ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Learning is an indispensable constituent of human life. As the role of an individual in society changes, new knowledge and skills are required in order to satisfy the expectations of others and responsibilities implied by new conditions. Constant personal development necessary for achieving this goal is impossible without learning. Moreover, it is of significant importance in workplace. As the world tends to grow more globalised and innovations and the newest technologies are actively deployed for benefitting workflow and boosting performance, learning has become as inalienable part of work relations. Nowadays, this concept is referred to as workplace learning and it has become a common practice in both business and social organisations. However, there is a challenge of understanding the specificities of this process, as there are numerous factors, which have a robust impact on both implementation of workplace learning initiatives and fruitfulness of their outcomes. For this reason, it is imperative to pay specific attention to obtaining an in-depth understanding of this phenomenon and all related concepts. Therefore, this paper will focus on workplace learning. Emphasis will be put on various approaches to determining this phenomenon as well as identifying its dimensions and describing different aspects of this concept. Moreover, the role of individuals and agencies in workplace learning will be investigated, as it is assumed that learning is not only individual but also participatory process. Finally, this paper is an attempt to speculate on the significance of agencies and individuals in achieving success of learning programmes and find out what is the influence of implementing such initiatives in organisations regardless of sectors of their operations. The general approach for assessing the issue under consideration is the study of specificities of adult learning and psychological aspects of work-related learning processes. Psychology of Adult Learning Specificities of adult learning are the focus of different theories. Reviewing them is of significant importance in order to understand the grounds of workplace learning and factors affecting it. For instance, according to Neo-Marxist theory, constant deskilling, i.e. getting used to carrying out particular job duties and finding out that they become easier than before, is a common development at a workplace. However, as it takes less time and effort to cope with the assigned tasks, senior executives tend to intensify work process, e.g. make errands more complicating or demanding becoming more competent to address them. As a result, new skills and knowledge are
Continual self-development is important in achieving organisational objectives. Individuals must develop their behavioural principles in relation to understanding of the organisational goals. Therefore, in order to ensure validity of one’s knowledge and organisational objectives, people must always engage in continual self-development in order to understand organisational objectives and principles the organisation upholds (Whetten and Kim, 2011). Past studies have demonstrated that skilful management of people in competent areas is the main determinant of organisational success. These studies confirm the fact that any organisation that wants to succeed must have competent and skilful managers. Continual self-development makes individuals aware of their current level of skill competency and motivated to seek improvement in order to increase achievement of organisational objectives. Continual self-development enables individuals to receive feedback about their level of skills and competency. Some organisations do not provide feedback to the employees. Thus, continual self-development is the best method for individuals to get feedback. Organisations may also give assessments with limited scope and may also leave out most critical skill areas. Continual self-development helps individuals know what skills to improve so as to achieve an organisation’s objectives. It also gives people opportunities to embrace changes in developing and implementing new behaviours. Self-development also highlights one’s strength and weaknesses in relationship to organisation’s objectives. Consequently, knowing where to improve becomes easy in enhancing self-development. Continual self-development enables individuals to apply their wealth of knowledge from trainings to real world situations where defined organisational objectives are the key indicators of achievements. Therefore, such experiences and knowledge enable people offer adjustments with regard to organisational objectives and changing times. Assessment of current skills and competences against defined role requirements and organisational objectives Current skills and competence                Defined roles and organisational objectives                                                                     Verbal communication and listening           Increase both customer and subordinates services and experiences through effective communication, and listening Managing time and stress                     Meet tasks deadlines and avoid backlog and related stress                                                       Recognizing, defining, and solving problems  Identify problems, gather information and offer immediate solution
