ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Bureaucracy is an administrative or social system that relies on a set of rules and procedures, separation of functions and a hierarchical structure in implementing controls over an organization, government or social system (“Bureaucracy” par. 1). Basically, it is an administrative system governing through adherence to rules and hierarchical principles. Its ultimate goal is a management of any complex system, so it is fundamentally beneficial. However, it has been proven to be faulty to the extent of gaining a negative connotation, largely by being ineffective and dehumanized. One of the prominent proponents of bureaucracy was a German sociologist Max Weber. In his work Economy and Society , he established many principles of bureaucracy as a social phenomenon, which are still used today. He argued that impersonal hierarchical structure is the most effective way of managing a complex society and that it eliminates subjectivity and ensures order and rationality (Swedberg and Agevall 28). His vision of the bureaucratic machine implies legal basis for decision and lack of favorability. Basically, his concept strips the participants of all personality or free will replacing it with compliance with rules. In a perfect world, bureaucracy works in accordance with principles of utilitarianism. This means every person appointed to a certain position in a bureaucratic machine, no matter big or small, does something he or she is good at with maximum efficiency, thus benefiting the society. The Weber’s vision of bureaucracy also implies absolute and undisputed objectivity by separation of office and family (Allan 34). There are problems with these assertions as soon as this model is applied in a real world. Bureaucracy is devised to rule out the complexities, by applying definitive regulations for every situation and eliminating the human factor at any stage. However, the participants of the process may fall victims to the very same complexities they are expected to battle. For instance, an office worker may (and, in fact, often does) choose to comply with the formal rules to decline the inquiry, which gives him an opportunity to evade the need to do extra work to solve an issue (Johnson and Libecap 4). Thus, the means override the initial goal of the institution because of the human factor. Another major drawback of the bureaucratic structure lies within its hierarchical nature and usually described as the Iron Law of Oligarchy. This concept was described by Robert Michels, a German sociologist. Michels argued that any hierarchical organization, no matter how democratic initially, will eventually be bound by abuse of power by its higher officials (L
Introduction In their quest to integrate with others, people develop various behaviors besides doing different things through which they create and maintain relationships and social networking being one of these. Social networking is the collection of people into various groups who have common interests and sometimes similar likes and dislikes. It can also be defined as the creation of groups of people who want to share information and help each other in building relationships as it occurs in local villages and communities. It should be noted that, though social networking is possible and can easily be done in schools, villages and workplaces, it is rampant on the internet. This is the case because unlike in the villages and schools where people might not want to share their information or personal views with one another, the internet has millions and probably billions of people who are ready to share information (Niciejewska 17). This is also boosted by the fact that internet covers a relatively wide area and people want to get firsthand information from all parts of the world and therefore, find it more interesting to network online. However, though social networking has various advantages like enabling easy and first flow of information, it also has far reaching consequences including consuming time which could have been used for other productive activities. Advantages of Social Networking Social networking is a common feature in the world nowadays and it is practically impossible for any person to say that the world can do without networking at any level. It is practiced from professional aspects to personal lives and by the old, the middle aged and the young generation a like. It has become more a way of life than it is a technological aspect of how people spend their leisure time which was the initial intention. To begin with, social networking has decreased the costs of get in touch with people because the social networking sites that people use are mostly free. People seated in the comfort of their private rooms can easily communicate with different people in different continents within a minute at a cost that could have been used to communicate with one person. On top of that, business people can easily learn the likes and dislikes as well as other behaviors of their target markets thus carrying a research at no cost and this enables them in designing their products according to the consumers’ need. In addition to that, people can easily advertise their goods and services on the social networking media for a negligible cost when they are networking (Rosenbloom 431). Additionally, social networking helps in building confidence of people to one another. This is highly advantageous to business people who will want to create a good rapport with their customers so that they can maintain them for future purposes. Customers feel more confident if they interact with the business people both on professio
Introduction In Homer’s most famous epic poem, “The Odyssey” there is certain facts that are obvious to the reader about the nature of a father –son relationship. For instance, that the structure and the organization of the Greeks was patriarchal (Caldwell 40). The men were highly respected especially those that were strong and courageous. Their sons were mostly prized too if they exhibited their father’s achievements and skills. In Odyssey therefore, it is expected that the relationship of Odysseus and Telemachus is as admiring as it is; the father is proud of his son, who is courageous and the son is proud of his father who has earned a reputation as a warrior who defended his territory bravely. However, it is surprisingly that distance earned the father –son affection. A son must earn his father’s respect and it is by leaving home and fighting his own battles that a son is able to achieve this. Through distance, a son and a father establish their share of beliefs and values but not through direct contact The relationship In the Odyssey , the father and the son spend most of their time apart and it is through distance that they developed admiration and love for each other. The physical distance between the father and the son is vital and cements their relationship. The father created the distance by being far from home for twenty years. His son then decided to go on a journey and look for him. It is through this journey that Telemachus is able to prove his worth. Blazina says that there is unique bond between Odysseus and his son Telemachus “desired to connect all along” (285) and the distance strengthens this bond and proves their