ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction In September 11, 2001, the world woke up to the news of a transnational terrorist attack of a magnitude that had never been seen before. The United States of America, which is the world’s most powerful country, was caught by surprise. At the end of it all, over 3,000 innocent people lay dead while another 5,000 were injured both physically, emotionally, and financially (Wisnewski 2008). What went wrong in this case? How did such a major terrorism attack escape the eagle eye of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other Counter-terrorism agencies, including military intelligence both within and outside the US? The period signified the need to reflect back on the effectiveness of the existing counter-terrorism measures and henceforth putting mechanisms that will ensure that such an event does not ever again occur in the United States and the world at large. In the aftermath of the September 2001 events, the world governments were more united and in agreement that there was a need to step up counter-terrorism measures and where possible introduce new ones to ensure that terrorist plans were thwarted before they could materialise (Slater 2006). This paper discusses the concept of torture as a counter-terrorism measure by analysing the argument that torture is a legitimate tool because it provides a sense of justice to the victims, even though its effectiveness is limited. In the paper, an extensive review of the existing literature will be done with a view of understanding how different authors have approached torture as a counter-terrorism measure. Further, case studies of scenarios where torture has been used successfully will be discussed with an aim of linking the lessons from such cases to the main argument of the paper. The Torture Debate The question of whether torture is justified is a long-standing one in civilised societies. Historically, acts of torture can be traced to over 2,000 years ago, especially in the Roman Empire and other warring kingdoms of the time where it was used to subdue opponents and enemies to give vital information (Waltzer 1973). However, since the 18 th century, with many gains on human rights, there have been extended efforts to eliminate torture throughout the world (Scarry 2004). Indeed, the prohibition of torture is a key issue in the modern human rights movements as refl
Human resources management is a very important function within an organisation that involves the management and recruitment of employees in an organisation. It also encompasses the provision of direction for employees. It is imperative that the human resources manager understands these functions to retain the organisations workers besides ensuring that they perform well. As organisations become global with regard to their operation, the management of people continues to become more complex. This essay looks at several functions of human resources management based on interviews conducted on two human resource managers from a motor vehicle service company and retailer market store. The main objective of this essay is to understand the leadership requirements in organisations by looking at the way the managers spend their time in the handling of human resources. The first person interviewed was a line manager from both the Toyota Company. The second interviewee was a line distribution manager in a retail market store. The two managers have been employed in the companies for over one year now. Both of them are responsible for 15 and 22 employees respectively in their departments. The departments are involved in the production and distribution of commodities and services offered by the companies. To find out the importance of the human resource in the company, a questionnaire was prepared. The questions covered the importance of communication and human resources as a whole in the company. First of all, it was important to know what the two managers found to be most challenging about human resources management. The two managers agreed that the most challenging part in the department was maintaining proper communication among the employees. It was realised that most employees usually had difficulties in interpreting orders issued from the top management. For this reason, many issues arose in the organisations. This situation was seen to lower the performance at both individual and organisational levels. At times, it brought about various problems associated with customer delivery. The interview also revealed that the human resource managers always tried other innovative ways of communicating to their employees. However, in this regard, managers have improvised new ways such as emailing, internal memos, and reminder notice boards to encourage the employees perform as per the organisation’s expectations. When asked to describe human resource in their companies, the two managers responded that technology was also one of the most challenging areas in communication. Some employees were not computer literate. This situation made it difficult for the human resources department to perform their work. It was also revealed that communication was the most vital part of the human resources management (Bennis and Thomas 134). In cases where there is a clear line of communication, managing employees became easier. In this regard, both companies had embraced new technologies as a way of improving communication. With this state of events in put in place, the man
