ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Demonstrate Problem Our society relies heavily on energy sources to operate effectively. In recognition of this fact, the government has invested heavily in an energy supply infrastructure to provide electricity for various uses. However, the electric grid infrastructure does not extend to all the areas in the country. Some rural areas do not have access to the electrical grid, and they have to rely on other sources to satisfy their power needs. This is the situation that I face back at home. My family has a farm that is located about one hour away from the city. Electricity is not provided in the farm area due to its distance from an urban centre. The lack of access to the electrical grid means that our farm does not have adequate power. A generator is used to provide power for most of the farming activities, including irrigation. The generator requires large amounts of diesel to operate each week. The fuel has to be bought from the fuel station and filled into the generator tank regularly. Xiarchos and Vick note that using diesel fuel to power generators presents problems such as cost of transporting fuel, high maintenance needs, unpredictable fuel costs, and the loses experienced when the fuel spills (1). Diesel fuel prices are volatile, and they have continued to rise over the past decade, making diesel purchases a significant expense to the farm. Due to the frequent use of the generator, it requires regular maintenance to ensure that that it is operating efficiently. This makes using the generator an expensive and time-consuming activity. My family often has to turn off the generator in order to minimize the costs and ensure that a profit is obtained from the farming act
There are various ways in which a firm can finance its investments. This largely depends on the required capital mix of the firm. This paper gives an analysis of debt and equity financing in respect to Blue Jay limited which has previously been financed through debt capital. Further, it gives a recommendation on the appropriate mode of financing additional investments based on the firm’s capital structure. Providers of funds do not gain any monetary interest from the business besides the principal and interest. Through this, the business owner is allowed to retain control and ownership of the business. However, in regard to taxation, the business enjoys some advantages since interest on debt is tax-deductible. Debt financing enhances future planning since principal and interest are calculated in advance. Besides the various advantages associated with debt financing, it also suffers a number of shortcomings which makes it less attractive (Thakor & Furlong, 1995). For example, investors are obliged to pay the agreed installments whether they have realized profits or not. In addition, debts may raise the company’s break-even especially if they are short-term loans that are more expensive. Ross observes that debt tends to restrict cash inflow since many lenders will be unwilling to lend additional money to debt-ridden firms. Also, the lenders will require the investors to provide security which is not always available thus limiting the chances of getting the much need finances. The other form of financing is equity financing which entails investing in share capital for medium-term to long-term returns. Sometimes, equity finance tends to be the most appropriate mode of financing since once investors commit their funds in the business; it is not obliged to repay them except if its performance is outstanding (Szego, 1995). However, the business also stands a good chance of growth as a result of getting new investors who can contribute to new strategies for business development. More so, investors seem to maintain a close tie with the business. On the other hand, floating equity seems to be expensive in terms of time and costs. Further, the owner loses control of the business depending on the number of shares acquired by the new investors. Equity finance tends to be complex compared to other forms of financing since the business may be required to comply with some legal and regulatory requirements before floating its shares (Szego, 1995). Below are ratios that explain the effects of either using debt or equity as a means of raising additio
Texas Rangers is currently the oldest law enforcement agency in North America with statewide jurisdiction. The history of the Rangers can be traced to the early days of Anglo settlement in Texas. They are thought to be in the range of four other world-famous law enforcement agencies – the FBI, Scotland Yard, Interpol, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Many books, both fiction and non-fiction have been written about the Rangers and numerous media shows have been based on their heroic deeds. As former Ranger Captain Bob Crowder once put it, “A Ranger is an officer who is able to handle any given situation without definite instructions from his commanding officer or higher authority” (Bernstein 50). This definition continues to remain valid till today though the Texas Rangers are today able to be more in contact with the rest of the world through modern technology. Texas Rangers were a mounted fighting force established in 1835 during the Texan Revolution. By the opening of the Revolution, there were three races struggling for supremacy in Texas: Comanche Indians in the Plains; Mexicans in the southwest resting on the Rio Grande, and the Anglo Americans or Texans in the timbered portion of Mexican province. Each had to produce its fighting man. The Comanche had its warrior brave; the Mexican had his caballero, ranchero, or vaquero. To meet these, the Texans created the Ranger who had to adapt his weapons, tactics, and strategy to those imposed by his enemies (Webb and Johnson 11). The Rangers became established as the guardians of the Texas frontier, particularly against Native Americans. They were said to “ride like Mexicans, shoot like Tennesseans, and fight like the very