ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction In essence, the main thrust of the ban against smoking is connected to the widely spread notion that second hand smoke has detrimental effects on the health of bystanders. It is argued that workers who inhale second hand smoke on a daily basis are placed at risk of developing the same type of detrimental health effects that smokers subject themselves to and as such presents itself as a real health concern in workplace environments (METRO BRIEFS, 2011). Originally, prohibiting smoking within establishments was under the option of the property owner however as the notion of the detrimental health effects of second hand smoke proliferated this resulted in a smoking ban put into effect by certain towns, cities and most recently the state of New York (METRO BRIEFS, 2011). What must be understood is that the smoking ban that will be put into effect is a direct result of two rights clashing against each other, namely: the right of people to work/eat etc. in a safe environment and the right of smokers not to be discriminated against as a social group. It must be noted though that the effects of secondary smoke on bystanders is still inconclusive and the potential economic reversals that may occur as a direct result of the ban are potentially considerable. As such, this paper will explore whether the various reasons behind the smoking ban are justifiable, if the after effects are potentially detrimental and will judge if the ban is a justifiable form of discrimination against a particular social group. Justifying the Ban on Smoking An examination of the literature leading up to the New York Ban on smoking reveals that the primary reason behind the ban itself is due to concerns related to the effects of second hand smoke on the general public (Philippidis, 2002). While smokers take it upon themselves to knowingly degenerate their lungs and general physical health other individuals do not take up such a choice. While there have been no conclusive studies examining the effects of prolonged exposure to second hand smoke, enough studies have shown that smoke from cigarettes contains the same detrimental effects as what a smoker takes into his own body. It is based on studies such as this that the ban on smoking is justified since it is assumed that prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke will result in the same level of exposure as compared to a normal smoker (The Beat, 2007). Restaurant workers are especially at risk since unlike the average smoker who stops smoking from time to time waiters, bartenders and other service attendants who are within a smoke filled environment on a constant basis due to the regular influx of smoking customers are thus exposed to greater concentrations of second hand smoke (Philippidis, 2002). The detrimental effects are also stated as not being limited to service attendants alone but extend to the customers of various establishments who are also exposed to high levels of cigarette smoke. It is based on such factors and the potentially detrimental effects they have that the ban on smoking is seen as being a justifiable measure since not
Nortel’s rise and fall were affected by four key factors: board composition, earnings management, ownership structure, and executive compensation. Board structure was a problem in the company because board size was greater than the prescribed role. Furthermore, members had too many external interests to focus on their role as directors. Additionally, they lacked the financial expertise needed to analyze the manager’s decisions. When Nortel’s stock prices soared, the board of directors was too delineated from the goings-on of the firm to question it, and this led to its collapse. Executive compensation explains the firm’s performance between the late 90s and early 2000s. The CEO’s pay structure was strongly tied to stock options. In fact, this accounted for half of the executive’s earnings. John Roth, who was the acting company CEO at its realm and fall, had an incentive to pursue continual growth. His stock options held no value if stock prices did not supersede the exercise price. However, if he pursued a continual growth strategy, then the value of his options would rise, and so would his overall compensation. The way Nortel had structured its executive pay system made it relatively appealing to manipulate earnings. Earnings manipulation, information manipulations, and restatements were just some of the platforms that management used to increase the value of stock prices, and hence executive stock options. These fraudulent tactics eventually set the company up for failure. The problem also emanated from Nortel’s ownership structure. Prior to the late 1990s, the company’s primary shareholders were long term investors whose goal was to purchase the firm’s shares and grow with the firm. However, its continual acquisitions and relentless growth attracted the attention of short-term traders in the US and elsewhere in the world. These were financial institutions that were only concerned about short term inter
Introduction Armand Feigenbaum was a passionate engineer and businessperson who contributed immensely to the theory and practice of quality control management. His inventions and frameworks assisted multiple companies globally to install and successfully maintain quality in their production facilities for which Feigenbaum became famous and revered among modern scholars. This paper will discuss several of his major theoretical achievements such as total quality management, hidden factory concept, quality accountability, and quality costs which are all used in today’s enterprise management. Total Quality Management Total Quality Management (TQM) became one of the greatest paradigmatic changes in quality control due to its comprehensive nature that allowed to centralize and imbue into one framework all quality-related actions and procedures. TQM is an approach to quality management that is centered on the improvements