ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The world is changing around us with national boundaries breaking and becoming a small place. A global revolution is changing the world. Traditional command and control structures are being replaced with groups of communities and social networks. Non-governmental organizations have emerged as one of the most visible forces in developing countries. They have directed their efforts toward social development initiatives by working with disadvantaged groups and communities. They have become one of the three primary institutional sectors of human society alongside government and business (Shamima 2006, 34). NGOs have a comparative edge over local government agencies. They have been known to promote institutional pluralism by working with government and private agencies. They can work with any marginalized section of society. Their aim has been development strategies that promote responsibility, autonomy and self sufficiency. They have encouraged social responsibility which has been helpful for many sections of society. They also play an important part in global politics to spread democracy and human rights (Shamima 2006, 44). Main body NGOs in east and southern Africa for instance have contributed to democracy by preparing poorer sections of society to be represented in the policy making process. Since the membership of NGOs rests on commitment, they are said to possess a greater level of integrity and show greater seriousness of purpose than private and public sector agencies. It can be argued that NGOs constitute crucial pillars of civil society, playing as they do an integrative role while contributing to institutional innovation. NGOs tend to be highly motivated and usually view hardships as a challenge rather than punishment. Unlike business organizations, their smaller sizes, the selective nature of their tasks, and personal leadership allowed them to be innovative and adapt themselves to new circumstances and to experiment and accept risks (Mendelson 2004, pg 29). Some observers have however advised caution while viewing NGOs. The lack of homogeneity also means that NGOs incorporate different ideologies, approaches and values. In some countries they have been accused of being spy networks and agents of Western imperialism. There is a wide range of NGO types existing in a great diversity of biophysical and socioeconomic conditions which affect their manner of operation and the type of clientele they serve (Mendelson 2004, pg 29). Their values influence the relationship with their clients from two perspectives. One perspective is concerned with the issue of power in decision making, design, and adequacy. The other relates to how the issue of value preference is managed. Here, considerations of self-determination, interdependence, freedom of ch
The concept of business ethics stands for the idea that every organization should carefully approach its decision-making in order to consider the potential impact of its resolutions on community and individual humans in certain areas. On the other hand, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a notion that explains the need for businesses to remain ethically sound when making decisions related to the environment, consumer health, or any other sensitive subject. The main arguments for supporting CSR are as follows:  1. it often protects stakeholder interests;  2. it does not align against governmental regulations, and  3. it eases the company’s long-run survival. The main arguments against supporting CSR are as follows:  1. social benefits may be harder to attain;  2. economic activities should not be directly linked to ethics, and  3. not all employees possess certain qualities or competencies to become CSR-eligible. The major issue in the case is that the government allowed the construction of one of the biggest coal mines in the history of Australia while disregarding the potential threat to the environment. To my mind, businesses and the government would share a similar perspective on the issue while the society would oppose itself to the construction project due to the evident premises to an ecological catastrophe. The ethical dilemma is that a coal mine would significantly contribute to the country’s economy but the subsequent dangers are just too big to be ignored. The key ethical issue is the willingness to achieve as many economic benefits as possible while paying no attention to society and its feedback. To achieve ethical decision-making, the government should consult with eco-friendly organizations and make sure to discuss possible outcomes with the local population. A good ethical business practice would be to slow down the expans
The Problem Careless spending can affect many people and substantially impact their financial future. For example, excessive spending on one category of products every week can lead to people not knowing where their money is going. Daily stress can also result in compulsive spending on items that seem comforting at the time but are ultimately unavailing. Meanwhile, the process of creating a budgeting plan for a person with numerous debit and credit accounts or a couple or family with several joint and individual accounts can be highly challenging. The Solution Creating a spending plan can be made easier with a budgeting app that allows individual and joint accounts. The budget manager app will allow tracking expenditures in different categories, including food, expenses on eating out, rent or mortgage, housing and utilities, transportation, entertainment, and any other categories. Furthermore, it will allow the users to create additional categories and subcategories to help establish what items they spend the most money on. The users can link their bank accounts to the app to automatically create entries from the notifications received from the bank. In addition, the app will be able to analyze printed receipts. The app’s joint accounts will gather