ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The global business environment is a phenomenon that has resulted to a change in the mindset of the way people interact and do business today. Facilitated by enhancement in technology and the corresponding commercial environment, the global business environment has made it much more easier and convenient find individuals and organisations alike to exchange resources and ideas in an unprecedented fashion. The economic front, the global business environment has seen companies being exposed to opportunities taking advantage of such opportunities with little regard to geographical boundaries. Most companies can now easily expand, establish operations or invest in the securities market of countries other than their home countries and this is serving to greatly enhance the performance of such companies. One economic phenomenon whose popularity can directly be attributed to globalization and the corresponding global business environment is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a term that is used to an investment model whereby a company opts to establish operations in another country other than its home country. Foreign Direct Investment maybe in the form of acquisition whereby the company wishing to invest acquires another company in the target country, or it maybe in the form expanding its operations into this other country (Bora, 22). FDI differs with international portfolio investment in that FDI involves a holistic approach to investing in a foreign country while portfolio investment simply investing in the securities and other such financial instruments in another country (Bora, 36). Depending on the perspective one chooses to look at it, FDI can take two forms and these are inbound FDI and outbound FDI. Inbound FDI refers to foreign direct investment from the perspective of the recipient country whereas outbound FDI refers to foreign direct investment from perspective of the country from which the investor comes from. Foreign Direct Investment in the US The United States is one of arguably the most industrialised countries in the world. The country is home to many companies both locally based and other multinationals headquartered in other countries. Bora (49) argues that the US policy on Foreign Direct Investment has to a great extent influenced the growth of the country’s industrialisation initiatives. The US has undertaken deliberate measures aimed at attracting investors as part of its Foreign Direct Investment policy with such measures including: the creation of a favorable business environment, favorable tax policies, enhanced national security and enhanced marketing all of which have served to make it the number one investor destination in the world. Bora (31) notes that almost each and every one of the country’s fifty states boost of an industry that is either locally based or foreign based. Oregon State being one such state that has greatly benefited from the country FDI policy has seen many established multinationals setting up operations in the state. Oregon State is home to many companies, both local and multinational out
Summary Entwistle, D. N. (2010). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity 2nd ed. Wipf and Stock. In explaining life and human nature, two disciplines are often consulted to provide its perspectives. Psychology and Theology are disciplines that often argue on some conflicting and controversial issues. While Psychology studies human nature, Theology spreads biblical truths that able guide humans to live an upright and peace-filled life. However, when they are fused together, endless debates about science (Psychology) and bible truths (Christian beliefs) ensue, confusing humans on which discipline actually reveal real truths. Entwistle’s (2010) book offers a refreshing perspective on compromising both sides. It integrates theories from both in order to forge a more harmonious and productive relationship that would ably guide people on living the life God expected them to live here on earth. Since both Psychology and Theology both work towards knowing the person inside out and healing whatever is broken, many of its principles align. However, there are gaps that may still prevent both to be fully fused as one. The book attempts to reconcile differences so as to result in integration and wholeness. Integration reflects God’s desire to reconcile humanity and the larger created realm to Him. Even Christians ask metaphysical questions that harmonize with their faith and the answers may support and strengthen it instead of undermining it when they are introduced to well-considered and clearly articulated world and life-views. Such questioning has implications for an integrative paradigm. The book discusses various models in describing the relationships of Psychology and Christianity, ranging from the extreme Enemies paradigm which polarizes the “Secular Combatants” (psychology) and the “Christian Combatants” (Christianity), and proposes fierce loyalty to one discipline while rejecting the other. Other models like the Spies, Colonialists and Neutral Parties have tendencies to vacillate between the two disciplines. The fully integrative paradigm is the Allies. It sees the value of both camps of Christianity and Psychology, that taken together will give a fuller and more accurate picture of the truth. It is a truth that God has revealed in both the bible and in practical life. It is such a credible truth because it comes from the One who reigns supreme over both disciplines. It proposes that in seeking truth, we must study both books of God’s word (the bible, Christianity) and God’s work (the world, people, Psychology). When one thoroughly investigates both books will reveal that mutual interaction of principles is what can guide him in understanding God’s truths. In case inconsistencies arise in pursuit of the truth, one should carefully evaluate both theological and psychological evidences and lean on which one is clearer to him. Since God is the author of all truths, we should discern His truth from both camps to the best of our abilities. Long-held truths may still b
