ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Why do you think we are so dependent on familiar ways of solving problems, and so unlikely to think creatively in problem-solving situations? I think people are so dependent on familiar ways of solving problems because our mind tends to rely on previous experience and avoid putting much effort into finding creative solutions. We are so unlikely to think creatively because only a few of us train creativity and are encouraged to seek unusual approaches. Most people are simply afraid of employing new solutions, as they want to avoid the possibility of failure. People tend to approach problems in similar ways and avoid seeking new solutions. This tendency is called a mental set. It is a “subconscious determining tendency” that refers to the situation in which a person relies on solutions that appeared to be effective in the past without searching for new alternative variants (Bruno 127). Mental sets can help to be quick in finding a solution. However, they limit creativity and prevent us from thinking of better ways of fixing a problem. Einstellung, or a problem-solving set, is an effect that causes confined creativity. It becomes apparent when a person is unable to see new possible ways of solutions once he/she has seen the most obvious one (Bilalic, Gobet, and McLeod 652). The creative mind is not restricted by previously discussed tendencies, is capable of seeing possibilities in new ideas, and promotes finding unusual solutions (Adair 2). Creativity can be cultivated by shacking up routine, avoiding rigid rules, and keeping the mind open to innovations. Can you think of a real-life situation in which you were forced to “undo” some of the progress to solve a problem I think one of the real-life situations illustrating the necessity of moving backward to solve a problem was my experience in physical training. As my goal was to get good results quickly, I started working out a lot. For some period, I had obvious results, and then the progress stopped. The fitness trainer warned me that amount of working out and the capacity of weights used in it sometimes should be reduced to give rest to the body and get better results in the future. It was difficult for me to accept such solutions, as I found moving backward from achievements disappointing. However, when I followed the advice, I saw that the progress made after moving backward was even bigger. People tend to have a difficult time solving the type of problem where they have to move back because they are usually afraid of moving from a final goal. They are unlikely to set sub-goals and usually take the actions that seem to move them directly toward the ultimate objective. Such a strategy is called hill-climbing. The biggest disadvantage of this heuristic is the inability to see fewer directive choices that can bring the biggest long-term benefits (Medin 335). It is of vital importance to understand that some situations require moving back to find the best possible solution. How are
Background The article discusses the nature and extent of human and wildlife exposure to chemicals, especially through foodstuffs. Synthetic chemicals are present in most products that people use in their daily lives. Electrical appliances, cleaning substances, clothing, toiletries, furniture, car interiors, foods, and almost all other products used by human beings contain a certain amount of chemicals in them. Some of these chemicals have undesirable properties, such as persistence in the environment and bioaccumulation in human or wildlife bodies. Man-made chemicals get into the environment in various ways including industrial processes, poor waste disposals, and leaching from landfills. In other cases, the environment is exposed to chemicals through leakages or spillages during transportation, manufacture, and storage of different materials. In addition, human beings make direct contact with chemicals through inhalation or usage of substances such as cosmetics, toiletries, and disinfectants. However, the most common route to human and wildlife exposure to chemicals is through food. The food chain is contaminated at different levels, whether directly or indirectly. The article notes that food is the most important link between flora or fauna and chemicals. The process starts with the manufacture of chemicals and progresses in a series of events that end in the presence of such substances in the blood of humans or animals. Secondary exposure occurs when pregnant mothers pass such chemicals to their unborn children through the placenta. After chemical contaminants are released into the environment, such as through soil, water, and air, they enter animals and plants at the bottom of the food chain. Animals at higher levels of the food chain then eat the contaminated animals and plants, and ultimately the chemicals enter human bodies after the consumption of such animals and plants as food. The food chain route plays an important role in the passage of chemicals that persist and accumulate in the environment, such as brominated flame retardants, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), phthalates, PCBs, and HCBs. In addition, processing and packaging may be convenient ways for the introduction of chemicals into food. For example, greaseproof packaging materials, which are commonly used in the packaging of fast foods, contain perfluorinated chemicals that easily leak into foodstuffs and humans consume them. As such, the focus has now shifted to examining the presence of contaminants in foodstuffs. If the points of entry of the chemical contaminants into the food chain are sealed, then the safety of consumers can be improved significantly. Aims The ai
