ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In the early 1980s, two of the world’s leading companies, Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart, realized the necessity for improving their supply chain so that the customer’s demands could be satisfied faster and more efficiently. Theretofore, the traditional inventory practices involved an intermediary storeroom between the bulk storage place and the ultimate customer, which sufficiently retarded and marked up the delivery procedure. In order to terminate the supply chain inefficiencies connected with “the high inventory and transportation costs and the variability in shipments”, the two companies agreed on eliminating the intermediary chain and introducing a revolutionary information channel that allowed them to coordinate their activities without resorting to the retailers’ services (Koch 2002). Their continuous replenishment system files orders directly to the suppliers immediately after the consumers check out the goods at cash register. There was no longer any necessity for negotiation and invoices, since computers at Wal-Mart headquarters receive purchase transactions directly from the point-of-sale terminals; moreover, the Wal-Mart customer and sales information is also accessible to suppliers via Web resources which makes the whole process transparent. (Laudon & Laudon, 2009) The revolutionary character of the continuous replenishment system required a serious reconsideration of the business principles in order for the new system to work efficiently. For one thing, in view of such openness and accessibility of information, the companies involved in continuous replenishment cannot do without a complete and unreserved trust to their partner. For another thing, since the bulk of the inventory was dramatically reduced, transportation started to play a key role in the retailing process. Therefore, the customers had to acquire a new approach to receiving delivery trailers at a much higher speed; and they had to be taught that new approach. Moreover, the major changes introduced into the organization itself gave rise to conflicts within the working teams who were competing in their support of various activities, strategies or even personnel policies. To solve the abovementioned issues, the following guidelines should be observed. In order to build mutual trust with their partners, Wal-Mart uses continuous replenishment as a demonstration of ho
Introduction The fairness and depiction of mental disorder representation in movies, books, songs, and other media remain a significant concern. In a new study, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (2019) found that popular media still largely underrepresented and misrepresented characters with mental health issues. Only 2% of movie and 7% of TV characters had an explicit history of mental illness, with the majority of them being adult, male, and white. Apart from that, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (2019) discovered a certain dehumanization and trivialization of mental illness in popular culture, which was likely to have contributed to the existing social stigma. In the light of these trends, the 2013 Korean comedy-drama movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 provides a refreshing perspective on the representation of mental illness. This essay argues that Miracle in Cell No. 7 has excelled in portraying intellectual disability and its impact on a person’s life but missed some important points. Miracle in Cell No. 7: Plot Synopsis Lee Yong-gu, the central character of the movie, suffers from an intellectual disability. Despite his limitations, he is capable of parenting his seven-year-old daughter Ye-seung. Young-gu’s peaceful existence is disrupted on the day when he gets into a physical altercation with a police commissioner. The reason is laughable: the policeman has bought the last Sailor Moon backpack at the store that Lee-Yong-gu wanted to buy for his daughter. The commissioner’s daughter turns out to be more sympathetic: she takes Yong-gu to a nearby store to look for a backpack. On the way there, the girl suffers a freak accident in which she trips and injures her head. Yong-gu tries his best to resuscitate her, but the blow proves to be fatal. A bystander that witnesses it thinks that the man is molesting the girl, not helping her. Soon Yong-gu is taken into custody and falsely accused of kidnapping, murdering, and raping the commissioner’s daughter.
