ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Academics and policy analysts are in agreement that the proliferation of bilateral and regional trade agreements is undeniably one the most notable developments in international trading panorama in the recent past. In a sharp contrast to the new global economic order contemplated in 1944 by the initiators of the Bretton Woods system, and in a sharp contrast to the principles enshrined in the new post-war economic order and grounded on the non-discriminatory, non-protectionist, and all-embracing standards of multilateralism, we now have a disjointed mass of bilateral and regional agreements in most of the significant arenas of global economic regulation (Zeng, 2010; Suominen, 2009). Currently, the popular view governing international trade and economic regulation, it seems, is that regional integration is the rule, and multilateralism the exception (Reich, 2010). By evaluating these thematic presuppositions through the prism of global trade and economic regulation, this paper will aim to demonstrate that regional agreements are now more preferable than multilateral treaties. Multilateralism versus Regional Agreements: The Changing Tides Today, more than ever, mainstream commentators are increasingly signalling to the notable shift in global economic order, from a predominately multilateral orientation to an arrangement that espouse regionalism and regional trading agreements, and regional integration (Ravenhill, 2008). One doesn’t need to look far to demonstrate evidence to this shift; the United States, formerly a strong believer in multilateralism, is presently in a ‘signing spree’ of such bilateral and regional treaties and now has put into practice or is in the process of entering into free trade agreements (FTAs) with no less than thirty-seven countries (Reich, 2010). Since there is a marked difference between bilateralism and regionalism, this paper concerns itself with evaluating the latter, which analysts view as a launching pad for other regional endeavours, such as regional integration and regionalization. Below, some few terms related to the scope of the topic are explained. Definition of Terms Regionalism, when used in economic literature, refers to a conscious expression of a common sense of identity, loyalty and purpose, combined with the development and implementation of voluntary political and economic institutions with a view to pool together resources for collective functional and institutional arrangements (Kacowicz, 1999). Regionalization, on its part, can be envisaged as “…the growth of societal integration within a given region, including the undirected processes of social and economic interaction among the units” (Kacowicz, 1999 p. 530). In this paper, the term is used to imply a continuing process of establishing regions as geopolitical and economic units. Consequently, while regionalism is used to imply the purposive/directed proneness to establish regional institutions and agreemen
Introduction Advertising is often considered to be a way to make people go out and buy something. The process of advertising has a long history all over the world and its strategies involve competition in the sphere of goods promotion. People are aware of methods of advertising but do not want to realize the impact of television or billboard images on their actions. “Despite its importance and wide implications, evaluating the effectiveness of advertising is very difficult” (Tellis 5). One should know the genuine purpose and effect of advertising to dispel myths about commercials as a kind of psychological weapon and attempts of advertisers to influence consumers’ consciousness. The advertisers’ main purpose is to create an attention-catching image and to increase sales of a specific product (Petley 4). All types of advertising are effective in some way because they are targeted at different people taking into consideration age, occupation, income, and social class. Some countries prohibit advertising which can affect children. One can be sure about the effectiveness of a specific commercial only after having read a scope of literature concerning methods and goals of different types of advertising (Tellis 5-7). Bud Light: Not Too Heavy, Not Too Light As the main purpose of the current essay is to prove or refute the idea of the effectiveness of one type of presently running commercial, it is necessary to tell the readers about the effectiveness of Bud Light commercial blocks. As the main purpose of advertising is to increase sales, Bud Light is advertised to make people aware of the advantages of this sort of beer and the reasons why buyers should prefer Bud Light to other sorts of beer. These kinds of commercials are extremely exciting and make people smile. These commercial blocks can be considered entertaining and light, though the slogan of these ads tells, “Not too heavy, not too light”. In order to make the commercial effective, the advertisers engaged people in their spot. If you watch the Bud Light Paintball commercial, you will see two guys playing paintball. The first effective aspect of this commercial spot is the plot. The plot suggests that observers should imagine that they are in the wood or in the jungle. In fact, people are playing an exciting game and it seems interesting to know what comes next. One guy lies in ambush and, suddenly, another guy appears. Which one do you support? The commercial presupposes emulation between two guys and, like during the football match, you should support one team. An interesting game depicted in the Bud Light Paintball commercial spot presents competition; the observers are likely to watch it till the end because people want to know who won in the end. The next effective aspect of the Bud Light Paintball commercial spot is the tension that appears at the beginning of the ads; people want to know what would happen next; it keeps the audience captivated with the randomness of th
