ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Official cash rate (OCR) The official cash rate (OCR) is defined as the market interest rate for overnight borrowing and lending (King et al. 2011). King et al (2011) define it as the rate that banks charge to lend funds from other financial institutions on an overnight unsecured basis. This rate is a means of implementing a monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of Australia. According to King et al (2011), the cash rate strongly influences other interest rates thereby determining the level of short term interest rates for the macro economy. Consequently, RBA can influence the aggregate economy by adjusting the official cash rate. The market interest rate (nominal interest rate) is defined by Arnold (2010) as the interest rate actually charged in the market. It can be expressed as the sum of the real interest rate and the expected inflation rate. Market interest rate is a consequence of the action of the law of demand and supply on loanable funds. If there is a surplus of loanable funds, the market interest rates fall (Arnold 2010). The RBA controls this through cash-fund-add and cash-fund-drain transactions. By controlling the exchange settlement funds that the commercial banks hold through the official cash rate, the RBA can influence the nominal interest rate. To influence the cash rate, the RBA carries out open market operations in the financial markets to influence the supply of primary liquidity available to the financial institutions. This control is achieved by the RBA buying and selling Commonwealth Government Securities from the banks for cash. Consequently, this action influences the bank’s liquidity thereby altering the short term interest rates in the financial markets (Layton, Robinson & Tucker 2012). Suppose RBA wants to decrease the cash rate. The RBA will decide that it is necessary to increase the monetary base thereby reducing the interest rates. In order to achieve this, the RBA will offer to buy government securities from banks and other financial institutions (Layton, Robinson & Tucker 2012). This is based on the repurchase agreement (repo) between the RBA and a financial institution that the securities will be reversed to the original owner
The book “Denial: A Memoir” by Jessica Stern offers a detailed analysis of her trauma and subsequent denial after her adolescent assault by a serial rapist. This book examines the nature of sexual assault and ways to overcome the trauma and pain associated with the experience. The author uses her personal experiences to explain how individuals can deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to sexual assault. The author explores the importance of sincere confrontation as the best strategy to deal with sexual assault. If human beings can confront their pains and trauma, it can be easier for them get liberated (Stern, 2011). The approach is necessary because it helps people stop worrying and instead focus on their future life. Through “denial”, the author believes that individuals facing stress and trauma can “lock away” the maltreatments of the past (Stern, 2011). The idea helped Jessica overcome her pains and eventually found her healing from the assault. Without this journey, it is clear that the affected individual will be unable to develop meaningful relationships with his loved ones and friends. It becomes necessary to embrace a compassionate confrontation through denial and eventually develop true human relationships. The author of the text has used her personal experiences and journey to explain how it can be possible to overcome the challenges affecting many people today. Without determination, courage and resilience, it can be impossible to alter our experiences and live a better life (Stern, 2011). The book is commendable for its insights and ideas through which individuals can dissociate with their past in order to survive. Although most of the experiences are painful and damaging, individuals can embrace the idea of denial in order to overcome. The text also offers a detailed approach through which individuals can embrace their sociological aspects of denial. This means that affected persons should be conscious about their past and embrace denial. Denial is always necessary until the person overcomes the trauma. It is advisable that individuals read this text because it provides the best choice to understand the situation and subsequently make the necessary decisions. The individuals will develop a new understanding and reasoning to overcome the stress. Although the author indicates that individuals will suffer from disturbing images and thoughts af
Leadership According to Yukl (2010, p8), “leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done, how to do it, the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.” As a leader one needs to embrace strengths and weaknesses, acceptance of responsibility, leading by example, knowing ones subordinates, making timely and quality decisions, training his juniors, and informing his staff about tasks. Yukl (2010, p.5) identifies two methods of leadership; direct leadership (which involves communicating to his staff through memos, reports, meetings or emails) and indirect leadership which involves cascading, whereby, a message is passed through a channel, for instance, from the CEO to the manager, and finally to the employees. Nevertheless, Griffin (2006, p.290) identifies situational models as an approach to leadership, whereby, a leader’s behavior is said to vary with situations. Situational theories of leadership therefore include less-preferred- coworker (LPC) theory, in which a manager uses to describe a specific employee, who works least well. In this theory, the task structure entails how well a task is defined. In addition, the position power in this theory is strong when a leader has the power to assign duties, reward or punish employees. Path goal theory of leadership entail a leader’s responsibility being to grant desired and valued rewards to employees and further elaborating the kind of behavior required to achieve these rewards (Griffin 2006 p293). Leadership Approaches Strategic leadership approach is one of the most used approaches in organizations. This approach entail
