Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Analysis Essay Example For Students

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Analysis Essay Wuthering Heightsby Emily BronteFour main characters (andone-sentence description of each)1. Heathcliff He is a bitter mantormented by the loss of his love Catherine and the abuse of his stepbrother,Hindley. He gains the Earnshaw inheritance and sets out to ruin EdgarLinton. 2. Catherine Earnshaw She fallsin love with Heathcliff, marries Edgar Linton because of financial andsocial advantages and dies after giving birth to Catherine Linton. 3. Hindley Earnshaw He is the sonand heir to the Earnshaw inheritance but abuses Heathcliff and seeks todegrade Heathcliff for winning the love of Mr. Earnshaw. We will write a custom essay on Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now 4. Hareton Earnshaw He is the sonof Hindley, yet cared for by Heathcliff. In his plot to ruin Hindleyand Edgar, he becomes like Heathcliff but falls in love and marries CatherineLinton. Two minor characters1. Isabella Linton She is the naivesister of Edgar and the wife of Heathcliff but later runs off to Londonand remains in hiding after Heathcliff throws a knife at her. 2. Linton Heathcliff He was bornin London but his mother died and he was given to his Uncle, but Heathclifflater get custody of him and marries him off to Little Cathy. Three main settings1. Wuthering Heights It was oncethe estate of the Earnshaws but falls into the hands of Heathcliff andmirrors his cold and grim state of mind. 2. Thrushcross Grange It is theostentatious home of the Lintons and impresses Catherine and transformsher into a lady. 3. London Isabella Heathcliff runsthere after having a knife thrown at her head. There she gives birthto Linton Heathcliff. One paragraph plot outlineHeathcliff was a waif taken in byMr. Earnshaw and his household. He grows bitter as he grows olderfalling in love with and losing Catherine. He seeks to destroy Hindleyand Edgar Linton blaming them for losing Catherine. He believe thatHindley caused his loss of Catherine by degrading him. Through hermarriage to Edgar Linton, Catherine becomes introduced to a world of materialism. She dies and her death fuels Heathcliffs rage against Hindley and Edgar. However, soon after, Hindley also dies and the Earnshaw estate and Haretonfall into the hands of Heathcliff. Later, Heathcliff wins the custodyof his son, Linton. He forces Cathy to marry Linton and plans tosteal the Grange from Edgar through Linton. Both Linton and Edgardies and the Grange goes to Heathcliff who now owns both Wuthering Heightsand Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff marries Hareton to Cathy tryingto make Hareton fit his image. Cathy is loving to Hareton and whenHeathcliff dies, both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights go to them. Two symbols and references1. Wuthering Heights This housesymbolizes anger, hatred and jealousy. As in the shown by the name,there is lot of tension within that house. The Heights mirrorthe conditions of its inhabitants, especially Hindley and Heathcliff. 2. Thrushcross Grange This housecontrasts with Wuthering Heights since it has the appearance one wouldexpect from a pleasing worldly lifestyle. This appearance of thishouse also symbolizes the feelings of the inhabitants. Like the house,the Lintons are materialistic and superficial. 3. Hareton and Cathy These twosymbolize Heathcliff and Catherine showing what they could have becomeif their situations were slightly different. Both couples live insimilar situations and allow for the comparison. Two or three sentenceson styleBronte write in a dreary, melancholy stylethat provides the dark atmosphere to the story. She write the bookmaking use of a frame since most of the story is conveyed through the narrationof Nelly. .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .postImageUrl , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:hover , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:visited , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:active { border:0!important; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:active , .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1 .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1fbf584187e592c9beb4a547f1e264e1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Historical Essay The Bubonic PlagueOne or two sentences ondominant philosophyThis book contrasts the effects oflove and hate contrasting the two feelings. It shows hatred throughHeathcliff and displays how that leads to destruction while contrastingit with the love of Cathy and Hareton displaying how that builds. Four short quotationstypical of the work (include speaker, occasion)Cathy, do come. Oh do-once more!Oh! my hearts darling! hear me this time, Catherine, at last!Heathcliff calls for Catherine after Mr. Lockwood confessed he saw an apparitionoutside his window. Im trying to settle how I shall pay Hindleyback. I dont care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do. Heathcliff swears revenge againstHindley after Hindley had locked Heathcliff in the attic. Here! and here! replied Catherine,striking one hand on her forehead and the other on her breast, in whichever place the soul lives. In my soul and in my heart, Im convincedIm wrong! Catherine acknowledges that her marriage to Edgar cannotbe one of love because she knows that Heathcliff is her true love. Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so,is he mad? And if not, is he a devil? Isabella writes to Ellen.

