ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The health sector has experienced many challenges that threatened to cripple hospitals in the country. Some of the major problems identified by the American College of Healthcare Executives which include: financial challenges, healthcare reform implementation, government mandates, and patient safety and quality (American College of Healthcare Executives [ACHE], 2011). Challenges facing the health sector seem to increase since the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. So far, implementation of the act poses serious challenges which threaten to cripple operations in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Financial Challenges and Healthcare Reform According to ACHE, “financial challenges again ranked No 1 on the list of hospital CEOs’ top concerns in 2011…” (ACHE, 2011). Increasing the number of insured adults is a good source of revenue for healthcare providers especially after “they backed the president’s sweeping law and agreed to accept $155bn in cuts in government reimbursements over 10 years to pay for it” (Kirchgaessner, 2012). This left various health institutions with little finances to support their daily operations. As a result, hospitals are now forced to adjust their expenses and renegotiate new contracts with their suppliers. So far, a number of Republican governors have refused to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in their states. Limited finances given to healthcare providers lock out uninsured people from accessing health services. This is “devastating for hospitals who are legally obliged to treat these patients” (Kirchgaessner, 2012). Patient Safety and Quality Since the government enacted financial cuts in healthcare reimbursement, healthcare providers cannot guarantee patient safety and quality. The situation is becoming worse due to the rising cost of medical supplies. Healthcare providers frequently review contracts with their suppliers as well as cut the number of staff to fit their budgets. Contract reviews affect the supply of medical products paralyze activities in the hospital. Reducing medical staff increases the pressure on staff to keep up the required patient safety and quality standards. All healthcare institutions aim at providing the highest quality services according to the hospital’s mission and vision. With reduced finances, these institutions are not able to meet their vision Government Mandate The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gives everybody medical insurance as part of the broader Medicare coverage. This act aims at increasing the number of insured people in the country. This blanket insurance cover has led to a debate whether the federal government should enact it on all its citizens. According to a report published by Health Care Management Review, research shows that “mandatory individual insurance coverage in Massachusetts was followed by a significant near-term drop in hospital productivity” (Wolters Kluwer Health, 2012). The government believes that “individual insurance” is justifi
An accounting and auditing system enables businesses to use their data in a uniformed way. It eliminates the possibility of financial information being applied differently in decision making since it is interpreted differently across the organization. Through an accounting system, the financial information from a company can be relayed in a manner that is void of ambiguity since the system does the interpretation and giving of results. Internal controls of an accounting system supplement the analysis, implementation and design divisions of an accounting system (Leitch, p. 71). It is the internal control that safeguards the entire accounting system from the risk of fraud, violation and external manipulation. It functions as a complete system that is found inside the larger accounting system but having different roles. Thanks to the internal control, the information provided by the accounting system becomes reliable and timely. It is timely since the control protects against external interference which can interfere with the speed of operations. The information is reliable since the control protects the system from fraud and abuse. The internal control thus ensures that financial information is accurate so that decision making can be effective. For a sales accounting system, the internal control ensures that there is environmental control. Environmental control refers to the resulting employee behaviour and attitude as a result of the objectives set by management. Environmental control ensures that the goals set by management do not go against ethical work practice. It is crucial for the sales accounting system to be able to assess common business risks that are faced by the business at different stages of growth. Risk assessment becomes important if the sales function operates in a risky environment. In this case, employees are better placed to carry out risk assessment even though it is supposed to be a function performed by management. Risk assessment and environmental control are functions that threaten the success and profitability of a business. The sales function cannot therefore operate without these roles performed by the internal control. Information communication, monitoring, risk assessment and environmental control ought to take place in the internal control itself so as to eliminate the possibility of inefficiencies, errors and inadequacies. Crazy Eduardo can use the following simple chart which indicates the possible controls for a layout of risks.         Control 1  Control 2  Likelihood of breach  Magnitude of breach Risk 1                                                                  Risk 2                                                                   The internal control safeguards the sales accounting system from the threat of fraud which occurs when unauthorized parties can access financial information. Financial information is sensitive to a company and unauthoriz
