ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Executive Summary This paper describes different types of corporate governance committees to show which of them are necessary for operating a business. Audit, compensation, and nominating (governance) committees are presented as the basis for the corporate committee structure. Additional types of committees are discussed to represent contemporary stakeholder concerns. Finally, several common and specialized committee topics are recommended to address to cover the majority of issues, including some details about the committees’ membership. Introduction The control over corporations’ actions has to be shared among its stakeholders to support the levels of the participants – shareholders, management, directors, and other groups. Shareholders and management may hold different views regarding the future of the business, and their conflicts can lead to failed innovations and resistance to change (Larcker and Tayan 8). Thus, a set of committees are organized to control the actions of the board of members as well as the overall direction of the company. This paper examines the various types of corporate governance committees, including audit, compensation, nominating, and other specific groups. The recommendation includes the three main committees (nominating, compensation, and audit) as well as the corporate social responsibility committee to be created at most businesses. Problem Statement The full board of directors cannot always adequately address all problems that the company encounters. Moreover, some issues do not require the participation of full members, and time-consuming discussions could take up a significant time of the stakeholders’ workload. Therefore, the delegation of authority is necessary to separate the tasks. However, the creation of committees raises several questions, including the necessity of certain topics being considered in depth. Thus, the problem for companies lies in the discussion of which committees are needed, and which will interfere with the existing processes. Discussion To start with, one can consider the three main types of committees that are considered by most businesses. The first is the audit committee that acts as a point of contact between the business and the external auditor (Larcker and Tayan 61). The main purpose of this group of directors is to prevent an
Introduction Writing is a rather complicated matter due to the purposes it poses for it and the means of their pursuing. In other words, successful writing is a combination of properly organized purposes and well-developed means of their reaching, which are, very often, called writing techniques. These techniques are various and include a great number of items among which the most important ones are figurative language, humor and irony, logos, pathos and ethos. In this paper, I am going to analyze the use of the above mentioned writing techniques by the famous writer and scientist Eric Schlosser who wrote the preview in Sinclair’s book “The Jungle by Upton Sinclair”. I will also examine the work of these techniques and their supposed and actual effectiveness. Background The very book by Upton Sinclair is a perfect reflection of the American reality of the early 20 th century, as the book was published for the first time in 1906. The author is mainly concerned with the lives of ordinary people and exemplifies his statements about the crisis in the society by stories from real lives. The Jungle is a symbol of both corruption in the whole society that had to live according to jungle laws, and corruption in meatpacking industry where people and animals are mixed and no one can tell the difference between them (Sinclair, 2007). The foreword to the book, written many years later by a modern writer and scientists Eric Schlosser, presents a perfect piece of literature itself by a proper and targeted use of writing techniques that capture readers’ attention and involve them in the issues raised in the book (Sinclair, 2007). Schlosser’s Argument Schlosser, as the author of the proper foreword to the book by Upton Sinclair, makes use of all the major writing techniques. Among them the most significant place is taken by the use of ethos, pathos, logos, figurative language, humor and irony. The starting technique used by Schlosser is ethos and it can be seen in the language used for the foreword. The author tries to be as scientific as possible but at the same time appeal to ordinary people with ordinary words understandable for an average reader. It is clearly seen that the use of terms is proper and the author knows what he writes about (Sinclair, 2007). Logos is another characteristic feature of this foreword, which can be seen in the proofs that author provides for his arguments. For instance, Schlosser says that meatpacking industry of today is a jungle because the actual economic conditions of this branch are worse than were in 1906 when the book was published. Pathos is also used by the author who appeals to the society with a call to stop destroying itself and not to return to the state of overall crisis experienced in the beginning of th
