ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction To attain high competitive advantage in an extremely dynamic environment, it is imperative for organizations to integrate effective management tools. One of the areas that organization management teams should focus on relates to improving their human capital. In order to attain this, organizations should formulate strategies aimed at influencing the employee’s work lives and careers (Grote 15). Performance appraisal is one of the most effective management instruments that firms can integrate in their effort to influence the employees energy in order to achieve their strategic goals. This arises from the fact that if well implemented, performance appraisal enables employees to be focused towards organizational values, mission and vision. In this paper, the concept of performance appraisal is comprehensively evaluated. Meaning and definition Performance appraisal refers to a formal management system that is used by organizations in the evaluation of individual employee performance. Performance appraisal can be defined as the systematic, impartial and periodic rating of the employees’ on the basis of their present and potential excellence in their job. Alternatively performance appraisal can also be defined as the quantitative and qualitative aspect of evaluating the employees’ behavior (Chandramohan 124). In most cases, it is the employees’ immediate supervisors who are charged with the responsibility of preparing the appraisal form used in evaluating the employees’ performance. The appraisal form usually contains a number of questions that assesses the e
Introduction Currently, society approaches countering deadly diseases through herd immunity. The scientists insist that for humanity’s good people should think collectively rather than individually. One such scientist, Marcus du Sautoy, wrote “Why aren’t people listening to scientists?” in Los Angeles Times, arguing that although there is a risk in vaccinating, it is primarily tiny (Du Sautoy). He begins building his credibility with both universal and personal facts along with reputable scientific data, applying the convincing facts. He sufficiently employs emotional appeals and, by the end of his article, strengthens his credibility and, therefore, his argument sustaining dialog with the audience. Rhetorical Context In his article, Marcus starts with setting the stage through the description of the contradictory situation in society’s trust in scientific evidence. He describes the simple truths in their perception by a child on an intuitive level. He continues by discussing that intuition and scientific evidence are different in their nature and might contradict each other. Hence, the issue of society’s distrust of scientists based on intuitive simplified perception in terms of lack of understanding the scientific grounds arises. Du Sautoy suggests that possible solutions hide in the scientists understanding of people’s psychology and take it into account while presenting their conclusions. The crucial part of practical science is a robust argumentation over the data’s interpretation. Du Sautoy states that the government and the public are often confused by the lack of definitive, clear answers to the questions they have. Although today’s skeptical age should be making people listen to scientists, some politicians use a challenging approach to well-tested scientific theories to gain unprecedented popularity and followers. The rejectionists dismiss the experts refusing the idea that the last persuade the best interests. The Author and the Audience In 2010, the author of the article, du Sautoy, gained an OBE award for his service to science (“Marcus du Sautoy’). He is “Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford where he holds the prestigious Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science and is a Fellow of New College” (Topping). He is a well-known author for The Independent, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, and The Times. The Guardian refers to du Sautoy as the “de facto public face of maths” (Topping). In May 2016, his fourth and, currently, the latest book was published under the title “What We Cannot Know,” highlighting the limits of human understanding and science (Topping). In the given article, this topic proceeds to discuss the pros and cons of vaccination and its followers and rejectionists. The author’s audience consists of both the society and the representatives of the scientific world. The public needs certainty, and this need is one of the biggest challenges for scientists, as the tension between unknown and known significantly affects peo
Introduction First, it is necessary to mention that the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) recently released the results of its 2008 survey that addressed the areas of the business sphere. It is stated that close to thirty Council members, seven FASB participators responded to the questions and research matters of the survey. Originally, these answers helped the FASAC arrange the classification of the business corporations and provide the criteria of business success, profitability, financial performance, and conceptual framework of the organization. Facts of the case As for the facts, which the survey and research, in general, helped to reveal, these are closely related to the principles of financial performance and the rules of participation on the market from the perspective of the conceptual framework of profitability. Thus, the top priorities of the company appeared to be the following:  1. Fair value  2. Reporting financial performance  3. Stock-based compensation  4. Pensions for the retired employees From this point of view, it is necessary to mention that according to Edwards (2007) “ Fair value is generally regarded as a significant measure and economic factor that company executives and other stakeholders could apply in assessing risk. It is often mentioned that a basic framework for