ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The main problem that is being addressed by MacKenzie, Garavan, and Carbery in their article is that, because of the ongoing economic recession (triggered by the financial crisis of 2008), many of the conceptual provisions of HRD (concerned with training and development) can no longer be deemed thoroughly appropriate. The logic behind this suggestion, on the authors’ part, is as follows: Because of the mentioned recession, organizations become increasingly focused on achieving specifically the short-term wealth maximization objectives, as the mean of remaining competitive. This, in turn, naturally causes HRD practitioners to refer to the employees’ professional development in the utilitarian (situationally useful) terms. As a result, the extent of one’s managerial successfulness in ensuring that employees never cease to work on increasing the measure of their professional competence is perceived solely reflective of whether the implementation of his or her initiatives, in this respect, helps the affiliated organization to maximize its profits or not. According to the authors, “The pressures of ‘short-termism’ and ‘performance horizons’ in line with quarterly results conspire against HRD practitioners to balance the needs of their diverse stakeholder demands” (MacKenzie, Garavan, & Carbery, 2012, p. 356). It is understood, of course, that this results in the creation of the situation when the members of HRD staff grow ever more arrogant of the societal dimension of their professional responsibilities. The ultimate consequence of such a development is that it establishes the objective preconditions for the very paradigm of HRD to be deprived of its theoretical validity. This simply could not be otherwise, because as the authors mentioned, “Aligning HRD strategy too closely with the organizational strategy in pursuit of
Introduction Disasters are one of the biggest challenges facing human population across the world. Therefore, this has motivated various stakeholders to come up with various strategies for reducing the risk and impact of disasters. Disaster risk reduction exists in various approaches, according to the urgency and nature of the disaster itself. The severity of the disaster also determines the strategy to be employed. This paper takes the approach that DRR is the only way of minimizing the impact and risks of disasters and therefore should be adopted. What is Disaster Risk Reduction? Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) refers to an orderly approach of identifying, reducing, and assessing the risks of a disaster. Its main aim is to minimize socioeconomic, environmental, or any other vulnerabilities and hazards that might trigger a disaster (McEntire, 2000). Its development has been influenced by various researchers who have focused on disaster vulnerability since the 1970s. Due to its effectiveness, development and aid agencies should fully adopt it. Actually, it should be highly integrated into the activities of these organizations to guarantee that adequate disaster management measures are taken. DRR exists in varying intensity or forms. As noted by UNISDR (2004) it is deeper and broader than conventional emergency management approaches. It should therefore be included in all sectors of development and public works. It is worth noting that its principles are fully aligned with the principles of Disaster Risk Management (DRM). It is the evolution of DRM that led precisely to a deeper understanding of how disasters usually occur. This has consequently enabled the adoption of integrated and holistic methods of minimizing the risk of disasters and associated impact (UNISDR, 2004). Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is the most recent approach to disaster management. It incorporates new DRM thinking and practices. Nevertheless, it still embraces earlier principles and practices of disaster management that have proven to be effective (McEntire, 2000). Application around the Globe Around the globe, an example of a country that has applied DRR is Bangladesh. Bangladesh has traditionally been prone to natural disasters as portrayed evidently by the fact that it experienced 219 natural disasters having caused damages worth 16 billion USD between 1980 and 2008. The ongoing climate change is likely to aggravate the situation further (Wisner, Blaikie, Cannon and Davis 2004). Encouragingly, for quite some time UNDP has played an instrumental role in enabling Bangladesh to address its disaster vulnerabilities. Such support has enabled the country to shift from adopting reactive disaster management approaches to adopting more proactive ones (UNISDR, 2004). The results of this shift have been obvious, especially to those people affected by these natural disasters. The effort of Bangladesh to combat disaster has made it a leader in t
Introduction Having resourceful a human resource in a business has developed into a vibrant aim for many companies across world. A well-organized human resource allows the company to beat its opponents and preserve competitive lead. The role of Human Resources is chiefly in driving the communal commercial culture all around the Ecosphere. Human Resources are the subdivision which leads the growth and advancement of the commercial culture. The common commercial culture is critical for the global society. The organization cannot act the same way around the World when the commercial culture is different (Tohidi, 2011). However, the extension of the joint business traditions is difficult. Roles of HR The countries are dissimilar. The HR Role is to set up the global team, which grows the combined commercial philosophy and commercial ethics. HR has to push executives to apply for the courses (Hendry, 2012). They have to comprehend backgrounds of the mutual commercial notions and how they are likely to work internationally. The workforces and managers have to connect globally with generations around the World. The amalgamated way of communication, the tactic to probl
