ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Success or failure in any given project management depends much on the organization’s culture, which encompasses, policies, values, attitude and communication. Positive culture supports the change and promotes the success of any project whereas negative culture takes to care of the status quo for fear of possible consequences that may come with change (Kerzner, 2010). To understand the effect of culture, one needs to understand the role of bureaucracy, legal implication, organizational culture and potential corruption in the success of every project. The effect of culture has been common in most of the recent mergers in the world. A good example is Pan American Silver Corp, which acquired Minefinders Corporation Limited in the year 2012. Culture has played a number of roles since it was made legal by the court. Many mergers fail because they overlook the effect of culture before and after the merger. Since a merger involves more than one company, it comes with different cultures that are to operate as one unit. Integrating different cultures into a single unit is the biggest challenge most mergers ever experience. However, Pan American Silver Corp and Minefinders Corporation have carefully but slowly worked on the pre- and post-merger cultural integration. There are different perspectives of culture; the first one is rule-oriented culture. This is a bureaucratic type culture, which focuses much on the job description and involves specializing in a given functional area (Halligan, 2013). The management team, in the merger between Pan American Silver Corp and Minefinders Corporation, had to carry out assessments to identify areas of specialization that each of the companies acquired for an accurate job assignment. Role-oriented culture views people as interchangeable and not as individual persons. The second culture is task-oriented; it emphasizes the value of teamwork in achieving the customer’s desired product. The third culture is the power-oriented culture, which highlights respect for authority. Those in leadership capacity ensure that they gain absolute power in order to remain relevant. Pan American Silver Corp and Minefinders Corporation had to work hard to minimize the effect of this culture because it would have promoted nepotism and favoritism in the company (Halligan, 2013). The power-oriented culture encourages corruption since leaders would want to employ their relatives and friends through corrupt means even without relevant qualifications, which would definitely lead to the failure of the business. The merger
Introduction The restaurant and dining industry comprises many types of players from cafes and restaurants to luxury hotel-based restaurants. The largest percentage of share of the restaurant industry however is taken up by the restaurants and the cafes. The restaurant and dining industry in the world is estimated to have a market value of $1,367 billion as of 2008 (Global Restaurants Industry Profile’ 2008). In the year 2007 alone, the industry grew by 4.2 per cent. The industry has the variant type of business pertaining to restaurants, bars, pubs as well as fast-food restaurants. The leading company managing the restaurant industry worldwide is the McDonalds Corporation. “The global restaurant sector remains fragmented and made up predominantly of small and medium-sized enterprises, which suggests a high degree of competition. Restaurant operators are the main market players. End-users are the buyers and they are generally highly price sensitive. It is possible to enter the market on a small, independent scale. However, to compete successfully with the strong, diversified brands, a significant investment outlay is required. The strong intensity of rivalry is mitigated by market growth and product differentiation.” (Global Restaurants Industry Profile’ 2008) It is not easy to enter the restaurant industry, however, when a restaurant is able to survive the initial few years after its establishment, it needs to be spectacular in order to be able to attract and retain the attention of its customers and clientele while making a mark for itself. For this two strategies are availa
Introduction In the business field, there exists a strong link between management and productivity. Planning, co-ordination, and organisation of the entire workforce as well as the implementation of various production policies play an integral role in the success of a business franchise. In firms where the relationship between employees and the management teams are friendly and work oriented, the production levels tend to increase. However, in situations where the management teams and the junior employees exhibit frosty relationships, the productivity levels go down. In this essay, I will explain the need for management teams to develop viable management policies to ensure success in an organisation. Consequently, I will explore the probable problems that may arise in cases where management fails in this role. Employment of best practice techniques in the business firms plays a significant role in productivity. Customer service delivery forms the most important aspect of business; therefore, every commercial entity strives to develop the best methods of customer satisfaction. Firms with proper employee management strategies enjoy better chances of executing this goal. In the latter stages of this paper, I develop an in depth analysis of the link between employee motivation and productivity in any business field. Statement of the Problem Amazon’s Swansea Warehouse remains the largest business supply chain in the world. The firm stocks more than 100million different items and boasts of owning the most efficient services to the consumers. The service delivery of the warehouse relies upon