ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction to Lean Management Lean management refers to a style of management that lays emphasis on the decrease of seven wastes namely processing, waste, scrap, waiting time, overproduction, inventory, motion, and transportation. The reduction of waste helps improve the standards and minimize costs and time. The mechanisms that help achieve lean management are “pull production”, mistake-proof and constant process analysis (Plenert, 2007). Since it is an integral part of the coursework, the students were required to take part in the lean game, previously known as the JIT (Just-in-Time) game. The entire class was divided into groups comprising 7 students. All the teams were given the common mission of manufacturing four colored widgets and subsequently deliver the same on time as per the requirements of the consumers. The following diagram testifies the flow of the manufacturing supply chain: It can be clearly understood from the diagram given above that there are in total seven processes in the entire manufacturing supply chain. Each student was assigned the task of overseeing one supply chain and ensuring that the process went on in a hassle-free manner. All the processes are described below with the help of the table: Process 1: Guillotine The bases and tops were cut from the raw material sheets with the help of a Guillotine. The Guillotine also took the responsibility of ordering new raw materials. Process 2: Autoclave The bases and tops that had been cut with the help of a guillotine were heated in the autoclave for 3 minutes. During this heating, there was provision for only one machine. Process 3: Assembly Stage 1 In this stage, the bases and the tops were joined with glue. Just like the last stage, only one machine was allocated to the students. During this stage, there was the limitation of working with tops and bases of the same color. Process 4: Assembly Stage 2 During this stage, the large red circle had to be attached; a small green circle and a small yellow circle to the top. This stage also involved one JIG machine that was heated and it had a waiting time of 2 minutes. Process 5: Assembly Stage 3 Subsequently, in the next stage, the small blue and green circles on the top were heated in the JIG machine for a span of 3 minutes. Process 6: Heat Treatment The widgets then undergo heat treatment. The waiting time for this stage was only till all the 8 baths were filled. Process 7: Punching and Trimming Punching and trimming helped fix the small orange circle on the base as well as helped to record sales on-time and late occurrences. Source: (Benton, 2011). The students had a total of three rounds and once around was over, it was time to review the entire operational strategy (Team Blue) so that they could rethink how to ameliorate the production process. The entire simulation process also inv
Chapter 5 of the book talks about the condition of native women in the times of the colonial conquest of the Americas. The invasion of South and North America by the Europeans involved many males coming into contact with the local egalitarian societies. The Algonquian tribes experienced considerable changes in their established social and economic order (Hughes & Hughes, 1997). Before the invasion, the men and women of the tribe equally divided their work and responsibilities. Yet, after the conquest, the men’s work, which was hunting for large game, became more in demand among the Europeans. Moreover, the trade between the tribe and the invaders made some of the women’s work irrelevant, for instance, the creation of certain items which were now replaced by European ones. The Catholic Jesuits who came to spread Christianity also encouraged the establishment of a patriarchal society and primarily baptized tribal men. Many women opposed conversion to Christianity, but their husbands, brothers, and fathers beat them for their defiance of God. In New Mexico, where the slave trade was the primary source of wealth for the Spanish, Many Indian women were made slaves and used as property without any rights or freedoms. In Barbados, black female slaves were forced to work in fields and were also subject to different types of exportation, including physical, sexual, and emotional ones. In New Spain, the Spanish conquerors established their cultural norms and rules for women, which implied that females had to be sexually pure and practice discretion. As a result, the Spanish often raped and sexually abused the native women to keep the Spanish ones intact. At the same time, the local population also embraced the Spanish traditions of honor, which once again led to the sexual exploration of native women. Chapter 6 of the book concerns the topics of the role of African women during the 17th century. In the 1660s, a Lutheran pastor who visited the Fetu people described their social activities. As the pastor stated, the Fetu women dressed according to their status in the community and their wealth. The affluent females covered their breasts with silk, while the poorer ones were topless (Hughes & Hughes, 1997). During weddings, the tribe had festive events, and the bridegrooms had to show their generosity. Men could marry several times, yet the first wife always had the highest status, while the concubines were mostly slave women. The Bakongo tribe in Kongo had a particular social order where women could be given the status of wife or sister. Wives were young women who were able to bear children, yet after the end of their reproductive period, many of them became sisters. The concept of sisterhood implied autonomy and active participation in family matters. Yet, slave women only could have the status of a wife and be denied any autonomy. The chapter also talks about queen Njinga, a woman who fought the Portuguese in Kongo after the death of her brother. The most important part of Njinga’s story was that to justify her legi
