Government Punjab Public Library Essay

Government Punjab Public Library Lahore lies in the heart of the city of Lahore at the Library Road near Lahore Museum. Thelibrary is centrally situated in this way and has a pleasant atmosphere for a calm and peaceful study. The library holds an exceptional rare collection of books in English, Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Punjabi. The total collection is about 500,000 books now, comprising of massive numbers of magazines and newspapers, reports, also the old gazettes of Punjab, Pakistan and undivided India and more than 1,500 manuscripts. Government Punjab Public Library was formed by Sir Charles Aitcheson in1886. It started off with an old monument-type building where they had only 70 books. Gradually donations of books and documents were made and the library system managed to build up strongly. It? s main purpose was to build a public library and a reading room. The other Blocks were built in 1924, 1939 and 1992. Introduction: Government Punjab Public Library is facing some major problems from quite some time. These problems include mostly theft and it is discovered after the theft, waiting in long queues before issuing the book, discovering, after waiting for long, that the desired book is unavailable, tast is done manually. There is no system to keep a proper check on the books in stock and also on the visitor. The need to introduce an automated system as a solution to the problems faced by the members of the Government Punjab Public Library bought me to RFID system. By introducing RFID system, which happens to be a combination of a computer chip and a small radio antenna that allows object to self-identify, we intend to solve all the above mentioned problems. This is a unique system of its kind that not only is the fastest, easiest and most effective way to track, locate and manage library material but also pledge security and safety. A number of deficiencies have been experienced in the current system of the library since the work is done manually which happens to be a big problem. Hence it seems to be the need of the hour to provide The Government Punjab Public Library with an automated system which is going to make lives, of all those who really want to bring some change by devoting most of their times in gaining knowledge, a lot easier. RFID system would help in making an effective flow of book circulation. Also, it helps in tracking the book in minutes instead of hours and the unique ID of the RFID tag prevents counterfeiting. Through market research ie; through the interviews that I conducted from the members and librarian on my visit to the library, I have concluded that 87% people are in a desperate need for a better system. According to these people, if an automated system is introduced not only members but non-members would also purchase or issue books which would end up increasing their market share. Apparently the conditions of Government Punjab Public Library demand an automated system that not only keeps a check on the stock but also helps the librarian in looking for one and also deals with security concerns. Therefore I believe that RFID system happens to be the best suited solution for a problem like this because this society is capable of producing really good writers, scholars, poets, students and a platform like an automated Library system can be a gateway to success for such people. I determinedly believe that by pursuing this possibility and by implementing, controlling and maintaining a system like this, we will be able to satisfy a large number of people who are the only hope to bring a change about a change in Pakistan. Discussion Apparently Government Punjab Public Library is undergoing some problems. These problems lead to low members follow–up and is the reason why there is a need for a better system. For starters, currently members complaint of experiencing long queues which frustrates them and they don’t want to return back. The frustration is further caused when after waiting for several minutes it is discovered that the book isn’t available in the library. And in case the book is available, the member has to wait for long since the manual entry of book issuing takes long. Disappointment follows when members receive unfriendly staff. Moreover constant cases of theft have been witnessed by the librarian. Members often hide the books in their bags and leave without issuing. This not only causes stock mismanagement but also results in disappointment. To solve these problems, installing an RFID system, is important. The purpose of installing RFID system in the library system is to change the current manual and hectic structure. This would not only help in eliminating theft but will also reduce time consumption and level of disappointment that is caused when discovered that the desired book/s is/are unavailable. Hence, getting an effective and automated Library Management System is essential. The reason why I chose RFID system is because it is the fastest, easiest and most efficient way to track, locate & manage library materials. Not only that, through RFID system automatic check-in and check-out can be practiced. While interviewing the librarians at the library I, time and again, heard them complaining about the mismanagement of the stock and also that it takes long in locating a book. Through RFID system Library inventory tracking can be done in minutes instead of hours because it is basically a wireless system for automatic identifications and tracking by using radio frequency electromagnetic fields, by transferring the data from a tag attached to a product, which in this case are the books. One of the problems that the librarian highlighted and laid great stress on addressing that problem was the stealing of books. According to the librarian, this is one of the biggest issues the management of library is dealing with but with the help of RFID system, they can easily address to a situation like this. With the help of walk through gates, which is one of the components of RFID system, stealer can be easily located. This is possible because every book will have its own RFID tag like every member will have theirs. And if someone tries to take the book without issuing, that person can easily be traced with the help of walk through gates which will start to beam as soon as some is illegally exiting. This brings me to the point of discussing some of the benefits that can be driven from introducing RFID system. For starters, with the walk through gates and tags, no thefts will be claimed hence, a secure library management system will be exercised. Moreover the schedule of the staff will become flexible. This is because the routine would not be as hectic as before. Also if two persons were dealing with a task earlier, now only one can easily handle it. Furthermore, trained workforce would walk in. There is another business benefit that will be gathered in the form of customer satisfaction. Obviously, when the customers would not have to wait for their turn, standing in a long queue, they would be much happier and content. Conclusion: Keeping in mind the benefits it can easily be concluded that this system will be a big success once installed. It won’t be a wise move to deny the fact that it is going to be a big investment but analyzing the benefits which are significant and undeniable, the cost would be a secondary thing to worry about. Currently the books are mishandled and misplaced by the incessant handling processes of the staff members. There is too much hassle in material handling. Now this issue would be resolved due to the self-digitalized service by the members and the staff as well and as a result the inventory would be properly preserved. With the RFID, the Punjab Public Library management system would be revolutionized and the overall performance would catch pace and tasks would be done quickly and on time. References: 1. Personally visited the Government Punjab Publiv library 2. http://www. rfid-library. com/en/default_e. html 3. http://gppl. org. pk/ 4. http://www. logisticsit. com/articles/2007/03/22/2679-the-benefits-of-rfid 5. http://www. jesic-tech. com/RFID_iLib. html 6. http://www. rfid-library. com/en/system-four-phases. html.

Khafre and Seated Scribe Essay

Comparison The two pieces, â€Å"Khafre† and â€Å"Seated Scribe†, are two art pieces that have originated from the ancient Egyptian time period. These two pieces are very similar and different in many ways. With this in mind, we learn that art work, depending on the time period, may have similar meanings but also different messages and that same time. The piece â€Å"Khafre† has many differences compared to â€Å"Seated Scribe†. One of these differences is simple; Khafre, the Pharaoh that is being depicted in the piece, â€Å"Khafre† has the body build, such as muscles, that would give the viewer the idea that he is a leader. While on the other hand, the piece â€Å"Seated Scribe† shows a man sitting down with little to no body strength and shows the viewer that he had a good life that was free of physical labor. Another difference between the two pieces is that the lives of the two are completely different. While the Pharaoh shows a life of seriousness, strength, and power; the â€Å"Seated Scribe† shows the viewer a life of wisdom, alertness, eagerness, labor free, and attentiveness. Another major difference between the two pieces is that on the â€Å"Khafre† piece, the Pharaoh’s throne has plants, papyrus and lotus plants, that represent his ruling and power over the upper and lo wer regions of Egypt. With this in mind the viewer of â€Å"Seated Scribe† notices that the scribe might have been in one of those two regions of Egypt and although he shows more of a labor free life, he might still be under the law of the Pharaoh, Khafre; proving the fact that Khafre has more obvious power over the normal human being, yet alone a scribe. One last difference is in the wealth difference of the two people. While the Pharaoh sits on a throne with a backing on it, the scribe sits on the hard ground but still has perfect posture. With these differences the viewer can begin to have a better understanding of the meaning and symbolism behind the two pieces. Aside from just differences, the two pieces â€Å"Seated Scribe† and â€Å"Khafre† are also very similar as well. One of the many ways that they are similar is in their posture. The two men sit upright and alert. Their eyes focused on the task at hand. For the scribe it may be more obvious but you can also tell Khafre’s alertness by his clenched fist and his wide open eyes. The two pieces also share the similarity of service. While the scribe is shown possibly writing words for the Pharaoh, therefore doing a service for him; Khafre sits on his thrown and can be viewed as him serving his people. This idea can be shown by the way that they are seated and the way they are looking with full alertness. The last similarity between the two pieces is that the two are idealized very clearly. With the scribe you can take a quick look and have the idea that the piece is representing a person who is not of royal being and that he is a type of writer. The same can be said for the Pharaoh; you can look at the piece and automatically notice that the piece represents a Pharaoh by his body stature, his headdress and false beard. With differences in mind, the viewer of these two pieces can get a better knowledge of the art world and what they truly mean. Overall the two pieces are similar and different in many ways. But having the ability to study and have a closer look into the two pieces and get an idea of what the artist was trying to portray, is what makes art so fascinating. The two pieces are just a small part into the art of Ancient Egypt. But knowing what the two are about, is what makes the viewer and student have a better appreciation of the art of the past.

