ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Culturally Competent Strategies Celie was abused by men in the first part of her life due to the lack of education (Walker, 1990). However, such people as Shug helped her to broaden her horizons. Admittedly, when a member of the family acquires new knowledge it often causes some sort of alienation. In Celie’s case, the woman could hardly escape the alienation, but they’re still could be effective ways to develop appropriate strategies. The process of acculturation is rather long, so it is necessary to develop appropriate communication strategies step by step. The acquired knowledge can help the individual to educate close people. For instance, Celie could have revealed her viewpoints on various matters. She could have challenged her husband by starting ‘smart’ conversations. It is important to gain respect and authority to escape from alienation. The individual should share new knowledge and try to initiate discussions to create an atmosphere where people reveal their opinions freely. Apart from this, it is also important to take into account another vector of alienation. People who acquire new knowledge often tend to alienate themselves from their less acculturated relatives. However, it is necessary to remember that relatives and other close people can never be substituted by more educated strangers. Thus, an acculturated person should appreciate close people. The acculturated person can try to broaden his/her close people’s horizons. However, if those people do not share some of the acculturated person’s views, the latter should develop appropriate communicative strategies. It is important to be patient and supportive. Apart from this, Walker (1990) depicts many other experiences. One of the most important experiences portrayed is Nettie’s life in Africa. Nettie was looking for justice in Africa, but she saw that women were still suppressed there. Nettie could not stand such order and she left. Of course, this case can be valuable as it provides insights into the development of culturally competent strategies. Admittedly, when a person finds him/herself among people of a different culture, it is important to learn as much as possible about it. Of course, some traditions can seem strange or even wrongful, but one cannot try to change the way people live. It is essential to respect other cultures, as any tradition has been developed throughout centuries. Nettie feels disappointed (Walker, 1990). However, it is a somewhat wrongful position. It is necessary to see any experience as a positive one. When one finds out more about various traditions and cultures, he/she broadens own outlook. It is also necessary to understand that when an individual is among people in another culture,
“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading”, as quoted by James Boswell, is a very true statement indeed. It is often said that the best way to express oneself is through writing. A writer expresses himself or herself in the form of written text, which may be his or her own output or, in some cases an influence from other sources. A writer automatically shares a typical trait of being a voracious reader. The maximum number of thoughts that a writer gets come from reading various books and other writings. The more a writer reads, the more novel thoughts he acquires from them. Sometimes it is immense fun to read other’s writings. “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write, a man will turn over half a library to make one book” (Samuel Johnson, 82). The amount of material a writer desires to have so as to create a text comes largely from the various materials the writer reads. Many writers borrow foreign ides and words and turn it into a new and revised text, which they publish under their name. Without reading other texts, its nearly difficult and, if one may say so, impossible to write a brand new, genuine piece of writing. It’s only with the aid of sample writings and others that one can collect the required amount of matter for his/her work. Nonetheless, there are several writers who jot down their own words to create a piece of work, unlike those who tend to get influenced. They make an effort to think and visualize and finally create a genuine writing. Apart from these two, there are those, who make use of both the gift and the borrowing and the influence factor. Part of their work piece is real, or we can say their own. And, part of it is maybe plagiarized or borrowed with a few changes here and there. Such writers also make use of the habit of reading as much as they can. The reason being, they don’t want to put an effort into making use of their own brainpower, they don’t want to think and create a new idea or thought. When it comes time to write, because I’ve read so much, the words come so much easier to me. I think regularly reading good authors spurs your brain to begin naturally recognizing familiar ways of wording things and arranging ideas. (Jesse, The easiest way to become a writer) The major beauty behind any writing is the degree of genuineness it holds. The more genuine a writing is, the more it will be admired and appreciated by the readers. The best way to produce such a work is to give your mind an exercise, think and write. On the other hand, reading should be done only to learn new things and ideas, but not to borrow them and include them in one’s own work. Desperate writers must beware and try to induce a genuineness factor in their writings. Only then will the real writer in them, come out. “Wh
