ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction It could be observed that in the contemporary world, which experiences the continuous impact of the globalization process, tourism is one of the industries that are rapidly developing. Taking into account the variety of different means to travel, people are able to take various tourist destinations considerably easy. However, it should also be noted that there are barriers to travel that can affect contemporary tourism to a vast extent. In his article, Edgell (2016) elaborates on various issues that are expected to challenge the industry of tourism in the near future. Among the different problems discussed in the article, several important barriers should be mentioned. They include the following factors: the problems with visas and passports, immigration-related complications, as well as the issue connected with the airline services, such as fees and delays (Edgell, 2016). This list is considerably comprehensive as it mentions several highly important areas of concern. Nevertheless, it is argued that contemporary barriers to travel are not restricted to the mentioned factors as the overall problem is far more complicated due to the fact that it is deeply connected with the majority of spheres of modern life. This paper aims to elaborate on the variety of problems related to the industry of travel, referencing recent scholarly literature on the topic. Borders as One of the Central Concepts in Tourism First of all, it is decided to observe the concept of borders and cross-border tourism as it is one of the most evident barriers to travel in the
Introduction Modeling means designing of software before coding. It is not easy to visualize software before developing it. Therefore, a visual model such as UML makes it simple to understand, by visualizing it from multiple dimensions. This paper discusses the various functions of UML, and why it was developed. It will conclude by discussing its impact on modeling. Functions of UML UML is a third generation object oriented programming language created, and managed by the Object Management Group from 1997 (Erickson, 2008) It produces standard visual models for software applications and system architectures. UML was used to analyze future application requirements with solutions that met them, using customized diagrams. It shaped models that provided design solutions that were to be delivered by software systems (Deitel & Deitel, 2008). To ensure that the system went through technical analysis process for satisfactory development, a model had to be formulated. Properly modeled systems helped in minimizing loss of information and misinterpretation in communicating the decisions taken during development. Team members developing a system would have a better understanding on how to go about the implementation process if an appropriate and, user definable model was created for that system. Why UML was developed Different companies initially defined their requirements in languages that were totally unfamiliar to software vendors hence the need to produce a unified language that would simplify modeling and make it understandable by all vendors. UML is a communication tool which gets key information of what the code should
Introduction The Chinese government’s announcement to open the Shenzhen stock market to foreign investors brings both opportunities and challenges. Under the Stock Connect program, Hong Kong investors are given the opportunity to buy shares from the Shenzhen stock exchange, which currently holds the majority of China’s consumer and tech companies. In return for this ability, mainland investors can also buy stocks from Hong Kong. Market Size, Industry Sectors, Liquidity and Volatility Shenzhen is the ninth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization and the eighth largest by a number of listed companies (Wildau): Fig. 1. World Stock Exchanges by Size (Wildau). One of the reasons that it could be worth investing in Shenzhen’s stock market is that the companies there are concentrated in some of the most rapidly developing industries, such as health care, technology, and media (the so-called “New China”), whereas the Shanghai sector is predominantly oriented towards the industries of “Old China” such as energy and finance (Shaffer). Fig. 2. Shenzhen Stocks by Industry (Wildau). Therefore, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong connection will potentially open up a new and profitable world to investors looking to monetize the growth of these developing markets. With regards to liquidity and volatility, the Shenzhen market is one of the most liquid by share turnover velocity, which measures turnover as a proportion of the total market cap (Wildau). Retail investors in the region favor Shenzhen due to the proliferation of small-cap stocks that present more opportunities to gain momentum. On the other hand, because speculators prefer to operate in Shenzhen, the market is becoming more volatile (Wildau). The beginning of 2014 serves as a good illustration of this situation; at that time, the Composite Index of Shenzhen either increased or decreased by 1% around 250 times per day, compared to 149 times in Shanghai and 105 times in Hang Seng, as shown in the diagram below: Fig. 3. World Stock Exchanges by Liquidity (Wildau). The new ties between Shenzhen and Hong Kong are similar to the ones between Shanghai and Hong Kong with one key difference: only a daily quota will be available for Shenzhen (Shaffer). However, analysts have stated that removing the restrictions and openi
