ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Six Sigma can be described as a process which increases efficiency and decreases defects in production or operational processes with the end goal being an overall reduction in costs for the company in terms of resources saved. Taking this into consideration any company that suffers from consumer complaints regarding product quality can benefit from implementing various aspects of Six Sigma into their operational structure. On the other hand what isn’t outright stated is the fact that Six Sigma can be thought of as a constraining and limiting form of management since it requires products, services and methods of operation to conform to a singular overriding plan that emphasizes a particular method of performance in order to achieve a certain end goal. Problems with Six Sigma This means that it at times limits management methods related to initiative, thinking outside the box or utilizing methods of management that aren’t necessarily a part of the company’s original management procedure. Based on this, it becomes a question of whether Six Sigma management methods are a necessity instead of an option in a company’s operational structure. In the case, example provided it can be seen that high product defect rates reported by consumers necessitates the need for significant process change and as such, it can be seen that the implementation of Six Sigma in this particular case is a necessity in order to improve product quality and thus a company’s brand image. Changes that will occur Through the use of Six Sigma, it is expected that daily operations within the company will undergo drastic changes in the form of increases to efficiency and reductions in resource wasting operations. This would involve department restructuring, removing redundant teams or operations, distributing roles among existing staff so as to increase human resource utilization without having to hire more workers, as well as the implementation of new production overseeing processes to ensure compliance to new standards. Approaches to new projects under the new Six Sigma process would have to coin
Introduction Habermas Jurgen’s ‘Social Structures of the Public Sphere’, is an immensely rich book that has had a major influence in a variety of disciplines. This book has received a detailed critique and became a basic tool for the productive and intellectual debate of cultural transformation, civil society and private and public life, and social changes and transformation in the twentieth century. It will help to provide new insight into public relations practices can be gained. Critical Review on the Social Structure of Public Sphere After the development of a fully political public sphere occurred in Britain in the eighteenth century, it became institutionalized within the European bourgeois constitutional states of the nineteenth century, where public consensus was enshrined as a way of checking domination. The Bourgeois simply referred to those who are dwellers of urban areas. At the beginning of the 11th centuries Central and Western Europe mainly referred to this category as property wing class or merchant and traders. Later these groups have emerged against the natural rights of the nobles and prelates. During the period of the Industrial revolution Bourgeois turned into different categories depending on their economic development like high bourgeois for industrial bankers and petty bourgeois transmitted depended on white collars jobs. There is always upward and downward mobility among these groups and the positions become divided into market-centered. In France and Spain these groups are dishonorable profession because they move to the lifestyle of land, office holding and hard workers for their future generation. Hence, they become the group of status seeking encompasses of all white collar jobs. In
Although PetSmart has been performing well in the market since its inception way back in 1986, the animal retail store operates under myriads of challenges. For instance, some of its top executives have stepped down and sold their shares. A case in point was the resignation of Kullman. He was a long serving Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of PetSmart. Although he appreciated his tenure at the company, his departure left a mark that could not be filled easily. The CEO developed a viable financial business plan for the company. The search for an able chief financial officer was not an easy task for PetSmart due to the demanding nature of the business. The pets business required someone who could effectively manage the daily operations of the company and offer the right guidelines for the future (‘ PetSmart announces an 18% increase’ par. 5). The company suffered for some time due to poor financial reporting and control. As a renowned specialty pet retailer in the United States, PetSmart went through a difficult management period when most of its senior officers sold their shares and left the company. In 2013, David Lenhardt, the CEO of PetSmart proposed some changes that would drive the growth of the company. PetSmart was already one of the most potential market leaders in the pet industry. Lenhardt observed that the company was not yet at the peak of its performance. Therefore, there was urgent need to evolve the operations and expand the target market of PetSmart. For a long time, the company has served the high end of the market and perhaps ignored the ordinary pet enthusiasts. In the next three years, the