Stakeholder’s analysis Stakeholders could be regarded as people, organisations or members within a given community who affect the operations of the company at stake. The expectation of the different stakeholders influences the decisions undertaken by the firm. On the other hand, meeting all the demand of the stakeholders may be challenging, and the most managerial decision often fails to meet these wants. There are different groups of stakeholders. These include; Economic stakeholders These include the suppliers, competitors, distributors and the company shareholders. In Electrolux Company, these stakeholders are influential as they determine the profitability and sustainability of the company. For example, without the suppliers, the company will not be able to acquire raw materials easily. Competitors are also likely to cause an economic problem in the company. The major competitor is Whirlpool, LG, Sony, Samsung and other manufacturers of domestic and professional appliances. There are also the company shareholders, the suppliers these stakeholders have the greatest impact and should be highly considered during the strategic planning process Social, political stakeholders These stakeholders include policymakers, regulators and government agencies. The policies and laws developed by a given nation significantly affect the business operation and hence this group of stakeholders must be factored in. For Electrolux, the strategic manager should take into consideration the local and international laws and policymakers in the countries they invest in some of the key political stakeholders is are in the USA, Europe and Sweden. Technological stakeholders These encompass those who adopt new technology as well as those developing these technological solutions. They are important to the organisation as they influence the new products and services be developed. Community stakeholder These are those stakeholders who are affected by what the community does. Stakeholder mapping The various stakeholders’ in the Electrolux Company were mapped on the power interest matrix. In this matrix, the stakeholders are analysed depending on the level of interest as well as the power that these stakeholders have to influence the decisions that are made by the company. The resulting matrix is shown in table 1 below. A                                                              B                             * Community members                                            * Activists                 * Competitors                                                  * Employees                                                                                * Suppliers
Introductions Parole is the release of inmates before their maximum sentence is over and later assigned continuous supervision along with the requirement to abide by certain terms and conditions for a provided period by the parole board, usually until their maximum sentence ends. It can be considered as offering freedom to inmates after the acknowledgment of their change in behavior within the prison premises and they are subjected to serve their remaining term outside the prison. There is a difference between parole and probation since the latter is provided instead of a prison sentence. When inmates are under parole, they are under certain terms and conditions while serving their prison terms. If they break the set rules, they can be arrested again and sent back to prison and will then have no possibility of being granted parole again. The type of parole which is frequently experienced is medical parole, which can also be called compassionate discharge. Here, the inmate is granted parole before finishing his or her term due to humanitarian or medical grounds, and to be offered this, inmates must have shown obedience to the law, drug and alcohol withdrawal, obtaining employment, and efficient communication with parole supervisors. The parolee should preserve all these terms and conditions. Around 80 percent of inmates are released in the United States conditionally caused to undergo close watch in the community and this surveillance helps in preventing them from engaging again in criminal activities (Pararozzi and demichele 281). Parole can be applied as an inspection mechanism through examining and sanctioning those who breach terms of release, possibly preventing a repetition of the crime. Parole supervision may as well serve as a social service toll through guidelines and incentives to keep ex-offenders in optimistic acts, such as drug and work intervention, and to put ex-offenders in projects which can aid them to change behavior. Parole supervision has inclined greatly to the surveillance role over the past years, most inmates and ex-offenders under these conditions go on to grow. The effect of parole on inmate behavior Normally, inmates are provided with two kinds of incentives to devote to rehabilitation while serving their sentence. The first is participating in professional lessons; this will help them to reduce their chances of being arrested again and raise their wages in the permissible labor sector. The second is provided by parole officials’ judgment, if prisoners got involved in rehabilitative behaviors, parole officials examine their decreased danger and discharge them before ending their term. There is a possibility that
