ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Charles Mann, the author of the article “How Will We Feed the New Global Middle Class?” was giving a lot of public speaking about the future of our planet when it will be populated with 9 billion people by 2050. He concluded that there are only two sides in the dialogue regarding the issue – the followers of optimistic Norman Borlaug, who could be called Wizards, and the fans of more pessimistic William Vogt, the could be named Prophets. This paper aims to discuss the opinions of two sides in the dispute regarding the scarce planet resources and the rapid population growth. To start with, economists admit there is no clear dependence between the level of population and the GDP / per person rate. There can be various scenarios, like increased workforce with the lack of workplaces, or economic growth, leading to increased taxes and GDP. However, the key factor that will determine the vector of development of each scenario is the well-thought-out policies implemented by states, not the demographic growth rates. Wizards from Mann’s article are techno-optimists since they believe in the sustainable prosperity ensured by progress based on scientific research and discoveries. Norman Borlaug won his followers after he invented the dwarf grain that sustained the increased fertilization and brought up to 10 times more crops (Mann, 2018). The Rockefeller Fund later used this technique to hit the hunger in Asian nations. Conversely, William Vogt’s approach was once called “apocalyptic environmentalism” since its ideas stem from ecological knowledge and urge people to consume standing “lower in the food chain.” The point is that it takes dozen times more grain to grow to feed animals consumed as meat than to grow eatable vegetables and other crops. Besides, people who share Vogt’s position, the Prophets, warn the community of the dangers of increased production aimed to meet the increased demand for food since it can be ecologically ignorant. Interestingly, David Rieff, the author of the Reproach of Hunger, is not a Prophet, but rather barely a pessimist. According to the reviewer Bailey, he says that there is no hope for a growing population. The author is sure that the global community will run out of resources and will not be able to feed the growing population. He also considers the new scientific methods to be over-romanticized and not have any practical application or substantial use to fight the problem. At the same time, the reviewer Ronald Bailey sticks to the revisionist or neutralist position. He does not find any notions of how to fight the existing and potential hunger in Rieff’s book and says that liberal capitalism is the decision. Bailey implies that the recipe for prosperity should rest on the main pillars of democratic societies: strong property rights, a free press, the rule of law, free trade, honest bureaucracies, limited government, and democratic politics. The author of the article “Return of the Population Bomb,” William McGurn, is also neut
It is quite precise that research is the core driver of whatever enterprise or technology in our globe. The Research and Development team has toiled and invented a new gadget that will shake the status quo in the technology world. It is arguably a game-changer and requires a profound understanding from everyone about the product. This is paramount since different communication channels will be analyzed and the best chosen to outlay information about the new product that is success bound. There are numerous communication channels that are used to convey information in various settings. In the business sector, they are given a pedigree depending on the complexities of the message and how they will serve the intended purpose optimally (Bassanino, Fernando & Wu, 2014). All the staff needs to be aware of the new product beginning with the top management to all employees. We can explore several channels of communication that are close to perfect in passing on the product information. Essential communication channels include face-to-face interaction, electronic, written, and mobile communication. Face to face communication is among the richest channels of communication that can be used within a business environment. This medium can include different forms like in-person presentations, group presentations, video conferences, speeches, and even lectures. These channels give room for immediate feedback of the communication to the sender, which quickly clarifies matters, especially with the upper management in charge of funding (Royle & Laing, 2014). Together with the Research and Development head, face-to-face communication is suited while informing the top management about the new product. Voice intonation and body language afford to mean for the receiver. The sales and marketing team and the technical support can also be accorded with this channel, specifically where simple charts and presentations are vital in conveying information about the invention. Written communication in the form of emails, newsletters, and memorandums is easily followed up after the oral communication channel. It is classified as a leaner form of communication. Written messages are critical as large messages are transmitted effectively in the form of reports with det