General Motors, also called GM, is an American-based company, which has the international reputation for quality manufacture of cars and trucks. William C. Durant established the company in 1908 and currently, under the leadership of Edward Whitacre, it operates in sells and services of automotives in over one hundred and forty countries around the world. Employing about 244,500 people in its various manufacturing operations around the world, GM is playing a leading role in stimulating economic growth worldwide. The automotive industry is exemplified by high profile trade disagreements as well as intense rivalry in this century. Since its establishment, GM has been undergoing important organizational changes from a traditional organizational model to a transformed organizational model in order to preserve its longevity in the market. This paper attempts to analyze the structure of the company and its organization style. GM sells most of its vehicles to the U.S. market. For example, in 2008, out of 8.35 million cars and trucks sold globally, the U.S. accounted for 22.1% of the market share. The top four regional markets for the company are North America, China, European Union, and South America in that order. The company has collaborations with different automakers around the world. Some of these are Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation of China, Fiat, and Ford Motor Company. In the global market, the company has recorded significance performance in the Chinese market. For example, in 2009, the company sold 1,830,000 cars and trucks in China, which represented 13.4 percent of its total global sales. The company is structured into various groups, which represent various regions around the world. These groups are GMAP (GM Asia-Pacific), GME (GM Europe), GM LAAM (GM Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East), GMNA (GM North America), and other operations in different places around the world. Each region has its own president who is answerable to the company’s CEO (“GM profile,” description section). The Board of Directors, who makes important decisions that affect the running of the activities of the automotive corporation, manages the company. For example, on December 4, 2009, the GM Board of Directors announced major leadership changes within the company that made Edward Whitacre, who had been previously serving in an interim capacity, to be appointed the company’s CEO on a permanent basis. The company’s mission statement reads, “GM is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success…” (“Company information, para.3). Its vision statement “is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services (“Company information,” para. 5). The company operates in the automotive industry under the following brands: “Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling” (“About GM,” para.1). In a tradition
The modern business world is characterized by a highly competitive environment, and companies have to seek for ways achieve and then sustain high performance. Thus, organizations employ the four functions to reach this aim. The control function is the final stage of the management process. This stage is vital as it ensures meeting organizational goals, which is associated with the overall performance of the organization. The control function appears in all processes and all parts of a company. It is important to define this function and identify its types to understand its importance for the organization’s success. In simple terms, it is possible to define the control function as the process aimed at ensuring that activities do not deviate from the set standards. Importantly, the control function focuses on the result rather than the process itself. Controlling involves such stages as establishing standards, measuring performance, comparing actual performance with the standard one, and implementing corrections. It is important to understand each stage of the process to evaluate the function’s importance. The first stage of the controlling process is the development of standards. These standards should be consistent with the organizational goals. In many cases, managers choose standards accepted in other companies that are regarded successful, but sometimes each company (or each department or even process) can have particular standards that are unique. The stage of measuring can be further divided into two phases. First, measurement tools are chosen, and after that, the measurement process takes place. It is important to make sure that measurement is as detailed as possible. This is crucial for identifying deviations from the standard if any. Comparing the actual and standard performance is the next stage. Thorough analysis is also vital as it ensures identification of particular deviations as well as the causes of these inconsistencies with the standard. Finally, the implementation of corrections is the process that helps to remove any deviations and make all the activities consistent with the standards set. Three types of controlling exist (feedforward, concurrent and feedback controls). Feedforward controls focus on prevention of any possible deviations from the standard. This type of controls often takes into account such aspects as human resources as well as finances and material resources. The most vivid illustration of the feedforward controls is associated with human resources. Thus, the company tries to hire high-performing professionals who are likely to achieve the organizational goals. The HR specialists test people and check their ability to comply with the organizational standards. This helps prevent some deviations from the standard performance. The other two types of controls can be found in all activities and all parts of the organization. The concurrent controls ensure that the activities are consistent with the standards established. The control takes place when the activity is still in progress. One of the most illustrative examples is the product quality control. There are various tests and other measurement
