ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Making the decision to start a small business is in itself a risky proposition. According to a study in the Journal of Small Business Management conducted by Alpander, Carter, and Forsgren (2001), “55 percent of all new ventures fail during the first three years,” (p.9). The success or failure of a business is determined by planning and intelligent decision-making processes. The most critical problems that small business owners encounter within the first three years of business include: obtaining financing, planning, marketing, human resource problems, and legal issues. In solving these critical problems it was reported that 88 percent of small business owners implemented moderate to high-risk strategies (Alpander et al., 2001). It is apparent by this statistic that small business owners are not afraid to take risks. However, intelligent entrepreneurs take calculated risks that oftentimes result in the success of their business. In order to make an intelligent decision, the entrepreneur must decide when the risks are acceptable and when the risks are too high. Therefore, it is imperative that every business owner consider the decisions that they make carefully. In navigating the decision-making process the business owner must consider their own personal views about risks, account for their individual perceptions of the risks that are involved, and decide what they consider an acceptable risk. As stated in the introduction, the first three years of a business are the most crucial. The business owner needs to apply strong decision-making skills during this year. Efficient planning is essential for the success of the business. According to Alpander et al. (2001): Human resource acquisition and utilization issues, recruiting employees, recruiting managers, and dealing with current employees are perceived to be the most critical problems by a combined total of 22 percent. Product pricing, market expansion, legal issues, product quality, and dealing with government agencies make up the remaining problems perceived as most critical in the first year (p.11). The study reported that 70 percent of small businesses encountered these problems within the first year. However, in the second year, product pricing and maintaining product quality was the most critical problem. In the third year, legal and administrative issues presented the most critical problems. Marketing or getting customers to buy the product was among the most crucial problems that entrepreneurs faced in the first year. Some of the small business owners who were surveyed chose to take an approach that they perceived as riskier and less expensive to solve the problems associated with marketing. They became more personally involved in sales and they spent most of their time networking. On the other hand, most of the small bu
Executive Summary Revenue management in the hospitality industry is a complex of strategies and techniques used to generate profits depending on forecasting the demand and setting prices. Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour is a five-star hotel in Sydney which requires the solution to the problem of increasing the revenue to improve a current stable position of the hotel in the market of Sydney and achieve the further progress. This proposal provides an explanation of the solution to the identified problem. The solution includes the simultaneous implementation of the improved or new revenue management strategies, such as the direct online distribution, variable pricing, competitive benchmarking, demand modelling, and capacity monitoring, to regulate the demand, attract more customers, and avoid a high percentage of cancellations. Benefits of applying these strategies are associated with integrating techniques as a system, the components of which affect each other. Possible barriers to the project implementation and its schedule are presented in the proposal. Introduction Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour is one of the leading upscale hotels known under the brand name “Pullman”, which belongs to the group of AccorHotels. This five-star hotel is located in East Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia (Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, 2017). While focusing on the revenue management followed in the hotel, it is possible to note that managers use a traditional model for making the revenue that is based on forecasting the demand, adjusting prices, and changing the availability of services. Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour’s revenue centres as operations that influence generating the hotel’s revenue include a restaurant, a lunch area, a bar, a boardroom, a gallery, a sauna, a gymnasium, and room services (Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, 2017). The problem is that the revenue of this Pullman hotel is at a stable high level during several years, however, changes in customers’ interests in buying upscale services and general tourism trends observed during a recent period of time do not allow for speaking about further significant increases in the revenue (Lu, Berchoux, Marek, & Chen, 2015). Much attention should be paid to reconsidering the currently applied revenue management approach in order to determine new areas for attracting customers and increasing income (Erdem & Jiang, 2016; Ortega, 2016). The solution to the identified problem should be based on applying the most effective and advanced revenue management st
