ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Background DBL Partners (DBL) is one of the first and largest venture capital firms (VC), which conducts business evaluation and support. DBL relies on the revenue statements and business impact, which are believed to be interconnected regarding business activities and the market. What is more, DBL Partners has successfully passed Fund I and Fund II phases by shifting from a small VC firm to a global player on the venture capital market. Currently, the company has entered the Fund III phase and decided to seek international opportunities. Such a portfolio diversification should increase DBL’s impact and share on the VC market. Yet, the company analyzes possible partners for international collaboration and interests in the African market (Cole et al. 1). Nonetheless, the company desires to continue its success with the investment portfolio so that global markets challenge the company’s decision-making process and evaluation techniques. Problems The Fund III phase undertakes international market investments, where DBL has selected Off-Grid Electric as a new African partner, which produces and delivers small solar panels to consumers. DBL suggests that the growth of the solar power market in Africa is a substantial benefit for the venture company due to the limited number of VCs in the region (Cole et al. 12). Moreover, the company believes that the African market is only at the development stage so that adequate and accurate partnerships and investments should gain DBL a positive image in the global investment market. On the contrary, the problem is that the African markets are less explored and stable in comparison to European or U.S. markets. While Off-Grid Electrics holds a large share of the market, it is unknown whether this company has a competitive advantage to make a significant impact on the African solar industry (Cole et al. 13). As DBL is driven by revenues and business impact, these two factors place huge uncertainty on whether the company correctly assessed the African market and Off-Grid’s potential. Alternatives and Recommendations DBL has three alternatives to decide whether Off-Grid Electrics and African solar power markets are the right points for the beginning of the Fund III phase. Despite having experience with Tesla, SolarCity, and small firms from the Fund I phase, DBL Partners has never penetrated the market with such high uncertainty rates (Cole et al. 14). In this case, the company should focus on more grounded metrics, which are aligned with revenue and returns rather than with social impact or value-added services. The proposed alternatives are:  1. Conduct independent primary and secondary research on the market and Off-Grid Electrics to assess the advantages and opportunities, which Off-Grid has and can have during its market expansion.  2. Rely on internal tools and market reports to evaluate the company and decide on further strategic actions and partnerships.  3. Reject the international expansion into Africa and focus on more stable and predictable markets, like Europe or Asia.    Alternatives
Introduction The London bombings of 2005 occurred on Seventh July in the morning hours commonly referred to as the rush hour where four bombs were detonated killing more than fifty people and injuring more than seven hundred. The attacks targeted the British civilians particularly those using underground trains. Three out of the four explosions took place in underground trains and they occurred in quick succession leading to panic through out the public transport system in London and other major towns in the European region. The United States of America also became alert as there were fears its transport system would also be targeted. The fourth bomb detonated an hour later in a double-decker bus and this made the public panic even more due to the sensitivity of the issue and it almost brought business to a standstill due to fear (Frost, par 3, 2008). However, with time the public regained their confidence on public means though caution was still high. Circumstances and Responses to the London Bombings of 2005 As a result of the London bomb attacks; there were high alert responses from disaster preparedness management departments and also massive response from other emergency services through out the city of London. In the weeks that followed, people almost shunned the use of London’s public transport system especially after another attack targeting the public was experienced few days later. It was only after some weeks later that the public started showing back some confidence in the public transport system by defying all the odds and the days that followed, the city started regaining its life again though with more security alerts and less underground rail services. To the rest of the cities in Britain and other major cities in the world, especially in the European region and the United States, there were numerous security alerts over the issue with the public being advised to be on the look out both by the governments where they were residing and their home governments. Apart from the public response that resulted in the reduced number of public transport users, the security response became alert both in London and other countries. For example, in the United States of America, the Homeland Security raised threat level for mass transit systems such as the use of trains and buses. In all major cities (particularly in Washington and New York) equipped police force and explosives detecting dogs were positioned (Frost, 2008, par 8). European countries also responded to the attacks by raising their alert levels. For example, France responded to the terror attacks by raising the level of terror alert to red which was the second highest leveling response to the London bombings. In Germany, the levels were a bit low placing their alert levels to yellow
