ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In chapter 8, “Assessing Program Impact,” aimed to explore the concept of impact assessment as a measure for producing the intended effects of a program. Impact assessments have been developed for determining which effects of a program will yield positive outcomes. A program effect refers to the change in the social conditions or target population that has been brought by a program. An impact assessment is appropriate when implementing a range of points in the course of a social program. Rigorous forms of evaluating the impact of programs are associated with a range of managerial and technical challenges. Target audiences of social programs may be linked to individuals and even families that are difficult to reach and from which outcome and follow-up data are hard to collect. In order to determine the impact of a program, it is required that evaluators compare conditions of targets that have undergone an intervention. In a randomized field experiment, scholars usually assess causal effects between variables. Participants are selected in a random way and differentiated into two groups, such as intervention and control groups (Byrd-Bredbenner et al., 2017). Then, outcomes are observed for both groups, with any differences being linked to the influence of intervention. Non-randomized quasi-experiments also divided participants into intervention and control groups; however, due to the lack of randomization in design, they do not offer the desired level of reliability. Randomized field experiments can be used for defining the difference between outcome targets and equivalent units. Equivalence implies identical composition, identical predisposition, and identical experiences (Rossi, Lipsey, & Freeman, 2004). The most efficient way of achieving equivalence between control groups and interventions is using randomization. To create a true random assignment, a chance-based procedure is implemented, ranging from a random number table to the roll of dice. Random number sequences are the most popular among researchers due to their convenience. Units of analysis represent the range of measures implemented during the assessment. The choice of such units is usually based on the kind of intervention as well as target audiences to which they are delivered. The logic of randomized experiments relies on the idea that mean change on an outcome variable from before and after the intervention. Understanding the difference between control and intervention groups is essential for making conclusions on the statistical significance of the results. Randomized experiments are expected to work in cases when there are expectations of outcomes, increasing the chances of success. Such variables as political or ethical considerations can limit randomization; however, it remains the most widespread and effective way of program impact assessment.
Proper identifications and descriptions are tools that enhance effective learning. It is crucial to point out the necessity of incorporating appropriate methods when learning. Attainment of knowledge and skills relies on how a person can perceive information and apply it in the field. For instance, we can test this by allowing the mind to twist when searching for information in human biology. This will enhance mind work and appreciate the attainment of knowledge. In a bid to prove this, I will present a case calling for critical thinking and specialized identification strategies. I am an organ placed in the cavity of the human abdomen. I am found on the paravertebral gutter in the abdomen. I exist with a look-alike on my left side. We lie on either side of the spine. However, we have unequal locations in terms of height. I am located at a lower height. Also, the diaphragm is on my top. The liver lies on my anterior side while the adrenal glands lie on my top. The 11 th rib, 12 th rib and a double fat layer have a role of protecting me. I have a shape that is similar to that of a bean seed. I am sure that I am identified, but I will make several statements before writing my name. My weight ranges from a hundred and twenty-five grams to a hundred and seventy grams when I am located in a mature male human body. Do not forget that I am smaller than my look alike and that my main role is excretion. My name is right human kidney (Starr, 2012). We all rely on the kidney for the effective elimination of metabolic waste products. Excretion is a vital process in human life since we cannot live without removing metabolic waste from the body. Its formation results from a sequence of events that involve filtrating, reabsorbing and secreting body fluid materials. Filtration occurs in renal corpuscles where blood passes at high pressure through the glomeruli resulting in filtration of waste and useful products into the Bowman’s capsule. The glomerular filtrate formed comprises water, salt, sugars, and waste products among other chemicals. Some of the products that filtrate in the Bowman’s capsule are necessary for the body. Useful products incorporate into the blood through reabsorption. Reabsorption starts in the proximal convoluted tubule, where sugars and a large amount of water are reabsorbed into the body and commences in the collecting duct. The loop of Henle and the distal convoluted tubule is the other sections of the nephron that function by reabsorbing necessary material into the blood (Starr, 2012). The materials leaving the distal convoluted tubule consist of water, hormone
