ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Group Counseling: Basics   * Group Counseling: a method of therapy implying counseling a group of people.   * Rationale: necessity to encourage multicultural and interpersonal communication.   * Task groups: managing a task.   * Psychoeducational groups: encouraging self-education.   * Counseling: psychological assistance.   * Psychotherapy: resolving a complex psychological issue.   * Brief groups: fast resolution of a current concern. The significance of group counseling is becoming increasingly high in the modern globalized environment. Due to the necessity to function within a society and engage in interpersonal and often multicultural interactions, people need to learn to address complex issues in a group. There are different types of groups, including task, psychoeducational, counseling, psychotherapy, and brief ones. A task group is focused on managing a particular assignment. Psychoeducational groups help participants learn new information and develop specific skills. Counseling groups help address psychological issues without causing massive changes to one’s personality. Psychotherapy groups, in turn, allow focusing on a certain psychological concern. Finally, brief groups require managing a particular issue within a restricted amount of time (Jacobs, Schimmel, Masson, & Harvill, 2015). Group Counseling: Task Groups and Brief Groups   * Task Groups:       + Focused on a particular assignment;       + Deployed in a workplace setting;       + Require collaboration between participants.   * Brief Groups:       + Are time-bound;       + Address a single concern;       + Explore a wider range of topics. Task groups and brief groups have a lot in common in terms of how problems are managed within them. Therefore, the choice of a specific strategy hinges on rather intricate details concerning the group that needs counseling and especially its members. For instance, both groups are focused on addressing a particular assignment, yet task groups are not bound by time constraints as opposed to brief groups. Furthermore, addressing work-related issues is the primary goal of task groups. As a rule, the agenda of task groups does not go any further. Brief groups, in turn, can be devoted to any subject as long as they are kept short and concise. Thus, a wider range of issues is embraced, yet the participants only have the opportunity to develop a rather superficial solution to them. Group Counseling: Psychoeducational Groups, Psychotherapy Groups, and Counseling Groups   * Psychoeducational Groups: focus on promotion of psychological knowledge and communication skills;   * Psychotherapy Groups: solution of psychological issues and provision of assistance;   * Counseling Groups: management of current issues without an in-depth analysis of personal problems (Corey, 2015). In the existing taxonomy, there is a set of groups that are supposed to explore psychological issues rather than task-related ones. Thus, the focus is on internal concerns rather than on external ones in the specified scenario. Th
Introduction A large Australian manufacturing firm is keen to internationalise by a Greenfield foreign direct investment via sole ownership in Sri Lanka as a developing country and Taiwan as a developed nation. The essay focuses on advantages and disadvantages of investing in each country, legal systems, and political, cultural, and economic risks. It concludes by showing the best country to host the company’s foreign direct investment. Advantages and Disadvantages of Investing in Taiwan and Sri Lanka The Heritage Foundation 2013 Index of Economic Freedom shows that Taiwan is among the most competitive countries in economic freedom with a score of 72.7, which ranks it 20 th (The Heritage Foundation, 2013b). It improved by 0.8 points relative to the previous year’s score. This shows that the country has made significant gains in labour, business, and corruption reforms. Its corporate tax rate is 17 percent. Taiwan has experienced significant economic improvement since 2009. Improved commercial codes and free market policies have facilitated growth in the private sector. The country has huge growth potential (PKF Taiwan, 2011). Although the government control has declined, corruption has continued to hinder economic growth in the country. In addition, rigid labour market practices have also affected the growth. According to the Heritage Foundation 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, Sri Lanka scored 60.7 points. The country has improved against its previous score by 2.4 points to claim 81 st place in the ranking (The Heritage Foundation, 2013a). The country made the progress in “fiscal freedom, investment freedom, and the control of government spending” (The Heritage Foundation, 2013a). It has improved on foreign exchange transactions and taxes (top corporate tax is 28 percent). Sri Lanka has not instituted sound reforms for economic stability. Moreover, the country has weak institutions, which have failed to protect investors against corruption and property rights. Economic reforms have yielded poor outcomes (Balamurali and Bogahawatte, 2004). Sri Lanka has streamlined procedures for setting up a new business, but licensing could take over 200 days. Still, the labour market suffers major “inefficiency due to discrepancies in supply and demand” (The Heritage Foundation, 2013a). The country also faces soaring inflation. There are non-tariff barriers that affect investments in Sri Lanka. Although the country has improved in controlling foreign exchange transactions, the state has continued to control credit allocation due to high rates of non-performing loans. Still, it has bureaucratic procedures and poor infrastructures. The Effects of Legal Systems on the Business Taiwan has a strong legal system that “protects investors, property rights, and maintains the rule of law” (The He
