Marianne. Love's Argument: Gender Relations in Shakespeare. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1984    Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992.    Stallybrass, Peter. "Macbeth and Witchcraft." In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1982.   

Indian Secularism: a Theological Response Essay

1. INTRODUCTION For many years religion has been a dominant force in all human societies, embracing all aspects of human life. The world was sought to be understood and explained in terms of religion. It was with the path breaking discovers in the world of physical sciences and as well as the social movements like the reformation and the renaissance that broke away the domination of religion in the middle Ages. Thus there was a gradual process by which the church and state began to be separated in the west. The first foundation of secularism began to be laid with this separation. Secularism appeared as an opponent to Christianity but in course of time, it was identified as a way of life and an interpretation of life that did not admit any kind of communal prejudice. But by and by, the secular attitudes became necessary for a modern rational society. Secularism has been a critically important development in the modern world. In India, secularism attains an added significance because of the fact that Indians have been deeply wedded to religious consideration in the past and is hardly devoid of such consideration even today. It is because of the fact that the India represents a multiplicity of socio-communal groups. Secularism is the spirit which enlightens the constitution of India. But the incorporation of secularism in India and especially into the constitution was itself the culmination of a historical process, which is the key to understand our present day secularism. Therefore one must find out the foundations on which the whole structure of Indian secularism has been raised. My seminar paper is attempt to analyse the historical back ground of the origin Indian secularism, its developments, threats that Indian secularism faces and a theological response to Indian secularism. 2. SECULARISM; DEFINITION AND ITS MEANING The term secularism was created in 1846 by George Jacob Holyoake in order to describe â€Å"a form of opinion which concerns itself only with questions, the issues of which can be tested by the experience of this life† . Holyoake was a leader of the English secularist and free thought movements. According to Holyoake government should work for the benefit of the working classes and poor based upon their needs in the here and now rather than any needs they might have for a future life or for their souls. For him secularism would mean that which seeks the development of the physical, moral, and intellectual nature of man to the highest possible point. The concept of secularism was originally developed as a non-religious philosophy focused upon the needs and concerns of humanity in this life, not the possible needs and concerns associated with any possible afterlife. . The word secular means â€Å"of this world† in Latin and is the opposite of religious . As a doctrine, secularism is usually used to describe any philosophy which forms its ethics without reference to religious dogmas and which promotes the development of human art and science. Secularism was also designed as a materialistic philosophy, both in terms of the means by which human life was to be improved and in its understanding of the nature of the universe. The first and perhaps most common understanding of â€Å"secular† today stand in opposition to â€Å"religious.† According to this usage, something is secular when it can be categorized with the worldly, civil, non-religious sphere of human life. A secondary understanding of â€Å"secular† is contrasted with anything that is regarded as holy, sacred, and inviolable. According to this usage something is secular when it is not worshipped, when it is not venerated, and when it is open for critique, judgment, and replacement . ‘In political terms, secularism is a movement towards the separation of religion and government. This can refer to reducing ties between a government and a state religion, replacing laws based on scripture with civil laws, and eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion. This is said to add to democracy by protecting the rights of religious minorities’ . The society which practices secularism is known as secular society or state. The salient features of secular society or state are the following. Secular society is not homogenous, but is pluralistic. It is tolerant. There is a deep respect for individuals and the small groups of which they are a part and equality for all people. Each person should be helped by society to realize their particular excellence. It breaks away the barriers of class and caste. India by its constitution is considered as a secular state . It is in this context I am trying to find the historical back ground of Indian secularism. 3. HISTORY OF INDIAN SECULARISM Secularism in India has very different meaning and implications. The word secularism has never been used in Indian context in the sense in which it has been used in Western countries. India is a country where religion is very central to the life of people. India’s age-old philosophy as expounded in Hindu scriptures called Upanishad is ‘sarvadharma samabhava’, which means equal respect for all religions . The reason behind this approach is the fact that India has never been a mono-religious country. Even before the Aryan invasion India was not a mono-religious country. There existed numerous tribal cults in Indian even before Aryan invasion and most of whom happened to be Dravidians. The advent of Christianity and Islam also added more religious traditions to existing Indian traditions. Thus it would be correct to say that India is bewilderingly diverse country in every aspect of religious, cultural and caste. Though the idea of secularism in the West was the separ ation of religion from the State, in India it acquired a different meaning and shape. It is because Indian secularism was a response to a different and unique historical situation. Religious toleration was a part of Indian historical tradition. It existed before the idea of secularism was introduced to India. It got coupled with Indian secularism and became its base and foundation. Secularism in India was conceived as a system that sustained religious and cultural pluralism. Some researchers believe that the history of Indian secularism begin with the protest movements in the 5th century B.C. The three main protest movements were by the Charvakas (a secularistic and materialistic philosophical movement), Buddhism, and Jainism. All three of them rejected the authority of the Vedas and any importance of belief in a deity . Here I am going to analysis the historical origin of Indian secularism through different stages of Indian history. 