ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Nike: Internal Analysis The competitive advantage of Nike Inc. depends on its resources, capabilities, and competencies. The data to analyze Nike’s financial health and competitive advantage is retrieved from the 2016 half-year financial report and other annual reports. Nike’s resources involve the manufacturing facilities located in more than 12 countries and the recognizable brand name (“Nike: 2015 Annual Report” par. 1). Nike is the leading producer of sporting goods in the world, and the company’s value share was 3% in 2015 (“Nike Company Profile” par. 4). Nike’s market strategy is the company’s competency that is based on attracting the target audience with a focus on differentiation. Nike is an entrepreneurial company because it implements risky strategies to gain more profits. While focusing on Nike’s profitability, it is important to state that the company’s net income increased by more than 20% in 2015, and this number is higher than the average type of the industry because of the crisis in the market observed in 2013-2014 (“Nike Company Profile” par. 6). Nike’s gross margin for the first half of 2016 is 45.9% that is almost equal to the company’s competitor, Under Armour (45.88%), but it is higher than the industry’s average (40%) (Nike Inc par. 2). It is possible to speak about comparably efficient operations. The inventory turnover ratio is relatively low (0.92), and it indicates the ability of Nike’s managers to plan and control the use of inventories effectively. Still, it is possible to state that Nike’s strengths come from intangible resources rather than tangible ones. Much attention is paid to investing in research and development (R&D ratio is 14%) and making products more innovative. During the first half of 2016, 31 products were introduced by Nike (Nike par. 1). Thus, the strength of intangible assets is 2.67, and the focus is on the developed marketing strategy to attract customers. Annual advertising expenses are about $4 billion, and the marketing ratio is 1.9. Nike can be regarded as financially strong because its Moody’s rating is A1, there is no debt, and the company demonstrates stable growth in its revenues (“Moody’s Rating: Nike” par. 2). Nike’s competitive advantage is associated with manufacturing high-quality and innovative men’s footwear and focusing on winning new markets while preserving the stable position in the US market (“Nike Company Profile” par. 8). The reason is that the regular proposition of n
Introduction A single individual capable of uniting, gathering, and motivating hundreds of thousands of other people is truly a remarkable phenomenon. In the contemporary world, this phenomenon is known as leadership. The concept of leadership, as well as its nature, has been studied and explored since ancient times as unique cases of the presence of a set of special skills and abilities allowing some people to gain unprecedented power and influence in various spheres. However, leadership does not stand only for large-scale events; in fact, it is present in everyday life and can manifest in simple situations such as team projects at work or in schools, gatherings, group work, interpersonal relationships, and family development. In that way, leadership qualities demonstrated by superior leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, as well as those of average individuals such as the characters created by Carver and O’Brien, can be applied to improve the management of communities. Superior Leadership of Outstanding People Leadership styles can vary significantly from one person to another. For example, the style of Abraham Lincoln is interpreted in a variety of ways, the most common of which are the transformational and servant forms of leadership. In particular, due to his ability to view his rivals objectively and value the wellbeing of his country and people over his power and influence, Lincoln is recognized as a transformational leader (Coutu). At the same time, based on his outstanding empathy, humility, and active listening skills, Lincoln is also often associated with servant leadership (Brown 3-4). When it comes to the style of leadership employed by John F. Kennedy, opinions differ as well. First of all, due to his extraordinary personal charm and unique character that made him particularly influential, Kennedy is often characterized as a charismatic leader (White 233-237). However, it is possible that this image of Kennedy was artificially created after his death. Secondly, there exists a perspective, according to which Kennedy was a visionary leader (Barnes 9-12). This idea is based on this leader’s ability to envision very unusual results, and thus launch projects that were considered controversial by his contemporaries. Analyzing the most commonly discussed qualities of the two leaders, it is possible to notice that their personalities and skills were often viewed as unique or rare, and their ideas, plans, and projects –
Introduction In the correctional field, probation is a treatment program designed to facilitate the social readjustment of offenders. Suspension of final action is conditional, contingent upon the probationer’s adherence to regulations set by the court or at the judge’s behest. A probationer is supervised and counseled by an agent of the court. It is considered that probation is effective form of punishment because it helps to reduce prison population and avoid a negative impact of a prison on minor offenders. Main Text According to Abadinsky (2005) probation is a treatment program in which final action in an adjudicated offender’s case is suspended, so that he remains at liberty, subject to conditions imposed by or for a court, under the supervision and guidance of a probation worker. The word “probation” derives from the Latin, its root meaning being “a period of proving or trial” (Abadinsky 2005, p. 4). The Catholic Church has used the