ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The rate at which the American diet has changed with time is alarming such that America has turned out to be a ‘Fast Food Nation’ within a short span of time. Probably it is because everything else is happening too fast. Junk food has replaced healthy and nutritious food in many people’s life at an alarming high rate. America is soon becoming an obese nation if immediate measures to fight fast foods will not be taken. One may wonder why the rate of fast food has gone up so fast. Surprisingly, many people find themselves in this bandwagon unconsciously, yet others make deliberate decisions. Certainly, food has influenced America in so many aspects. Influence of fast food Many Americans nowadays eat much junk food than in time past. There is a sudden sway in diet change to fast foods yet the healthy and nutritious food is still available in the country. Among the good reasons that could make many people turn to fast foods is that they are most cheap, tasty and easily available. In almost every corner in the U.S. streets, there is a fast food restaurant. Further, this food is easy to heat and cook. On the other hand, nutritious healthy food is not as tasty as junk food and it takes long time to cook, on top of its high cost. However, statistics from Edwards indicates, “Americans currently spend about $134 billion dollars per year on fast food more than they spend on college education, computers, software or new cars” (15). As the English people say, cheap is expensive! While many think that fast food is cheap, it costs them a lot than they would ever imagine. Many people have embraced fast food at the expense of their health. The health of many is in danger because of what they eat. Some do it out of ignorance while others do not just care. Schlosser writes that, “Hundreds of millions of people buy fast food every day without giving it much thought, unaware of the subtle and not so subtle ramifications of their purchases” (43). Schlosser further observes that, “They rarely consider where this food came from, how it was made, what it is doing to the community around them… “(43). Unfortunately, people careless about the source of the food they consume and the outcomes are horrifying including rise in health complications. Health problems that did not exist in half a century ago are so rampant today. The rate at which people are becoming overweight and obese is alarming. Research shows that in every three children born in the year 2000, one will develop diabetes in their lifetime (Thomas 43). Should the fast food intake rate remain constant or rise a degree higher, obesity will outdo smoking as the chief reason of avertable death in the U.S. Obesity is affiliated with other more dangerous conditions like “hypertension, coronary heart disease, adult onset diabetes, stroke, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory complications, endometrial, breast, prostate and colon cancers, dyslipidemia, steatohepatitis, insulin resistance, brea
Introduction ‘Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China’ explores the history of three generations of Chinese females from the pre-communist era through communism until after the death of the communist leader, Mao Tse-tang. The main theme in Jung Chang’s book is Cultural Revolution in China. Accordingly, this summary describes how the oppression leveled against women in the pre-communist era occasioned the Cultural Revolution and the role of Mao Tse-tung and his Communist Party in the revolution. Additionally, the paper explores the successes and failures of Mao before looking at the weaknesses of Chang’s work. Discussions Oppression against women in the pre-communist era is captured in different aspects in Chang’s book. The first aspect of oppression as highlighted by the author is foot-binding in that at the beginning of the story we meet Chang’s grandmother (Yu-fang) who hand bound feet. Here, it is imperative to note that foot binding was a custom that was introduced in China in the 11 th Century whereby by age three, a girl would have all her toes except one tucked under her sole. Subsequently, the bending of the big toe together with the heel caused the rotting of flesh, breaking of bones, and toes breaking off. The ultimate goal of this custom was to ensure that the length of women’s feet was 3 inches for one to be eligible for marriage (Chang 24). Another important aspect of women oppression is captured in the kind of relationships that women shared with men in the pre-communist China. In the Chinese society, the only possible roles of women included being wives, concubines, or prostitutes. Furthermore, wives did not have authority over their lives because their husbands’ decisions were ultimate . And as Chang (70) notes, the cultural stipulations dictated that the role of a wife entailed: “looking after a household, cooking and sewing, flower arrangement, embroidery, and to obey without questions”. On the other hand, concubines satisfied the sexual pleasures of men besides having their children given away to barren wives. Prostitution was also another role of women out of one’s own decision, the family’s decision, or through force. Chang (97) notes that during the economic depression of the 1940s, women and young girls served as commodities in the flourishing trade in human trafficking and barter trade (“Daughter for sale for 10 kilos of rice”). However, with the rise of communism, the status of women in the Chinese society improved significantly. Despites, the flaws and weaknesses of the communist regime, there is evidence to suggest that Mao achieved to ensure that women’s quest for equality was captured in his idea of liberating the oppressed people of China. Among other things, women found some roles in the military and education, arranged and child marriages declined, women were allowed to divorce freely, wife beaters were scolded, and the role of prostitutes was elevated. According to Chang (121), her father and other communist members stormed and took over a town and in the process they oversaw, “the release of all prisoners, the closure
