ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The aspect of equity in organizational total compensation plans primarily entails fairness and competitiveness of salaries and rewards that employers pay employees (Martocchio, 2009). Internal equity and external equity are the main forms of employee-centered compensation systems. The two reward systems are implemented by organizations depending on the nature of their activities, their required employee skill sets, and their overall human resources management strategies. Internal equity involves the comparisons of employee rewards allocations in an organization. External equity, on the other hand, refers to the ways an organization’s compensation packages compare to those of other organizations. The choice of a particular compensation system is usually informed by the need to optimize employee retention and work performance while remaining attractive to prospective employees at the same time (Martocchio, 2009). This essay analyses the fundamental aspects of internal and external equity, with reference to two organizations that have in place either of the compensation systems. Internal Equity at American Institutes for Research American Institutes for Research (AIR) is one good example of an organization that implements a total compensation structure that is focused on internal equity. AIR’s work environment demonstrates team empowerment and encourages assertiveness in the bid to observe motivational strategies that promote efficiency and continuity within the internal environment of the organization. These employee compensation characteristics are evident in AIR’s total compensation package whereby it is designed to attract and retain the best talent through competitive salary rewards, comprehensive employee benefits, and a supportive work environment. As such, it observes internal equity by rewarding its entire talented workforce proportionately (American Institutes for Research). The organization has in place performance-based bonus programs, well-defined systems for propagating employee promotions, and clear criteria for determining salary increments and benefits that come with promotions (American Institutes for Research). This enables the organization to avoid discriminative salary discrepancies and other pitfalls in its internal environment. One advantage of internal equity is that it encourages individual employees to exercise creativity and innovations because of the satisfaction they get from their compensation rewards, but also from their ambition to rise through the ranks. It also promotes teamwork among employees in similar and different pay scales because of the absence of discontent that usually arises from salary discrepancies among employees in similar job scales. Organizational employees also motivated when their designated job responsibilities and actual workloads are taken into account in their respective total compensation packages (Martocchio, 2009). However, internal equity compensation plans may fail to
Social media policies determine what employees and employers should post online. They help in controlling the behaviors of employees through inspiring, advising, and guiding diverse case scenarios. They also hinder public relations crises, security breaches, management issues, enhance awareness of legal measures, and help maintain brand identity (NLRB, 2021). This paper explores National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Case 28-CA-23267 to determine whether Lee Enterprises, Inc violated the law as indicated in Section 8 (a) (1) by terminating a worker for posting tweets considered inappropriate and unprofessional. The facts of the case and the determination of the NLRB The case for this discussion is Lee Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Arizona Daily Star , NLRB Case No. 28-CA-23267. It involved charges presented to the NLRB to determine whether Lee Enterprise violated the law by terminating a worker for posting inappropriate and unprofessional tweets to a company’s Twitter account (NLRB, 2021). The NLRB concluded that the company’s action was within the law since the employer sent offensive messages that failed to involve protected concerted activity. The case involved Lee Enterprises, Inc and its employee who was encouraged to post local Tuscan news on Twitter at the Arizona Daily Star website. This implied that the employee acted as the company’s online reporter, where he was expected to use different social media outlets to ensure that information reaches people who rarely read newspapers (Stohl, Etter, Banghart & Woo, 2017). The company intended to use the employee to facilitate the creation of traffic at the Arizona Daily Star website. Lee Enterprises, Inc offered training to all its workers on the application of social media tools and sites. This enabled the company to start examining and following Twitter account under the “FOIA Exemption 6, 7 (C)]” name. The Twitter account offered direct access links and information about Lee Enterprises, Inc available at the Arizona Daily Star’s website (NLRB, 2021). These details were followed by tweets to the company to enhance public perception. Moreover, the employee’s tweets provided links to Myspace and Facebook accounts, where additional information was provided. This shows that the employee’s activities on Twitter were not associated with the Twitter feed for the Daily Star. The workers posted multiple negative tweets at the Daily Star regarding other departments influencing the Human Resource Personnel to caution him against misdirection and dangerous content. The HR felt disturbed that inappropriate use of social media can negatively affect the company image and hinder its performance in the market (Bennett & Manoharan, 2017). Workers were reminded to avoid violating the company’s social media policies. A meeting was held with senior editors a week after where it was made clear to the worker that personal feelings on the working conditions and choices should not be published. The worker confirmed that he was aware of the online policy as he left the meeting. The worker disregarded the instructions given b
