ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
In his story, Frank Kermode tries to establish a conventional identity of time, by incorporating issues that subject to the needs of humanity, and which must confer to the expectations of the community. In his bid to support his claims, Kermode splits his ideas into six issues that must be addressed to ensure equitability and time management among the supporters. These six presentations of the finite environments promote an understanding of the, timelessness and freedom of expression among humans. One of the first talks in Kermode’s assertions is on the importance of an end to any sociological, political or philosophical occurrence. The claims are based on the assumptions that humanity requires strategies that support beginning and the end of any venture. Within these parameters, individuals get to identify institutions operating on biasness, favoritism and racial similarities. In one of his fundamental assertions, Kermode claims that the concept of the living dead and eternity after death is impractical and misplaced. In the analysis of time, it is expected that time exists together with an order, but according to the author’s argument, time exists together with disorder, and thus makes it more complicated to define what time really is. The significant argument is founded on the ability to differentiate between orders as its already known, and disorder, which is the conventional understandable representation of time. In the movie industry, the author claims that moviemakers are fond of adjusting the viewers’ expectations and the plot in order to fit within their understanding. By doing so, humans are said to commit more errors, since the attempt to coordinate time cannot be achieved. Fiction is the second issue being discussed, at which the author claims that humans have fallen into an era of relying heavily on fictions, despite the understanding that fictions are unreal. Literary fictions have never been associated with general fiction, an error that has been common among different individuals in the world. Despite these findings, the author considers fictions to be the ideal agents of change, since they identify with the ideal world, and conform to the longstanding concepts of hypothesis and proof of reality. The third issue concentrates on eternity, at which the author identifies the world as having no start and no end. Creation appears to be a concrete activity, but it involved transition from nothing to something, and should therefore be addressed within the context of time and form. Similarly, the presence of angels makes creation more complex. The concept that angels are pure makes it look like indistinguishable to God, which is a false assumption. Time is therefore significant in addressing changes, even if the changes are fictitiously represented. Modern apocalypse is another issues addressed by the author, at which he cites the presence of alte
The United States Army Corps of Engineers, denoted as USACE, is a federal organization is charged with the responsibility of public works and construction. The agency is situated within the Department of Defense meaning that is under direct supervision of the executive. The organization was originally set up to assist in the construction of canals and saving lives during catastrophic events such as floods. Its main aim is to offer important public engineering in both the times of peace and war. This is aimed at strengthening the country’s defense, revitalizing the financial system and reducing the risks of natural disasters. The agency is supposed to perform four major duties including setting up and designing tresses and dams. Moreover, it is depended upon to construct flood prevention systems. The third function is to put up and manage military facilities to serve the army, the air force and the navy. Finally, it is mandated to preserve the environment. The agency receives funds from the government but after approval by the concerned subcommittee. The US Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water usually approves the funds for the agency, which is one of the twelve subcommittees in the American senate. The Subcommittee on Defense controls the sanctioning of other defense activities but the Army Corps is under a different Subcommittee, even though it is under the department of defense. Apart from overseeing the funding of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Subcommittee on Energy oversees the operations of other agencies such as nuclear waste disposal and nuclear regulatory agencies. In the current senate, the California senate referred to as Dianne Feinstein, chairs the Subcommittee while the minority member is the Tennessee senator, who is ranked as the highest member among the minority members (Mikesell, 2010). Regarding functional classifications, the Army Corps of Engineers falls under the national defense category, coded 050. U.S. Bureau of Land Management The agency in charge of land management is based in the US department of the interior, which is the ministry in charge of handling issues related land. The agency is also supposed to oversee the management of minerals lying beneath the earth surface. Even though the agency is projected to oversee the management of public land, it is also involved in resolving issues related to private land ownership and state land. The main objective of the agency is to sustain health, diversity and productivity of the public land. This means that the use of public land should observe the policy of sustainable development whereby the present generation should preserve resources for the future generation. The agency falls with