New Opioid Dosage Forms and Treatments for Dependence

New Opioid Dosage Forms and Treatments for Dependence Introduction Opioids fall in a class of drugs that have been used for centuries to manage pain and records show that their usage started in times of ancient Egypt. Research has led to the discovery of special receptors that these drugs work on in the brain and initial studies use morphine to demonstrate a ‘morphine receptor’ (Trescot et al., 2008). A variety of receptors for this class of drugs has since been discovered and new opioids have been discovered and synthetically manufactured.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on New Opioid Dosage Forms and Treatments for Dependence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The pharmacokinetic properties of these newer drugs have generated interest in a number of studies and recently the metabolism of most opioids has been clearly understood. A characteristic of most opioids that has led to their misuse and development of legislation to control their use is the pot ential addictive properties that they are associated with during their usage. Specific opioids in special dosage forms are also used for the treatment of opioid dependence. New opioid dosage forms and treatment for opioid dependency have increasingly become part of medical treatments in the recent history with buprenorphine being an important drug for this function (Trescot et al., 2008). This research paper examines the pharmacology of opioids and their use in the treatment of opioid dependency, and specifically it looks at buprenorphine while comparing it with methadone. Factors affecting oral bioavailability of buprenorphine The bioavailability of a drug determines the dosage forms and how much of the unchanged form of the drug reaches the systemic circulation (Griessinger et al., 2005). Each route of administration has factors affecting the bioavailability, which are dependent on the body and drug characteristics. The intravenous route of drug administration provides the highest bioavailability, which is set at 100%. On the other hand, oral administration and bioavailability are affected by the drug characteristics such as solubility, hydrophilic or lipophilic nature, and the receptors that a drug uses to get into the bloodstream (Griessinger et al., 2005). Incomplete absorption of a drug while in the gastrointestinal system causes low bioavailability. Very hydrophilic drugs are unable to cross the lipid cell membrane, while highly lipophilic drugs are unable to cross the water layer that covers and surrounds the cells involved in absorption (Griessinger et al., 2005). These elements are some of the factors affecting the oral bioavailability of buprenorphine. The receptor at the absorption site that the drug interacts with is also a significant determinant of the availability of the drug. Some receptors are involved in pumping the drug back to the gut lumen and when these are inhibited, the bioavailability increases (Griessinger et al., 2005).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The oral availability of buprenorphine is poor and it is affected by all the factors described above. However, the most important factor affecting the oral bioavailability of buprenorphine is the high metabolism by the liver and the intestines (Murphy et al., 2013). When buprenorphine is administered orally, the drug is metabolized in the liver and the gut by special enzymes, which leads to the reduction in the proportion of the drug that is available in the bloodstream. The breakdown of a drug by gut enzymes and processes in the liver has conveniently been referred to as the first pass effect (Griessinger et al., 2005). The main enzyme system responsible for the degradation of the drugs in the liver is the cytochrome P450 (CYP), which is also responsible for the breakdown of buprenorphine. Murphy et al., (2013) posit, â€Å"Buprenorphine is converted in the liver primarily by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 to an active metabolite (nor-buprenorphine with weak intrinsic activity† (p. 316). The breakdown of buprenorphine by the hepatic enzymes causes a reduction in the bioavailability, hence the efficacy of the drug. One way that can be used to increase the concentration of the drug that reaches the systemic circulation is increasing the dosage that is administered via the oral route. However, an increase in the dosage will mean more side effects as the metabolites affect other receptors. Therefore, the increase in dosage is not a desirable way of overcoming the first pass effect. Another way in which the first pass effect affects buprenorphine in the liver is the process of glucuronidation that takes place here. According to Murphy et al., (2013), buprenorphine and its metabolite -norbuprenorphine, undergo glucuronidation in the liver and the process reduces its availability. Various methods have been used to overco me the first pass effect that the drug undergoes when administered through the oral route. Buprenorphine is currently unavailable in oral formulations and the current formulations include the sublingual route and transdermal patches (Murphy et al., 2013). According to Murphy et al., (2013), methods that can be used to reduce the drug first pass effect include the use of sublingual route, the transdermal routes, and the rectal suppositories. When drugs are administered through the oral route, the absorbed drug and its metabolites are absorbed to the portal system where the drug is taken to the liver and further transformation takes place. The use of the sublingual route of administration avoids the portal system that takes blood to the liver, and the CYP enzymes break down less of the drug. Once the sublingual formulation is administered, it goes directly to the systemic circulation, hence avoiding the first pass effect (Murphy et al., 2013). According to Trescot et al. (2008), bupre norphine has high lipid solubility and due to this characteristic, the sublingual bioavailability is high.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on New Opioid Dosage Forms and Treatments for Dependence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This method is one of the ways in which researchers and pharmacists have been in a position to avoid the first pass effect. The use of transdermal patches is also common outside the US (Murphy et al., 2013). Transdermal patches are also effective in avoiding the portal system, hence reducing the first pass effect associated with liver metabolism by the Cytochrome P450 system (Murphy et al., 2013). Drug-receptor relationships Drug receptors are specific to a certain class of drugs and they are located in areas where the drug will have the desired effect. Opioid receptors have been located in the brain tissue and in other tissues in the body, and specific opioids have specific receptors that they bind. The main opioid receptors are the â€Å"Mu (ÃŽ ¼) receptor, the Kappa (ÃŽ º) receptor (agonist ketocyclazocine), the Delta (ÃŽ ´) receptor (agonist delta-alanine-delta-leucine-enkephalin), and the Sigma (ÏÆ') receptors (agonist N-allylnormetazocine) (Trescot et al. 2008, p. 135). Different types of opioids exhibit the several drug-receptor relationships with different receptors being involved. Opioids can be classified based on their drug-receptor relationships and this classification consists â€Å"agonists, antagonists, and partial agonists or antagonists† (Trescot et al., 2008, p. 134). The affinity of these drugs at their respective receptors can be described as being the â€Å"strength of interaction between the drug and its receptor† (Trescot et al., 2008, p. 133). The efficacy of a drug is also considered when discussing the drug affinity and affinity can be described as â€Å"the strength of activity of a drug due to its drug-receptor interac tion† (Trescot et al., 2008, p. 133). According to Trescot et al. (2008), an agonist at a receptor is a drug that processes both affinity for the receptor and as a result, it has efficacy. On the other hand, an antagonist has affinity, but its efficacy is absent (Trescot et al., 2008). Drugs with affinity and partial efficacy can be described as being partial agonists at the particular receptor (Trescot et al., 2008). Partial agonist: Buprenorphine Buprenorphine is classified as one of the opioids with low efficacy despite its high affinity, and thus it is a partial agonist (Trescot et al., 2008). This particular drug exhibits affinity at the Mu receptor where it binds by exhibiting its partial effect. It also possesses kappa receptor antagonism, which forms the basis of its use as an analgesic (Trescot et al., 2008).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The drug-receptor activity for this drug has also allowed its use in the management of opioid intoxication, as an abuse deterrent and a maintenance therapy for the detoxification and management of pain (Trescot et al., 2008). Its partial antagonistic effect at the kappa receptor is restricted to a certain level. This ceiling effect means that the drug is only useful up to a certain level and beyond this point, there is limited effect, but just the side effects that can be attributed to any other opioid (Trescot et al., 2008). Partial agonist: Oxycodone Oxycodone is a partial kappa opioid receptor agonist (Murphy et al., 2013). This drug acts on the kappa receptor in different parts of the body to exert its effect and cause the desired effects. Oxycodone is partial kappa opioid receptor and this aspect means that the drug is not as efficacious as other agonists, and thus it is available in combination form with other related drugs and classes of drugs to provide better efficacy (Mur phy et al., 2013). The drugs that are combined with oxycodone to provide a better effect include acetaminophen and aspirin, which act in concert to produce pain relief (Murphy et al., 2013). Opioid Antagonists: Naloxone Naloxone is â€Å"an opioid receptor antagonist and it acts at different opioid receptors, thus causing competitive antagonism† (Trescot et al., 2008, p. 139). Naloxone has a competitive antagonism at the delta, Mu, and kappa receptors and according to Trescot et al. (2008), this opioid antagonist has a â€Å"high affinity for the mu receptor, but it lacks any mu receptor efficacy† (p. 140). The drug exerts its effects on both the central nervous system and any other peripheral tissue in the body and the pharmacologic uses are dependent on these actions on the receptors. Naloxone is mainly used to reverse adverse opioid effects and it is useful in the maintenance of other treatments, deterrence to the use of opioids, and detoxification (Trescot et al., 2008). However, its main use is in the management of opioid toxicity due to its antagonistic nature at the opioid receptors. Combination of the drug with other drugs such as buprenorphine is also used to prevent users from abusing the second drug when given intravenously (Trescot et al., 2008). Studies are also being conducted to establish whether the drug can be used to suppress tolerance to other drugs such as oxycodone (Trescot et al., 2008). Opioid Antagonists: Naltrexone Naltrexone is also an opioid receptor antagonist and like naloxone, it acts at different opioid receptors by causing competitive antagonism (Trescot et al., 2008). Naltrexone also exhibits competitive antagonism at the delta, Mu, and kappa receptors and Trescot et al. (2008) state that like Naloxone, this opioid antagonist has a â€Å"high affinity for the mu receptor, it lacks any mu receptor efficacy† (p. 140). The drug also exerts its effects on both the peripheral and central nervous system and man y other tissues in the body with the receptors. The pharmacologic uses are similar to those of Naloxone and they are dependent on these actions on the receptors. Naltrexone is mainly used to reverse adverse opioid effects and it is useful in the maintenance of other treatments, deterrence to the use of opioids and in detoxification (Trescot et al., 2008). Like Naloxone, the main use of Naltrexone is in the management of opioid toxicity due to its antagonistic nature at the opioid receptors. Combination of the drug with other drugs such as buprenorphine is also done to prevent users from abusing the second drug when given through the intravenous route (Trescot et al., 2008). Studies are also being conducted on Naltrexone as with Naloxone to establish whether the drug can be used to suppress tolerance to other drugs such as oxycodone (Trescot et al., 2008). Opioid Agonists-Antagonists: Pentazocine Opioid agonist-antagonists have poor efficacy at the mu receptor, but they have agonist ic properties at the kappa receptors (Trescot et al., 2008). Pentazocine is a good example of partial agonist-antagonists and it exhibits all the characteristics that the group processes. Partial agonist-antagonism means that the affinity of Pentazocine at the mu receptors is high with a corresponding low efficacy at the same receptor (Trescot et al., 2008). The drug is used as an analgesic like many opioids, but it also has a ceiling effect where increase in dosage will not lead to increase in analgesic properties, but only the toxicity of the drug (Trescot et al., 2008). Respiratory depression Reparatory depression is a major side effect property of opioids and it is exhibited by the reduction in the respiratory rate leading to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood stream. Opioid activity on the mu receptors is the main known cause of respiratory depression in individuals using opioid drugs. This side effect is potentially fatal and it varies with the tee of opioid that is used. It is also dependent on the personal characteristics of individuals and it is more pronounced in children as compared to adults. Buprenorphine and morphine are some of the opioids that exhibit this property of respiratory depression. However, these two opioids have different characteristics in their respiratory depression as discussed later in this paper. Difference between buprenorphine and morphine Morphine causes direct respiratory depression by acting on the mu receptors in the brain (Trescot et al., 2008). The drug binds to the receptor in the nucleus accumbens in the brain and the result of this activity is a decrease in response to carbon dioxide concentration rise in the bloodstream (Trescot et al., 2008). When the reaction to high levels of carbon dioxide in blood is inhibited, the respiratory level decreases, which lead to the retention of more carbon dioxide in the blood. The result of accumulation of carbon dioxide in blood is a drop in the pH, thus resulting in respiratory acidosis. According to Trescot et al. (2008), the response curve shifts towards the right. One known characteristic of morphine is that acidosis leads to increased delivery of the drug to the brain tissues (Trescot et al., 2008). As the blood carbon dioxide increases due to the depression of the nucleus accumbens and respiratory acidosis occurs, the amount of morphine that is delivered to the brain increases and this aspect further acts to cause profound respiratory depression that may be fatal (Trescot et al., 2008). Therefore, increase in morphine causes an increase in the respiratory depression and it can be said to be dose dependent. Respiratory depression occurring from buprenorphine is not central, as it is evident with morphine. On the contrary, buprenorphine induces respiratory depression by acting on the mu receptors located in the lungs and not in the brain (Ohtani et al., 1997). As stated earlier, buprenorphine is a partial agonist, and thus the respiratory d epression that it exhibits has a ceiling effect (Murphy et al., 2013). The binding of this drug to the mu receptors is also stronger as compared to the binding by morphine, and thus the effects take longer and they may be prolonged (Murphy et al., 2013). The tight binding means that reversal using the opioid antagonists like naltrexone is harder as compared to other opioids. Importance of the difference The differences between the two drugs are significant in the application and daily use of the drugs in the management of pain and opioid toxicity. By exerting respiratory depression centrally, morphine can be used in limited doses, which must be monitored. The toxicity that can come from this drug is also profound and it may be fatal. Higher doses of buprenorphine can be used as compared to the safest doses of morphine. Another implication is that the management of respiratory depression for buprenorphine may be hard using opioid antagonists such as naloxone as compared to the respir atory depression that is caused by morphine. Dose-response curves The dose response curves for the respiratory depression caused by morphine and buprenorphine are different. The respiratory depression in the curves can be represented by the decrease in ventilation rated after administration of the two drugs. Graph showing the ventilation rate against the concentration of buprenorphine (source: Ohtani et al., 1997). Transdermal dosage form of buprenorphine Buprenorphine is available in the oral and transdermal route and a patch is applied to deliver constant drug doses for a period. The transdermal application of buprenorphine has several differences in the dosage, bioavailability, and efficacy to the use of the oral route. The transdermal route is better tolerated compared to the oral route with fewer side effects being experienced due to the use of this path of drug administration (Pergolizzi et al., 2010). The common side effects at the area of application are the development of erythema and pruritus (Pergolizzi et al., 2010). The transdermal route of application of methadone also lasts longer as compared to the use of the oral preparation. According to Pergolizzi et al., (2010), the patch acts as a depot for the drug, thus ensuring a constant supply of the same on the body’s demand. The oral route requires frequent administration of the drug when used to manage pain and in the management of opioid toxicity. On the other hand, a transdermal patch has been used for over three days with researchers showing that it is still efficacious after the third day (Pergolizzi et al., 2010). As earlier described, the first pass effect of a drug is important in the determination of its bioavailability. Through the application of buprenorphine orally, there is a considerable chance of the drug going through the first pass effect, which results in the reduction of the drug’s bioavailability. The use of the transdermal patch allows the bypass of the liver and the gastrointestinal system, thus reducing the first pass effect (Pergolizzi et al., 2010). However, the transdermal route is a slower method of delivery of buprenorphine and it cannot be used to deliver the drug when it is needed more urgently. On the other hand, the sublingual and oral route, according to Pergolizzi et al. (2010), is a faster way of delivery of the drug. Buprenorphine vs. methadone Methadone is a synthetic diphenylheptane and it acts on the mu opioid receptor as an agonist (Trescot et al., 2008). This drug is unique with properties different from those exhibited by other opioids. The difference with other opioids will be compared in this section by using buprenorphine. The half-life of the two drugs, time of onset, and duration of effect and the dosing regimens will be used in the comparison. Half-life Trescot et al. (2008) posits that the half-life of a drug â€Å"is the time that it takes for its blood concentration to reduce by half† (p. 144). The plasma half-life of buprenorphine is 3-5 hours, which means that the drug plasma concentration reduces by half after 3 to 5 hours of administration. The faster reduction in concentration of the drug when given through the sublingual route means frequent administration and this aspect underscores a setback in the management of intoxication since a more frequent dosage is required (Trescot et al., 2008). The transdermal patch also has the same half-life, but the availability is high and it provides a depot for the drug. Methadone has a long half-life as compared to buprenorphine and this aspect can be attributed to the high lipid solubility (Trescot et al., 2008). High lipid solubility means that the drug is widely distributed in tissues, especially in fat tissue, which provides methadone with a very long elimination phase (Trescot et al., 2008). Due to this aspect, the half-life is stated to be between 12 and 150 hours, and hence methadone may be administered once daily or longer than bupr enorphine. A comparison of the two drugs shows that methadone has a longer half-life as compared to buprenorphine. Time of onset/duration of effect The time of onset of effects of a drug is the time that passes between the administration of a drug and the patient to experience its effects. In the case of buprenorphine, the onset of effects is three to four hours after administration through the sublingual route (Murphy et al., 2013). This onset of action is slower as compared to other opioids and it is desired where the treatment of toxicity of opioids is to be treated (Murphy et al., 2013). The onset of action for buprenorphine, while using the transdermal route, is also slower as compared to the sublingual route. The duration of action of this drug is also long and it lasts for 12-150 hours Methadone is similar to buprenorphine in the onset of action, and the process is even slower when given orally. However, the take taken for methadone to act is longer than that of buprenorphine and this case has been reported in some literature to be 4-5 days. This observation means that methadone can be administered in longer doses duration such as once daily and its effects can last longer (Murphy et al., 2013). Dosing regimens used The dosing regimen can be described as the formulation, route of administration, the dosage, and interval of administration of a drug (Murphy et al., 2013). Buprenorphine is available as a sublingual tablet, while methadone is available in most places as an oral liquid formulation (Murphy et al., 2013). The onset of action for buprenorphine, as stated earlier, is slow and this characteristic is compatible with the slow onset of action that methadone has in its functioning. The buprenorphine tablets are dissolved under the tongue, while the liquid formulation of methadone is swallowed. Alternate day dosing for buprenorphine is also possible, while it is impossible for methadone. Conclusion Opioids have been used in the management of pain for a long time and a number of factors have contributed to their preference over other classes of drugs. This paper has described some of the receptors that opioids bind to exert their effects and the receptor-drug interaction has been described by giving examples. A number of opioids are also used in the management of opioid toxicity based on the receptor interactions that they display. The paper focused on buprenorphine to examine some of the pharmacokinetic properties of opioids. Respiratory depression was stated as a major side effect of the opioids and there are established differences between respiratory depression provided by buprenorphine and that produced by morphine. A comparison between methadone and buprenorphine was also provided in the paper. References Griessinger, N., Sittl, R., Likar, R. (2005). Transdermal buprenorphine in clinical practice-a post-marketing surveillance study in 13,179 patients. Current Medical Research Opinion, 21(1), 1147–1156. Murphy, L., F ishman, P., McPherson, S., Dyck, D., Roll, J. (2013). Determinants of buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 46(3), 315-319. Ohtani, M., Kotaki, H., Nishitateno, K., Sawada, Y., Iga, T. (1997). Kinetics of respiratory depression in rats induced by buprenorphine and its metabolite, norbuprenorphine. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapies, 281(1), 428–433. Pergolizzi, J., Aloisi, A., Dahan, A., Filitz, J., Langford, R., Likar, R., Mercadante, S., Morlion, B., Raffa, R., Sabatowski, R., Sacerdote, P., Torres, L., Weinbroum, A. (2010). Current Knowledge of Buprenorphine and Its Unique Pharmacological Profile. Pain Practice, 10(5), 428–450. Trescot, A., Datta, S., Lee, M., Hansen, H. (2008). Opioid Pharmacology. Pain Physician, 12(2), 133-153.