establishing fair value is required, as was further guidance for determining that value. It is also emphasized that fair value information needed to be relevant and that stockholders, regulators, and other stakeholders should understand how that value was determined. ” Consequently, it is necessary to mention that the factor of reporting financial performance is one of the most crucial and significant after the fair value factor. It is stated that reporting financial performance is the defining measure of fair play on the market and helps to evaluate the competitive capacity of the organization. Research Questions The research questions of the survey included the measure of fair evaluation of the capacities of the organization, the required period for the evaluation, and the necessary measure of defining the retirement plan effectiveness (for estimation of the stock-based compensation plan). In stating and evaluating the importance of reporting financial performance, it is generally mentioned in researches (Solomons, 2007) that creditors and investors require sufficient data for proper calculation and estimation of the central financial measures. The companies, which participated in the survey called for a more widespread framework that would evaluate the issues of the “earnings per share” as this structure permits investors and others to m
Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) University professors, reading specialist, and classroom teachers require some helpful documented summaries of professional-linked information appropriate to their tasks. Informal Reading Inventories (IRIS) is amongst such useful publications (International Reading Association, 2008). An IRI is diagnostic assessment developed to evaluate various aspects of students’ reading outcome. Normally, IRIs comprise of graded wordlists and passages consisting of preprimary, middle and secondary school levels (Paris & Carpenter, 2003). This involves oral follow-up questions testing comprehension and remembrance after a student has read each level comprehension. Teachers or other educational specialist, use word identification and comprehension scores to determine student’s reading level for those who orally read the passages, plus more elements taken into account, such as emotional situations, fluency, prior knowledge, among others (International Reading Association, 2008). Literature-based guidelines To support young students in improving literacy, advanced literature, including expository and descriptive works, constitute the resources employed in literature based guidelines. Such instructions afford authentic learning events and performances through teaching and fostering literacy. Literature-based guidelines focus on the use of advanced literary publications as the major instructional tools used to promote literacy development. A guiding conception of this viewpoint is the fact that literacy achievement is favored by a book-rich environment within which there is enough useful meaning and communication is socially built. Literary materials in this setting include picture books, predictable books, big books, folk tales, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, myths, fables, biographies, and nonfiction informational books (Gambrell, Morrow & Pennington, 2002). Although various theoretical perspectives have been put forward to support literature-based reading guidelines, reader response theory is probably the most relevant. This theory explains the way readers understand literature. Theorist in this field hypothesize that literature is not a thing to be analyzed, neither can any literary piece have one correct elucidation, instead the in-text meaning is developed through reader’s subjective understanding of their experiences during their reading. Therefore, meaning is a two-way development that embeds in the transaction that ensues linking the reader to the text, in which the reader builds a personal imagination stimulated by the text. The reader relies on the previous experiences to choose images and feelings that will facilitate his or her shaping of the text, and still the text tunes the reader through new experiences. Reading skills versus memory Success in school mainly relies on reading and on recalling the things one reads. Students who experience challenges regarding the speed and accuracy with which they read texts are t
Currently, obesity is considered the most significant problem in medicine since it is a chronic disease common among both adults and children. The World Health Organization has defined obesity and overweight as pathological or excessive fat accumulation that can negatively affect health and has declared this pathology a global epidemic. Thus, until recently, it was believed that the problem of obesity is relevant for countries with a high standard of living, but the number of children suffering from overweight and obesity is growing in low-income countries, especially among those living in urban settings (Luck-Sikorski et al. 3). The main problem is that human health and well-being become exclusively a public health issue, which leads to the lack of responsibility for one’s health. Some effects of this problem include human irresponsibility for their lives and health and the lack of motivation. In Radley Balko’s essay What You Eat Is Your Business, the journalist argues that what people put into their bodies is their business and they are fully responsible for making healthy decisions. The widespread obesity epidemic can only be solved if people become more aware of their choices and take control of their health (Balko 360). He stresses the need for personal responsibility when it comes to food choices and insists that government does not interfere with consumer choices. Since human health and well-being becomes a public health issue, Balko says that America’s healthcare system is heading towards socialism (Balko 362). Politicians spend millions trying to ban snacks and sodas from public vending machines, raise funds for bike lanes and sidewalks, and sometimes go as far as offering a “fat tax” (Balko 363). Laws have been passed requiring some people to pay for other peo
