ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Hal is encountering a situation where it cannot meet its short-term liquidity requirements. As such, most of its cheques issued to its supplies are bouncing owing to the insufficient amounts in the bank. Cash flow is a key indicator of the financial situation of an entity as opposed to revenues statements that may contain non-cash revenues, which give a deceptive picture. In Hal’s case, there are a variety of reasons that are triggering the liquidity problems. First, most of its sales are made on credit. Only 10 percent of its turnover are on cash basis. This limits the amounts of liquid funds in the entity. Furthermore, the rate at which the amounts are paid is low. This further compounds the problem that Hal is facing. Once credits sale are made, the debtor should pay up within three months. However, Hal only considers any payment of debtors as late once it exceeds ten months from the due date. This is a lengthy period that Hal has provided. Subsequently, the debtors can delay payments for a long period without any consequences. This situation has contributed significantly to the liquidity problems in the entity since most of its funds may be held up as debtors (Coyle, 2000). The entity also has many cash commitments. These commitments include the cash payments of the material delivered by suppliers. Additionally, it pays its employees promptly. The cash requirements in this entity are massive after its suppliers denied them credit facilities. Subsequently, the cash requirements in the entity will outstrip Hal’s cash inflows. The entity also incurs a certain cost when collecting funds form cash sales. The above problems have resulted in the current liquidity problems that Hal is encountering (Nesvetailova, 2010). Solutions The only way to solve the above liquidity situation is by boosting Hal’s cash inflows. First, the entity should attempt to increase its cash remittances by encouraging cash payments. Hal can accomplish this by proposing discounts to clientele ready to transact on cash basis. By adopting such measures its can increase the proportion of its cash sales to about 15-20%. The second measure the entity should undertake is to change the manner in which its debtors pay their debts. The entity should demand that debtors pay on a 50-30-20 basis. This will ensure that the entity has adequate funds. The remittances by the debtors have been a key cause of financial woes at Hal. The entity should also reduce the period beyond which remittances are considered late. Currently, Hal allows ten months. Hal should reduce the period to six months. This would boost the rate of payment of its debts. Additionally, the entity should enact penalties for late payments. Instituting such policies would increase discipline in the remittance of the debts. Hal should also seek an institution that will charge lower that 2.5% for deposits made. This is a significant margin which has reduced this entity’s funds levels. Finally, the entity should negotiate better terms with the various parties it pays. Suppliers have denied them credit faci
Many people use the words “authority” and “power” interchangeably. However, these words have some striking differences in their meanings. Political thinkers explain the concept of power using individuals who hold specific positions. The term “power” refers to a person’s ability to control other people’s thoughts, actions, beliefs, or ideas (Garner, Ferdinand, Lawson & Macdonald, 2012). The concept of power goes further to explain how individuals can realize their potentials or achieve a specific “end” (Garner et al., 2012). More often than not, power is what gives people the capability to influence others. An influential person will encourage others to carry out specific actions. The concept of authority explains how a person can command or control a specific situation. Authority is usually the ability to make others do a person’s will. The concept of authority explains how certain people can enforce various orders or demand obedience from other people. Authority is the right to get things and ideas executed by other people. Those who have authority can make decisions and give orders accordingly (Garner et al., 2012). One thing about management is that it is closely related to power. However, the authority has “degrees.” This explains why certain people, such as dictators, have complete authority to execute whatever they wish. This is not the case for a “powerful” person. From the discussion presented above, it is easier to apply these two concepts to specific individuals and institutions’ role. To begin with, the idea of authority is correctly applied to a Canadian Supreme Court Justice because the court can pass legislation and influence certain practices and laws in the country. The Supreme Court can command a specific situation or legislation. The country’s president might not be able to control or make a decision about particular legislation (Garner et al., 2012). The Supreme Court always passes legislation, thus reshaping the laws gove