Introduction Computer-based digital technologies have revolutionized the methods involved in the production of artworks on such mediums as film, television, video, and installations. This gave rise to the “new media,” in which art forms are distinguished from traditional artistic productions by their emphasis on personalized styles, performance, and improvised images and sensations. The limitless possibilities of software make all these possible. In effect, the new media artists produce their works with unprecedented freedom to experiment and create new art forms, even as they are assured of a wider audience. Because of the digital audiovisual culture engendered by computer technology, such artworks find popular acceptance although they depart from the traditional artistic productions that emphasize meaning, story, and realism. The production of films, which are both an art form and medium of popular entertainment, is among the artistic activities that have been transposed from their rigid analog existence to the digital era with its interactivity, customization, and multimedia configurations. Such transformation is most evident in animation films, which are produced with the extensive use of digital technologies because of their stop-motion characteristics. In producing an animation film, it is a challenge for the artist to work on vast amounts of drawings and computer-generated graphics and still let his personal style show in the end product. How an animation filmmaker uses the tools of digital technology to produce an artwork high in commercial and artistic value is the objective of this research, which settled on Tim Burton as a case study sample. Burton is an ideal subject for research of this kind because he has shot his 18 films to date by alternating between the traditional medium and digital formats. However, the famous filmmaker appears to have found his métier in the digital filmmaking of animation movies, as represented by his major works Vincent (1982), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and Corpse Bride (2005), which showcased his unique sense of creativity and launched his successful filmmaking career. New Media New media refers to all art forms produced with digital technologies and are therefore easier to manipulate apart from such other qualities as density, compressibility, impartiality, and networkability. Before the digital era, media was represented by paintings, sculptures, and other art forms that were laborious to produce and transport for exhibition. In the same manner, media relied on analog broadcast models such as radio and television (Chun, 2005). The
Analyzing the mass pursuit for standardization in every aspect of society, the issue can be considered two-fold. On the one hand, among the benefits of standards is the creation of unified criteria, based on which a comparison could be made and the quality can be assessed. Additionally, standards enable establishing certain requirements to meet in different aspects. On the other hand, there are areas in which standardization cannot cover all the external factors, which can confound the measurement process in many ways. Standardized test, which results are used as the sole determining factor in making a decision, also known as high stakes testing, can be seen as one of the areas in which standardization can be controversial. In that regard, this paper analyzes high stakes testing in schools, and the issues that might be associated with it, and providing personal recommendations on how these issues might be resolved in class. Analysis High stakes testing can be defined as testing that” has consequences attached to the results” (Mitchell, 2006) In that regard, taking into perspective different high stake testing, such as high school exit exams and grade to grade promotion tests, there are several ethical consideration in that matter. The main ethical question is the possibility of influencing the future of a student, with a single indicator that might prove wrong. This ethical aspect is combined by the fact that the role of teacher’s leadership and educational philosophy is eliminated, leaving students destiny in the hand of one-dimensional factors. (Peterson, 2005) Another consideration is that, despite the standard nature of the test, each state has the ability to develop and administer own examinations, and thus, manipulating the standards of self-developed test in order to meet other standards, such as Adequate
Introduction Someone somewhere is afraid of wolves while another one is afraid of spiders. There are people who are afraid of water, plants, light, bad smell and even other people. People live in constant fear of diverse things, actions and even emotions. Some of these fears are normal while others are quite abnormal. Why do people develop fears? People develop fears because as they interact with various things in the universe, they tend to develop some psychological detachments that may end up producing a certain kind of antipathy towards some objects (Bourne 9). This kind of fear generates hatred towards the specific object and any encounter with the said object will elicit irrational behaviors from the subject. Xenophobia Fear is also called phobia and one of the most common phobias is called Xenophobia. Xenophobia is associated with foreigners. It is also associated with guests and even strangers. The feeling of high levels of antipathy or fear towards foreigners is called xenophobia (Wolpe 111). This fear is usually irrational and is associated with some emotional problems though sometimes it can be exhibited by people who are emotionally sound. People with post-traumatic stress disorder are likely to exhibit this irrational fear. In most cases, this fear is connected with past associations with members of the grouping that the foreigner or the stranger comes from. For example, there was a white woman in the UK who was brutally attacked by two black men. They left her with a deformed wrist. After the incident, whenever she came across any black person, she would develop panic attacks and run away from the people (Kessler 12). This fear is irrational because it tends to associate people of a certain group with a past action. This reaction of the woman is xenophobic because it highlights fear and hatred of people of another race emanating. Xenophobia is not just a fear of persons whom the subject considers foreigners or strangers. It also entails any aversion to the cultures, the norms, values, belief systems and the practices of the strangers or the foreigners in question. This means that it is a very wide concept that entails things like origin, linguistic conventions, ways of life, habits and even religious dispositions (Latimer 45). Xenophobia is not racism, but racism is a subset of xenophobia. This is because not all people of a different race are foreigners but someone may hate a foreigner just because of his or her racial background. Xenophobia in most cases has to do with nationalities though in some cases, the issue of race creeps in. There are cases where xenophobia and racism are used to refer to the same thing especially in Eastern Europe where there are very few natives from other races. In this case, every person of another race is considered to be a foreigner and the fear and hate directed to that person is actually based on racial
