Price Determination in Market Forces of Demand and Supply

Price Determination in Market Forces of Demand and Supply Introduction It is inevitable that world prices of commodities are increasing substantially. The increase of commodity prices does not only affect producers and consumers, but also governments. Around the world, governments face renewed pressure to reform their budgeting processes, including Malaysia. Malaysia has a well-established infrastructure and is one of the most economically advanced countries in South Asia. This essay is opted to discuss the rational of price hikes and its impacts to the cost of living particularly in the Malaysian context as well as providing the blueprint for Malaysian government in bracing the price hikes. 2.0 Do Oil Price Increases Cause Higher Other Commodity Prices? Current commodity price hikes are not only affecting the Malaysian economy and society, but also affecting the whole world. According to OECD Economics Department Policy Notes, commodity prices have risen considerably since mid-2010. The rational of price hikes is due to the price hikes of world’s primary sources like crude oil, food, steel, wheat and such. Oil is one of the world’s basic necessities and the backbone of most countries, especially developing countries, as some developed countries do have renewable resources as alternatives in their productions of commodities. OECD Economics Department Policy Notes states that higher energy prices have contributed to rising food prices, because energy accounts for over one-third of the cost of grain production. 2.1 Scarcity of Oil as One of the Important Natural Resources This is further encouraged by the scarcity of natural resources and raw materials. It is expected that world supply and production of oil are falling into depletion. This problem is commonly referred to as â€Å"peak oil†, where the production of oil reaches a maximum and will subsequently begin to decline until full depletion is ultimately reached. According to Hassan (2010), it is expected that the world’s oil supply will be completely diminished by 2025. Prices are Set by Both International and Local Market Factors Commodity prices are largely determined by international market powers within regional basis at most of the time. This shows that commodity prices are in-part out of government’s control in most countries around the world including Malaysia. 3.1 Mixed Economy in Malaysia Malaysia is practicing a mixed economic system and not exempted by international price changes. The economic activities in Malaysia are carried out by entrepreneurs in the production activities of goods and services as well as by the government that provides public goods and services to Malaysian citizens in terms of education, transportation, health and others. Based on Price Control Act 1961, Malaysian government is controlling only seven types of goods—white refined sugar, petrol, diesel, liquid petroleum gas, flour, cooking oil, and facemask (as illustrated in table 1). According to Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism, Malaysian government previously controlled other five goods which are steel (price control was repealed on 12 May 2008), chicken (price control was repealed on 12 May 2008), cement (price control was repealed on 5 June 2008), sweetened condensed milk (price control was repealed on 1 April 2009) and white bread (price control was repeale d on 1 Jan 2010). Table 1: List of Controlled Goods Source: Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) Commodity Price Increases in Malaysia According to Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong, Ayer Hitam MP and MCA Deputy President, 2014 is seen as a tough year for Malaysians as the prices hikes, including the impending ones that impacting the middle-income earners and below (Foong, 2014). The price hikes are assumed as one of the impacts of the Malaysian government’s rationalisation exercise of fuel subsidies and the electricity tariff in the effort of reducing the nation’s economic burden. 4.1 Reducing Nation’s Economic Burden The Malaysia’s federal government is in a bad state because it is spending more than it earns, causing a persistent budget deficit. Malaysia’s debt-to-GDP ratio is higher than officials would like. With the exception of India, that deficit burden is the highest among the Non-Japan Asian economies (KPMG, 2011). According to Deputy of Ministry of Finance Datuk Ahmad Maslan, at the end of June 2013, the federal government owed tax of RM 284.7 billion, which is 28.8% of Malaysian GDP (Bernama, 2013). Until September 30, 2013, the shortfall is funded by the federal government incurring more debt, which was in total of RM529.2 billion or 53.6% of GDP (Bernama, 2013). 