The philosophical teachings of Stoicism and Confucianism concerning their differences and similarities are of great interest to researchers. Taking their origins in incomparable cultures, they possess several identical points. Although the cultural distance between Chinese and Hellenistic civilizations might be regarded as a giant, the comparison of these philosophies can lead to identifying the relationship between them. Firstly, speaking about the principal contrasts between Stoicism and Confucianism, it should be mentioned that Confucius developed the teaching aimed at the improvement of the state structure, whereas the Stoics pay the main attention to logic and physics. Expressing the idea of devotion to the country and humility, Confucianism was also used as an ideological instrument to rule the nation. On the other hand, Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy, which concentrates mostly on developing logical thinking and wonders about the nature of the universe. This dissimilarity in the approaches makes evident the theoretical contradictions in the basic provisions of Stoicism and Confucianism. Secondly, the concepts of morality seem to be indispensable for the comparison as well. Trying to build a highly disciplined and prosperous society, Confucius advocates that morality plays a crucial role in education, making people understand what is good and what is evil. In other words, Confucianism implies the possibility of reducing human-made evil. Contrariwise, Stoicism concentrates on a slightly different aspect of the question. One of the central tenets of Stoic ethics claims that human happiness is not influenced by any goods or evils, which are considered non-moral, such as pleasure and pain, health and illness. Thus, Stoicism introduces the notion of morally indifferent things, which are absent in the theory of Confucianism. However, representing one of the central aspects of these teachings, the understanding of relationships with others can be useful for further comparison. Confucianism, as it was mentioned above, covers all aspects of social life, from the individual to the state structure. One of the basic principles of this ethical teaching implies respect for other people and all living things. To produce a fairly functioning society, Confucius considers it necessary to talk about the personal responsib
Securitization is as crucial to an economic system as structured financial markets. It results in issuers devising monetary instruments by combining different fiscal assets, as well as market levels of the merged tools, to investors (Wæver, 2015). Such a practice may include any form of monetary asset and supports liquidity in the market by allowing small investors to acquire a large pool of assets. This process may entail merging contractual obligations, for instance, credit card debts, loans, and other assets that form receivables. Mortgage-supported security acts as a good case of securitization (Elul, 2016). Through merging mortgages into a single pool, issuers may choose to split it into small portions depending on their underlying risk of default and sell the bits to investors. Devoid of securitization of mortgages, it might be impossible for a retail investor to own a large pool of mortgages. Securitization compels banks to compete with other financial institutions with the aim of winning as many major borrowers as possible. Attributable to ensuring that monetary assets become tradable, securitization decreases agency outlays, thus making financial markets more resourceful. It also enhances liquidity for the essential monetary claims hence lessening risks in the financial system. Securitization provides more intensified investment options and appealing risk-return profiles than other forms of assets, for example, government bonds. In a case of loan default where the money collected by the collateralized debt obligation is inadequate to pay every investor, the ones at the lowest tranches are the first to incur losses (Buchanan, 2016). The last investor to lose money from default is the most secure. Securitization offers creditors a chance to reduce their risk through the distribution of possession of debt obligations.