Political Factors The interference of the government can significantly affect the development of any enterprise. Wall-Mart Inc. is not an exception to this rule. In particular, the adoption of the Maryland Bill in 2006 compelled the company to spend 8 percent of its payroll on the health care of its employees (Cameriousn & Hunger, 2006). Although this legislative act was intended for all firms which had more than 100.000 workers, it is usually called the “Wall-Mart Bill”. Hypothetical impacts were two-fold. On the one hand, the company had to increase its operating expenses. On the other hand, this bill confirmed the belief that the management of Wall-Mart had been pursuing unethical policies in order to boost its profits. In the long term, this may trigger boycotting of Wall-Mart hypermarkets and a decrease in sales rates. This example shows how a single legislative act can give rise to multiple consequences, social and economic. Economic Factors The reduction of the stock price in 2002 immensely diminished the flow of investments into Wall-Mart, approximately at 9,9 percent (Cameriousn & Hunger, 2006). This subsequently hindered the pace of growth. Therefore, the situation forced the management of Wall-Mart to redevelop its infrastructure. Instead of traditional discount stores, Wall-Mart opened many Wall-Mart Supercenters in mid-sized American cities. The management of this company chose to act in this way because such supercenters could offer a wider range of products. Socio-cultural Factors Wall-Mart has faced criticism due to its practices of hiring illegal immigrants. On the one hand, the disclosure of this information in an $ 11million fine, which the company had to pay in 2003 (Cameriousn & Hunger, 2006). It is quite possible to say that Wall-Mart could afford this price. But at the same time, this news sparked off a series of public protests. American citizens were outraged by the fact that the firm could openly violate existing labor legislation. Furthermore, many of them decided to go to other retailers. To some extent, public resentment changed the functioning of the company because the management began to conduct strict monitoring of recruiting and hiring practices in supermarkets. Furthermore, the company was accused of discrimination against women and ethnic minorities. Certainly, Wal-Mart tried to respond to these accusations by issuing a report, which stated that 32 percent of their employees belonged to ethnic or racial minorities (Cameriousn & Hunger, 2006). Thus, socio-cultural factors transformed the firms accountability standards. Technological Factors The development of internet technologies and especially the internet has intensified the competition among US retailers. Many companies can sell their products through WWW without having to possess a physical outlet. In this case, we need to speak about such online retailers as Amazon or eBay ( Warner & Buchman 2004, p
Introduction All nations across the world face the problem of obesity. In the UAE, the availability of high-energy and sugary foods, unsafe physical activities, and genetic predisposition makes the disease a prevalent health challenge across all population segments. This situation underlines the need to develop and implement a health promotion campaign to address it. This paper presents an obesity health campaign that targets 6 to 18-year-old children in the UAE. Justification for the Choice of the Health Problem in the UAE Nations across the world continue to record high prevalence rates of obesity among school-going children of all ages. For example, in Gulf countries, Alnohair (2014) informs that children between 6 to 18 years have a prevalence of overweight ranging between 16% and 17%. In the UAE, an intervention strategy for childhood obesity, especially among the 6 to 18-year-old population segment is incredibly important. The health problem is a major pandemic that influences health outcomes for children in the UAE. AlBlooshi et al. (2016) find an alarming rate of childhood obesity in the nation. For those aged 15 to 18, about 3% of girls and 10% of boys show evidence of extreme obesity (AlBlooshi et al. 2016). Therefore, in the UAE, choosing a health communication campaign that focuses on obesity as a major health problem that is prevalent among 6 to 18-year-old children is important and justifiable. Overview of the Importance of Health Communication The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) informs that obesity is a risk factor to other health challenges, including hypertension, type-2 diabetes, stroke, impaired mental health, and sleep apnea. Therefore, a health communication plan can help to minimize its prevalence levels in the UAE. Such an intervention should address the underlying causes of obesity, including the environmental and individual-level factors that promote the development of obesity in the UAE. As a result, an obesity communication campaign in this region can help to inform parents and other care providers such as teachers about the appropriate measures that can address environmental and individual-level factors, which increase the risk levels of obesity among 6 to 18-year-old children in the UAE. However, a health communication campaign cannot establish policy frameworks for addressing obesity. It can only bring the health problem into public attention to persuade the UAE’s Mini
It is relatively easy to find the supporters of claiming the rights of those who have been somehow suppressed; e.g., feminists and the members of the LGBT community seem to have gained much more proponents over the past few decades (Ward, 2008). However, when it comes to providing their share of inalienable rights to the people who have crossed the line between the socially acceptable and the illegal, the situation seems rather ambiguous. On the one hand, criminals must be punished and treated accordingly; on the other hand, they are human beings as well, and, therefore, their rights have to be complied with; and having a personal attorney is one of those rights. In his famous movie, Gideon’s Trumpet, Robert E. Collins offers an insightful perspective on the issue. Split in five parts, the documentary narrates about the crime that Gideon Trumpet, as known as Clarance Earl Gideon, committed (which, in fact, was breaking into a pool room to make a petty theft, i.e., steal some cigarettes a
