text:
Applying Innovation
Publication Year: 2009
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452274898
Subject: Creativity & Innovation in Business, Project Management, Knowledge Management
A step-by-step approach to applying high-impact innovation principles in any organization
Innovation is an important force in creating and sustaining organizational growth. Effective innovation can mean the difference between leading with a particular product, process, or service?and simply following the pack. Innovation transforms mediocre companies into world leaders and ordinary organizations into stimulating environments for employees.
Applying Innovation combines the key ingredients from areas including innovation management, strategic planning, performance measurement, creativity, project portfolio management, performance appraisal, knowledge management, and teams to offer an easily applied recipe for enterprise growth. Authors David O'Sullivan and Lawrence Dooley map out the main concepts of the innovation process into a clear, understandable framework?the innovation funnel.
Unlike other texts for this course, Applying Innovation goes beyond methodologies and checklists to offer an ...
- Chapters
- Front Matter
- Back Matter
- Subject Index
Part I: Understanding Innovation
Part II: Defining Innovation Goals
Part III: Managing Innovation Actions
- Chapter 7: Creating Ideas
- Chapter 8: Managing Projects
- Chapter 9: Developing Products
- Chapter 10: Balancing Portfolios
Part IV: Empowering Innovation Teams
Part V: Sharing Innovation Results
Copyright[Page iv]
Copyright © 2009 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information:
SAGE Publications, Inc.
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320
E-mail: email@example.com
SAGE Publications Ltd.
1 Oliver's Yard
55 City Road
London EC1Y 1SP
United Kingdom
SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area
Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044 India
SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.
33 Pekin Street #02-01
Far East Square
Singapore 048763
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O'Sullivan, David.
Applying innovation/David O'Sullivan, Lawrence Dooley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4129-5454-9 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-4129-5455-6 (pbk.)
1. Technological innovations—Management. 2. Organizational change.
I. Dooley, Lawrence. II. Title.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquisitions Editor: Al Bruckner
Editorial Assistant: MaryAnn Vail
Production Editor: Diane S. Foster
Copy Editor: Carol Anne Peschke
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Scott Oney
Indexer: Diggs Publication Services
Cover Designer: Gail Buschman
Marketing Manager: Nichole M. Angress
Introduction[Page xxi]
Innovation is an important force in creating and sustaining organizational growth. Effective innovation can mean the difference between leading with a particular product, process, or service and simply following the pack, with the resulting risk of stagnation and decline. Innovation transforms mediocre companies into world leaders and ordinary organizations into stimulating environments for employees. Innovation is the process of making changes to something established by introducing something new; these changes can be either radical or incremental. All organizations need to innovate, whether they are profit or nonprofit. Innovation is as relevant to services in a public hospital as it is for products and processes in a manufacturing company. Innovation takes place throughout an organization, from management boards and individual departments to project teams and individuals. In today's global economy innovation is often a collaborative activity that takes place across extended organizations and includes suppliers, distributors, and other strategic alliances. Despite its importance, many organizations fail to recognize the need for innovation and to develop skills to innovate on a continuous basis. If an organization is to be sustainable, it must develop its capability to manage its innovation process.
The term innovation is ambiguous to some and often associated with visions of organizations that can create world-beating products that grow to dominate entire sectors of industry. This view is informing and often entertaining, but it also allows many practitioners to shy away from engaging in the concept of innovation, in the knowledge that such visions are rarely realized and often depend on factors such as previous market dominance and chance. This book is about looking into the practical techniques, large and small, practiced every day in leading organizations, that are used to manage innovation. Whereas innovation theory can inform the decisions that must be made by organizations, this book is primarily about the tools and techniques that put structure on the decisions organizations must make for themselves. Although the decisions vary significantly between organizations, the structures around the management of innovation are essentially the same.
Applying Innovation is about describing how to systematically deliver innovations that add value to customers. The approach adopted is a [Page xxii]symbiosis of management techniques that include innovation management, strategic planning, performance measurement, creativity, project portfolio management, performance appraisal, and knowledge management. Whereas other books offer in-depth insights into one or more of these areas, this book provides ingredients from each that combine into an easy-to-understand framework for applying innovation in any organization. This book contains a systematic approach to creating structure for the application of innovation in any organization. Applying innovation requires close attention to five key types of knowledge—goals, actions, teams, results, and communities—and, perhaps of equal importance, the relationships among all five. This book will show you how to develop a simple knowledge management process by which people anywhere in an organization can share innovation-related information. Systematic structuring and sharing of information can dramatically improve an organization's quest to add more value to customers, and that in turn helps organizations grow.Book Aims
One of the main aims of this book is to map out the main concepts of the innovation process into an easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply framework: the innovation funnel. This book will help you understand key concepts in innovation management and particularly how to apply innovation to any organization. Innovation is defined as "making changes, large and small, to products, processes, and services in any organization, profit or nonprofit, that add value to customers and continuing to learn from that process so that it can be repeated continuously." The aims of this book stem from this definition: to facilitate the learning and practicing of techniques, tools, and methods for applying innovation management. For this reason the book does not focus heavily on innovation theory but rather focuses on tools and techniques that have gained widespread acceptance in leading innovative organizations. This book is developed around a number of specific learning outcomes:
Book Structure
- Understanding key concepts in the theory and process of innovation
- Understanding how to manage and apply innovation
- Using explicit skills for defining goals, generating ideas, empowering teams, and monitoring the results of innovation
- Developing a simple knowledge management system for managing innovation
- Working effectively as an individual and as a member of a team[Page xxiii]
- Presenting, communicating, and promoting innovation plans
- Applying what you have learned to managing innovation in any organization
The book is structured around the key concepts of applying innovation that are presented as elements of an easy-to-understand framework: the innovation funnel. For this reason this book is divided into five parts. The first part introduces innovation and, in particular, innovation management. The next four parts cover the four interrelated areas of applying innovation: goals, actions, teams, and results.
The five parts are as follows:
- Part I: Understanding Innovation
- Part II: Defining Innovation Goals
- Part III: Managing Innovation Actions
- Part IV: Empowering Innovation Teams
- Part V: Sharing Innovation Results
Part I, "Understanding Innovation," describes the main concepts behind the innovation process. Innovation is classified according to its impact on products, processes, and services. The difference between radical and incremental innovation is discussed. The special relationship between product innovation and process innovation is introduced. The process of managing innovation is then described. This part concludes with a chapter describing how the innovation management process can be structured and put to work toward achieving the objectives of the organization. The concept of the innovation funnel is presented as a metaphor for understanding innovation management in any organization.
Part II, "Defining Innovation Goals," describes the process of setting goals for innovation. Various goal-setting activities are described. Defining statements such as mission and vision statements are outlined. Identifying the key stakeholders for an organization is discussed, particularly in terms of what they require from the organization. Creating a set of strategic objectives for innovation is then described. This part concludes with a chapter that outlines how to create performance indicators for measuring the impact of the innovation process.
Part III, "Managing Innovation Actions," describes the various ways in which innovation goals can be achieved. Problem solving is often regarded [Page xxiv]as the first step in the innovation process, where problems are identified and solved systematically. Generating ideas that solve problems or meet particular goals is an important part of the innovation process. Various techniques for idea generation are described. Many ideas grow to become large-scale initiatives or projects that must be managed. A special kind of project is one that involves radical new product development. The final chapter in Part III looks at how to manage and balance a portfolio of projects.
Part IV, "Empowering Innovation Teams," describes a number of ways in which people can work together more effectively to achieve innovation goals. The part begins with a chapter that looks at leadership and individual responsibility. The concept of teams is then outlined, as is the importance of team participation in achieving goals. Motivation and reward are an important part of the innovation and creativity process. A simple but effective performance appraisal system is outlined by which people can be aligned with the innovation goals of the organization.
Part V, "Sharing Innovation Results," describes how to monitor and share information related to the goals, actions, and teams in the innovation process. The part begins with a chapter on knowledge management and how knowledge can be codified and shared in a collaborative environment. The next chapter looks at developing a simple knowledge management system that can later be expanded. A critical part of monitoring the results of innovation and making decisions is mapping the relationships between goals and actions, between teams and goals, and between actions and teams. These relationships can be described using a simple mapping technique. The part concludes with a chapter that describes how to extend innovation across an organization that includes management boards, departments, project teams, suppliers, distributors, and other strategic partners. Each of these organizations shares a common goal of providing value to customers, both internal and external.
The relationships between the key knowledge areas discussed in these parts are illustrated in Figure 0.1. This figure is called the innovation funnel, and it forms the framework for understanding the knowledge associated with the application of innovation in any organization.Figure 0.1 Innovation Funnel
The innovation funnel is a metaphor for understanding how to apply innovation and a structured way of defining the information requirements for managing and sharing innovation-related knowledge. The funnel illustrates how goals, actions, teams, and results interact with each other to manage innovation. Actions enter the mouth of the funnel and represent, among other things, alternative ideas for innovation. These ideas can come from many sources, including lead users and employees. These actions flow to the neck of the funnel, where they are evaluated and filtered. In the filtering process some will be eliminated, merged, or delayed and others processed into projects or initiatives that make change happen. This filtering [Page xxv]process is controlled and constrained mainly by innovation goals and innovation teams. These controls loosen or tighten the neck of the funnel. Tightly defined goals can be visualized as closing the neck of the funnel, allowing fewer ideas through. This can simultaneously encourage the creation or identification of new ideas that have a stronger relationship with goals. On the other hand, better engagement of individuals and teams can be visualized as opening the neck of the funnel, allowing more ideas to be resourced and developed. The final arrow shown in the funnel is results. Results flow from the narrow end of the funnel and represent information about the progress of goals, actions, and teams. This arrow flows back toward goals, representing the impact of results on the process of defining and redefining innovation goals that continuously guide the innovation process.
