ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The painting appears retrospective and crowns the development of Rembrandt’s innovative process. The subject matter of this piece of work is that it has a biblical origin. The painting is quite religious and represents the obscurity associated with human existence, especially how sinners take refuge in God. The artist has endowed the painting with immense tragedy and these acts as a symbol of universal importance. Complex figures are expressed in the painting and the fact that the prodigal son appears to be in anguish is a symbol of contrition, charity, unlimited love, and lament. In the painting, Rembrandt infers the Christian notion of mercy with great solemnity. The suggestion of spiritual moods and human compassion is the content of the piece of artwork. In an attempt to portray an exhausted and defeated son going back to his father, the artist benevolently painted the extended arms of a man pleased to see his son. The piece of artwork is thus symbolic of homecoming and elucidates the willingness of humankind in helping those who are in darkness. The Aesthetic qualities found in this painting include composition, expressive lighting, coloration, simplicity, and emotional resonance. Rembrandt, by making the painting, had the point of view that the artwork would assist the viewers in realizing the effect of the event of the Prodigal son (Preble & Frank, 2005). The adoration of the shepherds by Jacob Jordaens The painting portrays Holy Mary preparing to breastfeed her son, Jesus Christ. Shepherds surround the Virgin Mary as seen in the painting. The content of the artwork is that it is composed of five figures who, with the exemption of Jesus, are portrayed in half-length and this strains the intimacy associated with the event. The painting is quite symbolic and depicts a friendly church where every Christian is open to relate to God. Aesthetic qualities found in this piece of an artwork include style development, use of significant lighting, high-level realism, and conventional concepts. This quality is seen in the statement, “the Virgin and the Child are rendered in rustic simplicity, and are not even slightly idealized (Sitwell, 2005 p.202).” The aesthetic qualities point towards Adam Elscheimer who is famous for placing sources of light in the center of his pieces of artwork. The artist has employed the above qualities as a principal way of shaping symbolic dimensionality. The subject matter of the work is that
Business communication is one of the main tools which help managers to create a positive culture and morale, motivate and encourage employees, increase productivity and ensure effective performance. Even though the cultural diversity of the population has increased in the last few decades, communication between people from different cultures and/or ethnic groups is still relatively rare. Most people have little contact with members of other cultures/ethnicities in their daily lives that is not role-related. Some people avoid interacting with members of other cultures/ethnicities and/or view them as “undesirable” people. The aim of the report is to examine and analyze business communication and its importance in the future merger between MORGAN Stanley and Wachovia. The goal and communication of MORGAN Stanley are to ensure an effectible merger with its direct competitor Wachovia. When others perceive that they are seen as undesirable and/or believe they are being treated in a morally exclusive fashion, they may respond with frustration or aggression. The aim of the paper is to describe and analyze the main communication tools used in cross-cultural communication. Because a merger can be considered to be a mutual agreement of sorts between two firms to join together to become one company, communication techniques are crucial for success and fast integration (Knapp and Vangelisti 2004). Currently, MORGAN Stanley’s strategies are to reduce resistance to change and maintain a positive climate and morale among employees. Change is inevitable, and these structural changes within the organization take time to settle and be accepted by the respective management and employees. After all, not only are two companies’ physical assets and technologies merging, but their employees must merge together as well. Thus, it is important to recognize that it might take some time before the “dust” settles and the benefits of the merger are realized. Management must be the term success of their corporate strategy (Littlejohn and Foss 2007). It is important to note that negative factors inherent in hostile takeovers are absent. The possibility of massive sell-offs is usually not an issue. In addition, the organization’s employees are more inclined to accept and support the merger than oppose it. There are, however, other factors common to a merger, acquisition, and alliance activities that must be considered, such as power struggles between the firms, a clash of corporate cultures, organizational and reorganization issues, the effects of a new corporate
