ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Although the main cause of the global financial crisis that began in 2007 was the bursting of the housing bubble, economists largely agree that the ensuing recession was the outcome of a combination of several factors. Prime amongst these was the adoption of liberal financial policies and weak regulatory controls on financial institutions. In addition, financial institutions took major risks in not providing for appropriate safeguards for the loans they gave to borrowers. They did not take appropriate precautions in verifying their credentials and creditworthiness. According to Dudovskiy (2013), a major cause of the recession was the inability of financial regulators to tighten regulatory controls and to check the dishonest practices of financial institutions. Such laxities on the part of regulatory bodies motivated financial institutions to provide home loans at extremely low rates of interests, which resulted in excessive borrowing and created a situation in which the loan money was either misused for other purposes or the borrowers were unable to repay the hefty mortgage installments. Because of the heavy demand for funding, banks were unable to provide loans to all applicants (Rampell, 2009). This situation led financial institutions to devise the system of subprime mortgage loans, which entailed offerings of mortgage bonds to investors with the objective of generating the maximum capital. Credit ratings and credibility of borrowers were not checked properly and it was obvious that such practices would increase the number of default cases (McKay, 2011, p.1). It is in this context that economists hold the Federal Reserve responsible for the recession of 2008 because it failed in effectively regulating and checking the risk taking behaviors of banks and financial institutions. The recession of 2008 not only proved to be a disaster for national economies and business
The essential details which need to know about having a house plant Before purchasing a house plant, it is necessary to learn the basic needs of these green organisms. To maintain a proper level of care after indoor vegetation, one should consider the minimum requirements that must be fulfilled daily. In general, any houseplant should be provided with sufficient light, water, humidity, and nutrients (Shepperd). As living organisms that thrive through photosynthesis, plants require constant access to sunlight, which they transform into energy (Shepperd). Therefore, before purchasing even the most resilient kinds of vegetation, it is essential to find a perfect spot for the future house companion, preferably one in the west or east location. The majority of house plants need dissipated indirect sunlight, which will benefit their living processes without depriving them of vital energy or burning the leaves. Another essential detail to review is the demand for watering, a crucial part of indoor plant care. In addition to sunlight, all vegetation is dependent on water, which offers the plants necessary moisture and protects them from dehydration (Steinkopf). To properly manage the living organism, the owner should frequently provide room-temperature soft water to the plant, maintaining a balance between dehydration and dampness. Usually, vegetation requires more water during growing periods, between spring and autumn, and should be watered to a smaller extent in winter. An appropriate level of humidity is also imperative to keep a luscious environment for the indoor plants. Al
Reading Commentary Marking Territory by Lynda Walsh is an article responding to a research on the intermingling of administrative writing-style expressions and the feelings of stakeholders towards worldly objects. The author seeks to find out the various communication challenges that the Mexican Wolf Blue Range Reintroduction Project (MWBRRP) encounters. A number of remarks, recorded randomly within a span of five years about the project, form the basis of the research. These comments on the other hand reveal the kind of attitude that the stakeholders depict towards the project and more so disclosing the communication styles of the administration that might be contributing towards the project’s prevailing challenges. For instance, New Mexico and Arizona reintroduced the Mexican Gray Wolves following the implementation of the Endangered Species Act. However, it did not take long before the number reintroduced decreased by almost half. Challenges in monitoring the exact wolf-killing cases and exaggerated reports by the media among other factors are the major cited contributors of these variances. Human reactions seem to play a major role in the failure of the wolf project. Failure to decompensate for any killing serves as one the many human factors contributing to the insurmountable challenges facing the wolf project. Walsh argues that the realized death is not a product of the environment, but of the rhetorical landscape. Issues concerning communication and submission, agencies’ interpretations as well as stakeholders’ attitudes, are the major barriers of the expected success. Therefore, according to these deductions, it is inferable that attitudes towards worldly forms coupled with those towards generic forms determine the rhetorical field of stakeholders’ interactions. However, based on the wolf scenario, Walsh’s stand that the physical environment is not a factor worthy considering is not valid given the evident effects that it has on animals. For instance, the kind of animals expected in the dry areas must differ significantly from the ones in cold areas. The author ought to leave a chance for this possibility rather than declaring it very impossible to the wolves. In addition, the fact that the wolves have never recovered from extinction indicates an imperfection in the field of communication as per the author’s arguments. The big question remains; is it possible to identify the prevailing barriers of the perfection, or the causes of the imperfection? Too, ‘should the barriers be found, will they solve the issue of extinction to any other affected species or it will only be restricted to the wolf family only?’ Politeness, Power, and Activity Systems is another article by Stephen Bremner that checks into details the challenges that writers encounter in their endeavor to strike a balance between the demands of their respective institutions and thos
