ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In today’s work environment, change is inevitable. To maintain a competitive edge, most organizations are currently undergoing dramatic transformation in terms of their strategies, structures, systems, boundaries, and of course their expectations of their workforce and managers. Thus, every modern organization must be prepared to pace up with the relentless business environment. The environment is termed as relentless because of its ability to change at an exponential rate. Gabler defines change management as “the strategy of planned and systematic change, which is achieved by the influence of the organizational structure, corporate culture, and individual behavior, under the greatest possible participation of the employees” (as cited in Kneer, 2006, p.5). In order to be effective, change management must be structured in such a way that the various expectations of the employees are shifted from a current condition to an anticipated future condition through empowering them to accept change in their current working environment. This paper discusses how Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., an American multinational corporation, is managing change in its operations. In order for any organization to grow, it has to be ready to undergo important changes in various aspects of its development. However, in efforts of realizing change in organizations, there is usually a conflict between stability and movement. Stability usually makes the process of enacting beneficial changes to the organization to be difficult. It is often caused when the reason for the change is not very well explained to the employees and when the proposed changes are seen as a threat that can alter the established patterns within the working environment (Hiatt & Creasey, 2003). On the other hand, movement often creates a desire to realize the proposed changes in an organization. It is often the case when the benefits and rewards of implementing the change is perceived to be realistic and in accordance to the objectives of the organization. Internal forces for change include a fear among the employees when they feel that they lack the necessary competence, a feeling that the changes to be implemented is a threat to the aspirations of the employees, need to increase profitability, and the existence of cultural misfits to organization goals and objectives. On the other hand, the external forces for change in an organization include advances in technology, political factors, general macro-economic environment, adjustments in end-users’ tastes and preferences, and reduction in market shares due to rivalry in the market. As a multinational corporation, Wal Mart has employees from various backgrounds. Thus, sometimes this results in stability in enacting changes in the organization due to dissatisfaction among the employees and existence of cultural misfits, which contravenes the company’s overall goals. In addition, Wal-Mart is constantly threatened to effect changes in its structure due to improvements in technology, changes in the political environment and declining market share due to competition. Skills in change management are an essential ingredient for the success of a manager in an organ
Introduction Businesses undergo a lot of changes in the process of undertaking products changes and transformations. One of the areas that business need to asses and come up with prudent decisions in the process of organizational management is change. Product transitions are important in the process of improving the bottom line of organizations. However, many organizations usually suffer the problem of undertaking transition in product or service development. Product transitions undergo supply and demand risks that need to be critically analyzed in the process of undertaking change. These risks apply to all organizations and this essay is going to analyze new matrixes of risks that a service firm might undergo in the process of managing change. These risks will be analyzed based on a professional line of work in accounting and management consultancy field. Risk Matrix Global organizations undertake a lot of risks in the process of maintaining organizational competitiveness especially in the process of undertaking product or service transitions. The field of tax accounting and auditing services is a purely professional field but laden with several risks and challenges. Accounting firms encounters several risks in the process of conducting business and these risks are categorized into product and supply chains as follows: Organizational capacity This is a product risk where we question the capacity and capability of the organization undertaking assignments for its different clients. Based on its track record, has the organization grown its clientele base and does it have a record of offering premium accounting or consultancy services. Moreover, how is the accounting firm undertaking its accounting and auditing services. Other issue to consider within this factor is the issue of handling human resources or complexities to deal with organizational policy and legal framework of the organization (Luecke, 2008). Internal Execution In the process of undertaking management consultancy services, it is important for the firm to undertake a proper execution plan. Internal execution plan looks at how the services offered at the accountancy firm will be re-designed its services and offer better services compared to its competitors. The management should define how they are going to handle and offer services to its customers. For instance, the firm might decide to offer bundled services to its clientele whereby they offer tax and auditing services bundled with management consultancy services (Rajagopal, 2012). Making use of this execution plan would ensure that the company package’s it services to benefits both its existing customers and new customers. Consequently, the execution of a service plan is one of the most difficulty and risky activities to undertake in the process of restructuring a company. High Staff turnover In the professional field, organizations hire sta