company expects to expand its market base. Plans are also underway to launch a program that can train and accredit dogs as therapy pets. After the departure of some shareholders, the management of the company is currently instituting radical changes that will retain the remaining shareholders (‘ PetSmart Ups Shareholders Value’ par. 2). Lenhardt asserts that PetSmart is a seven billion dollars company. Besides, the company runs over 1,300 retail outlets in North America. Hence, the strong cash generation being enjoyed by the company should be replicated to shareholders. The CEO emphasizes that the organization is mandated to employ consistent and sustainable ways of reverting cash to the PetSmart’s shareholders. In other words, there are plans to reward shareholders of the company based on the impressive performance. Such a strategic line of action will retain and enhance the trust of shareholders towards PetSmart. Inventory management is yet another challenge at PetSmart. The frequency of inventory turnover over a given period is a critical factor that should be considered particularly in the pet business portfolio. It appears that average inventory
Introduction Toyota’s massive recalls occurred towards the end of 2009, and the beginning of 2010. Monden (253) claims that 8 million cars were recalled because of sticky accelerator pedals, and floor mats that could trap accelerators. Another defect was anti-lock braking system software found in hybrid cars. Toyota’s tradition has been to pursue safety as the first priority. It is followed by quality, and volume. The pursuit to capture the largest market share did not match available resources. Toyota’s success is attributed to the efficiency of its JIT (Just-in-Time) system and TPS (Toyota Production System) which rivals have found difficult to copy. Toyota responded in time to an emerging trend in the global market where people sought cars with efficient fuel consumption. Toyota’s quality challenge emerged from its expansion into new locations where TPS may not have been fully understood. The strength created by TPS became a challenge to its own new regions. TPS requires many years to understand. According to the article, its strength includes the ability to capture a larger market share by its wide variety of products. They target each social class from low cost Scions to luxury Lexus. It is a good strategy to capture all market segments. However, it lays challenges to developing modifications because engineers have a wide area to cover. It may result to very few engineers being committed to a design. Reasons for higher growth rate than competitors According to the article, Toyota gives customers a wide range of choices. Ability to choose components that a customer would like to be added to his/her car. It captures almost every customer’s taste. The company gains competitiveness by offering over 40 customization elements. Toyota’s continuous innovation has been able to increase its competitiveness in the global market. Toyota integrates new designs and the latest software at lower costs which provide the capability to offer competitive prices that rivals fail to match. Toyota is also able to shift products and production where
The Affinity Argument in Plato’s Phaedo Plato’s Phaedo is a great dialogue written during his middle period. It is written as a third-person account of a philosophical conversation between Socrates and his friends, on the day he died (Cooper ix). Socrates accepts that he has to die in order to attain the objectives of true philosophy (Cooper 94, Phaedo 63c). He asserts that the soul can only gain wisdom once the physical body is dead. He also argues that learning is a recollection of the fact that one’s soul exists even before his or her birth, and lives beyond death (Phaedo 67). In most parts of the dialogue, Socrates argues about opposites of things; that one thing originates from the opposite of the other (Phaedo 105d-107). In essence, Phaedo is an explanation of immortality of the soul, as put across by Plato. It has four main issues or arguments which Socrates presents as a way of proving the immortality of the soul. These are; the Argument from Opposites (Cyclical Argument), the Theory of Recollection, the Argument from Affinity and the Argument from Form of Life (the Final Argument). This paper solely focuses on the third argument-Argument from Affinity. It aims at criticizing Socrates’ idea of the immortality of the soul. The paper proceeds from the premise that philosophers are great thinkers, who should not merely mention ideas but provide proof of them as well. The Argument from Affinity This is the argument which presupposes that human physical body is material, visible and perishable. On the contrary, the soul is immaterial, invisible and immortal. Socrates laid down his arguments that people ought to be more concerned with the soul than the physical body since in the long run the body will die but the soul will outlive it (Phaedo 78b). Indeed, many people especially the religious leaders lay a lot of emphasis on the soul. Therefore, we see relatives of the dead gathering together to pray for the soul of the deceased person. Religious leaders also pray for the body and the soul of the dead but lay a lot of emphasis on the soul. This is to say that Socrates’ philosophy still lingers in the minds of many people (Cooper 95). However, Socrates ought to have used reason to lay his claims instead of just mentioning ideas and leaving them as assumptions. These