ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction To a large extent, existing literature analyzing the expansion of international firms beyond their primary borders tends to incline towards entry strategies. More specifically, many international strategies have been focused on issues to do with timing and mode of entry, with some of the most commonly referred to entry strategies being joint ventures, franchises, licensing and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) (Lafontaine, 2004, p. 3). While this kind of literature is important in understanding the international strategies of international firms, it develops a problem of analyzing the entry of firms into international markets, before comprehending a firm’s foreign market involvement. As most of the world’s manufacturing companies are moving from the conventional product development industry to a more service oriented industry, international companies are engaged in a tact of entering foreign markets, first, through one location, and then into other geographical areas, as they seek to expand their client base. In this regard, the expansion of international companies into new geographical locations becomes more a matter of when and how they do so as opposed to choosing the timing and mode of entry. These factors withstanding, this study seeks to develop a deeper understanding of firms’ international strategies by analyzing a fast food industry because of the service oriented nature of the fast food market and the quest for more customers as is synonymous with such companies the world over. In this context we specifically analyze McDonald which has been credited in many literature excerpts as having introduced and fully utilized the concept of franchising to the many markets it has expanded to (McDonald, 2010, p. 2). Currently, the company is estimated to serve slightly less than 1% of the world’s population daily; meaning that the company has successfully expanded into international markets without necessarily bumping into the risks of international market operations, since current statistics estimate that the company opens up to 1,000 to 1,500 new outlets each year, and approximately expands into five to ten new countries each year as well (McDonald, 2010, p. 5). Within the last decade, the company has also been able to expand its employee base from a million employees to two million (McDonald, 2010, p. 5). In addition, the company is a good example in the analysis of international company
Sophocles classical Antigone can be said to be one of the most common tragedies viewed by scholars as a decisive model regarding civil disobedience. The concept of civil disobedience is well illuminated. This is manifested in Antigone who is fighting to bury her deceased brother, and this intention is being rejected by Creon. Exploring the apparent conflict pertaining to the burial of Polyneices I am of the opinion that Antigone had a right to bury her brother. This can be attributed to the fact that despite Creon’s opinion, Polyneices could never cease to be a brother to Antigone whether dead or alive. More so, it ought to be noted that the vocal hostility between Creon and Antigone only served to sustain their standings on individual convictions in regard to what they perceived as justice. In essence, the crisis between the two is immediately established in the play’s opening. The way Creon paints Polyneices as a traitor and subsequently declares him as a traitor establishes a bruising conflict on the nature of his burial. Though Creon had overwhelming authority to make civil decisions, it was the duty of the community to make the right choices in regard to the decisions flouted. This gave Antigone a broader berth in establishing her argument in favor of burying her brother. Hence, according to ancient Greece traditions, blood relations were of more value than any other social ties. From such a perspective, I do find that Creon had no concrete authority to deny Antigone the right to bury Polyneices. Equally, Creon’s rigid stance only served to make the situation more volatile. According to the play I am convinced that Antigone based her argument on the dynamics of higher moral principles greater than the established human laws. Antigone realizes the price she had to pay for her rigid stance, it is evident that the core objective of longing to give her brother a decent burial. This is fuelled by a desire to invoke social justice to all. As the play takes on a greater spectrum Antigones stance can be said to be more justified than is Creon. Consider the fact that Creon is depicted as being a ruthless tyrant while Antigone symbolizes the social plebiscites. Though, the two do not come into close dialogue. Antigone is more civil than Creon, the burial of Polyneices acts as a platform on which the two individuals are mirrored to reflect on the innate social decay. Hence, I do opt to side with Antigone in that by standing up against the oppressive authority she demonstrates that justice can and will never be defeated. As is illustrated in the play, Antigone is a brave heroine who opted to disobediently engage her superiors for the sake of justice to be realized and to be seen to be affected. This is well testified by the manner Ismene appeals to Creon, indicating that Antigone was a woman who was ready to sacrifice her life for the sake of others. In contrast, Creon had formulated the bylaws which had compelled Antigone to rebel against the highest authority in the land. The
