ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Decision making is a fundamental function in all organizations and the success of the organization is directly dependent on the quality of decisions arrived at. Traditionally, most decisions were made by individuals who typically held high ranks within the organization. However, this has changed and the popularity of group decision making has increased in the past few decades. This change has been precipitated by the adoption of flatter structures by organizations; a move which has resulted in more group participation in the decision making process. Undoubtedly, the popularity of groups has increased over the past decade since groups typically outperform individuals and make better use of the available employee talents. However, group decisions are not always the best for the organization. Currently, there is a certain important organization decision that must be made by a group but in my estimation; a better decision could be made by an individual. In this paper, I will explain why I think an individual’s decision is better suited in this case. Decision Making Theory The primary objective of decision making is to choose the most effective and efficient solution among alternatives. Positive theory proposes that a chosen course of action is made from the presumption that it will bring about the desired results for the organization (Gastil, 2010). All purposeful actions undertaken by the group or individual should therefore be geared towards finding options which yield desired results. Group Decision making Groups are formed when two or more people interact and are interdependent, or come together so as to achieve certain common objectives. Group decision making involves the members of the group trying to reach an optimal solution by considering the input of the group members.   * Pros The group members come from varying background and may have differing perspectives and ways of doing things. This increased diversity of view will be brought to the table during decision making (Gottlieb, 2009). Group deliberations will therefore assist in the identification of strategic problems and opportunities due to the diversity of the group. There is an increased acceptance of solutions that are arrived at by a group. This is because when a decision is come up with by a group, the members have a sense of ownership for the solution found (Gottlieb, 2009). Group decision making also results in increased morale by the group members as well as a heightened level of commitment by the individual to the organizational tasks in consideration. Group decision making results in more complete information being available to aid in the decision making process. This is because group decision making assists in overcoming the limitation on knowledge that an
The issues that women have to manage in marital relationships have been viewed as taboo for a significant time period, which has led to increased gender inequality and the failure to prevent family violence and related issues. Kate Chopin was one of the first writers to expose the struggles of women in the specified environment of inequality in her “The Story of an Hour.” By using the feminist perspective, namely, the idea that women are oppressed because of their sex by the patriarchal institution and forced into relationships based on inequality, Chopin described the struggles of women in a powerful and insightful way. Chopin uses the feminist perspective explicitly in her novel by outlining the miserable life to which women were confined in marriage. What makes the story especially powerful is the lack of awareness in the protagonist about her own unhappiness before her husband ostensibly dies and she realizes that she is no longer dependent on her husband’s choices. Moreover, the author emphasizes the presence of shared experiences among women everywhere, which adds to the effect of the story: “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same” (Chopin). Thus, a feminist narrative is constructed, leading to a profound analysis of the nature of inequality in families. Moreover, apart from creating a carefully crafted and nuanced dissection of the identified problem of the lack of agency in married women, Chopin also points to the problem explicitly. At some point in her narrative, Chopin notes the following: “there would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature” (Chopin). The specified line absorbs the essence of the feminist perspective concerning the problem of inequality and power imbalance in families due to the presence of patriarchal standards and perspectives. Therefore, Chopin tackles the issue directly and delineates the problem of gender inequality as the foundationa
