ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Summary This is an article written by Ella Davies and appeared on BBC’s Earth News website on 8 February 2011. The article details how a Madagascan spider that stays in snail shells hoists the shell above the ground. The spider, Olios coenobitus, was first observed in 1926 but very few studies have been carried on it. However, new video footage shot in Madagascar reveal how the spider suspends snail shells from which it hides from predators. The spider lives predominantly in the thorny shrubs south of Madagascar. Earlier studies were conducted using captured spiders and it was observed that they raised snail shells more than 50cm above the ground although it was observed that in their natural habitats, the height was more. This prompted a BBC film crew and biologists to travel to the southern African country to study how the spider achieves this enormous task. The mission had its challenges as O. coenobitus is nocturnal and is extremely sensitive to light. Therefore, the team opted for an alternative method: they used infrared lights and cameras to film the spider as it hoisted a snail shell. The video shows the spider spinning silk and making a winch to aid in hoisting the snail shell above the ground, a process that takes almost 30 minutes. Using the repetitive process of attaching one end of each strand to the branch and the other end to the shell, Olios coenobitus is able to hoist a snail shell that is more than 20 times its own weight. This shell helps the spider escape predators and harsh weather. Olios Coenobitus As mentioned above, the spider under study is known by the scientific name Olios coenobitus, the insect has been identified correctly since studies have been conducted on the spider since its discovery in 1926 (Living National Treasures). The BBC crews presents a clea
Introduction The performance of every organization is highly determined by its workforce. Employees of any organization determine whether it will attain its goals and objectives by how they contribute towards the output of the organization. Hence recognizing the role of the employees towards the success of an organization has made many organizations to view their employees as one of its important asset. According to Honore (2009), the most important assets of a company are not product, money or profit but their employees (p.3). Longeneker (2011) adds that motivating workforce will help to improve the performance of the organization (p.). Many organizations have renewed their commitments to their employees by treating them fairly and with a lot respect. Many companies have come up with different schemes for improving working conditions for their workers as payment compensation schemes, holiday leave schemes, trade union participation among others. These efforts are not only happening in local companies but also among multinational corporations that are operating in different parts of the globe. This report analyses the steps that can be taken by a multinational corporation that has taken a strategic plan to improve the performance of its employees through the managers in three countries (India, Australia, and Brazil) where it is operating. Approach MNCs operate in different parts of the globe, which are diverse in so many ways. Different regions where MNCs operate differ in geographical, political, economic, social-cultural, and technological factors. The corporations have to use multidisciplinary approach when they are giving goods or services in different regions where they operate. For instance these corporations have employed people from all the regions where they operating for effective delivery of their services. For example, a MNC such as Coca cola has branches in almost every country of the world and therefore employ staffs who differ in their culture, beliefs, taboos, race among other differences. Therefore, for the corporation to come up with a scheme that will address the needs their diverse staffs, it needs to be a multidisciplinary approach that will put into consideration their diversity. Employees would also like to associate with an organization that have diverse outlook. As Maxwell and Knox (2009) notes employers branding will help to motivate employees (p.93). However, there stands some basic things required by all employees require and hence the approach will be general in many cases but specific in some cases. Something like good salary and wages will motivate every employee irrespective of their diversity. Good working environment will raise the out
The Public Relations Plan Objectives One of the main goals of the Public Relations (PR) plan will be to provide and promote information about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to be undertaken by the company. The company’s aim is to participate in CSR projects that actively interact and engage the consumers which will help to restore brand loyalty. According to Salmon, Poorisat and Kim (2019), when a company involves itself in CSR events, it seeks to form a close relationship with consumers and thus eliciting loyalty to the brand. The PR plan will also target to advance brand awareness and popularity. In this case, the PR strategy will be structured to reach a wide range of target audiences. The objective is to spread a positive image to many consumers which will trigger an increase in brand familiarity and awareness. Navarro et al. (2020) state that the use of communication media, such as social and mass media, helps to attain a