ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In contemporary business environments, leaders need to make strategic decisions that effectively address prevailing business challenges; change aims at improving business operations within an organization through cost-cutting and sales improvement policies. The net effect of change management programs is improvement of financial and non-financial performance of an entity. When undergoing change, stakeholders need to be involved as their acceptance of the intended change plays a crucial role in its implementation success (Carr, Hard and Trahant, 1996). This paper, in the form of a case study, evaluates change process adopted in an oil refinery parent company; it will focus on two main areas as discussed below. Refinery’s approach to change management The initial approach of the oil refinery parent company was to establish the need for a change in the company; this was done through gauging its rate of performance in the 1990s and making interventions that were to assist it become more profitable in the future. The change that the company decided to undertake was a downsizing and outsourcing as a cost management strategy. The change management strategy adopted by the company can be classified as spontaneous-planned change; under this change model, change is supported from the top management but managed within a certain time framework, mostly less than one year ( please see the appendix for a flow chart detaining the stages involved in a spontaneous-planned change ). In the case of the oil refinery company; the change was expected to be finalized within six months. Preparation stage The parent company identified the problem that the industry was facing and sort to offer a remedy to the challenge; in abstract, the oil refining industry was defined as one with low profitability and higher costs. In the problem analysis, the parent company realized that the industry suffered from having a high number of employees per project than they would have required. The above revolution by the management forms the initial stage of a change management process, this is where leaders of change determine the problem that is facing their company then well–defines it to get the interventions that can be made through a change management process. The move by the management can be classified as a change preparation stage where emphasis has been placed on knowing exactly the cause of the problem that is facing the organization (Diamond, 1986). With full definition of the problem and the need for a change identified, the management came up with a blueprint illustrating the goals that the process would attain as follows:   * Improve current working condition and strategies : the aim was to have cost reduced and efficiency improved after the change has occurred   * Make new combinations of resources in an organization Have a different
Introduction This report evaluates the solution for the problem Minh, Mekong Vietnam, and evaluates it according to cost, sustainability, environmental impact and cultural appropriateness. In the social aspect, the project in its entirety brings social benefits to the community at large. This means it is sustainable and socially friendly. Hence, it is of a high value to the community because it improves the people’s lives through the creation of employment. It is culturally acceptable and adheres to concepts of the situation at hand (Hollander & Kahl 2010). It is designed to minimize environmental pollution and utilize the locally available materials. Solution definition After rooting down to the problem and coming up with the necessary solutions to energy issues in Minh, Mekong Vietnam, it is paramount that we consider the various aspects of its nature and implications, both economically and socially (Andrew 2011). These solutions must be environmentally friendly, economically cheap and affordable by all and should not have social implications. Cost According to relevant sources, the cost of wind energy is relatively cheap and should not be a key hindrance. More so, the materials necessary for the installation of wind energy can easily be outsourced. The terrain of the delta region area is a bit hilly; therefore, wind velocity does not pose a significant problem. Wind turbines and towers are other essential requirements alongside batteries (Eric & Janet 2009). The requirements are relatively cheap and require minimum maintenance; hence, making wind energy a suitable option for Mekong’s energy problem. Sustainability The wind energy project is quite sustainable because wind supply is maintained over long periods by taking care of some environmental factors (Hallander & Kahl 2010). such factors include the maintenance and preservation of forests and water catchment areas. As such, the project can possibly sustain many generations without any alterations in its optimum functionality. In addition, this will remain environmentally harmless, economically cheap, as well as socially friendly. Cultural appropriateness This project is acceptable and does not breach any cultural practices of the locals. It does not go against their cultural norms and beliefs. Furthermore, there are no cultural upheavals associated with the use of the wind among the Vietnamese people (Nguyen 2007). Hence, this gives us the mandate not fear implementing the proposed project in fear of any cultural implications to the community. Environmental impacts The wind energy project has no known environmental impacts. Since the project uses natural wind, it has no wastes such as smoke and poisonous gases compared to biogas (Nguyen 2007). As such, this ensures that the project does not pose any key threat to the community’s health. Hence, a suitable option compared to the biogas option, which emits smoke and dangerous gases such as carbon mo