the customers making online orders. Employees sort out the orders, pick and package, and finally deliver the orders to consumers. This system involves a series of movement among the casual employees of the warehouse. The physical nature of the movement that employees undergo when sorting, packaging and sending the items for delivery is hectic. The work conditions remain harsh and the terms of references are exploitative. Customer satisfaction goals of the warehouse override the employees’ conditions. Temporary employment terms and contract with agencies for employment of casuals worsen the situation due to the inability of the casual labourers to develop a collective bargaining body. Amazon’s major objective is to guide customers in getting their orders on time. This increases efficiency of the operations. Employees with medical problems have to suffer dire consequences of taking more than three medical leaves within three months. Termination of contract and dismissal is at its peak as management seeks to impress customers at the expense of developing a motivated workforce. Unemploy
Main Arguments in the Readings The article “Political Openness and Transnational Activism: Comparative Insights from Labor Activism” by Teri L. Caraway is focused on the exploration of transnational activism. The author argues that multiple types of activism in various countries are affected differently by their political openness (Caraway 278). Compared to the general approach of Caraway, McCammon et al. have a narrower focus and investigate the activism of suffragists (1866-1919) and explore the opportunity structure that helped the activists to succeed in their movements and win voting rights. The authors argue that the opportunity structure should not be viewed in the political context alone (McCammon et al. 49). In turn, Sidney Tarrow’s argument is concentrated on the impact the opportunities produce on the people’s desire to rebel or absence thereof. In particular, the author points out that the influence of the options is more potent than that of the existing economic and political factors (Tarrow 71). Examples in the Readings All of the studies attempt to investigate how the domestic circumstances in the countries may drive social activism. For example, Caraway identifies three significant factors that contribute to the emergence and development of activism; they are democracy supporting human rights, NGOs enabling activist movements, and the ability to transmit information across the country and outside of it, as well the ability for the people to move around and outside the country (280). However, McCammon et al. argue with this perspective and point out that the political circumstances and factors are not the only sides to the phenomenon of social activism. In other words, the authors emphasize that the political factors could definitely contribute to the political success of a movement, but there are also factors that exist beyond this sphere. For example, the authors suggest exploring society-centered perspectives on activism such as class, racial, and feminist theories of the state (McCammon et al. 51). Viewing activism from the point of view of the balance of threats and opportunities, Tarrow uses the example of labor strike waves that occurred in the 1930s in France and the USA but never happened in Germany and Great Britain. The author explains that it is possible that the states that offered more opportunities managed to prevent the upheavals (Tarrow 73). Relationships of the Reading to Our Understanding of Social Movements The three readings approach the issue of the emergence of activism from different perspectives examining the accompanying political and social circumstances and identifying versatile factors that participate in the formation of the movements. The authors do not deny one another’s points of view but provide a broader and more holistic understanding of the nature of activism and its diverse contributing factors. Works Cited Caraway, Teri L. “Political
Introduction Planning is one of the most important activities in urban design. Through planning, the available resources are used in the most efficient way to create appropriate designs. The complete product is able to adequately fulfill the needs of the community. Over the past few decades, there has been a shift towards designs that are sustainable and of benefit to the community. One of the ways in which this has been achieved is by creating green spaces within the development area. The article “Putting Greenways First: Creating Healthy the and Connected Communities by Blending Urban and Conservation Design”, by Arendt Randall sets out to offer some insights into how greenways can be incorporated into town planning to allow for active transportation. In this paper, I will provide a reflection on this article. Article Overview The article provides thoughts from Arendt (2011) and other authorities in urban planning on how greenways can transform the town setting. The author begins by highlighting the important role that greenways serve as a link between the conservation design of the last century and urbanism design. As a planner, the author is keen to provide his views on how greenways can transform the community. He demonstrates how greenways can encourage active transportation throughout an urban area with many social benefits accrued by the residents of the town. For example, the greenways can encourage interactions among community members, therefore, promoting social cohesion. The article provides a number of practical ways through which green spaces can be implemented in towns. These options include internal greens, attached greens, greenway streets, and neighborhood greens. Arendt (2011) notes that an urban planner can influence the specific design that is