large base of consumers relationship. Interaction with the consumers leads to the growth of brand awareness and familiarity. Implementation of the PR Strategies Employees and consumers are the most important stakeholders for Palm Oil. Based on the Theory-led analysis of stakeholders, the latent stakeholders, who are the consumers in this case, should be kept satisfied. The promoters stakeholders who are the employees in this case should be managed closely (Thurlow, 2017). There is a need to ensure that the two stakeholders are effectively engaged in the PR plan and CSR projects. For employees to participate successfully in any PR campaign in an organization, Thurlow (2017) argues that employees must understand the aim of the campaign and the strategy to be used. In this case, Palm Oil will invest in training the employees on how to execute the CSR projects. For example, the workers will be taken through a workshop campaign to train how to conduct the social media and mass media PR projects. The goal of the training will be to ensure the team develops the confidence to sell the brand to the consumers. In addition, the coaching and training will act as a motivating factor for the consumers to boost their morale. T
Introduction The violation of the personal data security conditions in the media space is fraught with serious public resonance, and Facebook’s example is the confirmation of this fact. According to Leetaru (2018), the world-famous social network did not pay enough attention to ensuring the safety of private user data, which caused a scandal. In this regard, there is a need to consider corresponding approaches governing the activities of innovative companies, namely, fundamentalist and protectionist strategies. Discussion When considering the concept of market fundamentalism, it can be noted that it implies limiting the state influence on the work of the internal system of the commodity-money relationships. As Leicht (2016) remarks, this strategy does not rely on any political ideology and does not depend on the current status of order in the country. This position is supported by Ötsch and Pühringer (2017) who also describe market fundamentalism as the concept that contradicts everything related to governing trends and movements. Regarding the Facebook case, the authors might agree that the social network’s operational scheme does not go beyond the law, and the requirements to revise the current corporate policy are baseless (Leicht, 2016; Ötsch & Pühringer, 2017). This approach is typical for this strategy and emphasizes its liberal nature. The concept of protectionism differs from the aforementioned model significantly. Kramer, Guillory, and Hancock (2014) support this strategy and argue that the protection of personal data is the observance of moral norms and social relations. Granville (2018) notes that this approach should be one of the key methods in the modern world where data privacy is sometimes the primary goal of users. In the Facebook case, the representatives of both studies would certainly condemn the approach of the social network and would be on the side of those who adhere to the government intervention in this issue. The Facebook case was high-profile due to the fact that a large number of people were involved in the scandal. According to Granville (2018), without the consent of users, the representatives of this social network provided the data to the political firm Cambridge Analytica and did not receive the formal agreement from those whose information was used. Regarding official protection protocols, this situation is unacceptable since the official rights of one of the parties are violated (CPHS, 2017). The pursuit of innovation in the d
Fake news can be regarded as an archetypal feature of an individual’s life as people have been bombarded by different types of information. The first acquaintance with fake news takes place in people’s childhood when children tell stories that they make up. White lies and incredible fairy-tales, and April’s fool jokes can be regarded as primitive examples of fake news that have become an indispensable part of people’s lives. However, fake news in adulthood is not a harmless childhood experience as they can lead to quite serious consequences. For instance, Allcott and Gentzkow (2017) state that fake news played quite an important role during the presidential elections of 2016. Fake stories made people change their attitude towards this or that candidate and give their votes to the other one. It has been acknowledged that the use of fake news in the political arena has become a global issue, as fake news shaped people’s political decisions during votes in Great Britain, France, and other countries. A brief causal analysis shows that fake news associated with the political sphere comes into existence due to people’s psychological peculiarities, political rivalry, real-life situations, and the development of technology. The predisposing cause of the occurrence of fake news is human psychological peculiarities. The first reason for this is that people tend to trust their social contacts. Shao, Ciampaglia, Varol, Flammini, and Filippo Menczer (2017) state that people are vulnerable to fake information as they do not question the data they obtain through sources they see as reputable such as people they know, channels they find reliable, and the like. Apart from reliance on channels that are deemed reliable, people often focus on the information consistent with their beliefs, views, and