ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Over the past decade, we have witnessed dramatic advances in the field of information technology. In the process, our lives have improved greatly. Indeed, technology and by extension, the internet, has had a profound effect on our lifestyles and lives. Not only has the internet affected the way we conduct business and interact, but also it has also affected the manner in which we share information. With the rapid growth of online business, there has also been a resultant increase in the number of people and businesses that are connected to, have access to and share information. Although the internet has eased sharing of knowledge and information, as we advance in technology, it is important to consider issue of ethics in sharing information and knowledge. One area where there has been a rapid growth in sharing of information and technology is in the music industry where the issue of file sharing has become quite rampant. File sharing describes the activity of providing or distributing access to information stored, using digital means, like in multimedia form (for example, images, video, and audio), as well as computer programs. To start with, a summary of the article, “The high price for free music: how illegal downloads are silencing artist”, by Hayes (2012), is provided. The key points of the article will be summarized. Thereafter, the multinational as well as global aspects of the article shall be analyzed. Three critically important questions that I would like to address regarding this topic are also highlighted. Hayes (2012) argues that file sharing has seen a rapid increase in illegal music downloads. He further notes that nearly 80 % of the music downloads are illegal downloads. This is also negatively affecting the economy. By downloading music illegally, you hurt musicians and generally, exploit the music industry. It becomes hard for musicians to finance and develop new projects. This effectively creates a hostile market for musicians. As Hayes (2012) has noted, many people who download music illegally do so because it is a convenient way for getting music with little regard for the ethics behind such a practice. The loyalties paid to musicians by record companies are also likely to decline due to declined music sales, buoyed by increased cases of music downloads. Lack of adequate policing of the music industry means illegal music downloads goes on unabated. Hayes (2012) further argues that as the prevalence of illegal downloading increases, this tends to reduce the pricing power of an artist, because there are cheaper options of getting their music. In the past few years, electronic piracy has turned into a problem of global status. The emergence of Napster in the late 1990s ensured that file sharing became extremely popular (Liebowitz, 2000). Hohn, Muftic and Wolf (2006) argue that recording and software companies have witnessed reduced sales revenue owing to internet piracy. Peitz and Waelbroeck (2004) notes that internet piracy accounted for nearly 20% of music revenue losses. File sharing has
Introduction For a long time, poverty has been perceived to constitute lack or inadequacy of basic needs, including food, clothing, and shelter. The levels by which different societies achieve these three basic essentials vary, and this explains the differences in poverty levels among different societies. Today, America is described to have the highest level of poverty rate compared to other industrialized countries (Garcia, 2011). To justify this, the recent and most current statistics from the Census Bureau shows that the level and rate of poverty in USA is increasing, with minority ethnic groups being the most disadvantaged (Dye, 2010). In the past, numerous poverty reduction policies have been formulated and implemented, but their overall impact remains below expectations, as the main beneficiaries are the middle class in expense of the poor (Dye, 2010). Therefore, the situation calls for paradigm shift in policy formulation and implementation. Poverty: Statement of the Problem In the year 2010, poverty rate in USA stood at 15.1% up from 14.3% recorded in the previous year-2009 (USA Census Bureau, 2011). At the same time, it was noted that poverty rate for the last four years has been increasing at an estimated rate of 2.6%. On overall, in 2010, estimates indicated that about 46.2 million Americans are poor and the rate of poverty increased was observed to affect almost all major ethnic groups in America: Whites, African American, Asians, Hispanic (USA Census Bureau, 2011). Furthermore, the 2010 official statistics indicated the highest rate of poverty the country had experienced and recorded since 1993. Therefore, in order to address this issue of increasing poverty, there is need to conduct an action research that investigates public policy initiatives in USA with regard to poverty, and subsequently propose the most effective public policy that can be pursued successfully. Significance of the study Poverty remains an issue that ought to be addressed in the American society as a way of achieving the American Dream. Social inclusion goals and objectives postulate that, the well-being of humankind is the essence of stability, peace, and societal development. Therefore, addressing poverty is one way of achieving social inclusion goals. At the same time, there is need for an effective public policy that comprehensively addresses the issues of poverty in the country. Therefore, this study possesses the ability to create a sound body of knowledge that in turn can be used to create an effective public policy framework. Relevant Literature Review Poverty level in USA is increasing at gradual rate, and the overall impact of this to the society is huge (Garcia, 2011). Addressing poverty has assumed and utilized unilateral public policy mode
