ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Contrary to other ideas in political science such as justice and liberty, democracy is a term that can be easily explained. It mainly relates to the government by the majority. Although characterizing democracy is not difficult, the latest political theory is often left this out. No strong argument is provided by political theorists regarding the reason for representative democracy. On the other hand, if any is given, it lacks strength. One would anticipate that great literature can be created from the reasons for the promotion and institution of democracy. On the contrary, popular literature does not delve so much into why democracy is desirable, but instead, get to explain the reasons for the improvement of the current democracy. This essay examines what different philosophers have had to argue both for and against democracy. Arguments for Democracy One of the arguments is that democracy is important because it can be embraced and made deliberative. This implies that deliberation of a dialogical nature is vital to the democratic society. When democracy is made deliberate in a given society, instead of people’s mere adaptation to circumstance, their preferences are not only informed but also made clear. Democracy also helps to remove points of difference among people without necessarily making them agree. At times, democracy requires that people be compelled to embrace a general perspective. As such, both their imagination and empathy are stretched. In the same vein of the deliberateness of democracy, selfish concerns can be separated from public-oriented considerations thus encouraging public reasoning for participants who are free and equal (Sosa & Villanueva 287-288). Research also indicates that making democratic to be more deliberative is likely to result to other benefits such as legitimizing all decisions that are arrived at, encouraging the powerless to voice their concerns in decision making, promoting transparency among group members and enhancing outcomes that are just. Another argument that favors the importance of democracy in deliberation is one that aims at making deliberation democratic and not vice versa. This implies that whenever there is democratic deliberation, then the probability of reaching the truth based on reliability increases with the presence of a democratic decision-making regime. Moreover, democracy enhances the proper allocation of resources to appropriate uses. This argument is supported by the fact dictatorial leaders are not fully accountable to citizens and do not have motivations to put the total output into maximum use. Instead, they focus on their selfish ends. Consequently, democracy ensures that property rights are protected hence allowing investors to have a long term perspective. Besides, allowi
As it is with many other nations, the reforms in the health care system in America undoubtedly ensure that citizens live more productively, healthy and longer lives. It is against this reason that the government has made it a priority to issue many health related services to the public. These include health information, control of contagious diseases, immunization of children, discouraging negative behaviors that are cost effective and of negative externalities as well as encouraging beneficial behavioral patterns. In addition, the government offers affordable health services to the poor (Anon., 2001). Through financing of health sector, the public is able to access medical health and pay medical bills that the government subsidizes. However, there are instances where issues of fraud have found their way in the health care market (Cascardo, 2009). This essay will compare and contrast the roles of the General Accounting office (GAO), the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Quality improvement organizations are private organizations of the federal government that monitor the effectiveness, quality and appropriateness of health care that is provided to the beneficiaries of the health system (Lanier et al., 2003). Quality Improvement Organization works under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) (Anon., 2001). Through QIO, there has been great improvement in the health care services. It has been able to audit and inspect Medicare activities (Lanier et al., 2003). In addition, it is concerned with quality assurance and transformational change in the health sector. According to the organisation, this can be attained by raising the standards of performance, incorporating technology in health information and accelerating health improvement rates. Apparently, this organisation is the most important of the three since it performs the overall responsibility of ensuring that health standards are up to date. Besides, its activities are spread across the board and affect the other two organizations. Moreover, QIO has improved quality Medicare by the adoption of information technology and electronic health record systems through the federal Doctors Office Quality Information Technology initiative (DOQ-IT) (Lanier et al., 2003).This is aimed at making it easy for the hospital to access patient’s information, reference data and information on decision support. The information regarding the patient in the hospital will also help improve the relationship between the patient and the clinical officer (Ogrosky & Kracov, 2010). Moreover, while working under the CMS, QIO has come up with a project that aims at lowering deadly results that would come after a surgical operation (Ogrosky & Kracov, 2010). The project is referred to as Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) and it has received support from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Hospital Association (AHA) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) and many other societies (Cascardo, 2009). Government Accountability Office (GAO
