ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Walmart Stores is a retail firm which operates a chain of large department stores in various countries in the world. It is listed on the Fortune Global 500 list as one of the largest firms in the world. The firm has built a strong reputation for offering a wide range of consumer goods in its stores at discounted prices. It is the largest retail chain in the US and it is estimated that its 2012 revenues surpassed 400 billion dollars. The firm’s stores are spread out in 15 countries making it a multinational corporation. Walmart has investments in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Walmart’s business model has been instrumental in making the firm one of the most successful retailers in the world. It has a large market base because it sells a variety of merchandise at discounted prices. The firm sells apparel, footwear, groceries, and other consumer goods, to a variety of consumers. Walmart ‘s business strategy targets the mass market consisting of low and middle income consumers in countries where it operates. The firm’s business decisions in the market are influenced by key changes in consumer lifestyles and trends. Walmart’s operations in the market have been made easy by efficient supply chain functions which make it possible for different types of products to reach its stores on time. The firm was founded in 1945 by Sam Walton, who began a store that focused on selling large volumes of products at low prices. The business grew and in 1962, Walton opened the first Walmart store in Arkansas. Later on, the business expanded to 24 stores across Arkansas in a period of five years, with combined sales revenues amounting to more than 12 million dollars. This encouraged Walton to open up more stores in other states in the country. Walton’s vision made the company to be more aggressive in its operations and this helped it to expand its market share. It later became incorporated in 1969 and in less than two years, the firm had close to 40 stores with total sales estimated at more than 40 million dollars. It experienced rapid growth in the 1970’s and 1980’s because more shoppers were attracted by its business concept. By the late 1980’s, Walmart already had more than 1,000 stores. The firm had managed to stay competitive in an uncertain market which was heavily influenced by changing consumer patterns. Walmart managed to introduce some technological solutions, which made it easy for its managers to communicate with employees working in different branches. This helped the firm to institute a strong organizational culture that focused on building strong relationships with its customers. Therefore, this improved Walmart’s reputation in the market. The firm has instituted improvements in its operations and this have strengthened the loyalty of its customers. Walmart offers its customers a good shopping experience that makes them feel appreciated and valued. The firm also offers them high quality goods at discount prices; a strategy which works well with the mass market. Most Walmart customers are attracted by its shoppin
Abstract The eradication of poverty, human development, and achievement of economic growth in Africa are attainable through the empowerment of women as seen in the movie ‘Faat Kine’. The creator of the movie, Sembene Ousmane uses Kine, a single mother of two and Senegalese women from the market to show the power of African women. The movie depicts that Africa can attain considerable achievements through the empowerment of women rather than sticking to the traditionally male-dominated society. This follows the disappearance of Kine’s lover who abandoned her with children, while his second lover is a reckless conman who disappears with her money. In the end, through determination and hard work, Kine gains business acumen that propels her to a gas station manager. A Study of the Movie Faat Kine ‘ Which Africa should be respected: that of corrupt patriarchs or that of hard-working commoners such as Faat Kine ?’ This question was hurled by Djib to patriarchs during the Senegalese elections of 2000 (California Newsreel, 2010). This single question sums up the movie’s theme which is aimed at depicting the efforts, struggles, and achievements of African women, and successfully narrates their everyday heroism. The expectation, therefore, is that the movie should depict aspects of hardworking commoners, who deserve respect instead of their patriarchal leaders. The movie did achieve its intention through Faat Kine, a Senegalese single mother, who along with other Senegalese women in Dakar’s market, can escape feudal reliance on men by participating in a market economy external to the national sector. Through ‘Faat Kine’, the creator Sembene Ousmane carries this theme in the character of the eponymous heroine. Kine is introduced as a single mother of two and a successful manager of a gas station in the city of Dakar. The movie follows the everyday struggles of this woman, raising two children from two separate failed relationships, and facing the demands of her work, those of family and friends (California Newsreel, 2010). The movie successfully explores the issues facing single women in Africa, which have different dimensions to the general view of African women. Of interest is the ability of an African woman to carry herself with boldness and end up running a gas station, in a region where male dominance is heightened. This factor drives the interest of this review, as an exploration of the different facets of African culture, tradition, and socialization processes, are explored about single motherhood and career development. These processes are of interest since the movie reveals the coming of age of a region that is depicted as highly traditional and culturally dependent (ADF VI, 2008). Moreover, the
