ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Things Fall Apart is the first novel of the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Published in 1958, the novel describes the life of a Nigerian village – Iguedo, at the advent of the white colonization in Nigeria. The novel’s main protagonist is Okonkwo, a warrior, and a consistent traditionalist, who fell victim to circumstances. Okonkwo was entrusted with raising Ikemefuna, a child from a hostile village who was taken as a hostage. Feeling personally attached to Ikemefuna, Okonkwo never showed his true emotions, and fearing appearing weak in front of his village, he killed the boy. After another incident, in which he killed a clansman by accident, Okonkwo was exiled from the village with his family for seven years, after which he returned to find white people with missionary work in his village. Okonkwo refused to reconcile with the new order and eventually killed himself. Although Iguedo is a fictional village, the novel took a realistic approach toward depicting the life of the Nigerian tribes. In that regard, Iguedo can be seen as an example of a traditional Nigerian tribe with a distinctive social structure. The relations with Umuofia, the clan to which Iguedo belonged, might be seen as a representation of a simple political system within the Nigerian tribes at the time, which included wars, peaceful settlements, and mediations through an authoritative party (the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves) (Achebe, 1996, p. 9). A form of democracy was also present in such an establishment, where the main political and social aspects were determined through clan meetings. The culture of the tribe that was depicted in the novel was of the Igbo culture. This culture still exists and many of its elements were realistically depicted in the novel. One element can be seen in the absence of a ruler in the tribe, where “decisions [were] made by including almost everyone in the village” (Froiland, 2010), an aspect that was truthfully reflected in the novel (Achebe, 1996, p. 19). Additionally, the religion was represented by showing that the highest level of divine beings is the supreme god, or “Chukwu”, a loving father who should be feared when doing against his will (Achebe, 1996; Froiland, 2010). The main conclusion that can be drawn from reading about the culture in the novel is that despite considering the culture as non-static and adaptive to changes, the example of Okonkwo shows the opposition of tradition to such changes. In that regard, the colonization in the novel can be considered as one of the main driving forces of change to which Okonkwo was so resistant. Accordingly, the questions that might be raised are concerned with the overall idea of cultural change. Does the author’s view support holding on to the culture and the tradition despite some of its negative aspects? Examples of negative aspects can be seen in the sacr
Introduction The late ’90s and early 2000s saw America develop into an overly pampered and severely indulged society. Nothing was ever too expensive nor out of reach because money seemed to be coming from a geyser that just would not stop blowing up the cash. With money, credit, and loans easily accessible to most people, nobody realized that a generation of children was growing up with a misconception that they were entitled to everything they wanted. After all, material things, whims, and ambitions could easily be achieved with the swipe of a card or the signature on a loan. Main body Americans play hard at work, so it only follows that they relax hard as well. This is what the sense of “gotta have it now” instilled in the people through the misleading advertisements for products and lifestyle choices that surrounded the daily consciousness. Something that became like a hypnotic spell for most people, seeing as how Americans often spent thousands of dollars in cash that they did not have nor afford to pay back. Due to this misconception of the easy life, American adults began to lose track of their finances. Americans squandered money that they should have been saving. According to Eric Poulin in his article “Can, You Overcome Instant Gratification Urges And Get In Control Of Your Finances”. the average American adult saved only between 1-2 percent of their income. He further explains that means we”‘re spending 98% to 99% of everything we earn (and in some cases, we are spending more than 100% of our income by using credit vehicles such as credit cards, lines of credit, and loans) to finance our perceived needs, and then we are shocked to find our retirement is in trouble or not possible when we had hoped. This is one of the effects of the “Got To Have It Now” society that was cultivated by loan sharks and credit card companies. Nobody within the ages of 30-40 is in any way ready for any big life emergency, nor will they be ready for retirement when the time comes because what should have been his retirement fund and savings account is all tied up in decades of debt payment schemes. The effect of this commercially driven creature can currently be seen in the number of financial fiascos that have cropped up since the start of the credit crunch. They have become hostages to a superficial way of life that does nothing for their self-esteem nor teaches them valuable lessons that will help them survive financial bad times. Instead, it has forced the man to become highly competitive with each other and shows how our schools no longer train people to develop good financial judgment. Instead, everyone is encouraged to live with a facade of being rich in one way or another. Outcomes of such actions usually center around the eventual bad debt