Introduction The business world today is highly competitive as more organizations continue to join the market and strive get their share of the market. For a business organization to make it in today’s market, it needs to have a competitive advantage that will put it in a step ahead of its competitors. The term competitive advantage can simply be defined as a benefit that a business has over its competitors (Porter, 2008). The term competitive advantage describes the attributes that give a business an opportunity to perform better than the other organizations in similar ventures. There are some factors that can give businesses a competitive advantage. Among the factors include the natural resources available to the firm, human resources, geographical locations, access to technology, as well as the strategies that the business has in place for achieving its goals (McGrath, 2013). The level of competition in different industries differs due to the nature of business conducted and the number of players in the industry. For instance, the electronic industry is highly congested, and the level of competition is too high. An organization like Walmart is a retail company operating in a high competitive industry as well. However, Walmart has been able to apply some strategies that give it a competitive advantage. This article will analyze the competitive advantage of Walmart and explain how the company has achieved a sustainable competitive advantage through knowledge and resources. Walmart’s Competitive Advantage Walmart is one of the largest enterprises in the world regarding revenue and is ranked among the fastest growing companies. The company, which is based in the United States of America, has branches all over the world. Walmart boasts of about 2 million workers globally. The company has been able to succeed in an industry that is characterized by a high level of competition (Keller & Price, 2011). There are factors that have been unique to Walmart, which have given the company a competitive advantage over its rivals. The company has been able to effectively and efficiently utilize its competitive attributes to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. First, Walmart has vast resources, which have helped it attain a step further compared to its competitors (Kneer, 2009). Its resources can be categorized as financial resources, human resources, knowledge resources, as well as physical resources. As mentioned earlier, the company is ranked among the largest in the world in terms of financial strength. This has been the primary resource that has helped Walmart remain top of the competition and sustain its competitiveness over the years. Walmart can be able to invest in profitable ventures with the financial strength that the company holds. The company can also take advantage of any opportunities that come its way. For instance, the financial strength can enable Walmart to invest in the latest techn
Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a process of progressive hardening of the arterial wall and elasticity loss. It is a slow process that begins in childhood and needs variable time to manifest itself as a health problem. Usually, it affects large- and medium-sized arteries. It is characterized by atheromatous deposits, thickening, and fibrosis of the inner layers of the arterial wall; forming what is known as atherosclerotic plaque. It can be investigated by direct methods such as angiography, by recognizing the risk factors responsible for developing it, or by recognizing the complications resulting from it. Incidence and Prevalence Atherosclerosis is considered a leading cause of vascular morbidity worldwide. It is complicated by several serious conditions such as ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. However, some high-income countries have reported a decline in the incidence and mortality from such serious conditions, which could be explained by the recognition of many risk factors for atherosclerosis and modifying the lines of treatment. On the other hand, most developing countries of low- and middle-income have reported a decline in mortality from ischemic stroke, but variable mortality rates from ischemic heart disease (Babu, Nagaraja, & Reddy, 2016; Herrington, Lacey, Sherliker, Armitage, & Lewington, 2016). The prevalence rate of atherosclerosis increases with age. Males are affected more than females, but they are almost equal in the age group of 60 years and above. Also, significant lesions are observed in chronic smokers, alcoholics, and non-vegetarians. In Saudi Arabia, the major economic transition and rapid urbanization witnessed a significant rise in the burden of cardiovascular diseases. Many studies revealed a high prevalence of obesity and dyslipidemia, which are considered major risk factors for developing atherosclerosis, among the population. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of important cardiovascular risk factors among adult Saudi patients attending primary care clinics. Comparisons were made between different groups of the studied sample.
