ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction In the past, quality in the product and service industries was not given much though. In those times, the consumer of the products or services was nothing but a passive recipient with little say over the affairs taking place. However, in the few past decades, the tables have been turned around as companies have become increasingly sought to enhance their positions in an increasingly aggressive marketplace. IBF Management asserts that in the present day environment, the success of an organization is based on the establishment of a sustained competitive advantage over the other players in the industry (1). The Japanese are credited with bringing about the quality changes that most organizations faced in the 1980s since the Japanese efforts at quality demonstrated to the world the competitive advantage to be reaped from quality assurance (Vokurka, Stading and Brazeal 41). Many companies therefore sought to enhance their quality since a lack of quality could spell doom to a business. Quality award systems are some of the practices which serve the purpose of honoring companies which exhibit quality practices. Such awards have the effect of encouraging strategic initiatives and continuous quality improvement by organizations. This paper shall perform a detailed study of one of the Quality Award Systems in Dubai, the Dubai Quality Award. This paper shall in particular report about the winner of the 2009 Quality Awards. The reasons why the award was bestowed on this particular organization shall be expounded on in order to reveal the factors that are taken into considerations in the Dubai Quality Award. The Dubai Quality Award The Dubai Quality Award (DQA) is a government launched initiative that was began in 1994 to recognize the most successful players in the public and private industries. This award is “based on the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) which has been successfully applied in private and public sector organizations since 1992” (DED). Quality awards among other things help to underscore the importance of quality to the players in the industry. This quality award program was created to encourage the deployment of quality practices within organizations by offering motivation as well as inspiration to the decision makers. The Gulfnews report that this scheme from its launch aimed at improving business practices so as to transform Dubai from being a lone outpost home to many small companies to being the international business hub that it is today. Vokurka, Stading and Brazeal reveal that as organizations have continued to strive for Total Quality Management, quality award programs have changed from being symbols of recognition for such programs to “offering tools for implementing a quality strategy, benchmarking best practices, performing self assessments and, ultimately, achieving im
Society is structured in such a way that individuals are usually divided into heroes or traitors, depending on the civil effect their actions have had. As a rule, any historical figure is viewed only through this paradigm of uniqueness, and the attempt to recognize dualism proves unsuccessful. However, such judgments are not only characteristic of descriptions of distant events of the past but are also applicable to the contemporary agenda. From the moral positions of good and evil, society can judge a person for their deeds, and based on these judgments, build models of punishment or encouragement. The situation is more intriguing when states act as judges, treating the same offense differently. This essay raises the issue of Edward Snowden being recognized as a public hero who declassified U.S. state secrets in favor of protecting the anonymity and privacy of citizens. Recognizing all motives and operating with such philosophical categories as human counsel, social responsibility, and an act of peacemaking, it is appropriate to call the American a hero rather than a traitor. This academic essay seeks to elaborate on the author’s opinion regarding this thesis. As part of the discourse on Snowden’s social responsibility, one of the central themes of the essay is to determine the moral background of the government’s actions in collecting personal data. It is no secret that virtually everyone today uses electronic devices, whether a smartphone or a computer, for personal purposes. Ideally, private communication in a virtual environment should be built on security and cybersecurity principles so that users are sure of data privacy (Soken-Huberty, 2017). It is enough to imagine the magnitude of personal correspondence online to understand how critical a well-functioning mechanism for its protection is. The problem lies in the fact that citizens must trust the government and national security measures. Nevertheless, the intrusion into the privacy of individuals is morally completely unjustifiable, which means that a government that decides to take this measure will one day lose its legitimacy. Such reasoning is necessary when attempting to justify Edward Snowden’s actions. For a brief explanation, it is essential to clarify that the American had seriously violated U.S. laws regarding the disclosure of state secrets and NSA procedural regulations when, in 2013, he disclosed to the world information about how authorities monitor Americans’ correspondence (Burrough et al., 2014). There is no doubt about the seriousness of this offense performed by Snowden, and according to existing legal principles, he should be sentenced to punishment. Nevertheless, the secret he revealed raises a significant ethical dilemma as to whether a person can be forgiven if he has committed a public good in circumvention of the law. Moreover, the question can be considered from the perspective of not only forgiveness but even the conferral of the title of hero.