Introduction The inherent problem with interruptions to business is that not only does it create problems from an operational cost standpoint but it also causes problems from a labor standpoint since if the company has the same workforce yet has fewer orders this represents a gross mismanagement of human resources. When examining how a disruption will affect productivity several factors need to be taken into consideration. The first factor is how long the company can maintain its current rate of operations before operational costs exceed profitability. A “shut down” of the Federal Government can last months to just a few weeks or even days and as such a company cannot just simply cease all operations only to find out that Federal Government is back a few days later. Proposed Reduction Workforce Hours As such one strategy that is necessary is to determine how long operations can continue under their current rate before the company needs to scale it back. Estimates need to be done as to when would the Federal government be reopened, what size would the workforce reduction need to be, how will the company gradually divest itself of unneeded staff and what sort of strategy can be implemented in order to get the company back on track once things return to normal. One alternative strategy that could work while maintaining some semblance of normal operational capacity is to drastically reduce the number of hours employees come to work for during the shut down period. The advantage of this method is that while it drastically reduces labor costs it enables the company to maintain its current workforce so that once the shut down ends it can return to full operational capacity within a short period of time. Laying off people has the distinct disadvantage of not only resulting in costs related to recruitment in the future in order to replace the lost workforce but it also entails the company having to pay significant costs in severance packages (Hollett, 2003). It is based on this that limiting the number of work hours seems to be a far better solution as compared to merely firing people en masse. Limiting Operational Capacity Another factor that should be taken into consideration is the possibility of discontinuing certain aspects of the company’s operational capacity during the shut down. What must be understood is that certain aspects of operations entail a significant resource cost in terms of utilities, raw materials and other such factors that contribute to normal company operations. If a shut down does occur it would be necessary to partially reduce services to these operational areas by first reducing the number of employee hours as indicated in the previous section and by slowing down
My preferred topic is organizational change; it is essentially defined as a process that involves transition from one way or system of performing work (which includes the culture) to a new way or cultural relation of an organization. I have chosen Taxes Electric Inc which is a small organization with vibrant presence in the market. To position itself effectively in the market, the management has identified particular areas that need to be changed. A strategic team has been appointed by the management to draft a paper on how the organization will implement the strategies to harvest maximum benefits. After several sittings, the strategic team identified several areas that needed some changes. Among some of the areas to be reviewed was, the organizational structure, operations, and organizational culture. The organizational structure was reviewed with some of hierarchy levels being scrapped to avoid conflicts and redundancy. This meant that some employees would lose their position or be redeployed to serve under other departments. Those affected received this with a lot of resistance because of the change in the status quo. The current structure had a poor reporting relationship with many employees unable to tell whom to report to. There were many overlaps of duties and responsibilities that rendered operations inefficient. The current operations of the company were very inefficient. With the global economic meltdown, the company employees had to contend with working more hours for less pay. This strategy was not received well by the employees. The strategic team identified that to support the change strategies developed, a strong organizational culture had to be cultivated. The culture will encourage innovativeness and greater individual flexibility. The employees should develop ownership of the company and freely participate in increasing company’s productivity. The transition mechanism put in place to oversee the changes was not successful. The greatest mistake was the composition of the strategic team. Top management was over represented giving an impression that is unbalanced. This invoked a lot of resistance from the lower level employees who felt left-out of the process. The management did not communicate the need to change to its employees in time. The employees learnt of the changes through informal networks prompting the management to resort to damage control. The need to change though positive was critically negated by the management of transition process. According to change theories, people are always resistant to change. If the management of Texas Electric Inc needed to implement changes in the organization, they needed to be keen in managing the transition. Kurt Lewin theory explains change transition in his ‘freeze, ‘unfreeze’, and ‘refreeze’ model. Before the change, the organizational behavior is in the ‘freeze’ stage (repeated p
