ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The ascension of President Xi Jinping to the position of general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012 marked the turning point of China’s political and economic reforms. After clinching the presidency the following year, Jinping initiated radical and revolutionary transformations as the country sought to exert greater global influence and dominance. However, some of the policies Jinping embraced have been counterproductive, leading to a continued deceleration of China’s economic growth. Additionally, he orchestrated extensive and fundamental changes to CCP in 2018, effectively reinforcing his grip on the party, the succession process and initiated a crackdown on his potential heirs in CCP. This paper explores China’s economic and political transformation under President Xi Jinping by discussing the decelerated growth and the progressive intensification of authoritarian tendencies under his presidency. It also evaluates the evolution, the justification, and the challenges of this leadership approach. Background and the Current Status of the Economic and Political Evolution Before initiating the extensive economic reforms and trade liberalization policies nearly four decades ago, China maintained relatively relaxed economic and political policies. These schemes kept the country politically stable with no remarkable occurrences while the economy was stagnant, vastly inefficient, centrally controlled, and considerably isolated from the global stage. According to McNally (2017), the Maoist political and economic policies were conservative, essentially avoiding any radical changes. For instance, McNally (2017) notes that the aversion to economic liberalization was primarily influenced by the successes of such other state-controlled economies as Singapore. However, following Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping gradually rose to become the Chinese communist leader, marking a critical point in the country’s history. Butt and Sajid (2018) and Hu and Wang (2020) contend that Xiaoping abandoned numerous orthodox policies and oversaw the implementation of far-reaching market-economy reforms, which defined his tenure. In this regard, Xiaoping laid the foundation on which China started to progress. Additionally, Xiaoping sought to enhance the political stability and economic progress of China. For instance, he settled the constitutional term limits for state officers and led the departure from a planned economy to a model which encouraged foreign investment and innovation. Moreover, he introduced the country’s enormous labor force to the global market, shifted China’s focus to an export-led economy, and accelerated the modernization of the economy (Yeo, 2020). In subsequent years, China recorded major economic milestones, including an average annual GDP growth rate of 10% and hitting a peak of 14.2% in 2007 (Jabbour & Dantas, 2017). From this perspective, the economic policies envisioned and implemented by Xiaoping contributed to China’s decades of explosive growth
Usefulness of Utilitarian Ethical Principles in Solving Ethical Issues Utilitarianism is a philosophical approach that is very often applied to ethics. As an ethical theory, it was supported by the works of John Stewart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Generally speaking, utilitarian philosophy teaches that the consequences of actions are always of great importance and that justice and beneficence should be the guiding principles while making decisions (Hales 1608). Utilitarian ethical principles are broadly used in public relations and solving ethical issues even when it comes to business settings. When speaking of business matters, ethical matters may come up in the case of treating somebody differently in the working place or during the working process whether based on age, race or gender. Such behavior may be considered as discrimination. It is undoubtedly unethical but can be viewed from the utilitarian perspective. Bearing in mind that “utilitarianism asks us to look beyond self-interest to consider impartially the interests of all persons affected by our actions” (Velasquez et al. par. 10) and that happiness of the majority is more important than the happiness of the one if treating somebody differently is beneficial to the others, it may be acceptable from the utilitarian perspective. The only problem with this approach is that not everyone is happy while using it, so there are always those who will be upset, but the majority of the team is happy. Importance of Freedom of Choice from an Ethical Perspective Viktor Frankl (1905–1995) once said: Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way. (Frankl 86) To my mind, and I completely agree with Frankl’s opinion, it is significant that everyone should have the freedom to choose one’s way even though it is not always possible. For example, when speaking of business matters and cooperation in the working place, sometimes employees are forced to carry out the edicts from their bosses no matter what their opinion is. Nevertheless, such situations occur, and employers might not agree with the decisions of those on the high, they are always free to choose their attitude to the situation. It is what matters from the ethical perspective. I do believe that the freedom to choose one’s attitude has an impact on business success because it affects the atmosphere in the team and the atmosphere, from my point of view, is what influences the outcome of the business activities. Efficacy of Social Contract Theory in Describing Issues Related to Business Ethics Social contract theory teaches that “persons’ moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the s