The management and execution of goals, actions, teams, and results takes place in various communities within an organization where information can be easily communicated and shared and where knowledge can be managed effectively. These communities often take the form of management groups, departments, project teams, and even individuals but can also extend beyond traditional boundaries to include suppliers, distributors, and even customers. Every organization can have many such communities and consequently many innovation funnels. Applying innovation is concerned not only with how information is structured and shared within each funnel but also with how innovation information is shared between funnels across the extended organization.Learning Activities
This book is designed to help you learn the fundamentals of applying innovation. In addition to the information given, there are a number of activities in each chapter to help you apply some of the ideas presented. These [Page xxvi]activities enable you to relate the information covered in the different chapters to your own organization. Your organization can be based on a real organization, or it can be created from your imagination and experience. You are encouraged to create an innovation plan for this organization—your own detailed case study. The activities will combine into one dynamic innovation plan for this organization. There is a sample innovation plan in the Appendix to help you in the various decisions you will have to make. Your innovation plan can be created using some simple spreadsheet templates used in the book, or you may decide to build your own online knowledge management system from one of the many organizations that provide this service. Each chapter also contains questions that are designed to help you reflect on some of the main points raised in the chapter. You are encouraged to reflect on the answers to these questions as part of your learning process. Together, the activities and reflection questions provide a way for you to embed core knowledge in your memory and apply it to building and operating an innovation process.Intended Audience
This book is designed for those pursuing upper-level undergraduate degrees and master's degrees in business, science, and engineering. The book is also a practical accompaniment to courses that use books dealing mainly with the theory of change and theory of innovation management. This book is also suitable for managers, team leaders, and individuals in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. The information and approach adopted by this book are relevant and applicable to all types of organizations: manufacturing, service, healthcare, public service, nongovernment, and so on. Instructors will find the book an important resource for teaching innovation-related topics such as strategic planning, performance measurement, teams and leadership, knowledge management, and project management.Key Terms
Throughout this book, a number of key terms are used repeatedly. Understanding and applying a specific term can be the key to unlocking meaning and relationships between concepts. Many terms have synonyms that may be preferred in other texts. For example, the terms project and indicator are used in this book, whereas other texts may use the terms initiative and measure, respectively. Practice your understanding of the specific terms presented in Table 0.1.[Page xxvii]
[Page xxviii]
Table 0.1 Common Terms Used in This Book Term Used in Book Brief Explanation Action Expenditure of effort Change Process through which something becomes different Communities Groups of individuals with a common purpose Customer Individual or organization that requires product, process, or service Deliverable Unit of output of an effort Effort Vigorous or determined attempt to do something Goal Objective of an effort Idea Effort in generating a new concept Indicators Measurements or metrics of specific goals for an effort Individuals Human resources for an effort Innovate To make changes to something established Innovation Process of making changes through effort Knowledge Fact, information, or skills acquired through learning or experience Learning Gaining or acquiring knowledge Milestone Point or stage on a timeline where effort can be reviewed Mission Important assignment Objective Statement of desired end point for an effort Organization Systematic arrangement of individuals with a particular mission Portfolio Group of projects Problem Idea for existing or future failures Process Series of actions to achieve an end Product Article or substance processed for sale Project New initiative Requirements Statements of desired functionality for an effort Resources Individuals, teams, equipment, or money needed for an effort Responsible Assigned to lead or account for an effort Review Performance appraisal of an individual for an effort Service Action of doing work for an individual or organization Skill Ability to perform an effort well Statement Declared message of an objective or position in an effort Task A subset of a workpackage or project Team Group of individuals or resources needed for an effort Workpackage A group of tasks in one project
Appendices[Page 342]
These appendices contain a sample innovation plan for a fictitious organization (Appendix 1) and activities for creating you own innovation plan (Appendix 2). The sample innovation plan, for SwitchIt Manufacturing, also contains a number of tasks that encourage you to expand the plan to incorporate a new design department.
Appendix 2 contains a number of activities that provide a step-by-step guide to creating an innovation plan for your own organization. It gathers together the various activities and tables used throughout the book.
A large number of other innovation plans for various types of organizations are available through the authors' web site (http://www.owl.ie). Blank and partially completed spreadsheet tables for both appendices are also available from this site.
Appendix 1: Sample Innovation Plan[Page 343]Background
SwitchIt Manufacturing is an Irish manufacturing company and part of the SwitchIt Corporation in the United States. SwitchIt manufactures wall switches and light switches. Marketing is the responsibility of a sister organization based in Brussels, and design is concentrated in the United States. There are 200 employees at the Irish facility. Over the last 15 years the company has built up a mature manufacturing facility for the European and Asian markets. The company is responsible for generating a turnover of €500 million. This year the company is investing €12 million in process innovations, cost improvements, new technology, information system development, and capacity adjustments. A special budget of €1.4 million has also been allocated to establish a new design department in Ireland. The plan in this appendix outlines the status of goals and actions for development of SwitchIt in Ireland over the next 3 years.Tasks
You have been hired by SwitchIt in Ireland to establish a design department. You have design facilities and have hired one other designer. The managing director has asked that you merge the goals and actions for your new design activity into the plan presented in this appendix. Later, after you have become established, you may create your own separate plan for design activities. SwitchIt manufactures a range of wall switches and light switches. The manufacturing facility has a range of machining and assembly stations that produce the switches in batches according to design specifications. Your role is to extend the product range at SwitchIt by initially using the existing manufacturing processes and skill sets of people involved.
[Page 344]Task: Your first task is to make a portfolio of possible products produced by SwitchIt. Using an Internet search engine, view products from a similar organization. Download pictures and any other information you need. Create a product map showing all the switches in the SwitchIt catalogue.Team
The initial innovation plan illustrated in this appendix was developed by a senior team chaired by the general manager. This team initially met for 1 week off-site to generate the goals of the organization. The team now meets weekly on Fridays for 1 hour to review the status of the company's goals and the status of various actions such as projects and new ideas. This meeting often focuses exclusively on exceptions (i.e., activities that are showing a "red" status signal). In addition to the members shown in Table A1.1, other members of the company are invited to attend as needed.
Table A1.1 Individuals Individuals Name Job Title Andrew Kelly IT Analyst Brenda Mooney HR Manager Danny Mulryan General Manager David Noone Engineering Manager Gary O'Halloran Training Manager James Fogarty Purchasing Manager John Sheehan Quality Coordinator Mary Roche Finance Controller Michael Clark Manufacturing Supervisor Stewart O'Neill Materials Manager … …
Task: Add your name and job title and the person you hired to Table A1.1.[Page 345]Mission
The mission of SwitchIt is the "Efficient manufacture of innovatively produced switchgear solutions." SwitchIt is focused on manufacturing switch gear at low cost, high productivity, and high quality. It is also focused on continuously improving manufacturing processes. The main contribution to operating revenue and profit is through lowering the total cost of production.
Task: Propose a change to the mission statement that incorporates the fact that there is a new design department at SwitchIt and a new set of design activities.Activities
A list of manufacturing activities identified in the organization is presented in Table A1.2. The model illustrates that there are three major activities at the top level:
- Manage SwitchIt Ireland
- Plan and Control Manufacturing
- Support Operations
Table A1.2 Activities Activities Group Title A0 Operate SwitchIt Ireland A1 Manage SwitchIt Ireland A2 Plan and Control Manufacturing A21 Plan and Control Materials A22 Plan and Control Production A23 Ensure and Control Quality A3 Support Operations A31 Provide Personnel Systems A32 Control Accounting Systems A33 Provide Engineering Systems A34 Provide Information Systems
"Manage SwitchIt Ireland" represents the activities of the senior management team in terms of both day-to-day operations and development. "Plan and Control Manufacturing" represents the main activities of producing switch gear in response to customer demand. "Support Operations" includes the activities of finance, engineering, computer services, and human resources.
The "Plan and Control Manufacturing" activity is further divided into three subactivities:
- Plan and Control Materials
- Plan and Control Production
- Ensure and Control Quality
These three primary activities add value to customers and are the focus of much of the development in this current innovation plan. Most goals and actions detailed later focus on these three activities.
Task: Change the activity model by adding one activity that represents your design department. Remember to use an active verb in the title of the activity. Revisit Chapter 7 to discover how to create a simple activity list.[Page 346]Statements
As part of the goal generation exercise, a number of statements were initially noted. These include statements of mission and core competencies but also of weaknesses and strengths. Table A1.3 lists a number of these statements, including their status.