Introduction The Research and Development (R&D) functions of organizations play a significant role in the formulation and implementation of business strategy. The R&D personnel are responsible for the development of new products and the enhancement of the company’s old products in line with the successful implementation of the organization’s strategy. The R&D function is responsible for the transfer of complex technology, adjustment of processes to suit local markets, modification of processes in line with local raw materials, and adjustment of company products to specific tastes and requirements. Organizational strategies targeting product development, diversification and infiltration of new markets demand that company products be improved, and new products created to fit the expected changes. This paper looks at the three major R&D approaches for implementing strategies. Major R&D Approaches for Implementing Organizational Strategy Most successful organizations employ R&D strategies that link the available external opportunities to the company’s strength and objectives. What this means is that a properly formulated R&D policy must connect the available market potential to internal organizational capabilities. A company can use any of the following R&D approaches for the implementation of strategies. The first approach the organization can adopt is to be the first company that promotes new technological products. Though this approach seems attractive and exciting, it is fairly dangerous since the company is likely to delve into untested products. It is also significantly more costly. This approach has a high rate of failure since companies are testing new products and processes. Nevertheless, this approach can offer the company a temporary monopoly of certain products that the organization can exploit to maintain competitive advantage. If a company fails, other companies can seize the initiative and learn from the mistakes made by the initiating company. The second approach requires that the organization becomes an innovative imitator of certain successful products and processes from other companies. This approach offers the benefit of a reduction in costs often associated with start-up and program initiation. The company can also benefit from reduced risk of failure since the products have already been successfully adopted. The company
Introduction Crisis management is an essential strategy that organizations employ in the prevention and mitigation of hazards threatening to harm humans and property 6 . Crisis management models are applicable in the assessment of terrorism and other risk events that are common in various organizations 4, 5 . Effective crisis management is possible when there is a reliable forecast of risks that a given organization faces. ISO-30000 offers an elaborate risk management process comprising risk identification, risk analysis, and risk evaluation 3 . Risk identification enhances the forecast of risk for it entails an assessment of an organization, strategic operations, and social, political, economic, technological, cultural, and legal environment. Risk analysis provides a way of profiling risks and mapping them to specific areas requiring urgent attention, and thus, improving the reliability of the forecast. The review of risk identification and analysis requires risk evaluation to update the dynamics of threats and hazards that an organization faces. The process of Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA process) offers four phases of forecasting and handling risks 1 . The first phase involves the identification of threats and hazards from humans, the natural environment, and technology-based on potential risks, experiences, and expertise. Contextualization of threats and hazards by describing their occurrence regarding time, location, and conditions promote the reliability of the forecast. The third phase of the THIRA process is the establishment of capability targets by undertaking the quantitative assessment of impacts such as the size of an area affected the number of displaced households, the number of injuries, the number of deaths, and the extent of infrastructure damaged 1 . The last phase entails the forecast of resources required to prevent the occurrence of threats and hazards as well as protect communities through recovery and mitigation strategies. The National Preparedness System has stipulated six steps of forecasting threats and hazards. These steps are identification and assessment of risks, estimation of capability requirements, creation and sustenance of capabilities, delivery of capabilities, validation of capabilities, and review and update of capabilities 2 . The THIRA process and the National Preparedness System permit reliable prediction of risks and consequently plan for effect
Introduction The article called “Democracy and International Relations in Asia” written by Amitav Acharya focuses on the development of democracy and its influence on internal and external relationships in the countries of Asia. The author of this article studies evidence of the political, social, and economical situations in these countries before and after their democratization and elaborates on the processes that stimulated democratization in Asian countries and supported it. Article summary Studying the effects of democratization, Acharya compares authoritarian regimes in various countries of Asia and how the situation changed after the beginning of democratization. The author responds to the scholars who state that democratization of authoritarian states in most cases leads to disorders within the country. In fact, this opinion is logical because democracy loosens control over a number of social aspects and institutions such as the press and social media, for example, which often results in social clashes concerning self-expression and public and private opinions. Authoritarian countries overall are known to be less tolerant towards diversity, this is why it may be hard for their citizens to handle the set of new values and norms. Of course, the transition to democracy rarely goes without issues, yet the democratic ways of coping with them prove to be more humane and result in fewer victims. Acharya also notices the change in the countries’ international policies after the adoption of democracy. The author explains that usually democratic states tend to be friendlier towards other democracies and clash with non-democratic neighbors. The author presents an opposing opinion which states that authoritarian countries are economically more successful, and argues with it explaining that economical growth of democratic countries is slower, yet more consistent due to the fact that its main stimulus is not a blind competition but internal care for own prosperity. The author explores the characters of international relationships between different neighboring states such as North and South Koreas, China, and Taiwan, and examines the power of regional and social pressures forcing the country leaders to choose democracy as the future way of development. Acharya concludes by discussing the concerns about the tendency of anti-Americanism and growing nationalism that often seem to come alon
