ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction A growing number of aging people turns out to be a serious problem for many countries. From a biological perspective, people have to deal with different age-related diseases and changes. From an emotional point of view, older adults should learn how to live with a loss of autonomy and dependence on other people. Social or mental health issues of aging also vary, including the presence of additional help, support, and professional evaluation. A biopsychosocial assessment can be used to identify various factors of human development through aging. Still, even the most effective models cannot present enough credible information about what can make aging successful and unsuccessful. In this paper, special attention will be paid to the story of my grandfather and his style of life that turns out to be a strong example for me. Example of My Grandfather My father devoted all his life to the two most important things – his family and his teaching career. His education, career choice, marriage, and relationships with his family help me create a clear picture of successful aging. In some cases, I may doubt if it is correct to call him a real symbol of successful aging due to his social isolation. Anyway, my relationships with this man have considerably affected my attitudes and goals. Symbol of Successful Aging It is possible to identify a number of ways in which my grandfather can be a good example of successful aging. I cannot stop but admire his behavior and attitude to life. As a physical education teacher, my grandfather knows a lot about health and the role of physical activities at a different age. His medical and physical characteristics seem to be almost perfect for me. He does neither drink, take alcohol, nor use drugs. He visits a doctor every month just to check his blood pressure and take urine tests. I do not even remember if I have ever seen this person being sick or having a headache. Nowadays, at the age of 70, he starts talking about rare cases of fatigue and inability to do as many things as he could several years ago. Though I have never compared my grandfather to such characters as Superman or Batman, I should admit that all those guidelines and help he managed to offer to my family and myself were highly appreciated. He visited all my concerts at school and supported my brother in his intentions to play guitar even though he had nothing in common with this skill. He continues communicating with my grandmother even though they divorced more than ten years ago when I was too young to understand their true reasons. Still, he never says some bad words about this woman. He is always ready to answer all my questions and clarify some points because he truly believes that there is no more important thing than a family. A family, as well as a school, is a priceless source of knowledge and experience, and people are wrong if they think another way. Symbol of Unsuccessful Aging Despite a number of positive sides of my grandfather, I should admit that there are several things that bother me. For example, I h
Introduction The period comprising the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is known for the European colonization and separation of Africa. European powers had been vying to expand their territories by acquiring new lands and assimilating the so-called “lesser races” ever since the discovery of the New World and advancements in sailing technology. This opened new horizons for exploration, expansion, colonization, and conquest. These factors served as the foundation for many metropolises such as the English, French, and Spanish empires. Many indigenous populations and their cultures came into direct contact with the advanced European culture and suffered from the process of Westernization. This pattern was repeated, to various degrees, in many countries, including India, China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and various African territories. The process of cultural competition and gradual cultural assimilation is well-described in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The novel was written in 1958 and describes not only the traditional ways of life of an indigenous African tribe, but also the tribe’s first encounter with European explorers and missionaries and the gradual transformation of their culture into a Westernized imitation of itself, fully subservient to its colonial masters (Quayson, 1994). The purpose of this research is to analyze the reasons why the indigenous cultures of Africa did not fare well in direct competition with Western culture, drawing on Chinua Achebe’s novel as a case study. The Igbo Tribe as Described By Chinua Achebe African tribal culture in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is represented by the Igbo tribe, a relatively small indigenous community living on a riverbank in eastern Nigeria (Quayson, 1994). In order to understand why this tribe lost in competition with Western culture and subsequently fell apart and vanished, it is first necessary to analyze it: the tribe’s traditions, religious beliefs, relationships between different social strata, and level of technological advancement. The Igbo tribe displays all the signs of a developed community with its own intricate culture—members of the community have their own language, their own borders, a judicial system and set of laws everyone is expected to follow, a list of traditions and rituals, its own religion, and a sense of national self-awareness. In this patriarchal society, the dominant roles are largely reserved for males: The village chiefs are all males, and they make all important decisions. They are also the hunters and the main providers for the family. The women are largely given secondary roles revolving around housekeeping, childbearing, and medicine. While a woman holds one of the most powerful roles in the village, that of the High Priestess, the majority of women in the village do not get the same treatment. The main hero of the story, a man named Okonkwo, can be
