Pit Bull Law In Ontario Essay Example for Free

Pit Bull Law In Ontario Essay The pit bull law is a touch and go law, it is one of those laws that doesn’t get enforced until this dog actually does something that would get it attention of the police, in which case they would take your pit bull away from you and put it down. Most people blame the bad reputation of pit bulls on bad owners, Pit bulls have been known as bad dogs since criminals started adopting them in the 70’s-80’s and using them in illegal dog fights and self defense dogs to protect drugs and money usually, pit bulls are very intimidating dogs that’s why they where chosen for all this stuff. Tons of sources and people all say that pit bulls make amazing family dogs, numerous people say that the key to a good dog is a good and loving owner, and make a great family dog that are good with kids and other animals only if trained right. The law is also hurting people too, there are a lot of pit bull breeders that are now not legally aloud to breed the only breed they know how to breed which is a violation of there rights. The government cant make you get rid of a pit bull you already own but there are very strict guidelines as to take care and keep these dogs away from society. The bill should be appealed, all dogs bite. Just these dogs need special attention just like every other dog to be a good dog. First of all the big reason why there is a ban on pit bull breeding and ownership of pit bulls is because of the bad reputation that they have accumulated over the past 40 or so years one of the first uses of the pit bull was to fight bears and bulls and stuff and people used that as entertainment, after that got banned for being rules as cruel to animals they came up with a new sport for the dogs which was to pin them up against each other in a pit for a fight to the death and people would bid money on the winners and ect†¦ the dogs where bred to kill. But it was made very illegal very fast and banned in all 52 states and Canada. That breed was very dangerous, but since the 80’s making that killer breed was illegal so that pure killing machine isn’t really around anymore but you cant take it all out of the gene, but it can be easily controlled with proper training and a loving owner. But that’s not always the case bad people do get there hands on these dogs to often and treat them with no respect, love or care and give don’t them proper obedience training. â€Å"Many of the pit bull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bred and badly trained dogs raised by backyard breeders, who are trying to cash in on the pit bull’s growing reputation as a cheap, but deadly effective guard dog, particularly in urban areas.† This is a quote from The Houston Chronicle placing the blame almost solely on the humans. Before the 80’s pit bull attacks where almost unheard of in fact there where an American icon along with bull dogs. Pit bulls where used on military poster for the first world war and in other posters, the pit bull was in a lot of households across America. The second topic would be how this law in Ontario has affected people’s jobs in breeding. Because of the new law breeders that have perfected there breed and only have knowledge in the pit bull breed, now that that has been taken away from them it is violating there rights as people, they have been stripped of there jobs because of an unfair law that has no reason to even be a law. Ontario breeders argue the ban violates breeders constitutional rights. Hundreds of supporters of pit bull-type dogs gathered in front of the provincial legislature to protest. Other supporters, including the American Staffordshire Club of Canada, say that Ontarios law is so vague and unscientific that it will affect many animals that shouldnt be banned. In a widely reported case, Toronto police fired more than a dozen bullets into two pit bulls that had turned on the man who was walking them as a favor for a friend. In another in London, Ont., a woman and her seven-year-old son watched in horror as a pit bull latched onto her husbands arm as he tried to keep the family puppy out of the dogs reach. While some breeders are fighting the ban, others are leaving the province. Pit bulls arent really an identifiable breed, added Hillier, so the law only provides a physical description of dogs, which he said could be applied to many breeds. The vague description of pit bulls in the legislation — which speaks of broad shoulders, short hair and a wide forehead Pit bull bans are ridiculous and cruel, she added, and have already been lifted in other provinces, many U.S. states and countries around the world. Everyone knows its the deed, not the breed, thats the problem. We know that German shepherds, we know that Labrador retrievers, we know that Chihuahuas are as capable of biting, or more capable of biting, as so-called pit bulls. What is trying to be said here is that there is no actually law on the breed of pit bulls its just a description and a very vague one at that, This law is very un organized, pit bulls are getting shipped out of Ontario and being pit down even when there not full pit bulls, they are mixes that fit the description. The original Bill 132 was passed on March 1, 2005, and received Royal Assent on March 9, 2005.The Bill prohibits individuals from owning, breeding, transferring, importing or abandoning pit bulls. Now that its 2012 the law has almost been considered being lifted completely it has in other provinces, Ontario is basically the only province that has not lifted it in Canada, and hopefully they let up soon, its unfair to all the breeders and pit bull lovers out there. In conclusion the Pit Bull has had a bad reputation since the mid 19 hundreds between the illegal dog fights and all the gangsters and terrible breeders using these dogs for attack dogs and to protect drugs, and money, and for intimidation, and ect. But truth is that killer breed has been gone for awhile now, its basically just mixes out there from bad breeders with bad owners, there is no such thing as a â€Å"bad† dog, every dog is capable of biting and being viscous, the pit bull is capable of being a good dog, pit bull owners all say, there dog is great with there kids and family and even strangers, other dogs are touchy but can be contained with proper training. Also it putting good breeders out of a job is unfair because they can be breeding great dogs not even the killer ones. It violates their rights and they have been fighting for them back since 2005. The Law is cruel and unusual and should be lifted. Work Cited 1.Arland Kent, pit bulls fighting there historical bad rep, April 2010, www.streetdirectory.com 2. Mrgrimwig, Why do pit bulls attack?, august 12, 2011, www.mrgrimwig.hubpages.com 3. Unknown, 10 common misconceptions about pit bulls. Febuary 10th, 2009, www.dogster.com 4. CBC news team, Pit bull ban begins, August 29th 2005, www.CBC.ca 5. Aaron Hall, Pitbull ban close to being lifted, February 24th 2012, www.ckdp.com

Pestel Analysis On Petroleum Industry Economics Essay