Business planning is an essential element of leading the company to its success. Defining the primary goals and developing the step-by-step plan demonstrating how to achieve them are the keys to promoting the effectiveness and prosperity of the organization. Any entrepreneur willing to contribute to the development of the business needs to possess appropriate knowledge about the role of HR, appropriate data collection and analysis, and valid methods of implementation in the provision of the effectiveness of the creation of a business plan. The Involvement of HR in Business Planning Though the awareness of the importance of effective HR management has risen considerably during the recent decades among the entrepreneurs, most of them underestimate its significance for efficient business planning. The appropriate involvement of HR in the process of defining the strategy of the company is the key to ensuring that the determined goals will be achieved in a timely manner. There are many reasons to involve HR in the planning process, and we will discuss the most influential of them. One of the most valuable reasons to promote the participation of HR in the business planning is the relation between the construction of executable plan and consideration of the special skills and knowledge possessed by the employees of the company. A business strategy sets the goals, and the quality of their fulfillment depends on the people working in the organization. Therefore, obtaining valuable information about certain features of the employees from HR specialists is of vital importance for the creation of the realistic plan that can be effectively implemented by the company. Consulting HR specialists and informing them about specific criteria that should be applied while hiring new employees is also very useful, as in such way the company can ensure that the staff possesses all skills that are necessary for achieving the primary business goals. As the demand for various services and products is changing with incredible speed in the modern world, the company needs to involve HR department in deciding what education activities and training can provide the staff with all skills necessary for the long-term implementation of the business plan. If the company fails to involve HR in business planning, it can face the situation when the goals are set, but there are no employees who possess the knowledge necessary to achieve them (Rothwell, Prescott,
The entry of new and innovative products into the market has always involved a fair share of embedded uncertainties and risks, and ‘magic box’ is no exception despite its inherent advantage of making it easier for movie goers to enjoy their popcorns and coke in one holistic product. Scholars have defined risk as the likelihood that an undesired result – or the nonexistence of a desired effect – may disrupt a person’s project (Wu et al 2010). The present paper aims to evaluate the key risks and mitigation strategies for the innovative ‘magic box’ product. Although it has been suggested that the ‘magic box’ is made from environmentally friendly materials, available literature demonstrates that not only do consumers decline when products are of inferior quality, but market domination of such products shrinks too relative to goods of superior quality (McIntyre 2011). To mitigate against this risk, we have to develop high-quality ‘magic boxes’ with the aim to attract many movie goers and ensure market retention. Additionally, we must continually improve our tools and skills support process to develop the capacity to beat our competitors through the provision of high quality ‘magic boxes’ and enter new markets with a one-off product which people can use to enjoy their popcorns and drink coke in an extremely easy routine (Riswadkar & Jewell 2007). Moving on, we must guard our innovative product against competitive risk, which occurs due to unwillingness of a counter party to meet its responsibilities, and also due to perceived failure to consider shifts in our movie markets and actions of other competitors who may want to introduce ‘magic box’ imitations into the market (Brady et al 2012). To mitigate against competitive risk, we have to employ adequate instruments not only to collect market data on demand trends of our product, but also to assist us adapt to new customer tastes, needs and expectations (Riswadkar & Jewell 2007). Consequently, these tools must help us focus on the customer with the view to provide them with a ‘magic box’ that is customized to fulfil their wishes and desires while enjoying movies in the theatre. The risk to reputational status adversely affects an organization’s maintenance of value advantage, as well as its innovativeness and customer base across relevant constituent groups (Dowling & Moran 2012). A bad image or reputation, according to these authors, can result from engagement in various activities, including environmental degradation, engagement in child labour, unfair trade practices, corruption, use of substandard products, and workplace harassment. We as a team definitely want to maintain the good image of our product because image is positively correlated with increased sales, employee productivity, and competitive advantage (Henard & Dacin 2010). Consequently, the mitigation strategy fo
Facts I am an Engineer in a reactor building company, working in the section of thermal-hydraulic analysis. I recently talked to a colleague (Eric) who informed me that there had been a potentially fatal incident at Toledo plant. Eric is an engineer at Eight Mile Road Hearsay. According to him, there was an increase in pressure in the cooling system of Toledo plant. This led to automatic opening of the relief valve to get rid of extra steam and restore normal pressure. Instead of closing, the relief valve remained open even after pressure in the cooling system had sufficiently reduced. Troubles started when the machine indicated to the operator that the valve had closed when it was still open. As a result – thinking there was sufficient pressure in the cooling system – the operator decided to terminate the High-Pressure Injection. This significantly lowered pressure in the system (Hauser-Katenberg, Katenberg, & Norris 377). Too low pressure in the cooling system leads to uncovering and overheating of the core to the melting point. When core starts melting, it emits radioactive particles that are very dangerous to all forms of life. To avoid such occurrences in future, I wrote to my boss suggesting that we put in place the measures to ensure all plants with similar designs are operated with caution. I later learned from my boss that my application had been rejected on the grounds that the information I had given was not official. She, therefore, requested that I seek official communication from Hearsay. When I contacted my colleague at Hearsay, he said he could only find time to write an official communication after two months. Therefore, I need to make a decision on what to do next. Stakeholders, my Duties and the Law A number of stakeholders will be affected by my decision. My boss and her bosses will be affected because their work depends on my work. Other employees in my company will be affected by any changes that m