Confidentiality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Confidentiality - Essay Example This paper will aim at explaining the importance of maintaining confidentiality in secrets, operations and information basing on information provided by the two investigative reporters in their book. In ‘Top secret America’, the authors provide a list of investigative articles that describe the growth of secret intelligence in the United states after the 9/11 attacks. The book provides a three part series that explains on thousands of companies that work get to work on issues revolving homeland security, intelligence and counterterrorism (Priest & Arkin 5). The book presents the highly secretive world of America’s intelligence that few know about their existence, running costs and operations. The work conducted by these organizations gets highly classified, and the public lacks an idea of what processes get conducted. The high level of confidentiality by the ‘secret American world’ has had its benefits to the country in regards to war against terror. The two investigative journalists, who are also the authors of the book, provide evidence on their frustrations in tracing code names, acronyms without explanation and buildings without addresses (Priest & Arkin 189). In their book, Arkin and Priest reveal of another parallel world existing in America consisting of thousands of federal agencies, private companies and individuals doing ‘top secret work’. They reveal of increased spending on counter terrorism, which does not get accurately accounted for by the federal government (Priest & Arkin 223). The secret work of these agencies gets aimed at protecting the country from potential terror threats. Placing confidentiality in the operations of these agencies is necessary in keeping information regarding military actions and decisions secret from potential enemies. This helps the forces to secretly plan on attacks and detect threats without getting suspected. Maintaining a high level of secrecy and confidentiality also he lps the joint special operations command-JSOC, in their target military operations and reconnaissance. In the book, the authors explain the development of the JSOC into a lethal force and highly secretive command which conduct much work than the CIA currently (Priest & Arkin, 98). According to work conducted by Priest, the author describes JSOC as a force that gets to shape the universe in undetectable ways. Due to its highly secretive stature, the command conduct target military operations such as the one that got to kill Osama Bin Laden. The high level of secrecy maintained in these organizations is vital in alienating target terror threats. This helps the country in fighting against terrorism. The JSOC has turned out into a lethal arm of the military due to the little information that gets shared or is available about it. The high level of secrecy maintained by the JSOC has resulted in people getting curious over this mysterious organization. The high level of confidentiality tho ugh, has also served to assist the country inn getting rid of its enemies since the 9/11 attacks and keeping the country safe (Priest & Arkins 258). The success of the JSOC has resulted from few people knowing about its operations. As a result of its obscurity, the JSOC has got to not only carry out operations in countries that America is at war against but also other states around the globe. From the

Athens and Florence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Athens and Florence - Essay Example Freestanding sculpture became a popular culture amongst artists in Athens between 300 and 400 BCE. Political structures of renaissance Florence comprised of city-states wherein a more or fewer residents shared authority. This made politics slightly core complex for Italy considering the rest of Europe during this era had monarchial structures of government. City-states in Florence made oath-making and duties a world of civil conflicts amongst leaders. By 1425, Florence had a population of 60,000 with twelve artist guilds acting as a foundation for social life. These guilds controlled social influences within Florence through highly held positions. Lastly, culture in renaissance Florence depended largely on wealth. A trend for self-marketing by merchant guilds slowly turned into a cultural feature of Florence and its renaissance benefaction. Wealthy individuals reveled in personal adoration and spiritual prosperity that founded Florence’s culture during the 1400s. The most important similarity between Athens during its golden age and renaissance Florence is their introduction of democratic or representative types of administration, profound literature, and art into their respective regions. The most important difference between these two cities is that Athens serves a model for determining accomplishments made by western cities from the fifth to fourth centuries B.C.E. and Florence used wealth to identify its culture, government, and

The effect of illegal immigration on the U.S. economy Term Paper

The effect of illegal immigration on the U.S. economy - Term Paper Example A nation without borders is not a nation and this country has been losing control of the borders for many decades, losing prosperity, security and autonomy along with them. One of the most important issues of the White House and Congress should be securing the borders, but homeland security is all but non-existent. This is a complex problem that is not being solved by the congressmen, who continuously fail to act in the country’s best interests. The massive numbers of illegal aliens pouring across mainly the southern border has and continues to cause substantial economic, social and physical harms to legal citizens. These harms occur predominantly to those who are among the most vulnerable segments of the population: minorities, children and the poor. The fundamental reason for the flood of immigration from Latin America, specifically Mexico, is the disintegration of the Mexican economy predominantly resulting from free-trade strategies employed by the North American Free Trad e Agreement and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rampant corruption within the Mexican government has also contributed significantly to the collapse of the Mexican economy. â€Å"Due to IMF policies regarding Mexico, its economic output dropped 33 percent in the past two decades† (Small, 2005). During this period, its foreign debt rose 359 percent because of widespread looting of the national coffers. These factors caused the â€Å"collapse of all areas of productive economic activity and employment, is the primary driver of the flood of emigrants desperate to leave Mexico, to find some livelihood for themselves and their families in the United States† (Small, 2005). It has been estimated that the added cost to the federal government will be more than $15 billion per year when the present illegal aliens become citizens and begin collecting welfare benefits. The proposed bill will add greatly to this number because it will encourage a new surge of low skilled workers through its guest worker program. Traditionally, immigrants to the U.S. were less likely than those born in America to collect welfare. This historic arrangement has radically changed over the past three decades. Today, immigrant families are at least 50 percent more likely to receive federal benefits than those born in this country. Additionally, immigrants are more likely to adapt their lives to rely on the welfare system and studies have shown the longer immi ­grants stay in the U.S., the more likely they are to be on welfare. To further aggravate the situation, when an illegal immigrant becomes a citizen, he can legally bring his parents who also have the right to become citi ­zens. The estimated long-term cost of overall federal benefits could exceed $50 billion per year for the parents of the 10 million beneficiaries of amnesty. Approximately half of current illegal immigrants do not possess a high-school level education. Welfare use among this group and for low-sk ill immigrants granted amnesty is three times the rate for the U.S. born citizens. Over the past two decades, about 10 million people who do not possess a high-school diploma have entered the country and predictably end up on welfare. (Rector, 2006). Illegal immigrants receive more from public monies than they contribute which lowers the standard of living for legal citizens. Illegal immigrants contribute greatly to the overall population growth and health care, education and employment are the most impacted. Salaries are driven down by illegal immigrants willing to work for much less while their children, illegal and legal, overcrowd the schools. It’s the U.S. taxpayer who is sent the bill for their health care services as well. In addition, the large influx of illegal aliens

King Arthur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

King Arthur - Essay Example Geoffrey also translated an ancient book titled â€Å"History of the Kings of Britian†, which was most likely highly elaborated upon in his hands. This was the first work to cover the life of King Arthur in much detail. It was taken as truth until around the 17th century. Modern historians trace much of the content of Geoffreys â€Å"History† to Celtic mythology and other Breton writings, as well as some historical works tying the content back to actual events of the time period. â€Å"Life of Merlin†, another of Geoffreys writings, was both written and placed into the timeline after â€Å"History of the Kings of Britian†. However, since Merlin appeared in the original â€Å"History† as well, his role was made more mythical by extending his lifespan to an impossible degree. Geoffrey did this in order to make the events in â€Å"Life of Merlin† and â€Å"History† agree with each other, even though it is most likely that the Merlin from â€Å"History† and the Merlin in â€Å"Life of Merlin† were two different people. As a reward for his work, Geoffrey was first named Bishop of St. Asaphs and then Archbishop Theobald. However, he was unable to fill this role well due to the Welsh revolution that was taking place. In addition, he died shortly after being named Archbishop, and was never really able to enjoy being elected to the position. I selected this reading because it is more interesting for me to learn about real historical figures and the background of the stories than it is to study the life of characters that never existed. Geoffrey of Monmouth is the man responsible for the popularity of the Arthur stories we know and love today; this alone makes him worthy of further study. This reading attempts to be as historically accurate as is possible. There are probably errors, given the scarcity of records that remain about Geoffrey of

Immigration Restrictions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Immigration Restrictions - Essay Example Based on statistics presented in the article, it is clear that immigrants are improving the US economy and have also led to a massive population growth. Despite the economic advantage brought in by the immigrants, some people are also against the issue of having many immigrants. They argued that the immigrants do not pay taxes whereas they use public schools and hospitals. Moreover, they use their immigration documents to access anything they want. Immigrants have been there all over the world since the 17th century. In the late 17th century, 3% of the world’s population was made up of immigrants. Immigrants play a crucial role in improving the economy and increasing the population. Based on available statistics, it is expected that in future, 60% of the USA population will be composed of immigrants. This population is expected to be more educated and will improve the USA’s economy and education level. Moreover, the USA society will grow to a multicultural society, and many people will visit the USA to learn about these cultures. Immigrants are disadvantageous in other ways. Most immigrants use social security numbers of the natives in order to access the facilities that they need. It is surprising that the USA government is not able to track down such activities. These activities pose a danger to the USA residents since the resources available might be overused. It is crucial for the government to provide the immigrants with documents that can use to access public facilities. Provision of these documents will enable the country to have correct statistics, and thus negative reflections will be eliminated.

