ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Humor is generally considered to be a valuable means used in persuasion to achieve the overall objective and is also highly regarded as the number one psychological motivator. It is applicable in various scopes of communication such as advertising, education, foreign relations, and public relations as well as communication within an organization. Humor is recognized as a tool used to develop learning since it is able to stimulate the attention of students, exemplify theory and progressively inspire the students through propinquity. There are notable comparables between persuasion and humor since persuasion involves a source presenting a message to the receiver while humor entails an originator calling attention to a funny object in order to entertain the appreciator. Effectiveness of humor in persuasion According to Seiter & Gass (2004), the main objective of persuasion is to alter the attitude or mental state of receivers and as a consequence change their behavior. While on the other hand, main objective of humor is to alter the affective or emotional state of the appreciator with the aim of creating amusement which leads to laughter (Markiewicz, 1974). The effectiveness of humor in persuasion in particular when dealing with broad communication such as advertising takes two different dimensions namely cognitive and affective (Chafe, 1987). The cognitive dimension gives insight as to how humor optimistically influences the thought process of the one listening to a persuasive message by rousing interest, which creates rapport with the audience and encourages them to progress through an information-processing hierarchy (Martin, 2007). The affective dimension regarding the effectiveness of humor in persuasion advocates for a constructive attitude toward the advertisement which acts as an arbitrate variable which is responsible for positively influencing the attitude of the audience towards the brand, thus improving the sales and other intended results targeted by the advertisers (Chaffee, 1994). Studies have revealed that a conditioning process takes place when the audience is exposed to humor and a positive attitude toward the communicator is created leading to heightened interest regarding the subject matter (Mortensen, 2006). However, though humor draws attention and does not impair the understanding of an audience, it nevertheless does not appear to present a strong challenge to non-humor at improving persuasion. It fails to augment or account for the sincerity of the source but does improve the affection towards the source and for humor to be most effective; it needs to be associated to the message rather than isolated (Markiewicz, 1974). Various schools of thought believe that humor has minimal or no influences on preservation, conception, persuasion or
Assessment of the Financial Position and Performance of the Barton Firm In order to assess the financial position and financial performance of the Barton engine business, it is important to consider carefully the ratio analysis of the company, as it assists comparisons, simplifies financial-statement, aids the top-management to recognize whether the business’s financial position is enhancing or worsening by showing a yearly-trend, evaluates the long-term financial aptitude, and operating efficiency. To conduct the ratio analysis of this firm, the focus should be on analyzing total current ratio, gross profit margin, net profit margin, and quick ratio or asset test ratio for three years (1999, 2000, and 2001), and compare between these ratios in order to come into a conclusion about Barton firm’s financial situation. Ratio Analysis for the Barton Firm Total Current Ratio (Total Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities) Total Current Ratio 1999                 2000           2001          24297 / 16711        23255 / 16232  24159 / 15338 1.454                1.433          1.575          Table 1: Total Current Ratio for Three Financial Years of Barton Engine Source: Self-generated from Barton Case Study Current ratio is a common and quick evaluation of liquidity of Barton firm, as it shows the margin of safety or cushion accessible to the creditors; moreover, it is an index for Barton’s financial stability and practical solvency and a directory of the strength of its working capital. As shown in the table 1, from 1999 to 2000, there has been a slow increase in the current ratio of Barton (1.454 in 1999, 1.433 in 2000, and 1.575 in 2001). As this kind of rise in the ratio demonstrates the enhancement of the liquidity position of the business, it is notable that the liquidity position of Barton had a slow development over these three years. On the other hand, if there was a decline in the current ratio, it was quite natural that the liquidity position of the business has worsened with time and that it should improve in order to have better position. Gross Profit Margin (Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit / Revenue from Sales X 100) Gross Profit Margin  1999                  2000                  2001                 26438 / 125950 x 100  24350 / 118175 x 100  21130 / 110000 x 100 20.991%               20.605%               19.209%               Table 2: Gross Profit Margin for Three Financial Years of Barton Engine Source: Self-generated from Barton Case Study The gross profit margin is the proportion of the turnover, which a business preserves following the direct-expenses linked to generating the materials traded throughout a certain period; moreover, a rising profit margin means that the firm has good pricing strategy (it is able to lift prices with small or no effect on sales) or that it possess a rising productivity. However, as illustrated in table 2, there has been a substantial decrease in the gross profit margin from 1999 to 200
