ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Global financial crisis which too place in 2008-2012 was the worst financial crisis of the time which can be compared to the great depression of 1930’s only (Dick 2009). This global crisis is also known as the great recession or the late 2000s financial crisis due to the timing of its occurrence and its overall implication. This crisis had a negative impact on different sectors of the economy. For instance, in the housing sector, it resulted in foreclosures, several evictions, and a widespread unemployment levels. In the financial sub sector, it caused several collapse of major financial institutions; down pricing of several stock market prices. It also resulted in the declines in billions of consumer wealth and failures in businesses due to decline in the overall economic activity. This crisis was not a natural disaster but was initiated complex factors. For instance, in the United States, it was caused by banking sector liquidity and valuation problems which occurred in 2008. Specifically, the problem was necessitated by the failure of regulators and credit rating agencies to correct predict the situation, complex and high risk financial products, unrevealed conflicts of interest, open-minded application of Gaussian copula function and the failure of effective tracking of data provenance. The opponents argue that credit agencies failed to correctly price the mortgages related products while the governments were also rigid in relaxing the regulatory practices in order to adequately address the financial challenges of the 21 st century. This caused the value of securities linked to the housing to rise causing a lot of havoc to the financial institutions. The fall in the value of securities were partly attributed to the low confidence from investors, bank insolvency and decline in credit availability. Such events as decline of the trade in the international market along with the extreme tightening of the credit led to the quite predictable consequences, one of them is the lowering of the level of the economic development in the global perspective. To correct such adverse situation, several governments employed different fiscal stimuli programmes, institutional bailouts and monetary expansion policies. This slowed the rampaging crisis which ended between the year 2008 and 2009. European economic debt crisis The European economic debt crisis is a financial problem which made it hard for Euro zone member states to refinance their government obligations without any third party assistance (Dick 2009). This situation started from the end of year 2009 due to fear amongst investors as a result of rising government liabilities around the globe couple
Introduction Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus about the influence of green-house gasses on the climate, the perceived dangers of climate changewere ignored both on corporate and governmental level. Greenhouse gas emissions have a direct influence on the rising sea levels around the world. According to NASA (2017) observations, the global sea level rose by 85 millimeters since 1993, and the rate of change is steadily hanging on 3.4 millimeters per year. Although this number may not seem high to the average citizen with limited knowledge of the sea levels, this rise in water levels poses a significant threat to shores and beaches around the world. They bring not only a very real threat of flood to the coastal cities, they also threaten the economy of countries and states that revolve around tourism and beach resorts, as those are in danger of being consumed by the sea or face erosion. The Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States are seeing beaches eroding at an alarming pace; Florida’s coastlines and beaches are especially affected negatively (Aagaard et. al., 2007). History of Florida is filled with struggles against the sea and effort to preserve its shorelines (“Sand dunes,” 2017). Although the situation was never as dire as it is now, the state has some experience in managing these situations. There are two main mechanisms of counteracting beach erosion and preventing floods. The first mechanism involves building and maintaining reinforcing structures, such as sea walls, in order to prevent the erosive sea water from affecting the shoreline. The second approach involves using sand dunes and vegetation in order to reinforce beaches and make them more resistant against erosion. Both approaches have their own positives and negatives regarding cost, short-term and long-term efficiency, implementation speed, and the effect on the surrounding environment. Significance of the Problem Florida is considered to be the USA’s central agricultural region as well as a prime tourist destination (Hodges, Rahmani, & Stevens, 2013). Tourism contributes around 67 billion dollars a year to the state’s economy, and not all of that money comes from Disney Land. Shores and beaches, along with enjoyable climate, serve as primary attractions for tourists interested in swimming, surfing, bronzing, beach-ball and other kinds of activities. The rising sea levels present a direct threat to that source of income, as they diminish coastal land usage and endanger the local tourist attraction. Thus, it is critical for Florida economy to develop and sponsor projects aimed at reducing the chances of a possible catastrophe, which would hit not only the state, but the entire country. Theoretical Basis for the Study The information available on the subject highlights several key factors that can be used as a basis for this study. Economic analyses and resumes provided in this paper state that the safety and protection of shorelines are paramount to Florida tourism, and that the destruction of these shores are going to hu