Abstract Perception of intelligence among different communities varies to a great deal depending on the socio-economic and political factors. The Kpelle people of Liberia had a different perception of intelligence from the Zulus of South Africa. The best way of measuring intelligence in such unique communities is to base the measurements on the local parameters. Introduction Perception of intelligence varies from one community to the other across the world. While one community may value consultation when making decisions, others cherish creativity or even the ability to process information very fast. The parameters used to measure intelligence in one community may be very different from the parameters used in another community. In this assignment, the researcher seeks to compare how the Zulu people of South Africa and Kpelle people of Liberia perceive intelligence. The researcher will look at their perception towards issues such as domestic violence, initiations, and marriages. Discussion According to Matsumoto (2001), different African communities perceived intelligence differently. This scholar says that the Zulu people of South Africa valued communal work very much. They considered intelligence to be the ability to consult the elders whenever one is making a critical decision. The elders were the think tanks for this society because of their knowledge gathered from years of experience. This community still cherishes the need to consult the elders when making decisions even in the face of the current Westernization in this country. On the other hand, the Kpelle people of Liberia valued creativity in decision-making. Even though they also cherished the relevance to consult, their environment posed many challenges that needed creative ideas. Members of the society who were able to come up with creative ideas on how to solve the problems of the society were held in high regards. When their creative ideas helped in solving some of the environmental problems, the society members would consider them heroes. It may not be easy to use a universal test to measure the intelligence between these two communities. As Valsiner (2012) notes, each of these cultural groups defined their measure of intelligence based on the environmental factors. For instance, the Kpelle people of Liberia had different environmental factors from the Zulu people of South Africa. When using cognitive abilities such as memory, organization, and visualization, the two communities compare very closely. These cognitive factors were particularly important in defense. They had to remember the militaristic of their enemies based on the experiences and organize themselves when it was evident that the community was under attack, and visualize some of the best strategies that can be used to counter the enemy. As Langley (2012) notes, such strategic approaches to solving problems were not restricted to addressing the threat of an attack. They were also important when addressing other social problems. One of the cultural practices that were common among the people of Kpelle is the marriage ceremony. In such important stages of life, the society considered intelligence to be the ma
Introduction In the proposed merger between Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, Utah Orchestra’s director, Anne Ewers was appointed to oversee the merge of two companies. Subsequently, she was to serve as the CEO of the new company. Direct and Indirect Communication Ewers is obligated to convince several key figures who could influence the merge process heavily. One of the people the Ewers needs to talk to is Keith Lockhart. Lockhart is the director of the Utah symphony (Delong & Ager, 2005). He feels a loss of control especially in presenting issues that affect the symphony members. Ewers has to ensure that she appreciates Lockhart’s concerns. Together, they can come up with recommendations on an appropriate power structure. Ewers also needs to convince both executive committees on the incorporation of both companies’ organization culture in the new company. The orchestra musicians have also raised some concerns regarding the new merger. Therefore, they formed an ad hoc committee to address these issues including an organizational structure that protects artistic excellence (Delong & Ager, 2005). While Ewers may not be in a position to meet with the musicians, Ewers should meet with the chairwoman of the musician ad hoc committee, Christine Osborne. Individuals who could receive Anne’s message directly regarding the proposed merger include staff and opera members at the Utah opera. It would not be fitting for them to hear that Utah Opera and Utah Symphony were headed for a merger in public. On the other hand, artists and opera patrons should hear the message from Anne indirectly, through their agents and the media, respectively. Knowledge, beliefs, and preferences of key individuals in both companies Scott Parker chaired the Utah Symphony committee from 1999 to 2002. During his tenure, the arts industry experienced a dip in profits. In 2001, Utah Symphony’s profits were on the decline and thus he proposed a merger with the Utah Orchestra (Delong & Ager, 2005). Keith Lockhart is the music director at the Utah Symphony. (Delong & Ager, 2005). However, he fears the loss of power where he will not be in a position to articulate the needs of the symphony members. William Bailey, the chairman of the Utah Orchestra committee was quite skeptical of the proposed merger. Some of his observation includes the difference in the financial stability of both companies. Importance of background knowledge while dealing with different audiences In order for Anne Ewers to convince the above individuals, she is required to have ample information on the issue at hand. This an important bargaining technique where one is able to fully articulate his or her position based on facts (Kaufman, 2001). To start with, Anne needs to fully understand what her audience knows. This will enable her to determine the kind of information that they would be seeking. At the same time, it is important for Anne to take into account the feeling of her audience, their motivations, behavior, and needs. This way, she will have the bargaining power in seeking their support. On the whole, the audience appears opposed to the proposed mergers and as