term to connote a test period undergone by candidates seeking membership in religious orders. In Protestant denominations ministerial candidates may be “on probation” pending ordination. The theory of probation evolved from antecedent practices, all intended to lessen or otherwise mitigate the severities of the penal code (Abadinsky 2005). Mair (2004) explains that a judge may direct release on recognizance with or without bail, or sureties. And bail is used with or without recognizance. Originally, it was a method of assuring a defendant’s appearance for trial, and also of effecting provisional suspension of final action in a case. Today it is used exclusively for the first purpose. Earlier, the defendant was placed in the custody of those who became bail for his appearance in court. The sureties who “went bail” therefore had a financial interest in seeing to it he abided by the court’s instructions. This necessarily entailed some supervision, to make sure the accused did not decamp. Thus, in bail as a form of deferral of final action social workers had suspension of sentence, freedom instead of incarceration, conditions set upon that freedom, the possibility of its revocation, and some kind of supervision although not by an official agent of the court ( Schmalleger, 2006). The most prevalent form of organization in probation is the county plan, in which the state writes basic probation law while each county, within that framework, appoints staff and administers its own department. Centralized state probation systems are in the minority, but increasing in number. Here, one agency administers the system for the entire state, furnishing counties with requisite service. There has been some trend toward the combined state-administered probation and parole agency (Schmalleger, 2006). One organization furnishes both probation and parole services to the entire state. There are city and town probation units, independent of the counties in which they are located. The city of New York, for instance, has a probation unit attached to certain of
For Douglas Sirk, “Life is the most melodramatic story of all” (Stern, 1979). And this is evident in all of his works especially the emotional melodramas of the 1950s. All That Heaven Allows, released in 1955, repeated the successful pairing of Magnificent Obsession, as it starred Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. It correctly portrays the 50s as a time where even though legally Americans were free to live their life as they so wished, strict societal controls often denied people this freedom in their everyday life. Sirk’s movies can be considered as the precedent for all the melodramatic soap operas that appeared on our TV screens some 40 odd years later. Set in the 50s, he tells this story from the perspective of a wealthy middle-aged widow Cary Scott as she tries to break free of the constraints imposed on her. Expectations of her teenage brats as well as the social circle she moves in, the privileged class, subtly but firmly dictate her life as they unfailingly interfere in all her issues. However, our protagonist doesn’t want to settle down with the boring hypochondriac who wants to offer her “companionship” and who everyone assumes she’ll marry. Rather, she falls in love with her handsome gardener, Ron Kirby, and all hell breaks loose in society. She is charged by her children for having succumbed to lust, considered in the 50s the worst crime for older women and her friends, who do not let a single opportunity to gossip about her pass them by. While all this may seem as great emotional fodder and exactly the stuff teary romances of that period contained, Sirk supplements this with his trademark visual style using mirrors, angles, windows, doorways, color, and architectural expertise to present his characters in a different light, which involve the audience into understanding the characters and the tremendous pressures of life in the 50s. There is frequent mention in the script about the “Egyptian custom of walling up the widow alive” and the scenes in which Sirk shows Cary standing alone at her window, painfully isolated by society who must impose their version of how her life should be on her, speak volumes about Sirk’s directorial exp
Introduction The Panera Bread Company manages and owns bakeries, as well as retail cafes, in major cities and towns located in America and Canada. Louis Kane and Ron Shaich founded the Panera Bread Company in the 1980s as Au Bon Pain Company. It began its operations in the east coast of America and spread across Canada and other parts of America with time (Boone & Kurtz, 2014). The company ranks top among the best bakery-cafes in the industry despite its operations in only three major segments. The Panera Bread business deals in three major operations that include franchise operations, bakery-cafe operations and fresh dough. In addition, it manages other operations involving the products it offers. In 2013, the business increased its overall revenues through its ownership and operations in1777bakery-cafes. The essay details an overview of the corporation as well as its products/markets, industry, and major competitors. Overview of the Company and its Products/Markets Previously known as Au Bon Pain Company, Panera changed its name in 1999 to the currently recognized Panera Bread Company. As a result, in 1993, the business purchased Saint Louis Bread Company, which was a retail chain of about 20 bakery-cafes, thus increasing its unit volumes by 75% (Schermerhorn, 2011). The Panera Bread Company mainly engages in baking bread as its name suggests. It is the dominant operator within the bakery-cafe delivering fresh bread in a warm environment to its numerous customers. The Panera Bread Company delivers its products in the market based on its three major segments. The franchise operations, the bakery-cafe operations, and the fresh dough operations sector are the major sections of