In the book The Breakthrough, Gwen Ifill addresses the political background and what part the women and men the author calls “the breakthrough politicians” or what the editor of the New Yorker David Remnick refers to as “the Joshua generation” who happen to be the offsprings of the civil rights pressure groups the role they played in the 2008 US presidential election as well as the prospects of US politics. These breakthrough politicians were born in the 1960s and ’70s, and during their time, they were brought up in a world that was shaped by access rather than denial. As the book reveals, these individuals came from middle-class families, attended best campuses, and are more likely to get into politics via business than activism. (pg 66-69). Ifill’s book had for long been in the works and surprisingly centers less on Obama than on the group of up-coming Black-American politicians to whom she argues that they were changing the politics in America. This paper looks into the causes that brought about the coming up of the Breakthrough politicians as stated in Ifill’s book. The author rightly discharges the belief that the US has turned out to be a “post-racial” country, but admits the insight of David Axelrod, Obama’s adviser that “the aspect of this race is that it did not take the vital role that some individuals thought it would.” Still, Axelrod shows Obama’s “race-neutral approach as merely “a role of math”: i.e., electing a Black-American in a nation where that particular race make up 13% of the nation’s population needed an aspirant who appealed to the non-black ­electors. The other vital issue that was addressed was the long-overdue African-American issues of discrimination, where blacks were not entitled to the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Poverty was another issue that was addressed. Citing his own father’s background, Obama promised to level the playing field so that every American, whether black or white has access to proper medical care, and at the very least should have some form of education for a better future. All these issues are no longer a secret, and every American is well aware of them. As a matter of fact, Obama promised to do something about them during his campaign. Now that he is the president, everyone hopes that he will keep his promise. As stated by Ifill, “As myriad new African-American leaders have realized that the key to breaking through often only lies in such an intersect putting the white people at ease without estranging blacks.” (pg 106-107). The Breakthrough looks at the generational change, class as well as race which played a major role in the last general elections in the US. The book has perspective as well as depth which to most people thought th
Introduction In his letter to Ren-An, Sima Qian argues that one should be judged by the purity of one’s intention, and not whether one is successful. He argues that there are cases where one takes a noble course that is meant to help his people and to make the world a better place but fails to achieve the noble goals one set. Such a person should not be considered a failure. A noble act that is taken by anyone, even if it does not result in the intended goal, should be treated as a good act that others should emulate. On the other hand, someone may take a path that is meant to create pain and suffering for others and end up being successful in one’s objectives. It is not advisable to consider such a person successful in life for having achieved destructive goals. Si-ma says that when he inherited the throne from his father, he intended to achieve greatness and to make his people more successful (Owen 137). However, he was not able to achieve most of the goals he set to transform his society. At his old age, he looks back and remembers the great plans that he should have implemented to transform his community, and it pains him that most of them were never fulfilled. He lists various levels of his failure, as a commander of the force entrusted to him, as a leader, and as a family member (Owen 136). However, in this letter, he says that he should not be judged by these failures, but by the purity of his intention in every action he took. In this essay, the focus will be to discuss how Si-ma demonstrates this attitude of judging people based on how he writes history. Discussion Si-ma Qian believed that as a ruler, a military commander, and a family member, he had several failures because he did not live up to expectations. In this letter to Ren An, He is cognizant of the fact that when he inherited the throne from the father, people had a lot of expectations of him. He also had personal expectations that he set to realize for the duration that he was a ruler. However, in his sunset days, he is melancholic, trying to remember the good