Literature and the role of a writer have always been the subjects of heated discussions. In her essay “Witness: The Inward Testimony,” Nadine Gordimer addresses the ability of a writer to reflect on reality and presents the concept of witness literature. According to the author, writers constantly elaborate on the transformation of events into novels, stories, and poems. Literature witnesses global disasters, conflicts, and the lives of men, women, and children from different historical periods to reflect them. Using his exquisite sense of imagination, the writer is responsible for endowment, the realization of happened events, and the transformation of emotions, actions, and motives reactions from their immediacy into meaningful, long-lasting significance (Gordimer). It is possible to say that with the help of metaphors, fiction, as witness literature, helps readers see the truth. At the same time, writers interpret reality frequently addressing highly essential issues related to described events and people. They may reflect the reality through the introduction of characters, people who have never existed, and related actions – however, it will be the reality anyway presented through the prism of the writer’s perception. As a result, according to Gordimer, literature helps people rediscover themselves when they see themselves in it or see other people and apply their situations to the present day, reflecting on eternal themes, morality, and their life purpose. An example of this reflection of reality by literature is The Importance of Being Earnest , a farcical comedy written by Oscar Wilde. The two protagonists, Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing maintain fictitious personae and have secret lives to escape social obligations (Wilde 4). Even though the author focuses on irony and farce and regards serious social conventions and institutions as trivial to raise essential issues, he reflects the realities of the Victorian age, for instance, the attitude of aristocrats to duty, appearance, and respectability. From the work, it is clear to readers that noble Victorians put these concepts above all. Their code of conduct was determined by earnestness, a determined desire to do socially approved and correct things. Appearance and style were more important than people’s nature, needs, and desires. The main protagonist, Jack Worthing, calls himself two different names in the city and the country (Wilde 13). In turn, Algernon Moncrieff invented a permanently sick and invalid friend he called Bunbury and uses visits to this friend as an excuse when he does not want to attend dinner and follow other social obligations (Wilde 14). The stories of these characters align with the realities of the Victorian time when people may have a secret life, affairs within marriage, and illegitimate children, however, society did not pay attention until the appropriate appearance was maintained. In his play, Wilde raises an important question of the importance of trivial concerns. In other
Introduction Darren Aronofsky is an independent American filmmaker who explores various psychological themes in his movies. While all of them are different, they may be classified as psychological thrillers, with surrealism and magical realism elements. In his various films, Aronofsky shows themes of deep psychology: love, hate, addictions, genius, relationships between humans. Mysticism and surrealism are often present: paranormal phenomena and fantastical events interrupt the main realistic narrative to highlight the central ideas of each film. Archetypical plots, such as biblical legends, are used by Aronofsky as a basis for films mother! and Noah . He often changes the original plot to make it more suitable for modern realities. In other films, such as Requiem for a Dream , and Black Swan , he explores the various pathological states of human consciousness. Films Analysis Mother! The film’s main heroes are the couple living an ordinary and happy life. They both have self-describing names: a man is called Him, and a woman’s name is Mother. Him is a poet, and at the beginning of the film, he is struggling with writing block; while he is doing that, the house where he lives looks like burned remains. He places the crystal object on a pedestal, and then the remnants transform into a full and beautiful home. This fantastic scene symbolizes the power of creation, and one may already see the allegory to the creation of the world by God, and the name Him may as well be an allegory for God. Mother is his wife and muse, inspiring Him to write poems, which are usually commercially successful: he has many fans. Then, a stranger appears in Him’s house, who presents himself as Man; he pretends to be in search of a bed, but it turns out that he is the admirer of Him’s literature (Given 117). Him is generous, and he agrees that Man may stay in his house and obtain help. Soon, he and Mother notice that Man has a deadly wound and will probably die shortly. Before that, there are several scenes of the beating heart; their meaning will be revealed at the film’s end. After some time, Man’s wife arrives, whose name is Woman, and they both stay at the Him’s house. One may see that their names symbolize manhood and womanhood in general and are allegories of biblical legend about Adam and Eve, the first people on Earth. Mother is dissatisfied by their presence and is visibly annoyed while preparing food for them (Given 117). Him, however, argues that they have the right to obtain help, as they are in a hard situation. Soon, two sons of Man and Women arrive, quarreling about their father’s will; Mother becomes even more displeased. Sons’ argument becomes brutal, and in the end, one of them kills the other. In the second part of the film, which starts the next morning after their intercourse, Mother understands that she is pregnant, and Him is inspired by that. He write