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s final speech is entitled “State of the State” and devoted to the burning issues of California. The speech begins with a funny story about the pig and the pony, referring to the idea of teamwork of two opposite parties. Schwarzenegger recalls the tragic events connected with wildfires occupied California during 2007 in his speech. Further on, he touches upon the burning issues of the state, including its economy, employment, and taxes. He tries to convince the citizens that he has done all his best to improve the economy of the state with the help of a constitutional amendment to control the budget, but it is not his fault that the budget has not been accepted several times. Schwarzenegger expresses the necessity of changes in the state concerning the environment, infrastructure, education, and energy. Although many improvements in these areas have been achieved, it is necessary to make more changes to make the state function better. He points out that these problems concern every citizen and the whole government. Only common efforts may demonstrate good results. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not express his support to the Republicans directly. He appeals to everyone, including the Republicans and the Democrats, to stop their war between each other and unite their efforts to improve the state. His speech is very flexible as far as he does not use any hints of supporting the Republicans and opposing the Democrats. He points out that their interests are common, and their work should be united. When he provides the story about the pig and the pony as an example of teamwork, he points out that there are no particular associations of the parties with these animals. He highlights the idea of teamwork with the help of this example without any prejudices. It may seem that Schwarzenegger tries to express the Democrats’ plans for the improvement of the state. These plans are the building of hospitals, schools, roads, the rise of the minimum wage, more attention to public works and emergency response services. Schwarzenegger points out these ideas to attract the Democrats’ attention to the fact that they have common aims with the Republicans. Despite the same aims of these two opposite parties, the ways of their achievements are different. The Republicans base the realization of these projects on the debts while the Democrats strictly reject these debts that make the country be a deadlock. Arnold Schwarzenegger structures his speech in such a way that the aims are paid more attention than the ways of their achievement that make the Democrats believe that the governor supports them. Schwarzenegger’s rejection to support the health care reform provided by the Democrats presented at t
I learned quite a lot while attending the class of business and economics. In this paper, I intend to talk about what I learned about the hotel and restaurant businesses. The knowledge that I gained has helped me to view the hospitality industry differently. I now know that branding involves associating a product or service with status, price, product, and service quality. In the hotel business, the term flag refers to the hotel’s brand, its graphic logo, and its position in the market. The best hotel flag of 2011 was Best Western. In the hotel business, there are those who own the property, those who own the brand, and those who manage the property. The owner retains limited control by contracting a company to run a hotel. Such a company is known as a management contractor. In this set up, the owner does not have much control over the running of the hotel. A different arrangement is the franchise type of business. In a franchise, a successful business (franchisor) enters into a contract with another business (franchisee). The franchisee uses the franchisors’ trade name and guidance at a fee. A good example of a franchisor is Marriot international hotels. I also learned that in the hotel business, there are three key performance indicators. The first key performance indicator is the percentage of available rooms sold during a certain period of time. The second indicator is the average daily rate which is a measure of the average rate paid for rooms in use during a certain period of time. Revenue per available room is a measure of revenue made for every room available. The average daily rate is usually higher than the revenue per available room. The goal of a hotel is to minimize the difference between these two. A number of business case studies have been conducted in the hotel industry. In the upscale casual segment, the Cheesecake factory emerges as the leader. The cheesecake factory (TCF) model restaurant was founded in 1950 in Detroit. In 1972, they opened a bakery in Los Angeles and in 1978, a restaurant in Beverly Hills. The company then went public in 1992 and became the first restaurant chain to reach one billion dollars in revenue. The TCF restaurant concept is based on certain key factors:-menu items, price points, décor, location, service and selling points. Their menu is extensive and contains unique items. In addition, their décor is elaborate and they serve large portions. One interesting fact that I learned is that the restaurant business makes more money by selling large portions at a slightly higher cost. Another way that the restaurant business increases its revenue is by advertising on their printed