Being raised and born in Russia, I was greatly influenced by the cultural variety surrounded me. Since my childhood was keen on everything connected with China, including culture, social life, and politics. Therefore, now I am engaged in the information management unit that aims for profound research and development in the sphere of intercultural relations. The mission of IMU also involves the creation and development of educational organizations that would permit people who originated from different cultures to develop and acquire knowledge and skills. The IMU is the part of the American Field Service, a voluntary organization working for pieces thus eliminating intolerance, injustice, and inequity (www.afs.org). In future, I am planning to devote my life to the study of Chinese traditions and culture in order to protect these people from unjust behavior on the part of developing countries. My internship in AFS is the great possibility to come to my goals to fruition. The proposed topic for my research paper will be devoted to the study of the intellectual property in China, problems connected with the internet. I have chosen this issue for consideration, as it is connected with political, social, and economical biases imposed at the international level. The raised conflict shows the negligent attitude to Chinese people is one of the greatest producers. Therefore, the topic directly relates to the International study, as the problem of cyberspace is considered at the international level as well. In particular, the main problem lies in the absence of laws that would guarantee the sufficient data protection. A closer consideration of this topic shows that intellectual property online does not suggest some distinct territorial division so that it is always hard to advocate the rights of the author. Considering China’s conflict over the internet censorship and intellectual property protection, there exist few solid reasons for blaming China for cyber-attacks. The conflict also involves some social and economic prejudices provoked by the United States so that the intellectual property conflict should be also based on the internet filtering in nations where the country of the third world is subjected to the outright discrimination. To prove the importance of the China’s intention to set the internet censorship, it is necessary to mention about rapid expansion of online technologies has made the internet one of the effective means of communication supervised by the government (Tekwani et al.132). Nowadays the Internet in China plays a significant role in the coverage of the existed conflicts. In that regard, the Great Firewall imposed by the Chinese government on the Internet considerably hampers the introduction of the internet autonomy for the Chinese users (Karatzogianni 90). In addition, internet filtering is the main obstacle to the information welfare in China. Therefore, it
Geoffrey Chaucer is famous for having written “The Canterbury Tales.” The tales touch on various topics such as corruption and marriage, and they also unveil the immoral nature of the clergy in the modern Catholic churches. Chaucer writes his work in different ways. Sometimes he explains his thoughts and ideas in the tales, and at other times, he just uses a theme to explain what he meant. Sometimes, his characters put across the message. Chaucer had the intention that pilgrims would tell two tales each as they went to Canterbury from England, and as they came back from Canterbury. However, he only managed to get the tales on the way to Canterbury only. Critics praise the tales for unfolding some of the evils existing among people in the society. This paper illustrates the character of two pilgrims; Wife of Bath and the Summoner as portrayed by Chaucer. This will provide an insight of how the characters influence and impact on contemporary societies. The Wife of Bath is one of the pilgrims. The term Bath refers to a town along the Avon River in England. It is not her husband’s name as many people would presume. The woman is deaf on one ear, and she is proud of a gap on her upper jaw, between her two front teeth. It is worth noting that such a gap was of high regard during the era of this pilgrimage, and also a symbol of beauty among women (Pearsall 66). She has no professional career but has a talent as a seamstress. She is a professional wife in the society. She has been on several pilgrimages in the world; thus, this pilgrimage to Canterbury is not the first one. It is imperative to note that she has been into the institution of marriage five ti