devil” (CE 52958) Thus, the Texan Rangers were a unique kind of police force that never underwent formal training, were not expected to follow norms such as saluting officers and wore neither uniforms nor any standard gear except the six-shooter (Utley 287). Initially, the Texas Rangers was made up of three companies of 25 men each (CE 52958). In their first decade of operation, the rangers effectively quelled lawlessness in Texas on frequent occasions, and in the Mexican War (1846–48) they served as scouts and guerrilla fighters, gaining a wide reputation for valor and effectiveness. In the late 1850s, the rangers fought vicious battles with the Comanche, and in the Civil War, Terry’s Texas Rangers gained renown. In the Reconstruction era, the Texas Rangers were engaged to control outlaws, feuding groups, and Mexican marauders and were responsible for keeping law and order along the Rio Grande (CE 52958). In 1874 the Texas Rangers were organized for the first time on a permanent basis in two battalions; one was assigned to arbitrate range wars on the frontier, and the other was sent to control cattle rus
Gangster movies are meant both to entertain and to draw public attention to social problems. “The Godfather” is created by Francis Ford Coppola in 1972, and it portrays the story of the Sicilian crime dynasty located in New York. Coppola depicts the issues of crime from the perspective of the criminal group insiders. Although at some points, the main characters of “The Godfather” are represented as honored and fair, the analysis of the events constituting the movie’s plot makes it clear that individual criminal behavior can be supported by the social environment or family members, and that the actions criminals undertake on the way to the success of their business create huge problems in the society as they violate human and civil rights. The attractive representation of the mafia in “The Godfather” is rather fictitious than real. Even so, Coppola successfully adverts the issues of crime pervasion to the social and political institutions, the corruptibility of authorities, and inefficiency of jurisdiction. According to Coppola, politicians and police officers play a key role in the support and proliferation of crime. Coppola’s perspective on crime is partly realistic. The criminals are shown as ordinary people who have emotions, weaknesses, and moral principles. Mafia is endued with the features that provoke sympathy and seem attractive. These features do not correspond to reality, but the corruption and injustice that are part of the movie’s plot seem to be real. Coppola also efficiently depicts the reasons that can cause engagement in criminal activities. The circumstances, relationships, and social environment increase the risks for even a good person to become engaged in crime.
Halliburton Company was known as the provider of clean, safe water for cooking and drinking for U.S. troops in Iraq. However, there were no actual testing procedures approving the high quality of water. In fact, the water was extremely contaminated. What is more threatening is that the military were not informed about potential risk this water posed to their health. The soldiers and other employees involved in military actions used this water for drinking and showering with no awareness of the diseases by which they can be infected. With regard to the violations by the company can be regarded as white-collar crime because Halliburton committed illegal business operations aimed at gaining profits. A white-collar crime refers to the illegal monetary gain that is committed by individuals taking privilege social positions. The main causes of violations committed by legal individuals are connected with threats to human health and safety. In this respect, in case the entity ignores these issues for the sake of gaining profits, it can be considered as an illegal act against the employees. In addition, a white-collar crime also refers to the cases of unequal treatment of employees predetermined by their social position. Finally, the consequences of white-collar crime are not purely financial because they negatively affect the physical and mental welfare of the employees. Being ignorant of the company’s activities, employees are under the risk of losing their positions in case they refuse to perform certain tasks. With regard to the above-presented features, Halliburton Company can be accused of white-collar crime against military troops in Iraq due to several reasons. First, the company ga
Introduction The Latino forms a large group of the minority groups in the United States. They are immigrant and most of them originated from Spanish. They come from different origins hence they differ in some areas and are also similar in some ways. The article explains the circumstances that the Latinos have in language and literacy. The review focuses on the socialization involved in the acquisition of the two languages. The article also introduces the Anthropolitical perspective in relation to the Latino language and education (Pousada Para 2). Below is a review of language and literacy in Latino families and communities. Language and Literacy in Latino Families and Communities This article vividly illustrates the situation of the Latinos living in America. It reveals that the bilingual students can learn both languages and have a normal development (Zentella 1). The education system favors the English language which is most often spoken language in the United States. Those with the Spanish accent are ridiculed and often lose confidence because of the stereotypes about the Spanish. Students therefore prefer to speak and learn in English. On the other hand their parents encourage their children to learn and adopt the Latin culture especially those who are unable to cope up with school dropout. As a result, parents are blamed for the large number of school dropouts. The population of the Latino is constantly increasing. They live in the south west of the country. Majority of the Latinos