ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction ‘J. Sainsbury Plc consists of Sainsbury’s- a chain of 504 supermarkets and 319 convenience stores, and a bank. (Annual report 2008, Page 3)[1]. With such large establishments, the financial analysis of the J.Sainsbury Plc group of companies requires a detailed research study of its financial statement and other available information. In this write up an effort has been to make a study under three different parameters, namely an investment appraisal of the firm, secondly a critical study of its working capital management, and a study of its sources of capital funding. Though in this study, mostly reliance is placed on ratio analysis, the other available information like information at yahoo.com about market prices of its equity shares at different dates have also been used. Calculations of ratios have been depicted in each section wherever those have been used to interpret the financial figures stated in the financial statements of J.Sainsbury Plc. Investment Appraisal Investment appraisal involves how the capital and debt funds raised by J.Sainsbury PLC have affected the company’s profitability, efficiency, and liquidity of the company over a period of five years. As appraisal of liquidity has been taken up in the next section of working capital management, the profitability and efficiency effects of investments of J.Sainsbury PLC in various assets, fixed and currents are as under: The profitability status of any entity can be reviewed by its Gross profit ratio, Operating profit ratio, Return on Total assets (ROA), and Return on Equity. All these ratios for J.Sainsbury PLC have been calculated for the last five years as under: Gross Profit Margin ‘indicates the percentage of each sales dollar remaining after a business has paid for its goods.’(Linda Pinson, 109)[2]. J.Sainsbury PLC has had a mixed performance over the years. From mighty 8.65% in 2004 to low of 4.33% in 2005 speaks a lot about the company’s sales policy. The heavy fluctua
Introduction Youth violence is not only a widespread social phenomenon but also a significant health problem. Homicide is the fourth most common cause of death among people aged 10-29 (Golshiri et al ., 2018). Apart from this, the experience of violence may lead to other severe mental and physical disorders. Young people can also be involved in the process of violence as perpetrators, which raises the question of their psychological health as well. Youth violence may be viewed as a cruel and harmful behavior “exerted by, or against, children and young people” (Seal and Harris, 2018, p. 23). However, it seems that similar reasons underlie the two sides of youth violence, and thus, their causes and effects may be examined together. This paper attempts to identify the main reasons behind the abuse among young people and its potential consequences for youth and society. Causes of Youth Violence The Background It seems evident that young people are heavily influenced by the community where they have grown up and live. People obtain their values and foundations of the worldview in childhood and adolescence. That is why youth violence can be caused by the background of those who perpetrate or experience abuse. The family has the most substantial impact on the behavior of young people, among other institutions. The family directly relates to youth violence considered as experience. Child abuse is one of the most popular forms of violence against youth. However, it is also clear that family life can lead to acts of violence committed by young people. Bushman et al . (2016) argue that “interparental violence, chaotic family life,” and “inconsistent discipline” are among crucial risk factors of youth violence (p. 21). In other words, young people who were poorly treated in their family or witnessed some cruelty have a higher chance of becoming perpetrators. The neighborhood plays a similar role in the expansion of violence among people. Youth who live in poor areas with high levels of criminality face cruelty and abuse very often, and thus, may be severely influenced by them. Personal Characteristics Although the awareness of a person’s surroundings can help in predicting his or her violent behavior, there are still some other factors that may contribute to youth abuse. It is impossible to omit the fact that the social surrounding does not influence some features of personality. These traits are shared among the perpetrators and include “psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism” (Bushman et al ., 2018). All of them are similar in the sense that people who possess them do not think about the feelings of others, and therefore, can sometimes be very violent. Finally, some people may have a mental disorder or congenital propensity for violence. Access to Guns and the Influence of the Media Shooting is one of the most common f
Within the context of social work, social action is a method of professional practice implying an organized effort to either change or improve social and economic institutions through the mobilization and organization of the community. Compared to other methods of social work, social action underlines the essential changes in social institutions. It covers social, religious, and political reforms, as well as aims to establish social justice and civil liberty. Delivering food and personal hygiene products to vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly, was the social action in which I have recently participated. The main issue that the social action pursued was concerned with ensuring the well-being of vulnerable individuals in the community. By engaging non-profit organizations as well as local businesses, the social action managed to gather enough products to cover all vulnerable individuals. The target population included individuals without housing, single mothers, as well as the elderly without family support. The critical demand that the social action facilitated targeted the local government, which should have provided the necessary resources for living without engaging the community or local businesses. The activists called for the overview of the situation with the lacking resources to ensure that vulnerable individuals are offered the support they needed. The main benefit of social action was getting the community closer. The owners of local businesses offered products that were vital to vulnerable people. Other activists who delivered the food and other products got to know each other, which eventually created a strong system of support. The action should serve as an example for communities, especially at these uncertain times with the global pandemic. By knowing each other’s needs and supporting one another, it is possible to overcome anything.
