ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Emily Harris is the vice president of the production department at New Heritage Doll Company that ventures in producing Dolls. The company seeking is to extend its brand to have a broader market structure and, more crucially, have high levels of customer loyalty. Harris is supposed to submit a project proposal to the Budgeting Committee for assessment. The main aim of Harris’s proposal is to stand out depending on the likelihood to strengthen the production department of the company as well as enhance future growth. Assumptions Match My Doll Clothing   * The popularity of the company’s products.   * The dolls to be produced will completely match all-season garments for tween girls. Design Your Doll   * Dolls will control continuous sales from the project.   * Permanent customer loyalty.   * The company will have the likelihood of strength and future growth. The assumptions of the two proposals (match my doll clothing and design your doll) appeal to the budget committee because they show how they will strengthen and enhance the future growth of the production company, as reflected in the next section. Quantitative Analysis Design Your Doll   * NPV=$11647   * IRR=75% Payback= 32months Match My Doll Clothing   * NPV=$7866.32   * IRR=76% Payback =57months Sensitivity Analysis Using Capital rationing will maximize cash management on the project that will be accepted. The net present value should be executed because it shows the time value of funds invested in the selected proposal. The calculated IRR further reflects this for the two proposals. The IRR is critical when determining which proposals should be selected. In this case, “design my doll” has the most significant IRR, and it implies that it has the highest operating rate of returns with the quick repaying time (32 months) of the price capital; hence, it is the best for implementing. However, risk factors and other considerations in the next chapter will be considered during implementation. Risk Factors and other considerations   * Sensitivity of selling price of the final products.   * When a proposal needs a high level of fixed cost, it should be estimated at a very high risk-taking to account that price does not produce high returns.   * High level of breakeven production capacity. Conclusion Harris should recommend designing the consumers’ doll to the budget committee because it has a higher IRR, higher net present value as well as quick paying time, as shown by the quantitative analysis section. Reference Luehrman, T., & Abelli, H. (2010). New Heritage Doll Company: capital budget [Pdf] (pp. 1-8). Harvard Business. Web. Appendix
Many prominent gurus have emerged, who have had guided the need for quality within the business operation, by the provision of insight that has had tangible and lasting impacts. These influential people have contributed to deriving models and theories, through which provisions of quality within the business setup can be enhanced and sustained. Though the majority of them have passed away, their impacts are still felt in the modern society. In this regard, some of the major contributors have been Feigenbaum and Ishikawa. Feigenbaum, an American, developed the concept of total quality management based on three critical procedures that business must adopt to realize efficiency. The three steps encompass quality leadership, appropriate quality technology, and commitment of the organization to quality. On the other hand, Ishikawa had his quality concepts presented on an Ishikawa diagram. The model illustrated the cause and effect functions of a business that enhance the provision of quality in business through the quality circles of the plan, do, check and act (PDCA) (Besterfield, 2003). This implies that the gurus have been very influential in the enhancement of quality management within the production processes. The preaching of Feigenbaum is the most ideal for a business organization with a need for total quality management. Under his concepts, Feigenbaum illustrated the need for appropriate leadership, adoption of technology, and quality organization within a business. Through these ideas, the business can develop and integrate efficient systems that enable the production and service delivery to consumers, at most economical expenses with consideration to their satisfaction (Capezio & Morehouse, 2003). For this reason, a busin
DDT was successfully used for several years to control insect populations such as mosquitoes. However, in the 1970s, subsequent research studies on the safety of this insecticide proved that it was not safe for other animals. In other words, the toxic nature of DDT was found to be indiscriminate. Although the findings of these studies are still being debated up to today, the insecticide has been banned from the point of production up to its marketing. The US National Toxic Program has labeled this insecticide as “moderately toxic”. In addition, both the psychiatric and neurological complications have been associated with DDT. Hence, its toxicity is known to be chronic in nature. Towards the end of the 1980s, this insecticide was classified as a carcinogenic substance by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hence, it is a potential cancerous agent. In addition, poor child development and reproductive problems have equally been linked with the exposure to DDT sprays. DDT has also been classified as a serious threat to the environment. Several categories of animals are negatively affected whenever they are exposed to the particles of this chemical component. Some of the health complications include:   * Poor reproduction and development.   * Premature demise of birds and impaired immune system of animals.   * Affects both the kidney and liver.   * Sexual development is hampered among several animals.   * The marine food chain is truncated because the quantity and quality of tiny animals are reduced.   * General life on earth has been impacted by DDT because some traces of this chemical component were identified in animal samples in the Arctic region. The above aspects account for some of the factors that led to the DDT ban in countering the spread of malaria. However, Fred Soper had a unique idea that would have eradicated further growth and spread of malaria parasites. According to Fred Soper, governments across the world failed to run simultaneous malaria eradication programs. Road blocks were not set anywhere even after spraying the targeted spots where mosquito parasites were breeding. In addition, stopping the use of DDT to control mosquito population without putting an alternative in place was a grave mistake. Soper concluded by observing that governments lacked a disciplined program of eradicating the spread of malaria parasites. DDT should not be brought back to the market as a viable insecticide for controlling the spread of malaria if its chemical components have not been revised. It is worth to mention that the toxic nature (whether acute or chronic) of DDT has proved to be gross towards the survival of various animal species. The overall health impact of DDT on the environment can hardly be ignored. In any case, the economic and health benefits of using DDT as an insecticide are far below the overall negative impacts
Victor Lipman, a Forbes Magazine contributor talks about the management practices that help enhance productivity in organizations. The article outlines the activities that managers can engage in to improve productivity in an organization. This review will compare, synthesize, and evaluate the effects of these practices. The article states that all managers expect their employees to be productive. This helps the company to achieve its set goals and objectives. It helps the organization to carry out operations as per the required standards. Lipman states that companies that lack proper management suffer low productivity. Studies have shown that employees need proper management to be productive in their field of work (Lipman, 2013). Neglect or poor management could lead to low productivity and poor performance in the workplace. Lipman’s statements are consistent with these studies. The article outlines practices that managers can carry out to achieve organizational targets. The practices are broken down into seven steps. These steps according to Lipman help improve the productivity of employees in a company. Lipman suggests that managers should develop economic motivators for employees in all levels. Companies tend to favor senior level management by offering them incentives, while neglecting lower level employees. The outcome is poor employee productivity. Companies that offer economic motivation to all employee levels tend to have higher productivity. The article states that giving feedback to employees is necessary, even if it is negative. It can be argued that employees who do not get feedback tend to repeat mistakes. Lipman advises managers to offer feedback in a way that will encourage employees to be more productive. He describes this practice as a cornerstone in management. The article stresses that respect is a powerful tool in management. Lipman advises managers to respect each employee as an individual because it helps build good relationships. When an employee feels respected, they are likely to work harder. The article suggests that training is essential to all levels of employees. Focusing on all levels of employees helps build mutual professionalism and competence. Lipman validates this point by stating he received more training as a top-level employee than as a low-level employee. Support for employees is another practice the article prescribes. To expound on this point, managers need to support employees at all levels. This is by re-equipping outdated systems and offering emotional support. Lipman explains that it helps build the employee’s loyalty. He advices management that leadership in a company models behavior. Leaders should therefore behave in a way the employees can emulate. He states that when leaders are “all talk” employees easily notice, and this can lower their productivity. In summary, the article talks about enhan
The recent upsurge of cries for regime changes in North Africa and the Middle East shows that the Arab world is finally ready for democracy. Ousting of long serving dictators in Egypt and Tunisia early this year is an attest to the growing discomfort of citizens in dictatorial states in the world. The dictators have repressed on human rights in the name of national security but that seems to have gone down the drain and what the population wants are people-elected governments. Such government’s accountability is easier to track and translate to democracy. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has led Libya for several decades under dictatorial rules and total evasion of human rights. He has been a long time enemy of the West unlike the ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who has remained an ally of the western countries despite his repressive regime. While it is important and true that the West moved to calm the escalating violence against civilians and infringement of human rights, there appears to be favoritism in terms of when to intervene. It took continued negotiations for the Egyptian leader to step down from power but it has taken the NATO forces attacks to force Gaddafi to step down. This leniency is clearly visible and puts in question the equality of sovereign states in the world. The United Nation duty is not only to ensure that human rights are respected, but also move to ensure that state sovereignty is also maintained.