Introduction Power distance index varies from one country to another. This is mainly because it depends on the cultures of a country. In this regard, countries with high power distance tend to convey huge differences between the citizens and their leaders. Similarly, those with low power distance tend to convey small differences between leaders and their citizens. In essence, countries have diverse cultures that determine how they interact with one another. In the process, this determines the level of interaction that occurs between them. This paper will explore power distance and state as well as relate it to Washington (Curtiss, 2006, p. 1). Power distance and State in relation to Washington Power distance refers to the capability of a culture to value or not value relationship in hierarchy along with respect for authority. According to theorists such as Geert Hofstede, among others, behavior of individuals in various countries are determined by five fundamental factors. These include masculinity, long-term orientation, individualism, uncertainty avoidance and power distance index. In this regard, countries whose leaders show authorities through class divisions, behavior or dressing have high power distance indices while those that do not have low ones. In contrast, leaders in countries with low power distance indices tend to relate more easily with other citizens. Washington is an example of a state with low power distance as shown in American index of 40%. Moreover, the recent Wall Street protest was a demonstration that people wanted a lower power distance index in the country (Curtiss, 20
Aging is a continuous process that humans undergo. This process starts from birth and ends in death and involves all changes in humanistic factors such as physical, social, psychological and even spiritual. Because the aging process is ongoing, it is just to be expected that different people will have varied reactions towards it. Some accept such changes with joy and much anticipation, while others face it with fear and uncertainty. I strongly agree with what is pointed out in this reading that there are many facets of aging. It is indeed a very broad concept that more interrelated factors and aspects will also be brought out. Biological process of aging per se is not just about the human body but the overall progression of it (what happens as one ages, the impacts to people and the risk factors brought about by aging). People’s emotional, psychological and physiological responses to aging are also a very broad part of aging process. In this area, information on internal and external approaches to slowdown the aging process comes in very handy. In the same manner, ethical dilemmas such as whether or not aesthetic surgery is a good alternative to maintaining youthful beauty is also a correlated subject matter to aging. Lastly, various health-related concerns that are also associated to aging should not be taken for granted. The three top most diseases that researchers have associated to aging are Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and age-related vision loss problems. As for the issue on cultural diversity, now that we are living in a world and time wherein people meets people all the time. We tend not to stay in just one area for the rest of our lives because we are now given much option to be in a different area or country when we want to. This would mean that adapting to a different environment, culture and/or people is very important. Like what is stated in the reading, the very way we adapt on to our environment affects the way we raise or respond with our own families. This paper/reading has clearly analyzed the role of each member of the family, even the extended ones, as we all face aging and the aging time. The parents, the siblings even the grandparents have their own share in affecting our own perception and beliefs. In the same manner, these members of the family also affect our way of treating other people. Indeed, however absurd it may sound at first, this reading is right in pointing out that aging and cultural diversity do relate to each other and form a single concept relative to the formation of a well-balanced family. I agree to every concern highlighted in this reading and I do believe that any reader would learn a valuable lesson from this paper. Accepting the importance of the family and understanding how aging and cultural diversity is relative to the way families are now is just one among the many good points that can be taken from this paper.