Unequal distribution of income Pareto efficiency holds that it is not possible to make one person better-off without making another person worse-off (Case, Fair and Oster, 2009). This means that goods and services in the economy are fully utilized based on the marginal willingness to pay and therefore there is no surplus. Where one person is made better without making another person worse-off, then there arises inefficiency which must be eliminated through Pareto improvement. In the economy where resources are allocated based on willingness to pay (perfect competition) the welfare of the people is put in question, with those with higher disposable income gaining at expense of those who don’t have. Therefore Pareto efficiency leads to unequal distribution of income and wealth, a situation that calls for government intervention to save the poor. The government intervention may be through the imposition of progressive income taxation whereby the rich will pay more taxes and the poor will pay less thus bridging the gap on income distribution. Taxation will have an effect on the marginal cost of goods thus reducing the price that the consumers will be willing to pay and the process increase the redistribution of income. The government also needs to intervene through antipoverty programs such as the provision of public goods such as health services, education, and road network, and so on. Or offer subsidies to private suppliers of public goods. In addition to providing pure public goods such as defense, the government should provide mixed public goods that have non-rivals and excludability (goods that have zero marginal cost) like education and health to prevent exploitation of the poor by the rich. Imperfect competition ‘Imperfect’ competition may exist in a Pareto efficient market. In this case, there exists market inefficiency, with a low supply of (mainly social) goods and services at relatively high prices. For instance, imperfect competition in the health market may lead to a monopolistic market structure where there will be few suppliers of services who will then have the freedom to charge higher prices. There is therefore no equilibrium in the market, with the real income of most consumers not adequate to pay for the high price of the goods and services in the market. Therefore, government intervention is required to move the market to efficiency. Government intervention will be through re
Introduction Although popular culture is often looked down upon or even antagonized as the lowest common denominator of artistic expression, it has sparked several art pieces and inspired numerous artists (Irvine, 2012). Therefore, the phenomenon of popular culture is not to be detached from art. Quite on the contrary, an overview of the subject matter may help determine how pop culture affects art. It is quite remarkable that the two phenomena under analysis, while traditionally interpreted as the opposites of each other, have a common characteristic of being hardly identifiable. Defining the term “art” is just as hard as pinning down the essence of popular culture. Although the concept of popular art is usually dismissed as a mock-version of culture, the art pieces that have sparked from popular culture, were inspired by it or originated from it, can be viewed as an essential element required to bring the two concepts together. As a result, people have the opportunity to express themselves through art by rendering their emotions and experiences with their help. The process is, in fact, reciprocal, as art pieces, is based on the topical issues and ideas, allow viewing the latter two from an unusual perspective and, therefore, cause new ideas to emerge. A Brief History The idea of blurring the line between art and popular culture is, in fact, far from being new. The term itself (i.e., “pop art”) stems from the 1920s British movement and was supposedly coined by the followers of the Dadaist movement (Beals, 2013). Given the fact that pop art turns out to be an extension of a specific artistic movement, it could be argued that popular art pieces may warrant the title of such. However, a closer look at the phenomenon of Dadaism will reveal that the identified movement, which flourished in the late 1940s, relied heavily on the philosophy of Cynicism as it implied that the culture producing the event as horrendous and despicable as the WWI could not possibly have any intrinsic value whatsoever. Therefore, Dadaism was set up as not merely the lowest form of art, but, rather, anti-art, i.e., the movement that would subvert the existing concept of artistic expression (see Fig. 1). With the above information in mind, considering pop art as an extension of Dada would be quite a stretch given the fact that the two have different purposes (i.e., expansion of art versus eradication thereof). At present, the reception of popular art seems to have shifted from dismissing it as unwarranted of the title to the fear of popular concepts blocking artists from producing creative and original ideas. The confrontation of art and popular cultures no longer in existence; instead, the two notions seem to have been merging for quite a while, leading to the production of a range of art pieces (Covach & Everett, 2013). Figure 1. Fountain (Douchamp, 1917). From Art to Pop Culture One might argue that the transition from the rejection of popular culture as an element o