Maintaining a strong competitive position in the market is essential for all types of businesses to succeed. In order to do that, companies need to understand their competitive environment well and be aware of the factors contributing to their competitive position. Competitive strength analysis is “an assessment of the competition in a certain market to help managers account for the presence of competitors when making business decisions” (Gordiano, 2018, para. 1). It is a useful technique that can support strategic decision-making and assist companies in growing and maintaining their market position. LEGO, formally known as the LEGO Group, is a private company owned by the family of Kirk Kristiansen, who founded it in 1932. The company produces and sells toys, and it is most famous for its authentic construction kits. The kits contain plastic interlocking bricks and accessories that can be used to make buildings, ships, and various other structures. The company’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow (“About us,” 2019). LEGO has strong brand values and aims to have a positive impact on communities and the planet; this goal is realised partly through the LEGO Foundation. Despite the advantage of having an authentic product, LEGO still operates in a highly competitive environment. Children’s interests in terms of play vary greatly based on many factors, including technology and geographic location ( Shaftoe, 2015). Combined with the high quality and safety requirements with regard to children’s toys, this puts pressure on toy companies to compete with one another in creating innovative, new products continuously (Andreiana, Stoica, & Ivan, 2014). The two largest competitors of LEGO are Mattel and Hasbro, both toy corporations with subsidiaries producing popular toys, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Transformers, Furby and others. The paper will present the results of competitive strength analysis of these three companies (Table 1). Table 1. Results of Competitive Strength Analysis.                                                            LEGO             Mattel          Hasbro          Key success factor/Strength Measure           Importance/  Strength Rating  Weighted Score  Strength Rating  Weighted Score  Strength Rating  Weighted Score                                               Weight                                                                                                         Quality/Product Performance                   15%          9                1.35            9                1.35            8                1.2            Reputation/Image                              20%          9                1.8             6                1.2             6                1.2            Manufacturing Capability                      8%           7                0.56            7                0
Executive Summary Sally Beauty Inc. needs to streamline its international product and service management. It is a retailer of beauty products with regional operations. The company needs to manage diverse operations, product demands, reporting, and regulations. In addition, it also needs to attract customers, grow sales, and increase customer base. In order to overcome these challenges, the paper has applied project management principles, operations management, and information system management. Project management approach would ensure that the company deploys Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 successfully. Operations management focuses on internal processes of daily operations of the company in order to enhance efficiency. Information system management shows how the company would leverage the available data in order to improve decision-making processes and optimize database for business growth. Introduction Sally Beauty Inc. is a retailer that deals in beauty supply products. The company is based in Denton, Texas. Sally aims to stay on top of the local beauty trends. However, Sally has experienced a significant challenge in dealing with international product and service management. For instance, beauty product demands vary from country to country. There are different regulations, and the company needs to capitalize on multicurrency of various countries. Sally wants to continue to deliver high quality services, and increase its customer base and purchase frequencies of customers. Moreover, the company has a challenge in reconciling its different processes and software. Different Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group units also use various reporting system in different locations. For instance, others use period while other units use months. The company decided to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 in order to overcome these challenges. Project Management Plan Project Overview Project Goal The goal of this project is to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 to streamline international product and service management and continue to deliver high-quality services and grow customer base and purchase frequencies by 60 percent in 2014. Stakeholder Analysis Sally Beauty Inc., is the project initiator and financier Microsoft Corp. is the project-implementing firm Customers include Sally’s local and international customers who order from its retail stores. The new system must meet needs of Sally and customers in different geographies. Project Manager The Project Manager would be responsible for the success of the project, and he has control over the resources of the project and must ensure the project success. Project Team Project manager is responsible for the entire project scope Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for the entire computer systems and information technology that supports Sally Beauty Inc. The CIO will provide strategic direction on efficient use of IT resources and assets during the project implementation. The C
