ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Regardless of the area of specialization, competition is a reality that businesses have to grapple with. Companies are finding it hard to remain profitable because of tough economic conditions and technological advancement. It is inevitable for them to adopt various measures in order to grow and retain a competitive edge. Some of the adaptive measures are mergers, acquisitions and downsizing. The measures help companies to absorb competition pressures, enhance growth, and promote the value of their shares. Cash, Earl, and Morison (2008) list the core reasons for mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing as “strategic growth, talent growth, preparation for an IPO or exit, and entering a new geographic or demographic market” (96). This paper will highlight the differences between mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing and extrapolate the circumstances that can lead a company to adopt any of the three measures. Mergers and acquisitions offer a fast means for expansion that natural growth cannot provide. They also enable a company to expand without necessarily creating a new entity. A merger, as defined by Nidumolu, Prahalad and Rangaswami (2009) is when “two or more companies combine to form a single entity under a consolidated management and ownership” (58). Through amalgamation, two or more companies formulate and adopt an agreement that leads to loss of their original identities as they form an entirely new entity. It is common when the companies merging are equal in size. The management consolidates assets from the merging companies into one new business. In cases where merging companies are dissimilar in size, absorption, not amalgamation, is the more appropriate expansion method. A large company absorbs a small company in an agreement that dissolves the small company. Alternatively, the small company may become a division of the large company. The large company controls all the assets in an absorption arrangement. In contrast to mergers, acquisition involves a situation where a company “buys up the stock of another company” (Shook & Roth, 2011, p.140). It may also happen when a company buys assets of another company. Such stocks may be in their entirety or a portion. The company that sells stock or assets to another company, also referred to as the target company, can decide to either operate in its reduced form or dissolve altogether. It surrenders the assets, tangible and intangible, to the company that buys them. Tangible assets include buildings and machines. Intangible assets include goodwill, copyrights, and patents. Mergers and acquisitions have many similarities though some key differences stand out. Experts aver that mergers should be strictly between equal companies though this is a rare situation for many companies interested in merging (Cash, Earl, & Morison, 2008). The two, or more, companies “having the same size come together, surrender their shares, and issue new shares for a new, combined company” (Shook & Roth, 2011, p.143). In its pure fo
Caribbean art history is an integral part of Caribbean history that offers important insight into the unique cultural aspect of the Caribbean people and their way of life. Like all other cultures, Caribbean art history has evolved over many years largely influenced by external factors that no doubt left a lasting effect in their way of life. Most notable factors that influenced and shaped Caribbean history in general include the European colonialists, climate, topography, religion and the sea (Wilde 2). Among the various islands that make up Caribbean, Haiti is the island most recognized for its world class art heritage that is very prized and renowned worldwide. In this paper we are going to discuss Caribbean art history and its influence by summarizing various key articles on the subject as well as the spiritual influence. The Afro-Spanish spirituality was one of the influential factors that significantly shaped the present day Caribbean art history in more than one way. The Caribbean Art history is comprised of five key components; folk arts, folk festivals, popular music, folk institutions and folk religions practices (Wilde 3). The West Africa slave trade route for instance was responsible for migration of millions of slaves to Caribbean islands who brought with them rich cultural heritage from this region. The interactions of the African culture heritage with Spanish culture that was indigenous to Latin America is believed to have led to the Caribbean identity that is comprised of Blacks, Spanish and indigenous. Regardless of race, Caribbean people are unified by common characteristics that include similar colonial experience, ethnicity and common agricultural activities. Religion is another important element of the Caribbean people that is found to be in existence at every level of the society although the actual religion beliefs differ among various communities (Thames 3). The aspect of religion in any given society serves important functions that essentially promote the unity, peace and wellbeing of the community members. It is regarded as one of the most influential social factors that significantly impacts on the way of life of a community since it defines its social environment as well as physical relationship of the community and the environment. From a personal perspective, religion is very critical since it provides society members with a sense of direction, hope, faith, meaning and an inner belief that they can trust. Another important function of religion in a society is the aspect of faith that enables society to rely on, knowing that it can be used to promote society and individual wellbeing through giving of sacrifices that are meant to appease gods and prevent bad luck. Folk Catholicism is one form of religion in Caribbean that is well captured in the people’s art history through paintings and practices. Catholicism religion for instance involves three elements of devotion that include syncretism, appropriation and innovation, for each of these eleme
