ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In his article Colleges Prepare People for Life , Freeman A. Hrabowski provides an argument that challenges the widespread notion that colleges serve no purpose and waste students’ time. Using several rhetorical devices and successfully integrating them, Hrabowski manages to construct a persuasive and visibly unbiased argument to prove his point. To begin, Hrabowski inserts an anecdote: he mentions an action where young people wore sweatshirts that said, “college is for suckers” (Hrabowski par. 1-2). Not only does it attract attention and make a reader curious, but it also demonstrates how deep the problem is. It becomes clear that some people consider college a waste of time. In the article, Hrabowski relies primarily on logos. He mostly appeals to the reason of his reader. At the beginning of his work, he addresses the views of the opposition and presents them in a calm, professional way. He demonstrates that the views of those who say “college is for suckers” have a reason to exists and that people with such views have some point. Similarly, he reports the opinion of those believing that college is useful for employment; it is not really opposition to him, but his view differs from this one. Then, Hrabowski claims that the arguments of both these sides, while being true, do not address the multifaceted reality (Hrabowski par. 2-4). This strategy clearly appeals to the perception of educated readers who reject black-and-white views and believe that the truth lies in the middle. The author operates facts and statistics: he mentions the number of colleges and universities, discusses their specific features (public or private, two or four-year) and patterns of providing financial aid (Hrabowski par. 6), and cites the opinion of the President on the problems of higher education (Hrabowski par. 7). Hrabowski also describes the strategy of the government of Maryland regarding colleges to prove his point (Hrabowski par. 8). To explain the problem of the lack of counseling, the author relies on the statistic regarding the presence of college graduates among low-income Americans (Hrabowski par. 9). Overall, the purpose of the article is to present a third view in addition to “colleges are for suckers” and “colleges help to get a job”: a professional view, supported by evidence and logical arguments. Hrabowski also uses a slight amount of pathos in his article. He talks about “the power of edu
This paper is a case study of Total Quality Management at Alliant Health System. It explains Alliant’s TQM strategy, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the actions Alliant took in implementing this strategy. A key component of Alliant’s TQM strategy is the creation of Patients Care Centers (PCCs). The paper suggests ways that could help Alliant successfully create PCCs. It further highlights some strengths and weaknesses of Alliant’s TQM, including a comparison of Alliant’s TQM system with that of Recline Healthcare. The paper is concluded by drawing important lessons from Alliant’s TQM system that could help other organizations effectively implement TQM. Alliant’s Strategy for TQM Alliant understood that it had to change its mode of operation to meet the rising demand for quality healthcare. It, therefore, decided to focus on delivering quality services to its clients, based on the philosophy of TQM. Its TQM strategy focused on improving efficiency. It achieved this by continuously improving the quality of services while reducing costs. Alliant developed a comprehensive TQM action plan within its strategy, which underscored teamwork and planning as fundamental features required in advancing the quality aspirations of the organization. However, teamwork started deteriorating, and in March 1993, the company had to take corrective actions. The company assigned some management roles to the teams to enhance their effectiveness. As a result, an environment that allowed feedback, personal growth, and variety bolstered the performance of the employees. This quickened the turnaround of Alliant into a client-oriented institution due to increased “job involvement” by the employees. Strengths and Weaknesses in Alliant’s TQM System The steps were taken by Alliant to implement its TQM strategy exposed several strengths and weakness of the company. The TQM strategy, exemplified in the PCCs approach, took most of the functions and services closer to the clients. As a result, the PCC teams were able to respond more effectively to client needs. The customers got the quality they demanded easily, as opposed to the previously centralized system. About employees, the PCCs approach increased their involvement and appreciation of the organization’s quality vision. The introduction of the PCCs also resulted in reduced labor costs because the organization was now using a linear management structure. In as much as Alliant’s goal was to achieve efficiency by instituting a TQM system, some negative effects arose. The shift to PCCs as centers of operations required more money to construct ten additional admission areas for these centers. This increased Alliant’s expenses and reduced its short-term profitability. Alliant also witnessed high employee turnover after the implementation of the TQM system. Th