so on. For example, Allcott and Gentzkow (2017) found that during the presidential election in the USA, people were much more likely to believe fake news if the information was favorable for their candidate. In simple terms, people are often ready to be deceived as they want to make sure their attitudes are correct. Fake news can also help people justify their choices later on. Therefore, it is possible to note that cognitive peculiarities of human brain serve as the perfect background for the spread of fake news. The principal cause of this spread is an attempt to achieve certain goals. The question concerning the ethical component is still without an answer, but different groups used fake news as their tool to achieve their political (or other) goals. For instance, supporters of Trump are believed to make up various fake stories to make their candidate look better in the eyes of potential voters. Similar accusations could be heard in Great Britain and France. Some groups tried to affect people’s attitudes and even behaviors. Frier (2017) emphasizes that the vast majority of fake stories were favorable for Trump. It is also noteworthy that the princip
The 21 st millennium is called the century of globalization and integration. This is a new model for the development of civilization. People, nations and states have entered the modern stage of relations. New forms of economic, trade and cultural relations have emerged. There are multinational, multiconfessional states in the world where the process of unification is underway. Ensuring equal existence for all citizens is a very difficult process. The level of development of civil society is the main factor in the formation of democratic values. An important place among such values belongs to tolerance. Globalization and modernization of civilized states, as well as the expansion of communication networks, mass media, urbanization, and social changes in society, lead to the creation of a “new approach” to modern problems. The modern development of society is taking place in the mainstream of the integration process. In a globalizing world, a person is constantly at the border of many cultures. Society can develop only on the condition of preservation, interaction and progress of its constituent ethnic groups, their languages and cultures (Hoffman et al., 2019). The diversity of cultures is a phenomenon of the ethnocultural fragmentation of society. The problems of cultural pluralism and dialogue are relevant for modern society, as well as for modern philosophy. Thus, the policy of multiculturalism emerged; multiculturalism is an ideal response to all the challenges of a global world in which no dominant culture exists. Such a society is built on the principles of tolerance while preserving identity. Tolerance is an element of social modernization; this and multiculturalism influence the international rating of the country and become elements of international prestige. The mentioned factors are stable attributes of modern world states. Multiculturalism is a policy that presupposes cultural pluralism and promotes its development. Liberalism, wit
The Walt Disney Company is one of the most successful entertainment organizations in the world. The most recognized company started with one man’s idea, now incorporates diverse industries ranging from children’s cartoons to Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recently, on July 29, the Marvel Star Scarlet Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney Company. Her claim states that the company breached its contract by releasing the movie Black Widow, with Johansson playing the main character, on Disney’s streaming service while it was in theaters. Scarlet Johansson’s claim states that her salary was based on box office performance; since Disney’s simultaneous release of the movie on the Disney Plus streaming service, her earnings for the film were significantly decreased. Presently, the lawsuit has been settled; however, the details of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides announced their delight in reaching a mutual agreement and continuing cooperation in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. Marvel Cinematic Universe, owned by Disney, counts a large number of fans across the globe. Most of these fans sided with Johansson, viewing the lawsuit as an act against corporate hegemony (Ye, 2021). However, from the perspective of the media industry in the United States, streaming services are dominating the market due to the pandemic outbreak (Ye, 2021). Referring to that, the court is more likely to be unfavorable to the actress. At the same time, following the filing of the lawsuit, Disney decided to respond with a questionable statement. The company referred to the case as sad and pitiful, calming that it ignores the horrific impact of the COVID-19. Johansson’s lawyers immediately rendered this statement as a direct attack on her character, wrongfully and shamelessly accusing her of insensitivity towards the global pandemic. As such, the negotiations did not have a good start. Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement or BATNA is often used in negotiation tactics. Using BATNA provides negotiation power, an alternative in case of failing the negotiations, and helps determine a reservation point. Therefore, according to BATNA, Disney could initiate with paying the actress a sum of money to continue the cooperation with her as the actress for the Marvel character Black Widow, followed by a new strategy of calculating the box office. Another option is to cease the cooperation between the company and the actress, removing Johansson from Marvel or even Disney movies. Despite the fact that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Black Widow’s character is conside