The history of the United States is characterised by a raging battle between property owners and individuals who produce the wealth. Any victory from either section of workers has to be preceded by their sacrifice to engage in the battle. Americans have had to struggle before enjoying the right to a government funded education, the ending of child labour, the right to organise, the eight working hours in a day, unemployment welfares, the right to healthcare at work or through federal programmes, and annuities. Besides, the termination of servitude and the civil rights crusade of the 1950s and 1960s, which crushed the Jim Crow racist laws in the South, were all attained through struggle. The working class that had organised itself independently demonstrated on the streets to accomplish these successes. The victory that was witnessed by workers outside unions was only acknowledged because of the efforts of the organised labour unions. Because of employers’ fear that their employees could unite, they were forced to concede for the mutual benefit of each side. These success stories were achieved only after the working class had endured the most resolute and often brutal confrontation by big businesspersons. Early unions such as The Knights of Labour were established in 1869. The Knights comprised an underground Protestant society that involved Philadelphia tailors who were being steered by Uriah Stephens. The Philadelphia tailors were reformers who looked for an equivalent wage for any corresponding work. By 1878, they had developed into a national labour union. The union aimed to realise a cooperative culture by terminating what it deemed the wage/slave structure. They anticipated subsequent mutual control of quarries, factories, and customer-manufacturer enterprises. The Knights recruited members, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or sex. Employees such as the untrained workforce, cultivators, and business operators, were qualified for partisanship. The registered parties had gone up to 700,000 by the mid-1880s. They requested to be active in the job for not more than eight hours so that they could lessen the tiredness that brought about disasters such as work-family conflicts. They encouraged embargos and adjudication rather than declining to go to work since they regarded the latter move as cruel. They reinforced opinionated restructuring and a progressed revenue duty, among other methods. Later, the special interests of craft unions ruined the Knights. They were also denied in the eyes of the public by the actions of extremists and revolutionaries who were among them, as it occurred in the Hay
What are the differences and similarities between groups and teams? Discuss norms, status, cohesiveness, and social loafing. Provide an example of one or more of these constructs. What makes a group or team effective? The principal difference between groups and teams is that the sense of identification among team members seems to be stronger. Moreover, it should be pointed out that teams possess more differentiated roles. Task interdependence, in its turn, seems to be greater with teams. Team/group norms are stated to control team behavior. For instance, if a presentation is scheduled for 8 a.m., it depends upon the norms of an organization whether to arrive at the presentation room at 7.55 a.m. (as a presentation starts promptly at 8 a.m.) or at 8 a.m. (as a presentation starts at 8.10 a.m.); so, you are given some more time for socializing. A team’s status is considered to be extremely important, as “even small differences in members’ status perceptions—differences that may not be apparent to the members themselves—can diminish coordination, generate task conflict, and weaken performance” (Gardner, 2010, p. 1). Group goals/interdependence/activities/size/atmosphere, similarity among members, the attractiveness of members, leadership, and structural properties determine team cohesiveness. The basic principle of social loafing is that an individual’s contribution is smaller because of poor coordination between the participants of a team. In other words, if one thinks that it is the reduction of a person’s effort, which causes problems, one’s assumption is wrong. The basic points for effective team performance involve a clear objective and high-performance norms. The technical skills improvement and resources securing also influence team effectiveness. Planning and organizing are the key activities, which determine “optimal use of available resources” (Hughes et al., n. d., p. 15). Interpersonal conflicts minimizing is another key characteristic for effective team performance. Other constituents, which influence the effectiveness of a team, include task structure, group boundaries, norms, and authority. According to Robins and Judge (2011), conflict can benefit an organization. In what ways does conflict within a group or team facilitate creativity, effectiveness, and product quality? How is it possible to differentiate the positive from the negative types of conflict within a group or team environment? The conflict arising from heterogeneity is recognized to be one of the basic constituents, which influences team effectiveness. Thus, greater productivity, various approaches to problem solutions, enhanced decision quality can be regarded as some advantages of a conflict. While speaking about conflict and creativity facilitating, one is to keep in mind that according to Brown, “an expanded understanding of the issues for the team members, mobilization of party resources and energies toward problem resolution, and