Introduction Following the current trend of globalization, the international markets have become very competitive among industries today. As it has been observed, the electronic industry is one of the most prospective global industries with the high level of information technology across the globe. According to Lipczynski et al (2009: 31), international marketers need to give special consideration on the global trends in order enables them to establish viable and reliable strategies for their growth and development. Particularly, the current international trading environment for electronic commodities is highly competitive due to the trend of globalization taking effect in the global community. Moreover, the currently increasing competition in the global environment has necessitated the establishment of legal regulations of the contemporary business practices in order to uphold consumer welfare. This paper will discuss the external environment facing Apple Inc in the current international trading environment in terms of its markets, competition and business regulations. As it has been observed, Apple Inc is one of the potential electronic multinational companies in the United States, operating in more than 5 countries in the western region. Considering that the company specializes in the production of electronic products, its highly competitive engineering body has placed the company high in its performance. Notably, the company has established good reputation in the international market due to its quality-oriented production. Particularly, the company’s products have been quite unique in the global market due to the way the company has employed special technology to produce them with an aim of meeting the needs of the global consumers. For instance, the release of ipad by Apple into the market has aroused a lot of its demand following its unique features. According to Daniels et al (2008: 39), “…the ability of an international organization to provide unique products which are capable of meeting the needs of its clients forms a competitive advantage for its success’. More so, fiscal policies like reduced tax rates on the electronics industry have impacted a lot in the Apple Inc. As a result, low production costs, most of the company’s products have been fairly priced in the global markets. With many international markets becoming highly liberalized, it has been quite cheap for Apple to offer its products in such markets due to low custom duties. This has largely impacted positively on the company, making it to remain highly competent in the global markets. For instance, in spite of ipad being instigated outside US, rendering it an international commodity, Apple made enormous amount of the sales of ipad within the first month of its release due to its exceptionality and reasonably priced rates. According to Brooks (2004: 13), one of the most efficient international marketing strategies is enti
International Cultural Event The Circus at Piccadilly was a cultural event which took place in London on the night of Sunday 2 September 2012. The United Kingdom has a number of cultural events which are celebrated on different days. The circus is one of the oldest events and it has remained popular for centuries. Although some may view it as a sporting event, it has majorly been regarded as a cultural festival that demonstrates an age-old tradition among the people of this country. In this event, the artists try to defy forces of nature by walking on tight ropes, and making delicate balancing high up in the air to the amazement of the cheering crown. This particular event took place in the city of London when people least expected it (Gardner, 2012). However, it was well attended and people within the city celebrated as the artists engaged in their magic shows. International Sports Event Olympic Games are one of the most popular international sporting events. This event involves various sporting activities from track to indoor games. The sporting events take place after every four years, and countries are allowed to bid so that they can be permitted to host the games. Participants from various countries around the world attend this forum to compete in various sports in order to win trophies. The Olympic Games was started in the ancient Greece. However, the modern day Olympics was shaped by the Great Britain in the 17 th century. It was specifically targeting colonies of the Great Britain across the world. However, it has been facing various transformations in terms of the participants and the nature of games presented in such events. The London 12 Olympic Games was hosted by the United Kingdom and it had well over 13,000 athletes and hundreds of thousands spectators who travelled from various parts of the world to witness the event. The athletes compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals (Scruff, 2012). International Business Event World Travel Market is a major tradeshow which is always held in London on a yearly basis. The show targets the players in the field of tour and travel industries. This event was organized to help in addressing the emerging challenges in the field of tourism and hospitality industries (Kinicki, 2011). In this event, top executives in these industries meet to discuss the emerging issues that affect their businesses. The event is always well attended by the international players who come to create business networks with other corporate bodies in the supportive industries. In this event, there are always topical debate sessions, presentations, and interactive seminars. In such forums, the players are able to discuss issues about the emerging trends in the industries, national, regional and global threats, and other related issues that have direct or indirect impacts on their businesses (Ratner, 2012). This event has been seen as an important forum for the formation of business partnerships both at regional and global levels. When the companies pres
