ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
There are a number of things that happen in the lives of humans, which are beyond one’s control. For example, no one can control the fortunes and misfortunes that normally occur in human life. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of every individual to take charge of his/her own state of mind and control what it thinks about at any particular time. Buddhism asserts that taking control of one’s state of mind is the most important thing that people can do. In Buddhism, this aspect is called meditation. 1 The practice of meditation in Buddhism enables the believers to take control of things, such as fear, anxiety, hatred, confusion, and sorrow, which can make them commit sin. 2 By reviewing a number of books, I intend to prove in this paper that the practice of meditation is the main driving force behind Buddhism. Meditation in Buddhism simply refers to practices that its believers use to make their minds think positively. The practice of meditation involves skills that develop and encourage concentration, positive thinking, and clarity regarding living and non-living things. 3 When Buddhists engage in the practice of meditation, they get to understand the habits and behaviors of their minds. As a result, they are able to transform themselves into positive and understanding human beings. Buddhists strongly believe that meditation offers a transformative effect that brings about a new a way of understanding life. 4 Every believer is required to learn the concepts of meditation in order to strengthen their faith in the religion. The practice of meditation is normally taught through the Triratna Buddhist Community. The basic practices in meditation are taught according to the original teachings of the historical Buddha. 5 The practices of meditation are considered effective if they are aimed at achieving calmness and emotional positivity among the believers of the religion. The practices are supposed to be taught by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order at Triratna Centers. These members are highly skilled meditators and the students who learn how to meditate need to have an interest in Buddhism. 6 Buddhist meditation is majorly divided into two categories: insight and tranquility meditations. The two categories of Buddhist meditations are combined and used at the same time. 7 However, in some cases, the two meditations are used one after the other. In cases where the two are used separately, tranquility is used first, followed by the insight meditation. The two categories of meditation are normally used simultaneously to enable the believers to obtain maximum results. 8 Insight meditation, which is also known as vippasana , uses a number of skills taught in Buddhism to enhance the believer’s faith. Insight mediation literally includes the skills taught in tranquility meditation and other areas of the religion. Insight meditation helps Buddhist believers to practice absolute and important truths. It is said that Buddhist believers who
There are three classifications related to the group research designs. Based on the number of times the variables are measured, they can be cross-sectional, pretest-posttest, and longitudinal (Yegidis et al., 2018). The overall nature distinguishes research designs into exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory. Social work requires three types, which are pre-experimental, experimental, and quasi-experimental. The article “What’s the relationship got to do with it? Understanding the therapeutic relationship in therapeutic foster care” by Southerland et al. is a study on the relationship between children in Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) and their treatment parents. Possible study limitations include the inability to establish connections between therapeutic measures and their outcomes due to the cross-sectional research design (Southerland et al., 2009). The internal validity of the research is high as the independent variable was how children would react to the behavioral and emotional assessment, which is only possible within this type of study. External validity was low because the sample size was small, and it is doubtful that findings will apply to larger cases. Subsequently, generalizability is also limited as the participants are specific children not corresponding with the general population. While the design is cross-sectional, there are indications in the article, which would allow analyzing a pretest-posttest in a case study. Before the research, the authors used the measurements of the mental health status of children from centralized MIS files (Southerland et al., 2009). There was no evaluation after the treatment, although the article was steadfast in articulating the positive impact of a higher quality of the relationship between treatment parents and children on the latter’s healthy functioning. The effectiveness of the research design is directly associated with study limitations. A cross-sectional study does not allow researchers to make key observations more than once. This means that the study is not effective when it comes to numerous observations of the same group sample, which is admitted by the authors of the research (Southerland et al., 2009). Although there was no loss of study units, it is viable to suggest that attrition would significantly lower the confidence of researchers in the effect of treatment on children. The subsequent lesson is that losing subjects can compromise the study’s internal validity. When it comes to analyzing the study from the perspective of other classifications, it is pre-experimental. Southerland et al. (2009) specifically label their research as cross-sectional. Pre-experimental designs do not have a comparison group (Yegidis et al., 2018). The same is true for this study, which analyzes only one group sample at a fixed time. The study units themselves are children in TFC and treatment parents. The researchers are fully aware of the limitations of the study. Mainly, they “were not able to es