Prevention of fire hazards is an essential task for any organization or building, for that matter. However, it can be particularly significant for workplaces due to the losses it can cause. This fire safety essay will explore how the danger can be prevented. Any essay on fire safety should start by clarifying why the problem can prove to be disastrous. In the workplace, the losses due to conflagration can be regarded in terms of property damage and loss of lives. However, most people do not worry about material loss because they are easy to replace; life is the most precious thing. In most situations, fire arises from avoidable situations. Additionally, some are caused by unavoidable circumstances such as lightning. This fire prevention essay will focus on safety measures that organizations can adopt to prevent the occurrence of fire-related incidences. Recent fire incidences have revealed that most organizations do not have a fire prevention and detection program. While the role of fighting fire is designated to firefighters, organizations should do whatever it takes in their capacity to ensure fire is avoided. This is because firefighters always come in when the situation is out of control. Fire detection and prevention programs provide guidelines to all the employees so that they would be empowered to detect fire early enough to take the necessary precautions (Diamantes, 2010). Besides, it helps the workforce understand how they should carry themselves in the event of fire. For instance, the organization educates the employees on how to use fire extinguishers and the emergency exits. Employers should include regular orientation periods to ensure that the employees are familiar with the structures that are within the organization’s close proximity. This should include fire drills to evaluate an organization’s level of preparedness in handling disasters. It is essential to use the drills to identify areas that need improvement. For instance, if the emergency exit is not clear, the management should clear all the possible barriers. Additionally, the management should ensure the firefighting equipments are in good working condition. Moreover, there should be appropriate signage to direct people to the emergency exit, and give warnings concerning areas that are prone to fire probably due to presence of combustible substances (Jones, 2010). Similarly, workers should handle combustible materials, such as propane, with a lot of care because they can burst into flames from a slight inducement. This implies that they should keep such materials from possible sources of ignition such as electricity and smoke. In addition, such materials should include warning labels so that whoever is handling them, he/she is aware of the potential hazard (Jones, 2010). When disposing combustible materials, it is advisable to avoid m
Managers from the US have a different approach to work when compared to those in Europe and other parts of the globe. American managers are getting exposed to diverse languages and cultures as a result of globalization. This requires them to be familiar with the attitudes and cultures of other people in countries that they work in. Americans are thought of as ignorant, materialistic and difficult to deal with by many Europeans. However, Europeans admire the business acumen of Americans which has made American companies to consistently perform well. American firms post impressive financial outcomes yet American nationals have little knowledge about what happens in other countries in the world (Hymowitz, 2000, p.B1). US managers, therefore, need to change these perceptions for them to succeed in foreign countries. American managers need to acquire skills on how to work in a multicultural environment. They need to improve on their knowledge of foreign languages, cultures, and attitudes. The US has an informal approach to work relationships between managers and their subordinates. Hymowitz (2000) points out that European work culture is more formal and this can be challenging to an American working under European managers (p. B1). American managers need to improve on their knowledge of history and culture of countries they are posted to. This will help them have a better approach to work and thereby achieve good results at the workplace. The European approach to working is based on long term results compared to the American approach which is mainly motivated by monthly or quarterly performance outcomes. American managers need to acclimatize to this fact for them to have realistic expectations in a European work environment. American managers working in the Netherlands need to be aware of the relaxed approach to work that exists there. The communication approaches that are to be used by American managers while working in the Netherlands are different from those they are accustomed to. Dutch business culture allows for managers to be easy to approach by employees because there are fewer restrictions (Koopman, Hartog & Konrad, 1999, p. 507). Workers in the country go for longer lunch breaks than employees in the US. An American working in the Netherlands for the first time needs to understand the differences in a work culture that he is going to face. Managers are more involved with what their employees are doing in the Netherlands compared to the US. American managers need to be in touch with their employees which can help them make better decisions. Koopman, Hartog, and Konrad (1999) reveal that the Dutch organizational environment is mainly influenced by people’s values from their cultural backgrounds (p. 510). The experiences that Dutch workers have from their education and family life have a big influence on their personality and work ethic. Dutch employees value work assignments that contribute to progress in society. Individual competitiveness is less favored compared to the US. The management style that is adopted by American managers needs to value the attachment Dutch nationals have to the past. They are l