Abstract After Regan’s term, the republicans always wished to compel voters to take part in electing their own candidates since the ideologies formulated by him would be maintained. The nature and direction of American politics were marred by many myths and misguided beliefs that were used by both republicans and democrats in their campaigns. By analyzing the administrative responsibility and issues in the 21 st century, this paper will identify the myths and truths about post-Regan politics. Keywords: public administration, post-Regan politics Post-Regan Politics After Regan’s end of tenure, the republicans wanted the citizens to believe that the upcoming leadership would be as set by former president Regan. Public administration is set and defined by public law and there is no individual who should try to evade the responsibilities that concern it. Due to the changing nature of public law, there have been attempts by politicians and social leaders to evade some responsibilities defined by the law, which they are required to carry out. Many officials started to use the Regan’s achievements and prior activities to compel the citizens to follow a certain path. One of the activities that were undertaken by the political and social officials was ignoring and deviating from their responsibilities. This move was linked to the burdens and the responsibilities that are attached to the public law. In public administration, all officials must abide and be role models who champion for adherence to the law. The concepts were however not considered by most of the officials after the end of Regan’s term (Raphael, 2009). Issues in the contemporary politics saw politicians shift blame to the public law and made them create unseen barriers that limited their service delivery. There were always efforts from the officials to use shortcuts and other unprofessional means to achieve their goals. Public Administration The fundamental framework that supports public administration is public law, which is developed and implemented in such a way that the values and ethical consequences are well evaluated. This means that all the public leaders and officials must be vibrant enough to embrace the values that govern the country (Kettl, 2006). One way of realizing and adapting to public administration policies is
Introduction The last three decades have seen an increased need for renewable sources of energy. World leaders, researchers, and policymakers among other elites have intensified the awareness of mitigating climate change. This phenomenon is attributed to using fossil fuels, which contribute largely to the greenhouse gas emissions. Wind energy has become a better option, which the Suzlon Group has ventured in since 1995. Tulsi Tanti, who realised the potential of two wind turbines in power generation, founded the company. Since then, it has continually posted a growth trend as it has reached global scale with its subsidiaries in 21 countries. This paper seeks to analyze the Suzlon Energy case from a strategic perspective with a focus on the macro-environment issues affecting the industry, microenvironment, and supporting issues surrounding the company’s operations. The Wind Energy Industry Wind energy has become the best option and a vital player in the world’s energy markets. It has rapidly grown to become an international business going beyond its original regions of the United States, India, and Europe (Shukla & Chaturvedin 2013). The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) 2011 report indicates that global installed wind power capacity by the end of 2011 reached over 237,600 MW (Lee 2014). Regional output in Africa and Middle East is approximately 1,090MW, Asia 8200MW, Europe 9600MW, Latin America and Caribbean 2,300MW, and North America 52,750MW. The Pacific Region exceeded the 2,800MW mark (Sivaraman & Agarwal 2012; Pradhan 2008). As the world intensifies the campaign for the awareness of climate change and increased affirmative action, the global energy players continue to seek clean energy options including wind, hydro, and geothermal energy (Zhang et al. 2014). Wind energy industry is driven by several factors namely the need to mitigate climate change, combating global warming, long-term carbon exposure, fuel risks, escalating depletion of fossil fuels, the need for energy security, and increased demand for clean energy (Shukla & Chaturvedin 2013). The modern advancement in energy technology underpins the large-scale production of wind power. For this reason, the industry has seen an influx of players who compete for ready demand for energy. The industry grows at an annual rate of over 20% (Khan et al. 2012). It employs more than 5.5 lakh people worldwide with a 2012 annual turnover of more than 49 billion pounds (Zhang et al. 2014). The impact of wind-generated electricity continues to be felt by over 26 million global households (Khan et al. 2012). Wind energy is the second largest source of electricity as it is capable of generating over 500 terawatt hours yearly. This amount accounts for approximately 3% of the world electricity consumption. Changes and Opportunities facing the Wind Energy Industry and their strategic Implications The projected energy emissions of the greenhouse gases have been said to reach 10% increment by 2050 in the absence of robust new energy policies. This projection brings in the nee
