ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Towards the direction of increasing profitability and attaining competitive advantage over their rivals, many firms have been exploring expansion opportunities in different areas of the globe (Adler 48). To understand and respond to market dynamics that are present in different geographical areas, many firms are now researching on the role played by culture in promoting their business opportunities (Earley 600). By understanding specific cultures across the globe, firms are able to respond to international market opportunities (Hong 142) effectively. People in different geographical locations have inbuilt attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics that can help to define their capacity to buy given products that may be introduced into their markets (Earley 600). Thus, based on cultural assumptions, firms are able to fairly predict the demand for their products in the given markets (Jung 534). For example, reserved cultures are unlikely to respond to some cosmetic products from western countries (Chang 12). Often, it is desirable to model business operations based on unique cultures that exist in different geographical locations where given firms operate (Chang 12). Some pattern of behaviors that applies in one area may be considered as a taboo in another (Kerr 231). Promoting a harmonious working environment, firms are thus competed to adjust their operations in accordance with the given cultures where they run their businesses (Jung 534). Moreover, companies must model their products and services to comply with cultural standards that reflect their business environment (Kerr 231). For example, financial services in areas dominated by Muslims should conform to the requirements of Islamic law (Adler 48). Moreover, it is important for business companies to understand and exploit emerging cultural trends across the globe (Leung, 221). To some extent, many cultures across the globe are increasingly adopting new values from western culture (Arnett 780). Such a trend has presented many western firms with an opportunity to sell a new type of products in new areas (Chang 12). Many firms have specifically explored a cultural appeal strategy through the media, where they display some aspects of western culture as superior ones (Leung 221). Such a strategy is intended to help in influencing non-western markets to buy products that have been tailored according to the cultural standards of the western world (Cairncross 74). Cultural considerations have also been helpful in influencing trade agreements and international cooperation (Sassan 58). As a rule, trade has been high between countries that have similar or compatible cultures (Arnett 780). Countries with similar/compatible cultures are also likely to engage in fruitful trade negotiations and agreements (Sassan 58). On the other hand, hostile cultures can deteriorate trade relations between nation
Mass Media for the Few In his work, Michael Parenti considered the way media presents information under the influences of corporations. The professional underlined that in the framework of a capitalist “democracy,” the dominant class ideology both in their reportage is mainly described in the news. He explains it by the fact that corporate news media usually have the same views as their owners. Thus, the opportunity to influence the information revealed by media and perceived by the general public was received as currently, corporations have an opportunity to “own up to six radio and two television stations in any one area” (Parenti 163). Corporations exercise their power over the media in different ways, for example, with the help of corporate advertisers and sponsors. In the case of CBS Frank Stanton, a consumer reporter was not allowed to perform because of the advisers’ complaints. Another advertising account was canceled as the former producer left a “liberal” drift, claiming that the new ones can hardly cope with their duties. In the same framework, the advertisement critical of Samuel Alito and a Democratic candidate’s ad was not aired because they were considered to be disrespectful by the corporations (Parenti 164). In order to consolidate their control over the information that is provided to the representatives of the general public, corporations also started to influence the context of the advertisements. They abuse their powers and try to make the journalists discuss things and events in the way they want. For example, Fox television tried to reveal a positive report about bovine growth hormone usage, which led to the trial, and New York Times editor never received a new assignment after he made a true report on the nuclear power plant (Parenti 165). President of Capitalism Parenti emphasizes that corporations turned into the main political donors, and presidents tend to rely on their advice when dealing with specific issues. He argues that the president of the USA is made “a promoter and guardian of corporate capitalism” in this way, as one is targeted at the expansion of the country’s global interests (215). As democracy spreads, the USA follows the areas full of resources one by one, trying to turn them into the states where people are willing to get more freedom and ready to pay for it with their votes. In this way, the general public seems to obtain control over its future. The country pays much attention to the cooperation of the leader. Taking it into account, it can either promote such leadership or disregard it, putting emphasis on democracy. For example, such events happened to Saddam Hussein, who was promoted and then ousted (Parenti 149). In the framework of foreign affairs, such actions can cause wars, unnecessary destruction, and death of civilians, which results in contracts awarded to corporations that deal with military bases, logistical support, rebuilding and reconstruction of housing, etc. Personally, I totally support Pare