Race and ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Race and ethnicity - Essay Example The identity based on environmental, cultural or historical diversity should have no effect on the fact that human beings can and may live differently. All peoples of the world possess equal faculties and can attain the highest levels of intellectual, technical, social, cultural, economical and political development. The difference between the achievements of the people are entirely attributed to geographical, historic, political, economic, social and cultural factors and by no means should form the basis of rank-ordered or classification of peoples of different races. All human groups no matter what their ethnic origin contribute according to their own genius towards the progress of civilization and culture. Racism and racial prejudice have afflicted the world in ever-changing form. By continuing legislative provisions and administrative practices which are contrary to the principles of human rights, contempt and injustice continues to prevail for certain individuals and groups in a society. An understanding of the racial issue facing America needs to be viewed in a historical context. The African Americans arrived as slaves, shackled in chains and their social status was defined by their captivity. They were regarded as beings of inferior order and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either socially or politically. They were deprived of the rights the white man was bound to enjoy and were considered by some as lawful to reduce them to slavery for their benefit. The criteria by which the social worthiness of individuals is judged and discriminations made are class, caste and the cultural history i.e. the legacy of slavery on race relations as in the case of blacks. The ways in which inequality is institutionalized or the ways by which the socially defined categories of person are rewarded unequally for their social contribution, is by ignoring the talents and abilities of individuals. The targeting and mistreatment of ethnic minorities has been a recurrent theme in the history of the modern world. The ethnic cleansing practiced by the Serbians in Bosnia is a recent example and the systematic massacre of the Jews by the Nazis in the Second World War even to this day, is considered a heinous crime by the whole world. Even some European countries have demonstrated very high levels of intolerance, especially towards immigrants of color who have entered their workforce in recent decades. The society we all live in, is an organic system in which various components work together to contribute to the health of the whole system and some of these systems are more important for the survival of the system as compared to others. Functionalism relies on the metaphor that society is a body or a living system. (Rigney 2001, p. 17) Just as a human organism consists of many parts like the brain, heart, kidneys and lungs etc. which work together for the survival of a person, in the same way the society also consists of multiple cooperative components. Functional analysis proceeds not by examining the details of specific interaction but by looking at the society as

Clinical psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Clinical psychology - Essay Example A licensed clinical or counseling psychologist usually requires a doctoral degree for employment. Psychologists with a Ph.D. qualify for a wide range of teaching, research, clinical, and counseling positions in universities, elementary and secondary schools, private industry, and government. To work in a clinical position a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree is usually required. (College Grad.com.) The prospects for job growth are expected to be faster than the average for all careers through 2012. The average yearly income of clinical psychologists in 2003 was $58,640, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Psychologists study about the human mind and behavior. They formulate hypotheses and collect data to test their validity. Depending on the topic under study, the research methods may vary. Controlled laboratory experiments, personality, performance, aptitude, and intelligence tests may be used to collect information. In addition, other methods like observation, interviews, questionnaires, clinical studies, and surveys may also be used. The knowledge gained by psychologists is applied to health and human services, management, education, law, and sports. Clinical psychologists constitute the largest specialty in psychology. They often work in counseling centers, independent or group practices, hospitals, or clinics. Some clinical psychologists work in physical rehabilitation centers. Others may work in universities and medical schools, where they train graduate students in mental health and behavioral medicine. Some are involved in community mental health programs. The range of work includes helping mentally and emotionally disturbed persons, helping people deal with personal crisis like divorce or death of a close person, helping medical and surgical patients to deal with their illnesses or injuries, treating patients with spinal cord injuries, chronic pain or illness, stroke, arthritis, and neurological conditions. They often