Religion and Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and Theology - Essay Example Religion typically appeals to emotional values of a person as opposed to the intellectual values. Believers always tend to think that an emotional reason for believers is not worthy. A person may be identified according to his/her religion in many ways, such as the dressing codes, the speech of a person and their lifestyle. You can identify a person religion due to the way the person dresses, some religion are strict in the believer’s mode of dressing and therefore are against other types of dressing while others do not care about the dressing mode.the speech of a person can also make you to differentiate people according to their religion for instance Muslims usually include Muhammad in between their conversations while Christians include Jesus Christ, this can help one to differentiate between a Muslim and a Christian. The name of a person can suggest the religion of the respective person (Neusner, 304). For instance the Christians name their children according to the names in the bible. This are only but a few ways one can be identified in regard to the religion he/she belongs to. Despite the difference in religions and beliefs most people believe in on e true God. Muslim is one among the many religions. The Muslims believe in Muhammad as the messenger of God. They believe in Quran as the only revelation that is not changed with human influence. Though they agree that there are other revelation but they argue that the other revelation have been altered with time thus remaining with the Quran as the perfect one. The Muslims are tied up by various religious concepts and practices this includes fasting in various seasons such as the Ramadan and alms giving. During their fasting period they dedicate themselves in helping the poor and the needy, this is not usually considered as a charity work thus it is a religious requirement that must be respected by all Muslims. They usually take this as the best moment to be near to God and do his work. Their fasting always starts from dawn and ends at dusk at wich time they ought not to take anything even a drink, pregnant women and the sick people are usually exempted from the fasting because the y can not stay for long hours without food. They always pray five times in a day, the five pillars of worship has always been the concept of worship and they stick unto it. Their religion also insists that one must have a trip to Mecca once in a one’s lifetime, at the least. The rituals done during the trip to Mecca include having a walk seven times rounds the Kaaba, if possible one should make sure he/she touches the black stone, they usually run in between mount. Safa and mount marwa seven times continuous, in addition to the above rituals a Muslim is also supposed to symbolically stone the devil in mina. They not only assemble in the mosque for their prayers but also meet there to study different things in regard to life. Children classes are also held in the mosque, Muslims always believe that a child should be taught while still young. When going to the toilet the Muslims usually carries a jerican of water to wash themselves, they do this to maintain cleanliness unlike m any religions that their believers use the tissue papers. This seems so interesting but attending their worshipping service is more interesting though not easy if you are a non Muslim to be granted the permission. The Muslims worship every Friday at 1.00 pm, before starting their worshiping session the women are separated from the men. They always have strict rules regarding fornication and hence prevent the intermingling of men and women to the greatest extent possible. This is why they usually separates them during the worshipping session to

Supply Chain Management and Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Supply Chain Management and Outsourcing - Essay Example The aspect of globalization therefore, highly influences various companies, especially the international companies. Apart from globalization, the cost factor and competition in the market are other pressures, which shape the operations of various companies. These among other factors have forced most companies to develop new strategies, which might help them gain competitive value in the market, in order to compete favorably, despite all the pressures in the market (Wisma, 2008). Nonetheless, most of the strategies, which companies have adopted mainly include those that will help to differentiate the companies. These include research and development, demand and customer management, and regulatory compliance, among others (Sople, 2009). In addition, in order to compete healthily in the market, companies today have invested in their supply chain management and functions, such as manufacturing, distribution, and logistics. One of the most important strategy, which companies adopt today w ith regard to supply chain management is outsourcing in the business supply chain. This is instrumental in the business, since it helps enables for goods, information, and services in the company to be distributed in an effective manner, including all processes from raw materials, manufacture, all the way to customer delivery (Sople, 2009). This paper will therefore, focus on supply chain management and outsourcing in business supply chain as a function in the overall supply chain management, and why it is important for companies. Outsourcing in business supply chain is an aspect and a function of supply chain management in a company. However, supply chain cannot be regarded as a function of a company, since this is a network, which is made up of different companies. Therefore, supply chain management mainly involves how each company implements the different cross-functional relationships between its major customers and suppliers, within that network. Nonetheless, for supply chain m anagement to be effective in a company, the company must involve each of its function in supply chain management. It is important to note that supply chain management is still a new business model, which companies started to adopt because of various pressure factors in the market (The Times of India, 2011). Today, it is demanded that companies should uphold both social and environmental responsibility. In addition, companies must adequately respond to the ever dynamic needs and demands of its customers in the market in order to remain competitive. Companies too are faced with the pressure of ensuring sufficient access to resources in order to sustain their business operations. It is also crucial for a company to maintain its profitability and grow its revenue and market share. All these factors influence and determine the success of any company in the market. Nonetheless, for a company to be successful in all these factors, it must be able to manage the different relationships, whic h emerge because of these functions. Therefore, a company should integrate these various business networks and relationships in a manner that will be ensure positive outcomes for the company. This management of the relationships between these different networks in a company, is what is entails the process of supply chain management (Sople, 2009). Different companies today practice supply chain management. However, not all of them are successful in this process. Those companies, whose management does not recognize the importance of integrating business’ network of business relationships in a

E-Commerce Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

E-Commerce Law - Essay Example It should be noted that everybody values their privacy very much and the effort to disturb privacy is prevented by different laws in different countries. Spam or bulk emails sent as part of marketing without taking the consent of the public is definitely a privacy intrusion. Many countries already started efforts to regulate spam by implementing suitable laws. European Union has recently implemented comprehensive laws to regulate spam. The EU Directive 2002/58/EC on the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector deals with direct marketing via email and other electronic means. The Directive requires prior consent before email is sent to the recipient unless there is already an ongoing relationship with the consumer. The Directive does not apply to legal persons however; Member states are free to extend the legislation to cover legal persons (Please provide proper citation). Advertising is an essential activity in the business world. No product or services can be effectively sold in the market without proper advertising. In other words, advertising is the basic right of the product manufacturers and service providers. At the same time, consumers or general public also have some basic rights. Privacy is a basic right of the ordinary people. Advertisers can conduct advertising activities as long as they stay away for violating the privacy rights of the ordinary people. In short, spam or bulk emails sent to the public without taking consent can be considered as illegal because of privacy violation. According to the spam regulation laws in UK, electronic mail marketing messages should not be sent to individuals without their permission. Both the sender and the recipient should agree each other for sending and receiving bulk emails. UK laws with respect to spam have lot of loopholes. It allows senders to send marketing mails to an existing customer. In other

Compare, Contrast, and Evaluate Plato and Aristotle on human Well-being Essay Example for Free