Introduction This paper provides a consistent summary of the wastewater reuse trends in the United Arab Emirates, which influence not only the environmental protection but the politics and economy of the country as well. It is acknowledged that Arab countries get only 2 % of the world precipitation. The statistic data points out that the amount of water is insufficient for the states that occupy 10 % of the globe territory (“Water Reuse in the Arab World: From Principle to Practice” par. 1). Both surface and ground water resources are extremely scarce in the countries of the Arab world. Due to this factor, the irrigation is mostly unsuccessful in the countries of Middle East, which are known for the highly developed agricultural sector. The UAR belongs to the mentioned states as well. Consequently, the citizens of the country suffer from the marginalization of domestic agronomy. Moreover, water demands are steadily increasing, according to the enhancement of population throughout the UAR, which, subsequently, reduces the amount of water supplies per capita. Therefore, the United Arab Emirates government is expected to take some decisive measures that would ensure the existence of long-term water delivering as well as stipulate the development of reuse and recycle technology. The primary reuse technique, which is mainly employed in the wastewater sector in the UAE, is the green space irrigation. It stems from the policy of “green paradise” that was launched by the country authority. The regulation includes the expansion of plants and, accordingly, irrigation network throughout the country (Saseendran par. 2). Despite its efficiency, the policy barely touches the problem of domestic wastewater crisis, which still deprives many citizens of the essential water supplies. Literature Review The list of literature entries includes some academic articles. For instance, “Balancing environmental impacts and benefits of wastewater reuse” by Hamilton, Versace and Stagnitti refers to the issue of finding a solution to the harmful influence of wastewater devices installation on a nature. “Water quality in drip irrigation” by Nakayama and Daniels reveals the benefits of water conservation as the innovative method of wastewater reuse. The article that was written by McDonnell and de Silva, “Water reuse as part of holistic water management in the United Arab Emirates,” dwells on the general specification of recycling in the UAE. Finally, the improvement of desalination process is recounted in the work “Improvement of desalination efficiency in capacitive deionization using a carbon electrode coated with an ion-exchange polymer” b
Fighting for freedom is not an easy task, especially when not knowing whether one truly deserves this freedom and is ready to pay the price that the society demands for it (Jewett 525). While at present, the feminist concept of granting equal rights and freedoms to men and women seems quite legitimate, at the end of the XIX century, in the American South, the very idea of a woman fighting for her rights to be equal to a man seems impressively daring (Howells 374). Despite the fact that Edna, the leading character of Kate Chopin’s Awakening , is the focus of the story and the character whom the readers are most likely to relate to, the rest of the female characters are also very compelling and are, in fact, the manifestation of feminism as it is – the demand for acknowledging the rights of women, the history of fights for freedom, the losses taken and the victories scored. As the closest people for the novel protagonist, Janet and Margaret deserve to be mentioned first. Although they do not appear in the novel very often, they still have clear personalities and are very fun to watch, especially when they interact with their rebellious and confused sister. It is quite peculiar that the relationships between the three sisters are so much complicated – with Margaret playing the role of a mother, wise yet very conservative, and Janet, refusing to have anything to do with Edna. Weirdly enough, out of these two, Margaret, with her traditional view of a woman’s role in a family and a woman’s place in the society, is much closer to the principles of feminism than her younger and more passionate sister Janet – and, maybe, Edna as well. In contrast to her younger sisters, who are searching for their place and trying to gain confidence, she pretty much already has, and takes her actions with all due responsibility: “Her older sister, Margaret, was matronly and dignified, probably from having assumed matronly and housewifely responsibilities too early in life, their mother having died when they were quite young, Margaret was not effusive; she was practical” (Chopin 570). Unlike Margaret, though, Janet is also worth taking a closer look at; detached from Edna, she has a lot in common with the latter, also being in search for her own self: “She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit” (Chopin 570). Mademoiselle Reisz is on the other side of the spectrum; taking a look at her through the feminist goggles, one is most likely to find out that she is the essence of feminism. However, in terms of character development, she must be the most boring character of all, with all due respect to her enlightened attitude to