Covey’s Seven habits Covey’s habit number four, win-win, is that which seeks to place fair terms on the table for the parties that seek to ally. Alliance formation is one of the strategies that help to build a strong platform for conducting business operations. The parties to an alliance exhibit different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, organization A would want to ally with B because B has a stronger customer base or because it enjoys economies of scale due to its size. The two factors are strengths that organization B has. On the other hand, organization B would agree to collaborate with A because A has highly qualified and skilled employees. Having a team of skilled employees would be a strength in organization A. From this short illustration, it is clear that both organizations have strengths and weaknesses. If this collaboration were to happen, both the organizations would benefit. The mutual benefit that has resulted from the collaboration is referred to as a win-win situation (Covey 33-51). However, not all collaborations would be mutually beneficial to organizations due to unforeseen internal and external factors. Organizations in the same industry are rivals and would do anything necessary to attain a competitive advantage. In a competitive market, the principle of survival for the fittest applies. For an organization to survive, it should deliver quality, sustainably utilize its resources, and implement a confidentiality policy to prevent information leakage to its rivals. Most companies implement a confidentiality policy due to a lack of trust in their competitors. To achieve a win-win situation, information sharing between organizations is imperative. However, lack of trust between the collaborators would hamper total information sharing and thus create a win-lose or a lose-lose situation (Covey 33-51) Relationship proposal between a primary contractor and a strategic subcontractor A primary contractor is a person or an organization that applies for tenders, and as soon as his offer is accepted, he/she delegates duties to another person or organization. The organization or individual to whom the delegation is made, is the subcontractor. The primary contractor comes into direct contact with the client. Therefore, payments move from the primary contractor to the subcontractor. These two different levels of contractors are managed differently due to their different sizes. It would be difficult for this kind of collaboration to create a win-win situation because each party would prefer to implement a different business strategy. Therefore, the following would facilitate the creation of a mutual benefit atmosphere between the contractors. First, they should implement the business strategy of their choice but make sure that the chosen strategies create a road to quality delivery. Secondly, the
Introduction Intellectual property may be defined as any type of mind creation that has exclusive rights, which are recognized by the various corresponding fields of law. Intellectual property may be seen as intangible property that a person or an organization is entitled to. Intellectual property rights may include rights pertaining to trademarks, copyrights, industrial design rights, patents and trade secrets. Intangible assets may include the following; inventions, discoveries, words, phrases, designs and symbols (Bainbridge, 2009). Intellectual property is categorized into two major categories which include industrial intellectual property and copyright. Copyright categories are comprised of literally and artistic works, poems, plays, musical work, films, drawings, photographs, paintings, architectural designs and sculptures. Industrial intellectual property includes patents (inventions), industrial designs, trademarks and geographical indication of source (Greenhalgh & Rogers, 2010). A registered trademark is that trademark which has been registered with the appropriate trademark office in a particular jurisdiction. It is not a legal obligation for a trademark to be registered. Some of the trademarks are not registered with the appropriate legal office. Registering a trademark has some advantages. They include a notification to the general public about the right of ownership of the trademark, exclusive rights to the use of the mark and a legal conjecture of ownership nationally (Wilson, 2004). Various countries and states have different legal frameworks and guidelines that determine to what extent a trademark is considered legally owned. Trademark infringement is considered a serious crime in most jurisdictions and the owner of a registered trademark might initiate a legal proceeding if there is a trademark infringement (Micheals, 2002). This essay is going to critically evaluate the application of trademark law in relation to an application for registration of a trademark. Grounds for refusal For a trademark to be considered legal, Burk and Mark (2009) observe that the trademark must be registered under the law. The process of trademark registration is quite involving since it has to be counter checked to ensure that the trademark does not infringe any rights. In the United Kingdom, trademark registration may be declined on various grounds. These grounds are stipulated under section three of the trademark act 1994. The section has various guidelines which exhaustively define situations under which a trademark registration can be refused. Generally a trademark registration may be refused if:   * The application for registration is made in bad faith.   * The trademark resembles one of the protected emblems in the United Kingdom.   * If the purpose of the trademark is to confuse the general public about the characteristics, origin and quality of the products the trademark is identifying.   * If the trademark resembles and is similar to an earlier trademark that has been registered.   * If the trademark contains symbols that are against the generally accepted morals of the society. The above examples are just a few selected scena
