ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Quality education is one of the public goods that every nation endeavors to deliver to its citizens by enacting relevant education policies. While in many nations including Canada, basic education is delivered by the state at much subsidized costs, financing post-secondary education causes people to dig deep into their pockets both in the developing and developed world. From an economist perspective, increasing the prices of public goods has the impact of reducing the demand for the public good. In this sense, increasing the fees for post-secondary education would mean a reduction in the accessibility levels. This paper seeks to provide a response as to whether this economic view applies for the case of Canadian post-secondary education. Impacts of increasing tuition fees on accessibility to post-secondary education in Canada Affordability limits accessibility levels Hiking of fees for post-secondary education makes it only affordable by the wealthy people. This claim means that the less fortunate people would not have equal accessibility levels with the more fortunate members of the society (Kirby 268). Indeed, over the last 15 years, the tuition fee paid by Canadians has grown to thresholds that make fees account for the largest expense that is encountered by university and other higher education institutions students. This hiking has been attributed to cutting down public funding on post-secondary education by the federal government (Coelli 1072) and provincial governments (Easton and Rockerbie 194). Over the last two decades in Canada, a sharp cut from 84 percent to 57 percent on post secondary funding from the public kitty has been experienced. Over the same period, tuition fees grew on an upwards trend right from “14 percent of operating funding to over 34 percent” (Coelli 1081). This growth produces multiple impacts on the affordability of post-secondary education when compounded with a reduction in public spending on post secondary education. The overall effect of the reduction of funding of post-secondary education by the federal and provincial governments is that post-secondary education has shifted from a public-focused model to a more privatized fee model. Consequently, a rapid increment of fees without necessarily being accompanied by increased economic wellbeing of the Canadians makes the accessibility to post-secondary education fragmented and segregated based on people’s economic status. Hence, increasing tuition fees makes post-secondary education less affordable for middle and low-income households in Canada. Relationship between debt level and post secondary education completion rates Although a reduction of public funding on post-secondary education has the impact of making low and middle-income families have limited accessibility to education as argued above, some critics argue that such families can still gain access to the education through debts. Their point is that the costs of education can be transferred into some future time meaning that increasing tuition fees would have
Introduction Michael Foucault authored the History of Sexuality , which is a three series book designed between 1976 and 1984. The scholar was a historian and a philosopher who tried to conceptualize the issues surrounding sexuality in the western culture (Foucault 1978, p 15). The first publication was titled An Introduction , whereas the second was titled The Use of Pleasure . The final series was titled The Care of the Self . In the three publications, the author has one aim, which was to invalidate the popular believe that the western culture introverted sexuality before the enlightenment age. Various scholars report that the western society never talked about issues related to sexuality before the 17 th century, something that Foucault rejected in his analysis. The author analyzed the issues related to sexuality when the American society was going through a transformation in terms of sexual orientation. The society believed that before sexual revolution, the issue was considered sacred and was not be mentioned in the public. In other words, the society disproved any other form of sex, which would not involve a man and a woman. Sexual relationships that did not respect societal rules and regulations were highly condemned and members found guilty were repressed. In his analysis, the scholar asks three important questions that act as a guide to the understanding of his views. The scholar wonders whether it is in order for the society to trace the sexual injustices to the rise of private ownership of property (bourgeois) in the 17 th century. Again, he questions the credibility of the claims that power in society in actually expressed solely in terms of regression. In the view of the modern society, he asks whether the current events in terms of sexuality are a show of change since what is believed and practiced currently are different from what used to be exercised before. Upon this realization, this article will delve into the writings of Foucault regarding sexuality and fur