the company (Spinelli, Rosenberg & Birley, 2004). The licensed Panera Bread and/or Paradise Bakery & Cafes names are controlled in the franchise operations section, which also foresees the bakery-cafes. In addition, the Bakery-Café Operations sector is in charge of the bakery-cafes registered as companies under the Panera Bread Company and the Saint Louis Bread Company names. Through the on-premise sales, Panera supplies and franchises salads, freshly baked goods and soups as well as catering services. Together with its subsidiaries, the Panera Bread Company sells its products in cities and towns that are located in Canada and the US because the company’s markets and customers are in the US and Canada. The Company’s industry The Panera Bread Company franchises and operates in the Specialty Eateries industry. The industry consists of about nine companies that fall under the service sector. Considering market capitalization, the Panera Bread Company mostly ranks third in performance among other businesses in the industry (Boone & Kurtz, 2014). Its financial strength
Introduction Despite the uncertainty that comes when determining that specific period when people started wearing clothes, anthropologists argue that the practice began between 100 to 500 millenniums ago. Archeologists also argue that various elements used in making garments included raw materials, such as furs, hides and skins, leaves and grasses, as well as shells and bones (Fianu, 2007, p. 12). During this time, clothes were either tied or draped. On the discovery of the importance of woven fibers, animal hides were used for advancing the basketry techniques among the Neolithic cultures. These advancements were of great significance to the modern-day textile industries. In line with the history of clothes, the history of textile industries came. To advance in clothing, humans had the responsibility to discover techniques, such as spinning and weaving. Basing on the fact that dressing techniques were not the same in the different cultures, communities adopted unique approaches of dressing. For instance, in the Akan groups, the Asante had adopted a unique way of dressing. Most archeologists argue that Adinkra was derived from the African-American quilt. An argument brought forward to support this point is that, since slavery was at its pick at the time, Adinkra was exported to America. In line with understanding the origins of the Adinkra, the aim of this paper is to trace the evolution of the Adinkra and determine its connection with the African-American quilt. History of the Akan Dressing Despite the little history of cloth production, archeologists have established sites that closely define the history of clothing. In West Africa, these Archeologists cited the use of woven clothes dating way back in the 9 th century CE. With approximately 20 million people, the Akans are considered to be the largest ethnic community in West Africa. As the largest ethnic group, the Akan people are found in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Like any other community, the Akan people dress according to their culture. Although the Akan people used clothing, how the Asante people wore when compared to the other groups brought a difference. For instance, while Asante’s men wear Danta (Knickers or shorts) without wearing a shirt underneath, other members of the Akan group wear jumpers before putting on the piece of cloth. As an undergarment of the time, Danta was made of a strip (Gomez, 2009, p. 41). While examining the history of clothing among the Akans, it is important to focus on the Asante because they are among the earliest inhabitants of Ghana. As cotton growers, the Asante pioneered in transforming the clothing industry in Ghana. The African-American Quilts Just as the Adinkra, the history of African-American quilts is confusing. However, in line with its relevance, African-American qui
The role of Asian women in history and the transitions that they faced through ages Asian women have a remarkable record in history. All over the world, they women have been outstanding in almost all fields. These women have gone through massive oppression in their respective countries. No Asian woman could rule a kingdom, write literature, lead armies or participate in war. The western world portrays them as sexists. On the contrary, these women are warriors who have stood up to be recognized in different fields of profession (Taehakkyo & Yonguso, 2004). According to tradition of many Asian countries, women were more submissive and observed family discipline. They became property of their husbands, and never questioned decisive matters. Men viewed them as being socially immature with little moral control. Their main work in the household was maintenance and management of house chores. They were also entitled to take care of the family and look after their husbands’ property. Up to date, such practices are still carried out in some Asian countries. With the much outcry of the woman’s position in the society, many women have had to defy these outdated practices. During war, the battle field was immensely dominated by men. However, brave women in Asia opted to take up this role and make a mark in it. In the west of Asia, women have taken up roles in administration, diplomacy and activism ever since the pre-Islamic period began. Their counterpart in the central Asia particularly in the Afghanistan and Pakistan participated in war after most of their husbands and sons had died. In south and Southeast Asia, women established a strong figure in the society when they began participating in martial arts. They led by example. They took part in war and came out victorious. Good examples are the queens and princesses in Filipino and India, who participated in arts of war. In Indonesia, a large number of women took part in training and recruitment of Tamil fighters. The wave was more similar in Vietnam, with the magnificent piece of Trunng Trac and Trung Nhi who led their country to rebel against china warlords. Other than participating in war, Asian women have acted as unifying factors in most conflicting situations. They have held conferences in various countries and have come up with ways to resolve conflicts affecting their countries. They played a major role in the brokering of peace deals in Vietnam, Nepal and Tibet. They also question the capability of military government in these war torn countries (Taehakkyo & Yonguso, 2004). These women have struggled to fight racism and cultural segregation as well. This gave rise to many governmen