achievements. Telemachus went and faced the king when he was enquiring on his father’s whereabouts as explained in the most important quotes from the Odyssey, “to see lord Menelaus…There face-to-face [to] implore father’s whereabouts” (Homer 52). There is also the connection of emotion when the father and the son meet, “salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men…./So helpless they cried pouring out tears” (Homer 268). The distance allowed the father and the son to develop a strong bond and feelings towards each other. In respect to the distance that existed between the father and the son, Telemachus discovered his father in him. Through Telemachus victory, Odysseus saw himself in his son. There are some secrets, not pronounced in fathers that appear in their sons. The father is similar to his son and the vice versa is true. Some aspects and values that fathers and sons share define them. These values are in The Odysseys by Homer to help shape father- son relationship. According to Homer there are characteristics, “that a son must be willing to do anything for his father, whether it is avenging him or keeping a secret for him (49).” Through these believes and values, the father and son establishes a solid relationship where every one looks after the other. With this sense of responsibility to look after one another, the sons will always avenge their fathers from any humiliation. When Telemachus went enquiring from the king about his father th
Introduction Project management strategy and governance has become popular with organisations’ life cycle today. This is used in many companies and industries for research and development of new products, to implement new processes in manufacturing and information systems as well as constructing, engineering and construction projects, just to mention a few (Archer and Ghasemzadeh 1999). The strategy deployed by any organization will be at least aimed at driving such an organization in achieving a substantial competitive advantage. Therefore developing dynamic management strategy and governance will enable any organization to analyze its creation of wealth (Archer and Ghasemzadeh 1999). The way projects are managed is what differentiates a successful project and a failing one and this explains why some firms are able to build a competitive advantage even in times of drastic changes and global economic crisis. Project management and strategy will at times call for creative destruction of existing competencies which may not be compatible with the world of technology and innovation based. These are determined heavily by some important parameters like price and performance rivalry, increasing returns et cetera. Project management and governance starts with an understanding of what an organisations is. For this case an organisations is an entity that creates value by transforming resource inputs to outputs such as product services and ideas using resources that are available, when required and facilitating transformation. This is where projects come into the field and leadership becomes an indispensable entity in directing and focusing the value creation in terms of placing opportunities where they are needed. This comes in hardy in the exercise of expertise in prioritizin
The GIS report for my area indicates that there are a large number of people who live on social security in my zip code, almost half. It surprised me to read that the median age for these people is 45.8 years old because I always assumed that social security was reserved for people in retirement. I was even more surprised when I learned that many of these people work in service jobs, again going against my assumption that social security was only for people in retirement. It seems as if their lives are somewhat sad based on the overview given in the report. This indicates they generally live alone in low-rent high-rises around the businesses and city parks on a fixed income and so cannot enjoy many of the things the city has to offer. Instead, they rely on public transportation to get them around and spend much of their spare time watching TV or reading. The second major segment of the population discussed for my zip code is the one I’m more familiar with. It is the Metro Renters group and is comprised of mostly young 30s single people with a decent income of almost $60,000. While they are also indicated to live alone, it is also mentioned that they might live with roommates and that they travel often and get out to museums, sporting events, concerts, and the parks. They are busy with traveling and surfing the internet, work out often, and are usually very involved in the life of the city. The final large population segment in my area discussed in the article is the foreign immigrant population. These people have usually come to America within the past 10 years and they are busy getting to know American ways. They spend their time shopping and going to the beach and are also very active in participating in the city’s events. They also travel a lot, mostly to keep in touch with family elsewhere. They are a little older than the metro renters by about 5 years and they generally make a little bit less, about $40,000. All of these people, the metro renters, and the urban melting pot people, generally live in rented apartments. The stats for the area indicate that there are about 32,000 people living within my zip code. Most of them (41%) are white but white people do not makeup even half of the population. The next largest population is Asian or Pacific Islander at almost 30% while Black and Hispanic are nearly tied at almost 15% and 16% respectively. The remainder of the population is made up of American Indians (1%), ‘other’ races (6%), and mixed races (7%). More than half of the population is male, 70% of the population makes under $50,000 with another 20% making up to $100,000 and 10% making even more than that. The median household income is $29,580 and the average home value is $791,808. One of the problems that become immediately clear when looking at the stats is that very few people can afford to purchase a home in this district. The average home would cost approximately $5,000 per month while the median income indicates people have only about $2,500 for all of their monthly expenses. If 70% of the population makes less than $50,000 per year, that means at least 70% of the population has less than $4,000 per month for all of the