Business Cycles Fluctuations and cyclical behavior is an observable phenomenon in most socioeconomic processes (Kwasnicki). Cyclical behavior can be witnessed in other natural phenomena, e.g. calendar cycles, birth and death, seasonal cycles. Business cycles – sinusoidal fluctuations in the economic activity, according to which a cycle consists of periods of an upward and downward movements, each of which can represent periods of boom, slowdowns, recessions, and etc.   * Types of cycles:       + Minor Cycles – 40 months average, i.e. 3-4 years.       + Major cycles – trade cycles of 2-3 minor cycles, i.e. 7-11 years (Kitchin).   * Observable indicators of cyclical nature:       + Price;       + Volume of Production;       + Volume of Consumption;       + Stock Market;       + Others.   * Proposed causes of the cycles:       + Climate;       + Over-investment;       + Monetary factors;       + Under-consumption;       + Psychological factors (Kwasnicki). Kitchin Cycles   * Minor cycles in the economic activity named after Joseph Kitchin, a British statistician, who identified the major and minor cycles.   * Kitchin established that major cycles are “merely aggregates of two or three minor cycles.”   * Kitchin referred to the capitalist process as a reflection of the rhythmical movements in mass psychology as the possible explanation of his findings.   * Kitchin cycles were observed and confirmed in cases of interest rates and commercial papers between 1874 and 1913 in Britain, while the same cycles in the US were found to be of 4 years as stated by Mitchell and Burns (Glasner and Cooley 360). Kitchin Cycle and Inventory The relationship between the fluctuation of investments and the cycles of economy found a strong relationship between changes in inventory and the cyclical movements of economic activity . The relationship between the inventory and the upward and downward movements of business cycle can be seen through inventory buildup and inventory liquidation respectively. The last point before the beginning of a new cycle can be seen through additional inventory liquidation and inventory too small for sales. Metzler’s Model   * The inventory is an equilibrium.   * Recouping inventory loses implies a cyclical process in a stable economy, i.e. the equilibrium is disturbed.   * The income in the equilibrium is affected by the propensity to consume rather than inventory investments.   * The implications are for the system with sales output lag (Metzler).   * A provided results of a simulation showed that Kitchin cycles appear with investment delay of the order of 0.3 to 0.6 years and the price delay between 0.2 and 0.3 years (Kwasnicki). Conclusion The cycle in inventory changes can forecast changes in the economic activity. Such conclusion can be implemented in predicting the fluctuation of the cycle.
Introduction The question of which market structure accrues most benefits for all stakeholders can be attributed to a number of factors. There are four major market structures, but for the purpose of this assignment, focus is on monopolistically competitive and monopoly markets structures. “Wonks” is a conglomerate of many potato chips companies, which initially operated as monopolistically competitive firms in potato industry in the Midwest in 2007. These firms were that run on equilibrium such that they achieved a normal rate of return, improved efficiency and other advantages which accrue added benefits to all stakeholders. However, in 2008 the firm were conglomerated into “Wonks” by two lawyers and thus operated in a monopoly market structure. As a monopoly “Wonks” accrues a number of benefits ranging from long term economic profits, market protection among others. However, in a monopoly market structure, the social cost of a monopoly to both the stakeholder and the consumer is much higher than the cost of monopolistically competitive firm. Both monopolistically competitive market and monopoly structures offer certain advantages to “Wonks”; however, the company needs to revert to monopolistically competitive structure to accrue more benefits to both the entrepreneurs and consumers. From monopolistically competitive market structure to a monopoly To bring up all the potato chips producers together meant that the market structure was changed from monopolistically competitive to a monopoly. This shift in market structure significantly affects the relationship between the input, the output and commodity prices. In the monopolistically competitive markets, various potato chips makers established competition on production efficacy rather than on pricing. Hypothetically, one of the competitors enhances production efficiency more than others, thus leading to competition. Efficiency is further enhanced by increasing the output (production) at minimum cost of production (Mankiw, 2011; Taylor, 2009). This has a direct impact on the cost and quantity of commodities; increasing output means only minimum increases in cost of production. Thus, the average cost of production is lowered. In a monopolistically competitive market, price (which is equal to marginal revenue) is determined by market demand among other factors. This implies that each of the competitors may sell as much commodities as it can on the current market price. This is achieved by improving production efficiency (and thus lowered cost of production). This phenomenon is further compounded by the existence of more than one type of demand; demand seen by a particular competitor and the actual demand for the commodity. As such, to survive in a monopolistically competitive mar