Summary During the COVID-19 pandemic, reshoring has become one of the key strategies chosen by many companies. Nowadays, the choice of this strategy is often caused by the need to increase health safety and by a severe crisis in the supply chain. However, there is a wide range of reasons for reshoring, such as issues of flexibility and quality or proximity to end customers. The Reasons for Reshoring Walmart is one of the companies that have decided to restore their manufacturing back to the U.S. The company used to have its manufacturing units in Taiwan and China and sell the product in the United States. The decision to change the strategy was caused by the sales decline in the last five years. The decline was caused by offshore variables, such as travel costs, carrying costs, and an increase in salaries overseas. Among other reasons for reshoring are the pledges for the company, shipping delays, and concerns about contaminants in plastics. There are also more positive reasons, for example, one branch has received “over $600,000 from the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund.” (Official Walmart site, 2021). Moreover, reshoring is aimed to create synergies that would increase the flexibility of production. Walmart Reshoring Measures Within the framework of reshoring strategy, the company has taken complex measures. Walmart has decided to bring back to the U.S. more than 30 manufacturing sites, most of which were located in China (Official Walmart site, 2021). Cindi Marsiligo, the company’s Vice President, reported that Walmart is aiming to create more than 300,000 jobs in the U.S. by 2023, whereas Walmart’s increase in the U.S. manufactured purchases is evaluated as $250 billion over ten years (Official Walmart Site, 2021). Moreover, the company plans to participate in a program called “American Lighthouses,” aimed to reinforce U.S. production (Kapadia, 2021). The program is to involve academics, manufacturers, development groups, and governments. These measures are aimed to provide the dynamic development of the company and to make it crisis-proof. However, according to the report by the European Union, despite the reinforcement, the “reshoring policies of a range of companies based in the U.K., Japan, and the U.S. are quite modest” (Raza, Grohs, Essletzbitchler, et al., p.2). Nevertheless, it still allows to increase the safety during the pandemic crisis and enhances the strategic autonomy and flexibility of companies. This is the reason why it can become an increasing trend in the modern world.
Introduction Following a detailed market research on customer behavior and consumption dynamics of nail polish, we have identified the need to provide customers with a unique brand of nail polish that can easily be removed using water. Through surveys and interviews, many users of nail polish products expressed concern about the additional costs that were incurred on nail polish removers. Some of them are sold at higher prices than the polish itself. This paper presents a marketing plan for a new nail polish that will save consumers unnecessary removal costs. Company Overview Founded in 1981 by Essie Weingarten, the original idea was to create an all-in-one fun and classic nail polish brand based on color differentiation. The founder filled a market niche that other brands had not identified. The Essie brand was sold to L’Oréal in 2010. The change of ownership made the brand penetrate into markets that were reachable by more customers including Target and Walgreens that employed masterpiece display methods for Essie products. L’Oreal has expanded worldwide taking the products to the international arena, a situation that made a great effect on the nail polish industry. This year, the Essie Company is planning to launch a brand new nail polish to reach low middle-class consumers who have been segregated by existing brands. The research reveals that venturing into this market will help increase the economies of scale besides promoting brand awareness among low-income earners. The new product will help consumers save a substantial amount of money on nail polish removers. Following its merger with L’Oréal in 2010, the Essie Company expanded significantly, reaching international markets. Currently, the company has over 90 outlets and 250,000 salons globally. Industry Analysis Nail polish industry seeks to create good looks, especially amongst women, in terms of colors that match with factors such as moods, outfit, and season among other girly preferences. The industry has been booming gradually over the past three decades with many players flocking the industry with unique brands and marketing strategies. Numerous market surveys have shown that consumption of nail polish has increased since 2012 with brands intensifying marketing campaign using new advertisement technologies such as the internet. Statistically, 35% of the nail polish users consume over 27 bottles of nail polish annually. This state of affairs can be attributed to the rapid changes in modern fashion. Consumers of almost at status ranging from celebrities to young girls use nail polish. Essie grou
The film Thelma and Louise directed by Ridley Scott is a film about women finding their independence and strength. Thelma is a very submissive housewife who is married to a man that expects this kind of behavior. She is so timid that she is too afraid to even ask him if she can take a trip with her friend Louise so she leaves him a note instead. Louise is already very independent. She supports herself and has her own car, but she is upset that her boyfriend is losing interest in her. She wants to take a trip to make him miss her a little and she doesn’t realize that part of his problem is that she doesn’t need him at all. Shortly after the two women leave on their road trip, they stop at a bar to have a few drinks. A man tries to rape Thelma in the parking lot but he is stopped when Louise shoots him. This causes the two women to go on the run, committing new crimes as they go and become chased by the police who mostly just want to question them. As they run, Thelma grows into her own strength