Introduction The digestive system of a camel allows it to survive on fibrous feeds of low-quality nutrients. Camels are browser animals, which can feed on easily digestible diets. Camels do not require a lot of energy like other ruminants. In addition, they also have effective systems for recycling nutrients. Camels can also engage in physical activities like racing at high speed just like other animals. They have advantages based on low energy requirements, supply of glucose, low need for oxygen, and dependence on muscles that rely on aerobic metabolism. This essay focuses on the nutritional requirements of a camel in order to win the prize during a race. Camel Racing Camel racing is a popular game in the Middle East. Camels usually cover distances of five to 40 kilometers. Naturally, camels do not run. Instead, the pace can sustain “average speeds of 35 to 40 km/hour” (Kempton, 2007). They also have the ability to run at a speed above 40 km/hour. Nevertheless, they experience the challenge of exhausting easily. Kempton argues that camels are pseudo-ruminants, which have the capacity to race at similar speeds to horses, for longer distances, and longer periods (Kempton, 2007). Nutrition for the camel Camels operate in dry and harsh environments, which have allowed them to digest most of the foods than other ruminants. Browsing enables a camel to select feeds of high quality. However, Ellard suggests that there is a lack of sufficient data on camel nutrition (Ellard, 2000). As a result, most data come from studies of other ruminants (Wilson, 1989). The dry matter intakes of camels are usually lower than other ruminants. Camels’ consumption of body weight in the form of dry matter is 1.7 percent. This is lower than in horses and cattle, which consume above three percent. About 70 percent of dry matter requirements for camels are roughage. Camels have high rates of digestibility. The ability of camels to digest a lot of roughage is due to the existence of micro-flora. Micro-flora can facilitate the digestion of roughage and enhance the recycling of urea. Diet for the camel during the year Camels need balanced diets throughout the year. The diet should consist of protein, oil, fiber, carbohydrate, and other energy-giving foods. Roughage is the main source of diet for camels. It mainly comes from fresh alfalfa. Camels get most of their energy from barley. However, barley may subject them to indigestion, dysfunction of the rumen, and colic (Bhattacharya et al, 1988). Diet for the camel during and after the race According to Manefield and Tinson, a proper diet for a racing camel should consist of “10 kg of alfalfa tops, three to four kg of soaked whole barley, one kg of dates, two liters of fresh milk, hay, electrolyte, vitamin, and mineral supplements” (Manefield and Tinson, 1997). Based on the digestive system of camels, energy foods do not readily provide immediate energy needed for muscular activities during the race. Camels also cannot maintain vigorous muscular activities for long. Thus, the main issue is to feed camels to g
Introduction Automation involves the use of robots in the production process. Normally, robots used in the production process require little or no help from humans. The primary aspect of automation is that it employs self-correcting control systems for feedback (Cichocki, 2012). After setting up an automation process, human’s role is only to maintain and repair the equipment. Companies are increasingly using robots in their production process. This paper will provide a background on STIHL’s manufacturing and robotics; the company’s profitability, and profits; and benefits of automation. STIHL Background in Manufacturing and Robotics Established in 1926 by Andreas Stihl, Stihl Incorporation is a handheld power equipment manufacturing company based in Virginia, USA. With its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, STIHL is a privately held company owned by the Andreas Stihl descendants. The company has recently introduced collaborative robotics in its manufacturing approaches in the US and Germany. In the robotic manufacturing technology, man and machine have a common working space (Cichocki, et al., 2012). Since man and machine have a common working space, they collaborate during assembly procedures. Among the wide range of products that the company produces, include edgers, trimmers and bush cutters, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and lawn mowers among others. Profitability and Profits Through its automation practices, STIHL has grown into a World Class production company. With only 2,100 employees across the globe, STIHL makes an annual sale of 1 Billion USD (Cichocki, 2012). Despite the weakening global economy characterized by adverse weather conditions and Eurozone debt crisis, STIHL has continued to grow. In 2012, the company had a turnover of 1,968 million Euros. This turnover represented a 7.9 percent increase from the previous year. The company’s productivity has come as a result of the automation production practices and its presence across the globe. The company’s profits mainly come the sale of its products. STIHL has over 40,000 authorized dealers in more than 160 countries. The increasing sales units in other areas offset the dips in units from one region across the globe. For this reason, the company is not affected by fluctuation in exchange rates, adverse weather conditions, and regional economies. Benefits of Automation The use of robots at STIHL means there is a collaboration between robots and humans. With the help of sensors, there has been a great reduction of risk at work hence improved productivity (Cichocki, 2012). Despite the benefit of reduced risks, there are other benefits associated with automation. Reduced costs of production When companies use robots in the production processes, returns on investments (ROI) will outweigh the initial startup cost. Automation of manufacturing practice is effective in the sense that it reduces the cost of production. Decreased Cycle Time Automation decreases cycle time since robots have the ability to work faster and for a longer period (Cichocki, 20
