ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Ecuador General Information   * Official Name: Republic of Ecuador   * Area: 272,046 square kilometers   * Official Language: Spanish   * Currency: US dollar   * Capital: Quito   * Largest City: Guayaquil   * Regime: Unitary presidentialconstitutional republic   * Constitution: August 10, 1998.   * Population: 15,008,000 (Bailey 1).   * The Ethnic Groups: “native Ecuadorians 25%, European descendants 7%, mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian) 65%, and African 3%” (Bailey 1). Around 70% of the country’s population lives in urban territories, nearly 50% of people inhabit the coastal plain areas, and a little less people live in the Andes valleys and the plateaus (Bailey 1). Not more than 600, 000 people inhabit the tropical rainforest territories (Bailey 1). The country’s non-continental part, the Galapagos Islands, is inhabited by an estimated 17, 500 Ecuadoreans (Bailey 1). The sad fact about the country’s population is that almost 45% of people live in poverty (Bailey 1). Geographical Analysis The very title of the country “Ecuador” resounds its geographical location as it is situated on the equator. Ecuador borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, Peru on the east and south, and Colombia on the north. The territory of the country also includes Galapagos islands, that lie 960 kilometers off the coast. The continental part of the country is divided into an eastern jungle, mountainous central highland, and a coastal farmland. The capital of the country lies at an altitude of 2, 730 meters in the Andes highlands. The highest pick of the Andes is 6, 067 meters. Due to its geographical position, the country is rich in natural resources (“Background Note: Ecuador” 1). The most important one of them is petroleum that is deposited in the eastern densely forested area. The other important natural resources are gold, fish, and timber. The rich variety of geographical territories in the country results into a wide range of climates. In the jungle part in the east, the climate is hot and humid, and in the highland part, it is drier and milder. In addition, the weather in the coastal farmland is greatly influenced by the Humboldt Current, which makes it more moderate. Historical and Political Analysis Ecuador is the country with a long history. The territory, which is now the biggest part of the country, is first mention in the Middle Ages period in connection to the Inca Empire and its conquests. In 1513, the Inca Empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors, who turned the local population and the Africans, which they brought with themselves, into slaves. The period from the XVI to XVIII century became a d
Alan Malachowski is famous for his evolutionary paradigm theory. The extensively studied theory deals with ascertaining how businesses that are passed as the most competitive emerge victoriously and succeed those that are seen as less competitive. Due to the desire of every business to remain relevant in the business environment, business people are forced to engage in many practices that are meant to guarantee the success of the businesses. However,
It is quite difficult nowadays for anyone to accurately provide a full description of the ethnic or even racial composition of America due to the complexities associated with it. From the onset, America was a multicultural and multiethnic society with different ethnic groups staying together. However, the indigenous people of America especially North America, were replaced and absorbed by Europeans who immigrated into America as settlers. The Europeans imported Africans mostly from the Caribbean and West Africa who also helped in the dilution of the ethnical composition of America. As a result of immigration of new races into America, mixed races soon emerged because of intermarriages, consensual liaisons and sexual exploitation especially of black women by their white masters. It should be noted that the immigration history has highly influenced the ethnical and racial composition of America. A century ago, people from southern and Eastern Europe migrated in large numbers into America adding to the diversity of racial composition in America. However, the recent immigrants from Asia and Latin America have changed the aspect of cultural and phenotypic diversity. On the same note, the distinction between various racial and ethnic groups is becoming more and more unclear due to increased intermarriages and the increasing number of people with mixed ancestry. Consequently, the significance that race and ethnicity had in the American society is declining since people are becoming less concerned with the ethnical or racial background of others. On the same note, it has been noted that people from mixed ancestry identify themselves as natives of either race depending on the prevailing circumstances. However, outside America every person is simply American. Recent studies show that there is a possibility of different racial divisions emerging because of the differentiation that is practiced nowadays. Arguably, American society has been largely categorized into brown and black people who are disadvantaged and other groups of immigrants who are allowed to integrate with the white majority. This type of categorization is expected to lead to emergency of conflicts especially because immigration is still occurring in large numbers. As a matter of fact, with the recent rate of immigration, it has been projected that non-Hispa
