ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Important questions when looking at the Amazon business model are: What defines core business? Is it the product, intellectual property, process, business design, or the clientele? Many companies today cannot be said to be in a certain business because they have diversified both in product and every other aspect of business. The traditional view of core business is both changing in terms of meaning and significance. There is freedom to choose and capital is abundant for some companies while many other companies are up for sale. There are, therefore, many acquisitions that are of businesses not related to the original line of the mother company. In this write up, we shall look at the case study of Amazon and how it is redefining core business in its business model amid the pressure from Wall Street to mind the store. Literature review Core business Core business is the essential, main or the primary business in which an organization is in. For a long time, it has been emphasized that organizations venture in one main business and run by managers who understand the core business (Bruhn 2004). The departments therefore had to not only work well but also coordinate with other departments to facilitate success of the core business. The activities of the department that have to be coordinated include the market sensing process, the new offering realization process which involves research and development, customer acquisition process, customer relationship management process, and also the fulfillment management process. Business model A business model is the rationale behind an organization’s choice of value creation and how it captures and delivers it. Business model creation is part of business strategy. Theoretically, it refers to several aspects of the business including its purpose, offerings, strategies, structure, operational processes, infrastructure, strategies themselves and also the policies. The organization may explicitly or implicitly employ its business model since it will have to create value. In this whole process, it will have to entice the customers to pay for the value and so it is a proposition of what the customer expects in terms of product, how they want it and how the organization is aligning itself to meet those needs of the customer (Lieberman & Montgomery 1988). It is also upon the business model that an organization is classified. In business modeling, the business model should be s
An alien invasion is a famous plot in the literature, but Ndedi Okorafor enriches it with a few important details. In his Lagoon, the author chooses Lagos, one of the most populated world cities, as a center of invasion. In particular, the invasion of aliens begins at Bar Beach that is described as a place of mixing (Okorafor, 2014). This statement denotes that the world is full of contrast, and one state can quickly turn into another one. For example, Okorafor (2014) mentions that sand mixed with the ocean, while the poor mixed with the wealthy. This information reveals that the narrative will focus on a change. The given topic is also discussed in the prologue to Chapter 1, but the inclusion of Bar Beach to convey this message is a less direct but still significant way to do it. Ayodele is an alien that comes to Earth to establish contact, and the author relies on specific means to describe the character. In particular, the focus is on how Adaora responds to the alien’s presence to show what Ayodele is. According to Okorafor (2014), Adaora experienced both attractive and repellent feelings while talking to the alien. On the one hand, this information means that Ayodele is a human-resembling character, and this feature is attractive for others. On the other hand, the alien has an idealistic appearance and exaggerated mannerisms, and these facts make people believe that something wrong is with Ayodele. It seems that Okorafor (2014) has decided to make the given character contradictory, and Adaora’s reaction to her presence reveals this fact. Consequently, such an ambivalent description of the alien is necessary to convey that it is not known what to expect from this creature. Another significant detail refers to a personal space that is represented by Adaora’s laboratory. The author offers a detailed description of this location that the character uses to analyze the alien tissue (Okorafor, 2014). It is possible to suggest that Adaora always spends m
Abstract Sugary beverages have been found to cause weight increase in both children and grown-ups and are attributed to other severe health complications like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and fatty liver disorder. In the US, fructose corn syrup is the most used substance in the manufacture of soft drinks as a sweetening ingredient. There is a reported increase in this high fructose corn syrup in the recent past among Americans. This work aims at showing how the consumption of high volumes of fructose leads to health complications like insulin resistance, triglyceride deposition in the liver, and gall stones. The negative effects of fructose are meant to show how serious the consumption of these soft drinks is and thus appeal to a major manufacturer of the same: Coca-Cola to make a healthy product for its consumers. Questionable relationship Between Sugary Beverages’ Reality and Nutritional information Recent research conducted in East Los Angels, California reveals that there is a huge disparity between the actual amounts of sugar in sweetened beverages and what the nutritional reports say about the same. It also shows that drinks that have high fructose corn syrup contain a larger percentage of fructose than had been earlier anticipated. The research conducted by Childhood Obesity Centre investigated sweetened beverages from numerous companies based on their brands’ popularity and frequency of consumption (Ventura, Davis and Goran 2). It was concluded that the sugar composition of these companies differed from what the nutritionists had said by a range of about 85% to 128%. Among the results, McDonald’s Coke was found to comprise 128% of the sugar it was meant to. Coke from Berger King was the least sweet drink after having been found to compose 117% of the sugar it was supposed to. The companies with the leading composition of fructose in their products were Pepsi and Coke. The results from the popular Mexican Coke did not reveal sucrose contents but had fructose and glucose in equal proportion. This made researchers conclude that high fructose corn syrup, though not labeled on the drinks bottle was the one used to sweeten the drink (Ventura, Davis and Goran 6). Evidence for Increased Consumption of High Fructose Corn Sugar in America Studies show that almost all food and beverage manufacturers in the United States use high fructose corn sugar in their products. This has led to their substituting of table sugar with high fructose corn sugar due to its low cost, ease in transportation, and long shelf life (Hunter 128). Eventually high fructose corn sugar replaced sucrose in all almost all soft drinks including those produced by coca-cola and other beverage manufacturers in Canada, Mexico, and other cities within the United States. This replacement has saved processors up to almost 20% of all their production costs, allowing them to enlarge portion sizes and still make gains. With a rising use of high fructose corn sugar among the American processors, the national consumption of high fructose corn sugar has grown to taller heights. Between 1970 and 1990, its consumption is said to have increased by at least a thou