Introduction In our professional lives, we get confronted with morally unclear issues from time to time. We, therefore, get torn between the call to uphold professional standards and the desire to respond to the voice of human inclinations (Brooks & Dunn, p. 12). This case of the bank teller is an example. Main body The ethical dilemma, in this case, is that of being confronted with two situations that are hard to declare as plainly unacceptable. Specifically, the teller who has taken the money from the inactive account has not taken it because of a fleeting or vain issue. The money has been taken because of a matter that is about the life and death of her son who is in urgent need of an operation. It is therefore hard to blame her for taking the money and therefore reporting given the reason for taking it. To make it even more complex, she has begun paying back the money. On the other hand, the bank calls for honesty in service and client protection, and given that the teller took the money without permission from an inactive account belonging to a customer it is professionally unacceptable (McDowell, p. 4). I am therefore under obligation to report so that appropriate action can be taken against her for not following the right channels in getting money to solve her issues. Viewed from the point of the teller who took the money from an inactive account, how the money was used makes sense. It was not used to purchase luxurious commodities but was used to save a life. With due consideration, the money was taken not from an active account but an inactive account meaning that there are chances that the account owner may come back after the money has been paid back. It is important to note that payment of the money has already commenced. Therefore, there seems to be no room for blame or accusation for taking the money. Instead, there should be appreciation for the action taken to save a life and the inherent discipline of knowing that the money needs to be taken back. On the other hand, the teller may have been given a legitimate loan by the bank has she asked for it given that she is an employee of the bank. This will have helped avoid the act of violating an inactive customer account. The act is absolutely against bank policy and action should be taken. Think about the customer of the inactive account surfacing after the withdrawal and finding the account violated! What will be the reaction? Most likely, the bank will spend a lot of money in trying to settle court cases with the customer for breach of both privacy, the contract for privacy, and theft. To ensure that all the bank’s employees know that such acts are dangerous, it is so that the teller is reported to the bank authorities so that appropriate disciplinary action is taken against her. I choose to take the side of the teller. In the absence of insurance, it is possible that processing a loan from the bank would have taken a long time. This will have led to the death of her son. The best alternative that she had was to use the money in the inactive account. It is also possible that if she would ha
Alibaba group has been growing by leaps and bounds because of its unique business strategy. It has managed to spread its activities in more than 100 countries. There are a few strategic tools that can help save the company from counterfeit products. PEST Analysis PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, and Technological (Rao, Rao & Sivaramakrishna, 2008). It is a framework for macro-environmental factors that Alibaba can use for environmental scanning. It is useful in conducting an external analysis for businesses. Economic Alibaba Group is a Chinese e-commerce giant that has specialized in online trade (Buchwald & Neckes, 2014). The manufacturing companies are losing sales in the process. Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent are also about to complicate the matter if they decide to sue Alibaba group. The legal tussle may cost the company a lot of money. When customers start complaining about the services, Alibaba may end up losing their trust. When they start buying from the competitors, the company would be greatly at a loss (Evans, 2013). The company has to take responsibility and stop the counterfeit products since customers get them through its supply chain. Political The company would not have perfect reception in the places it has been operating (Gould, 2012). Some countries would also consider increasing penalties or entirely disallowing their operations. The company should develop a marketing campaign in all the countries discrediting counterfeit goods. It should come up with authenticity stickers and digital confirmation numbers for proof of its products. Social It would hamper the workers’ future career advancement. Some could consider leaving the company. It would also have a poor relationship with its customers and suppliers. The leadership should start promotional activities for customer awareness. It should also have staff motivational programs. Technological Alibaba’s pride in technological advancement would just seem baseless for the moment. The government agencies would start applying stringent regulatory measures (Evans, 2013). The well established online trade would not be sufficient for the business if the company does not make sales. Alibaba should use the same technology to pass definite information about its products. EFE and IFE Model The External Factors Evaluation and the Internal Factors Evaluation models would be very helpful in establishing a solution. EFE would examine the external weights and ratings and come up with the correctly weighted score (Rao, Rao & Sivaramakrishna, 2008). Some of the challenges the company would have to deal with include competition, lawsuit, counterfeits, and distribution channels. The IFE would indicate Alibaba’s resources that wo