Introduction The history of design in the twentieth century has been largely shaped by the demands of businesses and commerce on the one hand, and by ethical ideals of how design can contribute to making a better society, on the other. This century was a period of numerous shifts and various emerging ideologies: First World War, Russian Revolution and Communism, Great Depression, Second World War II, Cold War and Post-Cold War periods. It was a time of innovation in all spheres of life, of nationalism, which began to integrate itself into society more and more as tensions in the world raised, of exploration and, finally, of the Digital Revolution. All of this affected artistic styles and techniques and was directly influencing the history of design. The world was riding on the back of the still recent Industrial Revolution, and mass production meant that industrialists, manufacturers, and designers were beginning to work together to achieve simple to manufacture, yet appealing and marketable designs for their products. Main body All of these factors placed designers in a very tight symbiosis with the “good business” and the ideals of the “good society” and in many ways defined the direction design took over the course of the century. This trend started in the nineteenth century. Before the industrial revolution, goods with expensive and elaborate design, which invoked a feeling of taste and high-class, were produced by individual craftsmen and were only accessible to the cultural elite. However, the advances in manufacturing and development of molding, stamping, and electroplating production techniques meant the creation of a new market of available, mass-produced goods, which nevertheless were good imitations of elegant products, attributed to the elite. This was met with severe backlash from critics, such as John Ruskin and William Morris in Britain, who perceived such production ideas as “dishonest” and “inappropriate” in terms of techniques and materials. While the topic may have caused stirs among critics and some of the designers, the manufacturers were mostly unaffected, and the products instantly found their market (Woodham 11). At the start of the twentieth century, the average consumer had access to most of the key inventions of the period: from the automobile to the telephone and electric lighting. New methods of transportation were quickly dissolving the boundaries between the cities, the villages and between countries. As market completion was growing, the need to integrate design into mass production was becoming increasingly apparent. This led to what is usually seen as the beginning of the history of design, with the establishment of Deutscher Werkbund (German Association of Craftsmen) in 1907. It was a union of German designers, artists, architects, and industrialists. These people wanted to reconcile product manufacturers with professional designers, to improve the standing of German businesses in the global market (“Deutscher Werkbund” par. 1-3) Werkbund is also notable, because it was more of a state-funded establishment than an independent artistic mo
Introduction Throughout history, man has sought to understand his place in existence. He has sought to define his purpose and the main reason for life. Religion has provided the answers to these questions albeit through varied approaches. Christianity, Buddhism and Daoism each provide different interpretations of the goal of existence but it is only through an examination of all these worldviews that one creates an even more integrated and holistic picture of the goal of human existence. How the three religions look at it Daoism As the name suggests, Daoism is derived from the term ‘Dao’ which literally and philosophically means ‘the way’. All Daoists strive to follow the way; they look to achieve harmony by avoiding actions that bring out personal gain. This is the ultimate goal of human existence. Just like Dao who came to enlighten the earth and to teach man how to allow things in the universe to follow their natural coarse then all followers must strive to do the same. In other words the ultimate goal of human life in Daoist circles it to create harmony. People must keep away from selfishness and take control of their materialist desires because this upsets the natural flow of things. Instead, one must strive to live virtuously or practice good deeds so that one can achieve immortality. To these followers, one must practice virtue so as to reap rewards of immortality from one’s gods. Not only do believers get immortality for their good deeds but they also achieve better health by sustaining energy in their bodies. In other words they get to live longer through the practice of channeling their energies (Despeux, 179). This worldview is very insightful and unique because not only does it emphasize the importance of balance, but is also shows the relationship between human beings and their natural environment. Unlike Christianity which mostly centers on man and his relationship with God, or Buddhism which focuses on man’s inner elements, Daoism allows one to understand the link between the earth, the heavens, man and the natural. Indeed these believers often say that the Dao stresses the natural course of everything so man must let other things remain natural. This point of view contributes towards a better understanding of the goal of human existence because it inculcates one’s surrounding. The environment is simply not made up of other human beings but also possesses plants, minerals and other forms of matter. This kind of doctrine allows one to know man’s place in his environment. It causes one to question any motives that are superficial and exploitative in nature and thus helps to prolong or create a better humanity. Nature can only sustain itself to a certain extent. When man continues to pursue his various developments without thinking about his effects on nature then nature will bite back at him by being unable to sustain him. Therefore, man considers himself to be truly wealthy if he is rich in virtue, his surrounding is rich with diversity and if l