The American dream 2013 focuses on making life better for its citizens and immigrants. It entails the aggressiveness instilled in the residents of America once they find themselves in various quagmires of life. The dream aims at improving the living standards of the Americans by ensuring they seize any opportunity that comes their way. Money should not be the major point of focus when seizing the opportunities but rather hard work. According to the dream, opportunities should not be let go just because of the little returns associated with them. These opportunities should be exploited as it may result in rising up the ranks to their desired levels of success. In the article “homeless on campus,” Aesha does not let her current situation define her character. She remains focused on her education even after being thrown out by her boyfriend rendering her homeless, yet she has a son to take care of and her dream of pursuing an education yet to be achieved. “It was horrible,” Aesha says. “We slept on benches, and it was very crowded. I was so scared I sat on my bag and held onto the stroller day and night, from Friday to Monday.” (Bader par. 2), she could have given up on her education dream as well, but her determination forces her to find solutions to all her problems. “I spend almost eight hours a day on the trains,” she says. “I have to leave the shelter at 5:00 a.m. for the Bronx where my girlfriend watches my son for me. I get to her house around 7:00. Then I have to travel to school in Brooklyn–the last stop on the train followed by a bus ride–another two hours away.” (Bader par. 3). Aesha finds a place to reside after spending several hours in the cold. She also finds a friend to take care of her son as she pursues her education. This is exactly what the American dream entails. Yes, every American resident should be entitled to the American dream 2013. The dream aims at instilling the spirit of hard work among the residents, and it will make life better for the citizens. The crime rate will reduce as the number of idle people will decrease as a result of achieving the American dream in 2013. The number of homeless people will also reduce since everyone will work hard to ensure they afford such basic needs. The American economy is also likely to improve as a result of realizing the American dream 2013 since most of the residents are likely to indulge in productive activities as stipulated in the American dream of 2013. Some of the ways through which the American dream 2013 can be availed to the citizens include; increasing opportunities, motivational talks, equipping people with the relevant skills and cheap loans offered by the government. The government can also create opportunities for the jobless by increasing the number of industries in America. Thus, most of the residents will find job opportunities and hence reducing the rate of unemployment. Motivational talks and journals should be availed to the residents regularly.
Abstract The issue of gay marriages has been discussed for quite a while from a number of perspectives; however, its economic aspects are rarely touched upon. In their article Firms balk at gay weddings, Nathan Koppel and Ashey Jones shed some light on the controversy surrounding the provision of services regarding the arrangement of same sex weddings from the perspective of the people who are against gay marriages. Among the key ethical dilemmas that are related to the issue in question, the conflict between religious beliefs and the necessity to provide the aforementioned services, the issue regarding the company’s needs v. its duty to comply with the rights of their staff, and the comparison of racial discrimination to same sex marriages profiling deserves mentioning. Introduction: The Issue of Gay Marriages as the Major Dilemma of the XXI Century Gay marriages are doubtlessly a hot-button issue in the XXI century. Weirdly enough, the controversy around gay marriages not only affects the aspects of people’s social lives, but also influences the business world, changing it at a much faster pace than its stakeholders may want to. As Nathan Koppel and Ashey Jones explain in their article Firms balk at gay weddings, because of the incongruity between the need to provide homosexual people with their indefeasible rights and the necessity to comply with the moral, religious and social standpoints of the people employed in the wedding related industries, a number of dilemmas arise. Discrimination Issue and the Fifth Amendment: People’s Irrefutable Rights On the one hand, Koppel and Jones’s mentioning the Fifth Amendment clearly works in favor of the sexual minorities and their right to be married, seeing how in a range of states, legal regulations “ban businesses from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation” (Koppel & Jones, 2013, October 2, p. A3). On the other hand, making staff provide services to the people whose marriage is contrary to the staff’s beliefs can be seen as the staff’s rights infringement. This duty-based dilemma is clearly one of the hardest to solve. However, of all the arguments, the given one is clearly the weakest, seeing how in the choice between one’s right to be treated equally and one’s right to have personal preferences, the former is obviously the superior one. Gay Marriage as a Concept Contrary to Some of the Existing Theologies There is no denying that some of the existing religions prohibit the very idea of homosexuality, not to mention the discussions of homosexual relationships legitimacy or the possibility of gay marriage. Hence, the companies that provide the services related to wedding arrangement and marriage to both straight and homosexual people will clearly be out of favor among the people belonging to such religious confessions. Therefore, the SMEs (small and medium entrepreneurships) that dare to cross the line between providing facilities for straight and gay marriages will clearly be out of favor among more conservative clients and will
