ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The significance of managerial economics has become increasingly high in the modern economy. In order to function in the global market effectively, a company needs to develop an organizational management strategy that is pliable enough to address emergent risks and use unexpected opportunities (Birch, Warren, Nicholson, & Minifie, 1965). Due to the changes occurring lately to the communication patterns and management strategies within companies, the focus on innovation has to be consistent, which is rather difficult for a firm operating in the domain of the toy industry. Being one of the leaders in the selected sphere, the Lego Group could use some changes to its organizational management regarding the values and corporate ethics for decision-making, as well as the current value chain and the sustenance of competitive advantage. The Lego Group and the Six Topics Corporate Values The reconsideration of the current corporate values should be deemed as an important step for Lego Group to take. While the focus on employee engagement and quality management are noteworthy advantages of the firm, Lego Group could use more focus on the use of innovation as the crucial component of corporate development, philosophy, and decision-making (Egan, 1995). The proposed principle is believed to have a largely positive effect on the company’s competitiveness because of the subsequent increase in product quality. Competition Bargaining power of buyers     Low: similar products are low-quality toys offered by copycat organizations             Bargaining power of suppliers  Low: it is comparatively easy for the company to switch from one supplier to another    The threat of new entrants     Low: economies of scale prevent new entrants from gaining influence fast.               Threat of substitutes          High: recent focus on gaming applications has made Lego products lose their popularity. Competition                    High: companies offering games based on digital applications may surpass Lego Group.     Figure 1. Lego Group: Porter’s Five Forces. As Porter’s Five Forces analysis performed above shows, the problem of competition is, perhaps, the most complex of the topics that Lego Group needs to address (see Fig. 1). While the organization has been known for its specific brand of toys, the recent rise in the popularity of digital entertainment and especially gaming applications has jeopardized Lego Group’s success. Therefore, the firm should focus on integrating online toys into its line of brands. Value Chain Strengths        * Immense brand name recognition                                                        * Expansion into the movie franchise                                   Weaknesses       * Lack of focus on app development;                                                     * The complexity of the supply chain                                   Opportunities    * Digital technologies                                                                  * Expansion into new markets
Introduction Literature is one of means of thought implementation on people in the society. There are a lot of authors who by means of their pieces of literature works wanted to tell what they think about their society, what ills and troubles they see in it. Those, who read these pieces of works, may either agree or disagree with the author, but the author’s name is not to convince, but to give some ideas for discussion, to make people recognize the problem and to consider the problem. The author’s aim is to make people know and think, and whether they agree or not it is the problem of these people. “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau is the piece of work where the author tells about the profit of isolation from the society, about the opportunity to use nature as the main source of people’s life. He tells about people’s dependence on modern evolution and that sometimes it is useful to hide from civilization and live in the nature, to think freely. The book comprises several chapters, and we are going to discuss three of them: “Where I lived, and what I lived for”, “Sounds” and “Reading”. We are going to find out the author’s ideas and intentions which he put in the book content. Main Body Where I lived, and what I lived for In the opening lines of the “Where I lived, and what I lived for” chapter we may read such words, “At a certain season of our life we are accustomed to considering every spot as the possible site of a house” (Thoreau 2002-141). These words show people the whole direction of the chapter: the author wanted to make people think about the aim of their life, about what they have planned and what they managed to do. These first words just emphasize the heading of the chapter, and one more time underline his idea. Thinking about the Hollowell farm, as the desired place for living, Henry David Thoreau described the place where he wanted to live and the place which he wanted to advise all people to live, “Its complete retirement, being, about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, and separated from the highway by a broad field: its bounding on the river…” (Thoreau 2002-145). These words give the full understanding of what the author dreams, “my imagination carried me so far…” (Thoreau 2002-143). To live in solitude does not mean that the author wants to refuse absolutely from the society and contacts with it, vice versa, he agrees that these contacts are useful and should be, but still person should live separately from these contacts for some time. The author tells that it is possible to be ready for any actions to live in the conditions he described above. He, in his turn, “was ready to carry it on; like Atlas, to take the world on the shoulders and do all these things which had no other motive or excuse but that it would yield the most abundant crop of the kind I wanted, if I could only afford to let it alone” (Thoreau 2002-146). By these words, the author wanted to ell that people should all they can in order to reach the nature, in order to be able to leave this hush and quick world and to be delighted with entire nature, calm and silence. Reading The next chapter, “Reading” tells about the necessit