Pepsi is an international brand in the field of soft drinks. This company is familiar to every country as the international marketing is highly developed. To consider the external opportunities and threats of this company, the general environment, industry environment, and the firm’s strategic group should be considered along with SWOT analysis to determine this information. The company is influenced by a number of different issues which may be divided into the general (or macro) environment and competitive (or industrial) environment. According to Amason (2010), the general (or macro) environment includes demographic information, social and economic forces, technology, and political context. Competitive (or industrial) environment covers competitors, customers, suppliers, regulators and financiers. These both environments are considered to be the organizational one which establishes the conditions each company should work in. The general environment of Pepsi Company may be considered as supportive. The demographic increase of the population is a positive factor for the company development as more and more people are going to consume its products. The company should create more and more innovative products “to improve the quality of life of a broad community – local, national and international” (Amason, 2010, p. 41). Pepsi tries to follow this principle and invents more and more opportunities to met social needs of different societies. The economic forces which influence the company development include the purchase power, the rate of unemployed and the interest rates in the organization. Recent increased number of mergers and acquisitions is one more economic force which influences the company development. Increase of the use of innovative technologies influence the company; the more innovative ways in manufacturing are aimed at reducing the costs of production and the profit increase. Legal regulations on the state, local and federal levels are aimed at creating supportive environmental in business. The USA laws do not overregulate business in the country that creates positive conditions for business development (Daft & Marcic, 2008). Turning to the industrial environment, it should be mentioned that the company has a lot of competitors, both on the national and international levels, which create both threats and opportunities for the company. The competition encourages the company for better performance and higher quality. Customers have an opportunity to influence the company production as they state the demand and consume the products. Suppliers provide the company with the raw materials that may create a number of problems if the delivery of some goods is stopped. Regulators and financiers also add to the industrial environmental of the company (Daft & Marcic, 2008). Dwelling upon Pepsi’s strategic group, it should be mentioned that this concept has been considered by Porter who defines it as “companies that emphasize the same strategy” (Kelly & Booth, 2004, p. 153). The Coca Cola and Pepsi are the companies which for
Introduction President Barrack Obama’s swearing in January 2013 marked the beginning of his second and last term as the president of the United States of America. As the president and the chief executive of the United States, President Obama, under the federal constitution, is granted the powers to execute the laws, to appoint key federal officials and to grant pardons as well as reprieves. The president’s decision-making is based on the information obtained from the heads of divisions and departments. It is common for US presidents to enter office with an agenda, whether in the second or last terms of the tenure. The agenda can be broad and sometimes lumped into more clear categories. In most cases, while democrats attempt to expand social services, republicans normally focus on narrowing government spending. Within the short period president Obama has been in his final term as the president and CEO, he has executed his duties in these capacities, which are worth discussion. Arguably, it appears that President Obama’s agenda as America’s Chief executive in the next four years are based on his promises prior to 2008 general elections are still in his agenda, although much remains to be seen of his tenure. As the US chief executive, president Obama has started with significant changes in his administration, as witnessed by his recent appointments. Although he has attempted to focus focusing his appointments based on qualifications and experience, it is quite evident that his focus has leaned much towards bureaucracy, given that most of his state officers are actually technocrats with strong bureaucratic experience. First, President Obama’s first and most significant role as the American CEO in his second term is the appointment of John Kerry as his Secretary of State. On January 29, few days after Obama’s inauguration as the president for the second term, John Kerry was appointed as the new secretary of state, replacing Hillary Clinton. The technocrat is not only a Veteran in the Vietnam War, but also an experienced individual in international affairs and a former Senator for Massachusetts. In addition, he sits in a number of committees, including small business, senate finance and commerce. 1 President Obama has further shown his role as the Chief executive of the US by making other appointments, including that of technocrat Jack Lew as the secretary of the treasury, Chuck Hagel as the secretary for defense and other cabinet appointments. Moreover, it is worth noting that Obama has used his powers to replace and/or transfer a number of appointees in his cabinet at his own will. For instance, the former secretary of defense, Leon Panetta, has been replaced with Chuck Hagel, while Jack Lew replaces Timothy Geithner in the office of the secretary of treasury. Secondly, president Obama has executed his powers vested on him by the federal constitution by taking steps to galvanize the American economy through uplifting of the middle class. Right from his inaugural speech, Obama
