ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
People have used to stories, as it is the essential part of their life. From the very childhood, people are told stories, then they grow older, and they are able to read stories by their own; the whole world is seen through the stories. Considering Thomas King’s The truth about stories: a native narrative , the idea appears that story is not just the essential part of people’s life, but that its is all people are. Stories are the only point according to which humanities may be understood, and the book by Thomas King is the piece of writing of and about stories. The repetition and sequence play an important role in the lectures, collected by Thomas King, as it tries to show people their importance in the story telling process as well as the very understanding the shaping of people’s identity. Starting with the very overview of the book, it is notable to mention that the book is the collection of Massey Lectures, which are divided into several sections, such as “ You will never believe what happened” is always a great way to start , you are not the Indian I had in mind , let me entertain you, a million porcupines crying in the dark, and what is it about us that you do not like? These sections are titled
Stock market activities have been always coupled with particular risks. Investing in the stock market implies accepting the risk in a way or another. In that sense, deciding on investment is based on the measurement of risk-return. Thus, in a search of a higher return, investors finance stocks with higher risks and vice versa. Therefore, the position of institutional investors in that regard can be characterized by such factors:   * Providing risk pooling, and accordingly a better trade-off of risk and return.   * Using large and liquid capital markets.   * The ability to absorb and process information, which is superior to that of individual investors in the capital market (Davis & Steil, 2004, p. 13). In that sense, it can be seen that the first two factors can be considered results of the third one, where institutional investors can access a larger pool of information that can form certain expertise during investments. However, the same characteristics can put limits on the investment activities that institutional investors practice. In that sense, it can be said that small investors and institutional investors operate on different levels, where each of those levels has its constraints. For example, the rise of the fiduciary relationship to the ultimate investor, which might entail a degree of caution, can put limits on the institutional investors, whereas small investors are rather flexible in choosing the direction of their finances, where they even can participate in the same sector. As stated earlier, the matter of successful investment for both institutional and small investors can be reduced to assessing risks through information. Essentially, before such assessment, the investor should define the proportion of risk and return which can be afforded. Risk-free investments are usually, on the lowest levels of return compared to other financial instruments. Accordingly, if the investor wants to receive a higher return, he would invest in operations with a higher risk rate, where the return sufficiently justifies the risk and surpasses the minimum hurdle rate. Thus, the market line of a stock is the equilibrium ratio between expected return and a systematical risk. In such a way, the small investor defines the goals in the form of, “I want to earn stable profit without taking unnecessary risks”, or “I want a single transaction that will %1000 justify my investment.” Omitting exaggeration and radical positions, it can be understood that between those two statements there are a lot of options, where the risk of losing money is proportional rises from the first statement to the second. The level of market knowledge can indicate the level of risk acceptable for each investor, and in that regard, institutional investors can act as indicators that will help assess the risks, e.g. institutional investments sales can predict market correction. In such a way, it can be seen that deeming
Introduction The presence and continued immigration of blacks into the Diaspora have generated increasing interests and debate from scholars, the general public and policymakers. Many authors have argued that the continued migration of Africans in the Diaspora is attributed to interplay of inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary facets. Such facets have been thought to penetrate the presence of blacks in the Diaspora, for example, Europe and the United States (Kamari and Debora 20-379). As a result, the immigration of blacks and the inter-play of influencing facets has resulted to complications of notions of race, identities and desire which are assumed and presumed in the revealing faces of experiences of the ‘black other’ in the Diaspora (Kamari and Debora 20-379). By focusing on themes and contemporary currents of intellectual nature, different researchers have theorized and re-imagined a variety of historical and contemporary issues which are related to the broader topic of darkness. This paper explores the importance of understanding ‘the black other’ as an essential factor to explain the experiences of the African Diaspora (Kamari and Debora 20-379). Why an Understanding of the “Black Other” Is Central To Explaining the Experiences of the African Diaspora A firm grasp of globalization trends has been regarded as a crucial component to understand the constitution and reconstitution of race by transformations of a worldwide scale and