The problems at the Burger Boy store The problem at the Burger Boy refers to the senior business management failure to create attractive conditions for workers and motivate them. According to Heizer and Render (2011), effective operational performance directly depends on the employer’s ability to create values for their workers that would be able to motivate them and encourage being loyal to the company and devoted to the working process. The majority of workers, including the shift supervisor, crew members, cooks, drive-thru window workers, and sandwich assembles are not exempt. Therefore, they have no factors motivating them to be loyal to the company. Their salary is also quite small compared to the salary rates offered by similar businesses. Moreover, the employees are pushed to work extra hours without prior notification. Based on the situation that Marge has faced, a conclusion is suggested that the senior management of this Burger Boy does not care about their employees and neglects employee-motivational programs development opportunities. The problems that could be explained by compensation issues The majority of the problems mentioned above are directly or indirectly related to the compensation issues. The workers’ salary does not correspond to the industry standards. Besides, the work is highly stressful because of heavy workloads. Therefore, employees need to have a competitive salary compared to the ones offered by other market players (Heizer & Render, 2011). Also, the assistant store manager does not get paid for the extra hours he has to work. This circumstance is an outrageous violation of the legislative norms. Other problems are related to poor operational management. For example, such a common problem in the fast-food restaurant industry as the employee sick leave creating emergencies is not foreseen and not addressed with the prevention strategy. The problems that could be addressed with other rewards All other problems could be lessened with diligent use of rewards rather than pay. Rewards such as the offer of a flexible schedule, professional growth opportunities, extra days to the period of vacation for the best-performing workers, and many more could motivate employees to become more loyal to the company and work with more efforts and dedication (Lee, Peris-Ortiz, & Fernández-Guerrero, 2011). The use of working schedules as a reward Hours of work are a reward. According to Crawshaw, Budhwar, and Davis, (2014), hours of work are considered one of the most effective employee-motivational factors after financial compensation. A similar idea is expressed by Heizer and Render (2011), who has stated that hours of work are the factor that plays a key role in the motivation of the majority of employees. This is especially the case for single mothers, students, people with specific health conditions requiring special working and medication-taking re
The ethical dilemma exhibited by Pureco Corporation is whether to sell the harmful Newpen antibiotics abroad to recover the already invested amount. The dilemma came after the US Drug Administration has withdrawn the Pureco Newpen from the market claiming that it has harmful side effects to its consumers. As the Pureco manager, I have the obligation of maximizing the stakeholders’ welfare, and considering that the company had already invested quite a huge sum of money in the establishment and marketing of the Newpen antibiotics, it is prudent for me not to sell the drug in any of the markets. This is because it is not ethical and professionally right to harm individuals knowingly. It is also illegal and punishable by law if the decision to sell abroad is later disclosed by the relevant authorities in the respective countries (General Accounting Office 27). Indeed, the legal action can lead to the cancellation of the Pureco operational license based on the continued decision to harm the public knowingly. Since all the countries have their food and drug administration body which undertakes a pre and post-marketing drug safety monitoring, Pureco Corporation might end up been sued for its decision. Such law pursuit can result to heavy penalties and fines payment which can further disorient the firm’s financial position. The action made by the Food and Drug Administration should be taken as a challenge to the Pureco corporation which should be positively welcomed as the interests of the general public should be key. The corporation should therefore major in upgrading its research and development program so as to ensure safe production. It is also important to consider that the nature of the pharmaceutical industry largely depends on the people’s goodwill in a given corporation. A selfish decision aimed at recouping the invested amount might result in severe damage to the firm’s reputation thus affecting its current and future market. The decision to sell the harmful Newpen abroad will therefore greatly tarnish the corporation’s name. The move will also negatively impact the corporation’s US mar