Introduction The accounting field has provided a fertile ground for different kinds of frauds considered as being pervasive making government agencies, business enterprises and non-profits organizations stay away from their comfort zones lest they fall victims of such frauds. Most of the kinds of frauds facing such organizations and entities include misappropriation of cash and assets making more that 90 percent of such cases. These kinds of frauds can be easily detected and most entities have come up with appreciate measures to deal with such situations according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners reports. This percentage is dominated by assets misuse, theft and median damages. Misappropriations frauds come in several forms like cash skimming before record accounting takes place. The most unique kinds of fraud are the ones associated with most damages and are hardest to detect. These rare types of frauds occupy the remaining 10 to 5 percentage of the total frauds facing organizations. Though most organizations regard fraudulent statements in accounting to be the rarest and damaging fraud with the way it victimizes yet cannot be easily detected, there are other cheque frauds that are so rare and are of incomparable value. As fraudulent statement is associated with the fabrication of the financial statement of organizations including overstating of organizational revenues as well as understating its liabilities, some forms of cheque fraud involve the figures on the cheque sheet which may seem correct when viewed normally yet are frauded. Even some of the most sophisticated fraud detecting equipments in banks and offices are unable to detect them. Such frauds normally involve large sums of money thus are associated with valuable and rare frauds. A good example of this kind of fraud is the disappearing ink fraud in cheques. Cheque fraud In the past, cheque frauds were a common act in the accounting and banking sectors as were defined as being any common criminal act that entailed the use of cheques unlawfully in an effort to illegally access funds. This type of fraud was common and easily detected involving small amounts of money so as not to raise eye brows. It included capitalizing on float, cheque kiting and paper hanging. Cheque kitting involved the depositing of a certain amount of funds before the float period came to an end so as to cover up for the fraud
Introduction The movie industry has seen it all: Both best moments and worst moments. Some few years ago, movies could only be watched at the theatres and people loved watching them in big screens and with theaters and studios being the only place where big screens could be afforded, people really enjoyed. However, with technology advancements and visual and audio systems becoming cheaper, the movie industry has been experiencing lagging growth because few people nowadays visit the theaters and studios and those who visit these places do it with other motives in their minds for example being away from their parents, dates among other things. This means that if there could be alternatives most people would not go to watch movies. Summary of macro environment analysis There exists several macroeconomic factors which influence the way managers or leaders in a certain company make their decisions. These macro environment factors include issues such as changing laws, government policy, and demographic issues among others. They are analyzed under a model called PESTE. The model seeks to analyze what factors influence the performance of the industry and if these factors are threats or opportunities to the industry (Bensoussan& Fleisher 2008). The political or the legal factors which have affected the industry as indicated in the case study include the 1948 ruling between the United States and the paramount pictures. Before this ruling, studios used to control the audiences and thus captured the whole profits; they used to do this by owning the theaters. Theaters were not expected to show pictures produced by the rivals. The Supreme Court ruled against the monopolization and as a result, theaters divested as they were now allowed to negotiate film access and rental even with the rival companies. This worked to the advantage of the industry theaters were used efficiently. When one studio was not having a movie to be shown, the other from the competitor was allowed to show allowing theaters to operate full time. In the economic dimension, with the economy just recovering from the previous recession, most people might not afford the high cost of buying tickets and with television being easily accessible at home, most of them might prefer the option of watching the same movies in comfort at their homes since its cheap. The socio-cultural dimension is another dimension which is likely to have a negative dimension on the growth of the movie industry. Theaters and studios are no longer able to provide to the viewers what they used to miss at home. The reason why the youth go to theaters being just for dating and just to be out of the house (nothing like enjoying the movie). As a result, this means that if these viewers could get another excuse of getting away from home, they could even never go to