Introduction The development of autism has been indiscriminate across all age groups and ethnic or racial backgrounds. In other words, the condition may be diagnosed in any other child from early days of development (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). In addition, it is worth to mention that autism impacts negatively on the socio-physical development of the victim. The negative effects of autism are also felt by the wider family and close friends who have been mandated to take care of the autistic patient. The sociological development of an individual is usually made possible by close interaction between cognitive ability and personality. Moreover, there are environmental factors that may affect the social and cognitive development of an individual. Such factors may be embraced voluntarily or coerced by the prevailing circumstances. In the movie The Black Balloon , a critical analysis has been carried out in order to explore the character traits, social and cognitive development of Maggie. In order to achieve this kind of evaluation, the character traits of Maggie have been assessed based on the prevailing circumstances in her family (Down & Jack, 2008). For instance, her character has been clearly brought out as she interacts with her son Charlie. The latter is suffering from autism. Moreover, various psychological models and theories have also been applied in the essay in order to evaluate Maggie in the movie The Black Balloon . The synopsis of The Black Balloon movie The character of Maggie has been fully depicted in the 2008 version of The Black Balloon. The main theme of the movie revolves around devastating family challenges that are brought about by autism. Although Mollison’s family seems to be psychologically prepared to handle the unruly behavior of Charlie who is autistic, there are myriads of challenges which befall this family every single day (Down & Jack, 2008). Even Charlie’s siblings are evidently disturbed by the condition of their brother. For instance, Thomas is uneasy about his brother’s unruly behavior and feels embarrassed to walk with him in public. Thomas’ classmates with the exception of Jackie are also a source of embarrassment to him since they don’t sympathize with w
Introduction Education is and will remain to be the best investment in children in the world. Being the leading nation in the world, the United States is one of the leading countries in terms of investing in education for the U.S. children. However, the question that still bogs is whether the investment in education in the United States is giving the desired outcomes. The billions of dollars invested in the education sector each year have to be replicated in the people who leave schools and join the workforce. Many people are arguing that a substantial gap still exists between the demands in the labor industry and people who join the workforce from schools. Employers continue to complain about the workforce that they receive from the academic institutions. They call it as ‘half baked’ output from the education system (Cote & Godfrey, 1999). Education is meant to equip students with life, and vocational skills to adapt to different situations and condition in life. However, this has been argued not to be the case. The total skills are not instilled in the students who end up finding it hard to adapt to tough conditions in the economy (Wentzel, 2008). Workforce Preparation in the United States Most of the workers in the United States fall in the age bracket of the people who are nearing the retirement age. With this being a reality, the industry continues to demand more people or employees to replace the aging workforce. The aging workforce is considered to be experienced and equipped with the skills that are needed in the industries. On the other hand, a big gap in knowledge and experience exists between these employees and those who should replace them (Clagett, 2006). Workforce preparation is a particularly elaborate term. It is used together with other terms; such as school-to-work development, career development and youth transitions. It is often used in describing programs, which are aimed at helping the young generation to get basic skills, exploring career opportunities and gaining experience in the workforce (‘Workforce management’, 2003). These programs are found both in schools and outside schools. General educational programs are found in schools. In such programs, curriculums are used in addressing skills as well as traits that are needed for jobs. Work-based programs allow students to work at job-sites requiring the knowledge and skills attained from the institutions of learning. There are other programs, which are designed to aid young people in exploiting the career opportunities which are at their disposal and which helps them plan for their future. Such programs rest on one assumption– work and school successes are interrelated and interdependent (Clagett, 2006). A major concern over workf
Introduction Wolof is one of the major ethnic groups in West African countries, particularly in Senegal. The largest Wolof ethnic group consists of fifteen communities or sub-ethnic groups and occupies a part of Senegal and Gambia. In Senegal, this group is the biggest one in both the population and political affiliations. Wolof is a common name for the entire sub-ethnic group given that the indigenous people of the communities speak the dialect. However, in West Africa, the widely spoken language is French. Thus, it remains the official language in Senegal and Gambia where Wolof is found. Besides, Wolof distinctly comes out as the only vernacular in Senegal and Gambia where the communities hold a greater degree of ethnical identity and pride. The land organization in Wolof communities Land is considered a critical resource in most African communities because it forms the basis of the communities’ livelihood. In fact, Wolof traditionally consists of agriculturalists, thus, farming is the major economic activity, in particular, crop farming. The success of this farming type depends on the quantity of land the family or community owns. Therefore, the manner in which land is divided among individuals and communities appeared to be important. As indicated, Wolof communities divide their lands between individuals and clans. At the individual level, men are allowed to possess land only after reaching a particular social class. In most cases, free men are the only people allowed to do that. It could be said that the men control the use as well as the management of the land. Under the land tenure system, the head of the household is the only person allowed to lease land and receive rental fee. However, th