Introduction Personality is a very essential aspect in any management behavior. It involves the overall pattern that any manager exhibits. This involves his or her individual belief, feelings, and even behaviors which influence the management style adopted. There are different personality types among various managers. People-oriented personality is one type which tends to focus more on a management style that is more people-involving (Osadume, 2010). Managers who use this style in their leadership are known to enjoy teaching, communicating, and motivating their employees. Management seems to become easier when those working in one organization are able to understand each other. This is why this personality type emphasizes on the importance of effective communication and building of trust among both employees and employers. Many managers when appointed in this post in their organizations often desire an efficient and productive time in their leadership. These managers, therefore, often adopt various management theories in order to become successful in the management of their organizations. This enables them to plan, organize, lead, and even control various aspects of their organizations. Management theory There is a growing need in adopting effective communication with an aim of improving performance in all organizations in the recent past (Richmond, McCroskey & McCroskey, 2005). The era when managers kept the contribution of the subordinate employees aside and managed to propel the organizations on their own is running out of practice. This is because most organizations have seen the benefits of involving all employees in the learning of their organizations. More and more organizations are adopting the behavioral management theory that focuses on improving the job satisfaction of the employees who in turn improve their productivity and customer satisfaction, thus helping the organization to meet its goals (McNamara, 2010). Various organizations are doing this through improving the employees’ working conditions, changing their attitudes towards the junior employees, and seeking employee participation in the learning of the organization. Strategies in the management theory Most organizations operate more effectively through a democratic leadership style since this style tends to be more participative. With this style, all the employees of the organization take part in ensuring that the organization meets its goals. In this management style there are various strategies that make it effective in the learning of the organization. One area where the personalities of the managers seem to be tested when relating with the organizational employees is in the area of communication. Communication is very important in both large and small business environments. It is the aim of every business to develop effective and long lasting communication skills since this provides benefits that are beyond interpersonal
Introduction The presence of business opportunities and potential markets has given rise to a lot of business opportunities that entrepreneurs are aiming to capitalize on (Dinkhoff 2009, 54). Therefore, entrepreneurs need to use innovative and creative business techniques to come up with superior products and services that are targeting specific needs of consumers in the various parts of the globalised world. Entrepreneurs are required to be highly proactive and constantly study the environment so that they can identify viable opportunities that arise out of the situation. It is therefore necessary that entrepreneurs use their specific skills and core competencies so as to cope with the complex environment that always presents various complex challenges to entrepreneurs as they steer their organizations towards realizing the organizational goals and objectives (McDonald 2003, 45). Consumer behaviors are not static, rather dynamic and will from now and then have a different set of demands which must be satisfied as they arise or else consumers may be forced to switch to the next best alternatives. It is therefore necessary that the entrepreneurs carry out continuous research that will gather relevant data and turn this data into useful information that will be used by entrepreneurs in the process of idea generation. Organizations and entrepreneurs who do not actively embrace change and idea generation may be faced out by much competitive entrepreneurs (Dupuis 1999, 15). The idea generation process The idea generation process is a highly mental process that requires individual’s to carefully study the environment so that they can come up with goods and services, which are creative. This process is very critical for any entrepreneur and if the outcome of this process is not considered successful then the resulting product that is pushed into the market. In today’s business environment competition between organizations demands that organizations come up with products and services that are highly convenient and efficient for the consumers, and therefore if an entrepreneur does not take consumer needs as the pivot of his all idea generation process then he/she may be laying ground for possible failure. Illustration of the idea generation process, adopted from Paul (2008, 59) Ingvar Feodor Kamprad is a Swedish businessman and founder, IKEA a retail (specialty) company. Kamprad is an exceptional entrepreneur who started pursuing his entrepreneurial ambitions while still a teenager (Kotler 2