Introduction Child labor nowadays is regarded as one of the kinds of child exploitation. Approximately 250 million children from developing countries, staying at the age between five and fourteen are involved in earning their living. Nearly 120 million of these children are involved in full-time works, and most of them work under tyrannical, exploitative, and dangerous conditions. As the researches by the International Labor Organization show, about 61% of working children can be found in Asia, 32% are from Africa, 7% of working children are from Latin America and the Caribbean region (Grey, p. 139). United Nations Organization and the International Labor Organization regard child labor as the form of exploitation, and stipulated the following thesis in article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:…States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. (Kuper, p. 19). Main body The commonly accepted governmental approaches are usually directed against children labor. But the fact is that children continue working in spite of any law projects. Instead of abolishing children to work (this is the easiest, but not efficient enough way to solve the problem) governments and international organizations need to provide norms and observations on protecting children’s labor rights, and, of course, prevent the violations of these rights. The laws should also provide the distinction between exploitative and non-exploitative child labor, in order kids could earn pocket money without any law difficulties for the employer, or in the case, if a child works in order to help his/her family. But the amendment on exploitation should also be elaborated On the other hand children slavery, military use of children, prostitution of children should be completely eliminated. And, it should be highlighted, necessary steps to it have been already made by international organizations, and the important conditions are fixed in International Humanitarian Law. Moral choices and their consequences In
The 19th century was a turning point in the development of views on the socio-economic structure of human society. This was particularly evident in the emergence of the Marxist socialism, which made people reconsider traditional social systems. The ideas of social and class equality, the cooperation of people for the common good, the equal distribution of material wealth among all the members of society inspired many intellectuals of that time. However, some thinkers, such as Beatrice Potter Webb, did not fully accept Marxism, supporting only some of its ideas and methods. The phenomenon of socialism is primarily associated with the theories of the German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx. The key peculiarity of Marx’s position is “his relation to the revolutionary socialistic movement” (Veblen, 2015, p. 2). According to the Marxist philosophy, capitalism and its inherent class inequality are a dead end for humanity, and the only logical way out is the radical socialist revolution. Allegedly, this revolution would bring human society to its natural state: the unselfish and equal cooperation for the sake of the common good. In Marx’s view, the central point of the social economy is “a theory of Value,” which consists in the equality of any labor. Furthermore, according to Marx, a socialist state should be managed by a single government, which will ensure the social equality of all the citizens (Veblen, 2015). Beatrice Potter Webb, a British sociologist of the late 19th – early 20th century, was a supporter of the moderate and democratic socialism. Together with her husband, Sidney Webb, they joined the Fabian Society, for which their works on sociology were an important theoretical core. Although Webb and other members of the Fabian Society admired Marx’s ideas, their vision of socialism differed in a number of ways. First of all, they rejected the Marxist radical revolutionism, promoting instead the idea of social evolutionism. The Fabians believed that evolutionism “combined social and biological science and neutralized revolutionary ideas, but the theory of evolution ended up suggesting the idea of a gradual change” (Potter, 2017, p. 14). Secondly, while advocating for the idea of collectivism, Webb also acknowledged the need for the local self-government, namely, the municipal government. What is also peculiar about Webb’s socialism, is that she rejected the typical Marxist belief in the strictly scientific organization of society, since, in her opinion, “science deals only with the processes of life; it has little to say of
Introduction An Integrated Resort is a multi-use construction that houses a variety of amenities such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and a casino. As far as Singapore is concerned, it is a widely acknowledged fact that the term ‘Integrated Resort’ has been deliberately used as a less offensive synonym in place of ‘casino,’ a word that provokes a highly competitive debate in all levels of Singaporean society. After months of deliberating the potential advantages and drawbacks of building two Integrated Resorts in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed during a Parliamentary meeting on 18 April 2005 that the country would definitely go ahead with the project. Main body The Singapore government, which had already called for and received 19 request-for-concept offers by December 2004, ultimately granted the contract to construct the first IR in Marina South to the Las Vegas Sands Company on 26 May 2006. The award came as a surprise to many, who thought that two consortia were the leading contenders. The IR project labelled ‘The Marina Bay Sands,’ is expected to be a