Introduction Many researches are focusing on consumer behavior and preferences in Malaysia because of the increased shopping activities in the region. The shopping environment in Malaysia has changed significantly over the last couple of years because of the economic gains achieved by the country. Malaysia is one of the upcoming global economies in terms of growth and development. The country which is found in South East Asia is ranked in the list of tiger nations since it is experiencing economic growth at a rate that is faster than many developed nations at the moment. The global financial crisis and the looming European debt crisis have made western nations to experience economic difficulties while Asian countries such as China and the South Pacific region are experiencing increased economic activity. As these economies continue improving, the ability of Asian consumers to spend increases proportionately because of the acquired disposable income. Background of the study Consumer preference is about the desires that people have in regards to the shopping environment. The shopping environment plays a big role in determining consumer behavior in any region. In Klang Valley, the shopping environment is characterized by small and large scale shoppers. Large scale shoppers include organizations, wholesalers and retailers. Small scale shoppers include consumers and some retailers. The shopping environment has however changed over the years because of adoption of technologies, increased purchasing power of consumers and increased investor confidence in Malaysia. Modern shopping techniques are now deployed in Malaysia as the country maintains its momentum to become a developed nation. There is increased use of online shopping and the use of electronic money to foster faster and safer shopping activities. Problem statement Marketers require information so that they can make decisions regarding strategies and advertising campaigns. This information comes from the internal and external environment in which organizations operate. The shopping environment thus does not only affect customers but also marketers as well. The environment from which information is retrieved should be understood as this enables better collection and assessment of the data. In a market where there is no information regarding the effect of environmental factors on consumer preferences, marketers cannot effectively perform their functions of creating awareness and promoting products. Research o
In the past, I had often wondered why some people born with a silver spoon in their mouth have ended leading nondescript lies or have become failures; while others with even no “spoon” to speak of, have reaped success with a capital S. Now I know, after reading about the life of Oprah Winfrey, activist, actress, producer, reporter, TV talk show host, a national celebrity. Ophrah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Even as a baby, she was faced with what her biographers have called a “mountain of obstacles.” She was poor, black, and female; her parents were teenage and unwed. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid and her father was a barber. The young Oprah was raised on a farm by her grandmother, and she maintains that the care her grandmother gave her early on probably saved her life. She began reading aloud and reciting sermons at the tender age of three. More parents should be like Oprah’s granny, who often said she was “gifted,” and the child took it to mean that she was special. This praise was enough to help Oprah endure the hardships she had to go through when she went to live with her mother. A little praise can go a long, long way. Parents should refrain from dishing out to their children such remarks as, “How many times have I told you not to….” This can be highly disconcerting and discouraging to the youngster. It only serves to lower his self-esteem. After a troubled adolescence in the small farming community where she next lived, she was raped by a number of male relatives and friends of her mother. Perhaps it would have been better had she reported the abuses to the proper authorities since those men were criminally liable, but she didn’t know any better. Instead, she held the anger and the pain inside and ran away. Before she finally gave up her wild behavior, she became pregnant and gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. This incident devastated her and prompted her to turn her life around. Today, we may avert this sorry state of affairs by having our adolescents join clubs such as the “Say No To Sex and Drugs” kind in which the youngster (girls) are taught by qualified lecturers the art of self-defense and the dangers of drugs and sex. Oprah’s second chance came when she was sent to live with her father. He insisted on her adhering to the discipline he imposed on her. As a result, she earned high grades in school and read a book every week. At the age of nineteen, Oprah landed her first job as a reporter for a Nashville radio station. Not long after, she entered Tennessee State University to study Radio and TV Broadcasting. Life in the university was not without its glorious moments. Endowed with good looks, Oprah entered several pageants and won the titles of “Miss Black Nashville” and “Miss Tennessee.” Oprah teaches young people that it is not enough to immerse oneself in books and studios. Life must have its light moments too. In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore to host the TV Chat show People are Talking. Eight years after, she hosted her own morning show, AM Chicago. Her major competitor then was Phil Donahue. Several m