Description In his book Joseph Turow (2006) discusses the strategies used by marketers in effort to promote products and services via the Internet. One of the issues he focuses on is the way in which they try to obtain personal information of customers. For example, they can do it with the help of cookies or instruments that enable websites to identify clients and trace their use of online resources (Turow, 2006, p. 75). Furthermore, websites may encourage people to personalize their web space and provide more information about themselves; in particular one can mention names, interests, hobbies, and so forth (Turow, 2006, p. 97). In the author’s opinion, this information can enable marketers to make a more targeted offering to clients. This is why these data are of such value to companies. Furthermore, Joseph Turow (2006) believes that mass customization is important for businesses it enables them to establish a direct contact with users (p. 89). Without it, their commercial messages may not be convincing. Additionally, many websites do not tell explicitly how personal information can be used and who will have access to it. On the whole, Joseph Turow (2006) should enable users to “opt out ” which means that these people can defend their information against being sold to any third-party (p. 80). They can choose not to disclose some of their private data. On the whole, this scholar insists that companies should more open; they need to tell more about the personal data that they try to gather and why they do it. Analysis It is possible to compare the practices of websites with the standards that Joseph Turow sets. In this section I would like to speak about the policies of such a company as Twitter since I often use their services. The privacy policy of this organization stresses the point that users’ information can be accessible to “third-party service providers” (Twitter, 2012, unpaged). However, the company does not tell much about these organizations, their partnerships, and their use of these data. Moreover, very little is said about their corporate social responsibility. In my opinion, many users would like to know more about them. Furthermore, this company acknowledges that the user’s information can be sold in case of acquisition, reorganization, or bankruptcy (Twitter, 2012, unpaged). Yet, they do not ask people for their agreement with such a transfer. This is another issue that people should remember. One cannot say for sure that these data will never be used for commercial purposes. Overall, these examples suggest that the privacy policy of Twitter does not meet the requirements set by Joseph Turow in his book. Interpretation It is possible to draw several conclusions from this discussion. First of all, Internet users
Since the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis, the General Electric Corporation (GE) has managed to stay afloat despite the harsh conditions. What’s more, the company has managed to remain profitable throughout GFC (Mann 2015). The reasons for this include the regulations introduced to the market since the GFC’s inception, the management decisions made by the GE’s executives, and, to some degree, their leadership practices. GE’s financial success and robustness that was demonstrated during the crisis-era is often ascribed to the changes brought by Jack Welch, who was the company’s CEO until 2001 (Krames 2005). For instance, GE Capital established by him was responsible for the impressive assets of $661 billion in 2008, in the middle of the crisis (Kapur 2015). Besides, the implementation of the new statutory regime that introduced new regulations has prompted GE to form a risk committee of independent directors, the move which secured stability in the profitable sector of the company (Tonello 2012). Another external regulation that proved a key point in GE’s success is the “Twin Peaks” regulation model (Cooper et al. 2014). Because of it, the Australian financial institutions were less exposed to the esoteric, highly leveraged, and highly derived financial products (Schmulow 2016). GE Capital, which at this time was engaged in virtually any possible financial activity, benefited grossly from the stability, which was among the main reasons for the impressive bottom lines exhibited by GE during the last years (Mann 2015). Reference List Cooper, G, Dirkis, M, Hill, J, Stumbles, J, Tolhurst, G, Vann, R. J, & McCracken, S 2014, Regulation and reforms to enhance financial stability in the post-gfc era . Web. Kapur, R 2015, GE sells $32 billion loan and lease portfolio to Wells Fargo . Web. Krames, J 2005, Jack Welch and The 4 E’s of leadership: how to put ge’s leadership formula to work in your organization, McGraw Hill Professional, New York. Mann, T 2015, Why General Electric is unwinding its finance arm . Web. Schmulow, A 2016, Financial regulation: Is Australia’s ‘twin peaks’ model a successful export . Web. Tonello, M 2012, Should your board have a separate risk committee ? . Web.