Pestel Analysis On Petroleum Industry Economics Essay ABSTRACT: In the history of the mankind, the need of resources was the most important factor for political, technological, economic, social evolutions. In modern times need of energy resources become more significant than other industries who were more important during the past like the production of wood, stone, horse breeding, productions of ships, weapons, constructions of buildings and even gold production. The primary energy source is represented by petroleum, commonly known as oil. Petroleum is most used in transport, energy, petrochemical, agriculture and other industries that need oil products in the production of goods. Example: Metallurgy. In this paper it will be present the need of a macro-environmental analysis at the petroleum industry and the external factors that have a powerful influence on this industry. KEYWORD: environment, factors, oil, resource, PESTEL analysis, influence JEL CLASSIFICATIO: L71, L72, N01, N10, N30 1. INTRODUCTION In pre-industrial revolution time, oil was used for making and maintaining the fire, in the blacksmith, in constructions and in the period of war as a weapon (fire traps, fire projectiles of bows or siege engines and even a component of the substance used for medieval flamethrower named Greek fire, which was used in naval warfare). With the development of electricity and transport, the need for the oil rise very much and surpasses the need for coal or natural gas, which were used for the same purpose. Petroleum (oil) industry represents one of the most important components of the energy industry who is like the circulatory system of the human body to the modern economy. Oil industry is divided in: upstream (exploration, development, extraction of oil and natural gas), downstream (transport by oil tanks or pipelines, refineries, retailers and consumers). PESTEL analysis represents of the most important method used to analysis external environment within an organization or an industry sector (Moldoveanu, 2007). Necessity of using the PESTEL analysis on the petroleum industry is represented by the important role that this industry has on the economic, political and social systems around the world. 2. IMPORTANT In this paper, I want to show the importance of the external factors of macro-environment on petroleum industry and complementary industries. I would use PESTEL analysis because it responds to the questions: Are only political, economic and social factors that influence the petroleum industry? The oil industry by could be influenced by the modification of a factor that has no direct contact with industry? 3. PESTEL Analysis on Petroleum Industry PESTEL analysis is used by organizations for identifying the factors of external environment of the market that could influence the organization and entire industry. PESTEL analysis is formed by six macro-environment group of factors: political factors, economic, social, technological factors, environmental factors and legal factors. Other authors add new group factors, named international (Moldoveanu, 2007), but I dont want to split to add this factors because all PESTEL groups of factors contain both national and international description. Macro-environmental factors are less influenced by companies than micro-environmental factors (customers, employee, suppliers, shareholders, media and competitors), but companies of oil industry can have bigger influence of macro-environment than companies from other industries. This fact is resulted because of the need for energy resources for political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal activities. 3.1. Political factors Political factors are represented by the influence of a political entity (party, country, organizations or other type of faction) on the national level, regional level or international level. Most of the countries consider that the oil industry (upstream and downstream) is a strategic point in political, economic and social needs of a country, because this industry has a great influence on transport capacity, energy production, industrial production, chemical production, agriculture and social welfare. The energy independence is a priority objective of every country who wants to be free from a political blackmail from other countries or international organization. The most influent organization in oil production is OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) who has more than 42, 8% of world oil production, other considerable producers of oil or of another substituent, products are United States of America, Countries of European Union, Russia, China, Canada and Brazil. T he consumers who have a great influence on the oil markets are United States of America, China and western European Union countries. For mutual gain, some countries make trade agreement for exchanging of energy resources for money, technology other resources or even protection. A powerful influence over the production of oil and the price is made by instable situation from the Middle East, where every conflict could disturb oil production and transport, resulting in the rising of oil price. Another region that has a great influence upon the petroleum market is ex-soviet space, where disputes are likely resolved by energetic and political blackmail. The policy of foreign oil independence of the United States diminished energetic resource imports, because of that in Alaska were build new exploitations of oil or natural gas and development of substitutes. The austerity programs of European Union have reduced the need for fuels, because of declining of the economic activities and the so cial welfare. The economic crisis made the need for cheap fuels became a priority for the major players of the global stage. Because of this situation, many territorial disputes reappear between countries for oil and natural-gas reserves like: the Falkland Islands dispute between United Kingdom and Argentina; the Arctic plateau dispute between United States of America, Canada, Iceland, Norway and Russia; the Senkaku islands dispute between China, Taiwan and Japan; the South China Sea dispute between numerous Asian countries. National politic factors are represented by grade of authority of the state, political parties, non-governmental organizations and in some cases different factions (rebels, paramilitary entities). Grade of authority of the state represent the power that have the government upon the society, economy, technology, laws. The authority of the state is higher in authoritarian states like dictatorships, theocracies, non-constitutional monarchies, tribal society and is lower in democratic republics and constitutional monarchies were the political power is given by people of the country to the elected politicians. Political parties influence the petroleum industries by imposing state strategy for electoral or economic gains. The non-governmental organizations influence the oil market by promoting anti-pollution campaigns or liberalization of the fuel market. Paramilitary factions use influence on oil industry for blackmailing or for imposing some fees in territories that are controlled by the m, cutting the transport of oil for political gains. Oil companies can have influence on political factors in regions or countries were oil in primary source of making income and in regions or countries were the energy resource are scarce and attracting additional one is need for good function of economic activities. In modern economic, because of the globalization, the state canà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t protect the external market like in mercantile system(Strange S., 1996), resulting that companies can occupy new markets or acquire new resources alone. 3.2. Economic factors Economic factors are represented by the: influences of the supply and demand on the oil price; influences of the supply or demand of the complementary goods; influence of the supply and demand of substitute resources; the USD exchange rate (petrol-dollar policy); the price of the oil barrel on the important stock exchanges; economic situation on regional and global stages; value of the known reserves, interest rate for financing; value of stock market indexes (DOW Jones, StandardPoor). The demand for fuels is influenced by variation of transport activities (road, rail, aviation, naval) that represent almost 60 %(OPEC,2011), petrochemical industry, other industries, agriculture and energy production. Variation of need for road transport activities is influenced by the number of the auto vehicles used by population or organizations; the earns of every car owner, the frequency of using his own car, the customer culture for fuels effect on the environment, the road infrastructure, seasons, touring activities. Rail transport is represented by trains that use fuels for transport; this kind of transport is used in developing countries that have big oil production. Aviation is one of the transport sectors that grown very rapidly, representing 6% of total oil demand (OPEC,2011), two thirds been represented by OECD (Organization For Economic Co-Operation And Development). Oil demand for naval transport is represented in big proportion by cargo ships that transport goods from developing countries (goods and resources producers) to developed countries (services producers). Petrochemical industry represents approximately 10% of total oil demand and the products that are produced by this industry are: plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, detergents, paints, adhesives, aerosols, insecticides, pharmaceuticals and others. Others industry sectors which demand oil or complementary products from oil are iron and steel industry, cement industry, auto vehicles industry, naval industry, mining, construction and many others. In agriculture demand for oil and complementary products are for a wide range of activities like farming, pasturing, animal husbandry, fishing, hunting, beekeeping and many others. Table 1. Vehicle and passenger car ownership in 2008 Name Population Millions Auto vehicles Millions Cars Millions Cars per 1000 1 North America 457.7 299.9 265.5 580.1 2 West Europe 542.2 274.2 236.0 435.3 3 Pacific OECD 200.8 111.2 85.9 427.8 OECD 1,200.6 685.3 587.4 489.2 4 Latin America 421.7 76.2 59.7 141.5 5 Middle East and Africa 824.1 35.0 22.4 27.2 6 South Asia 1,595.4 24.9 16.6 10.4 7 South-East Asia 641.5 53.1 33.7 52.5 8 China 1,337.4 49.5 36.0 26.9 9 OPEC 384.8 39.8 28.7 68.5 Developing countries 5,205.0 278.4 197.0 37.9 10 Russia 142.0 34.8 29.5 207.8 11 Other transition economies 198.8 38.2 34.7 174.6 Transition economies 340.7 73.0 64.2 188.4 World 6,746.3 1,036.7 1848.6 125.8 SOURCE: adapted from World Oil Outlook 2011, p. 80 Table 2. Aviation oil demand prediction Name People that travel with planes Millions in 2008 People that will travel with planes Millions 1 North America 1.7 2.0 2 West Europe 1.1 1.3 3 Pacific OECD 0.4 0.6 OECD 3.3 3.8 4 Latin America 0.2 0.3 5 Middle East and Africa 0.2 0.3 6 South Asia 0.1 0.3 7 South-East Asia 0.5 0.8 8 China 0.3 0.7 9 OPEC 0.3 0.4 Developing countries 1.5 2.7 10 Russia 0.3 0.4 11 Other transition economies 0.1 0.1 Transition economies 0.3 0.5 World 5.1 7.0 SOURCE: adapted from World Oil Outlook 2011, p. 95 The financial system has influenced the petroleum industry in 2008 very much, making oil price to drop from history peak price of 141 USD per barrel, in July, to 33 USD per barrel only at the end of the year. This fact is explained by the beginning of financial crisis that influenced negatively the income of the companies and of the population, making the companies and people to cut the cost, or to become insolvent, resulting to diminish of economic activities across the world who make the demand for transport to fall that making the fall of oil price. 3.3. Social factors Social factors are represented by demography, culture, ethnic structure, religion structure, inter-cultural relation, structure of family, ideological view, literacy, urbanization, income distribution, migration, use of communication technology, cultural view to the different products. All around the world, do not exist a culture that is against oil exploitation and for using the oil products, most of the population saw the oil industry like a necessity for development and welfare, but are segments within the population who see the oil industry as an important factor of pollution of the environment. Population which has culture of the protection of the natural environment is located in developed countries, because not need a high rate of developing. In the countries were populations are more friendly with environment; government imposes pollution fees and pollution reduction laws and norms to petroleum industry, and complementary industries. Many companies which make complementary products, like cars, invest in reduction of fuel consumptions or start to produce hybrid products. In the developing countries, populations from see the need for development and growing rate of welfare more important than environment protection; they accept the pollution like a cost for e conomic growth. Table 3. Population level and growth forecast Name Population Millions 2010 2035 1 North America 466 555 2 West Europe 547 576 3 Developed countries of Pacific 201 194 Developed countries 1,215 1,325 4 Latin America 431 516 5 Middle East and Africa 882 1,422 6 South Asia 1,644 2,144 7 South East Asia 657 809 8 China 1,354 1,462 Developing countries 5,372 6,939 9 Russia 141 126 10 Other economy in transition(Eastern Europe and Ex-soviet space) 199 201 Economies in transition 340 327 World 6,927 8,590 Source: adapted from Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, http://esa.un.org/unpp/ panel_population.htm and World Oil Outlook 2011, p. 38 In table above, Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat forecast that the population of developed countries will have a smaller population growth then the developing countries, which will rise from 5372 millions people to 6939 millions people (higher rise been in south Asia) and countries that are in transition will have a population in decrease, resulting in a growth of the population from 6,927 millions in 2010 to 8,590 in 2035. The populations of developed countries that consume most of the fuels and energy, in these days, are growing slow and are ageing very rapidly, resulting in diminish of the need for oil in future. However, the growth of the population, in developing countries, will impose the rise of the energy resources for growing transport, petrochemical industries and electricity production needs. So de results will be that the need from developing countries for oil will surpass the reducing of need from developed countries, so the demand for oil will grow. Urbanization is another factor that influences the need for energy, because urban population consumes more energy resources for transportation, electric energy or petrochemicals (plastics, fibers) than rural population. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat forecast that in 2035 the urban population will grow with 50,69% and rural will decrease with 4,17%. In developing countries growing of urban population will be larger than developed countries with almost 1432 millions. Rural population in developed countries will decrease with almost 16 milions and in developing countries will remain almost the same. Table 4. Population forecast by urban/rural classification Name 2010 2035 Millions Millions Urban Rural Urban Rural 1 North America 384 83 488 67 2 West Europe 398 149 461 115 3 Developed countries of Pacific 145 56 154 40 Developed countries 928 287 1102 222 4 Latin America 362 69 462 55 5 Middle East and Africa 353 529 751 671 6 South Asia 500 1,144 944 1,200 7 South East Asia 284 373 455 354 8 China 636 717 949 513 Developing countries 2394 2978 4001 2938 9 Russia 103 38 99 27 10 Other economy in transition(Eastern Europe and Ex-soviet space) 116 83 134 67 Economies in transition 219 121 232 95 World 3541 3385 5336 3244 Source: adapted from Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, http://esa.un.org/unpp/ panel_population.htm and World Oil Outlook 2011, p. 43 Petroleum industry has a great impact on social welfare, because it fuels the transports and electricity production, activities that have a great impact on human development, production of goods and services and communication. 3.4. Technological factors Technological factors are represented by technologies, techniques and methods that influence the activities within an organization (Palmer A. Hartley B., 2009). The technological factors could influence an organization from inside the industry, by making the need to acquire the last technologies (by buying equipment), techniques and methods (by hiring a trained human resource in new techniques or train the old human resource with the new techniques and methods). Once acquired, these factors will influence the organization from inside. In oil industry, the technologies are used exploration, in exploitation, transport( roads, oil tanks, pipelines), in refineries, in storage, in promoting marketing strategies, in selling; in researching and development of the brand-new products or in upgrading the old ones, in reducing the time of production the losses from the production process. Secondary technologies and techniques could be used in environment protection, workers protection, in impr oving the efficiency of the management by using of new software and hardware, improving the maintaining and repairing activities. All these factors could be used against an oil company, if a rival company owns them like a competitive advantage. Because of that will result in a perpetual race (Nicolescu Verboncu, 2009) for acquiring the news and the most efficient technologies, techniques