ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Wal-Mart’s level of decentralization or centralization The business structure of Wal-Mart is both decentralized and centralized. There are a number of managers who can easily make decisions concerning their own operations, for instance, store managers are able to make decisions concerning their operations. They can easily make decisions concerning the number of individuals to be hired by the firm. However, there are some decisions that cannot be made by them like product selection or product reordering. Therefore, stores operations are decentralized in Wal-Mart while sourcing for products is centralized. Additionally, Wal-Mart has consolidated its international procurement functions and besides, it has significantly minimized the application of intermediaries to globally source for its products. The operations of Wal-Mart in all the 15 nations are also decentralized. The structure of Wal-Mart The structure of Wal-Mart can be said to be flat. The firm is highly adaptive to changes in technology and besides, it adapts to changes in the area of information technology so as to ensure that their processes are streamlined. Presently, the world has become very flat and this is not brought about by the availability of outsourcing opportunities or cost benefits but due to the uniformity of global consumers. This has provided firms with the opportunity to spread globally. Customers have become uniform since they are connected with information (Segal, 215). Wal-Mart’s Organizational design There are two main categories of organizational designs; traditional as well as contemporary designs. Functional structures, simple structures as well as divisional structures are some of the examples of traditional designs while contemporary designs include matrix, project as well as team structures (Chandler, 24). The design of Wal-Mart is divisional structure which falls in the category of traditional design and it should be noted that divisional structures are made of distinct as well as semi-autonomous divisions. In an organization, there might be several divisions, each with its distinct goals to achieve. Each division is headed by a manager who is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the division is successful. Wal-Mart has numerous divisions which include Wal-Mart international, Wal-Mart reality, supercenters, as well as Sam’s club and this makes it to be a divisional structure. Factors affecting organizational design of Wal-Mart The organizational design of Wal-Mart is influenced by a number of factors. These include environmental, life cycle, the size of the organization, strategy, as well as business environment. For instance, the size of Wal-Mart to a great extent influences its design. When an organization is large, just like Wal-Mart; it needs a highly powerful framework for the culture and design of the organization. Organizations having many workers like Wal-Mart always need additional managers for the supervision of workers. Organizational designs are always affected by the
Abstract Each nation, territory or country possesses its own set of laws. The laws clarify and distinguish certain jurisdictions, especially in case of application of laws to certain situations and persons, i.e., conflicts of law. It becomes the basis of court cases especially when it comes to making decisions in terms of its outcomes. It would be beneficial and advantageous if these laws can be harmonizing. In International business and work several harmonizing process of international laws took place like consumer contracts, contracts of employment, material validity, formal validity, transfer obligation, etc. This creates few problems and complexity in international affairs. The applicability of certain laws therefore becomes the basis of a legal system and how this can be utilized in the greater complexity of certain involvements and participations. The harmonization of these different laws has been addressed through private international law or systems of conflict of laws. The need to harmonize these laws, as mentioned, can be seen in the fact that increasing globalization has led to more international transactions in which the participating parties are also protected by their respective national laws. The European Union, together with some other nations, ratified a unification system for the application of contractual obligations that would be followed for the European Economic Community and its members. Many countries of Europe signed the Rome Convention after the preparation of it. The Rome Convention, as it came to be known, is the Applicable Law to Contractual Obligations and was convened to create at least a harmonized, if not a unified, body of law within the scope of the European Union. This article shows a comparison and indicates the preference to solve the problems. From the research of this article it is found that “Law in Contract under the Rome Convention” is preferable than any other. This is because it gives more insights on the challenges faced by individuals in international transactions while undertaking contracts with respect to Rome Convention. The crux matter of the study is international private law and it is shown the utilization and enforcement of the arena of international business as well as in international relations. The study also showed the keen interest on the harmonization of private international laws and the challenges of the harmonizing process. Lastly, conflicts of law and harmonization process of international laws is the lifeblood of the research.