The outpatient care has experienced a recent rapid growth in popularity. There is no single cause of the phenomenon – instead, the growth was triggered by the combination of technological and scientific advances coupled with financial concerns and limitations of the inpatient segment, and, to a lesser degree, the social and psychological aspects. The first reason is the evolution of technology. The surgical procedures have become less invasive, less likely to end in trauma, take up less time, require little to no hospitalization, and result in sufficiently shorter recovery time. Similarly, the anesthetics now have shorter acting time and the local anesthesia, which is more convenient, has become more wide-spread in recent years. Finally, diagnostic tools have become more effective, less cumbersome and more transportable and, most importantly, saw a decrease in costs, which allowed smaller outpatient healthcare providers to buy and utilize them. Interestingly, some reports indicate that surgical procedures performed by the Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) provide equal or superior quality of service and allow for improved safety standards. In addition, evidence suggests that such operations usually cost less than their hospital counterpart (ASCA 1). While this tendency is not universal among different areas of healthcare, the exceptional cost-efficiency of ASC surgeries has already served as a boost of the service popularity. The price of the provided services is another visible contributor to the popularity. First, when patients are admitted to the hospital, they occupy the space of the facility and require attention of the physician, or a primary care specialist, on a daily basis. The outpatient facility visitors, on the other hand, usually require far less time to be admitted, thus eliminating the sufficient portion of the fee (which is traditionally high). The price is also regulated by legal reasons: the health insurance policyholders usually treat the officially admitted patients differently, which further raises the price of the inpatient care. Finally, the healthcare providers tend to admit patients with more serious conditions, which also results in higher prices for admissions. While this last fact does not change the cost-efficiency ratio, it still contributes to the public image of outpatient medicine as a better alternative. Insurance companies have recently introduced the practice of requiring authorization of certain treatments, known as pre-certification, with withholding payment should a patient fail to pre-certify. Similarly, attempts were made by the payers to decrease expenses by discouraging longer hospitalizations, resulting in “quicker and sicker” discharges. Finally, the higher demand for outpatient treatment can be explained by s
Introduction Islamic banking system is different from the contemporary banking system. Islamic banking system adheres to Quran instructions. This essay briefly examines the types of riba and gharar which are prohibited in the Islamic banking system. Riba Riba is any form of interest that applies to loans whether in credit or cash – it is the excess on top of the original quantity. Riba is prohibited in the Islamic banking system – this is in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah which prohibit acquisition of interest from money lent out. Riba can be divided into many types; upon examining the writings of Rashid Rida, Nyazee showed riba to be of two types (Nyazee, 2009, p. 30). Riba of the Quran is called Riba An-Nasiyah and riba of the of Sunnah is called Riba Al Fadl. Riba An Nasiya : This is the primary type and is also called Riba Al Jahiliya. Riba An-Nasiyah was an interest charged on a debt after its repayment was postponed once or twice. Upon the expiry of the repayment period, the creditor could allow the debtor more time for repayment but with an added amount on top of what would have been paid (Shafaat, 2005). Riba Al Fadl : This is the secondary type and also called Riba An Naqd, Riba Al Hadees or Riba Al Bai. Riba Al Fadl specifically applied to sales. Riba of the Sunnah could be either riba nasa or riba al-fadl. Riba nasa was applicable in the case of delays while riba al-fadl was for the cases of excess which could be quantified (Gulf African Bank, 2011, p. 1). Riba Al yad : Basically, this riba is the same as riba al-fadl. It involves sales whereby commodities are exchanged but in unequal values. This riba applies when two people exchange two sets of goods which are of different values one of the parties will lose as he/she will receive low value goods (Glossary 1). Gharar In the context of Islamic banking system, gharar is excessive uncertainty. Islamic banking system does not advocate for excessive uncertainty when executing transactions. Any transactions executed in an Islamic banking system are void of excessive uncertainty and speculation. It is a requirement that all the contracts entered into in an Islamic banking system are as clear as possible in all aspects (Fidomes, 2011, p. 1). Any transactions which involve some kind of gambling ( maysir ) are therefore not allowed under the Islamic banking system. Most of arrangements in the conventional banking systems are speculative and are therefore prohibited in the Islamic banking setting (Ayub, 2009). Gharar can be divided into three types, that is, Gharar Fahish, Gharar and Gharar Mutawassit (Glossary, 2011, p. 1). Gharar may also be of the following classes: Gharar-fil-Sifah; Gharar-fi-al-Ajal; Gharar-fi-al-Miqdar; and Gharar-fi-al-Taslim with their respective meanings being “uncertainty with respect to characteristics of the goods; uncertainty with respect to time of the delivery; uncertainty with respect to quantity of goods; and uncertainty with respect to delivery of the goods” (Glossary, 2011, p. 1). Conclusion In conclusion, prohibition of riba and gharar under the Islamic banking system offers some form of protection to the parties in a business contract.