Analysis of the Consumer Behaviour of University Students towards Dissertation

Analysis of the Consumer Behaviour of University Students towards Online Shopping - Dissertation Example Only hedonic orientation and convenience were agreed upon by the sample of university students. Thus, these are the drivers of their continued patronage of online shopping. Generally, consumers are attracted by the convenience of online shopping since customers could purchase items without leaving their place. Moreover, canvassing online could be done more efficiently, which enables consumers to make better decisions by purchasing items at the lowest price available. However, security concerns have affected the intentions of consumers to conduct online transactions. Certain consumers would prefer to gather information about a product rather than purchasing it online. Recommendations were then presented based on the gathered outcomes. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study Electronic commerce is widely considered to be one of the most fundamental components of Internet usage. Online shopping has also been noted as third of the most popular activities conducted through the Internet, after web browsing and messaging. Online shopping has gained much considerable attention compared to common Internet activities, such as obtaining news or entertainment information (Foucault, and Scheufele 2002). In 2001, almost 50% of Internet users made their purchases through online shopping with which more than half of these reported that they typically purchase 1 to 10 online goods annually. Establishing efficient interactions between consumers and websites has become an important concern for companies who utilize electronic commerce as a means of increasing the reliability of their online transactions. Understanding the needs of consumers along with the factors that can influence their intentions, attitudes, and behaviours with regards to online shopping is of great importance to establish efficient transactions. It is most likely that consumers will interact with and make use of websites in various ways, thereby having various perceptions. For instance, Cheung and Lee (2003) pointed out that the unique characteristics of an individual can influence behaviour towards online shopping. Wu (2005) also asserted that the goals of consumers are strongly associated with their intentions of purchasing and revisiting of the website. Because consumer characteristics are essential and are used to describe the consumer, such as demographic characteristics (e.g. culture, gender, age), these will highly influence their behaviour and attitudes towards exchanging business through the Internet (Wolfinbarger and Gilly 2001). Specifically, Mohd Suki et al. (2006) reported that Internet shoppers in developing countries are often young, have received a high level of education, and are wealthy. In addition, distinct personalities among consumers strongly affect their perceptions of their own online shopping behaviours, particularly the utilitarian and hedonic orientations. Previous studies, such as that of Muylle, Moenaert, and Despontin (2004), have pointed out th e advantages of online stores that are characterized by the thoughts and beliefs of consumers with regards to the possible offers of an online store, such as increased convenience and reliability. These perceived benefits have been shown to persuade individuals in making their purchases online, hence the need to understand as well the ways with which consumers