“If the tree falls, we all fall” (Esperida par. 18). Explosive development witnessed since the Industrial Revolution made human life easier but more dangerous due to the industry’s impact on the condition of the natural environment and, as a result, the welfare of human civilization. The ad shown above is a perfect example of growing environmental concerns and the promotion of green consciousness around the globe. Deforestation and negative influence on nature are ominous outcomes of civilization development because people themselves endanger their future. The primary goal behind designing this ad is to bring awareness to the risks of changing the planet and wasting natural resources. The intended audience is every member of human society because the joint effort is the only way to prevent an upcoming disaster. This paper aims at analyzing the ad and speculating on the effectiveness of design decisions. This goal will be achieved by taking a closer look at four aspects of the picture – overall atmosphere, colors, items, and text. The first aspect is the overall mood created by the ad. The design decisions are appropriate because they hint that nature is the foundation of everything, and affecting it can be irreversible. The picture evokes a feeling of the severity of the problem hidden behind the image. In fact, it is one of the ad tricks intended to initiate a thinking process because it stimulates negative emotions and calls to action (Batra, Myers, and Aaker 301). It is shown that the nature portrayed via a single tree below is overburdened with civilization. A similar depiction stirs up the desire to change the established state of things and improve it. Another detail worthy of attention is a thin tree trunk. The author of the ad highlights that nature is strong, but its resources and strength are not unlimited and could be exhausted one day. The second aspect under consideration is color choice. It can be used either for creating the needed mood or grabbing attention (Armstrong). In this case, the focus is made on dark colors and cloudy background. It directs the thought process to acknowledge that the modern civilization is gray and its future is cloudy. There is no better way to develop this idea than by choosing flat tints. I also love the trick with the changing color and intensity of the cloudy sky, making it darker close to the cities and lighter near to the tree, animals, and mountains in the right corner. I believe this decision is effective because it hints that higher levels of civilization development entail higher risks and greater burden on nature. Moreover, the emphasis is made on decreasing the amount of greenery, suggesting deforestation. Altogether, these design decisions add to creating the needed mood and starting the thinking process. Another aspect of the analysis is the choice of items shown in the ad. I see it as one of the most paramount design decisions. The order of the depicted elements suggests that trees and animals are the first victims of human civilization development and accelerated industrial progress. I believe i
Introduction In many occasions, playwrights and filmmakers have portrayed marriage as an oppressive institution whereby the oppressed, the wife or the husband, responds appropriately towards the oppression. The two texts; the short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins and the play ‘Trifles’ by Susan Glaspell strategically illustrate this claim since they both aim at attracting the reader’s attention to the poor conditions and the mistreatment of women due to sexual inequality in the 19th century and the early 20th century respectively. How these texts address the issue of women and their existence in society paves the way for the struggle towards women’s liberation from the oppression. The men in the stories are extremely cold when it comes to an understanding of the women, a factor that triggers the women’s defiance. In both texts, the women stand out as weak and not able to think independently. As the paper unfolds, the two stories portray two separate wives who lived in a state of oppressive authority, forcing them to respond to the obligatory roles of that era in the same way, with atypical consequences. Women’s Roles in The Yellow Wallpaper & Trifles Similarities The two wives in the stories are victims of their husbands in that their husbands repress their efforts of liberating themselves and being happy. In Perkin’s short story, the physician’s husband denies the female character the pleasure of writing. As a result, she locks her up in an upstairs room where she records her retrogressing health as she sinks deeper into neurosis. She records her experiences in a journal, which forms this short story. The worsening health is revealed through her interactions with the yellow wallpaper hanging on the wall of the holiday house where her husband, to cure her mental illness, locks her. Glaspell’s masterwork ‘Trifles’ successfully presents the same oppressive conditions as revealed by Meenie Wright, the wife to the slain Mr. Wright. As the other female characters; Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, later discover, Mr. John Wright had struggled the bird that kept Meenie company, and she might have killed him as a way of getting back to him after he took away her symbol of freedom; the bird (Glaspell 46). It is this way that women experience mistreatments from their husbands that addressed with a keen interest in the two texts. How men viewed as portrayed in these two texts is evidence that women had little to say in such male-dominated societies. For instance, in “Trifles,” the female characters Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do not interrogate