Introduction Synonyms and metaphors are powerful writing tools that are used to express persuasion and comparison in figurative writing. They are used interchangeably to describe a wide range of phenomena. Although most synonyms and metaphors have many similarities with respect to their meanings, their uses vary distinctively. For instance, metaphorical synonyms are widely used in rhetorical criticism to enhance persuasiveness. This essay provides a critical interpretation of the five most popular synonyms and metaphors by exploration of the various areas of overlap and deviance in meaning based on their applicability in figurative writing. Examination of the Terms The term change can be examined from different angles due to its nature of assuming different meanings. The Oxford Dictionary defines change as the act of substituting one thing for another or the ideal the succession of one thing by another (Stevenson 2113). In a greater exposition, anything that has undergone change is said to have acquired some new noticeable traits that can be differentiated from its original state. From a different point of view, change refers to the act of replacing one thing reciprocally with another. Moreover, change also refers to the act of acquiring a new state that is different from the normal state. Development can be examined from different points of view based on the reference subject matter that leads to adjustment. First, the word can refer to unfolding of something due to a different state. In this case, development entails shifting something from an elementary position to an advanced or a potentially contained position. Moreover, the term can be used to refer to gradual advancement of something from a low status to a higher status through progressive states (Stevenson 4034). Consequently, the subject assumes a new condition that has advanced properties as compared to its original rudimentary state. Precisely, evolution is a term that signifies the progression of a series of events that occur in a thing. In this case, there is formation of a new thing due to a variety of modifications that lead something to undergo various progressive stages. In addition, evolution also refers to the gradual process that takes place in a system, institution, subject, or a product. The word can also be used to refer to the progression of a thing from its simple to a complex form through accumulation of modifications over a certain period. On the other hand, growth has several meanings based on the subject matter. Firstly, growth refers an increase in size because of natural improvement in living organisms. Growth can also be used to denote an increment in magnitude, quantity, or degree of a thing. In a different perspective, the term is used to refer to the gradual progression of an entity or institution such as the economy, firms, and/or products amo
I had a chance to have my internship at Witte & Grabert company. The company deals with real estate and finance. They buy and sell buildings, doing different insurance offer, and help customers to sell buildings or change insurance companies. I was supervised by Mr Dahlmann who is an experienced member of the company. Except his personal wonderful features he taught me much how to work in this sphere, how to communicate with people. I learned much about the rules and norms of negotiating and different psychological ways of communicating with people. The remarkable peculiarity that was noticed by me was the discipline at the company and punctuality of the workers. Another thing that is very good for any company is team-working. I mean that is very important for work of any company. The latest concepts of leadership are successfully involved into the work of the company. To my personal duties belonged the customer support, individual consultations, contract preparation, assistance in meetings halftime (helping in the accounting office), website working out (pictures, color). Analysis After the fall of the Berlin Wall in the real estate market of Germany it is possible to observe a surprising situation: prices in the east, formerly socialist territories, did not grow for a long time. And now, as we have seen in some depressed, in terms of economic development, zones, you can easily buy housing for 500 euros or less per square meter. But it is impossible to have business in this embedding: if the region is not in the labor market, it means that there is no market rent. But Berlin today is another prospective for investment. Let us leave aside the large-scale investment projects in the commercial sector. Housing in Berlin – is a stable market with very favorable compared to many German cities the
Summary The article looks at the philosophies that were put forward by the quality management gurus. Apart from W. Edward Deming, there are other personalities who have contributed in the field of total quality management. They include: Joseph M. Juran, Gipsie Ranney, Genichi Taguchi, Philip B. Crosby, Kaoru Ishikawa, Myron Tribus, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Joyce Orsini, Peter Scholtes and Brian Joiner. Walter A. Shewhart is also among the list. He mentored Deming and again, he was responsible for several theoretical underpinnings of Deming. The article, however, only looked at the contributions that were made by Deming, Juran as well as Philip B. Crosby. The 14 principles/ philosophies that were invented by Deming are looked at in the article. Key Learning Points A number of things can be learnt from this article. However, two major things that can be learnt from it are the various principles that are laid down by quality management gurus like Deming, Juran as well as Philip B. Crosby and also the benefits that are brought about by the implementation of the concepts. The major benefits that are brought by the principles are improved