Executive summary IBNOVO is committed at ensuring that it provides sufficient and effective IT training to its employees in the subsidiary firms located in Australia and China. This document entails a report outlining a number of issues that the firm will consider in its IT training program. Some of the issues taken into account in this study include quality management, risk management, communication management, procurement management and human resource management. Purpose statement In its quest to attain competitiveness, IBNOVO is committed at developing a strong human resource base. Consequently, it has designed an IT training program to be implemented concurrently in India and Australia. The training program will focus on how the firm’s human resource skills will be executed effectively. This document outlines some of the issues that will be considered in the process of implementing the project. The report focuses on how to undertake quality management effectively, communication management, risk management, human resource management, and procurement management. Quality management Managers assume the responsibility of ensuring that their organisations provide customers with high quality products and services (Mukherjee 2006). Therefore, it is paramount for the firms’ management teams to ensure that their firms’ operations deliver value to their customers, which underscores the importance of total quality management (Nigam 2005). In the course of its operations, IBNOVO is committed that its customers are satisfied. Consequently, the concept of total quality management will be integrated in the training program. The involved parties will ensure that all the firm’s employees are committed at improving the customer’s level of satisfaction. In a bid to achieve this goal, a number of aspects as outlined below will be incorporated in the training program.  1. Effective leadership  2. Customer focus  3. Involvement of employees  4. Process orientation  5. Continuous improvement  6. Integration of systems’ approach  7. Integration of the process approach  8. Institution of factual approach in the decision making process  9. Establis
In Homer’s “The Beggar King of Ithaca”, Odysseus shows immovable character and will. He has the ability to change many things the way he personally wants but he chooses a path of great morality. When it comes down to a physical fight, Odysseus has all might to win but his wisdom and graces serve as a conscious and willing determination to be morally correct and he acts as a more honorable and righteous person. Odysseus is known to be a great soldier, ruler and a fair individual. The fact that he has strength and ability does not mean that he must use them every time a situation presents itself. He has the wisdom to separate the moments when he must truly use his power of body and mind, from those times when he must keep calm. Odysseus is a true representation of a just and modest ruler who does not abuse his authority. His morality is an example of the highest development of any human being. The standards that he has set for himself, would not allow him to senselessly break into the fight. When Irus threatens and offends Odysseus, he purposefully wants to provoke a fight. 1 For someone to withstand such verbal assaults and degrading in public, one must have very strong will and control of emotions. This is exactly how Odysseus acts, as he does not answer to the provocations, at first. He restrains himself and asks Irus nicely, what wrongs he has caused him. Not a lot of people would behave the same way in such a situation and this is very much representative of the inner, almost God-like strength that Odysseus has. He knows that as a more understanding and stronger person, he must take every step in avoiding the fight. Irus does not back down and the provocation continues. Odysseus has no duty or responsibility to restrain himself, he could have jumped into the fight right away but he does not do this. Primarily, he respects himself and knows the specific behavior he must follow and others do not determine his actions. Odysseus is being tested again when the public has joined into the scene and are approving of the fight. So he asks, how can he, an old man, defeat a much younger fighter? 2 Once more he shows that he wants to make sure every step is taken to avoid the fight. This displays real control of character but also, the understanding nature of Odysseus. His heart does not resort to violence, he is a kind person and this is also a part of his strength. When the fight commences, he wants to restrict his power to the last moment, as he plans to be as gentle as possible but his reflexes take over. In the fight, any person’s heart starts to race and they get excited by the rush, the same happens to Odysseus. He is unable to restrain himself any further and his punch turns out to be very precise and forceful. Wh
Introduction The ability to think critically is one of the most important skills for a manager to have. Due to their profession, they are required to take in large amounts of information in order to assess the best cost of action. Determining the advantages and tradeoffs of an action or a strategy is necessary to perform various kinds of analyses, such as SWOT, PESTEL, and others (Schermerhorn et al., 2014). At the same time, the inability to think critically has the potential of sending a company down a disadvantageous path, which would result in extra costs, loss of potential markets, failure to capitalize on certain strengths, and, ultimately, collapse and bankruptcy of the company. Main body One of the biggest issues with critical thinking in business is that many managers do not possess the ability to assess different approaches to the problem. Instead of critically thinking, these managers suffer from what is called confirmation bias – when a set of beliefs and notions is reinforced by cherry-picking information that fits into their current worldview while ignoring anything that might contradict it (Morewedge, Yoon, & Scopelliti, 2015). As a result, companies may suffer from various conditions such as marketing myopia, or even transforming from a customer-oriented business to a product-oriented one. In the end, the company loses its market share, is forced to close up facilities and lay off workers, and eventually collapses, unable to support its own infrastructure. Examples of such failures include Kodak and Nokia. Confirmation bias is one of the prominent bottlenecks in decision-making (Zsambok & Klein, 2014). Conclusion I believe that confirmation bias is accumulated with experience and success, as it makes managers enrooted in their own beliefs. In order to prevent the development of confirmation bias, managers must be aware of it and ready to learn and accept new information (Morewedge et al., 2015). Doing so would ensure a long-term competitive advantage for the company.