One can argue that the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” has a fitting open ending that both represents the mythical nature of the events occurring to Connie while also providing enough evidence to indicate what had happened to her. On one end, the reader realizes that she was most likely murdered, as “she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness” (Oates). However, when Connie recovers consciousness, she is experiencing something like an out of body experience. It is obvious that she is dead and going into the afterlife, but it opens up numerous questions in the end as to who Arnold Friend really is, how is he all-knowing and seemingly omnipotent? There is always the potential that it may be a dream, given that she went outside and could have fallen sleep knowing her tendency to daydream. The open ending arises as to what is next for Connie and whether she is going into paradise, or just an illusion of it created by her killer. Connie’s spirit has seemingly changed from her physical appearance, but the audience is never given the full picture. One critical analysis by Samantha Conover suggests that Connie actually experienced an abduction and some form of rape or sexual assault. The story does not directly portray this but potentially utilizes euphemisms and other literally devices to suggest that this powerful, rich man, that most likely stalked her was a sexual predator. It is known that the short story was based by Oates on a real-life serial killer, who murdered several young girls before capture, suggesting a typology and type of sexual aggression demonstrated through his fulfillment when murdering his victims. Connie’s situation represents that of so many other women that have faced sexual assault, she knew the perpetrator but not closely, she was encountered alone, but in broad daylight, seemingly when no crime should occur. Finally, her weakness and out-of-body experience could suggest that she simply was traumatized to the point of no longer having recognition of her own body (Conover 125). It is a horrifying, but sadly accurate comparison drawn through imagery and metaphors in Oates story, indicating that it may not have been mythical at all, but an example of terrible realism. Works Cited Conover, Samantha. R. “A False Sense of Security: An Analysis Of Victims Of Sexual Assault and The Progress We Have Made Compared to Joyce Carol Oates’ ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” University of Central Florida Department of Legal Studies Law Journal , vol. 1, no. 1, 2018, pp. 121–134, Web. Oates, Joyce C. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? NDSU, 1966, Web.
Air pollutants Carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide are examples of air pollutants, which cause major damages to the environment. These pollutants are associated with many health problems that affect the respiratory organs. They also affect properties contributing to rusting of metal in vehicles and roofing materials. They are classified as air pollutants because they affect the air. Carbon monoxide, which is processed by plants, is a hazardous substance emitted to the environment. Thus, it is classified as a primary pollutant because it is the most common pollutants in the environment. Carbon monoxide causes suffocation when inhaled in large quantities (Donald, 2001). This happens in most cases, especially where people use coal to warm their houses. Carbon monoxide is emitted when coal burns in oxygen. Once emitted in abundance, it leads to death through suffocation. However, this happens when its release in the environment is relatively high. For example, a house which lacks sufficient air circulation can cause carbon monoxide to accumulate thus affecting the occupants. In the environment, the impact of carbon monoxide is felt overtime, since it leads to respiratory problems. Consequently, Nitrogen oxide also constitutes primary pollutant. This owe to the fact that, its production is in mass. The main sources of Nitrogen oxide emissions are; power plants and motor vehicles. Nitrogen oxide gas is produced by plants during the process of the nitrogen cycle, and despite being a pollutant; its production cannot be regulated. In relation to the layers of the atmosphere, these two gases contribute to the destruction of the Ozone layer. The destruction takes place in such a way that it cannot be felt or noticed. However, prolonged process causes global warming. Nitrogen oxide, for example, is produced on a daily basis from plants, and thus, it cannot be controlled. Consequently, products manufactured from industries emit these gases. The gas emitted diffuses into the environment, producing effects such as; corrosion of Ozone layers of the atmosphere which shelters the earth from dangerous rays of the sun (Donald, 2001). The excessive emission of sun rays results in the development of skin problems brought about by ultra- violet rays, a good example of a problem caused by this phenomenon is the being skin cancer. Skin Cancer and related cases have increased sharply in the current years. Water pollutants The most common water pollutants include; pesticides and chlorine. Pesticides get into the water systems when they are being applied to plants. These substances are swept by rain water into water bodies, absorbed into the soil, and in some cases, find their way through soil layers to the underground water (Parks, 2007). However, the latter option might take a longer duration of continuous usage. Chlorine is believed to be a solution to c