Introduction The ideology of self in philosophy is a term that is used to describe various essential characteristics that combine together to form a unique personality different from other individuals. The concept of self is described as central to human development and is responsible for two very important functions i.e. self which is regarded as the point from which the conscious thoughts emanate and also the point from which purposeful thought are processed (Myers 2004. As such the concept of self in a person is best exhibited through observation of other people’s actions, behaviors and characters which are determined by the brain also from where they originate. Indeed this is the concept from which the science of psychology is based which is best exemplified by the theory of behaviorism: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concepts of self ideology as advanced by Descartes and Hume’s and their relevance in context of modern psychology. To achieve this we need to set a benchmark from which to test the relevance of these two theories which will be the applications of these ideologies in modern day psychology. Descartes Self Ideology The self ideology concept advanced by Descartes has its roots from four themes that summarizes his contributions to the branch of psychology; human development, model of the mind, method of inquiry and self and society (Newman 1997). It is on human development theme which was an attempt of establishing with certainty the evidence of knowledge that we first encounter the concept of “Cogito, ergo sum” (Newman 1997). In order to establish and separate reality from belief Descartes applied a form of a test referred as “Radical Doubt” that required a person to doubt anything that can be doubted (Newman 1997). It is from these inferences that the concept of cogito was born which is certainly the only aspect that could not be doubted; “I think therefore I am” summarizes Cogito, ergo sum as envisioned by Descartes (Newman 1997). Thinking according to Descartes was found to be all activities that involve mental processes such as calculating, sensing, remembering and the process of doubt itself among others (Newman 1997). But the Cogito concept is threatened by three other closely related observations which are described as dreams, sensory illusions and the “evil genius” that must be overcome before this knowledge can be determined to be absolute (Bramann, 2004). From this inference it is clear that Descartes claim on this basis is very compelling. So far in the analysis of Descartes self ideology we can determine the relevance of this approach in understanding the thought process and personality types in human subjects as far as psychology is concerned. In the next theme, model of the mind Descartes describes mind as having two aspects; innate ideas and dualism of mind and body (Bramann 2004). The dualism of mind and body referred by Descartes meant that the human thought process and the physical element are separate distinct elements that only coexist together while innate ideas are inherently found to be present in some thinking processes of the mind (Newman 1997). Some of th
Introduction The main objective of the NHS is to ensure that all residents of the UK are able to access medical services irrespective of their demographic, social, cultural or economic background (NHS 2014). One of the major advantages of the NHS is that it enables the residents of the UK to receive healthcare free of charge. In addition, it provides a variety of services to all patients. This has resulted into improved health outcomes in the country. However, the NHS has faced serious challenges in the last few years. These include limited funding from the government and inadequate capacity to handle rising demand for medical services (Schmid et al. 2010, pp. 455-486). In addition, patients have complained about declining service quality standards, whereas physicians are concerned about deteriorating terms of service. This has forced the government to intervene by implementing new policies and strategies to improve the performance of the NHS. This report will provide a detailed analysis of the NHS, with the aim of proposing recommendations to the government to improve its performance. The report will begin by highlighting the current state of the UK’s healthcare system. This will be followed by analysis using various tools and models. Problems First, secondary care institutions are facing sustainability challenges. This is illustrated by the fact that nearly 15% of the country’s hospitals that provide specialized care have been declared unsustainable in the recent past. As more institutions become clinically and economically unsustainable, access to high quality healthcare will reduce significantly (Rothgang et al. 2008, pp. 132-146). Second, the government believes that it should reduce its expenditure on healthcare by 20%. This need arose as a result of the country’s poor economic performance in the last five years. Third, there is no effective integration between hospitals and community services. Some of the factors that hinder integration include poor communication, conflicting objectives among care institutions, and competition among care providers (Williams 2011, pp. 100-113). Fourth, the public has lost trust in general practitioners (GPs). The GPs have focused on pursuing their interests at the expense of providing improved and accessible services to
The issue of human and natural factors contributing to the ecosystem damage in California has several implications. Human ventures, such as breeding cattle and work associated with industrial activity, significantly impact the soil and overall landscape. However, natural factors, such as changes in the atmosphere and fires should also be considered when evaluating the issue. This discussion post will present an in-depth review of the elements that lead to the degradation of the ecosystem in California. The problems include hunting and ranching, which cause extinction or displacement of animals living in the area. For instance, World Wild Life (WWF) argues that in the Baja region human activity is intense, which affects the nature around (“Southern North America”). Additionally, salt extraction businesses affect the gray whales by impairing their ability to breed. Next, Mooney and Zavaleta state that groundwater pumping affects the aquifers, causing them to collapse (5). Carroll points out that an oil spill, which occurred in 2015, will have a long-term impact on the ecology. This includes damage to the soil and microorganisms occupying the coastline. A natural factor that contributes to the ecological issues in California is forest fires. In general, wildfires lead to soil erosion, which affects the nutrients within it and pollutes the water (Mooney and Zavaleta 2). The increase in the number of incidents that occurred in recent years makes the issue even more severe. Mooney and Zavaleta argue that this is both due to the climate that predisposes the landscape for the development of large-scale fires and densely vegetated landscape, which serves as a fuel (6). In addition, changes in the atmosphere, such as nitrogen deposition, affect the biodiversity of the region. Overall, human factors that contribute to the degradation of California’s ecosystem are ranching, hunting, industrial salt extraction, and industrial activity while the natural problems causing ecosystem damage are fires and atmospheric changes. Works Cited Carroll, Rory. “California Oil Spill could cause Long-Term Damage and ‘Smother’ Ecosystem.” The Guardian , 2015, Web. Mooney, Harold and Erika Zavaleta, editors. Ecosystems of California: Threats & Responses . University of California Press, 2016. UC California Naturalist, Web. “Southern North America: Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.” WWF , Web.