Both types of study (quantitative and qualitative) are applied to conduct research in a number of different disciplines, depending on the purpose or the character of each particular research. Qualitative study design is typically used to provide the thorough description of the studied phenomenon whereas quantitative research uses statistical data to make conclusions about various events or to compare them (Creswell, 2013). Both study designs have their benefits and drawbacks which are the most evident in the two areas (Punch, 2013):  1. Control over study conditions. In case of quantitative research, control of the environment is definitely high, which some researchers name as an advantage since it helps establishing causality due to the use of precise measures and strict regulation of all variables. Yet, at the same time, such studies also have a considerable disadvantage: Controlled environment excludes extraneous factors that are usually present in reality, which means that the results could be generalized for the population but still will not be exactly the same as in real (vs. laboratory) settings. As far as qualitative studies are concerned, its advantage in terms of study conditions consists in the fact tha
Introduction All people differ in their way of thinking, character, temperament, emotionality, behavior, and point of view. These features form the personality of an individual and often complicate communication and understanding between human beings since it is difficult to comprehend how another person thinks. Studying personality development and its types helps to get along with difficult people, solve problems of misunderstanding, and be successful. The paper is aimed at scrutinizing the phenomenon of personality development, the tools for assessing personality, and also its theory, types, and impact. Personality Development: The Impact of Genetics (Nature) and External Influences/Development (Nurture) One of the main issues of personality development is how much genetics and the environment of bringing an individual up influence the personality. Scientific work shows that partly the answer depends on a kind of studied personality aspects (Lecci, 2015). For example, neuroticism, to a certain extent, is impacted by the genetic element, while creativity and openness to new things are formed by environmental effects. Temperament, as one of the characteristics of personality, is genetically predisposed from birth. The properties of temperament are the most stable and constant in comparison with other mental features. Their physiological basis is the genetically determined characteristics of the central nervous system (Lecci, 2015). Thereby, the influence of the environment on temperament is minimal; a person can only control a reaction and behavior in various situations. Genetics also determines, to some extent, the level of intelligence and several personality traits, such as self-confidence, anxiety, friendliness, and consciousness (Lecci, 2015). On the other hand, the formation of character is strongly influenced by the environment in which the person is brought up. The methods of parenting, cultural values, education, and the circle of communicating define the person’s way of expressing thoughts, one’s behavior, cultural and religious views, and attitude to other people (Lecci, 2015). However, there is a tendency not to oppose genetics and the environment, since both the nature of an individual and his or her upbringing environment make a significant contribution to personality development. Psychology of personality explains that it is important to consider the circumstances in which nature and upbringing influence personality formation. Using the Personality Theory as a Vehicle for Career Advancement Numerous attempts to systematize knowledge of personality have led to the creation of a personality theory, which uses psychology tools to make theoretical models allowing a better understanding of development, thinking, and behavior processes. We do not always treat people as necessary because we do not know what exactly they want. Misunderstandings leading to distrust, disrespect, and conflicts appear due to differences in our personality types. Ac
There can be no possible doubt that the success of the Ottoman-Turks and their military enterprises was huge. However, the question is what the Ottoman-Turks owed this success to and whether their incredible victories were the result of a specific strategy which they adopted for their battles or a product of their specific culture and mindset. In addition, since for successful operation of any state, not only the war strategy, but also the home policy, the relationships among the Ottoman-Turks and the minorities are to be discussed. It can be supposed that the Turkish conquerors were successful mainly because of the military principle that ruled the entire empire of the Ottoman Turks. To be more precise, it was the entity within the Empire which led to the victory of the Ottoman Turks – the latter, in contrast to their European colleagues, displayed considerably more cohesion than any of the European states. As Sowards (2008) claims, there were four main reasons that kept the Ottoman Turks winning their battles: First, by comparison with their feudal European rivals, the early Ottoman state and its armies were tightly organized and controlled. Second, European rulers were divided amongst themselves, even at war with each other. Third, Turkish armies were constantly reinforced by new waves of “ghazi” warriors from Central