3.1 Secularism in the Pre- Colonial Period or in feudal India Under feudal system there was no competition between different religious traditions as authority resided in kings and generally there were no inter-religious tensions among the people of different religions. They co-existed in peace and harmony though at times inter-religious controversies did arise. There was also tradition of tolerance between religions due to state policies of various kings since time immemorial from Gupta Kings to Ashoka and Akbar. Many religious sects and practices kept away from rigid intolerant forms . The contribution of king Ashoka to the development of secularism or we may say the tolerant existence of all religion is admirable. His approach was more humanistic. He was very tolerant towards all religion. Ashoka gave great importance to the ideal of tolerance towards different ideologies and religions. According to Romila Thapar, Ashoka’s definition of social ethics is based on a respect for all religious teachers, and on a harmonious relationship between parents and children, teachers and pupils, and employers and employees. Contributions of kings like Ashoka and Akbar gave a solid foundation to Indian secularism . Thus Indian had a very different face of secularism, which based on the tolerance and mutual respect. But by the coming of British rule there was drastic change in understanding secularism. 3.2 Secularism in British India By the 18th century, British East India Company slowly began to gain total control over India along with it the ideas of secularism began to have impact on the Indian mind. Until then, religion was considered to be inseparable from political and social life. British codified laws pertaining to practices of each religion separately as part of their divide and rule policy. In doing so they laid the foundation for a non-uniform civil code which remains largely unchanged to date. During the British rule, the main challenge was not between religious and secular but it was between secular and communal. In the western world main struggle was between church and sate and church and civil society but in India neither Hinduism nor Islam had any church-like structure, hence there never was any such struggle between secular and religious power structure. The main struggle was between secularism and communalism. The communal forces from Hindus and Muslims mainly fought for share in power though they used their respective religions for their struggle for power . The contribution of Christian missionaries to Indian society and especially to the growth of secularism is admirable. Evangelism that they followed was based on respected freedom of choice and promoted the ideas of religious freedom. They could develop morality based on humanism which promotion of the ideas of human dignity, worth, and freedom. One of the greatest achievements of British rule was modernization of education by promotion of secular knowledge. Missionary’s social work was the application of the ideas of human dignity, equality, and worth . This gave rise to the emergence of Indian freedom fighters. Their understanding of secularism was different. They intertwined secularism with nationalism. 3.3 Secularism in modern India After independence and separation a large number of Muslims were left in India and for this reason the leaders like Gandhi and Nehru favored to keep India secular in the sense that Indian state will have no religion however people of India will be free both in individual and corporate sense to follow any religion of their birth or adoption. Thus India remained politically secular but otherwise its people continued to be deeply religious. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India was great champion of secularism and secular politics. Theoretically speaking the Congress Party was also committed to secularism. However the Congress Party consisted of several members and leaders whose secularism was in doubt. Dadabhai Naoroji, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, and Surendranath Banerjee were the prominent Indian national congress leaders whose understanding of secularism was moderate. One of the most outstanding moderate leaders was Dadabhai Naoroji who was considered as the founder of secular nationalism in India. His idea of secularism was that religion and politics must be separated. He went further than this and asserted that religion must be subordinated to politics. He believed in Swaraj, according to him it can be achieved only through the political union of all Indian people belonging to various creeds and classes. For him secular nationalism was a way to mobilize and unite whole people of India belonging to different creeds and classes to fight against British whose rule created disastrous consequences on Indian economy. Since he belonged to a minority community of India, promoted and believed in the idea of religious toleration. His idea of secularization implied and represented nationalism, anti-imperialism and anti-communalism. He urged Indians to subordinate their loyalty to their religion at the alter of their devotion to their nation . Nationalist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilk, Lala Lajpat Rai were of the position that Indian nationalism was religious nationalism not secular nationalism. They were known as