Introduction The invention of new technologies has tremendously changed very many aspects of human life. Currently, the effects of technology are substantially reflected on the computer which is transforming people’s lives (Sagar, 2010, para. 3). Ever since it was invented, the computer has been going through drastic changes such as the introduction of internet services. The invention of the internet is a major technological change that is greatly attracting millions of people globally. Internet usage contributes a very big percentage to a person’s daily activities. In other words, people tend to spend most of their time using the internet. This is mainly contributed by the fact that computer users can easily interact with their relatives and friends through online services (Felli & Ortalo-Magne, 1998, para. 4). Apart from this, there are many others offered by online services such as games and downloading of services. Through the use of internet services, many people have come across avatars that normally represent them. An avatar is a disposition that usually represents a person who uses the internet. These avatars are mainly applied in web discussions, games, and online communities (Meadow, 2008, p. 74). By using avatars, people acquire a second life although this is not in reality. Thus, internet users normally assume the world is dominated by avatars. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to discuss avatar and its negative impact. Avatar The existence of avatars has made online services more interesting as users are represented in web communication, gaming, and internet communities. An avatar is very useful because it gives users the impression that they participate in online services. These avatars can include cartoons, human pictures, animal pictures or they can take many other forms (Meadow, 2008, p. 52). Although the avatars are representatives, they have to be controlled by users who are in charge of the games, web discussions, and online communities. In this case, online users normally assume the world of avatars which does not exist in a real-life situation. Assuming the world of avatars implies that people have a second life within the boundaries of online services. Nowadays, people like involving themselves in web discussions as they hold a wide range of forums. As they register and participate in the forums, there is always an option of using avatars. In this case, the avatar might be an image that represents a person in web discussions (Perry, 2001, p. 90). However, some users do not prefer using avatars so they can contribute their ideas without any images. Other user
Upadhyay & Singh’s (2010) article entitled “In Favour of Ethics in Business: The Linkage between Ethical Behaviour and Performance”, is a refreshing article that inspires people to bring back integrity to businesses that are faltering in ethics. Stakeholders of this article include people involved in business – managers, employees, staff, customers and beneficiaries of corporate social responsibility projects. Generally, everybody can relate to the issues raised by the article. The article mentions Lamb et al.’s (2004) definition of ethics as the ‘moral principles or values that generally govern the conduct of an individual or a group’. (Upadhyay & Singh, 2010, p.10). Presumably, such principles include not only the welfare of the management and staff of corporations but of the general public as well. The authors believe that ethical principles of corporations are based on their choices of the laws they follow, the economic and social issues they choose to deal with and the balance between the self-interests of the managerial staff and the interests of the whole company and its stakeholders (Upadhyay & Singh, 2010). The article discussed how businesses can practice their high principles and perform altruistic projects while staying on track with the production of profits. For some, it can be a dilemma because of the main reason why they established their business in the first place, which is to reap profits. Still, what is more important is ensuring that in pursuing profits, no wrong is done against anyone or anything. This includes maintaining transparency in their books, paying the right taxes, rendering high quality service with the aim of customer satisfaction, keeping employees motivated and treated with fairness and contributing to worthy causes, among others. However, the reality is that most businesses are guilty of some ‘short-cuts’ that they take from their ethical principles and add to their profits. Basically, under the guise of security, it is greed that dictates them to break their integrity. Unethical behaviour most likely brings more damage to the company by losing the trust of their customers. For example, the article mentioned Shell Gas Company’s loss of its market share in Germany in 1995 when consumers found out about its intention to dispose Brent Spar oil in the North Sea, an act that would harm the environment (Cogman and Oppenheim, 2002). On the other hand, Starbucks Coffee, stays true to its commitment to the environment by reducing deforestation and thus, preserving wildlife (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2005). This has gained them more patronage from their environment-conscious customers. Applying the learning I have derived from the article, I believe that keeping my own integrity and faithfulness to my ethical principles will guide me in becoming successful in both my personal and professional life. That means I would choose to work in a company that prioritizes ethics over profits. A company with high principles because it is capable of generating confidence in their workers and cust