prominent landmark of the Marina Bay landscape when it opens in 2009. The second IR project to be constructed in Sentosa and labelled as ‘Resorts World at Sentosa,’ was awarded to the Genting International/Star Cruises consortium on 8 December 2006. The winner beat two consortia who had also bid for the project. While heated debate about the IR projects still rages on, it is my contention that they will generate more benefits than disadvantages to the country and its people. The first argument extolling the IR project states that it will propel Singapore to the forefront of South Asia, enabling it to compete realistically with the burgeoning tourism sectors of other countries in the region. Tourism is growing at a phenomenal rate in the two most populous countries in the world – China and India. Hong Kong is mulling over legalising casinos to compete with the massively developed gambling industry in Macau (Torchia). Thailand is following in Hong Kong’s footsteps. Malaysia already has a thriving casino-cum-theme park on its Genting Highlands (Wikipedia). I think the government is doing absolutely the right thing in tackling international competition head on. A country cannot afford to lag behind others in the same region especially in matters where it is relatively easy to ‘be there’ among the best. The government has realized that the country would become less and less a tourist attraction as compared to its neighbours unless it did something radical to rejuvenate itsel
Recruitment Theories Two prospective theories could be implemented by KFC to create a new recruitment framework for the organization. The first theory is the person-position theory, which matches the personal and professional qualities of the candidate with the required position (Floarea & Duica 2016). The candidate’s parameters are analyzed based on a predetermined checklist of competencies for a particular spot within the company’s roster, differences are identified, and additional training is provided to make the candidate fit the mold. It largely ignores cross-cultural competencies, as the company defines what is needed from its employees. This theory would make the recruitment of senior staff in KFC more efficient, as the prospective managers with experience working in fast food chains would not be forced to go all the way from an assistant manager to the position of their choosing. However, one of the primary weaknesses of such a framework is the inability to retain talent in case the person and the organization do not match. The second theory is the person-organization theory, which matches the cand
Nowadays, modern technologies allow the majority of people to have easy access to water resources every day and at any time. However, water resources could not be easily accessed in the past. To get control of the water, people had to invent special techniques that would ensure its comfortable utilization. One of these techniques was the creation of swimming pools, special structures that hold the water and can be used for swimming and leisurely activities. While the first pools were created for bathing and religious purposes, nowadays, having a swimming pool as an element of backyard décor is an indication of the wellness of landlords. In this case, the swimming pool is considered not only as a place for leisurely activities but also as a symbol of social status. The more beautiful and bigger the swimming pool is, the wealthier and powerful its owner. Therefore, mastering the construction of swimming pools, aimed to improve their aesthetics, plays a significant role in defining the social status of the swimming pools’ owners. In this essay, the process of domestication of water with a primary focus on swimming pools will be discussed. It is well known that water is an essential element for the survival of human beings. For this reason, in ancient times, people had to settle down on the territories that were close to freshwater sources. It was especially crucial for dryland regions as people needed to irrigate their lands to plant vegetables, fruits, and crops. The process of water collection was complicated, as humans had to carry heavy natural containers with water from wells or rivers to their settlements. Over the years, people have been implementing certain strategies and measures to make the process of accessing water sources easier. For example, the first irrigation system was created in Egypt in about 5000 B.C. 1 Ancient Egyptians built large basins on the banks of the Nile River. During the floods, the water was diverted to these basins and stored there. Later, this technique was improved as people started building connections between basins and canals of different sizes to transfer the water to various places. It is worth to notice that even though water is an essential element that is needed for human existence, it can also have a negative impact on people’s lives. For instance, floods can result in the destruction of houses and crops, which can deteriorate living conditions and cause a food shortage. There are various ways to deal with the destructive nature of water. For example, the Babylonians and Mesopotamians invented specialized drainage systems, which implied using terracotta pipes to “convey stormwater out of their settlements.” 2 Nowadays, people have more opportunities to reduce the risks of floods. Thus, they build the dams next to the rivers to save the inhabitants of the nearby areas in case if the water levels increase. In addition, they use modern technologies that help to predict floods and warn those who are in the risk zones using specialized information tools, such as Global Flood Awareness System. 3 Therefore, even though the pr