The French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The French Revolution - Essay Example But more interestingly, it was a rebellion against the conventional ideas and the established philosophy, with even religious discord and a struggle for supremacy (Smitha). This paper purports to discuss the main aspects of the revolution, both in terms of its reasons, and its effects. Let us consider the economic and political reasons first. France was emerging as the second world power after Britain, and there was a relentless struggle for world domination (Smitha). The French had colonies and their economic status was improving. However, their population was increasing side by side, and at a much rapid pace. Moreover, the colonies in the New World were getting independent and forming the United States of America, so the trade and commerce was divided, with Britain taking the lead (Smitha). The population of France had increased by five or six million in a span of roughly fifty years, whereas the food production was still slow and rudimentary, unsuitable to provide for the increase in the people to be fed (Smitha). In the 1780s, Paris alone had a population of 650,000 (Smitha). However, around eighty percent of the crop production around Paris was done for personal consumption by the farmers, and only around twenty percent was available in the market (Smitha). This meant that any loss in the yield, which happened frequently due to poor methods of farming and feudal system, made the common man go hungry (Smitha). This was worsened by the fact that the French economy was by large an agricultural economy, so there was no other major source of income for the government (Smitha). The government had not provided any means of storage or relief in times of need, and so the prices of bread, the staple food of the French, rose as the availability declined (Smitha). Moreover, the textile industry, which was till then a leading industry, was overtaken by the British who provided cheaper and better quality cloth to the French, thereby decreasing French export and increasi ng their import (Smitha). These, and many other economic and political factors led to a great divide between the ruling class and the common man. In 1788, there was a terrible hailstorm, which led to the worst crop yield in forty years, giving way to a most severe winter season (Smitha). Most of the people were jobless. A riot broke out (Smitha), which soon formed the shape of the revolution that went in history as the French Revolution. The intellectual and philosophical reasons behind the revolution were as important as the economic and political motives. There were two distinct groups of thinkers and socialites, the conservatives and the radicals (Cody). It is interesting to note that this intellectual revolution, for the most part, originated elsewhere outside of France, mostly in Britain, but it effected the French in the most potent manner, who rose to rebel against the established regime (Cody). There rebellion, in turn, effected the British and the rest of Europe in a profou nd way. The conservatives sided with Newton and Locke, and believed in reason, whereas, the radicals included Blake, Godwin, and Paine, among others (Cody). The French were then more influenced by the radicals who promised equality, brotherhood, and freedom (Cody). This strife led to prolonged debates on the subject of humanity and liberty between the radicals and conservatives for years (Cody). The French Revolution, however, ended in a â€Å"reign of terror† (Cody). The radicals, who had been greatly praised and supported by their British counterparts, lost control and went too far in their struggle to end any traces of the former regime (Cody). They assured that by slaughtering anyone who had any

Fast food restaurant Essay Example for Free

Fast food restaurant Essay Introduction Fast food is very common in Hong Kong. We can find at least one fast-food restaurant nearby. McDonald, KFC, Burger King, Triple O’s, Cafe de Carol can be found everywhere in Hong Kong. Fast food means that the food can be prepared and served very quickly. It can save us time and is convenient. [pic][pic][pic] The aim of this report is to investigate fast food culture in Hong Kong nowadays. Firstly, trend of fast food culture in Hong Kong would be given in order to get further understanding of fast food. Secondly, negative impacts of fast food would be discussed. Thirdly, despite the fact that Hong Kong people are more aware of their health, fast food restaurants have emerged. Lastly, comparison between fast food shops and fast-service shops would be mentioned to find out how these two types of shops affect customers’ choice of catering. Mr. Victor Chan, the Managing Director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, was interviewed to find out the answer. Current situation [pic]Fig. 1 Top 10 Global Markets for weekly Fast Food. According to the survey from ACNielsen (Refer to figure1), Hong Kong has the highest percentage of eating fast food in the world, with 61 per cent of people eating fast food at least once a week. The survey was conducted in October 2004 over the internet in 28 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. It showed that more and more people are obsessed with fast food. Nine per cent of Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants at least once a day; 86 per cent of people visited at least twice a month. In the first nine months of this 2004, Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants on average seven times a month and spent $ 160. The survey revealed fast food has become a part of Hong Kong people’s lives. Hong Kong people are in fast pace of life. People have less time to eat and are busy to work. It makes fast food become more and more popular because it is convenient and comfortable. It replaces the position of traditional restaurants and these fast food shops have dominated our society gradually. Negative impacts of traditional fast food There are thousands of fast food shops in Hong Kong. They have totally changed eating habit and daily life of Hong Kong people. Albeit fast food is delicious and tasty, it brings several health problems. Fast food contains lots of fats and high calories. For example, McDonald’s provides a Big Mac, large fries and a large Coca-Cola drink which have 1430 calories. In fact, 2000 calories is the maximum amount a person needs in each day. Big Macs in Hong Kong contains more fat and cholesterol than those in the world. According to nutritional information on the companys website, each Hong Kong burger weighed 560 calories but 80 calories is more than Australia, 67 calories more than Britain and 60 calories more than the Middle East. Obviously, fast food leads to obesity and diabetes, and increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Apparently, fast food contains high calories and lack in nutrition. Fast food is not proper meal that people can eat every day. Besides this, facing the influence of mass media and the trend in Hong Kong, slim body figures are encouraged. Therefore, Hong Kong people realize the importance of health. They are willing to eat healthy food with low calories and fats. In order to meet the demand of healthy and higher nutritional food from Hong Kong people, fast food shops start to provide healthy food to customers. For example, McDonald’s try to give more choice to customers by providing healthier food, likes fresh salad and low fat yogurt. Fast food culture in Hong Kong has changed. Emergence of Fast-service food shops in Hong Kong Interview with Triple O’s – White Spot Because of the rise in living standard and change in eating habits of Hong Kong customers, traditional fast food shops, such as McDonald’s and KFC, can no longer meet the demands of customers. The emergence of a brand new type of catering choice – fast-service food shops, introduces a new dining experience to Hong Kong customers, thus, bringing a positive and striking impact to the catering industry. One of the most successful fast-service food shops in Hong Kong is Triple O’s – White Spot, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1928, best known for its hamburgers In 2003, Triple O’s expanded its business to Hong Kong, setting up the first shop in the Great food hall in the basement of Pacific Place, Admiralty. Until 2010, there are already 5 Triple O’s established throughout Hong Kong, in which the franchises each record more than twice as many sales as the average location in BC. In order to know more about fast-service food shops, an interview has been conducted with the managing director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, Mr. Victor Chan. [pic] [pic] Triple O’s – White Spot aims to provide high quality, home-made and healthy fast food and family-friendly services to create a new kind of dining experience to customers. According to Mr. Chan, Triple O’s’ in Hong Kong have to follow strictly the menu and ingredients set by the Canadian headquarters to ensure its high food quality. For instance, unlike traditional fast food shops that only focus in lowering their production cost, Triple O’s’ milkshakes are made of fresh milk and premium ice-cream. Burger beef is from Australia, delivered fresh to Triple O’s in Hong Kong, not frozen. Mr. Chan added that Triple O’s’ menu will not change in order to suit the appetite of Hong Kong customers, therefore resulting in a limited choices of food in their menu compared to other fast food shops. In order to provide freshly made burgers, it usually takes up to 5 to complete a whole meal set. That is why customer-friendly service is provided in Triple O’s. Instead of ‘self-help’ service in traditional fast food shops, waiters will deliver meals to customers in person, offering customers efficient dining services. Besides that, because of the insistence of high quality ingredients, price of food is again higher than that of fast food shops. Yet, it does not affect customer’s choice of catering since they are now enjoying a higher living standard, willing to spend more for the return of good food and nice service. Triple O’s’ success is also a result of change in eating habits and perceptions of Hong Kong customers. The idea of ‘thin is in’ is widely spread by the mass media, people are getting more conscious about their physique and health, leading to the rise of a new kind of eating habit – healthy eating. Believing that traditional fast food shops’ only provision of deep-fried food, customers tend to look for healthy, yet, delicious fast food for substitution. Triple O’s hit the exact demand of customers. ‘Food in Triple O’s is generally low in fat and that no preservatives and artificial flavours are added in. Vegetarian burgers and lots of vegetables are included in every meal set in order for customers to achieve a balance diet,’ said Mr. Chan, ‘healthy cooking methods are also used, such as roasting and grilling of burger beef and chicken stripes with refined olive oil rather than deep-frying. Fries with potato skins are again intended to provide dietary fibre for better digestion of customers. † Customers are free to choose according to their personal preference, having a custom-made burger in any way they want, like whether to add in any dressing in their burgers. Another special feature of Triple O’s is that there is no advertisement about it at all. â€Å"We rather spend our money in purchasing high quality ingredients than wasting them on advertising. We believe that with our food and service, reputation can be build up in no time. Once again, we prove ourselves right! † said Mr. Chan. Marketing is clearly not the major concern of Triple O’s. â€Å"From the fast food shops’ point of view, we (fast-service food shops) have become a huge competitor to the traditional fast-service shops. Like McDonald’s, they are, in fact, following our way in preparing food and provision of service. However, since there is vast difference between us and traditional fast food shops, we don’t treat them as a direct competitor. Our aim is not only to provide fast food to customers, but a new dining experience, which makes us unique in the catering industry. † Mr. Chan concluded by the end of the interview. Comparison between Fast food shops and Fast-service food shops Fast food shops have always been one of the dominating choices of catering. Yet, in recent years, there are a definite increasing number of fast-service food shops in Hong Kong, which result in an intense competition between the two. In the following table, we use the example of McDonald’s (fast food shops) and Triple O’s (fast-service food shops) to show the major differences between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, which affect customers’ choice of catering. [pic] [pic] |Differences |Fast food shops (McDonald’s) |Fast-service food shops (Triple O’s) | |Quality of food |Low |High | |Ingredients used |Use of low quality ingredients to cut off production cost| Strictly follow the Canadian headquarters’ use of high | | |e. g. |quality ingredients e. g. | ||milkshakes – milk, water, and milk |milkshakes – fresh milk and premium | | |powder |ice-cream | | |burger meat – organ meat mixed with |Burger meat – Australian imported, | | |bread crumbs and onion |pure beef | |Method of cooking |Deep-frying |Grilling and Roasting | |Health consciousness |Less |More | | |- lack of vegetables and fruits in the menu |- inclusion of vegetarian food choices | | |- unhealthy cooking method used |- healthier cooking methods used | | Flexibility of ordered food |Standardized food |Immediate, Custom-made e.g. | | |- Burgers are pre-made for purchase, which follow a |- Customers may add in more vegetables in their burgers or | | |uniform standard. |choose not to add any dressings at all. | |Food choices |Wide variety |Limited as it must follow the menu of their headquarters in | | |- Burgers, fries, ice-cream, different types of |Canada | | |fried-food, soft drinks, pies†¦ |- burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken stripes, milkshakes | |Characteristics |Fast, convenient | High quality of food, | | | |brand new type of dining experience | |No.of shops in HK |More |Less | |Cost |Low |High due to the high quality of ingredients used | |Services |Less |More | | |- provides only ordering services in the cashier |- provides not only ordering and packing up services, but | | | |also delivery of meals to customers like restaurants | |Advertisements |More |None | | |- wide coverage via the mass media (e. g. TV ads, the |- building up reputation by customers’ word of mouth | | |Internet, newspaper) |- money used in quality ingredients rather than in | | | |advertisements | From the above comparison, we can see that fast-service food shops introduces a brand new kind of catering experience to Hong Kong by providing high quality of food and efficient, customer-friendly services. As customers are being more health conscious, fast-service food shops seem to have hit the market, drawing enormous attention from customers of other types of catering choices, especially those of fast-food shops. Customers also enjoyed the idea of ‘immediate and custom-made’. Customers are able to order in according with their preferences. Burgers are freshly made with A-grade ingredients immediately upon order, which freshness of food can be completely guaranteed. Together with the efficient and friendly service provided, fast-service food shops seem to fulfill and satisfy the demands of picky customers. The success of a few fast-service shops in Hong Kong is inevitably bringing in a competitor to traditional fast-food shops. Conclusion In the past two decades, Hong Kong has inevitably been an international city under the great influence of fast food culture. As the only demand for food is efficiency, the mere provision of fast and convenient food could already satisfy the demands of most customers. Yet, with the improvement in economic level, living standard and change in eating habits of customers, fast food shop could no longer provide them with what they want. Customers are more willing to enjoy quality and healthy food and nice service when dining, thereby, leading to the introduction of fast-service food shops to Hong Kong. Fast-service food shops bring in huge impacts and brand new ideas to the fast food world. Not only efficiency, quality of food, provision of service and health consciousness should be brought into considerations in order to fulfill the demands of customers. The emergence of fast-service food shops provides a new choice of catering for customers, which leads to intense competition between fast food shops and them. Competition between the two definitely brings positive impacts to the catering industry. Traditional fast food shops seem to realize their shortcomings and need of change, now even McDonald’s follow the way of fast-service food shops by providing immediate-made burgers instead of pre-made ones. Because of the vast difference between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, it is difficult to determine at this stage that which one of them can dominate the fast food industry. The only thing for sure is that customers are, always and forever, the winner in this match, having to enjoy the great food! Reference OWikipedia OOfficial homepage of Triple Os Hong Kong OSouth China Morning Post OHong Kong Yahoo OACNielsen OHKUSPACE [pic] [pic] [pic] Vocabulary Sheet – Fast Food Culture |Word (parts of speech) |Meaning | |Dietician (n) |a person who is an expert in nutrition or dietetics | |Fast-food addict (n) |a person who is addicted to fast-food | |Americanization (n) |assimilate to the customs and institutions of the U. S. | |Delicacies (n) |something delightful or pleasing, esp. a choice food considered | | |with regard to its rarity, costliness | |Sedentary (adj) |characterized by or requiring a sitting posture | |Coronary (adj) |of or pertaining to the human heart, with respect to health | |Superficial (adj) |shallow; not profound or thorough | |Standardize (v) |to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, | | |quality, strength | |Unpalatable (adj) |not palatable; unpleasant to the taste | |Franchise (n) |the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group| | |to market its products or services in a specific territory | |Variant (adj) |tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity | | Proliferate (v) |to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively | |prominent (adj) |standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly | | |noticeable | |Prevalent (n) |widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or | | |acceptance | |Ubiquity (n) |the state or capacity of being everywhere, esp. at the same time | |Detrimental (adj) |causing detriment; damaging; harmful | |Umpteen (adj) |innumerable; many | |Flavor-enhancing (adj) |enhancing the flavor of food | |Paramount (adj) |chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent | |Consumer-friendliness (n) |products of non-harmful elements to consumers |