What Is Impression Management Children And Young People Essay

What Is Impression Management Children And Young People Essay In this chapter, we will be discussing about the historical background of impression management, followed by the definition and scope of impression management. There are different metaphors that used to describe people that use impression management tactics. According to Shakespeares As You Like It : All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players , he compares the the world to a stage and life to a play, literally means that our life is just a drama only. However, Shakespeare only interpreted it as a theatrical analogy but not a sociology theory. The term was first adapted into sociology from the theatre by  Erving Goffman, who developed most of the related terminology and ideas in his 1959 book,  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.   Thus, the theatrical analogy was being transformed into dramaturgy, a method of analyzing social interaction as if the participants were performing on a stage. Dramaturgy  is a  sociological  perspective starting from  symbolic interactionism , and commonly used in microsociological  accounts of social interaction in everyday life. Erving Goffman (1922-1982), arguably the most original American theorist of the second half of the 20th century, the metaphor of life as theater is rich in meaning. He saw all human interaction as, in some ways, very much like a grand play. He was not, however, as concerned with sweeping generalizations about the human condition as he is much more concerned with the particulars of daily life-the micro-level interactions between individuals that, when taken together, constitute the human experience. At this micro level, he argues, the world is much more like a stage than we commonly realize. Goffman stated that it is impossible to discuss peoples selves abstracted from their social situations. He writes, This self itself does not derive from its possessor, but from the whole scene of his action. . . this self is a product of a scene that comes off, and not a cause of it. The self, then, as a performed character, is not an organic thing that has specific location. . . [the individual and his body] merely provide the peg on which something of collaborative manufacture will be hung for a time. And the means for producing and maintaining selves do not reside inside the peg. (Goffman, 1959, pp. 252-253) Thus, the fundamental unit of social analysis is not the individual but rather as the team ,which is responsible for the creation of perceptions of reality in social set-tings. A peoples action is always depending upon the situation and the people, yet we could not really observe or even find out the deeper heart of a person. While Goffman (1959) applied dramaturgy as a tool for smooth interactions, the theory then changes into a more application forms. Some social psychologists like Edward Jones labeled dramaturgy as serving more specific purposes for impression management. Impression management is rather a applied sociology theory that emphasis on the strategic such as gaining power and influencing others. During the 1970s, the impression management perspective became very popular among laboratory-oriented experimental social psychologists and in the mid 1980s, more organizational studies emerged to use the impression management framework. Most empirical studies on impression management concentrate on the situational or individual factors that influence a certain impression management behaviour or tactics that affect outcomes like promotions, performance appraisal ratings, and career success. What is impression management ? Impression management is defined as the process by which people attempt to influence the images that others have of them (Rosenfeld, Giacalone Riordan, 1995). According to sociologist Erving Goffman, men and women are like actors, which perform in front of everyone (audience) to attract their attentions.They use their experiences as a script,to deal with daily activities. Usually a script contains of basic information that people stored in their mind like the persons involved, the situations and the meaning of a scene. Without a script,the situation might become chaos,and the actors behavious might become chaotic as well.When people engage in social intereactions, it is known as performances. The performance consists of a combination of verbal and non verbal behaviours, influenced by actors interaction motives. In the next chapter, we will be discussing more about impression management behavior. Impression management behaviours In this chapter,we will discuss about different types of impression management that exist,followed by Jones and Pittmans (1982) impression management taxonomy. According to Leary and Kowalski( 1990) there are two types of impression management behaviours:verbal impression management behaviour and non verbal impression management behaviour.Non verbal behaviour contains expressions like smile, yawns, and etc that can reflect the feeling of the actors without the use of words. Whereas for verbal impression management behaviour,it is defined as the opposite of non verbal behaviour because it involves the action of the actors to influence the others. Verbal impression management can separate into 2 categories, assertive impression management and defensive impression management.. Assertive impression management is a tactic that to reveal a favourable image on the other. It also further divide into 2 sub-categories, that is other-focused (making sure that the target feel good about himself) and self-focused (aim to himself to make it seems that he has a potential skill and posses a good qualities on others). For defensive impression management, it is mostly used to repair or protect ones image. Jones and Pittman Taxonomy E.E Jones was the first sociologist who investigate the social behaviour. He believed that the Ingratiation has the largest power to influence other people in order to increase their attractiveness of themselves. Jones and Pittman later developed another 4 classes of self-presentation strategies that will mainly engage in our daily life in order to influence the others. There are: Intimidation, Self-promotion, Exemplification and Supplication. Ingratiation The most common and most studied impression management tactic is ingratiation. It is also known as attraction management . According to Jones, ingratiation is a process where the ingratiator find out what the audience finds attractive in an individual and then provide it to them. It is widely used by everyone in our daily activities.People engage in ingratiation to enhance their own actual power in a relationship. Ingratiation can be a successful way of influencing others if it is used wisely. Intimidation People who engage in intimidation try to gain social power by being feared. The intimidator try to convince his target that he is dangerous. By doing so, he will gain respect from his targets. Intimidation is most likely to take place in working field, family, school and etc. Self-promotion Unlike ingratiation who want to be liked, self promotion focus more on being competent.The actor usually focus more on specific skills that they have, such as playing a musical instrument to attract other people. The self-promoter wants to convince others and portray an image of competence among everyone.The aim when using this strategy is usually an immediate one such as getting admitted into university or getting a new job. Exemplification The ingratiator wants to be liked, the self promoter wants to be seen as competent, the intimidator wants to be feared, and the exemplifier wants to be admired and respected.He wants to be seen as disciplined and honest Usually the exemplifier always come early at work or takes work home everyday.They want everyone knows that they work hard and engage in self sacrifice.By doing so, the others will feel guilty because they are not the same as the exemplifier. The target will somehow support the exemplifier by doing the same thing sooner or later. Supplication The last self presentation strategy would be supplication. It is a strategy where someone exploits their weaknesses.The supplicator tend to seek help or sympathy from others. Usually it is used by those handicapped people, who cant perform daily activities normally. Supplication is the opposite of self promotion. Based on daily realities, critically discuss how lectures, parents, politicians and artistes engage in impression management. In this chapter, we will discuss in details about the question of this assignment (which is stated above). Artistes As we mentioned in previous chapters, everyone engage in impression management in their daily lifes, especially the artistes.There are three types of strategies artistes use to manage their impressions, they are ingratiation, self promotion, and supplication. Most of the artistes use ingratiation tactic to attract their fans. Artistes do it through make up, wearing provocative clothes, expensive jewelries to portray a healthy look. This gives a fake image towards the public on the attractiveness of the celebrities. For example, Nicole Kidman will not step out from her house without any make up. Imagine if the fans see their idols real look without any make up, they might feel surprise and disappointed, and this might cause them to support another artist instead of the original one. Thats why we always see the artistes in heavy make up or beautiful clothes, but never see them in normal looks. Besides ingratiation, artistes also use self promotion strategy when engaging in impression management. Artistes do it by promoting themselves and portray an image of competence among them. This will show the difference between the celebrities. They want the audience to recognize them for the skills, not only their physical appearance. For instance, Tom Cruise is one of the most well known male actor in Hollywood. He might not be as handsome as Brad Pitt, but his unique acting skills made him as the best male actor in the past 10 years. This proves that physical appearance is not the only tool to survive in the artistes world, but also the unique skill that each artist possesses. In addition, artistes also use supplication strategy to manage their impression. As we all know, Michael Jackson was found addicted to drugs during the 1990s.He admitted taking Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the child sexual abuse allegations made against him, and painkillers actually were prescribed to soothe excruciating pain that he was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on his scalp. All the fans were shocked and upset when they found out about that. They cant accept the fact that their idol has been on drugs for so long. Some fans were disappointed and refused to support him anymore. However, he admitted the mistakes and acknowledge that should be punished. He pleaded the fans to forgive him for his silly mistakes.In the end, the fans forgive him for drugs abuse and continue to support him.If he did not apologize to his fans, the situation might changed. Conclusion In this assignment, we have a clearer picture about the background of impression management and the definition of it. We also understand that there are different types of impression management strategies that we use in our daily activities. The main purpose for this assignment is to study about the different ways to engage in impression management by different individuals with different roles. Artistes, politicians, lectures, and parents are the targets for this assignment. By using Jones and Pittman Taxonomy, we can understand how the targets manage their impressions in daily activities. Different people will use different strategy to manage their impression, but their goal is the same: attract attention. To conclude, impression management is very important to all of us. We need it in our daily activities. Everyone wants to make a good impression when we are communicating with other people. A good impression is very important because we will never get a second chance to make a first impression. UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE ACADEMIC YEAR: 2012 OCTOBER 2012 TRIMESTER ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET Course Title : INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY Course Code : UAPS2003 Tutorial group : Tutorial 3 Title of assignment : Impression management Due date : 14 November 2012 Students Name Students ID No. Course Year and Sem Parents Parents usually are the one who having most of the time get in touch with their children. Hence, it is not peculiar that parents usually use some kind of impression management on their children. Children, on the other hand, will be influenced by their parents, in order to be disciplined or becoming a well-mannered person in the future. Thus, showing that impression management is the important part in this field for educating children. Parents usually use 3 types of impression management on them, there are Ingratiation, Intimidation and Exemplification. In terms of Ingratiation, parents usually behave friendly in front of their child. Even though they are working at outstation, leaving them alone or sending them to the guardinator to take good care of their child, they call them once a week in order to get in touch with them, building a good rapport with them, no matter how far is it. Some parents even buy some material stuff to their kids as their compensation of time. They shower their children with love and harmony, awarding them by taking them to fun-fair whenever they done something correctly or scoring a good results. Besides, when the children feel unhappy to a certain kind of things, like feeling not happy with their teacher in daily school experiences, parents will become a good listener, listen to their story or experiences and find a solution for them. All in all, parents will be able to win their childr en heart, and in return, children will treat his/her parents back nicely. Ingratiation shows that parents use their positive side of themselves to influence the children perception in the front stage. The next impression management is Intimidation. This kind of impression is simply regarded as the opposite action of the Ingratiation. As we known, Ingratiation is type of the impression in order to get people attractiveness, whereas for Intimidation, it is kind of the impression that make the surrounding feel scary and dangerous. Parents also using this type of impression towards their kids. Parents, usually father uses his air of authority to educate their children in those days and nowadays as well. This situation has made the surrounding very scary and children will feel the sense of danger towards him. Consequently, children dare not against to their parents in the future. Even though when children come to the rebellious stage, they also dare not tone loudly against their parents. This seems much effective than Ingratiation in order to educate their children. Intimidation shows that parents using their negative side of themselves to influence/fear the children in the front stage but at the back stage, they are very caring for their children. The following impression management is Exemplification. This is a kind of impression that a person sacrifices himself in order to influence the other people so that the target will feel guilty and tends to changing his/her bad behaviour. This usually happen on parents in educating their children as well. For instance, when parents saw their children throw rubbish in the public without intentionally, they will pick up the rubbish and throw it into a proper thrash in front of their children, or whenever the parents saw others doing so, also picking up the rubbish and throw it in a proper way, in front of children of course. This has made children guilty that littering is a bad behaviour and they start to change themselves, by not repeating the same mistake again. This shows that parents setting a good example in front of their children in order to instil a good morale values on them. In china, most parents are very poor. They usually work as a farmer and yet they want their children to have a further studies on overseas to get a proper degree. Thus, in order to fund the education fees, they worked very hard and even sell off their valuable things like the land or their house as well to let their children to study. This is also a kind of impression management in parents engaging to their children, sacrificing themselves and making their children to feel guilty if they do not study hard to get a proper degree. Lecturer Impression management refers to the individual intentionally or unintentionally influence and control others formed their own impression. Appropriate impression management helps individuals and others to establish good interpersonal relationships, even attracting the attention of others, and then pull nearly the distance between. Therefore, if lecturer can grasp of teaching impression management strategies, will help to attract the attention of students and learning focused, directly or indirectly, to enhance the students learning motivation and effectiveness. Goffman said that Everyone has their own performance to others; everyone is always trying to keep a proper impression in social contexts, in order to get a positive rating. Everyone has a set of face-saving or face saving strategy that face work. The impression management tactics of lecturer use is ingratiation, intimidation and exemplification. Ingratiation is the strategy use to influence others, in order to increase their own personal attractiveness. How do we choose to show ourselves, by increase our personal appearance? By clothes, darker clothes to convey authority and lighter clothes is produce a friendly image. Do not wear the excessive jewellery and open-toed shoes. Besides, most of the lecturer uses shaping good teaching in order to enhance teachers social status and importance enhance communication between schools and parents. Lecturer emphasis the influence of their background behavior, try to understand student subcultures, establish a positive self-identity, in order to shorten the spatial distance between teachers and students. Lecturer unauthorized use of ingratiation strategies to enhance students interest in learning, to create a sound and stable self-identity of students. Intimidation, the use of coercion is to show the behavior itself is a dangerous man, and caused a horrible impression to others, to accept each other for fear of control, so as to achieve their own ends. Most of lecturer given quizzes and practice in the class to supervise students concentrate in class, understand students learning. Students feel afraid to take quizzes and practice in the case of an unpredictable. This situation helps students to increase their concentration. For those their attendance rate is lower than 80% in each subject, examination not allow as their punishment. Students will attend their class and do not absence randomly. For those who full attendance, bonus marks will give as their rewards. Exemplification, model strategy use refers to behavior for those who show outstanding moral behavior, designed to lure followers exemplary. The core of the strategy is to make others agree with the behavior, in order to win the respect of others, and to increase its own influence to the lofty impression of integrity and behavior. If lecturer is fair and equitable, students were more likely to trust the teachers, actively participate in courses. Score is in your hand, however you decide, not for me to decide, let students know the score in their hands, and openness their result. Respect is important, if teachers respect the students, the students also felt seriously under mutual respect with the teachers, the students learn the effect will be better. Do not quibble over or any contempt and crumbs attitude, if you give him a face embarrassment, may be the next time he not come to class anymore or sleep at there, what ever you talk, he not listen also. If students can feel the enthusias m and sense of responsibility of the teacher, students take the initiative go to class and take part of actively in class. In conclusion, the teacher can directly or indirectly affect the students, but also has the responsibility to make good profit to the future with a variety of ways to enhance students learning motivation and effectiveness. Therefore, as a teacher if the proper use of impression management can promote human interaction of teachers and students to improve the students attention and interest of lectures, with the love of learning contexts, and thus effectively improve learning outcomes. Politician Do you ever ask yourself why the politician is always full of cheers of support from the audiences in his or her political speech? Recently in 6 November 2012 of the United States President Election, Barack Obama managed to win the election and be able to serve for his country for four years more. It is partly due to the high support from the people of United States. However, we may notice that an election is always full of political talks. Therefore, politician will take their opportunity to give their point of views in order to get their supports and build up their reputation. Without doubt, the phenomenon of dramaturgy and the application of impression management can be easily seen in politics. Many of the politicians have their own family and of course they perform differently in different situations. For example, a politician will perform as an ambitious and inspired leader in front of the mass people. On the other hand, politicians will behave to be mean and aggressive to the member of the opposite party. Moreover, they would not behave what they are in politic towards their family members and their beloved. It is then obvious that the behaviors of politicians are dependent to the situations, and the application of impression management is tremendously important to the politicians. Most importantly, what strategies should politicians adopt in engaging impression management? First, most of the politicians use ingratiation tactic as their strategic in politic. The Tactic of ingratiation is to make one politician more liked and attractive by the others. So politician will sometime find out something that attract the peoples attention and provide them something that people really want. They will be considered as caring, responsible and considerate. The purpose of this tactics is to give the good impression to the people and thus the people will support him as a politician. Dato Sri  Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak  (born 23 July 1953) is a  Malaysian  politician who has been the sixth  Prime Minister of Malaysia  since 2009. Recent time, our Prime Minister Najib have establish many policies that benefit all Malaysian. As Malaysia is a multicultural country, 1Malaysia Campaign was established by the Prime Minister on 16 September 2008. 1Malaysia Campaign put emphasis on ethnic harmony, national unity, and efficient governance. Furthe rmore, Najib also introduced the Government Transformation Program (GTP) to increase quality, skill and transparency in public service and the government. Specific measures include the use of Key Performance Indicators to measure the performance of officials and agencies and National Key Result Areas to define goals for specific areas of public policy. Najib also develop a  New Economic Model  that will speed Malaysias transition to a high income country. The plan will emphasise ways to increase the income and productivity of workers by encouraging knowledge industries and increasing investment from overseas. Moreover, politicians also engage intimidation tactic towards their political enemy such as the representative of opposite member, terrorists and others. Sometimes the politician stands their point of view very much and they hope that thing can process according to what he says. So they will use this strategic to fear the people and thus achieving what he want. It may be unusual to see in a democratic country because the politician will definitely dont want to lose his supports, but this can be widely seen in the some dictators of underdeveloped countries such as the last dictator of Libya- Muammar Gaddafi. In some how they want to scare the people from preventing them to overthrow his idea and rule. One example that can explain this tactic is the famous Munich Agreement that happened in 30 September 1938. Munich Agreement,   (September 30, 1938), settlement reached by  Germany, Great  Britain,  France, and  Italy  that permitted German annexation of the Sudetenland  in western  Czechoslovakia.  As Hitler continued to make inflammatory speeches demanding that Germans in Czechoslovakia be reunited with their homeland, war seemed imminent. Neither France nor Britain felt prepared to defend Czechoslovakia, however, and both were anxious to avoid a military confrontation with Germany at almost any cost. With lots of effort, the Britain and France were able to persuade Hitler to have a meeting. However, Two Czech representatives were only allowed to sit in the room next door. Afterward, Czechoslovakia was informed by Britain and France that it could either resist Germany alone or submit to the prescribed annexations. Finally, the German army was able to conquer Czech without having a war. It is clear to show that Hitler applied tactic of intimidation and fierce impression towards his enemies made him able to achieve his goal. Furthermore, self-promotion is vital for politician because they want to show the capability in doing this. From this, they will get support and then continue in making contribution to the society. During the election, we can always see many politicians go to their election area to shake hand with the voters and even giving a political speech. The main purpose of these moves is to promote oneself and gain vote from the people. One of the examples of this impression management is the fireside chats of Former President  Franklin Roosevelt. They were called fireside chats because fireside chats because when you chat by the fire, you feel calm and relaxed, just like what the fireside chats were intended to be like. People could sit at home and listen to the president speak.  President Roosevelt talked the nation on the radio about various issues during his presidency. On that time, fireside chats were broadcast every Sunday night. He spoke of plans such as creating jobs for the unemp loyed. He gave hope when people needed hope.  Consequently, he gained great support from the people of The United States that made him elected more than two times. Self presentation/ Presenting the Self In self presentation, we are the actors and the others are the audience and vice versa on other people perception. Generally, all of us will try to display the positive side of us and hide the bad images of us. This can be mainly seen in our daily life experience. For instance, we would dress up nicely when we dating with somebody else, laughing with other people although it was a bad joke, and try to pretend a good listener although knowing that it was a boring story. So, just ask ourselves, does this scenario has destroy our true identity on pretending the others although knowing that something is not going well. The answer is NO because all of us are applying the Goffmans principle of role distance, the separation of outward performance as well as inward performances. Therefore, we may outwardly perform a nice, smiling face but inwardly scolding and cursing them instead. Outward performance is similar to the actor does onstage and the inward feeling is comparable to what the actor does on the backstage. Goffman hence uses this stages to his theory in analysing the self-presentation, dividing into frontstage and backstage. In front stage, people present their selves in ways expected for the others, like audience. On the other hand (backstage), starts to reveal their true identity, showing no concern for the audience. Frontstage performance is not necessary consider as dishonest or making fool on the others (audience), but it can be perform better if we apply the Jones and Pittman Taxonomy on the front stage and conceal our true identity in the back stage in our daily, it can seems much interesting in order can influence other people perception as well.