extremists in Indian national congress. The extremist school mixed religion and politics. They used religion in arousing sentiments of nationalism among the Indian masses. They consciously and deliberately used religion as the basis of their nationalism. For them nationalism was the prime consideration and highest value which should be achieved by all means. They believed that as soon as nationalism gets deeply rooted in India, secularism would inevitably get promoted because nationalism itself is an agent of secularism. They were not in favor of a theocratic state, but they accepted the conception of India remaining a multi-religious community and firmly believed in Hindu-Muslim cooperation. They used religious symbols and terminology to expand and intensity devotion to the mother land. Their strategy was to use religious feeling and sentiments to create great love for mother land among Indians irrespective of religions. For that they revived the memories of the Vedic past of Hindus and used the neo-vedantic movements and the cult of mother worship. The negative side of this religious nationalism was that it caused for communal violence among Hindus and Muslims . Gandhi viewed secularism from a religious perspective. He believed that religion and the State are inseparable, that ir-religiosity encouraged by the State leads to demoralization of the people and that, therefore, the State’s religious policy should be pluralistic with equal respect to all religions. Mahatma Gandhi believed that all deities were manifestations of the One and all religions led to the same goal. It was this kind of a pluralistic approach to religion that made him to oppose religious conversions . Gandhi said that his opposition to conversions, especially of Christian conversions, originated from his own position that all religions were fundamentally equal and that equal respect, (Sarva-dharma-samabhava) not mutual tole rance, was the need of the hour. He also accused Christian Missions of using social services to net in converts. He argued that the Harijans had ‘no mind, no intelligence, no sense of difference between God and no-God’ and that they could no more distinguish between the relative merits than could a cow . Thus, the Gandhian pluralistic perspective of secularism disfavors conversions, especially among the Harijans for at least two reasons, firstly since no religion can claim absolute truth and since all religions are fundamentally equal, conversions are out of question and secondly secularism provides freedom of religion to all people alike without considering their intellectual ability and it is unjust. Thus the real spirit of Gandhian understanding of secularism is all inclusiveness, religious pluralism and peaceful co-existence . Jawaharlal Nehru interpreted secularism from an agnostic point of view. For him religion stands for stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and bigotry, superstition and exploitation, and preservation and exploitation of vested interests’ . During the Independence Struggle, it was Nehru, Jinnah, and Subhash Chandra Bose who upheld that it was wrong for religion to interfere in politics. According to him ‘all human enterprise should be delivered from religious dominance and should become more apparent’ . As an agnostic, he believed in rationality, secularism, and a scientific approach as the true means of progress in India. He understood that the destruction of religious superstition by secularism was the only means to a peaceful India. He viewed secularism as a great cementing force of the diverse people of India whose mind is divided on the basis of religion. For him it was the necessity of the time to replace religion with secular values to grow together in unity and fraternity. Nehru represented the Western form of secularism very well. While Gandhi stressed on the equality of all religions and religious pluralism, Nehru was more inclined towards the modernity of the Enlightenment. It was the able leadership of a secular visionary such as Nehru that held India together through out the early unstable years of the country. Nehru’s agnosticism and rationalism had no place for religious dictates in political matters. Therefore, he was able to see religion with a scientific eye and keep religious fundamentalism away from interfering in Indian politics . 4. SECULARISM IN INDIAN CONSTITUTION The concept of secularism as embodied in the Constitution of India cannot be viewed in the sense in which it is viewed in the West, but in the context of the following provisions of the Constitution: the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience, freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion and also freedom to establish religious institutions and manage or administer their affairs. It prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion and guarantees legal and social equality to all by providing equality before law and equal protection of laws, prohibiting discrimination with regard to places of public importance and providing for equal opportunity in matters of public employment. The Constitution also guarantees religious minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice and to conserve their script, language and culture. This provision of the Constitution naturally indicates that the Indian secularism is being built upon the freedom, e quality and tolerance in the field of religion. The essence of secularism is that the state is neutral in its relationship with religions . Thus, the distinguishing features of a secular democracy as reflected by our constitution are, firstly that the state will not identify itself with or be controlled by any religion. Secondly while the state guarantees to everyone the right to profess whatever religion one chooses to follow, it will not accord any special treatment to any of them. Thirdly no discrimination will be shown by the state against any person on account of his religion and faith. Fourthly the right of every citizen, subject to any general condition to enter any office under the state will be equal to that of his fellow citizens . The basic outlines of the