A IMPORTANCIA DO USO DA MUSICA

A IMPORTANCIA DO USO DA MUSICA A IMPORTANCIA DO USO DA MUSICA PARA O ENSINO DA LINGUA INGLESA A importAncia do uso da mUsica para o ensino da là ¬ngua inglesa RESUMO A cada dia surgem novos metodos e propostas que pretendem auxiliar no aprendizado da là ¬ngua inglesa de forma efetiva. Porem, ao tentar usar formas inovadoras o profissional da area de là ¬nguas estrangeiras se depara com um problema muito comum: o aluno escuta, mas nà £o compreende, escreve, mas nà £o cria a là ¬ngua escrita, repete expressoes e palavras, mas nà £o fala. Ou seja, nà £o se comunica, realmente, numa segunda là ¬ngua. e importante entender que o sucesso na aquisià §Ãƒ £o de uma nova là ¬ngua requer comprometimento e participaà §Ãƒ £o total por parte do aluno. Metodologias rejuvenescidas, ou a aplicaà §Ãƒ £o de regras, nà £o significam aprendizado efetivo. O educando precisa se sentir familiarizado com a là ¬ngua; necessita sentir-se parte deste meio. A mUsica tem esse poder de abrir caminhos e ligar conceitos e ideias. Ela consegue propagar ate aspectos culturais de uma determinada regià £o, usando uma combinaà §Ãƒ £o de linguagem sonora, verbal e, muitas vezes, visual. Ferreira (2009) comenta que desde os primà ³rdios da humanidade, a mUsica ja servia de subsà ¬dio para as primeiras manifestaà §oes verbais orais da humanidade. A partir desta constataà §Ãƒ £o, este estudo pretende apresentar e ressaltar a importAncia da mUsica, como auxiliadora na aprendizagem da là ¬ngua estrangeira (LE), neste caso, a là ¬ngua inglesa (L2). O objetivo e mostrar que o uso da mUsica pode auxiliar o educando no desenvolvimento das quatro habilidades: compreensà £o auditiva, compreensà £o oral, leitura e escrita. PALAVRAS-CHAVE MUsica. Aprendizado. Desenvolvimento. Comunicaà §Ãƒ £o. A importAncia do uso da mUsica para o ensino da là ¬ngua inglesa 1 Introduà §Ãƒ £o O ser humano e um ser musical. Podemos notar isso em qualquer tipo de evento ou comemoraà §Ãƒ £o. A mUsica e usada para expressar sentimentos ou mesmo para traduzir o grau de importAncia que cada um tem sobre determinado evento em sua vida. Porem alem de manifestaà §Ãƒ £o pessoal segundo Ferreira (2009) com a mUsica, e possà ¬vel ainda despertar e desenvolver nos aluno sensibilidades mais aguà §adas na observaà §Ãƒ £o de questoes prà ³prias à   disciplina alvo. Sendo assim, ao utilizarmos a mUsica em aulas de là ¬ngua inglesa, podemos despertar o desejo e o envolvimento do aluno, considerando tambem que ela e uma forma de comunicaà §Ãƒ £o comumente usada entre grupos em conversas, trocas de mensagens, lazer, festas, encontros, principalmente entre pessoas mais jovens. Porem nà £o podemos desconsiderar que, por vezes, a mUsica e caracterizada como outra linguagem, e dessa forma, pode apresentar barreiras ao profissional que intencione dela fazer uso, mas que nà £o domina essa tecnica ou   que se sente desconfortavel neste tipo de atividade. Nà £o e desconhecido que um dos grandes problemas enfrentados pelo professor de là ¬ngua estrangeira e o de procurar formas ou adaptar materiais para que o seu aluno aprenda e desenvolva os conhecimentos da là ¬ngua estrangeira. E mesmo quando, apà ³s pesquisas e tentativas, se desenvolve uma forma mais pratica de transmissà £o de dados e informaà §oes, o professor se depara com a falta de interesse do aluno, pois este percebe que seu aprendizado nà £o e completamente satisfatà ³rio. Qual educando nà £o se desencanta ao perceber que seu aprendizado da là ¬ngua estrangeira nà £o o habilita e capacita a se comunicar? Nerici (1985, p.11) afirma que praticar atividades nas quais o indivà ¬duo se revele mais eficiente; faz com que ele se sinta capaz, o que lhe confere auto-confianà §a. Alem disto, toda a atividade educativa deveria ser motivada na realidade. Esta deveria ser a fonte de motivaà §Ãƒ £o para se educar ou ensinar uma disciplina, principalmente quando falamos de linguagem e comunicaà §Ãƒ £o. Devemos aproximar o aluno da là ¬ngua e nà £o afasta-lo. Rivers (1975) menciona que a maneira ideal de desenvolver ao maximo a habilidade oral seria viver entre os falantes da là ¬ngua alvo. Acontece que, na nossa realidade brasileira, nem todos os alunos podem viajar, mesmo que por um espaà §o curto de tempo, para um paà ¬s falante de là ¬ngua inglesa, neste caso, a fim de praticar o que vem aprendendo em seu conteUdo escolar e ampliar seu vocabulario. Um dos principais fatores no aprendizado de uma là ¬ngua estrangeira e a habilidade e oportunidade de pratica-la, testar sua elasticidade[1] (Rivers, 2000 p.94, traduà §Ãƒ £o minha[2]). Para que o educando tenha o melhor aproveitamento da là ¬ngua inglesa, o professor muitas vezes, precisa descobrir ou adaptar tecnicas que propiciem bons resultados de aprendizagem. O material didatico atualmente usado em algumas instituià §oes educacionais ou escolas de idiomas, em certos aspectos, nà £o fornece bases necessarias para o real aprendizado de um idioma estrangeiro. Sà £o livros muitas vezes compostos de conteUdo ultrapassado ou que nà £o condiz com a realidade. Ou seja, a là ¬ngua inglesa que se ensina nà £o e a que e falada, por um falante nativo. Como consequà ªncia, por vezes o aluno se sente desmotivado, pois nà £o se acha capacitado em aprender a L.E. , ou simplesmente por nà £o entender o que e falado em series de TV, filmes, programas de variedades etc. E o pior e que essa desmotivaà §Ãƒ £o pode afetar diretamente o educador, que nà £o và ª o resultado de seu esforà §o em ensinar a L2. O educando precisa se familiarizar com a realidade. Essa realidade deve ser atraente a ele, a fim de que este queira conhecà ª-la, e sinta que pode atuar nela. Metodologias especializadas para o ensino de là ¬nguas estrangeiras orientam enfaticamente que um bom aprendizado requer interaà §Ãƒ £o entre aluno e là ¬ngua a ser aprendida, mediada ou liderada por um professor. Este professor deve ter, como qualidades essenciais, um grau de lideranà §a tanto quanto sensibilidade, percepà §Ãƒ £o e afeto. Quando um professor demonstra essas qualidades, os alunos perdem o receio de se atrapalharem com os exercà ¬cios, principalmente diante dos colegas, pelo contrario, tà ªm desejo de interagir e se expressar. Acrescido a isso, o uso de materiais como filmes, jornais e textos de gà ªneros variados, mUsicas e a interaà §Ãƒ £o com os costumes, farà £o   com que esses alunos compartilhem suas opinioes acerca da cultura da là ¬ngua alvo (Rivers, 2000). 2   MUsica para ensinar Ferreira (2009 p.14) define que uma comunicaà §Ãƒ £o efetiva e Compreender aquilo que faà §o com a maneira pessoal de expressar-me e ser compreendido por aqueles que me cercam. Rivers (1975), por sua vez, afirma que a aprendizagem da habilidade auditiva e de compreensà £o deve ser desenvolvida com exercà ¬cios para os estagios de identificaà §Ãƒ £o e retenà §Ãƒ £o. Nà £o estamos apenas falando do exercà ¬cio de retenà §Ãƒ £o de informaà §oes e repetià §Ãƒ £o de palavras, mas sim da real comunicaà §Ãƒ £o com um mundo globalizado, sendo assim, com linguagens e sinais. Trabalhar com exercà ¬cios que fogem da realidade ou que sà £o construà §oes artificiais nà £o produzira o resultado esperado de aprendizado, pelo contrario, pode confundir o aluno na hora em que a este forem requeridas a compreensà £o ou comunicaà §Ãƒ £o na là ¬ngua alvo. Rivers (1975) faz objeà §Ãƒ £o a afirmativa de que se ao aluno forem ensinadas a leitura, a escrita e a gramatica de uma maneira adequada, ele aprendera a falar rapidamente, de maneira fluente e natural, no momento em que se encontrar numa situaà §Ãƒ £o em que o uso oral da là ¬ngua lhe seja importante. Analisando o aprendizado, de uma forma geral, nà £o podemos deixar de constatar que e essencial o interesse do aluno. Sera uma tarefa ardua e inglà ³ria tentar desenvolver algum tipo de habilidade em alguem que nà £o sente empatia pelo assunto a ser estudado; ela deve ser despertada. Nerici (1985, p.12) afirma que o conhecer algo traz como consequà ªncia empatia acompanhada de um agir responsavel em relaà §Ãƒ £o a esse mesmo algo. Ao entrar em contato com o universo que e a là ¬ngua estrangeira, e neste caso, com o auxà ¬lio da mUsica, o aluno tende a se aprofundar, por empatia, no conhecimento e na aquisià §Ãƒ £o gramatical, lexical, cultural da L.E. . Aos poucos, este educando vai ampliando seu conhecimento, promovendo assim seu efetivo aprendizado. Nà £o se trata apenas do conhecer informal, mecAnico, mas de um conhecimento vivo. Atraves de metodos, analises e releituras de formas de ensino, nà ³s professores podemos criar uma ponte entre o aluno e o conhecimento, de uma maneira agradavel, interessante e ampla. A realidade que nos deparamos quando observamos alunos dentro do contexto escolar por vezes e preocupante. Existem educandos que sà £o naturalmente propensos ao estudo e ao desenvolvimento de uma L.E. Mas sà £o alguns. Deparamo-nos com um grupo que e falante de uma mesma là ¬ngua materna, porem com propà ³sitos e motivaà §oes e interpretaà §oes particulares. (Brown, 2001). Se os educandos hoje sà £o ecleticos, e o que os norteia tem diferentes cores e formas, nà ³s, enquanto professores, precisamos encontrar um ponto em comum, ou pelo menos, tentar desenvolver atividades que mantenham a dinAmica da aula e proporcionem a aquisià §Ãƒ £o da là ¬ngua estrangeira. A interaà §Ãƒ £o entre a sua abordagem e a atividade em sala de aula e a chave para o dinamismo no ensino. Os melhores professores sempre correm alguns riscos calculados em sala de aula, tentando uma ou outra atividade nova. [3] (Brown, 2001 p.40). A proposta e a abordagem de exercà ¬cios que usam   esta estrategia para exercitar a memà ³ria (aquisià §Ãƒ £o de vocabulario); as habilidades cognitivas (raciocà ¬nio e significado de expressoes); e afetivas (simpatia pelo grupo e/ou cantor). Nà £o se trata mais de privilegiar a gramatica ou a comunicaà §Ãƒ £o, mas de promover o conhecimento e o reconhecimento de si e do outro. Brown (2001) sugere que o professor motive os seus alunos por meio de atividades que desenvolvam compreensà £o, autoconfianà §a, interesse pela là ¬ngua e cultura. Segundo Rivers (1987) a mUsica promove interaà §Ãƒ £o nà £o somente do aluno-aluno, mas tambem do professor-aluno. Ha uma troca de conhecimentos e discussà £o sobre determinado aspecto, dentro da mUsica que esta sendo utilizada em determinado exercà ¬cio. Atividades musicais tà ªm a capacidade de promover e desenvolver quatro estagios ou habilidades: preparaà §Ãƒ £o, compreensà £o, expressà £o e reaà §Ãƒ £o. e por esse motivo   que e um recurso que promove resultados satisfatà ³rios tanto para   o professor quanto ao aluno. O uso de mUsica e canà §oes de maneira organizada, com letras de facil interpretaà §Ãƒ £o e com pouca repetià §Ãƒ £o descansa o grupo de alunos, quando eles està £o envolvidos em atividades gramaticais, por exemplo. Ha tambem outro fator importante que e a motivaà §Ãƒ £o. O educando que esta motivado com determinado exercà ¬cio tem melhor resultado. Rivers (2000, p.95) afirma que ha um elemento motivacional especà ¬fico no ensino de mUsicas em là ¬ngua estrangeira. Em inglà ªs, que e a là ¬ngua da mUsica pop, este fator motivacional e evidente. [4]   De fato, a mUsica da acesso à   parte reacional do aluno, fazendo-o sentir o que esta sendo dito ou a mensagem que se esta passando atraves da letra. (Rivers, 2000). A mUsica e uma das maneiras que usamos para nos exprimir e interagir com o outro. E por ser uma ferramenta poderosa de comunicaà §Ãƒ £o, e possà ¬vel usa-la no aprendizado da là ¬ngua, para facilitar a compreensà £o e a absorà §Ãƒ £o do insumo de conhecimento teà ³rico. A tecnologia eletrà ´nica, atualmente, facilita de forma ampla o uso da mUsica em sala de aula, pois hoje, e muito facil ao aluno e ao professor disporem de aparelhos portateis, ou ainda, ter acesso a uma vasta e diversificada quantidade de mUsicas via internet. No entanto, toda essa diversidade musical deve ser usada de maneira direcionada. Do contrario, o aprendizado com a mUsica passara a ser sà ³ mais uma aula com mUsica. Quase um passatempo. Existem diversas formas musicais. Dentro dessas formas, distribuem-se os varios gà ªneros. A escolha do gà ªnero mais adequado para um resultado satisfatà ³rio no aprendizado e absorà §Ãƒ £o por parte do aluno e de extrema relevAncia. Ferreira (2009 p.25) ressalta que hoje sabemos a relaà §Ãƒ £o à ¬ntima que a mUsica tem, por exemplo, com disciplinas como a arte (em geral), a là ¬ngua (portuguesa, inglesa, italiana, latina etc), a histà ³ria, a matematica, a fà ¬sica [. . . ] Trata-se de uma arte extremamente rica e que dispoe de farto e vasto repertà ³rio, acessà ¬vel em qualquer lugar no nosso planeta. No entanto, quando nos propomos a usar a mUsica associada a uma outra disciplina, que nà £o a prà ³pria arte musical e suas caracterà ¬sticas, constatamos que o aluno associa essa atividade ao lazer e diversà £o e nà £o especificamente ao aprendizado. Nà £o e incomum os educandos nà £o levarem as aulas com mUsica a serio, o que pode causar desordem e barulho, atrapalhando inclusive salas vizinhas. Esta constataà §Ãƒ £o nà £o e notada somente nos alunos; o prà ³prio professor pode ter influenciado este tipo de comportamento, ao tratar atividades com mUsica, nas aulas de inglà ªs, de maneira inapropriada. Para que problemas provenientes da falta de organizaà §Ãƒ £o e inabilidade sejam evitados, a mUsica que sera usada nas aulas deve ser cuidadosamente avaliada; da mesma forma que seu conteUdo e qualidade do audio. Sons baixos, ruidosos, gravaà §oes de baixa qualidade e de difà ¬cil compreensà £o mais incomodam que auxiliam Canà §oes em inglà ªs, a exemplo de milhares de outras canà §oes, nà £o tà ªm a intenà §Ãƒ £o de ensinar a là ¬ngua inglesa. Para sua composià §Ãƒ £o, seus autores usam as mais variadas composià §oes linguà ¬sticas e recursos estilà ¬sticos, expressoes idiomaticas, gà ¬rias, para expressar um ponto de vista, um aspecto cultural, fazer um protesto contra injustià §a social ou polà ¬tica. E toda essa combinaà §Ãƒ £o permite-nos introduzir o aluno na cultura da L2. Tomemos, como exemplo, um trecho retirado da mUsica Crazy[5], do grupo norte-americano Simple Plan. Tell me whats wrong with society. When everywhere I look I see. Young girls dying to be on TV. Wont stop til. Theyve reached their dreams. Diet pills, surgery. Photoshop pictures in magazines. Telling them how they should be. It doesnt make sense to me Nestas duas estrofes podemos encontrar aspectos culturais atuais: (Garotas morrendo para aparecem na TV[6]); podemos abordar o uso de contraà §oes, muito comuns na là ¬ngua falada (Whats, til);   alem de explicar ou mesmo retomar os Modal Verbs (Does/doesnt, Will/wont).