One should perfectly realize the fact that the crime scene investigation is an extremely important and, at the same time, complex process that determines the success of the whole case and contributes to the improved comprehending of the main issues related to the problematic situation. For this reason, there are numerous aspects that should be taken into account to guarantee that specialists will be able to make credible conclusions using objects found in the area. There are also specific rules and regulations that should be observed to guarantee that an officer who arrives on the scene before the investigators preserve all proofs and accomplishes his/her tasks at a high level. Only under these conditions, some positive outcomes could be expected. Nevertheless, it should be said that the first officer is responsible for a number of things and actions that should be performed in terms of the crime scene investigation. It is possible to say that he/she becomes one of the main contributors to the positive final results as in case proofs or pieces of evidence are replaced or disturbed, a specialist could hardly make a credible conclusion and restore the image of the crime in a right way. In this regard, we could assume that the first officer should possess a set of skills and deep knowledge related to the crime scene investigation to be able to provide his/her colleagues with credible and untouched materials. The complexity of this task gives rise to a number of crucial concerns that should be discussed here. First of all, having arrived at the crime scene, an officer has to ensure that the safety and well-being of people found in the area are not endangered (“The role of the first responder,” n.d.). The fact is that there could be numerous potential hazards that resulted in the appearance of the emergent situation and their elimination is one of the most crucial tasks of the officer (Shiro, n.d.). He/she should protect himself/herself, people around, and other facilities. Having performed these actions, the officer should also help an injury if they are present in the area. These are very important tasks that guarantee that no more victims will appear. In this regard, the police officer should be ready to accomplish this task and assure that people realize the great potential danger that might come from the crime scene. Therefore, once all people have been informed about the danger, it is crucial to prepare the crime scene for further
Introduction Ironic is a song by Alanis Morissette, a Canadian-American alternative rock singer, and songwriter (1996). The song was released in 1996 and was the third song Morissette wrote together with the songwriter and record producer Glen Ballard. Despite receiving significant popularity at the time, the song is majorly notable for instantly capturing the attention of the media, and receiving a lot of debate and criticism over the perceived “unironic” content of its lyrics. This criticism was based on the fact that few of the situations described in the songs fit the traditional definition of irony as a “situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result” (“Irony Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary” par.1). The debate received a lot of coverage, prompting responses from critics, comedians, satirists, and integrated itself into the pop culture. The purpose of this literature review is to study the lyrics and the meaning behind it, as well as evaluate the validity of the intended message. Analysis The song consists of three verses, which relate several supposedly ironic situations. The first verse begins by talking about a ninety-eight-year-old man, who won the lottery but died the very next day and proceeds to describe several other misfortunes. The other verses and the chorus text has similar content, portraying a man who crashed on his first flight after being afraid of flying his whole life, a traffic jam when one is already late, and a meeting a man of one’s dreams, only to discover him already married. While unquestionably unfortunate, these situations don’t seem to fit the traditional definitions of irony and appear to work better as instances of mere bad luck and, for some, particularly vocal, critics, examples of what irony is not. There is no subversion of the meaning of the situation. On the other hand, the situations described in the song fit far better with the concept of “situational irony”, which is based on a discrepancy between expectations about a situation and the eventual outcome (Watt par.1). While it is unclear how much of it was intended by Morissette, due to her comments about not trying to make everything by-the-book ironic, but all of the situations are based on the characters expecting a particular resolution, which are quickly brought down by a contrary result (Horberry 136). Reflection This song has a lot of focus on situations that create hope and high expectations, and the disheartenment that comes when outside forces, upon which we have no influence, subvert these expectations. Whether these lyrics can be considered “ironic” in their original sense, or not, they still provide an insight into the mind of the authors, and contemplation they