Market Segmentation Strategy of the InterContinental Hotels The InterContinental Hotels Group is following market differentiation and niche marketing by creating a series of products that target different markets and unique to each targeted market. With many customers looking for good value for their money, quality and affordability of the hotel service packages have remained the main basis upon which customers make their final decision to purchase products in the dynamic and stratified Canadian hotel market. The Intercontinental Hotels Group has put measures in place to ensure it attracts more customers and therefore expand their market share through the creation of different products that target different markets. In order to penetrate and competitive position its interests in the dynamic Canadian hotel market, the InterContinental Hotels Group has different products that target specific customer segments. Through focused and differentiated business strategies, the InterContinental Hotels Group has created hotel brands such as the Crown Plaza to serve the luxury customer segment, Holiday Inn to serve the mid-price segment, Holiday Inn Express to serve the economy segment, and the Holiday Inn Select to serve the business travel segment. This section discusses the market differentiation strategy that the InterContinental Hotels Group has adopted for each of their brands within the Canadian market. Crown Plaza: Luxury Segment At present, the luxury market of the InterContinental Hotels Group is served by the Crown Plaza Hotel. The products offered are premium, excellent, quality in meeting the needs of customers within the luxury market. Among the products within the luxury segment include fitness, dining, conference, and complimentary business services. In the process of market differentiation, the company has also adopted a focused positioning strategy to remain competitive in the Canadian market. The Crown Plaza focuses its market to high-end customers by creating expensive and classy services to super-rich clients (Kotler and Keller 263). The products meant for the luxury segment are customized to appeal to each potential client. This has ensured that the Crown Plaza Hotel is known for its unique targeting, segmenting, and positioning of the high-end products, which has helped it to maintain its position as a market leader. Besides, it has made the Crown Plaza Hotel take credit for making customized hotel services a popular hotel statement for the high-end market segment. The Crown Plaza Hotel brand has specialized in niche marketing by focusing on the utmost premium brand quality that customers demand. The strong market position has positioned the Crown Plaza Hotel to meet customer demand since it has a resounding knowledge of global consumer trends. The high-end focus has enabled the Crown Plaza Hotel to target customers within the 5% super-rich global population who live or visit Canada and wa
Characteristics of an entrepreneur There are certain attributes associated with entrepreneurs though with conflicting arguments. The first attribute of entrepreneurs is that they derive motivation from the need of achievement. Entrepreneurs desire to start something new that has been inexistent. The second characteristic of entrepreneurs is that they are tough, pragmatic, and unwilling to submit to authorities. The desire for independence and control of circumstances leads them to look for ventures in business that they can control and operate independently (Ebbena 2006). Entrepreneurs are also individuals who are resourceful, imaginative, and knowledgeable. Their knowledge can make them cunning and innovative by devising new ways of doing business. They are important to the business mainly because of the capability to deal with issues and people. They have excellent leadership skills to win cooperation of others as they strive to achieve results (Howkins 2001). They are optimistic in their decision-making and that is why they engage in risky ventures with optimism that they will manage the risk (Younis 2009). The entrepreneur is also a risk-oriented person who does not fear losing and is inclined towards risking. The aspect of risk makes them active and interested in what they are doing. They risk and then strategise on how to ensure that the risk is under control (Howkins 2001). The other major attribute of entrepreneurs is that they are opportunistic. They seem to have opportunities of profiting and forever looking for new frontiers that can lead to profit. They scrutinise and analyse business opportunities that are available to them and make an optimistic decision based on information and knowledge that they have on how to profit from the venture (Ebbena 2006). Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia leads the Arab world in entrepreneurship according to the GEP survey (The World Bank 2010). Saudi Arabia has been implementing reforms in business entrepreneurship policies to allow entrepreneurs start up business and grow since the year 2005 (Power, 2005). The Arab world is unknown or unidentified with risk taking ventures, conservative and reserved against risk taking (Dechant 2005). The conservative aspect of the country and Islamic regulations pertaining to business has been for a long time a hindrance to entrepreneurship models of the Western world. Introduction of Islamic banking and financial institutions that relate with the local population have seen the number of enterprises grow in the country (Butt & Dalgic 2007). For a long time the country has been dependent on oil as the main source of revenue and supporting livelihood and infrastructure in the country. However, with increased sensitisation and emergence of concerns on the climate change many countries are developing alternative sources of energy especially renewable energy projects. This means that oil as the major source of revenue might not be sustainable for the country. The country must therefore look for alternative sources of revenue through entrepreneurship programmes that
Introduction The topic of family dynamics is necessary and relevant to modern relationships between parents and children. It is an eternal problem that they often cannot understand each other, but the ability to forgive and accept is the key to address challenges. In his story called The Prodigal Son , Luke narrates about a man whose son claimed his inheritance and spent it in vain, but he confessed. Yet Do I Marvel by Countee Cullen and Mother to Son by Langston Hughes also discuss a similar theme. Even though the behaviors of parents or children cannot be understood instantly or may be offensive, the point is not to remember evil and celebrate reconciliation. Family Dynamics: Children and Parents God is people’s Heavenly Father, which can be considered as a metaphor to clarify the links between children and their parents. Cullen writes:   * With petty cares to slightly understand   * What awful brain compels His terrible hand. (33) These lines show that the author doubted the righteousness of God’s actions as He admitted negative issues. Accordingly, the prodigal son disregarded the authority of his father, claiming money that was expected to be given him only after the death of this man. Such a similarity between the two mentioned literary pieces is representative of how often and easily children practice disobedience. In turn, the poem by Hughes focuses on the metaphor of stairways as a symbol of her difficult life and relationships with her son (187). Namely, it is critical to note that readers do not know what exactly her son did, but it is evident that something erroneous occurred between them. The sub-topic of loss is another critical issue in the family dynamics, which follows the break in relationships. Hughes states:   * Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. (187) The heroine described by this author was patient to “climb her ladder” in spite of a lot of difficulties she had to face. Presumably, many of them were related to her background of being an African-American female, and she anticipates that her son would also struggle. The Prodigal Son and Yet Do I Marvel consider lost in a different way: they encounter doubting the faith of a person in his father or son. For example, the man whose son made a critical error seems to be full of resentment and bitterness. His son not only disregarded him but also ate and worked with pigs – the animals whom Jews were not allowed even to touch. Another angle is given by Cullen, who explains the character’s disbelief in God’s morality. The last stage of all the mentioned literary pieces is associated with acceptance and a deeper understanding of what their close ones mean to them. “It was meet that we should make merry and be glad: for this, thy brother was dead, and is alive again” (Luke 15:11-32, NIV). When the younger son, losing all the money, comes back and asks the father for forgiveness for his unworthy act, one expects that the latter will scold him and chase
Why I chose the film The film “When a Man Loves a Woman” is a masterpiece that treats alcoholism as a problem affecting our society. I chose the movie because it explains why many people ignore the dangers of alcohol. The film helps us understand why alcoholism is a disease that can affect every family. The film also uses the best cinematic techniques. It also encourages people to take the problem of alcoholism seriously. The highlighted drug and its legality The highlighted drug in the film is alcohol. Alcohol is a legal drug in many parts of the world, including the United States. The movie highlights the dangers of alcohol. The producer treats alcoholism as a disease that affects many people. This film encourages our society to take the best precautions against alcoholism. What happens to the character? The film narrates the story of Alice. Alice is a school counselor who drinks beer every day. Michael is not sure about Alice’s drinking habits (When a Man Loves a Woman). Alice takes alcohol every day. She comes home after midnight. She also becomes irresponsible as both a mother and counselor. She slaps her daughter and passes out. Alice is unable to complete her duties. Alice addresses her problem towards the end of the film. How the drug affects other people Alice’s drinking habits affect every person, both directly and indirectly. The situation forces Michael to take care of his daughter and every household activity. Alice also slaps Jess, her elder daughter. She also dismisses her caretaker (When a Man Loves a Woman). This explains why the drug affects many people in Alice’s