secularism are enshrined in the different Articles of the Constitution, they are; Preamble says India is democratic, republic, socialist, secular country. Secondly no State Religion: There shall be no ‘state religion’ in India. The state will neither establish a religion of its own nor confer any special patronage upon any particular religion. So the Indian constitution gives important to no religion but all treated equally. The distinguished characters of this secular aspect of our country can be drown from this. They are; the state will not compel any citizen to pay any tax for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious institution (Article 27). No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly run by state funds. Even though religious instruction is imparted in educational institutions recognized by state or receiving aid from the state, no person at lending such institution shall be compelled to receive that religious instruction without the consent of himself or of his guardian. In short, while religious instruction is totally banned in state-owned educational i nstitutions, in other denominational institutions it is not totally prohibited but it must not be imposed upon people of other religions without their consent (Article 28). Thirdly the freedom of Conscience: every person is guaranteed the freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess, practice and propagate his own religion, subject only. Fourthly, equality before law Article 14 grants equality law and equal protection by the laws to all. Article 15 enlarges the concept of secularism to the widest possible extent prohibiting discrimination on grounds of religions, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Article 16(1) guarantees equality of opportunity to all citizens in matters of public employment and reiterates that there would be no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex, color, place etc. Fifthly and finally the cultural and educational right Under Article 29 and 30 certain cultural and educational rights are guaranteed. Article 29 guarantees the right of any section of the citizens residing in any part of the country having a distinct language, script or culture of its own and to conserve the same Article 30 provides that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice . Therefore our constitution can be considered as manifesto of Indian secularism. This is sum and substance of Indian understanding of secularism. The main thrust of Indian secularism is not aversion towards religion but religious tolerance and equal respect to all. This is very different from the western understanding of secularism. But communalism, religious fundamentalism or favoritism of politicians towards particular religion create big challenge to Indian secularism. Now I am going to deal with the major threats of Indian secularism. 5. THE MAJOR THREATS OF INDIAN SECULARISM India has been declared a secular state by its written constitution and it is every Indians duty to stand by and believe in this declaration. And yet recent political and social events have questioned the secular nature of India. Is India a secular country only on paper or does secularism actually exist in India; or is in the form of pseudo- secularism, a term the BJP and its allies seem to repeatedly harp on. One of the salient features of Indian secularism is its religious tolerance or peaceful co-existence of all religion. This is violated due to communalism or fundamentalism. The B.J.P. and its aliens criticize the present day secularism as â€Å"pseudo-secularism†, which spoiled the minorities at the expense of the majority and demanded that special rights for minorities be taken away . Communalism among these parties created lot of violence in our country. The attack on the Mosque at Ayodhya led to a rash of violence across the country. The events leading to the demoliti on of Babri Masjid and their aftermath of communal carnage mark a watershed in the history of free India. The traumatic events clearly exposed the chasm that had been created between the two communities by communal forces. Today, the biggest challenge to the Indian secularism is Hindutuva.The communal forces are actively propagating the myth that Secularism is a new mask of fundamentalism. They denigrate the secular policies, which are a hindrance to Hindu Right’s unobstructed march to subjugate the oppressed in general and minorities in particular. They are equating fundamentalism with Islam; and the policies of Indian rulers with secularism, and the appeasement of mullahs as being synonymous with secular policies. Further, Hindutva forces accuse that secularism pampers the Muslims as a vote bank. The Muslims are accused of extra-territorial loyalty because they allegedly cheer for Pakistan whenever India and Pakistan play cricket. Since Muslims are being thought synonymous to fundamentalism; therefore the assertion that the Indian state is appeasing fundamentalists in the name of secularism. It is precisely on this charge that the Father of Indian Nationalism, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated by one of the votaries of Hindutva. The Christians, who are much lesser in number, are accused of being more loyal to the Vatican. Christians are being accused of conversion, which is in way a great threat to Indian secularism. Christians are trying to convert poor Hindus with inducements of education and food. It is against the gospel values of freedom and dignity. Conversion should take place within the heart, which means with right knowledge and freedom. But the violence against Christian on the ground of conversion is not right. Who can forget the brutal burning of Graham Staines and his two minor sons by a member of the Bajrang Dal in the name of religion? Or even the rape of some sisters in Gujarat, their fault being the spreading of the word of their God. Another important hazard to Indian secularism is the lack of uniform laws for all religions. In Indian each religion has particular laws apart from the common law. It creates lot of problems regarding marriage, adoption etc. Though it is granted by our constitution which was made by British and it was the part of their divide and rule policy. This has to be changed for bringing unity among the Indians. This will help the minority sometimes to take advantage over majority. Some of these particular laws are dehumanizing and against equality that our constitution grantees to all. 6. INDIAN SECULARISM; A THEOLOGICAL RESPONSE Our father of nation, Gandhi once said that â€Å"I do not expect India of my dreams to develop one religion, i.e., to be wholly Hindu or wholly Christian or wholly Mussalman, but I want it to be wholly tolerant, with its religions working side by side with one another.