Executive Summary A number of changes have been witnessed in various parts of the world. For instance, most societies across the globe aim at bringing up women who are self-reliant economically and socially. Consequently, the founders of Venus garage have the pleasure to usher in a new fundamental facility that will address most women’s needs. The Venus (women’s garage) facility aims at providing Kuwait women with a chance to have their cars repaired while at the same time paying attention to their beauty needs. The Kuwait society has been delimited over the years by Middle Eastern rituals, beliefs, and customs. As a result, a number of women in the Kuwait society have often lacked the opportunity to be independent. For example, the Kuwait women who are motorists cannot access motor vehicle services at a garage. As a result, they always have to seek assistance from their male relatives or friends in order to have their cars repaired. Therefore, the Venus garage aims at addressing the women’s needs that the Kuwait society has overlooked over the years. The Venus garage will offer its clients an array of services for the female motorists in Kuwait. Some of the services will include, a beauty parlor that will offer several beauty care services, a cafeteria, as well as, a motor vehicle garage. The Venus garage will also have highly skilled professionals who will deliver first class and relevant services in accordance to the needs of the clients. Currently, the market that Venus will be part of has two major rivals. As a result, the Venus garage aims at initiating new trends and offering quality services and products. The Venus garage aims at attaining its goals through vigorous promotional campaigns, which will take place in every part of Kuwait. The promotional campaigns will help to promote the slogan of Venus garage, which is entitled “motors made beautiful”. The Venus garage clearly understands that the customers form the core of their assets. Therefore, Venus aims at satisfying the needs and the expectations of its customers by exploiting the CRM strategy that encompasses establishment of a loyalty program and supplementary benefits. The CRM strategy will enable Venus to manage its interactions with customers effectively by employing the use of technology in marketing and offering customer services. In order for Venus to scale greater heights in the market in terms of growth and expansion, the company will have to develop strategies that will enable it to adapt effectively to change. The company will also have to provide first class services through a team of zealous and skilled staff. The Product The Venus women’s garage is a facility that aims at providing motor vehicle repair and beauty services to Kuwait female motorists. The Venus garage will be strategically located at the heart of Kuwait city along Alsoor Street near Dasman square roundabout.
In his book, “making India work”, William Nanda Bissell has endeavored to directly confront the poverty facing India by recognizing the enormous potential that the country has at its disposal. This is in spite of the high levels of grinding poverty that afflict more than 60 percent of the population. As Bissell has rightly observed, India is not a poor country. Instead, we ought to blame the poor management structures in the country for the problems that we are now faced with (Bissell, 2010). In addition, Bissell has pointed out that India considers itself to be a superpower, and yet well over 60% of the country’s population is faced with grinding poverty. The transformative ideas that Bissell proposes are intended to ensure wealth generation at the grassroots level, as opposed to relying on a trickle-down effect. One cannot help but observe how Bissell’s book is an attempt to provide solutions to the problems that been forecasted by Mahatma Gandhi in his fundamental principles of living. According to Gandhi, need, as opposed to greed, ought to constitute the foundation of all forms of consumptions and in light of this, he made a clarion call for suitably scaled institutions, that is, locally decentralize institutions that can easily be access by the people. In addition, he also warns us against blindly imitating the consumption and industrialization patterns that are a characteristic of the western nations. In his book, Bissell has endeavored to capture four fundamental ideas: Scaling down government Bissell proposes the adoption of a government structure that consists of four levels. In this case, Bissell recommends that the community should constitute the fundamental and active unit of government, effectively replacing the Panchayats (Bissell, 2010). Bissell proposes that the community should be made up of 25,000 people. In addition, he has also recommended that districts should be replaced by a group of 100 communities, or what he refers to as an Area. Moreover, a collection of 10 Areas would effectively replace the state. At the highest level of these 4 stages of structural governance is the Nation (Bissell, 2010). Bissell has advocated for a simplification of the government, in addition to ensuring that its roles are reduced by way of setting standards, individual rights, and monitoring and regulating compliance. Furthermore, Bissell asserts that this structure would be most ideal in helping to reduce the bureaucracy that characterizes the Indian government. At the moment, there are 22 million strong government servants and Bissell is convinced that this figure should be reduced to 2 million government servants. Ending poverty The Indian government has assumed a scattered approach in its quest to alleviate poverty. As a result, only a fraction of the financial assistance really reaches the intended beneficiaries. As a result, a majority of the Indian shall still remain poor. In order to end the poverty cycle, Bissell recommends the adoption of a voucher system, one that he has called Targeted Catalysts. In this