As culture influences a range of aspects in human life, it is also impactful in the case of receiving and seeking healthcare. The approaches to life and everyday practices inherent to each culture affect the perceptions of healthcare and can, therefore, dictate how well people are accustomed to specific care procedures. For nurses, cultural competence is associated with the effort to recognize and understand the beliefs and traditions of diverse populations. Because of this, exploring the influence of the culture of healthcare practices is an essential part of understanding relevant practices and determining the methods of enhancing care for patients from different backgrounds. Patients of different backgrounds may have various opinions about seeking the care of healthcare specialists because of the way in which they were raised. For example, Western industrialized societies such as Europe and Northern America see diseases as results of naturally occurring scientific phenomena. Therefore, they advocate for the implementation of modern treatments and the use of the latest technologies for diagnosing and treating diseases. Other societies, especially those who heavily rely on the belief in the supernatural, consider illnesses as curses and promote the use of prayer and other spiritual interventions that are polarly opposite to the Western approach to treatment. Within the cultural background, there may be a large range of factors that influence the hesitancy of some patients to seek the assistance of healthcare specialists. When cultures have a particular distrust of authorities, they are less likely to seek professional medical care. Such distrust may be fueled by the beliefs that authorities are untruthful in the definition of a disease or that illness is deliberately spread by health workers to gain financial advantage. Such misconceptions were prevalent in some parts of West Africa that were at risk of Ebola (Omoleke, Mohammed, & Saidu, 2016). The stereotype that the government would lie to its people just to spread panic resulted in an increased rate of the disease severity. Apart from the stereotypes and mistrust in the government, both language and healthcare access contribute to individuals’ hesitancy to seek out medical care. For instance, in the study by Pearson, Zhao, and Ford (2011), it was found that elderly Hispanic patients were less likely to get flu vaccinations because of poor English proficiency. Similarly, Chando, Tiro, Harris, Kobrin, and Breen (2013), parents that spoke predominantly Spanish in California were much less li
Introduction Sustainability is one of the complex concepts as it entails different activities that aim at achieving the wants of the current generation without violating the potential interests of the future generation to meet their needs. Sustainability focuses on the formation of high-quality lives while respecting the role to conserve the available natural resources and protecting the environment. Some of the activities affiliated to sustainability include accessibility to jobs, fresh water, clean energy, and better resource use without creating problems such as pollutions and unwanted congestions (Bebbington, Unerman, and O’Dwyer 19). Environmental sustainability incorporates the depletion of non-renewable resources, controlled pollution, and effective harvesting of renewable resources. This paper focuses on environmental unsustainability in the African American community while providing remedies on ways to ensure sustainability. Investing in clean energy Most power stations located in African-American localities use fossil fuels and coal in the generation of electricity. Consequently, greenhouse gases, which often comprise carbon dioxide and methane, are emitted. These gases are harmful to the environment thus resulting in undesired climate changes. Oil, coal, and gas are nonrenewable sources of energy, and they are easily depleted thus frustrating the energy needs of the generations to come (Noorman and Uiterkamp 106). Therefore, to counter this problem, the African American community should focus on emphasizing the ultimate need to use clean energy sources. Clean energy refers to electricity from the inclusion of renewable sources. Clean energy is affiliated with negligible instances of pollution and less emission of harmful gases thereby coinciding with the efforts of environmental sustainability. Besides, clean energy is infinite because it originates from renewable sources that entail the solar, water, and wind. Most African Americans live in areas dominated by power plants that engage in excessive pollution thus causing health conditions such as asthma and heart-related diseases. Besides, the consequences brought by climate change amount to environment-related disasters that could be avoided with clean energy. The adoption of clean energy by the African American will not only result in environmental sustainability, but also a considerable reduction the energy costs (Bebbington, Unerman, and O’Dwyer 99). By encouraging the use of clean energy in the African American community, new technologies that enable the energy system to attain its desired objective of easy affordability and sustainability are ultimately be achieved. The potentiality of the future generations to