4.2 Subsidy Removal According to Shanmugam, â€Å"In Malaysia, the electricity tariff, food prices and toll rates on urban highways are all going up in 2014 as the government cuts subsidies and reigns in its operating expenditure†. Scrapping energy subsidies has become a target for government austerity measures over the past years. In complying with the latest budget, Malaysia has recently cut its annual subsidy on petrol and electricity (The Economist, 2014). Malaysia slashed its petrol subsidies by 20 cents a litre and by 20 to 80 cents on diesel (BBC News, 2013). This is the first time in more than two years that Malaysia cuts fuel subsidies as it tries to reduce its budget deficit. On the other hand, the electricity tariff in Malaysia is increased by an average of about 14.89% for Peninsular Malaysia, and by about 17% for Sabah and Labuan starting January 1st, 2014 as shown in Table 2 (Shagar, 2013). This is in line with the Government’s effort towards gradually reducing energy subsidi es to industries through the Subsidy Rationalisation Program. Table 2: The table on implications of the revised rate on domestic users Impacts of price hikes to Malaysian cost of living It is pretty clear that the cost of living in Malaysia is going to rise substantially as we stepped into 2014. According to Alliance Financial Group Bhd. and Malaysian Rating Corp., the 14 percent increase in sugar cost starting in October 2013 and 11 percent increase of petrol in September 2014 as well as 15 percent increase of electricity in January 2014 could inhibit private consumption growth by 0.9 percentage point in 2014 (Chong, 2014). Chong (2014) anticipates that Malaysia’s middle class is harshly hit by the price increases with elevated household borrowings as slower pay increase than the lower-income earners. According to Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the chief officer at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, with as little as RM 3,000 salary per month, the middle-income earners or the ‘Sandwich Class’ is not benefitting as much as other higher and lower classes from the government income tax cuts (Chong, 2014). Despite the increase cost of living, the Malaysian Employers Federation estimates that there will be lower salary increases as well as bonuses in the private sector in 2014, where executives will get a 5.63 percent average increase in salaries and non-executives will get a 5.65 percent raise as the results of an MEF survey of 257 companies (Choong, 2014). The producers are the ones that expected to gain much of the price hikes, especially for those who take advantage by their hidden charges through overprice selling of goods on consumers. However, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry is taking serious actions to protect consumers’ rights. Figure 1: Food Prices Comparison between 2013 and 2014 Source: Utusan Online—3 January 2014 How do Malaysian government brace such increases in commodity prices? In many ways, Malaysia has been an early adopter of important financial reform programs. According to Shanmugam, the opposition has claimed that corruption and wastage are the main reasons the government is not able to spend within its means, thus increasing its spending that leads to high debt. Nevertheless, the technocrats in the Cabinet, Dato’ Seri Idris Jala and Dato’ Seri Abdul Wahid Omar say that Dato’ Seri Najib Razak’s administration has spelt out clear measures to tackle leakages in government spending and end corrupt practices. 6.1 Long-Term Agreement One of the ways that is taken by the Malaysian government in bracing the price increases is by having agreement with the resources supplying countries. For example, the government is able to control sugar price because of its long-term agreement with Brazil in supplying raw sugar to Malaysia. Nevertheless, sugar is pressured by price hikes due to the usage of sugar canes as primary supplier of raw sugar in biofuel (Department of Information, 2008). This causes sugar canes for the use of biofuel having high demand in the world market. Outcome-Based Budgeting The government has also introduced the Outcome-Based Budgeting (OBB) which is also known as Performance-Based Budgeting in Budget 2014 as a way to allocate resources based on achieving agreed upon objectives, program goals and measured results. This will help in improving the implementation of efficiencies, reducing redundancy and systematically evaluate the performance of all ministries. Furthermore, according to Dato’ Seri Abdul Wahid, the government is now more focusing on public-private partnerships, where the private sector implements the projects and end-users pay for it. He said that â€Å"there will be less emphasis on private finance initiatives (FPI) where the government has to pay annual lease payments, which contribute to a growing operating budget† (Shanmugam, 2013). Goods and Services Tax Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a broad based consumption tax which will generally be applicable on all goods and services, where consumers pay only on what they consume. Any registered business that charges GST can offset the GST it pays against the tax it collects before forwarding the balance to the government, so that the tax is ensured to be imposed only once. This is