† This is the dream of every citizen of India. But what we see in our present day is the big threats to our secularism, especially envisaged by our great leaders and also carved in our constitution. For Indians the concept of secularism means the peaceful, respectful co-existence of all the people in spite of differences. The time has come for each one of us as Indian theologians to discuss and find out the ways for solving or facing the major threats to our secularist existence. We need a country where all people are considered equally, treated with equitable opportunities for his or her own personal development. We need a country where all are respected not on the basis of social status but on the basis on dig nity or human value that we all possess. We all are created in the image and likeness of god. The image or dignity that we all have is the basis of our peaceful or mutual respectful co-existence, which is threatened by the communalism, religious fundamentalism etc. India being a traditional society which contains not one, but many traditions owing their origin, in part to the different religions that exist here, has retained the secular character. Ours is a society where Sufis and Bhakti saints have brought in a cultural acceptance for each other. But due to the wasted interest of some people who have concern for their careers as politicians or leaders rather than welfare of people mess our secular nature of our country. There were successful to create hateredness in the heart of Indian people. There should not be any feeling of otherness as we all have a shared history. What we have to develop is humanistic secularism where all are respected on the basis of each one’s dignity. Our rights and obligations are grounded in the dignity of people and which helps us live in communion with god and in solidarity with others . The pastoral constitution of second Vatican Council, GS 24 says, ‘God, who has fatherly concern for everyone, has willed that all men should constitute one family and treat on another in a spirit of brotherhood. For having been created in the image of God†¦all men are called to one and the same goal, namely, God himself†¦ for this reason, love of God and neighbor is the first and greatest commandment†¦indeed, the lord Jesus, when he prayer to the father, â€Å"that all may be one†¦ as we are one†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ opened up vistas closed to human reason. For he implied a certain likeness between the union of the divine persons, and in the union of god’s sons in truth and charity. This likeness reveals that man, who is the only creature on the earth which god willed for it, cannot fully find himself except through sincere gift of himself’. Therefore, as we are having not one history but many history of different religious origin, we need to develop feeling of members of same family with equal dignity and right. Today what we need is community based on love, toleration, mutual acceptance. For this we need new metaphors of love which will empower us in our enterprise for creating solidarity with social group, building bridges between communities. Jesus gave us the law of love, to love one’s neighbor as oneself. He preached against retaliation, and showed the way of forgiving. We need to create mutual respect for all accepting each other as equals, and members of same family which is prime spirit of Indian secularism. Being Christian we are accused on conversion, which in fact one of the causes for persecutions against us. But the original theology of church does not tell us that we have to spread the gospel by any means. According to Jesus conversion is from the heart. Real conversion takes place in the heart. It pulls us away from the forceful conversion. By forceful conversion I mean is that conversion without full knowledge and freedom. We make people as members of church by offering food, education but real conversion should happen by means of our selfless service. People of other religions of India respect our selfless service to the humanity. There is truth in every religion. All religion gives the way to god. Therefore conversion doses not look nice in our present day society. India’s secularism and its constitution articulate the basic assumption of India’s people, namely, that religions are not contradictorily opposed but complementarily related, not withstanding their serious differences. This assumption is in keeping with the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The wisdom of secularism India is that it promotes true religiosity, as envisaged in Indian constitution, and as enunciated in the preamble to the constitution: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity . Therefore what we need is that practice of Indian religiosity which is based on justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Goyal, Raju. Secularism and Indian thought. Ritu Publishers, Delhi, 2000. 2. Kalliath, Antony and Irudaya, Raj., ed. Indian Secularism: A Theological Response. Indian Theological Association,2010. 3. Khan, Kamaluddin. Secularism in India: A Brief Study. Patna University press, 2006. 4. Marbaniang, Domenic. Secularism in India: A Historical Outline, 2005. 5. Tejani, Shabnum. Indian secularism; A Social and Intellectual History. Permanent Black Press, Ranikhet, 2007. 6. Secularism in India accessed on 9 January 2012; available from www.civilserviceindia.com. 7. Secularism accessed on 10 December 2012; available from w.w.w. Wikipedia.com.