Chick-fil-A and Walmart are among the largest companies in their respective fields — fast food restaurants and retail. Both have been involved in significant controversies regarding their operation. In Chick-fil-A’s case, such a controversy happened around 2012, following the company CEO Dan Cathy’s statements about same-sex marriage and donations to charities opposing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) groups. Walmart has been criticized for poor working conditions and low wages. Both of these situations, though exemplified by specific organizations, are sufficiently general and applicable in most businesses. Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A’s issue is the public relations impact made by the CEO’s statements. The company, according to his statement, “operat[es] … according to Biblical principles” (Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2012.). As a consequence of these principles, he donated to various charitable organizations that espouse similar ideals, which often oppose LGBT interests. Furthermore, he made a personal statement about his belief in traditional marriage, prompting a resonant response, which culminated in boycotts of Chick-fil-A restaurants. This matter represents a complicated public relations (PR) challenge, as same-sex marriage was a polarizing issue at the time. From the macroeconomic standpoint, Chick-a-Fil-A might need to reevaluate its strategy given the current political environment. As McCarthy (2019) reports, the support for gay marriage in the US is stable: as many as 63% of citizens show acceptance for marriage equality. Given that this many people back up the new policy, Chick-a-Fil-a puts itself at risk of ruining its reputation on the grounds of ethical issues. From the microeconomic standpoint, Chick-a-Fil-a might be losing customers who belong to the LGBT community. One way to estimate the impact is to calculate the approximate percentage of affected population (LGBT people) in states with the most restaurants. For instance, according to the 2010 census, the state of Georgia’s population was 9,687,653, of which 21,318 couples, or 0.44% were in same-sex relationships (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010; Gates & Cooke, 2012). This is a rough estimate that only accounts basic statistics (e. g. not all LGBT people are in same-sex relationships, non-LGBT customers can be negatively effected by the controversy) and one state. However, it provides a starting point for further research into the subject and a thesis that no changes are necessary. Walmart Walmart is a major retail chain that is often criticized for poor working conditions and low wages. This is harmful to the organization because it reduces employee loyalty and engagement, but “engaged workers are more productive [and] provide better service” (Ton, 2017, para. 2). From the macroeconomic standpoint, Walmart is putting itself at risk of losing employees during the time when work mobility is normalized and
Introduction Total quality management is a variation of lean manufacturing principles that originated in Japan. Toyota Production System first developed them. Over the years, the concepts have morphed into various business tools, including the TQM that is now a comprehensive tool used by almost all major firms in the Western world. TQM incorporates customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and workforce commitment (Lai, Lui & Hon 2014). The following are achievable with adequate total quality management implementation in a firm. First, the firm will strengthen its competitive position, have high productivity, enhance its market image, increase its profitability, and ensure that employees have job security. These and other results depend on the nature of TQM implementation and the business sector. A question concerning implementation is whether it contributes to better functioning of other tools and whether TQM leads to the desired results. Additional queries may relate to whether the business in question is also reaping sustainable benefits. Xerox case This section now examines the application of TQM in Xerox Corporation. Familiarity with Xerox and research on the company through secondary literature sources informs the analysis. Among multinational Western firms, Xerox is one of the most quality conscious one. It began implementing TQM in 1980. The company develops its TQM practices to respond to changes in its business environment and to shape its operations to enjoy a competitive advantage. Company background The firm started operations in 1906 in the USA. Five decades later, it had made its first plain paper copier. Its profit growth was 20 per cent annually by the start of the 21 st century (Xerox 2004). Stock prices for the public company soared. However, its company’s growth nosedived soon afterwards. Its stock price fell from a high of USD 70 in 1999 to less than USD 5 in 2001. During the period, the company lost USD 30 billion as market value (Xerox 2004). Worldwide, Xerox has a reputation to uphold, as the world’s best photocopier manufacturer. Its success is a demonstration of right management principles, tool usage, and positive sustainable outcomes. Implementation of TQM at Xerox began as a reaction to the negative market performance. The company lost about 65 percent of market share in the 1980s and was moving towards obsolescence. It needed to change its strategies and once again become dominant in the market. At the time, key sources of competition were Japanese manufacturers that were embracing a low cost market strategy to upset incumbent rivals like Xerox in