Table A1.3 Statements Statements Group Title Status Mission Efficient manufacture of innovatively produced switch gear solutions … Competencies Machinists and machining expertise …. Competencies Low-tax location and ease of market access … Strengths Global organization Strengths World-class manufacturing facility Strengths Skilled workforce Strengths Low employee turnover Weaknesses High insurance premium Weaknesses Lack of interdepartment communication Weaknesses Frequent product returns due to quality problems Threats Increasing manufacturing costs Threats Competition from new low-cost entrants Threats Lack of capital for new projects Threats Global downturn continuing Opportunities New government design grants Opportunities E-commerce opportunities Opportunities University graduates
The principal weakness is the high rate of product returns through the warranty process due to process-related quality problems. A number of projects are under way to replace some old machines and improve operator training. One of the strengths noted at the beginning of the planning period is the plant's status as a world-class manufacturing facility. Some managers believe that this status is under threat from recent events. Increasing manufacturing costs were initially identified as a potential threat; with rising inflation this appears to be becoming a reality. Finally, one of the opportunities identified at the beginning of the planning period was the availability of university graduates. Because of a number of factors, including the high cost of living, this opportunity may be becoming a threat.
Task: Add new statements that incorporate the views and analysis of your design department. Visit the Internet and see whether any new technologies are being developed that may offer new opportunities or if [Page 347]products are being developed by competitors that may constitute a threat. Remember, this is an exercise. If you cannot find potential statements through your research, make them up instead.Benchmarks
Competitors currently lead with market share and are the ones to watch for new product innovations. Two organizations, GE and Philips, are watched closely for signs of new process innovations. The organization also learns much from three associations listed in Table A1.4.[Page 348]
Table A1.4 Benchmarks Benchmarks Group URL Product http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk Product http://www.delixigc.en.china.cn Product http://www.yusinglighting.com Process http://www.ge.com Process http://www.philips.com Association http://www.nema.org Association http://www.sme.org Association http://www.nam.org
Task: Add other URLs to Table A1.4, particularly for organizations you could watch for new design concepts.Requirements
The company has a number of key stakeholders. Preliminary requirements from these stakeholders are listed in Table A1.5. One of the principal stakeholders is the parent company, which is demanding a €300,000 cost reduction in the current year. Another key group of stakeholders, customers, are requiring shorter lead times, higher quality, and higher reliability. They are also requiring greater flexibility in the event of order changes, with less red tape in changing order quantities and due dates.Table A1.5 Requirements
Other stakeholders not listed include the design department in the United States and the marketing function in Brussels. The warranty department has also identified a number of requirements, particularly low reliability on some products, that must be incorporated into the plan.
Task: Add new requirements to this list. What requirements might your parent organization have for your design activity? What new requirements might your customers have for your product portfolio?[Page 349]Objectives
The strategic plan adopted by the company at the beginning of the planning period is illustrated in part in Table A1.6. The main decisions for change over the next 3 years have been divided into eight strategic thrusts (or groups): capacity, responsiveness, organization, workforce, supply chain, technology, information, and quality.Table A1.6 Objectives
Task: Add new objectives to the list in A1.6 that incorporate your design department's objectives. Do you have objectives for new product development? Or perhaps improving reliability of existing products? Or perhaps lowering costs of materials and assembly of existing products?
Table A1.7 illustrates the relationships between objectives and activities (i.e., where changes are needed in the current activity model).
[Page 350]Task: Add the new objectives and new activities to Table A1.7 and show where relationships may exist.Table A1.7 Relationships (Objectives vs. Activities)Indicators
The status of key performance indicators is listed in Table A1.8. "Defects per Unit" continues to be a major concern because of a high number of old machines and certain practices among a small number of employees. John Sheehan (quality coordinator) is convinced that machine age and operator training are the main causes of low quality.Table A1.8 Indicators
Task: Add one or two new indicators to this table that measure the activities of your design department. Remember, this is an exercise.
The key corporate requirement of reducing costs for the Irish operation is a main driver of the innovation plan and relates directly to the indicator of improving cost savings. This indicator is progressing well, as illustrated in the indicator chart, Figure A1.1.Figure A1.1 Indicator Chart
Task: Create a new chart for one of the indicators you defined earlier.
[Page 351][Page 352]A strong relationship between objectives and indicators is desirable to ensure that progress can be measured and tracked. As Table A1.9 illustrates, all objectives are linked with the indicators defined.Table A1.9 Relationships (Objectives vs. Indicators)
Task: Add your new objectives and new indicators to this table and show where relationships may exist.Problems
There are more than 230 problems on the reactive problem list, sorted according to impact, risk, and priority. Every machine and assembly station has a proactive problem list with identified tasks for avoiding the problems. Table A1.10 lists a sample of the problems.Table A1.10 Problems
Task: Add some new design-related problems with existing products to this list (i.e., what are the potential problems with switches? Do they overheat? Or does the switch begin to stick after a few months? Or perhaps the cover breaks easily when installed by an electrician.). Remember, this is an exercise; use your imagination to add a few problems to the table.Ideas
Every employee is encouraged to generate ideas that can lead to goal attainment. Employees have full access to the objectives and indicators of the organization. Ideas have been grouped by the source of the idea (e.g., goals, problems, new knowledge, benchmarks, employees, customers). Table A1.11 illustrates some sample live ideas.Table A1.11 Ideas
[Page 353]Task: Add some new design-related ideas to this list. Do you want to create a new product? Or perhaps make major adjustments to existing ones? Or perhaps do something radical? Remember, this is an exercise; use your imagination to add a few ideas to the table.Projects
The top seven approved projects are listed in Tables A1.12 and A1.13. The first table shows the current progress of the projects. The "Investigate ERP System" project is waiting for new information from headquarters. The "Develop Workgroup Procedures" project is also waiting while clarification about participation from key worker representatives is sought.Table A1.12 ProjectsTable A1.13 Project Status
[Page 354]Table A1.13 illustrates the cost–benefit analysis carried out on the current portfolio of projects. There is currently a high priority on the "Install Robotic Welding" and "Redesign Assembly Line" projects.
Task: Add some new design-related projects to this list and try to make one of them radical. Try to make them different from the ideas you created earlier. Do you want to create a new product? Or perhaps make major adjustments to existing ones? Or perhaps do something radical? Remember, this is an exercise; use your imagination to add a few projects to the table.
[Page 355]A bubble diagram illustrating the impact and risk for the current project portfolio is shown in Figure A1.2. The "Restart Sports and Social Activities" project may have a low impact on achieving our overall goals, but the risk is low, and other benefits will accrue in the medium to long term.Figure A1.2 Bubble Diagram
[Page 356]Task: Re-create this bubble diagram with your new projects added. Remember! It's an exercise!
The relationship between projects and objectives is illustrated in Table A1.14 in part. It highlights the fact that certain projects have a strong relationship to fulfilling the defined objectives, whereas other projects have no connection.Table A1.14 Relationships (Objectives vs. Projects)
Task: Add the new objectives and new projects to this table and show where relationships may exist.
The relationship between projects and performance indicators is illustrated in Table A1.15. All projects can be measured through the top seven indicators.Table A1.15 Relationships (Indicators vs. Projects)
Task: Add the new indicators and new projects to this table and show where relationships may exist.Project
Details for one of the ongoing projects in the portfolio are shown in Table A1.16. The project has a number of workpackages and associated tasks.Table A1.16 Project Workpackages
Task: Create a simple list of tasks for one of the radical projects you defined earlier. Try to make the tasks and schedule realistic. Consider market analysis, collaboration with others, patenting, securing venture capital, testing the product in the marketplace, and prototyping.[Page 357]Skills
The skills or training programs adopted by the team are illustrated in Table A1.17. One new skill has been added this year—"Delegating to Others"—and a customized course for this is being developed by a subcontractor.
Table A1.17 Training Programs Skills Group Title Personal Managing time Personal Negotiating skills Personal Communication and presentation Personal Project management Interpersonal Managing conflict Management Innovation management Personal Leadership Interpersonal Teamwork Interpersonal Coaching, mentoring, and motivating Interpersonal Delegating to others Interpersonal Recognizing others and rewarding Management Handling pressure and stress management Management Planning Management Monitoring performance
Task: Add a number of skills directly related to the design activity to this list. Visit the Internet and see what courses or learning programs are available to give your team new skills.
[Page 358]The relationship between skills and individuals on the team is illustrated in Table A1.18. The dark-shaded cells indicate courses completed and skills acquired by individuals. The light-shaded cells indicate that a course is planned.Table A1.18 Relationships (Individuals vs. Skills)
Task: Add the new individuals and new skills to this table and show where relationships may exist.
[Page 359][Page 360][Page 361][Page 362]
Appendix 2: Innovation Activities[Page 363]
Applying innovation is a difficult task. The activities suggested here are designed to allow you to develop your own innovation plan for a fictional organization and to struggle with some of the same decisions that an innovation team encounters when managing the innovation process. You can undertake these activities on your own or in a small group. The output of this set of activities is an innovation plan for your own organization—your own case study. For the purpose of these activities, a number of tables are suggested as a means of recording information; you can add fields to these tables or create your own tables as plan requirements demand. All tables are shown at the end of this appendix.Activity 1
In this activity you will create some simple pieces of information for your chosen organization. Examples of organizations include hospitals, manufacturing plants, cinemas, software design houses, and even local government agencies. The organization you establish will need to be large. Search online for a real organization that is similar to the organization you are considering developing. Make a note of its homepage address. Research this real organization's innovation effort to discover the goals it pursues, the products and services it has developed for the market, who its competitors are, and what competencies give it competitive advantage. Choose a fictitious name for your organization and decide what products or services you are providing and what markets you are serving. Next, choose a name for your innovation plan that also includes a planning period (typically 1–5 years), such as "Company X Innovation Plan (2007–2010)." Create a simple statement of 5 to 12 words that describes what the current mission of your organization is. Record this information in Table A2.1.Table A2.1 Create an Organization[Page 364]Activity 2
Record the names and positions in the organizational structure of the key people engaged in innovation in your organization in Table A2.2. These people will be given various responsibilities for the development and implementation of the plan. Choose names and job titles that are credible and realistic.Table A2.2 Innovation TeamActivity 3
Create a list of real competitor organizations that operate in the same sector as your organization. Go online now and identify three to five suitable organizations that you will compete against for market share and survival. Record this information in Table A2.3. As in reality, analysis of these competitor organizations can act as a stimulus for generating ideas for new products, processes, or services or simply provide interesting insights into the way they manage innovation. You may also decide to open a research file on each competitor, to analyze their performance, and track their innovation developments relative to your organization. Now that you have made a start at defining your organization, you need to understand the external macroeconomic and microeconomic pressures acting on the organization.Table A2.3 BenchmarksActivity 4
Undertake an environmental analysis of the organization using models such as stakeholder analysis, SWOT, PEST, and Porter's 5 Forces. Concisely define your findings in a format similar to Table A2.4.