Introduction Rebranding is changing the image of a product without altering the product so much that it becomes different from what it is. It involves improving the quality of the product to meet the customer requirements and fulfil the customers’ expectations. Moreover, rebranding makes a product gain the market share and bring a different image of improvement and service quality. It promotes the loyalty of the customers as well as attracts the new customers hence increasing the market. The positioning of the product The Twinkie product is highly priced, making it unaffordable to the majority of the target market. It’s packaged in high quantities. This makes the majority of the small families avoid buying the product. The colour of its packaging is also debateable; It is not attractive to the majority of the consumers. The company has a poor advertising and general marketing strategies which makes the product less famous than similar products in the market. It employs advertising the product in monthly issues of magazines and overreliance of the few customers to participate in making the product known by others. The advertising space provided is still small and invisible. The company fears spending money in marketing. This makes it perform poorly in the market. The mother company also has low experienced marketing department hence highlighting their failures. There is a complaint from diabetic
It is important to note that although both Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions, which share a number of key similarities, there are inherent differences in the concept of godhood, especially in regards to Jesus Christ. The key underlying difference lies in the fact that Christians believe in Jesus embodying both divine and human forms, which makes him both God and human. However, Muslims believe that Jesus is not a God but rather chosen Allah’s prophet, similar to Muhammad. The first key point of the debate is centered around explaining the key difference and reasoning behind it, where James White argues that Christ has distinct and intertwined natures, such as divine and human. Whereas Abdullah Kunde begins his argument by identifying what god or Allah is and substantiates the point on Christ being a prophet and mere human with no godly properties, which makes him a separate entity from God (Sola Church). In other words, both sides have similar definitions of God, but Christians also attribute these divine properties to Jesus Christ, whereas Muslims separate these two beings. The second argument begins with White pointing out that both religions and their theological perspectives have similar definitions of the Creator of the universe. Both sides believe in the virgin birth, but Muslims deny the notion of incarnation. White argues that God chose to incarnate himself in Jesus Christ in order to experience and manifest in human existence and experience, which is why he was tired and need to eat, sleep, and drink (Sola Church). However, Kunde argues that incarnation did not take place and that it is incompatible with the idea and properties of God. Moreover, there were major disagreements on the idea of the Holy Trinity, which is rejected by Islam, whereas Christianity believes that each actor of the Trinity can act separately and at the same time work in unison to manifest the entirety of God. In addition, according to White, the notion of miracles performed by Christ is evidence of his divine nature, whereas Kunde states that Moses and other prophets also performed miracles, sometimes more impressive than of Jesus, which is why he claims that it does not prove Christ’s godhood (Sola Church). The third key point revolves around argumentations on whether or not God can become a human. White argues that Kunde God is all-mighty and all-capable, which is why it is in his grasp to manifest himself in human form and live human life while also preserving his divine nature, which is Jesus Christ (Sola Church). Kunde’s counterargument is centered around the essential properties of God outlines in Islam, where Allah’s manifestation in human form would contradict or eliminate some of his divine and unique properties, which is why he claims that there are major logical fallacies involved in such thinking (Sola Church). In ot
What people need to be successful is the most critical question human beings ask themselves throughout their existence. One of the simple answers is money, however, no one can say the exact amount of money they need to live a happy life. Indeed, an answer to this question will be different based on the context. An individual living in a big city and making money with six figures obviously will ask for more material capital compared to a farmer living in a village. This essay agrees with Ann Quindlen’s (2010) main idea that there is a middle ground of success and claims that success goes beyond materialism. The concept of success does not only relate to material wealth. Success also means a feeling of self-worth, fulfillment of goals, and meeting expectations of oneself. A person may consider themselves successful if they accomplish personal or career goals. It