Introduction The financial situation in Brazil can be compared to that in other developed countries in the western world, Middle East and the Far East. Various frameworks operate in the country to control and moderate the way the operations of financial institutions are conducted. Banks and other small and large businesses are required to adhere to certain programs specifically designed to moderate them. This paper seeks to address the presentation and valuation of financial items in Brazil. Financial Reporting Framework The Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil compels all the listed companies to make publications of their consolidated financial statements. This requirement is established under specifications of international financial reporting standards and the statements should be recorded starting from the reporting date to the end of 2010. However, the same commission held that use of International financial reporting standards is made optional for the listed companies between the year 2007 and 2009. In the year 2006, a decision was made by the Central Bank of Brazil requiring all the banks to publish their financial statements. These statements were supposed to include all the investment information, whether domestic, foreign, listed, or unlisted (World Bank, 2005). In addition, the statements that were expected from the banks were supposed to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards. Just like it is a requirement for the listed companies, the banks must record all their statements starting from the reporting year to 31 December 2010. For the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a different international financial reporting standard was adopted and presented in Portuguese. The Brazilian Accounting Pronouncements Committee (CPC) commissioned the resolution, which was later endorsed by the Brazilian Federation Accounting Council. Through these regulations and registration guidelines, financial institutions are monitored for compliance with the commission’s specifications. Allocation of Responsibilities The allocation of responsibilities between the government’s departments and levels is constitutionally defined and has an independent revenue collection process. The Brazilian Constitution outlines that all the levels in the government are independent and should operate autonomously. In articles 153 to 156, the tax powers of each level of government are outlined and explained fully according to each echelon. On revenues, the Fiscal Responsibility Law requires the withholding of discretionary federal transfers to states and other levels of government that are not involved in the collection of their taxes, and publications of how tax exemptions may affect them (World Bank, 2005). On matters dealing with expenditure, the Fiscal Responsibility Law holds that spending consent should not be cleared without
How to launch the service Choosing an effective market entry strategy depends on a number of factors such as product and positioning portfolio practiced by other competitors in the industry (Blythe & Zimmerman 2005, p.118). Home from Home Cooking can launch its new service by introducing the services at a reduced rate. This makes it easier for the business to penetrate the market by attracting new customers who prefer purchasing low priced products and services. Considering that there are many competitors in the industry, Home from Home Cooking should have prices lower than that of its direct competitors. To achieve this, Home from Home Cooking should develop efficient production techniques capable of reducing the overall cost of production. This is from the fact that, competitors might also opt to reduce their prices in order to maintain their customers. However, the competitors cannot manage to do so if the cost of production is higher compared to that of home from home cooking. This explains why the business should struggle at having lower production costs. The company should also focus of making improvements on the current products or service offering by the competitors. Apart from relying only on young families and professional people as its main customers, Home from Home Cooking should also enhance or position its product such that the smaller consumer segments can get attracted to the services offered by the company. External sources that will help launch the service The company can rely on a number of external sources to launch the new service. For example, the business can use sites like www.moneysupermarket.com (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2011, p.6). This site enables potential customers to make price comparisons. Thus, Home from Home Cooking should always ensure that the prices of the services offered are slightly lower in relation to the competitors’ prices found at the site. The company should also make extensive use of other sites like www.toptable.com that provide customers with information on the state of the service offering by the business (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2011, p.7). Identification of helpful wholesalers Home from Home Cooking can collaborate with locally available producers like Osterley’s farmers market. Additionally, the business should develop good relations with large supermarkets like Tesco. This will provide mutual benefit to both companies. Home from Home Cooking will benefit by experiencing increased demand. However, Tesco will get an opportunity of stocking a wider variety of British classics and eventually generate more sales. Partners to help gain market entry Local business providers like GlaxoSmithKline and the British Sky Broadcasting can offer significant