lived in New Mexico, others can be found in New England, Texas and California. Latino is a heterogeneous group; teachers claim that they meet different Latinos every year in the education sector. This is so because most are immigrants or born of immigrants of Mexican origin. Despite holding on to their own beliefs, they have become increasingly diverse in their community (Salazar Para 2). According to Farr (1), the immigrants came to America because of the economic opportunities and not because of the American culture. The Latino varies in the way they socialized into adulthood. The variation of the socialization agents causes them to be different. The church, the school, the community institutions as well as home play a big role in both adults and children. However, the socialization does not make them have differences, they have areas of similarities. Zentella (3) states that parents make decision concerning their child’s education. A group of Latino parents emphasize that their children must learn to use both English and Spanish in school, while others emphasize that their children learn in Spanish as well as the Spanish culture. Zentella support the view that parents are at all times concerned with their children’s education. Farr (3) argues that the students who uphold their Spanish background and choose to be bilingual become accomplished. They manage to learn and secure competent jobs in the United States. On the other hand, their parents are willing to support their children. Farr (3) reveals that the parents agree to training so that they h
Introduction Singapore is home to about 5 million people. Most of the people are very skilled and highly literate. The employment act of Singapore provides for fair treatment of existing and potential employees. The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, age, marital status, color, sexual orientation, political affiliation etc. 1 Discrimination is any form of unfair treatment of the employee. Discrimination can occur during recruitment, promotion, pay rise or training. Discrimination is a bad practice because it makes the employee feel stressed or intimidated. Many prospective employees commonly fail to clinch job opportunities because of discrimination. Actions Alex can take against the consultant Following the events in this case, it is quite obvious that Alex has been discriminated against on the basis of age. This is in contravention to Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The ADEA of 1967 protects current and prospective employees aged over 40 years from discrimination on the basis of age 2 . Because he has been discriminated against on the basis of age, there are a number of actions available to Alex 3 . First, Alex can contact any manager in the consultancy firm to formally or informally inform them. It is integral that this manager be of a higher rank that the consultant who handled the recruitment. Secondly, Alex can make an official complaint to the prospective employer through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Alternatively, Alex can approach any Labour Relations body. The body can find the prospective employer and formally assist Alex place the grievance 4 . Under the Employment Act of Singapore, Alex can use the Employment Standards Online (ESOL). This option will allow Alex to submit his complaints against the prospective employer or at least discuss this apparent discrimination with a labour relations official. This notification has to be done within 30 days from the time the alleged discriminatory act occurred 5 . Previously, such complaints could still be accepted within a period of one year. In filling the age discrimination law case, Alex can adopt two approaches. First, Alex can file the case under disparate treatment. In this option, Alex would have to prove that the consultants had a specific intention to discriminate against him on the basis of age 6 . This is usually common in cases where the supervisor behaves in a manner out rightly suggesting that the employee is old and no longer able to accomplish the task. Alternatively, Alex can file the case under disparate impact option 7 . Here, Alex would have to show cause that the prospective employer’s actions disproportionately affected him as an old aged employee – given his age of 56 years. Local or international acts, conventions or regulati
Abstract Written public relations communication is important in contemporary society since it incorporates comprehensive, but simple skills that present information in the most appropriate way to a targeted reader. Thus, this reflective treatise reflects on the comparison of public relations writings in order to identify effective public relations writing skills and identify the metamorphosis of written public relations communication over the last decades. Besides, the paper target to identify the impacts of technological advancement on written communication and the role of timing and targeting messages as a means of evaluating the accuracy, fairness, style, and writing skills. These skills are applied in the analysis of effective public relations communication, as presented in scripts to broadcast news stories I produced. In addition, the treatise identifies a public relations communication problem and develops a solution based on five forms of public relations communication. In the conclusive segment, the paper focuses on general issues that surround the practice of public relations exercise. Comparison of public relations writings Public relations writing differs in terms of the writing style, length, format, and target audience. The writing style is mainly influenced by the nature of the information and the targeted audience. Same as writing style, the length of a public relations writing is determined by the nature of the message in terms of content, and the need for an in-depth explanation. Often format for public relations messages assumes the same simple, accurate, and attractive form capable of drawing attention and keeping the targeted reader interested through the reading (Foster, 2008). Therefore, it is essential to reflect on the application of the above concepts in the following scripts to broadcast news stories I produced: Marine Week Boston CMC Visit, Osper Gunny, Newtok, Alaska Relocation, Remembering Belleau Wood, Sgt Jackson Saxophone Feature, and the Lioness: CPL. Jennifer Parcell . These features prominently target the general audience interested in grasping basic concepts on social events in society. Applying more or less same timing and messaging approach, my writings are done in the same style. Besides, I wrote them in simple language through
