ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The Impact of SMAC on Business Transactions SMAC means social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (Kotelec, 2014). It is a combination of four technologies that are speeding up business transactions. This technology includes social media, mobile gadgets, sensors, and cloud computing (Kotelec, 2014). What caught my attention regarding the utilization of this technology was how it helps analyze consumer behaviors in different regions at very fast rates: it shows where and when people consume certain goods and services. I believe this technology will impact a business by improving the sales of individual companies. However, it may also lead to unemployment since it does not require many people to operate. Therefore, many marketers and other people employed in the business sector risk losing their jobs. This technology has had an effect on me because it requires sophisticated computer skills, yet mine is not suitable. Worse still, it requires connectivity to social media: I use social media, but most of the other users are young, and transacting with them is very difficult due to our age difference. I do not think it has any potential for improvement. It has included all the possible areas. However, it still has a future since many people are still adapting it, and it has proven to be effective in many fields. Advantages   * It reduces the cost of marketing goods and services.   * It helps reach consumers from all parts of the world in a short period.   * Since many people know how to use social media and mobile gadgets, it does not require new skills for use in the workplace. Disadvantages   * Replaces manpower with computers.   * Age and language barrier hinders some business transaction. WhatsApp as the Future of Business Transactions Many people in countries such as India use Whatsapp in their business transactions (Belanger, 2014). Such transactions do not involve adverts and most of the other elements of business transactions. However, its use caught my attention because it is possible to send images of the products and have instant feedback. I think WhatsApp will impact a business by speeding up the transactions because WhatsApp is cheaper than ordinary texting, and customers can send images of their products and get feedback within one minute. This invention has not had any negative
When one is nearing the end of his earthly existence, there is a tendency for him to reminisce and weigh the life he has led – whether he has lived life to the fullest or not; whether he has lived that life just for himself or for others or both; whether he has found satisfaction in someone or something that has given meaning to his days. When such a person realizes that he has not reached his life goals and that there is not much time left, he decides to do something about the problem. Despite aches and pains and other constraints, he sets about doing what he has to do. But it is not an easy task, for life is a desert and before one is able to journey through it and find his own Epiphany, he will have to undergo many difficulties similar to those one encounters while traveling the desert. Epifano or Epifanio is a common name in Spanish. Epifano in the story is the protagonist’s great-grandfather who has long since passed away. The name is derived from the Epiphany which is a feast day among Roman Catholics, celebrating the manifestation of Christ to the Wise Men of the East… the Magi’s quest for the Christ-child like that of the protagonist was fraught with a great deal of hardship. “In Search of Epifano” is the story of an old woman, almost eighty years of age who finds herself in the aforementioned predicament. She is old, weak, and in ill health. She suffers physical discomforts associated with her liver or her spleen – she doesn’t know exactly what. Apparently, she herself drives the jeep she travels in; however, the vehicle does not prove to be travel-worthy. Traveling long distances in any desert is dangerous, but even the idea of crossing a vast desert is both life-threatening and overwhelming especially when one’s means of transportation is not sturdy enough. This is the first sacrifice the old woman goes through, but she is not cowed by the threat. Still another drawback is her lack of a guide. She could get lost and there would be no one at all to witness her fate. She has reached an age where she is not afraid of death. She has heard whispers about this great grandfather, Epifano – about his establishing a great ranch in the desert. The family albums contained a picture of him, but the mental picture of this ancestor of hers is that which guides her through her doubt. She can hear her voice – the voice of the Mexican heritage which only she among the members of the family remembers. This is a sign that she banks more on the spiritual ties between her and her ancestor rather than on the actuality of his picture in the family album. The old woman travels both forward and backward. She goes forward in crossing the desert of Chihuahua; but she goes backward, too, in time. She becomes increasingly thirsty – a physical need. On the other hand, she also experiences a spiritual thirst – a thirst for life. She reflects on how many of her desires were never satisfied. She happens to be an artist and she figures that the only evidence of her time on earth are her sketches and her p