Working capital cycle Working capital refers to the money that is required by the business in order to fund the day to day operations of its operations. It is useful in facilitating smooth running of the business as well as helping in generating more revenue for the business. Thus, debts and expenses can be paid when they fall due. The working capital cycle is the time taken between purchase of inventory and its components and the sale of such inventory (Smith, 1979). This cycle facilitates the effectiveness of the business working capital. The phases of working capital cycle include purchase of inventory, payments to account payables and receiving money from the accounts receivables. It also includes the cash itself. Therefore, the working capital cycle involves the phases of purchasing goods, storing, selling and waiting for the payments for goods (Lorenzo & Virginia, 2010). Primary sources of short term funds The primary sources of short term finance include trade credit, advances from customers, loans from financial institutions and commercial papers. Trade credit involves taking loans in the form of goods. Therefore, a business obtains goods, sell the goods and then pay for them at a later date, thus, an enterprise is able to meet the needs of the customers by purchasing goods for resale on credit. Advances from customers involve the customers paying for the goods fully or partially in advance as a confirmation of orders. Such funds can be utilized in the business to meet its operating expenses. Businesses can also obtain funds through sale of its securities and commercial papers. Finally, the business can obtain short term loans from financial institution such as banks as well as savings and credit cooperative societies. Such short term loans form primary sources of finances for the business. Float The term float is normally used with regards to cash held by the business. It refers to the amount of money that is held by the business in liquid form. The cash float held by a business represents the ready cash available in the business cash till for making day to day payments of the business. Cash float also ensures that sufficient change is available for the day’s customers (Smith, 1979). A business is expected to hold some amount of money in ready cash. However, the amount of float differs from one business to another, depending on the size of the business and the number of transactions handled. The term float may have different meanings, depending on where it is used. For example, it represents the amount given to the petty cashier to enable him/her meet petty payments that he/she handles. Investment options for idle cash Effective cash management of a business may result into idle cash. Such cash can be invested in s
Introduction Symbols have been effectively used in movies/films over the years to reflect some myths. These have strong influences on viewership of films. The acceptability of the realism of these myths has continued over the years even though humankind seems to become ‘more enlightened’. This paper will attempt to discuss the effects of mythological symbolism as used in the movie Clash of the Titans (2010). The paper will also briefly consider the plot of the movie and center on music score, use of special effects, such as ops and sound, choice of actors, as well as what the audience expect in consonance with the mythic symbolism in the movie. The paper will specifically attempt to extrapolate the ‘message’ carried by the film from the point of view of the viewer as well as from the producer’s angle. The Film Critiqued The film under study is the Clash of the Titan; a film that could be said to be intensively forayed into Greek mythologies and has very striking pious symbolism. The 2010 fantasy film is a loose presentation based on Greek myth about Perseus. It was directed by Louis Leterrier and starred Sam Worthington. The 3D film was formally presented to the public in April 2, 2010. Plot of the Film The film presents a Greek-Perseus-hero story; this legend appears to stand out in significance and use of mytho-poetic figures amongst all other produced films on Western culture. Perseus is a representation of rationalism and a heroic Western Individualism whereby humankind overpowers irrational/chthonian evil forces which are expressed as the kraken sea-monster and the Medusa in the effort to save a stunning Princess Andromeda. It has been noted that ‘in Greek mythology, Perseus is the first of the great Greek heroes, and through his marriage to Princess Andromeda, his descendants include many of the most notable heroes and warriors of the Greek tradition – from Hercules to Agamemnon’ (Travers, 2010). With a perfect play by Sam Worthington, Perseus expresses very striking elements of a hero who is handsome and very intelligent. The film equally features an amazing selection of ladies – among these are the beautiful, elegant, and adorable Prince Andromeda (this role is well taken by Alexa Davalos), the conceited Queen Cassiopeia (interpreted by Polly Walker), as well as deities. The Mythology behind Clash of the Titans The following mythology has been used in the film Clash of the Titans :   * The Mortals The mortals in the film include Perseus who happened to be son to Zeus and the mortal woman Danae. Danae was held captive by her father Acrisius in a tower as an effort of keeping her from having a child due to the fact that an oracle had forewarned that the child would murder the king. Despite the warning, the god Zeus impregnated her as the foretold death of Acrisius turned out to be as warned. This proved the dependence to which humankind can not deviate from proposed supernatural happe
