ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Research Objective It is but obvious that iPad faces severe competition from brands like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom and Blackberry playbook. In order to be in the competitive race and to sustain the competition, the Apple Company should be well aware of the strategies being adopted by its competitors. It is also necessary to know the people’s mindset about Apple products. The intention behind this research is to acquire information about competitive products in the market and also gauge customer satisfaction. Research Methodology This can be done in two ways. The first way is to gather information from observations. The company can scrutinize the market trends and conditions, people’s behavior, etc. “A prevalent form of observation research is record analysis. This may involve historical or current records and public or private records” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). The collected information can be used to know the inclination of the people and the market. The second way is to conduct surveys. Basically, this kind of survey will help the company know about its customers’ views directly. The questionnaire of the survey should be formulated in such a manner that the resultant should include information on “various topics, including participants’ attitudes, motivations, intentions, and expectations” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). Competitors of Apple iPad Due to the free market policy prevailing worldwide, any company can launch its products freely. There are very less entry barriers and as such, every company wants to enter the market and take whatever possible share for its products. Due to this, there is saturation in the market and each company gets only a small share. Even though Apple is one of the leading companies in Information Technology, it is very difficult for the company to retain the position due to the severe competition from brands like Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, and Blackberry playbook. Apple’s competitors are always on the lookout for bringing out something new in the market. But this strategy of theirs has not been of any benefit to them because even though the customers want something different, the product should be better than what is available in the market. Apple’s technology is far better and more user friendly than its competitors’ products. There are certain features like Jawa script that help Apple to be on the top. Preventive measures to be taken In order to further enhance its brand image, the management of Apple should consider certain improvements as mentioned below:   * More concentration on the European market   * Re-structuring of prices   * Introducing vibrant colour models in iPad   * New model with new features   * Frequent advertisements on different platforms   * Highlight the features that are not available in other phone brands   * Catchy tag-lines in advertisements   * Free offer with iPad   * Compatibility with software of different companies   * More service centers around the globe Customer Satisfaction
Introduction The United States and Egypt continue to enjoy cordial relations in the modern times. However, these relations were cultivated from the ancient times. At the moment, Egypt is regarded as an important ally to the US especially in respect to the Middle East affairs. This realization is critical considering the interests of the US in the Middle East. Nonetheless, looking at the relationship of these two countries during the past years is critical. This paper shall focus on the United States-Egypt relations in the period between 1930 and 1945. This is a period that was characterized by various aspects touching on economics and the politics of the word. In particular, there was the Great Depression that begun in the late 1920s all the way to the 1930s (Kindleberger, 1986). Also, this period was characterized by the advent of the Second World War that plunged the whole world into a state of war. The paper shall give an analysis of the how the two countries related during these years. It is worth pointing out that the two countries did not start relating during this period. Therefore, this paper shall begin by exploring the relationship between the two countries prior to the period between 1930 and 1945. The paper shall give a detailed analysis of how the United States related to the Egyptians the inter-war period. Although there was no much between the two countries, the little that existed will be discussed. Relationship between the United States and Egypt in the period before the Second World War has not been widely covered. In this regard, most of the information available on this relationship covers the period after the Second World War. Most researches conducted in the period before the Second World War focused on the American interests, policies, and activities. When it comes to the role played by Egypt, the works have remained relatively silent. However, it has to be noted that effective understanding of the American-Egypt bilateral relationship should consider the roles played by all nations. Egypt attained its independence during the early 20th century. During the mid-1920s, Egypt was relatively stable and had established relations with the United States. Though this relationship was quite weak, it is worth mentioning that it was characterized by some tension. The United States was not pragmatic in its foreign relation policy towards Egypt. On the other hand, the Egyptians viewed the Americans with caution. The nationalism spirit meant that the Egyptians were concerned with how to preserve their independence from foreign influence. In this case, they viewed the United States in the same light as foreigners who were determined to dominate various aspects of the Egyptian population (Smith,