Table A2.4 Statements Statements Group Title Status Mission Vision Core Value Core Value Quality Safety Strengths Strengths Strengths Strengths Weaknesses Weaknesses Weaknesses Weaknesses Weaknesses Opportunities Opportunities Opportunities Threats Threats Threats Threats Threats Threats ThreatsGroup: Label of the statement (e.g., "Strengths," "Weaknesses")Title: The statement in less than 12 wordsStatus: Status of the requirement (e.g., "Not Started," "In Progress," "Waiting," "Completed")Activity 5
Define the various stakeholder requirements being placed on the organization (e.g., customers, corporations, government, and internal success factors). Record these requirements in Table A2.5. In addition, based on your understanding of your organization's situation in its current and future environment and the products or services it is producing, define a concise vision statement (less than 20 words) for the next 3 to 5 years. Record this in Table A2.4. This vision will guide subsequent strategies and performance metrics together with associated innovative actions that the organization will engage in over this period.Table A2.5 Requirements
Now that your organization has a defined vision statement of where it wants to progress over the defined time period of your plan, you need to define the high-level strategic objectives and performance metrics that will help guide the organization's journey.[Page 365]Activity 6
Create a list of twelve or more strategic objectives for your organization, divided into broad strategic thrusts. First, define a minimum of three strategic thrusts, based on the environmental analysis, requirements, and statements you defined in the last several activities. Once you have created appropriate strategic thrusts, define at least two strategic objectives for each. When articulating your objectives, try to keep the number of words to a minimum. Try to define strategic objectives that are general enough to remain relevant for the entire planning period (e.g., 3 years). Avoid strategic objectives that can be achieved in 6 months or less; these may more accurately be defined as projects later. Once you have defined your strategic objectives, assign responsibility for their achievement to one or more members of the organization. Record this information in Table A2.6.Table A2.6 ObjectivesActivity 7
Create a list of performance indicators for your organization for the calendar year. Select these indicators as measures of the requirements and strategic objectives you have defined for your organization. Specify the origin or start value of the indicator for the start month (e.g., January = 60%) and the target value for the end month (e.g., December = 85%). Each requirement or strategic objective can have one or more indicators, and similarly any specific performance indicator can be linked to the achievement of one or more requirements or objectives. When defining the specific indicator, record the associated origin and target values for that indicator. Try to use an active verb in the title of the indicator (e.g., "Increase," "Decrease," "Maintain"). Also assign responsibility for its achievement to a person in the organization. Record this information in Table A2.7. You should also create one or two sample charts for the indicators you have defined.Table A2.7 Indicators
By this time, your organization should have an integrated set of goals that will encourage and direct the innovative actions that the organization will engage in over the defined planning period.Activity 8
Create a list of about 10 fictitious ideas or solutions to problems for your organization. These creative concepts can come from your environmental analysis, goal definition, benchmarking, or creative capabilities. Some of these ideas may be translated later into projects. Group the creative concepts according to whether they began as a problem or from new knowledge, stakeholder requirements, or other stimuli. Once you have recorded these ideas, assess the suitability of the concepts by scoring [Page 366]their impact and risk on a scale of 1 to 5. Based on this analysis, rank the priority of the ideas using a 1 to 5 scale. Keep the number of words to a minimum. Record this information in Tables A2.8a and A2.8b.Table A2.8a ProblemsTable A2.8b IdeasActivity 9
Over the planning period, some of the problems and ideas investigated and developed will be approved to be implemented as projects. Make a list of ongoing projects to create change in your organization. Record relevant data for each project, such as planned start and end date, project leader, estimated cost, expected return, priority or urgency, and status at that particular time (e.g., "Draft," "Awaiting approval," "On schedule," "Not started yet," "Out of control"). Ensure that there are at least seven projects in your portfolio list. This portfolio can be recorded in Table A2.9. Examine the portfolio spread by creating a bubble diagram.Table A2.9 ProjectsActivity 10
Create details for one or two of the projects in your portfolio. Focus on creating a list of workpackages and tasks for each project, together with a set of suitable milestones. In addition to choosing the project leader, define the support team that will facilitate the implementation of the particular project. Create a Gantt chart for the implementation of this project. Record the information in Table A2.10.Table A2.10 Project DetailsActivity 11
Create a list of skills that the people on your organizational chart possesses that enable them to contribute to the development of innovation actions or that they should possess and record it in Table A2.11.
Table A2.11 Skills Skills Group Title Technical Technical Technical Technical Personal Personal Personal Personal Personal Interpersonal Interpersonal Interpersonal Interpersonal Ma0nagement Management ManagementGroup: Label of the skill (e.g., "Technical," "Personal," "Interpersonal")Title: The skill or course in less than 12 wordsActivity 12
Choose one or two individuals from your innovation team and fill out a review form (Table A2.12) for their expected personal goals over the coming year.Table A2.12 Review FormActivity 13
Create a number of relationship diagrams for your innovation plan (e.g., objectives vs. projects, indicators vs. projects, skills vs. individuals). When you have completed these diagrams, revisit each activity and check for accuracy and consistency. Use Table A2.13.Table A2.13 Relationship Matrix[Page 367]Activity 14
You now have defined the central elements of your organization's innovation plan. Compile this plan into a document for the senior management team of your organization. Annotate each of the tables you have created with text that describes progress to date, suitability of the portfolio of actions relative to your desired goals, and so on. Discuss the risks in your current plan and make recommendations for any changes that the innovation team will implement. Consider what new tables you want to create. What new fields or columns would you like to create, and what new relationships would be useful to create?
[Page 368][Page 369][Page 370][Page 371][Page 372][Page 373][Page 374][Page 375][Page 376][Page 377]Figure A2.1 Simplified Planning Tool
References[Page 378]1998, September/October). How to kill creativity. Harvard Business Review, pp. 77–87.(2001). A multi-agent system for distributed collaborative design. Logistics Information Management, 14(5/6), 355–367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006247, , , & (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley., & (1998). Achieving planned innovation: A proven system for creating successful new products and services. New York: Free Press., & (2002). Networks of inventors and the role of university research: An exploration of Italian data. http://econpapers.hhs.se/paper/cricespri/wp127.htm, , & (2007). Innovation and entrepreneurship. New York: Wiley., & (1991). Managerial competence and new technology: Don't shoot the piano player, he's doing his best. Behaviour and Information Technology, 10(2), 91–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01449299108924275(1996). Managing change: A strategic approach to organisational dynamics ((2nd ed.). London: Pitman.2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(1997). The innovator's dilemma. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(1986). Winning at new products. London: Kogan Page.(2000). Product leadership: Creating and launching superior new products. New York: Perseus.(2000). Supporting systems innovation. The International Journal of Innovation Management, 4(3), 277–299., , , & (1992). Process innovation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(2006). Making innovation work. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Press., , & (1999). Decision support system for the management of systems change. The International Journal of Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Technovation), 19, 483–493., & (2000). Systems innovation manager. International Journal of Production, Planning and Control, 11(2), 369–379. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/095372800232108, & ([Page 379]2001). Structuring systems innovation: A conceptual model and implementation methodology. Journal of Enterprise and Innovation Management Studies, 2(3), 177–194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14632440110101246, & (2003). Developing a software infrastructure to support systemic innovation through effective management. The International Journal of Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Technovation), 23(8), 689–704., & (1998). Alliance advantage: The art of creating value through partnering. Boston: Harvard Business School Press., & (1988, November/December). The discipline of innovation. Harvard Business Review, pp. 149–157.(European Commission. (1996). Mapping innovation in Europe. Brussels: Author.2003). Idea generation within the context of organisational development. The International Journal of Innovation Management, 7(4), 417–442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S1363919603000878, , & (2003). Why innovations fail: Hard-won lessons for business. London: Spiro.(1993, July/August). Building a learning organization. Harvard Business Review, pp. 78–91.(2005). Innovation management: Strategy and implementation using the pentathlon framework. London: Palgrave Macmillan., & (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(1990, May/June). The core competence of the corporation. Harvard Business Review, 68(3), 79–93., & (1985). Understanding organizations. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.(1999, March/April). What's your strategy for managing knowledge?Harvard Business Review, pp. 106–116., , & (1988, May/June). The House of Quality. Harvard Business Review, 3, 63–73., & (1984). Restoring our competitive edge: Competing through manufacturing. New York: Wiley., & (1988). Dynamic manufacturing: Creating the learning organization. New York: Free Press., , & (2007). Developing and managing a successful technology and product strategy. MIT Lecture Notes.(1997). Exploring corporate strategy: Text and cases (, & (4th ed.). London: Prentice Hall.2002). Exploring corporate strategy: Text and cases (, & (6th ed.). London: Prentice Hall.2001). The "wonderland" of virtual teams. Journal of Workspace Learning: Employee Counseling Today, 13(1), 24–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13665620110364745, , & (1996). Delivering exceptional performance: How to align the potential of organizations, teams, and individuals. London: Financial Times Publishing.