ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Hong Kong’s Hen Hao Trading Company has problems with its supply chain network. The company lacks enough supply of raw materials ( quantity ). It cannot produce products by itself, and hence needs to source them from the foreign manufacturers particularly in the US. The company needs to redesign its supply chain network and employ the best strategies that will ensure a steady supply of products from the foreign companies. Through the use of researches, the company can get relevant information for suppliers in the US, and come up with the best choice after assessing the suppliers’ capabilities. This will help it note the company that meets its specifications both today and in the future. The manufacturing companies in the United States also have problems with transactions because of difficulties in penetrating their products to Hong Kong. The companies required to get involved in transactions have varying approaches and specifications. For instance, Gumpbell’s supplying approach demands periodic price adjustments, while that of Hen Hao demands fixed price within a specified period. The differences in their specifications make transactions difficult. To curb this problem, both the preferred buyer and preferred suppliers should engage in a meeting, discuss and come up with a mutually agreed contract. This agreement may entail the specifications of both parties, future transactions, and the purchase order proposals among other things that should be adhered to after the start of transactions. For instance, hen Hao and Gumpbell can settle their differences and transact businesses efficiently with each other. Financial risks and development solutions From the case study, it is evident that companies, both suppliers and buyers incur huge losses due to increased costs in their operations. Business organizations should follow the business rule of satisfying customers profitably (Nellore, 2001). They should curb financial risks surrounding them in order to make profits. This can be achieved by cutting on costs and maximizing on profits. Hen Hao Company has financial problems, and that is why it insists on looking for a manufacturing company that will agree to sign a contract of supplying products at a fixed cost for three years. However, Gumpbell, one of the suppliers does not favor long term supply contracts with its customers. The firm insists on price adjustments, rather than fixed prices. The company employs this approach in order to cut costs, and hence curb financial risks associated with fixed-price contracts. This shows that if the company agrees to sign the contract with Hen Hao in fixed price terms, it will experience financial problems. It is recommendable for the t
In the recent years, particularly with the popularization of social media apps and other internet means of communication, the term Slacktivism has taken root. Alternatively called hashtag activism, it can be described as a particular brand of activism made possible through the online sphere. Although the two terms do have some definitive qualities, they are mostly used interchangeably in the online sphere. The usual activism is a process that involves pushing for, or supporting a particular sociopolitical cause. It is usually accomplished through the means of public advocacy, direct action, or protest. Activism is mainly directed at enacting change in society, promoting equality, morality and justice, as well as spreading awareness. While each person’s individual advocacy might differ, its presence is design to create discourse in the public sphere and lead to change. Knowing this, one can now characterize slacktivism in contrast with its regular counterpart. The emerging term is made by combining the words activism and slack, instantly creating negative connotations with its usage. Generally, the word has come to symbolize performative activism, one that is done mainly through the internet. The process involves people posting on social media about their cause, and using hashtags to spread the message. Slacktivism is mainly seen as activism with a lack of impact, one that requires almost no effort, and does not have a significant impact on the world at large. The similar term, “hashtag activism”, is usually used to mean the same thing, or refer specifically to the use of hashtags as a means of lazy activism. Issues most discussed by this kinds of activity involve social justice problems, cases of racial discrimination or other topics that cause a lot of upstir online. It is necessary to note, for the purposes of this discussion, that activism through the internet in general is a possible and effective way of enacting change, although usually in other forms of influence. The use of the online sphere can be relegated to gathering people for in-person campaigns, as well as the promotion of online petitions. Slacktivism, on the other hand, is an ineffective kind of online activism, one which is mostly done to virtue signal to other people. The topic of slacktivism is also considered to be quite contentious in this day and age, with people arguing about both its positive and negative implications. For the possible benefits, it can be said that even this form of activism still helps to spread progressive messages, in addition to serving as an easy introduction to change for people interested ( What is slacktivism and is it even helping? 2020). For people that have not yet hit legal adult age, or cannot participate in the usual activism, the process of spreading a message or signing a petition can be the only way to enact change, or at least spread their own beliefs into the world. Alternatively, it can also be said that slacktivism is note regarded well in online communities or po