Introduction Today, sensitive institutional data is prone to unauthorized access, and organizations have to use protective mechanisms to safeguard its integrity. Technological development has made it easy for organizations to store, use and share information via networks. Criminals steal classified data and sell it to the highest bidder (Rao & Selvamani, 2015). Thus, organizations must look for protective mechanisms to warrant the safety of vital information. The security techniques must not affect employees’ ability to discharge their duties. This article will compare and contrast the various strategies that institutions use to protect endpoint records, data at rest, and information in transit. Endpoint Security An organization cannot claim to have effective data protection mechanisms without considering endpoint security. Rao and Selvamani (2015) maintain that endpoint security entails the controls put in place to protect system users or clients. They include the protection methods used to safeguard information stored in Smartphones, external drives, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives, and DVDs. In most cases, malware like Conficker, Stuxnet, and Flame are spread via portable media like USB (Sharma & Navdeti, 2014). Organizations can protect data stored in such devices by limiting their usage and turning them off if necessary. Data encryption is an effective protection mechanism that is used to safeguard data in transit, at rest, and at the endpoint. Organizations use software like BitLocker and Encrypting File System (EFS) to safeguard data stored in hard drives (Sharma & Navdeti, 2014). They also use encryption to protect information kept in tablets and smartphones. Configuration lockdown is an essential control mechanism used to make sure that end system users or customers do not alter endpoint data. Data at Rest Data at rest refers to information kept in local storage devices like thumb drives, disks, hard drives, and tapes. It can also cover information stored in databases, servers, intranet sites, and file shares. Data at rest is susceptible to malware attacks, pod slurping, keyloggers, and Trojans (Suresh & Jongkun, 2015). Companies can use perimeter-based controls to safeguard data at rest. They include antivirus software and firewalls. Unlike endpoint security, data at rest is protected via hardware controls. Information stored in computer hard drives is safeguarded through a trusted platform module (TPM) chip. Suresh and Jongkun (2015) allege that TPM is a “slow cryptographic hardware processor, which can be used to provide a greater level of security than software encryption” (p. 3). Computer experts have developed self-encrypting hard drives (SEDs) that protect data through layers of encryption keys. It becomes hard for unauthorized persons to retrieve information from the drives. The data at rest is also protected using software encryption. Organizations use BitLocker, EFS, and Pretty Good Priva
During the clinical placements, I met Catherine, a patient with very severe mental health problems and significant learning disabilities. Catherine was isolated by being locked in her room for most of the day. She was separated from the other clients and most of her personal care was carried out in her room. Catherine frequently took off her clothes and would walk around the room naked. Due to her condition, the staff observed her CCTV. Every staff member could see her through the monitor that was kept in a cupboard. This seemed to me an ethical dilemma and even more so because I was new to learning disabilities and mental health problems. Catherine could easily be seen by male staff, even when she was naked. This infringed on her dignity and right to privacy. Further, the male staff members did not leave the room when Catherine took her bath. While naked, male staff members often attempted to restrain her while another attempted to dress her. Catherine would try to fight them off her and on reflection, I figured she might be very frightened by the forceful attempts to dress her. The nursing services provided to Catherine seemed to fail to meet Catherine’s best interests. There were a number of competing loyalties between the organization and the patient. To begin with, the staffing situation was such that allowing only female staff into her room would have upset the entire scheduling though I still felt that this could have been looked into. The managers also pointed out that if anything happened to Catherine while she was in their care they would be liable. To them, this necessitated the use of CCTV to ensure around-the-clock observation. My ethical response to the situation was that Catherine should only be attended to by the female staff especially when she was naked and that only the female staff needed to have access to the CCTV. This would at least preserve her dignity and infringe less on her privacy rights. The managers certainly had a different ethical response in relation to Catherine’s care, especially where the use of CCTV was concerned. They felt that Catherine was in need of constant observation and the only option short of having a member of staff with her in the room all the time was using CCTV. In their view, a staff member’s constant presence in the room would cause her more distress. In addition, it was not a viable option, since there were other many patients to be attended to and they would be inadequately catered for if someone was always present with Catherine. In response to having male staff restrain Mary, management argued that the male staff members were the least likely to be overpowered by Catherine when she struggled to free herself. Catherine’s family saw her when she was dressed and were unaware of who had access to the CCTV surveillance in her room. The potential risks involved in Catherine’s condition and care cannot be ignored and contributed a lot to the kind of nursing care she received. Risk management has to do with the prevention of harms and crises occurri