Introduction The human resource department is the engine that runs organisations. It is responsible for all the human resource activities of a business. Not all organisations have this department, but this does not mean that there are no human resource managers in them. The size and nature of this department depend on the complexity of an organisation. Some companies have a fully developed human resource department with offices and independent employees who report to the manager of this sector (Nikolaou, 2015). Others merge the roles of the general manager with those of the human resource personnel. This essay examines the recruitment and selection process, policies and procedures for performance appraisal, training and development and recommends the best practice for Windsor and Travel Inn hotels located in New York City. The Recruitment and Selection Process Windsor Hotel has 103 employees that serve clients from different parts of the United States and other countries. However, most clients come from within the city. Its recruitment and selection process is based on merit and experience. The hotel has a robust human resource department that advertises vacant positions to the public (Armstrong, 2010). Interested applicants are required to submit their applications and wait for interviews if they are shortlisted. This hotel believes that qualified candidates must have experience and academic qualifications to serve in various departments. Travel Inn hotel is also located in New York City and serve similar clients like Windsor. The hotel has 67 employees, and this means that it is not an enormous investment. There is no human resource department office, and the roles of this section are performed by the general manager and his assistant (Murphy, 2011). The hotel uses recruitment agencies to advertise and conduct interviews for it. However, it sets the minimum application requirements and specifies other qualifications that match job descriptions. Policies and Procedure for Performance Appraisal Windsor uses various employee performance evaluation approaches. The human resource department considers the individual evaluation methods the best way of evaluating the performance of each employee. This department prepares an annual report on the performance of each employee without making comparisons amongst its staffs. The department evaluates how its employees manage critical situations, and the response received from clients. It uses the behavioural assessment technique to evaluate if the actions of workers correspond to the company policies and needs of customers (Falcone, 2013). In addition, it uses the checklist approach to determine the score of workers and know their performance. Windsor measures and compares the performance of workers and their outputs. Travel In uses multiple approaches to compare the performance of workers and evaluate their produ
Introduction Hookah refers to an oriental tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where smoke cools by passing through water (Miller, 2006). Hookah often applies in smoldering flavored tobacco known as Shisha. A physician from Persia used water in a bowl to purify and cool smoke, thus inventing hookah. The physician applied this approach while in an Indian court. Therefore, hookah originated from India and Persia. Hookah has existed in the Middle East region for over four centuries, and it is slowly gaining popularity and acceptance among various societies across the world especially in America, Europe, and some parts of Africa (Miller, 2006). Hookah smoking is very common in the Middle East, and has come to identify as part of their culture. It has become their culture through activities such as social smoking where people smoke from a common hookah with multiple hooks. Some hookahs have one hook but people smoke together by sharing the single hook in turns. This activity is very regular and has become a tradition among most communities not only in the Middle East, but also in the Arabian world (Miller, 2006). Cafes are the common meeting points for these activities because they offer Shisha. People who come for exile in the Middle East use cafes as pubs because no other facilities encourage social gatherings. In other regions of the world where hookah smoking is slowly gaining popularity, smoking of Shisha in public is highly prohibited. This is because of the influence on high school and college students who are increasingly using hookah to smoke (Miller, 2006). Hookah has numerous components that make it appealing to smokers. Hookah has numerous health related effects on those who use it. Components of a Hookah A hookah has eight components that play different roles, but only a few are essential for it to function. The first component is a bowl (Lytton, 2001). The bowl, which acts as the head, is made of clay. The function of the bowl is to ensure that coal and tobacco maintain their positions during smoking. Tobacco is usually loaded into the bowl and covered. Bowls have various variations with designs that hold up tobacco fluids from reaching the stem. The second component is a windscreen (Lytton, 2001). This part is located on top of the bow and contains small holes for aeration. The purpose of the windscreen is to regulate the burning of tobacco, and coal temperatures. The windscreen also prevents ashes from blowing out of the hookah, as wel