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Para que a mUsica, uma forma de linguagem que apresenta em sua composià §Ãƒ £o aspectos complexos, seja usada com sucesso, o professor deve dedicar-se ao seu estudo, procurando compreendà ª-la, considerando os sons e ritmos variados, ou seja, a sua amplitude. Este professor deve estar disposto a aceitar o desafio, vencer a timidez, caso nà £o o tenha feito ainda, de usar e disponibilizar tanto a tecnologia, quanto de seu prà ³prio talento musical. Deve explorar e desenvolver atividades musicais a fim de ampliar aspectos culturais, como expressoes idiomaticas, gà ¬rias, abreviaà §oes e coloquialismos. E ficar atento aos resultados que o uso de mUsicas em sala de aula pode lhe proporcionar. Nà £o se trata de aprofundamento na teoria musical, ou suas raà ¬zes e histà ³ria. A proposta aqui e fazer uma ponte entre a disciplina de là ¬ngua inglesa e a mUsica. A mUsica alem da arte de combinar sons, e uma maneira de exprimir-se e interagir com o outro, e portanto, devemos compreendà ª-la. (Ferreira, 2009). 3 Inteligà ªncias MUltiplas na sala de aula Inteligà ªncia musical A escola com a qual trabalhamos hoje passa por mudanà §as significativas a cada dia. Sà £o novas tecnologias, novas metodologias. O aluno esta muito mais crà ¬tico ao aprendizado, e fà ³rmulas muitas vezes usadas nas salas de aulas nà £o dà £o mais o mesmo resultado. A escola que nà ³s educadores visualizamos busca estimular o profundo entendimento dos alunos a utilizarem conhecimentos adquiridos para resolverem tarefas e problemas com os quais se deparam na comunidade e ambiente em que vivem (Gardner, 1993 apud Armstrong, 2001). O aluno hoje, nà £o deve aprender somente teoria. Ele deve usar toda a informaà §Ãƒ £o adquirida em prol de seu desenvolvimento e inserà §Ãƒ £o num mercado cada vez mais global. Mas para que esse convà ¬vio real, numa sociedade bilà ¬ngue aconteà §a, a escola de hoje tem a missà £o de mediar ou auxiliar esse aluno. O està ¬mulo ao uso e compreensà £o da L2 deve acontecer de forma familiar. Isso evitara o fracasso do professor, e derrubara problemas inerentes à   abordagem sou obrigado a aprender uma L2, discurso muito comum encontrado hoje em dia. A proposta e o uso de algum mecanismo que faà §a esse aluno se sentir familiarizado com tanta mudanà §a à   sua volta. Na Europa Oriental, ha vinte e cinco anos, pesquisadores em educaà §Ãƒ £o descobriram que os alunos conseguiam gravar mais informaà §oes na memà ³ria se escutassem a exposià §Ãƒ £o da materia, pelo professor, com sons musicais ao fundo. E se a mUsica promove este conforto e sucesso, essa descoberta e uma forte aliada para qualquer professor de là ¬nguas. Porem nà £o podemos desconsiderar que quando falamos do uso da mUsica, tambem temos outros fatores envolvidos em resultados satisfatà ³rios. Ha alunos que, naturalmente, sà £o predispostos à   linguagem musical. Sà £o aqueles que tà ªm uma aptidà £o nata à   mUsica. Neste caso, o uso desta linguagem para o aprendizado tera excelente resultado, pois estarà £o envolvidos alem da aquisià §Ãƒ £o de conhecimentos, o fator emocional, o prazer, a receptividade. Quanto aos educandos que nà £o possuem uma inteligà ªncia musical nata, se houver o desenvolvimento de atividades que propiciem integraà §Ãƒ £o e comprometimento no aprendizado, os resultados tambem serà £o satisfatà ³rios. Isso vale tambem para desenvolver tal habilidade em educadores, se estes se considerarem nà £o possuidores de inteligà ªncia musical. Devemos lembrar que ao falar de atividades com mUsica nà £o estamos considerando somente o cantar em grupo, ou mesmo, repetir palavras dentro de um contexto. Estamos abordando tecnicas e exercà ¬cios de concentraà §Ãƒ £o, predisposià §Ãƒ £o e relacionamento com uma determinada atividade linguà ¬stica. Nà £o e tarefa facil definir padroes de enquadramento, para se chegar num consenso se um aluno e ou nà £o possuidor de inteligà ªncia musical[7]. E tambem o objetivo principal e o aprendizado atraves da mUsica, resultando em desenvolvimento pessoal e intelectual. e importante sempre considerar que o mais importante em qualquer tipo de aula, ou atividade diferenciada, que se desvie do padrà £o e o resultado para a pessoa do aluno. Antes de levarmos adiante qualquer tipo de modelo de aprendizagem em um ambiente de sala de aula, baseado tambem, dentre tantas outras consideraà §oes, na inteligà ªncia musical, devemos primeiro aplica-lo a nà ³s mesmos como educadores. Armstrong (2001) nos adverte que um passo importante no uso da Teoria das Inteligà ªncias MUltiplas e determinar a natureza e a qualidade das nossas prà ³prias inteligà ªncias mUltiplas, buscando maneiras de desenvolvà ª-las na nossa vida. Somos educadores, mas tambem somos aprendizes. A melhor maneira de avaliar o desempenho de nossos alunos, e explorar de forma significativa as inteligà ªncias e examinando de maneira realista nosso desempenho diante das tarefas que propomos aos nossos alunos. Em vez de realizar tarefas com os alunos, podemos desempenha-las juntamente a eles. Por exemplo, podemos propor um teste, cujas perguntas se enquadrem numa avaliaà §Ãƒ £o das inteligà ªncias separadamente. A partir das respostas, alem de conseguirmos entender mais profundamente a sala, poderemos explorar e despertar o interesse dos alunos, de forma interpessoal. Perguntas como Aprender uma là ¬ngua estrangeira (inglà ªs) e relativamente facil para mim? ou Ouà §o as palavras em minha cabeà §a antes de là ª-las, fala-las ou escrevà ª-las? para medir a Inteligà ªncia linguà ¬stica; ou mesmo Minha vida seria mais pobre se nela nà £o houvesse mUsica? e ainda Conheà §o a melodia e a letra de muitas mUsicas? para medir a Inteligà ªncia Musical seria um exercà ¬cio revelador e envolvente para toda a sala. A teoria das inteligà ªncias mUltiplas e um modelo atrativo e interessante para nos auxiliar. Ela serve para avaliarmos a sala, como um todo, mas a nà ³s mesmos, pois nos desafia a superarmos nossas prà ³prias dificuldades e limitaà §oes. Armstrong (2001 p.32) orienta-nos da seguinte forma: Se vocà ª nà £o tem ideias para levar a mUsica à   sala de aula porque sua inteligà ªncia musical e pouco desenvolvida, pense em pedir ajuda à   professora de mUsica da escola ou a um colega com inclinaà §oes musicais. Cada aluno tem inclinaà §oes diferentes nas inteligà ªncias mUltiplas. Portanto, sabemos que determinados exercà ¬cios que usam ritmos e cAnticos serà £o bem aceitos por uns e rejeitados por outros. Devido a essa diferenà §a inerente a qualquer grupo heterogà ªneo, o professor pode usar estrategias variadas para a mesma aula. Aquele aluno que tem inclinaà §oes mais fà ¬sicas e verbais, por exemplo, podera nà £o se interessar por atividades musicais, mas apreciara exercà ¬cios do tipo preencha as lacunas ou complete o restante que falta na frase e assim por diante. Ja à  queles que apreciam o ritmo e a melodia, sera interessante exercà ¬cios orais e repetià §Ãƒ £o de expressoes e estruturas complexas, por exemplo, os phrasal verbs ou tempos verbais. Ao falar do exercà ¬cio da inteligà ªncia musical, Alvarez (2002) remete-nos ao fato de que tanto na Idade Media quanto no Renascimento, a mUsica ja era considerada um dos quatro grandes pilares da aprendizagem, juntamente à   geometria, a astronomia e a aritmetica. Armstrong (2001 p.83) reforà §a sua importAncia, relatando-nos que por milhares de anos, conhecimentos foram transmitidos de geraà §Ãƒ £o em geraà §Ãƒ £o por meio de mUsicas ou cAnticos. No seculo XX, os publicitarios descobriram que os jingles musicais ajudam as pessoas a lembrar o produto de seu cliente. Os educadores, todavia, demoraram mais para reconhecer a importAncia da mUsica na aprendizagem. Como resultado, a maioria de nà ³s tem milhares de jingles musicais comerciais na memà ³ria a longo prazo, mas relativamente poucas mUsicas relacionadas à   escola. Podemos ate criar um ritmo moderno, um rap ou um cAntico, associado à   aula que queremos explanar. Por exemplo, se colocarmos um ponto central que queremos ensinar numa aula expositiva, de forma rà ¬tmica, com repetià §oes, a sala toda podera se envolver tanto no conteUdo quanto no ritmo. Esse exercà ¬cio e muito comum entre os alunos, e sà ³ observar alunos cantarolando mUsicas e palavras em inglà ªs, nos corredores das escolas. Outro exercà ¬cio e convidar os alunos a criarem seus prà ³prios jingles ou canà §oes sobre o tema a ser estudado. Esse exercà ¬cio ajudara os alunos a sintetizarem a materia e a aplicaà §Ãƒ £o dos significados aprendidos, alem de proporcionar uma atmosfera mais descontraà ¬da e emocional para a aula. Se o professor tocar algum instrumento de percussà £o, ou qualquer outro instrumento musical tambem sera uma à ³tima contribuià §Ãƒ £o para bons resultados. Alem disso, podemos encontrar frases musicais, ou trechos de canà §oes que resumam algum ponto essencial da materia estudada. Tambem e possà ¬vel falar sobre literatura, usando ritmos opostos para sugerir situaà §oes mais calmas ou tensas, da peà §a Romeu e Julieta de Shakespeare, por exemplo. Armstrong (2001). Essas estrategias oferecem um grau de amplitude e criatividade consideraveis tanto para os alunos, quanto para os professores. O desafio maior   aqui e vencer a resistà ªncia quanto à   timidez e o envolvimento com o grupo que se esta trabalhando. 4 Traduà §oes e Versoes Existem hoje diversas formas, com resultados satisfatà ³rios, de se trabalhar com a mUsica em sala de aula. Podemos citar os exercà ¬cios mais comuns de preencha as lacunas em branco ate praticas mais elaboradas de traduà §oes. Atualmente e muito facil encontrar mUsicas na internet, que dispoem de traduà §oes. Isso pode ser considerado uma à ³tima estrategia de ensino pela facilidade e disponibilidade tanto para o professor quanto para o aluno. Considerando essa disponibilidade tecnolà ³gica, acessà ¬vel ate para as escolas de menor poder aquisitivo, podemos trabalhar uma analise de letras de hinos, poesias cantadas, canà §oes (esta Ultima muito mais comum e de facil traduà §Ãƒ £o). Nà £o podemos negar que muito do que e traduzido aos alunos, provem de nossa prà ³pria experià ªncia como professores ou tradutores. Porem, existem traduà §oes que sà £o verdadeiras perolas para a compreensà £o. Vejamos o exemplo da mUsica Im not dog no, de Falcà £o e Tarcà ¬sio Matos, uma versà £o do portuguà ªs para o inglà ªs da canà §Ãƒ £o Eu nà £o sou cachorro nà £o[8], de Waldick Soriano. A mUsica foi traduzida ao pe da letra. Sabemos que foi intencional, porem, com o uso desta canà §Ãƒ £o, o professor podera trazer à   tona erros que devem ser evitados ao lidar com letras e traduà §oes, e assim explicar expressoes idiomaticas e coloquialismos. Im not dog no, for live so humbleIm not dog no, for you be so very farYou dont know understand who is love, who is likeE eu ja estou querendo stay hereAnd so there I go away Eu nà £o sou cachorro nà £o, para viver tà £o humilhado Eu nà £o sou cachorro nà £o, para vocà ª estar tà £o longe Vocà ª nà £o sabe entender o que e amar, o que e gostar E eu ja estou querendo ficar aqui E assim, la eu ir embora As mUsicas de carater humorà ¬stico servem para descontrair a aula, alem de tornar o aprendizado atraente para a maioria dos educandos, sejam eles das mais variadas idades. Os alunos passam a aprender e adquirir conhecimento nà £o somente observando os acertos e construà §oes linguisticamente corretas, mas notando ou localizando os erros. Duas pessoas diferentes nà £o interpretam ou entendem um trecho exatamente da mesma maneira. A personalidade, experià ªncia e a referà ªncia de memà ³rias farà £o com que esta interpretaà §Ãƒ £o varie de aluno para aluno (Rivers, 2000). A contribuià §Ãƒ £o, por exemplo, que teremos ao interpretar uma mUsica, como exercà ¬cio em sala de aula, sera outro fator motivacional e por que nà £o dizer, uma promoà §Ãƒ £o à   relaà §Ãƒ £o   interpessoal   entre   o grupo, pois cada aluno trara uma versà £o diferente de um mesmo trecho de mUsica. MUsicas e canà §oes usadas como atividades conduzem naturalmente ao aprendizado ou aperfeià §oamento da là ¬ngua estrangeira. A pronUncia e entonaà §Ãƒ £o sà £o assimiladas com facilidade atraves de canà §oes na là ¬ngua alvo. Alem disso, segundo Rivers (2000, p.160) trabalhar com mUsica pop pode envolver quanto à   leitura sobre o cantor/cantora, acompanhar entrevistas com o cantor/cantora no radio ou TV, assistir os và ¬deos ou cantar as mUsicas[9]. O aluno, ao ser motivado a aprender as palavras, podera exercitar atividades diferentes sozinho e depois compara-las à  s dos colegas de classe. O professor inclusive pode se valer desta iniciativa do aluno e fornecer-lhe a mUsica com os espaà §os em branco para completar. 4.1   A TECNOLOGIA NA SALA DE AULA Quando alguem fala no uso de tecnologia e mUsicas em sala de aula, logo pensamos em computadores, ou nas aulas de computaà §Ãƒ £o na sala de multimà ¬dia da escola. A questà £o e que, tudo que nà £o seja cad

