ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The article “Abuse in childhood common among alcohol addicts, study finds” by Shari Roan presented in Los Angeles Times in March 15, 2012 dwells upon the research results devoted to the number of alcohol addicted who were abused in childhood. The article states that about a quarter of men and 33% of women who suffered from alcohol addiction were abused while childhood. It is significant that 12% of men and 49% of women reported about the cases of sexual abuse. Moreover, the article also refers to the cases when people suffer from different kinds of abuse in childhood which may result in developing depression and other psychiatric disorder. Suicide is one of the consequences of the childhood abuse. Therefore, the research results presented in the article prove that most of those who suffer from alcoholic dependence were abused in childhood. The violence, childhood physical abuse, and parental neglect concept presented on page 381 of the textbook is closely related to the article under consideration. Dwelling upon the impact of the violence and abuse during childhood, the connection with the further disabilities and disorders is obvious. Explaining this dependence, the scientists are sure that those children who were violated during the childhood get used to the stress for their bodies and mental systems. Moreover, the organism produces too much hormone cortisol which impacts adults mood and memory abnormality when children grow up. Additionally, those people who have been abused while the childhood are more subjected to constant depression. Having grown up the condition of the constant depression, this condition remains in the adulthood and people are to cope with it. Alcohol is considered as one of the ways for people to overcome their present condition. The ideas presented on the 173 rd page of the textbook offer the idea that people drink to increase their sociability. Referencing to the problem of the childhood abuse, it may be confirmed that those children who are constantly abused at home do not have close relationships with their peers and when they grow up the problem remains. Such children are unable to communicate with others as all they were afraid of dealing with people while childhood. Therefore, the desire to communicate with others, to find friends and become sociable is the reason for alcohol addiction. However, this desire is provoked by the childhood violence and trauma. Dealing with the problem of alcohol addiction caused by the abuse in childhood, it is important to refer to a number of psychologists. First of all, one should use the services of the behavioral neuroscience psychologist to make sure that the hormone processes are corrected and a person is ready for psychological assistance of another specialist. Developmental and social psychologists are important in this case in many reasons. The developmental psychologists are going to consider the development of people across the entire lifespan to make sure that the reasons and the consequences of the alcohol addiction are solved. Moreover, the possibility to follow the physical, emotional, and social development of the person during his/her life may help
Executive Summary Media companies use strategic alliances as one of the main tactics to compete on the global media market. Need to collaborate caused by changes occurring in the social, economic, and political environments. Strategic alliances allow media companies like AOL to meet new economic and legal challenges. In the paper, it is discussed that strategic alliances allow media companies to create sustainable competitive advantage and deliver quality products to the end audience. The examples of such giants as AOL – Google, Allied Media and Mercantile Advertising show that the attractiveness of strategic alliances activity is the assumption that an alliances will enhance the growth potential of the acquiring company. Using concepts and methods from strategic management and marketing, current state and structure of the media industry is analyzed. Table of Figures and Appendices Introduction Media companies grow annually and require new ways and strategies to compete on the global scale. Many media businesses integrate themselves into the world economy through strategic alliances. Far-reaching changes are occurring in the social, economic, and political environments, affecting the strategies, structure, and management of media business. “The media sector encompasses the creation, modification, transfer and distribution of media content for the purpose of mass consumption” (A definition of the media sector 2008). The notion of strategic alliances incorporates the need for considering the current economic context affecting the firm (Reed & LaJoux 1998). A media firm will form an alliance with another firm in order to bring together specific skills and resources in such ways that may complement each other, without the complications and expenses associated with a merger. “Strategic Alliances are agreements between firms in which each commits resources to achieve a common set of objectives” (Rigby 2007). The immediate benefits of alliances are technological know-how, possibility to penetrate new markets, and to gain market share at the expense of well established industry leaders (Reed & LaJoux 1998). “An alliance is strategic when it is the means by which a firm seeks to implement, in part or in whole, elements of management’s strategic intent” (Rigby 2007). The paper will focus on the reasons why media companies collaborate in the media sector, and discuss a strategic importance of strategic alliances in media sector. Also, a special attention will be given to strategic collaborations as a deliver of sustainable competitive advantage. Strategic Alliances, Mergers and Acquisit
