Diffusion of Innovation of Commitment Ceremonies

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Diffusion of Innovation of Commitment Ceremonies Jack Williams York College MSOM 30 November 11, 2012 Professor David Wooden Introduction to Commitment Ceremony A commitment ceremony does not strive to take the commitment out of marriage, only the law and the name by which it stands. It's a public celebration in which an adult couple declares lifelong commitment and love for one another without any legal implications, which also renders them from any legal rights or responsibilities. It can take place in many ways from a ritual to bless the event to a big party, and can even resemble a traditional wedding celebration in every way, except there is no marriage license and the participants' legal status does not change. Whether simple or elaborate, the ceremony typically includes the option of a marriage officiant, speeches made by friends and/or relatives, reflective readings, promises of commitment and personal pledges, exchange of gifts or symbolic items, cultural themes or traditional rituals. Diffusion of Innovations Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures (O’Sullivan & Dooley, 2009). A respected scholar and professor of sociology, Everett Rogers, first propagated the theory in 1962 with his book Diffusion of Innovations. He stated that “diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system; when a radical new product is launched into the marketplace, it can be adopted by various customer segments during its life cycle” (Rogers, 1983). In 1983, Rogers lists five such segments: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggars. In 1997, Rogers identifies five characteristics of the diffusion of a new innovation

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