ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction A focus group is a small group of people or subjects usually identified by a researcher as a target population for the purpose of extracting relevant insights and ideas from them which in turn form the basis of their beliefs and perceptions. Online focus groups, therefore, refer to groups whose interaction is supported over an internet platform implying that participants require a computer connection. This is unlike traditional focus groups that rely on face to face interviews. Online focus groups are classified as a form of qualitative research method and the main advantage they offer is the possibility to acquire in-depth information on an area of study (Poynter, 2010). Process of conducting an online focus group Conducting an online focus group requires several aspects to be fulfilled. A reliable internet or network connection is required for participants. Furthermore, participants require a computer to access the tool or application. The first stage includes defining the purpose and developing the plan to determine the allocation of required resources. The questions are then drafted and a pilot test conducted to gauge the effectiveness of the tool. If the findings provide a go-ahead for the interview, the online focus group can be conducted. The final stage includes the delivery of a comprehensive report on findings as well as analysis and representation of the data collected. Why use online focus groups? For the purpose of diagnosing issues associated with employee job satisfaction, and an online focus group may be deemed as a useful method. This is due to the fact that the participant may choose to remain anonymous thereby enabling them to disclose their feelings without fear of being condemned. Furthermore, online focus groups allow participants to air their views and provide possible suggestions that may offer solutions for the problems raised pertaining to job satisfaction. Online focus groups incorporate how different groups view issues. Upon consolidating these views, the relevant management tasked with enforcing job satisfaction will be in a position to make better-refined decisions pertaining to planning and reallocation of company resources. Online focus groups are useful for issues that are likely to lead to conflicts especially when the ideas are being expressed by people considered as the minority. They are equally useful in situations where there is a clear power structure, like subordinates and management, and in this case, subordinates may fail to express their views in the presence of management. Advantages of using an online focus group There are several advan
Buddhism originated in the middle of the first millennium BC in northern India as an opposition to the religion of Brahmanism that dominated in those days. In the middle of the VI century, Indian society was in the midst of a socioeconomic and cultural crisis (Hawkins 18). The clan organization and traditional ties disintegrated, and the formation of class relations took place. At this time, in India, there was a large number of roving ascetics, who offered their vision of the world. Their opposition to the existing order evoked the sympathy of people. Among the teachings of this kind was Buddhism, which gained the most significant influence in society. Within the framework of this paper, key factors that contributed to Buddhism taking on institutional and corporate characteristics will be discussed. This paper will outline the factors that have contributed to institutional and corporate changes in Buddhism and discuss its implications in the contemporary world. In the modern era of globalization, Buddhism has begun to actively go beyond its former local historical and national geographical borders, encompassing all new cultural areas. Today, Buddhism is no longer a purely eastern religion. Hundreds of organizations and centers of Buddhism operate in forty-five countries in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand (Cooper and James 33). The most Buddhist country in the West is now Germany, where since the 1920s, more than 200 Buddhist organizations have appeared; in Germany and France, Buddhism has already become the third largest denomination (Cooper and James 34). There is a European Buddhist Union, which regularly holds its congresses in European capitals. In this regard, attention is drawn to the analysis of the following fundamental values ​​of Buddhism, which attract people who are not native Buddhists born in India. Indeed, in present days, Buddhism is tightly connected with specific institutional and corporate characteristics that are intrinsic to the modern world, and some critical factors have contributed to this change. The first factor is the presence in Buddhism of a developed system of psychology. From the very beginning of the emergence of scientific Buddhism, this religion has been evaluated not so much as a religion, but as a type of spiritual therapy. Interest in Buddhist psychology as a method of changing human’s psychological qualities and solving personal psychological problems remains one of the main reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Western Europe and the United States (Lopez 55). Many people there are looking for balance in life, temporary peace, avoiding severe problems and troubles. Recently, one can observe a significant increase in interest in Buddhism as a system that gives practical results a
The film “Mother India” tells the viewer about the life of a woman named Radha, showing her life path from marriage to old age. Throughout the whole picture, she maintains a high moral character and keeps her ideals even in conflict with her son. Thanks to her nobility, residents consider her the “mother” of the village, offering her various honors such as opening a new irrigation canal. From the narrative, it is especially worth highlighting the ring construction of the storyline. The film begins in 1957, showing both the modern village and the main character, an older woman. During the process of opening the channel, the hero sees flowers and recalls her youth. The rest of the film shows her life, smoothly leading to the modern days and, finally, making a full circle, completing at the end of the film a scene that began in the first minutes. Visually, the film is very distinguished by its strict adherence to culture. In addition, one of the features of editing is the frequent use of translucent transitions from one scene or frame to another scene.