Introduction The understanding of an ecosystem is of paramount importance, more so in the process of defining the inter-linkages that exist between businesses and nature. This paper traces its foundation from the definitions that have been attributed to the phrase “ecosystem services.” It is from this definition that the study will take off in demystifying the interrelation that exists between the forest industry and businesses. It is of essence that the study identifies the benefits that businesses’ derive from the ecosystem. Consequently, this will set the base from which the reader will identify the effects that the removal of the ecosystem services will have on the business environment. Definition of ecosystem services The human race is surrounded by communities of animals in their living habitats and plants all round. It is from this surrounding that the continuity of the human race is sustained. These resources that are supplied by nature benefit humans and some are the concrete bases of some of the world’s leading economies. For instance, the middle-east countries such as Kuwait are fully dependent on crude oil as the major contributor of the country’s gross domestic product. These benefits that humans reap from ecosystem are referred to as ecosystem services (Hester & Harrison, 2010). The constituents of the ecosystem include the physical and the chemical elements for example; water, soil, nutrients that are assimilated in the bodies of the animals among other elements. It should be noted that this constituents are either large or microscopic elements that exist naturally. Dependence of the Corporate World on the Ecosystem Services According to Esty & Winston (2009), all corporates in the planet regardless of their area of operation depend on biodiversity that is presented by the world’s ecosystems and on ecosystem services. For instance, fresh water is a very crucial input product in almost all the conceivable processes of manufacturing well as service industries. One direct link of ecosystem services and businesses can be found in the pharmaceutical industries that benefits from plant products such as the neem plant among other plants that are used in the manufacture of drugs, the agribusiness industry that depends on insects to aid in the pollination of flowers, bio-pest control among many others. It is evident that organizations depend directly or indirectly on the ecosystem services. This dependency always takes a two-fold relationship. One is the direct dependency of the organization in undertaking the core operations and the indirect dependency of corporates on ecosys
The main competition that Skyrail ITM is likely to face as a cableway tourism line is from corporations that use tourism vehicles to cover the same route. These are older in the market, and tourists habitually use them. Skyrail has been in existence for a little over a decade now and may take a while longer before people become accustomed to it. Ironically, this puts the Cairns Organization as Skyrail’s main competition. The threat posed is that of monopolization of tourists by vehicular transportation, at the expense of Skyrail’s cableway. Human resource management plays a very crucial role in the success of Skyrail, an organization, which specializes in the service industry. For instance, it assists “to develop best-practice management processes and controls to ensure the highest quality staff and performance outcomes” (Case for Critical Thinking Para 3). Its staff is in direct contact with the customers. The product is abstract mostly in terms of the quality of service provided. This makes it crucial to regulate the personnel in charge of giving the said service. Therefore, while hiring staff, the Human Resource Department is expected to seek after the proper skills, and then figure out a means of retaining these skills while at their best in the organization. The types of organizational control methods that have been used to ensure good performance in Skyrail ITM are contained in an annual plan which includes firstly individual staff development policies such as; training and development, performance bonuses, team working, and flexible working processes. Secondly, the implementation of a Balanced Scorecard policy to assess managers’ efficiency in the organization is another method, which provides a forum for a regular review and improves the process. Six-monthly reviews are meant to point out the potential of the currently existing staff, and the reflected need for lacking talent in the corporation to know how much fresh talent is needed. Establishment of a Career Path Development plans for newly hired staff after their three months probationary stage, which is formulated as directed by senior managers and is reviewed quarterly. This is an indication of the firm’s long-term commitment to the progress of employees which serves to increase employees’ loyalty to the organization, reduce turnover rates, and guarantee high scores on staff morality surveys. Should Skyrail ITM make a geographical expansion, these policies should continue to be implemented. There may be a need for the introduction of better-fitted policies to handle a wide geographical area. Such new policies would cover matters such as ethnic considerations for the HR department, unification of other policies into a model that fits all, and the acquisition of new personnel, which is well versed with the new areas, as well as having the required set of skills necessary in such an expanded organization. A Quality Management System (QMS) such as ISO 9001: 2000 is very helpful to an upcoming international company such as Skyrail ITM. For instance, it “ensures that Skyrail ITM’s visitors receive a consistent