Introduction Music sampling in the contemporary society involves digitalization of music bits of different genres in a single context. When a producer comes up with a bit, the musician tries to see if the lyrics correlate with the formulated bits. A music producer has the ability to control the pitch and the sounds in various ways. Sampling mostly occurs when producers reconstruct music from contemporary dance-oriented music and the traditional beat-oriented pieces. When sampling music, there is a need to record the bits to make it easy for connection with a different genre of music. The main intention is to create an acoustic mix from a re-contextualized structure chosen by a producer. While the producer uses a sound track to establish the best music genres to combine, the sampler, which is the machine records, keeps, controls, and rewinds music. 1 Though audio systems exist, computerized techniques are the latest techniques of music sampling in the 21 st century. Many artists have a history with music sampling with the Beattles recording sampled music in the 1960s. It was until the 1980s when rap artists explored music sampling completely. This paper intends to explain the history of sampling, its current application, and its future in the world of music. History of Sampling In the late 18 th century until the beginning of the 19 th century, rap artists began sampling. By the beginning of the 20 th century, almost all music producers incorporated the art enabling them to blend different genres of music. As this happened, the copyright association of America became very strict about sampling because it became a huge source of music piracy. According to the producers of the sampled music, the outcome of their work had a significant difference even though the violated parties had financial interests that influenced their decisions to file lawsuits. 2 Sampling continued to become an art through which a section of the public could express themselves musically. John Oswald among different artists had to part with money in order to settle court bonds over issues of music sampling in the 19990s. Sampling also promoted the originality of artists by providing room for individual expression through re-contextualization of modern hip-hop and traditional folk songs. 3 Through digitalization, prominent musicians including Charles Ives were able to share classical music on audio systems. He was capable of manipulating the beats to sound contemporary. Through the years, the audiences of music keep transforming with people requiring complex compositions. This explains a blend of traditions and contemporary beats during sampling. This explains the role of technology in changing music sampling radically since its inception. Changes in production brought about by sampling Sound restructure Sampling brought about many changes in music production including the ability to restructure beats. For instance, producers use samplers to extract pieces of lyrics from songs and combine them with beats initially not known to work for the song.
Introduction Interviewing is one of the most effective tools to collect qualitative data. Informational interviews can help identify major peculiarities of a profession and evaluate its advantages and shortcomings (Crosby, 2010). I interviewed a probation officer who had been in the profession for six years. This probation officer (in this paper, also referred to as Ann) has been working in a local probation office since 2011. Ann was very helpful as her detailed account can help me understand some peculiarities of the profession. Time and Date The interview was held at the weekend as Ann did not have time during her working hours. We met in a local park. The time and place were quite appropriate for the interview as it was characterized by a friendly atmosphere. Ann was willing to share her ideas, which made her responses valuable and relevant. There was no haste or interruptions, which had a positive effect on the quality of the interview. Major Findings Before asking any questions, it is essential to make sure that participants agree to take part in the study and understand the purpose and outcomes of the interview (see Appendix A). As for the major findings of the interview, it is clear that Ann has chosen this profession since she has always wanted to help people, which may mean that Ann is an empathetic person with a positive view of people (see Appendix B). The major tasks of the probation officer (as seen by Ann) include the provision of probation services to clients (consulting clients on several areas) and the collaboration with courts. The probation officer helps clients to find a job or receive some training as well as meet certain probation requirements that often involve drug testing. A probation officer should have a bachelor’s
Introduction In the 21st century, it is almost impossible to imagine life without a personal computer. It made life so much easier – you can have all your personal information stored in one place at arm’s length. But together with this, arises the problem of malicious software aimed at stealing data or making your computer work worse. Importance of Using Antivirus Programs Even if you are a careful and smart user, installing an antivirus program on your computer is important for some reasons:  1. It can prevent you from infecting your PC with a virus. You should keep in mind that you can get infected by simply going online and visiting a compromised website; you do not download a malware program for a purpose (Hoffman, 2013, para. 6). One more way to protect you from being infected is by blocking suspicious websites or at least warning you that the website may contain scumware.  2. It is a good way to reduce the amount of spam.  3. It can protect you from identity theft and spyware. Some viruses can steal your data including not only passwords or personal information but also financial data such as credit card or bank account numbers (Drew, 2013, para. 6-7). It also blocks phishing websites while you are browsing the Internet. Main Features of Avast Free Antivirus To guarantee a high level of protection of your data and computer, you do not necessarily have to spend much money. Today, there are a lot of free antivirus programs that are not worse than paid software. One of such programs is, for example, Avast Free Antivirus. Once you launch it, you are surprised with a nice interface – “clean, clear and configurable” (Williams, 2015, para. 14). What is also nice about Avast is that it scans your computer not only for malware programs but also system for unnecessary files and applications, network settings to identify security problems and analyzes the general performance of your computer (Rubenking, 2014, para. 5). This software is also really good at blocking malicious websites thus it provides reliable protection from downloading malware, but it is not as good at detecting and blocking phishing URLs. Main Features of Panda Free Antivirus One more good example of free antivirus software is Panda Free Antivirus. First of all, it is an app with a simple and intuitive interface that can be of great importance to first-time users. Panda, in the same way as Avast, is good at blocking malicious websites but has some troubles with detecting phishing URLs. What is nice about this antivirus is that it scans every flash drive you plugin and uses what is called “USB Vaccination” (Rubenking, 2015, para. 21) preventing malware detected on a flash drive from automatic launching. One more great feature is that it shows all active processes and defines whether they are dangerous or not and blocks the most malicious of them. Both Avast and Panda are very good in detecting and deleting malware. Conclusion So, you should always remember that it is of great importance to keep your computer and personal data safe by installing an antivirus program. Even free software can be useful and not worse than the paid ones.