The criminal justice system that is currently deployed in the United States is a rather intricate phenomenon. On the one hand, a lot of light has been shed on it in different types of media, thus, allowing people to get a general impression of it. On the other hand, a range of its aspects remain concealed and are known only to the people that study it in depth. Therefore, the first chapter “Crime and Justice in the United States” of the book “Introduction to Criminal Justice” by Bohm & Haley provides mixed impressions. The operation of the current system of justice, i.e., the framework according to which the American justice system responds to crime, seems to be the easiest part of the book “. The description of the process of analyzing the justice system elements and the way in which they work in the U. S, society, while being very brief, was also very informative. Furthermore, it was inspiring to learn about the complex process of introducing new ideas based on the principles of democracy into the framework of the justice system. The identified part of the chapter also triggered an array of questions related to the current situation. Particularly, the ways in which the representatives of the justice system manage the impediments to the implementation of the relevant practices are of significant interest. However, the authors of the book also introduced several rather difficult concepts in the chapter. For instance, by describing the effects that social trends have on the subject matter, the authors of the book made the justice system seem flawed and lacking efficacy. By mentioning of various myths and how they hamper the process of solving crimes, the authors of the book raise a range of essential questions that need answers. For instance, seeing that myths about the justice system are persistent in the modern society, it would be reasonable to ask how these myths are spread among the U.S. population, who reinforces them, and how to eradicate them successfully. One might argue that the active use of social networks contributes to the dissemination of myths greatly. Indeed, verifying or, at the very least, controlling the information shared by the users of social media is impossible at present. As a result, myths about criminal justice remain persistent among the U.S. population. Even though the reading raised an array of questions, it has also provided a platform for building knowledge and training skills related to the area of criminal law. Furthermore, seeing that some of the justice system aspects were linked to the current communication models and tools used by the American citizens, it was quite peculiar to learn about the impact of social media on the subject matter. For instance, in my community, the awareness about the negligence of some of the law enforcement members was rais
Article Review: The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. By Archie B. Carroll and Kareem M. Shabana Introduction Several studies have been conducted over the past on the Corporate Social Responsibility. This review intends to analyze the main concepts presented in the article “The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice”, which was compiled by Carroll and Shabana. This article gives a clear analysis of business case for the corporate social responsibility. The article also seeks to find out how organizations benefits in one way or another by engaging themselves in CSR policies. In other words, it seeks to find out what organizations really get by engaging themselves in CSR policies and practices. The article begins by giving a general background on the topic. By so doing, the article gives an outline on how the idea of how the practice of business participation in community activities has been viewed over the past as well as the evolution of these views over time. This includes the ideas opposing business participation in community activities and the ideas proposing business participation in these activities. Initially, there was little effort to study the benefits organizations get by participating in community development activities. The main focus was the business responsibilities to the societies and the duties they are expected to meet (Carroll & Shabana 2010). This undermined the CSR to some extent since this view presented the program as a cost ignoring the benefits associated with it. Background Information In the recent past, the idea of corporate social responsibility has been a critical issue in business policies. According to Tonello (2011), there has been a measurable payoff of corporate social responsibility efforts both to the stake holders and their respective companies over the last decade. There are some benefits for a company enraging in CSR. It has been realized that CSR can assist an organization in creating its competitive advantage (Tonello 2011). In the contemporary business world, the market has become very competitive, a condition which has threatened the performance of many organizations. Therefore, this article touches important issues which can significantly help organizations in improving their performance by reducing their operational expenses and
The primary purpose of this journal is to address some of the issues that are currently present in the United States, and I decided to discuss them from the perspective of Karl Marx’s economic critique. The philosopher has focused on such aspects of capitalism as class issues, exploitation, and others. It needs to be said that some of the principles that are stated by Marx can be applied to most problems in modern society. The sociologist’s views were often controversial, but it is imperative to note that some of his works were extremely innovative at that time. He noted that class segregation is something that has developed historically and discussed the reasoning behind conflicts between the classes. One of the biggest issues that I have noticed and observed is racism that is still present in our society and affects all areas and workplace environments. Marx is known for his bias towards some races and questionable remarks, but he has viewed discrimination as something that has developed because capitalists wanted to abuse cheap labor. He thought that it was used as one of the ways to promote the separation of the classes. The problem of class segregation is worsened by the fact that racial issues are still present in the country, and it is especially easy to notice in the workplace. A recent study has shown that the wage gap between white people and black people is approximately 33% (Fryer, Pager, & Spenkuch 2013). Such a percenta