In Korean culture and customs, respect and reverence for family values and elders in age, position, or social status, including parents, teachers, brothers and sisters, and the elderly, are deeply rooted. People categorized as “elders” are responsible for the “junior” and also have certain obligations to them. (Oh et al., 2020). Moreover, special mention is made of etiquette in Korean culture, which prescribes serving things with both hands. As for traditions, Koreans consider marriage the most crucial stage in life and have a highly negative view of divorce as a manifestation of disrespect for each other and their parents. The cultural characteristics of each country must also take into account the geography of the area. Korean culture has different influences as the Korean Peninsula is located in the center of Northeast Asia, bordered by China to the west and Japan to the east. As for religion as a part of the culture, In South Korea, all major world religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, peacefully coexist with shamanism. Buddhism and Confucianism have had the most profound impact on the spiritual world and the life of the Korean people, and more than half of the country’s cultural heritage is associated with these two religions. Koreans are one of the world leaders in longevity, and the average life expectancy in South Korea is high. Firstly, herbal medicine is a widespread practice in Korea that does not replace but complements medicine and is one of the central beliefs about health (Jeon & Kwon, 2017). Koreans use herbs for all kinds of diseases and ailments and believe that they improve health. Secondly, Koreans have long believed that food and medicine have the same roots and fulfill the same function, following the adage that “food is the best medicine.” The idea that a person’s health depends on food and how they eat it played an essential role in developing traditional Korean medicine. The basic principle is that treatment should only be used if the disease cannot be cured using food. Finally, Koreans believe in the healing properties of hot saunas. According to Koreans, saunas improve health and human health and mood (Jeon & Kwon, 2017). Saunas and steam rooms improve metabolism and detoxification, allowing people to relax and unwind after a hard day (Jeon & Kwon, 2017). Thus, Korean beliefs about medicine include food, herbal treatments, and saunas. Cultural competence in the healthcare sector contributes to positive outcomes for patients and improves the accuracy of medical research. Part of the nurse’s responsibility to the patient is to learn as much as possible about the patient. Their medical history, medication list, and current symptoms often come down to their medical history. Health care only reaches its full potential when the entire patient is considered, including his family, daily life and culture. To treat Korean patients, a nurse must learn the most important thing about their culture. Thus, as Koreans believe in the medicinal properties of herbs, along with the usual treatment, the nurse can offer herbal infusions. At the same
Asian Literature Every community in the world has a culture whose values govern the community’s behaviour in response to different situations. Depending on the culture of a specific community, despite the several similarities that may exist, the difference in cultures causes different communities to perceive the other communities as different from them. If the differences are not well handled, it may lead to racism or tribalism, which is not good for coexistence, especially now when the world has become one small global village. In this section of the paper, I will seek to understand the cultural values and attitudes of the Asian community and try and compare it with the contemporary U.S. culture. Asian’s Values According to Yeh, Carter and Pieterse, “Asian cultural values have been associated with the therapeutic intervention and case conceptualization, academic achievement, career interests, family dynamics, social relations, coping, counsellor cultural sensitivity, help-seeking and problem perception, counseling attitudes, and counselor preferences” (Yeh, Carter and Pieterse 1). According to Dalton and Ong The expansion of the right of the individual to behave or misbehave as he pleases has come at the expense of orderly society. In the East, the main objective is to have a well-ordered society so that everybody can have maximum enjoyment of his freedoms. This freedom can only exist in an ordered state and not in a natural state of contention and anarchy. (Dalton and Ong 2) East Asian communities are described to be orderly; the community is paternalistic, its leadership is mainly hierarchical, and community-oriented. This means that the male gender is dominant in the community, and authority or leadership is inherited from one family or clan, and the problem of one household is the problem of the whole community. These values are a complete contrast to the U. S. community. In the U.S, the society is atomized, rights-based, liberal and individualistic (Dalton and Ong 2). Each person in the U.S. understands what their rights are, and somebody will fight for them till he or she feels they are met. Each person in the U.S. cares for themselves, and nobody cares what is happening to the other person not unless they are invited to help. These differences have affected the communities politically in that; the Asians have not accepted the competition brought about by democratic governance that is a key political feature in the U.S. The Asian, community due to its cultural values on communalism with limited tolerance on the opposition are not the same as the American who embrace liberal democratic leadership. This has been the main limiting factor to Asia building social networks and accumulating social capital since the condition is not con