The Johns Hopkins Hospital stands out as a pillar of workforce diversity in the healthcare industry. One only has to look at the statistics in order to affirm this. Currently, the institution boasts of ninety percent female and minority representation among its staff. Despite these enormous achievements, one must not rule out certain challenges and lessons that need to be learnt with regard to diversity. Goal clarity This institution has clear cut goals in terms of this program. It focuses on equity, inclusion and diversity through three major pathways i.e. respecting individuals for their uniqueness, offering equal opportunities to students, faculty and employees and understanding cultural differences (JHHSC, 4). The organization believes that diversity can be leveraged in order to foster innovations and they have done this through several researches. Furthermore, cultural sensitivity during patient treatments reduces racial and ethnic based disparities in healthcare. Benefits The diversity program at John Hopkins has therefore assisted disadvantaged members of society such as persons with abilities to transition into the workplace easily. This is through mentorship programs, internships programs and orientations into the institution. An example of an initiative that helped in creating these results was the start on success program. It was tailor made for disabled students from a range of public schools in Baltimore who would be given mentorship opportunities in the institution after high school completion. Diversity has also made the workplace environment at John Hopkins less discriminatory. Employees who are victims of discrimination can have their cases heard fairly and in a responsible way through certain channels. These include the EEOC mediation approach. This institution has also helped underprivileged staff members to boost their skills through various trainings including GED preparation classes. Also, through a series of cultural trainings, workshops and presentations, staff members are now able to offer better patient care and hence contribute towards reduction of health care disparities in the industry. Challenges Most research entities at John Hopkins (JH) are run by minorities; the same pattern is also prevalent in departmental diversity programs. However, much is yet to be achieved in terms of diversity leadership. The program needs to set clear cut goals concerning incorporation of minorities in management of the institution because it is not enough to simply focus on subordinate staff. The organization needs to work on promoting diversity in executive positions as well. Currently, outcomes of the diversity program at JH ar
Press freedom is an essential part of the right that communities enjoy in the modern world. It gives the people the ability to understand the insight of the government and other crucial activities happening within the country. Liberty of media through forms such as electronics and social media promotes transparency in the government’s operations and also creates a criticism of the roles it plays in ensuring it serves citizens accordingly. Despite the advantages of having reporters, some nations have policies and constitutions that limit what they are supposed to cover and report. If the media goes against the regulations, their freedom is withdrawn and the respective individual subjected to the court of law. In the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), the free will of publication and expression is connected to some limitation that makes it sensitive. To be able to unveil the truth on significant matters, journalism liberty should be expressed freely. In UAE, the freedom of opinion expression and other forms of communications are subject to the law, making it challenging for the media to publish some information that the regulation prohibits. The country does not allow any form of media to criticize the government and other allied nations. The restriction makes it difficult for journalists to report some critical affairs the nation is undertaking or expose unlawful actions in practice. This makes the government have restrictive measures to protect its interest from the though stipulated laws. Federal law No. 15 of 1980 does not allow any individual to publish and share anything before obtaining permission from the authority. Article 14 of the law concerning publication does not allow the printing media to publish any material for any party that does not bear UAE nationality (Younies & Na, 2020). It is mandatory to seek authorization from responsible bodies to produce the documents. Furthermore, the authority decides what type of journal to be printed for selling in the country. Similarly, the law does not allow anybody to distribute the newspapers and other forms of publications within public settings or along main roads without approval from proper authority. The law permits the authority to perform editing to the printed materials through deleting or covering the sensitive parts that are not allowed to be published. Before distributing the materials to the public, both at the national and international level, print houses are required to present a sample of the journals to the authority for verification (Shishkina & Issaev, 2018). In case the media house produces a journal and its content contain what is not allowed to be printed, the authorization will be denied, or immediate censorship is performed to remove the section. Even though the UAE constitution allows freedom of expression where it links it with the country’s law, the regulation does not permit the liberty of communication. Media can publish any material but with adherence to the requirements (“UA E’s Constitution of 1971 with Amendments through 2004”, 2017). In UAE, the only publication the print houses and journalists are free to share is pro-government documents and voices. An