across all structural levels of functioning in the organization (Lohrmann & Reichert 2010). Among the key principles, there is the view that quality depends on customer’s views, the responsibility of management for quality improvement initiatives, and other axioms. This model allowed to curb the costs of production of service or goods (Sadikoglu & Olcay 2014). It also inspired other prominent quality management frameworks such as Six Sigma (Jourabchi et al. 2014). This is why it still holds significant weight in the history of QM development. Hidden Factory Concept Another addition of Feigenbaum to the quality control theory is the concept of a hidden factory. It is a theoretical notion designed for clarifying the importance of quality control. Essentially, it imbues the idea that all the obscure processes that occur during the process of correcting errors are voluminous enough to account as a separate factory. In terms of practical application, the concept contributes greatly to managers accepting the importance of quality control initiatives (Rødset
Introduction William Kaye Estes was born on June 17, 1919 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Estes is a scientist and a psychologist par excellence who has been credited with the creation of the mathematical learning theory which laid the foundations for the development of neural network in computer science as well as pioneering work on human intelligence. This essay examines the works of Estes and his contributions to the fields of psychology in specific. Main body In his seminal book “ Studies in Mathematical Learning Theory ” which he co-authored with two other scientists, Estes lays out a mathematical model for human intelligence. In his theory, Estes explains the different types of memory, the concepts of information processing and the developmental aspects of short term memory. Estes builds on the ‘Stimulus-Sample’ theory (Bush, Estes, & Anderson, 1959, p. 4) and holds that humans follow an iterative process of statistical learning in which every stimulus helps reinforce the learning. Estes presented his findings in the form of mathematical formulae that have since been used in the development of modern Artificial intelligence. According to him the rate of change in a human’s knowledge is equal to the product of their intelligence and the difference between their current level of knowledge and their studiousness. Estes presented his findings in the form of differential equation dk/dt+lk=λl, where knowledge k and studiousness λ are expressed as percentages, which has the solution k=λ(1-e^(-lt)), assuming that
Introduction As a business and economics undergraduate, I appreciate the importance of developing relevant skills in order to succeed in the labor market. Subsequently, I participated in an internship program at NCB Capital, which is a newly created independent investment company of the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia, for two months from June 2014 to July 2014. The objective of joining the internship program was to gain relevant skills and competence on investment products such as mutual funds, asset management, and other banks’ operations, hence closing the gap between the workplace environment and schoolwork. Subsequently, I participated in an internship program at the NCB Capital. During the internship, I was positioned at the Private Division (eastern province) under the supervision of Ms. Sana Al-Jabr (Relationship Manager). In order to be effective in executing the assigned duties, I was required to read and understand different documents such as the credit approval memorandums [CAM], credit programs, rules governing the opening of bank accounts, and general operational guidelines in Saudi Arabia. I also prepared unofficial report showing the progress in the customers’ current accounts, mutual funds, and stock portfolio as requested by the relationship manager. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the various issues encountered during the course of my internship at NCB Capital. The report is organized into a number of parts. The first part is an overview of NCB Capital, which entails the company’s background, vision and mission, organizational chart, organizational competitive and marketing strategies, and SWOT analysis. The second section is the technical part, which covers a reflection on the projects undertaken, problems handled, methodological used, limitations, finding, and the implemented solutions. Thirdly, an evaluation of the internship experience, a summary of the findings, and recommendations are provided in the third and fourth sections respectively. The final section outlines a conclusion on the internship program. Company background The National Commercial Bank [NCB] was founded in 1953 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through a royal decree. The firm was established through general partnership between two major currency houses in the KSA, which include the Salem Bin Mahfouz Company and Salehand Abdul Aziz Kaki. The NCB’s headquarters are at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. NCB has undergone extensive restructuring since its inception. For example, in 1997, the firm’s structure changed into a joint stock company. However, the firm’s shareholding was changed in 1999, whereby its ownership belongs to private Saudi investors, the General Organization for Social Insurance, and the Public Investment Fund ( NCB Capital, 2014a). The firm has developed an optimal market position in the Saudi finance industry, which has risen from investment into product and service innovation. NCB is one of the pioneers in the Islamic finance and banking industries, as evidenced by its effectiveness in introducing new financial products into the market. For example, the company has established real estate finan