Born in 1977, Jonathan Safran Foer is an American writer who received his education at Princeton University and tried out multiple jobs ranging from math tutor to morgue assistant (Gilman 200). He has also always exhibited a writing talent, which he applied to the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Gilman 200-201). First published in 2005, the novel can be regarded as an example of post-9/11 American writing that is strongly influenced by this collectively, nationally traumatic event (Bryan 275). It can be suggested that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close attempts to recognise the event and translate related experiences through the writing techniques available to modern authors. However, at the time of the development of the novel, 9/11 was a particularly recent event (Gibbons 134). As suggested by the nine-year-old protagonist, such a tragedy (a traumatic loss, which, in the case of Oskar, is predominantly related to the death of his father at the World Trade Center) might make one “feel too much” (Foer 201). Consequently, one of the techniques that are used by the author is the employment of photography and other images, which, according to Sadokierski is rather unusual for novels (177). However, this approach is central to this novel because it is aimed at translating a potentially excessive amount of feeling, which may be too difficult to embody in the text (Frost 186; Gibbons 135; Sadokierski 196). Thus, the historical context of the novel defines its content and results in the incorporation of an unusual writing technique. Works Cited Bryan, Victoria Marie. “’What About a Teakettle?’: Anxiety, Mourning, and Burial in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close “. Studies in American Jewish Literature , vol 34, no. 2, 2015, pp. 274-289. Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. Frost, Laura. “Still Life.” Literature After 9/11 , edited by Ann Keniston and Jeanne Follansbee Quinn, Routledge, 2013, pp. 180-206. Gibbons, Alison. Multimodality, Cognition, and Experimental Literature . Routledge, 2012. Gilman, Sander. Multiculturalism and the Jews . Taylor And Francis, 2013. Sadokierski, Zoe. “Photo-graphic Devices in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close .” Picturing the Language of Images , edited by Nancy Pedri and Laurence Petit, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014, pp. 177-197.
The firm I chose deals in large scale production of furniture especially cabinets and chairs for learning institutions, the main input being wood. Two factors that may influence the use of wood in the firm include government policies and the price of substitute input, which in this case is plastic. To begin with, policies have been formulated to deter people from logging in an effort to conserve the environment (Mankiw, 1998, p. 98). As a result, this has greatly affected the availability of wood forcing the firm to shift focus to other materials such as plastic. Such policies have led into reduced use of wood in the firm because the input has become very expensive. In addition, there is increased tax rate by the government on the firm and consequently a reduction in the profits. This additional tax has made the cost of production quite expensive hence the firm has been forced to cut down the level of production, which means less use of the input. Moreover, the technological advancement has enabled large scale production of plastic that could be used as a substitute to the wood input. Since the plastic input is much cheaper compared to wood and the firm deals mainly in production of furniture for schools, it is shifting from the use of wood to plastic input. Is your firm’s price elasticity of demand relatively elastic or inelastic? Price elasticity of demand is a measure of how price affects demand. Change in price may or may not affect the demand. If the demand is significantly affected by price, change in the demand is perceived to be elastic but if it is not affected by price change, it is considered inelastic. When the proportion in the amount of good demanded is less than the price change then the demand is considered inelastic (Arnold, 2011, p. 137). On the other hand, it is considered elastic if the change in quantity demanded is more than the percentage change in price. The chosen’s firm’s price of demand will be relatively elastic. This is due to the fact that a significant rise in the cost of wood will definitely force the firm to cut the quantity used. The high price of wood has forced the firm to venture into substitute goods. Factors that influence price elasticity of demand Two factors that influence the price elasticity of demand for this input are availability of substitute goods and the percentage of income earned. Availability of substitute goods will always be an overriding factor when it comes to price elasticity of demand. In this case, the high price of wood and availability of plastic as a substitute will make the firm shift to using plastic so as to cut on the cost of production. The firm’s percentage income from its wood furniture may influence the demand for wood. If customers are willing and able to buy the wood furniture at a high price, then the firm will continue using wood regardless of the price. This will therefore make the price elastic