The Israel/Palestine conflict is one of the most interesting political conflicts in the contemporary world. The conflicts appear to be perpetual with no resolution materializing. This paper presents a summary of the Israeli Politics Today and Beyond section in Israel/Palestine – One Land Two Claimants where an overview of the Israeli politics and their roles in the ongoing conflict are presented. An overview of the corresponding Palestinian political environment is also presented to contrast that of Israel. Three aspects of Israeli politics are manifested in the book and that have shaped the conflict with Palestine. Firstly, Israel is a strong democratic state which gives it the power to dominate its political environment. Secondly, the country has seen a shift from firm leadership to a pattern of immobilization explaining why peace policies keep alternating between favoring peace and derailing the peace process. Lastly, the Israeli politics are characterized by divisions across opposing camps on peace matters with one preferring land for peace and the other seeking peace without conceding land. The major political institution in Israel is the Knesset which is a parliament comprising 120 members directly elected by the citizens. The Knesset is controlled by the ruling party or coalition of parties that have the power to pass legislation as they wish. The winner-takes-all nature of the parliament means that the policies and legislation put in place depend on who is in power and the camp to which they belong. The election losers try to destabilize and embarrass the government because their opinions and ideologies are not taken into account. The Knesset is made vulnerable by the fragmented nature of Israeli politics. Consequently, immobilization has resulted in a continuation of the current policies involving settlement building and delaying the peace processes. Such fragmentation is apparent in the differing perspectives on the issue of land for peace. Some prime ministers like Barak and Rabin were ready to trade land for peace while Sharon and Netanyahu were not. The group basis of the country’s politics best explains the divisions and how they derail the peace process or exacerbate the conflict. An explanation of political parties, elites, pressure groups, political culture, and the political economy paints a picture of stiff competition across groups on matters of national policy. The political parties cannot be easily classified as left or right without properly defining the terms right and left. However, the left in Israel’s politics can be described as the secular version that stresses cultural as opposed to the religious dimension of the Jewish state. The left favors the exchange of land for peace. The right, on the other hand, comprises parties seeking free-market capitalism, ultra-nationalism, and religiously-oriented government. The right is, therefore, more fragmented than the left as each of the three themes pursues different aspects of control o
Introduction Professional success in different fields depends on multiple factors, including human qualities and abilities that allow them to achieve the established goals and desired results. Delayed gratification, or patience, is an exemplifying element of human personality that can appear as both a quality and an ability, giving people an opportunity to succeed in their respective fields. However, there is an active debate in the scientific community on whether delayed gratification can contribute to or determine professional success. This paper aims to critically evaluate the assumption that delayed gratification, or patience, is a major factor in professional success. For the purposes of the research, the paper provides examples of innovative technologies and political elections to trace the influence of delayed gratification on the outcomes in different fields. Patience may play a significant role in professional success, but the impact can be both positive and negative, depending on the field and whether it is the professional’s natural quality or internalized ability. Patience and Impatience as Partners in Innovation First, patience can have both positive and negative impacts on professional success, depending on the field of activity in which delayed gratification is implemented as a concept. For instance, Norling (2009) reports that patience can be paramount for innovation leaders in business “to avoid latching on to the first opportunity and going too rapidly into business” (p. 20). The development and application of innovative technologies in the business sector, indeed, can bring significant benefits to companies, but, at the same time, impatience can be a source of devastating consequences. The process of creating an innovative product or service is always associated with a certain amount of risk as the related technology may not work or not be accepted by customers well. Rapidness in the process can significantly increase that risk: minor but critical details may not be appropriately attended to, and the error rate can get higher. Thereby, a business leader utilizing innovations in their professional activity should be patient to achieve successful outcomes. However, impatience can play a crucial role, as well, since it can accelerate the development process and help the company get ahead of its competitors. Suppose two companies are developing similar innovative technologies, and the one that finishes sooner will have the advantage as it will b