In their book Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787, Christopher and James Lincoln Collier discuss the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the Constitution. Rather than describing the events of the Convention in chronological order, the Colliers discuss the major topics the delegates dealt with separately. This is useful because delegates at the Convention did not always finish addressing each issue before moving on to another issue. They sometimes held off voting on controversial issues until later in the convention to let passions cool. Organizing the book in this manner makes Decision in Philadelphia easier to read. The book begins by describing the state of America in 1787 and the defects in the Articles of Confederation. The country was unable to even pay interest on its foreign debt, partly because the Confederation Congress lacked the power to raise revenue from the states. The states often enacted contradictory legislation, and had created their own separate currencies (Collier & Collier, 2007). By the time of Shays Rebellion, nationalists believed that changes in the Articles of Confederation were needed. We then move into discussion of the Constitutional Convention. The authors provide brief biographies of many of the most influential delegates, including James Madison, Charles Pinckney, James Wilson, George Mason, and Eldridge Gerry. This is useful in providing background on the main delegates at the convention and their motivations. For example, Madison was a nationalist who even proposed allowing the national Congress to veto state legislation (Collier & Collier, 2007). Pinckney’s main motivation was preventing the Convention from interfering with slavery in any way. Delegates at the Convention were forced to address these conflicting desires and somehow put together a functioning Constitution. The book then goes on to discuss the major issues resolved at the Convention. While numerous issues are discussed, the two issues discussed at the most length are Congressional representation and slavery. In some ways, this is an ironic choice by the authors. Of course, the issue of proportional representation versus equal representation for each state was probably the issue that was debated the longest at the convention. By contrast, slavery was discussed much less, and was discussed mainly in the context of avoiding interference with the institution. The delegates could not even bring themselves to mention the words “slave” or “slavery” in the Constitution. The authors recognize that the representation issue was the biggest issue that was resolved at the Convention. The slavery issue, of course, remained unresolved. In discussing the representation issue, th
Herman Melville’s novel contains three main characters: Ishmael, Captain Ahab, and Moby Dick. Ishmael, the narrator of the story, never gives the reader a complete physical description of himself, but it may be inferred that he is a strong young man of average build and perhaps a tan complexion due to his previous service on board merchant ships. “ Ishmael is an intellectual and a philosopher, a person who carefully examines what he sees around him .” (Buell 63) His casual introduction of “ Call me Ishmael ” gives the reader a feeling of familiarity and friendship. (Melville 16) His views on culture, religion and the whaling industry reveal him as a thoughtful, open-minded individual. Ishmael’s chief motivating factor is his thirst for knowledge. Consequently, he becomes a crewmember aboard the Pequod in order to gain the experience of being a sailor for the first time on a whaling vessel. Ishmael’s desire to analyze and explain allows the reader to gain much insight through the narration of his experiences. Ishmael is the object through which Melville himself speaks . (Hardwick 66) The connections he makes are profound and amazing and most definitely reveal the author’s own views: “All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks, but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life. And if you be a philosopher, though seated in the whaleboat, you would not at heart feel one whit more of terror than though seated before your evening fire with a poker, and not a harpoon, by your side” (Melville, p. 274). Captain Ahab is the skipper of the Pequod, a dark, mysterious man who rarely seeks human companionship. A jagged white scar mars his face and body, a result of lightning striking the captain. His left leg, severed at the knee by his enemy Moby Dick, is augmented by “ a peg-leg of whalebone ” (Bryant, p. 119). According to Ishmael, a sense of determination is painted across Ahab’s face. This determination is both Ahab’s most admirable quality and his Achilles’ Heel, for though it shows his inner fortitude when turned upon Moby Dick