called as an â€Å"input tax credit mechanism†, where businesses are able to operate without tax cost and the final 6% tax is borne by the end consumer (Kumaran and Simpson, 2013). However, basic goods such as unprocessed meat, cooking oil, and sugar as well as public services like education, healthcare, tolls, financial services and life insurance will be exempt from GST (Kumaran and Simpson, 2013). This will help Malaysians in curbing their expenses with the increasing living cost. Furthermore, under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2010, it is illegal for businesses to increase prices by 4% across the board with the introduction of GST (Kumaran and Simpson, 2013). Pricing decisions by businesses are also obliged to be justifiable or else stringent penalties will be taken by domestic trade cooperatives and consumerism ministry. In brief, instead of making everything more expensive in addition to international price hikes, GST is going to help Malaysians by providing a more transparent, streamlined and fairer tax based on our consumption patterns (Kumaran and Simpson, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, despite the drawbacks of price hike to the cost of living particularly in the Malaysian context, price hikes are seen as a good cause in reducing the government’s burden. The government does need to reduce its fiscal deficit for the long term economic wellbeing. Therefore, cuts in government subsidies executed by the Malaysian government are viewed as a rational approach. Based on the blueprint discussed in this essay, it shows that the government also has proposed some measures to curb the impacts of price hikes to consumers. The government and its people are supposed to be partners in their shared journey of development and progress, thus both parties have to play their parts in fiscal consolidation. References BBC News. (2013, September 3). BBC NEWS BUSINESS. Retrieved from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23926411 Bernama. (2013, November 25). Hutang negara RM284.7b pada akhir Jun tahun ini, lapor Kementerian Kewangan. Retrieved from The Malaysian Insider: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/hutang-negara-rm284.7b-pada-akhir-jun-tahun-ini-lapor-kementerian-kewangan Chong, P. K. (2014, January 7th). Malaysians Seen Curbing Spending as Living Costs Surge: Economy. Retrieved from Bloomberg News: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-07/malaysians-seen-curbing-spending-as-living-costs-surge-economy.html Choong, P. (2014, January 7). Malaysians Seen Curbing Spending as Living Costs Surge: Economy. Bloomberg News. Malaysia: Bloomberg L.P. Department of Information. (2008). Clarification on Subsidies and Price Increases of Goods and Services. Kuala Lumpur: Perkasa Nilam Sdn. Bhd. Foong, P. (2014, January 6). Malaysian Politics 2014: Tough explaining price hikes to people, says Dr Wee. Retrieved from The Star Online: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/01/06/Malaysian-politics-2014-Wee-Ka-Siong-MCA-Barisan-Nasional/ Hassan, M. (2010, July 19). Bersediakah kita menuju negara hijau? Retrieved from Utusan Online: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010dt=0719pub=Utusan_Malaysiasec=Rencanapg=re_06.htm KPDNKK. (2014, January 10). Price List of Controlled Items. Retrieved from Offical Portal of Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism: http://www.kpdnkk.gov.my/en/pengguna/penguatkuasaan/brg-kawalan/harga-brg-kawalan KPMG. (2011, September). Outcome-based Budgeting: A Six Nation Study. Making the Transition. KPMG International Cooperative. Kumaran, R., Simpson, T. (2013, October 21). Real impact of GST on cost of living. Retrieved from The Star Online: http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2013/10/21/Real-impact-of-GST-on-cost-of-living-It-helps-change-the-way-we-pay-tax-provides-more-transparent-s.aspx/ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2011). The Effects of Oil Price Hikes on Economic Activity and Inflation. Economics Department Policy Note No. 4. OECD. Shagar, L. K. (2013, December 2). Electricity tariff up by average 15% from Jan 1. The Star. Malaysia: Star Publications (M) Bhd. Shanmugam, M. (2013, December 23). Shake-up in the economy. Malaysia: The Edge Malaysia Weekly. Star Publications (M) Bhd. (2014, January 21). Traders to pay for steep prices. Retrieved from The Star Online: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/01/21/Traders-to-pay-for-steep-prices-Shop-owners-will-be-taken-to-court-if-they-violate-regulation/ Tenaga Nasional Berhad. (2014). Tariff Rates. Retrieved from Tenaga Nasional: http://www.tnb.com.my/residential/pricing-and-tariff/tariff-rates.html The Economist. (2014, Jan 11th). Fuelling controversy. The $9 Trillion Sale (Almost) Everything Must Go! The Economist Newspaper Limited. The copyright of Nur Nisrin Alina Abdul Aziz (MBA Services Management, UniRazak)Page 1