data from more than one device. A spending analysis will be available every week or month. The Benefits of the Solution The proposed budgeting manager app is highly beneficial for users who have multiple accounts or who want to track the expenses of all family members in one app. The app will store information from all bank accounts and illustrate the overall balance to make budgeting easier. In addition, the user will not need to create most of the transaction entries as they will be added automatically from bank messages and notifications. The main benefit of the app is the analysis of each user’s spending habits and earnings, with charts available to track expenditures in every category in any given period. Finally, the app will help create a budget plan, accounting for all scheduled transactions and planned purchases. Target Market Segments The app is aimed at three major market segments: college and university students, working professionals, and family units with multiple accounts. Overall, the described sectors are extremely broad and include persons aged 18 and over of any age, education level, and household income. The broad inclusion of the target market segments is justified as any category of users can be interested in tracking their expenses and learning to budget efficiently. For example, students need to plan their spending to pay for their education, while working professionals and families are likely to plan for significant expenditures such as a mortgage or buying a vehicle. A Person Interested in th
Family Overview The family interview was conducted on a small-sized family. The family members and their respective initials (for privacy reasons) are as follows; the father (Sam) aged 54, the mother (Ann) aged 48, and two children (Peter and Nancy) who are aged 19 and 23 respectively. Both the father and the mother are the biological parents of both children. Sam and Ann have been married for the last 25 years. The father has always been the family’s sole breadwinner and he runs a car wash and body shop. The mother previously worked as a preschool teacher but left this job after experiencing constant health scares. Currently, the mother operates a part-time bakery from home where she bakes cakes and other pastries on order. From time to time, she also assists her husband in his business. The family statistically belongs in the middle-class category and they are Caucasian in origin. Nevertheless, the family has mixed heritages that include traces of Norwegian, German, Danish, and Swedish backgrounds. The Sams have always practiced Christianity as a religion although different generations have practiced different denominations. Both the father and the mother adhere to religion in a strong manner but the children are not staunch Christians. Nevertheless, the children were raised within the confines of Christianity in all three generations of this family. The family’s primary residence is in a small town that is approximately one hundred miles from the state capital. Sam’s parents settled in this small town after migrating from rural Kansas where they had a farm. Sam’s grandparents were farmers in the 1800s. Sam’s mother died from childbirth-related complications when he was 14 years. His father recently died at the age of 89 from what he terms as old age and Alzheimer’s disease. Although Sam’s father required regular medical attention, he was never institutionalized. Before her death, Sam’s mother was a bit overweight. Sam’s grandparents all lived to be over seventy-five years of age even though the grandfather was a habitual smoker. According to Sam, they both died of ‘natural causes’. Ann hails from the same town where she resides today and her ancestors have been living here for a long time. Ann’s parents are still alive and they are relatively healthy for their age. Her mother suffers from high cholesterol but her father has no reported health issues. Her grandparents also lived to be at least 80 years of age and they did not suffer from any chronic health conditions. The family’s two children wer
This paper is aimed at examining three primary documents that can throw light on the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. Two of them have been written by Spanish authors, namely Cortez (1986) and Diaz (1956), whose letters and books can be of great value to historians. In turn, the third one is attributed to an unknown Aztec chronicler. These chronicles are collected by Miguel Portilla (1992) who wants to present the viewpoint of Aztec people. Overall, it is possible to say that Diaz’s account and The Broken Spears are more credible because the authors of these narratives had no incentive to justify their actions or conceal facts from the audience. Moreover, these texts include details suggesting that the authors could recognize the power of their opponents. In turn, Cortez is more extreme in his account of the events. These are the main issues that can be considered. One should first mention that Cortez’s account of these events was written immediately after the conquest. Therefore, it is possible to say that he had the opportunity to record every important detail if he had wanted to do it. In contrast, Diaz’s narrative was written approximately twenty years after the fall of the Aztec Empire. In turn, historians do not know precisely when the chronicles included in The Broken Spears could be composed. According to this criterion, Cortez’s account is more credible. It is critical to remember that this author could be very biased in his presentation of this event. This is one of the limitations that should be considered. Finally, it is important to consider the personality of the authors. Cortez and Diaz represent the Spanish Empire or invaders, and these people try to omit the details that could lead to the sharp criticism of Spanish soldiers or their actions. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about Cortez. In turn, historians do not know the names of people who wrote The Broken Spears. The personality of the authors is closely related to their intentions. It should be kept in mind that these documents differ in terms of audience as well as the intention of the author. For example, Herman Cortez was intended for the Spanish monarch, King Charles V. To a great extent; he attempts to justify his actions and prove that he maintains full control over the situation. His word choice is very eloquent. For instance, while describing his attack, he makes the following statement, ‘so I left them pacified’ (Cortez 1). So, this author tries to describe Aztecs as some violent savages that had to be appeased. Similarly, the purpose of The Broken Speaks is supposed to describe the experiences of Aztec people during the invasion. This manuscript was not supposed to embellish the Aztec state or its rulers. Moreover, this writer does not want to denigrate the Spaniards. They were described as “gods” (Portilla, 1992, p. 2). They were utterly astonished by the technological superiority of the conquerors. In this context, world superiority can be applied primarily to wea
Concept of revenue management The concept of revenue management is essential in balancing the dynamics marketing management in a service industry (Lovelock & Wirtz 2011). This paper discusses the concept of revenue management by price optimisation at the Midland Mainline, which is an intercity train company located in Sheffield, London. As the Marketing planning manager, I implemented several revenue management strategies which are discussed in the paper. Besides, the paper will present a comparative analysis of the revenue management strategies that the Midland Mainline and the InterContinental Hotels Group apply in their service businesses. Revenue management application The article, Retail Price Optimisation at InterContinental Hotels Group , by Dev Kouskik, Jon Higbie and Craig Eister discusses price optimisation part of successful revenue management within the hotel service industry. Among the main concepts applied include strategic pricing, price elasticity, and monitoring competitor rates. The article is very relevant in understanding the marketing dynamics within the competitive hotel service industry. For instance, in order to optimise prices, the InterContinental Hotels Group opted to manage their revenue through the IT system that tracks hotel reservation, capacity utilization, categories of customers, price elasticity, and cheque size expansion. As indicated in the article, this strategy increased the performance of the hotel by 26%. This translated in revenue growth by $145 million in a year (Kouskik, Higbie, & Eister 2012). In relation to the Midland Mainline service business environment, price optimisation strategy adopted more or less similar approach. For instance, the 4-Sight small group fare was effective in maximizing capacity utilization. Through the 4-Sight strategy, the train company was able to be more competitive than the option of using a private car to travel. In fact, within just four weeks of implementation, the train company was able to sell 70% of the tickets (East Midland, 2014). Many new customers were convinced by this strategy to try the privatised railway travel. This translated to an incremental in revenues (Lovelock & Wirtz 2011). As indicated in the article, the InterContinental Hotels Group has been proactive in improving its supplementary services. For instance, the company offers free laundry, pick and drop to group customers, free guide, and free information on various services that a customer staying in the hotel may be interested in. As a result of the improved supplementary services, the InterContinental Hotels Group has been able to expand its operations and build a brand of meeting customer expectations. The concept of improvement of the supplementary services was also applied at the Midland Mainline Train Company as part of price optimisation in revenue management. For instance, the train company introduced free onboard services such as tea and coffee, Kids Activity Packs, and money-off vouchers for London attractions (East Midland 2014). These supplementary services were important in improving the competitiveness of the company i
Introduction Global business environment today is changing very fast forcing Multi-National Corporations to aggressively seek new ways of maximizing the utility of expatriate assignments in order to survive. Because of these changes and the nature of business environment in today’s information age has led to the emergence of different alternative expatriate assignments most of which are self – initiated. Thomas et al (2005) argued that these alternatives are based on the nature of the modern international global careers which know no bounds. Recently in the international management literature the dominating research agenda has been the topic of international assignments. Because of these changes caused by the dynamism of the business industry, shortages of international managers have continued to grow, thus the increased difficulty for MNCs to meet their objectives (Evans et al, 2002; Scullion, 1994). The changes are the major cause of challenges especially on issues such as dual careers and family disruption. Although women are storming with full force in the international arena as Adler (2002) strongly put it, “Global managers; no longer men alone”, but still shortages of international managers are increasing. This is because, most MNCs have a weakness in their HRM policies in regards attracting and keeping quality employees of international level. Small and medium enterprise (SME) have been very aggressive in the international arena and some are even competing with the strongest MNCs (Anderson and Boocock, 2002) thus making international expatriates even “hotter” a commodity. Having said this, it can be seen that the concern is mostly about employee turnover and selection issues. Recently, these issues have increased the need for alternative types of international assignments for expatriates. This paper intends to compare and contrast two alternative types of international assignments namely short-term and commuter assignments and critically analyze the challenges faced by the organizations as well as individuals as far as these alternative international assignment types are concerned. Alternative assignment types Currently we have all been witnesses to a “jam” as far as global business travelling is concerned. The current recession on the global financial system and the current state of the housing market have worsened the situation as far as international employment and global business travelling are concerned. All these have continued to popularize even more the alternative international assignments because they brought a solution to complicated sstaffing i