Refined conceptual framework The study required data on the levels of adoption of IT to be collected in order to determine whether its increase or decrease leads to a subsequent increase or decrease in the level of payoffs or profits from the business venture. Different organizations adopt technology at different times or at different capacities hence the effect or outcome differs considerably. Those that easily adopt it are more successful compared to those that do not easily adopt them. The dependent variable in the current study would be the level of information technology adoption in different firms. The dependent variable is usually altered by the researcher during the study. Depending on the level of adoption of the information technology by the organizations, the level of performance and success in terms of profitability would be assessed. The performance of the organizations would be the dependent variable in this case and it would be studied to determine its relationship to the level of adoption. The dependent variable will be a measure of what is to be collected in the field and it is believed that it is greatly altered by the other variable which is the independent one. The mediating variable in this study is technology since it explains the relationship between the dependent and independent variables of the hypothesis in this research. The reason why different levels of payoff are expected for different levels of adoption of information technology is because of the presence or effects of technological advancements. Other companies that have not adopted information technology in their practices and business ventures do not experience the benefits that come with its adoption. Previous research has suggested that the adoption of an electronic marketplace has an effect on the transaction cost and market structure (Lee & Clark, 1996). Information technology is important since it improves the effectiveness of the organization’s transactions hence reduces the costs incurred during such activities during
Introduction The taxation of corporate profits in the United States is a popular topic of discussion among public finance enthusiasts, mostly because corporate revenues are subject to double taxation. Double taxation involves the taxation of profits of the firm as an independent entity, as well as, the individuals after they have been awarded monies by the firm in the form of dividends, or following capital gains. The share of tax revenues from corporate gains has continuously declined from 21% in 1962 to 7.5% in 2003. “The Bush administration passed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 to minimize the taxation of corporate profits at the individual level” (Scholes, 2005); however, it did not impact on taxation at the corporate level. As a result, the issue of double taxation continues to be a key focus for financial debates. This paper looks at the impact of taxes on corporate capital structure. Background Studies show that the current tax system does not provide a favorable environment for business functions. Most businesses are discouraged from organizing as taxable corporations, and miss out in making proper decisions with regard to their communities due to the impact of double taxation (Scholes, 2005). According Scholes (2005), the existing tax system causes more harm to the wealth of the United States than the returns acquired. He claims that the state should result to an impartial tax system that does not influence the financial choices made by corporations, but, instead, promotes economic affairs. Conve
The mission of Starbucks Coffee Company is to “inspire and nurture the human spirit, one cup and one neighbor at a time.” To serve its customers, the company strives to select the highest-quality coffee known as Arabica beans from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The roasting of coffee has developed into the brand’s expertise. As a result, the company has increased its confidence in the unique flavor of coffee beans, and it can satisfy its customers. One of Starbucks’ growth strategies is to expand its store base. Instead of focusing on dine-in locations, the company has concentrated on drive-thru in urban and suburban communities (Sakal, 2018). Express stores are also considered a viable concept for cities such as New York, Boston, and Seattle. It is a strategy that is primarily focused on increasing the store penetration of the company. In India, for instance, Starbucks has partnered with India’s Tata consumer products to launch an aggressive store opening in new formats and in new cities. Another business strategy is to concentrate on generating new customer encounters. For Starbucks locations, the lunch hour has been the fastest-growing time of day in recent years. The company has bolstered its efforts to offer on-the-go box meals with fresher ingredients and a concept called bistro boxes, including sandwiches, salads, and a tea product, bolstering its tea platform (Sakal, 2018). The company has gone ahead to introduce packaged meals with varying degrees of nutrients such as a lower calories Starbucks lunch which constitutes a protein pact food Over the last few years, I believe that society has witnessed the rise of corporations such as Starbucks and the decline of others such as Dunkin Donuts. A business plan is critical, and Starbucks has consistently adapted to shifting consumer needs. Starbucks, in my opinion, is on the right track towards realizing its full objectives as a company. However, excessive expansion can result in market saturation, affecting even companies that have a comprehensive business model as Starbucks. To exist, a business must have a competitor, yet becoming that competitor might be detrimental to the long term. Among the most important recommendations is that Starbucks should provide a combination menu. I believe the firm is attempting to avoid the fast-food notion. Their primary goal is to provide an affordable coffee bistro ambiance that creates an incredible experience. Fast food businesses such as McDonald’s have altered their store layouts and styles to conform to the Starbucks theme and concepts. Enrich