If I served you water in two glasses, one cleaned by removing the bacteria and the other by killing bacteria, which remains in the glass, which one would you choose? Nobody would prefer consuming bacteria even if it is dead. Mechanical cleaning is used to wash equipment, utensils, and other objects by removing all the dirt and microorganisms on them. It entails passing an abrasive material on the surface based on three primary methods: airless centrifugal blast blade wheels, compressed air using indirect-draw, or direct pressure dry blast nozzle systems. Chemical cleaning involves the use of detergents, acids, alkalis, spirit solvents, bleaches, and sanitizers to kill microorganisms. Its efficacy depends on the choice of chemical, aging of equipment, and deposit composition. Mechanical cleaning is a safer method since it is more effective, eco-friendly with fewer health hazards, and has a low repair and maintenance cost. Mechanical cleaning is proficient because it eradicates all microorganisms and dirt from a surface. Using equipment eliminates the accumulation of bacteria on a cleaning textile, hence reducing the risk of recontamination. The advancement of robotic technology has made the manufacturing of hands-free vacuum cleaners possible. These vacuums are designed in such a way that their floor heads are lighter and more streamlined, enabling them to clean the tightest places such as corners, under cupboards, and the stairs. According to a study conducted by Maagoe & Kemna (2019), vacuum cleaners have higher performance, and most of them have a dust reemission of less than 10%. The study also highlights that robot vacuum cleaners have an added advantage of cleaning more often, having high autonomy, and producing low levels of noise but, they had lower performance. Conversely, some chemicals cause adverse effects on the equipment they are applied on. For instance, biocides induce surface erosion, staining, increase susceptibility to pollutants, and alter the capillary water absorption of equipment (Villa et al., 2020). Such surfaces do not last long for the changes caused by the
Introduction There has been an endless debate among travelers concerning the standard of quality of service in the hospitality industry. It is worth noting that the debate is focusing on whether European hotels offer same level of services as their Asian counterparts. There is no doubt that different people have different test when it comes to the quality of service they would like to receive from hotels as well as other hospitality industry. There are those of the view that whenever they are out of their country, they expect to receive services equal to what is offered back home while there are those who believe they need to receive a different level of service (Naraya et al., 2009). Since the world has turned into a global village, travelling has been faster and cheaper, thus people find themselves out of their motherland more often. This kind of travelling has offered hospitality industry with an opportunity to grow. One area that scholars have noted to be of interest and can be successfully used as competitive advantage is to provide customers with very high standard of service; this can be attained through incorporating cultural aspects. As a result of rising significance of service quality in the hotel industry, scholars in the hospitality industry dedicated their efforts to come up with a framework as well as measurable scales to help determine perception of service quality. As a result SERVQUAL model was developing and up to date it is well known and has been applied in various studies. The model is made up of 5 service quality dimensions and includes the following; tangible, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and reliability (Tse, 2009). Tangibles are those physical facilities; equipment as well as how the employees of a hotel look, when the expectations of a customer are met this will contribute to satisfaction. Reliability means the ability to accomplish and provide customers with services initially promised, responsiveness defines the willingness of hotel workers to help customers and give them prompt services, assurance refers to knowledge and courtesy of workers towards visitors finally empathy is the caring and personalized