productivity, reduction in cycle time, increased capacity; lowered production costs; increased profits levels; customers will be happier; enlarged market as well as fewer complaints from the customers. Critical Analysis Juran’s approach to quality management A number of Juran’s writing has laid much emphasis on the development, trends as well as the future directions of quality management. Some other notable contributions that have been made by Juran in the field of quality management are: the concept of tripal, the trilogy of Juran, as well as company-wide quality management. Juran explained quality planning; quality control as well as quality improvement. It should be noted that similar to Deming, Juran also made substantive contributions to total quality management. I strongly agree with his concept. Indeed for quality improvement, the concepts should be applied by organizations. Philip B. Crosby’s approach to quality management Crosby came up with four quality management absolutes. He defined quality as conforming to requirements. Secondly, he stated that quality’s system is prevention. Thirdly, he stated that the standard of performance is zero defects. He also stated that quality measurement is non-conformance’s price. Crosby’s absolutes became the four major concepts of the process of quality improvement (Crosby, 1984, p. 58). Crosby also developed 14 steps that should be followed for quality improvement. These include formation of teams responsible for quality improvement, inventing ways of measuring quality, establishing quality costs, creating quality awareness, taking corrective actions, effective planning so as to eliminate defects, educating all employees, setting goals, eliminating the causes of errors, awarding quality work, and establishing quality councils (Crosby, 1984, p. 99). I am in support of Crosby’s concepts since they are of great significance to organ
The age of the Internet is affecting traditional print reading, but not for the reasons one might think. It is evident that teenagers and children, who use the web more actively, both read and write a considerable amount. The main explanation is that the given activities are one of the few ways a person can interact with the internet, others being video and voice exchange. However, the format of reading and writing on the web is vastly different from the traditional print versions because online texts come in a shorter form. Therefore, the declining scores of students in regards to reading are the result of a change incapability to focus and concentrate because these mental muscles are being atrophied. One’s ability to focus on a single task is highly dependent on the type of activity. It is stated that many writers face troubles when they are unable to concentrate on a book without getting distracted after two or three pages (Rich, 2008). In other words, active internet use negatively affects people by robbing them of their ability to focus on a single activity. However, one can present a counterargument to the given statement by claiming that it is not reading that is negatively affected by the web, but rather the style or format of the activity (Carr, 2008). It means that the internet encourages or facilitates the use of shorter texts due to their efficiency, which might also mean that such an approach is more superior to the traditional long pieces. The age of the net eliminated the need to memorize the majority of items due to their constant availability online. One should understand that human memory is an instrument that is far from perfect because it can operate in a faulty manner (“Introduction to psychology,” 2015). Therefore, a person’s cognition, which is the process of acquiring and using knowledge, is more relevant today (“Introduction to psychology,” 2015).). In other words, it can be argued that the Internet made people’s lives easier by removing the need for memorization and focus. Although one can view it as a negative aspect of the web, similar arguments can be made against any modern technology, such as phones, cars, or escalators. For example, cars and elevators reduce the need for physical activity, which is why one might condemn them for being responsible for ina
Introduction In academic institutions, students have different intellectual skills depending on their socioeconomic backgrounds and understanding abilities. Remarkably, the at-risk students demonstrate various challenges that make them vulnerable to failure in their classrooms, as well as in their daily lives. Some of the main factors that predispose students to failure include family setup, societal structures and institutions, school structures, psychological elements, and behavioural factors (Withers, & Russell, 2001). In Australia, the at-risk students are mainly from aboriginal communities, who earn low incomes, are subject to discrimination, have limited information on the importance of education, and suffer geographic isolation. Therefore, the essay explains the concept of the at-risk students and the role of the government, society, and teachers in empowering the at-risk students, and further examines the essence of the programme in the empowerment process. At-Risk Students As a story to ascertain the challenges experienced by the at-risk students in Australia, the Australian education board devised a plan that integrates communities in improvement of education of the at-risk-students. Some of the policies employed by the board include the constitution of committees, advisory bodies, awards like Rob Riley, and employment of individuals from the communities. According to Decker, Dona, and Christenson (2007), marginalisation, especially in the case of minority groups, increase the number of at-risk students. In Australia, factors like geographic isolation, racial discrimination, limited information on the essence of education, and inadequate resources to facilitate access to good education lead to the phenomenon of the at-risk students. In Australia, geographical isolation is the first risk factor that prevents students from aboriginal communities from attending schools and accessing good education as opposed to their colleagues, who do not live in marginalized regions. Withers and Russell (2001) explain that geographical isolation is a challenge that limits access to good education in marginalised regio