Introduction Strategies have a significant impact on an organisation including the ability to offer directions to the relevant stakeholders. Even though it is extremely important to develop a viable strategy for an organisation, a company needs to assess both internal and external factors that might affect the strategy’s success (Hrebiniak 2005). Barriers to effective implementation and evaluation of a strategy exist both inside and outside the target organisation making it extremely difficult to manage changes. For instance, a transformational theory of leadership mentions that organisations need to embrace the possibility that changes will occur in the future (Secord & Secord 2003). This is to ensure that leadership styles and organisational structures do not become obstacles to strategy implementation. In essence, they must develop strategies that work both for the management and staff while at the same time accommodating this reality. This makes it logical for organisations to come up with strategic plans. Strategic planning begins with development of a functional program of action that correlates with the needs of an organisation (Bayne and Woolcock 2011). Strategies of local, regional, SMEs, and multinationals differ since these companies have different management styles. Additionally, they have different resources and leadership techniques that determine the present and future activities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a strategy including its barriers, the effects it has on an organisation and the solutions needed to make strategies functional. Literature review Strategy A strategy is not a matter of concern for corporate institutions only since even individuals have strategic plans. Countries also develop strategies that help them achieve collective goals over a stipulated period. This section will be taking the example of an organisation that has no leader, resources, and plans, it would be impossible to determine its current or prospective position. Consequently, it will assess the position of a well-established organisation with a clear vision. This explains the importance of a strategy in an organisation. Eight significant elements of a strategy exist including direction, scope, goals, advantage, resources, environment, markets, and stakeholders (Hitchcock & Parnwell 2009). According to Secord and Secord (2003), a strategy refers to the ability of a corporation to configure its resources in the right direction. It is a long-term plan that helps organisations to gain a competitive advantage within a changing environment. Finally, the scope that an organisation adapts helps it meet the demands of the market and to fulfil the needs of various stakeholders. In a strategy, directions differ as it depends with the place where an organisation wants to be in the future. For instance, a multinational would want to venture
Introduction   * The former military’s social adaptation is an acute problem.   * The American army includes both residents and foreign volunteers.   * First-generation Latinos are the target audience for analysis.   * The issue of acculturation after military service is a research topic.   * An unfamiliar social environment causes challenges in interpersonal communication.   * A quantitative study involving relevant theories is planned. Since social adaptation after military service is a relevant social topic, this area is studied extensively in social disciplines. However, in order to narrow down the scope of analysis, such a population category will be assessed as the first-generation Latinos, and the difficulties they encounter after serving in the US Army are the primary topic. Acculturation as a key phenomenon affected during the research process is a fundamental theory. As a methodology, a quantitative study will be carried out based on the phenomenological principle of evaluation, involving interviews as the main data collection tool. The rule of methodological coherence will be respected so that the study could be valid and reliable. Summary of the Literature   * Engaging immigrant volunteers to the U.S. Army is a common practice (Leal & Teigen, 2018).   * Of the 1,282,000 troops, first-generation Latinos make up a significant percentage (“Total available active military manpower,” 2019).   * “Information deficit” and hostility are the key issues (Terziev, 2018, p. 620).   * An unfamiliar social environment makes adaptation difficult after service.   * Indifference is one of the factors stimulating the problem (Blackburn, 2016).   * The lack of support complicates interpersonal interaction.   * The phenomenon of acculturation involves gradual changes (Kelly, 2016).   * Individual and shared values are transformed during adaptation.   * Psychological fatigue and stress may be caused by the lack of communication with loved ones (Pease, Billera, & Gerard, 2015).   * Family support can have a positive effect.   * The fear of an unusual environment is a natural phenomenon (Hachey, Sudom, Sweet, MacLean, & VanTil, 2016).   * Frequent nervous breakdowns are a common mental problem of the former Latino military (Wong, 2017). Based on the literature review on the problem presented, first-generation Latinos experience such difficulties as misunderstanding, hostility, and indifference to their needs. The lack of support does not allow the target audience to adapt to new living conditions. An unfamiliar social environment affects negatively, and despite the large percentage of first-generation Latinos in the US Army, their problems are not often discussed, which is an omission. The lived experience of first-generation Latinos is the goal of the study, and as applied to the concept of acculturation, social adaptation can go through several phases that influence changes in the perception of a new environment. At the same time, the whole process is iterative, which means the cyclical