Introduction In the recent past, the development and application of workflow management systems have created so much euphoria among research professionals, system developers, and end-users. Generally, the workflow is a term commonly used to refer to the sequence of steps followed when undertaking a job task. It is a simplified view of the different activities that must be carried out as part of a major project. Usually, an individual or group may be assigned a step within the process cycle. Those responsible for the various stages must thus do their part well if the process has to be successfully completed. A workflow management system is a computerized system designed to assist project managers with the smooth running of project activities. Often, the design of workflow management systems is such it can be used to meet different job requirements. Ordinarily, the application of workflow management systems requires the involvement of different groups including system modelers, administrators, supervisors, and end-users. The success of a workflow management system thus depends on the efforts made by the different groups. Over the years, technological advancements have completely transformed the way projects are managed. Users are thus presented with numerous workflow applications that may be applied to different situations depending on the task to be accomplished. Typically, workflow management tends to be concerned with work processes and written documents. Nevertheless, the importance of documents can not be underrated. They are very critical in situations where workflows management systems have to be integrated with programming languages. In general, a workflow management system helps to improve the management of projects. It also helps to ensure consistency in the way project tasks are undertaken. Components of a Workflow Management System A workflow management system is made up of three vital components. First, there is a section that is concerned with inputs into the system. This section is designed to accept all the critical requirements needed to complete a given project task. The next component consists of the rules that are needed to necessitate the transformation of inputs into expected outputs. While these rules are critical during the processing stage, they are only used in situations where several alternatives exist and a choice must be made to follow the correct execution path. This step is further streamlined by mechanisms that help in the selection of appropriate rules. The third component is concerned with the production of the output at the end of a given step. In some instances, the output at this point may serve as input to an adjacent step in the sequence. All three components of the workflow management system are designed and connected to create a smooth flow of operations and to ensure perfect coordination of the separate parts. Types of Workflow Management Systems Arguably, the term workflow has not been well defined. This notwithstanding, workflow management systems may be categorized broadly into four categories. Generally, the classifications are based on what the workflow management system is designed
Total Quality Management in UAE The total quality management (TQM) approach stemmed from a series of successful attempts to increase efficiency and quality in Japanese organizations during the 1980s. Since then, the concept has spread in many Western countries, and quality has become a goal and a standard in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia among others. Substantially, TQM identifies some quality areas, such as leadership, planning, customers, employees, processes, suppliers, and results, and provides a series of standards and tools to encourage strategic initiatives to improve the global performance of a company. Though the TQM approach thrived in developed nations, it can also be applied in developing countries or within specific cultural environments, such as in the United Arab Emirates. From an economic perspective, the UAE is a developed nation, with part of the national richness deriving from the oil and gas extraction, and part from flourishing business and tourism sectors. However, the UAE has some cultural characteristics typical of developing countries which suggest a tailored TQM approach. Notably, the UAE features a considerable power distance among leadership and subordinates, where the roles of decision-makers and employees leave little room for changing. This static situation suggests the implementation of a specific methodology which takes into consideration the social, cultural, and economic conditions of the UAE. Perhaps, a TQM strategy would be more effective in those markets segments that require to conform to international standards, such as the hotel-touristic industry. Improving Quality Management Within the UAE Educational System The UAE educational system is quite recent, and consists of 14 years of compulsory education, from kindergarten to secondary school. During the last decade, the central government has given a particular priority to education, and public schools are offered free of charge. Meritorious students can also be granted with a state-funded scholarship to study abroad. Also, the Emirate Ministry of Education is developing the Education Program 2020, aimed at bringing the primary and secondary school to an international level. Besides the public educational sector, the progressive internationalization of