Introduction Do we not all want fit homes? When building or buying a house you have to look at various things like basic designs, non-toxic building materials, the construction should be appropriate for any age group and especially a house that has low maintenance. A high maintenance home has all expensive household appliances like refrigeration and washing pieces of equipment, stoves, and miscellaneous (air-conditioning, water heater). Such pieces of equipment can make you have a very uncomfortable living in your beautiful home unless you know how to save energy, meaning you have to get energy-efficient appliances. All these house appliances lead to one or two things, but the electricity bills are significant. It is hard to know how your electricity bill increases because the bill is not broken down according to the appliance usage (Healthy homes 1). My paper will focus on how the most important household appliances can be dealt with to save energy. When energy is saved it makes your home a better, cheap, and comfortable environment for your family. Solar panels will also be mentioned to see how they play a big role in energy-saving on household appliances. Tips When Choosing Household Appliances Refrigeration equipment is the refrigerators and freezers; they are used to preserve perishables by chilling or cooling. In the early days, methods of refrigeration were very easy; they used to put the perishable foods in cool cellars or in buckets that will be lowered in wells. The modern era brought a lot of costly things. The larger the equipment, the more energy it uses, but nowadays you can get big equipment and are meant for saving energy. When shopping for refrigeration pieces of equipment you should check for certain specifications like the energy star symbol, energy save switch, and separate temperature controls that regulate the inside temperature. If we could all go back to the old days and store food like they used to, it would save lots and lots of energy; the electricity bills will a least be reduced (Buying and Operating Tips: Refrigerators 1). Washing equipment is the dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers; these pieces of equipment are used for washing different things and they are things that you can avoid washing with the expensive pieces of equipment. You can avoid washing your dishes with the dishwasher and just wash with your hand, and you can even make them cleaner. The modern dishwashers are 95 percent more energy efficient than in the 1990s (Buying and Operating Tips: Dishwashers 1). Washing machines are machines used to wash clothes. These machines are 23 percent more energy efficient than they were in 1990 (Buying and Operating Tips: Clothes washers 1). Washing machines consume lots of energy heating water, so if you can wash your clothes with cold water that will minimize it (Huffsteller 1). Clothes dryers are machin
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a debate about vaccine mandates for companies. Many businesses, even those that do not deal with medical services, have introduced rules to exclude unvaccinated workers from workplace activities. This essay argues that worker vaccination should not be mandatory because it leads to unjust firings, makes information on employees’ health and beliefs less private, and does not consider natural immunity and its effects. Argument 1, Supporting Points, and Counterargument Mandatory vaccines cause people to lose jobs and limit their ability to support families. First, when all workers are expected to be fully vaccinated, it leads to discrimination and affects some employees who can be their families’ only sources of financial support. In New York City, around 3,000 municipal employees have been threatened with getting fired if they refuse to get vaccinated (Fitzsimmons). This can affect both these employees’ personal situations and citizens’ access to services. Second, firing people who can do some work and wish to perform their duties is not the best decision morally because it will create effects their children as well (Bravest for Choice). Third, mandates cause additional difficulties for companies since they will have to spend time and money to replace these workers fast enough and without stopping to deliver services (Fitzsimmons). The counterargument for this point is that companies do not want firings; it is the workers who decide to quit (Fitzsimmons). However, employees who want to be free to make choices would disagree with it. Argument 2, Supporting Points, and Counterargument When vaccination is mandatory, workers have to report private information related to their personal life and health issues. To start with, vaccination records are treated as confidential information, but employees have to make it open for companies to avoid being fired (American Academy of Family Physicians). Continue, some workers can be unsure that vaccination will benefit them or have specific private reasons to refuse vaccination, for instance, diseases or religious beliefs. Finally, employees with good reasons to stay unvaccinated, for example, allergies, have to prove it, but this is not the type of information employers should be supposed to know (American Academy of Family Physicians). The counterargument for this position is that reporting this information is not obligatory, and employees can just quit if they want to keep it private. This attitude could reduce the problem of privacy, but it strengthens the issue of firings. Argument 3, Supporting Points, and Counterargument Natural immunity offers protection against the said infection, and it needs to be considered to weaken vaccine mandates. To start with, medical experts agree that natural immunity protects the body against severe COVID-19 (Magarakis and