Religion has been a significant and inseparable part of the human world and has seen many changes and influences over the course of its existence. Christianity, in particular, has a long history of people who have contributed to the development and further support of its fundamentals and specific direction. King Clovis is an historical figure who has played a role in Christianity and the effects can be seen throughout history and details of religion. There is somewhat of a disagreement between historians on the true influence that Clovis has had on Christianity and its further progression. There is no denial that the king has had great position and power over people. His fame and ability to make others believe his words were extraordinary, so it is possible to assume that however he explained his motives and wants in regards to religion were believed to their full extent. In any case, Clovis could not have played such a great role in religion if it was not for the support of the Catholic Church. Since he was in a position of power, the church could give him the political authority that would be instrumental in making people believe and gaining the authority within religion itself. At that time, the area of Europe was predominantly orthodox Christianity and people were converting in the belief that it was the right decision (Bainton, 136). But everything was not as simple as it looked from the first glance and there is some evidence that his wife, Clotilda was of great influence. She was “a Christian Burgundian princess, had long reasoned with her husband, telling him that his gods were mere idols and the stories about them most indecent. Clotilda pointed him to the God who, out of nothing, created heaven and earth, who adorned the firmament with stars, who caused the air, the earth, and the waters to teem with life…” (Bainton, 136). Even though these words have had some effect on him, his first son died soon after he was baptized and the second one fell ill but after Clotilda prayed, the son has recovered. The following events were even more important in the way Clovis was affected by religion and led a following in its name. Clovis was in a battle and the odds were not on his side. He has become desperate and asked the God his wife told him about to help himself and his army. In the end, it seemed that his prayers have been heard and he has defeated Alamanni. He then told the people of his victory and was inclined to get baptized but they still praised their gods. This was when he was baptized by the bishop “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost…” (Bainton, 138). Not only was his decision and actions exemplar to the people, three thousand men of the army he commanded were baptized as well and this served as the definite fact in belief for everyone. Even though this was the aftermath of his victory and celebration, his inclinations were to unite the people and so, h
Marie Antoinette is a chef-d’oeuvre film that chronicles Stefan Zweig’s 1933 bio of the doomed Austrian born Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. At a very tender age of 15 years, Marie Antoinette becomes the Queen of France but not without weathering the perfidious systems of the Versailles Court. This film cuts across Marie Antoinette’s youth, marriage, trials and tribulations as a queen and her ultimate maturity coupled with loyalty that took her to prison and finally to grave, standing beside her estranged husband, King Louis XVI. Norma Shearer tried to incorporate some historical accuracies and inaccuracies in the film to suit her agenda. As aforementioned, to some extent, the film is historically accurate. True to the movie, Marie Antoinette became the Queen of France at the age of 15 years. Historically, Marie’s marriage plunged into squabbles soon after tying the knot, probably due to the tender age at which she married. Just as the film depicts, King Louis XVI took over seven years before he could father his first-born in what the French populace branded a case of ‘tight foreskin.’ The costumes used in the film accurately depict the costumes that Marie Antoinette sported during her days. Gilbert Adrian, the film’s director spent over three years researching on the costumes and from Vienna’s Royal Archives; he secured invaluable information concerning the Queen’s dress code. The film reserves the historical truth that Marie Antoinette met her death through execution at the height of French Revolution. Moreover, Shearer depicts the real personality of Marie Antoinette, a frivolous woman who cared little about anything until she matured towards her death. Apart from these few instances of historical accuracy in the movie, Shearer distorted many facts to suit her agenda. Norma Shearer’s version of Marie Antoinette contains numerous historical inaccuracies in what appears to be Shearer’s attempt to fit into Hollywood. Madame Jean Du Barry comes out as a manipulative and influential queen while in reality, she had little or no influence concerning decision making in the French Court. Early in her career, Norma Shearer preferred to depict women as people who could only pass as femme fatales. However, in 1934 a policy passed by the Hayes Office in collaboration with the Catholic League of Decency demanded all filmic cannons to be free of cheap, vulgar and tawdry insinuations. Consequently, by the time Norma Shearer completed Marie Antoinette, she had to make the queen a benevolent character. In the light of these revelations, Norma’s Christ-like interpretation of the real Marie Antoinette is not a surprise. For instance, in reality Antoinette loved to tell the starving French people, “Let them eat cake.” Interestingly, Norma did not capture this infamous one-liner in her film. Instead, Norma chose to present Marie as a victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Moreover, anyone conversant with French history would realize the conspicuous light exploration of the ‘Diamond Necklace Affair.’ Marie Antoinette was at the centre of controv