Introduction The non-profit sector is growing at a tremendous pace. This is because it plays a vital role in enhancing the operations within the community. Operating between government institutions and the private sector, the non-profit sectors provides the community with facilities and services that conforms to the needs of the society. Museums for instance provide a community with the chance to understand its history and heritage. Religious bodies on the other hand address the spiritual needs of a given community or culture. With regards to this, it is essential to note that the more diverse a given community is, the more that community relies on non-profit organization. It is due to this fact that the research on non-profit organizations has increased over the last 25 years especially in the United States. Most of these studies have focused on effective and efficient management of non-profit organization. The paper at hand is in line with the current studies on non-profit organization by focusing on the importance of strategic planning process and the impacts that it plays on setting and achieving the vision, mission, philosophy, goals, and objectives of a non-profit entity. The study focused on strategic planning processes that were implemented within a non-profit organization and compared them with the actual processes that are supposed to be implemented in a strategic plan. The study also sought the attitudes and perception of the executives on the processes that were being conducted within these organizations and sought to determine whether they would encourage the repetition of such activities in future. Methodology Relevant data for the study was collected through the administration of questionnaires. These questionnaires were designed to focus on strategic management process of non-profit organization. To achieve this, the questionnaires contained 43 elements that are critical in the strategic management process. Of these elements, an assessment of the executive focused on the degree of:  1. Current application  2. Desirable application These elements were measured on a 5-point scale with 5 relating to a strong agreement and 1 relating to strong disagreement.   * The questionnaires were sent to the respondents (non-profit organization executives) via mail.   * A sample of 150 non-profit directors in the greater Philadelphia region formed the sample group of the study. Equal number of respondents from churches, museums, and human groups were selected.   * As a form of motivation to increase the level of participation, those respondents who took part in the exercise were invited to a presentation on strategic planning. Results Of the 150 questio
Introduction Hobbes wields a great following in the philosophical world as the founding father of the modern philosophy. In his works, he sets out the vigorous terms of debate about the basic and determinants of the political life with influence in every individual in the world. In his works, he relates the socio-political problems of a society to the inadequacy in political loyalty of such societies (Warrender 346). Hobbes’ school of thought believes that the political authority is sovereign to the populations, thus should remain obedient and fearful to the authority in order to enjoy the services of the ruling class. In the current world, the human authorities continuously require checks and balances with relevant justifications due to the social-political inequalities and religious disputes. Warrender argues that such inequalities require an institution that draws adequate power to ensure equality in the society (347). In order to function without resistant from the citizens, Hobbes believes that the political authority should exercise a ruling that ensure the citizens do not only respect the institutions and authorities of the rule, but also develop adequate fear for the repercussions that come with disobedience. Drivers of Hobbes Thinking Hobbes lived in a time when the entire globe encountered several political, social, and religious conflicts. In England, for example, the uprisings cut across the entire society with differences in loyalties to the ruling class. The filthy rich elites of the society were in conflict with the loyalty to the king due to the taxation policies. The parliament too was in great conflicts with the kingdom over the control of executive power. Such differences lead to a disintegrated society with people divided along regions, wealth, and religion (Little and Smith 436). Political, social, and religious differences created the best recipe for civil war leading to even more disintegrated state. When King Charles I, developed policies for a uniform religious system, the revolt against his rule increased in magnitude; the loyalty of every individual state became questionable. In order to avoid these differences, Hobbes believes that the ruling authority should develop laws and rules that instill fear for disobedience while at the same time ensure that the basic services that often cause revolutions are available. In his thoughts, an authority with absolute power but with the interests of the ruling class at heart forms the basis for a successful and peaceful society (Little and Smith 441). Even though the political developments during the times of Hobbes drove the direction of his thinking, the revolts against the religious direction given by King Charles I, and his deep love for developing scientific thinking in relation to the older schools of thought played a great role in influencing Hobbes’ direction of thinking. These two factors significantly influenced Hobbes believes in moral and political ideas. State of Nature Hobbes develops a consideration on the state of nature in order to establish the direction of his thinking. In this think
