ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The United States’ boundaries play a crucial role in governance, politics, economic, and social aspects. For example, Swanson and O’Connell (2016) noted that the boundaries shape taxes, employer benefits, healthcare services, education policies, and schools, among others. Despite these differences, unique shape, and the importance of each state as part of the country, few Americans can name all the 50 states on a map. To test this assertion, an experiment was conducted to determine how many states people can identify and label on a map. Method To meet the study’s objective, 14 participants were recruited randomly to take part in the experiment. There were eight males and six females, with an average age of 24 years. Only one respondent in age groups 15-20 and 50+, while others had two subjects. All the individuals were English speakers, so they understood the aim of the research without any help. Further, five completed the master’s program, eight were undergraduate students, and one graduated from high school. The experiment was designed to measure the number of states respondents can correctly or incorrectly label on a map. Pre-test and post-test design, which measures subjects in terms of the dependent variable, was used in the experiment (Babbie, 2017). The stimulus in this test was a map with all USA states named, which also formed the independent variable. The dependent variable was the ability to identify and mark the member states on the provided blank map. Therefore, a blank USA map was provided to every participant, which they had to fill the map in exactly five minutes. Another map with all 50 states named was offered for the subjects to study in five minutes, thus exposing them to a stimulus as required in the pre-test and post-test approach. The participants were then provided with another blank map where they had five minutes to fill on the map. The results for pre-test and post-test were calculated by counting the number of correctly and incorrectly labeled states in each stage. Results The conditions for the research were all similar for the men and women in the group. Therefore, the results were not biased against one gender or age group during the interview. On average, the participants correctly identified 23 states on the map, with three people labeling all 50 states, and the lowest score was six in the first attempt. Additionally, three participants were confused between Hawaii and Alaska, but there was no confusion during the post-test. After exposure to the stimulant, seven people labeled all the states correctly, five participants scored between 38 and 49, and only two subjects identified less than 35 states in the second attempt. Texas, California, Florida, Washington, Alaska, New York, Nevada, New Mexico, and Hawaii were th
Introduction African Americans that had been transported to America as slaves found themselves lost with no sense of identity. It was a White man’s world and the Black man felt ostracized. In seeking to have a connection with their original culture, the Blacks began to connect with African culture in terms of dressing, religion and way of life. However, it was a challenge. They were not only African but they were also American. What did African American mean? In this paper, I show that the appreciation of the African Diaspora continues as the African Americans seek to treasure the struggles their ancestors went through. They also want to connect with their African heritage and culture in order to have a positive identity about themselves The Appreciation of the African Diaspora Continues It has been a long journey of African Americans towards freedom. There are writers who wrote on the racism and segregation that was prevailing in the 1920’s to 1940’s. James Baldwin in the short story, Previous Condition , narrates how Peter is thrown out of a white neighborhood in New York by the landlady. “You get outa my house”! She screamed. “I got the right to know who’s in my house! This is a white neighborhood; I don’t rent to colored people. Why don’t you go on uptown, like you belong?” (Baldwin, 1976, pg77).His friend, Jules, was renting it and had allowed Peter to live in the room. The story is set in 1948. He had tried to hide from being seen but he had been unsuccessful. Nella Larson, in her story, Passing narrates the challenges that Blacks faced at that time. Claire, an African American, who is light skinned, passes herself off as a White woman in order to get opportunities that were not available for Blacks at that time. She marries a white man who does not know she is Black. Her husband is a racist. When asked by Claire to explain to her friends why he calls her Nig he says “Well, you see, it’s like this. When we were first married, she was as white as ⎯ as ⎯ well as white as a lily. But I declare she’s gettin’ darker and darker. I tell her if she don’t look out, she’ll wake up one of these days and find she’s turned into a nigger.” He roared with laughter” (Larson, 2003, pg 24) It is against these conditions that the African Americans sought to appreciate their culture. After the abolishment of slavery, several Blacks rose against the concepts of assimilation and integration. They wanted a complete restructuring of the country’s political and economic system. Despite the Civil Rights Act, Blacks were still facing racism. They also wanted to have an African-based culture to give them identity and a positive self-image. The experience of racism and Jim Crow Laws had caused them to feel inferior to the Whites. They had been estranged from the past. The people therefore advocated for cultural pluralism. The Blacks started looking at Africa and appreciating it as a place of rich culture. They appreciated the black’s effort in Africa through fighting to fend off imperia