Introduction Society in recent days has come a long way from what it used to be. About 2000 years ago, there were clearly defined roles for every member of the family. Men were expected to fend for their families while wives stayed at home taking care of their children. There were very few professions to choose from and the cost of living was quite low. (Forbes, 2007) Arguments for western civilization Health Western civilization has brought about a lot of changes in the fields of medicine. Centuries ago, it was impossible to treat a variety of diseases; adults and children died from illnesses that were not very difficult to handle. Operations were done crudely – without anesthesia, children were not immunized against preventable diseases and many conditions were left unchecked. A case in history is the Black plague of the twelfth century. This plague started in the continent of Asia and then spread to other parts of the world including Europe. This plague killed close to eighty million people all over the world. Europe was particularly hit by this pandemic century after century until the eighteenth century. This plague diminished their population size until the continent’s social structure was dramatically changed. But after western civilization, people who were born with certain conditions could get help. E.g. there are spectacles for those with eye problems, operations are less painful, common diseases like malaria, TB, measles can now be prevented or even treated. There are artificial limbs for those without legs and many other advances. These activities have all served to improve the quality of life today. Communication Back in the olden days, messages were transmitted through slow and unreliable forms. These included; messengers and direct meetings. This meant that people had to wait for long periods of time before they could receive feedback and message content was frequently distorted. Communication has been greatly improved through western civilization. The landmark was the printing press that was discovered in the great Renaissance. This led to numerous volumes of books landing in the hands of many; also information was stored in a way that was fast and easily accessible. There were about fifteen million books that were printed during the Renaissance. Before that, there was the master punch which was in use in 3000 BC. Bars were imprinted with designs then they were used to stamp images onto templates. It took too long
The short story “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver is centered around a recently divorced couple who fight over their single baby child. The story contains three major symbols, which are changing weather outside, the mother’s picking up the baby’s picture, and the breaking of a flowerpot. The message of Carver’s work is focused on the sacrifice of non-compromise, which means that if two parties are not willing to give up something to reach a compromise, the sacrifices will be taken from elsewhere. In the case of the story, the sacrifice was the baby, the most precious individual in both parents’ lives. Changing Weather The story begins with a detailed description of the weather outside the house. The author writes, “early that day the weather turned, and the snow was melting into dirty water. Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the backyard” (Carver 277). In other words, the author uses the description of the external environment in order to set the overall mood and feel of the story. He also writes, “cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too” (Carver 277). Therefore, the symbol of changing weather also foreshadows the fact that the story will be dark as well. Picture of the Baby The interaction of the two parents begins with the father’s disinterest in the mother, while the latter emotionally expresses her thoughts on his leave. The second symbol is the picture of the baby, which is taken by the mother. The author writes, “then she noticed the baby’s picture on the bed and picked it up. He looked at her, and she wiped her eyes and stared at him before turning and going back to the living room” (Carver 277). In other words, after both parties expressed their attitudes and perceptions of each other, the picture was a reminder of the fact that the baby is the only thing that connects them, even if they are unwilling to be together. The father does not acknowledge the mother, while the latter is hateful of the former, but their child is what binds them together. The Flowerpot The last symbol is a flowerpot, which breaks as a result of the parents’ fight with each other. The author writes, “the baby was red-faced and screaming. In the scuffle they knocked down a flowerpot that hung behind the stove” (Carver 277). The flowerpot foreshadows the ending of the story, where it is implied that the baby is fatally hurt or killed due to the selfishness of the parents. As in real life, it is impossible to point out which particular parent is blameworthy of a child’s death, but it is clear that both of them were selfish enough not to let go of the baby. A truly loving parent would have released his or her grip on a child, especially since both understood how irrational and incompetent the other parent is, which evidently led to their divorce. Conclusion In conclusion, Carver’s short story is a universally applicable and relatable message on the concept of compromise. Although the narrative prese