Introduction This is the analytical evaluation of the strategies of boost juice Ltd. The main purpose of this study is to highlight the company’s arrears of strengths and weaknesses as well opportunities and serious threats for the company. This paper has mainly focused on the related years of the case study. At first, the past strategies of the company have been indicated with special reference to the company’s motives and objectives. Then, the new strategies in response to the change in the environment of the industry, including socio-economic factors, have been selected for the company to aid in achieving goals and objectives. Then Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix has been developed to indicate the SWOT matrix after the evaluation of EFE and IEF matrices, which has been discussed to indicate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the company’s strategies. In addition to indication and selection, all of these strategies have been given specific value so as to attract the attention of the company to the core and sensitive issues so as to convince the company for modifying strategies in their areas of weakness. Similarly, the functional, corporate, and competitive strategies have also been indicated in this part of the paper in which SWOT analysis has been drawn for the company so as to enhance the company for further growth. The basic purpose of this part of the paper is the strategic evaluation of the company in terms of the competitive advantages of the company in the context of SWOT analysis. The changes in the company and the whole industry have been defined so as to understand the profile of both. Then, a conclusion has been d
Introduction ESPN is a well-established entertainment and sports enterprise which is deeply anchored in matters of sports and entertainment. As a business enterprise, ESPN has had a massive growth that has seen it become the giant it is today and many people have been behind this success. One of these people is George W. Bodenheimer. Mr. Bodenheimer is the president of ESPN. Mr. Bodenheimer, a 47-year-old man, has a legacy with ESPN, considering that the company he took over some seven years ago isn’t the same today. While at the helm of the company, Mr. Bodenheimer has tremendously helped the fans satisfy their entertainment thirsts. This essay will focus on an analysis of ESPN, studying its tremendous growth over the few years that Mr. Bodenheimer has been with it as the president. The abbreviation, ESPN, stands for “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network”. With George W. Bodenheimer as its president for the last seven years, ESPN has spread its service delivery from the simple print version to more easy-to-use versions. It should be realized that it was under his reign that ESPN began to appear in broadband and even wireless versions. This growth is a confirmation that technology is a key aspect of this company’s operations. As evidence of his competence, many similar investors are watching, with so much awe, ESPN grow bigger and bigger every day. Thus, it has been noted that most of them are using the company’s business strategies to put life into their businesses. But, it should be admitted, they are far much away from the gigantic ESPN (Freeman, 2000). Remarks by the chief TV executive at the NBA, Mr. Silver Adam, about the abilities and competencies of the ESPN president confirm Bodenheimer to be a great strategist who works in a manner that other managers consider “awkward”. As Mr. Adam puts it, George is one man who gives a chance to other people to shine, but whose managerial skills have put the company “at the cutting edge of the digital revolution.” So, one wonders: is Bodenheimer a “space being”? Body It is worth having a glimpse at the strategies that define Mr. Bodenheimer’s successful times with the mantle ESPN. As anyone would expect, his are what many aspiring businessmen and women would call “golden” tips. Thus, Bodenheimer offers five golden tips that would go into building a business empire that he already has in ESPN. These are:  1. Clear definition of your mission: This strategy has the customer in mind. He offers that the main mission should be to serve the customers, who in his case are fans.  2. Knowing what the band is (what it entails and its requirements): Here, Bodenheimer tips that it is very important to put life and enthusiasm into whatever you are doing in order to give your brand the fire it needs to sell.  3. Cultivation of a positive relationship with the customers: As an investor and a business person, it is of utter importance to “talk to the customers, not with them”  4. Development of
Introduction The contemporary challenges that humanity faces, such as the shortage of non-renewable recures, air pollution, and changes to the global climate. Architecture and design specialists in collaboration with policymakers have tried to address these problems by creating public spaces with sustainable design features. According to the U.S. General Services Administration (n.d.), the sustainable design allows “to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance” (para. 1). The goal of this design approach is to create spaces that are beneficial both for the occupants and for the environment. In this sense, the sustainable design differs from the traditional approaches that emphasize only the comfort of the occupants and the satisfaction of their needs for housing. Considering the attention that sustainable design practices require towards the integration of the objects into the environment and the use of renewable sources, this method requires a multidisciplinary approach. For example, the policymakers in the United States developed the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 to address the issues of sustainable design (U.S. General Services Administration, n.d.). EPA encourages designers to create projects of federal buildings that are 30% more energy and cost-effective when compared to previous standards. This is because not only the operations of buildings require the use of energy, but also the design and construction of these facilities consumption of substantial