A concept is an idea, especially an abstract one; it is the notion of the world around us. A concept includes one’s image of things or actions. A concept is considered to be a cognitive unit of meaning; it consists of an image, a symbol, an association. In language, the concept is represented with a word. While hearing the word “town” we imagine someplace or events related to this word, other people may have absolutely different images arising in their minds after hearing this word. According to the dictionary article, a town is “a thickly populated area, usually smaller than a city and larger than a village, having fixed boundaries and certain local powers of government” (Dictionary 1). The concept “small town” may be described in several ways. The first method that I am going to apply practically is the method of associations. Can anyone tell me what comes to your mind after having heard the word combination “small town”? The images would be different even if people belong to the same religion, social status, have the same background knowledge. Even people who were born in such a small town grew up and lived there during a long period of their lives would have completely different images of “small town”. Thus a little girl about five years old that lives in a small town possesses a certain image of her native town which is small and cozy, her parents live there, her friend is also an inhabitant of this small town. For this little girl, a small town is a place equal to home; it is a place where she, her parents, and friends live, a place where she can see fireworks on the 4th of July and eat some ice cream. An elderly man has got another image of a small town. For him, it is the place where he has lived all his life, where he went to school, met his first love, got married, and started a family, where all his companions live with their families and gather for a Saturday night preference. A small town is the storage place for memories of the whole life. People possess absolutely different opinions on t
While resolving legal disputes in international transactions, several issues could be put into consideration. To begin with, it is very important to understand that both ethical and legal issues are very important in the conduct of business globally. Ethical and legal issues enable companies to carry business within the accepted and expected limits (Brooks, 2013). Further, these issues could be taken into consideration especially during tough moments while undertaking business transactions between one-two company. These issues include local laws, culture, politics, and legislation. They should be taken into account during all international transactions because they can affect global transactions either directly or indirectly. Companies could undertake business transactions with other companies located in foreign or different countries. In such a scenario, they should implement a contractual agreement to avoid eventualities and make each other liable in case of breach of contract. The main purpose of the contract is to prevent the interest of both companies (Brooks, 2013). Given this, the agreement must be stated in a manner that creates room for resolving any dispute that might occur. Additionally, the law to be enforced must be chosen in a manner that could allow its applicability and implementation. Further, the international contract regarding the sale of goods needs to be taken into consideration because most transactions entail the exchange of goods and services. Additionally, it is equally important for companies to decide between the international courts and local ones in case of disputes resolutions (Brooks, 2013). While selecting the judgment to apply, it could be important to consider the duration to be taken by each court while resolving the case because companies may prefer the cases to be dealt with in a fast manner so as to resume their normal undertakings. There may be several factors that might work against CadMEx in case they have been granted sublicensing. To begin with, the companies involved in sublicensing must meet the standards required as well as the required quality for the production of the medicine (Evangelista,2008). Additionally, ViroBlax which was another medicine in the market could have become more popular tha
The tasks of running a department may overburden a manager especially when it comes to dealing with employees and accommodating their varied perspectives and expectations. It becomes almost unbearable for managers when employees start to question the status quo and the manner through which the affairs of the organization are conducted as clearly demonstrated in the case. While it is the function of departmental managers and line supervisors to encourage open dialogue and effective communication of grievances and recommendations by employees (Fina, 2009), many organizations have put in place frameworks through which this can be achieved without compromising effectiveness, performance and productivity. The case demonstrates a classical scenario of an employee who seems to ‘know-it-all’ regarding the way the health institution should be run, basing his knowledge largely on theoretical principles accrued by enrolling in a community college that offers management courses. Management theorists take cognizance of the fact that open communication encourages creativity and innovation, vital ingredients that must be incorporated in an organization’s strategies aimed at achieving better outcomes (Fina, 2009). As such, it is important for managers to encourage their employees to offer recommendations and constructive criticisms on areas they feel needs to be modified. However, there are established structures to go about it, and it should be the