A Stay-at-Home Mother and Labor Activism As a stay-at-home young mother in the post-World War II United States, I would be conflicted. Having experienced the hard, repetitive, and uninteresting labor at a factory, I would be happy to start a peaceful life as a housewife. Still, with time, I would begin to understand gender inequality and get connected to labor activists. My husband, a very talented man, would manage to secure a good job soon after returning from the war, and sometime later, I would give birth to our child. I would be used to the things that, according to Dubois and Dumenil (2016), the society demanded of women at the time, and I would readily stay at home and take care of my children, husband, and household. However, with time, I would start to compare my house and babysitting chores with the factory’s work and discover that the primary difference between the two would be that the former can be regarded as round-the-clock, unpaid, and unnoticed labor. Naturally, I would not come to this conclusion on my own. My husband would like to discuss (that is, give speeches) on recent events, including those about labor union women demanding equal payments and even trying to bring some proposals of related legislation to the Congress (Lamphier & Welch, 2017, p. 74). Initially, I would agree with him that such a demand can only be viewed as ridiculous, but I would feel more conflicted with time. In the end, I would get acquainted with a labor activist and learn more about feminism and its perspective on labor. I would bring up the question of getting paid work eventually; upon hearing about it, my husband would dismiss it and then start to explain why it is a foolish idea. His words would sway me at first, but by the end of the early 1950s, I would grow certain that I have to change something in my life. Post-War and Modern Women In my view, post-war women’s experiences must have included the outrage at the hypocrisy of their society, which pushed them back into traditionally unacknowledged housewife roles to make a place for their husbands in the market. Moreover, even though much has changed to the best since the post-war years, I would say that there are some unpleasant similarities between the two periods. One of these similarities is the problem of gender roles and related economic disparities. Even today, women are often considered unfit for certain “male” roles. For example, Cheryan, Plaut, Handron, and Hudson (2013) demonstrate in their studies that college students tend to describe a computer scientist’s role as incompatible with women. The authors also carried out an experiment that proves that gender stereotypes in media can prevent women from becoming interested in such roles. In contrast, stereotype-free news articles can have the opposite effect. Thus, stereotypical ideas about labor remain harmful and restrictive and make the modern period similar to that of the post-war society. The stereotypes do not only deceive
Introduction With the challenging nature of work and society, it is argued; many demand newer approaches that encourage collective views on contributing towards “solving societal issues,” as part of the framework for developing a vision for the future. Sharing responsibilities is increasingly becoming a common theme within many organizations. The aspects of public and private sectors as well as not-for-profit organizations mobilizing their efforts in addressing market failures draws together a diverse, yet comprehensive set of information to act as a reference (Belbin, 1993). Their innovative skills are known to attract mass crowds of both local and international interest in influencing change and providing fertile ground for the development of improvements to society’s problems (Osborne & Gaebler, 1993; McGregor, 1960). Schumpeter (1982) notes that markets exhibit entrepreneurial characteristics that have not been optimized to their full potential. Social entrepreneurs who have these characteristics such as ethics and morality can be able to identify failed opportunities in the market and use their resources to revert the failed opportunities to successful ventures. Simons (2000) argues that social entrepreneurs are opportunists who harness the capabilities and use their entrepreneurial potential to bridge the gap in finding market opportunities. Entrepreneurs are known to be creative and innovative, characteristics that are vital in a market that has experienced failed opportunities. Their innovations are used as viable options for seeking opportunities and creating solutions to failed business projects. Entrepreneurs according to Tichy and Devanna (1986) are also known to possess factors that influence change and transformation that will be beneficial to a society or community that has been marginalized and considered to be not suitable for business activities by the government. Apart from innovation, entrepreneurs also exhibit characteristics such as risk taking and large scale transformation. Investing in an entrepreneurial business requires a degree of risk taking with investments and capital to ensure there are some returns. Large scale transformational activities entail the entrepreneur changing the whole scope and direction of the business to one that will be able to receive financial returns. Social entrepreneurship identifies current changes in the social environment and provides youth with a fertile ground to incorporate their ideas and actualize them into viable businesses that will not only benefit them but the society (Ashoka, 2010); Roger & Osberg, 2007). As such, entrepreneurs have been engaging businesses in their activities to make that socioeconomic change. They introduce new ideas and persuade other people to adopt these new ideas which ensure that there is a change in social patterns. These changes in social patterns reduce the