Case Study: Suburban Health Center Executive Summary of the Case Helen Lawson, a department supervisor at Suburban Health Center, received a request from Dr. Morgan to fire a staff nurse Dorothy Wilson who did not pass in the team well due to her personal and professional weaknesses. After conducting own research and interviewing some of her colleagues, Lawson faced a dilemma. She did not have the authority to fire Wilson herself and her direct superior did not show much decisiveness for action either. And yet, Wilson’s low performance at work and lack of discipline could not be left unattended since they created a tense and conflict situation among the staff. (Evans & Cooley, 2004) Essential Elements of the Information/ Background Facts Initially planning to rely on Wilson in her work since she was the only nurse with a bachelor degree at the department, after talking to Dr. Morgan Lawson conducted a research and revealed certain unpleasant facts about Wilson. The nurse had held eight different jobs in six years before applying to her present post. She earned her degree only after course work from five different colleges and universities. The assessment of her performance reports demonstrated a tendency to becoming less and less satisfactory. She always took long lunch hours and failed to inform any of the colleagues about her plans. Wilson’s written reports were messy and disorganized. She got negative references from any of the colleagues Lawson contacted. When approached for explanation of her behavior, Wilson demonstrated hostility and unwillingness to discuss the issue. Neither did she aspire for a higher position which presupposed more responsibility. The Problems and Major Issues in the Case The primary issue of the case are Wilson’s willful negligence and the main secondary issue is uncooperativeness with her colleagues. The portfolio Lawson collected in less than two weeks demonstrated Wilson’s steady unsatisfactory performance and lack of responsibility for fulfilling her tasks at a high level. Wilson’s unwillingness to communicate and cooperate was noticed not only by Lawson in a personal conversation, but also by many other employees. Dr. Morgan characterized her as a resentful and weak communicator; Lawson’s clerk remarked on her inability to deliver clear messages; Lila Moran, the previous supervisor, referred to Wilson as intimidating. The Magnitude and Significance of Each Problem The significance of the problem
Introduction An organizational culture originates from a common understanding of the way things are done characterized by the elements of attention to detail, innovation, and people orientation, is defined in the context of commonly held values and beliefs with the aim to improve performance, is transmitted to its members using varied approaches. Identifiable means of transmitting organizational culture include organizational leadership behavior and socialization, which transmitted in learning process unique to all the transmission processes. Organizational Leadership Behavior Leadership behavior is a critical component that influences the way people within an organization behave. In this case, behavior is one element influencing the direction organizational culture takes. That is because culture is an element that people within an organization learn, where the leader is seen as a culture role model. In context, the role model played by the leader can either be active or passive. Here, the perceptions people or employees develop about the values a leader holds and emphasizes on is fundamental in influencing a specific kind of culture in people. Typically, employees learn from what a leader values most, which in context are the core values of an organization. It is important to note that cultural what a leader values are inherently displayed in their behavior rather than in what the leader says. It is possible to develop a strong unified organizational culture when the values held by the leadership are transmitted and accepted as being core to organizational values. In addition to the leadership approach is the socialization approach. Socialization Socialization is a critical element for inculcating culture to new organizational members. In this case, socialization enables new members of an organization learn the customs and traditions of the new organization. The critical focus is on new members to whom the norms and cultural beliefs are inculcated, with the aim to make the new members acceptable to the organization. In this case, when a new member joins an organization, they undergo a learning process of the values, norms, and belief of the particular organization. Once the new member has been introduced into the organization, the employee encounter
Qualitative studies are an important part of scholarly research because their analysis explores particular topics in depth. An article “Study of the Relationship Between Black Men, Culture and Prostate Cancer Beliefs” written by Machirori, Patch, and Metcalfe (2018) and published in Cogent Medicine explores the ideas that Black men have about prostate cancer. The authors’ choice of research having a qualitative design is not accidental. This approach allows them to assess the current notions that men have towards a particular subject without the need to quantify or hypothesize about a certain issue. In their article, Machirori et al. employ different elements of a qualitative study, by gathering the participants’ personals statements and interview answers and using a scoping review to outline main themes. The purpose of qualitative research is to provide insight into a particular problem. Such an approach is utilized to explore a topic and reveal whether any underlying causes, reasons, or beliefs exist. The principal methodologies employed in qualitative studies involve conversations with people. For example, unstructured or semi-structured interviews often lie at the foundation of qualitative research. Nonetheless, the information for the articles can also be obtained from other qualitative studies in order to find overlapping themes and delve into the subject even deeper. The research by Machirori et al. (2018) has these characteristics – it investigates the possible connection between Black men’s view of prostate cancer and their culture, and it collects information that was previously obtained through interviews with Black men. The outcome