Discussion Lean manufacturing has become one of the biggest trends in the development of supply chain management. Traditionally, organizations faced challenges of increasing wasteful production throughout their operations (Brian, 110). Following this need, stakeholders across industries have focused on development of production approaches that would enable firms to minimize on the costs resulting from wasteful production. This method provides firms with a mechanism of leveraging costs while promoting the creation of savings in the end (Brian, 110). Besides formulating approaches aimed at reducing the costs of operations, efforts have been scaled up in a bid to embrace environmental sustainability through efficient processes and production practices. The introduction of lean manufacturing practices has proven successful in yielding numerous environmental benefits such as reduced pollution and waste reduction through reuse practices (Brian, 110). Therefore, the application of lean practices in manufacturing has greatly contributed toward leveraging compliance demands. The lean philosophy in production has brought about possible and constant improvements in mass production because of Just in time (JIT). This aspect of lean manufacturing ensures customization o products while maintaining affordable and cost-effective prices for the customers. Through lean production, employees remain the most valuable asset to the organization since the implementation of the philosophy requires their active participation (Clegg, 188). Toyota remains one of the companies that have successfully implemented the philosophy and practices of lean production in which employee learning is assessed in the production assembly lines. Mutual respect for employees has had potential in establishing Toyota as one of the leading distributers of cars recording over 9 million sales per annum. The other trend that preoccupies the supply chain management and operations involves the emerging need for sustainability standards (Rosemary & Cheryl, 2001). The International standards Organization (ISO) Corporate Social responsibility guideline emphasized on the determination of sustainable products that embraces customer needs and quality measures. The demand for product sustainability and standards may hugely influence the trends in supply chain practices in the future. Since the inception of the practices of ISO, firms have received pressure to organize their production processes in order to embrace the international standards needed for compliance (Rosemary & Cheryl, 2001). Similarly, the emergence of the concept of corporate social responsibility continues to add the impetus of the need for a sustainable community growth through organizational initiatives. The ongoing concerns of many organizations to coordinate community activities aimed at revamping organizational image has received much emphasis across the boa
Based on the Apple’s case, one of the central challenges was to stay competitive in the market. Apple Inc. was competing with Microsoft, and iPod was losing its market shares. It could be assumed that increasing the firm’s recognition and facing an intensive rivalry by implementing innovative products are the challenges that Apple Inc. has to face after the death of Steve Jobs. One of the recommendations is the focus of the company on the innovative solutions. In this case, the firm can develop something new. Living in the era of modern technology requires adapting to the changes quickly. Consequently, focusing on research and development and marketing at the same time will help the company to overcome the competition and regain its market share. In this instance, expanding the product lines and using new concepts in marketing campaigns are the major direction the company should pursue. The Board of Directors should increase the budgeting for these activities, but the company’s overall strategy will be the same. Table 1 presents pros and cons of implementing the proposed recommendation. This analysis will be used to present results to the Board of Directors. Pros                                                                                    Cons                                                                                                                               The company can increase its market share by focusing marketing campaigns.              One of the disadvantages is the need to distribute the expenditure in the firm. It will require time and involve additional costs. With the development of R&D, Apple Inc. can occupy a new market niche.                  Implementing this recommendation might increase the overall expenditure.                                                           Using these strategies will help increase Apple’s revenue and restore company’s image.  Alternatively, introducing this change might require to restructure the company and change its organization.                        Table 1. Pros and cons.