The Nokia Brand The primary core strength of Nokia is its capacity to exploit economies of scale which enable the company to not only produce enough handsets to meet global demand but also enable the company to sell them at a lower cost. The company brand is relatively well known and trusted around the world as a result of its initial efforts in leading the mobile phone market during the late 1990s which creates a considerable degree of brand clout in the international market (Hernandez, 2009). While the Nokia brand is a ubiquitous and popular label, the fact remains that it is often associated with affordability which makes it far more appealing to a large percentage of the present-day global market (Lev-Ram, 2014). Cost Difference in Comparison to Rivals It can be seen that despite Apple, Blackberry and the Android operating system being the pre-dominant smartphone/smartphone software in the global marketplace, the fact remains that smartphones as a whole are far more expensive as compared to a Symbian based Nokia mobile phone (Data monitor, 2009). While it is true that Nokia has actively pursued First World markets, its focus on expanding into Third World economies by providing cheap yet effective mobile phones has enabled the company to encompass a much larger user base as compared to companies such as Apple that focus solely on the development of technology that appeals to the middle to high-income consumers (Steinbock, 2001). Acquisition by Microsoft With Microsoft’s recent acquisition of the mobile phone division of Nokia in late 2013, this may herald a change in the company’s lack of software innovation since Microsoft has had far more experience in developing a variety o
Background The nature of current account deficit in the United States is a widely researched topic. Besides, it is the most misunderstood area in the economy of the US. The external deficit of the country has continuously risen over the past years. The deficit can be dated back in the 1820. During this period, the economy was not developed. Therefore, the country relied on external sources of funds between 1820 and 1875 as a major source of finance. The deficit balance grew rapidly during this period. Also, the whole economy also grew at a faster rate. After the First World War, the economy of the U.S. was performing well and instead of having a deficit, the country had surpluses. This situation persisted between 1920 and 1970 (Carbaugh, 2011). However, after 1970, the country reverted back to the current account deficits. This situation has been a major concern to all players in the economy and they wonder if the country will continue to have the deficit indefinitely (Carbaugh, 2011). In the recent years, the deficit balance seems to be growing exponentially and the worries are mounting. For instance, the debt balance rose from $474billion in 2002 to $521billion in the following year. It rose further to $600billion in 2004 (Deutsche Bank Research, 2004). Cause of the deficit There have been a number of postulations that attempts to explain the pe
Introduction Strategic thinking focuses on creating creative dialogue among people that shape the direction of the organization. The aim is to make the dialogue quite proactive in order to improve the operations of the organization. Strategic thinking is a mean of understanding the key drivers of business as well as improving the conventional thinking through dialoguing with the others (Mintzberg, 1996, 96). It is a main component of strategic planning and it uncovers the potential of the company’s management in order to create valuable opportunities for the growth of the company. Strategic thinking entails thinking, planning and acting strategically in order to ensure the success of the business (Lampel & Mintzberg 1999, 21). There are various schools of strategic thinking that have been developed in order to explain the meaning of effective strategic thinking. The purpose of this essay is to discuss classical school and other schools of strategic thinking. The classical school of strategic thinking The classical school of strategic thinking was come up with during the industrial revolution when factories in the industries faced management problems. There were vast labor dissatisfactions and the management was unsure on how to deal with the situation. The other issue was how to train the employees to make them loyal members of the organizations. The key objective of this school of thought was to determine the best way that could be used to undertake and manage tasks (CliffsNotes, 2010, 1). The classical school of strategic thinking was broadly categorized into classical administrative school and the classical scientific school of thought. The classical scientific school was developed to satisfy the need to improve efficiency and productivity within the factories. The main aim was to ensure that the most work is done and that the workforce has the most desired skills to do the work. This should be done through scrutinizing the skills possessed by the workforce and also paying more attention to the work process. The main proponents of the scientific classical school are Lillian Gilbreth, Fredrick Taylor, Gantt and Frank whose contribution led to the development of the classical scientific school. The administrative school on the other hand concentrated on the total organization where emphasis is laid on the developing managerial principles in the organization. The proponents of the administrative school based their study on the flow of information in an organization. Their main emphasis is to understand how the organization operates and how it can be improved to increase the performance of the organization. One of the greatest proponents of this school, Max Weber, argued that the organization should not be managed personally because people will be loyal to their personal supervisors instead of the organization itself. Weber believes in a bureaucratic structure of the organization where there are rules to be followed by the members of the organization. This way, he believed, would detach the organization from the personalized management. He condemned the European organizations for personalizing their management w