adopted by a town. The design team is composed of architects, landscape arthe chitects, and urban planners. According to the article, the planner should exert some influence to ensure that sustainable designs such as greenways are implemented in the community. Reflections Insights This article highlighted to me the social aspects of planning. While creating new spaces for human use, the emphasis tends to be on the physical building and functionality of the designs in place. Arendt’s article brings to attention the social aspect of planning. Specifically, the town should be planned in such a way that it encourages interaction among community members and promotes health. Arendt (2011) argues that greenways will promote traffic throughout the urban area therefore making the community vibrant. Arendt (2011) declares that the space between buildings is sometimes just as important as the buildings themselves. This is a concept that I had never given much thought before reading the article. In my experience, developers dedicate most of their efforts in designing the building. Very little consideration is given to the space between buildings, as the aim is normally to maximize on the available space. Howev
The root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ethnic racialism which melts down to the obdurate dispute over land claimed by Israeli Jews as their biblical bequest and by the Palestinians, who seek self-determination. Briefly, the Israeli-Palestine conflict can be described as the world’s largest refugee crisis, humanitarian suffering in Gaza, and Palestinian factional fighting. International intervention to end this crisis has been attempted for years, but to no avail. In 2003, an effort was made to establish an independent state in Palestine but only to aggravate the Palestinian military attacks on Israel (Reuters). Within the Palestinian Territories, a power struggle between rival Palestinian factions has led to the establishment of two administrations, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas. The situation in the region has worsened with Hamas, a militant faction assuming power over Palestine, by overthrowing the PLO. Currently, there are around 1.7 million refugees live in the West Bank and Gaza, many in crowded camps (Reuters). The region’s socio-economic conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years, and the population is increasingly reliant on food aid. In such a situation when the two states have reached a passé in the peace-keeping process, it is extremely important to have an international intervention to set the process on the right track. This essay aims at providing a few policy recommendations to the US government to help find a solution to this impasse. Gordon Allport in The Nature of Prejudice (1954) postulated that the interactions between identity groups engaged in prolonged conflict based on ethnicity are difficult to reach a solution especially when one group’s identity is accepted than the other negated, the latter will indulge in further conflict. Due to the prevalence of too much negative energy between the groups, reaching a solution is very difficult. The most interesting situation in the Israeli-Palestine conflict is that both parties feel that it is a zero-sum conflict, not only with respect to land but also with respect to national identity and national existence (Kelman). Here the problem is each perceives the existence of the other as a state as a threat to its existence. Both believe that only one can be a nation. The zero-sum view arises from the idea that both sides fight over a piece of land that both claim to be their homeland. Under these circumstances, acknowledging one of the sides’ nationhood is perceived by the other side as jeopardizing its claim over the land (Kelman). This is what has been d
Need assessment is an important way of attaining change in the people of a community. Health is one issue which demands different strategies depending on the situation. Need assessment procedures are very helpful in such varying circumstances. In light of these facts, community health educators are required to select suitable health plans and the related needs assessment methods. The first step in the assessment process is planning and the organizing phase (Sharma & Lanum, 02). This includes information gathering, learning about the issue for which the assessment is being held and identifying goals and objectives of the need assessment. Information gathering is very important as it will tell the current methods of waste management present in the community and the existing resources. Creating awareness about the issue will encourage people and waste management organizations in the community as to why waste management is important and how it relates to health. Identifying goals helps to stick to a specified path and come up with plans that lead to desired goals as in this case the goal is to identify the specific issues related to waste management. Developing nations are continuously trying to improve their waste management but at the moment they are clearly struggling for proper waste disposal. Issues related to waste collection, combustion, landfills etc are very common in the developing countries. Pakistan for example is one of the developing nations with a lot of waste management issues. Improper disposal and deficiency of adequate management are some of the main problems related to waste management. The current system of waste management includes municipal waste management authority and two private organizations. No proper disposal sites are available in the country and recycling is not considered as an option. Most of the material which can be recycled is not in the condition to be reused after the waste has been collected (Batool, 02). Third world countries too often try to imitate procedures for waste management used by the developed nations but fail at this. The reasons for this are corruption, lac