An in-depth examination of the conceptual foundations of democratic teaching requires critical reflection on existing theories. Since democracy as a form of a political system is an extremely widespread and desirable system, most social units seek its full embodiment. This approach, in turn, generates a great deal of debate since the realization of democratic ideals is viewed differently by different individuals. More specifically, the schools of a democratic system of most significant interest are deliberative democracy and democratic participation. The first term should be understood as those teachings that view political decisions as the product of fair, responsible, and conscientious citizen participation through debate and deliberation. In this case, the democracy of the system is proportional to its informational openness. On the other hand, aggregative forms of democratic participation traditionally view groups or collectives of individuals as units of political interest. In a sense, there is a relationship between the two terms, which Iris Young (2001) explored in detail. More specifically, Young viewed deliberative democracy as an evolutionary development of political participation forms, as it implies a shift from justifications of collective or individual claims to models of political engagement. Aggregative forms of political participation realized through activist movements, protests, and pickets, do not have a focus on the practical transformation of problems. At the same time, deliberative democracy realizes the political interest of every citizen in a thorough discussion. Moreover, according to Young, it is fair to say that the agenda does not allow for a clear distinction between the two forms of democratic philosophy. In particular, the practical implementation of democratic foundations is still represented by both aggregative forms, including radical models or associations of citizens and the deliberative form. There is severe tension between the two since the two models cannot coexist. Reference Young, I. M. (2001). Activist challenges deliberative democracy. Political Theory, 29 (5), 670-690.
It has been reported by UK Road Safety Ltd that since 1 st January 2008 there have been about 270,000 road causalities in the UK alone amounting to a total cost of about 13,782,410,640 pounds. (UK Road Safety Ltd, 1) Thus, it is obvious that anybody on the wheel should be more cautious while driving. This is more applicable for school bus drivers. The best possible element of a school bus driver is the fact of driving a school bus. This includes the vicinity of the younger generation that is a beneficial condition for any person. The freshness of the child makes a person more energized. This makes a school bus driver more energetic at work. This energy is reflected in the skill of the driver and the added responsibility of the children makes him drive more safely. This ultimately makes driving safer and the road safer. The total accumulation of traffic thus is influenced by the presence of the school bus. The other drivers of the road also become aware of the presence of a school bus on road and that consciousness makes them aware of the reason to drive safely. On the same note, it can be stated that School bus drivers are burdened with extra precautionary measures as they are deemed to carry passengers who are mostly minor and the safety of the minors are of top priority. This extra pressure may lead to extra stress at work. Driver’s burnout is due to stress. Thus, it is important to find out the reasons for stress like monotonous work schedules and work methods. Thus, it is important to try newer pastures in the present form of driving. Unfortunately, this is not possible and a driver has to live with it. Ultimately, it should be remembered that stress is an inevitable but complex companion of our working lives. Without challenges and pressures, work would lack sparkle, but we all can be overwhelmed by work-related stress, and experience its exhausting effects. Thus, it is a very difficult job for a school bus driver and the worst aspect of this job. (Brown, 79-80). To make the situation worse, there are the presences of drivers on the road who possess little or no respect for traffic or road laws. These drivers take on the road with speed limits in mind. They disobey the general traffic rules and are often found driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Even if a driver is maintaining all other laws and statutory measures w