assumptions are held by the religious leaders in claiming that those who live virtuous lives will go to heaven. This can be quite misleading, and the underlying question is, what will happen to those with a lot of vices and their souls after death? Socrates ignored very important aspects of the human body while explaining the immortality of the soul. He did not factor disorders such as dementia and brain malfunctioning in his claims. He simply put the immortality of the soul as the last thing that comes out of human living (Phaedo 94b-e). This falls short of what a true philosopher should profess as well as the angles in which philosophers look at things. Following his claims on the opposites of things, one can say that the soul is mortal. Socrates argued that something is formed from its opposite; the soul exis
Introduction The world of a man is full of attitudinal features towards every single matter and creates in him many inner flashes of somehow versatile nature. The ancient, particularly antique, philosophers and simply wise men intended everyone to mind their traits of character and to nurture the good sides of it. It is not accidental actually that all evil in the world comes from a man. That is why one should refer to ancient philosophy in order to consult the righteousness in actions. Plato’s theory of natural depravity can help in resolving of this issue. The concept of the theory states that inexplicable manifestations of ominous attitude towards anybody or anything are caused naturally. The question remains to be answered whether it is a sort of fiction or a real occurrence in a man’s life? Main body First, Plato thought that a man is a symbiosis of “tripartite spirit, soul and body” (The nature of Man 1) displaying the development of him concerned with three directions. It is necessary to mention that this thought was not new for the ancient people. Even in times of ancient Jews and peoples which surrounded them the core accent consisted in the purity of spirit, soul and body, but most of all they emphasized the concept of spiritual life minding that in this sphere lay the roots of the entire life of a man. Is a depravity factually concerns every human being? The historical cut shows the examples of people in various epochs and in various countries with evil intentions which helped them. Some of them are Genghis Khan, Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, Stalin, and even Roman Popes who provoked one fo the most bloody venture in the history of mankind known as Crusades. Plato saw the facts of people’s depravity as a natural phenomenon of a man’s psychological coloring counting up the surroundings in which he was developed or people with which he commun
In everyone’s life there is a person who is considered to be the closest one in the whole world. For me this person is my mother. My mother influences every step of my life: how I live and interact with other people. She is an inspiration for my achievements and guidance into the successful future. She has always helped me to overcome any difficulties that I faced since early childhood trying to give me hopes for better future. My mother combines the best features which a person may have; she is a clever, kind and open woman with beautiful appearance and rich inner world. My mother is Dominican; she is quite a pretty and well educated woman. Despite her age she looks young and beautiful. My mother is not very tall though her height underlines her regular features. She has short curly black hair and shining brown eyes. I want to note that her eyes deserve additional attention because they are so kind and frank that one cannot but notice her open and friendly character at once, during the first seconds of communication with her. I like her smile most of all in the world. It is so beautiful that when she smiles I cannot but smile too. Her light complexion and big blushed cheeks especially emphasize her charming smile. My mother’s skin is very soft and tender; when I hold her hands in mine I feel that I am protected from the whole world and I feel the happiest person. I like the way my mother dresses. She always tries to keep pace with fashion though her style is unique and individual. She is slim and has a wonderful figure; her clothes lay a stress on her beautiful features. I would like to note that my mother is a wonderful person not only out but also inside. To my way of thinking she is the reflection of light; not in vain her name Lucia is translated from Italian as “light”. She is an open, responsive and light person who is always there to help and support me at difficult moments of my life. For me my mother is the cleverest person in the world. I can speak a lot about my mother because she is considered to be my reflection and my hero. One day I had to clean my room before the arrival of my relatives. My mother asked me: “Please, do something with your box of old posters. It takes a lot of space.” I was in hesitation but answered: “Ok. I’ll try…” She knew that they were very important for me to throw them out. I was really upset because they took too much place in my room. Next day when I returned home from school I found out that my box disappeared. I was in despair. Suddenly my mother asked me to bring something from our attic. I went there and found out that all the walls in the room were decorated with my posters. That moment I felt really happy. I cried: “Thank you, mom!!!” Her idea to use my old posters as a decoration was just wonderful. I can surely say that my mother is the cleverest person. My mother is really the kindness person in the world. When I was small, my mother made a special present for me. I came after school and she gave me a puppy. “He is so cute” I said. “This is for you! Take care of him. He is very small and helpless. He really needs your care.” – said my mother watching how happy I was. It i