Introduction Internet has been one of the global most popular sources of information. Its extensiveness in terms of geographical coverage has, for instance, been facilitated by its cheaper cost and developments in technologies. In china an estimate of three hundred and seventy million people are believed to be using the internet. There has however been a lot of limitation in accessing internet information in the country because the government has moved in to regulate internet usage through censorship. This paper seeks to discuss the censorship issue in China and how it affects creativity of the Chinese people. The paper will look into the history of internet usage in the country, the censorship, effects of the censorship on people’s creativity and the war against government censorship of internet usage in china. History of internet in china The first application of the internet which was realized through sending an email occurred in China in the year 1987. A series of developments then followed with initiatives from private institutions and government agencies to venture more into the internet technology. By the following year, Tsinghua University is reported to have started offering email services. With the development of the country’s first browser in the year 1994 and subsequent move by the government to “provide internet accessing services” in the year 1996, the use of the technology began to develop in the country (Enhai 6). The number of internet users then started increasing in the country from less than a million in the year 1997 to reach almost seventy million in middle of 2003. The increasing trend has since continued and is almost reaching four hundred million by now (Enhai 16). The history of regulation of the internet usage in the country is reported to have been simultaneously developed with the establishment
Globalization is seen as a growing interconnection “reflected in the expanded flows of information, technology, capital, goods, services, and people throughout the world – a force so ubiquitous that it will substantially shape all of the other major trends in the world of 2020” (Brown, 2006, p.23 ) Five years from now, corporate leaders are compelled to focus on two primary areas of development in order to hire the best people, to retain their services, and to develop a competitive advantage over other firms (Steger, 2009). First of all, globalization is expected to take on much more of a non-Western face (Brown, 2006, p.23) Corporate leaders will see an increasing number of multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce within individual firms. Secondly, corporate leaders will see the impact of Web 2.0 in hiring, retaining, and developing a multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce. Therefore, the primary challenge for corporate leadership is to bring about a new leadership mindset in order to use Web 2.0 Information Technology in hiring, retaining, and developing a multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce. Multi-Cultural and Multi-Generational Workforce At the turn of the 21 st century the world witnessed the impact of globalization in terms of heightened interconnectedness, and the breaking down of barriers in terms of international trade. The shaping of the future workforce characterized as multi-cultural and multi-generational was an emerging pattern. However it was not obvious to many leaders. There are several reasons explaining the lack of focus regarding this topic in the last 15 years. The same thing can be said of the critical impact of Information Technology when it comes to hiring, retaining, and developing key personnel in order to create a competitive advantage, and sustain corporate growth. Information Technology has always been linked to globalization. But in the past the role of Information Technology was more on aspect in the discussion of the impact of globalization, however, its role in shaping the future workforce was not yet clear. Corporate leaders valued the importance of Information Technology in terms of streamlining the supply-chain management process. For example, it was easier to communicate to subordinates through the use of e-mail, instant messaging, and Voice-Over-Internet Protocols. A significant component of Web 2.0 is social media platforms. In other words, people are not only exchanging e-mails, they are communicating with each other and discussion details about their work and private lives. Facebook and other social media platforms made it easier to develop relationships across continents. The first reason is the radical shifts in demographics brought about by the retiring baby boomers. The baby boomer generation was expected to retire at the turn of the 21 st century. However, the financial crisis of 2008-2009 forced many of them to work until they are 74 to 77 years old (Meister & Willyerd, 2009, p.5). Whe
Democracy Democracy can be defined as a form of government where all the citizens in the country have equal rights to make a decision in electing their leaders. The citizens of such a region or country have equal participation in electing their leaders. In addition, any member of the country may vie for any seat if he or she wishes to be a leader. The citizens of such a country may participate directly or indirectly in electing their leaders who act as their representatives in the national building. The leaders help in creating the laws, as well as governing the region and initiating development projects. The law that governs a country also considers the social, cultural, and economic factors of the country. Democracy can also be defined as the government initiated and driven by the people, and it originated from a Greek word the “demokratia”. Democracy is different from other forms of government in that power is held by democratically elected leaders. These leaders exercise their power as stipulated by the country’s laws. The law is supreme, and no one is above the law. The law reigns supreme, and it is considered to be the final judge if one of the citizens contravenes the rule of law. A democratic government is practiced in most parts of the world. In this case, people are given the right to select their leaders depending on the qualities of the leaders. The leader selected by the majority vote is declared the winner and has the mandate to rule for a given period. A democratic government is not always fair as some people when exercising their democratic rights may elect a leader who fails to gunner the majority vote and thus their vote does not count (Lansford, 56). Religion Religion can be defined as a collection of cultural systems and belief systems that relate the people’s spirituality. Religion also incorporates the moral values of people who follow these guidelines or doctrines. Religion also includes the cultural belief, values, norms, and social practice of people. Culture is the cultivation of the soul or mind of a person to follow a given set of guidelines. Cultural belief is the cultivation of a person’s mind to follow a given set of r