Introduction The United States hospitality industry is one of the most vibrant in the world in the service delivery sector of our economy. Due to its unique position in the globe and diverse cultures that allow a variety in the provision of services, coupled with tremendous advancement in technology, booking in hotels, participation in tourism and general travel seems to enjoy a pride revolution. The sector of hospitality, especially the hotel industry, is exposed to great competition that enables innovations in service delivery and alternatives that supplement the mainstream services of boarding, hosting and food. The industry has however, not thrived on a whirlwind of successes. There have been difficult spatial recessions that can be told through reduction in the number of customers, few arrangements for travels and bookings, large amounts of capital in client retention strategies as well as attempts in innovation to keep the number of clients high even during these bottleneck periods. During these periods, hotel occupancy levels subside so that most hotels are not worth sustaining. Raising room rates do not always work to alleviate this phenomenon. Recession is associated with a declining overall activity in economics with greatest impact in employment, corporate and private profits and investment. Falling prices is just one of the indicators. Inconsiderable inflation or deflation that is not commensurate with economic planning is a common future of economies in recession. Economic depressions are thus within the reach of many countries and pose the greatest challenges to overall service delivery sectors. Once recession sets in, most service industries suffer with few exceptions of the so called “recession proof” such as medical provision, cosmetic industry entertainments and to a least extent, education (Siegel, 2002). Global recession is debatable in the context of time. IMF predicts a recurrence period of between eight and ten years with a per capita input of the globe being zero or even negative. Three points or less of the GDP index can perfectly describe a state of recession with the years 1990 to 1993, 1998 and 2001 to 2002 qualifying since the last of such periods in 1985. Recession is reflected as a negative GDP growth and a reduction or surge in inflation. The expected scenario is that when there is a slow down in economic activities and corporate returns start to waiver, companies scrutinize their travel and hospitality budgets. The immediate reaction to a notice of recession is a softening of group travels and corporate involvement in hospitality. This cycle is repeated each time a recession is threatening in the US (Tully, 2008). Leisure travel does not suffer much because vocations are preferred to good accommodation. In America, there is a general speculation eminent recession based on parity of purchasing power as predicted on a
Homelessness is a person’s social status due to the lack of any housing designed and suitable for living. As a social phenomenon, it is caused by a complex of social, economic, civil, and cultural conflicts, as a result of which a part of the population is deprived of living conditions, which are recognized as an integral part of civilized society and social policy in modern states. The problem of existence and increase in the quantity of the homeless population in recent years has become extremely acute. Today, there are about 150 million homeless people in the world, which is 2 percent of the world’s population (Thompson 254). The following reasons for the appearance of this category of people can be identified: alcoholism, drug addiction, loss of housing as a result of apartment fraud, lack of a permanent job and, as a consequence, inability to maintain housing, loss of living space due to imprisonment, conflicts in the family, and serious illnesses. The increase in homelessness in recent years has been the result of a systemic socio-political and economic crisis as well. This category of people needs assistance, which can be provided in the form of cash benefits, necessities, temporary accommodation, free meals, social housing, assistance in social rehabilitation, as well as medical and social counseling (Thompson 257). It is necessary to carry out targeted measures for the social adaptation of the homeless by both governmental and non-governmental bodies. I can help homeless people with their basic needs by providing food, drink, and clothes. If I meet a homeless near my house, in the basement, or the attic, I will not chase that person out into the street. I will give that individual warm clothes, food, and check if he or she needs any medical assistance. If there are warming centers or shelters in the city, I will tell the person that he or she may spend the night there, or give a leaflet with addresses. If a person has a request for restoration of documents, employment, search for relatives, then I will tell him or her about social assistance. Homeless people face many difficulties: they do not have drinking water and food, including hot water, which helps not to freeze. It is especially difficult for them in the cold season, so they need particular help and special attention in winter. Like any other person, I can buy a homeless person some warm food and a glass of hot tea, which does not cause any trouble for me. Besides, I can also help any charity and non-governmental organization nearby that cares for homeless people. In such a way, volunteering just a bit of my time, I may save someone’s life. Work Cited Thompson, Erika L., et al. “Navigating the system for families experiencing homelessness: a community-driven exploration of barriers encountered.” Journal of Children and Poverty, vol. 26, no. 2