of the study is represented in the form of multiple themes being developed from text analysis. The authors explore the potential causes of the men’s behavior, attempting to find links between them and the issue. The discussed study is not based on the collection of people’s opinions through discussions or questionnaires. Instead, the authors use research databases such as CINAHL, BNI, King’s Fund Library, and others to find relevant articles. Then, they indicate such inclusion criteria as the research’s focus on men, prostate cancer, and Black ethnicity. Moreover, Machirori et al. (2018) choose to exclude articles that pay increased attention only to mental health and screening behaviors or only to concerns related to surgery and treatment. After applying these selection criteria, the scholars read the chosen works in order to narrow their data sources further. As a result, they find 25 articles that fully correspond with their topic. The information from these researches is what constitutes the basis of this qualitative study. The authors outline three major themes that explain Black men’s view of prostate cancer, including its screening and treatment. These are structural, social, and personal factors, and the latter two are closely interconnected. Machirori et al. (2018) find that Black men’s perception of prostate cancer relies on their idea of masculinity. For example, the scholars note that Black men often do not pay enough attention to screening procedures because m
Introduction Archaeologists have hypothesized that art was originally practiced as a magical means of controlling events such as calling a successful hunt or discovering healing rituals, though there is no definitive proof this was so (Gombrich, 1995). Ancient Egyptian art seems to have been created as a means of commemorating important people. The Greeks created art as an aid to worshipping their gods and goddesses as well as to preserve their cultural myths. The Romans adopted elements of the Greek style to fuse with elements of the Egyptian style and developed an artistic approach all their own intended to inspire and celebrate their cultural achievements. The art of the Middle Ages was dominated by themes of Christian religious myths as a means of rejecting the Paganism of the fallen Roman Empire giving it both religious, political, and educational purpose while the art of the Renaissance was inspired by the re-discovery of these ancient art forms giving it a historical and experimental purpose (Gombrich, 1995). Through this skip through history, it is easily understood that art can be used for several purposes and it is often inspired or developed in some way to build on the past. These ideas can be found in a comparison of two similar paintings created more than a century apart such as Titian’s “Venus of Urbino” and Edouard Manet’s “Olympia,” both of which seek to reflect and define their culture’s conception of beauty and expectations of the female gender ideal. Main body Titian’s oil on canvas painting “Venus of Urbino” (1538) is a painting of a naked woman lying provocatively on a bed in the foreground while two maids work in the background to dig her clothing out of chests placed along the wall. The woman is stretched out across the front bottom half of the canvas with her near arm was thrown back and over her head and the far arm resting comfortably in such a way that her hand covers her vulva at the center of the image. She looks directly out of the painting as if daring the viewer to step into her world, but at the same time she seems sweet and almost innocent in her expression. “Titian’s painting is purposefully sensual … She displays none of the attributes of the goddess she is supposed to represent: she is not demure, idealized, unattainable, or remote. This Venus is a flesh-and-blood beauty, awake and fully aware of the viewer’s presence” (Hill, 2006). Titian makes heavy use of linear perspective and light to suggest that the woman is very available while also providing her with a private, secluded space. “Linear perspective is a mathematical system for creating the illusion of space and distance on a flat surface. The system originated in Florence, Italy in the early 1400s … To use linear perspective an artist must first imagine the picture surface as an ‘open window’ through which to see the painted world. Straight lines are then drawn on the canvas to represent the horizon and ‘visual rays’ connecting the viewer’s eye to a point in the distance” (Exploring Linear Perspectiv
Various definitions have been assigned to the vast concept that is law. To some people, law is an unqualified human good without which the society would be in disarray. To others, law is a sham and is used as an ideological tool to serve elites. Perhaps both of these approaches are valid depending on the perspective that we take. Nevertheless, there must be one approach of the two that is weightier based on the history of law than the other. This discussion seeks to find which of the two makes more sense based on real historical evidence. Law being vast in nature may not have a single definition. However, we may agree that the concept of law was first established with the main aim of bringing order to society by defining what is considered wrong and right based on societal norms. Thompson who has been referred as the father of the history pioneered an argument that law is an unqualified human good arguing that the society would not know any good without law. This argument which first put across a couple of decades back has been the subject of discussion among many scholars. Thompson was historian who fought against oppression of a class people which was considered inferior. The working class during the 18 th century was such an oppressed lot and this was because the laws in existence then seemed to favour those who were aristocrats of the society. Although Thompson at first appeared as though he was lodging a criticism for legal parameters, he did make his stand on several occasions arguing that