While analyzing the effects of price on the demand and supply of cigarettes and food within the context of Radford’s article “The Economic Organization of a P.O.W. Camp”, we need to outline some important key points that should be discussed during this analysis. They are:  1. The preference of having an item of account rather than having a kit of double-faced rates of barter for each pair of goods;  2. The usage of cigarettes as money instead of national currency;  3. Some costs related to the use of consumer non – durable goods as currency, the possibility of reducing these costs;  4. The understanding of Radford’s term “unified”. The benefits of the market became “unified”. The help of cigarette monetary schemes in the unification of the market;  5. The role of middlemen in providing a service. The issues of the supply and demand of non – durable goods;  6. The possibility of accelerating inflation in the cigarette economy, some health problems of the smokers;  7. The role of Government in the P. O. W. camp economy. Some bilateral rates, including a “tin of jam [being] worth one-half pound of margarine plus something else” (Radford, p. 21), are not favorable to relieving trade, due to the number of different ways in which it is possible to value a single well. While utilizing double-faced rates the following confounding variables should be considered: the existence of smaller camp’s markets. Changes in the supply of goods, through distributing, or the formation of the food parcels would also cause the complication of double-faced rates, as businesses which had been possible before would no more be viable. Changes in supply would cause difficulties in the exchange rate. New combinations of goods would cause some misunderstandings between buyers and sellers. It must be outlined that it is an advantage to have a standard for measuring the values of all goods. Using the same unit in measuring the value of everything, it is possible to see and compare the relative, thus, the effectiveness of the trading is greatly improved. It is necessary to explain the reasons for cigarettes’ usage as money instead of national currency. First of all, the amount of currency in the camp would be limited. Secondly, the prisoners would be from different countries and, thus, they would have a different currency. For example, there were “up to 50,000 prisoners of at least six different nationalities” (Radford, p. 21) at Stalag VIIA. Here arises the problem of the pricing of goods, and evaluating each currency relative to these goods. That would be confusing and inefficient. Thus, a standard currency would appear, as cigarettes did after the initial bartering of non – durable goods. Economic processes never
Abortion has been a highly politicized agenda in American society. Presidents have used reproductive health rights as a campaigning angle for decades. Different presidents that have held office have offered various views on the subject. Whereas the previous US president, Barack Obama, was pro-choice, the current president, Donald Trump, has strongly advocated for the banning of abortion. The impact has not only been felt in America but in all countries and organizations that receive foreign aid from the US government. The essay will look at how the politics of abortion has explicitly changed in the USA via two brief entries. As per the instructions, one entry will be the post-Gratz abortion timeline, meaning after the year 2000. The second entry will be on the politics of abortion in the last year. 2003 In 2003, the politics of abortion favored the pro-life stand. The main reason behind this was the fact that the then president, George Bush, was a strong supporter of the same. The US government heavily supported the Mexico City Policy, which stated that any organization or cou
Introduction There are four major types of counseling modalities namely; Alderian, Person-centered, Transactional analysis and Psychodynamic. The purpose of this paper is to give a critical review of the named counseling modalities and then give a further in depth assessment of the efficacy and limitation of the modalities preferably person-centered and psychodynamic counseling models Personal centered counseling technique This counseling modality originated from Carl Rogers. It follows the humanistic ideals and purports that a client/person has the capacity to own their problems and solve them. That means that the counseling session is merely a facilitating affair to help the client get a clear picture of him self or the situation at hand. (Richmond, 2007). The client is the best persons to channel his personal growth through his experiences. Nonetheless, this theory also acknowledges the fact that unfavorable conditions hamper individuals to grow and develop to full potential. Such unfavorable conditions include negative regards form other, conditional relationship/acceptance with other, a draining environment among others. (Nelson-Jones, 2006). This negative conditions bar individuals from realizing their innate power to chart their own course. For some reason, human beings feel they are obliged to incorporate other people’s beliefs in their own self concept. According to this theory, individuals find it easily to regard themselves in light of what other people expect form them rather than their own judgments in order to acquire positive regard from others. (Mulhauser, 2007). It is not uncommon to hear expressions like “I am the kind of person who listens to other opinions’ or I am the kind of friend who never lets others down’ underlying these expressions is the fact that the individual has less of self regard and identity than he/she has of others creations. When the acquired concept clashes with an individual personal experiences then the balance is destabilized hence causing anxiety, depression and psychological disturbance. Alderian counseling model This theory of counseling psychotherapy was developed by Alfred Adler. Alder’s counseling model gives prominence to provoking maladaptive lifestyles in individuals (Clark, 29) and the basic goal of the Adlerian approach is to help clients identify and change their mistaken beliefs about self, others, and life and thus participate more fully in a social world (Corey, 119). This is achieved by altering a client’s dysfunctional perceptions or belief systems by replacing them with positive self concepts and realistic assumptions about the wo