Introduction Louise Bourgeois was born on December 25, 1911 in Paris, France. She was an American citizen and an artist by profession; however, she passed on at the age of 98 years in 2010 following a heart attack (Nixon 12). Born in a financially stable family, as the second born of three children, her parents owned an antiques tapestries gallery. As a child, she often drew the missing parts of images, which assisted in repairs. Her work has flourished since the 20 th century. She was married in 1938 to Robert Goldwater, an art historian, and together, they raised three sons; however, her husband died in 1973. She studied at the University of Sorbonne, in Paris, France, where she studied mathematics and geometry; however, she later on left the university and enrolled in an art school. After she got married, the couple moved to New York, where she enrolled at the art student league, and studied painting. Her work is well illustrated in sculptures, paintings, and drawings. In 1982 at the age of 70 years, the museum of modern art in New York brought attention to her career. Having found effective audiences, she continuously presented her work (“Louise Bourgeois” 2). Some of her famous art included the velvet eyes, which includes “two large, staring, bird-like eyes locked in eternal gaze from the depths of a rough-edged rock” (Newsmakers 2). Another art is that of a headless rabbit with breasts vertically. Needless to say, her art was stylish and emotionally aggressive, as well as displayed forms of sexual explicit. In 1994 exhibition, Louise created a locus of memory, whereby, a single sculpture with variety of drawings, and a center image of a spider represented a woman of changing moods (Nixon 45). In spite of starting her exhibition career in the 30s, her career began to mature in the 50s when she was introduced to successful artists such as Willem de Kooning and Louise Clement. Louise Bourgeois remains one of the famous women artists to date; most of her work is based on domestic confinement and comfort, where feminine is presented by vulnerability, strength, and complicity. The work of Louise Bourgeois compared to other artists Louise Bourgeois’ work was competitive; the stylish, emotional, and creative art stood out from the rest. The artist revealed emotions and tragedies in her art. In 1992, she was the only second woman to be honored at the Venice Binnale, where she represented America (“Louise Bourgeois” 4). Unlike other artists like Lucian Freud, who concentrated on painting alone, Louise Bourgeois expanded her horizons to sculptures as well as drawings and paintings. The art industry was compet
In medical research and disease diagnosis, the knowledge of micro-organisms is very important. Though not all micro-organisms are harmful, some cause various diseases in animals and humans. The study of these micro-organisms is known as microbiology. Normally they are invisible to the naked eye hence the term micro. This means that in their analysis, microscopes have to be used to enable visibility. Some of the procedures used in the determination of these micro-organisms are discussed in this essay; Staining in microbiology is a procedure used in the laboratory for micro-organism identification. In most cases micro-organisms have transparent cytoplasm making them invisible even under the light microscope. Staining gives them color so that they can be viewed. This procedure is applicable in the study of micro-organisms or the identification of the sample is unknown. There are different staining techniques available for use; the simple stain techniques involve the use of basic positively charged dyes which cling to the negatively charged cytoplasm elements giving it the color of the dye used. This is known as the simple stain procedure. Alternatively, the negative stain procedure can be used. Negatively charged dyes are used and they act by forming a layer around the cytoplasmic cells due to repulsion since they are also negatively charged. This causes the microorganism to be viewed as it is left unstained and surrounded by stained cells (Madigan & Martinko, 2005). Secondly, we have the differential stain techniques which differentiate two types of microorganisms. Firstly, the gram stain technique is used to distinguish gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and the acid-fast technique is used to differentiate mycobacterium from other types of bacteria. In the Gram stain technique, crystal violet is applied to the sample and then mordant iodine is applied. Alcohol is then used to wash the slide containing the sample. The gram-positive bacteria retain the iodine stain while the gram-negative bacteria lose it. Safranin dye is applied next and the gram-negative bacteria retain it making them appear red when observed under the oil immersion lens while the gram-positive ones appear blue or purple under the same lens (Bancroft & Gamble, 2002). In the acid-fast technique, carbofuchsin is applied to the sample under heat or using a lipid solvent and then washed with a dilute solution of acid and alcohol. Mycobacterium retains the stain and appears bright red while other bacteria lose the stain and take the methylene blue stain and thus appear blue (Black, 1993). Bacteria from different genera exhibit different anatomical characteristics and this is the basis on which they are differentiated in the laboratory. Given a sputum sample from a patient suspected to be infected with bacteria from Bacillus, Escherichia, or Mycoplasma genera, a series of procedures are undertaken to determine which one is present in the sample. As a starting point, we need to know that Escherichia and Bacillus are both rod-shaped however bacillus is Gram-positive while Escherichia is gram-negative. Mycoplasmas a