Introduction Dancing denotes a kind of art that normally engages the movement of the dancer’s body, usually rhythmically and to the music. Dancing is done in different cultures as a way of sensational expression, social relations, sacred, acting, or physical activity. In addition to being a form of entertainment, dancing can thus be considered a style of passing a given message. There exist numerous styles in addition to genres of dance. Dance Origins: Sacred vs. Secular Dance As seen in the video, there are physical dissimilarities in sacred dance among European, African, and Indian cultures. The European cultures engaged young boys dancing in places of worship, the African culture was interpretative with little body movement, and participants moving through the street after the leader, whereas the Indian culture involved the application of hand gestures to illustrate things like feelings and nature. The leader being followed in the African case was costumed in drapes of fabric and a mask. The young girls in the Indian example are dancing on the Mandala as well as the male soldierly dancer. Religious worship includes every movement that conveys spiritual encounters as part of the worship service, gathering experience, or personal religious practice. Different spiritual groups consider that the faithful ought to praise the name and magnificence of God not just with their lips, but as well with their entire being, spirit, mind, and body. They think that dance assists the person fully and more deeply in praying and worshiping God. A psychological gain of dancing is that it generates a contented temperament. Happy and with a satisfied heart, the dancer worships the Lord and conveys his or her thankfulness to Him. Dancing could be done in a strategized style where it is practiced in a more dramatic background or could be practiced impulsively as a free performance of worship by a congregation. Making use of dance with a dance-drama style attracts concentration to the mimetic feature of dancing that may acquire balletic nature, but modern dance is similarly suitable. It is especially so when what is visualized encompasses both a dance-group and a full congregation. It is barely essential to indicate that when dance could impart public worship, it could be a significant part of private worship. Dancing is thus appropriate in religious worship. The application of dance as a way of worshipping and praising God is common in the movies and in the bible too. After attaining victories in battles, the Israelites worshipped God through dancing (1 Samuel 18), Jeremiah made a prophecy that the Israelites could worship God in dancing after going back to their land (Jeremiah 31: 4-13). Additionally, David praised God through dancing when the ark was taken to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6) and Miriam danced in expressing gratitude to God when the Israelites crossed the sea (Exodus 15). God also dema
Introduction Marks & Spencer (hereinafter referred as M&S) is one of the leading retailers in UK. M&S was established about one hundred twenty five year ago. In UK alone, M&S is having a record of twenty –one million satisfied customers. Further, it is having foreign operations in more than forty one countries. It is having about 2,000 suppliers and employs about 78,000 employees. M& S controls about 11.2 percent market share in retail clothing and about four percent of UK food market. Since M&S brands are registered with the consumers over the past 125 years, it never attempted to compromise its quality. However, M&S has endeavored to enhance their value by not compromising their quality even during the recent economic downturn. M&S is the leading clothing retailer and during the year 2010, its market share in UK remained at 11.2 %. M&S food business has shown good improvement in the year 2010 by stressing to their brand values, quality, innovation, service and trust. Both M& S direct business and its International business witnessed a dramatic growth of 27% and 5.7% respectively in the year 2010. Year 2009 was a crucial and critical year to M&S. To overcome recession, M& S invested in price to retain its customers, minimised their costs and administered their balance sheet and its cash flow tightly. Even during the recession, M&S was able to announce adjusted profits of £604 million in 2009 and was able to minimise its debts to £2.5 billion. To retain its brand name and its loyal customers during the recession, M&S offered substantial discounts, which made its UK gross margin down by 170 bps in 2009, which was lower at 41% as compared to the year 2008. However, M&S sales were soared by 3.2% to £9.3bn in 2010. A mixture of happenings like an improvement in market scenarios and M&S initiatives assisted them to accomplish an increase in UK sales of 2.9% with a robust performance in all provinces of their business. Marks & Spencer Operational Activities During 2010 In 2010, M&S‘s International business increased by 5.7%, which symbolises about 10.2% of the aggregate of M&S group’s revenues. During the year 2009/10, M&S spotlighted on increasing their partnership in Eastern and Central Europe and in India. During the year 2009/10, M&S had invested in their operational potentials, ending in an efficient product offer, tailored to cater the necessities of specific markets and thereby constructing a stage for future growth. Presently, M&S have 327 stores in forty one provinces in UK with mean square footage of its international stores of about 11,129 sf. Further, M&S international business replica is made up of wholly –owned and partly owned franchises and subsidiaries. M& S is investing heavi