Oedipus Rex †The Women Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex – The Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Charles Segal in Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge explains the protagonist’s concern for Jocasta’s burial in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex:      Oedipus turns from his utter desolation and abasement to something of his old air of command, albeit in a chastened and softened tone. He asks Creon to expel him from Thebes as quickly as he can and gives orders for Jocasta’s burial (1446ff), a gesture of concern and responsibility characteristic of the Oedipus we saw in the opening scenes(73).    Oedipus’ attitude toward Jocasta in death – is it the same as in life? This essay will answer the previous question and many other questions regarding women in Oedipus Rex.    Michael J. O’Brien in the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, maintains that there is â€Å"a good deal of evidence to support this view† that the fifth century playwright was the â€Å"educator of his people† and a â€Å"teacher†. Sophocles in his tragedy, Oedipus Rex, teaches about â€Å"morally desirable attitudes and behavior† (4), and uses three women to help convey these principles of living.    At the outset of Oedipus Rex no female characters are present; the reader sees a king who comes to the door full of curiosity: â€Å"Explain your mood and purport. Is it dread /Of ill that moves you or a boon ye crave?† When the priest has responded that the people are despairing from the effects of the plague, the king shows sympathy for his subjects: â€Å"Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain, /How great soever yours, outtops it all.† Thomas Van Nortwick in Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life : â€Å"We see already the supreme self-confidence and ease of command in Oedipus. . ... ...s of the Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.    Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi    â€Å"Sophocles† In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Van Nortwick, Thomas.   Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.    Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.         

Genetics of Alcoholism. Does Alcohol Dependence Depend of Race

Alcoholism is very all known occurrence that have a place in every culture. Modern medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease and addiction which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. Although this definition do not specify current and on-going use of alcohol as a qualifier for alcoholism, some do, as well as remarking on the long-term effects of consistent, heavy alcohol use, include dependence and symptoms of withdrawal. Psychiatric geneticists John I. Nurnberger, Jr. and Laura Jean Bierut suggest that alcoholism does not have a single cause—including genetic—but that genes do play an important role â€Å"by affecting processes in the body and brain that interact with one another and with an individual's life experiences to produce protection or susceptibility. † They also report that fewer than a dozen alcoholism-related genes have been identified, but that more likely await discovery. At least one genetic test exists for an allele that is correlated to alcoholism and opiate addiction. Human dopamine receptor genes have a detectable variation referred to as the DRD2 TaqI polymorphism.Those who possess the A1 allele (variation) of this polymorphism have a small but significant tendency towards addiction to opiates and endorphin releasing drugs like alcohol. Although this allele is slightly more common in alcoholics and opiate addicts, it is not by itself an adequate predictor of alcoholism, and some researchers argue that evidence for DRD2 is contradictory. Also, studies indicate that the proportion of men with alcohol dependence is higher than the proportion of women, 7% and 2. 5% respectively, although women are more vulnerable to long-term consequences of alcoholism.Around 90% of adults in United States consume alcohol, and more than 700,000 of them are treated daily for alcoholism. Professor David Zaridze, who led the international research team, calculated that alcohol had killed three millio n Russians since 1987. In the United Kingdom, the number of ‘dependent drinkers' was calculated as over 2. 8 million in 2001. The World Health Organization estimates that about 140 million people throughout the world suffer from alcohol dependence and dominant number of them is European people. 