Introduction This paper is going to look at the business conduct of BAE Company. The author is going to look at a case study where the company is alleged to have conducted business in an unethical manner. The paper is going to be divided into four tasks. Each of the tasks will address a different aspect of the case study. The first task will look at laudable decisions on the part of BAE. The second task will look at the standard ways of placing blames in the context of the case study. The third task will look at the standard normative doctrines while the fourth task will look at corporate misconduct. Laudable Decisions from BAE Systems’ Case Study The decision by the Serious Frauds’ Office to prosecute British Aerospace should be applauded. This is given the fact that the decision will deter big companies from exploiting poverty-stricken communities that cannot afford to pay for their education and medical bills. The company (BAE) sold air traffic control systems to the Tanzanian government where the latter used money meant for social services such as education and health to pay for the systems (Burrows 2003). BAE’s support for premier elections and other businesses by the company is not a crime. Tony Blair was to become a salesman for the BAE products. His premiership would allow him to negotiate effectively on behalf of the firm. The anti-bribery bills would regulate the conduct of firms in the country. BAE will adhere to the ethical standards set down. If the company happens to deviate from these standards, proposed penalties such as the maximum 10-years’ jail sentence will be applied (Coates 2010). Culpable Decision SFO’s decision to drop investigations into Al-Yammah’s conduct is unacceptable. The UK government in this case feels that continued investigations will negatively affect its relationship with the Saudi Arabian government. The implication here is that the UK wants to safeguard her economic interests by maintaining a good relationship with the buyers. The government does not care about the welfare of those who are hurt. On the contrary, it is only interested in the business conducted by the company. BAE is willing to compensate the affected countries but it is not willing to accept the fact that it has breached the corporate code of conduct. The company is trying to avoid blame. To this end, the payments made by the company to the Tanzanian government are in form of ex-gratia and not penalties (Coates 2010). A director of forensic accounting known as Mr. Gavin Cunningham revealed that the payments were not criminal. On the contrary, they can be considered as a form of a civil arrangement between the company and the government. It is culpable for the British government to use its power and authority to coerce other nations to adopt its policies. This is another form of bribery and corruption. The larg
This program planning worksheet will detail the timeline and necessary requirements for the successful implementation and realization of goals and objectives as identified in worksheet two. It will closely center on resources needed and the timeline that can hypothetically kick-start the process and sustain it to the end. Gantt Charts and PERT Charts are some of the mechanisms through which managers present a timeline of activities concerning a project (Timmreck, 2003 , p. 156). Timmreck however feels that th above named mechanisms are complex and managers should avoid them if necessary. However, given the complexity of the project at hand, this worksheet will employ use of a vertical and horizontal logic program planning matrix in an effort to enhance specificity effectively presenting a detailed and high quality plan. According to Timmreck, a timeline should include a list of activities, define the activities that must take place first, and determine the time frame when each activity must take place (2003, p. 156). This approach is best suited for a detailed delivery of information in the context as the case may be (Singh, 2007, p. 31). Chambers reinforces the above view by alluding that the vertical and horizontal logic presentation is better since little information is left out (2005, p. 67). it is important to note that community wellbeing is the driving force behind all activities highlighted in the timeline below. According to Anderson & McFarlane, focus on the community is bound to improve community capacity to tackle their most pressing social issues (2010, p. 360). 0 months – 1 year  Narrative Summary                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Verifiable Indicators                                                          Means of Verification                                                                      Assumptions                                                  Overall Goal       To ensure every teenager high school freshman goes through the mandatory drunk driving c