Compare, Contrast, and Evaluate Plato and Aristotle on human Well-being Essay Platos ethics concerning well-being arise from the end of the discussion on justice where Thrasymachus articulates that justice is in fact merely a social contract whereby people agree not to inflict harm on others in return for not being harmed. Out of this rises the question well if this is all justice is, if it is only desirable for its consequences, In this case the avoidance of harm, then why shouldnt I cheat? If I can get away with it why wouldnt one cheat? Now follows the Gyges story, Glaucon puts it to Plato that if two men, one whom leads a life of virtue and one who doesnt, acquired a ring that could turn you invisible, even the virtuous man would not be able to resist acting immorally so therefore people are not actually virtuous, more just scared of the consequences of not being so. This is making the point that no man is so virtuous that he could resist the temptation of being able to steal at will by the rings power of invisibility. In modern terms, Glaucon still argues that morality is a social construction, whose source is the desire to up hold ones reputation for virtue and honesty; when that sanction is removed, the moral character would evaporate. However Plato disagrees, he thinks the truly virtuous man would act morally and be happy and at peace with himself, even when the outcome may not be seen as in their best interests e.g. loss of reputation; when sentenced to death Socrates had the chance to escape and go and live in another place but he refused to because it would be wrong to obey the laws of the land only when they suited you, so he stayed and was killed. For Plato this is not only the right thing to do but he would go as far to say that he would be happier dying virtuous than living having broken the law. Although I think this should not be taken as he enjoyed his actual death rather there was a certain content dignified air about it, as through living a virtuous life he had reached eudemonia because for Plato virtue is sufficient for human well being. Then to illustrate the extreme of what Plato is saying a second ring is added, and it is put to Plato that if both men had a ring, one just and one unjust, and the unjust man carries out his unjust activities but is clever enough to disguise it and up holds his reputation for being a moral citizen so therefore gets away un punished however conversely the just man whom has been virtuous in all his actions is misunderstood and crucified for being unjust and his reputation soiled. Is Plato saying even in this case it is still better to be the just man? Plato explicitly maintains that yes it is, and uses this example to show that if it is the most beneficial and right thing to do in this situation then I must follow that it is the most beneficial and right thing to do in all situations. But why is it the most beneficial? Why should people be just, Plato believes that it is down to the tri-partite nature of the soul; if things are not in the right balance then it becomes a matter of damaging your mental health. Plato believes that justice is gratifying in itself not merely because of its consequences. The purpose of human life is to live virtuously. The end that all virtuous beings should aim at; to be in union with the form of the good, this is the way of achieving the highest form of human well-being. In order to live virtuously one must have justice in the soul. Justice in the soul can only be present when the tripartite elements are in accurate harmony; when reason is ruling over spirit and spirit is controlling desires or appetites; wisdom can be seen to represent the rational part of the soul and courage parallels the spirited part of the soul with discipline existing in controlling desires. When the soul is in balance only then can virtue be exercised and human well-being achieved. Plato states that it is impossible for one to be happy if justice is not present in the soul and put forward this argument to illustrate why the unjust mans life leads to misery. Plato believes that the tyrant is the most unhappy of people because he is in a position of slavery and has no real freedom, he is ruled and governed by passion and surrounded by enemies. Due to being dominated by passion his main aim is to seek pleasure. Plato argues that each of the three parts of the soul corresponds to a different type of pleasure Rational- Gains pleasure in seeking the truth. Spirited- Gains pleasure out of achievement and honour. Appetitive- Gains pleasure through the empirical senses, e.g. sex/drink/food. The tyrant thinks that his pleasure is the best type, this can also be said for the oligarch and the philosopher, however Plato claims that only the philosophers assertion can be the real truth for he has experienced all types of pleasure and is therefore in the best position to decide. when the whole mind accepts the leadership of the philosophical part, and there is no internal conflict, then each part can do its job and be moral in everything it does, and in particular it can enjoy its own pleasures and thus reaps as much benefit from pleasure as is possible (586) But if the mind is controlled by either the spirited or appetitive elements it is not possible for it to attain its own correct pleasure and begins to coerces the other two elements to engage in false happiness, so far as that appetitive desires are farthest removed from reason and therefore law and order, and the tyrant is then farthest removed from mans true and proper pleasure so therefore cannot achieve well being and leads to the most of unhappy lives. So because justice is now desirable in itself and for its consequences its not a case of why should I do it, for Plato you act justly for its own sake. So how would the just man know what actions are virtuous and which are not; This is where the theory of the forms can be introduced, according to Plato we live in a world of appearances of which we cognise through perception, appearances are temporary, changing, fallible and subject to doubt. Although Plato also believed that there is an infallible, eternal, unchanging realm; the realm of the forms. The forms are independent of the mind metaphysical entities as real as anything we cognise through are empirical senses. So in order for one to posses any true knowledge then one must have access to the forms. In order to know what courage is one must know the form of courage so that when deciding if a particular act is courageous you can compare the form with the act and see if they have anything in common. Upon gathering this information you are now and only after consulting the form, in a position to obtain an objectively correct answer. Does this mean that those whom dont have access to the forms of the virtues cannot be virtuous and in turn not achieve well-being? So in summary one must have the soul in the correct balance; this is the necessary and sufficient clause for well being and why is this the case because of the tri-partite nature of the soul. Aristotles ethics are very similar to that of Platos, sharing distinct similarities but also some differences. For Aristotle human-well being can also be translated as Eudemonia (flourishing). In book one Aristotle states that that every art, every investigation and similarly every action and pursuit is aimed at some good and that happiness is an activity of the soul according to virtue. As an early virtue theorist Aristotle believes a person should be judged on their character and not their actions. According to Aristotle virtue is something learned through constant practice beginning at a young age. To further understand this we should fully translate arà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½te-this is the word translated into virtue in most English translations however the word more generally translates into excellence, so for example a musician will exhibit arà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½te in performing without any moral connotations. It logically follows that excellence in music cannot be reached simply by reading about it, it requires systematic practice and practical implementation. For Aristotle there is not necessarily an essential distinction between being virtuous and exercising a learned skill like playing an instrument, he believes that virtue is also a learned excellence (the highest learned excellence). So to be virtuous one must practice at it; human well being for Aristotle involves living well and exercising virtue is a necessary condition of this. Aristotelian virtue ethics are more specific than Platos, he talks of virtue in a more systematic sense. This is highlighted by the doctrine of the mean; his theory that virtue exists between the vicious extremes of excess and deficiency. For example the virtuous mean of courage lies between the vices of recklessness and cowardice, which represent excess and deficiency respectively. In order to achieve well being one must attempt to find the golden mean of all the virtues in the 36 name table, however Aristotle does clearly remind us that there are no exact laws in political sciences rather we need to approach each case individually informed by calculated virtues and some practical wisdom. Virtue for Aristotle is A posteriori; learning through experience, what is the mean path relative to us? Like Plato, for Aristotle we cannot pick and choose our virtues, we cannot decide to display courage and patience but not truthfulness and modesty, nor can people be virtuous if they do not demonstrate all the virtues. One of the most crucial points Aristotle makes is that although virtue is necessary for well-being it is in fact not sufficient. In order to be truly happy one must have three things. 1. A good character. 2. One must be active in living virtuously 3. One must have external goods. Happiness according to Aristotle is a public not a private affair, so whom you share this happiness with is of great importance. The city-states of ancient Greece were tightly knit communities. In politics Aristotle says we cannot fully realize our potential as humans outside the bonds of a Greek city-state so therefore well being cannot be achieved in the life of a hermit. This is not the only external good that is required, Aristotle also believes that in order to achieve well-being wealth is required, although I feel it should be made clear that he is not saying one needs to be rich to happy, rather that there needs to be a absence of extreme poverty; the view that it is hard to be happy when starving. This is in direct contradiction with Platos teachings and is blatantly outlined in the story of the ring of Gyges. Another fundamental difference between Aristotle and Platos teachings on well being is that the whole of Platos metaphysics is underpinned by the forms. To be fully virtuous one must have access to the forms but Aristotle completely rejects the forms as having no tangible foundation for believing them. Aristotle thinks that the problem solved by the forms can in fact be answered empirically; he presents us with the function argument: this explains that the function of a harpist is to play the harp well. A human also just like the eye has a set purpose or function and the function of a good man is to live well or achieve well-being. But Plato believes that people who reject the forms for empirical verification are sophist whose beliefs have no basis. It seems that both Aristotle and Plato believe that in order for humans to achieve well being they must fulfil their function, so in order to identify the real difference of their views on well being we must understand their views on what our function is. Platos view on this is outlined in Book One of The Republic; Socrates is trying to prove to Thrasymachus that it is better to be just than unjust. He starts by determining that all things have their own definite function, and that that function is that which one can do only with it or best with it (Republic I 352e). For example, the function of eyes is to see, and since a pruning knife is better suited to pruning than a butchers knife, its function is to prune. Having established this, Socrates goes on to argue that everything also has a measured virtue that corresponds to the implementation of its function. The virtues of our ears are hearing and the virtue of the knife would be its sharpness. An object that is deficient in its virtue is said to be incapable of performing its function well (a dull knife would not be able to cut properly). Having demonstrated this, Socrates now looks at the human soul and its function. Is there some function of a soul that you couldnt perform with anything else, for example, taking care of things, ruling, deliberating? Is there anything other than a soul to which you could rightly assign these, and say that they are its peculiar function? What of living? Isnt that a function of the soul? (Republic I 353d) Thrasymachus agrees to Socrates definition of the souls function and they go on to examine what the virtue of the soul is, that allows it to perform its function. From his previous argument regarding the importance of virtue in the performance of ones function, Socrates infers that a non-virtuous soul would do a poor job of ruling etc, while a virtuous soul would do a good job. Then going back to where he and Thrasymachus had agreed that justice was the virtue of the soul, and injustice its vice. This enables Socrates to conclude that a just soul and a just man will achieve human well being and flourish, while an unjust man will not achieve well being and be unhappy. Aristotle agrees with Plato that the good for anything that has a function relies on the implementing of that function. So it follows that Aristotle tries to work out if human beings have a function (the function argument). Then do the carpenter and the leatherworker have their functions and actions, while a human being has none, and is by nature idle, without any function? Or, just as eye, hand, foot and, in general, every part apparently has its functions, may we likewise ascribe to a human being some function besides all theirs? (Nicomachean Ethics Book I Chapter 7 29-33). So assuming that there is a function specific to humans Aristotle discounts sense perceptions because they are not only human traits. He concludes that the human function is to exhibit reason. The function of the excellent man to equal the function of any man the only difference is that the excellent man exhibits his function well. So For Aristotle, the human good seems to be synonymous with human well being. Th us, in order for a human being to be happy, he or she must live a life that successfully expresses reason. Here we see that both agree that to achieve well being, humans must fulfil their function but do they disagree on what that function is? Plato believing that it is living a just life and Aristotle that it is excellent reasoning, I think not, isnt being virtuous having reason ruling over the soul, surely this is the same as exhibiting excellent reason.