and methods that will have the results of takings a greater share from downstream market and a greater share from the upstream market, to acquire more oil reserves or to impose the price. Technologies that influence the oil company from outside the oil industry can influence entire oil industry (upstream and downstream). These technologies are represented by the complementary products and substitutable products. The complementary products influence the demand for oil by developing technologies that will reduce the consumption of oil products or replaced them with other a substitutable product. The complementary products are represented by auto vehicles, airplanes, ships, petrochemicals (plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, detergents, paints, adhesives, aerosols, insecticides and pharmaceuticals), energy, agricultural product or other industrial products. The substitutable products are represented by-products of the rest of energy industries. These industries are: the coal industry, natural-gas industry (which includes the new shale gas industry), nuclear industry, biomass industry, hydro industry and other renewable-energy industry (solar, wind, geothermal). Like the many coal and gas industries, the oil industry in life phase of maturity, because development of the new technologies became very hard and oil reserves are half depleted. Table 5. Forecast of world supply of primary energy level mboe/d (equivalent of a million barrels per day) Growth % per year Fuel share % 2008 2035 2008à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬35 2008 2035 Oil 80.6 101 0.8 35.2 28.4 Coal 66.6 101.5 1.6 29.1 28.5 Gas 52 90 2 22.7 25.3 Nuclear 14.3 22.5 1.7 6.2 6.3 Hydro 5.5 10.3 2.3 2.4 2.9 Biomass 8.5 20.3 3.3 3.7 5.7 Other renewables 1.5 10.4 7.5 0.6 2.9 Total 229 355.9 1.6 100 100 Sources: adapted from World Oil Outlook 2011, p. 50 The analysis from table above will result that the need for primary energy will grow from 2008 to 2035 with 51%( from 229 mboe/d to 355,9 mboe/d) The fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal) will decrease from 87%(199,2 mboe/d) to 82%(292,5 mboe/d) from the total of the energy supplies, but the oil will remain the most-used resource. Nuclear will almost double the production, but more use of atomic energy will be limited because of fear of nuclear disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Biomass will grow with almost 240%, but the principal problem of this resource is that will compete with the need for food production, because plants, which made biomass, are using the same soil that is used in agriculture for cultivating the wheat and corn or pastures of domestic animals. Hydro will almost double in 25 years, but the great difficulty will be to find new efficient places for building hydro centrals, because most of the rivers will also have hydro central. Rest of renewable-energy production will grow will approximately seven times, from 2008 to 2035; the main issues of renewable energy are: investments are high in comparison with fossil fuels, efficiently is lower, in most of the world region renewable energy can be produced only in some seasons, and it has a dependence to weather conditions. 3.5. Environment factors Environment factors are represented by the geographical position, landform, climate, fauna, flora, rock structure and natural resource that are in case of petroleum companies represented by oil reserves. Geographic position influence the activity of oil companies because it defines the distances between exploitation, refiners and consumers (for example, oil from Middle East can be transported half the world, exploitation to refiners), or could influence the demand for oil because of transports, international trade and migration. Landform influences the difficulty of exploitation, transportation to the refiners and consumers; demand is influenced by the consumption of the fuel in heavy terrains. Climate influences the difficulty of oil exploitation in time of the cold season in north climates, or hot seasons of desert climate, demand for oil grown in winter because of low speed traffic or energy consumption. Flora and fauna influence cost oil exploitation because of existing of the oi l reserves in natural parks, or because of existing difficult access area because of vegetation and dangerous animals. Rocks structure made difficulties of exploration and exploitation oil. World oil reserves are estimated to 1481.526 billion barrels according to OPEC Annual Statistic Bulletin 2012. The biggest oil reserves are in Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Kuwait, Arab Emirates, Venezuela Russia, Libya, Nigeria, United States of America, China, Qatar, Mexico, Algeria and India. These countries have own 95% of oil reserves. One specification of the environmental factors is represented by natural disasters: hurricanes, tornados, cyclones, snow storms, sand storms, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption that could make material loss and casualties, but could disturb economic activities. Economic activities that could be disturbed are road, rail, naval, air traffic, could decline the demand for unnecessary goods and raise the demand for the primary need goods l ike water, food, pharmaceutics, construction materials, fuels, clothes. Petroleum industry influences the natural environment because of pollution and capacity of changing from natural to artificial environment by fueling the developing of modern economy. Pollution is represented by fuel emission from uses of auto vehicles, airplanes, ships and emissions from refineries that produce fuels or other petrochemical products that have a great influence on climate changing. Other pollution events are represented by accidents that can happen in activities of exploration, exploitation, refining and transport, contaminating the water, air and soil with oil, fuels or wastes. 3.6. Legal factors Legal factors are represented by constitutions, laws, norms and regulations of the local authorities, governments, international institutions, international communities (European Union, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the African Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations). This factors influence the modalities of exploration, of exploitation, of the refiner, of transportation and of commercialization of oil and oil products. The legal factors also impose laws and regulations for pollution, social protection, work protection, work regulation, competition regulation, anti-trust regulation, consumer protection, international trade (trade agreements between nations or embargoes to some countries), subsidies, the taxes( like the excise rates for fuels and oil price or taxes and fees over profit to the energy companies). Table 6. Tax rate in comparison with price Country Oil price USD per liter Tax rate Tax United Kingdom 1.76 65.1% 1.15 Germany 1.53 66.3% 1.02 Italy 1.418 66.3% 0.94 France 1.49 63.7% 0.95 Japan 1.14 49.6% 0.57 Canada 0.90 33.3% 0.30 USA 0.75 16.0% 0.12 Source: Who get What from imported oil (2011) http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/publications/341.htm 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the importance of knowing the macro-environment on an industry such as important like petroleum industry is crucial in the modern economy, because these factors represent the opportunities and threats of this economic sector. Many specialists think that the change from fossil fuels to the renewable resources would resolve many of the problems and threats that the oil industry has. So the transition from oil to renewable resources should be faster, omitting many variables upstream and downstream of this industry. If a change of the principal energy resources will be made, it will be required to take caution steps, because this could make a shortage of the energy resources that could destabilize the entire world social-economic-system. For changing main energy resource will be necessary to reconvert many equipments and machinery, training the human resource, make social campaign to encourage the people to use new fuel, invest in new research about efficiency of the new f uel, the environment impact, search for new reserves and make new regulation for the use of this resource.