Abstract Persuasion is one of the essential managerial tools in the contemporary business setting. Importantly, persuasion seeks to influence the attitude or perception of an individual or group through the delivery of information regarding a particular product, service, event, or idea. The art of persuasion requires an individual to possess several virtues and skills, including curiosity, honesty, confidence, empathy, exceptional communication skills, and the identification of common interest. Several types of persuasion such as low-balling, foot-in-the-door, door-in-the-face, and scarcity have seen a considerable application in today’s business environment. The development of theories, for instance, the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the social judgment/involvement theory, and the information integration theory guides the various persuasion approaches that are applied in the business setting. Introduction In the business context, persuasion refers to the process that is geared towards the alteration of individuals or a groups’ attitude or behavior regarding an idea, product, service, event, or another party through the application of written or spoken words to deliver a particular feeling, reasoning, or information. Persuasion requires one to establish credibility, the development of frames for the attainment of a common good, the provision of profound evidence, and the creation of emotional connection (Dillard & Shen, 2013). Axiomatically, persuasion is a crucial managerial tool since it fosters the efficiency of a corporate organization in an array of ways. Notably, the art of persuasion assists in the acquisition of new clients, the hiring of the most talented employees, and the creation of new relationships in the dynamic business settings. As such, persuasion denotes the extent to which an organization places the needs of others above its own. Thus, the concept of persuasion is influential to the extent that it wins the admiration of the influenced parties in a way, which bolsters the productivity of an organization (Fisher & Gonzalez, 2013). Therefore, this paper explores the art of persuasion by examining the different types and theories that have been embraced to address the concept. Review of Literature In the contemporary business surroundings, the increasing rivalry and demands prompt organizations to integrate the art of persuasion as an important managerial skill that fosters the attainment of the set goals and obj
1. Organizational culture is one of the issues connected with the formation and reinforcement of the organizational environment. The organizational culture shapes the behavior of employees, and, according to Clark, gives them the sense of belonging, identity, togetherness, purpose in their work etc. (29). The reason for which this issue is important is that the organizational culture is a set of informal traditions, rituals, stories, and myths, is that the culture forms the unity of the organization’s members. It is the unique profile of any organization that forms the collective values, norms, and priorities of each organization member, making him or her personally interested in the success of the company (Clark 29). Under the conditions of ensuring the positive organizational climate, with the supportive atmosphere and shared values, high morale, supportive conditions etc. the engagement and commitment of employees will be incomparably higher. 2. Formal and informal socialization procedures are extremely important in the accommodation of the individual to a new working place, his or her acquaintance with formal and informal aspects of the organization’s functioning, the rules, customs, traditions, and rituals that are common for a union (Clark 54). The advantage of the informal socialization process is that it occurs on an individual level, it is less structured and more spontaneous, and thus it can give a much wider range of information about the union to the new member. The direct relationship between informal socialization and employee commitment has been proven by research findings (Clark 55). Therefore, one can see that the better one gets accustomed to the new organizational culture, the better he or she will get involved in the working team. Consequently, getting into a close company of co-workers, achieving a high level of trust and warmth, which means acceptance by those being in the staff longer, will positively affect the employee’s attitude to the union. The informal socialization can occur through seeing how staff members interrelate, learning how disputes and conflicts are resolved, what relationships with the senior staff are supported, what traditions about dressing, conduct, lunch brakes etc. are common. 3. The arrangement of formal orientation programs is very important for any organization and union; hence, there are some factors to consider when designing it for it to work properly and to produce the awaited effect on the employee. Some of these factors are: aligning the employer’s and the union’s orientation programs in terms of time and costs, the place of holding them, the proximity to the workplace etc. to ensure attendance levels and comfort for employees (Clark 58); arrangement of the first meeting (sending personal invitations, providing escort and personalized attitude )(Clark 62-63), and provision of the adequate amount of information about the union activities to