Abstract Since previous studies suggest that people with cystic fibrosis and pancreatic insufficiency tend to be deficient in fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, the study endeavored to establish whether vitamin A intake could lead to elevation of serum retinol levels in the blood. Serum retinol levels were measured in 78 participants who were between 8 to 25 years. Assessments were done using high-performance liquid chromatography. These were subsequently compared to NHANES data obtained from participants having similar ages. Measurements of vitamin A intake, anthropometry, and FVE1 were undertaken. Assessment of these measurements was then done. Fifty-eight percent of the participants did not feature in the NHANES reference range. Intake of vitamin A was above the recommended dietary allowance of 600+431% (Maqbool et al 2008). There was no correlation between serum retinol and vitamin A intake, age of the participants and their sexes. However, there was an inverse correlation between serum retinol with weight and height of z-scores in participants with Cystic Fibrosis. The study, therefore, arrived at a conclusion that intake of vitamin A and serum level was high in participants with CF and PI. Introduction The study was initiated courtesy of a previous study whose findings showed high retinal concentration in individuals with cystic fibrosis and pancreatic insufficiency which was contrary to the belief that these conditions make such people fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption. The study intended to state vitamin A status and to approve or disapprove the initial research findings with participants having a broader age range. Materials and Methods Participants were both children and young adults whose ages ranged between 8 to 25 years. They both exhibited CF and PI conditions. They were picked from pediatric and CF facilities. An inclusion criterion was majorly anchored on the diagnosis of CF and PI using standard methods. Participants with other major medical conditions were never allowed to take part in the study likewise to those who had less than 40% FEV1 (Maqbool et al 2008). After the collection of serum, retinol analysis was done by HPLC. The levels were then compared with those of NHANES’ ranges from age-equivalent white participants. Heights and weights were measured using a stadiometer and a digital scale. Z-scores were calculated. Pulmonary function was worked out using standard methods. Dietary intake for 3-day weighed food was determined by research technicians. Vitamin A intake in participants with cystic fibrosis was corroborated. Test for normality and skewness was conducted for all variables. Group comparisons were tested with the help of either Student’s T-test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Presentation of data was done in terms of mean+ or –standard deviation, the calculated median values, and range. In testing significant variation between variables, spearman rank correlations were employed. Results The 78 participants who took part in the study all had serum retinol, anthropometry, and FEV1. Nine percent of the participants took part i
The selected country for this discussion is Brazil. This nation is currently the third largest consumer of electricity in the Americas. The energy market in the state is projected to reach 6 billion US dollars by the year 2019. The amount of imports is also expected to rise by almost 1 billion US dollars within the next three years. This paper gives a detailed analysis of this nation’s electricity system. The existing problems are also identified. Suggestions for regulatory improvement are offered in order to improve performance. Regulation and Organization of Brazil’s Electricity System The electricity market in Brazil is regulated and managed by the National Electricity Agency (ANEEL). The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) also formulates and implements appropriate policy issues and developments. ANEEL regulates every tender involving electricity distribution. It is also tasked with various roles such as setting tariffs for consumers in the market. The agency maintains a favorable economic balance to ensure that the quantity of distributed energy meets the needs of different consumers and results in return on investment (ROI). Currently, there is an unregulated system that is liberalized and controlled
All organizations including global manufacturing and services organizations have some function to perform. Organizations exist in order to achieve objectives and to provide satisfaction to their members. Organizations enable goals and objectives to be achieved that could not be achieved by individuals on their own. Through cooperative action, members of an organization can provide a synergistic effect. Organizations are an integral part of society involving both public and private sectors (Corporate Document Repository, 2009). The management of organizations has changed dramatically due to advancements in technology, globalization, new opportunities for doing business, and the changing customers’ needs. Therefore this section looks at the management change in organizations with regards to organizational culture and globalization. The effective management of people takes place in the context of the wider environmental setting, including the changing patterns of organizations and attitudes to work. It is frequently documented that a global economy, increased business competitiveness, the move towards more customer-driven markets, advances in scientific knowledge, especially telecommunications and office automation, and the downsizing of organizations have led to a period of constant change in the organizational management and the need for greater organizational flexibility (Mullins, 2004). For this reason, the organizational culture of many companies has changed over time. Culture reflects the underlying assumptions about the way work is performed; what is acceptable and not acceptable, and what actions and behavior are encouraged and discouraged within a company. The culture and structure of an organization develop over time and in response to a complex