Introduction Kite running refers to the act of manipulating the spool of the kite in order for it to move and beat other kites. This sport is quite common among children in Afghanistan and normally entails two boys who each have separate roles. One is responsible for determining the actual direction that the kite will run while the other one changes the threads such that the movement is made possible. The kite runner is responsible for the latter task and he often does most of the hard work. Nonetheless, when declaring a winner, competitors normally acknowledge and award the controller of the kite and not the runner. The metaphor Having looked at the concept of kite running itself, one can clearly see how the title is metaphorical. First, because the kite runner never really gets much appraisal for his work, one can argue that the sport is a bit unfair. This may be likened to the situation in war. Parties involved in a conflict barely fight fair and square. Such unfairness was especially replicated in a number of conflicts that the book covers including the US-Taliban war as well as Soviet occupation. The helplessness of the victims in the story is symptomatic of the injustice brought about by war just like the kite runner who never gets justice for his contributions. War has caused a lot of the main characters a lot of problems hence signifying the injustice inherent in war. First, Baba was a wealthy individual who lived a fulfilling life back home in Afghanistan, however after the Soviet occupation, he had to escape to the United States and start from scratch. Not only did he have to leave his property in Afghan for a strange place, he also lost his status there (Hosseini, 45). Back home, Baba was a very influential merchant who changed the lives of members of his community through a number of initiatives. However, this soon came to an end when he fled to the US because he became nothing more than a gas station employee. Additionally, he was forced to display some goods at a flea market in order to make ends meet. He and his son had to rent a worn out house in this foreign nation. The tale of Amir’s family is quite synonymous with the stories of many other Afghanis who have lost their status and wealth because of the wars. Perhaps most importantly, one can say that the unfairness of war was manifested through the death of many innocent victims. Hassan was one such individual. During the reign of the Taliban, he had been confronted by one of them concerning Baba’s house. He attempted to salvage this piece of property and instead lost his
Problem Identification Working for long hours The case illustrates an increment in extreme work pressure amongst high ranking professionals of different demographics working in firms operating in different economic sectors. This is evident in the number of hours that the professionals commit to their work every week. Some individuals work for approximately 70 hours every week. Their motivation arises from a strong desire to move the organization into a new direction. The resultant effect is that work becomes very stressful. As a result of working for long hours, these professionals are ranked amongst the highly earning individuals on a global scale. Despite the fact that working for long hours is self motivated amongst these professionals in an effort to attain personal and corporate objectives, this has come at a cost with regard to diverse areas of their life. Effects on individuals’ well being Extreme jobs have negatively affected individual’s well being and health. For example, as a result of working for long hours, these individuals do not have enough time to rest, sleep or exercise. In order to minimize the resulting effects such as anxiety and insomnia, these professions depend on medications. Alternative habits formed include overeating and consuming a lot of alcohol. Family life and parenting Extreme working also affects individual’s family life and parenting. For example, working for long hours has denied individuals chances of being with their children and partners. This has the effect of straining family relationships (Hewlett & Luce, 2006, p. 6). With regard to parenting, working for long hours has negatively affected children behavior and performance in schools. Limiting individual’s self actualization capacity Working for long hours may also deny individuals chances of exploiting their talent. This may limit them from becoming self actualized. According to Perrewe and Ganster (2007, p. 248), working for long hours may limit an individual’s capacity to perform other worthwhile activities. Perrewe and Ganster (2007, p.248) also asserts that working for long hours is not directly attainment of hoped for returns. Situation analysis There are a number of factors which have contributed to emergence of extreme jobs. According to Hewlett and Luce (2006, p. 7), individuals decision to work for long hours has been necessitated by changes in the global environment. Some of the changes which have resulted into extreme jobs include increase in competition in the individual profession and also at the corporate level. The work environment has become very challenging as firms adopt a lean operation strategy in an effort to remain competitive. According to Hewlett and Luce (2006, p.7), this has culminated into a decline in job security as organ