Love in a Fallen City is Eileen Chang’s Chinese novel that primarily focuses on two individuals’ love affairs during the Sino-Japanese war. During the wartime period, both characters’ cities. Hong Kong and Shanghai were occupied by the Japanese due to invasion. The main character undergoes several difficult challenges to survive and achieve some form of stability. The novel explores a wide range of interesting topics, but three are the most critical, which are marriage-related anxiety, patriarchal structure, and collectivism. Marriage-Related Anxiety The institute of marriage in Chinese culture is not only an expression of commitment and love but also the main way for women to achieve financial stability and ensure retirement. The Third Master states: “Breaking up other peoples’ marriages means there won’t be any sons or grandsons. I, the third son of the Bai family, am a man with sons, and I fully expect their support in my old age” (Chang, 1943, p. 3). The statement from the Third Master reveals that the institute of marriage is a centerpiece of stability for not only women and wives, but also aging men, who perceive their children as future caregivers. Therefore, it is evident that Chinese culture is heavily reliant on reciprocity within the family structure, where parents provide for their young, who give that care back during their adulthood (Tang, 2015). This outstandingly explains the reason behind the main character’s matrimonial stress, because the lacking husband will result in not having a man for financial stability and children for future caregiving. Recognizing the stabilizing nature of marriage, it is clear that women of that era highlighted both material benefits and the social feasibility of ensuring the strength of union. Marriage is an institution that not only focuses on love and feelings but also brings material benefits both for each person and for the state. The benefits of marriage for Chinese women have tangible consequences, and above all, this institution guarantees population growth and helps strengthen the nation. In this context, marriage favors the preservation of offspring, the growth of wealth, prevents disease, protects morals, and promotes the rise of production. In my experience, recognizing the notions of the emotional relationship of spouses in Chinese society, it can be assumed that love and excessive emotional attachment in marriage lead to rash acts and destroy the foundation of marriage (Tang, 2015). In both Chinese and North American cultures, the vitality of marriage was initially determine
Interview Synopsis and Findings I interviewed the supervisor in the department of surgery within St. Mary Hospital. The hospital is one of the largest healthcare centers in Atlanta that is sponsored by the Catholic Church. According to the supervisor, the surgery departmentis a very dynamic section of the health center. The department has ten workers. The department handles all surgery requests from different clients and cases of referrals. The supervisor indicated that the department, especially the operating room, needs the personnel to integrate their competencies in handling different tasks to enhance the wellness of the patients. The personnel in the operating room are charged with direct care of the patient. An operating room supervisor must hold a degree in management and must be a registered nurse. Management skills are required because the supervisor and other personnel in the department have administrative duties besides offering health care services. As indicated by the supervisor, the personnel in this department must understand the competencies and attitudes of the team members in the operating room. The management is required to ensure the entire team is motivated and satisfied with their work. Motivation and satisfaction influence the development of quality services. However, the supervisor noted that there is a need to improve on the current structures of organizational learning within the surgery department as a remedy for improving efficiency in service delivery. This paper will offer an explicit proposal on the best practices of increasing motivation, satisfaction, and performance of the personnel in the surgery department at the hospital. Motivation Plan The success of a firm’s human resource productivity depends on the organization of its human resource management. Reflectively, labor as a factor of production, determines the gross output, performance, and goal achievement at optimal resource use. The St. Mary Hospital has been struggling with human resource management problem as a result of weaknesses in employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance. The next section of the paper presents a comprehensive employee compensation plan targeting the ten employees of the surgery department. Besides, the treatise offers a work breakdown structure in addition to a communication plan for the project. The employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance plan Reflecting on Lewin’s three-step theory, the unfreezing, transformation, and refreezing determine the level of performance in an organization. According to this theory, the first step involves the realization that a challenge exists in the organization. The second step involves transformation of this challenge into a development goal after which implementation step concludes by developing a solution for the challenge (Ellemers, Gilder, & Haslam, 2004). The best way to motivate the department’semployees is by giving them responsibilities for achieving something and the authority to do it in their own way. Through this approach, employees will be empowered