Introduction Since its introduction by Festinger, the concept of cognitive dissonance has received widespread recognition in multiple fields that involve human behavior patterns. Eventually, the concept was applied to organizational studies, where it offered numerous benefits associated with improvements in employee motivation, engagement, and behavioral patterns. Leadership has become an especially promising area for inquiries on cognitive dissonance, both because leaders are highly vulnerable to attaining cognitive dissonance and due to its numerous possible effects on their professional performance (Verma & Anand, 2014). Nevertheless, despite its obvious relevance to the area of cognitive dissonance in leaders, the issue remains under-researched. Many of the existing studies on the matter deviate significantly from the academic concepts and lack the precision of definitions, which renders the obtained findings unreliable or obsolete (Hinojosa, Gardner, Walker, Cogliser, & Gullifor, 2017). While a recent increase in interest in the topic can be observed among researchers, the available information is insufficient to arrive at a meaningful conclusion. To further complicate the matters, some scholars suggest the possibility of positive effects of cognitive dissonance, which can be considered relevant once their implications are confirmed by valid data (Adams, 2016). To sum up, an exploratory inquiry in the area of cognitive dissonance can produce valuable findings and is necessary to direct further researches and outline potential areas of interest. Rationale Modern organizational culture relies heavily on innovation
Hitt, MA, Ireland, RD, Sirmon, DG & Trahms, CA 2011, ‘Strategic Entrepreneurship: Creating Value for Individuals, Organizations, and Society’, Academy of Management Perspectives, vol. 2, pp. 57-75. Hitt, Ireland, Sirmon, and Trahms (2011) focused on the topic of strategic management and entrepreneurship and their contributions to strategic entrepreneurship (SE) in their journal article. The authors observed that the foci of SE are wide and productive because they are derived from various fields of specialization, including psychology, economics, and sociology, as well as other subdisciplines in management such as organizational behavior and organizational theory. Hitt et al. (2011) used another past model of SE to provide a framework for their study. They then formulated an input-process-output model to enhance the comprehension of the SE framework. The authors analyzed “resource inputs into strategic entrepreneurship such as people knowledge and skills” (Hitt et al. 2011, p. 57). Furthermore, they evaluated resource processes, which are considered useful for SE. Finally, the authors looked at outcomes, which include creating values for customers, wealth for stockholders and enhancing user advantages, specifically for the larger society. Entrepreneurs have the benefits of obtaining financial wealth in addition to other outcomes, including “personal satisfaction and attainment of personal goals like self-actualization” (Hitt et al. 2011, p. 57). These elements are also considered as equally important for entrepreneurs. Overall, Hitt et al. (2011) have included several other outcomes that they believe could motivate entrepreneurs to create value and wealth. In this article, Hitt et al. (2011) probe the fundamental academic question with critical practical relevance in the present and future economic prevailing situations. Specifically, the authors dwell on the issue of creating value and sustain competitive advantage as the last goal for strategic management and entrepreneurship in organizations. At the same time, firms must also strive to identify and exploit emerging opportunities. Hitt et al. (2011) argue that the issue of creating value, sustaining competitive advantage, identifying new opportunities and exploiting them is the fundamental question on which strategic entrepreneurship is based. Thus, strategic entrepreneurship is the link between strategic management and entrepreneurship. Moreover, strategic entrepreneurship concentrates on seeking advantages and opportunities to create value for stakeholders, firms and/or society. This implies that strategic entrepreneurship focuses on all processes that ensure the exploitation of present advantages while simultaneously allowi
The Great Ocean Road Triathlon will encompass swimming, biking and running. It will occur at Anglesea Victoria, Great Ocean Road. The event includes a series of event management, risk management and administrative functions. Human resources The triathlon will have a marketing team that consists of a coordinator, media team, and planning group. They will be responsible for the initial announcement of the event using local media outlets. These include television, an event website, radio, newspapers, leaflets and social networking sites. The website will have information about joining the triathlon, and will give advice on how to prepare for the event. Details on the prize money of AUD 15,000 and training packages of AUD 500 will also be available on the site. The marketing team will also update athletes, sponsors and any interested parties on new developments. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio advertisements will highlight the venue, date, and possible reasons to participate. The triathlon and multisport magazine will especially be useful for this program because it will allow for a thorough explanation of the event. The marketing team will double up as a media team on the day of the event. It will work with television stations to broadcast the event locally (Xterra 2013). The executive or administration team will consist of an organising committee. The group will be responsible for the quality, safety and fairness of the event. This committee will also liaise with the International Triathlon Committee, which will give them advice on how to implement the program. Some appointments will be imperative in this group. The organising committee will have a president who will ensure that all elements of the manual are implemented. This executive team will consist of a technical delegate who will be responsible for the implementation of regulations and rules. Finally, it will have a chief technical official who will handle the management issues of the event. Together, the administrative team will monitor preparations for the event by carrying out checks and regular meetings. They will delegate duties to the rest of the team and do progress updates every few weeks. This group will also obtain approvals and permits from the local and municipal council prior to the event. They shall supervise water quality tests several times before the competition. Furthermore, they will ensure that all the team members are playing their part. A finance team will be responsible for the collection, budgeting and management of expenditure in the team. This group will consist of a series of accountants who will make projections on potential revenue sources. Some of them will in