Summary of the author’s viewpoint The author finds it ironical that Google safeguards privacy and freedom of its users in its home market and then readily accepts to alter its policy in other markets like China. Moreover, the use and existence of copyrighted material on Google websites services such as Google Books and YouTube expose the firm to copyright-related court battles. Although ninety-nine per cent of Google’s revenue comes from advertising, the company continues to face complaints from advertisers about click fraud. Google has also been violating users’ trust and privacy by using personal details to recommend friends with its Buzz service. The service exposes a loophole in privacy security that governments can use to monitor private conversations. On its Android service, Google collects mobile users’ location details even when they are not using location services on their smartphones. While Google in 2012 explicitly stated how it would collect user information from various services to help enhance user experience, it failed to disclose the fact that it would also use other forms of identification to track users against their will. The problem becomes worrisome when Google bypasses users’ intentions and actions to block its monitoring activities (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2014). Discussion of the ethical issues Confidentiality and privacy of a customer’s information are critical elements of ethical conduct that service businesses should follow (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2014). In addition, a company like Google ought to be forthcoming with information about its activities concerning users’ private information. Many users may not be aware of what Google does, even when the company claims that the unethical data collection eventually leads to better experiences for them and secure storage of their information from third-party access. Users have a right to demand Google to stop monitoring them. They can do this by signing out of Google services. When this happens, Google should not have to use other background means to access information from such a user because the intention not to use Google’s services was explicitly demonstrated by the user’s actions. Part of compliance with business ethics for Google comes through state regulations on privacy of users’ information. However, as a company claiming not to be evil, there should be no need to for investigation into wrongdoings in the first place. The matter should be clear enough such that the company does not involve itself in any unethical practice. The best way forward is to give people a chance to make their own choices, rather than coerce them into making choices that are favorable to Google. Responses to the questions Google should not censor searches in China because that does not amount to giving information to the world. Google was adamant about not wanting to provide information because it wanted to protect its trade secrets. Revelation of the
The Hepatitis C virus was discovered in 1989, and since this discovery, scientists have observed that HCV has a highly variable RNA genome (Chiaho 2012). So far, six major HCV genotypes have been identified and it has been noted that their prevalence in various geographical regions varies. Genotyping is a significant development since it helps to determine the treatment regiment to be offered to the patient. There has been an increased understanding of HCV transmission over the years. It is now known that the virus is found in various body fluids. However, the threat of infection only occurs when the virus is concentrated enough. Developments have been made in the screening of the virus. Scientists have identified many recombinant HCV diagnostic antigens and developed tests for detecting HCV antibodies (Zhang 2015). Optimal tests for HCV infection have been developed, leading to the early diagnosis and treatment of infections. The first major treatment development took place in 1999 when scientists discovered that the combination of ribavirin and interferon was efficient in treating HCV. This led to the development of a new general of antiviral agents, which were protease inhibitors that interrupted HCV replication (Acton 2013). Combining these drugs with the IFN and ribavirin led to improved cure rates among patients. The second breakthrough was in 2010 when the connection between the virus and the brain was made (Batool 2015). Scientists also discovered how fat contributes to the virus replication process. This led to the introduction of Direct-Acting Antivirals, which not only had higher cure rates, but they are also safer for patients. The treatment duration using DAA was 12 weeks compared to the 48 weeks needed for the Interferon and Ribavirin therapy (Mullhaupt 2015). Advances in treatment methods made over the years have greatly improved cure rates. Hepatitis C is a disease developed from infection with the hepatitis C virus. The disease affects the liver, and it can be acute or chronic. Acute HCV results in mild illnesses that typically clear up naturally after about 6 months. Chronic infections can lead to life-threatening disease and require treatment to cure or manage. HCV infection takes a chronic course in about 80% of those infected. HCV is found in all body fluids, but it is transmitted through blood. Common forms of transmission include needle sharing among drug users and through transfusion of unscreened blood. A significant issue with Hepatitis C is that it does not cause symptoms after the initial infection. For this reason, the Hepatitis C Virus is known as a silent disease due to its symptomless clinical course. This virus can affect an individual without producing the symptoms for many years, and diagnosis only occurs when liver cirrhosis develops. It is important to diagnose HCV infection at the earliest time possible to prevent significant damage. Screening of at-risk groups is crucial to identify the virus. Through screening, infected people can be identified and an assessment of the degree of damage done by the virus carried out. After a positi