Introduction Musui’s story is an autobiography of Katsu Kokichi. He belonged to the Samurai class. The story recounts Katsu’s experiences during the early 1800s. During this period, Japan was divided into four classes. These comprised of merchants, artisans, peasants, and Samurai. The Samurai were the strongest of the classes. They were considered first class. They had military power. Their class was prestigious. In fact, everyone envied them. They spent most of their time in seclusion from the public. They underwent strict training which affected their social lives. In addition, they were strong and mighty. They spent their whole lives in training. Moreover, their class was hereditary. The Samurai experienced their best periods before Tokugawa era. This happened because of wars in previous regimes. However, during Tokugawa Shogunte’s era, there was peace. This paper will explore the historical challenges faced by Kobushin Samurai during the early 19 th century. The Samurai lived in accordance with the Bushido code. This code outlined the behaviors and attitude expected of the Samurai. They were expected to be loyal to their commanders. There was a line of command to be followed. This ensured that respect was given to the persons it was due. The Bushido code was to regulate Samurai’s lifestyle. In this regard, Musui was expected to live in accordance with the code. However, this was not the case. According to Musui, he constantly violated this code. Katsu Kokichi was born into a privileged family. They were of the class of Warriors, the Samurai. However, he did not live within the regulations of this code. His youth was characterized with rebellion, among other vices. He admits to have lived an unworthy life. However, the most important part is his reforms, which helped shape him. Katsu alludes to fact that he was a liar, a cheat, a thief, among other names. Moreover, he constantly rebelled against his grandmother who had taken good care of him. Economic and social challenges faced by Kobushin Samurai Just before the Tokugawa Shogunte era, the classes in Japanese society were intact. In fact, it was a privilege to be born into the samurai class. During this period, war was paramount. The Samurai were active in their pursuit of justice. They protected their people. They were highly regarded in society. In fact, everywhere they went, people showed them respect. However, this changed during Tokugawa Shogunte’s era. Tokugawa brought peace. The Samurai were used to wars. There was no war to fight anymore. They had to change their social life. The Bushido code had to change. The first code was aimed at military protection. Moreover, it assured th
Structures such as bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers are some of the marvels of engineering. However, the engineering sometimes may fail to be marvelous. Such is the case with the famous Tower of Pisa in Italy, which tilts because it was built on a soft ground (Kark Sabbagh1990 pp 360). When such a scenario occurs, engineers and architects are called upon to explain the cause of such a happening. This means, architects are expected to be perfect in their work and as such put up buildings which are able to withstand the elements, bear weighs and distribute energy without moving either too much or too little. In addition increase in competition on who is having the tallest building has led to building of skyscrapers. Skyscrapers are new breeds of buildings being put up; though marvelous they come with numerous challenges which they are posing to architects. Skyscrapers are built several hundreds of meters and contain hundreds of storey. Movement from one storey to another is very essential. Architects are therefore required solve the puzzle of how one would include enough elevators (lifts) in order to move people up and down in an efficient manner. In such a case, it should be remembered that the taller the building, the more the number of lifts needed. The problem is that they may consume more of the core of the building. Architects are therefore required to come up with the solution to this problem (Kark Sabbagh, 1990, pp. 367). Architects also have met a new breed of challenges. These include the threat of terrorism, high escalating energy costs and regional differences in the world that are harder to identify. An architect when designing a house has to bear in mind that a good building requires three basic things, that’s it should have firmness, commodity and delight (Mathew Wells’, 2005, p. 32). Another basic challenge that an architect designing and building skyscrapers face and consequently should deal with is the question of the building’s firmness. An architect has to ensure that he comes up with a good firm foundation that will keep the building from falling down especially during instances like earthquakes, a typhoon or a terrorist attack. Knowing that the higher the building, the more firmness is required, the challenge is, can an architect come up with innovative ways by which buildings can be made stronger, particularly those that raise the most demanding problems of height security and even size (Mathew Wells, 2005, p. 56). There is also an increased demand that architects should be more creative in their work to necessitate and increase the usefulness of a building. Nowadays, individuals, companies or even corporations who are putting up big structures / buildings, look not only on the height achieved but also on how the building will encourage collaboration. For instance a firm may need a building in which a factory can help horn its own assembly line. Owners of such buildings bank heavily on architects to meet their expectations and demands. Architects in this matter are left with a task of developing new methods