The study aims to measure the relationship between accounting information and stock price reaction in the Saudi market. The paper analyses the various relationships between the decision-making process in investments in those listed in the Saudi Stock Market and specific accounting information systems’ features. The research utilizes the qualitative method to obtain the necessary data needed to make the conclusion. After a thorough literature search, a number of sources are selected and used to draw the relevant information required to answer the research question. Some of the accounting information system features which are common among all the companies listed in the stock market in Saudi Arabia include appropriateness, appropriateness, reliability, and comparability. The articles analyzed revealed an association between accounting information system features and the decision-making processes in the various industrial companies listed in the Saudi Stock Market. Similarly, there is a significant
Introduction Eastern Gear is a company that manufactures customized gears for various customers, such as development laboratories, small manufacturers, and engineering research firms. The decision of the firm’s president, Roger Rhodes, to fulfil orders of more than 100 gears led to an increase in profits. However, it adversely affected the company’s production efficiency and the quality of its final products. The objective of this analysis is to assess the challenges that the company is facing and providing suggestions on how they can be resolved. Major Challenges Faced by Eastern Gear The most significant challenge faced by Eastern Gear is a delay in fulfilling customers’ orders. This is largely attributed to the duplication of processes and information. Specifically, order details are repeated on multiple forms, and unnecessary queries emerge from different departments. Poor communication within the organization is a significant hindrance to a smooth flow in the production process. This has resulted in incorrect inventory levels and errors in transactions. Secondly, the company’s production process has an inefficient raw material inventory system. Most of the key raw materials are not readily available in stock, thereby forcing the firm to waste up to three weeks before fulfilling orders. The situation has been further compounded by the decision to take up large and urgent orders, which has significantly constrained the company’s resources. The company’s production rate is very low, mainly because of the disorganized and ineffective factory layout. The quality of the firm’s products is also very low, as illustrated by the 6% return rate of completed orders. This is an indication of a lapse in the company’s quality control system. Action Plan Several measures can be put in place to address the challenges at Eastern Gears. To begin with, an efficient raw material inventory system should be put in place to reduce the company’s production cycle time. As a result, the time required to fulfil orders will reduce. Measures aimed at improving the production rate should focus on creating a more efficient factory layout that has several assembly lines rather than stations. One of the assembly lines should be dedicated to urgent orders that normally interfere with the production and delivery of regular orders. High-quality standards are of essence if the company has to maintain a consistent clientele. To this end, the company’s management has to focus on the implementation of a total quality management (TQM) system. This involves introducing quality checks at various points in the production line to detect defects. Relationship with Operations Strategy and Process Design The focus of the company’s operations strategy should be to enhance efficiency in production and improving the quality of its products through the implementation of lean production policies. A lean operation system will significantly improve the production rate by ensuring a smooth flow of raw materials, elimination of unnecessary motions, and reduced transportation costs. It will also reduce excess inventory and minimize defects in finished products. Generally, more resour
Balance of payment (BoP) describes the trade and transactions of a country with the rest of the countries. The main components of BoP are current account and capital account; current account deals with trade in goods and services, transfers and investment incomes. On the other hand, capital account provides the information of net investment, portfolio investment and capital flows. Moreover, error and emission express that it is not possible to collect and scrutinize all the data. Since last few years, United Kingdom (UK) has been facing current account deficits. This drastic deficit is mainly caused by the deterioration in trade in goods, and declining in investment income. In 2015, UK has recorded its worst current account deficit at £96 billion (Taylor, Balance of Payments: Oct to Dec and annual 2016). The shortfall on secondary income raised by £2 billion and recorder £7.4 billion in the last quarter of 2015. Whereas, the primary income deficit recorder £13.1 billion in the last quarter. The net borrowing increased at level of £4.4 billion. The portfolio investment income deficit also rose to £5.2 billion in 2015, as compared to £3.5 billion in 2014. The trade account deficit was due to the decline in exports by £1.9 billion and upsurge in imports by £0.4 billion. The deficit in primary income account was due to receipts declining by £10.8 billion. This drastic decline in receipts was caused by the shrinking the foreign direct investment in the UK and reducing the earnings of direct investors. Figure 1. GDP to USD exchange rate from 2007 to 2016 Overall, the above information about BoP