70% of Asian people, according to Svetlana Borinskaya PhD.Laboratory worker of institute of General Genetics behalf of the Vavilov, have a particular gene that works as a protector from alcohol addictive syndrome. My hypothesis statement is that Asian people are less predisposed to become an alcohol addictive that European people. In order to test my hypothesis I will use an experimental method. In my experiment I will need two groups of participants, both groups will be experimental. First group will contain 100 participants that belong to European race, second group will contain 100 participants that belong to Asian race with â€Å"Asian† gene of alcoholic protector.In my exper iment I will try to select in general alike participant from the physical appearance point of view. Also they should not be active alcohol users or they should be people that never taste alcohol. There are criteria for participants: males, 25-35 years old, weight 70-90 kg, height 170-190 cm, average constitution, good health, average social status and average economical status. Experiment will last two months. In the beginning of my experiment I will place participants in two houses. During experiment they will have five ingestions per day: breakfast, dinner, snack, lunch and supper.Then every day before ingestion they will receive portion of vine- 400 g. and also they will have an access to vine. Vine intake before ingestions and free access to vine will lasts one month in the second month we will stop access to vine and also in taking vine before ingestion. And during whole this month observe their behavior. After second month of experiment we will give them a portion of vine. Als o directly after experiment we will ask them to evaluate their self-appraisal about them from the alcohol dependence point of view.Then according to participants reaction to final portion of vine and also refers to a self-appraisal of participants we will collect and then analyze data. There are three expected outcomes of the research First, European people will demonstrate less tolerance to alcohol dependence then Asian people and it will mean that my hypothesis is right and â€Å"Asian† gene is worked as alcohol dependence protector. Second, there will be no difference between European and Asian people from the tolerance to alcohol dependence point of view it will mean that â€Å"Asian† gene do not influence to alcohol protector mechanism.Third, European people will demonstrate higher tolerance to alcohol dependence then Asian people, it will mean that†Asian† gene do not influence to alcohol protector mechanism or works inversely than that we suppose.

Religion Tradition Depth Study Essay

Religion Tradition Depth Study Essay Religion Tradition Depth Study Essay â€Å"Christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable or of the timid. It is a set of rituals, beliefs (and most importantly) a way of living that creates heroic souls like Wesley, Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, John Paul II, and Billy Graham. Each showed, in their own way, the relentless and powerful influence of the message of Jesus Christ.† – Mitt Romney With reference to the quote explain how Christianity is a living religious tradition in the life of its adherents. The quote from Mitt Romney is based around evangelists who, from Christianity gained their strength to overcome oppression and enact the word of Jesus Christ from the beliefs and rituals based around Christianity. To followers of Jesus Christ, this quote proves Jesus’s relentless and powerful message towards his adherents. This is symbolic as it shows followers of Jesus Christ to understand his message, which is central in Christian beliefs. As a result of this Christianity has proved not to be static, but rather living religious traditions in the life of its adherents. This is evident through many factors such as rituals, ethical teachings, and significant leaders within Christianity that have stood the test of time. The quote highlights that although Jesus is not with us, through his relentless and powerful message. His presence is still felt by all his adherents. This highlights that in order for Christianity to be living religious tradition adherents must practise the rituals set in place. Baptism is the Christian rite of admission, celebrating the initiation of an individual into the Christian community. Within Christianity there are many denominations where baptism has a different meaning. Such as in Catholism for means of salvation, baptism is received in order for original sin to be lost and regained penance. In Anglicanism it involves the turning from all that is evil and repenting towards Christ. Fundamentally as Christ has been resurrected, his life is significant and Christian adherents are baptised to show their following of God. In John 3:5 it states â€Å"Unless a person is born through water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God†. This ritual is practised differently throughout denominations in Christianity. In many protestant Churches such as Lutheran and Anglicanism baptism by immersion is common. This is where the whole body is submerged in water and scripture is recited â€Å"Baptise in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit†, this ritual recognises the dying of your old self like Jesus Christ and rising up again like Jesus Christ. Through this practise an individual is able to live out the message of Christ in everyday life through the release of original sin and the transcending of God’s Holy Spirit on the adherent’s heart in which allows the Holy Spirit to be real in their life. This