The Tiger Essay -- essays research papers

Tigers are the largest members of the cat family. They live in Asia and belong to the same genus as the lion, leopard, and jaguar. Two major subspecies of the tiger are the Siberian tiger and the Bengal tiger. The tiger is thought to have originated in northern Asia during the Pleistocene Epoch. Scientific classification: Tigers belong to the family Felidae. The scientific classifications of each tiger are listed in the "Types of Tigers" section of this report. Appearance The Siberian tiger measures 4.6 to 9.2 ft long, excluding the tail, which is 27 to 37 in long. The Siberian Tiger weighs 400 to 675 lb. It has thick yellow fur with dark stripes. The Bengal tiger is about 10 ft long, including the tail, and weighs around 400 to 569 lb. It is found in southeastern Asia and in central and southern India. Its coat is flatter than the Siberian tiger's coat, it has a darker color, and the stripes are darker. The Sumatran tiger is even smaller and darker. Ears The tiger's ears are its main advantage when hunting. Tigers have white spots behind their ears to help identify one another in the jungle. Hearing is the tiger's sharpest sense. Eyes The tiger's night vision is six times greater than ours. They have a mirror like layer at the back of the eye that reflects extra light. Tigers also have very good colorful eyesight. Mouth Tigers have long, canine teeth that they use to stab and kill their prey. The molars behind them are like scissors. They slice strips of ...

International Oil Security: Problems and Policies Essay

Energy security was a priority of the Bush Administration in 2001. In a larger context, global oil security is a major concern of the world, the United States in particular. Oil security is not about depleting reserves and having continuous supply to cover demand, but the real issue is the oil costs. International Oil Security involves two things: (1) oil producers control the supply and price of the commodity, and (2) volatile oil price creates have disruptive effects on macroeconomic situations. In the 1970s the downtrend and the inflation of industrialized economies were the results of oil price shocks. These price shocks were mostly caused by unanticipated and drastic changes in supply, demand, and inventory which were all destabilizing. Since the late 1990s OPEC controls the global oil market because it owns 45% of oil reserves and its global output share could double in the next decade. The oil market is a volatile one. When supplies are low, prices go up to meet the demand. A shock comes when there is big shift in the supply that send prices soaring. Such big swings may bring disastrous effects on the macroeconomic equation. The oil businessmen may cushion their financial risks without considering the oil-intensive component of the economy. The case of the US shows that: (1) effects on the US depends on its consumption of oil and not on its importation of oil, (2) it would be more expensive to increase its own supply and reduce its consumption, and (3) its military presence in the Middle East has nothing to do with oil imports. The Bush Administration’s thrust is to increase domestic oil production and lessen its reliance on oil imports, develop more efficient energy utilization and seek alternative and renewable energy resources. Legislations providing tax breaks and converting ANWR for oil exploration and production were passed. Still, increasing output will reduce the magnitude of oil shocks slightly by keeping the prices down and decreasing the intense effects of oil on the economy. ANWR appears to be a bad idea, primarily because of the social and environmental impact it carries. From a macroeconomic view, decreasing the oil intensity of its economy is paramount to ensuring its energy security. Cost-effective conservation measures and regulated minimal adjustments have insignificant effect on petroleum prices. It would take stronger policies to complement conservation and efficient utilization to boost its oil security efforts: (1) better management of oil reserves, (2) protection for the low-income sector who is most sensitive to price swings, (3) exploring other alternative fuel sources, (4) providing for energy use that ride the tide of price changes, and (5) developing non-fossil based fuels. In the final count, energy security can be had depending on the high costs of oil and the critical research and development needed.