Abstract The paper discusses the conflicting or unusual principles that have influenced the organization under consideration and the evaluation of the organization’s financial statements within the last 2 financial years. The presented research also analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each department of Bellway, on of the UK leading companies specializing in land acquisition, finance, architecture, build management, planning, marketing, design and other customer services. The financials of the company clearly demonstrate it carries out business successfully. The Group presented the sale of almost 4,600 homes, which is 5 % higher for the last year (2009). The average price for these homes was about £ 163, 100, which highlights the rise by nearly 6 % due to the shifts in product variety (Bellway, 2010). With regard to these factors, the company has received revenue of about £ 18.3 million meaning that the Group turnover increased by almost 12.5 % (Bellway, 2010). Interestingly, the operating margin (6.7 %) equals to the results of the previous year. The presenting accounting principles have turned the company into a profitable organization and have improved significantly the financial performance in comparison with the previous one. In particular, the unusual accounting principle lies in returning to a more normal pattern of sales. Increased media coverage and budget re-organization has contributed to the company’s performance. The Board’s goal to augment the volume annually remains, but the Group takes in consideration the past experience and, therefore, it possesses currently a strong land bank, a book of £ 397 million allowing the business to success under the contemporary market conditions (Bellway, 2010). The organization is split into different departments holding specific responsibilities and obligations. These units include marketing, accounting, services, maintenance and insurance, financial, and PR department. In order to improve the organizational performance, all divisions were united for the purpose of enhancing the margin scales through stabilizing revenues and monitoring overheads and cost which contributed to 1 % rise in the second half of year 2009. The pricing raising steadily, the margin is planned to continue growing in the course of the current financial year. As a result, the current revenue of year 2010 has doubled (as compared to £ 9.3 million in 2009) and accounts £ 18.5 million which is due to the rise of unit completions and augmentation of the selling price (Bellway, 2011). Rent sales has also deposited to a financial success of an organization. Judging from the tangible results that are witnessed by the Board in 2011, year 2009 was not successful enough due to the following reasons. To begin with, the company failed to apply constant changes to the organizational process in terms of new services and products introduction (Godwin and Alderman, 2010). Second, the pricing policy was not carefully considered by the accounting and marketing department as little attention was paid to th
Research Topic Intellectual disabilities (ID) impose numerous challenges and limitations on people’s independent lives. For students in a classroom of a special education institution, training of such adaptive skills clothing, hygiene, or nourishment constitutes a significant part of everyday learning (Shireman, 2015). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), “adaptive skills are defined as practical, everyday skills needed to function and meet the demands of one’s environment, including the skills necessary to effectively and independently take care of oneself and to interact with other people.” The recognition of the lack of such skills can contribute to future opportunities for an independent life with effective interdependence and inclusion in the life of a society. Thus, adaptive skill training is an essential element in preparing students with intellectual disabilities for adult life and is a valuable contribution to their maturity (Papadatou-Pastou & Tomprou, 2015). The opportunities for independent personal and academic life for all people including those with intellectual disabilities should be a priority for the societies of highly developed countries. To live a high-quality life and be able to establish proper self-care, students with ID should be specifically taught adaptive and academic skills. It is of the responsibility of government institutions, educational facilities, and non-government organizations to develop a framework of interventions to ensure the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in the life of society as its independent members (Alsuhaibani, 2018). Al-Mousa (2010) agreed that mainstreaming students with intellectual disabilities and their active inclusion in the educational environment provides a variety of positive outcomes. According to the studies analyzed by Al-Mousa (2010), the presence of students with disabilities in regular schools improves their “independent living skills, linguistic growth, physical development, self-orientation, vocational activity, and social responsibility” (p. 21). Mainstreaming positively influences the educational process for exceptional students and imposes no limitations or discomfort for normal students, thus proving the necessity of such interventions. Problem statement Students with ID who enter elementary public schools show the lack of adaptive skills necessary for independent living. Primary skills that seem to be acquired effortlessly by most adults become a challenge for the individuals suffering from intellectual disabilities who need more time and effort to learn them. In many cases, these students’ simple routine task completion greatly de
