ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Business Insourcing In the business world, it is critical to make strategic human resource decisions that substitutes outsourcing of labor. Reflectively, in-sourcing is the process of adding or building new units within a business with an intention of importing or using local labor that could have been outsourced. Thus, this reflective treatise attempts to explicitly review the advantages and disadvantages to insourcing in United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and United Arabs Emirates (UAE). Countries that Insource Due to the rapid growth in the economies of the US, UK, and UAE, insourcing has been necessary to maintain the required skills in the technical disciplines such as information technology and mechanics. For instance, in the last four years, many companies such as Google and Dell have continued to insource IT experts from Asia to correct their imbalance in the programming department. In UK, Tesco Company has insourcing their supply chain which was based in America. In the UAE, the government has been active in insourcing labor in their numerous projects that require skilled labor from other parts of Asia, Africa, and the United States. The main reasons for insourcing to these countries include demand for special skills, inability of the local economy to provide enough labor, and expansion opportunities in doing business. Benefits of Insourcing to these Countries Cost reduction and improvement of service benefits is the main advantage of insourcing. As a result, there is direct reduction in operating costs. The second advantage of insourcing is an improvement of service delivery. One of the research surveys included in this dissertation had most of the respondents supporting this advantage although the others favored cost reduction. This in turn has a positive effect on the time taken to offer a certain service, or transaction between the businesses, and their customers. Thus, insourcing some activities would facilitate the establishment of customer care units to facilitate effective communication within the proximity of the market. In addition, insourcing of some of the non-core activities within the retail companies provides considerable benefit from concentrating on the core activities that ensures competence (Tulenko & Garrett 2012). Core functions are the major activities that these businesses should handle in a very sensitive manner. On the other hand, non-core functions tend to be less sensitive to businesses although still important. Fortunately, the growth of IT insourcing in most parts of the world has relieved businesses of the burden of handling these non-core activities from outside the country of their locations. Insourcing companies handle these non-core functions, whereas businesses have a mandate to meet the requirements of core
With improvement in technology in the 21st century, social networks and digital media has overtaken any other form of communication in the world. Technology has speeded up globalization process and in turn witnessed cultural sharing around the globe (Castells 67). The digital media has become one of the most important tools in influencing political and economic affairs. People around the world have become more enlightened about world affairs and their rights. Social networks are free, easy and convenient for people of all lifestyles to open and own an account as long as internet is available. Face Book and Twitter are innovations of the 21st century, which have heavily affected the system of governance. In Egypt, through the social networks, people started staging mass demonstrations in protest against Hosni Mubarak regime pressurizing him to resign in what could be termed as Internet/Twitter Revolution. Overwhelmed by the uprisings, the Egyptian Government resulted in banning Twitter and other social networks, though not directly the government was using Chomsky’s propaganda model to justify themselves. The government argued that the social networks were only interested in tapping the large Egyptian population as a resource and not in providing the crucial information. The government further refuted its image as portrayed on Twitter arguing that the information was biased and not objective. The information, to the regime, was structured in a way it put the masses against their own government (Herman & Chomsky 2). To them Twitter being a foreign owned corporation was only interested in advertising itself, and had no interest in the affairs of the Egyptian people. It was also argued that exiled personalities and anti government movements were using the site to fund the protesters creating chaos and anarchy. Technological advancement especially in the media industry has been the major factor in influencing and speeding the process of globalization. Globalization and the digital media have facilitated more knowledge sharing and collaborations. The social networks are entertaining and at times addictive. This guarantees these sites millions and millions of followers and in the process of socializing information is shared and dispersed. In the recent past, the sites have become more business and political oriented. People have started to question the system of government in their respective countries