life. Is the drug a problem today? This description explains why alcoholism remains a major problem today. This is true because many alcoholics do not bother to get the best assistance. Their relatives do not encourage them to seek medication. The movie explains why alcoholism continues to destroy marriages and families. Alcohol also causes early deaths and diseases in society. Other plots fed into the drug use The film’s plot focuses on Michael and Alice. The film takes the problem of alcoholism further by explaining how drinking can affect marriages. Michael’s tribulations highlight the major challenges associated with alcoholism. Michael finds it hard to cope with Alice’s recovery process (When a Man Loves a Woman). Michael becomes insecure because he cannot make decisions anymore. These plots explain why alcohol remains a major challenge in American society today. How the film relates to our class readings The other outstanding observation is that the film’s plot relates to the aspects discussed in class. The film follows a unique cinematic pattern. This makes it easier to deliver the right message to the audience. The film uses a narrative approach, thus making it meaningful. The producer uses various techniques such as mise-en-scene to make the film admirably. My overall feelings about the film The film explains how alcoholism affects many families in society. The fil
Thesis statement: The practice of corporate finance has evolved such that there are several methods that various players in the industry have identified as appropriate to be used as project evaluation methods and these are the NPV, CAPM and the discount rate method. Introduction The authors in this paper carried out a study that aimed at analysing the current practice of corporate finance in the areas of cost of capital, capital budgeting and capital structure. The study was conducted with a great reference to Lintner’s path breaking analysis on dividend policy. The hope of the two authors is that the findings of the study will help other researchers and academicians to improve their knowledge on issues related to corporate finance and how they affect firm performance. The authors therefore chose to concentrate on three main issues in corporate finance and the summary of these issues is presented below (Graham and Harvey, 2). Cost of capital An evaluation of the use of cost of capital by firms noted that CAPM is by far the most popular method of estimating the cost of capital. It is also noted that CAPM is mostly preferred by larger firms than smaller firms. The results from the survey showed that firms that have already established themselves are likely to use a company-wide discount rate to evaluate their projects while firms with foreign exposure use it to evaluate overseas projects. The survey also noted that public corporations are most likely to use a risk matched-discount rate than private corporations. They also noted that the use of CAPM by small firms is inversely proportional to managerial ownership (Graham and Harvey, 7). Capital budgeting The
Introduction IKEA is a multinational corporation that deals with furniture production. By 2002, it was the leading global company in its industry. Its sales were approximated at 12billion US dollars. However, the company experienced challenges in the market. Its products could not match the needs and preferences of the American people. This case suggests the need for the company to listen to customers’ concerns and develop the appropriate business strategies to cope with customer complaints. Indeed, this challenge is the main problem that IKEA had to address to succeed in the American lucrative furniture market, which was worth 67 billion US dollars by 2002. Statement of the Problem The compatibility between IKEA’s products and similar goods that were manufactured in the US was the major problem that hindered the success of the company in the American market. For example, “beds and kitchen cabinets did not fit the American sheets and appliances, its sofas were too hard for American comfort, and…its products dimensions were in centimeters, rather than inches” (Moon 7). Therefore, when customers purchased the company’s products such as beds, the American-made bed sheets, whose size had been measured in inches, could not fit in the beds that had been measured in centimeters. To address the problem of incompatibility, the company resorted to doing market research. Marketing research entails the determination of customers’ needs, wants, and beliefs. The noble function of marketing planning is to ensure that an organization develops effective strategies for gaining a competitive advantage. The goal is to guarantee that the organization remains profitable amid the changing market environments. In the effort to develop successful marketing planning, organizations encounter various barriers. These factors or elements hinder the success of developing marketing planning strategies. As Kotler, Adam, and Denize confirm, marketing planning barriers include, “inadequate management support, failure to coordinate and comply with plans, and failure to understand the customer needs” (107). In the case of IKEA, the main challenge was the identification of clients’ needs and wants before exploring its need to explore the American furniture market. Indeed, the problem of incompatibility led to other tactical pr