Introduction The presented case describes a company that manufacturers medium and small sized coolers. The coolers are usually used for outdoor events and picnics. The current problem affecting the company arises from its supply chain operations for the final products. The production and distributions are managed from the East Coast. This means that the West Coast’s customers find it hard to get the coolers. This is caused by the high freight rates and the final product’s low density. The decision to implement the idea of freight equalization has not delivered positive results in the company. The margins have been affected negatively after the firm took the hit for the less-than-truck-load shipments to its West Coast customers. The main alternatives for the firm include contracting a distribution facility, establishing a new facility on West Coast, or maintaining the current supply chain setup. The decision to distribute products from various locations presents various benefits. For instance, the customers will acquire the coolers in a timely manner, attract more customers, and maximize its profits (Agami, Saleh, & Rasmy, 2012). The approach will also strengthen the firm’s supply chain. The main disadvantage arises from the increased costs of doing business in the industry. Manufacturing Operations Flows Manufacturing companies use several steps to ensure products flow smoothly from the factories to the customers. The first step is acquisition of raw materials. These materials should be obtained in a timely manner. They should also meet the outlined quality requirements. This step is followed by the manufacturing process. The next step in the operations flow is warehousing. The finished products are stored in such a way that they can be shipped to the consumer in a timely manner (Agami et al., 2012). Marketing and delivery to the customer are the final steps. Finally, the firm can collect customers’ feedbacks in an attempt to make appropriate product improvements. The acquisition of raw materials can take up to a year depending on their availability and production. The major activities during this step include identification of raw materials, transportation, and monitoring quality. The manufacturing process should not take more than a week since the process is automated. The right personnel should monitor the process in order to ensure every finished product satisfies the customer’s order. The right quantities of materials should be used to complete the product. The other crucial activity is examining the final products to detect defects. Warehousing and shipping can be undertaken simultaneously depending on the location of the customer (Azfar, Khan, & Gabriel, 2014). The main activity is to match client’s orders with the final product. Destinations should also be clearly labeled to minimize confusions during shipment. These steps should not take more than two weeks. Each cooler can have a unique manufacturing and marketing timeline. This depends on the needs an
Various organizations in the modern world can have a significant impact on people and their lives. In the social and behavioral sciences, organizations are studied through such disciplines as organizational behavior and organizational theory (Champoux, 2016). Sociology significantly contributes to the formation of each of them. In particular, sociology of work that studies social relations in the workplace, influenced the knowledge base of organizational behavior. In turn, organizational theory seeks to understand organizations as systems and get ideas and theories about how social systems are built from sociology. There is a particular part of sociology dedicated to this area – the sociology of organizations. The study of organizations from the sociology point of view began in the 1950s. At first, research was limited since sociologists observed the organizations only as a working environment. A little later, scientists noted their dualist nature, considering both the technical and social sides. The most significant influence on the development of theories about the sociology of organizations had the consideration of them as an open system. Researchers studied not only people and processes but also the impact of the environment. As a result, many theories arose: contingency theory, network theory, institutional theory, and several others (Scott, 2004). The expansion of knowledge and the study of various significant aspects, which was possible thanks to the logic of open systems, became the dominant trends of the second half of the twentieth century. New knowledge has given impetus to organizations’ changes – their boundaries have become more open, work strategies, management methods changed, and new ideas developed to study them. An example of an organization I am a part of is a college and even individual classes. Almost everyone is part of the organization, which is possible while considering organizations following Champoux (2016), as the unification of two or more people acting together to achieve the goal. By visiting shops, cafes, or official agencies, I also i