The global recession has led to rising numbers of unemployment in the United States and the world at large. The protest at Granite City, Illinois, depicts frustrations and disappointment of the workers who are not sure of their jobs. Indeed, a myriad others have lost their jobs and are seeking means to address the dire situation. Many corporations have embraced the globalized trade in the aim outsourcing labor in economies where it is cheap. The results have been rise in unemployment and underemployment amongst the Americans. Steve Jobs appreciates the role of global chain supplies and points out that the American jobs are not coming back any time soon. The global chains are to blame for the unemployment rates although little could be done since it would be irrational for Wall Street not to save on the labor costs. The importation of steel from other countries where it is cheap has also collapsed the local steel industry. This in turn has increased the woes of thee American steel workers. Could the authorities do anything to avert the situation considering the number of the American population that is underemployed or unemployed? Ricardo theory explicates that every nation stands to benefit from international trade. He was convinced that despite the countries experiencing different economic growths, the developed and the developing would reap benefits by engaging in international trade. In his theory of labor, it is critical for different countries to appreciate the law of comparative advantage. For instance, when companies produce similar products at the national level, the company that minimizes the cost of labor has an absolute advantage over its competitors. Nonetheless, Ricardo would argue that the law of absolute advantage rarely dominates the international trade. Rather, the law of comparative advantage comes into play and exposes countries to benefits. He explains that organizing and planning the international trade would remove the law of absolute advantage that currently accrues the Asian countries such as India and China. He would suppose therefore that the internal economy would be planned rather than allowing the capitalistic ‘greed’ to prevail. As such, the American steel industry in comparison with the Asian steel industry gives a picture of the latter enjoying the absolute advantage of the former. This has led to the collapse of the steel industry, which should not be the scenario according to Ricardo. He would make assumptions of efficiency in production of steel where workers should all be employed, as idleness would not be condoned in such an ideal global economy. Besides, the factors affecting the productivity are constant and not easily changed. Hence, planned economy would dictate that the workers assume roles that they are skilled and can perform at their best. This would lead to the need to employ both American and Indian steel workers since they specialize in various tasks. By assigning the American and Indian workers to the roles they are relatively good at, the consumption of steel would increase in the countries with
Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s three-sentence short story arouses reader interest and imagination owing to its poignant character. The author makes the story very interesting by making excellent use of words in creating the narrative. The setting, the sole female character, the character’s thoughts, and the sole dramatic event in the story make it very touching. As such, the story aptly appeals to readers’ emotions owing to its preciseness and the point approach. For example, the author begins the story by introducing readers to the forlorn lady who sits helplessly in a house that is closed shut. This description alludes to the presence of a real threat to the woman’s safety hence her decision to tightly shut the door to her house. Readers are thus induced to pity the lady. In addition, the author describes the lady’s house as old, thereby suggesting that the woman is also old. Readers are thus motivated to feel sympathetic towards this old and lonely woman. Further, audiences are made to mentally speculate on the reason why the lady sits alone in her boarded-up house. The author does not however present the answer to this query, thus leaving the readers in a sort of suspense (Spierling and Szilas 158). Audiences can thus only form unsubstantiated hypotheses about this situation. Could the woman have been locked up inside the house by a malevolent entity? Maybe she shut herself in after sensing danger? These queries push the reader to delve further into the story. In the second sentence, the author introduces an even more eerie concept by mentioning that the lady is aware that she is unaccompanied within the entire world. Again, audiences are made to speculate on the reason why the lady is aware of her loneliness. Readers thus generate various hypotheses to explain this phenomenon. For example, one may speculate that the lady is the sole remnant after a catastrophic event wiped out all other humans from the earth. Conversely, it may be argued that the lady is so bitter with the world that she does not feel the presence of other humans. Once more, these queries are left unanswered. The second part of the second sentence, whereby the author reports that the lady deems all things on earth to be dead, has both literal and symbolic meanings. It may be that the lady has effectively shut out all other people from her life, thus rendering her a lonely person by choice. On the other hand, it may be that a disastrous tragedy has eliminated all human beings on earth save for the lady, thus leaving her entirely alone. Audiences can however only speculate about these possibilities without arri