Introduction: Information Literacy in the XXI Century Living in the modern world means being able to handle a huge torrent of information. Therefore, the skills that allow searching for the necessary information, locate the required data and process it fast are worth their weight in gold in the present-day world. It is quite impressive that the concept of information literacy has been integrated into every single aspect of human life, altering it and making people adapt towards the new requirements. After the realization of the unceasing significance of information management, which includes the acquisition of information, the information processing and its further sharing, as well as the following utilization, the concept of lifelong learning was introduced. Therefore, the idea of Scholarship, Practice and Leadership, or SPL, has been provided to embrace the concept of shaping future leaders out of today students. Since in the present-day world, teaching a profession presupposes offering the opportunities to integrate professional skills together with the recently developed technology, it can be assumed that the very idea of information literacy is an integral part of the SPL and the process of shaping a business leader (Price, 2011). Information Literacy and Its Effect on Scholarship, Practice and Leadership The positive effects and the ways to make efficient use of them Information literacy plays a great role in the situations when a search for verified and accurate information past the basic paradigm involving the Google engine is required. In other words, information literacy allows for a quick and efficient location of the required data within the shortest amounts of time and in whichever form is currently the most comfortable one for a regular use. Thus, time, money and effort are saved for the working and/or learning process, which is especially important given the number of skills to be acquired and data to be learned. In addition, information literacy helps a has-been student pass from the standard form of education to self-education – once the student understands how to get hold of the required information and use it efficiently to train the new skills, no tutorship is needed any longer, which means that a person is able to educate him-herself: “These facts prove that students need not so much knowledge itself, but the so-called information competence to survive in the changing information environment” (Turusheva, 2009, 127). The negative effects and the ways to make their impact less significant There is no need to stress that even the most grandeur plans have their negative aspects, and the concept of integrating information literacy into the SPL in order to train experts is no exception to this rule. Therefore, it is necessary to point out the existing drawbacks, as well as the ones that might possibly emerge in the future. The first and the most obvious negative aspect of the introduction of information literacy into the field of SPL in the sphere of teaching profession is the abundance of sources and the search for the
Introduction Edmund Waller is best known for heroic couplet, poetic diction, phrasing, gentle irony, objectivity and wit. At the same time, he also faces criticism for his political opportunism, bribery, unfaithfulness to his compatriots for his own political and personal survival. So he was condemned as cowardly and dishonorable. Most of his poems were addressed to “Sacharissa”, (Poems-“At Penshurst,” and “Go, Lovely Rose.”) who was Lady Dorothy Sidney, who rejected him and married Lord Spencer in 1639. The poem “Go, Lovely Rose” is closely connected to his private life. This paper attempts to examine and evaluate the relation between “Go, Lovely Rose” and incidents that happened in the life of the poet and his transformation to a self realized personality. Analysis In his private life, the poet was a passionate admirer of women. First, he married a wealthy ward of the Court of Aldermen, in 1631. The opening of the poem sounds like it is associates with the same mood. The poem “Go, Lovely Rose” is in the form of address to a Rose, which is sent to his lady love. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet says to beautiful Rose to remind his lady love that she is wasting the valuable time which can be used. The central idea of the poem is the comparison of a beautiful lady to a rose. Thomas Kaminski points out that the poet addresses the rose, not his beloved. The lady who is addressed in the poem is sweet and fair. The poet is so obsessed with his lady love. “The speaker is, the speaker addresses the rose, not the lady; (31) thus all of the poem’s aims are achieved by indirection. The speaker is a pining lover, the lady “sweet and fair,” an idealized object of precieux devotion.” (Kaminski, p.1). “The poet is so devoted that he address his lady love with due care. Moreover, the poem “Go, Lovely Rose” conveys a carpe diem (“seize the day”) theme similar to that of two other famous poems of the same era: “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (1648) by Robert Herrick and “To His Coy Mistress” (1681) by Andrew Marvell.” (Waller). The poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick and the poem “To his Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marwell are of the same theme-seize the day or physical love. The theme of physical love was widespread in this age and it reduced the importance of platonic love which had nothing to do with physical attachment. The theme used by this group of poets attracted much criticism from the side of traditionalists. The poet knows that the passion of physical love is not long lasting; it is like a candle lit at both ends. Here, the Rose is symbolic of the limitedness of beauty. The poet knows that physical beauty is not long-lasting. But now they are young and can love each other passionately. Here, the poet makes use of rose as a symbol of life, which is beautiful but limited, to remind his lady love about the reality of h