Introduction Terrorism is a global phenomenon that has affected many countries over the past years. Terrorism dates back to the first century where in order to attain certain political ambitions, a Jewish group would maim and kill its enemies with the aim of ousting the Roman rulers from Judea. Up to date, the majority of terrorist attacks and the willingness to use extreme violence hinges on certain political grievances. Terrorist attacks in most cases come as a surprise attack and both the developed and developing countries have been targets of such attacks. The most recent surprise terrorist attack happened on Saturday 21 September 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya, where terrorists held hostages in a shopping mall before killing and maiming them. The siege lasted for three days. This attack shows that terrorism has metamorphosed to target both developing and developed countries. Technological innovation is one of the main contributors to the advancement of terrorism in this modern era as there is overwhelming information available over the Internet, which allows terrorist to modify their tactics, obtain information on their potential targets, and improve on their weaknesses. In addition, the Internet facilitates easy and effective communication amongst terrorists when they are planning on their targets and the kind of weaponry they are going to use for their heinous acts against humanity. The fact that the United States is a superpower and it has the most advanced military around the world does not mean that it has not been affected by acts of terrorism. Being a superpower the United States in the past has waged war on terrorism with an aim of making the world a better place where people can enjoy peace. Unfortunately, this decision has come at a cost, as the country is now a target for terrorists especially from extremist Islamic Jihadists who believe that the western civilization is leading to the decadence on traditional Eastern societies. The American involvement in t
Obesity is one of the problems that medical workers pay attention to since it leads to various health complications such cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, or diabetes (Ryan 42). Furthermore, this disorder can significantly impair the quality of a person’s life. This paper is aimed at discussing the causes of this disorder and its effects on fertility. On the whole, one can say that the obesity can be attributed to various factors such as people’s lifestyles and genetic peculiarities of an individual (Ryan 42). In turn, overweight significantly decreases the fertility of both males and females through various mechanisms such as the change sperm proteins. These are the main questions that should be examined more closely because they affect the lives of many people. Researchers believe that overweight can caused by a combination of several factors. In particular, one should speak about sedentary lifestyle that is widespread among many people. This problem is particularly relevant to males who often do not take any physical exercises (Ryan 42). Apart from that, scientists focus on inappropriate eating habits that are also widespread nowadays. The main problem is that some people consume products that are rich in sugar, fats, and other substances that cannot be easily absorbed by the body (Ryan 42). Apart from that, one should bear in mind that some people may not be able to afford healthy food. Therefore, there is a socio-economic aspect of overweight. Finally, scientists note that that some people can have a genetic predisposition to overweight. In particular, it is possible to mention Prader-Willi Syndrome or MOMO Syndrome (Ryan 42). Nevertheless, in most cases, overweight can be explained by a lifestyle of an individual, especially his/her diet. This is one of the main aspects that should be considered because it is critical for averting various health complications. It is also vital to discuss the effects of obesity on fertility. Researchers note that overweight decreases male fertility in several ways. In particular, this problem leads to the reduction of semen quality, erectile dysfunction, and the change of sperm proteins (Cabler et al.480). This is one of the reasons why many males may often become infertile at a very early age. One should bear in mind that obese males have decreased levels of androgen, and
Due to the rising cost of living and the loss of small town jobs and businesses, there has been a move by some sectors of the government to merge small towns with their bigger counterparts in the main cities of various states. Although this decision sounds wise from a financial perspective, it is also a bad decision as it signifies the end of an era of American living. So, as this era draws to a close, I thought it would be only fitting to look back on the cause and effect of life in rural or small town America. To begin with, the population of a small town can sometimes peak at the same number of children of attending a city public school. With a population of about 50 to 150 thousand, the tendency of people is to become familiar with their neighbors on a full name basis. Although small town living is not as idyllic in real life as it is portrayed on television, it serves to give its residents a sense of belonging and family as most of the population grow up, marry, and age, within the same vicinity. Basic services at this level of community tends to be on the bare bones level as medical centers and university hospitals are nowhere to be found. In its place is the limited bed family clinic with the
Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are the latest inclusion in information technology used in classroom teaching. These are presentation devices attached with a computer for classroom teaching. The interface helps in displaying the content of the computer on through a projector. Multiple users connected to the computer can use it and therefore any note or class work can directly be printed or saved. IWBs are the latest technology inclusion in the pedagogy of schools and provide a platform for technology based interactive session with the students. This medium has gained a lot of popularity among educators as it makes sharing idea with a large or small group of students an easier task. This paper takes a detailed look at the market and the target customer profile for the IWB industry. Whiteboards has a market of £71 million in 2009 that slightly declined in 2010 to £63 million in the UK. According to reports, the sales for 2010 for whiteboards were 49000 units, which showed a decline from 55000 units in 2009 in the UK . In the UK, 60 percent of the classrooms have adopted IWBs, while adoption rate in the US is just 12 percent. Though it is believed that the demand for IWBs is much less in the US as the expenditure on education is decided by local governments rather than in countries like the UK where it is centrally decided. However, it is believed that the technology holds a lot of opportunity in the US . In 2008, 600,000 units of IWBs were sold worldwide and the global market for the product reached $1 billion of revenue . In 2009, IWBs were sold in 66 countries. The market leader in the IWBs market is Smart Technologies controlling 53.2 percent of the global market for IWBs . The market share of Smart Technologies in the US market is 60.1 percent in 2009 that was up by 3 percent from 2008 figures. It had a share of 13.2 percent in Asia Pacific and 62.3 percent in the UK in 2009 . The company’s total sales revenue in 2010 was $623 million . The other company that is the second largest producer of IWBs is Promethean . The life cycle of IWBs is estimated to be 7 to 10 years and the marketers are hoping to see a strong replacement market in future . 40 million students use iWBs globally and in 1.6 million K-12 classrooms. Therefore, the target market for the product is mainly the educators. As the product’s main market are educational institutes, the marketing of the product must be done to the independent boards of the institute if they are privately run, or to the government education body that undertake expense decisions regarding inclusion of new technology in institutions. The critical requirement of the market is technology development. As IWBs are technologies, prices of technologies worldwide are continuously falling, and the customers expect more and more features from a product. Therefore, companies are trying to improve on a basic IWB by introducing libraries of pre-developed lessons, or grouping for subjects or standards, and even state wise standard requirements . Therefore, the key to success is continuous improvement of the product and making it more attractive. Further, th
Executive Summary CEMEX is a Mexico-based company producing cement, concrete and other building-related products that have subsidiaries in different regions of the world. CEMEX UK successfully operates in the United Kingdom, but the company’s and its subsidiaries’ activities are greatly influenced by institutions and moderately influenced by cultures in home and host countries. The firm’s corporate social responsibility strategies, organisational structure and foreign entry strategies are affected by political, economic, and legal factors in Mexico and the UK. These aspects explain why CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility projects are organised according to the principles of sustainability, why a worldwide area structure is followed, and why the path of establishing subsidiaries in the context of the international strategy is selected for entering global markets. Introduction CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX) is a company headquartered in Mexico and specialising in producing different types of building materials, such as ready-mix concrete, aggregates and cement. The company was founded in 1906, and now it has facilities in more than 50 countries globally. According to the company’s data, in 2018, CEMEX had about “92.6 million tons of annual installed cement production capacity”, and cement sales volumes were about 70 million tons (CEMEX, 2019b: p.34). Thus, the company is one of the three world leaders in the industry. CEMEX’s home country is Mexico that is categorised as a developing country (an emerging economy). One of CEMEX’s host countries is the United Kingdom (an advanced economy), and CEMEX’s subsidiary in the UK is CEMEX UK Limited. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the institutions and cultures of Mexico as a home country and the UK as a host country influence the specifics of corporate social responsibility in CEMEX, its organisational structure and the foreign entry strategy. The information on the competitive advantage (Porter’s Diamond), the management of foreign exchange risks and internationalisation strategies will be provided, and conclusions will be supported by the reference to one more example of a Mexican international company. Porter’s Diamond of National Competitiveness in Mexico Michael Porter proposed a model for determining the national competitive advantage: Porter’s Diamond (Figure 1). The main elements of this model, which serve as determinants of the competitive advantage depending on a national environment, are factor endowments, related and supporting industries, demand conditions, and firm structure, rivalry, and strategy (Hill & Hult, 2018). Additionally, the chance and government components have been recently added to the framework. Figure 1: Porter’s Diamond (Hill & Hult, 2018: p.198). Factor endowments There are basic