Introduction The American history of assassinations in the 1960’s left an indelible mark in the minds of many people. These were defining moments which went into record as having been orchestrated by one gun murder after the other (The WHITE HOUSE, N.d.). This period witnessed the grisly and violent murder of two U.S presidents namely John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy who were both brothers, and also the assassination of an American Human Rights Activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this paper, I seek to discuss in detail these three momentous events and how they were connected to each other politically, socially, and culturally. The Assassinations To begin with, the assassination of John F. Kennedy On 2 nd November 1963 from an assassin’s bullet right in his motorcade which was moving through Dallas in Texas was a tragic occurrence in American history. He had not even completed three years in office when this event happened. Surprisingly, Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected by that time and also encountered his death at the youngest age (The WHITE HOUSE, N.d.). His descent was Irish, born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on 29 th May 1917. He was a graduate of Harvard and served in the navy from 1940. The gun man hit him on the head and throat when three shots were fired at his open topped car. John Connally, who was the Texas Governor by that time, also sustained serious injuries at the back although he was not the main target. Mr. Kennedy’s car was driven at high speed to parklands hospital and admitted while still alive but passed away barely after half an hour (BBC News, November 22 1963). Shortly after the shooting, a policeman was shot dead and Lee Harvey Oswald was put under arrest having being suspected of murder and later charged with President Kennedy’s assassination (BBC News, November 22 1963). The suspect was not put to trial at all because he was shot dead in less than three days by a club owner identified as Jack Ruby. An inquiry into President Kennedy’s death was later commissioned through the warren Report which concluded that Kennedy had been killed “by shots fired by Mr. Oswald from the School Book Depository Building” (BBC News, November 22 1963). However, the Warren Investigation Report brought a lot of controversy and dispute leading to the emergence of a range of theories. For instance, some argued that “it was an elaborately staged suicide” (BBC News, November 22 1963). While others believed the driver was the actual murderer. There was so much sorrow in the nation following his death. Interestingly, everyone was affected by this incident: both who supported his policies and those who opposed them. Kennedy was a young energetic man at forty three with able leadership ability and everyone knew this. His assassination left a big gap and made the nation “feel defenseless” (Rich, 2009). Socially, there was an emotional breakdown as the country felt weak and quite unable to move forward. The dilemma surrounding his death in the sense that the assassin could not be traced left an equally bad i
Introduction Dividends are a payable index for a shareholder’s investment in a firm’s stock. The effect of dividends on the share price has been recognized in the business platform. Studies by Gordon emphasized the correlation between a firm’s share price and its dividends. Gordon explained the ripple effect of share price index upon announcements of the firm’s dividend policy (15). Past literatures presented the same argument to relate the hypothesis between dividends and the stock’s price. The study is based on abnormal returns that affect the share price. When dividends increased in the stock market, there was an increase in the abnormal return (Chen 5). However, when the dividends decrease the abnormal return decreased significantly. The disparity in abnormal returns was due to the market structure and dividend payments. Different dividend models can be utilized to analyze the effect of dividend payments on the share price. These models include the Signal Dividend Hypothesis, which proposes dividend payments determine the signal of abnormal returns and the firm’s profit margin (Divecha and Dale 12). The free cash flow dividends hypothesis proposed the friction between the firm’s management and the shareholders is reduced upon payments. The dividend maturity model asserts the effect of dividends on the life span of the organization. Dividends Models Four dividends modes will be analyzed in this paper. These models include; Dividend signal, free flow cash model, the maturity model and the catering hypothesis. Dividend signal model or hypothesis explains the use of organization to inform the public on their forecasted cash returns. By interpretation, investors would be influenced by the information. An investor will invest based on the assumption with cash flow of the organization will increase. The dividend signal hypothesis distinguishes highly valued companies from poorly managed firms. The price of payments differentiates the firms. A free cash flow model involves limited cash investments due to dividend payments. This form of payments exists in an organization with separate management systems. The owner of the highest stock is different from the management of the company. Top managers increase their investments to stabilize investment difficulties. Maturity dividend model proves the state of an organization as it enters an advance stage. The organization is rated with its dividend payments and the value of its share price (Fracassi 4). The announcement of dividend payments by the company would set the abnormal return to negative. Factors like a tax cut, the cost of transactions, and the firm’s investments determines the stock price. Catering hypothesis assign a fixed time for dividend payments. The firm’s stock index would determine the payments of Dividends (Pettit 3). Announcements of dividend payments can be divided using the following benchmarks:  1. Available data produced by the company.  2. Dividends type  3. The method of payments  4