Introduction Personal development entails diverse activities that aim at improving one’s awareness, talent, potential, identity, health, self-knowledge, and building one’s human capital. Additionally, personal development also contributes towards the realisation of an individual’s dreams and aspirations. Chambers, Schwartz, and Boath (2003) emphasise the importance of incorporating a personal development plan in one’s quest to continue his or her professional development. A personal development plan outlines the actions that one intends to concentrate on in order to attain the intended level of development (Armstrong 2008). Consequently, it provides individuals with an opportunity to think in a structured manner the issues to address. Findings of previous studies conducted emphasise the importance of students thinking about and planning their future. Personal development is only effective if a number of elements such as thinking deeply and in a structured manner about one’s life and ambitions, have access to the necessary information, people to trust on and share one’s reflections with, have an opportunity to test oneself in new areas, and develop the acquired skills and knowledge. This paper illustrates a personal development plan by taking into account a number of issues. Firstly, the paper realises the existence of culture shock in learning institution and workplaces and hence the importance of ensuring effective acculturation during the induction process. Secondly, the paper has illustrated the importance of developing effective teamwork and presentation skills in individuals’ personal development efforts coupled with developing a comparison of the report and academic journals. The personal development plan is illustrated by outlining the personal development objectives intended to be attained and the actions that will be undertaken in order to accomplish the stated objectives. Finally, the paper gives a conclusion and reflection on the course. Acculturation and Culture Shock Culture is more than an asset of norms and customs. It is also composed of how individuals interact and relate (Rathje 2009). Culture is an important aspect in one’s personal development. In the contemporary society, interacting with individuals of diverse cultural background in individuals’ effort to develop their personal or professional portfolios through academics is inevitable (Mercer 2006). This aspect has emanated from the high rate of globalisation, which has made it easy for individuals to move across cultures (Rathje 2009). Existence of cultural differences presents a major challenge due to possible conflicts that might emanate due to cultural differences such as meanings, values, and rules. Consequently, developing intercultural competencies is paramount. The high rate of cultural diversity being experienced in the society has made is paramount for individuals to undergo through a comprehensive acculturation process. Ward, Bochner, and Furnham (2001) define acculturation to include the changes that occur due to continuous contact between individuals of diverse cultural background. The first phase towards the attainment of acculturation
Introduction The principle underlying Aaron Beck’s cognitive therapy model of approach to the treatment of depression capitalizes on the reality-supported interpretation of a situation and seeks to eliminate any doubts that often torment most stressed persons. This is a different way of saying that it is important that the client focuses on the real happenings in the environment and interpret these happenings accurately than relying on assumptions that most of the time they focus on negative issues. Main body According to o Beck, these faulty interpretations may make a stressed person interpret and respond to a simple question asked as an open criticism and instead of providing the right response, the person may get defensive. The goal of Beck’s model can therefore be said to be aimed at moving the stressed person away from these negative imaginations towards a positive way of reasoning. Going through Beck’s work many people often ask themselves this common question that “to what extent does habit and conditioning influence our cognition and how much influence can one exercise over his or her thoughts(cognition).” To be more precise it is good that pe
Introduction The prevalent mood across the United States after the Second World War was rife with optimism and unparalleled success. The middle class “rapidly expanded, unemployment was low, and the United States (the only country with a nuclear bomb) became the most powerful country on earth” (Burr par.14). Unfortunately, this mood lasted for a short period of about four years before the Soviet Union started stockpiling nuclear bombs in 1949. Given that the United States was the only state with nuclear weapons by then, the Soviet’s decision to test its first nuclear weapons openly in 1949 caused tensions in the US. The hitherto mood of success turned somber and Americans became paranoid due to the fears of a nuclear bomb being dropped from the Soviet Union. Americans started preparing for nuclear bomb attacks. The political environment was awash with speculations and conspiracy theories, with some politicians claiming that Soviet spies had infiltrated the American government. The film industry thus sought to highlight the changing mood across the United States with film directors coming up with movies to underscore the situation. Some of the outstanding superhero movies that underscored the Cold War paranoia include Captain America directed by Albert Pyun in 1990 and Batman, which was released in 1966. This paper explores these two superhero movies and their correlation with Cold War paranoia in terms of characters and the plotlines. Batman (1966) This movie is commonly referred to as Batman: The Movie and it is an adaptation of the Batman Television Series, with emphasis on the character, Batman, who featured extensively in DC Comics (Garcia 55). The movie’s plotline elicits fear, apprehension, and confusion, which characterized the Cold War paranoia. When Batman tries to rescue Schmidlapp from a yacht, the vessel disappears and he comes out with his leg in a shark’s mouth ( Batman) . This form of unexpected events underscores the uncertainty that surrounded the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Americans did not know what to expect if either of the warring sides launched a nuclear attack against the other. Batman and Robin later realize that the call claiming that Schmidlapp had been kidnapped was a set up by the United Underworld, which sought to eliminate Batman. This aspect underscores the many conspiracy theories that surrounded the Cold War. As the movie progresses, the plot exposes the view that everyone loses in a war. Batman and Robin fail in their attempt to protect the kidnapping of the United World Organizat