Introduction Compensation has conventionally been associated with an exacting job description. The broad spectrum scheme is that the more responsibility the manager has performed the more compensation he would earn. Often the jobs are interrelated by a job evaluation method that measures the variables such as the figure of subordinates, level of organizational hierarchy, and the complication and significance of the job function. In this conventional approach the senior organizational executives have a propensity to be paid very higher. Motivation is a psychological feature that uplifts a person’s extent of commitment. It takes account of the aspects like reason, conduit, and sustainable performance in a fastidious committed direction. Motivating is the course of action of the management to influencing people’s performance pedestal on this knowledge and experience. Motivation compatible with the objective of the company should produce better performance. Measurement of performance should indicate the range of compensation. There is a long been conflict between compensation and motivation. The fundamental conflict is the interests of investors in opposition to the interests of managers. Others conflicts are among the manager and Manager, manager and lender, manager and government. To overcome these conflicts, the managers would essentially act in accordance with accounting standards that are designed to afford the most constructive information for investors as well as to minimize the conflict between employees and management. Game theory and agency theory is the tools that suggest impending conflicts resolution and recommend choosing appropriate accounting policies with the concerns of investors as well as management. Understanding the Game Theory Oligopolies’ performance has the uniqueness of certain games of strategies like the bridge, chess, and poker. The most excellent way to play such games depends on the understanding of the opponent‘s strategy. Players must model their actions in accordance with the proceedings and the predictable reactions of rivals. Game theory entails the study of how people conduct themselves in a strategic situation. In other words, game theory investigates the way two or more players chosen strategies those are jointly affect each other. A Hungarian mathematical mastermind Neumann, J. V. (1903 – 1957) has developed this theory and is widely used by economists, union-management disputes, country’s trade policies, global environmental concord, reputations, as well as conflict resolution. It offers on way for policies, welfare, and everyday life as well. Thus, for compensation and motivation purposes the theory has a most important implication. To understand it would be needed to move for the further analysis of accounting theory. Comp
Human engagements have been characterized by rules and guidelines for a long period of time now. The processes involved in the setting out of these regulations take different forms and may vary from one country to another depending on how people are expected to interact and address the various challenges that may arise. The guidelines are usually referred to as public policies since they are expected to provide general direction to the members of the public and to ensure social order (May, 2001). The process of formulating, formalization and implementation has proved to be a daunting task since each sector in the society has its own unique policies (Cockrel, 2004). Different stakeholders in the society that may be affected by the policies must be engaged in one way or another in the public policy formulation process. The essay seeks to discuss and rate the influence of the legislative bodies, leadership, the justice system, as well as the bureaucracy on the formulation and implementation of educational policies. It will briefly discuss the general pattern in the public policy-making process. The influence of other entities, for instance interest groups, political parties, and the media will also be considered. Public policy-making process is a product of interactions as well as dynamics among different actors, interest groups, public and private institutions and other technical processes preceding the enactment and interpretation of any public policy. Numerous definitions of policy and policy-making process have been used depending on the context. For the purposes of this essay, a policy shall be defined as either an explicit or implicit decision or decisions made by a group that lays out the instructions for guiding the subsequent decisions, regulate actions, or monitoring prior decisions reached (Ben-Peretz, 2008). The process of making policies, therefore, varies in complexity as well as scope and the dynamics involved must be acknowledged. A number of models have been designed to provide a general format followed in the process of formulating a given public policy. The stages involved are well sequenced from the primary level to the ultimate enactment, implementation and interpretation of the policies (Schmidt, Shelly & Crain, 2009). There are five major components in any of these models and they include; problem advocacy, the opponents, the concerned authorities, the implementation, and interpretation/evaluation of the given public policy (Cockrel, 2004). The first step is the problem identification phase which involves the definition of the issue at hand that the policy will seek to address. This can be done by the concerned/line authorities, institutions, or activists. The advocates of a specified issue will raise people’s awareness and hence recruiting more of them into their course. The target number of people depends on the scope of the problem and the anticipated policy. The next step involves the proposal of available altern