Religion has been in existence since the beginning of time. Religion acts as some sort of governing body which provides rules and a manual in the way life should be lived; how human beings should behave, what is right and what is wrong, what is moral or what is not? Looking at it from a critical perspective, the morals in society revolve around religious beliefs. For example, the Muslim religion is against consumption of drinks with alcoholic content, whereas Christians drink wine. Hindus, Buddhists even Atheists have their own morals according to their religious beliefs. Their attitude towards life is clearly modeled by their religious beliefs. A world without religion would truly be chaotic. Therefore, even though it appears that many controversies in the world are sparked up by religion, it is more beneficial for religion to exist rather than its inexistence. This essay supports the argument that religion is more beneficial than detrimental to society. The first religious benefit is the fact that it is able to provide a “guideline” for morals. Imagine a world without religion; most would be left to act according to their own individual inclination which frequently is attributed to negative behaviors in life such as greed, violence, immorality, malice and all sorts of vices. Most people can attest to the fact that religion in one way or other shapes their attitudes and concepts of what is right or wrong. One might argue that violence takes place despite the existing religious inclination of man. However, violence is triggered by the difference in religious beliefs. If the entire human race had a similar religion, there would be very few cases of religious indifference since there would be one set of “guidelines” to be followed and this would determine what’s moral or not. For this reason, religion is beneficial as it keeps watch over the morals in life. Religion also gives confidence and a peace of mind to different individuals and it’s governed by their religious beliefs. One common thing about religion is that all individuals who believe refer to a supernatural being that is in control of everything. Individuals therefore feel secure knowing that there is “someone” who is out there always looking out for them and in control of everything. Individuals regardless of their religion believe that there is punishment in the afterlife for the wrongs done while on earth. This helps to keep people from wrong as well as giving them reason to justify their actions. In addition, it helps them to be in better mental and psychological health. There is some sort of assurance that what they are doing is in line with their
Introduction An organisation is a group of people who work together with coordinated efforts to achieve certain objectives or goals (Lewis, 2007). Organisations are established by individuals or groups of individuals. During their formation, there is usually very little to talk about by the owner(s) and too much for them to do. Just like human beings, organisations need to grow so as to enable the owner or owners realize their objectives. If the aspect of growth is removed, then it becomes almost impossible for an organisation to exist beyond its formation stage (Alstete, , 2007). The signs of growth are expansion and increase in financial base. It also includes increase in the number of employees and diversification of a business as well as the separation of the owner from the business. Organisations also grow through mergers and acquisitions, all in the spirit of attaining their mission and vision (Changing minds organisation, 2013). Business management commentators have described various models of organisational growth. All of them vary in terms of how they conceptualize growth but they have one thing in common, that is, they all focus on the importance of creativity, resilience and innovativeness in the business (Dodge, Fullerton & Robbins, 1994). Examples of growth models include the five stages of small business growth model by Neil Churchill and Virginia Lewis, the stages of growth model by Richard Nolan and the Scarf model by David Rock. The five stages of small business growth model This model was developed by Neil Churchill and Virginia Lewis in 1993. The model indentifies five stages of growth namely existence, survival, success, take off and resource maturity. The existence stage entails the establishment of the business and is majorly characterized by domination by the owner. The major worry at this stage is whether to move to stage two or quit the business. In the survival stage, the business has survived the threats associated with establishment of new business ventures. The owner appoints a foreman to act as a supervisor of the few employees (Churchill & Lewis, 1993). During this stage, the business has acquired for itself some customers and a position in the market. If the owner is able to be innovative enough and be ready to do some sacrifices, then the business moves to stage three of success which is sub divided into success-disagreement and success- growth. Success disagreement majorly involves a disagreement between the owner and the managers as to whether the business has reached a ceiling or whether it has the potential to grow further (Greinier, 1982). If the disagreements persist, the busin