Health outcomes are better influenced by a variety of substances of internal or external origin. Nevertheless, the outcomes are often aggravated by certain potential effects of substances acting on them. In fact, the substances are nothing but the drugs or medication prescribed by physian or a doctor. These medications show action on various organ systems of the body to alleviate the pain and inflammation or any abnormal condition which disturb the routine hygiene. The factors contributing to the action of drug on a specific organ or organ system of body are interlinked to the route of administration and dosage. However, mechanism of action do plays role in influencing the action of medication. Especially, medications that exert action on central nervous system (CNS) are very important as they reflect the psychological, behavioral and mood patterns in individuals.There are a spectrum of CNS disorders that pose a threat to the neuropsychological functioning. To overcome this aberration, a variety of CNS drugs have been introduced into the pharmacopeia. These include anti-depressants, neuroleptics and anti-manic drugs. There is a need to know the mechanism of action of drugs related to this special category of CNS drugs. Antidepressants are a class of medicines which cure depression. They are mostly prescribed for patients who have alterations in concentration, appetite, sleep and mood.The recovery from such conditions involves few weeks. There are various types of antidepressant drugs. The mechanism of antidepressant drugs is connected to monoamine hypothesis. This is because depression occurs due to lack of biogenic monoamines like dopamine, DA, noradrenaline, NA, serotonin, 5-HT. Antidepressant drugs are thus categorized with regard to their potential to enhance monoaminergic transmission. Studies related to microdialysis, electrophysiological and behavioural studies have shown that serotonin (5-HT) receptors, mainly 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B and 5-HT2C sub-types, play vital role in their antidepressive mode of action. Here, antidepressants activate neurotransmitter which occurs through a rise in synaptic endogenous serotonin levels at specific locations of brain. This results in several G protein stimulation which are linked to neurotrophic factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transcription factors, signal transducing receptors. Hence, it is the transduction mechanism underlying depression (Bourin et al., 2002). The treatment strategies focused on Depressive disorders have achieved remarkable outcome with serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors: SNRI and selective serotonin re
A key symbol, of the growing appreciation of management as an area of vast significance, has been the increase, in the late twentieth century, of awards that a range of governments gives their most stupendous organizations. This official acknowledgment of management practice and quality mirror the principle, at the top levels, that excellent management practice may be learned and cultivate d by supporting recognition of innovative procedures and best practices. This section will discuss and compare various frameworks of quality management. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality became established, in 1989, by the United States. This establishment of this prize became motivated by the successes of Japan industrial sectors, due to the introduction of Deming Prize. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award seeks to acknowledge successful quality management systems and enhance total quality management, in America. The award gets administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (Brown 2004; Vokurka et al. 2000). MBNQA focuses on seven criteria including “Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer Focus, Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge management, Workforce Focus, Process management, and Results” (Pryor et al. n.d. p. 7). These centers on the following values “ customer-driven excellence, visionary leadership, organizational and a personal learning, agility, focus on the future, managing for innovation, valuing partners and employees, focus on results, creating value, management by fact, social responsibility and systems perspective”(Pryor et al. n.d. p. 7). MBNQA resembles and differs with the Deming award, in several ways. The Malcolm Baldrige National Award, similar to the Deming Prize, gets applied to corporations owned by aliens (Khoo and Tan 2003; Zairi1994). However, MBNQA can only be applied to alien corporations that have half of their assets in America, unlike the Deming award. MBNQA stresses on customer focus, through its seven criteria (Hui and Chuan 2002). Hence, MBNQA centers on certain objectives, unlike the Deming award, which is system-centered. Besides, MBNQA uses several professionals in determining the corporations eligible for the award, while the Deming Prize relies, entirely on the JSU, in making decisions.. Lastly, MBNQA is apt to disclosing information of a winning company to others, unlike the Deming Prize, which keeps secrets of the winning company. The Deming Prize The Deming Prize, the Japanese management award, became formed in 1950, by Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers and became first awarded in 1951 (Gabor 1990; Vokurka et al. 2000). The award recognizes reliability and quality of commodities, in Japan. The standard assesses a corporation, in the fields of quality improvement, sales, profits, productivity enhancement and cost diminution. Also, it evaluates quality-assurance procedures, with the overall goal of determining the level of total quality control commitment, in a company. This prize can be administered