Introduction Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898) wrote two popular books for children – “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There” (1871) under the pseudonym of Lewis Carroll. Dodgson was basically a Euclidian mathematician and logician. In Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, he wrote about a girl’s adventurous experiences when she tried to reach a beautiful garden through a small doorway. The book “Through the Looking Glass” is a continuation of the story of Alice as she becomes a young woman. Both the works belong to the genre of literary nonsense and hence they raised a lot of eyebrows as they came from a man who was a gifted mathematician (Carpenter, 2003). Imagination and fantasies are generally antithetical to logical thought. Hence it was a surprise to many that such a rich work of imaginative story should have been penned by a mathematician. Thesis: Lewis Carroll and his two books are intrinsically linked; while several instances in his real life are included in the stories, the stories are remarkably different from his real life in some aspects. Plain life of Dodgson versus the colorful landscape of Wonderland Dodgson came from a devout Christian family with Irish roots and most of Dodgson’s ancestors had worked in the military or served in the Church. His father was a highly conservative clergyman who participated in religious disputes and inclined more towards Anglo-Catholicism. Charles Dodgson was born in Daresbury near Warrington in Cheshire, as the third child and first boy of the family (Carpenter, 2003). He had eight other siblings younger to him and spent his childhood at a big Rectory at in North Yorkshire. He was a very intelligent boy and was mostly self-educated. It is said he even read “The Pilgrim’s progress” when he was just seven years old (Carpenter, 2003). He was basically a shy person and as a child he had a very fragile constitution and suffered various illnesses. He also had a stammering problem. Right from his younger days Dodgson wrote poems and short stories and had them published in magazines (Carpenter, 2003). He had formal education in a school at Richmond and later at Rugby school. At school, young Dodgson was teased for his stammering but he scored well in his exams and won many prizes – mostly books of his own choice. He was an avid reader and enjoyed reading Shakespeare’s plays and the novels of Charles Dickens. He was brilliant in Mathematics and went on to study at Oxford. He lost his mother during this period. Though he was extraordinarily gifted, he did not always work hard. Due to his talent in mathematics he was given the post of lecturer and he worked as such for nearly twenty six years (Carpenter, 2003). However, he did not enjoy his work. Thus the life of Charles Dodgson alias Lewis Carroll was not a very interesting eventful one. The story of Alice in Wonderland on the other hand is very eventful and colorful with strange characters, magical happenings and lovely dialogues. Alice’s Wonderland is a girl’s way of escaping into her own imagination. Following the white
Pierre Cardin is a designer brand taken directly from the name of the company founder and current owner. Pierre is an Italian-born French designer who has registered impressive success in the field of design. Soon after the Second World War, Pierre started focusing on unique clothing designs for both men and women. By the 1970s, he had become a world-class designer known in Europe and North America and parts of Asia, especially Japan, that was experiencing massive economic growth at the time. He broadened his scope product line when he started designing car seats for America Motor Association. By the 20t h century, Pierre Cardin had become a popular brand for both men and women clothing. In this paper, the researcher will critically look at the brand equity of Pierre Cardin and factors that made the brand to become less popular in the market. Critical Analysis of Pierre Cardin Building a strong brand in the market is a complex process that requires a deep understanding of the target market and the changing tastes and preferences (Aaker & Biel, 2013). For Pierre Cardin, building a memorable brand mantra was one of the first steps in winning customer loyalty. The brand was strongly identified with the owner, who, at the time, had created a name as a successful designer. In this critical analysis, the researcher will determine how brand equity was built and how it performed in the market. How Pierre Cardin Customer-Based Brand Equity Was Built Brand equity, according to Johansson and Carlson (2015), refers to the commercial value of a given brand name that is directly attributed to the popularity of the brand other than the value of the product. When building his brand equity, Cardin focused on five criteria for choosing brand elements. The first criterion is the ease with which a brand is memorable. Instead of using complex names for his brand, Pierre Cardin chose his name. It is a simple name that is easy to remember. The second factor is the meaningfulness of the brand. He decided to identify himself with his brand in the market. By using the brand name Pierre Cardin, he informed his customers that he is the brand, and the brand was part of him. He was informing the clients that he has a deeply rooted personal interest in the brand and will always do what it takes to ensure that he gives his clients the best. According to Johansson and Carlson (2015), logos and symbols are also very important when building a brand. It helps create a unique identity for a brand that makes it easy for customers to identify with it. Pierre Cardin chose a unique logo, the image for its brand (Kubacki, 2014). The logo is shown in the figure below. Figure 1: Pierre Cardin brand symbol. Source: (Bevolo & Gofman, 2016). As shown in the above figure, he combined letters and sounds of the brand name uniquely. It depicts the first letters in the two names, p (Pierre) and c (Cardin), in one figure. In the brand name, the most common sound that comes out is r . This sound is also depicted in the logo. According to Johansson and Carlson (2015), developing a meaningful brand r