and independence as a woman while Louise learns to depend a little bit on someone else. However, when they’re finally cornered by the police, they chose to drive into the Grand Canyon instead of trying to shoot their way through the blockade or be arrested. An important scene that shows the women’s growth happens when the two women are pulled over in the New Mexico desert by a single police officer who seriously asks Louise to get in his car. The scene begins with Louise firmly in charge of the situation. She is the driver of the car and the two women are driving along in relative silence. All that is heard is the sound of the car engine. Louise is watching the road and Thelma is mostly just watching the scenery go by. They seem to be pretty much content with life just as it is at that moment. Then the sound of a police siren slowly starts to be heard, louder and louder until Louise looks in the rearview mirror and notices they are being pulled over. Although both women panic a bit, Louise makes the reasoned decision to go ahead and pull over and follows the officer’s instructions on the chance that he is unaware that they are wanted criminals. The moment of indecision in the car shows that Louise is not as totally in control as she appears, but she eventually takes control as she pulls the car over and tries to talk sense into Thelma. However, when the policeman asks her to step back to his car with him, she shoots a panicked look over at Thelma and seems to give up control. This idea is reinforced as she nervously asks the officer which part of the car she should get into and then sits sweatin
Introduction The traditional portrayal of women in advertisements was that of being house helps and dominantly being supported by men. This has undergone transformation in the recent past since advertisements have experienced some shifts from the ancient housewife centric to the modern career women. Women have continued to dominate advertisements. This is largely due to the assumption that women make advertisements appear desirable due to their perceived attractive image. The use of women in advertising has immensely grown despite the fact that they might not be relevant to the advertisement. Biermann, Gesa. Stereotypes Galore! Women’s Emancipation as Reflected in Advertising. GRIN Verlag, 2000. The book portrays women in advertisements as housewives and mothers; this is well captured particularly in adverts for food, household and medical products, also according to the book, the use of women in advertising children matters is a demonstration of women as caretakers. Women are portrayed as immaculate and clean as seen in advertisement of detergents (Biermann 1). Carpenter, Courtney and Aimee Edison. Taking it off All over Again . 2010, coms114.wikispaces.com/file/view/Forbes+Ashley+Taking+if+Off+All+Over+Again.pdf. This article analyses the use of sexual imagery in media advertisements featuring women which is argued to cast incidence of unrealistic images and stereotyping of women. The analysis dwells on how women are sexualized in advertisements; it argues that women are represented in subordinated and narrower ways, as sex materials in a domestic environment as compared to men (Carpenter and Edison 1). Soultrot, Shubhaprada. Portrayal of Women in Advertisements . Soultrout Blog, 2006, soultrot.blogspot.com/2006/02/portrayal-of-women-in-advertisements.html. This article contains pictures and illustrations on how women are represented in commercial advertisement. The analysis is only based on case studies from Indian magazines and billboards; the article elucidates that women in advertising are often objectified and restricted to their gender role constructions. First, advertisements portray women as unthinking individuals with shallow and mundane thoughts who are always preoccupied with trivial matters; the article identifies the attractive image of women that provide desirable image and hence the basis for their use in advertisements irrespective of their irrelevance to the advertisement. The article also captures misconceptions by the target audience concerning prerequisites for a perceived beautiful woman that they should be thin
Introduction Strong leadership is necessary if an organization is to achieve its goal of higher performance and increased productivity. For this reason, effective leadership is rightfully regarded as a critical factor in the success of all organizations. There exist many leadership styles and their effectiveness depends on the particular business environment as well as the personal traits and values of the individual leader (Bartlett & Goshal, 2000). One individual who has emerged as a successful leader is the Virgin group’s CEO, Richard Branson. He has built himself a reputation by being a successful entrepreneur who has founded many profitable groups of companies. This paper will set out to review the leadership styles used by Branson. Specifically, the paper will analyze his dominant leadership styles and cite specific behaviors that have been critical to the success of Branson. Specific behavior by Branson that would ensure a student’s future life success will be highlighted. A review of behaviors from Branson that leaders should avoid will also be made. A brief biography on Richard Branson Richard Branson is an English business entrepreneur who is most renowned for founding the Virgin Group of companies. He was born in 1950 and although an underachiever in school, he had great practical intelligence and possessed numerous creative abilities. Richard Branson began his business career while studying at Stowe, an exclusive private boy’s school. His first venture which was a magazine called “Student” which became a success. This motivated Branson to abandon school and pursue his business interests in 1968. His magazine attracted significant readership due to its elective style and its venture into subjects that were not addressed by the well established magazines. The next venture undertaken by Branson was mail order records and this venture was chosen since it required no up-front investment and no working capital which made it ideal for Branson who had little money at his disposal. The name “Virgin Records” was chosen for this commercial entity.