People management systems of Canadian-based MNC in Turkey Mike Ansell has asked Helen Reeves to head up the new Turkish operation and he has suggested to her that this subsidiary should have the same organizational and people management systems and practices as those successfully operated by VC in Canada and England. Introduction MNCs are operating across boundaries other than their home countries, a phenomenon or opportunity that is full of challenges as far as the management of foreign subsidiaries is concerned. One such company is Vancouver Communication which apart from having a branch in England has discovered the existence of potentials in Turkey’s market. Moving to Turkey will not change the company’s management approach where it has for a long time favored the ‘home-county approach’. Therefore, the question that needs to be answered is whether the approach will be able to succeed or if the new manager in the area needs to accept a change of the approach to fit in the environment. Discussion Geographically, Turkey occupies Asia Minor while another small portion is found in Europe (Culture of Turkey Forum n.d, p.1). Currently, the annual population growth of the country is estimated to be at 1.6 percent from the earlier rate of 2.5 percent (Culture of Turkey Forum n.d, p.1). According to the 1998 population census, the country was found to have 64, 566, 511 people where 65 percent were found to inhibit the urban areas while another 35 percent to be in rural areas (Culture of Turkey Forum n.d, p.1). Evidence shows that Turks originated in inner Asia hence much of its cultural characteristics resemble those of the Middle East and Asian countries although at the same time much has been adopted and incorporated from Western countries (Culture of Turkey Forum, n.d, p.1). Hofstede identified five cultural elements that denote the national cultures of different countries. The first identified element by Hofstede has to do with the extent of power distance (PDI) where different societies are seen to exhibit differences about members of the society having or exercising power. According to Hofstede certain societies are characterized to constitute less powerful members about power while other societies members are more powerful about power (Jackson2002). Individualism Index (IDV), as another element of Hofstede largely evaluates between two concepts of individualism versus collectivism and measures how these two concepts characterize different societies (Jackson2002). Individualistic societies are loose and person-centered, while collectivist societies are largely integrated, cohesive, and have in-group tendencies; masculinity versus femininity (MAS) which postulates the distribution of gender roles, and different societies are seen to exhibit different mechanisms about gender roles (Jackson2002). This is in addition to uncertainty avoidance (UAI), which deals with the level of a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; and lastly, it is the long term orientation (LTO) where t
Pentateuch is considered one of the most influential religious texts in both Judaism and Christianity. Old and New Testaments attribute its authorship to Moses; however, critical scholarship, which has been developing for the past two centuries, is making both fair and biased assumptions on the Pentateuch’s origin, date, and authorship. The nature of divine miracles which were described in the text is also a subject of a heated debate. Rational thinking and scientific reasoning cannot justify some of the crucial points described in the Pentateuch. It is necessary to examine the critical analyses of the scripture to determine which controversial points have valid arguments and which are based on bias and contain logical fallacies. Critical Scholarship is a study of Historical Books which tries to clarify some of the controversial points connected with any religious text. Contrary to popular belief, critical scholarship should not be associated with criticism and is not negative in nature. Due to the complexity of the Bible and the sheer variety of genres and books it encompasses, it is challenging to determine some of the crucial details of these texts’ origins. Critical scholars utilize linguistic methods to analyze the scriptures and help others interpret and understand them better. These methods focus on exploring the text, its form, genre, structure, the author, and possible editors (Hill and Walton 572). Historical events which happened simultaneously with the creation of the text and potential sources or older editions that the scripture derives information from are also considered. However, the process of critical study may lead to logical fallacies, biased attitudes, and severe misinterpretations of the original text. Due to the nature of linguistic methods involved in the study, the final result may contain detrimental errors. There are multiple reasons for why these mistakes frequently happen (Madkour 103). The first and most prevalent reason is the age of the scripture. It is virtually impossible for scholars to analyze the text’s original version to come to concrete conclusions. The second reason is the continuous translation and multiple editions of the text. Different languages have terms that sometimes do not have direct equivalents; hence, making fair assumptions about the original meaning of the text complicated. The translator had to either explain the implication of the phrase or replace it with something that inadequately represents the information. The third reason is the