Introduction Throughout this course, the concept of ethical dilemmas and morality has been a key issue. Ciulla (2003) has highlighted numerous instances in which a number of organization (both private and nongovernmental) have found themselves caught between a ‘hard place and a rock’ in their decision making processes. It is important therefore to ensure that all decisions in business contexts have both moral and ethical inclinations. This paper seeks to expound on the broader context of Ciulla’s assertions in the lieu of the fact that businesses will always encounter dilemmas. Particularly, the paper will highlight the McDonald’s case study from which it will analyze key concepts of various thinkers on the topic of business ethics. They include power, self-interest, virtue, character, duty, intention, social utility, justice as fairness, the moral relationship of leaders and followers and the emotional relationships of leaders and followers. Power Power and ethics are inexplicable in the sense that exercise of power requires ultimate use of ethical standards and morality. As such, it is important to notice that power has to be in relation to other people. Indeed, people cannot hold power if they do not use it in reference to other subjects within the society. Considering the ethical and issues raised in McDonald’s case study where the company continues to reap huge profits from selling junk food, power it exercises is not morally upright. In fact, Marx Weber indicates that power should be in exercise only if leaders and followers stand to benefit (Kanungo & Mendonca, 1996). Despite his dwelling on the concept of bureaucratic power, Weber says that power is the most important aspect of leadership and the followers should be the only people who grant it to the leaders. As such, the exercise of power should be reflective of customers’ will and should not be an instrument of suppressing the people whether in term of health or otherwise. It is imperative to notice that business decisions at McDonald’s do not indicate the ability of people or customers to influence the course that the business takes. To this end, it is important for the leaders to ensure that their exercise of power benefits all stakeholders including the customers and the society. Self Interest According to business ethics analyst, Milton Friedman, businesses ought to act in self-interests. Friedman articulates that the sole objective of any business across the world is to increase the wealth and the profits for its owners. In other words, Friedman points out that any business should not engage in issues tha
Starbucks does not need an introduction; it is a global company with a worldwide presence. It has also been known for its environmental policies for quite long: “Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business” (Hoffman & Bateson, 2014, p. 175). The manufacturing capacity of the organization can also be viewed as one of its values. For instance, the fact that the company is willing to expand by opening new 140 manufacturing jobs (“Starbucks Coffee Company” 2012) deserves to be mentioned as a prime example of Starbucks’s recent manufacturing initiative. The changes mentioned above in the organization’s design serve as a prime example of the company manifesting its values, particularly, the one regarding the responsibility of catering to the needs of the firm’s stakeholders: “The value of your company is driven by your company’s values” (“Starbucks Coffee Company” 2012, p. 749). Starbucks also declares itself as both people-oriented and team-oriented entrepreneurship. In other words, the company aims at both satisfying the needs of individuals and attaining the organizational goals (Chang, 2014). The corporate culture of Starbucks is, therefore, based on the concept of meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved and preventing the key production processes from having any harmful impact on either of the parties involved. The role of the management in the company’s design can be defined as the one that represents the success of the firm in terms of both its financial and economic performance. The management decisions of the organization as far as the innovative offerings are concern can be deemed as rather wise. To be more exact, the fact that every step taken by the enterprise is quality-oriented deserves to be mentioned is a graphic example of Starbucks retaining its values and following its mission even in the highly competitive environment of the global economy. The laissez-faire approach that the company leaders adopt, however, may trigger a lack of cohesion between the actions of the company members as well as create premises for financial fraud in the firm (Buch, Martinsen, & Kuvaas, 2014). The members of Starbucks are supposed to have a variety of competencies that are to inform the decisions made by the company’s staff. These competencies include communication skills, especially the ones that involve conflict solving and negotiating abilities, proper technical expertise, strategic thinking, and every other competency that is typically included in the list of the required qualities for any global entrepreneurship (Kyndt & Baert, 2015). The specifics of the company, however, point to the fact that the ethi