Introduction Thousands of diverse ideas float in the air and surround people every day, but it is believed that almost all of them are not new. Thereby, it is almost impossible or rather challenging to suggest something that was not devised ages ago. However, often, really talented people manage to create a striking and innovative product or service, which has not been introduced before and is challenging to imitate. One such invention is Groupon – an American online global marketplace that was established in November 2008. This company connects its subscribers and customers from fifteen countries with local merchants by finding deals on restaurants, services, goods, travel, and activities (“The History of Groupon,” n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate Groupon’s growth strategy and transformation process to identify the best fit growth strategy for its strategic management. Also, Groupon’s key strategic positioning based on its resources and capabilities will be analyzed to recommend a new growth strategy and the VRIO Analysis Table of Groupon will be provided. Groupon Transformation Process In 2007, Andrew Mason became one of the founders of The Point, a special website aimed at gathering people and helping them to accomplish their goals. In 2008, Andrew Mason, Eric Lefkofsky, Brad Keywell, and The Point created Groupon, an online marketplace that was advertising several local businesses by finding and offering deals to people for a limited time (“The History of Groupon,” n.d.). In Chicago, Illinois, downstairs from the Groupon office, there was a Motel Bar and the first Groupon was an offer precisely for this restaurant. After it became successful, a great number of the city’s businesses decided to join and Groupon started advertising deals for increasingly larger companies like the Art Institute of Chicago (“The History of Groupon,” n.d.). However, the company maintained its great sense of humor because it was the reason it managed to get attention from its very firs
“The Real Story of Ah Q” by Lu Xun The short story “The True Story of Ah Q” is a satirical fiction that addresses the encounters of Ah Q, who is a peasant in the rural village of Weichuang. The story starts with a flippant tone where the narrator dismisses Ah Q saying that “Ah Q, you miserable wretch! Did you say I belonged to the same clan as you?” (Hsun Ch.1) The author uses Ah Q to represents the moral character of the whole nation and particularly the lower class system, which existed. By applying one character, to represent the entire nation, he allows the Chinese themselves to study their identity and limitations. Ah Q has no good job and is less educated yet he is in self-denial and has inner conflicts that the author wishes to expose. Lu Xun not only articulates the level of negativity of the Chinese citizens but also demonstrates the importance of culture in declining the status of the nation. To illustrate this, Ah Q is convinced that Chinese is the greatest nation since it has a lengthy past (Foster 179). He is xenophobic and has a high disregard for those individuals who have contact with western culture terming them as weak. Unlike the others who are ready to embrace change, Ah Q is convinced that he cannot fall a victim since he has stout morals and refers to westerns as “Imitation Foreign Devil.” He is portrayed as having achieved spiritual conquests, although it ironically turns out that it was mere self-deception. Ah Q is a bully since he harasses the impoverished individuals while holding high regard for the superior class. In his mind, he counts himself as a spi
Introduction Companies and organizations often realign their tasks in order to achieve better coordination of the various activities aimed at executing the tasks as well as supervision of these activities in a systematic way so as to optimally attain their objectives and goals with limited use of resources. The choice of structure that an organization eventually adopts is always determined by the company objectives, its market, as well as its geographical location and cover. This paper will provide an extensive analysis of the type of structure adopted by Johnson & Johnson, a multinational company that manufactures a wide range of health care products and offer job dimensions of the firm as well as analyse the agency problem faced by the company. Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson operates internationally, targeting global markets for its renowned health care products. Currently, the company has presence in up to 57 different countries. Operations of the company have been divided into 3 main divisions of consumer health care, pharmaceuticals and medical devices & diagnostics. The consumer health care division comprises of 7 major business franchises that produces specific care products for babies, skin & hair, oral, women’s health, nutritional products and topical health care. The pharmaceutical division mainly concerns with carrying out research and development in order to invent effective drugs and medicines to treat diseases. These include dermatology, immunology, virology, contraceptives and pain management products and medicine. Medical devices and diagnostics division target solutions, services, and technologies for diabetes, vision care, aesthetics, orthopaedics, cardiovascular and infection prevention. Other areas of concern for this division are minimally invasive surgery, sports medicine, diagnostics, and aesthetics. The main companies grouped under this division are Animas Corporation, Advanced Sterilization Products, DePuy Inc., Ethicon Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Virco BVBA and Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. Others are Cordis Corporation, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. and LifeScan, Inc. With more than 250 companies operating under the tag name Johnson & Johnson, the parent company has adopted a divisional type of structure to effectively manage its operations. With each of the three divisions manufacturing their range of products, the company has further adopted a product structure such that all the employees and their tasks have been grouped together basing on the products they deal in (Johnson & Johnson, n.d., para 3). Agency Problem at Johnson & Johnson The management at Johnson & John