Dr. Jeffrey S. Wigand is known as a good and fair scientist, who cares about people, promotes healthy style of life, does not afraid to argue about harm of smoking, being a part of a tobacco industry, and this is why he is respected in different spheres of life in the United States of America. He was born on December 17, 1942 in New York City. He spent some time of his childhood in Bronx, however, came back to Pleasant Valley, New York very soon. Jeffrey Wigand was in the military, and even participated in actions in Vietnam. His education is connected to the State University of New York at Buffalo: he got his Master and PhD there. He was fond of Japanese, Biology, Chemistry, and other Sciences. His service at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation is succeeded by work at Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. However, in March, 1993, Mr. Wigand assisted FDA in order to investigate the role of nicotine in people’s lives and its impact on human health. In 1995, Jeffrey Wigand achieved unbelievable success and people’s recognition – he introduced his ideas how unfair tobacco industry can be and how people make smokers become addicted. His interview at the program 60 Minutes opened terrible secrets concerning the health risks, which were caused by cigarettes. All his actions against tobacco companies cause absolutely different emotions: some people were amazed to hear such a terrible truth; some people started hating this person, because he made an attempt to destroy their business; and some people just skip this information and continue smoking. Dr. Wigand admitted that “Brown & Williamson executives were most certainly aware that smoking caused disease” (Janofsky, para. 11). Such words and many other proofs served as a strong reason to start lawsuits and blame Mr. Wigand for disclosure of corporate secr
A person who comes from a society high in power distance and collectivism will inevitably have certain presuppositions about how organizations should work. Canada is an example of a country with a relatively low power distance and high individualism. When a person from a high distance, high collectivist society comes to Canada to work, their professional conduct will differ from the standard one, which may lead to misunderstanding, but also to gaining an advantage. High-power-distance people usually do not challenge the authority, believing that people have different social statuses because of the extent of their knowledge and expertise. Accepting the power inequality, Individuals with high power distance take the opinions of the superiors as a given and do not try to present their point of view. According to Lin et al. (2017), “employees with higher values of power distance have significantly exacerbated “psychological hurdles” preventing employees from voicing their opinions” (p. 6). On the other hand, in Canada, because of the low power distance, employees of any position are expected to share their thoughts and ideas on the company’s situation. Thus, it can be supposed that when individuals with the aforementioned tendencies enter the Canadian corporate environment, they may struggle with presenting thei
Introduction On the year of 1969, the month of June on the 25 th a young woman who had gotten married for a year appeared before the sovereign council. The young woman was in her advance stages of pregnancy. The sovereign council was the highest colony in the country of Canada. This young lady by the name, Marie Bourgois had come to the sovereign council to charge her husband and the in laws for denying her with the basic rights. In her moving appeal, she reminded the councillors that she is a poor girl who had left her family in France so as to sail through the Atlantic Ocean to Canada so that she may get married there. This case was not unique to Marie bourgios alone, but was a common issue to many ladies who had been leaving the comfort of their homes and friends just to get into the hands of very brutal husbands in the new land of North America. Many ladies however have decided to cope up with this situation and accepting it as the normal present life that they have to go through. This should not exclude the nuns, ladies who are wealthy and women with no economic resources. Through this we will be able to see the situation that the French women go through when they come to North America. It is evident that many French women who migrated to the North America were married people; there were those who were single that managed to migrate in the company of friend and relatives. This journey of migration from France to North America used to take between six to twelve weeks on boats. Once these women and the other sailors set out for the migration, they used to face very many hazards along the way, for instance the Spanish marauders, the storms and the sea sickness that used to claim the life of a few of them. There is no doubt as Guyart who was among the female sailors, on arrival to the state of Quebec wrote back to one of her brothers back in France telling them of the trouble and very terrifying moments she had gone through as she sailed through the Atlantic ocean. She however concluded acknowledging the almighty God for leading them through these hard moments. Some of the ladies who migrated from France to Quebec did not stay there forever but returned back to France after accomplishing their mission like Marie Joly. Many of the women went there with the intentions of getting married immediately, but had to delay their marriages because of one issue or the other. Lastly, there were those women and people who went to North America so as to dedicate their lives for serving the almighty God through the mission work. The first married European woman to remain in the New France was Marie Rollet who went there in 1617 and died there at her old age. However, not all the women who went to the New France were of good morals and of high quality. Most of them were viewed as rejects that were picked from the slums to be taken to New France. The whole of this task was done by a