A guy interested in the impact of the plastic boom on the ocean’s life spins a chain that threatens the ecology of the oceans. The deeper he plunges into his investigation, the more he realizes that it is not plastic straws that bring death to the sea but the uncontrolled extermination of its living creatures. There is a plastic pollution problem in the waters, but industrial fishing is causing much more harm to the environment. The focus of public attention has been deliberately and successfully shifted from a much larger disaster. The film presents the results of Ali Tabrizi’s research that sheds light on what has been neglected for a long time. The scenes shown in the films evoke different feelings when viewed. The author uses an emotional appeal when he records the chronicle of a dolphin hunt in a corral in Japanese Taiji. The cold-blooded mindless killing of intelligent animals and the terrible statistics from the first moments are striking, provoking an emotional response. Tabrizi gradually unravels problem after problem; scenes of the scale of the commercial fishing industry cannot leave one indifferent. At the beginning of his investigation, the author is unaware of more global ocean problems than plastic pollution. Then one can trace the pathos in the words and actions of the actor and, concurrently, the author of this film. Realizing the impact of the problem on the environment, the young guy demonstratively refuses to use plastic, collects garbage on beaches, and donates funds to an organization to combat ocean pollution. The scenes from the fishing industry study seem logical and appropriate; facts and expert opinions confirm his guesses and lead to further reflections; research evidence can be considered authoritative by the audience. This documentary is not trivial; from the first minutes, the author’s distinctive approach to the material immerses them in what is happening. The film raises many questions about the oceans: unintentional fishing for fish and marine animals during the main catch, ocean pollution with plastic waste, and frankly frightening whaling traditions in the Faroe Islands. Public organizations refuse to communicate with the director, and at some point, the police even come for Tabrizi. However, there are still people who agreed to be interviewed in the film. For example, legendary scientist Sylvia Earl and eco-activist Rick O’Barry reveal their missions to protect the ocean in detail (Tabrizi). Some express contradictory things on camera – David Phillips, director of the Earth Island Institute in California. The organization issuing food badges, which state that no dolphins were harmed during the extraction, cannot guarantee this information, as the director’s interviewee reported. This is the main conflict of the Seaspiracy: Tabrizi admits that he is not a scientist but loads a lot of scientific information into the viewer, which does not always correspond to reality. Perhaps two theses from the f
Understanding cultural norms and differences can prevent uncomfortable moments along with work stoppages, breaking local laws, and political issues. After working my first job overseas, I quickly found myself spending more time explaining, drawing pictures, and learning the cultural differences to perform simple tasks. In order to continue and be competitive overseas while overcoming the unknowns, I began bidding a language translator into the jobs. This position has proven to be instrumental for production, fostering quality work relationships, and enjoyable times, while working abroad as it helps in overcoming the cross-cultural communications barriers that are prevalent due to the diverse cultures. Thailand people are non-confrontational with strong religious values and find pride in both work and personal activities. In order to channel this work ethic and prevent confrontation, causing work stoppages, I found Nucharin Choomkhamnoy, a local who began working as an interpreter to earn money needed for college and helping her family. I was introduced to Nucharin by one of my customers, who occasionally hired him to help him in his various chores. Since I met him two years ago, he has become a friend over the years and continues to surprise me with very important values that are practiced each day in Thailand but forgotten in America. Nucharin was brought up in Thailand since his childhood. His parents made sure that they taught him the Thai culture and Buddhist religion during his childhood. The religion has enabled him to be equipped with the Thai culture, which is characterized by respects for others, detachment from objects, among others. Having being raised in Thailand has enabled him to master the Thai culture effectively, which has been important to enlighten me about very important things that I need to hold so that to help me live harmoniously in Thailand as I do my day-to-day activities. This information has greatly improved my cross-cultural communication with the locals, which has, in turn, greatly boosted my business performances. Thai culture is one of the most distinct cultures that we have in the world today. The Thai culture has its origin to the various groups of people who migrated to Thailand. Thai culture has borrowed mostly from India’s culture that is based on India’s religion and mythology. The Thai culture is Buddhist, where people are taught to reason out and think and not being manipulated by the religious leaders as it is with Christians, Muslims, and Jewish religions (Sandler, 2010). After hiring Nurchin as my interpreter, we used to talk a lot about American and Thai cultures. Initially, I used to differ greatly with him about the culture of the Thai people, which I considered as being primitive and outdated. On the other hand, he used to complain very much about western culture, which he regarded as a culture that is disrespectful and arrogant. After sharing with him for a while about the Thai culture, I came