Introduction Swire Properties is a leading developer, owner, and operator of mixed-used in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its business consists of three central elements, including property investment, property trading, and hotel investment (Swire Properties 2019). The company was founded in 1972, and it is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited’s main page since 2012 (Swire Properties 2019). Swire Properties developed industrial areas in Hong, such as Taikoo Place and Cityplaza, operates and develops hotels, shopping malls, and offices (Swire Properties 2019). Moreover, the company has an interest in the luxury apartment market in Hong Kong and the US (Swire Properties 2019). However, the primary focus of the company is business-related property in Hong Kong and Mainland China. While robust economic growth positively influenced the real estate industry in Asia and Hong Kong, specifically, the growth of the market is slowing down for a myriad of reasons. On the one hand, the US-China trade conflict, financial sector instability, and the rising cost of borrowing create significant challenges for property companies in Asia (CBRE Research 2019). On the other hand, Hong Kong remains one of the most expensive places to do business (Knight Frank 2019). Since the real income of Hong Kong citizens stagnates, property market demand is expected to go down in 2020, slowing down the development of companies in the industry (Delmendo 2019). The competition in the sector is dense with Agile, Wanda Group, Vanke, and Henderson Land Development being key competitors of the Swire Industry (Owler no date). In short, Swire Properties is facing considerable challenges due to the slowing down of the market and increased competition. The present report aims at evaluating the performance of Swire Properties by comparing its financial performance to Henderson Land Development. The report includes the cash conversion cycle, liquidity analysis, debt and capital structure analysis, customer profitability analysis, and factors that should be considered by the firm on its expansion program. The paper also draws relevant conclusions, provides recommendations concerning the improvements in the financial performance of the company, and acknowledges its limitations. Analysis Summary of Financial Statements Swire Properties demonstrates moderate growth in terms of financial position in 2018 in comparison with 2017. Total equity, including non-controlling interests, grew by 8%, while net debt decreased by 15% (Swire Properties 2019). Net assets are employed primarily by property investment (over 96%), with 2.5% is attributed to hotels and 1.5% to property trading (Swire Properties 2019). In terms of financial performance, revenues in 2
Workplaces in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse due to the advent of globalization. Diversity in workplace happens because of differences in gender, age, language, sexual orientation, marital status, cultural background, nationality, ethnicity, etc amidst the people in the workplace. Diverse workforces are a big advantage to the organization because of the rich variety of resources they bring. But tapping out the best in the diversified human resources, needs management, and that is what diversity management in workforces is all about. In a world as complex as ours, each of us is shaped by many factors, and culture is one of the powerful forces that acts on us. Anthropologists Kevin Avruch and Peter Black explain the importance of culture this way: “…One’s own culture provides the “lens” through which we view the world; the “logic”… by which we order it; the “grammar”… by which it makes sense” (Avruch and Black, 1993). In other words, culture is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves. Thus we find that culture is the root of communication challenges. Every person is engaged in the process of communication in homes, workplaces and in other places. However, all communication is not effective and communication is a difficult process in the increasingly diverse environment of the global place. This is mainly due to cultural differences between individuals and between various communities. Culture refers to a group or community to which we belong that affects the way we perceive the world. It could be groups such as gender, race or national origin or it could be groups to which we get connected through our worldly experiences. The influence of culture is very powerful and affects the way we approach problems, how we view situations, how we participate in groups and communities. History is a critical piece of culture and knowledge of history generally helps us to understand ourselves and one another better. By interacting with various groups in our society, one can open channels for cross-cultural communication. Suganya is an Indian software engineer who is on deputation in Los Angeles, California. She works in an American company based in Bangalore India and has just arrived in the United States on a project. When she arrives at the workplace, she finds that she is the only woman in that office. The manager, an American, sees her identity papers and extends a warm welcome to her. She is nervous as he offers his hand in a handshake. She can feel her palms go cold during the handshake. Noticing how nervous she was, the manager calls to Suresh, an Indian working in the office. He asks him to help Suganya settle down well. Suresh introduces Suganya to key figures in the office and explains the nature of her work. The next day, when the team leader comes a