Neural Networks Essay -- Artificial Intelligence Technology

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The Effects of September 11 essays The Effects of September 11, 2001 on the United States of America September 11, 2001 was a typical Tuesday morning for most of the United States. People were about their everyday lives. Workplaces were carrying on typical business, classrooms were filled with students. No one was aware that within the next twenty-four hours their lives would be changed forever. Or would it? Everyone knows the story. At 8:46 in the morning, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Seventeen minutes later United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the North Tower. America was in complete shock and confusion. Was this all an accident or was it part of a large scale attack? That question was answered with much clarity when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the United States defense headquarters - the Pentagon. America fell under attack on its home soil for the first time since World War II. Thousands of lives were lost; others were left asking questions th at had no answers yet. America was left facing uncertainties, left never to be the same. Or is it? Throughout the history of our country the American people have risen to the occasion in times of need. During the World Wars, people went to the factories in order to supply troops with the proper materials needed for war. People gave up certain items of food different days of the week in order to send more to their troops. Towns and communities stopped their everyday activities, went to their local churches and prayed for the safe return of the soldiers at war. America saw the same uniting in the early nineties during Operation Desert Storm. When our country is in need the American people are faithful to stand in the gap. On the evening of September 11, President George W. Bush addressed the American people stating that Freedom itself had fallen under attack. He also said, "Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose ...