The Root Word Solve and Its Offshoots

The Root Word Solve and Its Offshoots The Root Word Solve and Its Offshoots The Root Word Solve and Its Offshoots By Mark Nichol A small family of words with the root word solve refer in some way to changing the physical or figurative state of something- naturally, since the Latin root of solve, solvere, means â€Å"dissolve, loosen, or solve.† Solve itself means â€Å"find an answer, explanation, or solution for.† One who solves is a solver (rarely used in isolation but part of the common phrase â€Å"problem solver†); something solved is a solution, and solution is also defined as a liquid in which something has been dissolved. To dissolve, in turn, is to cause something to pass into a solution (the liquid type), though it also means â€Å"destroy, disintegrate, or terminate† or â€Å"make legally void.† The noun for such an action is dissolution (not to be confused with disillusion, a synonym for disenchant as a verb and the noun disenchantment). Dissolve has also acquired a sense as a noun, used in cinematography to describe a transition achieved by gradual imposition of one image onto another, and it serves as a verb in that context as well. A solvent, meanwhile, is a liquid used to dissolve another substance, or anything that solves a problem or eliminates or diminishes an obstacle. Solvent can also be an adjective meaning â€Å"able to dissolve† or â€Å"able to pay debts.† The adjective soluble, by contrast, has the former sense but not the latter, though it also means â€Å"able to be explained or solved.† (The antonyms are insolvent and insoluble.) Absolve means â€Å"forgive† or â€Å"free from blame or responsibility†; an act taken to absolve someone is an absolution. (One is said to give or grant absolution.) Interestingly, the adjective absolute, meaning â€Å"complete† or â€Å"unlimited,† is related; it derives from the Latin term absolutus, meaning â€Å"absolve† or â€Å"set free.† Resolve, too, is related: To resolve is to find an answer or solution, or to make a serious decision or take a formal vote to do something. The noun form is resolution, though one can also use resolve as a noun, employing it as a synonym for determination, and the adjectival form is resolute. (The antonyms for the adjectives resolved and resolute are unresolved and irresolute, and a lack of resolution is irresolution.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†15 Great Word GamesHow to Send Tactful Emails from a Technical Support Desk

What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Essays

What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Essays What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Paper What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Doing Business on the Internet Paper The past a few years saw the boom and bust of the Internet sector, which is perhaps one of the most dramatic business events for several decades. Shutdowns of Internet companies more than doubled in 2001. However, based on a conservative estimate, only at most ten percent of significant Internet companies have shut down or declared bankruptcy. With the burst of the Internet bubble, people now are becoming more rational. Internet has become an important part of business and government, and less a part of frenzied speculation. Electronic commerce, which covers a much broader scope than mere Internet companies, has been penetrating our life to various degrees. It is no longer time to consider whether it should get involved in our existence but time to examine its implications and so as to make it bring positive changes to us. This paper provides an overview of e-commerce and an analysis of the opportunities and challenges for the world, especially the developing countries. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of trade-related issues. Electronic Commerce Defined Kevin Kelly, the author of New Rules for the New Economy, describes the new business landscape, It is global. It favors intangible things ideas, information, and relationships. And it is intensely interlinked. These three attributes produce a new type of marketplace and society, one that is rooted in ubiquitous electronic networks. That is, the New Economy has been transformed by digital technology in the postindustrial period. Value creation for customers has shifted from physical goods to an economy that favors service, information, and intelligence as the primary sources of value creation. E-commerce may be understood in a broad sense or a narrow sense. The former refers to all the business activities (like buying, selling, and other transactions) that are conducted via communication and business technologies. By this definition, a transaction may be done through telephone, fax, credit card, TV shopping, and the Internet. A narrow sense of definition for e-commerce is different, which refers only to the Internet-based business activities. What we are discussing here is related to the latter kind, i. e. business activities conducted with the help of Internet. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), electronic commerce is the production, advertising, sale and distribution of products via telecommunication networks. It includes: 1) the searching stage where producers and consumers, or buyers and sellers, first interact; 2) the ordering and payment stage once a transaction has been agreed upon; and 3) the delivery stage. In addition, the member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have agreed on a working definition of e-commerce: the networks over which E-commerce activities are carried out (Internet or others), the specific business processes related to e-commerce and the different actors involved (businesses, households or Governments). Economically speaking, e-commerce is a cheap way, by connecting computers everywhere, to carry out those activities which used to cost so much time and money from businesses. All those actions like product promotion, invoicing of merchandise, inventory control, communication with suppliers and customers, etc. can be accomplished over the Internet. With the help of Internet, your communication with your boss or employees two thousand kilometers away is as convenient and efficient as if you were in the same city. The market used to leave too little room for small businesses. However, things are different for the e-commerce. In e-commerce, so long as the business, no matter it is big or small, can move onto the electronic highway, you just go ahead with your business. It is up to the e-commerce consumers to decide which company they like and what products they would like to buy. In a way we may say that e-commerce has brought a revolution to businesses in an all-round way. Unfortunately, up to now, quite a number of companies have not yet realized the significance of e-commerce, not to speak of taking real steps to meet the challenge. Advantages E-commerce has opened an enormous market for all businesses. More and more companies have started doing business on/via the Internet. In Canada, one out of ten companies sold goods and services on the Internet in 1999. The total value for the customer orders received over the Internet was $4. 4 billion (with or without online payment). At present, according to Toronto research firm International Data Corp. the Internet business has grew to a total of US$ 435 billion worldwide by the year 2002. What business owners are mostly concerned about is in what way they can benefit from doing e-business over the Internet, which sounds quite reasonable and understandable. Actually, once you set up a store on the Internet, you have expanded your market to the whole world, which is beyond the customs tariff or the political influence. Although not all visitors to your Net store will ever do any shopping at your store, you should try your best to win them over by your marketing strategies. In fact, what you do for your products/services promotion on the Internet is only a supplementary effort to and not a replacement of your traditional ways of promotion. By your careful designing, consumers are encouraged to become more involved with your products or services. It is highly necessary for e-commerce to think of some special programs. Like the traditional way of building consumers loyalty, companies on the Net may practice the membership reward programs. Many consumers are interested in programs like Frequent Buyers, Point Accumulation or Free Internet Access offered by the credit card companies/banks, airlines, or bookstores. There are a number of ways to conduct B2B transactions online. Ever since the late 1960s, big companies have been doing business on the standardized electronic forms by using EDI. The traditional one-to-one transaction model has been gradually renewed with the advent of Internet: sellers sell directly from their websites; almost all computer-related companies have their own stores on the Net; and some smart virtual marketplaces attempt to bring both sellers and buyers together in one place. It is not hard for us to see that Internet has brought more vitality to the business transactions. Disadvantages of E-commerce As you begin to write your first column in the electronic commerce series, you realize that some business processes may never lend themselves to electronic commerce. For example, unique and high-cost items, such as jewelry or antiques, may continue to be difficult to inspect from a remote location. Most of the disadvantages of electronic commerce today, however, stem from the newness and rapidly developing pace of the underlying technologies. These disadvantages will disappear as electronic commerce matures and becomes more available to and accepted by the general population. Many products and services require that a critical mass of potential buyers be equipped and willing to buy via the Internet. Another example of a technology problem on the Web today is that the color settings on computer monitors vary widely. Clothing retailers find it difficult to give customers an accurate idea of what a products color will look like when it arrives. Most online clothing stores will send a fabric swatch on request, which also gives the customer a sense of the fabrics texture. As technology improves, this disadvantage will become less of an issue. Businesses often calculate their potential profits before committing to any new technology. These calculations have been difficult to perform for investments in electronic commerce because the costs and benefits have been hard to quantify. Technology costs can change dramatically during electronic commerce implementation products (processes) because the technologies can change so rapidly. Many firms have trouble recruiting and retaining employees with the technological, design, and business process skills needed to create an effective electronic commerce presence. Another problem facing firms that want to do business on the Internet is the difficulty of integrating existing databases and transaction-processing software designed for traditional commerce into the software that enables electronic commerce. In addition to the technology and software issues, many businesses face cultural and legal impediments to electronic commerce. Some consumers are still afraid to send their credit card numbers over the Internet. Other consumers are simply resistant to change and are uncomfortable viewing merchandise on a computer screen rather than in person. The legal environment in which electronic commerce is conducted is full of unclear and conflicting laws. In many cases, government regulators have not kept up with technologies. Laws that govern commerce were written when signed documents were a reasonable expectation in any business transaction. As more businesses and individuals find the benefits of electronic commerce to be compelling, many of these technology- and culture-related disadvantages will disappear. Values that Electronic Commerce Creates Electronic commerce creates value by vastly lowering the cost of transferring many types of information, on a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many basis. On the demand side, the advantages are improved information about the available goods and services, improved access to them as well as more customization that matches the taste of the buyers. On the supply side, electronic commerce can streamline transaction processes and reduce cost. When Cisco Systems replaced its phone and fax ordering process with online ordering, the company saved more than half a billion dollars and reduced error rates from 25% to 2%. Study also shows that there is a lot of cost savings in delivery directly to the home rather than doing so through a store. Internet makes the time when transactions take place flexible, a very important feature in a global economy with different time zones. Thus 24-hour online banking service has brought much convenience at low cost both to the banks and the customers. E-commerce also enables better matching of buyers and sellers, which means more transaction volume and higher market efficiency. In addition, e-commerce has created opportunities for brand new products and industries. Examples are Internet appliances, such Palm Pilots, and Internet-based services, such as PC-to-Phone calls. Moreover, e-commerce creates new markets where preciously transaction and coordination costs were prohibitively high. New View Technologies, formerly known as eSteel. com, aggregates steel producers and purchases from around the world into a single online marketplace. On the macroeconomic level, it is widely recognized that e-commerce, both B2C and B2B models, reduces overall transaction cost, allocates resources better, increases economies of scale and improves the competitiveness of business in general. Despite some existing murkiness, recent studies show that e-commerce does have a positive impact on national growth of productivity and GDP. It is expected that European countries will catch up quickly with the United States, and developing countries, with a certain degree of preparedness, could also converge in productivity with the leading e-commerce countries. Prerequisites of Electronic Commerce The benefits of being integrated in e-commerce look inviting, especially in trade-related issues. But in order to reap these benefits, there are many prerequisites. First, the implementation of e-commerce needs sufficient technologies and infrastructures of computer and telecommunication, whose development is ever accelerating. Countries should have reached a certain stage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) development so that the buyers and suppliers can actually materialize the possibility of conducting e-commerce. Second, electronic commerce also requires the technological and processing capability to make on-line payments and to deliver goods and services to consumers both physically and over the Internet. The appropriate development of financial services and logistics is also an indispensable part of the e-commerce. Despite its prevalence in certain sectors and regions, e-commerce is still in its infancy. There is urgent need, both on the national and international levels, for the establishment of standards, regulations and laws to create an environment of certainty, trust and security of the purchase and sales, as well as for the conveyance and use of information provided online. What E-commerce Means to Developing Countries? E-commerce is unique in its great capacity to go beyond the boundaries of time, space and information. An OECD study shows that there is a linkage between the openness of an economy and ICT spending. Trade in the goods and services are facilitated by the dissemination of ICTs. Countries where ICT spending has increased sharply usually also have sharp growth in trade. Therefore, given its immense effect on international trade as well as investment, e-commerce influences the development and globalization processes of the world. To meet the prerequisites of e-commerce requires a great amount of resources and efforts invested over a long period of time, so e-commerce is one more challenge that the developing countries are facing in the era of so-called new economy. In this realm, there is still much to accomplish for the developed countries and the way is probably even longer for the developing countries. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has studied this issue and come up with two scenarios. In Scenario I, the developing countries may be able to skip certain stages of development, jump on the express train of e-commerce and better integrate themselves in the world economy. A 1% productivity growth in the services sector in Asia would result in welfare gains of US$ 12 billion, GDP growth of 0. 4%, a wage increase of 0. 4% and a growth in services exports of between 2% and 3%. Therefore, e-commerce can become an important tool for development and fast catching-up. However, in Scenario II, developing countries might lag further behind technologically. While developed countries will have welfare gains of US$ 117 billion, the developing world as a whole will experience a huge loss in welfare (close to US$ 726 billion) and GDP, reduction in wages and deteriorating terms of trade. E-commerce could hence constitute an additional factor widening the gap between developed and developing countries. For individual countries, the trade effect of e-commerce is two-fold: On the one hand, new demand and market for goods and services has been created and expanded. Tourism industry, an information-intensive industry, is an important employer and foreign currency earner for developing countries. E-commerce can help maintain and improve their comparative advantage over developed country destinations. Although developing countries lack in modern ICT and financial infrastructures, their customers usually come from developed countries where such infrastructures are modern. Therefore, this obstacle is not formidable. With the adoption of e-commerce and other improvements in the business, the developing countries can reach their customers more directly with more comprehensive and flexible tourism products, reducing and/or eliminating the cost associated with a chain of intermediaries. As a result, the tourist industry of developing countries can become more competitive. E-commerce also makes it possible for consultancy type work such as software development and support to be carried out in the developing countries where consultants are employed to serve customers abroad. This means the sale of services in which the developing country has a comparative advantage (relatively low labor cost), which has not been fully utilized because of restrictions on the movement of natural persons. Microsoft has just moved its Global Technology Engineering Center to China. This is a net benefit to the exporting country in terms of income, retained earnings and employment. On the other hand, sectors that have been shielded from international competition will now be challenged by foreign producers. This might create serious problems for the developing countries, at least in the short term. In various WTO agreements, they have been granted special treatment for a certain period of time so that their domestic industries will not be overwhelmed all at once. With the advent of the e-commerce, it has to be determined what degree of openness is optimal so that the countries can gain from efficiency rather than suffer from the by-effects such as threats to national security and sovereignty as well as unemployment. Over the past decade, the regions with the highest annual growth in goods and services exports were Latin America, North America and Asia, whose shares of world exports also rose, while those of Europe, the Middle East and Africa declined. Africa posted the lowest export growth rate (at 1% per year). The most dynamic regions in terms of exports were also the most dynamic in terms of imports, reflecting a better integration into trade. This shows that although trade has increased in every region of the world, not all regions have benefited equally from the dissemination of trade as a result of new economy, where e-commerce plays a major part. E-commerce helps enhance global economic integration because the new opportunities that it creates bring in certain countries that have previously been left out. For example, www. EthioGift. om is selling Very big sheep- a 35 KG Sheep for Your Familys Feast ($97), featuring a photo (with zoom view) of an attractive brown and white ovine. This Ethiopia-based website is a model of its kind an e-commerce venture based in a developing country doing a booming business with clients in the industrialized world. However, without the necessary infrastructure and technology to connect them in the network of e-commerce, the most disadvantaged countries are threatened with even greater exclusion from trade and investment flows. Africas regression in international trade statistics proves that the digital divide does exist. According to OECD, some countries exclusion is made even more visible by the digital divide. However, the number of those excluded has been dropping steadily thanks to the new technologies. Although it appears that the developing countries have an interest in trading ICT products, the inequality of access to the new technologies is blatant. As long as this inequality persists, the problem cannot be totally solved. Therefore, the impact of e-commerce has two sides. Although its overall impact on the world is positive, we cannot assume that, for any single country under current conditions, the net effect of e-commerce is positive, too. Since e-commerce seems an irreversible trend, measures must be taken to make it work better and fairer for each player. Such efforts shall come both internationally and domestically.