The Molly Maguires developed as the active secret terrorist organization based on the idea of struggling with the capitalist mine owners. The representatives of the Molly Maguires had the Irish origin and followed Catholicism. The organization acted within the Pennsylvania coal region famous for its anthracite mines during the 1860s-1870s. Thus, the ethnic and religious principles and differences were accentuated. According to the legend associated with the organization’s name, the Irish miners referred to the name of the Irish Catholic woman Molly Maguire who was rather persistent while opposing to the Irish and English Protestants because they intended to remove the woman from the house because of her faith ( The Molly Maguires (1970) , 1999). The Molly Maguires could work for “The Ancient Order of the Hibernians”, the influential secret organization. The Molly Maguires acted as the protectors of the miners’ rights, but the methods used were rather violent. There is no single idea about the ideology of the society’s members or justification of their actions because they were oriented toward using terrorist techniques, murdering mine owners, organizing riots, and attacking police as the ways to act for the workers’ interests ( The overthrow of the Molly Maguires , 2013). Thus, the activities’ purpose was to overcome discrimination against the Irish working class of miners. The organization depended on the developed structure and leadership of John Kehoe, the King of the Mollies (Boyer & Morais, n.d.). To stop the society’s activities, the U.S. police developed the plan to integrate James McParlan, a detective, into the organization. During the months, McParlan worked to prevent violent murders and crimes and to gather the evidences against the society’s members. The year of 1876 became the year of trials against the Molly Maguires. The activities of the society’s members were discussed as violating all the ethical and legal norms, and to contribute to declaring the sentences quickly, the Irish juries were removed during the trials (Linder, 2010). The events associated with the Molly Maguires are discussed as evidences of discrimination against the Irish people and workers as the class, first signs terrorism, and development of trade unions.
Abstract Higher education is widely considered to be a prerequisite of successful life and career. Indeed, studying for and earning a degree provides numerous opportunities. While exploring interesting subjects in detail, students build skills that will improve their performance at work. Graduates are also eligible for some jobs and benefits that are not accessible to people without a degree, and thus higher education provides them with more flexibility in terms of career. The present paper will reflect on the skills I have developed and improved as part of the course and explain the benefits of higher education for citizens. Introduction Personally, I have always perceived higher education to be a crucial part of a person’s life. A college degree is essential for me to achieve my career goals, and thus I tried to gain the most from my time in college. As a result, I have developed a number of skills that will assist me in building a successful career. In this paper, I will reflect on the benefits provided by higher education, including skills and opportunities available to students and graduates. Developing and Improving Skills The first skill that I have developed through the course is teamwork. Group projects and assignments were particularly helpful to me in improving this skill since they required me to actively participate in the process and cooperate with other group members. Teamwork is an important skill that will have a positive impact on my future life and career. As I intend to work in business settings, teamwork will help me to connect with other employees and become an integral part of the organization faster. Teamwork skills will also have a significant influence on my performance. As explained by Salas et al. (2014), more and more organizations rely on teams to achieve their goals, and teamwork training can thus improve both individual and organizational performance. For managers, teamwork is of great importance since it enables them to form successful teams and to establish positive relationships with employees. Communication is also a skill that I have managed to improve during this course. Communication is a broad concept that includes connecting with other individuals, expressing oneself clearly and appropriately, and responding to other people’s feelings and emotions. Participating in group assignments and class discussions has helped me to gain a deeper understanding of communication and practice this skill to improve my competency in the area. Communication is of critical importance to individuals working in all business settings. For self-employed persons, communication can assist in establishing and maintaining relationships with clients, suppliers, and partners. For those working in organizational settings, communication aids in improving working climate and