Topic: Credit Scores Key points  1. The business value proposition- affecting and affected by stakeholders. The issue of credit scores is a latest development inmarketplace and already has targeted stakeholders. The success of credit scores is to be passed to these stakeholders. However, the response by stakeholders is going to affect the success of the project far and large.  2. Entrepreneurship in action. Entrepreneurship is all about putting resources and mind in an area that there are minimal investments. Companies such as Fair Isaac Co and Experian PLC have gone ahead to invest in some areas that are mentioned contrary to the expectations of competitors. The daring nature of these companies shows that there are lots of entrepreneurial skills at play.  3. Ethics and social responsibility. In this article, there are serious ethical concerns that emerge. For instance, the privacy of participants’ information is questionable especially id their data is to be used in developing an analysis. It is also critical to mention that companies take social responsibilities upon themselves to protect and improve the well being of others. Analysis Credit scores are recentdevelopments in the market. Making behavioral predictions by just asking people to take some scores is adding value to a number of sectors. For example, the Medication Adherence Score is the latest innovation to be brought to the world by Fair Isaac, and aims to gauge likelihood of a person taking prescribed medications. In this case, it can be seen that this i
Key Performance Indicators for Management Accounting The decision to open an e-shop was a strategic move that will help this company to increase its sales, improve revenue generation, and manage market competition in a more effective way than when it only had brick-and-mortar shops. It is important to look at key performance indicators for management accounting to determine the benefits that this strategic move will have for the firm’s ability to increase its revenues. Lautour (2018) defines key performance indicators as core metrics that a firm uses to monitor the progress it is making towards the realization of specific objectives. They help top executives to determine the value of the investment made and the effectiveness of new strategies embraced. As Škerlavaj, Černe, Dysvik, and Carlsen (2016) note, when a firm comes up with a new strategy in the market, the impact should be felt in terms of increased sales volume, reduced cost of operation, and an increase in profitability. In this chapter, various key performance indicators were considered important in improving the overall performance of the company. These indicators will be classified into two groups, as discussed below. Growth Indicators The market for construction materials and tools in Switzerland is highly competitive. The sustainability of a firm in such a competitive market depends on its ability to attract and retain a pool of loyal customers. Growth indicators help in determining if the firm’s customer base is growing through improved sales and profitability. The following indicators are critical from the management accounting point of view: Sales growth Sales growth is one of the most important key performance indicators that will be of interest in this firm after going online. From the perspective of management accounting, Lautour (2018) defines sales growth as the measure of effectiveness and trends. The indicator helps to determine the direct benefits of a new approach of operation in terms of sales generated. When calculating sales growth, (Current period sales – last period sales)/last period sales) x 100 is often the formula used (Parmenter, 2016). The goal of the accounting manager is to compare the change in sales volume before and after the introduction of the new system. The expectation of the management unit of this firm would be that after introducing the e-shop, there would be a consistent increase in the overall sales volume. The increase in the number of building materials and tools sold will have a positive impact on the firm’s growth in the market. E-market has gained popularity in developed nations and emerging economies of Asia and parts of Africa. The growing size of the middle class who has to work for the better part of the day has led to an increase in the popularity of e-marketplace (Charifzadeh & Taschner, 2017). They lack time to visit brick-and-mortar stores, which may be located several miles away from the office or home. Technological advancement has made it possible for these buyers to purchase
Introduction Background Information Effective coordination among the group members of a consultancy team is indispensible for working out effective strategies for managing change within an organisation. Being a leader of a consultancy group, the rational allocation of responsibilities and obligations among the team members was highly important to facilitate the problem identification aspects and understand the drawbacks of the organisation’s performance. While preparing the group for the project accomplishment, I realized that being a leader implies possessing a wide experience in allocating roles within a team and making important decisions connected to planning and organising subsequent steps of project accomplishment. Identifying the Key Concept and Rationale Judging from the above-presented evaluation of our team performance, specific reference has been made to the importance of roles allocation, the conceptual framework presented by McClelland Need Model – introducing the basis for exploring the main needs of a manager. Hence, greater analysis of the model guides effectively the group members to understand the people’s driving force, including their behaviors and different situations. The model greatly contributed to understanding psychological needs of group