magnitude (Kamari and Debora 200-379). As such, the explorations by Jacqueline Brown, Naomi Pabst, Jayne Ifekunigwe and Ariana Hernadez-Reguant are essential components in understanding the link between contemporary processes of globalization and the kinds of transnational circulations which are spun by aspects of slavery and imperialism. According to Kamari and Debora, these links occurred between global conceptions of skin color (darkness) and culture (Kamari and Debora 20-100). For instance, Jacqueline Nasy Brown has explored the topic of blackness by defining the term ‘Diaspora’ and associations between the Diaspora and Global black kinship. She, therefore, suggests that this association can render certain aspects of black subjects, their identities and their histories to be invisible (Kamari and Debora 20-379). According to Jacqueline, the recent inclusion of Africans in Europe (black Europe) in the African Diasporic framework has been regarded as setting it up to represent items which are new in the global catalogue which aspires to exhaustiveness (Kamari and Debora 20-379). Jacqueline, therefore, explores black Europe and the African Diaspora through an approach of discourse location. She does this issue by highlighting family and kinship ties and their origin, and later immigration into the European territory e.g., the Nassy family, reunions and other family setups (Kamari and Debora 20-379). For instance, she depicts family ties and kinships e.g., reunions, which played a crucial role in theorizing the Diaspora through encounters between different kinship ties (Kamari and Debora 20-3
The key emotional value of the 1993 film Schindler’s List (directed by Steven Spielberg) appears to be concerned with the movie’s psychologically plausible depiction of the social preconditions that made possible the tragedy of the Holocaust. In this respect, Schindler’s List is best referred to as utterly educational. The reason for this is apparent – in the aftermath of having been exposed to Spielberg’s film, viewers will be able to recognize the actual indications of the whole group of people (such as the Jews) being dehumanized, as the main discursive prerequisite for them to end up being physically exterminated. There is even more to the film in this regard – along with exposing the unsightly aspects of how the Nazis proceeded to implement the ‘final solution’ of the ‘Jewish problem’ during the WW2, Schindler’s List promotes the idea that, contrary to what it is commonly assumed, many Germans remained strongly opposed to the inhuman treatment of the Jews. The character of Oscar Schindler exemplifies the validity of this suggestion. Even though he is initially shown completely preoccupied with trying to take advantage of the money-making opportunities, made available to him by the outbreak of WW2, as the plot unravels Schindler’s agenda in life undergoes a drastic transformation. From being obsessed with the thoughts of enrichment, Schindler changes into someone wholeheartedly dedicated to saving people’s lives, as something that has the value of a ‘thing in itself’. The character’s metamorphosis, in this respect, can be deemed reflective of the overall message, conveyed by the film – it is namely by helping others that one can realize its true calling as a human being. The above-stated leaves only a few doubts as to the fact that the film’s narrative is explicitly realistic. The reason for this is that Schindler’s List does adhere to one of the foremost provisions of cinematographic realism, “A rejection of clichés, stale conventions stock situations and characters in favor of the unique, the concrete, the specific” (Giannetti, 2013, p. 351). After all, at an initial glance, the story of Schindler’s transformation from the staunch member of the Nazi Party into someone who was willing to risk his life to save as many Jews as possible will indeed appear rather unlikely. At the same time, however, those who have watched Spielberg’s film will regard this development thoroughly plausible. This simply could not be otherwise, as the director did succeed in revealing the deep-seated motivations that prompted the film’s main character to act in such a manner. It i
Introduction Booking.com is one of the most renowned travel agency and accommodation partners in the world ( Booking.com , 2019). The company is headquartered in the Netherlands but owned by the American-based company, Booking Holdings. According to its website, the company is listed in over 220 countries and territories in approximately 145,000 destinations ( Booking.com , 2019). Daily statistics retrieved from the website indicate that over 1,550,000 reservations are made through the company per day ( Booking.com , 2019). Using this data, one can argue that the company is also one of the largest and most trusted online tourism and travel agencies in the world. Although the company has been growing steadily over the years, it has occasionally been faced with a crisis. For example, in 2016,