The current U.S. President, Barrack Obama, gave a 61-minute State of the Union Address on January 25, 2011 to Congress that focused on the main challenges that are facing the country in this decade. Among the notable issues that the President addressed in the speech were the country’s economic policy, development and employment issues. In the annual speech, the President focused mainly on domestic issues, especially issues of the economy. He said that America has to be more competitive in the global economy and he suggested a number of reforms within the government that ought to be implemented. Mr. Obama called for more investment in education, infrastructure and scientific innovation that would ensure that the country out-innovates, out-educates, and out-build’s the rest of the world. In the speech, the President suggested revenue and savings plans that should be adopted. These are a partial government spending freeze that is projected to save up to $400 billion over the next ten years, removal of billions in tax breaks for oil companies, decrease in health care costs, including Medicare and Medicaid, reform for Social Security, merging, consolidating, and reorganizing the activities of the federal government, and lowering of corporate tax rate. In order to reduce further the expenses of the Americans, the president promised to provide eighty percent of Americans with high-speed rail access within the next twenty-five years, ensure that one million electric vehicles are available in five years, increase the source of the country’s energy to clean-energy sources by 2035, and encourage investments in biomedical research and information technology. In illustrating the country’s economic recovery, Mr. Obama employed his most optimistic language. “Now we are poised for progress,” said Obama. “Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again” (Obama, para.10). However, despite the economic growth, the president acknowledged that many American citizens still lack jobs and that more attention need to be focused on creating job opportunities for the citizens of the country. Mr. Obama reminded his listeners that years ago, finding a good job was not as difficult as it is now since competition for the opportunities was low. However, nowadays, getting the same opportunities is more difficult because of technological improvements that have changed the way people live, work, and do business. Nonetheless, the president said that these should not impair the ability of Americans to get jobs since “no country has more successful companies, or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs and America is the home of the world’s best colleges and universities” (Obama, para. 17). This year’s State of the Union Address laid out the policy agenda of the Obama administration to bring reforms in the country for the next year. Focusing mainly on domestic economic issues, the speech was an attempt to shape the national political narrative to the advantage of the pr
To kill a Mockingbird is an interesting novel amongst the most famous books in American literal cycles. It is a typical novel that has attracted the interest of film makers, in terms of adaptation. The novel prompted the creation of a movie, under the same title, and it is evident that certain similarities and differences are present. Apparently, the differences between the book and the movie remain conspicuous and unique due to several implications. It is evident that some issues in the film are presented in a better way than it is done in the book. The novel may also have some strong points and attributes as opposed to the film. Narration stands out as a major difference between the movie and the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story based on Scout’s narration of major events, but this aspect is seemingly avoided in the film. The director focuses on the actions of Jem in a bid to forego Scout’s first-person narration in the movie. In other words, the role played by Jem is broadened in the movie as opposed to the narration provided by his brother. Here, the viewer is able to witness all the events visually. For instance, Scout’s narration of Boo’s mysterious activities is replaced with Jem’s actions on the same. Jem locates all the letters at the tree, accompanies his father to Helen Robinson’s house, after her husband’s death, as well as stays home to watch over his sister. These events were previously narrated by Scout in the novel. The film also introduces additional characters and this stands out as a big difference. For instance, the novel only dedicates one paragraph to Jem’s mother as the two brothers engage in a conversation about her. However, the film introduces Jem’s mother for the audience to see. Additionally, viewers are able to see more characters like Robinson’s father and children since they are not greatly featured in the book. The issue of time also greatly features in the differences portrayed in the book and the novel. It is important to note that the film, To Kill a Mockingbird entails most of the aspects depicted in the novel. However, several omissions are evident. In the film, the contact between Mrs. Dubois and the children is omitted. In simpler terms, viewers of the film are not able to witness the events that transpired inside the classroom. Episodes that characterize other minor characters like Miss Gates are also omitted from the film due to time factors. The film’s setting takes slightly more than two years as opposed to the novel’s story line which took three years. The director certainly avoided the first-person narration provided by Scout because films basically base on visual properties
Professional sports and the use of performance enhancing substances has been a matter of the more recent times. A larger number of major events have special committees that check for any illegal drugs taken by athletes, but sometimes, there are controversies that require a much closer look. Even though it might seem that it is players or athlete’s personal decision to intake any illegal substance, the case of Essendon illustrates that players are not always directly involved or motivated to break regulations. Essendon and its players are one example of a case where many factors have played a role in the matter. The ASADA has started an investigation of an intake of illegal substance by the coach and the football team. The primary issue pertains to the laws and regulations in accordance with other teams and organizations ( Glory & Fame: The Rise and Rise of the Essendon Football Club 2009 ). In reality there are two important points of concern if the proposed facts really did take place. One is that the coach acted without any motivation from the players; hence they were not aware of the substance they were using. It could be supposed that the whole team is deceiving the authorities but it is highly unlikely. The blame that is attributed to every player is preposterous because there is no complete evidence and speculation leads nowhere. In either case, the whole team cannot and must not be held responsible for the actions of one person, as there was no conspiracy between them. Clearly, the authority of each level of supervisors must be used to adhere to the rules, and make sure that the players are safe and free from any potential legal action (King 2012). This fact distinctly proves that sport governance rests on individuals and not the sport or a team. This would become a sport issue if individual players have used different substances or proportions but this is not the case. The second important point is that there has been no evidence presented and a lot of the rumors that are circulating are mostly damaging the reputation of people who are not even guilty. In reality, this problem has distanced itself from the sport governance issue and led to ethical and moral conduct by authorities and society. Sometimes, people deliberately break the law to gain more than is allowed, but honest mistakes are made also (Hoye 2012). Judging by the character of the coach and the players, it can be said that this investigation should not be done in relation to sport, but as a matter that stands alone and apart from sports governance. In