Sociology of Law: Theories and Concepts

Sociology of Law: Theories and Concepts Introduction The three classical thinkers of Sociology, Marx, Weber and Durkheim have one thing in common regarding the Sociology of Law; their theories were part and parcel of a more fundamental sociological perspective and theory of society. Marx will be the odd one among the three because, the work of Marx is on theoretical ground not evidently connected to the aspirations of sociology, but historically Marxs writings have informed a considerable body of sociological writings until this day. Marx made a contribution to social science by suggesting the instrumentalist theory of law in contributing to and justifying social inequality. Durkheims work orients around the key dimensions of social issues as involving both factual and normative dimensions of society. Whereas Weber is considered as the founding father par excellence of the modern sociology of law. When Weber observed that social life in the modern era had become more and more rationalized in a purposive-rational sense, he no only conte mplated the central role of economy, stat, and bureaucracy, but along with it also discussed the role of law as the basis of modern political authority. Weber specifically outlined the characteristics of a formally rationalized legal system that is primarily guided by the application of procedure. Sociology of Law The sociology of law is often described as a sub-discipline of sociology or an interdisciplinary approach within legal studies. While some socio-legal scholars see the sociology of law as necessarily belonging to the discipline of sociology, others see it as a field of research caught up in the disciplinary tensions and competitions between the two established disciplines of law and sociology. Yet, others regard it neither as a sub-discipline of sociology nor as a branch of legal studies and, instead, present it as a field of research on its own right within a broader social science tradition. For example, Roger Cotterrell describes the sociology of law without reference to mainstream sociology as the systematic, theoretically grounded, empirical study of law as a set of social practices or as an aspect or field of social experience. Irrespective of whether the sociology of law is defined as a sub-discipline of sociology, an approach within legal studies, or a field of research in its own right, it remains intellectually dependent mainly on mainstream sociology, and to lesser extent on other social sciences such as social anthropology, political science, social policy, criminology and psychology, i.e. it draws on social theories and employs social scientific methods to study law, legal institutions and legal behaviour. More specifically, the sociology of law consists of various sociological approaches to the study of law in society, which empirically examines and theorizes the interaction between law and legal institutions, on the one hand, and other (non-legal) social institutions and social factors, on the other. Areas of socio-legal inquiry include the social development of legal institutions, forms of social control, legal regulation, the interaction between legal cultures, the social construction of legal issues, legal profession, and the relation between law and social change. The sociology of law also benefits from and occasionally draws on research conducted within other fields such as comparative law, critical legal studies, jurisprudence, legal theory, law and economics and law and literature. The Classical Thinkers The roots of the sociology of law can be traced back to the works of sociologists and jurists of the turn of the previous century. The relationship between law and society was sociologically explored in the seminal works of both Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. The works of Karl Marx was not immediately influential in the development of the sociology of law as no direct historical path led from his thought to subsequent sociological schools of thought. Marxs work was later appropriated by critical sociologists who sought to break with the consensual thinking that they felt characterized much of mainstream sociology in the years after World War II. The writings on law by these classical sociologists are foundational to the entire sociology of law today. A number of other scholars, mainly jurists, also employed social scientific theories and methods in an attempt to develop sociological theories of law. Notably among these were Leon Petrazycki, Eugen Ehrlich and Georges Gurvitch. Marxs theory is not to be understood merely as a theory of the economy, for his analysis of capitalism is meant to provide the basis for an analysis of society. The economic organization of society is its material core from which all other social developments in matters of politics, culture, and law can be explained. This is summarized in Marxs famous dictum that the infrastructure of a society determines it superstructure. Thus, the division between the economic classes of owners and non-owners appears at the societal level as a class antagonism between the relatively small but powerful bourgeoisie and the relatively large but powerless proletariat. The bourgeoisie can articulate its economic power also at the political, cultural, and legal level because of its control over all important institutions of society, such as government, the legal system, art science, and education. The economic, according to Marx, only the destruction of capitalism in favor of a communist mode of product ion, whereby the workers collectively own and control the means of production, world ensure a successful revolution of society in to a more just social order. Marx did not develop a comprehensive perspective on law and his ideas on law are scattered throughout his writings. Marxs theory of the state provides the most useful entry into his perspective on law. Congruent with his materialist perspective, Marx asserts that the economic conditions of society determine what type of state will develop, which in a capitalist society implies that the state will be controlled by the bourgeoisie as an instrument to secure economic rights and to moderate class conflict. For him the capitalist state represents and secures the power of the dominant economic class which now also becomes the politically dominant class. Interestingly, Marx argues that the democratic republic, rather than being a more egalitarian form of the capitalistic state, for it totally disregards the property distinction that have arisen under capitalism. Marxs notion on law is instrumentalist, similar to that of his notion of state. He views the legal system in function of its role as an instrument of control serving bourgeois interests. Rather than abiding by a principle of the rule of law that holds that it is just for the law to be applied equally and fairly to all, Marx maintains that capitalist law actually enhances the conditions of inequality that mark capitalist society. Marx contends that the capitalist legal system contributes to inequality because capitalist law establishes and applies individualized rights of freedom, which benefit those who own while disfavoring those who are without property. The formal equality that is granted in law by treating the various parties that are in contract with one another or with the state as equal contributes to sustain and develop the economic inequalities that exist among legal subjects. Legal doctrine justifies the practices of capitalist law on the basis of a notion of justice claime d to be universally valid but which in actuality serves the interests of only the dominant economic class. The ideology of capitalist law is ultimately accepted widely even among those members of society who are economically disadvantaged and thus additionally subject to the inequalities brought about by the legal system. For Max Weber, a so-called legal rational form as a type of domination within society, is not attributable to people but to abstract norms. He understood the body of coherent and calculable law in terms of a rational-legal authority. Such coherent and calculable law formed a precondition for modern political developments and the modern bureaucratic state and developed in parallel with the growth of capitalism. Central to the development of modern law is the formal rationalisation of law on the basis of general procedures that are applied equally and fairly to all. Weber specifically outlined the characteristics of a formally rationalized legal system that is primarily guided by the application of procedures. His analysis of law is an intrinsic part of his sociology, in terms of both its perspective of the study of society and its theoretical propositions on the conditions of modern society. Modern rationalised law is also codified and impersonal in its application to specific cases. In general, Webers standpoint can be described as an external approach to law that studies the empirical characteristics of law, as opposed to the internal perspective of the legal sciences and the moral approach of the philosophy of law. Weber developed his perspective on law as part of a more general sociology. In the systematic nature and comprehensive scope of its contribution, Webers analysis is rivaled only by that of Emile Durkheim, whose sociology of law was likewise part and parcel of a more fundamental sociological perspective and theory of society. Emile Durkheim wrote in The Division of Labour in Society, that as society becomes more complex, the body of civil law concerned primarily with restitution and compensation grows at the expense of criminal laws and penal sanctions. Over time, law has undergone a transformation from repressive law to restitutive law. Restitutive law operates in societies in which there is a high degree of individual variation and emphasis on personal rights and responsibilities. For Durkheim, law is an indicator of the mode of integration of a society, which can be mechanical, among identical parts, or organic, among differentiated parts such as in industrialized societies. Durkheim also argued that a sociology of law should be developed alongside, and in close connection with, a sociology of morals, studying the development of value systems reflected in law. At sociologys heart is a concern for morality. For Durkheim, society cannot exist without moral bonds, whether these are bonds of shared belief or of mutual commitment reflecting the interdependence of individuals or social groups. Moral ideas are neither innate in the individual nor to be deduced from abstract first principles. They are inspired by the empirical conditions of social lie in particular times and places. To understand those conditions and the forces that shape social development is rationally to appreciate moralitys demands. Morality provides the normative framework of stable social relationships. In modern society these relationships are primarily domestic, economic and occupational and political relationship of citizenship. Morality expresses the requirements of living together in particular environments; the domain of the moral begins where the domain of the social begins (Durkheim, 1961:60). For Durkheim, Moral ideas are the soul (lame) of the law(1909:150). Law ex presses what is fundamental in any societys morality. So the study of law like that of morality is central to sociology. Conclusion Among the three classic thinkers Marx did not focus on law to any degree of intellectual satisfaction, while the sociological contributions of Weber and Durkheim are not only influential but foundational to the sociology of law.