What is Qualitative Research Methodology Denzin (2003: 4) defines Qualitative Research Methodology as a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible and transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, field notes interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings and memos to the self. What this means is that researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Data developed by qualitative methods originate when a researcher figuratively puts brackets around a temporal and spatial domain of the social world. These brackets define the territory about which descriptions are fashioned. These descriptions are essentially idiographic maps of territory, which must be read and interpreted by the investigator if any nomothetic statements are to result from a given study (Maanen, 1983: 9-10). Qualitative research allows researchers to explore a wide array of dimensions of the social world, including the texture and weave of everyday life, the understandings, experiences and imaginings of our research participants, the way that social processes, institutions, discourses or relationships work, and the significance of the meanings that they generate (Mason, 2002: 1). Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials, case studies; personal experience; introspection; life story, interview artefacts; cultural texts and production; observational, historical, interactional and visual texts –that describe routine and problematic moments and meanings in individual lives (Denzin, 2003: 5). Based on methods of analysis, explanation and argument building which involve understandings of complexity, detail and context, Qualitative research aims to produce rounded and contextual understanding of the basis of rich, nuanced and detailed data (Mason, 2002: 1). He defines qualitative research as “ Interpretive ” in a sense that it is concerned with how the social world is interpreted, understood, experienced, produced or constituted. Through using interpretive practices, the researcher hopes to get a better understanding of the subject matter at hand. It is understood that each practice makes the world visible in a different way; hence there is frequently a commitment to using more than one interpretive practice in any study (Denzin, 2003: 2002). What is the value basis of the study? The purposes of the study were to explore the representations of smoking held by smokers who are habitually exposed to different levels of smoking restrictions (Louka, 2006: 442); to examine the ways in which smokers in the UK and Greece understand and account for their smoking, with reference to the ways in which participants both experienced and talked about the levels of disapproval that their smoking behaviour engendered (Louka, 2006: 443). Snape (cited in Lewis, 2003: 2) argues that there is no single accepted way of doing qualitative research. But, how researchers carry it out depends upon a range of factors, s
Introduction Supply Chain Management is the management of activities (both up-stream and down-stream) involved in the production of goods and services for the ultimate consumption of the end-user. The management of these activities plays a very important role in the profitability and survival of an organization, to such an extent that its failure may mean the failure of the organization. This is especially true in the present competitive business environment. Toyota motor industry has realized the importance of efficiently managing its supply chain in order to keep its costs and prices low and ultimately remain competitive in the overall motor vehicle industry from experience. Toyota has achieved this so successfully that other organizations, even those outside the industry, have taken its measures and implemented them in their own production systems (Toyota, 2011). History and Background of Toyota Japanese known as Kiichiro Toyoda started Toyota in 1937. The company first landed in America in 1957. Seven years later, it was already competing with the domestic manufactures quite fairly. Toyota has since grown to become the leading carmaker in the world, ahead of other giants in the industry, for instance, General Motors. It has since started manufacturing plants in North American states such as Alabama, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky, California and West Virginia. Its growth has also seen the increase in the models of vehicles it produces for instance Prius, Corolla, Innova, landcruiser, Lexus, Camry, Fortuner and many more (Toyota, 2011). To say the least, Toyota has redefined the motor vehicle manufacturing industry through low cost production, numerous models and the spread of its activities around the globe. The Toyota Way/Toyota Production System has not only transformed the motor vehicle manufacturing industry but has been providing guidance on management issues for the past 5 decades or so. Other firms across all industries are increasingly adopting the principles provided in the Toyota Production System in their quest for managerial effectiveness and efficiency (Toyota, 2011). Supply Chain in Toyota Toyota has a reputation world over for its unique Supply Chain Management system known as the Just-In-Time system or the Toyota Production System. Theirs is a method of obtaining raw materials at exact time of need and in exactly the amount required and producing finished products in exactly the right quantity. This helps to avoid overproduction. Selling them at the right time to the right customer minimizes waste. This method identified wastes that otherwise go unnoticed as waste. However, its impact to the cost of production is tremendous. They include; transportation, motion, wait, inventory, over production, over processing and defects. Its main goal involves avoiding these wastes. Kiichiro Toyoda first introduced this method and besides starting the Toyota Company, it is perhaps his greatest contribution. In addition to the JIT system, Toyota applies the V4L principles in managing its supply chain. The V4L principles include the following (Toyota, 2011). 1. Variety in th