Introduction and Background Information Cookies are small, flat, and sugary baked foods made of flour, sugar, and oil among other ingredients. Cookies fall under a group of food items known as grain-based dessert (GBD), which includes cakes, pastries, and pies. GBDs represent approximately 7.2% of calories in a typical US diet (Mathias, Ng & Popkin 2015). These food items contribute significantly to calories consumed by children, teenagers, and adults. Approximately 10% of solid fats and added sugar in diets comes from GBDs (Mathias, Ng & Popkin 2015). The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans targets the reduction of fats and sugar to regulate caloric intake, control body weight, and minimize the risk of chronic diseases (DeSalvo, Olson & Casavale 2016). However, cookies also represent a potentially healthy snack, particularly if their preparation involves a careful selection of ingredients. They are suitable as a breakfast food or snacks and often provide adequate caloric intake for children. Recent health news in the United States has focused on obesity as a major health problem. Obesity is a health complication that is characterized by excessive body fat. The main causes of obesity include consumption of high-fat foods and sedentary lifestyles (Lifshitz & Lifshitz 2014). Sugar has also been blamed for the obesity pandemic. Excess sugars in foods are converted to fat and stored, which exacerbates the problem of obesity. Obesity is a global health problem (Kearns et al. 2014). Some of the problems associated with obesity include increased susceptibility to longstanding diseases such as type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer (Kearns et al. 2014). The association of cookies with weight gain and obesity has led to a significant decline in the consumption of cookies over the last few years. The new product seeks to address this issue by reducing the fat and sugar content of cookies. The obesity epidemic has sparked an interest in food vendors and manufacturers to develop strategies to reduce excessive caloric intake and enhance the quality of diets. Furthermore, a 2005 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) endorsed changes towards novel and reformulated low energy, salt, fat, and sugar products in favor of youths (Papanikolaou & Fulgoni III 2016). Consequently, large-scale endeavors by organizations such as Walmart and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation show that the food industry intends to improve the quality of diets consumed in the United States. The development of new commodities by food companies can lead to the production of baked commodities with reduced levels of saturated fat, salt, energy, and sugar. However, the development of quality food items from scratch often involves numerous trials of different recipes to produce an item of desirable nutritive value and sensory attributes such as flavor, taste, and texture. This process is time-consuming and labor intensive. Therefore, a reformulation of current products is an effective alternative to modifying products and producing quality food items with enhanced features. Addition
Brief statement of facts This case involved Rockwell Kent and other people who sued the Secretary of State for denying them travel passports on the basis of the fact that they held communistic associations and beliefs. Kent intended to travel to England where he was going to attend a meeting (Cooper, 2006 p.34) and he was denied the passport on the grounds that he was a communist and had for a long time been closely linked to the communist society. The other issue that the state secretary raised was the refusal of the petitioners to supply an affidavit stating their close links with communists. Kent was informed that he had a right to an informal hearing before his passport could be issued and that he was also required to file an affidavit in which he would indicate he was a member of a communist society (Charles, 2009, p.34). Kent declined to file the said affidavit arguing that it was unlawful and in violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights. He argued that according to the laws governing matters of issuance of a passport, the only relevant issue was that of his citizenship and since that was not in contention he argued that other issues were not of any relevance to the department responsible for the issuance of passports. The department responsible on the other hand argued that due process needed to be followed and that without Kent supplying them with an affidavit, his application for a passport would not be given any further consideration. It is then that Kent decided to sue the secretary of state for failing to issue him with a passport. During this period, there was an Act that had been passed by the congress which required that any citizen should be offered a passport for travel to a foreign country incase a state of emergency was declared (Lee, 1961,p.45). Having examined all circumstances surrounding the matters at hand, the court held that the Secretary of State was not justified in denying passports to Kent and other petitioners. Kent filed the matter in the District Court and made prayers for declaratory relief where he was praying the court to have the department in charge of issuance of passports reverse their decision and issue him with a passport. A summary judgment was entered in favor of the respondent and the petitioner decided to appeal. Upon appeal, Kent’s case was heard together with that of another gentleman who was facing a similar predicament. During this hearing, the second applicant Briehl who was a psychiatrist raised three main issues. Firstly, he raised the issue that the kind of affiliations he had politically were totally irrelevant to the issuance of his passport. He further argued that every citizen had been guaranteed the right to travel to any other foreign country regardless of his political affiliation. He also argued that incase he was accused of being involved in criminal activities it was upon the department in charge of issuance of passports to prove this.