This paper is devoted to the critical analysis of the article “Corporate Identity, Corporate Branding, and Corporate Reputations: Reconciliation and Integration” by Russell Abratt and Nicola Kleyn. The Main Idea of the Research The authors believe that corporate identity (CI), corporate branding (CB) and corporate reputations (CR) are not only essential to any company’s success but are also interconnected and interdependent, with CI and CB determining CR in many ways. According to the authors, the three concepts can become particularly valuable “strategic resources” (Abratt & Kleyn, 2012, p. 1049). At the same time, Abratt and Kleyn (2012) suppose that, although the significance of the mentioned constructs is universally accepted nowadays, disregarding the way they are interrelated may hinder successful management. As the primary conclusion of the research, they suggest that the links between these notions need to be studied and taken into account when defining company strategies. The
When it comes to honesty, journalism and PR issues are often controversial, and what seems justifiable in case with the latter is often inadmissible in case with the former. Both journalism and PR strongly depend on the public opinion this is why it is crucial for both of them to earn the public’s trust. Journalists can do it through honestly holding their opinions and basing them on the provable facts (Pearson 231). At this, the most important for the journalist is to remain neutral and objective, but to make the public interested at the same time. In case with PR, however, attracting public attention becomes the primary purpose and quite often the means in which this is done are not taken into account. With regards to the case concerning Caitlin and Bird Textiles, the public is likely to adopt a consequentialist perspective; on the other hand, even if this situation is viewed from the deontological perspective, the truth will have to be disclosed to the public anyway. To begin with, viewing the situation from consequentialist perspective, the public has a right to know truth about Bird Textiles. The public has always encouraged freedom of speech and believed those figures that were honest with them. Most of people are ready to accept the most terrible truth, rather than to be ignorant of something that is important to them. In case with Bird Textiles, the public would wish to read the negative report about the company because then it would start believing the magazine and regarding it as a credible source of information. If all the reports were positive, it would mean that most of them are unfair this is why publishing a negative report will make the public satisfied, thus promoting public good. Therefore, from the consequentialist perspective, Caitlin should write all the truth about Bird Textiles because it will make the public believe her report. Assessing the situation from the deontological perspective, it becomes clear that Caitlin should present a fair report to the public because it is her duty as a journalist. The journalists are expected to “report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts” and not to “suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis” (Ahern 164). Moreover, it is the duty of the public to accept this information, irrespective of whether they are pleased or disappointed with it. Similarly, Bird Tex
Introduction The three “Abrahamic religions” are some of the largest and oldest religious groups in the history of mankind. In fact, Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, while Judaism is predominantly restricted to groups of Jewish ancestry. The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the differences and similarities between these three Abrahamic religions. This analysis argues that despite the differences in beliefs, the three Abrahamic religions share a common history, which therefore suggests that disparities might have arose due to differences in social aspects such as leadership, ethnicity, migrations and cultural collisions. Analysis: comparing the three Abrahamic religions When comparing the three Abrahamic religions, the initial point for consideration is the origin. First, historical evidence prove that Judaism is the oldest religion among the three, with the exact date of its foundation being unknown. Despite this, scholars agree that Abraham was the founder of Judaism, and consequently, the three groups are known as “Abrahamic” religions. Islam and Christianity are historically derived from Judaism, with their dates of origin recorded as around 622 CE for Islam and c. 33 CE for Christianity (Frankforter and Spellman 58). Secondly, the three religions trace their origin in the Middle East, where historians assert that Abraham made a covenant with God in Canaan, a biblical region that was located in the area occupied by the modern states of Palestine and Israel. Islam traces its origin to Saudi Arabia, while Christianity began as an offshoot of Judaism after the death of Jesus in Palestine. Moving away from statistical comparisons, some differences and similarities are evident between the three religions. These evidences perhaps provide some proof that the differences between them could be rooted within some cultural and social aspects. For instance, in contrast with other world religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, the three Abrahamic religions strictly emphasise on monotheism, with the ultimate reality placed on one God. God, in the three groups, has almost similar characteristics. In Judaism, “Yahweh” is considered the only and supreme deity as described in the Old Testament ( The New Jerusalem Bible Deuteronomy 6:4). Similarly, the Muslim God, Allah, exists as the only God (Quran 112:1). However, although Christianity is a monotheist religion, God is considered to exist in form of “the Holy Trinity” as the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit ( The New Jerusalem Bible Mathew 28:19). A major difference between Islam and the other two religions is found within the context of the scriptures. While both Christianity and Judaism consider the Bible as the “Holy Book”, Islam considers the Quran as the final revelation of Allah to mankind. Moreover, there is a slight difference between the Conservative Judaism and Christianity based on the fact that the non-messianic Judaists do not consider the New Testament as a holy book. Scholars, however, indicate that both the bible and the Quran show significantly large similarities, especially in history and b