Frozen (TV) dinners The article provides a comprehensive review on the use of convenience foods normally known as the Frozen (TV) dinners across the continental USA since the early 1970s. These foods adopted their name ‘Frozen (TV) dinners’ from the fact that they were advertised over the television. The branding of these foods came with the introduction of TV, and this gave rise to their name. The author goes ahead and discloses that commercially prepared convenience foods were eaten as people watched TV. The article gives a complete consumer graph of these ‘emergency foods’ from the early 1950s (Jerome, 145). It also provides a precise percentage of consumption by males vs. females and even elderly people vs. younger ones. Additionally, it provides the frequency of consumption every week for men and women, young and old. All the data that facilitated these findings came from correspondents who happened to be consumers of these foods. It is important to note that the fame and popularity of emergency foods in the early 70s were attributed to the marketing done over the television that had barely lasted a decade in the markets. It is undoubtedly true that TVs were the talk of days then, and as a result, they had numerous viewers. This formed a good platform for marketing convenience foods (Jerome, 147). About the statistical data provided by the author, it can be deduced that Frozen (TV) dinners have registered rather stable sales over the years. This was championed by the extensive marketing done over the television as a way of reaching out to all inhabitants in all corners of the United States of America. As a result, consumption of the foods rose significantly. The rise was not only attributed to the widespread marketing but also the convenience of the foods. They were pre-cooked; it means that they only needed a little warming before consumption (Jerome, 150). The author says that frequency of the consumption of the meals was as high as four times a week. He further notes that most of their consumers were people who had tight schedules and, perhaps, had limited time to prepare tasking food. In addition to saving time, these emergency foods also provided balanced diets as confessed by respondents who participated in the survey. The characteristics of the population studied in relation to the consumption of frozen (TV) dinners are strongly agreeable. Revelation that convenience foods are consumed in both large and sma
Introduction Conscious consumption has become a trend in the 21st century. Even 100 years ago, the production of clothes, furniture, and any other objects required much more time and skills. Materials and fabrics were more expensive, so people carefully considered each purchase. Now the technological revolution and cheap plastic inventions have filled stores with more affordable goods, dishes, and clothing. Young people buy a lot more than older generations, but they use nearly half of these things. The rest ends up in closets or, even worse, go to the trash. However, fortunately, more people are beginning to think about respect for the environment and conscious consumption. It only seems complicated and inconvenient, but there are several principles that each person can apply in life. In the fashion industry, there is a conflict between shoppers’ wallets and their conscience. Leading clothing manufacturers are looking for a compromise between the speed of product creation and profitability on the one hand and consumer demand for sustainable products and growing environmental threats on the other. Citizens have become accustomed to the mass market and are now quickly and cheaply updating their wardrobes. But at the same time, consumers have a growing desire to harm the planet as little as possible with such behavior because the textile industry can cause significant damage to the environment. Now, clothing manufacturers are trying to bring fashion in line with the principles of a sustainable economy. This article is about sustainable fashion and ways to save nature while purchasing clothes. What is sustainable fashion? It is a movement to make clothing more sustainable by making adjustments in the design, production, distribution, and recycling stages. The task is to get away from the principles of “fast fashion”: high-speed production of clothes, which is not always cheap (Muhtu, 2018). Speed ​​is needed due to ever-changing tastes and trends, which leads to a one-off attitude towards such things on the part of consumers. People always want to wear something new; they strive to look like celebrities. Unfortunately, this leads to overproduction, which is detrimental to the climate. There are also critical issues of respect for animals and the social responsibility of the industry. Manufacturers test many products on animals, which is inhumane and can lead to negative regulation of species. Social responsibility is about combating child labor and poor working conditions in developing countries. Undoubtedly, setting up production in a small Asian country and paying people a dollar a day is easy. It is faster and cheaper than setting up a factory in Western Europe or America. However, this is contrary to the principles of fairness and human dignity, so consumers should avoid companies that manufacture goods in this way. How fashion harms the environment There are significant environmental issues related to the fast-fashion industry. With global clothing production doubling over