Brand analysis of Gucci: the brand’s positioning, audience, current product trends, and challenges Gucci identifies itself as a luxury fashion brand producing clothes, footwear, and accessories. Although it already has an established image of a high-end fashion brand, the company continues to change, experiment, and bring new styles and combinations of influences to its products. The brand claims its “culture of creativity and innovation” (“Letter to Shareholders” 2) to be one of their fundamental characteristics. Other aspects of the brand listed in the self-description are that it is “eclectic, contemporary, [and] romantic” (“About Gucci” par. 1). An important component of the brand’s positioning is its association with celebrities who wear Gucci clothes to publicity events as well as in their everyday lives. Although Gucci has recently undertaken several campaigns aimed at young people (Ali par. 1), its target audience is rather defined by income than by any other criteria like age, gender, or marital status. Since the brand does not provide any discounts to its customers, it can be concluded that the target audience consists of high-income individuals who do not need financial incentives. An important aspect of Gucci’s marketing is helping the brand’s customers demonstrate their high social status, as well as express their individuality. That is why Gucci attracts many celebrities to advertising the brand’s merchandise. The style of the recent Gucci collection is described by critics as a combination of classic Italian art, street culture of the 1970s and 1980s, and French couture (Mower par. 1). Fall-winter items are colorful, eclectic, vintage, and informal. The mixture of chic and rebellious themes is to appeal to younger people. The main challenge that can be recognized is the current economic situation that creates difficulties for all luxury brands. Also, there are modern-day social trends that are threats to the popularity of Gucci. Since its establishment, the brand has been associated with leather products. In recent collections, fur, ivory, and other animal products were used. With the growing social opposition to the use of such materials in fashion, Gucci may experience a decrease in the customer pool. Recommendations Within past year, Gucci has been successful both financially and in terms of branding and communications. Among all the brands that are part of Kering, Gucci not only gained the largest profit, but also grew in terms of financial performance compared to previous years much more than it had been predicted by critics (Thompson par. 3). However, there are always opportunities for growth, development, and improvement. Based on the analysis of merchandis
Saudi Arabia is one of the most developed countries in the Arab world, after United Arab Emirates. The stability of Saudi economy is solely dependent on its oil industry. This implies that most of her wealth has been earned from her trade in oil and other petroleum products. This paper will focus on how the production of oil can affect the world economy. This is because of all the volumes produced in the whole world; most of it comes from this Arabian country. Yizraeli argues that there are many countries that produce oil, including the US and other European countries, but the highest output is derived from Saudi Arabia (58). Before the oil crisis that happened back in 1973, the oil industry was dominated by western countries, but when the crisis ended, Saudi Arabia benefited the most because it has very large volumes of oil in its fields. The impacts of oil production in Saudi Arabia can only be understood after one understands the importance of oil in the world. Oil is a form of energy that is used in most industries to power equipments such as in the agriculture and transport sectors. In fact, industrialization would not have been realized without oil because it was the most reliable source of energy back then. At the moment, the economy of Saudi Arabia relies on oil production, but a plan is in the pipeline to diversify this economy in such a way that other economic activities such as agriculture will also be incorporated in the economy. One is left to wonder if this initiative is necessary, considering that the volume of oil production of Saudi Arabia has been on the upward trend since 1997.With this notion in mind the world expects the economy to remain stable due to the increase in oil production (Cordesman 465). The above mentioned initiative has been induced by the changes in the oil market where the oil is at risk of being replaced by other sources of energy such as nuclear and green energy. The need of developing alternative source of energy has been prompted by international bodies that argue that oil has negative effects on the environment that could cause global warming due to the toxicity of carbon dioxide that is emitted during combustion of oil products (Yizraeli 59). In response to environmental concerns, the world is already resorting to use green energy because it does not have any harmful effects on the environment. Besides, green energy can never be exhausted compared to oil deposits. However, Mason asserts
The introduction: the fundamentals of the novel While analyzing the novel written by William Gibson, I would like to point out one of the most important or key elements the novel is based on. In other words, I would like to define its basic idea. In my opinion, the author represents new aspects of identity. Generally, it is a cyberspace, which determines the postmodern identity. It seems the novel is related to modern Western society and discloses the so-called social issues. The author appeals to the readers’ present life; no future aspects are considered in the novel. Benjamin Fair is of the opinion that Gibson’s production “illustrates how technology and global capitalism influence our ontology by generating a world of images that have no original referent: meaning is cut loose from our surroundings, so that the self and the world we knew are in question” (92). On the other hand, the novel discovers political unpleasant consequences. As far as the novel reflects a cyberpunk genre, one can make a conclusion that the perspectives the author highlights are recognized to be malicious. This can be called the glorification of postmodernism. However, according to Gibson’s novel, a cyberspace gives an opportunity to feel what freedom and joy are. Robert M. Geraci says that “Gibson explores the possibilities inherent in a futuristic dystopia. He show