Research Question Does the production of oil and other energy sources in the UAE strengthen and direct foreign policy and security? Introduction The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country found in the Gulf region. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia, among other nations. It is a key member and contributor to the MENA union that brings together Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In recent years, the UAE’s presence in the MENA region and world has been emphasized, owing to its growth in wealth. Much of this wealth is attributed to oil and gas export. Since oil was discovered in the country in 1966, the UAE has become a significant exporter of petroleum globally. Each year, the UAE produces nearly 68 billion barrels of oil, most of which is exported to non-oil producing countries. Besides oil, the UAE controls large deposits of natural gas. As Dargin (2014) explains, the country is the sixth major producer of natural gas globally. These vast resources grant the country a huge influence on the international oil market and hence international politics. However, the UAE has not always been a wealthy nation. Before the discovery of oil and gas, the nation was mainly a subsistence economy. Notwithstanding, the country was still engaged in trading with the outside world. Its strategic location at the gulf’s coast made it accessible, thus encouraging foreign trade. This factor would later prove useful in facilitating the export of oil and gas to other countries. According to Al‐Suwaidi (2011), the UAE’s prospects changed for the better in 1973 after the world oil prices experienced a sharp rise. This period was occasioned by the fact that oil was becoming an increasingly important resource. Industries such as automobiles had begun expanding in size to the extent of causing the oil demand to rise. With its rising wealth, the UAE government decided to modernize the country and increase its presence in the MENA region. Today, the country’s powerful economy makes it a major shaper of policy in the region and worldwide. An illustration of this position is the recent involvement of the UAE in the Egyptian crisis that led to the dismissal of Hosni Mubarak. After Mubarak’s ouster, the Muslim Brotherhood took the reins of power to the UAE government’s disappointment. As such, the UAE took a key role in the defeat of the Muslim Brotherhood and the subsequent rise to Fatah al-Sisi’s power. Research Objectives This research examines whether oil and other energy sources affect the UAE’s foreign policy and security. From the time oil was discovered in the country, its involvement in world politics increased significantly. It has continued to do so over the last 40 years. As well, the country’s military has become stronger, a sign that the count
This paper discusses the Supreme Court case when a 14-year-old student and cheerleader, Brandi Levy, posted a Snapchat series of F-bombs. After that, she did not get a promotion to her cheerleading team at school (Totenberg, 2021). Due to acknowledging that she was not going to be promoted, she posted some photos with messages telling F-words about school and her cheerleader experience, among others (Totenberg, 2021). Consequently, the teenager was suspended from the team because of the “disruptive behavior” demonstrated in the photo messages (Kim, 2021, p. 62). However, Levy’s family denied the fairness of this suspension and appealed to the court, stating that the photos were posted outside the territory of the school. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Levy’s statement, declaring that there is no power to punish students for the photos or speeches that were made outside the school area. The most important issue that was raised in the case of Levy is the freedom of speech and its scope and boundaries. In my opinion, this case shows that freedom of speech is a crucial issue that should be handled accurately and with great attention, especially in school settings. The most important detail, in this case, is that girl’s photos with messages were posted outside the premises of the school and did not cause any serious disruption (Kim, 2021). While one should be accurate with the expressions and the messages he or she posts, Levy’s posts were harmless to society (Russo, 2021). Therefore, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Levy and stressed the importance of the freedom of speech. The most important provision in the US Constitution relating to this issue is the First Amendment. This Amendment protects the freedom of speech, which includes the right not to speak or to engage in symbolic speech (Kim, 2021). Thus, the US Constitution grants and discusses this right to liberty of expression, particularly in this provision. Social media, in a modern understanding, erase the boundaries and the limitations of understanding of self-expression. While on social media, people are able to express themselves and post personal life photos, hobbies, and photos of family and friends, there are some limitations. For example, all social media platforms have certain rules regarding that user’s posts or say. These include hate speech, false information, pornography, or harmful messages/photos (Magarian, 2021). Therefore, these limitations should be regarded by social media platform users. Freedo