Asia, who were motivated by both religion and the prospect of spoils. Fourth, early Ottoman rule was not unattractive to the mass of its conquered Christian and Jewish subjects. (Sowards, 2008) Hence, it is obvious that the Ottoman Turks preferred to follow the policy of tight control over every single administrative district so that the entire empire could be easily controlled and that the actions of separate units could be coordinated easily by a small group of people. However, another element of the Ottoman policy which left a huge impact on the state of the entire empire was the relations within the Ottoman Turks and the rest of the population, i.e. the people of different religious confessions and nationalities. Surprisingly enough, the Ottomans displayed an extraordinary tolerance towards the national minorities inhabiting the empire. According to the historical facts, the Ottoman Turks never imposed their own religious beliefs on any of the minorities: The Ottoman Empire developed a policy of “Open Doors” and religious tolerance, beginning with the Greeks of Constantinople and the Haik of Bursa, and later the Haik of Crimea; continuing with the Jews expelled from Spain and later from Russia. (Turkish American Political Action Committee, 2006) With such policy, the Ottoman Turks could be
There have been many paintings of Madonna done by different artists. Among all these images, Madonna is illustrated using different artistic expressions and despite the difference in time, the paintings still hold some similarities; the differences also notwithstanding. The great artistic works illustrate the possibility of having shared themes but expressing them differently. By analyzing the Madonna of the Meadow done by Raphael and Parmigiano’s Madonna of the Long Neck, it will be easier to develop a comprehensive comparison that will serve as a guide to understanding the paintings. Raphael’s Madonna Raphael’s Madonna is one of the most unique pieces of art. This is because the background is developed beyond the viewers’ expectations. The background is brought out under vast scenes and this even affects the intimacy of the foreground scene. As seen from the photo, the artists intended to pass a theme of protection. The background, which was developed to contain several things, illustrates the impression of a city. There are many dangers and risks associated with the city. While the city is considered as the hub of developments, it is still a place understood for all the vices present. Cities are associated with violence, unethical and immoral practices. The painting therefore develops a protection theme in which the mother is perceived to be protecting the children from the dangers of the city. The background is painted as an appealing and captivating scene, but the whitish cover illustrates the hidden issues behind the seemingly beautiful background. Raphael was therefore in a position to capture the viewer’s attention by movi
Executive Summary The history of Georgia dates back from pre-Columbian time to the present. Georgia is an American state, which was originally inhabited by Native Americans. Its history involves the European exploration, British colonization, the American Revolution, the American civil war and reconstruction. The state was established in 1732 as a trustee colony, and it later became the royal colony (Thomas, 192-195). This colony was originally against slavery, and there were no slaves imported until 1749, when many slaves started to be imported from, Angola, the Gambia and Sierra Leone. Rules and regulations were adopted in Georgia by 1776, which was considered as the constitution of Georgia. The first president of Georgia was elected in 1788, and in this time, the state ratified the constitution of the United States. Later on Georgia separated from the United States to join other Southern States to form the confederate states of America history. The history of Georgia has greatly influence the current citizens of this country. The research paper seeks to determine the impact of Georgia’s political, social and religious history to the current citizens. The impact of Georgia’s history to the current citizens John Rocker was a baseball player who played for the Atlanta braves, Texas rangers as well as long island ducks. He is a native of Georgia and he earned popularity because of speaking negatively about diversity in New York (Thomas, 192-195). The people of Georgia are influenced by the country’s political, social, and religious history. John rocker was influenced by the political situations in Georgia, which made him to speak negatively about diversity in New York. This indicates that he is a product of his environment. He made many allegations based on experiences he had witnessed in the New York City. This is very evident when he was answering questions regarding as to whether he would ever play for New York Yankees or the New York Mets. His sentiments and responses were considered racist, homophobic and sexist. He said that he did not like New York because of foreigners, and he was wondering how the foreigners entered the country (Thomas, 192-195). He also talked about his view on the New York Mets and their fans. During this interview, he spat on a Georgia 400 toll machine and teased the Asian women. He also described his black teammate Simon Randall as a monkey. In 2002, he was accused of directing slurs towards patrons of Dallas hotel where he was dining with his friends. He was not pleased with the diversity in New York. He was a conservative republican who wanted people in New York to speak English. He campaigned for people in New York to speak English rather than the foreign languages such as Asia