Cameroon, Africa Essay Example

Cameroon, Africa Essay Example Cameroon, Africa Essay Cameroon, Africa Essay Essay Topic: Apocalypse Now Cameroon Cameroon is a beautiful country that is located in Western Africa. It lies Just north of the Equator on the Gulf of Guinea and is bordered by Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon. Cameroon consists of various ethnic groups, and speaks many different types of language. Cameroon is filled with forests, hills and plateaus. It also includes some of the highest mountains in the world. Cameroon has a warm temperature year round, but affected by the worst rainstorm during the winter. However, the economy in Cameroon is on a slow pace incline since 2007. Despite the lacking in development of technology in Cameroon, Cameroon has plenty of natural resources such as bauxite, petroleum, iron ore, and timber. The agricultural side productions are cocoa beans, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, and grains. Agriculture contributes the most in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Cameroon and there are plenty opportunities available that can benefit its economy. Cameroon expands from Mount Cameron to Lake Chad. This region includes plateaus, hills and mountains. Also Mount Cameroon, which is the highest point in the country, it is located near the west coast. It arises to a height of 13435 feet above sea level. Lake Chad is located at the northern region of Cameroon. This region includes volcanoes, lakes, and plateaus. The main rivers in Cameroon are Ntem, Sanga, Nyonga and Wouri. These rivers flow into the Gulf of Guinea. The smaller rivers in Cameroon are Dja and Kadei, it flows into the Congo River. Temperature in Cameroon varies in different regions. The temperature is varied from the northern to the southern part of Cameroon. The coastal plains usually experience hot and humid conditions. The temperature in the northern part of Cameroon is more comfortable han the southern region, simply because northern is covered by mountains and hills. The average temperature in the northern region ranges from around 73 degrees to 79 degrees. On the other hand, the southern region of Cameroon is typically dry. The dry season in the southern area is generally from November to March, and also June to August. The average rainfall along the coast generally ranges between 250 cm to 400 cm. On the other hand, the western slopes of the Mountain Cameroon usually experience rainfall from 600 cm to 900 cm. Cameroon gained its independence on January 1st 1960 from France. Now in 2012, the Population in Cameroon is estimated around 21 which puts them as number fifty-eight in populations by the United Nations. The roads in Cameroon are harsh, there are about 50,340 miles of road and only about 3,358 miles are paved. The government in Cameroon had recently repaved the used roads to be able to connect between agricultural areas and commercial shipping centers. The major road that is used most by people is the highway that connects the capital Yaound? © and Douala. Culture is very important in Cameroon and that is what made Cameroon of what it is today. Cameroons population is made of several groups of ethnic people, such as Bamileke, Bamoun, the Bassa and Douala. Those ethnic groups are considered as the coastal tropical forest people. In the southern region of Cameroon, the ethnic groups groups of inhabitants that account for the majority of the population in Cameroon, such as the Fulani, Kirdi and the Highlander Constitutes. Different ethnic groups have their own festivals, traditions and cultures. Some of the festivals celebrated in Cameroon are New Year, Christmas, Ascension, ld-al-Fitr, Eid Milad Nnabin, and Id-al- Adha. Ceremonies, social gatherings and festivals in Cameroon are incomplete without music and dancing. Music plays a huge role in part of any social event. Stomping of feet and clapping of hands are the old fashion dance moves. Musical instruments vary from one ethnic group to another. People play various instruments such as whistles, drums, flutes, and clappers. Some of the popular music styles in Cameroon are ambasse bey of Bassa, tsamassi of Bamileke, mangambeu of Bangangte. Another part of Cameroons culture is their religious beliefs. There are many types of religion that are established in Cameroon, about forty percent of its population practice Christianity. Forty percent practice its indigenous religion or othing at all. Lastly, twenty percent are nominal Muslims. The Fulani groups that are inhabited in the north of Cameroon are mainly Muslim, as well as the group of Bamouns and Kirdis, who are living in the western provinces. The Kirdis had traditionally practiced indigenous religion of Cameroon. They often had conflict with the Fulanis. Today, many of the Kirdis are now converted to Muslim. One more aspect of the culture of Cameroon is agriculture. Agriculture plays a major role in Cameroon. Agricultural is the main source of Cameroons Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The production of cocoa beans is one of the largest among the world. Cameroon produced almost 130,000 tons of cocoa beans in 2004. There are other fields of agriculture such as cotton and production of bananas. The growth of bananas are mainly produced in the southwest region of Cameroon, simply because it is warmer in the south. The estimated production of bananas is about 630,000 tons per year and the production of cotton was estimated about 109,000 tons. Cameroon gained its Independence on January 1st 1960. In1955, Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) begins an armed struggle for independence and a union ith British Cameroon. France denied Independence for French Cameroon until 1960 because France wanted a union with all its colonies called the French Union. Cameroon was united as one party in 1966 under Ahmadou AhidJo, the first president in Cameroon. They named themselves the Cameroon National Union (CNU). The Cameroon National Union lasted till 1990. Ahmadou AhidJo later resigns, as the president of Cameroon in 1982. After Ahmadou AhidJds presidency, President Paul Biya took over in 1983. Cameroon National Union was later renamed the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) in 1985 under president Biya. The presidents job is to appoint the ministers, vice-ministers, and local governors. Cameroon is a country that is divided into small provinces. Governors, who are appointed by the president, are the leader of those provinces. The provinces are then divided down into different departments, and then the departments are composed of subdivisions, which are led by assistant divisional officers. During the election in 2004, President Paul Biya was reelected with seventy percent of the vote. His opponents were John Fru Ndi, Adamou Ndam NJoya, and Garga Haman AdJi. The opposition parties looked t President Biya as a fraud. President Biyas second seven-year term extended has held office since 1982. In 2008, Biyas supporters in parliament passed constitutional amendments granting the president immunity for acts committed while in office and enabling Biya to run yet again in 2011 In February 2008, the government took strong a measure to reduce import tax on consumer goods that in turn reduced the pricing of food sold in the Cameroonian markets. In class, we watched the film The Last King of Scotland. Which we compare the treatment of w omen in Cameroon and treatment of women in Uganda. In the movie The Last King of Scotland, which is based on a true story, set in 1970 in Uganda. A young Scottish physician, named Nicholas Garrigan, is trapped into the plans of crucial dictator Idi Amin. In the film, we do not only witness the evil plots of Idi Amin, but we also see how the people in Uganda treated women of the 1970s. In the film, when Dr. Garrigan arrives in Uganda, he is riding on a local bus to the camp where he is headed. Nicholas falls asleep on the bus, but a Ugandan woman wakes him at the last stop. When Nicholas wakes up, he makes sensual eye contact with the woman. The next scene shows Dr. Garrigan and the Ugandan woman are having sex. This is one example that shows that women in Uganda are very open; also it shows they are interested in white males. Prostitution is popular in Cameroon, but it is illegal. The Government in Cameroon is still having issues with prostitution. The reason is because Cameroon attracts sex tourism from the West, especially for child prostitution. The way that Cameroonians treat women is that they see women as property, an object, rather than human beings. We saw in the film that Idi Amin had three wives. The third wife, Kay Amins son has epilepsy. Idi Amin thought it is a curse, so he demands Kay and her son to live in a different house. This is an example that shows Idi Amin has no respect for women in the film and women are being treated as property. Due to the lack of respect and the way women were portrayed as property, there is no connection of love between husband and wife. In Cameroons civil rights law, marriage needed to be signed by both parties. Without both signatures, the marriage will be nullified. According to the information obtained in a 17 to 25 January 2004 fact-finding mission by the United Kingdom (I-JK) Immigration nd Nationality Directorate (ND), forced marriages were considered a big problem in Cameroon. Not only did Idi Amin have any courtesy for Kay Amin, he does not let any of his wives to assist him with political decisions. As a result, Kay felt lonely; the only person that makes her feel better was Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. Kay ends up having an affair with Nicholas. A woman in Cameroon does not have the same rights and privileges as men, and some laws were directed towards women. For exampl e, husbands in Cameroon have the ability to deny their wifes right to work or to find a job. Although many women in Cameroon are economically empowered and active in civil society, they often lack the opportunity to enter politics and participate in their countrys male-dominated political sector. Idi Amin knows the whole time that Dr. Garrigan is having an affair with his wife Kay. As a result, Idi orders his men to find Kay and dismember her. This shows how brutal Idi Amin is and his true nature. Violence towards women is generally high in Cameroon as well. Women are the most common victims of domestic violence. Spousal abuse is not legal grounds for divorce in Cameroon. These women were portrayed in an offensive way to make a point to human beings Just like males; they should not be the victims of violence by men. Women should have right to work or to find a Job, and not to be discouraged by their husband. In Cameroon, the law does not impose effective penalties against men who commit violence towards women. It is awful that the government is not enforcing the law to stop in abuse of women in Uganda and Cameroon. There are many responsibilities for both men and women in Cameroon. Men in Cameroon are responsible for money and assets such as land ownership and agricultural productions. Men are also more dominant than women and controlling. Women are responsible for home and children, such as cooking, cleaning and child rising. Many have a part time Job along with household duties. Women generally do not own any assets; their husband controls them. Girls are engaged very early for marriage. As early as 14 years old. A man can is allowed to have more than one wife. Women should be treated with respect and dignity. Females are human beings Just like males; they should not be the victims of violence by men. Women should have right to work or to find a Job, and not to be discouraged by their husband. In Cameroon, he law does not impose effective penalties against men who commit violence towards women. Also I think it is terrible that the government is not enforcing the law to stop in abuse of women. In the end, Women should never be portrayed as sex object or a property to another. Heart of Darkness is a novella written by British novelist, of Polish descent, Joseph Conrad. The main characters in the Heart of Darkness are Mr. Kurtz and Charles Marlow. The novel takes place mainly on the Congo River in the heart of the Africa country, the Congo. Charles Marlow is the captain owned by a steamboat of a trading company in Belgium. MarloWs mission is to find the mysterious man named Mr. Kurtz that he keeps hearing about. Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now is a movie that was released in 1979, inspired by the novel Heart of Darkness. The main characters in Apocalypse Now are Lieutenant Willard and Colonel Kurtz. There are many similarities and differences of incidents that can be found between the Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. In the film Apocalypse Now, the main character is Willard, who is a lieutenant for the United States Army that is sent into the Jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia. Willards mission is to locate and kill Colonel Kurtz. Meanwhile, in the Novella Heart of Darkness, MarloWs mission is to rescue Mr. Kurtz from the Inner Station on the Congo River. Mr. Kurtz is a major character in both the novel and movie. In the novel, Kurtz is an ivory trader that has gone insane throughout time due to the lack of civilization and contact with the outside world. He has developed a different lifestyle and has become a savage for ivory. Kurtz in the film, on the other hand is a colonel that becomes vicious and loses all of his morals. Kurtz in both the novel and movie becomes a psychotic rebel whom is worshipped as a god. Kurtz in both the movie and novella, begins his mission as a man of great idealism with high morals, but later on becomes a monster. The scene that is comparable in both the novella and movie is the attack of the natives. In Apocalypse Now, while Willard and his team are sailing up on the N?ng River, they are getting closer to Colonel Kurtz by the minute. The fog is extremely heavy; they cannot see a thing; neither can the audience. The fog is clearing away as and him are going. Chief, who is the man that is driving the boat, says to Willard you dont know where the hell you going, do ya? Apocalypse Now, Coppola). Chief becomes extremely nervous and filled with anxiety due to the fog and not knowing where his team and him are headed. He tells Willard, l cant see a thing Captain. Im stopping this boat. I aint risking no more lives (Apocalypse Now, Coppola). The next scene shows that Chief has become mad with the fact that Willard is not giving him an answer. Next thing you know, the na tives are attacking them along the shores. The natives have spears and are throwing them at the boat. Chief becomes a mad man and starts firing at the natives with the machine gun. One of the atives throws the spear and it goes through Chiefs chest. Chief then stares at Willard and proceeds to fall to the ground. Chief chokes Willard due to his anger towards him. I believe Chief blames Willard for his death. In self-defense, Willard puts Chief to a quicker death by suffocating him. In the novella, Marlow is heading deep in the Congo River along with the manager, the helmsman and the pilgrims. As they are drifting closer and closer towards the Inner Station to Mr. Kurtz, the crew hears loud cries and screaming sounds around them. The natives attacked the crew with arrows. The helmsman leaves the wheel nd starts shooting the natives with a rifle, and then stands yelling towards the natives on the shore. Helmsmans action eventually leads to his death, because he takes an arrow to the thigh. In the Heart of Darkness, The pilgrims had opened with their Winchesters, and were simply squirting lead into the bush. A deuce of a lot of smoke came up and drove slowly forward. I swore at it. Now I couldnt see the ripple or the snag either (Conrad, Page 65). Marlow, the steamboat captain, says this after the attack of the natives, in which Marlow cannot see the snag because of the smoke, creates by the gunfire. In the novella Heart of Darkness and the film Apocalypse Now, there are differences and similarities between the two pieces of work. Marlow and Willard are both on a mission for Kurtz, which leads to numerous events that happen along the ?ung/Congo River. The novella was more descriptive than the film, but the movie was more action packed and seemed to be more interesting than the novella. Both pieces of work have excellent insight into the madness of men in the Heart of Darkness and in Apocalypse Now. Cameroon is a country that is involved with many different physical, cultural and political characteristics. Cameroon has a great Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the production of coca beans and bananas. Cameroons whether has a huge advantage for agriculture, simply because it is not too hot or too cold for the most of the time. Cameroon is formed by several groups of ethnic people all over its country. With all the diversity in Cameroon, people will learn different language, culture and the style of food. Cameroon also lies next to the Gulf of Guinea, which is another advantage than other countries that are difficult to have an access to water. I believe Cameroon will be very successful in the next few years; it will be an outstanding country in Africa. Cameroon. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. 2007. Encyclopedia. com. (September 17, 2012). encyclopedia. com/doc/162-2586700085. html Cameroon. Philips World Factbook 2008-2009. London: Philips, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 16 September 2012. Women In Cameroon. Asafeworldforwomen. org. Safe World For Women, 14 Feb. 2011. web. 27 sept. 2012. 2010 Human Rights Report: Cameroon. Www. state. gov. U. S Department of State, 8 Apr. 2011. web. 25 sept. 2012. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print. Apocalypse Now. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. Paramount, 1979. Cultures of Cameroon. Travel. Mapsomorld. Compare Infobase Limited, n. d. Web. The Capital of Cameroon is Yaound? ©. The temperature is varied in the northern and southern part of Cameroon. The temperature in the northern region is ranged from around 73 degrees to 79 degrees. Southern region of Cameroon is typically dry. Mount Cameroon 13435 feet above sea level The Population in Cameroon is estimated around 21 Cultural Bamileke, Bamoun, Bassa, Douala, Ewondo, Bulu, Maka, Bakas, Fulani, Kirdi and the Highlander Constitutes. Forty percent of Cameroons population practices Christianity. Forty percent practice its indigenous religion or nothing at all. Twenty percent are nominal Muslims. Agriculture plays a major role in Cameroon The production of cocoa beans is one of the largest in the world. Cotton and production of bananas are also major sources of agriculture. Treatment of Women Nicholas Garrigan- trapped into the plans of crucial dictator Idi Amin. Idi Amin had three wives Idi Amin has no respect for women in the film and women are being treated as property. Forced marriages were considered a big problem in Cameroon Women in Cameroon are lack in participating in politics usband. Apocalypse Now Willard and his team seeking up on the N?ng River Fog was heavy, Willard had no idea where he was going Chief became extreme nervous with the fog The Natives began to attack the boat with spears Chief became a mad man and started firing at the natives Chief dies by spear through the chest Heart of Darkness Marlow was heading deep in the Congo River The crew hears loud cries and screaming sounds around them The natives attacked the crew with arrows The helmsman leaves the wheel and start shooting the natives with a rifle The helmsman dies by an arrow through the thigh

why the war came Essay Example

why the war came Essay Example why the war came Paper why the war came Paper Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era: David Herbert www. amazon. com Americas United States 19th Century David Herbert Donald, Lincoln biographer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has it ushered in the process of rethinking the Civil War that continues to this day. Together with a new preface and a thoroughly updated bibliographical essay, Why the North Won the Civil War by David Donald; Richard N Jstor www. Jstor. org/stable/40189706 By David Donald, ed. ; Richard N. Current; T. Harry Williams;. Norman A. Civil War is with us perhaps too much with us Donald will expand on this theme,. [PDF] Why the War Came_001 . f Groton Public Schools www. groton. kl 2. ct. us/ /filedownload. ashx? Why%20the%20War%20 Why the War Came: The Sectional Struggle over Slavery in the TerritorieLincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era: David Herbert www. amazon. com Americas United States 19th Century David Herbert Donald, Lincoln biographer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has i t ushered in the process of rethinking the Civil War that continues to this day. Together with a new preface and a thoroughly updated bibliographical essay, Why the North Won the Civil War by David Donald; Richard N Jstor www. Jstor. org/stable/40189706

Sexual Harassment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexual Harassment - Assignment Example Ned is misusing this authority and asking Maria to give her sexual favors which is illegal. The case would have been illegal if Ned was not a probation officer. With Ned as a probation officer, the case is both illegal and immoral. In this role, Ned has certain responsibilities towards the society and the justice system but he is misusing the situation. The best course of action would be to confront Ned. It is rumored that Ned has not done this for the first time. While previously Ned’s actions were just rumors, now there is concrete evidence against Ned. To deal with this situation, I would recommend calling Ned personally and mentioning the rumors. He should be made aware that some probationers have made complaints against him and those complaints would be called into accountability. The next step would be to call a meeting with all concerned parties in the institute. The case should be handed over to them so that they evaluate the situation more openly. I would not recommend approaching the regional supervisor personally. Rather a committee should be formed. This committee should take serious and strong action against Ned. It is clear that Ned should be terminated from the job immediately. Such an action is important to set an example on other probation officers. It is only because Maria has complained formally that the issue is getting attention. There would have been other probationers who would be wrongly used and taking serious actions would deter potential sexual harassment issues from arising. Inculcating the importance of developing a moral code of conduct with the probationers. The probation officer should be notified as to what constitutes an illegal or immoral act. The officer should be made aware of the implications of committing such acts; The institute should develop a zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment cases. Such cases should immediately be handled by