is critical for human beings to feel their worth and understand the value of their actions. For example, an individual who is passionate about playing the piano may find success in performing a solo concert or enrolling in a prestigious orchestra. They may not earn much money, but still, they may feel happy due to their achievements. Passion drives people to live and strive for results. Nevertheless, a person should not blindly follow their passion, forgetting about the fulfillment of the basic needs that money can provide to them. Following passion does not mean being a poor pianist who works only for music and joy. There is a need for moderation to reach success in what an individual is doing. Along with self-worth, success is also linked to recognition. If there are no people who will acknowledge the efforts of an individual, there is no point in reaching goals. People are social creatures who want to show themselves and be admired by others. For instance, a moviemaker cannot feel successful if no one watches their film. Feeling admired and recognized is crucial to keep doing what a person is passionate about. A similar pattern can be seen during childhood when a child tries to get the attention of his or her parents. Children bring drawings, sing songs, and perform dramas they learn at school to impress their parents and feel validated. Growing up people require not only validation from parents but also of their friends, professors, colleagues, spouses, and others. As such, having a great amount of money without feeling self-worth and without feeling the recognition of others does not provide a happy life. However, it is not that people should not desire material capital, but they should understand that success will not come with a six-figure or more in a bank account. Success is feeling comfortable with what an individual does and what they
Introduction Whether you are referring to it as chatting, texting or even instant messaging, everyone has a rough idea of what we will be taking a keen look at in this essay. With the changes that have been brought about by modern technology, chatting or texting has become a common mode of communication in almost every age group. Children who are not even old enough to go to first grade have mastered the lingo of chartrooms acronyms yet they cannot even write or read their respective language properly. Even the older generations participate in this craze but most of them do it while they are online and using features like facebook and other social sites. The younger generation prefers to text when they are using their cell phones instead of talking. Even though some of them won’t admit it, this is mostly done to save on cell phone minutes. (Barker, 2009) Proponents of Chatting The reality is a regular teenager around the age bracket of 15-17 years old sends an average of 2000 messages a month! It is something most parents do not understand because they fear their kids will have a problem in the future when it comes to commanding the written form of their language. In their defense, most youngsters argue that they can differ as to which language is appropriate when writing an essay or texting their friends. With the expanded services that have been brought along with the advent of chatrooms, some of them are used to offer lessons on foreign languages whereby the student can communicate with the teacher through chatting. Furthermore, most of the chat services available online incorporate the auto-correct features of Ms. Word which help someone to correct grammatically incorrect sentences. Such features are extremely helpful to users who are learning English as a second language. However, critics argue that such features only increase laxity in students when it comes to remembering the spelling of certain words and the proper punctuation of sentences. These different viewpoints can be viewed as the pros and cons of the chatting services available. Before we take an in-depth look at these varied viewpoints, we must see if this feature (chatting) serves its core purpose as a communication tool; which is to convey information. (April 2008) Function as a communication Tool When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he approached a giant telegraph company, Western Union, to assist him in finding his newfound invention. Western Union did not take him seriously because at that time, communication via the telegraph network was the chosen way and Western Union banked its future on this model instead of the telephone which seemed too complicated for the average user at that particular time. Looking back at Western Union’s miscalculation, what becomes abundantly clear is that man will choose the easiest and fastest mode of communication when the need arises. It is the r
Buddhism and Shinto are religions which are largely practiced in the South East Asia and other countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Japan, China, South and North Korea among other countries within and outside the region. The origin of these two religions dates back to about 2,500 years (Ellwood and Pilgrim 4). The Buddhist religion and its practices such as meditation way of the religion have continued to spread across many parts of the world. Shinto practices have existed for several centuries and are common among the Buddhists. Shinto is a term used to describe a set of indigenous spirituality practices of the Japanese. The earliest records of the Shinto practices were made in the 8 th century. These records are found in The Record of Ancient Things, 712 ( Kojiki ) as well as The Chronicles of Japan, 720 ( Nihon