shows how Christianity is a living religious tradition because of the Holy Spirit’s everlasting presence in an individual’s life. In Catholism, Infant baptism is the most common, it is done by the aspersion or sprinkling of water over an infant. In Romans 4:25, it states â€Å"He was delivered up for trespasses and raised for our justifications† this confirms the resurrection of Christ. This also recognises that if Christ had not been resurrected therefore sin would still be prevalent in the world and Christians would not be able to actively worship God. However Jesus Christ did rise from the dead and in whom Catholics believe that through infant baptism original sin is taken away, validating that Christianity is a living religious tradition. Additionally for baptism there are elements which are needed for this ritual to place, such as the use of white garments which represent purity and innocence, baptismal candle representing the eternal light of Christ, anointing oil which marks the candidate as a child of Christ as oil cannot be washed off by water, and the use of readings from the Gospel throughout the

Essential Things to Know About Shakespeares Sonnets

Essential Things to Know About Shakespeares Sonnets The collection of 154 Shakespeare sonnets remains some of the most important poems ever written in the English language. Indeed, the collection contains Sonnet 18 – ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?’ – described by many critics as the most romantic poem ever written. It is strange that, considering their literary importance, they were never supposed to be published! For Shakespeare, the sonnet was a private form of expression. Unlike his plays, which were written expressly for public consumption, there is evidence to suggest that Shakespeare never intended for his collection of 154 sonnets to be published. Publishing the Shakespeare Sonnets Although written in the 1590s, it wasn’t until 1609 that the Shakespeare sonnets were published. Around this time in Shakespeares biography, he was finishing his theatrical career in London and moving back to Stratford-upon-Avon to live out his retirement. It is likely that the 1609 publication was unauthorized because the text is riddled with errors and seems to be based on an unfinished draft of the sonnets – possibly obtained by the publisher through illegitimate means. To make things even more complicated, a different publisher released another edition of the sonnets in 1640 in which he edited the gender of the Fair Youth from â€Å"he† to â€Å"she†. A Breakdown of Shakespeare's Sonnets Although each sonnet in the 154-strong collection is a standalone poem, they do interlink to form an overarching narrative. In effect, this is a love story in which the poet pours adoration upon a young man. Later, a woman becomes the object of the poet’s desire. The two lovers are often used to breakdown the Shakespeare sonnets into chunks. The Fair Youth Sonnets:  Sonnets 1 to 126 are addressed to a young man known as the â€Å"fair youth†. Exactly what the relationship is, is unclear. Is it a loving friendship or something more? Is the poet’s love reciprocated? Or is it simply an infatuation? You can read more about this relationship in our introduction to the Fair Youth Sonnets.The Dark Lady Sonnets:  Suddenly, between sonnets 127 and 152, a woman enters the story and becomes the poet’s muse. She is described as a â€Å"dark lady† with unconventional beauty. This relationship is perhaps even more complex than the Faith Youth’s! Despite his infatuation, the poet describes her as â€Å"evil† and like a â€Å"bad angel†. You can read more about this relationship in our introduction to the  Dark Lady Sonnets.The Greek Sonnets:  The final two sonnets in the collection, sonnets 153 and 154, are completely different. The lovers disappear and the poet muses on the Roma n myth of Cupid. These sonnets act as a conclusion or summing up to the themes discussed throughout the sonnets. Literary Importance It is difficult to appreciate today how important Shakespeare’s sonnets were. At the time of writing, the Petrarchan sonnet form was extremely popular †¦ and predictable! They focused on unobtainable love in a very conventional way, but Shakespeare’s sonnets managed to stretch the strictly-obeyed conventions of sonnet writing into new areas. For example, Shakespeare’s depiction of love is far from courtly – it is complex, earthy and sometimes controversial: he plays with gender roles, love and evil are closely entwined and he speaks openly about sex. For example, the sexual reference that opens sonnet 129 is clear: The expense of spirit in a waste of shameIs lust in action: and till action, lust. In Shakespeare’s time, this was a revolutionary way of discussing love! Shakespeare, therefore, paved the way for modern romantic poetry. The sonnets remained relatively unpopular until Romanticism really kicked in during the nineteenth century. It was then that the Shakespeare sonnets were revisited and their literary importance secured.

Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Supply Chain - Essay Example Supply Chain The role of international supply chain management is significant amongst organizations in the present scenario. Increased globalization is the major reason behind such form of supply chain management. It can be stated that this form of trend has given birth to increasing sourcing through cross-border activities (Farmer and Jessop, 2008). On the other hand global supply chain even enables firm to acquire certain parts of the value chain offered by low cost providers. This increasing rate of global operations has even enabled global coordination amongst firms. In present decade it is observed that many larger organizations work in collaboration with SMEs due to the support provided by such international supply chain activities (Lysons and Farrington, 2005). The framework of international supply chain management has been beneficial for larger and mid-sized organizations and even for manufacturers as they are able to develop larger lot sizes, better environments and much lower tax rates for their product line. Amongst organizations this framework plays an active role by not only storing large base of resources but even through effective customer service management, management of manufacturing flow, product commercialization and development, maintaining supplier relationship, handling returns and successfully fulfilling placed orders

Ergonomics, Work Methods, Satandards and Work Design Case Study

Ergonomics, Work Methods, Satandards and Work Design - Case Study Example The collected data were tabulated and graphically represented in order to conduct the proposed program more smoothly. The gathered information clearly indicated that back injuries and cumulative trauma disorders (CTD) were very common among the employees. However; among the recordable cases, 30% were back related whereas CTDs constituted only less than 10%. From a detailed analysis, the investigators identified that ‘selectors’ were the group most vulnerable to back injuries while forklift operators maintained the second place. A department-wise study revealed that the grocery department had majorily affected by injuries followed by freezer department and meat and diary departments in second place and third place respectively. Contusions and sprains were outnumbered and hence that could not be brought under the range of this study. In addition to the collection of statistical data, the project members also gathered ten minutes videos of each department’s work perf ormance in order to examine the nature of physical strain caused by each job. The adopted biomechanical techniques for this study included â€Å"a three dimensional analysis of static strength requirements and an analysis of repetitive lifting using the revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Lifting Equation† (Laurie, Andres & Wood, n.d.). As a part of the research, frequency data in January, 1994 were gathered for each job. Vertical and horizontal distances between each job location were estimated using measurement tapes and handled loads are weighed. The investigators also consulted personnel familiar with these operations with intent to acquire information regarding overtime work. The collected information processed using the two selected methods. The study outcomes illustrate that lifting cases above 50 lb. and horizontal movement cases beyond 20† cause high stress on the body and it would probably affect the low back or shoulder area. Section 2 Every organization largely depends on its employees to achieve a comprehensive economic growth. The above stated grocery warehouse distribution company also offers certain benefits to its employees. As discussed earlier, the firm implements an incentive pay system by which the employees get the opportunity to earn unlimited income. Under this option, the fastest worker achieves more so that an employee may tend to perform his works rapidly. An employee’s outstanding physical performance on a regular basis would certainly result in injuries and sprains on his body. This situation turns out to be the main cause of increased back injuries and CTDs in the organization. It has been identified that the grocery selectors are the most affected category of back injuries. The gathered data show that grocery selectors lift a weight of 30 pounds at a frequency of four per minute and this activity continues for eight hours. The asymmetry angle or back twisting angle for this wo rk is 30 degrees. At the same time, meat selectors lift 70 pounds two times in a minute and their job duration is also 8 hours. All other elements remain the same for each