The General Strain Theory (GST) as first introduced by Robert Agnew, a sociologist with an expertise in Criminology, in 1992 utilizes the notion that there are significant ramifications of strain on an individual. It is felt that stain manifests itself in a propensity towards delinquency and criminality. According to Agnew, there were three prevalent types of strains which lead to deviant behavior. These types include a failure to achieve goals which are positively valued by society at large, the removal of positive stimuli from the environment and a confrontation with negative stimuli. Agnew further subdivides the failure to achieve goals which are positively valued into three subcategories. One subcategory deals with the traditional concept of the strain theory which delineates that there is a gap between the expected achievements of an individual and the actual achievements. Another subcategory addresses the incongruence between an individual’s perception of what the outcome should be and what it actually is. The final subcategory addresses the setting of unrealistic goals in light of the fact life circumstances circumvent the realization of those goals. The first subcategory includes both long and short term personal goals while the second subcategory makes allowances for ever growing personal disappointment and the final subcategory promotes a decrease in the efforts expended into relationships both personal and professional (Agnew, 2002). The strain theory as delineated by Agnew brought a new individualized approach which proves to be a marked improvement on the first strain theory as introduced by Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton. Agnew’s GST offers micro level considerations while the Durkheim and Merton offered macro level considerations. (Seigel, 2003). Under the tenets of GST, Agnew, Brezina, Wright, & Cullen (2002) suggest that the underlying personality traits of an individual are the resultant of their reaction to stain within their environment. This in turn manifests itself in delinquency and a life of crime. It is felt that crime serves as an outlet for the tension that results from the strain which is brought into an individual’s life as a direct result of life circumstances. The traits associated with strain on an individual are negative emotionality and difficulty dealing with constraints (Agnew et al., 2002). It is felt that when individuals are ‘provoked’ by strain, the personality traits manifest themselves and this interaction leads directly to anger, crime and delinquency as a means of relieving strain. Seigel (2003) refers to this as negative affect state and denote that the aversive emotions most commonly manifested in anger and frustration can be controlled under normal c
Introduction Nutritional needs usually vary with age, sex, profession and many other factors (Dana, 2000, p.2). Different people in different times or conditions require specific diets so that their bodies can function as expected during that time. For example, at different stages of a baby’s growth, nutritional needs also vary. The same case applies to people in the profession of modelling, where diet is the greatest thing to watch out lest you want to be disqualified (Novick, 1999, p.5150). People in sports are no exception since nutrition is also very dear to them hence the need for a sport’s nutritionist to give proper advice on the stipulated diet. This is due to the fact that sports are physical activities involving most of the energy loss from the body. Background Information For sports people to perform well in their activities they have to be under the required diet (Dana, 2000, p.1). Thus, nutritionists come in to advise them on their bodies’ requirements before, during and after performance. Past research has indicated that most sports people have turned to the use of supplements in addition to food mostly because of the limited time they have. In some cases, this may result to abuse of the supplements which results to various side effects. Other than this, most sports people suffer from a number of eating disorders. Some of these eating disorders include bulimia or anorexia nervosa (Novick, 1999, p.5150). Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder leads to low intake of food by an individual. It is a syndrome that not only occurs in sports people but may also occur in expectant women, invalids, depressed and stressed individuals. On the other hand, bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that increases appetite in an individual such that he or she overeats. Most of the people who have this syndrome take the food after which they force themselves to vomit afterwards. This research is therefo