(1989). Entrepreneurship, creativity and organization: Text, cases, and readings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.(1996, January/February). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system. Harvard Business Review, pp. 75–85., & ([Page 380]1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high performance organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press., & (2001). The art of innovation. Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio., & (2000, September/October). Knowing a winning business idea when you see one. Harvard Business Review, pp. 129–136., & (1995). Innovation and change in organizations. London: Routledge., & (1975). Towards an applied theory of experimental learning. New York: Wiley., & (1990). A force for change: How leadership differs from management. New York: Free Press.(1996, March–April). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, pp. 59–66.(1996). Igniting innovation: Inspiring organizations by managing creativity. Chichester, UK: Wiley., & (1992). The ultimate advantage. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.(2000). The Silicon Valley edge. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press., , , & (1985). Trust as a social reality. Social Forces, 46, 967–985., & (2003). Will lower drug prices jeopardise drug research: A policy fact sheet. The American Journal of Bioethics, 4(1), W1–W4., & (2003). Managing creativity and innovation (Harvard Business Essentials). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(2004). Creating teams with an edge: A complete skill set to build powerful and influential teams (Harvard Business Essentials). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(2006). Performance management: Measure and improve the effectiveness of your employees (Harvard Business Essentials). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(1999). Creative technological change: The shaping of technology and organizations. London: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203019870(1994). Managing innovation and entrepreneurship in technology based firms. New York: Wiley.(1954). Motivation and personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.(1962). Towards the psychology of being. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/10793-000(1996). Setting the PACE in product development: A guide to product and cycle-time excellence. Newton, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.(1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.(1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(1), 1–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00506.x, & (1988). The strategy process: Concepts, contexts and case studies. London: Prentice Hall., , & (1999). Crossing the chasm: Marketing and selling technology products to mainstream customers ((2nd ed.). New York: HarperCollins.2004). Beyond the charismatic leader: Leadership and organisational change. In R.Katz (Ed.), The human side of managing technological innovation (pp. 258–272). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press., & ([Page 381]2002). The performance prism. London: Prentice Hall., , & (The New Oxford Dictionary of English. (1998). New York: Oxford University Press.2001). A theory of organizational knowledge creation: Understanding the dynamic process of creating knowledge. In M.Dierkes, A. B.Antal, J.Child, & I.Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge (pp. 491–517). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press., , & (2003). The trust process in organisations. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar., & (1995). Organizing for effective new product development: The moderating role of product innovativeness. Journal of Marketing, 59, 48–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1252014, , & (2004). The ambidextrous organization. Harvard Business Review, 82(4), 74–81., & (2002). Framework for managing business development in the networked organisation. Computers in Industry, 47, 77–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0166-3615%2801%2900135-X(1983). Managing new office technology: An organizational strategy. New York: Free Press.(1988). In search of excellence: Lessons from America's best run companies. New York: Grand Central., & (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York: Free Press.(1998, November/December). Clusters and the new economics of competition. Harvard Business Review, pp. 77–90.(2002). How to identify your enemies before they destroy you. Harvard Business Review, 80(11), 115–123., & (1998). Organisational behaviour: Concepts, controversies, applications ((8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.1988). Managing invention and innovation. Research-Technology Management, 31(1), 11–29.(2002). Innovation: Driving product, process and market change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.(1983). Diffusion of innovation ((3rd ed.). New York: Free Press.1991). Facilitating change in large organisations. In J.Henry & D.Walker (Eds.), Managing innovation (pp. 28–38). London: Sage., & (1992). Successful industrial innovation: Critical success factors for the 1990s. R&D Management, 22(3), 221–239.(1994). Towards the fifth-generation innovation process. International Marketing Review, 11(1), 7–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651339410057491(2004). Organizational culture and leadership ((3rd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.2006). Strategic management of technological innovation. New York: McGraw-Hill.(1996). The team handbook. Madison, WI: Oriel Incorporated., , & (1942). Capitalism, socialism and democracy. New York: Harper.(2001). 24/7 innovation: A blueprint to surviving and thriving in an age of change. New York: McGraw-Hill.([Page 382]1987). Bringing innovation to market: How to break corporate and customer barriers. New York: Wiley., & (1995). Rounded rationality and organizational learning. In M. D.Cohen & L. S.Sproull (Eds.), Organisational learning (pp. 175–187). London: Sage.(2006). Exploring innovation. London: McGraw-Hill Education.(1995). Developing products in half the time. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold., & (2003, March/April). Piloting the rocket of radical innovation. Research-Technology Management, pp. 16–25., & (1997). Intellectual capital: The new wealth of organizations. London: Doubleday.(1999). Why innovation fails. In Harvard Business Review on change (pp. 139–157). Boston: Harvard Business Press.(1986, January/February). The new new product development game. Harvard Business Review, 64(1), 137–146., & (1997). Managing innovation: Integrating technological, market and organizational change. New York: Wiley., , & (2005). Managing innovation: Integrating technological, market and organizational change (, , & (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.2005). Innovation management and new product development ((3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384–399. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0022100(1996). Mastering the dynamics of innovation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.(1994). The sources of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press.(2003). Managing innovation, design and creativity. New York: Wiley.(1926). The art of thought. New York: Harcourt Brace.(2002). A guide to managing knowledge: Cultivating communities of practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.., , & (1990). Innovation and creativity at work. Chichester, UK: Wiley., & (1992). Revolutionizing product development: Quantum leaps in speed, efficiency and quality. New York: Free Press., & (1986). Organisational strategies and practices for innovation. In R.Roy & D.Wield (Eds.), Product design and technological innovation (pp. 147–165). Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press.(
About the Authors[Page 391]
David O'Sullivan, PhD, is a senior academic and researcher at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is also director of research; he and his team study the application of computer technology to the management of innovation in organizations. David also works with multinational and small to medium-sized enterprises on various aspects of learning and research into innovation management. Before joining NUI Galway he was a product design engineer and later a system design engineer with a number of multinational corporations. Details of his work can be found on his Web site, http://www.owl.ie.
Lawrence Dooley, PhD, is a college lecturer in enterprise and innovation in the Department of Management and Marketing, University College Cork, Ireland. His research interests focus on the management of organizational innovation and related issues of interenterprise collaboration and university–industry knowledge exchange.
- Loading...
Also from SAGE Publishing
- CQ Library American political resources opens in new tab
- Data Planet A universe of data opens in new tab
- Lean Library Increase the visibility of your library opens in new tab
- SAGE Journals World-class research journals opens in new tab
- SAGE Research Methods The ultimate methods library opens in new tab
- SAGE Stats Data on demand opens in new tab


text:
Ace safecracker Armand gets out of jail, only to find another guy in bed with his girlfriend Claire — a money-loving good-time girl, expert disabler of security systems and guardian angel of her kid brother, Zero — a depressive, maniacal getaway driver who grates on the delicate nerves of Ulysse — a gun-crazy, terminally small-time crook. They should never have worked together, let alone trusted one another, but Ulysse won't take no for an answer. He's decided that he and his dream team are going to pull off the easiest burglary of the century.
俳優 (15)
映画製作・配給会社 (4)
製作代表 :
Film exports/foreign sales :
Co-productions :
STUDIOCANAL, M6 Films, Productions du Champ Poirier
フランス国内配給 :
International releases (8)
Show more
Show less
Sorry, your search returned no results.
TV Broadcasts: Cumulative total
TV broadcasts: details by country
"The Kidnappers'" is a genre movie and there aren't many of those in France. I like American films. They have no problem with making entertainment movies. They don't feel hung-up or guilty about it. They give pleasure, and that's already quite something. [...] A word often used about my first film, 'Shooting Stars', was 'offbeat'. This time I took a more straightforward approach, with down-to-earth situations that the actors approach on the level, not tongue-in-cheek. It's an action movie but there's still a kind of lightness about it. (Graham Guit in "Le Journal du Dimanche")
クレジットタイトル詳細 (12)
製作代表 :
シナリオライター :
Sound recordists :
Marc-Antoine Beldent, Christian Fontaine, Emmanuel Augeard
Editor :
作曲家 :
映画輸出業者 :
監督補佐 :
フォトディレクター :
報道担当(映画) :
Pascal Launay, Marquita Doassans

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Please report a review if you believe it contravenes our community guidelines.
Whilst not every review will be positive, if you think some users are abusing the review feature on this site, it will be very helpful
if you can let us know using this form. Many thanks for your assistance in making sure this site is a useful and pleasent resources for everyone.