Leadership is the ability of a person in charge to influence the mannerisms of his/her juniors in ranking, in a positive manner to compel them to follow his/her directions. Effective leadership is essential in any organization for success to be a habit. Good leadership is like a black smith’s fire. It transforms potential into reality with little compromise, and this is a necessity in any organization that is to survive for the foreseeable future. Leadership relies on evolution, to bring new strategies suitable to the ever changing organization environment. The environment has a push effect if the response to the stimuli is inadequate. Organizations tend to stumble if not fail as a whole (Northouse, 4). A good leader is charismatic. In all situations, good leaders make others feel good about them by bringing out the best. Commitment is also an indispensable trait. This is because excellence is not in a performance but the building of a habit of pure success. Communication is vital to a leader because it allows all organs of an organization to perform at optimal levels and troubleshoot quickly in case of underachievement. All levels in an organization need to interact effectively to achieve success. Information flow should not be hampered by rank imposed barriers for this tends to break water down the improvements communication brings. Competence is also vital. An efficient leader achieves this by planning, following through to the latter, and achieving without compromise his set of goals. A good leader is a good listener. The ability to set good goals comes from the ability to receive input whether good or bad from the effectors. Positive response is essential to this stimulus for a leader to be excellent (Bose, 164). Management techniques have helped develop leadership theories for organizations. Several theories are benefactors to this fact. Trait theory is one of the leadership theories that were commonly in use, in the past. This theory has a superman trait describing the leader. The leader has traits comparable to none within the organization. The flaw of this theory is in stating that leaders are a product of inheritance but not of the environment. The second common theory is the behavioral theory. This states that leaders are a product of the environment and not product of inheritance. This acknowledges the environment as a shaping factor of an individual’s traits. It also accepts that good leaders learn and perfect what they learn. Participative theory is the third common theory. This theory involves everybody in the organization. Decisions are a product of consensus of
Daoism takes its origins in China; however, nowadays, this religious and philosophical tradition has several regional peculiarities. In part, this tendency can be explained by cultural, political, and social development of different Asian countries. The readings that will be discussed in this paper illustrate the diversity of this movement and their importance for different cultures. They indicate that Daoism still plays a vital role in the life of such countries as China, Japan or Korea. This is one of the main arguments that should be analyzed. First, it should be noted that these national distinctions can in part be explained by the historic development of different countries. For example, when speaking about China, many researchers focus on the influence of political ideology and the intervention of the government. Livia Kohn argues that currently Daoist institutions are dependent on the state (Kohn 2009, 183). In the opinion of this author, the practices of Daoist leaders have been affected even by the Marxist ideology (Kohn 2009, 183). In other words, these people do not have much autonomy. This is one the main points that she makes in the book. However, while discussing these issues, Livia Kohn refers the two schools of Daoism that emerged after the end of the Tang dynasty. In particular, one can mention the movement known as the Celestial Masters and the School of Complete Perfection (Kohn 2009, p. 149). These schools became state-controlled institutions, but at the same time, there are many local cults in China. One can argue that these cults are more self-sufficient (Kohn 2009, p. 149). Therefore, one has to speak about the diversity of contemporary Daoism. These issues are vital for understanding the development of this tradition. Other authors such as Chi-Tim Lai also acknowledge that Daoism was adversely affected by the communist government of China (Chi-Tim 2003, 413). For example one can speak about the destruction of many temples in the country (Chi-Tim 2003, 413). Nevertheless, this author believes that contemporary Daoism in China is a self-sufficient movement that should not be confused with governmental organizations (Chi-Tim 2003, 413). Such an assumption would be inaccurate. This is one of the main issues that should be taken into consideration. Therefore, one can say that scholars provide different interpretations when discussing Daoism. In contrast, this tradition in Japan and Korea has some distinctions. One of the most important peculiarities is that Daoism in these countries was not strongly affected by the state, especially in the twentieth century. This difference is important for understanding how this religious tradition evolved in different countries. It should be noted that Korean and Japanese cultures adopted the official rituals such as purification exercises that are vital for Daoist tradition (Kohn 2009, 202). Furthermore, one can speak about the