Background The World Health Organization is a branch of the United Nation’s public health wing that specializes in addressing various issues affecting the health of various communities in the globe. It was established in 1948 and its headquarter is in Geneva Switzerland. Margaret Chan is the head of this organization that controls the international health activities of most countries. Advancement of Health Care and Medicine Leadership The World Health Organization provides leadership in various platforms to help nations in curbing public health challenges. It organizes seminars with health practitioners and engages in consultations to identify ways of improving the health of citizens in various countries (Tanner, 2014). Moreover, it offers professional support to countries that suffer disease outbreaks or other challenges that may affect the health of their citizens. The organization partners with health facilities and departments to improve the health of the public and curb the spread of diseases. Most nations experience challenges in their health sector because of inadequate and poor leadership (Fischer, Hynes, & Perl, 2014). This organization works with countries and ensures they adopt policies and practices that transform leadership in health care facilities. Knowledge bank This organization plays a critical role in regulating health research activities and stimulating the production and distribution of valuable knowledge to promote the health of individuals in different countries (Tanner, 2014). Knowledge sharing is important in helping nations to curb disease outbreaks and improve the welfare of health practitioners and patients. Health facilities should be equipped with modern technology and their staffs should have appropriate knowledge of managing diseases. This organization provides the technical support required in ensuring that health practitioners use appropriate knowledge gained through training to manage diseases. Regulation of health practices Medicine is a regulated practice and all professionals under this branch should abide by the codes of conduct that guides this profession. The World Health Organization sets codes of conduct to ensure all practitioners follow the stipulated guidelines (Tanner, 2014). It monitors the implementation of these norms and standards to ensure they are followed to promote disease prevention, mana
Hotel Transylvania is an animated comedy movie directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. It tells the story of Count Dracula, who owns a hotel called Hotel Transylvania, intended to be the perfect holiday destination for monsters that can rest away from human eyes (“Hotel Transylvania,” 2013). The key plot twist is that the human-free hotel gets an unexpected visit from a traveler named Jonathan, who becomes very interested in Dracula’s daughter. The key theme of the movie is parent-children relationships, which can often be complicated at times, even when it comes to monsters. Being a movie that targets a younger audience, the stylistic choice of the director was nevertheless to preserve the monster-related settings and the overall coloring. The movie has darker and deeper tones compared to a majority of animated films. Although, it is not void of color and dynamic comedic bright moments, which are important for keeping the audience’s attention. In terms of editing, the director has put extra effort into ensuring that the movie has a sophisticated approach. The dynamic moments are replaced by slower scenes to maintain interest while facilitating the comedic effect. The animation is highly detailed, with a well-executed use of 3D animation effects. Moreover, the movie shows extensive use of squash and stretch (S&S), which is an animation principle that applies a contrasting change in the shape of characters. Count Dracula, played by Adam Sandler, has got a completely new depiction in the movie. Usually portrayed as an evil-minded monster, Dracula is different in Hotel Transylvania as it is a softer side to him. This move is vital to the narrative because it shows that even “monsters” can have family problems. The comedy of Dracula is his desire to stay serious and protect his daughter at all costs, failing to understand that his daughter has grown up and may not always want his protection. Playing Dracula, Sandler shows the vulnerable side of the vampire, which adds to the comedic effect because he perceives himself as the most dangerous monster out there. The character of the only human in the movie, Johnny, played by Andy Samberg, is a complete opposite of Dracula in its outlook on life. He looks to have fun and, although scared of monsters, is curious to see what is going on at the hotel. The carelessness and the free spirit of Johnny attract Mavis Dracula, played by Selena Gomez. The couple becomes close somewhat in spite of Count’s dislike for Johnny, which is another classic aspect of depicting parent-children relationships. Adding to the comedic aspect of the movie, there are Frankenstein, Griffin the Invisible Man, Murray, Blobby, Wayne, and Wanda. These are the characters of monsters, good friends of Count Dracul