The ability of an organization to generate and maintain market competitiveness forms one of the most critical elements in supporting its internal and external mechanisms for further growth and expansion. The increasing competition and pressure in the global business arena have largely compelled many businesses to seek opportunities where they can expand their operations on the international scale. The prosperity and viability of a firm expanding to another country greatly depend on an organizational ability to organize its communication systems efficiently and effectively (Dunn 2008, p. 193). Studies indicate that expanding a business to a different location is an initiative that requires proper planning and development of communication strategies with regards to operating in environments which are not familiar (Zhou, Zhuang & Yip 2007, p.309). This paper analyses John Lewis, a fast growing departmental store in the United Kingdom and its expansion strategy. Besides, the paper examines and explores the United Arab Emirates as a likely location for John Lewis business to expand. A brief overview of John Lewis: John Lewis is a departmental chain store based in the UK. It operates about thirty two stores in its chain of operation. Additionally, the store stocks diverse range of products that include leisure and beauty goods, electrical, fashion products and home appliances (Zerbini, Golfetto & Gibbert 2007, p. 784). Its k
Excellent communication during a crisis is crucial because such incidences trigger negative stakeholder responses, which can affect the company’s reputation and the viability of its goals. During my previous internship program, the company received several products recalls. The challenge required positive communication with every stakeholder to retain the organizational image. Leaders were reachable and willing to respond to any concerns that junior employees raised. They demonstrated empathy and care, although it was not easy because they were working under pressure from each department. Additionally, they communicated calm and accurate concerns, emphasizing that the issue was in control and all employees should learn from the situation. Leaders acknowledged everyone’s fears and described each process employed to contain the crisis. However, others were defensive, sending regretful messages instead of feeling sorry about the crisis. Their sense of judgment also created conflict in the quality assurance department. This approach discouraged team spirit and coordination towards remedying the setback. A non-punitive culture encourages staff to offer their best deliveries in each situation, remaining accountable for their actions. The strategy creates a workplace that focuses on safety while minimizing setbacks (Sepp and Tint 24). When establishing this culture, leaders acknowledge that employees are likely to cause human errors under particular circumstances. They, therefore, encourage them to admit mistakes and work on improving systems and avoiding similar errors in the future (Sepp and Tint 24). In my workplace, I do not feel safe making mistakes unless they are beyond my control. I feel that errors cause some sort of disruption, and therefore, I keep things in perspective to prevent or minimize them. Does the non-punitive culture have any impact on organizational safety? How can it be improved? Work Cited Sepp, J., and P. Tint. “The Components of Non-Punitive Environment in Nursing.” Safety of Technogenic Environment, vol. 8, no. 1, 2017, pp. 24–30.
Introduction After the major wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, museums were set up for photography and this trend continues even in contemporary times. Photographers started breaking free from the repressive structures of taking straight artistic and documentary expression pictures. The documenters then begun to probe the social landscape, which mostly mirrored their real life experiences – the fretfulness and alienation of the urban lifestyle. Consequently, these introspections caused increased personal form of documentary photography. Many young photographers then felt that the documentary aspect was better than collage and multiple images. Because of the message that photography communicates, it has been used to expose some truths that can even be used for solving crimes. This paper compares Weegee and Goldin’s photography to address the connection between the middle years of the twentieth century, when photography began to expose realities in life, and the modern distrustful era. Capturing Reality Both Weegee and Goldin are of American-Jewish decent (Mirzoeff 78). Both their works mainly feature the east coast city life and cover a wide range of themes, but in essence concentrated on violence, crime, and sexual transgression (Blair 2). Both these build their reputation from photography and essay books (Mirzoeff 78). Arthur Fellig, herein referred to as Weegee, (His famous nickname) became famous because of the Naked City book in 1945 and photography in it. Nan Goldin came to the limelight after writing The Ballard of Sexual Dependency in 1986 (Blair 2). It is also fascinating to note that, both these artists featured photographs of Duke and Duchess of Windsor as a unique example of romantic passion (Mirzoeff 78). Besides the named similarities, these artists had some differences because of their attitude towards their works. While Weegee mainly used his camera as a tool of voyeurism, Goldin often turned the lens on herself, probably because she felt guilty to intrude where she was not accepted or little known (Mirzoeff 78). In most of photography that Weegee did, he depicted the city’s underclass lifestyle – the environment where he had grown up (Keller 8). The images of people at a crime scene or a beach helped Weegee reveal the squalor, brutality, and rawness of life in the City (Fellig 10). Weegee was a shameless voyeur who exploited the sensational event and humanity degradation to expose real life in urban centres (Mirzoeff 78). Some people describe him as compassionate based on the photographs taken, and he helped solve crimes in his city- crime lifestyle he could easily have fallen in during his days (Mirzoeff 78). Therefore, photography helped him escape this lifestyle (Fellig10). Source: Amber Online. The crowd seems to have turned to look at the camera, which was at an elevate