Introduction Purpose of the Study In today’s civilization, organizations have emerged as one of the most important pillars of human development. Indeed, it is difficult to find communities that are immune to the actions of organizations or their proxies. The impact of corporate governance on modern society stems from the fact that many organizations are part of multinational global alliances, which have advanced data processing and telecommunication capabilities (Bijaoui 2016). Similarly, most of them have diverse and multicultural workforces that help them to achieve their financial or non-profit goals (Tarnue 2017). The growing influence of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the global society can be harnessed through cultural synergies because of the presence of a multicultural workforce (Bijaoui 2016). According to the Management Association and Information Resources (2014), organizational synergy occurs when managers bring two or more cultures together to improve efficiency through combined strengths and skills. Alternatively, according to Smiraglia (2014), synergy is a combined action that occurs when two or more people who come from diverse backgrounds choose to work together in an organizational context. The goal of creating these synergies is to increase the effectiveness of their operations through shared perceptions, insights, and knowledge. However, synergy is not only limited to the achievement of common goals; it also allows groups to become effective through enhanced innovation which occurs when colleagues work together (van Zomeren & Louis 2017). From this model, managers harness differences in the world’s population to promote mutual growth through increased cooperation among partners (Bijaoui 2016). Therefore, organizations could benefit from increased efficiencies and success when they allow employees to share their opinions freely. In most cases, cultural synergy manifests through the reproduction of a new cultural form, which differs from their parent cultures (Gopalkrishnan 2019). Regardless of the processes that lead to the creation of cultural synergy, globalization is likely to force many organizations to strive for intercultural synergy. This is why globalization literature, such as Tarnue (2017) and Mihaela (2014), often includes discussions about the concept of cultural synergy. The purpose of this study is to identify strategies for promoting intercultural synergy at using Marriott hotel as the context and lens for the research. Description of Study Context Hancock and Algozzine (2016) claim that case studies are among the best ways of getting reliable empirical information. Consequently, this dissertation is a case study of Marriott Hotels and Resorts. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, the company has been in operation for more than 60 years (United States Securities Exchange Commission 2019). Besides, its global operations span more than 110 countries around the world (Marriott Rewards 2016). In these markets, the company operates approximately 6,500 properties and more than 1.3 million rooms (Statista 2019). Marriott’s vision is “to become
Introduction Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The content and the plot of the play show two people in love willing to sacrifice to be together despite great obstacles. It was written at the beginning of the 17 th century and it is still remembered and liked by a significant number of people to present times. The play gives an interesting story of the relationship between Antony Mark and Cleopatra all along from the time when the Parthian War occurred to when Cleopatra finally contemplated suicide (Bloom and Heims 12). This piece of work gives a critical analysis of the play, Antony and Cleopatra, with much emphasis given to the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra. The essay will explore whether the two lovers transcend the East-West divide in their relationship. Discussion Antony and Cleopatra is a vast and tragic drama that is characterized by fatal attraction. The action in the play crosses over the world from Rome to Egypt, a concept that is not common due to the East-West divide that has been created by the differences between the regions, for instance, in terms of culture among other issues. The action is full of both intimate and epic episodes. Antony and Cleopatra is surrounded by a lot of conflicting events as it occurs in notable military, historical and political contexts. This aspect has contributed to the complication of the play as all the contexts mentioned above have to be integrated strategically to make a smooth unit. The action also captures a lot of diversity taking place both on the land as well as at the sea. The characters in the play exist in all time frames; future, present and past the way they are and the way they are imagined to be. We can not talk of the love relationship between Antony and Cleopatra without talking of the East- West divide, which is evident. The divide is depicted by the differences between them and the obstacles that come between them. Just like the Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra illustrates a tragedy that is characterized by fatal attraction which is shown by the heights these two individuals go in the name of the love they have for each other. The beginning of the play sets the tone of conflict where we see an open quarrel brought about by internal conflict. We find Cleopatra being jealous on her realization that Antony wants to go back to Rome. To Cleopatra, the return of Antony to Rome is an indication of leaving her for his wife whom he had left in Rome and so she is not happy at all and tries to resist. Cleopatra’s jealousy here is pointless since Antony is going back to Rome mainly because his wife is dead, which is an enough justification but Cleopatra doesn’t understand but rather relates it to his ever heightening urge to leave Egypt for his home country, Rome. This jealousy is drawn from the love that Cleopatra has for Antony and the fear that it may be diluted by distance. Finally, Antony goes back to Rome and he is faced with a lot of political difficulties where some alliances have to be formed for th