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the story within the hugely popular book series that discusses the way the need to seek revenge changes people. As the third in a series of books, it was considered to be more complex in scope than the first two (Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets) as it dealt deeply with the back story of the death of Harry’s parents and a betrayal amongst friends. Due to the sheer number of pages and sub-plots involved in the book that had to be somehow edited and included in the final film version, certain edits and watering down of scenes had to be made. Under the direction of Alfonso Cuaron, the end product was that of a movie that, although immensely different in storytelling style than the book, produced the same storyline and effect upon the fans of the book series. Having said that, we have to acknowledge that certain plots which we as readers deemed important in the book became mere mentions or were glossed over in the film version. For instance, the Marauder’s Map, which was introduced in the book and played a pivotal part in Harry discovering the truth about his parent’s past and their bloody end, was only a mere mention in the movie. There was no mention in the movie about how Remus Lupin and James Potter created the map for the purposes of mischief in the film. More importantly, the identity of Scabbers, Hermione’s cat, and the secret behind the Shrieking Shack were not delved into either. The personal history of Sirius Black and the Potters was also cut to mere mentions in the movie, so if a viewer had not read the book before seeing the film, questions might tend to be raised about that part. All in all, there was very little told in terms of Sirius Black’s character development in the film, so nobody can understand how he was able to change into an animal on demand (in the book, this ability of his was explained as being an Animagus). Taking the technical aspects of the film into consideration, there were some differences made more for cinematic effect than anything else. Actions such as having Harry read using his wand in the film rather than by flashlight as originally portrayed in the book were used more for entertainment purposes that thankfully had no direct impact on the way the story was told. The movie version took immense liberties, in my opinion, as they placed the important Firebolt gift that Harry received in the middle of the book at the end of the film instead. Thus changing the pace of the storytelling. In the book, the broom was received over the Christmas holidays and taken for testing by the Hogwarts professors to ensure that it was not a cursed broom meant to inflict harm upon Harry. However, the movie makes sure, often at the insistence of book author J.K. Rowling herself, that certain dialog must be included in the film in one way or another. For instance, in the book, when Mr. Weasley makes Harry promise that he will not go after Sirius Black, Harry replies: Why would I go looking for someone I know who wants to kill me? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 73) This scene took place at the train station in the novel while it took place at the Leaky Cauldron in the film.
Summary Even totalitarian nations are vulnerable to powerful requests that may organize millions of citizens and potentially influential leaders, attract foreign institutions and mass perception, and push their regimes to respond. The openness of legitimately established administrations to local opinion and initiatives by entities to reform policies and regulations varies substantially. The viewpoint of a revolutionary organization on the formulation of a cultural crisis can attract the public’s concern, focusing interest on the issue at hand and discovering answers. They might, however, be short-lived endeavours or episodic spurts of energy (Massey, 2016). Advocacy groups and participants of progressive organizations concentrate on the factors that contribute to the success of social movements. Not all social movements succeed all of the time; instead, the vast mass of individuals fails to meet their objectives. How Social Movements Matter In most cases, social movements pursue collective goods or outcomes, but not always. These things must be shared by a group regardless of their participation in the movement. Some outcomes are shared among the activists and a larger group not part of the movement (Massey, 2016). Politically active people can be members of a movement to bring social change to society. Members of a movement who interact as they seek social change create a social network constructed in cyberspace and through exposure through grievance-voiced media. What is a Social Movement? Social movements are forms of tumultuous engagement that question current conditions and practices and their validity and ethics. Movements must communicate with the general public, arrange contacts, and successfully fulfil the needs of those participating. Members inside the uprisings inevitably oppose organized patterns and assume facts abou