On October 7 this year, I attended a pop concert for Houston’s silk festival. The event was breathtaking as Rafet El Roman, a popular Turkic pop musician, was performing at the concert. Rafet El Roman was born in the year 1968 in Turkey. This artist was and remains important even today because of his success in the music industry as well as the teachings that can be obtained from the pop concert, which relate to gender, empire, and globalization. Up to date, he plays pop music and ranks as a top star in Turkey (Karahasanoğlu and Skoog 67). The instruments employed by musicians who performed at the festival indicate how modernity has influenced many aspects of human life. Globalization has played a major role in spreading pop music across the globe. Though I expected to hear something very different at the concert, I found great familiarity with the instruments and musical rhythm. Globalization has unified music styles and instruments such that every style and instrument used in this concert was familiar to me. I am very familiar with the bass and acoustic guitars used at the concert. Moreover, the drums and wind instruments like Saxophones are not new to me as I have seen them in different other performances. Moreover, even though I could not understand a thing because the music was in Turkic, the rhythm was the same as that of English or Spanish pop music. Thus, I enjoyed the flow of the music altogether. Therefore, I now understand the role of globalization in the contemporary world. For gender, unlike in Sea of Poppies and Season of Migration to the North where women are treated as objects with little freedom, the Turkic women at the concert were not reserved for men as they laughed, had fun, and hung around with people of all genders from different places of the world. In the Season of Immigration to the North, Mustafa wanted to liberate Africa with his penis (Salih 120). It clearly shows that he was inclined to a school of thought that women should be objects of sex. Moreover, in Sea of Poppies, on her wedding night, Deeti’s mother kin law drugged her with opium so that her brother in law could consummate the marriage in case her infertile husband to be failed to do so (Ghosh 200), which underscored the place of women in the Indian society. At one time or another, we hold orientalists perspectives. For instance, I anticipated the Turkic women in the concert to put on traditional clothing and scarves on their heads. Even though a number of them wore the scarves, the majority did not. The dress code in this concert was liberal. Women sported trendy jeans and scanty tops, which did not present any conventional culture. Moreover, most women in this concert were secular as I could see them sipping wine and intermingling with men in a w
Business Definition Lewis and Mac can be viewed as the major competitor of Hudo Pharmacy. This company also operates in the cold drugs market. This organization occupies very strong positions in various regional markets such as North, South, and East. On the whole, this organization serves the needs of customers who are extremely price-sensitive. The financial performance of this company can give it sufficient resources for becoming a dominant player in various markets. These are the main details that should not be overlooked. Source of Competitive Advantage At present, the competitive advantage is based on the ability of the company to differentiate its products in terms of price. At present, the products of this organization cost only $ 2. In turn, Hudo Pharmacy sells its drugs at $ 2.50. In contrast, the prices set by other businesses are usually higher. This is why many consumer groups prefer to buy the products of Lewis and Mac. Strengths and Weaknesses The main strengths of Lewis and Mac are related to the productive efficiency of this organization. They can reduce the cost of manufacturing and distribution to the minimum. More importantly, there are many consumer groups for whom price is the most important criterion. Certainly, there are many buyers who attach importance to the effectiveness of the drug and brand image. They do not usually buy the products of Lewis and Mac. Nevertheless, the strategy chosen by this business enables it to occupy leading positions in the market because price-sensitive clients constitute a significant part of the target audience. This is one of the reasons why the revenues of this company grow significantly. Nevertheless, there are some weaknesses in this organization. For example, the drugs sold by this company are inferior to the products of competitors in terms of effectiveness and the speed of action. So, it can be exploited by competitors. For example, Hudo Pharmacy should invest in R&D to improve the quality of drugs that it sells. Provided that this goal is achieved, the products of Hudo Pharmacy will be viewed as a better ratio of price and quality even by people whose income level is not very high. These are key issues that can be distinguished. Self-Analysis It seems that the management of Lewis and Mac can view Hudo Pharmacy as a potential competitor. In particular, they may think that Hudo Pharmacy can win the loyalty of price-sensitive buyers in the long-term. The major weakness that they can exploit is relatively low effectiveness of the drugs sold by Hudo Pharmacy. The senior executives of this business may believe that Hudo Pharmacy may not be able to reduce the price of its goods. Moreover, this competitor has sufficient financial resources to improve the quality of its products. This is one of the issues that should be considered. Strategic Assumption In the next three years, Lewis and Mac will make a considerable investment into R&D in an effort to raise the efficiency of drugs. Furthermore, they will try to make sure that the price of its products does not rise dramatically. T