The world is diverse in every aspect. There are millions of living species in the world. Many of them have been discovered while others still remain a mystery. Human beings have elicited the greatest form of diversity in terms of the reaction of the differences in people of the world. Many studies have been conducted on the subject. Some try to piece together the origin of this diversity, and others try to teach us how to embrace the differences that are in the world. It is imperative that people do acquire this knowledge as it is not only but also empowers people. The Journey of Man, a Genetic Odyssey by Spencer Wells is an informative documentary where the author explains his theory of the origin of man using genetics. The hypothesis is intensely intriguing and, while he presents convincing facts on the matter, I would take the information with a grain of salt. Wells says that all the people originated from a single man who passed his Y chromosome to future generations, and they continued passing them. Along the way, the genes developed mutation, which he attributes to the differences in the races of the world today. People moved from Africa 50000 years ago and spread across the world. As they did this, the mutations in their bodies took place, and this caused changes in the skin color. The author states that racial differences are only skin deep and that genetic technology shows that it will lead to convergence, and people will look the same. There has been controversy in the hypothesis because scientists have been found to be bowing to the social pressures of the day. In this case, Wells agrees to prevent racism. Many critics have cited massive differences in races and utterly refuting the case of racial differences being skin deep. An instance given is using intellectual capabilities that have shown particular races to have this characteristic. Moreover, experimentation with dogs, which have high genetic similarity to human beings, shows significant differences in intelligence, and body formation. The critics have shown that the book is merely a distortion of scientific facts to favor the social aspiration of the world. The world is becoming divers
The ability to make the right decisions can be considered precious. Decisions are the most important aspect of the work of every company as they affect it in an impressive way. There are different types of issues that managers should handle, namely fiscal problems, questions regarding the staff and customers. There are three types of decisions, namely “programmed and non-programmed, strategic or operational, and top-down or bottom-up” (Phillips & Gully, 2015). It is essential to note that the decisions made by the managers are significantly affected by their experience and cultural background. People from different countries make different choices; for example, people in the United States are sure that changes are the way towards improvement and progress; however, in Malaysia, people just accept life and do not think that something should be changed. The ways the decisions are made in the firm are highly dependent on the leadership style that is used by managers. Democratic leadership style increases the motivation of the employees and job satisfaction. To minimize possible negative effects on the multicultural team’s decision-making process, brainstorming, nominal group techniques, and the Delphi method should be implemented in the working process. Moreover, tolerances, respect, ability to understand and to listen to one’s opinion seem to be significant for minimization of the negative effect. People should follow an ethical decision-making approach. Peter Drucker states that the mirror test will be helpful to increase the ethical awareness of the employees. Making ethical decisions is a complicated task as it involves a number of actions, namely evaluation of ethical issues and perception of the standards.
Introduction The article by Montgomery discusses the concept of flooding which is not as popular as glaciation theory. The article discusses flooding as an agent of sculpturing the earth. To make the story interesting, the author links scientific evidence to sites that are native to the folklores. This may make the reader think that ancient stories can sometimes be mixtures of fact and fiction. The author seeks to find a semblance between biblical flooding during Noah’s times, and the evidence of flooding that he presents. However, he joins other geologists in dismissing the possibility of a global flood. The benefit of the article to learners is the clear explanation it gives on flooding and corresponding features. Author and article’s title The title of the article is “Biblical-Type Floods Are Real, and They’re Absolutely Enormous”. The article was published online on August 29, 2012 by Discover Magazine in the July-August special Issue. The author is David R. Montgomery who was once a lecturer of geology at the University of Washington (Montgomery 1 para. 1). The author revisits an issue in geology that was at first considered impossible. To make the article interesting, he links mythical stories with scientific evidence from sites native to the narratives. This makes the reader believe that some of the ancient stories are a mixture of fact and fiction. The aim of the article is to popularize the concept of flooding as an external force that acted in shaping the earth as much as glaciation. The popularity of the glaciation theory already exists in textbooks. The article identifies landforms, and shapes that only flooding is able to sculpture. Montgomery discusses that “the valley was not U-shaped typical of glacial valley, and none of us could imagine how the wind might gouge a canyon out of hard basalt” (1 pa