How do americans view morocco as a touristic destination Research Paper

How do americans view morocco as a touristic destination - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that Morocco, for its close proximity to Europe and Africa, and also for its colorful culture and geography, enjoys a considerable number of tourists from Europe and other parts of the world. Also, the Moroccan government has been taking aggressive steps to improve its position as a tourist destination. World Tourism Organization in Tourism Highlights 2011 reports that despite the occasional issues like Tsunami and earthquakes, there was a 5% growth in world tourism. As a result of these aggressive steps, the percentage of international tourists to Morocco rose by 18.8% between 2008 and 2010. Admittedly, the same trend was visible in the case of Americans too. As Kiesnoski (2008) points out, there was a 30% rise in the number of American tourists to Morocco on an annual basis; and it seems that though traditionally America had been hostile to Morocco, the situation is improving due to a large number of reasons. However, Morocco has to go a long way to become a po tential destination of tourism for Americans. Admittedly, Morocco has relatively good relations with the U.S. from of old. The nation is the oldest friend of America in the Middle East despite its non-NATO status. So, since 1957, the US Government has been working along with the Moroccan authorities to improve the lives of Moroccans. The second point that makes Morocco different from the Middle East nations is the different cuisine and traditions. It happened because Morocco has the relics of Arab, French, Spanish and Portuguese traditions. Probably, as a result of all these, one can see that nation is not as calamitous as its Middle East neighbors are. While other nations were turned upside down by citizens calling for revolution, and as the rulers of those nations retorted with military and weapon resulting in mass killings, Morocco witnessed peaceful agitations which are legally allowed and a peaceful referendum from the King offering limited monarchic power. In the opinion of Co skun (2011), another important point is that unlike other Islamic nations which want to end the rule of monarchs, many of the electorate in Morocco expressed total trust in the King. Thus, according to the Financial Times (2011) report, by adopting a constitutional monarchy like that of Spain or the UK, which is politically open and economically liberal, Morocco stands farther ahead of its Arab companions. The Potential of Morocco as a Tourist Destination Morocco always attracted backpackers for the diversity it offered. The very first element is the cultural tourism it offered. Tourists to Morocco get a chance to experience the various languages, cultures, dresses, and lifestyles (Oxford Business Group, 2007). As infoplease.com reveals, Americans have an affinity towards cultural sites and art galleries and museums. Nearly 30% of tourists from America chose such places in 2004 (International destinations of American tourists, 2004). Admittedly, there are eight UNESCO sites already in Morocco and another 20 sites are already in the consideration of UNESCO. That means traditions and cultures will remain as a matter of attraction in future too (Morocco, n.d). To illustrate, the one who reaches Morocco is perplexed by the large web of medinas. The medinas of Essaouira and Marrakech are examples. Another important factor that attracts tourists to Morocco is fine sandy beaches of Morocco. In other words, the beaches of Morocco are at least as beautiful as those in Europe. Thirdly, the nation also offers deserts, just like Africa. That means the one who wants to enjoy a ride on camel-back through the Saharan desert can do the same in Morocco. These elements are followed by mountains and colorful streets. Thus, it becomes evident that Morocco has everything as it is a perfect combination of various elements which make it a unique destination (Morocco: Department of Tourism,

Thermodynamic Cycle Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Thermodynamic Cycle Analysis - Coursework Example 2. You should set the initial conditions (green boxes) to reasonable values, explaining your choices. You should also explain the effects that increasing or decreasing these values have on the model. The initial conditions for density of air, ambient pressure, and ambient temperature for the engine have been input in the relevant green boxes in the excel file. The air pressure at sea level is 1.225 kg/m3, rounded off to 1.2 kg/m3 (Ahrens et al. 2012). This is at a temperature of 15Â °C (The Engineering Toolbox 2013). This air density is chosen because it is the density of air present at sea level. The ambient temperature is set at 300 K because this is generally taken as the average room temperature. The ambient pressure is chosen as 1.000 bar because the standard atmospheric pressure is generally indicated as 1 bar, which is equated to 100,000 Pa (Ahrens et al. 2012). Air density affects the pressure in the cylinder, ambient pressure affects the power generation and ambient tempera ture affects the efficiency of the engine. The effect of increasing the given value of air density would be that the pressure in the cylinder will increase for the compression ratio mentioned in the table. There will be more air to mix with fuel if the air density is high and therefore, there will be more power. Increase in the pressure at the same temperature will result in increase in power generation. Increasing the given value of ambient pressure will cause an increase in the maximum pressure in the cylinder. This will in turn increase the power and torque of the engine and vice versa. At low pressure, the air per cubic meter is lesser due to lesser pressure. This will lead to a reduction in performance of the engine. This effect is dependent on the speeds, as shown by Shannak and Alhasan (2002). At a low speed of up to 2500 rpm, volumetric efficiency and fuel consumption of the engine are found to decrease at with decrease in ambient pressure. On the other hand, at a higher spe ed of 3000 rpm, engine performance is found to decrease with increase in atmosphere pressure. Furthermore, while it can be assumed that at higher pressure the power and torque of the engine increases, there are more structural loads on the car and the fuel consumption is also increased (Ayers 1997). If the ambient temperature is reduced, the efficiency of the engine will increase. Increase in the ambient temperature results in a reduction in the engine efficiency as well as output (Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc. 2008). All engines are known to have a better performance at lower temperatures (Ayers 1997). This will happen because reduction in ambient temperature will cause a higher energy transfer to the crankshaft. Thus, the energy loss will be reduced and the engine will have higher efficiency. 3. You now need to select suitable values for the polytropic index for compression and expansion (pink boxes) explaining your choices with reference to adiabatic, isothermal and pol ytropic processes and the differences between them. The suitable values for the polytropic index for compression and expansion have been input into the relevant pink boxes in the excel file. The values are given as 1.3 and 1.2 respectively for polytropic index of compression and polytropic index of expansion. The polytropic index of compression for petrol engines is generally reported as 1.3 (Huleihil and Mazor 2012). A polytropic index of 1 is considered isothermal while that of 1.4 is considered adiabatic (The Engineering Toolbox 2013). In our engine, the

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of Essay

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of atypical child development - Essay Example Genetic and environmental factors interact with varying degrees of plasticity to effect developmental change. To very briefly outline the stages, or milestones of a child’s growth from birth onwards, research has identified, physical, motor, cognitive. socio-emotional, language acquisition variables, and their mechanisms, along with speed and pattern of development in terms of both population and individual differences. In spite of minor variations due to cultural and environmental factors, there is wide agreement as to what could be seen as ‘gifted’ or super-normal development and, at the other end, sub-normal or less than optimal development and functioning of children. Such differences are likely to persist into adulthood. However, the term atypical development is used more in the context of sub-normal rather than super-normal populations. More recent research into the lower end of the scale in child development, which is a minority, and considered atypical under normal conditions, has concentrated on what have been identified as vulnerability and resilience factors. The motivation has been to identify, intervene, and actively improve the chances of accomplishment of a satisfactory life trajectory for those children identified as being in danger of failing to reach societal norms of everyday life. To emphasise the global spread of child development research and application, studies from the USA, Australia and South Africa within the last decade are cited in this essay; (Masten & Gewirtz (2006), Mutimer, Reece, and Matthews (2007), Theron (2006). Vulnerability in children is described as risk factors, both individual and environmental hazards, which tend to result in negative developmental outcomes. Among individual characteristics are, intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, in-utero experience of maternal drug use, physical disability, and a variety of genetic defects. Among the immediate environmental hazards are family

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Final paper - Essay Example Natural law is based on the independence of supernatural considerations and natural foundations. Natural law has two perspectives: the transcendental and evolutionary. The due process was developed to ensure that individuals had their rights and freedoms portrayed and that they had a fair trial in defending themselves in the court. The crime control method, was however, implemented to ensure that weak cases were finished up easily and discarded as soon as possible; the model ensures that bigger cases, which are important, would get more attention from the courts thus an earlier conviction (Dautrich and Yalof, 2012). The due process aims to ensure that a person in any contact with a criminal agency cannot have his/her rights refused minus the appropriate applicable legal measures. The basis of this model is that a person has some fundamental rights that are needed to be upheld by a criminal agency. The model has less faith in the justice system compared to the crime control method. However, the model is useful because it controls the forcible powers of the agencies; and if there is an error or mistake, the accused can defend them. Thus, the principal aim of the model is to create a system that the accused is assumed innocent until his/her guilt is proven by the court of law (Dautrich and Yalof 2012). The crime control model condemns a person for performing an action which is perceived to be criminal. The model prioritizes the conviction of individuals who have committed a crime yet they do not want the court system to decide them. The model is focused on conviction and innocent individuals may end up being convicted for the model to achieve its goal. The model comprises of some assumptions: justification of rights for the victimized, heavy dependence on the prosecutorial events and the deduction of guilt (Kraska 2004). The crime model is a conservative

Multi-Cultural and Political Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Multi-Cultural and Political Society - Essay Example In a political society like America, several interest groups are present, which are based on religious, racial, economic, political, or occupational (Ogene 24). Each of these groups always tries to place their self-interest ahead of their national interest which has been a major issue addressed by various scholars in the American society. Madison’s dilemma is the conception with the American political system, a system where people are at liberty to express their opinions and are given the privilege to petition the government on certain issues (Rosenau 46). In such system, pursuance of self-interest ahead of national interest is visible. The pursuance of self-interest ahead of national interest has been the concern of major stakeholder in the American polity. With the major actors stuck in the middle of whether to subvert self-interest group. A situation that would likely undermine the freedom of speech and rights of the citizens which portends the rise of an autocratic government that will degenerate into the oppression of the masses, or either maintains the political freedom operating in the system as being recognized in the democratic tenets. Nevertheless, granting political freedom to American populace would expose the system to circumstances that could hinder the growth of the political system (Rosenau 39). Interest groups in a democratic society are the various groups that seek to influence governmental decisions in a way to favor their interest (Ogene 12). They also help in the articulation and aggregation of interest in a way to make the decision-making process less cumbersome for political office holders. In the United States of America, there are different ethnic groups that are present due to their multi-ethnic and interracial background. Freedom of expression as a fundamental principle in a democratic system, allows the public to voice their opinion on various governmental policies.

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of Essay

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of atypical child development - Essay Example Genetic and environmental factors interact with varying degrees of plasticity to effect developmental change. To very briefly outline the stages, or milestones of a child’s growth from birth onwards, research has identified, physical, motor, cognitive. socio-emotional, language acquisition variables, and their mechanisms, along with speed and pattern of development in terms of both population and individual differences. In spite of minor variations due to cultural and environmental factors, there is wide agreement as to what could be seen as ‘gifted’ or super-normal development and, at the other end, sub-normal or less than optimal development and functioning of children. Such differences are likely to persist into adulthood. However, the term atypical development is used more in the context of sub-normal rather than super-normal populations. More recent research into the lower end of the scale in child development, which is a minority, and considered atypical under normal conditions, has concentrated on what have been identified as vulnerability and resilience factors. The motivation has been to identify, intervene, and actively improve the chances of accomplishment of a satisfactory life trajectory for those children identified as being in danger of failing to reach societal norms of everyday life. To emphasise the global spread of child development research and application, studies from the USA, Australia and South Africa within the last decade are cited in this essay; (Masten & Gewirtz (2006), Mutimer, Reece, and Matthews (2007), Theron (2006). Vulnerability in children is described as risk factors, both individual and environmental hazards, which tend to result in negative developmental outcomes. Among individual characteristics are, intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, in-utero experience of maternal drug use, physical disability, and a variety of genetic defects. Among the immediate environmental hazards are family

Multi-Cultural and Political Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Multi-Cultural and Political Society - Essay Example In a political society like America, several interest groups are present, which are based on religious, racial, economic, political, or occupational (Ogene 24). Each of these groups always tries to place their self-interest ahead of their national interest which has been a major issue addressed by various scholars in the American society. Madison’s dilemma is the conception with the American political system, a system where people are at liberty to express their opinions and are given the privilege to petition the government on certain issues (Rosenau 46). In such system, pursuance of self-interest ahead of national interest is visible. The pursuance of self-interest ahead of national interest has been the concern of major stakeholder in the American polity. With the major actors stuck in the middle of whether to subvert self-interest group. A situation that would likely undermine the freedom of speech and rights of the citizens which portends the rise of an autocratic government that will degenerate into the oppression of the masses, or either maintains the political freedom operating in the system as being recognized in the democratic tenets. Nevertheless, granting political freedom to American populace would expose the system to circumstances that could hinder the growth of the political system (Rosenau 39). Interest groups in a democratic society are the various groups that seek to influence governmental decisions in a way to favor their interest (Ogene 12). They also help in the articulation and aggregation of interest in a way to make the decision-making process less cumbersome for political office holders. In the United States of America, there are different ethnic groups that are present due to their multi-ethnic and interracial background. Freedom of expression as a fundamental principle in a democratic system, allows the public to voice their opinion on various governmental policies.