Style Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech that was titled “I Have a Dream” and that was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 23, 1963, was indeed a defining speech at a defining moment of history (Cessqc, 2010). The speech was full of colorful, vivid imagery, as well as symbolism. For example, at the beginning of the speech where he began by lamenting on the precarious justice system in the United States that was tilted against the Negros, he figuratively used the terms “promissory note,” “insufficient funds,” and “bank of justice” (Cessqc, 2010) to refer to the imbalanced justice system in the United States that exposed people of color to persistent injustices. The delivery of the speech at the Lincoln Memorial was ultimately symbolic because it worked well in coinciding with the declaration of universal human rights. The other key element of style in this speech was repetition. Dr. Luther King repeated the words “I have a dream” throughout the second half of the speech. These repetitions in the sentence structure effectively emphasized the message of hope that despite the present challenges, the prospects of change for the present and future generations were still promising. As for the voice, the speech was laden by tone, inflections, and pauses that effectively emphasized the message in addition to demonstrating the gravity of the matter at hand. The tone of the speech had variations of courage, defiance, sombreness, and sorrow. For example, 12 minutes and 37 seconds in his speech recorded in the YouTube.com video, Luther’s voice trailed off as he emotionally charged, “even though we face difficulties of today and tomorrow, I have a dream…” (Cessqc, 2010). The speech was also marked by many pauses and interludes whenever the crowd interjected with cheers of approval. There were also characteristic pauses each time Dr. Luther King uttered the words “I have a dream” before he proceeded to drop the bombshells that preceded the words. Dr. Luther King further exhibited many non-verbal cues throughout the speech. There were many instances when he symbolically gestured at the crowd in anger and frustration that was remonstrative of the precarious circumstances that people of color were experiencing in the United States. He kept on gesturing with his fist and hands when he wanted to emphasize urgency, concerns, defiance, anger, intimidation, hope, or when he wanted to signify the urge for victory in the fight for freedom and equality. Content The content of this spe
The question as to whether capitalism is still good for Britain has been asked by a number of economists. The reason for such kinds of questions in this era is not particularly hard to discern. This is because capitalism has failed to provide adequate employment opportunities for the British population, bring down the tariffs, and has pointed as a major contributing factor to the turbulent economy. This paper seeks to analyze the distinctive features of the British model of capitalism. Towards this, the changes that have taken place in the British model of capitalism will also be dissected. According to McCraw (1997), “capitalism relies heavily on investment credit as a means of financing innovation and in this respect; the term capitalism goes beyond the dictionary definition of capital which is an economic concept and a factor of production that is common to all economies”. The British model of capitalism was heavily influenced by Thatcher’s administration and policies. Heavily influenced by the Great Depression of the 1930s, there was no other option for the British government but to embrace “Keynesian medicine of government regulation” or contend with the reality of workers’ strikes. The analysis of such measures that were deemed as regulation was in true sense subsidization in the industries that were aimed at increasing g the demand of products from the industries during the periods of depression. Such steps define and differentiate the British model of capitalism from the German, USA and Japanese models. Other distinctive features of the British model of capitalism are the radical economic experiment initiated by Thatcher since the times of the industrial revolution and the structure of the economic system. This fact is succinctly put forward by Scott (1997) in stating that “In 1973, one-fifth of the population owned all income from investment in the economy; within this category, eight percent owned three-quarters and of that, the top hundred wealthiest shareholders earned 1000 times the average wage”. This illustrates the structure of the economy was characterized by more investments and wealth in the hands of the few wealthy individuals. In addition to the above, the British model of capitalism is characterized by the maintenance of traditional norms that classified people into class structures based on wealth and social status. This fact is perhaps well illustrated by Bottomore (1991) in stating that “persistence of old-world noble privileges in British class structure, making it seem more rigid than some other countries”. This explains the reason why the British still maintains the role of the royal family as important of its political structure. Available literature also points at other differences that include the fact that while in other countries such as the United States, capitalism has recorded growth since the great depression, in the case of British; the fact is that capitalism has recorded a d