deficit provides the evidence of dwindlea lot of UK economy. This indicated that the net export of goods, services and profit are less that the imports of goods, services and profits. Furthermore, to pay this extra burden, UK government should sell the British pound to take the dollar or euro. The increase in the foreign currency demand will depreciate the UK pound (Strata). Figure 1 indicates the decline in the British pound over the last 10 years. In 2015, the GBP was depreciated by 7.2 percent against US dollar (Pettinger). The increasing deficit in BoP forced British government to pay the debts by converting pound and buy the US dollar.For that reason, in 2015, the British pound was further depreciated by 11.4 percent. Exchange rate is the integral part to trade with rest of the world. The decrease in exchange rate helps the country to promote its exports. Previously, in Bretton Woods era, the exchange rate was fixed with US dollar that created hurdles for economic gr
The main vision and mission of the Coors Brewery Company lies in returning to the basis of carrying out successful business, identifying target consumers, and introducing efficient distribution, promotion and pricing strategies. The company’s goals also seek to address the consumer needs while increasing sales and gaining profits. Hence, the main strategy of the company is confined to development of advanced supply chain management through such fields as research and development, engineering, and purchasing. However, such an approach excludes the evaluation of employees’ work and fails to approach the efficient human resource management. Therefore, because the company chooses a person-centered approach, BSC project could be developed successfully as soon as employees’ environment is properly estimated. Another problem of Coors consists in introducing new brands of beers, which contradicts the company’s traditional commitment to one brand only. Later penetration to the international market hampers the development of domestic sales. All these inconsistencies should be eliminated to integrate new strategies and gain profitability. In order to expand internationally, the company should develop efficient corporate culture that can meet the requirements of a multi-cultural environment. With regard to the list of frequently asked questions, the BSC benchmarking targets should be related to several correction measures. To begin with, the company should introduce new training programs and innovation strategies that can reorganize the company’s procedures and allow its managers to quickly adjust to fast-changing demands of consumers. Second, usability of new shipment terms should also undergo testing procedures to define whether they contribute to productivity. Third, understanding the importance of subsequent stages implemented to the process provides new dimensions for development. However, the quality assurance manager Ken Rider should be more concerned with prioritization of specific tasks that should be accomplished before the next step is achieved. Continuous improvement, therefore, is possible only when consistent approach is chosen. Finally, rewarding system introduced by BSC should also be reevaluated to assess the degree to which employees can enhance their motivation. Therefore, main target of BSC rel
Introduction Over the recent past, economic experts and other scholars have been stressing that the competitive edge of the economy of most industrialized nations are technologies based on knowledge and information (CIO Communications, 2000, p. 2). These new technologies have significantly shaped the nature of work and the general economy. The expansion of these technologies is attributed to the proliferation of personal computers and the surge in the use of internet (Black & Lynch, 2000, p. 6). Nonetheless, the impact of these technologies on the economy still remains to a certain extent obscure with the critics and proponents giving their opinions without considering the real facts (CIO Communications, 2000, p. 3). This paper aim to answer one of the most commonly asked questions among the public regarding ICT and new economies. The question is “why are new media technologies seen as the new engines of economic growth in many countries? Plus how are these countries coping with the challenges posed by these new technologies?” According to Flew (2006, p. 5), new media is basically computing and information technology, communication networks and digital media arising out of the convergence process. New media can also be contemplated as digital media. Digital media are forms of media that merges, integrates and stores data in digital format and distributes them across networks. The role of ICT on the economy cannot be understood without exploring the significance of the knowledge economy. Drawing on numerous literatures on this discourse the paper will explore a number of theories focusing on the knowledge economy and their role in socioeconomic transformation. The study will provide facts that are drawn from various literatures on the knowledge economy and how it has facilitated new inventions and productivity. After that, the paper reviews the role of new media technologies in economic growth. A number of important issues will be raised in the study through the application of the theories to a real life situation. Knowledge Economy As already mentioned, the role of ICT on the economy cannot be