The findings of the study indicate that the managers in Saudi Hotels pay attention to several criteria when development the pricing policies. In particular, they focus on the level of demand and the competition. For example, their prices can fluctuate depending on the changes in the number of visitors during a year. Nonetheless, there were some exceptions to this rule. Some business administrators paid attention such criteria as the cost of service and expected profitability. Nevertheless, these hoteliers were not in the majority. It should be noted that many respondents emphasized the impact of false information and unforeseen events. For example, one can mention the rumors about the epidemic of swine flu in the country. Furthermore, it is possible to mention the political unrest in various countries of the Middle East. These factors make hoteliers to change their pricing policies. It is not permissible to overlook these circumstances since they can profoundly influence the performance of a hotel. On the whole, the managers were aware of the fact that there is no perfect strategy for setting prices. It should be taken into account that scholars also provide various recommendations about the most optimal pricing strategies. For example, one can speak about the so-called cost-plus model. It implies that managers should take into account the operational expenses of a hotel and its expected profitability (Pride & Ferrell 11). One can argue that this model was adopted by some of the business administrators interviewed during this study. Nevertheless, researchers can argue that this framework does not take into consideration the fluctuations in demand and supply (Pride & Ferrell 11). By relying on it, one can miss the opportunities for increasing the profitability of hotel. Furthermore, this strategy cannot help avoid losses. Furthermore, researchers pay attention to such a factor as competition. In their opinion, hotel managers should remember about such issues as the pricing policies of other hotels and the intensity of competition in the field. Finally, one should remember about such a concept as dynamic pricing. It implies that hoteliers should focus on the available market information such local events, competitors’ strategies, historical records, customer surveys or the data provided by travel agencies or airlines (Talluri and van Ryzin 25). This approach is beneficial since it ensures the flexibility of pricing policies and helps managers to retain clients (Talluri and van Ryzin 25). This is its major strength. Overall, it is possible to say that the respondents are familiar with the recommendations offered by scholars. In some cases, they may not necessary use the concepts that researchers mention in their works. However, in most cases they are aware of the challenges discussed by scholars. For instance, they usually avoid pricing policies that are based only o
Introduction Thus, motivations for human actions are multiple, and so are the theories to explain reasons. However, Deci (1971) and Petri (1991) formulated the extrinsic motivation theory proved to be one of the most influential in motivation studies. According to this theory, people act to get tangible rewards for their actions or under certain pressure or threat of punishment (Syque, 2009). I can recall two instances of activities to which the irrelevant theory of motivation can be applied. The first incidence is the decision to take up study and obtain a diploma. The extrinsic factors that motivated this action included obvious financial and career development benefits of having a respectable profession (Sherman and Kim, 2002). Moreover, the pressure of my parents and understanding of the fact that education is necessary also played their roles in motivating my decision extrinsically. Another example is my work during study. The extrinsic factor that motivates this activity is the need to pay tuition fees and earn money for living and development (Reeve, 2001). Impossibility of Extrinsic Motivation Application Examples I can recall examples from my experience where the seemingly easy explanation through extrinsic theory does not fit. The first one is my progress in study. From the viewpoint of irrelevant motivation theory, progress in a study is conditioned by rewards promised by the university and pressure from parents and teachers (Sherman and Kim, 2002). However, I am convinced that my study progress results from my understanding of study importance for my future, and no extrinsic factors could form this understanding. The second example is my diligence and desire to perform flawlessly at work. Again, from the perspective of the extrinsic motivation theory, these phenomena are explained by the tangible rewards the job brings, i. e. money and potential pressure from bosses. But in my case, I can state that I adopted a positive attitude to work before any remarks from supervisors and without thoughts of possible benefits (Reeve, 2001). This is just my attitude to fulfilling my duties, and without this attitude, any extrinsic pressure or rewards would improve my performance. Personal Satisfaction and Productivity Based on the examples above, my personal experience, and the theories of motivation formulated by Deci (1971) and Petri (1991), McCelland (1975), Burnham (1976), etc., it can be assumed that in motivating people’s actions on the whole, and my actions in the presented examples, in particular, personal satisfaction and productivity play an important role. When a person is motivated by something, this motivation is mainly conditioned by the need for personal fulfillment. Therefore, if a person has an experience of the beneficial activity, they will choose to do that activity than another one (Syque, 2009). As well potential personal satisfaction can also motivate the person to act. So, naturally, personal satisfaction affects a person’s productivity in the study and workplace. Under the current conditions of quickly developing technology and the shift of the role of human beings in the working environment, new theories are to be