Introduction Correctional service departments play an important role in the criminal justice system. There have been different trends which have influenced the operations of correctional service systems in the U.S to make them well equipped to handle convicted offenders. Over the years, they have been forced to adapt to legislative changes introduced by the government to reduce high rates of crime in the country. This paper discusses the past, present and future trends of corrections and how they impact on institutional and community based corrections. Discussion The penal code was introduced in the country during colonial times when English Common Law was applied to punish offenders for various crimes they committed. Gradual changes took place in the 19th and 20th centuries when several laws were enacted to empower correctional departments across the country. These changes meant that the corrections system was equipped with more resources to deal with offenders that had been handed different sentences by the courts. Therefore, punitive measures in form of imprisonment, hard labor, community service and hanging were adopted to make convicts account for their actions (Siegel, 2010, p. 55). The purpose of these punishments was to inflict pain on offenders to deter them from taking part in criminal activities after their release. In addition, courts handed down severe punishments that conformed to the severity of offenses committed. However, since the 1960’s institutional and community based corrections are used by the justice systems to punish convicts for their crimes. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, stiffer penalties were introduced to curb high rates of violent crime in urban areas which was spiraling out of control. There was a high increase in armed robbery, rape, homicide and organized crime which threatened domestic security. In addition, a new wave of organized crimes such as prostitution, drug trafficking, racketeering and illegal gambling became more common in the society. As a result, the government decided to adopt a tough stance against crime by enacting stiff penalties to deter people from engaging in illegal activities (Siegel, 2010, p. 67). Therefore, in the last three decades, correctional systems have focused more on punishing convicted offenders rather than rehabilitating them. Policy makers in the country felt that long sentences and capital punishment make criminal lifestyles unattractive to many people. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the main objective tha
The successful overcoming of challenges and maintaining a high level of service are the properties of effective work carried out by any business organization. Avon Corporation demonstrates an example of a competent policy in relation to various aspects of its activities, including customer orientation and flexibility. The analysis of the external and internal features of the company may help to find the key factors that allow the organization to cope with high competition in the beauty market and allocate existing assets correctly. Based on the assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), it can be determined which areas of the company’s work are the most resilient and deserve attention and intervention from the corporation’s management. Porter’s five forces analysis is another mechanism that is valuable when reviewing the organization’s stability and ability to withstand pressure from competitors by selling individual products effectively. According to David, David, and David (2014), Avon’s customers tend to demonstrate “an emotional bond or attachment with the firm” (p. 98). It confirms the fact that the corporation is able to gain the trust of the target audience and realize those objectives that are key in the company’s business policy. In order to assess the stability of Avon’s assets, a value chain analysis will be performed, as well as the evaluation of its financial ratio. On the basis of these data, it is possible to determine how high the profitability of the company is and what prospects the organization has regarding the existing budget. According to the information presented, there is an opportunity to conclude about the success of Avon’s internal policy and its impact on the efficiency in resource allocation. The corporation’s balance score is subject to the assessment necessary for comparing the current results of the organization with the average market indicators. A report on this topic allows determining how thoughtful and reliable the company’s activities are in relation to financial accounting. Also, there are other crucial aspects of corporate practice that are to be mentioned. These are intellectual assets that include human and social capital, as well as the technological base. In accordance with the global development of Avon’s network, it can be argued that its resources make it possible to achieve significant results in distributing its products largely due to success in these areas. The analysis of organizational design may allow determining the formation of the company based on the feasibility of its structural units’ activities. The segregation of duties and the involvement of competent professionals for the implementation of goals are achieved through the competent policy of hiring staff. As David et al. (2014) note, “Avon utilizes door-to-door sales representatives to gain competitive advantage,” which benefits the company’s reputation (p. 103). Despite a classic approach to attracting customers through network programs, the corporation copes with