Introduction Primarily, under normal sociological grounds, parents are protectors of their own children. No single parent will even imagine of not supporting his or her children socially or educationally. For years now, parents have realized how significant players they are, in determining the educational standards and progresses of their children. In some countries like United Kingdom, educational forums and conferences mainly discuss the benefits of creating strong partnership between parents and schools, and parental impact in child education. Undeniably, parents play a major role in determining the educational standards of their own children. Therefore, parents being the major decision makers, their actions determine whether children receive sound education or otherwise. Any parent has to view education as a commodity of exchange and hence, do the necessary to ensure children prepare well for preschool education. Thus, under this notion, parents behave just like the normal consumers of goods and services. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure whether children wear uniforms, attend good schools, do their homework and participate in any activity paramount to their education. (Hughes, Wikeley & Nash, 1994, pp. 2-8). Even from the periods of under-civilizations, home has been the first educational units where parents assume teaching roles to their children. Nonetheless, education starts with children learning small things first at home and later, complicated ones at school. At home, parents educate their children on the social norms, societal expectations and living skills so important in determining children’s future education. Clearly, proper education to children starts when children learn societal rules, conducts and survival tactics, either from their parents or from society members. Interestingly, the only way young children learn is through imitation. Children imitate what the surrounding elderly people do and always keep parents as role models. For example, children learn simple skills like stances, beliefs, life values and oral communication chiefly, through direct instruction. Various research carried out by educational experts indicate that, the parental care and discipline from parents affect the general behavior of young children. In addition to this, the socioeconomic background of families determines the type of education young children receives. (Bornstein, 2002, pp. 3-17). Thus, parental roles determine the educational values of young children. The paper will examine the role of parents in the education of young children. Parents as Basic Need Providers At early ages of development, children require some basic needs to make their physical growth smooth. These needs prepare the child psychologically in their future preschool education. For example, children need warmth, food and shelter for survival. It is therefore, the conscientiousness of parents to provide these basic needs to their children. However, if parents are not in a position to provide these basic needs, the physical development of young children deteriorates. Poor physical development of children can be associated with the inability of children
Trends of consumption in Japan largely depend on consumer behavior in particular and socio-economic factors in general. Economic and political factors influence consumer behavior because they facilitate various social processes, including supply rates, savings, and foreign good import. All these aspects are also tangible in much larger context that in its turn affects the overall political and economic situation. Interaction between political and economic domains can be regarded as a trigger of social change in industrialized society. What is more important is that both spheres are primarily established in a cultural context. In relation to Japan, much controversy arises concerning the influence of culture on macro-social shifts because there is a strong assumption about impossibility of direct interaction between culture and politics. At the same time, Japan cannot be considered separately from culture because the country is involved in cultural issues in every aspect of social life. Such an argument is enhanced by the richness of Japanese traditions and their influence on behavioral patterns in society. In The Context of Desir
The work of the human resource management in internationally operating organisations is focused on the effective training and development of employees in order to increase the workers’ qualification and create the professional teams in all the departments of the company in spite of their location. From this point, internationally operating organisations develop specific training and development programs which are oriented to improve the employees’ performance and productivity along with contributing to the positive atmosphere at workplace. To guarantee the employees’ career development and professional growth, it is possible to use training and development programs which are retained centrally or handled locally. Thus, on-the-job and online training and development programs along with the cultural awareness programs are effective when they are handled locally, and workshops and seminars can be conducted centrally as well as the specific programs of assessment developed to receive the information about the definite employees’ abilities, achievements, and preferences. Training and development programs are used in companies to increase the employees’ potential and job satisfaction which often results in improving of job performance and productivity (Porter & Tansky 1999). These programs are necessary to provide the employees with the opportunity to develop their career and avoid the significant gap in the employees’ qualification with the help of the appropriate training (Al Ariss 2010). From this perspective, those programs which are oriented to the unification of the work of all the international company’s departments should be conducted centrally. Internal specialists can conduct theoretical lectures and practical seminars and workshops in order to provide the multinational specialists with the knowledge of the specifics of the company’s work. The employees’ results and achievements should be also assessed centrally. Moreover, specific assessment programs which are conducted centrally are necessary to examine the employees’ competencies and skills with references to the company’s standards and requirements (Sims 2007). If the necessary training and development programs are not based on the company’s central office, employees do not receive the necessary knowledge about the requirements and standards followed within the organization. Much attention should be paid to the cross-training activities and expatriate training. The focus on the international assignments as the component of the development programs is effective for improving the work of the local company’s departments (Bennett, Aston, & Colquhoun 2000). Before receiving the training retained centrally, the employee