Essay -- Papers

Contrasts in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is a famous romantic drama written by William Shakespeare containing many contrasts within it, portraying the eponymous lovers’ everlasting love for one another. The conflict between the two families; the Montagues and the Capulets makes it almost impossible for them to be together. The play consists of romance and humour building up to the climax of Romeo and Juliet’s death. In the play we are first introduced to the servants Sampson and Gregory, from the Montague household, who have a similar lifestyle to the servants in the Capulet household, who are trying to keep up the reputation of the families. The Capulet household are holding a party where the servants are busy getting food, drinks and decoration ready, whereas Lord and Lady Capulet live the life of luxury where they simply think about marriage, money and parties. In the film we see that the servants are dressed down in black tatty clothing while the upper class people; the masters are wearing bright elaborate clothing. In Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann’s interpretations of the play, they show this because they wanted to emphasise the status between higher and lower social people. The dark clothes also represent the darker days and shows that the servants are emotionally sad, but the masters are expressively happy. The language of the servants compared to the masters is very different. The servants are illiterate and not educated; however, the masters are highly educated and very posh, they can afford schooling, whereas the servants could not. Shakespeare shows this when the servant spea... ...her innocence, beauty and purity. Tybalt is a devil because he is likes to fight, he is evil, seeking trouble and devious. Paris is an astronaut who is rich, successful and out of this planet representing why he is the right person for Juliet to get married to. Lord and Lady Capulet are king and queen of Verona Beach and dress up as Marc Anthony/Julius Caesar and Cleopatra who also die in a similar way to Romeo and Juliet. This play is full of many opposites and contrasts: love and hate, peace and conflict, young and old. It is all mainly to do with historical, cultural and social context. The play sadly ended with the two star-crossed lovers having to give their life for their families to end their fighting. Romeo and Juliet end with these words: â€Å"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo†.

Matewan: A John Sayles Film :: Economy Economics Movies Essays

Matewan: A John Sayles' Film John Sayles, the writer and director of the film Matewan, demonstrates an understanding, albeit possibly an unconscious one, of the struggle between two economic systems. This work depicts the historical events of 1920 in the Mingo County, West Virginia town of Matewan, a place that came to be known as "Bloody Mingo". Although many people are accustomed to viewing feudalism as a social system from the past, history is not such an orderly, linear progression of societies and ways of life but is, rather, a dynamic, chaotic process. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that in the 1920s in this part of the United States there was a clash of two different economic systems—capitalism and feudalism. Economic systems are attempts to solve the following questions: Who does the production? Who controls the profits? And what is the social arrangement by which the two previous questions are resolved? There is an interlocking triad of considerations: economic relationships; political relationships; and cultural relationships. We see these relationships brought to life in the events of Matewan. Feudalism exists when free people have to work for a single employer, or not work at all. Capitalism, in contrast, allows free people to choose their employers. There is often in history a struggle between feudal and capitalist structures. The story of the coal miners is the story of one such clash. The Stone Mountain Coal Company owns everything in the town of Matewan. Its owners, the economic elite, could be likened to a collective feudal lord presiding over the estate of Matewan. Theirs is the only game in town and the miners have no choice in where they work This monopoly is feudal because of the absence of free choice. Capitalism requires competition over capital, not just capital. The total lack of competition is exposed in the train scene. The new men are told that they are beholden to the company for expenses—their tools, their train fare, tool sharpening, and even their fuses, caps, and powder. What little pay is left over is issued in company scrip, which is only good at the company’s store. We, the audience, are told at the onset of the film that the pay rate per tonnage has just been lowered. The company’s grip is vise-like; it can charge more and pay less. This combination is the scissors effect, and it leaves the miners in a subservient positio n.

Does It Matter? by Siegfried Sassoon Essay -- Papers

Does It Matter? by Siegfried Sassoon "Does It Matter" is an angry, heavily ironic war poem written in 1917 by the famous World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon. On first read, it appears that the poet is addressing an injured soldier who has returned from the trenches, asking this man whether or not it is important that he is missing limbs and sight, instead highlighting the virtues of the world and offering these as a remedy for his pains. The poem is written in a nursery-rhyme-like structure, where there is an obvious rhyming pattern and distinctive rhythm, and where many lines even have an equal number of syllables. For such a complicated subject matter, the poem is also rather brief - very succinct at just three stanzas comprising of five lines each. The opening lines of each stanza begin similarly with a question asked but never answered: Does it matter - losing your legs?... There is a lot to discuss even here. Firstly, we notice that the question itself is not answered - Sassoon does this very deliberately. Of course he goes on to back his rather naà ¯ve point by highlighting the constructive aspects of living without the use of one's legs, but he leaves a great void here, like the unfilled silence after a particularly awkward question. We, as readers, can easily answer the question of whether or not it matters in our own minds - of course it matters, and it matters further when we shake our heads at the sinister complacency exhibited throughout the remainder of the poem. Sassoon intentionally utilises this almost child-like perspective (given more strength through his nursery-rhyme structure and know-no-better naivet... ...stion at the beginning of each stanza - does it matter? The poem is turned on its head and, just maybe, the soldier complies with Hamlet's statements: "To die, to sleep / No more". How, then, does this fit in with the rest of the poem? Well, it soon becomes clear to me that the form of Utopia the narrator describes in the three stanzas is hard to visualise even today, and we must remember that the poem is set during a major and bloody war. This form of Utopia, then, can exist only beyond reality - in a paradise found after death. It would appear, then, that this is a goodbye note from a dying soldier, seeking comfort as he withers away amidst the fighting in thoughts of the "undiscovered country", and finally exhaling his last breath, taking his afflictions away with him to a place where 'people will always be kind'.