Introduction Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. The Walmart concept came about after Walton purchased one of Ben Franklin’s stores. His goal was to sell products at competitive prices that would attract a high number of customers, as well as make high profit margins. He found low-cost suppliers who enabled him to offer low-price products. It rose to a multinational status in the 1990s after surpassing its competitors Sears and Kmart in terms of revenue and number of customers (Copeland & Labuski, 2013). The first store was opened in 1962 and incorporated as Walmart in 1969. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart operates in several countries across the globe. The corporation is comprised of numerous hypermarkets, grocery stores, and department stores that sell a wide variety of products. It deals in home products such as electronic appliances, furniture, and bedding. In addition, the retailer also sells music, books, electronics, clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, health products, and groceries. Walmart is one of the largest private employers, with a workforce of approximately 2.3 million employees in its outlets across the world (Krieg, 2014). The company has four main operating divisions, namely Walmart US, Walmart International, Sam’s Club, and Global e-commerce. In the US, it operates several supercentres, discount stores, and neighborhood markets. Walmart has operations in countries and regions that include Argentina, China, Mexico, Canada, India, Brazil, Central America, Africa, United Kingdom, and Chile. Walmart owns 11,718 outlets in 28 countries that are registered under various names (Krieg, 2014). The corporation has recorded positive financial results in the last decade owing to the introduction of an e-commerce platform, as well as the adoption of innovative technologies. SWOT Analysis Strengths Walmart’s major strengths include competitive prices, global organizational size, and the utilization of advanced technologies. The international status enables the company to fund its growth and expansion programs. Moreover, it enhances its ability to offer low-priced products (Copeland & Labuski, 2013). The company’s global presence offers the advantage of better economies of scale that translate to high product volumes and low prices (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2017). The corporation has a technologically advanced information system that simplifies operations such as customer relationship management, inventory, and order tracking. Technology improves decision-making and enhances supply chain management. Weakness Walmart’s weaknesses include poor human resource management, a simple business model, and unsustainable profit margins. The company’s human resource practices have
The period of the reign of Louis XV is characterised by the significant public, judges, and parlements’ opposition to the monarch’s government and to the proposed policies and laws. The opposition can be explained from several perspectives. Thus, the judges did not consider the regent and Louis XV as powerful leaders because their economic and political reforms ended as the great losses for the country. Furthermore, the role of the judges in the state was restored during the reign of the regent, but the fact only complicated the situation, making the opposition more obvious. From this point, the opposition against the reign of Louis XV and the associated policies was based on discussing the monarch’s reign as weak with references to the unsuccessful financial policies and to many ineffective diplomatic decisions with references to the results of the European wars. The government of Louis XV implemented two ineffective financial policies which made the country’s economics stagnate, and they even led to the decline of definite industries. Moreover, during a long period of time, the French economy depended on inadequate taxation policy. The first attempt to improve the financial situation within the country was associated with the implementation of John Law’s experiment which ended with the significant inflation. The next attempt to change the approaches to the country’s finances was the focus on the fiscal policies. The policy was implemented after the Seven Years War and provoked worsening of the economic situation with references to the newly increased taxation (Swann 1995). The opposition was inevitable. One more reason for developing the opposition is the inability of the government to propose the effective strategy and policy to contribute to the country’s reputation and progress. The participation of France in the Seven Years War did not add to the country’s reputation or status, but it weakened the potential and all the country’s resources, leading to the economic and social instability. Moreover, the situation was not improved because the judges, as the main opposition force, questioned the authority of the monarch and his decision (Swann 1995). Thus, they did not support any reforms proposed to gain the economic and political balance within the country. However, it is also possible to assume that the opposition was significantly based on the ideological wars which were typical for France during the whole period of the monarch’s reign. The status of Unigenitus was one of the most controversial questions associated with the ideological and religious lives of the country. Thus, the role of opposition against the government of Louis XV can be discussed with references to the activities of the Jansenist representatives and to the fact of the Jesuits expulsion in 1764 (Linton 1995; Swann 1995). Nevertheless, the ideological wars had less significant effects on the further development of the country in comparison with the financial and diplomatic failures. Thus, much opposition to the government of Louis XV depends on the general w