Lab vectors and statics Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vectors and statics - Lab Report Example While addition of scalar quantities of the same nature such as mass, volume, temperature and speed is much simpler, addition of vector quantities poses some challenges since in their addition both direction and magnitude has to be taken into consideration. Addition of vectors is a critical exercise in classical physics since it is a unit of physics that deals with mostly moving objects. Motion is an effect of a resultant or net force applied on the body; that is a vector quantity. To find the net effect (force), all the forces acting on the body must be summed both in direction and magnitude. There are also vector quantities that do not involve force. According to Newton’s first law of motion, a body moving in a straight line with constant velocity has zero net force applied to it. Such bodies do not accelerate and Newton’s static laws, which includes vector addition, applies to such bodies. In this experiment, a force table was used to set up the three forces. On the first pulley, a 50g weight was placed on the pan, and the angle was set at an angle of 30degrees and on the second pulley a mass of 100g was placed on the pan, and the pulley set at 130 degrees from a standard predefined axis. The weight and angle of the third pulley were determined and recorded such that the ring at the center of the force table was balanced at the center. Errors on the measurement of third pulley was identified and recorded by adding multiples 1g of mass until the ring was off the center. The error on the measurement of the angle was also determined by carefully moving the pulley in one-degree angle increment; first to the right until the force table was off balance, then again to the left. An accurate diagram of a balanced force table was drawn to scale and used for the demonstration of the algebraic vector addition. Data analysis. The results of the measurement of the third force is shown in the attached data sheet. A scale

Efficiency Wages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Efficiency Wages - Essay Example Regarding a model of costly labor turnover, Stiglitz1 writes, firms are likely to pay too high wages. But it should be emphasized that it is possible that the competitive wage is too low. Since the 1970s, the persistently high unemployment rates in many industrial economies have made more and more economists believe that involuntary unemployment is one of the major stylized facts of modern economies. Therefore, a satisfactory macroeconomic labor model should explain well such a stylized fact. The efficiency wage theory has in recent years generally been regarded as a powerful vehicle for explaining why involuntary unemployment has persisted in the labor market. In constructing a business cycle model, "a potential problem of the efficiency-wage hypothesis is the absence of a link between aggregate demand and economic activity"2. Hence, until Akerlof and Yellen (1985) presented the near-rational model, efficiency wage theories still left unanswered the question of how changes in the money supply can affect real output. In macroeconomic theory, the wage is simply regarded as the amount of money that employees receive and is assumed to be exactly equal to the average cost of labor to employers. In practice, the components of wages are more complicated than the simple economic setting would suggest. There exist some gaps between the amounts that trading partners pay and receive. For example, the actual average cost of labor to employers is equal to the wage that employees receive after the addition of hiring and training costs, firing (severance pay) and retirement (pension) costs, various taxes and insurance fees, sometimes traffic and housing outlays, and so on. Some of these costs, especially taxes, insurance, and traffic fees, are set by the process of political negotiations. The resetting processes relating to these costs are always time-consuming and controversial in modern democratic societies, and these costs are not as flexible as other components of wages determined by competitive markets o r monopsonists. Since some components of wages are always inflexible, partial rigidity of wages is thus a realistic specification for economic modeling. When we recognize that wages have the property of partial rigidity, it is logical to expect that money nonneutrality will hence result. The basic tenet of the efficiency wage theory is that the effort or productivity of a worker is positively related to his real wage and firms have the market power to set the wage. Therefore, in order to maintain high productivity, it may be profitable for firms not to lower their wages in the presence of involuntary unemployment. The main reasons that are provided for the positive relationship between worker productivity and wage levels include nutritional concerns3, morale effects4, adverse selection5, and the shirking problem6. The shirking viewpoint proposed by Shapiro and Stiglitz (1984) is the most popular version of the theory. Its essential feature is that firms cannot precisely observe the efforts of workers due to incomplete information and costly monitoring; equilibrium unemployment is therefore necessary as a worker discipline device. I thus adopt a shirking model as the analytical framework of this paper to examine the effects of partial rigidity of wages. The earliest theoretical work on efficiency wages