Introduction A person is said to be overweight if he weighs beyond the recommended weight by the experts. This is usually 20% above the recommended weight for his or her height and body build. If a person is overweight, losing part of that weight is important because there are several diseases associated with being overweight. Example of such diseases includes; diabetes type 2, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and excess cholesterol. Research indicates that such complications can be reduced significantly if the victim sheds about 10%of the weight. However, most people who attempt to lose weight aim at losing 32% of weight a goal which is very difficult to achieve. (Wing, 1998 pp30-31) Set-point theory on weight loss These theories state that attempts at permanent weight loss are a waste of time. The theory claims that a person has a weight that is preprogrammed naturally and which is determined by his fat cells. According to the theory, when a person’s fat cells reduce in size like during dieting, a chemical message is sent to the brain urging that person to eat. The theory argues that a heavy person has more fat cells which are large. That means if a person tries to diet, that diet will not eliminate fat but will just lose a lot of water and muscle. At the end of the day, the fat cells communicate with the brain commanding it to demand more eating. If the fundamentals of losing weight are considered to be losing more calories than you consume then to lose one pound requires the person to lose about 3500 calories on top of what he consumes in a day. This requires the person to burn 500 calories a day which is not easy. If one eats 500 fewer calories he feels deprived. Again burning the same amount through exercise requires a strenuous aerobic. The set-point theory thus considers such attempts not working. (Perri, 1994 pp24-25) Effective weight loss program Permanent weight loss requires one to reset his or her set-points. This means getting rid of fat cells and making the ones you have shrink. Generally, four keys are interrelated to attaining permanent weight loss. This is achieved by taking a low-fat diet that has a moderate amount of calories which helps to prevent one fat cell from depositing a lot of fat. This should go along with engaging in regular exercise to burn the excess fat. A person should also be emotionally ready to reduce weight and have a continuous commitment to the program of weight loss. The type of food that has low fat has high fiber and carbohydrates that are complex. Examples are; wholegrain, fruits, beans, and green vegetables. Another recommended factor is to avoid skipping meals or starving yourself. When one starves himself, his or her BMR slows down making it difficult to lose weight. However, a good choice of food has to be made. The body requires nourishment. Research has also indicated that the majority of those who are obsessed are those skipping breakfast. A breakfast that is high in carbohydrates raises BMR for a longer period. This should be combined with regular exercise. If one has to take snacks it is advisable to eat fruits because they make him full and they are low in calories. They also contain
Introduction The ultimate goal of medical practice is to support the health needs of more people. This fact explains why the Healthy People 2020 program has been taken seriously in the United States by different communities and local governments. However, there are numerous conditions and illnesses that continue to affect many American citizens. One of these diseases is obesity. This condition has become an epidemic that affects children, teenagers, and adults. Many researchers have acknowledged that obesity is a major health crisis that should be taken seriously than ever before. This issue is selected because it claims the lives of many people across the globe. When more people are sensitized about obesity, it can be easier for them to deal with it and lead longer and quality lives. The audience for this handout includes every citizen in the country. Obesity: Description Obesity remains one of the most visible public health challenges in the United States. Nevertheless, the disease has been ignored by many health professionals, citizens, nutritionists, and practitioners. The condition is known to cause serious psychological and social complications. By 2000, the number of people affected by obesity had increased to around 300 million (Ford, Patel, & Narayan, 2017). Many individuals in both the developing and the developed world suffer from this condition. Many scholars acknowledge that more people will be affected by the condition in the future. The seriousness of this condition can be confirmed by the increasing number of obese children across the globe. Fig 1: Effects of obesity. In 2016, around 39 percent of individuals aged between 18 and 65 years of age were overweight (Starr, McDonald, Weidner, & Bales, 2016). Being overweight is also a major risk factor for obesity and other health complications such as stroke. Around 14 percent of the global adult population is obese (Ford et al., 2017). These statistics show conclusively that obesity is a condition that should be addressed using evidence-based strategies. Some of the leading causes of obesity include physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyles, intake of high-energy foods, and processed foods (see Fig 4). Additionally, obesity is believed to affect the lives of many people from different racial backgrounds. It is also a risk factor for a wide range of illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. BinAfif et al. (2017) argue that there are numerous health consequences associated with obesity such as premature deaths and chronic diseases. Key Terms and Definitions Body mass index (BMI): Measure of an “individual’s body weight in relation to height” (MacLean et al., 2017, p. 9). Epidemic: A widespread prevalence of an illness or condition in a given society and at a particular time. Calorie: A unit of energy in a given quantity/amount of food (Terrace & Oniscu, 2016). Fig 2: Countries affected the most by obesity. Fig 3: Global prevalence o