Impact of Meat Import Restrictions

Impact of Meat Import Restrictions Analysis of the impact if Iceland’s government would decrease import restrictions on fresh meat on Icelandic consumers and producers of meat Abstract Foreign trade is always increasing and all governments around the world try to protect some of their core domestic industries by applying various of restrictions to keep import at a minimum. Importation of fresh meat to Iceland is prohibited but forces with in consumers’ welfare organizations are pressuring for these restrictions to be reduced and opening the market up for foreign competition. If the market would open up then consumers would get lower prices, producers would probably have to lower their prices and production. It is crucial for the producers to appeal to consumers loyalty on Icelandic meat and prove their quality. Margrà ©t Guà °nà ½ Vigfà ºsdà ³ttir Introduction In Iceland, like many other countries, agriculture is a significant part of history, sustainability and food security. In early 20th century agriculture started facing difficulties in which leaded to the government taking actions by subsidizing the industry. Import restrictions also protect domestic industry to this day. Geographic outlines, climate and distance from world markets cause high production cost, high transportation cost and poor terms of trade. Market conditions are often blamed for high food prices in Iceland especially because of small population and small market. This small market is therefore uneconomical in production, management and trade and the advantages of economies of scale are not possible like in other neighbouring countries of Europe for instance (Snorrason, 2006). Iceland’s participation in world trade for example in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Word Trade Organization (WTO) has opened the possibility of increased import of agriculture goods but the foreign market has not yet threatened Icelandic meat producers due to import restrictions (Þorgeirsson, Bjarnadà ³ttir, Sveinsson, 2004). The import restriction are in form of high tariffs, import quotas and strict import permits, several certificates and documentation confirming that the product have been stored at a temperature of at least -18 °C for 30 days and a certificate confirming the that the products are free of salmonella (EFTA Surveillance Authoroty, 2014). The Icelandic Competition Authorities, Consumer Protecting Agency and other organizations have complained that the restrictions prevent healthy competition and leave consumers worse off. Recently the EFTA Surveillance Authority concluded a reasoned opinion that Iceland’s restriction on importation of fresh meat in breach of EEA law (EFTA Surveillance Authoroty, 2014). The Icelandic government argues that these restrictions are necessary for Icelandic healthcare due to possible infection to Icelandic farm animals. Iceland is an isolated island and farm animals stocks like lamb have stayed the same for decades. This means that Icelandic farm anima ls are much more vulnerable to diseases with worse immune system than the farm animals on the main lands of Europe. Along with these import restrictions on selected agriculture products the Icelandic government also subsidizes the agriculture industry by guaranteeing minimum price to farmers. Some have criticise that Icelandic farmers are overindulgent by the government compared to other nations and because of this farmers/producers can offer higher prices than they would in more competitive market. The Market An oligopoly is a market with few large firms holding the majority of the market. They offer similar products but try to differentiate to be more desirable than the next. Firms in oligopoly market are said to be interdependent which mean that they will consider their own actions influenced with how the rivals might respond (Mankiw Taylor, 2014). The Icelandic meat producers market is an oligopoly. The four largest producers of meat had 56% market share in 2010 (Icelandic Competition Authority, 2012). The market is small due to small population, which leads to uneconomic production, management and trade compared to larger countries. Price on meat was 38% lower in the EU states on average in 2009 (Kristà ³fersson Bjarnadà ³ttir, 2011). Economies of scale are hard to obtain due to high capital cost, seasonal fluctuation and only the few large producers have sufficient economies of scale compared to the size of the market (Jà ³hannesson Agnarsson, 2004). These facts make it harder to enter the market for new comers (entry barrier). It is important for all producers to know how consumers respond to changes in price. The price elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded responds to a change in price (Mankiw Taylor, 2014). Price elasticity of goods can vary, necessities are often rather inelastic, that is, the percentage change in demand is small when prices change (PE1). Most agriculture products like meat are inelastic goods (although specific types of meat are elastic due to close substitutes, from pork to beef for example) as food is a necessity. Consumers maintain the consumptions of them despite changes in price (Jà ³hannesson Agnarsson, 2004). Welfare economics is the study of how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being. Consumer and producer surplus is used to measure the benefits to consumers and producers of trading. When government introduces taxes, tariffs and quotas it creates a deadweight loss. Deadweight loss is the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion such as tax (Mankiw Taylor, 2014). Import Restriction Impact on Economic Welfare Icelandic importers can not import meat unless it has gone through various examinations and been frozen for at least 30 days. Frozen meat is of course not fresh and therefor are no imports on fresh meat allowed. Now lets use the tools of economics to see how this affects consumers, producers and the economic welfare. The demand is rather inelastic as explained earlier. We assume that the supply is close to unit elastic due to various factors pulling in either direction. The world supply on the other hand is elastic since it is a very large competitive market. We will keep these assumptions about elasticity’s out this chapter. To simplify, impact of taxation is ignored. Figure 1 shows current status on Icelandic fresh meat market. No fresh meat is bought from foreign suppliers and consumer surplus (green) is the area A and producers surplus (red) is the area B+C. Figure 1: Current Fresh Meat Market with out Trade Now lets see what happens if Icelandic government relieves the import restrictions on fresh meat. Figure 2 shows that consumer surplus gains a lot and equals the area A+B’+D while producer’s surplus reduces (B-B’=B’’) and equals the area C+B’’. The price falls and since the domestic quantity supplied (DQS) is less than the domestic quantity demanded (DQD) the difference has to be imported. Figure 2: If Restrictions were Removed (with out Tariffs and Quotas) Figure 2 does not shows what would happen in current situation because of import tariffs and import quotas. The import tariff on meat from nations within EU and EFTA is 18% and 30% from other nations. Nations with in EU are allowed to import to Iceland limited amount (tariff-quota) of pork, poultry and beef (no lamb) with out tariff . On the other hand, the Import quotas are sold to the highest bidder leading to little or no gain from the free trade to the importer (Icelandic Federation of Labour, 2007). To get the idea of how things might be if the restrictions were relieved we look at the meat market in general, including frozen and processed meat. In 2010 the market share of imported meat was 3%, which is a very small percentage (Icelandic Competition Authority, 2012). The high tariffs and quotas keep the import level at a minimum. Figure 3 shows how the market is with tariff and quota, assuming for simplicity that they cross the domestic demand at the same quantity. The area for consumer surplus has now increased, from what we saw in figure 1, by area B’+G and producer surplus has decreased by area B’. The government revenue (yellow), area E, is added since there is tariff added to the world supply and quotas sold. The deadweight loss (orange), or loss to society, from this tariff and quota is area D+F. The price falls slightly from P1 to P2, domestic quantity demanded increases and domestic quantity supplied decreases. Meat has to be imported to meet the demand fro m DQS to DQD (it is likely that the ratio of import is much smaller than indicated in figure 3 compared to current 3% import market share). Figure 3: If Restrictions were Relieved (Current Meat Market) We can see by comparing figure 3 to figure 1 that both government and consumers gain surplus while producers are worse off resulting in total surplus change of area +G+E (table 1). This infers that removing restrictions will raise the economic wellbeing. Table 1: Changes in Economic Welfare if Restrictions Relieved With restrictions Without restrictions Change Consumer surplus A A+G+B’ +B’+G Producers surplus C+B C+B-B’ -B’ Government revenue None E +E Total surplus A+C+B A+C+B+E +G+E Import restrictions are not the only thing that the Icelandic Consumer Organization and others want to be taken action on. As mentioned before high tariffs and quotas keep the imports of meat at a minimum. It is not cost efficient to import fresh meat and therefore the tariff income on fresh meat to the Icelandic government is not substantial. In a report the Icelandic Statistical Bureau published in 2006 about reasons for high food prices in Iceland it was indicated that if tariffs would be reduced by half on main agriculture products the income loss for the government would be 145 million ISK, but on the other hand the rise in income due to increased turnover would be 900 million ISK (Snorrason, 2006). Now lets assume that import quotas will be removed and import tariffs lowered as shown in figure 4. Figure 4: If Restrictions and Quotas were Relieved as well as Tariff Reduction. The price consumers pay will fall from P2 to P3. Domestic quantity supplied will decrease and domestic demand will increase leading in larger import. Table 2 shows the changes of reducing import tariffs and removing quota. The total change in total surplus will be the area +D’’+F’’+D’’’+F’’’. Table 2: Changes in Economic Welfare if Quotas were Removed and Tariffs Reduced Before lowering tariffs After lowering tariffs Change Consumer surplus A+G+B’ A+G+B’+B’’’+D’’+E’+F’’ +B’’’+D’’+E’+F’’ Producers surplus C+B-B’ C+B-B’-B’’’ -B’’’ Government revenue E E-E’+D’’’+F’’’ -E’+D’’’+F’’’ Total surplus A+G+C+B+E A+G+C+B+D’’+D’’’ +F’’+F’’’ +D’’+F’’+D’’’+F’’’ The total surplus change from figure 1 to figure 4 is then the area G+E+D’’+F’’+D’’’+F’’’. This area is the measure off how much the market increases it’s welfare. There are always losers and winners in trade. In this case the producers would always be the looser since import tariffs and quotas are always to protect the domestic producers. Consumers and the government are winners in this case with lower price to consumers and increased revenue for the Government. The Government could then use that revenue to increase subsidizes to the domestic production to keep up their competitiveness to the world market. Impact of lifting import restrictions What would Icelandic consumers gain if import restriction where relieved. The Consumer Protection Agency argues that because of the poor status of the Icelandic currency ISK and current tariffs the Icelandic producers have nothing to fear. When import restrictions on tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers from Europe where relieved in 2002 some predicted that domestic production would stop. The outcome was on the other hand that prices of these goods decreased, domestic production increased and producers gained more profit. This will be the case for fresh meat as well. Supply and variety of meat will increase and consumers will have better alternatives (Icelandic Consumer Organisation, 2013). Tariff protection does not protect the agriculture producers but gives shelter for high price on competitive and substitution goods. The impact of reducing tariff protection would have a big impact on the agriculture producers and some might not be able to compete with the world market. Therefore it would be important to support the agriculture producers by increased subsidizes and other operations optimizing while lowering tariffs (Snorrason, 2006). The impact of relieving import restrictions on fresh meat and lowering tariffs on meat in general could lead to Iceland being dependent on foreign market concerning food security. Foreign markets might face shock to their production, such as animal disease or crop failure and would that lead to shortage and/or significant price change for Icelanders at least in the short run (Jà ³hannesson T. , 2004). Will consumers be loyal to Icelandic production In economics there is a principle that says that people respond to incentives. The consumer knows what he wants when two or more alternatives are available, he is consistent in the way that if he choses product A rather than B and product B rather than C, that he will then choose A rather than C. He also chooses more quantity of quality rather than less quantity of quality, for example he chooses three apples instead of two apples if the price is the same. Most people are though aware that they can consume less that they desire because their spending is constrained, or limited, by their income (Mankiw Taylor, 2014). In reality this is not so simple as indicated above. The experience of Finland and Sweden joining the European union (free trade) showed that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for domestic produced goods compared to similar imported goods. In the case of Icelandic vegetables, Icelanders are willing to pay 10% more than for imported vegetables (Kristà ³fersson Bjarnadà ³ttir, 2011). Research has shown that 62% of Icelandic consumers think Icelandic meat is of more quality that foreign meat, 26% would pay 6%-10% higher price for Icelandic meat and 21% would pay 11-15% higher price. When consumers where asked if they would rather buy foreign cheaper meat, 35% said yes, 45% no and 20% where undecided (Þà ³rhallsdà ³ttir, 2012). These numbers indicate that if import restrictions where relieved or reduced then Icelandic producers of meat have to step up and show their advantages to consumers to keep their loyalty. For example show their proximity to the market, production methods, quality and nutrition level (Þà ³rhallsdà ³ttir, 2012). Conclusion The world is always getting smaller and smaller with globalization and increased trade. The pressure on Icelandic government to reduce restrictions on importing fresh meat will only increase by time. If the Icelandic government cannot prove that import of raw meat harms the health of humans and animals they will have to reduce import restriction from countries with in EU. Icelandic farmers and producers of meat need to prepare for the market opening up by promoting them self among consumers and differentiate. All restriction reduction on import including quotas and tariffs benefit the consumers, it’s just a matter of how much. Increased competition could also lead to production improvement with in the meat farmers/producers and increase their turnover and profit like the vegetable industry experienced. Since the coverage on changes in economic welfare in this paper were only theoretical it would be interesting to see a research report on the real influences in numbers, similar to the report of the Statistical Bureau in 2006 about food prices. References EFTA Surveillance Authoroty. (2014, October 8). EFTA Surveillance Authoroty. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from Questions and answers Fresh meat case: http://www.eftasurv.int/media/press-releases/ESA_Questions_and_Answers_(EN)_-_The_Icelandic_Fresh_meat_case.pdf EFTA Surveillance Authoroty. (2014, October 8). EFTA Surveillance Authoroty. Retrieved December 11, 2014 from Internal Market: Icelands restrictions on the importation of fresh meat in breach of EEA law : http://www.eftasurv.int/presspublications/press-releases/internal-market/nr/2345 Icelandic Competition Authority. (2012). Verà °Ãƒ ¾rà ³un og samkeppni à ¡ dagvà ¶rumarkaà °i [Price developments competition on convenience market]. Reykjavà ­k: Icelandic Competition Authority. Icelandic Consumer Organisation. (2013, March 14). Icelandic Consumer Organisation. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from Um innfllutning à ¡ hrà ¡u kjà ¶ti [About imports on raw meat]: http://www.ns.is/is/content/um-innflutning-hrau-kjoti Icelandic Federation of Labour. (2007, March 23). Icelandic Federation of Labour. Retrieved December 10, 2014 from Breytingar à ¡ tollum 1. mars 2007 [Changes on tariffs 1. March 2007]: http://www.asi.is/media/6401/230307tollarbreytingar.pdf Jà ³hannesson, S., Agnarsson, S. (2004). Bà ³nid er bà ºstà ³lpi, bà º er landstà ³lpi [Farmer is the man of the house, a farm is a pillar of the commuity]. University of Iceland, Institute of Economics. Reykjavà ­k: Oddi hf. Jà ³hannesson, T. (2004). Framleià °slukerfi à ­ bà ºfjà ¡rrà ¦kt [Production system for livestock raising]. Education conference of the agriculture industry (pp. 55-60). Reykjavà ­k: Iclandic Farmers Association. Kristà ³fersson, D. M., Bjarnadà ³ttir, E. (2011). Staà °a à ­slenks landbà ºnaà °ar gagnvart aà °ild aà ° Evrà ³pusambandinu [Icelands agruculture status towards membership of the European Union]. Mankiw, N. G., Taylor, M. P. (2014). Economics. Andover: Cengage Learning . Snorrason, H. (2006). Skà ½rsla formanns nefndar sem forsà ¦tisrà ¡Ãƒ °herra skipaà °i 16. janà ºar 2006 til à ¾ess aà ° fjalla um helstu orsakaà ¾Ãƒ ¦tti hà ¡s matarverà °s à ¡ à slandi og gera tillà ¶gur sem mià °a aà ° à ¾và ­ aà ° fà ¦ra matvà ¦laverà ° nà ¦r à ¾và ­ sem gegnur og gerist à ­ nà ¡grannarà ­kjunum [Report from the presitend of a committe that was nominated 16th of January 2006 by the prime minister to adress the main triggers to high food price in Iceland and make a suggestion to bring food price down to same level as in neighbouring countries]. Reykjavà ­k: Icelandic Statistical Bureau. Þorgeirsson, S., Bjarnadà ³ttir, E., Sveinsson, Þ. E. (2004). Atvinnuvegur à ¡ krossgà ¶tum Staà °a bà ºgreina à ¡ breyttum tà ­mum [Industry on crossroads Farming position in different times]. Education conference of the agriculture industry (pp. 61-73). Reykjavà ­k: Iclandic Farmers Association. Þà ³rhallsdà ³ttir, S. A. (2012). Vià °horf à ­slenskra neytenda til landbà ºnaà °arframleià °slu à hrifaà ¾Ãƒ ¦ttir à ­ kjà ¶tneyslu- [Icelandic consumers attitude towards agricutlure products Factors influencing meat cunsumption -]. Agricultural University of Iceland, Natural Resources Department. Reykjavà ­k: Agricultural University of Iceland.