Introduction For many years, Mozambique has been held with high regard especially by the donor community. The country has done well on basic poverty reduction. It seems to be right on course in achieving its Millennium Development Goals in the area of reducing child mortality and improving the health of mothers. It has also made significant progress in eradicating extreme poverty. All these are not easy wins especially when one considers that Mozambique had been plagued with years of civil conflict. For it to get a sustainable economy, it needs to work a little harder. Mozambican political culture does not put the interests of the people first; instead it protects the few elites. This has resulted in the erosion of state institutions supposed to provide service delivery and maintain the rule of law. They are therefore, not fit to carry out the functions they were intended to do. As a result many societal ills have emerged. The biggest menace being the nation being used as a highway for human trafficking. Human trafficking in Mozambique Human traffickers have taken advantage of the weak laws in Mozambique especially adoption laws to traffic children out of the country. In recent years, adoption cases have increased in Mozambique where people apply to adopt children by going through all the legal procedures only to end up abusing the kids once they are in their custody. The government was prompted to reconsider giving people adoption rights following the increase in foreigners applying to adopt children especially orphans. Cases have been reported where kids have disappeared after being adopted. Katerere in 2009 argued that this becomes worse especially when the government lacks the capacity to keep an eye on the lives of these kids outside the country (Katerere 1). Trafficking through adoption Trafficking of children through adoption is just a tip of the iceberg, human trafficking through local crime syndicates is the most prominent trafficking crime committed in Mozambique. Despite the fact that efforts have been made to curb cross-border trafficking as seen in the media, this has proved to be a menace that will not go away. The reason for this goes back to the fact the government in place has failed to put the interests of its people as a priority. Poverty and a culture that allows young girls to be married off at tender ages, lack of law provisions that can prosecute human traffickers, are some of the reasons that have led to the thriving of this vice in Mozambique (UNESCO 41). Many of those who are trafficked come from poor areas. Parents are easily deceived that their children will be given well paying jobs to propel them out of poverty. Mozambique is not only a source of people who are trafficked; it is also serves as an international transit point for human trafficking. People from African countries, and recently from Asia, are trafficked via Mozambique into South Africa, the hub of human trafficking (Wome
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a managed healthcare company that has operated both in the US and global healthcare market for more than forty years, becoming one of the leading medical service providers worldwide. While operating two primary business branches, Optum and UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group, Inc. managed to excel a total revenue of $257 billion, outrunning the vast majority of its competitors (United States Security and Exchange Commission [SEC], 2021). However, in order to define the potential of the company’s development, as well as its current socio-economic and political environment, A PEST analysis will be conducted. According to Clarke (2019), the basic PEST analysis includes an overview of political and regulatory forces, the prevailing economic systems and growth rates, socio-cultural aspects of the target demographics, and the technological aspects of the market. Hence, all these factors will be included in the following assessment. Political Factors UnitedHealth Group, Inc. is a multinational managed care company with headquarters located in Minnesota, US. While operating in more than thirty countries, the company itself outlines functioning in the US, India, Brazil, Ireland, Philippines, and the UK (“About us”, 2021). The phenomenon of political stability is one of the fundamental factors to consider when analyzing a company, as it serves as a catalyst to the development of either a beneficial or detrimental operational environment for a business. Thus, considering the countries UnitedHealth Group. Inc. operates in the most, the most politically stable states are the UK and Ireland, as their stability indexes are positive and constitute 0.47 and 0.98, respectively (World Bank, 2021). The other states indicate the following negative margins: -0.02 for the US, -0.42 for Brazil, -0.86 for India, and -0.79 for the Philippines (World Bank, 2021). Hence, it becomes evident that the company currently operates in politically unstable environments, which means that they are to take a proactive approach in anticipating economic and socio-political changes that may affect the trading patterns. In the context of health care, it is also of paramount importance to dwell on the notion of trade and pricing regulations that interfere with the industry. Since the majority of the company’s income derives from monthly insurance premiums paid by UnitedHealthcare’s clients, it is necessary to establish the extent to which such public policies as the Affordable Care Act of 2010 influence the enterprise’s pricing and trade decisions. Hence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2019), public regulations play a vital role in managing managed care providers, as health care costs, mostly incompatible with the population’s standards of living, are prioritized in the global political agenda. Thus, for example, UnitedHealthcare is larg