Company G’s Three Year Marketing Plan Marketing plan Essay

Company G’s develops electronic appliances based on current technology. The marketing plans exemplify the strategies employed and market segment to assign new consumers and create solid financial benefits while retaining the existing customers. G’s Company is a unique electronic appliance developer which gives an advantage over the competitors by exposing he customers to a new outlet of electronic appliances. This fulfills the real need of the competent electronic appliance developer and expands the company’s reach to populations who have no yet subscribed for our products. The company will fund the development of the electronic appliances by provision of consultation services for retailers willing to use products for promotional services. The consultations will come up with advertisement sponsorship for the company. In the initial 3 years of the business, we expect consultation services to form part of our revenue stream. Mission We enable consumers to improve the quality and convenience of their lives by providing innovative electronics solutions.† Product Description The first product of microwaves will come in three different sizes; compact, medium and large capacity microwaves. The new line microwaves will help the power designers and low noise amplifiers to shorten the design cycles as well as becoming consumer friendly with minimal environmental impact and energy saving. Furthermore, the demands of our customers in microwaves are based on quality products and convenience. Besides, the company will employ effective distribution channels intertwined with online purchasing. We hope this will make the company derive its mission home. Convenience products: Compact Microwave This will be a small, portable microwave available for the customers. Compacts are the dominant microwaves in the market today. Ours will measure 18 inches wide and 14 inches long and 12 inches tall. Compact ovens will be rated as 700 watts of power and capacitate 27 liters. The compact ovens will primarily be used for reheating food and preparing microwave popcorn and food. They are not made to cook large meals. Compact products will be price convenient hence the consumers will spend minimal time to compare due to our brand prestige. Shopping Products: Medium Capacity Microwave These microwave products a larger than compact microwaves. They will measure 20 inches wide, with the same length and height to the compact microwaves. They will carry 45 liters and run-up to 1000 watts. They will be the standard family microwaves with added grills and a few features. These microwaves will target those who want to do home cooking, essential, a growing family. The company market analysis reveals that capacity microwaves are less purchased and are bound to stay in the warehouse for a long time. Specialty Products: Large Capacity Microwave They will be the large cooking microwaves for preparing large meals. Their capacity will handle (9 by 13 inch) cooking tall items like roasts and casserole dishes. They will have an auto look with precise temperature control measures. The large capacity ovens will be powered by 2000 watts and contain 60 liters of capacity. With the uniqueness, the buyers are expected to expend ample time balancing the effort of purchase. However, the company brand prestige will enable the consumers to choose our products. Target Markets Direct consumer markets with arrangements of successful licensing of products and services. The company learned that the number of direct consumers have increased in the market. We hope for higher sales in the direct consumer markets with increased demand. The number of families has grown and the demand of the microwave has aloso grown in the market. Therefore, the compact and medium microwaves targets the increased number of families and singles. Nonmanufacturing and nonindustrial segments of the business to business market with customer networks such as hotels, family homes and institutions. The large capacity and medium capacity microwaves have brand prestige and that fits the personality and lifestyle of the customers. With the new line of microwave products, the consumers will make purchases due to the technological advances of the products. Large company and stand-alone retail companies with extensive dealer, broker or distribution network. Company G’s marketing brand will enable other like-minded microwave companies to purchase our products for re-sale. The brand prestige fulfills their needs from the feedback of the consumers. Competition Analysis Risk of Entry by Potential Competitors The market forecasts predict that the products of the company are likely to diffuse in the market faster than imagined. With many people buying the electronic appliances, the market may experience new entrants given the prevailing opportunity. This will increase the capacity of the industry and lead to stiff market competition hence lower the current costs. Given that the existent economic, governmental, cost advantage and brand loyalty barriers, the company is optimistic of controlling the market share even if new companies join the business. Rivalry among Current Competitors The electronic business has attracted many companies which have led for the struggle of the market share between G’s and the competitors. The cut-throat competition in the market leads to low-profit margins as the low-income consumers opt for a cheaper product in the market. Based on the presence of global customers, growth rate of the industry and demand conditions of the product, the company operates optimistically compared to other competitors with undefined establishment factors of brand. Bargaining Power of the Buyers The power of the consumers or distributors to bargain down the prices of the products poses a higher competition for the company. The company has established the target consumers to be high and middle-income earners. This population is usually driven by the quality of the products the company offers as opposed to the high prices charged. The high-income earners do not exhibit a high bargaining power as compared to their lower income earner counterparts. The industry will maintain the prices and try reducing the cost of production to maximize on their profit margins. The high-income and middle-income earners have the required information on our products and will emphasize on the quality of the products. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The suppliers of the company are on alert of increasing their bargaining power. Provided the high-quality of the products, the raw materials also come at a high price. The supplies, therefore, finds it unreasonable to increase their prices due to fixed prices. The only threat is the uniqueness of the products of the suppliers. They have a high cost of switching because of the basic need of their products. Threat of Substitute Products The company identified high-income and middle- income earners as their competent consumers. Provided the high-quality products, it is the pride of the company since customer satisfaction is guaranteed. The substitutes such as the saucepan, stoves and other microwaves such as Flavor microwave are technology unconscious hence the company maintains its prices for greater profits. SWOT Analysis Strengths Value pricing high quality, market orientation and support services and product customization Long-term relationships with primary suppliers High percentage of reorder business Weaknesses little room for expansion lack of employee talent management scarce human resource opportunities Strategic alliances Technological advances Easy distribution Threats Slow diffusion rate of appliance Alteration of traditional channel relationships Competition Strengths Core Competency Strengths The high percentage of reorder business implies customer satisfaction and promising word of mouth advertisement High quality innovative product- brand prestige. Other Strengths The long-term relationships with the primary suppliers have led to the knowledge share of product adherence to quality standards, requirement and a common mission through-out the production and development process. The differentiation strategy as a result of commitment to, value pricing, high quality, market orientation and support services and product customization Weaknesses Human resource management of the company predicaments in the near future. This is because, with the brand prestige, the company is likely to expand, however, there are limited qualified employees such as engineers in the job market. Company G’s current facilities are crowded; there is little room for additional employees or new equipment for expansion of the business. Lack of management of the employee talent that requires the company to create a department for nurturing the talents, this requires additional financial muscles the company may not afford any soon. Opportunities Strategic alliances that enhance the products of the company that will allow production of a myriad of new products, sharing of resources and increase the customer base. Technological advances have freed up time for consumers as well as bringing efficiency in product promotion and all product