Introduction Pulmonary Embolus (PE) is a serious health condition that affects over 900,000 people and causes approximately 300,000 deaths in the United States (US) annually (Yan, Wang, Su, & Ying, 2017). It is caused by the obstruction of blood flow in one or several pulmonary arteries. In most cases, PE occurs due to a thrombus even though in some few cases it is caused by tumors, air, fat globules, and septic clots among others. This condition is one of the major causes of unexpected deaths across different age groups in the US. However, over 70 percent of cases have a missed diagnosis, which presents a significant challenge in different healthcare set-ups (Yan et al., 2017). This paper discusses the most significant manifestations of PE, associated risk factors, assessment procedures, and nursing interventions. Three Most Significant Manifestations of PE The signs of PE depend on different factors such as the extent to which the lungs are involved, underlying heart or lung disease, and the size of thrombus. However, the most significant manifestations of this condition include shortness of breath, chest plain, which worsens with breathing, and coughing (Ji et al., 2017). Three Risk Factors Common predisposing factors to PE are hereditary elements, cardiovascular disease, and surgery (Ji et al., 2017). If a person or his/her family members have the medical history of PE, one is likely to suffer from this condition. Some inherited disorders affect blood, which makes it prone to the development of thrombus. Similarly, cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure predispose individuals to blood clots. Finally, after surgery, blood is most likely to clot due to the immobility occasioned by the need to recover. When someone stops moving, blood flow through deep veins slows down, thus increasing the probability of developing a clot. Three Assessments According to York, Kane, Smith, and Minton (2015), for a patient who has undergone a major surgery, has been immobilized for some time, and he or she develops breathlessness suddenly, PE is the most likely underlying condition. In the case of Mrs. XX, she has the highlighted signs, and thus she most likely suffers from PE. Additionally, she has known chronic atrial fibrillation, which predisposes her to the possibility of having a blood clot. The first assessment would be 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG). Normally, patients with PE do not have a particular ECG abnormality. However, this assessment will rule out acute myocardial infarction. The second method of assessment is an echocardiogram. This criterion is used together with or immediately after ECG. The rationale for this method is to examine the status of the heart and eliminate the possibility of other cardiovascular complications such as congestive heart failure. The final diagnosis criterion would be CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). The rationale for using this assessment is because the patient has already shown clinical signs of PE. CTPA provid
Steps in Planning the Audit Audit plans are usually developed to review a company’s financial statements and assess their credibility and reliability as accurate depictions of a company’s financial position. As a senior partner for Deloitte, in this report, I outline the critical steps inherent in planning an audit of Aramark Inc., which is a multinational company that specializes in the provision of food, facilities, and uniform services to different clients who operate in (but not limited to) the education, health care, and leisure sectors around the world. The steps outlined in this paper are based on general audit planning procedures undertaken by companies in the US and Europe. According to Kerr (2013), the audit process should comprise of three main phases that include planning, fieldwork, and reporting. For purposes of this report, we only focus on the planning phase, which includes five main steps – understanding the organization’s internal control processes, assessing the risk of material misstatements, planning the materiality level, developing a response to assessed risk, and overall audit strategy, structuring the administrative framework for implementing the audit strategy, and assessing the need for experts. These steps also outline the critical and inherent steps we will use in planning and designing an effective audit program for Aramark. These steps appear below. Understand the Organization’s Internal Control Processes Aramark, being a global organization, has several internal control processes that could affect the company’s potential for reporting financial misstatements. Modar (2013) supports this view because he says that an organization’s internal control processes could increase the risk of financial misstatements, if not properly supervised, or decrease the risk of the same if management allocates enough resources to the process. Evaluating the company’s internal processes should be a critical step in developing the audit program for Aramark because it would assist Deloitte (later on in the audit process) to design e