members. Apart from the above-presented framework, the team cooperation and interaction was achieved through understanding the 5 key variables of team performance, which are team leadership, mutual control of performance, back up behavior, adaptability, team coordination and orientation, and mutual trust. Main Body Introducing the Basics of Corporate Strategy and Analyzing Techniques and Strategic Options It is important for a leader to learn the main aspects of effective performance management within a project team. In particular, specific psychological, ethical, cultural, and motivational theories and backgrounds should be carefully considered to achieve the highest results. Regarding the team functioning, it should be stressed that a team leader should provide approaches “…to improve strategic focus and organisational effectiveness through continuously securing improvements in the performance of individual and teams” (Pilbeam and Corbridge, 2006, p. 289). While working within a team, the diversification strategy has been introduced, which is also an important element of effective team performance because can significantly foster the goals accomplishment. In particular, “…establishment of priorities between projects, periodic review of project team members’ performance and the existence of planning and control processes” are a
In all businesses, designing operations play a pivotal role in ensuring that the products and services being offered remain competitive, profitable and ideal despite numerous challenges that characterize different markets. As such, having thorough knowledge on operation management principles and concepts may give a business entity the competitive advantage it needs to guarantee its success in a highly competitive marketing arena. This paper shall set out to summarize a chapter of a book discussing the design of goods and services, and provide a case study analysis using the concepts discussed in this chapter. Summary Throughout this chapter, the authors emphasize on the importance of understanding the production process of goods and services. To foster clarity, the authors state that a business should develop a production strategy that facilitates efficient product and service selection, creation of new products and services, product development and competition strategies. Using credible sources, the authors support their statements and arguments with facts and real life examples, which enable the readers to understand, define and apply product design concepts appropriately. In the same chapter, the authors discuss the documentation for production, production decision-making processes and total quality management (tqm) as core factors in ensuring customer satisfaction. Overall, this chapter seeks to educate readers on the factors that contribute to total customer satisfaction throughout the production process and operations management. The authors have successfully a
Nowadays more and more emphasis in any company’s marketing activities is made on advertising and close interaction with advertising media due to the proven effect of rising financial returns from investments of this kind. The pharmaceutical industry is not an exception as in this sphere advertising also plays a key role in product promotion and raising sales. As it is indicated in the study of Narayanan, Desiraju, and Chintagunta (2004), there are several ways of organizing these activities and their interactions are heterogeneous – they are called marketing-mix interactions. The authors discuss the interaction of detailing and direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and their effects on one another in the pharmacological sphere. The conclusion they make is that mainly DTC advertising has a positive effect on category sales, which is not similar to the total brand share, and that DTC has a stronger impact on sales than detailing (Narayanan, 2004). The conclusion at which they arrive in the process of their empirical research is that the combination of DTC and media advertisements is highly productive in the course of marketing pharmacological products, which is essential for the arrangement of marketing strategies in pharmacological companies. In their judgment, the authors heavily rely on the works of Lehmann (2002) about financial returns from investments in advertising, Gatignon, and Hanssens(1987) defining difference between results given by constant elasticity models and marketing-mix interactions as well as Kaul and Wittink (1996) and Capon, Farley, and Hoenig (1990) about advertising interactions and their general impact on the financial success of a company (Narayanan, 2004). The overall importance of applying marketing-mix interactions in the process of arranging marketing activities is recognized widely, which may be seen from the forum discussion of the necessity to implement search marketing in the sphere of discussed interactions of SES San Jose 2007– the statistical data says that “88% of all consumers making in-store purchases in key retail categories have conducted online research before purchase” (Putting Search into the Marketing Mix, 2007). However, the pharmaceutical sphere of the USA is arranged differently as compared to the one of Europe. Thus, it is important to note that the previously mentioned works dedicated to marketing-mix interactions applied in the pharmaceutical segment concern the USA only. As one can see from the EurActiv Network news dedicated to the regulation of the pharmacological sphere of Europe and marketing aspects of its functioning, advertisement of medical substances in Europe experiences much stricter control and has many restrictions. As, for exampl