Introduction: Fair Trade In business, fair trade is a structured social movement and market-based system whose fundamentals lie in exchange of ideas, transparency, and respect aimed at promoting equity in international trade. Fairtrade plays an important role in the social and economic lives of people. For example, fair trade promotes sustainable development through enhanced trading conditions and ensures that marginalized manufacturers and workforce, especially from developing countries enjoy their rights. Through fair trade, manufacturers and workers can sell their products at a higher price in addition to improved social and environmental standards. Under a fair trade system, developing countries get an opportunity to export goods such as coffee, bananas, tea, chocolate, gold, sugar, handicrafts, and flowers to developed countries thus promoting international trade. Today, there are so many fair trade organizations dedicated to the mission of promoting good business among various countries. Together with consumers, these trade fair organizations engage in activities that raise trade awareness, support producers and change the manner of operation of conservative intercontinental trade. In most cases, the concept of fair trade goes past trading to ensure that justice prevails in international trade. Besides, fair trade emphasizes the alteration of various operations and policies of conventional trade to promote equity in the business (What is Fair Trade? p.1). Goals of Fair Trade The prime mission of fair trade is to promote sustainable development and enhance trading conditions. Nevertheless, the mission itself is not enough to ensure sustainable development and better trade conditions. The goals of fair trade provide a solid foundation under which countries exchange ideas of international trade. So far, there are five primary goals of international trade common in many countries. The first goal of fair trade is to improve the livelihood and welfare of manufacturers through refining market accessibility and empowering producer groups. Moreover, paying an equivalent amount for the goods and endorsing continuity among international trade stakeholders will improve the livelihoods and welfare of producers. Secondly, fair trade aims to prop up development opportunities for underprivileged manufacturers, particularly women and aboriginal persons and prevents opportunists from taking advantage of children participating in the production process. The third goal of fair trade is to create awareness among the class of consumers to apply their purchasing power optimistically to curb the adverse effects on manufacturers who participate in iniquitous international trade. Fourthly, fair trade aims to promote ethical trade partnership through discourse, lucidity, and reverence. Additionally, through social impartiality, economic protection and sustainable standards brought by fair trade, marginalized and indige
The Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims differed close to a thousand years ago or more. Whereas The Shi’ite Muslims believe in the fourth Caliph, Ali, The Sunni Muslims believe in all the Caliphs who were successors of The Prophet Muhammad. The Shi’ite Muslims belief in Caliph Ali springs from the fact that Ali came from the family lineage of Prophet Muhammad. (Esposito 67) The Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims share the same spiritual beliefs and practices. The only differences between the two groups of Muslims are purely political or differences on leadership of the Muslims after the death of Prophet Muhammad .However, the political differences have also brought about varying standpoints that have a bearing on spirituality. Of importance though, is the fact that the two groups of Muslims believe in one God, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and that there will be resurrection on the final Day of Judgment. The division between the Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims arose after sharp differences of who should lead the Muslim brotherhood after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims held the view that anyone who had the right qualifications was eligible to carry the mantle of leadership of the Muslim faith. Indeed, this was what was done as Abu Bakr, a close ally of Prophet Muhammad became the first Caliph of Muslim brotherhood. On the one hand, The Shi’ite Muslims believed in the view that leadership of the Muslims after the death of Prophet Muhammad should have remained with one of the family members of Prophet Muhammad. This meant, an individual appointed by Prophet Muhammad himself or an Imam who was God’s appointee. The Shi’ite Muslims therefore believed that the leader of the Muslim faith should have been handed to a cousin or a brother in-law to The Prophet Muhammad. Throughout the course of history, Shi’ite Muslims have chosen to only recognize Imams from a certain lineage who they believe were appointed by The Prophet Muhammad or by God. They are therefore opposed to elected leaders of The Muslim faith. It is worth noting that the majority of Muslims in the world are Sunni Muslims who make up 85% percent of the total population of Muslims. Shi’ite Muslims are found in relatively large numbers in parts of Iraq and Iran. Small groups are found in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. Shi’ite Muslims regard The Imams as sacred beings and contend that their authority is supreme and infallible. It is for this reason that The Shi’ite Muslims undertake holy pilgrimages to their tombs in the hope that The Imams will intercede for them. The Sunni Muslims do not see the need to make holy journeys or pilgrimages to the tombs of the Imams because they were initially opposed to a hereditary leadership of The Muslims. Shi’ite Muslims are opposed to the views of close allies of The Prophet Muhammad as featured in religious writings. Some of these allies include, Aisha, Abu Bakr and Umar.Shi’ite Muslims oppose their narrations which mostly border on the life and