Introduction The paranormal effect phenomena as a field of study have some divergent definitions that have sprung over for quite a long time and have developed several concerns as to its direction (Barr 31). The definition involves the concepts of spirits’ existence, unseen medium, mysterious subjects or objects, cult worship, magnetotherapy, redesthesia, enrgotherapy and many other phenomena (Lowski 689). In the physics study, it is considered an area that is continuously in existence. This is because it is concerned with matter with its elements, comprised of all aspects of existence and can never be depleted but only transformed to another. To physicists, it is only the methodology and setting for research that change everyday and this triggers the formation of several hypotheses to offer an explanation to any happenings or paranormal change of event, not content. The scientific study of paranormal belief began with the study of superstitions (Irwin 215). He observes that during the fast decades of 20 th century, superstitious beliefs were very common and were widely regarded in the educational circles as an indicator of the level of ignorance within the general community. Therefore Dresslar (215) as cited in Irwin (36) observed, “for the good cause of education, we must not fail to recognize the fact that underneath what passes for average culture there lies undisturbed a great mass of irrational predisposition”. From this observation, and particularly after the World War I and II, several researchers embarked on the mission to find the underlying factors that engendered superstitiousness and subsequently to develop educational programs that might effectively be implemented to undermine such kind of belief (Irwin 36). But the evaluation of paranormal belief appears to have persisted. Pioneered by the parapsychologists (physical researchers), its existence nevertheless created little impact on the explanations of the underlying reasons for the then widespread belief. This paper discusses how paranormal effect has been evaluated and viewed in the perspective of physicists and its impact in the overall study of physics. The Dimensional Aspect of Paranormal Belief The whole acceptance of paranormal belief seemingly began in 1970 when researchers started acknowledging the wider dimensionality of paranormal effect. In fact before the acceptance, many researchers posed very fundamental questions concerning the dimensionality and the limit of measurement of the phenomenon. Is paranormal belief a single or multidimensional phenomenon or do some
Continuous improvement is a famous frequently used process in the sphere of management. In this paper, three articles about continuous management from the TQM Journal are chosen for the analysis. The authors of these articles demonstrate different approaches for the evaluation of the method and help to investigate it from different perspectives. For example, Becker and Glascoff (2014) explain that continuous improvement influences the sphere of leadership considerably and that the historical overview of Deming’s attempts to investigate the methods of quality improvement should help to clarify the issue. In their article, Knouse et al. (2009) focus on the possible impact of Deming’s ideas on the modern century and the necessity to consider such areas as customer satisfaction, professional accreditation, supply-side management, human errors, and business ethics. Finally, the article by Breja, Banwet and Iyer (2016) evaluates continuous improvement in terms of business sustainability demonstrated by several winning companies. Each article is the possibility to look at continuous improvement under different from a different angle and understand its importance in the field of management in a modern world. In the articles under analysis, the authors underline their findings and explain the goals of their investigations thoroughly. Breja, Banwet and Iyer (2016) explain that the implementation of TQM and the Deming Prize scheme could help many companies to understand the worth improvement by means of sustainability in excellence and strategic flexibility. Nowadays, many companies are ready to follow the suggestions of Edwards Deming to clarify the ways that are applicable in certain situations. Managers have to ask as many questions as possible in order to understand what achievements have been already noticed and what goals could be achieved in future. It is not always easy to accept the fact that improvement is the requirement that could save a company, and some managers have to take a long way to come to the right conclusion. In comparison to the article written by Breja, Banwet and Iyer, the project offered by Knouse et al. (2009) demonstrates another approach to understanding the worth of continuous improvement. The authors admit that the improvement process cannot be neglected by both managers and leaders. In case managers help organizations to stay productive and sustainable (Knouse et al. 2009), leaders have to use continuous improvement as the means to inspire people and create the environment where contributions and success could be observed. The peculiar feature of this article is the recognition of leadership as a crucial part of development. Organizations cannot be improv