Introduction Political science studies administration and governance structures and analyzes political processes and behaviors. This science applies various methods to conduct social research (Daigneault & Béland 2015). Among other approaches, three are more significant. These are positivism, interpretivism, and institutionalism. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the positivism theory to determine its strengths and weaknesses. Positivism Positivism is a term relating to the philosophy that underlines scientific approaches and experimentally acquired information. Such a concept presents the world as an object for observation through which a person can gain knowledge (Halfpenny 2014). Researchers have to focus on general ideas rather than specific rules. The main positivism thesis is that the world does not depend on people’s knowledge of it. This thesis is based on a foundationalist ontology (Marsh & Stoker 2010). Positivism is also presented in sociology as one of the methods to study social phenomena. One of the first scientists who applied this principle was Galileo Galilei. He suggested a new system that described the Moon, stars, and moons of Jupiter (Csunderlik 2016). The methods he used contradicted contemporaries and went against the Church. Around the same time, Francis Bacon presented a combination of inferences and empirical data. He refused to apply deductive techniques in scientific research. Afterward, John Locke and David Hume created the main principles of the modern positivism theory that was based on the works of Francis Bacon. The term positivism has changed its meaning over time. However, some major aspects are still the same. One of them is the importance of sensory experience (Campbell 2016). This idea might be found in various ancient works, though positivism is mainly a result of the age of Enlightenment. It was a new alternative for metaphysics that was deeply rooted in epistemology. Scientists strived to achieve knowledge of the real nature of the world. However, metaphysics offered only abstract ideas and implications. Therefore, information that positivists used was obtained via the application of empirical techniques. Also, such methods could be successfully adapted for social studies. Hence, positivism spread from science to humanities. Scholars began to scrutinize correlations among social groups to identify key trends, operating various scientific instruments. The generalization of the concept of positivism united numerous philosophers, researchers, and scientists. However, this theory underwent several transformations. This process was triggered by the strong necessity of socioeconomic development (Bernstein et al. 2000). Scholars needed to discover methods that would not depend on place and time. Epistemological theories could not assist in overcoming emerging challenges. Hence, techniques like experimentation, comparison, and observation became more widely disseminated. Researchers revealed the real human potential that could be utilized to promote the progress of society. Afterward, fo
Introduction The transformation of any society brings about a lot of change in terms of culture and social institutions. This social change is inevitable-it happens all the time. A society that goes through the processes of urbanization, industrialization and any social change is completely transformed and transforms the lives of the people. Societies evolve from backwardness to certain levels of civilization and development and are thus referred to as modern. Main text Modernization in the United States is manifested in different ways. Modernization is marked by inequalities. The social structures available are more concerned with modernity rather than the social ties in the society. This has led to the society being stratified. The issue of some people being rich or famous as a result of modernity further weakens the social ties in the society. According to the theory of Class Society, modernity has brought about social stratification. This is because people have opted to choose certain lifestyles. This has led the people in the United States to be more individualized. This in return has weakened the human society that used to exist. (Gilman, 2007 pp.222) Modernity in the United States is a lot of self-centeredness. For instance a very small percentage in the United States is rich. Most of the wealth is controlled by a few millionaires. While as there are a lot of people who are poor. The gap between the rich and the poor is big. This is because the businessmen who control the wealth of the country are concerned about maximizing their profits. The poor do not have any control over the wealth of the nation. Modernization is going to continue in the United States. This is because the social structures that bring about change have already been established. The changes that were brought by industrialization and urbanization are deeply rooted in the society, meaning that modernization will still continue in the United States. For instance industrialization led to the expansion of the economy, this is by making goods and services available to the people. Today, people still seek more goods and services which bring about change in their lives. (Ronald, 2006 pp.36-55) Modernization is a worldwide trend. Every nation in the world is trying to be modern. Cultural modernity is especially affecting many nations in the world, making modernization a worldwide trend. Education is one thing that brings about modernization. Each nation is seeking to educate its citizen. Even societies that did not value girl-child education have learned the importance of education for both boys and girls. Education is one main indicator that a society’s/nations culture is modern. Other indicators include:   * Education for men and women (average education).   * Population that lives in the urban centers.   * Workforce that are women (salaried). The above are some of the characteristics that are found in many nations showing that modernization is a worldwide trend. Nations are trying to modernize their culture and a lot of other things. Modernization has a lot of consequence