function of the concerned managers to conduct proper orientation and training on new employees so that they may have adequate knowledge on how to channel their grievances and recommendations using the right mediums (Scott, 2007). Second, managers such as Glen Jones should utilize employee orientation and training to encourage behavior or attitude modification among employees with vested interests on how the organization is run. The conflict of interests presented by the employee may not necessarily be harmful, but there is a need to shape and align them with the policies, rules and regulations of the organization (Scott, 2007). This can be done through employee training and development. Third, managers faced with such a scenario may also mentor the concerned employee using both formal and informal processes to nurture their growth and maturity, especially in attitude modification. It should not be the function of the manager to suppress the high energy and motivation of an employee who may project a ‘know-it-all’ attitude; rather, the manager should view the situation as a communication pitfall that obliges the employee to demonstrate his state-of-the-art knowledge, which may lead the employee to criticize the status quo. As such, the manager can also arrange for constructive, practical conversations with the employee aimed at entrenching a sense of mutual purpose with him (Schroeder, 2005), and make him realize that implementing the theories learnt in the classroom varies across organizations and may not always work in pra
The habit of drinking and consuming alcohol has been the focus of attention since times immemorial. Alcohol consumption, more appropriately termed as substance abuse, may have many side effects and can produce certain chemicals in the body so that the person loses control over the mind. The effects of repeated use and abuse are many, but the researcher aims to focus on one effect that alcohol consumption is likely to cause in the person. Does the researcher aim to explore whether the consumption of alcohol can make someone of the opposite sex appear better to the consumer? The researcher is of the view that the more a person drinks, the more attractive the members of the opposite sex seem to appear. The researcher aims to establish this fact by analyzing a group of individuals in the age group of sixteen to twenty-six years. The researcher seeks a universal appeal and so would like to include members of both sexes in the research. The researcher does not have enough data to reveal the economic status of the subjects. The researcher also does not know whether the subjects are from rural or urban backgrounds. However, the researcher does wish to employ subjects who are in good health and do not have any history of diseases. The researcher aims to employ about fifteen thousand subjects for the completion of the researcher so that a widespread sample can bring enhanced focus to the study. The researcher aims to employ the survey method for the research. Differently worded surveys shall be used by the researcher, with a range of questions. The survey would be given to the subjects, before and after they consume alcohol. Some of the questions which are likely to be included in the survey are:   * Q. 1. How many people would you choose to go out within this room at present?   * Q. 2. How many people would you not want to go out within this room? There would be obvious sub-questions included in the survey such as:   * Who are the people?   * Do you know them?   * What attracts them to you? The researcher aims to enable people to learn whether the consumption of alcohol plays a role in attracting them towards the opposite sex.
Introduction In spite of the global improvement of financial markets together with the reduction in the risks encountered by many economies after the global financial crisis of the 2008, the world economy is still expanding at a slow rate. However, United Nations (2013) anticipates, “after a marked down-turn over the past two years, global economic activity is expected to slowly gain momentum in the second half of 2013 and 2014” (p.1). Throughout the recession, China managed to remain stable economically through subsidisation and deleveraging of its products. The effects were to make the Chinese products competitive in the international markets since subsidisation had the impact of lowering the prices of the products in the international markets (Heshmati 2012). The Chinese GDP per capita is low compared to the income per capita for European nations and the USA. Amadeo (2012) puts the Chinese GDP per capita at $9,100 while GDP per capita for the US is $49, 800. This means that China is able to have access to cheaper labour compared to the US. With these arguments in mind, this paper focuses on determining the impact on global trade in 2013 if China’s economy continues to exhibit slow or no growth in its GDP. It also investigates how Global Multi-National enterprises should prepare for such a scenario. Impacts of China’s Economy on the Global Trade Over the past two decades, China has undergone intense growth in GDP. This growth has relied principally on the boom in construction and manufacturing sector. However, as Halverson (2010) notes, this growth has been “fuelled by the surging real estate prices, and exhibiting all the classic signs of bubble” (p.93). China has experienced a rapid rise in credit through the government’s efforts to boost the production capacity while still maintaining China’s currency afloat. Thach (2012) argues that the growth of credit in China takes “place not through traditional banking but rather through unregulated “shadow banking” neither subject to government supervision nor backed by government guarantee” (p.34). From an economic perspective, this means that an economic burble is almost bursting in China especially by noting that the GDP growth has become stagnant as from 2012, which is expected to remain at this state through 2014. This situation poses an immense fear since it has provided all possible reasons for indication of economic and financial crises. China has emerged as a major global economic hub. Indeed, if the crisis is to occur, there is no doubt that the global trade will be affected as it happened in Japan in 1980 or America in 2007. China’s economic crisis effects on the global trade are magnificent as evidenced by the striking growth of house consumption for China over the past two decades. Although it has been on the rise, it has lagged well behind the overall growth in the GDP. Currently, as Busakorn, Fung, and Hitomi (2009) reveal, “consumer spending is only about 35 percent o