Growth and Future of Private Equity Essay Example for Free

Growth and Future of Private Equity Essay 1. Overview of Private Equity Private equity is an important source of funds for start-up firms, and firms in financial distress. This type of funding has gained great significance in the past two decades and as such is a relatively new concept. It is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world of corporate finance with extensive applications across all industry segments. Businesses across the globe depend on capital investment for their growth and survival. The capital investment is generally raised through public issues, financial institutions, loans from banking institutions, mutual funds, and lease financing options available in the market. Investment in start-up business venture has high risks associated where business returns are uncertain. Private equity broadly refers to investment in companies that are privately owned. This form of investment generally uses funds raised from pension funds, financial institutions and wealthy individuals for investing in high growth businesses or for acquiring businesses with higher rates of return. â€Å"The private equity market involves large block transactions, which are privately negotiated, generally involving unlisted companies† (Business Standard publication). This type of investment is not listed in the stock exchange and has become popular financing instrument for new business ventures. This kind of investment broadly covers management buy-outs and buy-ins, development capital and venture capital. Management buy-ins and buy-outs In this case private equity funds are used to purchase the company or controlling stake in it using debt and equity capital. Development capital – This form of investment generally refers to money borrowed for development or growth purposes. Capital borrowed under this category can be used for any organizational purpose ranging from financing new lines of production to ensuring smooth completion of on going projects. Venture capital – This refers to investment in new business ventures that has promising growth potential and higher financial returns. Private equity firms establish funds that raise capital from investors who form limited partners. The private equity firms, referred to as the general partners invest this capital along with funds collected from banking and other commercial institutions to buy businesses that have significant growth and increased profitability potential. The general partners have certain guidelines for selecting a company or business for acquisition. A business that combines the ability to generate cash, and significant market value along with a strong managerial team to steer growth in the desired direction is an ideal investment option. The general partners objective is to infuse well-planned growth strategies backed by a strong team to improve the company’s performance and generate higher returns on investment. This is accomplished through strategic advice, market analysis, restructuring of existing operational framework, change management strategies and financing. They make money from the cash flow of the acquired business and then sell them for profitable gains. The relationship is generally of a short-term nature ranging from three to ten years of ownership after which the proceeds are used to acquire another business or finance another venture. Once the company has grown in terms of valuation and profitability it is sold to a larger company or floated on a stock market. The private equity investment has its own cycle that is extended through long periods of activity to support sustained business growth and gains. Private equity firms raise funds every three to five years to fund specific activities within the acquired business. The best time for acquiring a business is when the markets and prices are low. Similarly the ideal time for exiting or selling stakes in the acquired business is when the prices are high to maximize gains from proceeds. Investments within a company are usually held for several years to give time to the business to mature and reach a stage of high profits and market value. The private equity market constitutes of the organized market and the informal market. The organized private equity market includes professionally managed equity investments in unregistered securities of private and public companies. Specialized firms and institutional investors provide professional management services that build on the company’s assets and managerial talent. The private equity managers have large ownership stakes in the business and get actively involved in the overall management of the company. These businesses are profit-building machines for them that are nourished and nurtured to provide higher returns on investment. Once the businesses are established and reap profitable returns they are either listed for public offers in the market or sold to larger companies for higher gains. The organized private equity market has four major players comprising of private equity issuers, intermediaries, investors, and the agents or advisors. The issuers comprises of firms that cannot raise financing in the debt market or the public equity market. These firms are relatively younger in comparison to other firms in the market and they seek to raise capital for new product development or technology to show very high growth rates in the future. These firms are still in the research and development stage. In some cases firms with years of operation in the market venture out to new technologies or lines of service also come into this bracket for financing needs. This segment has assumed great importance in the private equity market with rising statistics and more private equity investors taking active interest in their potential growth capacity and highly profitable ventures. High yields and increasing returns are one of the most attractive features of this market segment. Intermediaries comprise of nearly 80 percent of private equity investments. This market sector mostly constitutes of limited partnership firms managed by independent partnership organizations or by affiliates of financial institutions. This segment also includes small business investment companies, or publicly traded investment companies that account for marginal share of the private equity market. Investors comprise of the public and corporate pension funds forming the largest investor groups accounting for 40 percent of global capital out standings. Public pension funds are the fastest growing group of investors and have overtaken private pension funds in terms of amount of private equity holdings. Endowments, foundations, bank holding companies, and high net worth individuals accounting for almost 10 percent each of the total private equity funds follow the pension funds. The other investors include insurance companies, investment banks, financial investors, and non-banking financial institutions. Agents and advisors form a significant section of the private equity market. They are mainly referred to as the information producers, who place private equity, raise funds for private equity partnerships, and evaluate the feasibility of the partnerships for the potential investors. Their sole purpose is to reduce the cost of information gathering that is required for private equity investment. They facilitate the search of companies in need of private equity funding, and institutional investors who are willing to enter into partnership agreement. They advise on the structure, timing, and pricing of private equity issues and assist in the process of negotiation between the two parties. Their role assumes greater significance in the context of financial investors who are unfamiliar with the local market or economy.   In the informal private equity market unregistered securities are sold to institutional investors, where the number of investors is larger and minimum investments smaller than the organized private equity market. Investors in this segment are mostly insiders in the company who have stake in the company. The companies that are financed through private equity funds benefit in terms of better management and increased efficiency since the investors take active interest in monitoring and improvising changes for better financial performance. The private equity firms have access to specialized management expertise for acquired businesses. Moreover, the private equity managers conduct extensive market research and analyze the feasibility of business ventures from every angle to draw risk assessment and opportunities before deciding on investment. This equips them with indepth market knowledge to make well-planned strategic moves that can reap higher productivity and gains for the private equity investors. The concept of private equity dates back to the year 1946 with the establishment of the American Research and Development Corporation with the sole objective of providing financing to new and start up businesses in the private sector. It was setup as an institution that provided finance as well as management expertise to ailing organizations. Since then the private equity market has witnessed a booming presence across the globe especially in the last 15 years. The sector has generated profits of more than $430 billion for their investors between the years 1991 and 2006. The recent corporate trends in the private equity market have shifted towards consolidations and buyouts. This is mainly attributed to seeking good investments by private equity firms and the benefits of cost advantage and minimizing risks across various channels of distribution. The private equity firms look for companies that are market leaders in terms of product and service offering having a strong management team and high barriers to market entry, attractive growth opportunities and profit margins. The growth of private equity funds is evident with increasing investment in large number of private companies as well as taking public companies private. Private equity has played an important role in economic development contributing to enhanced productivity, competitiveness, and improved performance of businesses in the private sector. The private equity market in India has also grown from US$20 million in 1996 to US$1.75 billion in 2004. The country is emerging as the major market for private equity investments. 2. Growth of Indian Economy The Indian subcontinent having population of over 1.1 billion, diverse cultures, religion, and languages has one of the largest and successfully running democracies in the world. Post independence it has been successful in eroding poverty and illiteracy to a great extent. The low per capita income combined with fewer manufacturing industries and a service sector at the base level had labeled the country as poor and underdeveloped. The economy was primarily agrarian and lack of facilities and infrastructure posed great difficulties in its progress. Initially the government controlled everything from banks to major industries. Facing such extreme situation the country has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an annual growth rate of 8% in the last three years. It is also seen as the destination for information technology and global process outsourcing. Increased foreign investments and growth in real per capita income has transformed the economy largely over the last decade. Now India is a rapidly growing economy experiencing a fast growth rate in the past few years. The path of economic development and progress that India has taken is spectacular and has emerged the new market for the world with immense growth potential. Various economists have predicted that India will become a major economic power in the years to come. This is largely attributed to the rising Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the countries and the major economic transformation that has taken place in the countries recently. The Indian economy had very poor growth rate post independence with a predominantly agrarian economy and underdeveloped manufacturing and service sectors. Rise in privatization of various sectors paved the way for economic progress in the subsequent years. The government sought to implement policies to ensure overall development of the manufacturing and service sectors. These measures brought about major changes in the industrial landscape and economic growth rate accelerated. The annual economic growth rate was 5.5% in the 1980s. Industrial growth rate was recorded at 6.6% annually and 3.6% in the agricultural sector. The 1990s witnessed a rapid change in the economic growth and development with the liberalization of the economy. A GDP growth of 9% was observed in the 2005-06 and 9.5% during 2006-07. With rising GDP and increased investment the economy is poised for enhanced growth rate. The economy was largely boosted by growth in tourism, financial sectors, and manufacturing industries. It is now the fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. High growth rates in the industrial and service sector combined with a slump in the major economies across the world in the last few years have provided the Indian economy a boost. The mid 1990s saw a rise in the Information Technology sector in the country. The rapid penetration of computers and the Internet in nooks and corners of the country attributed largely to this rise. Moreover, the abundance of skilled professionals armed with latest technical know-how and the zeal to prove their abilities in this direction provided the necessary impetus. India soon became the hub of IT activities across the globe with surging demand for professionals from the country. Government reforms and policies provided the necessary infrastructure for the growth of this sector. This was a major achievement for the country. The growth in IT sector led to the rise in other associated service and industrial sectors contributing to overall development of the economy. Currently the service sector dominated by IT, financial services, and construction contributes more than 50% of the GDP. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is yet another arena contributing to overall economic development. This segment has attracted huge foreign investments into the country. A large portion of the Indian population comprises of young people. The educated young people have benefited the service sector with the availability of skilled labor and this contributed largely to the development of the country. Despite the slump in global economy that has hit hard some of the most developed economies like United States, Indian economy has remained immune to the effects of this recession. This is primarily due to the strong economic reforms adopted by the country. The low dependence of the economy on export trade is one of the reasons. The Indian economy is more driven by domestic demand than foreign investment. Moreover, the banking system has minimal exposure to foreign currency assets. This has rendered the economy relatively immune to the effects of the global slump. While other economies across the world are facing economic turmoil, India remains on steady footing. Being one of the fastest growing economies in the world India is attracting huge amounts of foreign investment. The total amount of foreign investment reached US$ 8.5 billion in the year 2006. Real GDP Growth Rate during 2003 to 2007   Ã‚   2003   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2004   Ã‚   2005    2006   Ã‚   2007 4.30% 8.30% 6.20% 8.40% 9.20% The chart shows the real GDP growth rate in percentage during the period 2003 to 2007. (Data collected from economywatch.com) The current GDP of the country is at 9.2% per annum that is quite an impressive figure. Growth of merchandise exports and rise in exports of services have strengthened the foreign reserves of the country. The major destinations for exports are United States, United Arab Emirates, and the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). The active participation of India in international commerce has created enough opportunities for economic growth and development. The impressive growth rates and statistics predict the emergence of a strong economy in the coming future. Economists predict that the Indian economy will become a super economic power in the next two decades. Some of the major development indicators of Indian economy are summarized below: High rate of savings, almost 32% of the GDP and higher rate of investment – approximately 34% of the GDP indicate accelerated growth rate. A young population of the country is another factor contributing to the overall economic growth and development. Highly educated masses contributing to skilled labor force is yet another factor contributing to the rise in the IT and BPO sector. Economic growth has created huge employment opportunities that have helped in reducing poverty considerably. Economic reforms and policies adopted by the Government of India towards social upliftment with particular stress on education, health, and infrastructure has greatly assisted the process of economic growth. 3. Issues facing the Indian Economy India may be reckoned as the emerging economic power of the future, but it has its share of challenges that need to be overcome. Lack of adequate institutional and infrastructure facilities may create bottlenecks in the growth and development of the economy. Since independence the country has faced huge challenges in its way to modernization and political, economic and social growth. Impediments in the form of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, poor health facilities, and socio-cultural barriers posed grave problems in its road to development. The fast rate of growth aided by effective economic reforms helped in overcoming these challenges to a great extent. Poverty and illiteracy were reduced considerably with adequate measures adopted in the form of Five-year plans implemented by the successive governments. The upliftment of the masses by creating employment opportunities and provision for free and compulsory education for all across the country did have significant effect on the economy. Infrastructure also received considerable attention in the development plans resulting in the emergence of a new and modern India. In spite of tremendous progress India still faces major challenges that need to be overcome if the country wants to become a superpower in the near future. The issues and challenges faced by the Indian economy currently are given below: Sustaining a growth rate of 8% per annum for the consecutive five years will be one of the biggest challenges for the Indian economy. The entry of companies and business ventures into the Indian soil requires extensive paperwork and legal procedures. Most foreign companies find it a little intimidating to enter the Indian market due to these reasons. Relaxation and simplification of the entry procedures will definitely work in the interest of the Indian economy. The huge population density of the country affects the gross per capita income of the country. The country’s economy is primarily agrarian but with rapid industrialization and governments boosting the service sector, agriculture has taken a backseat. The government needs to boost this sector as well giving it a more organized look.   