Background Roads and Transport Authority is a Dubai government agency that is responsible for the regulation of transport. This authority was established in 1998 by the government of Dubai to improve the transport sector within the emirate. In 2006, the name was changed to RTA when the government decided to include the metro and other transport systems into it (Gorgenländer 51). This authority offers a wide range of transport products which include road transport using buses and taxis, rail transport using the Dubai Metro, and water transport. The authority is also responsible for developing the regulations that are meant to guide the operations of the means of transport within the emirate. The mission of this authority is focused on offering quality traffic solutions to the residents of this city. In its vision statement, the authority seeks to improve its traffic solutions to meet international standards. Its major objective is to offer traffic solutions that can meet the demands of the city (Perry 77). It also seeks to offer safe and reliable means of transport to all the residents of Dubai. Research question Research questions are always important in collecting primary data. It helps in giving focus to the process of data collection. The question below was used to guide in collecting the primary data How well does RTA offer traffic solutions to the residents of Dubai? In the literature review, a number of research questions were used to help guide the process of collecting the secondary sources of data. However, at this stage, the focus has been laid on the effectiveness of the RTA in offering services to the residents of the city of Dubai. The above question would help in this investigation in order to determine if the authority is meeting its set obje
Executive Summary Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACSs) are increasingly replacing traditional film and other media printing techniques in medical imaging. PACSs benefit patients, physicians, and administrators through improved turnaround times between imaging and result deliveries and ultimately through cost savings to the medical institution. All key stakeholders, namely those listed above as well as investors/operating boards of the medical institution, will ultimately benefit from the adoption of this technology. The objectives of this service are reduced costs and increased efficiencies of medical image creation, transmission, and review, which will also improve the efficacy of care available. The initial cost of implementing this technology will be considerable, and will also vary depending on the current technological assets and capabilities of the medical institution. Academic literature provides limited concrete information as to the cost of these systems, but estimates of approximately two-and-a-half million dollars appear to be reasonable budgetary targets for the initial adoption of this technology. Ongoing costs will also be incurred through updates to the technology, but these must be measured against the cost savings that the adoption will begin to create immediately. The key risk involved in this proposed technology adoption is the increase of long-term costs, over which the institution will have little control or predictive power, but again the savings will more than offset these costs. The management of the suggested service will be handled primarily by the IT department/personnel already in existence at the medical institution, along with physicians and other staff that utilize the various medical imaging technologies. These pers
Introduction The case of Kelo v. City of New London changed the way governments saw their opportunities in redistributing property. According to the ruling, in this case, government structures were allowed to claim the power of eminent domain and transfer property from one private organization to another. While these decisions should be based on the concept of benefit, its definition and scope remain obscure, allowing the government to present a variety of arguments for their propositions (Kitchens and Roomets 22). In the case of Albert, Gallatin, the currently existing system does not prohibit all three solutions for the area development. In order to limit the power of eminent domain, Gallatin would have to revise its laws and introduce new statutes that would resemble those of Pennsylvania. As an outcome, however, the city may suffer from the lack of change and economic development that the City Hall members hope to achieve. Meeting the Standards of Eminent Domain The propositions of the cultural center and private college meet the standards established in Kaur v. New York State Urban Development Corporation and Kelo v. City of New London . In the older of the two cases, the right to transfer property between two private organizations was granted to the local authorities on the basis of the 5th Amendment. The role of exercising the eminent domain power was explained by the fact that this decision would provide benefit to the city and its residents. Similarly, the Kaur v. New York State Urb. Dev. Corp. case approved that, if the government makes such decisions in good faith, then they have a place to be. By analyzing each proposition separately, one may determine whether they are made in good faith and have an opportunity to provide benefit to the community. The first idea is to build a cultural center that would contain an opera, a ballet, and a creative arts school. Moreover, the center would have some free entertainment and education programs for children. Acknowledging the city’s existing cultural organization, one may see that Albert can be developed as a center that attracts tourists as well as persons interested in pursuing, studying, or enjoying art and music. As a result, this proposition may result in more people coming to the area and settling here or, at least, visiting it for some time. Thus, the economic growth of the region may be linked to this decision (Kerekes and Stansel 275). The fact that non-profit organizations will run the center further supports its nature devoid of concerns for profit. The case of Kelo v. City of New London explicitly states that the intentions to raise profits for a corporation are viewed as negative, while the city’s desire to improve its living