enquiries The medium and compact microwaves are easily distributed locally, nationally and globally. Business globalization creates an opportunity for new customer relationship establishment in foreign markets. Threats Slow diffusion rate of appliance may affect the sales return of the new products leading to low profits and low growth rate. Reengineering, outsourcing and resizing trends in product development may alter traditional channel relationships with dealers, brokers and distributors of eliminate them completely. Theft of brand piracy and trade secrets through unauthorized copying are difficult to control leading to unsecured branding. Competition from traditional microwave producers and other promotional items is strong. This poses a challenge to meeting the cost demands of production. Marketing Objectives Product Objective To commit to service and quality products to effectively implement the niche differentiation strategy in the diverse marketplace. The objective is a distinct and realistic to the company mission that will assist company G’s satisfy the customers. To improve the standard of the products the company offers now by incorporating the knowledge of the needs of customers and specific opportunities for offering the new products. To create new products that will use its new technology, equipment and knowledge base. Price Objective To verify the price of the new products and services to the customers. The objective is a distinct and realistic to the company mission that will assist company G’s satisfy the customers. To check the pricing of the competitors manufacturing microwaves To use the pricing of the competitor’s research to meet price marketing objectives Place Objective To define the most secured place of the new products To make a new product easily available to the consumers within 24 hours of manufacture using elaborate distribution channels for easy access by the customers hence focusing on the mission. To evaluate the degree of customer interaction with the new products Promotion Objective To conduct simple research and analyze substitute products with the aim of developing specialty advertising products that are technologically conscious, but not just calendar related. To better understand the satisfaction and needs of current customers through benchmarking on marketing research and company G’s marketing information system. The company will create a website page immediately where customers will post their feedback on the products. To use the product calendar as a promotional tool that will provide a microwave to the customers as advertisement premium. Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy of G’s company is focused on satisfaction of the prospect market and current consumers by providing the best microwave appliances in the market. The target market share based on projected demand and supply is also of our interest. With over 10 years of experience in the market, the workforce will provide the support needed by the customers to enable us meet our objectives. The knowledge and expertise from the employees from marketing and sales will provide the company with feedback for harmonizing the strategies based on the marketing objectives the company adopted. Distinct strategies Company G’s high quality products specialty product advertisement is customized to the needs of the consumers. The service and product value is reflected in the company’s premium price. The company will be sensitive to the elasticity of price of the products and overall demands of customers. G’s company will be sensitive to account for the place of new product distribution, product availability and the level of the consumer interaction with the microwaves. The company already had a brand that was well known by the customers. The brand prestige that focuses on the middle and high-income earners will be improved by producing the new satisfactory products. Product Strategy G’s company is committed to supplying affordable and quality wise products to the customers. Company G’s intangible attributes is its ability to meet or exceed the consistency of customers’ expectations, its anticipation of new customer needs and its responding speed to the demands of customers. Such intangible attributes are difficult for the competitors to copy, hence giving the company a competitive advantage. Boosting the consumer confidence. Some consumers are often hesitant to buy the product they have little knowledge about. The marketing campaign will emphasis on the quality and value of the products which will result to additional cash register Price Strategy Company G’s high quality products specialty product advertisement is customized to the needs of the consumers. The service and product value is reflected in the company’s premium price. The company will be sensitive to the elasticity of price of the products and overall demands of customers. The company’s new products have a prestige of high quality. The prices offered will account for warranties, endorsements and testimonials that will make the buying decision easier for the customer. The company will employ the trial and error method to fix the market prices, but remain flexible. The results of the new pricing initiative will be closely monitored to enable us expand the customer base. Place Strategy G’s company will be sensitive to account for the place of new product distribution, product availability and the level of the consumer interaction with the microwaves. The company intends to be flexible on the supplies, distribution and customer interactions. Such practices will promote planning and meet the deadlines of product sales. The company already had a brand that was well known by the customers. The brand prestige that focuses on the middle and high-income earners will be improved by producing the new satisfactory products. Promotion Strategy Approximately 80 percent of the company reorders every year, so the bulk of promotional expenditures will focus on new product offerings through publications, journals and direct-email advertising. The remaining promotional resources will be directed to personal selling of new products. This will enable the company cut on the costs and reduce wastage of financial and human resources. The company will conduct a campaign aimed at promoting a new product. To achieve this, the company will create logos and names of products while remaining within the advertising budget. Tactics and Action Plan G’s company and the new products require extensive customization to not only meet but exceed the needs of the customers. It is, therefore, necessary to reorganize the customer groups and market function. The new marketing strategies intend permit the company to invest their effort on marketing exclusively on specifications and the needs of the customer segments. Product action plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Develop marketing information system to monitor customer satisfaction by year two November 15th , 2014 Business Analysis Team Implement any changes implemented by the business analysis team November 15th , 2014 Business Analysis Team Develop new product offering with their potential customers November 15th , 2014 Production Manager Price action plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Create three sales manager positions November 1, 2014 President Develop marketing information system to monitor price feedback January 15, 2015 Marketing Director Evaluate the profitability of the new product February 15, 2015 Business Analysis Team Place Action Plan tactic Due Date Responsible Party Distribute free samples or discounted microwaves to orphanage institutions November 15th ,2014 Sales Manager Increase direct sales through sales representatives September 1, 2014 Sales Manager Increase sales of the products to individuals and re-sellers September 1, 2014 Sales Manager Promotion action plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Assign 3 research team on potential new products offering and client October 1, 2014 Marketing Director Analyze the current billing practices and cycles September 1, 2014 Marketing Director Design customer survey project September 1, 2014 Business Analysis Team Monitoring Procedures To evaluate the marketing plan effectiveness, the company will compare its actual performance with the objectives of the plans. The procedures include, however, not limited to the following; Monitoring Activity Due Date Responsible Party The use of project management concept procedure to evaluate marketing plan implementation through establishment of human resource needs, time, and budgetary expenditures November 15th, 2014 – December 15th, 20114 yearly Business Analysis Team Each project team will be responsible for determining the changes to be made in product focus from the result of studies from its area. The company will conduct internal audit to evaluate the activities. September 1, 2014 – October 15th, 20114 every year President A perceptual comparison of planned and actual activities will be conducted monthly through self assessment by the company business analysis team. Monthly Business Analysis Team Reference Luther, W. M. (2001). The marketing plan: How to prepare and implement it. New York: AMACOM. Source document