Shoki ). The practices are conducted to connect the Japanese people to their ancient past. Today, the term is generally used to refer to public shrines which are used for harvest festivals and war memorials among other religious practices. The word Shinto which means way of the gods (Sokyo 2) is derived from Chinese words shén dáo. These two words are combined so that they produce “shin” and “tō”. “Shin” means kami ; which refers to innate supernatural force which includes deities, spirits, as well as, essences which occur in many forms and may exist in human-like or animistic form or in abstract natural forces (Ellwood and Pilgrim 7; and Sokyo 2). Kami can sometimes be associated with lightning, mountains, trees, wind among other natural forces. “tō” in Chinese means a philosophical path or could also mean a philosophical study (Sokyo 2). Thus, Shinto generally means ways, beliefs and practices adopted by the Japanese people to worship kami . The origin of Shinto was influenced by the J
Introduction Price control for beef in Venezuela is explained by the negligence of the existing regime towards the marketing rules, and the impossibility to control the financial situation in the country. The farmers are obliged to work without any profit margin, which will inevitably lead to a crisis. Considering the strong determination of the government to restrict the prices for beef, the disappearance of beef from the cases is the reasonable reaction of farmers and butchers for the governmental policy. Discussion In fact, residents and consumers need beef, and they will purchase it independently on the price regulation regime. However, considering the fact that the main aim of this control is the price deterrence, residents will be glad to purchase beef with the lowered prices. However, the existing price control measures have nothing in common with reality, as the cost price of the beef is close to $3, while butchers are obliged to sell it for no more than $4. Actually, the price could be restricted to $8 for the butchers had an opportunity to earn and compensate for the costs. (Backman, 34) The prices in Canada range from $4 to $11 per kilo. European Prices are ranging from $4.50 to $9.30 per kilo. Japan is the price leader, as the price for consumers ranges from $22 to $112 per kilo. This is explained by the fact that beef in Japan is imported, while the country does not have enough space for pasture. Hence, the average world price for beef is higher than the existing price in Venezuela, and it may be raised to at least to $6 per kilo. While the price control mechanism is intended to keep the equilibrium between the supply and demand volumes, the authoritarian control mechanism caused the critical shortage of beef on the consumers’ market. The beef price in Venezuela is represented on Figure 1 However, the artificial restriction of prices caused the essential decline in sales and import rates (Figure 2) The chicken sales had increased inevitably for this period, as consumers had to compensate for the lack of beef with the other sources of animal proteins. Chicken is one of the optimal alternatives, and the consumption rates of chicken have been growing since may proportionally to the beef sales decline. (Davidson and Kregel, 229) If the butchers did not accept the price control measures, the beef sales would inevitably fall, however, this decline would be lesser then the observed consumption crisis, as only part of the consumers would refuse from purchasing beef, while the control measures stimulated the disappearing of beef from the cold cases. In fact, this may be stated of both categories of beef: cheap and expensive, as the price growth would inevitably touch both segments. Anyway, the consumption rates would not fall significantly. The existing situation originated the consumption crisis, as butchers are not willing to sell beef at the lowered prices, while they are not allowed to raise the prices. Conclusion Finally, it should be emphasized that the price con
Introduction Intercultural communication plays a central role in the delivery of healthcare services among different communities. Modern communities are increasingly becoming more diverse with time due to the local and global migration of people. Owing to the immigration of people, cultural diversity has increased in various cities across the world. Pino, Soriano, and Higginbottom (2013) assert that cultural differences between the immigrant population and native population affect healthcare interactions, and consequently delivery of healthcare services in a given population. The nature of cultural diversity in a given population reflects cultural issues that the health care system is grappling with when delivering healthcare services to people. The increasing cultural diversity among various populations has great implications for the healthcare providers because they have to apply a holistic approach in communication, interaction, and in the provision of customized healthcare services that suit the needs of a certain cultural community. Therefore, this essay examines the demographics of the population in Cranford, New Jersey, and analyzes their implications in healthcare delivery. Demographics Cranford is one of the towns found in New Jersey in the United States, which has a population of approximately 23,000. According to U.S. Census Bureau (2011), in the 2010 census, Cranford had a population of 22,625 that comprised of 6,154 families and 8,583 households. From such data, it is apparent that households and families are small in size for they have an average of 4 and 3 members respectively. In