Introduction The use of nanocarrier systems as a way of stabilizing bioactive agents such that no changes, whether chemical or environmental, occur as well as enhancing the bioavailability of the bioactive materials is called food nanotechnology. The practice of food nanotechnology results in improved uptake and bioavailability of nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals. It is also possible to come up with new food antimicrobials and novel packaging materials that are able to improve shelf life. Food additives can also be encapsulated using nanoencapsulation. 1 Clearly, food nanotechnology is an established field, and it keeps growing as new and improved uses of the technology keep emerging. 2 This paper explores use of nanotechnology in food, with special focus on food packaging. The paper will also mention a number of companies that are currently using nanotechnology in food, before finally examining possible future advancements in food technology. History of food nanotechnology Chaudhry et al. 3 indicate that nanotechnology in the food industry is quite new, with applications of nanotechnology in the food industry being mainly in food packaging. However, it is notable that there is rapid growth in the use of nanotechnology in the food sector, with coming years being very promising. The last five years have seen significant growth in application of nanotechnology in the food sector. The US is leading in the use of nanotechnology in the food sector, with other countries like China and Japan following closely. It is important to acknowledge that the fear that enhanced foods could have risks has seen the food technology sector take up nanotechnology at a slow pace. 4 Chemistry of food nanotechnology in itself Figure: Polylactide-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide (PLA-PEG) Linear formula: HO(CHCH3COO)x(CH2CH2O)y(COCHCH3O)zH Source: Sigma-Aldrich Biopolymeric nanoparticles for use in the food industry can be made using various processes. Polyactic acid (PLA) is actively used as an ingredient in manufacture of biodegradable nanoparticles for using in the food industry. A combination of PLA with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form a PLA-PEG polymer is the most popular component of biodegradable polymers. The stability of the nanoparticles is determined by the proportion of PLA to PEG use to make the nanoparticles, as well as the molecular weight (MW) of PLA. The presence of PEG in the copolymer makes the surface
Introduction The interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of the mechanisms of the business environment enabled researchers from the different scientific fields to combine their knowledge to analyze the biological, physiological, psychological, and humanitarian reasons behind the accounting practices. Thus, in accounting management, earnings manipulations and earnings management can be associated with a set of masculine features. In other words, the incentives that result in the executives’ actions can be attributed equally to the sets of different factors, including those of the biological nature. Hypothesis Development The current level of the research in the field of correlation between biological traits and business behavior gives some space for speculations and hypothesis developments. From the perspective of the biological standpoint, the levels of a steroid hormone testosterone can be linked to a certain type of facial structure and building of the central nervous system. The reason for that is that from the early stages of its developments, the brain substantially responds to the levels of testosterone in the organism, influencing the cognitive abilities and personal traits. Such an aspect, of course, cannot be regarded as the sole source of human behavior, but neither can it be denied. Therefore, even though the neuroscientists cannot give a definite answer about those correlations yet, in everyday practice, it is common to link such facial features to more masculine behavior (Becker 13). Moreover, the facial masculinity was associated with the financial performance among the executives (Wong, Ormiston and Haselhuhn 1480). The poor performance of the firm can be the result of numerous factors, but it is commonly linked to the effectiveness of the managers. Therefore, the hypothesis is that the CEOs with more masculine traits both in their appearances and in psychosomatic patterns would be more persistent in trying to avoid the poor financial performance, including the use of such options as misreporting and earnings management. The research conducted by Jia, Van Lent, and Zeng (2014) included the analysis of 1,136 pictures of the CEOs (Jia, Van Lent and Zeng 1198). In the literature concerning the tendencies of financial misreporting, a small number of studies link such a practice to the personalities of the executives. However, the more common interpretation is the correlation between the earnings manipulation activities and the management styles (Garen 1186). Nevertheless, according to the studies, the personal characteristics of the CEOs can be associated with the style of their financial reporting and, therefore, the tendencies of earnings management (Davidson, Dey and Smith 32). Since, on the biochemical level, testosterone affects some aspects of the cognitive perception, the CEOs with different levels of masculine traits interpret the social interactions, including the financial aspects, in different ways. The Facial Width-to-Height Ratio and the Construction of the Executive Pictorial Database The validity of the diff