In order to understand the structure and functions of society, it is essential to study a vast number of sociological theories and perspectives created by various scientists. For example, Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, expressed his view of society in the theory of functionalism. According to Durkheim, there is vital interconnectivity of all the elements of any society that share common ideas and principles, and the sum of these elements is not as great as the society itself. The sociologist viewed society as a huge biological organism that requires all its parts to function properly in order to remain alive. Further, when discussing collective and individual behavior, Durkheim stated that these two concepts are entirely different, and there is the collective conscience that makes people adapt their actions and act in predictable ways. The concept of collective conscience is beneficial and positive as it defines and evaluates the norms of behavior. Nevertheless, not all sociologists share the same view on society. For example, there is also a conflict theory developed by Karl Marx. Unlike functionalism, conflict theory views society as a system with an ongoing class conflict, primarily between the proletariats and the bourgeoisie. The main cause of this conflict is the lack of resources and their unequal distribution, while its effects are connected with the necessary changes happening in society. Further, while functionalism focuses on collectivism, social integration, and the necessity of acting in similar and predictable ways, Karl Marx emphasizes individualism and promotes alienation that isolates a person from society. Finally, while Durkheim insisted on the ability of collective consciousness to hold people together and unite them into society, conflict theory tried to eliminate false consciousness and replace it with class one. It is evident that functionalism and conflict theory contradict each other. They are different in almost all ideas and concepts, including the primary structure of society. The main purpose of functionalism is to promote stability and make all elements of society function properly to avoid errors. At the same time, the key goal of conflict theory is to emphasize change because, without it, society cannot exist. Therefore, it is completely or almost impossible to see how these theories may complement each other.
The struggle for gender equality is a continuous process. The focus had shifted from industrialized nations to emerging economies because inequality had been linked to poverty and illiteracy. But studies made in the last few decades will show that gender inequality is still evident in the Western world, even in progressive societies like the United States. Thus, it is prudent to reconsider the root cause of gender inequality. It can be argued that gender inequality is not the byproduct of poverty, ignorance, and non-democratic societies. The United States is a perfect example of a nation where women can become rich on their own effort. They have access to education. They have the right to participate in a political process. But gender inequality is still existent in American universities, American offices, and American homes. Thus, inequality is not only due to social institutions but deeper social factors. Wealth is not enough Poverty is the most common culprit associated with gender inequality. There is a evidence to support this view especially if one will look at poor countries in Asia, Africa and South America. In poor societies women have limited opportunities and therefore they are desperately dependent on men for sustenance and support. But this framework is defective when used to examine gender inequality in wealthy societies like the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and the United States. In rich countries women can have access to high-paying jobs and can build their own wealth but still struggle with the impact of gender inequality. Western societies have resources that can be utilized to change the outlook of people. Nevertheless, a team of researchers discovered that there is “bias favoring men in performance evaluation and candidate selection” (Foschi & Valenzuela 1025). The bias against women is not rooted in an abstract concept. In fact, in most cases it is easy to understand why organizations prefer men over women. According to one report “women continue to experience barriers and women who seek to combine childcare and paid work face many challenges” (Demaiter & Adams 50). It is therefore more cost-efficient to hire male workers than female workers. Consider the annual cost to the firm if the company is compelled to provide facilities for nursing mothers and to support other maternity needs. In a heterosexual marriage where the wife earns more than the husband there is still gender inequality. The higher income does not provide her the ability to enjoy gender equality in that particular relationship. The results of a study aimed at heterosexual marriages wherein the wife earned significantly more than the husband provided interesting results. In this study the researchers found out that “spouses work together to support the institutional-level expectation of m