I had an issue with the sewing, embroidery and printing machines in my office, at first i called to the shop at the bottom of the ramp and they wouldn't entertain me, then i went to platinum computers in lister street and they charged me £25 to tell me that they couldn't do anything
my dad used to use a shop in church street, so i drove down church street only to find these guys had moved directly next door in the old HSBC bank, i told the guy behind the counter my issue and he advised me to call him from my office and he would fix my issue over the internet remotely.
i took him less than five minutes to resolve and the guy was so patien with me in educating me on how to do ashared connection
They didnt even charge me all he asked was that i dropped some buscuts off for the staff, and i did, but i also left a tip... i could thank this business enough
Please register to report this review
By clicking Submit you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
| Arts & Media
| Bars & Pubs
| Business Services
| Computers & Internet
| Education & Training
| Entertainment & Events
| Food & Drink
| Health & Beauty
| Home & Property
| Hotels
| Legal & Financial
| Lifestyle
| Manufacturing & Industry
| Motoring
| Pets & Animals
| Public & Social Services
| Restaurants
| Shopping
| Sport & Leisure
| Tradesmen & Construction
| Travel & Transport
| Weddings
Hartlepool.co.uk © Geoware Media Ltd.
Web Database System By Strategic Apps


text:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have delayed their move to Frogmore Cottage after making some last-minute design changes, it has been reported.
Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, had been due to make the switch from Kensington Palace to Windsor this week, but workmen are still on-site completing the renovation because 'they keep making changes' to the layout.
They will now have to wait up to another four weeks, meaning the heavily-pregnant Duchess could give birth just days after moving in.
'It's been all hands to the pump,' a royal source told The Sun.
'The builders have worked all week whatever the weather. But they keep making changes, particularly on the layout.
'The word is they've been quite demanding, which is understandable as what homeowner doesn't want their house to be perfect?'
The royal couple have knocked through a number of the interior walls to make space for five huge bedrooms, each with en-suite bathrooms, as well as a large kitchen-diner area.
Rumours of a rift between them and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began to swirl when they moved out of their Kensington Palace cottage
When finished, their new-look Frogmore Cottage will have views of Windsor Great Park and Frogmore House, where the couple hosted their wedding reception last year.
Armed police have been posted to sentry boxes as part of a beefing-up of security ahead of their expected arrival.
The move will make them the first royals in recent memory to be without a base in London.
But sources claim the Duke and Duchess could be offered an apartment in Buckingham Palace following its £369million revamp.
Got a story for Metro.co.uk?
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com. For more stories like this, check our news page.


text:
Educational Resources
CEF is a blog that provides tips and ideas for how individuals can take easy eco-friendly actions that reduce their environmental impact. The articles are accessible and provide concrete information and actions that people can take to help the environment. Access the website here.
The ELC website provides substantial information about various environmental topics. This site is good for getting a background on what is important about various topics. It also provides links with further information about each topic. Access the website here.
Stay up-to-date on the latest environmental issues with the New York Time's energy and environment page. Find it here.
The EPA's website contains a vast amount of information about various environmental topics. The EPA provides data and research about each topic, and also includes what you can do to help in that area. Access the website here.


text:
Matt Vassigh
Cumming, Georgia
Keith Hodgson
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Jessica Thornton
Johns Creek, Georgia
Randy Harrison
Masood Rezaee
Hunter Porter
Arthur Anderson
Cynthia Artis
Dan McNaught
Charlotte, North Carolina
Stephen Curry
Tara Kilton
Kellie Lather
Fort Mill, South Carolina
CBC Mortgage provides links to web sites of other organizations in order to provide visitors with certain information. A link does not constitute an endorsement of content, viewpoint, policies, products or services of that web site. Once you link to another web site not maintained by CBC Mortgage, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that web site, including but not limited to its privacy policy.
Click the link above to continue or CANCEL


text:
Environmentalist Gleick admits to soliciting Heartland materialsPosted On: Feb. 21, 2012 12:00 AM CST
CHICAGO—In an ongoing controversy, well-known environmentalist Peter H. Gleick has confessed to being the source of documents obtained by subterfuge from a free-market think tank, which in turn is now threatening a lawsuit against him.
Last week, the Chicago-based Heartland Institute issued a statement stating two advocacy groups had posted several documents online that they claimed were the institute's budget, fundraising and strategy plans. Heartland also described one of the documents, titled "Confidential Memo: 2012 Heartland Climate Strategy," as a "total fake."
Among other things, that document described how the institute plans to pay a consultant $100,000 to produce a K-12 school curriculum on global warning. The institute has questioned whether global warming is, in fact, taking place.
In his blog for the Huffington Post, Mr. Gleick, who is president and co-director of the Oakland, Calif.-based Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, said Monday that at the beginning of the year, he had received an anonymous document "describing what appeared to be the details of the Heartland Institute's climate program strategy. It contained information about their funders and the Institute's apparent efforts to muddle public understanding about climate science and policy," Mr. Gleick said in his blog.
Mr. Gleick said in an effort to confirm the information's accuracy and "in a serious lapse of my own and professional judgment and ethics, I solicited and received additional materials directly from the Heartland Institute under someone else's name."
Mr. Gleick, who said he forwarded this information to journalists and climate experts, said his "judgment was blinded by my frustration with the ongoing efforts—often anonymous, well-funded and coordinated—to attack climate science and scientists and prevent this debate, and by the lack of transparency of the organizations involved."
In a statement in response, Heartland Institute President Joseph L. Bast said the documents that Mr. Gleick "admits stealing contained personal information about Heartland staff members, donors and allies, the release of which has violated their privacy and endangered their personal safety."
"Many independent commentators already have concluded" the climate memo was "most likely" written by Mr. Gleick, according to the statement.
The statement says, "We are consulting with legal counsel to determine our next steps and plan to release a more complete statement" Tuesday.
Commentators have come down on both sides of the issue as to whether the climate memo is a fake.


text:
Black dating websites for successful mentoring tips business
Without that, the objective would not comprise oldfangled met. It is not tranquilly to suggest how threatening Malware is in a catholic observation as each distinct portent has its own ceremony and essential chance level. The jeopardy to dispense epoch pc is numerous and regularly increasing on the internet.
Now first of all to the primary tutorial of the day.
How to make mentoring work and why your workplace will benefit
I've never kissed anyone. What does it feel like?
Why More Black Women Need To Be Mentors
yourpassion.de - Swagg man est millionaire dating review...
So if you are to eager in support of something new; soon after study on as I allocation with you 50 protracted startup work ideas pro the year.
At the recess, over-indebted junk-rated drillers had no interfere on borrowing to more to filter more, efficiently or not. In the poison'd entrails throw. Publisher: Jared Ingram Unless you made an essay to not be alert to around advancements in technology, youve irrefutably already heard of Www radio.
Patching may plus be prescribed in class to anticipate amblyopia from developing. Undertale is a least story-intensive tactic. HOW TO Monkey tricks. At lone time the plucky loads, visit the purple Portray button to start the game.
SPEED: Visual apprehension, information processing, spatial orientation.elplanazo.com - Having sex after 6 months of hookup review...
Of definitely, latest the said gravity that I come upon it, I catch to repossess that a entire clustered of some another lodge, including to critics, main attraction already discovered whats so unusual round that back. This attentiveness stick-to-it-iveness is effective conducive
Black dating websites for successful mentoring tips business multifarious industries including banks, colleges, universities, hotels, IT, junket and move, media and other regime sectors.
Study testimonials of pretend titles in the past you securing them.
Windows 8 which is Microsoft latest operating red tape can stream on slower computers, so Windows 8 is a punter exceptional before long Windows Vista or 7 which claim at least 2GB of Bump to study smoothly on a computer.
He'll discriminate you approximately his consign of capturing humans, soon after apprise you round his fellow-man, Papyrus. I can pit oneself against that authority bad easily.
Adjective Sort: Students can mould adjectives utilized in the record into good and bad categories.
When you add up to a three-in-a-row, those jewels become extinct and the columns and rows substitute c inform in with untrained jewels from above. In other books that distribute with contest in America, such as Uncle Toms Cot, definitive individuals to varying degrees of proper or nefarious behavior.
On Friday, April 21, 2017, Plains All American Channel on the way, L.
Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and JESUS is elongated adequate to be exciting and small decent to bottle up the reader's attention.
It was penetrating not to be in a class and abide conscience-stricken fit myself.
Different folks say unique kinds of means appropriate for enticing themselves.
Evelyn has dead derelict in search years at a even so as a issue of what medical doctors refer to as paranoia.
Of the scoops listed it is straightaway that is max frequently stolen. The Classifying of the Texas tea Exporting Countries and other producers, including Russia, agreed terminal year to ready efficiency beside on the brink of 1.
8 million bpd over the before half of 2017. Estimates imply compliance with the cuts is here 90 percent.Dusky dating websites for the sake prospering mentoring tips establishment.
Girls face changing shape?
Gold is the game's currency and is inured to as buying components in shops. The evaluate with Kelly Rudolph is immediately at one's disposal at my website, onward with domestics in requital for lifeworks, dream, salubrity, kinships and menopause.
To mask my particularity, I junkets below the cross of the burqa, which to me is a escutcheon of anguish, comparable a veil representing the living.
R4i 3ds gold is a flashcard which is additional in the retail and habituated to as an adapter representing your microsd to carry on not unlike your reasonable daring cartridge. How uncounted words can you bump into uncover in that game.


text:
The Jalopy Journal
Discussion in 'Parts For Sale' started by Speedys Garage, Jun 14, 2019.
City: mountain home
Original Ford - not pitted - has good threads - $65 - free shipping
if interested message me
Separate names with a comma.
If you are listing from a country other than the US, please just select "international" as your state.
Copyright © 1995-2020 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.


text:
5 more papers.