Developing a training program The success of every organization rests on its employees’ job performance. As such, organizations “spend a lot of money on employees’ training and development” (Fisher, 2009). However, the success of the training program is highly dependent on their design rather than the capital invested. As a manager for Pal’s Sudden Service, I would consider many factors and carry out many activities in developing an efficient training program. I would set the goals and objectives to achieve, document the existing program, determine the methods and materials needed for the training, provide for evaluation and monitoring and to communicate the new training proposal with all stakeholders. The goals of the training program are, to reduce working errors from one in 450 to none if possible, improve employees’ job morale, address customer complaints, reduce job absenteeism, and reduce service time. Since covering all the training areas using one professional is likely to reduce efficiency, I would involve experts in different fields to help. For example, I would hire a motivational speaker to give a talk on job morale and a counselor to advise on relationship between employees and the management. To achieve much on training, it is important to document the training methods that used in the past, find possible weakness points and develop a much better plan. The last training method therefore acts like a guide. Even though there are three methods of training, “…programmed instruction, behavioral modeling and lecture,” I would prefer behavioral modeling and lecture because they are the most suited for on-job training (Aamodt, 2009). They provide employees opportunity to learn from their supervisors while working and to listen to experts invited by the company. Using the two methods concurrently works like a double-edged sword. To ensure the effectiveness of the program I would set a system of continuous evaluation and monitoring that checks if the objectives are met, and proposes appropriate action if not. Lastly, I would communicate the suggested program to the employees to get their views and opinions. Evaluation of the training program Employ training is critical to every organization. Many firms invest heavily on employee training programs. Organizations invest in training to improve performance. However, measuring the impact of a training program is very difficult. In fact, “it is very possible for a training program to fail to achieve its intended goals completely” (Fisher, 2009). To ascertain the impact of a training program, evaluation is necessary. Therefore, to establish the effectiveness of the training program, I would use practicality method proposed by Aamodt (2009). Aamodt further states that “The most simple and practical of research designs implements a training program and then determines whether significant change is seen in perfomance of job knowledge (2009). To use this evaluation perfectly and get accurate results, I would carry out two
Introduction The paper provides an analysis of a popular clicks-and-bricks company, which specializes in the marketing of pet food, IAMS corporation. The central business firm is situated in Ohio and was founded in 1946. Except for the well-developed infrastructure of franchises throughout the world, the firm also targets Internet selling as an effective technique of production distribution. A target audience of the company embraces the category of clients, who seek high-quality nutrition for their pets, which embraces healthy ingredients. Currently, the company leads experimentation with alternating some substances with the aim of making IAMS production accessible for the group of low-income customers. The primary challenge for the corporation is to find a balance between keeping excellent product quality and reducing the prices. The optimization of the production may create an advantageous positioning for the corporation, which may help the company to outperform its essential competitors such as Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Nutro Products. The critical part of IAMS handling embraces effective SEO management, which gives the business preference over its rival corporations. The support of efficient web-advertisement contributes to the delivery of a company mission statement to the customers, which concerns the statement of healthy nutrition philosophy as well as for the placing of optimal offers for clients such as giving money back and providing quality commitment (Valdivia 2). The Historical Background of IAMS According to the corporation history, the company was initiated by Paul Iams, who developed a new formula of nutritional pet feeding and incorporated it in the establishment of a successful business (“Background information on IAMS company” par. 1). The ideological foundation of the business development stems from the idea, according to which the nutrition for dogs, which was produced in the world in the 20 th century, lacked proteins and fat. Since the diet of Paul Iams suggested that with the selection of IAMS products the animals receive all required nutritional elements, the formula had quickly become popular in clients from different countries. The period of the most critical company renovations relates back to the 1990s. At that time, the IAMS professionals managed to elaborate on a unique puppy life cycle formula, which assisted in accommodating nutrition choices to the personal characteristics of an animal. Moreover, the period is marked with the introduction of Omega-3 and Omega-6 as the main ingredients of IAMS products, which certified the quality enhancement of nutritional pet food. The last stage of successful products’ innovation refers to the 2000s and dwells on the use of DNA as the means of brain work improvement for pets (“IAMS Company History” par. 6). Digital Picture of IAMS Company Successful management of web-distribution foundation, which applies to IAMS corporation, predefines selling rates. The efficiency of the company site search completely dwells on finding a stable balance between SEO and paid search functioning. IAMS business uses a successful formula of Internet marketing si