Purloined Letter Essay -- essays research papers

A Critical Analysis of â€Å"The Purloined Letter† by Edgar Allan Poe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edgar Allan Poe’s background influenced him to write the short story â€Å"The Purloined Letter†. One important influence on the story is that Poe seem to feel inferior to his class mates while in college, which may have been why he wrote Dupin to be seen as superior to his colleagues. While at the University of Virginia he owed others high amounts of money because of gambling, he would drink excessively to help hide his feelings of inadequacy. (Taylor) The second influence on this short story I believe is Poe’s extent in the United States Army. He time in the military was unsuccessful. Because of his experience he made the Perfect of the police a little lacking in intelligence. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices, enables Edgar Allan Poe in â€Å"The Purloined Letter† to develop the them that characteristic of the human animal to overlook the obvious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This story does not have a surprise ending nor does is really have a sense of suspense. You know from the beginning who took the letter, but you do not know what information was contained in the letter and how that information would have affect the queen. The only surprise may be in where the letter was keep throughout the story, in plain site. The Perfect of the police searched the Minister’s lodgings many nigh...

Kurt Vonneguts War Experiences and its Effects on the Barnhouse Effect :: essays papers

Kurt Vonneguts War Experiences and its Effects on the Barnhouse Effect Kurt Vonnegut's War Experiences how it contributes to my understanding of the "Barnhouse Effect" Kurt Vonnegut’s war experiences had a great impact on his life, which greatly contributes to the readers understanding of the "Barnhouse Effect." His war experiences are reflected quite vividly through his writing of the "Barnhouse Effect." This short story reflects "the human horrors during war, and the de-humanization of modern men and women, and the loss of humane values in a society dedicated to technological progress." (Modern Stories, p. 408) The Barnhouse Effect is a name that is created by the press. The press came up with this name from Professor Arthur Barnhouse’s character in the "Barnhouse Effect." They call the professor’s phenomenon the barnhouse effect. Professor Barnhouse, had come up with a different name for his phenomenon. He called it the "Dynamopsychian." "Dynamopsychian means force, and the power of the mind. In the story, the narrator explains, in more detail, how Professor Barnhouse relates his phenomenon to war. "As a weapon, then, Dynamopsychism has an impressive advantage over bacteria and atomic bombs, beyond the fact that it cost nothing to use: it enables the professor to single out critical individuals and objects instead of slaughtering whole populations in the process of maintaining international equilibrium." (p. 410). According to this quotation, Dynamopsychism is a very powerful weapon that only professor Barnhouse had. The professor had thoughts that would flash through his mind before they actually happened. His mind is a powerful weapon, which no one else possessed. In the story, Barnhouse says, "the same thought train had flashed through his mind just before he threw the dice." (p. 411). It was that thought train which aligned the professor’s brain cells into what had become the most powerful weapon on Earth. It began with a simple mental exercise during an army crap game, which soon escalates into a worldwide threat. At least, that’s what the FBI thinks when they raid the Professor’s office and put him under investigation. Professor Barnhouse is asked to use his new power as the ultimate national defense weapon. War hungry generals, Russian spies and the FBI get into the act as Professor Barnhouse shows what the real power of his mind actually is.

Knowing Me for Me :: Personal Narratives California Essays

Knowing Me for Me Who a person is can be shaped by many different things. Understanding how a person came to be who they are is important to grasping their inner-most uniqueness. People, places, and even events can shape a person. Things like having a supportive parent, growing up in a unique place, and being suddenly injured can help to define a person. This paper explains and evaluates my characteristics as they have changed through having a loving and comforting mom, living in San Diego, and getting hurt playing Water Polo. One of the most influential and most respectable people in my life is my mom. Though my dad is a close second, my mom has truly helped shape me in to who I am today. Since the day I was born my mom has always been there for me. Whether it was being in the front row of my dance recital or wiping my teenage tears away, she has always been a comfort. I went through a rough time during my sophomore and junior years of high school. A week before she found drugs in my room, my mom found out I had gotten my belly button pierced and a month later I got kicked out of a class at school. Alone and afraid were only the beginning of how I felt and would feel for a while. Of course I was in trouble, but my mom did her best to get me back on track and get me help. To this day she is amazed at how I have drastically changed, but it is all thanks to her. This is only one example. It has been a consistent pattern throughout my life. She has made me who I am; the person I want to be. The place in which a person lives can change their life forever. â€Å"California,† by Tom Petty describes the atmosphere in which I grew up. I grew up in Southern California, which is unlike any other place in the world. The busyness all around me all the time forced me to fight hard to find out just where I belonged. The high school I attended was huge with almost 4,000 students. The school however was build for 1,200. Everywhere you looked it was a sea of students you could not escape.