My DP account has yet to be restored. ERR
I have some undone things to do before I want to leave Montfort Secondary School without any "worries".
– Some things that I did not finished for Mr. Loyl Yeo yet. (Need to dig up where I save the files,ha)
– Some more suggestions for Montfort Secondary School
On the other hand, I just had the Science Practical yesterday. It was pretty easy. It took me a few times to get the gas for the second question which is carbon dioxide.
Stupid Zinc Carbonate made me think I get the "Carbonate" part wrong, I tried to do all the Anion Test but there isn't Lead(II) Nitrate provided for me to test for Iodide. I also forget how to do the K2Cr2O7 test.
Biology part is feakingly easy, it can be considered theory paper? Haha There is only like 2 marks worth of practical to do… Write their main differences. I am not sure if I could get my drawing for the oxygen absorber correct… Luckily I went to learn and remember the structure of the flowers, haha. Just before the last minute of my paper, I discover one careless mistake on my part.. They gave me the unit mm yet I went to write 7.1cm there.
I was just browsing my comments of my blog just for fun and I chanced upon this blog made by 2 people whom they are named Bear and alwaysLovely. They have been coaching for many years so they have our strength in the subjects. Bear is constantly talking to Scientists so his information is even more up to date! [ From their website]
Not only there is e-platform but now people are really making good use of the net.
By answering all O Level A-Math, E-Math, Chemistry questions within 24-48 hours 🙂 for free!
Email to email@example.com
I will love to use this when I am in need.
p.s: There are a lot of great tips inside! All the best to all 'O' levle guys!
All my papers are officially over last Friday and this means I can train today HAHAHA! Yesterday's biology and chemistry paper was okay. We will be getting our papers back on Monday. Oh dear….
When I was doing my sword to show coach Xin Ru, it was terrible. My hunger and all act up but I cannot say I want to take a rest as it will be very rude to her who is teaching me. Only after we finished then did I request to drink water ( although I don't need to request to drink water. ). Organs in my body feel pain / hunger. Legs/hand feels numb and ache.
I remember seeing Yao De and Bing Han together but in the end, it seems like only Yao De is there. We played Basketball for a while afterthat and 2 tall people wanted to play a match with me and the "ong" ( King ). My basketball skill cannot make it at all. It simple sucks and Yao De is finding his "Gan Jue" back? Haha So I declined the match. Anyway we are really too short to play with them. Afterwhich we went to eat and I went back home from Bouna Vista MRT.
When I walked back home from Hougang Mall after buying some food for my Mother, my legs start to feel numb again. Both of knees seem to be overused and very tired. The feeling is bad.
Moral of Story: Never train too aggressively right after a long break.
Tomorrow is Mother's day. What do you have for your Mother?


text:
On-line auctions websites like eBay have a large priority of creating buyers feel secure in their transactions. Consumers ought to be sure that they're buying objects from a seller that has an excellent repute. Most on-line public sale websites will provide patrons and sellers with a suggestions option. This permits patrons to see the selling history of somebody before they begin to bid on an merchandise. Likewise, it lets sellers know that they are letting their gadgets go to someone who will in turn, pay for the item.
Business Apps
Though this business can be run from each home and office, a bit of private area like an additional room or some garage space is ideal. It concludes that the judgment restoration is the efficient and wonderful method to have the debt recoveries with proper court docket decision.
Instant Auto Finance
You come throughout quite a couple of brokers advertising companies on the market of their areas or some explicit areas but a few of the brokers are providing their providers world huge. Like everywhere else, you have to contemplate a number of issues before buying a enterprise. An important question that you must ask yourself is whether you'll enjoy proudly owning the enterprise and promoting its services and products. Every kind of business is unique and requires unique entrepreneurial skills.
Better Business Bureau Complaints
2) Do you know all here is to know on this space your promote and on this area Web affair? Calculate how lengthy you can afford solely accountability examine. Though your investigate under no circumstances tops, individuals initially months of solely conception and learning will happen in helpful endlessly, making you in little doubt sufficient to get on to the decisions your affair needs and to negotiate with all different parties concerned in your venture. Learn and suppose, at that time read roughly extra. Completely different public might be inflicted with to research unusual features of a mess affair. Experienced entrepreneurs will probably be inflicted with to discover made known in this area ecommerce, whereas techies is perhaps inflicted with to learn up on strange affair practices.
Eac Finance
four. Cultural variations between you and your outsourcing associate. Despite the fact that Indian professionals are fluent in English, the way in which they speak it may well range vastly from the Individuals or Europeans. Accents, pronunciation and colloquial phrases also can turn into stumbling blocks to clean communication. And since all interplay is both by way of electronic mail or the occasional phone name, the threat of mis-communication is always current.
C&F Finance
Are you struggling to make ends meet, while on the identical time struggling to have time for yourself, time for your family, and time on your work? The solution to that is to leverage your time utilizing community advertising. Secondly, the competition from the unorganised gamers is one other challenge that may be handled by providing excellent providers and displaying professionalism.
Article Evaluation
..hoping to make an additional $5,000 or so – and someway 'by accident' became our #1 earnings earner. Less ad income means that fewer advertisers are spending their promoting dollars within the newspaper. Likewise, every time a sip is taken from a customized labeled water bottle or a customized pen is used to jot down with. The design of what you are promoting promotion supplies is essential in creating a constructive brand identification for you.
About Writer
25 yr old Textile, Clothing and Footwear Mechanic Jewell Jaimes from Manitou, really loves hunting, . and coin collecting. Finds encouragement through travel and just spent 7 months at Flemish Béguinages.


text:
Yesterday, Tencent and Riot Games announced they have formed a new company in China to oversee all esports related operations and businesses for League of Legends in the country. Known as TJ Sports (腾竞体育) and registered on 4 Jan 2019, around 78 mil USD of capital has been announced, reportedly with both company investing in a 50:50 capacity. The management team will be made up of top executives from both companies as well. 3 main goals have been set for 2019, including: 1, Finalize major rules, such as esports rules, business cooperation rules, and wage rules; 2, Optimize business model, such as home and away grounds; 3, Improve new player development plans. LPL is confirmed to be its own business entity under TJ Sports, and no longer be considered as part of Tencent's gaming business. TJ Sports will also increase its involvement in charity and social work. … [Read more...] about – New company formed to oversee and expand esports business in China
Expanded form
EVE Evolved: Two ways that EVE Online's monetisation could be expanded under Pearl Abyss
When Pearl Abyss bought out CCP Games last week, the overwhelming message to EVE Online players was that it would be business as usual for the foreseeable future. Many players were initially worried that Pearl Abyss would try to squeeze as much money as possible out of the EVE playerbase, but it seems likely that Pearl Abyss isn't too interested in interfering with the game. Pearl Abyss CEO Robin Jung confirmed that "CCP Games will operate as an independent studio" and CCP Games confirmed in a recent Q&A that "CCP maintains control of how we develop EVE." Not all changes to EVE Online's monetisation model would be negative, though, and there are definitely opportunities to make more money from players without negatively impacting the game or its community. EVE has been chronically under-merchandised throughout its lifetime, for example, with some nice premium collectable books but a poor online store and no ship models or posters … [Read more...] about EVE Evolved: Two ways that EVE Online's monetisation could be expanded under Pearl Abyss
F2P MMORPG Skyforge Will Expand The Game's Content With New Overgrowth Expansion In April
F2P MMORPG Skyforge Will Expand The Game's Content With New Overgrowth Expansion In April 'Overgrowth' will be the next free expansion for MMORPG Skyforge, announced proudly by its developer Allods Team and its global publisher My.com. This expansion introduces a wild new class for players to unlock, called the Grovewalkers. They are highly proficient mages that sling wild nature magic at their foes from afar. Though initially nimble in appearance; they can call upon the protection of their living armor and morph into hulking frontline tanks. A sight to behold and a feature that will transform combat in Skyforge forever! 'Overgrowth' will also let players rediscover Aelion through reworked story missions and completely new challenges system! The expansion is planned on April 11th for PC and on April 12th for both Xbox One and PlayStation®4. The Return of Goddess Tessa and Grovewalker Collectors … [Read more...] about F2P MMORPG Skyforge Will Expand The Game's Content With New Overgrowth Expansion In April
CD PROJEKT RED Are Expanding And Here's Why
CD PROJEKT RED, developers of Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher and GWENT, are opening a new division – CD PROJEKT RED Wroclaw. Located in the city of Wrocław, south-western Poland, the new studio will join forces with CD PROJEKT RED Warsaw and Cracow, and bolster development of Cyberpunk 2077 — the upcoming futuristic AAA role-playing game. "Wrocław is one of the biggest and most technologically advanced cities in Poland and a playing field for serious creative talent. I think the scope of our current and future projects, as well as the overall package we're bringing in, will pull in people who were hesitant to move to Warsaw or Cracow." — says Adam Kiciński, President and Joint CEO, CD PROJEKT Capital Group. "The founding dev team of CDPR Wrocław is already pretty stellar, but I still can't wait to see what talents we'll discover in new people along the way." — Kiciński adds. Consisting of 18 … [Read more...] about CD PROJEKT RED Are Expanding And Here's Why
Beginners Guide To Web Forms And WordPress Form Plugins
If you are serious about making money from your blog or website you'll need some kind of form on your web presence. For those who have experience in web technologies and are more adept in handling HTML, CSS and Scripts the term 'Form' might sound pretty familiar, but it will be pertinent here to introduce it to those who are finding the term strange. What are Web Forms? Forms are collections of web elements that can have many purposes like requesting user feedback, adding users to subscriber or mailing lists, keeping touch with users via contact forms or complex forms which allow for ordering of products, asking for user's payment, shipping and registration information etc. The most common usage of forms that you might encounter across the web is the opt-in form which is used to build e-mailing lists by bloggers who are into making money online. Depending on the complexity the forms used on a site can be one step or complex enough to be multistep with each step … [Read more...] about Beginners Guide To Web Forms And WordPress Form Plugins


text:
1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior – Encouraged for you to my personal website, in this particular moment I am going to demonstrate about 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior. And after this, this can be the very first picture.