Romanticism in Friedrich’s “The Monk by the Sea”

Darkness, emotions, and mysticism—these are just some of the terms that can be used to describe Friedrich’s â€Å"The Monk by the Sea. † Produced in 1809, this oil on canvass ideally characterizes the period to which the artist belongs: the Romanticism. With its subject, color, style, and theme, the artist successfully evokes the main tenets common during the Romantic Age. Formalist and thematic analyses of the work can lead modern viewers to a better understanding of the work and the message that the artist wants to convey. Brief Background Caspar David Friedrich was a German painter born in 1774 in Greifswald, Germany. Despite poverty, the artist received formal art study from artist Johann Gottfried Quistorp, who conducted art sessions outdoors. Exposure to the local color and environment thus helped the artist master the art of landscape. His paintings, which generally reveal tenets of the Romantic Age, make him â€Å"one of the most important artists during his time. † (Vaughan, 1972, 65). Particularly, as Murray (2004, 338) notes, his landscapes direct â€Å"the viewer's gaze towards†¦ metaphysical dimension†. His seascape titled, â€Å"Monk by the Sea† won admiration even from the 15-year-old King Frederick III Wilhelm of Prussia, whose purchase in 1810 declared the artist’s work as his masterpiece. Analysis of Form A formalist analysis of the painting suggests the artist’s overall craftsmanship. Minimalism best defines the style that the artist employed in his work. Basically, the image of the monk, which appears very minimal and solitary, helps achieve emphasis on the subject. The minimalist use of a variety of colors for the whole background readily implies the contrast between darkness and light that the artist wants to portray. Specifically, the submission of darkness to light or vice versa narrows down the color and texture of the painting. This minimalism of color and structure thus allows the author to present some characteristics ideal to Romantic art. The whole image can be divided horizontally into three different parts, namely, the sky, the sea, and the land. The great expanse of the sky, which covers at least â€Å"five-sixths of the canvass† (Web Gallery of Art, n. d. ), attracts attention considering the light it sheds on the whole image. Through devoting much space to the sky, the artist achieves artistic drama, which is very typical of the Romantic Movement. Specifically, the center clouds where a rich combination of colors is applied, capture the motion of light breaking into the darkness and at the same time the darkness eating up the light. Such drama found in nature suggests some Romantic thoughts that draw out sentimentality from the audience. Depicting the sea with great darkness, Friedrich made it a point to limit this part to at least one-eights of the canvass. This allows the other images, such as the sky, the land, and the monk to take form, while it allows the purpose of showing the location of the monk at the same time. On the one hand, the element of darkness suggests the artist’s tendency to contemplate on the darkness of nature and its mystery. On the other, it also suggests the themes of death and the obscure, which other painters similarly dealt on during this time (i. e. Goya, Delaroix). The monk standing by the sea seems lost and forlorn, thus unable to see the great storm coming. In a description by Marie von Kugelgen, one of Friedrich’s followers, the lady wrote to her friend Friederike Volkmann: â€Å"A vast endless expanse of sky †¦ still, no wind, no moon, no storm – indeed a storm would have been some consolation for then one would at least see life and movement†¦ On the unending sea there is no boat, no ship, not even a sea monster, [which] make the loneliness even more desolate and horrible† (Web Gallery of Art). This clearly shows the initial attention that the work garnered from the public. Widely recognized for the great landscapes he formerly depicted, the artist must have surprised his followers with the dark portrayal of the sea coupled by the view of the monk who seems to submit himself unrelentingly to the vast rupturing sky and the deep dark sea in front of him. Nevertheless, the purchase of King Frederick III Wilhelm helped the work gain much favor it deserved. Later on, Clemens Brentano’s description of the work suggests the acceptance of the work by the public. From the horrible experience the work evoked in Kugelgen, Brentano notes the splendid, infinite loneliness of the monk by the shore (Held, 2003). This shows the public’s appreciation of the work, following its acceptance by the king. In Brentano’s critique, we may note the contemporary viewer’s appreciation of the work, despite the loneliness it presents. This also shows the ability of the viewer to relate to the monk’s experience, thus reflecting the positive attitude toward the theme of death, which other Romantic artists and writers demonstrate in their works. Further to the thematic analysis of the work, one can perceive the artist’s idea of communing with nature. The idea of the monk leaving the monastery in order to enjoy or contemplate the quietness and simplicity of nature strongly suggests a Romantic attitude. However, aside from portraying the greatness of nature, the view also shows that while the Romanticists regard nature as beautiful and powerful, they also view it with â€Å"sensuous nuance. † The dark colors of the sky and the sea imply the coming of a destructive storm. This reflects Friedrich’s attempt to break the usual concept of a beautiful sky at midday. Anticipating the great storm, the audience may feel a certain concern for the monk, some anxiety that destructs quiet contemplation. In addition, the combination of darkness and light yields the artist’s spontaneity and freedom. Since the monk is the only figure meant to appear at vertical angle, the rest of the image appears to be painted with free hand and brushstrokes that conjure at some point with a vanishing effect in the light colors of the sky. Furthermore, the solitariness of the monk asserts the Romantic idea of individualism. Using the monk as subject reveals Friedrich’s attempt to explore on the thoughts and emotions of a common man. Normally looked upon for their wisdom and strength, the image of the monk amid the darkness and light somehow distracts the idea of perfection among the religious members of the society. This characteristic adheres to the Romantic Age by the artist’s â€Å"rejection of traditional values of social structure and religion. (Worldwide Art Resources Web Site, n. d. ) Through the use of nature, the artist reveals the monk’s seeming confusion and loneliness as he casts view at the sea. Although the audience may have different perceptions of the experience that the monk undergoes, the image nevertheless suggests the imperfection in the life of a monk, the loneliness that they undergo, and the need to take part in the usual activity of nature. Centering on a single hero, the w ork portrays the individual struggle of every monk. By making the monk turn his back from the audience, the artist portrays his contemplation. More importantly, however, this portrayal makes the monk anonymous. Depicting a monk in this way makes his experience—his struggles and loneliness—universal in nature. It also suggests the commonness of the place, the scenery, and the emotion, to which viewers can possibly relate. Brentano’s description of the work reflects the artist’s successful attempt to make the meaning universal. According to the author, the scenery allows the viewers to relate to the scene, making one feel that â€Å"one has gone there, that one must return, that one would like to cross over†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This implies that despite the centrality of the work to the image of the monk, the audience can still relate to the contemplative experience that Friedrich depicts. The universality of the subject and the surroundings makes one long to reflect on a similar struggle the audience may have had at certain points in their lives. Another Romantic characteristic that the work reflects is the artist’s interest in the mystical aspect of life, which he portrays through the mysterious and vast skies and the dark sea. As Brentano claims, these evoke mixed feelings, â€Å"from the horror of one viewer, comes a grayness of the other† (Held, 2003, 84). Such combination of emotions that the artist draws from the audience signifies its successful portrayal of the mystical motifs in life, such as the union between darkness and light, the Apocalyptic view of the skies, and the solitude that such a view creates in everyone who witnesses it. Showing the figure of the monk amid the chaotic tendency of nature suggests the mystic relation among God’s creation. Overall, the structure and theme that Friedrich employs in his work consistently reflect valuable characteristics of Romantic art. Up to now, the darkness, emotions, and mysticism that the artist projects through his choice of subject, color combination, tone and structure still provide the modern audience with the same experience that viewers of the painting had in 1809.