The main goal of any business is to maximize its profit and minimize its costs. In the harsh reality of capitalism, companies struggle to represent and secure every interest of their workers. Giant corporations such as Amazon or Walmart often cut their costs on the working conditions, which, on the one hand, increases the profit for the business owners, and on the other hand, risks receiving massive backlash from the public. However, companies with a serious attitude towards their social and environmental responsibilities gain an important attribute that every business should thrive for – sustainability. One of such companies is an American corporation 3M that is based in Maplewood, Minnesota. They operate in various fields of worker safety, healthcare, and consumer goods. In its 2021 Sustainability Report, the company demonstrates their operational processes that are aimed to achieve the United Nations Sustainability Goals. The company constructed the sustainability priority matrix where it explains what programs it applies. One of their main goals is “to invest $50 million to address racial opportunity gaps in the U.S. through workforce development and STEM education initiatives by 2025” (3M 2021 Sustainability Report, 2021, p. 54). They also make serious progress in reducing waste, global water usage, emissions, and improve energy efficiency. The working staff is an essential part of any business. Kucharska and Kowalczyk (2018) explain how practicing corporate social responsibility improves a company’s performance. The company plays a crucial role in shaping the workers’ morale and motivation. The workplace behavior directly depends on the company’s working culture. The workers who feel secure in their workplace experience less stress and emotional instability; therefore, they tend to focus better on their job. For example, women are more likely to experience sexual harassment from their male colleagues, which creates an unsafe working environment. The management, who immediately responds to the complaints of their female employees in an emphatic manner and makes sure that the offenders receive punishment, develops a bond between themselves and the staff. 3M specifically created CEO Inclusion Council that “focuses on action planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives” (3M 2021 Sustainability Report, 2021, p. 71). Knowing that their interests are represented, workers are more motivated to provide high-quality performance for the company. Socia
Introduction The 20th century witnessed increased transport needs and as this became evident, there arose need to device and adopt a transport mode that had capability to respond to problems of road congestion, environmental issues, and traffic safety. At the same time, majority of stakeholders envisioned a transport mode that had capacity to enhance speed and agility as far as supply chain was concerned. The convectional logistic services were becoming inappropriate as the transport needs increased. This led to emergence of intermodal transport concept, which involved combining at least two modes of transport in a single transport chain (Dewitt and Clinger, n.d). Intermodal transportation thus became the avenue for integrating multiple modes of transport, and this provided flexible response to the changing supply chain management that the world required, as global markets and distribution systems became key features of modernizing world (Dewitt and Clinger, n.d). The end of 20th century and the start of 21st century saw intensified global activities to improve the efficiency of intermodal transport, and this is motivated by changing global supply chains. As it stands now, the new century is likely to witness growth of intermodal transport as logistics and global supply chain needs increase, congestion and environmental concerns accelerate, and also the advancement of ICT. More so, it is predicted that the new intermodal transport in modern world is going to build upon technology, information, customer service, and regulation, which require stakeholders’ comprehensive preparation for the new changes. Intermodal transport in USA and Europe America and Europe have maintained close ties for a long time. This can be linked to commerce activities between the two regions that have accelerated and continued to increase with time. According to some analysts, Europe remains a strategic partner to USA in terms of commerce and related activities (Tyrinopoulos and Giannopoulos, n.d). As the needs of transport between the two regions increase, there has been emergence of global dimension of freight transport between the two regions; this has led to increased cargo flows between Europe and America. Cooperation remains critical to the success of commerce in these two regions, and intermodal freight transport is seen as the avenue to realize transport needs of the two regions (Tyrinopoulos and Giannopoulos, n.d). Intermodal transport in United States and Europe continues to be significant in the movement of freight, and this can be associated with growth being w