Introduction The United Nations advocates for the concept of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons as the best strategy for enhancing security. Incidentally, most of the developed countries are busy trying to modernize their arsenals as part of their security planning and foreign policies. Such aims create a complex situation for the international society and continue to threaten human existence. This paper describes Israel’s Begin Doctrine and explains why it is not easy for the Middle East to have a nuclear weapon free zone (NWFZ). The discussion goes further to explain why the possession of such resources continues to deter large-scale wars. The insights gained from the paper show that countries without such weapons are still at risk of attack from those that possess them. A new model for discouraging governments from developing these arms can promote peace and protect the lives of the greatest number of people. Begin Doctrine Many countries today have unique foreign policies that are informed by the concept of realism. For instance, the Israeli government has a powerful model commonly known as the Begin Doctrine that is an integral part of its security planning. Freilich defines it as a guiding principle that instructs Israel to destroy states that develop or have weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that might be used against the Israelis (18). Under this policy, the government is always ready to defend its citizens with all its military, economic, and financial resources. The main target in accordance with this model is that of nuclear weapons since they have the potential to claim lives. There are several examples of this policy or doctrine in action. The outstanding one is that of 1981 when Israel successfully attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactors and plants in Osirak in a mission called Operation Opera (Liebner and Press 31). The Israeli prime minister praised such a move and justified it since presented the best defense against any form of threat from its enemies. According to him, such an operation had also been ongoing for several years and it had consumed numerous national resources. After the attack, the government stated that its foreign policy would continue to remain essential for every future Israeli leader. The leaders of this country pursue it in such a way that it protects and defends the people of Israel against any kind of racism or anti-Semitism. This happens to be the case since the Holocaust resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews from the late 1930s. The outstanding message is that Israel will always act in a similar manner when its enemies decide to develop nuclear arsenals and other weapons that can be utilized to kill the citizens of Israel (Hamel-Green 449). However, different foreign governments and the United Nations (UN) were opposed to the 1981 attacks. Such actions could encourage leaders to attack other countries, thereby exposing the world to a potential threat of insecurity (Liebner and Press 37). From this analysis, it is evident that Israel is not going to st
Introduction Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation [HSBC] was established in 1865 in the UK. The firm has experienced numerous changes over the years. The firm’s name was changed to HSBC Holding PLC in 1991. The firm is committed towards achieving a high level of competitiveness within the global banking industry. In an effort to achieve a high competitive advantage, HSBC has integrated growth as one of its corporate level strategies. Aswathappa (2008) asserts that growth strategy enables an organisation to improve the scope and scale of its operations. The firm has entered a number of markets by adopting inorganic and organic growth strategies. One of the organic growth strategies that the firm adopts in the international market entails foreign direct investment. On the other hand, the firm has integrated the concept of merger and acquisition as its inorganic growth strategy. HSBC targets firms with high market potential in its acquisition process. The market growth strategy adopted by the firm has played a remarkable role in enhancing the firm’s market expansion. By 2013, the firm had established 9,500 outlets in different parts of the world. The firm targets emerging markets as one of its investment destination. Examples of such markets include China, India, Brazil and Mexico. This paper evaluates HSBC’s strategic rationale in entering and operating in emerging markets. Secondly, the paper evaluates HSBC’s organic growth strategy and its decision to expand its financial services in China’s rural areas. Additionally, the major challenges faced by the firm in its operation within the Chinese banking industry are identified and analysed. Finally, solutions on how to deal with the identified challenges are identified. Different models which include the PESTLE model, the Porter’s five forces, the Hofstede model and the SWOT analysis model are used in evaluating the prevailing market conditions in the Chinese banking industry. Analysis HSBC’s rationale in entering emerging markets HSBC’s decision to expand into the emerging markets was informed by a number of reasons. First, emerging markets are characterised by high market demand for financial services compared to mature markets. Subsequently, the likelihood of achieving the set organisational goals by establishing an outlet in emerging markets is relatively high. The high market potential in the emerging markets arises from the fact that such markets are characterised by a low rate of penetration with regard to financial services. Furthermore, emerging markets are characterised by a high population growth rate. Subsequently, the demand for financial products and services in these markets is relatively high compared to supply. Financial institutions can exploit the prevailing market opportunity