Introduction Globalization has significant impacts on the economic, social, cultural, and political affairs of a state. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is among the countries that have benefited from globalization. The country’s economy has grown tremendously due to its cordial relation with trade partners (Bisley, 2014). Despite the numerous economic advantages, globalization has impacted the traditions and culture of the Emirati people. It poses a significant threat to the cultural values and practices that Emiratis hold dear. This essay will analyze the impacts of globalization on the UAE culture. Analysis Twenty-five years ago, the Emirati society lived as one community. Emiratis observed Islamic religion and were scared of losing the sense of communal and cultural identity. According to Looney, Fox, Mourtada-Sabbah, and Tripp (2012), the Emirati society was against globalization because it viewed it as a threat to shared values, traditions, and heritage. The Emiratis perceived globalization as a subculture and associated it with the western nations. The increased pressures of compliance attributed to globalization resulted in the Emirati society uniting in a bid to preserve its unique cultural heritage and customs. Looney et al. (2012) aver, “The intensified globalization process stimulated reactions among cultural groups who sought to rediscover particularity, localism, and difference” (p. 21). The society did not only regard globalization as a threat to culture but also an alien force that contradicted Muslim realities. The Emirati people associated globalization with western consumerism, which they believed exerted pressure on their culture. From a personal perspective, the Emirati society interpreted globalization based on its impacts on cultural and social values. Thus, while the Westerners viewed the pressures of globalization from a commercial perspective, the Emiratis interpreted them based on an aesthetic viewpoint. The society was conservative, thus opposed to anything that would result in the introduction of foreign ideas or changes in social values. A large group of those opposed to globalization feared that it would introduce the concept of human rights, which would be a threat to the conservatives. The association of globalization with cultural imperialism resulted in the society believing that embracing it would degrade its cultural values. The Emirati society has changed its attitude towards globalization over the past twenty-five years. The Emiratis have realized that for them to remain competitive in the global arena, they must embrace globalization. Moreover, society has recognized that it is difficult t
Introduction The world is currently facing a major transformation in all the aspects of life. The way things operate in the world has become so different from the way it used to be several decades ago. As a result, the lifestyle and characters of individuals have gradually been modified to fit into the changes that we are currently experiencing. There are several factors that have contributed to these changes that we are currently experiencing. Technology is one among the many factors that has contributed greatly to these changes that we are experiencing. To be specific to the context of this paper, social organizations and networks have taken over the lives of many individuals all around the world. Social networks are virtual organizations in the internet that have been created with the use of sophisticated computer softwares and commands. These networks enable individuals to interact with each other irrespective of their physical location, culture, background and origin. With the use of these networks, people can share a lot of information with their friends, create and interact with new friends and discuss about several issues of concern. All this is possible without having physical contact with one another. Examples of social networks include facebook, tweeter, linkedin, YouTube, MySpace and so on. Due to the influence they have on the lives of individuals, social networks play a significant role in the determination of the psychological, cognitive and social development of an individual. In addition, they may influence positively or negatively the life on an individual. Due to this fact, the main aim of this paper it to determine the impacts that social networks have on people and the role they play in the determination of the self-esteem of an individual. Social Networks and Self-Esteem Self-Esteem is the manner in which an individual perceives himself or herself. It is dependent on a mix of factors such as self-confidence, individual trust and respect. All these factors develop as a result of the interaction that an individual has with others. Individuals who have positive relations with others normally tend to have a high self-esteem as compared to those who do not have positive relations with others. In the modern world, social networks have become one of the main ways in which individuals relate to one another. It is through these networks that people make friends, communicate and relate with one another. As a r