Introduction In the modern world of business, companies often have to engage in stiff competition in order to survive in the market. To prevail in this competition, it is paramount that they make the process of production of goods or services highly effective. Because of this, the efficacious procurement function is vital, because if it is poor, a firm may suffer considerable losses due to high expenses, low quality of materials purchased, non-timely delivery, etc. Definition Procurement is a process that plays a critical role in any organization. It is possible to define procurement as the process of purchasing goods and services which are needed in order for the business to function (Solish & Semanik 2007); it should be pointed out that this term describes the full process of doing so, including such stages as the purchase planning, articulation of the standards to which the goods or services that are to be bought need to correspond, the study of the suppliers and the process of choosing them, the negotiations with the supplier, the act of purchase itself, the involved financial transactions, the control of inventory, and so on (Baily et al. 2008; Dimitri, Piga & Spagnolo 2006). It also ought to be noted that, as a rule, procurement as such takes place between businesses, for companies buy goods and services from other organizations and virtually never do so from private persons. The Impact of Procurement on a Firm’s Success or Failure It is easy to see that the degree of success and profitability of a business considerably depends upon the procurement practices that the company is a part of (Quale 2006). For instance, choosing an ineffective supplier may considerably hinder the efforts of an organization to produce goods or services, adversely affect the quality of the final product, result in delays in production, and so on. Numerous factors should be considered when a company carries out the process of procurement. Because a considerable part of the revenue of a business may be spent in order to purchase materials and services needed for the further functioning of an organization, a slight decrease in the price of raw materials which are bought may lead to a significant reduction of costs which are spent for this purpose. In addition, a firm needs to make sure that the products and services which it buys are successfully delivered to that firm’s production factories or any other facilities where they are needed. Thus, it is rather simple to understand how an ineffective procurement may result in the failure of a particular organization. For example, when an organization poorly plans the process of purchase and does not buy enough materials, the production may stop due to the lack of these materials (Lyso
The Black Cat, written by Edgar Allen Poe, demonstrates the very acute mental disturbance of a man, who, having a soft corner for animals, and thus having possessed many animals as pets, turns out to be the psycho killer in the end. The writer describes the events of the story with keen insight. He manages to throw light upon the man’s own confessions of his deeds. The story is defined under the category of Mental Mayhem. The plot shows the man’s unbalanced nature and how he kills his favorite pet and his own wife. It was not that he disliked them. He perhaps suffered from some mental disease, which led him into committing the crime. The writer vividly describes what the man felt when he committed such heinous acts. “I was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets.” These very lines show that the author was not so violent with pets from the beginning. It was just in a matter of time that he developed these feelings. “We had birds, goldfish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.” The author and his wife had many animals and they looked after them well. But, gradually, the author’s feelings for his pets changed dramatically. “My general temperament and character experienced a radical alteration for the worse”…. “ I grew, day by day, moodier, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others.” And it was then when the author started his criminal moves in the house. Despite knowing what he was up to, he still committed the crimes. “.. Because I knew that in so doing I was sinning.” This shows clearly that the author was suffering from some kind of mental problem. It was his mental disturbance that compelled him to do what he did. After having lost his cat when a fire broke in his house, he felt a great need for another pet, same as that of Pluto, his pet cat. “This, then, was the very creature of which I was in search.” His wish was answered when he saw a cat strikingly similar to Pluto. He was very happy initially after having found a new pet. But, gradually, his feelings changed towards it too. “For my part, I soon found a dislike to it arising within me.” The cat also had only one eyeball, just like Pluto. This reminded him of his former pet and so; this must have been the reason why he started disliking this cat too. He was about to kill this cat too when his wife came in between, and in a fit of extreme anger, he killed his wife. “Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demonical, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the ax in her brain.” He walled up her corpse behind the wall of the cellar. Several police inspections took place and found nothing when one day the author himself dug his grave by hitting the weak plaster with his cane and thus, revealing the dead body lined up behind the wall. He was horrified to see his cat also walled up there. It was the cat itself that let out a cry and attracted the attention of the policemen. At the end of the story, he tells us that it was he who has walled up the cat. “I had walled the monster up within the tomb!” All these shre