Global Procurement and Supply

GlaxoSmithKline:Sourcing Complex Professional Services Erin Edwards Global Procurement & Supply April 22, 2018IntroductionGlaxoSmithKline also known as GSK is currently losing millions of the dollars annually in legal process. Normally, GSK always billed the law firms on hourly basis but this was not practical for the company. The team not had to research and innovate new ways to cut the spending through a new procurement process. GSK, GlaxoSmithKline uses an innovative approach to procure outside counsel by trading relationship based selection of law firms to an online reverse auction. However, the quality of the work, and selecting the right the law firm was a challenging hurdle to jump. GSK was willing to take up the challenge to come up with a better process of handling their spend.GSK is hit with a devastating suit and only has a certain number of days to hire a firm in time to respond. Their managing attorney Sophia Keating grapples with GSK approach to selecting suppliers. GSK employees ensured Sophia that this approach drives down cost and improves the quality of work submitted by the lawyers. Still skeptical about the process, she still runs process by comparing the competing firms and their bids. Furthermore, it was the decision by Harlow to outsource the services. GSK made strides to come up with the suitable options, and options to meet the criteria of less cost, and quality work. However, there were other concerns that could be discussed more broadly to avoid the pitfalls during the process. This case also describes the process in which this process was made and adopted beyond the implications for law firms and other service providers. Many processes seemed to only be adopted by selecting vendors for a variety of supplies and products but can be used for services also. This procurement process can be incredibly beneficial, especially streamline purchasing and tracking spend. This process can ensure a company pays the best price for goods or services, save time by choosing the most reputable vendors, and minimize order delays and mistakes. After getting early endorsement from the general counsel, Marty Harlow worked with GSK's global external legal relations team (GELRT) in legal to develop a matter-specific, mini-RFP tool that enables in-house counsel to assess firms' specific qualifications for a particular representation. The other main component of the OCSI is the electronic reverse auction which encourages fee competition among qualified law firms instead of hourly rates. GSK's preferred firm roster work with procurement to draw up a shortlist of firms to invite to an OCSI event. GSK lawyers use a form-driven process to state as much detail about the matter as possible and these are passed to Harlow's team for submission to firms. This case is very useful in talking about institutional change and how the procurement process can be adopted to many fields and services.Main IssuesUncontrollable SpendingThe company was spending millions of dollars annually on the spending on the legal matters. It was identified that there was also extra unnecessary cost incurred that could have been avoided through a better process that was more centralized. â€Å"More than a quarter of companies in the U.S. and UK spent over $5 million annually on litigation costs in 2012, and among healthcare companies that proportion was estimated to be 30%– 40%. Because legal fees had become a prominent line item in company overheads, top management in many companies pressured their general counsel (GC), the chief lawyer of a legal department, to rein in legal spending† (Gardner and Silverstein 2)There were some moments when the company even did not know about the spending on the legal matters, and legal department exceeded the budget sometimes. This was an issue many companies were being affected by, not just GSK. However, GSK noticed the high costs and need to be able to have a better centralized process. Therefore, it was challenging for the company to manage the spending on the legal matters and find another solid process that could not only cost less, but also provide quality services since quality is very important in the legal work. Relationship Vs. QualityGSK is engaged with the same law firms that they have had long relationships with. â€Å"One involved consolidating the number of firms with which their company regularly worked—sometimes ending long-standing relationships.† (Gardner and Silverstein 3) Relationship management is very key is long lasting business relationships, which has allowed GSK to be very successful with prior legal matters. However, through this process, the company would incur extra cost on the legal matters, because there is no cap on spend since it was tracked hourly. Since there was no centralized system to track the work and spend, GSK had no idea about the urgent matters and problems of the company. It is very important the firms that are selecting ensure that quality work is being completed without overspending. Cost does not always mean quality. GSK should have to risk quality during their cost for the best legal pursuits. Even though supplier relationship management is great, but it becomes challenges when spend is starting to become uncontrollable and unmanageable. Building closer relations with your strategic partners will minimize supply chain risks. Having strategic partners whose goals are aligned with business objectives are highly valuable and important to long term success.KPIsThere was not performance management in place to determine how the firm is performing. GSK did not have a quantifiable measure that is used to track and assess the status of the firm process. Every area of business especially complex professional services should have specific metrics that should be monitored. Having metrics will focus more on big picture financial metrics, which was an issue for GSK without the procurement process. The case does not mention how performance of the firms will be tracked. â€Å"GELRT leveraged technology to obtain?the information it needed to optimize financial performance and strengthen strategic planning. Matter management, electronic billing, and reporting systems were already in place within the legal department.† (Gardner and Silverstein 6) There is a lot of information about how GELRT uses technology to acquire information. The system is able to track spending, but there is no system in place to track KPIs.AnalysisThe process of sourcing involves the company to select suppliers for a product or service. The complete an evaluation of the supplier and finally contract with the supplier to deliver the required products or services. While procurement refers to the activity of getting the deliveries from the supplier identified and ensuring that the payments to the supplier are made. GSK adopting procurement process has helped make changes within their spend. â€Å"By 2006–2007, procurement had become heavily involved in the sourcing of many ancillary services. Harlow's tough stance in negotiations saved GSK an estimated $23 million: $19 million from Legal Staffing/eDiscovery, $1 million from Court Reporting, and $3 million from Medical Records.† (Gardner and Silverstein 4) By taking the right initiatives in sourcing and procurement, GSK is able to see the benefits. Having a process in place will save the company time; ensure that one is getting the right solution to meet business needs. A procurement process will ensure you pay the right price and avoid overlooking vital steps that may come back to haunt the firm later. Procurement policies and procedures allow a business to arrange its buying strategy to its long-term goals and objectives. Procurement helps with a better chance to meet business goals. â€Å"This system reminds me of buying office supplies or landscaping services. Can it really be applied to a complex legal case like this one†¦.?† (Gardner and Silberstein 1) This is what Sophia Keating thought to herself when the idea of a reverse auction process was presented to her. The vendor selection process initially starts as part of a company's strategy. A procurement process can measure the direct costs and the team timesaving achieved through better management. For example, GSK was very focus on their legal spend, which in turns means you need to select firms that would be able to handle the request in the right budget. The nice thing they had a selection of firms who meet their cost, quality and service requirements needs, but also add some firms who were new. After they shortlisted their firms, GSK was able to use OCSI for their quotes, terms and minimum service levels. Finally, review their proposals from the reverse auctions and reward the firm with the lowest number. Procurement increases an organization's productivity by providing visibility into transactions.Benchmarking is the process of paralleling what companies are doing with what the best performing company in your industry is doing. In textbook, Purchasing & Supply Chain Management describes bench making as, â€Å"Benchmarking is the continuous measuring of products, services, processes, activities, and practices against a firm's best competitors or those companies recognized as industry or functional leaders.† (770) In Exhibit 3 of the case, you able to see how GSK compares with the other Law Firms Self-Assessment. Unfortunately, GSK managing attorney assessment does under perform in a couple areas like understanding business objectives, involvement of diverse team members, and reactiveness and creativeness. One of three types of benchmarking, process benchmarking compares operational processes. Performance benchmarking compares product or services, marketing and sales to determine how to increase profits. Short term benchmarking goals, produce quick results. But it is the long-term goals that help with the direction and strategies of the company that will make it more competitive in the market. Performance management is a performance controlling style that has grown increasingly popular with a variety of companies. Performance management is the process in which it challenges the company's overall performance and abilities. It challenges them to bring their best foot and work forward. Performance manage usually involve setting goals, then evaluating their progress or work with a reward or penalty depending on how the firm or vendor performs. RecommendationsRun Reverse AuctionsA reverse auction is best used to obtain the best rate by embracing competition among firms bidding on price. GSK using this method will allow the law firms to compete with their best idea to win the business and also be within budget. The idea of reverse because during the auction makes sure the price drops. Price was definitely an issue for GSK previously because there was no way to track the spending. Using the method of reverse auction has a number of advantages. Some of the benefits of reverse auction is the amount of time it takes to make a decision. Before something that could takes months, can now be shortened into weeks or even days. Also, the bidders are able to see who their competition and how they compare to them. There is a lot more transparency when it comes reverse auctions. Law firms would calculate their preliminary prices and confirm the very lowest price they would go to secure the business. II. Conduct Routine Performance ReviewsPerformance management is a mutual agreement about how companies or individuals contribute to an organization's goals. This is what OCSI can do for GSK. OCSI can act as a process of performance management and appraisals focusing on aligning GSK's workforce, building capabilities, improving employee performance and development, and influencing better business results. GSK should complete annual performance reviews to evaluate the firms' performance. This entails gathering feedback from co-workers and clients into consideration and observations by management. These assessments can be very detailed and elongated to include a review of the previous years' evaluation and an assessment of services. Many firms may have the company complete an evaluation of their own performance that is then discussed during the evaluation and compared to the official evaluation. Monitoring gives the company an opportunity to make a course correction or adjust a timeline if it is needed so that the vendor will produce the desired outcome of successfully achieving goals. If GSK concludes the vendor has unacceptable performance, monitoring performance enables them to identify the problem early and get an opportunity to rectify before being evaluated incorrectly.III. Implementing a Performance-Based IncentiveThese systems are designed to retain top-performing vendors, motivate the desired performance, and control costs. If a company wants to pay for performance, it must define performance in very specific, objective, quantifiable terms, measure it and track it. Introducing a performance based incentive program with help firm collective help GSK reach their business goals and legal objectives. This r eally entices firms to align their work with the business goals. Having a reward for exceptional performance and penalties for poor performance really ensure that money is not being wasted but invested properly. IV. Routinely Fresh Preferred SuppliersIt is healthy to refresh suppliers and firms from time to time. If you consolidate your supplier base, it will allow better visibility over the billing process. It will be easier to track payments leaving the business and going to the suppliers, so any errors will be identified more rapidly. When you deal with less suppliers and vendors, there is less administration and paperwork to handle. This allows more time to focus on other areas of the business. When it comes to decreasing the number of suppliers GSK uses, it is best to control what's best for the business. Above all, GSK needs to find the best overall fit so that there's a steadiness between the time it takes to achieve their supplier base and the profitability of the business.Conclusion Procurement is should be viewed strategic function working to improve the organization's cost-effectiveness. Procurement helps streamline processes, reduce service prices and costs, and identifying better firms to do services. It is essential to any business that purchases anything such as products or services. Since GSK buys services like other companies, then the better its procurement function works, the more money it can make. Typically, businesses buy products or services from multiple vendors. Procurement handles the details of procuring these purchases at optimal prices. Combining your strengths with stakeholder' helps find new progressive solutions to remain successful in business and stay ahead of the competition. To maintain sustainable supply chain, procurement management has a profitable impact on a company's processes. It helps avoid supply chain risks by better collaborating with vital partners and providing added value to diverse business practices. The bottom line: Performance management is an ongoing practice, not a yearly task. The success of an organization, if aligned to your organizational goals, will drive business results.ReferencesCapko, Judy. â€Å"Five Steps to a Performance Evaluation System.† Family Practice Management, 1 Mar. 2003, www.aafp.org/fpm/2003/0300/p43.html.Gardner, Heidi K, and Silvia Hodges Silverstein.â€Å"GlaxoSmithKline: Sourcing Complex Professional Services.†Ã‚  Harvard Business Review, 26 Feb. 16, hbr.org/product/glaxosmithkline-sourcing-complex-professional-services/414003-PDF-ENG.Accessed 18 Apr. 2018.Markgraf, Bert. â€Å"How to Evaluate a Company's Performance.†Ã‚  Small Business – Chron.com, Chron.com, 5 Feb. 2018, www.smallbusiness.chron.com/evaluate-companys-performance-67095.html.Monczka, Robert M., et al.  Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. South-Western, 2011.Wincel, Jeffrey P.  Lean Supply Chain Management: a Handbook for Strategic Procurement. Productivity Press, 2008.