Introduction The goal of middle management is to implement the organization’s strategy in creating a comfortable working environment and monitoring the working process. Effective leadership may lead to a high rate of employees’ dedication to work and, consequently, result in enhanced employee engagement. This paper features a discussion on the solutions that may improve these issues and addresses the global aspects associated with the topic. It concludes that global management practices may vary significantly but require the same solutions to enhance individuals’ performance. Improving Employee Engagement It is evident that a high level of employee engagement contributes to the organization’s performance, improves the quality of its products and services, and enhances customers’ experience. Swinscoe reports that companies with a highly engaged workforce show more than a 20% increase in productivity and profitability, almost 50% decrease in safety incidents, up to 65% lower turnover rate, and about 40% fewer quality issues. It means that enhancing employee engagement is vital for organizations that aim to achieve excellent performance. To address the problem of low employee engagement, it is necessary to discuss the root causes of it. They may include a lack of motivation, poor relationships with colleagues and employers, inability to affect existing policies, and low level of education. It is evident that middle managers can modify and eliminate the majority of these issues. Notably, possible solutions do not require significant effort and financial investments. Many solutions can be suggested to enhance employee engagement based on discussed problems. First, it is vital to improving individuals’ motivation by developing a reward system for meeting the organization’s goals and significant milestones. It may also be crucial to collect employees’ opinions on what benefits they would like to have, such as flexible work hours, paid leaves, and retirement plans. Second, to enhance the relationships among employees, middle managers should encourage cooperation and promote communication. It means that leaders should assign tasks to groups of people rather than single individuals, organize activities that will ensure bonding, and invite workers to participate in discussions about existing problems or policies. It is also vital for middle managers to establish a comfortable environment for the employees where they can share their views with the employers freely. The inability to affect existing policies may be one of the main issues leading to low employee management. Individuals should feel that their opinions and suggestions matter and that they can promote change. If middle managers do not consider workers’ concerns, employees may have no motivation to improve their performance and the quality of services. To eliminate this problem, leaders should encourage individuals to report on possible challenges associated with their tasks, as well as the limitations of existing policies. This measure will not only result in enhanced employees’ dedication to work, but also potentially improve the organizati
The McDonald’s franchise is one of the best performing food service retailers in the world. This franchise has established outlets in various countries and serves a significantly large number of people. It was Raymond Kroc‘s idea of franchising the McDonald’s, which was by then a single store, that catapulted it into the global scene. This considerable transformation attracts attention to the power of franchising if executed appropriately. The McDonald’s franchise operates as a food service retailer with a particular interest in hamburgers, fries, chicken, breakfast items, salads and milkshakes. The business adopted the franchising concept upon the realization that the demand for their products was considerably increasing. In this regard, it needed to expand its coverage and cater for more consumers. The McDonald’s uses agents to operate its outlets in different locations. This strategy is crucial, especially concerning operations outside America, in reducing operation costs and maintaining the quality of products. In addition, it helps shied the business from various aspects of corporate exposure. Despite the high demand for its products, the McDonald’s management ensures that prices remain affordable. Since even the low-income earners can afford McDonald’s products, the franchise has a huge customer base. This has enabled the franchise to retain its market dominance. In addition, the management ensures consistency in all its outlets to maintain its products’ quality. This involves standard procedures regarding cooking and serving. This strategy ensures the availability of labor as it is considerably easy for new employees to become acquainted with procedures and ensure timely services. The charges on franchisees are relatively low and thus favorable. The McDonald’s policy requires franchisees to pay a commission of about 2 percent of their sales. This offer ensures the availability of labor for the business as it is attractive to a large number of potential franchisees. Considering the rapidly changing market and consumer preferences, the McDonald‘s keeps revising its products to ensure they remain valid. Outside America, the McDonald’s ensures the integration of local cultures into its menu items. To start a franchise in the food service industry, one has to incur various costs. The costs vary depending on factors such as the franchise
As the outside counsel, it is possible to suggest that the employee who was denied of promotion may sue the company for discrimination. The essential duties of this employee are associated with the union telephone representation, not reaching the racks. In this connection, her appeal to the court may be considered quite advantageous for this person. In turn, the company may suffer significant losses to cover the fines that can be set by the court decision. To avoid such a negative outcome, it is critical to be careful in offering the employee a promotion. This is likely to satisfy her, yet the overall workplace environment may turn out to be tense. The collective meeting with the employees and the outside counsel can be recommended to clarify the related employment law compliance and its importance for proper workplace relationships between managers and employees.