understood without exploring the significance of the knowledge economy (Stiglitz, 1999). The study of knowledge economy highlights the significance of ICT and learning in the creation of wealth and competitive advantage in the global economy (Foss, 2002, p. 10). This is supported by three interrelated arguments. First, there is a paradigm shift from agriculture and industrial production to service and information sector. Second, new media and ICTs have speed up the creation of new knowledge. They have achieved this by improving access to the current knowledge through networks, facilitating online interactions and accelerating the speed of knowledge dissemination and pooling together global intelligence. Lastly, the new knowledge has boosted new innovations, or development of new products and services. The development of new products and services is viewed as the principle means to survive and thrive in the current competitive global business environmen
The definitions of what constitutes valid art are not exact or limited to specific criteria. Essentially, any art form can exist as long as impulses of artistic expression are part of its process or final product. Fine art may have narrower barriers but also fails to be distinctly defined. While the selfie may appear as just another fragment of the structure of social media, it is also capable of being an element of art forms that prioritize self-expression. Due to its visual nature, it is inherently artistic, and both casual and highly stylized selfies can be categorized as pieces of self-expression. Some may argue against this definition, but such an argument would be largely based on a subjective definition of both art and self-expression. While not all selfies intend to be present as art pieces reflecting on self-expression, this movement and practice have become much more common in art found on social media. In an article on Sarah Purewal and Molly Soda, elements of the selfie are compared and exposed that even within a concise art form, variety is essential. Purewal is a self enthusiast that commonly posts unedited and non-staged pictures of herself. While Soda does not edit her images either, her application of unique hairstyling, makeup, dress, and background creates a different form of the selfie (NPR, 2015). Soda cites that her selfies are often a look into her private life and things that are usually invisible to the world. Purewal advocates for posting images as they are without covering imperfections. Both of these users are thereby offering messages of self-expression through selfies as an art form. The images posted by my classmates, whether edited, raw or staged, inherently have artistic value and can be categorized as an art form. The quality or appreciation of their images depends on the viewer’s subjective opinion of whether they enjoyed the colors, posing, and other choices of the images. However, even if the image has technical issues, it does not take away from its statement on self-expression. The pictures posted by my classmates adhere to the loose definitions of the selfie art form as they include imagery of themselves that was taken by themselves. The principles of design can also be found in selfies. While the use of balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, movement, proportion, alignment, and white space can vary among pictures, their inclusion or exclusion can also constitute artistic choices. This is primarily because the selfie is a non-conventional art form and does not adhere to any tradition, standards, or practice guidelines. The visual elements also vary, as filters can deeply affect things like color and value. The images that my classmates took that do not have any editing are
The Greenwood Massacre is an event that led to a high number of deaths between the Whites and the African Americans within the region. The riot and violence emerged from a miscommunication regarding an encounter between Dick Rowland and Sarah Page. During Memorial Day on May 30th, 1921, Rowland, a shoeshiner entered an elevator in a nearby building where Page was working to access the restroom on the top floor (Gannon 3). However, while in the elevator, a man working in the building heard a woman scream then a Black person exited the premises. Although Sarah confessed that Dick only grabbed her hand, the press played a vital role in the development of the protests. The media used quotes in the newspapers and reports that portrayed Sarah as violated by Rowland, a situation that led to bloodshed and brutality between the two races. The Whites focused on establishing their superiority while the Blacks sought justice for Rowland. The movie “Watchmen” articulates the disparities between the two ethnic groups and the tension arising from the essence of superiority and inferiority hence compromising moral justice. Moral justice is a crucial factor within a community with different races such as the Whites and the African Americans. The movie “Watchmen” entails the story of vigilantes and superheroes in an attempt to align society under their ideal goals. The plot of the story reflects the Greenwood Massacre mainly due to the victimization of individuals that steered the violence between the two groups. One of the sects is the superheroes living in human disguise within the community. The superheroes participated in the Vietnam War and led America to victory (Snyder 12:07-17-34). However, upon their ret