(1) This code shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies, which are:
(a) To simplify, clarify, and modernize the law governing commercial transactions.
(b) To permit the continued expansion of commercial practices through custom, usage, and agreement of the parties.
(c) To make uniform the law among the various jurisdictions.
(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in this code, the effect of provisions of this code may be varied by agreement.
(b) The obligations of good faith, diligence, reasonableness, and care prescribed by this code may not be disclaimed by agreement, but the parties may by agreement determine the standards by which the performance of such obligations is to be measured if such standards are not manifestly unreasonable. Whenever this code requires an action to be taken within a reasonable time, a time that is not manifestly unreasonable may be fixed by agreement.
(c) The presence in certain provisions of this code of the words “unless otherwise agreed” or words of similar import does not imply that the effect of other provisions may not be varied by agreement under this subsection.
(3) In this code, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) Words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular.
(b) Words of either gender also refer to the other gender.