The stock market in China and personal stock trading A stock market is a collection of buyers and sellers who meet and transact insecurities, but it does not involve physical facilities. The two main stock markets in China are Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The stock market in China is quite huge and it attracts both domestic and foreign investors, who transact in securities. However, the activities of foreign investors are tightly controlled by regulatory bodies that seek to protect the interests of domestic investors. The body that regulates the activities of all stock markets in China is known as the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The following are the main categories of securities that are listed in stock markets in China: bonds, stocks, and funds. Treasury bonds are the most active securities in the People’s Republic of China. Other bands that record significant transactions are corporate bonds. In China, the two most predominant shares that are traded are known as the “A” and “B” shares. The main difference between the two forms of shares is that “A” shares are traded in local currency while the “B” shares are transacted in US dollars. The selling of shares in US dollars is meant to significantly promote the trading activities of international investors in stock markets in China. Personal stock trading in China is quite dominant in all stock markets. However, like other stock markets across the world, stock markets in China are quite volatile. This implies that people who engage in personal stock investments in China are exposed to high risks of losing the value of their investments due to reduced stock market prices. However, individuals are provided with sufficient information with regard to market dynamics and projections that could help them to make essential decisions before they could invest in stock markets. Personal stock market investors in China could use their savings to purchase securities, or they could utilize loans from various financial institutions. Investors are required to provide some information in order for them to invest in stock markets in China.
Background of the Study Newtonville is a city in Massachusetts in the United States that borders Boston. Newtonville, Census, and Information (2012, para. 1) identified that the city has an estimated population of 85,000 people. The Newtonville District Council has a Leisure Services Department responsible for creating and promoting outdoor and park leisure areas. The Leisure Services Department is grateful for the working relationship that has developed for years with the local community. The department relies on the community for acquiring expertise and program developments in volunteers with the ability to coordinate leisure activities. The department has a 9+variety of parks that include Harvard Square Park, Fenway Park, Hunnewell Park, Arnold Arboretum, Larz Anderson Park, Jamaica Pond, Menotomy Rocks Park, Corey Hill Outlook, and Chestnut Hill Reservoir. There is indoor leisure such as golf course, swimming pools, playgrounds, and Zoo. The department has established programs such as the Colonie Youth Service Wrap-Around Program, South Shore LGBT Seniors, The Newton dining out for seniors over 65, over-the-rainbow-supper-club, the Greater Brockton Tortoise Walking Group, Belmont Area Walking Group, and the Women’s Travel Group (Meetup 2012, para.1). The relationship of the department and the community is that the department provides memorable experience for the local population. However, the department is facing financial difficulties of maintaining and improving its established leisure programs because of economic crisis and pressure on available funds. The department wants to involve local residents in the planning and organizing of leisure activities and the local business community in sponsoring such developments and changes. The projects will develop when the department forms partnerships successfully with the business community. The department, therefore, has the responsibility of convincing the business community to accept the proposal of forming the partnership through convincing them of good business opportunities. The department requested a proposal on the issue to find means of attracting and maintaining potential sponsors from the business community. The study will target the people with interest in rock climbing, camping, swimming, dog walking, and visiting parks (Trenberth 2005, p.5). Objectives of the Study The study will focus on acquiring high acceptance from the public and commercial interests. The study will aim to increase the range of the target market share, volunteers to work in the communal leisure and parks, and the focus on needs and wants of the families in the community. The study will also attract the interest and attention of sponsors and seek the ways to improve the facilities essential for the operations of