Summary of the strategic situation confronting MacDonald’s A strategy is a defined way through which organizations undertake their processes. A strategy is a way or method of doing something at the organizational level. MacDonald’s has been faced with a couple of strategic situations that are confronting the success of the food chain within the American market. The company has had low sales that are attributed by low sales turnover in all its branches. The company made a loss for the first time since it was started. The sales figures are very worrying especially to the management. The company management decided to restructure by firing the CEO. The company’s decision to restructure followed the company CEO’s failure to boost the organization’s sales and provide competitive pricing for its products. Marketing food stuffs in a highly competitive economy requires a firm to use the best marketing tools and machinery (Milne and MacDonald, 58). MacDonald’s marketing strategy has some loopholes that are being used by their competitors to out do the company in the market. The food market share where MacDonald used to control is being challenged by their rivals. Thus, their profit margin is declining. The company’s pricing system is poor as they have failed to recognize that foodstuff prices rises with time. There is an increase in cost, and this translates to reduced sales. The company’s marketing strategy that includes the use of the franchise to market goods has been working till the early 2000s. The company’s failure to motivate their franchises has resulted to the franchises incurring considerable cost of the service they offer MacDonald. The foods company should have resulted in an increase the price of major products so that the franchisors can earn their revenue from the service being offered. The company’s sales have been declining as a result of low sales turnover from the franchises. The franchises end up incurring extra costs, and the sales margin was very low. Marketing refers to the process of popularizing a product or service to a potential customer. MacDonald’s marketing strategy has worked over the years until it failed to offer competitive
The patient Protection and affordable Care Act was appended into law by president Barrack Obama in March 2010. This gave birth to the Affordable Care Act after some amendments were made to the original Act a few weeks later (Morse 208). The Act injected significant changes on healthcare delivery in the United States. However, there are myriads of business and human resource implications that this healthcare Act brought into focus. According to the arguments presented in the article, there are several uncertainties that bedevil individual entrepreneurs and employers in regards to the Affordable Care Act (Morse 212). There are quite a number of business challenges presented by section 36B of the Act. As a matter of fact, exchanges are instrumental on several aspects of this piece of legislation and also for credits described in section 36B (Morse 238). For instance, this section clearly describes the details of the employer penalty tax. It is interesting to note that each employer is expected by the Act to have at least one worker who is employed on fulltime basis who is covered by the provisions of the Act. However, the application of this Act requires an employee who resides in a region where Exchange has been put in place. The most challenging aspect of this Act is the dispute resolution part for individuals who live in states not covered by credit exchanges. At this point, it is evident that unfamiliar problems may be presented by multi-state operations bearing in mind that businesses can grossly suffer the impact of resolving disputes that arise from employees hired from other states. Worse still, subsidized coverage may be pursued by some employees especially if the employer decides to drop some coverage. Even if the latter is possible, the remaining states may not be in a position to do the same. Gauging from the aforementioned factors, it implies that locating business operations and the level of accessing such businesses especially in the presence of jurisdictions that are competing against each other. Furthermore, the process of hiring employees located in states where Exchanges have not been created will be a gross hindrance. This has definitely interfered with the selection of employees when hiring human resource within business organizations. To some extent, it implies that some business entities may completely fail to enjoy the benefits of hiring certain professionals merely because they are not favored by the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It would have been possible for the Congress to seek alternative funding for the welfare benefits by imposing new taxes. For example, services such as sterilization and contraception could be subsidized by the government instead of negatively impacting businesses with the new tax regimes under the Affordable Care Ac