Abstract The purpose of this research was to assess the antecedents of virtual team effectiveness. To understand these issues, the study deployed a theoretical framework by reviewing the past and present studies related to the subject matter. Data was collected using questionnaires and was analyzed by statistical tools. Regression and correlation analyses evaluated the relationship between the variables. The model additionally recognized a couple of elements as having more impacts than others have. This justifies the choice of the model. The results revealed that the geographical gap between the virtual team members brings negative consequences to the working environment. It affects the correspondence quality and shared mental models. It also affects the correspondence quality with its impacts on the working environment and shared group mental models. Consequently, the separation of the team members affects the shared mental models with its consequences for correspondence quality and compelling coordination and mediated correspondence with its impacts on correspondence quality and interpersonal atmosphere. Introduction Overview This section explores the context of the research, statement of the problem, research aims, research questions, and the implication of the study. Background to the study Current changes in technology together with a quickly changing business setting have made both the capacity and requirement for associations to work over a geographical separation (Kantabutra & Avery 2010). Virtual teams are dedicated colleagues who are physically isolated from each other and depend on data innovations to impact the team communication up, and arrange work to accomplish a typical objective (Gallos 2008; Cramton 2001; Maznevski & Chudoba 2000). They permit businesses to influence the scholarly resources, improve group work execution, the evolving client requests and procure and maintain an upper hand in turbulent and aggressive situations (Malhotra et al. 2001; Kang & Singh 2006). Subsequently, it is normal to see associations depend on virtual groups for center procedures including learning administration, research and development and item advancement, programming improvement, client administration, and strategic examination (Espinosa et al. 2007; Majchrzak et al. 2000; Maznevski & Chudoba 2000). Such a gap, which is a successive event as fields mature, makes it hard to completely comprehend the working of virtual groups and acquire a coordinated and all-encompassing perspective of the components adding to or hindering virtual group execution (Sole & Edmondson 2002; King & He 2005). The headway of an area of study requires the aggregation and refinement of an assortment of learning and the mix of past studies and discoveries (Malhotra & Majchrzak 2004; King & He 2005). The increase of much knowledge and advantages come through a thorough audit of experimental proof, looking at both the immediate and backhanded drivers of diverse execution measurements in virtual groups.
Socioeconomic predictors of mastery among mothers in poverty The article under consideration dwells upon the mastery of mothers who live in poverty. The researchers focused on families living in poverty and the way they coped with numerous socio-economic difficulties. Eshbaugh (2009) states that mastery is important as it helps mothers effectively cope with a variety of issues. Thus, it is estimated that mothers living with their children’s fathers have higher mastery than single mothers. Education also contributes to a higher level of mastery and better-educated mothers can cope with their issues better. Notably, the information provided is not strikingly new. It is but natural that females living with partners have higher self-esteem and a higher level of mastery. Education helps broaden people’s horizons and helps people find new ways to cope with their problems. Besides, education is also associated with more opportunities (better jobs and better incomes). However, the article is valuable as it provides specific evidence to support the arguments which seem obvious. The article can be used as a grounded argument to convince young females to study harder and be more responsible. It is also necessary to note that the article is a valuable source as it is well-written. It can have a really wide audience as educators, young females, and parents of teenagers can benefit from reading it. The article contains a lot of specific data and calculations. This can be confusing for the unprepared reader, but the article also includes tables. The graphs make the data more understandable. Thus, the article includes specific data that are presented in an understandable
At the end of the nineteenth century, the American government pursued different policies toward various minority groups, even though the representatives of these groups were considered to be distinct from the Anglo-Saxon population. Some of them were forced to assimilate into the mainstream culture, while others were excluded or segregated from the community. To a great extent, these conflicting policies can be explained by the fact that at that time, racial ideology played an important role and profoundly influenced the views of many individuals. Some minorities, especially African-Americans were denied the right to integrate into the society only because they had a different color of the skin. In contrast, white people had more opportunity to participate in social activities because they were not considered to be different from a racial point of view. On the whole, the former history of slavery and racism also affected the attitudes of the officials and public. In order to illustrate these arguments, one should first look at the policies of the state toward African-Americans. In particular, one can speak about the legal doctrine Separate but equal that emerged in the late nineteenth century. According to it, black people allegedly had the civic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. However, they were not able to attend many educational institutions or occupy positions in the government. Thus, they were excluded from the mainstream culture only because it was unacceptable to many individuals that black people could have the same opportunities in American society. To a great extent, these attitudes of the state can be explained by the long history of slavery and unwillingness of people to see former slaves as full-right citizens. The effects of this doctrine are palpable even nowadays, when many black people are economically-disadvantaged. In their turn, the immigrants, who came from India and China, were frequently prevented from integrating into the society. For instance, in many cases, it was extremely difficult for them to find employment. This is one of the reasons why they settled in separate communities. Nevertheless, they soon acquired the label of whiteness. This is one of the reasons why they successfully integrated into the mainstream culture. Finally, one can speak about Native Americans because the state had a very peculiar attitude toward them. Unlike African-Americans, this minority group was not associated with slavery and inferior position within a society. However, they were also deemed to be distinct from the majority of American population. The