Introduction A vision statement outlines the market position that an organization anticipates to acquire in the future. It is often short, concise and offers directions that should be followed by the organization. However, it does not give details of how organizational goals should be achieved. It helps employees to be focused and also motivates them. A mission statement on the other hand is general and focuses on the overall reason behind the existence of an organization. It states why an organization engages in its current activities and strives to maintain certain qualities that define the organization. Therefore, it is important for an organization to follow certain criteria as it designs its mission and vision statements in order to portray the true value of the organization . Criteria for Designing an Appropriate Mission Statement An appropriate mission statement justifies the existence of an organization. It highlights current activities that the organization carries out and needs of customers it endeavors to meet in future. It also defines the customers and goods and services required to satisfy their needs. The following are the criteria that an organization should follow in order to design an appropriate mission statement.   * An appropriate mission statement should be straightforward, brief and must have a sharp focus. This is because a mission statement that is stated in generic terms makes it difficult for people to understand it.   * An appropriate mission statement should focus on the market and needs of customers. It should give a clear explanation of how an organization plans
Introduction The US has a phenomenal number of inmates serving in her state correctional facilities. Imprisonment is invariable related to a loss in employment as the inmate serves his time. On re-entry into the society, these ex-felons require employment so as to make a living and be productive members of the society. However, finding employment is not an easy task due to the negative perception of ex-felons that the society and by extension potential employers have. There were an estimated 592,000 inmates released from State and Federal facilities in 2001 (Office of Justice Programs). It is imperative that this huge number of ex-felons obtain employment so as to enable them to sustain themselves and avoid criminal activities. However, most employers are reluctant to hire ex-convicts due to various considerations. This paper will argue that employing ex-felons is hugely beneficial and as such, employers should not hesitate to hire ex-felons in areas where they are qualified. To reinforce this assertion, this paper shall discuss the benefits of hiring ex-felons and weigh them against the demerits so as to demonstrate that hiring of ex-felons is valuable to not only the employer and ex-felon but also the community at large. A case for Hiring Ex-Felons An employer who accepts to hire an ex-felon will have the advantage of tapping i
Introduction Coca cola history started back in time when a remarkable man by the name of John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity when one afternoon he stirred up a fragrant, caramel-colored liquid and, when it was done, he carried a few doors down to Jacobs’ Pharmacy. Here the mixture was combined with carbonate water and sampled by customers who all agreed that this knew drink that was something special. So Jacobs’ Pharmacy put it on sale for five cents a glass. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, named the mixture Coca-Cola, and wrote it out to the district between, 1886-1892 (Steinmetz, 2005). In the year 1919-1940, Woodruff become, the Company president after his father purchased the Company from Asa Candler. Woodruff could spend 60 years as company leader introducing the beverage to the world beyond. The genius of Wood ruff so opportunities far beyond for led the expansion of Coca-Cola overseas and introduced Coca-Cola into the Olympic Games using his innovative marketing ideas (Ries, 2005). The Competitors Through the drastic growth, Coca-Cola is now the largest soft drink company in the world. Every year 800,000,000 servings of just “Coca-Cola” are sold in the United States alone. The company takes pride in being a worldwide business that is always local (Steinmetz, 2005). Coca-Cola competes in the nonalcoholic beverages segment of the commercial beverages industry. Based on available data and available industry sources, The estimates is that in 2004, world wide sales of the products comprised approximately 10 percent of total world wide sales and that is why Companies search as Pepco and Cad bury Schweppes PLC realized and become the two most biggest threats of Coca-Cola in beverage market segment. Note that PepsiCo has more than doubled the employees. PepsiCo is one of the fierce competitors in the beverage industry. The industry contains a number of water brand, Aquafina and the leading sports drink brand Gatorade. PepsiCo has its own coffee product, Frapuccino, marketed in joined venture with Starbucks (Steinmetz, 2005). PepsiCo obtains 60 percent of its revenues from its snack division. The division has succeeded in these health-conscious times with a campaign that emphasized” better for you” products. The product meets the food and drug administration and the National academy of Sciences nutritional criteria (Ries, 2005). Crab and Duck one the successful tailored brands of PepsiCo, which they are available in China and Lentil –based snacks available in India.