Introduction A world-system is a social system that has boundaries, people, rules, and people among others. Its nature is composed of the forces that can hold it together or break it apart because in it there are various types of groups of people working for their advantage. Just like a living thing, it has the characteristics of a living thing because it can change with time or remain the same. Its structure can be either weak or strong. Influences that led to change within the world system of states in the period 1815-1914 The end of the Napoleonic wars at waterloo in the year 1815 marked the start of a period that is commonly known as the ‘hundred years’. This is the period between 1815 and 1914, when a major war broke again. Europeans lived in peace this period. The period before the year 1815was marked by a series of wars (Gill 55). At about 1870, things began to take another turn and it started threatening the prevailing peace in the continent. The wars of German unification and the Prussian with France were some of the wars that arose. Prince Otto von Bismarck of Prussia had promised his people a period peace, which lasted for some time. His leadership skills enabled him to manipulate power. Through skillful diplomacy, he managed to create an alliance system that was international and stable. After Napoleon defeat there was a need to have peace in around the period between 1814 and 1815 where by a congress to set new boundaries was set up. Balance of power needed to be maintained. The congress also looked and dealt with international problems. A system was set up for signing treaties in French doing it in an alphabetical order (Little70). After the signing of the treaties, the wars that were taking place ended. Of course, there were rules but funny enough they were not written down. There were great powers and lesser powers, which were dominated by the major ones. The big problem that Otto von Bismarck was the fact, that industrial revolution had started in the world by 1871. The American Civil war made it necessary to have new weapons and te
Introduction Recession is the tendency of the economic activities of a given economy to suddenly decline. Currently, there are various macroeconomic activities that are affected by the cycle, for example the employment of citizens, GDP, investing power of investors, spending capabilities and on the running practices of business. In the recent times the U.S economy has been hit by recession. This has resulted in a slowdown of the economic activities around the country that has resulted on a negative impact on the local economies. Effect of recession on the demand and supply of goods During recession the spending power of the people had become less. The decline in the spending power is usually due to increased cost of living caused by inadequate income or unemployment
Quality and Consumer Satisfaction Quality is a measurement tool used to evaluate a product or service as perceived by customers through conformance to detail and excellence (Prentice, 2013). Product quality enhances the competitiveness of an association, which creates a competing advantage for the firm. Associations see the use of quality management approaches as a way that can advance and support reestablishment and performance (Prentice, 2013). This noteworthy emphasis on quality makes performance an effective instrument for consumer satisfaction, product differentiation, and improvement (Rajeswari, Srinivasulu, & Thiyagarajan, 2017). Although quality management centers on decreasing imperfections and errors in products using estimation, insights, and other instruments, associations perceive that enduring change cannot be achieved without its operational exercises (Rajeswari et al., 2017). Business managers understand that the methodologies they use to convey quality influences product value, consumer loyalty, and satisfaction (Prentice, 2013). This paper investigates how Kawai hand-built Grand evolved and how the gatherings of people associated with its piano production developed. The paper discusses the meaning of quality and its implications for Kawai’s hand-built Grand. To consider key issues in quality, the paper evaluates customer satisfaction with different approaches to quality. The concept of craftsmanship will be evaluated using Kawai’s hand-built Grand. Approaches to Quality Transcendent Approach Quality is a property or features identifiable through experience. The definition means quality is identified with a correlation of features by displaying quality as a picture variable in the psyches of consumers (Haemoon & Kawon, 2017). In such a manner, quality can be characterized as the integrity or perfection of a product. Product-Based Approach The product-based approach distinguishes properties that demonstrate higher quality. It characterizes quality as an exact and quantifiable variable. Changes in quality relate contrasts in the nature or property of an item. Thus, products can be classified by the measure of attributes they carry (Haemoon & Kawon, 2017). Value-Based Approach The value-based approach characterizes quality based on expenses and costs. Haemoon and Kawon (2017), describes quality as a level of perfection at a worthy cost and the control of variability at a satisfactory cost. The value-based approach expects that customer’s choices include exchanging quality against the cost. As a result, quality item or service creates more noteworthy value or fulfillment at an equivalent cost (Jeon, Magnini, Kim, & Hyun, 2013). User-Based Approach The meaning of quality depends on the assumption that quality is dictated by the client’s needs (Jeon et al., 2013). This approach is a subjective perspective of value. Based on this assumption, quality is characterized as a level of wellness for the product’s intended use. Manufacturing-Based Approach Jeon, Magnini, Kim, and Hyun (2013) characteriz