New Product Development Essay

This literature review shall be reviewing journal articles that discuss the importance of the Fuzzy Front End Phase to the processes involving the development of new products. It would first give an overview of the role the Fuzzy Front End Phase has on new product development. The factors and characteristics of the said phase would also be presented to gain a better understanding of the topic at hand. Afterwards, it would review the different articles written about the topic using three perspectives: (1) organizational; (2) environmental; and finally, (3) individual. Of the aforementioned perspectives, this literature review would focus on the third one, the individual. A number of authors have recognized the important role that the fuzzy front end phase has on new product development (Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen 2006; Drexkler 2006). The study of Reid and Brenanti (2004) was one of the researches that give importance to the role of the fuzzy front end phase in ensuring the success of the whole process of new product development. In technology-based enterprises, transforming different forms of technologies into new products and processes is one of the greatest challenges. It is then within the said process of innovating these technologies that the early phase of the FFE (Fuzzy Front End) is said to have the greatest impact not just to the process but also to the result as it would significantly affect the design and the costs of the said project. Unfortunately however, this particular stage according to both Herstatt and Verworn (2004) is the least well-structured part of the whole innovation process, looking at both theory and practice. Herstatt and Verworn (2001), Kim and Wilemon (2002) and Kohn (2006) all recognize the fact that the competitive nature of today’s society are pushing for the development of innovative and unique products in a faster pace yet at a lesser cost. Manufacturing firms, without a doubt, are developing new products and it is because of this that they give so much importance to the New Product Development Processes. However, despite the tremendous focus to this particular stage, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) note that failure rates remain high. As a result, many researchers as well as practitioners within the manufacturing industry are in constant search of finding ways by which they could make the New Product Development Process successful. One of the greatest opportunities to improve the stage, as indicated by some of the researchers such as Herstatt and Verworn (2000) is through the fuzzy front end or the pre-development phase. Moreover, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) developed a causal model in order to pave the way for a better understanding of the fuzzy front end phase and its role in ensuring the success of new product development. Figure 1. The Four Important Front End Factors (Herstatt and Verworn 2000) Looking from the model presented above, one could see the four important front end factors that help in the improvement of communication and at the same time, reduce the deviations that the firms may encounter during the execution of their project. In the same manner, the factors could also help in increasing the efficiency and satisfaction of the research and development (R&D) managers with regard to the project. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) list the following as the factors that are very important to the fuzzy front end phase: (1) interdisciplinary idea generation and selection; (2) reduction of market uncertainty; (3) reduction of technical uncertainty; and finally, (4) intensity of initial planning. The first factor mentioned by Herstatt and Verworn (2000) was interdisciplinary idea generation and selection. According to the authors, this includes the process of incorporating different functions into the generation and selection of new product ideas. It is usually a combination of the identification of an organization’s need problem or opportunity together and the purpose they have in order to satisfy these. Afterwards, they go directly to the reduction of uncertainties since these are already usually present with the first factor. The second factor is the reduction of market uncertainty. According to Herstatt and Verworn (2000), this particular factor refers to the knowledge that organizations have about their target markets and customers as well as the needs of their users. Furthermore, Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen (2006) assert that this knowledge could help them understand the attractiveness of their new products based on the perspective of their market and how they could continuously develop the said product. Through the fuzzy front end phase, manufacturing firms that are involved in the development of new products are able to reduce the uncertainties of their projects. However, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) stress the need to look into technical uncertainties during the fuzzy front end phase rather than giving too much emphasis on the market. This is because of the fact that it is through this knowledge that they will be able to identify whether or not they have the necessary technology and requirements to make their projects feasible. Lastly, the factor initial planning must be considered in order to guarantee the success of new product development. According to the authors and developers of the causal model, this factor helps in translating the overall project goals into a series of activities, properly allocating the resources for each phase (Belliveau, Griffin and Somermeyer 2007; De Jong and Vermeulen 2006). Likewise, Koen et al (2001; 2002) views the fuzzy front end as a phase wherein a set of activities happen that are essential to the process of New Product Development or NPD. They describe these activities as something chaotic, unpredictable and unstructured, something that Kim and Wilemon (2002) concur with. Kim and Wilemon (2002) describes the FFE phase as something filled with fuzziness, ambiguity and uncertainty. In fact, stages are often performed in an environment where there are many unknown factors. In the same manner, the information to be used for decision making are rather more informal and approximate rather than quantitative, formal and precise. Fuzziness, for Kim and Wilemon (2002) usually comes out from a firm’s uncertainty regarding their technical capabilities in making a certain project or product feasible. It also comes from their lack of knowledge with regard to the requirements of their customers, their markets, the resources required of them, the ability of the company in pursuing this project, taking into consideration their capabilities and limits. Aside from being the phase wherein these uncertainties are identified, the fuzzy front end helps in the elimination of these risks in order to ensure the success of the next development processes. In summary, the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation is generally concerned with the development of certain concepts regarding the product that is essential to its innovation and development (Audretsch and Acs, 1991). The development of