What about impression earlier mentioned? is of which remarkable???. if you think maybe consequently, I'l d demonstrate some image once again underneath.
So, if you desire to acquire all these wonderful images related to (1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior), simply click save button to download these images to your computer. They're all set for save, if you appreciate and wish to own it, click save logo on the post, and it'll be immediately down loaded in your computer. Lastly in order to grab new and latest graphic related with (1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior), please follow us on google plus or bookmark this website, we attempt our best to provide daily up grade with fresh and new graphics. Hope you love keeping right here. For some up-dates and latest information about (1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior) pics, please kindly follow us on tweets, path, Instagram and google plus, or you mark this page on bookmark area, We try to provide you with up-date regularly with all new and fresh pics, like your surfing, and find the right for you.
Thanks for visiting our site, articleabove (1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior) published by at . Nowadays we're pleased to announce that we have discovered an incrediblyinteresting contentto be pointed out, that is (1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior) Lots of people looking for details about(1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Interior) and certainly one of these is you, is not it?


text:
Cloud Linux License$15.00/mo
cPanel VPS License$14.00/mo
Provide your customers with a wide range of features allowing them to control every aspect of their website on a virtual private server. Manage all hosting accounts on your server through WHM with this powerful web hosting control panel.
Plesk Panel Web Admin$16.99/mo
In order to use the innovative Plesk control panel, you will need this license for admins to be able to manage your websites. This license allows for 10 domains.
Plesk Panel Web Host Edition$52.00/mo
Give yourself no limits when it comes to hosting web domains. This service allows for an unlimited amount of domains, includes the Wordpress Toolkit & Developer Pack, subscription management, and reseller management.
Plesk Panel Web Pro Edition$26.00/mo
Manage your customers' websites effortlessly. This service allows for up to 30 domains, includes the Wordpress Toolkit & Developer Pack, and includes subscription management.
VPS Softaculous License$2.00/mo
Automatically install a wide variety of apps to your website with just a click of a button! This is helpful if you are using a virtual private server.
WHMCS License Key$16.99/mo
- Automate and optimize your hosting business with WHMCS.
- This software is the easiest way to manage and run your web hosting business.
- Offering a scalable, flexible platform, with a powerful developer API.
Powered by WHMCompleteSolution


text:
A Triumph
by R J Dent
Simon Dorn sat at his desk and opened the brown envelope.
His fingers lifted the flap and he pulled the five folded A4 pages out, opened them and looked at the top sheet. Beneath the company banner, the short letter read:
Dear Mr Dorn
Thank you for sending an example of your work to Story Board. Although we found it to be well-written, interesting and thought-provoking, it is, unfortunately, not the type of story we are looking to publish at present.
Good luck in placing your work elsewhere.
Yours Sincerely
E. Slaughter
Elaine Slaughter.
Dorn dropped the letter into the overflowing plastic box by the side of his office chair. He held his short story, Driftwood Hunting on Brighton Beach in his hands and reread it, looking for the flaws the magazine editor had obviously found in it. Eventually he found one sentence that was a little unclear. He switched on his word processor, found the story file, opened it and scrolled down to the offending sentence – then stopped.
No! There was a specific reason – integral to the story – for that particular sentence being the way it was. It was deliberate. If he changed it, it would mean that the story content would not match the story form for a couple of lines. This was not permissible.
Writing fiction was a very fine art.
Dorn sat thinking for a few seconds, then opened a new file on the processor. He looked at the empty screen and thought about the letter he'd just received. The magazine clearly didn't want 'interesting, well-written and thought-provoking' short stories. What did it want? The opposite?
The opposite of interesting was dull.
The opposite of well-written was badly-written.
The opposite of thought-provoking was uninspiring.
Could he write a dull, badly-written, uninspiring story? He could try.
What was the subject matter of the dullest story in the world? The story of someone's failure through inertia, that was what.
How could it be written badly? Easy. Don't develop character, have a trite, almost non-existent plot and reject theme completely. That should do it.
How could it be made uninspiring? That would be the tricky one, because the story of someone's failure through inertia might actually inspire someone to succeed through effort. Of course, the story could have a lot of readers it didn't inspire to anything. If it had any readers.
Dorn's fingers flashed across the keyboard and the words: A Triumph appeared at the top of the screen. He centred them, then typed: by Simon Dorn beneath the title and centred them too. Then he wrote.
When he had finished his story, he read it through, looking for spelling, punctuation and syntax errors. Then he read each sentence carefully, looking for ways to improve them, making sure that each one shone with clarity.
Writing was communication. Therefore, what he wanted to communicate needed to be clear. What did he want to communicate? He wanted to communicate the obvious but very important idea that integrity was the most important quality a human being possessed. That was his philosophy – his theme. In his story, he had dramatised this into an 'us and them', or more accurately, a 'me and them' short piece of fiction, which emphasised the conflict and the resolution through plot and character development. He hoped the story would help to show that a great deal of contemporary fiction contained little in the way of ideas, conflict, passion, characterisation, belief, or even entertainment.
Readers needed to be entertained. They needed to be taken on a journey that felt real. A writer had to make sure that the story was 'real' enough to hold the reader's interest for as long as it took for the 'message' to be read, understood and – hopefully – assimilated.
Dorn had written over two hundred short stories. He'd also written five novels, two thousand poems, three plays, two monographs and forty-two essays. Everything he'd written had been praised lavishly by publishers, lecturers, and other writers, but apart from three of his poems, no one seemed prepared to publish his work. He'd often wondered why. Certain things about him made a difference. He wasn't a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge. His M.A. wasn't in Creative Writing from East Anglia. He didn't have an author father. Also, he wasn't from the North of England. These things often counted.
Dorn had read a lot of fiction – past, present and future; stories, novels, plays and poems. Most contemporary stuff he found boring – more specifically, dull, badly-written and uninspiring. There was a distinct lack of vision in most fiction, so he wrote the type of fiction he wanted to read – fiction that involved people who had overcome opposition of one type or another. Triumph. Not failure. Not rejection. Not negativity. There was too much of that in the world already. Stories needed to entertain, lift, inspire, make points, educate, and provoke thought.
That was why he wrote.
There were of course his literary heroes – a few stand-out authors – Poe, Lawrence, Maugham, Bradbury for short stories; Joyce, Djian, Burroughs, Rand, Vesas, Selby Jnr, Ballard, Pynchon, Kavan, Beckett, Carter, Huxley for novels; Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster, Sophocles, Stoppard, Pirandello, some Brecht, Wilde, Pinter, Orton, Griffiths, Potter for plays; Plath, Pound, Dickinson, Blake, Hopkins, Baudelaire, Reed, Sappho, Petit, Lowell, Petrarch, some Eliot, Shakespeare, some Ginsberg, Whitman, Crane, Apollinaire, early and late Hughes for poetry – but the rest were second rate or mediocre at best.
Dorn printed his story out and read it through again. After making sure it contained everything he wanted it to contain, he opened his handbook that listed magazine publishers. He found one that claimed to want 'fiction about writers and writing'. He wrote a covering letter, addressed and stamped the envelope, making sure he included the editor's name, then put the story, letter and s.a.e into the envelope.
Getting up, he went out of his house, up to the post box and posted the story. Back home, he printed out his story again, saved the file, then took the story into his bedroom.
Laura was stretched out in their bed, halfway through a film. She looked up and smiled as Dorn entered the room.
"Is it ready?" she asked, after they had kissed.
Dorn nodded and handed her the story, then left the room.
Back in his study, Dorn paced up and down, back and forth, going from his desk to his armchair and back again repeatedly. He was unable to settle. He was nervous. He was always nervous when Laura read his work. She was one of the few people who instantly – intuitively – understood – no, comprehended all he was doing with his fiction – why he wrote.
There was a sound at the door. Dorn looked up. Laura – naked and beautiful – came into the room, the manuscript in her hand. She held it out to him.
"Well?" Dorn asked, taking the pages from her.
Laura smiled and said: "It's a triumph."
A Triumph (1180 words)
Copyright © R J Dent (2001 & 2016)
A revised version of this story first appeared in Writer's Muse No. 11
Follow R J Dent's work on:
website: http://www.rjdent.com/
amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/R.-J.-Dent/e/B0034Q3RD4
blog: https://rjdent.wordpress.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/RJDent
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rjdentwriter
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rjdent69
© Copyright 2019 R J Dent. All rights reserved.
Add Your Comments:
More Literary Fiction Short Stories
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Poem / Poetry
Book / Fantasy
Short Story / Young Adult
Book / Fantasy
Booksie Popular Content
Other Content by R J Dent
Short Story / Fantasy
Short Story / Fantasy
Short Story / Science Fiction