Regardless of its innocent surface, a bumper sticker including an equation with the word marriage in its left side and the components of 1 man and 1 woman united with a summation sign in its right side conveys a number of implied arguments. The overt argument of this sticker is that a legal union between a man and a woman is defined as marriage, but the form of the strict equation chosen for this statement implies that it is the only possible form of marriage, while the other forms are not admissible. Though the statement of the bumper sticker coincides with the definition of marriage under the Defense of Marriage Act, its implied arguments concerning the inadmissibility of other forms of unions discriminates feelings of ethnical and sexual minorities. Analyzing this simple statement, it can be logically assumed that the marriage between the representatives of the same sex and marriage between more than two partners is regarded as impossible. However, taking into account the fact that same sex marriage has already been legalized in five states, it can be noted that this argument can even not comply with the current legislation, depending upon the peculiar location. In other words, the contextual environment should be taken into consideration for evaluating at least the legal basis for making such an assertion in a specific community. The implied meaning of the term marriage should be taken into consideration for understanding this message in its full context. Thus, along with the definition of marriage as a legal contract, another meaning of this concept as perceived by the modern community is a social union. Then, treating the left side of the equation, namely the word marriage in its second meaning of a social union, the use of the legal restrictions for the construction of the argument would be inappropriate. In that regard, not only a same sex marriage but even a union of more than two partners justified either with religious or personal views appears as possible. However, taking into account the strict equation as the chosen form for expressing the argument, the simple mathematical rules can be considered for evaluating the implied arguments. Thus, according to the rules of equation, the summation of other components can give the same value. It is possible to hypothesize that this bumper sticker shown only one of the possible forms of marriage. However,
Synopsis This paper will examine the family structure in the movie Wonder . The film narrates a story of a ten-year-old boy named August, or Auggie, Pullman, a child with a genetic disorder that causes him to have visible facial deformities. As he starts school for the first time, he struggles with making friends and bullying. The film focuses on the reality of living with a disability and the role of family. Family Description The Pullman family consists of a mother, father, older sister called Olivia (Via), and the youngest son, August. Both parents provide support and care for their children, perhaps with more attention to the younger offspring. August is a boy with a genetic condition that, nonetheless, does not stop him from being genuine, kind, and courageous. His sister, Via, is an older sibling who feels alienated from the rest of the family. Family Roles August bears the hero’s role, which can be considered untraditional, given his visible condition. As a hero, he overcompensates his disability with academic achievements, such as being the smartest pupil in a science class ( Wonder ). Additionally, he projects the family image on himself, claiming that his sister does not want the classmates to see him, implying that it is his responsibility to represent the family and appear presentable. In her turn, the mother can be considered a dominant rescuer, which is untraditional in a patriarchal society. Her role is prominent in how she treats August as her priority – she abandons her passion for becoming an illustrator to homeschool him ( Wonder ). In addition, the mother always acts as the peacemaker: during the dinner on the first day of school, she is the one to start the conversation to comfort others. The father acts as the mediator, which appears to be a traditional yet non-dominative role in the structure. For example, he secretly hides the helmet that Auggie has been using as a shield from the real world, thus urging the son for a necessary transition towards social integration ( Wonder ). He also mediates the conflict by reaching out to Via, the forgotten child. When the mother is comforting Auggie, the father is the only one who checks up on the older daughter. It can be argued that Via is the lost child since she is the most isolated and distant family member, which can be considered non-traditional for a relatively functional family. For example, she separates her family and school personality, claiming that she is a “single child” when speaking with new acquaintances ( Wonder 29:40-29:49). Furthermore, even when Via tries to get close to her mother by talking about a lost friend, the attention is quickly shifted to her brother. Central Challenge The main challenge that affects and, ultimately, shapes the family dynamics is the protagonist’s facial deformity. It moves the focus of the family’s attention from the collec