a clear product concept during the FFE stage allows the different enterprises to clearly understand factors essential to the development of products which include time, costs, required technical expertise, the formation of the right development team, market potential and positioning, risk and organizational fit. It generally helps in avoiding decisions that are costly and risky (Beck, et al. , n. d. ). Although it generally contributes to the successes of the whole process concerning new product development, the FFE stage is not spared from limitations and advantages. Processes involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation generally face different delays especially those related with costs. During this particular phase, different activities are usually carried out during under different conditions. Unfortunately, there are barriers that exist in every situation, hampering the success of these activities. The following are the barriers to the FFE phase: (1) lack of vision, (2) lack of perceived urgency. (3) lack of formalization, (4) lack of effective project leadership, (4) ineffective communication processes and finally, (5) ineffective people conducting the work associated with the Fuzzy Front End phase of product innovation. The Fuzzy Front End Phase: An Environmental Perspective This part, as the heading implies would discuss the Fuzzy Front End Phase and its importance based on the environmental perspective. It would look into the views and researches conducted by scholars who had been long been respected in the field: (1) Herstatt and Verworn; (2) Khurana and Rosenthal; (3) Kim and Wilemon; (4) Reid and Brentani; (5) Koen; (6) Garcia and Calantone among others. According to Brentani and Reid (2004), the environmental perspective has been one of the most important approaches in studying fuzzy front end as an essential part of new product development and innovation. Brentani and Reid (2004) defines the environmental perspective as that which views three aspects (industry, institutional and country) as impacting innovation. The idea that the fuzzy front end involves processes of information gathering and adoption from the environment is based on the assumption that the environmental external to the firm is the primary source of new ideas for discontinuous innovations that even in-house ideas ultimately have some input from external sources (Brentani and Reid 2004). Eldredge and Gould (1972), on the other hand, note that according to the first perspective, innovation processes fail to continue because of certain phenomena affecting the environmental level. They further state that †¦ While organizational species change little during most of their history, random events can foster rapid speciation, thereby punctuating or interrupting this stability and resulting in concentrated periods of change and new paths of evolution. Authors who come from the environmental perspective of the fuzzy front end phase usually looks into innovation coming from a macro-level. The usually make use of the historical industrial analyses in order to examine the long-run nature and economic impact of failed innovations, Brentani and Reid (2004) mention. Furthermore, the environmental perspective promotes the idea that companies must be able to exhibit an advantage over the other members of the industry in order to stay alive despite the presence of a fierce competition. In order to establish this advantage, they must be able to produce products at a faster rate using technologies that only they have. Moreover, it is also due to this that firms are encouraged to first look into their environment of operation before actually proceeding on to the development of new products (Griffin, Hoffman, Price and Vojak 2007; Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Because of this, firms once again innovate depending on what their environment requires of them. Quinn (1985, in Brentani and Reid 2004) says: Technology tends to advance through a series of random insights frequently triggered by gratuitous interactions between the discoverer and the outside world. These interactions provide the new combinations of old elements. . . The accelerated world of today demands manufacturing firms to be more competent in terms of the production of new products and at the same time, speed up their development processes (Griffiths-Hemans and Grover 2006; Zhang, Lim, Cao 2004). All organizations nowadays have recognized the importance of innovation in order to become successful today, tomorrow and in the near future (Resources for Success 2006). However, new product development for technologically advanced industries is facing many difficulties and uncertainties. Furthermore, the environment perspective of analyzing the fuzzy front end phase of new product development must also pay attention to what kind of products that a manufacturing firm must be able to produce. The study of Koen (2006) will be presented towards the latter part of this section that could give a better understanding of the different kinds of products and the appropriate FFE process that could be used for this. Garcia and Calantone (2002) and Broring and Leker (2007), on the other hand, note that the different strategies being used by the manufacturing firms must be positively related with their organizational structure which must then be patterned after the competitive environment of the industry to which they belong to. Brentani and Reid (2004) further states that in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase using this perspective, one must understand that the environment plays a very important role in the decisions made by individuals who are exposed to early information regarding technology. It is because of this that Kim and Wilemon (2002) give importance to the introduction of technologically challenging products at the right time as one of the so-called success factor for firms living in today’s world wherein innovation becomes more important. An example of this would be companies that are being threatened by a situation wherein a competitor is on the verge of taking away its business due to the introduction of a new product. Failure to respond to the competitor’s action could mean the loss of a certain firm’s market share and profits. Undoubtedly, the importance of the fuzzy front end phase is once again highlighted. Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ) concur with the claims of various researchers that the fuzzy front end phase is a topic that is usually neglected in the literature discussing new product development. This is because of the fact that scholars would usually focus on the efficiency of the firms’ processes rather than examining the fuzzy front end phase which is said to be important in cutting down cycle time. Thus, the said phase is given much importance in terms of its ability to make a critical contribution to the success of new products (Weissenberger-Eibl and Koch 2007). According to Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ), the following are the prime goals that are usually addressed in the fuzzy front end phase: (1) selecting the right opportunity; (2) producing a well-defined product concept; and finally, (3) clarifying customer and project requirements before the actual development of the new product. It is then because of this that developers who are well experienced in the entire process are becoming more attracted to investing considerable time and money in this stage to ensure that the project is feasible. Kohn (2006) shares the same view with Kim and Wilemon (2002). According to the said author, for members of the mature industries that are exposed to fierce competition, the processes regarding new product development gains tremendous importance. This is due to the fact that they are in faced with challenges of producing new, unique products at a shorter period of time and at lower costs. However, the new product development process fails to guarantee the firms as it is said to cause both time delays and substantial increases in cost. As a result, more and more researchers are giving more importance to an early phase where the functions and other factors related to the development of new products would be examined and analyzed. Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also mentioned some of these factors in their discussion of the fuzzy front end process in order to give an in depth analysis on how this could help in ensuring the success of new product development. All the activities included in the fuzzy front end phase of product development are individual activities which are logically related to each other. The description provided for the process should be analyzed based on concepts such as product ideas, market analysis and technology options. Because of this, it is but proper to understand the relationships that exist between the different activities involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product development. The main focus should be placed on product strategy and portfolio plans. Focusing on these two would ensure that the development of the product jives with that of the capabilities and competencies of the companies developing them yet at the same time, recognizing limitations such as roles, communications and finally, culture. The aforementioned elements thus can be seen as having played very important roles as they serve as preconditions or foundations for the many activities that a certain enterprise would undergo as part of their new product development process. As a result, companies implemented a phase-review management system to define and serve as guidance for these project-specific activities (Wycoff, 2003). Companies usually begin working on new product opportunities, usually referred to as pre-phase zero when they begin to see an opportunity for their businesses. If they see that the exploration for this opportunity could be beneficial to their businesses, they then assign a small group which may or may not include suppliers to join forces in the development of the product’s concept and definition (this is where phase zero then begins). Phase one immediately happens after phase zero. It is in this particular phase wherein the enterprises examine the feasibility of their project (at the business and technical level). It is also in this particular phase wherein these companies start preparing and planning for their NPD (new product development) project. The development team then identifies the new product, how it could be developed and the rationale for the business proceeding behind it. The fuzzy front end phase then ends upon the completion of this phase wherein the team presents the business case and the business units involve would then choose between the commitment to fund, staff and launch the project or kill it (Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also give importance to activities which are product-specific and must be present during the fuzzy front end phase. Product-specific front-end activities are essential in making product concepts clear. At the same time, it also gives specific definitions to both product and market requirements; it also aids in the development of plans, schedules and estimates how much resources does one product need. However, the limiting factor that is associated with these elements is the fact that they could not create detailed designs and other specifications for the product and its other parts (Broring and Leker 2007). Generally, Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) defines product concept as one of the basic steps wherein (1) customer needs, (2) market segments, (3) competitive situations, (4) business prospects and (5) alignment with existing business and technology plans are identified. Studies made states that the different product concepts must be clearly defined so that the managers could identify the opportunities that could be beneficial for their companies. They must be able to identify and understand what their consumers need and at the same time, recognize the available technologies and applications that they could use in satisfying these wants and needs. In illustrating intangible products, one could sketch a three-dimensional of such products to be able to understand and identify the wants and needs of the consumers. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) also recognize the presence of these factors as a vital part of the causal model they developed in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase as an essential aspect of the new product development process. As seen from the aforementioned discussion, Herstatt and Verworn adopted the factors of the fuzzy front end phase as presented by Khurana and Rosenthal (1997). According to the authors, these factors are an essential part of the fuzzy front end phase in order to ensure the success of New Product Development. Basically, the identification of these would help the companies pinpoint their needs as an organization and the manner by which these could be achieved. In this manner, they will be able to identify the product that they have to produce in order to stay alive despite being in the midst of competition. Aside from this, the fuzzy front end phase also helps organizations in determining their market and technical uncertainties. This would help them understand their target markets, their customers and their needs, the potential of their products vis-a-vis the market, and finally, the attractiveness of their product when introduced to the market. On the other hand, it could also give them a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations they have as a company. This is because both market pull and technology push are becoming more important to recent times. Traditionally, most products were distinguished as either driven by the customer (or markets), also known as market pull or affected by recent technological advancements, also referred to as technology push. Bretani and Reid (2004) stresses on this matter by identifying two kinds of technology: (1) generic technologies and (2) application technologies. Generic technologies are defined as those required to manufacture the products and are held widely by all participants that get involved in the industry. On the other hand, application technologies are those that distinguish the organization from the competition and that are developed systematically within the firm building on generic technologies.