Critical thinking is a way of thinking that must be taught and practiced before it becomes a habit of mind because critical thinking involves the exercise of a great many skills at the same time. One good definition of this process is provided by educator Daniel Kurland who says that “broadly speaking, critical thinking is concerned with reason, intellectual honesty, and open-mindedness” (11), meaning that an accomplished critical thinker cannot give in to emotions, laziness or narrow-mindedness. This kind of thinking requires energy and determination, a willingness to let the evidence decide the outcome, it means close analysis of a problem followed by an examination of the data from different perspectives, and even assessing the authority’s motives or agenda. Critical thinking is the pursuit of truth even if that means calling our own ideas into question, and in the course of pursuing that truth, we will learn a great deal about our own prejudices and other weaknesses. In a sense, critical thinking is an internal dialogue that can turn into a quarrel with ourselves when we find we are unwilling to break with comfortable, well-worn ideas to try on new and possibly dangerous new ones. Richard A. Lynch says that critical thinking entails an attitude of “reflective openness and challenge, a willingness to consider an idea from different points of view and at least for a little while, to step outside of one’s own views and acknowledge that one’s perspectives, assumptions, and outlook are vulnerable, perhaps even mistaken or incomplete” (2). That may be the most difficult part because we have to concede that other people’s ideas may be sounder, better supported, or even more intelligent than our own; but, as will soon become evident, that is the first step toward becoming a critical thinker. There are many reasons to remain an uncritical thinker, not the least of them being that critical thinking is hard work. Even for people whose education has given them the necessary skills to think critically and clearly, the temptation to cling to pr
Introduction Theories are accepted in philosophy if they have been analyzed, discussed and compared. There are some theories in philosophy such as subjective, correspondence, and coherence theories and whenever there is an argument for or against any forms based on the subjective theories, a constant discussion will always be necessary. For instance, after the world was created, all the way to middle age, the earth’s shape has never changed. We will, though, agree that people’s beliefs and ideas have been changing over this period (Jessop 7). To come up with a classical theory, there must be enough propositions that will be used as the truth bearer for such a theory. Berkeley has been a hostile barrier to most of today’s scientific accounts concerning the perception of the world. He has also been trying to reject the argument that the world, after all, may not be the way it appears to human eye (Phillip 33). Berkeley’s Argument: Heat Cannot Exist Unperceived To understand this argument, it would be important to understand that anything sensible includes all the things that are instantly perceived by all the human senses. These sensible qualities include sound, colors, smell or odor, taste and feel. Again, an immediate perception is an act of perceiving something without any single intervention by another person; mediate perception is whereby the perception will occur due to the intervention from another person. It would also be important to understand that a material substance is anything senseless. These materials include all things with solid, inactive, senseless or inactive qualities in them (Phillip 35). With Berkeley’s idealism, there are two main fundamental theses: metaphysical and ontologica
Human society is non-conservative, which means it lends itself to transformation over time. The dynamism of social structure is perfectly observable through the study of the role of the individual in the overall system of relations. The originally collective, communal individual has become individualized and moderately selfish under the conditions of the modern agenda. This essay assesses four main reasons for this change and provides a causal analysis of the culture of individualism. First and foremost, the evolutionary nature of human cultures in the face of the increasing population should be emphasized. In recent years, the public has often claimed overpopulation, and at the same time, the emphasis on individualism has increased: it is difficult not to draw a parallel between the two (Hendrixson & Hartmann, 2019). In the first thousands of years of human existence, human numbers were extremely low and, in order to survive, they had to band together in communities and defend themselves together against the enemy. By the current moment, overpopulation is evident, resulting in the abandonment of a culture of unification and integration. Consequently, surrounded by thousands of other people, individuals no longer feel external danger — especially in large cities — and therefore can afford to be withdrawn. In the elaboration of the first reason, one should also note the general economic growth of civilization. The implication is that the primitive communal structure required men to team up to kill a large prey (Service, 2018). In other words, men had to be collective to survive. Over time, this agenda has changed meaningfully, and resources for survival are now available at the nearest supermarket. Therefore, the modern individual sees no need for the collective and, as a consequence, is quite capable of taking care of themselves. The economic driving force has penetrated deeply into the minds of modern individuals and guides them by showing a lack of need for unification. The search for resources for survival is only part of the global economic system of capitalism that has evolved over the centuries and has become almost ubiquitous in today’s world. Within capitalism, the craving for personal enrichment through entrepreneurship and self-discovery has always been encouraged. Capitalism, enshrined as a philosophy for several generations, gave birth to a new man who put personal interests and needs ahead of others. In this context, it is essential to note the importance of reflexivity, which Spinoza spoke of as a natural biological human desire for a profound self-exploration (Green, 2017). Consequently, the emergence and development of the capitalist system were able to transform the self-consciousness of the individual and resulted in a moderately selfish individual. An extremely important reason for stimulating individualistic culture is also the development of man’s intellectual capacity. The s