Introduction The rapid growth witnessed in the IT sector has led to the emergence of various applications that run on mobile devices. As Potnis, Regenstreif-Harms, and Cortez (2016) reveal, many “Internet applications have been designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices” (p. 43). These technologies were initially designed to operate as games on some customized cell phones. However, with the development of android, iPhones, and iPads, the business world began to find out whether the running of Internet-facilitated gadgets could from desktops to mobile devices. This possibility was expected to create an opportunity for attracting more customers to purchase these gadgets. Indeed, this concern received a positive response from interested stakeholders. In particular, the invention of the Internet helped to not only create but also expand business across national boundaries. However, this situation had its share of challenges as well as opportunities. Many companies have tapped into mobile technologies to boost their communication processes within call centers to ensure that customers do not encounter challenges when seeking solutions to different issues. However, Internet technologies have enabled companies that have global operations to outsource services in other organizations located in foreign nations, thanks to the existence of call center businesses and agents. Even in the era of technological developments, language barrier remains a major challenge in ensuring effective communication between customers and employees in call centers. Hence, as revealed in this paper, it is crucial to examine how communication is impacted between customers and employees due to language or dialect problems experienced in call centers, including the role played by social media to boost the competitive advantage of contemporary international businesses. Call Center Communication Call center organizations offer customer agent services to different organizations that operate in the private or the public sector. Agents in these facilities receive and make phone calls to customers. Every interested business establishment has a form of call centers where clients can seek clarifications regarding the use of particular services or products. Following technology developments witnessed in the recent past, organizations in the U.S. have moved call center services to other nations with the objective of lowering the cost of doing business. The overall goal is to build a competitive advantage. Similarly, according to Deery, Nath, and Walsh (2013), European countries, especially Ireland and the UK first secured the
Background Study A business enterprise is highly affected by its environment that includes economical, marketing, social, and locality factors. All these factors are collectively regarded as the business environment. Business environment is considered as all the external factors that affect the performance of an enterprise in one way or the other. The economical factors include the economical status of the region where the business is to be located. Other economical factors that are imperative to factor in while considering an appropriate niche to start up a business enterprise are the capital market as well as the social-economical factors. It is important for a businessman to visualize the economic factors that will affect the business and anticipate appropriate market situations. This will help the business to receive maximum returns with minimal costs. The social environmental factors are also very significant for the success of any business. The social aspects of a region determine the values of the society that in turn affect the business enterprise greatly. The most vibrant sociological considerations include cultural orientations, customs as well as mobility of labor. Sociological factors affects the work culture, team work as well as the goods and service to be produced that are highly affected by peoples attitudes customs and cultural values fashions. The social cultural factors determine the code of conduct the business should adapt, the trade unions to follow. Failure to observe the right code of ethics may lead to poor performance of a business enterprise. In some cases, unethical practices such as paying unfair wages or black market may result to intervention measures being taken against such a business enterprise by some government agencies. The marketing environment is also a very important factor to consider in order succeed in any business venture. The company should adapt appropriate marketing strategies in order to establish a strong brand in the targeted region. Good position of a firm’s products and services is imperative for the success of the business enterprise. This can be ensured by appropriate differentiation of products and hiring highly skilled workforce that is regularly equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills (Lopez, 2006).Similarly, the shareholders should invest in strategic locations in order to realize returns from their investments. Densely populated areas and areas that are situated along busy highways are appropriate locations for restaurants investments (Chen, 2003). Therefore, the Wendy’s restaurants should identify such a niche to extend its operations to. Problem Statement The Wendy’s Restaurant is facing a lot of competition from its rival brands such as McDonald and Barger King Res