Introduction College Pretzel Company (CPC) is a newly founded company that bakes hot soft pretzels for hungry students late at night. The company is a sole proprietorship that a student ventured into as a means of earning money to pay school fees. The company started with the owner as the only operator of the business. The owner was entirely responsible for the production, selling, as well as looking for the market of pretzel. The business has shown a very impressive performance in the last few years because of its high quality product and good management. Thus, the management sometimes hires extra personnel to assist with some chores from Monday to Saturday when the demand for the pretzel is high (Roger, 1986). The owner aspires to extend the operation of the business to other colleges, as well as making it a multinational corporation like other giant fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s restaurants. Vision of College Pretzel Company College Pretzel Company aspires to be the leading company in the world in offering high quality pretzel to students. Mission Statement College Pretzel Company is committed in offering high quality and affordable pretzel to its customers. The company is dedicated in hiring very competent employees to assist it to excel in its venture locally and internationally. Strategy of College Pretzel Company The owner of College Pretzel Company had identified a need for offering pretzel to hungry students late at night. The owner had realized that most students who extend their studies in the library up to late hours at night often get the college cafeteria already closed. Thus, many of these students end up sleeping hungry for lack of an alternative source of food. After identifying this opportunity, the student realized it as a very appropriate chance to earn extra money to pay for his school fees. The student bought the essential facilities for running the business, which entailed a mixer, cooker as well as essential ingredients required for production purposes. The student started making pretzel that he sold later at night to his fellow students. The owner gives a topping for free, which can either be a chocolate, cheese, mustard or caramel source for every order made. This is an important strategy for encouraging the students to keep on buying the pretzel. The owner does most of the tasks of production, as well of selling and marketing the pretzel. The enterprise has performed considerably well of late because of the ability of the owner to be consistent in offering affordable and high quality pretzel to the students. During the peak periods, which are from Monday to Saturday, the owner hires other students to assists him in the business (Roger, 1986). Following the good performance of the business, the owner will require employing full time e
Choosing an Approach and Creating an Outline I would like to map a Sherlock episode, The Hounds of Baskerville, against the characters defined in Joseph Campbell’s theory ( The Hounds of Baskerville ). Thus, I will analyze the episode to find the following characters therein: the hero, the herald, the mentor, threshold guardians, the trickster, the shape-shifter, and the shadow (“The Hero’s Journey”). Since the hero and the herald in this story are obvious, I will need to discern the other characters. The following bullet list will help me to do it:   * Watch the episode and try to see who or what presents the biggest trouble to find the trickster in the story.   * Pay attention to the character whose mood and attitudes change for the episode to identify the shape-shifter.   * Become aware of the character who is not shown a lot, but who has deep feelings and emotions toward the hero to find the shadow in the episode.   * Pay attention to who presents the greatest obstacles to discern the threshold guardian. The Hero’s Journey in The Hounds of Baskerville I chose The Hounds of Baskerville to discuss this assignment because it has always been one of my favorite stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was one of the greatest detective story writers, and Paul McGuigan is one among many directors who gave Doyle’s characters live on the screen. The characters’ names in the episode are borrowed from the book (Doyle 3–10). However, in the movie, they do not always belong to the same people as in the book. I highly appreciate the possibility of reading or watching detective stories, and I thought that analyzing The Hounds of Baskerville using Campbell’s theory would be a great idea. First, it is necessary to point out the hero of the episode. I think that even those who have never read the books or watched movies about Sherlock Holmes must realize that he is the main hero here. He is the one who passes the three stages (separation, initiation, and return) and whose talent and wisdom solve the mystery in the episode. The same thing concerns the herald—quite predictably, this role belongs to Holmes’s friend and colleague Watson. According to Campbell’s theory, the herald encourages the hero to take action. This is exactly what John Watson does in the episode: He persuades Sherlock that he should take the case suggested by Henry Knight. However, the latter may also be called a herald in this episode. Knight is so persistent in his request that eventually, he persuades Sherlock to become interested in his case. Watson also plays another role—he is the mentor of the story. According to Campbell, this is someone who acts as the conscience of the book (“The Hero’s Journey”). U