A media platform can have a significant impact on the individual perspective and knowledge about the world. From my perspective, the study results indicate causation between the source of news and knowledge. While intervening variables can be the ideological stance of the viewer, the more the news platform is ideologically pitched, the less educational value it has. Thus, the most helpful decision for American citizens is to watch neutral news media outlets. Partisan sources have the most negative impact on the awareness of the current events of citizens because they provide biased and often false information. As the research indicates, people who watched ideologically pitched news platforms such as MSNBC and Fox News did worse in current events than those who watched neural sources such as NPR (Woolley & Jenkins, 2012). The primary incentive of MSNBC and Fox News platforms is to deliver the information that their audience wants to hear, even if it is not the correct one. The more the news is pleasant for the audience, the more viewers prefer to listen to the same outlet the next time, thus, increasing the profit for such platforms. The intervening variable can be the individual’s political-ideological position. Research shows that liberal people had done better than conservatives at current international events when listening to MSNBC or more neutral platforms such as Talk Radio. The potential explanation for the higher performance of liberals can be the idea that they tend to be more open to new information, even if it is unpleasant. Meanwhile, conservatives often prefer to stick to their personal beliefs and are less adaptable to new perspectives. For instance, the liberal, progressive people are represented disproportionately more in academia than conservative people (Shields & Dunn, 2016). However, the educational benefit of being liberal is compromised if the news source is ideologically pitched. Thus, the ideological stance of the individual can influence the perception of information, but it is not the only causal factor. Therefore, the study indicates that the political bias of the news source can significantly impact the quality of information. The ideological stance of the viewer can also play an intervening but not decisive role in the likelihood of receiving correct information. Thus, regardless of their religion or political perspective, American citizens should attempt to interpret news from neutral news platforms.
Why is it difficult to be critical (ie., think critically, not be antagonistic) of the concept of the traditional family? It is really difficult to be critical of the concept of the traditional family. Trying to consider this point of view it is crucial to check the notion of the traditional family and compare and contrast it with other particular definitions of family. However, searching for reliable data, the conclusion may be drawn that there is no particularly strong definition of the notion of the traditional family as well as there is no one specific definition of the family either. Coming out of the conclusion that the word tradition is connected with history, it is better to check the history of the family and then try to be critical of the traditional family. It is obvious that many people refer to traditional family as to the union of people who love each other, but it is not so, as a family has always been considered as the economic or political instrument and during many centuries family did not have any connection with love feelings and was an instrument of focusing power. Therefore, when people dwell upon the importance of the traditional family, they usually have a different understanding of this notion. Thinking about the devotion to each other, the low rate (or absolute absence) of divorces, and the respect to the family as a too sacred institution, many people forget that traditional family in the historic consideration of the notion is a sort of a contract when two people were united for financial or political consideration and advantages. Thus, one of the reasons why it is difficult to dwell upon the idea of the traditional family is the absence of the concrete definition of the notions of family and the traditional family . Moreover, dwelling upon the concept of the traditional family, the idea of children should not be avoided. Thus, about 40-50 years ago it was a norm to have 6-7 children. Nowadays, not many people want to have that number of children. Thus, considering the notion of the traditional family from this perspective, it is also important to understand that criticizing the concept of traditional family from this perspective, people are to have the considerations of those who believe in and want to have the traditional family. Modern realms are different. The roles of many men and women have changed. It is a norm to see a working woman and a man who stays at home and takes care of the household. Thus, it is difficult to remain critical of the concept of traditional family because modern people live in absolutely different conditions and do not have an opportunity to imagine themselves in other conditions to criticize the notion from its original perspective. Should traditional families be the goal? Why or why not? Traditional families should not be the goal as if people would try to remember the history and would try to search for the real consideration of the traditional families, they would