Introduction of Firm B-MED is the company providing medical equipment and associated services established in 1984 by Bob Samuels. The company managed small-scale equipment and served several organizations in South America and the Caribbean. Samuels employed his family and friends and used rewards and punishments to motivate his employees. In 2010, the company owner received an offer from a large medical organization operating in Trinidad. Although B-MED was somewhat unprepared for such requests as significant investment was required to satisfy the needs of the new client, Samuels accepted it. New employees hired to meet the company’s needs came from an organization with a flat hierarchy, which led to the tension in B-Med, low morale, inappropriate working environment, and high turnover. Problem Statement The use of an inappropriate leadership style led to detrimental effects during the period of change in the organization that was growing. Alternative Solutions – Solutions/Opportunities One of the solutions to the problem would be the change of the leadership style with the focus on the development of a robust organizational culture. It has been acknowledged that corporate culture and certain leadership styles have a considerable impact on companies’ performance (Rigas & Nawar, 2016). It is essential to empower employees who will feel their responsibility and will develop intrinsic motivation (Pradhan, Panda, & Jena, 2017). One of the significant steps to undertake is associated with knowledge sharing. Employees should start communicating freely and reveal their concerns and ideas to the top management. This strategy will improve employees’ morale and performance, but it will require substantial resources and time, which can be a significant challenge. Another option for B-MED is to reorganize its Trinidad office, providing more power and authority to it. Bob Samuel could make his son, Craig, the executive of that department and staff the subsidiary with MM Healthcare employees. Transformational leadership and flat hierarchy could be employed at this branch of B-MED. This strategy would require less considerable investment as compared to the one mentioned above. However, it may help the company cope with the new project. Decision and Support It can be beneficial for the company and its founder to choose the second alternative involving the reorganization of the office located in Trinidad. Ward (2016) notes that family businesses if they become successful and especially when they grow, need to transform and adapt to a new environment, which requires strategic leadership. It can be challenging for Samuels to change his leadership style, but he can let his son develop a new system in the Trinidad branch. Apparently, the growing tension within the staff deteriorates the entire
Communication plays a significant role in the performance of any business irrespective of the industry within which it operates (Snyder 3). James Shaffer, in his article “Make Communication Your Business,” explores the subject of communication in business, highlighting its significance in the success of any business. Shaffer acknowledges the impact that communication professionals can have in bringing about change that will lead to improved performance in business. Various communication professionals in top corporate positions lend their support to the importance of closing communication gaps, often alluding to instances where such practice has helped immense record success has helped their organizations achieve greater efficiency and better performance. However, one cannot achieve the desired outcome of effective communication immediately. The process of achieving desirable business performance takes time and involves several steps as opposed to it being a one-off activity. The first step is the timely involvement of the leaders. The management’s support in this endeavor is crucial as it is a determinant of its success. Second, is to present to the company’s leadership the value proposition early enough, which will mean immediate recognition of the challenge and an exploration of the plausible solution (Shaffer 24). The proposal should show the value that you intend to add to the company and its clients while highlighting the items that you will change versus those that will remain constant. In his article, Shaffer samples feedback from one of his firm’s customers who opined that the communication would only handle work that props up the communication skills of leaders increases the impact that execution of strategy has, brings about early wins in areas identified as having high impact and has improved return on investment. According to the client, the communication would not do work that is immeasurable, fails to alter people’s work culture in a way that offers improved results, is a one-off work, and has no connection with strategy execution. From the list, the customer was able to prioritize items. The third step in the process of achieving success with effective formal communication is to carry out a value-to-cost assessment. The assessment will enable measuring the ability of different communication activities to help people in bettering their work. A survey of the effectiveness of the communication processes using employee and client feedback can help one understand the role that the changes introduced to play in the overall success of the business. The communication professional can then make us