The federal, state, and local level governments have different roles to play in airport system planning. According to Zografos, Andreatta, and Odoni (2013), the federal government is responsible for funding the planning activities at the airport. It has the resources to do so. The local governments are always responsible for developing and implementing the plans. Ludwig and Ayres (2007) say that although the local governments are responsible for the management of the airports, they lack funds to implement mega plans such as airport expansions and upgrades. The scholars also say that traditionally, the state governments in the country have played a negligible role in the planning and funding of airports. However, a few states are currently considering taking part actively in long-term planning and funding of the airports. Land within airports plays different roles. It includes landing areas, terminals, and access plans among others. Hoerter (2011) says that all structures within an airport have to be set up on land. The size and quality of an airport start with the size of the land. An expansion can only be realized if there is enough space set aside for access plans. International airports in the country have duty-free shops, custom-bonded warehouses, staff and security offices, restaurants and important buildings among others. All of them can only be constructed if the land is available within the airport. Airport capacity refers to the number of passengers and amount of goods a given airport can handle within a unit of time. Airport capacity is determined by a number of factors. The first factor is the number of planes that can land and take off per unit time (Hazel, 2011). The number of landings and take-offs is not only determined by the size of the airport but also by the technology used. The capacity is also determined by the number of passengers who are cleared per unit time. The amount of cargo processed in the airport also defines its capacity. Technology can be used to increase the capacity of airports. According to Wells and Young (2010), technology can help speed up the processing of passengers’ documentation and in the security check. It can also speed up the clearing of cargo that arrives or leaves the airport. Modern technologies may also be helpful in managing to land and taking off planes. Airport financial planning methods can take place at different levels. The first one should be federal planning where strategic objectives and implementation strategies are set. The state and local governments should coordinate the development of operational plans. Pricing at the port should be determined by the market forces. The management should also monitor emerging trends and find ways of embracing them. The figure below is a summary of the most appropriate organizational structures and hierarchies within the airports. Figure 1: Organizational Structure The top management unit should be the board of directors appointed by the federal, state, and local governments. The board is headed by a chairman, and the chief executive officer is its secretary. Below the board of directo
An open economy involves carrying out of economic, businesses and trade across the border. It means the opposite of closed economy in which international trade and business cannot take place. Exporting is a term used in international trade to refer to the act of selling goods and services t across border, while importing involves buying goods and services from other nations and-the two constitute the international trade. The following model is used to explain open economy: Y = C d + I d + G d + EX or Y = C + I + G + (EX-IM). ( EX − IM ) is the net exports ( Mankiw 7). This paper explores on different activities that are carried out during international trade and the financial rules that are involved. Countries track international monetary transactions for specific periods of time using the Balance of Payment (BOP) accounts. By so doing, countries are able to know the number of trading activities conducted by both private and public sectors. This information shows how much money is being generated internally or from exports. A country can receive or pay money in an international transaction. Credit is whereby a country has received money whereas debit is used where a country has paid money. From theoretical point of view, BOP should be zero, meaning that assets and liabilities are balanced. Nonetheless, this has not been observed practically since either deficit or surplus always prevails ( Mankiw 7). The BOP accounts are usually three, namely, the current, capital and financial account .The current account summarizes the inflows and outflows of commodities or services into a country. It also shows what the public and the private have earned in terms of investment. The second account is capital account which records all international capital transfers. Capital items include land, non produced assets and equipments. The third division of BOP is the financial account which shows inflows from international trade activities and investment in real estate’s shares ( Mankiw 7). Open trade functions in a market called the foreign exchange market. This is the worldwide financial market for currencies. Various players of foreign exchange market include corporations, financial institutions, retail investors, governments and central banks of various countries. Relative prices for various currencies are usually determined by the market. This market is also used for conversion of different currencies. Banks trade in this market on behalf of their customers and in their own account. Today new innovations have been implemented on this market such that more efficient electronic systems are used. (Cross 113-115). Since commercial companies have to pay for their international transactions denominated in foreign currencies, they visit the market seeking for foreign market exchange to pay for goods and services. Central bank enters the FX market to control interest rates, inflation and money supply. They also set target for their currencies to stabilize the markets (Murphy 56) Traders use derivatives in the international markets to mini