Simon Sinek believes that inspiring leaders make the difference between success and failure. He asserts that all successful organizations adhere to a certain pattern that differentiates them from the competition. Their company leaders communicate in reverse or from the inside-out. Sinek asserts that such leaders start with the ‘why’ and not the ‘what’ of business communication. Businesses can communicate on the basis of ‘why’, ‘what’ or ‘how’. Usually, many leaders will tell the market what they can do for them and not why they do what they do. Successful companies like Apple have garnered a cult-like following because they have convinced people to believe in what they believe. They have defined the ‘why’ in their organization through their missions, purpose, and calling. People do not buy things because of what the product does but they do it because of why a company is making the product. Such leaders are also intelligent enough to hire people who believe in what they believe. This is the only way they can garner the loyalty of their employers. Unlike typical workers who focus on taking a company’s money, inspired employees dwell on making a difference just like their leaders. The assertions made by Sinek seem extraordinary but they are quite practical. His theory is effective in understanding why certain organizations seem to have all the ingredients required to become successful but they never quite make it. The speaker’s use of real and diverse examples is indicative of the universality of these principles. For instance, Samuel Laing was supposed to have discovered the first aircraft. Market conditions appeared to favor his company. Additionally, he was well-capitalized and also had a strong human resource team. However, Samuel never made the discovery because he only focused on tangibles or the ‘what’ of his business. Conversely, the Wright Brothers were motivated by the ‘why’ of their ventures. They believed in changing the world and surrounded themselves with people who did the same. It is leaders like these who cause others to follow them and become better. Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, on the other hand, affirms that social intelligence is the key to successful leadership. It is the ability to understand other people’s emotions, feelings, or drives and applying this knowledge to communicate with them. Socially intelligent people know how to read others. They are also quite good listeners and very sociable. Companies have now realized the usefulness of social intelligence and are merging it into their human resource function. For instance, they are hiring people who are socially intelligent. Additionally, many organizations are promoting workers with such qualities. Because of this increase in demand for such qualities, many people are looking to improve their social intelligence. Goleman recommends a series of steps that one may follow in order to increase social intelligence. First, one must establish an interest in the parameter and genuinely care about improving
Introduction Shakespeare’s creativity is the top of the English Renaissance and the maximum synthesis of traditions of the all-European culture. The representatives of many literary schools and currents at various times addressed his creativity in searches of actual moral and aesthetic decisions. Shakespeare’s literary heritage is the highest gain of the human spirit. Its dramatic art is an unsurpassed assembly of masterpieces which have enriched a treasury of world culture. His lyrics crown the poetry of the European Renaissance. The refinement of thought, the beauty of the language of Shakespearian creations have not lost their charm after centuries. The variety of Shakespearian works is worth paying attention to. The works by Shakespeare are very remarkable for their genres, problems they touch, ideas that are of current importance even today. So, that is why we consider this to be appropriate to compare three works by Shakespeare from different literary genres: two sonnets and one play Hamlet. Shakespeare’s sonnets The history of sonnet forms is deeply dialectic: the internal stability and stability of a canon is combined with its constant movement and perfection. Many dictionaries refer the “Shakespearian” sonnet to the genre of a sonnet conditionally, naming English rhyming. Though the first English poets become interested in this genre, they possibly also did not realize that impudently break the sonnet canon (Asimov, 2003) . As an example of Shakespeare’s sonnets, we suggest the following works: SONNET 130 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me, Coral is far redder than her lips red; Knowing thy heart torments me with disdain, If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; Have put on black and loving mourners be, If hairs are wires, black wires grow on her head. I am looking with pretty ruth upon my pain. I have seen roses damask’d, red and white, And truly not the morning sun of heaven But no such roses see I in her cheeks; Better becomes the grey cheeks of the east, And in some perfumes is there more delight Nor that full star that ushers in the even Then in the breath that from my mistress reeks. Doth half that glory to the sober west, I love to hear her speak, yet well, I know As those two mourning eyes become thy face: That music hath