amounts of energy resources and a significant contribution to climate change (“Sustainability in Shanghai Tower,” n.d.). Hence, cooperation with policymakers and government agencies is an important element of sustainable design practices. Building energy consumption is one concept that sustainable design approaches seriously since the majority of energy used to light up, heat, or cool buildings is derived from non-renewable sources. This paper will analyze the examples of the One Central Park, Museum of Tomorrow, and the Shanghai Tower to determine the sustainability trends of today and discuss the future of sustainable architecture. Example One: One Central Park One Central Park is a building in Sydney, Australia, that is a result of collaboration between designers and the government and which utilizes environmentally-friendly practices. This project is an important one in the context of sustainability in architecture because not only does it feature advanced systems that allow reducing the building’s impact on the environment, but it was created in collaboration with the government to renovate a previously neglected area of the city
Jim Evans, the CEO of Accord Capital Group takes on the new changes introduced by the accounting standards board regarding operating leases. Being a manager of a small firm that lends assets on a lease, Jim is concerned about the place of new rules while the old rules were advantageous for small firms. His discussion may be summarized in the following points:   * The advantages of off-balance sheet financing for small firms   * Critique of depreciation charge as regular   * Critique of the ‘noncancelable’ notion of the lease   * Critique of the requirement of setting asset and liability accounts based on discounted amounts   * Need for a clear distinction between lease and loan Operating leases are often termed as off-balance-sheet financing, as the value of the asset does not appear on the balance sheet of the lessee. The lessee charges rental expenses at each year-end. Jim is of the view that this practice is used as a margin control by small firms as they are able to record an expense when it is paid. Therefore they can establish an expense that they can record at variable lengths to better match the revenues. The very principle of “matching’ in accounting is better satisfied when small firms are allowed to charge an irregular rent. What is shown as a result is a true margin, instead of a mirage that gives an untrue picture of revenues and expenses. Depreciation also is a charge that is recorded regularly, without considering the actual use of the equipment. This also gives an untrue picture of the real position of the firm. Firms should be allowed to place the expense at the same time as the revenues that would enable them to better control and manage the return on their assets. Operating leases helped firms to do the same. They enabled them to better match the expense with revenues, and also to price their products. Jim is also
The place where life is brighter than anywhere else, cinema proves that sometimes life without drama becomes incomplete. Like no other art, it can convey the most important ideas in the most unobtrusive way, helping the screenwriter to communicate the most essential ideas in a two-hour movie. Rain Man by Barry Levinson is one of such pictures. Despite the difficulties concerning the fusion of a complicated plot with no less complicated process of shooting the film, the crew managed to create a film that incorporates the intriguing plot and the impeccable editing. Taking a closer look at the picture, one can see clearly that the movie creates a continuity that is interrupted only at specific moments to make the scene ever more intense and gripping. Split in several parts, the movie still represents a whole that cannot be broken. Another aspect to consider is the rythmics of the movie. A long shot, then a shorter one, to be interrupted by a continuous episode through which the narrator conveys the peculiarities of each character. If considering each piece a cadence of sounds, the entire movie could be compared to a musical piece by Teleman or Vivaldi. Surprisingly, the film does not offer a variety of transitional effects. The one that the editors resorted most often to is the jump cut. However, such maneuver does not seem a drawback of the movie – on the contrary, it adds a certain tint of incompleteness and abruptness of the film. As a life switches its tunes from mellow ones into harsher and rougher melodies, the movie marks the end of each phase of the characters’ growth with these abrupt endings. Moreover, these transitions seem completely unnoticeable despite their sharpness. Perhaps, the flow of the plot does remind of the way life goes, which helps the spectator get ready for another turn of the plot. With help of these tiny transitions, each spectator can feel the enchanting rhythm of the movie – the rhythm of Rain Man. There is one more thing that deserves being discussed here. Considering the masterful match cuts in Rain Man, one can realize that without this trick, the movie would have lost half of its charm. Although there are only a few that create the specific atmosphere in the movie and switch the spectator’s attention to the necessary details, these several cuts produce intense effect. One of these is the episode when Raymond watches the matches falling on the floor. Since he is autistic, his eyes are rarely fixed on certain object, and this specific eye-line match cut emphasizes the importance of the moment, showing separately Raymond casting his sight right on the floor, and then the floor with the matches scattered on it. Filled with intense strain, this episode reveals certain peculiarities of Rain Man’s character. Another piece of the movie in which match cuts play the crucial part is the episode when Ray copies the pattern on the floor into a sheet of paper. Revealing the incredible abilities of Rain Man, the editor utilizes the method of graphic match cut. A