Introduction Corruption has been a moral problem amongst governments around the world since the history of governance. In the past, public officials have been associated with grand corruption scandals in different countries, and citizens felt betrayed by such actions. The public plays a major role in the promotion or prevention of corruption. However, citizens can only act in a certain way based on whether they know about the existence of corruption. If the public knows of the prevalence of corruption, it will act within its powers to punish the individuals associated with such practices. Nevertheless, the public can learn about these cases only through the media. This paper claims that the media plays a central role in the prevention or promotion of corruption by informing the public about such occurrences. The arguments presented in the sources used for referencing this paper are clear and convincing. Main body Patriotism drives many citizens to stand against corruption within the public sector (Bohn 71). For instance, if a certain public official holding an elective position in government is associated with corruption, voters will punish that person by not electing him or her during the next cycle of elections. However, the media has to play an active role in revealing such cases for the public to be aware and act accordingly. For instance, a study in Brazil showed the effects of releasing audit reports on how different municipalities used federal funds. The report reduced the chances of being re-elected for incumbents associated with corruption (Ferraz and Finan 705). However, the presence of a local radio station played a central role in spreading the news to the public. According to Ferraz and Finan, having a radio to inform the public of corrupt incumbents reduced the reelection chances of such individuals by 11 percent (705). At the same time, the incorrupt incumbents’ chances of being elected again into the same position improved drastically after the public learned of their virtues through radio stations. This observation was in line with the class lecture on the same where Gingerich noted that citizens establish a retrospective voting rule to reelect perceived good individuals. Therefore, citizens are willing to remove corrupt public officials from power as long as the media plays its role of factual and nonpartisan reporting. In Mexico, the media divulged the details of the infamous banquet held at the residence of former finance minister Don Antonio Ortiz Mena. The banquet sought to raise funds for the ruling party’s 1994 campaigns. When the media leaked the details of the meeting where a small clique of individuals pledged to contribute 750 million US dollars, there was a public outcry, which led to the sacking of the ruling party’s president and finance secretary (Oppenheimer 109). This aspect reaffirms the argument that the public is willing to fight corruption as long as it is aware of the existence of such practice. In another study by Corbacho et al., it was established that in case
Introduction In research studies independent, dependent, mediating and moderating variables are used to form a conceptual or theoretical framework (Kirschkamp, 2007). Large problems are usually broken down into specific objectives, hypotheses or propositions. Propositions and Hypotheses suggest that a change in one of the variables (independent variable) will affect change in the other variable (dependent variable) (John, 1987). In a hypothesis/proposition, a moderating variable can be used where a relationship between the dependent and the independent variable depends on a third variable. A mediating variable is often used to explain why an independent variable affects a dependent variable (Evans & Rooney, 2011). On introducing an intervening variable in a hypothesis, it becomes a two linked hypothesis. A variable is considered a mediator when independent variable variations largely accounts for changes in the presumed mediator. A mediating variable should also account for changes in the dependent variable. This paper will focus on a study by Chen et al., (2011) on “the power of momentum: a new model of dynamic relationships between job satisfaction change and turnover intentions”. Figure 1: Conceptual framework Interpretation In Chen et al., (2011) study hypothesis one stated that “With the average level of job satisfaction during a given period held constant, job satisfaction change is negatively related to turnover intentions change: decline (increase) in job satisfaction is associated with an increase (decline) in turnover intentions” (p. 164). The independent variable in this hypothesis is job satisfaction. On holding all factors influencing job satisfaction constant, an increase in the independent variable (job satisfaction) would lead to a decrease in work turnover intentions. The second hypothesis in Chen et al., (2011) stated that” job satisfaction change positively relates to work expectations, which, in turn, partially mediates the relationship between job satisfaction change and turnover intentions change” (p.165). Work expectation is the mediating variable in this hypothesis. Its increase or decrease would highly influence change in the independent variable (job satisfaction) and dependent variable (turn over intentions change). The third hypotheses in Chen et al., (2011) stated that “organizational tenure moderates the relationship betwee