Introduction Stephen Morrow in the book “The People’s Game? Football, Finance and Society” is exploring some questions, like “how the economical and social changes, occurred in the game, influenced the relations between football clubs and their communities, but the question he uses is aimed at answering the more global one i.e. “Can football, with all the commercialized changes be regarded as a “People’s game”?” The ideas, expressed by the author in his book are also being studied by the other theorists, economists and competent people, like sport sociologists. Consequently, the book fits in the context of their books, concerned with both the same and different aspects of the same problem. All authors agree in their views and several books boil down to expressing a big doubt whether football is really “the people’s game” or not. Main body In Chapter one, the rapidly changing finances of club football of Europe is explored in the given book as well as in Simon Banks’s “Going Down: Football Crisis”, which is concerned with the hard times for football clubs, paradoxically coinciding with the good times and
Introduction In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the clown, Feste, replaces a narrator. He also keeps the audience up on what is happening. He gives up his most important comments in songs. The first, sung in the tavern for Sit Andrew and Sir Toby Belch, is a foreshadowing of things to come. The second is performed for Count Orsino and it foreshadows also the comedy of the hidden identity of Viola, hinting that the Count will change his mind. The third song is to Malvolio telling him he is mad. His last song closes the play on a somewhat ambiguous note. Body The clown is the wise one in Twelfth Night, but only Viola sees this. The true comedy is the actions of those players who think they are wise. Nielson says the song is either not Shakespeare’s or it shows that the play was earlier than popularly thought, since the first song, “O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?” ( II. iii. 43 ff), has been found by Chappell in Morley Consort Lessons , published in 1599, ….. or that, as often was the case, an already existing song was introduced into the play.” (Neilson 30-31) The clown is really quite outspoken, as he can afford to be, as a licensed (recognized) fool. In Act 1, Scene 5, Festes calls Olivia the fool and proves it by her own logic, since she will spend seven years mourning a brother whom she believes is in heaven. The first song, sung in the tavern, at the insistence of Sit Andrew and Sir Toby Belch for a love song, is a recitation of what is going on in the play and it hints that the clown knows that Viola and Cesario are the same, “O stay and hear, your true love’s coming, That can sing both high and low.” (Act 2, Scene 3) This also lets the audience know that the actual theme of this play is love. Then he hints that love may not be what the wise man’s son (both men have failed to reach the social levels and maturity of their fathers), and that things may not turn out as they expect. He mentions the age of Viola, “sweet and twenty”. This hints that the journey’s end will include the meeting of lovers, and this hints a little at the ending of the play, where both couples will be married, Viola and Orsino and Sebastian and Olivia. The song is a caution to the audience not to take things too seriously, but that this play is a merriment for the season, (New Year).We note in this scene that it is Sir Andrew who provides most of entertainment, because he is such a fool. “The song beginning “Farewell, dear heart” ( II. iii. 116 ff), fragments of which are sung by Sir Toby and the Clown, appears in Robert Jones Booke of Ayres , published in 1601.” (Neilson 30-31) This may have simply been one of the popular songs of the time. True to Shakespeare’s habit, the fool knows all, and Feste helps us understand the true meaning of the play. By playing the fool, he is allowed to be truthful without incurring wrath or being challenged to a duel. It is only Viola, who is also
Is it ethical to kill one villain to save numerous lives of innocent citizens? This is precisely the question that was placed in the movie The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan. As Batman fights the criminals and injustice in Gotham City, he gets a perfect chance to finally stop the violence by killing Joker in their final battling scene. However, Batman decides not to do it according to his ethical principles. The ethical righteousness of Batman’s principles gets questioned in the movie and reflects the morality of the current societal order. The analysis of the dilemma Batman faces in his decision to fight injustice morally proves his deontological views. Plot Overview The movie The Dark Knight is based on the Batman comic book and tells the story of Bruce Wayne, who continues to fight injustice in Gotham City. The film starts with the appearance of Joker and his gang and the bank robbery. Meanwhile, Batman and Harvey Dent work with Lieutenant Gordon on stopping the crimes in the city. Joker intends to kill Batman and causes massive terrorist attacks to undermine him. Starting with the attacks on innocent people’s lives, he then gets to Batman’s close friends. Joker wants to break Batman’s spirits and creates morally tricky situations to make him betray his principles. However, Batman does not fall for Joker’s tricks and has to lose his love Rachel and his friend Harvey. Batman manages to stop Joker with the high cost of his loved ones’ lives, but he does not make vengeance and leaves him alive. In the end, Batman has a final battle with the Two-Face, takes blame for the killings he caused, and disappears to stay on guard of the city as the Dark Knight. The movie focuses on the faults of the societal order in an exaggerated way. It even references such a real social tragedy of great importance as 9/11. In its essence, Gotham is the embodiment of collapsed social norms at the hands of organized criminal gangs and terrorists. It presents the failure of civil society, the ultimate chaos, and corruption at every level of its structure that Batman aims to rebuild. In the Dark Knight, Batman prevents the destruction of the city by Joker and fights the injustice to revive the moral system. Ethical Di