Providing proper infrastructure to attract large scale foreign investment is much required for sustainable economic growth. The economy faces widespread problem of electricity supply, proper roads, and communication channels that can affect the economy adversely. Extending proper health care to all is another important issue facing the country. Health care has definitely improved over the past few years but it still remains inadequate by world standards. Poverty is still posing a stiff challenge to the economic growth and development. Inequality of wealth distribution is quite high across the country. Education is yet another challenge faced by the country. The government needs to implement effective policies and reforms to increase the overall standard of living of the poorer section and provide basic amenities to them. Reducing income inequalities along with social reforms are much required for overcoming these discrepancies faced by the Indian economy. The foreign direct investment has become a key feature of growing economic development and the focus of national development strategies in almost all countries across the globe. It is considered an important economic growth indicator that assists boost in domestic capital, productivity, and employment. It is considered to be the lifeblood of any economy. The Indian Government has initiated several promotional efforts to attract more foreign direct investment into the country in the form of private equity. There are several trends that are reinforcing traditional patterns in foreign direct investment across economies that include access to natural resources, markets, and low-cost labor. Globalization and liberalization of the economy added to the attraction of private equity funds in to the country. In addition to these economic factors the expansion in information and communication technologies, and improvement in logistics has greatly shaped the Indian economic attractiveness to foreign investors. Private equity investors across the globe are increasingly shifting their focus to India. Big names in private equity market across the globe like Blackstone Group, Texas Pacific Group, Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts, Carlyle Group, Actis Partners and General Atlantic Partners have ventured into the Indian markets in search of higher returns on investment. 4. Growth Trends of Private Equity in India The market for private equity in India has emerged quite recently. The private equity market grew from a US$ 20 million in 1996 to US$ 7.5 billion in 2006. The country is now reckoned as one of the top ten destinations for private equity investments. Investors across the globe are eyeing the growing Indian market that offers extensive investment opportunities. Local and foreign investors are eyeing the domestic market investment opportunities with increased interest. The major sectors of investor interest are the IT and BPO sectors that continue to dominate the economy but manufacturing concerns are not far behind. Investors are taking avid interest in this rapidly growing market parallel to the Chinese economy that has shown immense potential in the past few years. The rise in entrepreneurship, skilled workforce, rising percentage of people with fluent English speaking capability and the country’s status as the world’s largest democracy have greatly contributed to its rising economy. The private equity market has risen both in terms of greater number of deals and greater number of firms’ capitalizing on this increasing opportunity. The Indian private equity market also saw an increase in exits and improved liquidity in the recent years. The Asian market has largely been perceived as difficult for exits in the private equity sector. Investors are wary of the fluctuating market trends and risk proposition involved in capitalization of their funds. Unlike the Asian market the Indian market has been strengthening over the years this has attracted the investors greatly. The increasing liquidity of the market has played in favor of these investors providing higher gains and returns from public offer deals and trade sales. As per K.P. Balaraj, the Managing Director and co-founder of West Bridge Capital Partners, â€Å"In India, the markets are in their third or fourth year of a bull run. The companies have a number of avenues to raise money at low cost. There’s a lot of liquidity in the debt system. The IPO markets and capital markets are very strong in India, and there’s lot of appetite overseas for Indian securities.† The Indian market has gained the investors’ confidence due to the stable environment and growth statistics that has worked to its advantage in the past few years. The foreign investment growth in the private equity market is seen as yet another boost to this finance segment contributing to a market capitalization of more than US$ 3.56 million in the year 2005. The private equity funds invest mostly in unlisted companies that have good growth potential and cash out option through public offers. In some cases the private equity firms invest in both seed capital and development ventures that have potential high rates of returns on investment. According to a study conducted by Venture Intelligence, a Chennai based research firm, â€Å"Private equity firms invested a record $7.46 billion over 299 deals in India during 2006,† that is three times greater the previous year figures. The biggest deal clichà ©d in 2006 involved Idea Cellular, the fifth largest wireless operator in India, raising a funding of $950 million from a group of private equity investors that included Providence Equity Partners, ChrysCapital, and Citigroup. Another important deal involved Kohlberg Kravis Roberts that paid $900 million for 85% stake of Textronics Software. Warburg Pincus’s $300 million investment in the year 1999 in Bharti Tele-Ventures the largest mobile service provider in India was subsequently sold in several stages for $1.6 billion. This is considered one of the most profitable private equity deals in the country to date. These high rates of returns and attractive gains lured many foreign private equity investors to the Indian market. The tremendous growth of the private equity market in the country is largely attributed to a combination of country-specific factors that distinguish the Indian environment in terms of investment opportunities from other emerging markets across the globe. These factors include: Sustained rapid economic growth of 8% per annum over the past five years consecutively. Rising domestic consumer market of India has given rise to potential business opportunities. A well-established public equity market of India has given rise to increasing breed of private equity investors in the country. The Mumbai stock exchange dating back to 1875 has more than 6000 listed companies recording extensive trading volumes comparable to no other exchange in the world. A highly educated population combined with widespread knowledge of the English language provides a distinctive advantage. The skilled workforce has resulted in the rising development of certain sectors like information technology, business process outsourcing, software development, pharmaceuticals, and automobile components. The country has one of the oldest and largest democracies in the world running successfully across decades. The stable political scenario combined with an effective legal framework has provided the economy with sound base for development and growth. The distinctive advantages mentioned above have created a huge market for private equity funds investors. Private equity firms are investing in retail, manufacturing, healthcare, real estate, infrastructure, media, and telecom sectors in India. India is the second largest market for private equity firms in Asia after Japan. It has surpassed China and Singapore with large amounts of investment in private equity and venture capital in the year 2006. (Source: Indiaopportunitiesfund.com) Research conducted by global research firm Evalueserve suggest that India will receive almost US$ 20 billion private equity funding by the year 2010 making it one of the top ranking countries in the world in terms of private equity investment. The lucrative Indian market has attracted foreign private equity investors in the past couple of years. As per a market analysis report released by Venture Intelligence the foreign capital investment reached US$ 2.2 billion in the year 2005 that increased to US$ 5.4 billion in the year 2006. The market research and analysis conducted by Evalueserve reveals that the Indian market needs an in-depth understanding and evaluation for the investors in private equity market to maximize returns. The investors need to conduct proper market research, adopt subtle managerial skills, and instill patience in order to maximize gains since the market is unique in many aspects. The research shows that there are over 366 firms currently operating in the private equity market in India and another 69 are in the process of starting funding operations. These private equity firms have targeted to raise funds totaling US$ 48 billion for investment between July 2007 and December 2010. This predicted growth statistics may face challenges in the face of economic slowdown in India or a liquidity crunch in the economy. The first firm to initiate private equity investment in India was the Risk Capital Foundation set up in the year 1975. Till the year 1995 very few financial institutions provided capital for investment in private equity or venture capital sector. These institutions were the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI), Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), and Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI Bank). A number of private equity firms started raising capital from various international and domestic sources to invest in business ventures in the country. This market trend gained momentum during the period 1996 to 2000. The total amount of investment in the private equity and venture capital segment rose from US$20 million in 1996 to US$ 80 million in the year 1997. The market attracted increasing investment from foreign as well as domestic players largely due to the boom in the information technology sector. A crash in the market during the period of 2000 to 2003 brought down the levels of investment. The total number of deals in private equity finance reduced from 280 in 2000 to 110 in 2001. The economy recovered in 2003 and the market growth rate accelerated from 8% GDP to 9% annually. 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Number of deals 5 18 60 107 280 110 78 56 71 146 299 Value of deals 20 80 250 500 1160 937 591 470 1650 2183 7460 (Source data: Private equity market in India Evalueserve Market research report 2007) Out of a total GDP of US$ 910 billion in India in the year 2006 approximately US$ 7.5 billion accounted for private equity investment. This amounts to 0.8% of the total GDP. A comparative analysis of the private equity investment in other developed countries reveal that the percentage spent on private equity is far below countries like United States and United Kingdom. Private Equity Investment as a percentage of Total GDP of some major economies: (Source: Evalueserve Market research reports 2007) A global stock market review conducted by Standard and Poor ‘s in May 2007 reveals that the Indian equity market has far surpassed the markets of emerging and developing nations for the past three months growing at a rate of 25.87 percent as opposed to other key economies that reported a growth rate of 13.83 percent. The Chinese market reported a growth rate of 16.82 while the Mexican market growth rate stood at 24.4 percent. The equity market in South Africa rose by 11.48 percent. It was observed that the Indian stocks were cheaper than the Chinese stocks. The appreciating rupee in India has led to higher capital inflow from foreign investors to the Indian economy and this is accounted for higher growth rate in the Indian economy. The increase in interest rates of banks across the globe has a positive impact on the Indian economy. This trend will result in reduced external borrowings and consequently the export segment of Indian companies will not be affected. Similarly other developments in the global economy has had very little or negligible effect on the Indian economy so far and this has proved conducive for the private equity market in the country. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has specified the regulatory framework for investment in private equity and venture capital segment in India. A foreign investor proposing for investing in the Indian private equity market needs to fulfill the following eligibility criteria and other requirements specified in the SEBI foreign venture capital investor guidelines: The applicant’s track record, competence, financial soundness, and experience in the related industry are evaluated. The applicant needs to obtain an approval by the Reserve Bank of India for making investments in the country. The applicant needs to be an investment company, trust, partnership, pension fund, mutual fund, endowment fund, charitable institution or any other entity incorporated outside India. The applicant can be an asset management company, investment manager, or investment management company incorporated outside India. The applicant must possess the authority to invest in venture capital or operate as foreign venture capital investor. Evaluate if the applicant is regulated by an appropriate foreign regulatory authority or is an income tax payer. Check if the Board has not refused the applicant a certificate. Check if the applicant is a fit individual with proven track record. Besides the above-mentioned eligibility criteria the SEBI lays down certain investment guidelines that need to be followed by the foreign investors: The foreign investor must disclose its investment plans and strategies to the SEBI. At least 66.67% of the investment funds must be invested in unlisted equity shares. Not more than 33.3% of the investable funds may be invested in: Subscription of initial public offer of a venture capital undertaking whose shares is not listed. Debt or debt instrument of a venture capital undertaking in which the investor has already made an investment by way of equity Preferential allotment of equity shares of a listed company, subject to a lock-in period of one year The equity shares or equity linked instruments of a financially weak or sick industrial company whose shares are listed. 5. Sector Wise Growth Trends in Private Equity Market The primary feature of growth in private equity market in India has been the increased domestic market investment opportunities that are dominated by both local and foreign investors. In addition to the increase in investment in Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing sectors a large number of deals have been made involving the domestic market in India with particular emphasis on the manufacturing sector. In the year 2006 the total investments in the private equity market ranged from IT and IT-enabled industries, to banking and financial services, insurance and health care sectors, engineering and construction to manufacturing. While the IT and IT-enabled industries accounted for more than a fifth of the total investment, the manufacturing sector attracted approximately $1 billion. Another significant sector receiving substantial private equity funding was the real estate sector that received almost $1 billion funding in 2006. But a greater portion of this amount was used to acquire physical assets. Shankar Narayanan, the Mumbai based Managing Director of Asia Growth Capital at the Carlyle Group states â€Å"We’re sector agnostic. Broadly we see two investment themes: One, the growth of outsourcing, whether IT, IT-enabled services, generic pharmaceuticals, clinical research, contract manufacturing, engineering and design or any other knowledge based service; and two, the huge infrastructure and consumption needs this growth fuels.† Most of the foreign investors are channeling funds to the Indian and Chinese market that have shown tremendous growth potential. These investors scale up the operations of the acquired firms and facilitate all-round transformation that spruces up the firm’s processing capabilities. It is widely felt that the family owned businesses in India that have so far been conducted in an orthodox traditional managerial approach can widely benefit from the private equity funding. The financial, strategic, and managerial support provided by these private equity-investing firms can transform the company’s operations to provide larger scales of operation and world-class business outlook. The various industrial sectors comprising of financial services, manufacturing industries, construction and information technology are attracting the foreign investors to India. In the year 2006 the service sector accounted for 55% of economic growth rate while the contribution of manufacturing and industries’ sector was 26% and the agriculture sector accounted for 19% of the overall economic growth in India. There are basically three industry sectors that are proving highly lucrative for the private equity investors in the country. These are broadly categorized as below: Hi-tech products and service sector comprising of the following segments: Information technology and software application development Business process outsourcing Knowledge process outsourcing Drug research and clinical research outsourcing Engineering services outsourcing Software and solutions related to e-commerce Telecommunication products and related services The market trend reveals that this sector will grow at approximately 22% per year during the next five years. The investment in this sector is of high value with higher rates of return. Service and retail sector that caters to the Indian domestic market needs including – Retail market of consumable goods Travel and hospitality sector (airlines, hotels) Health care (spas, hospitals) Entertainment (movie and television industry) Private education sector   This sector is expected to grow at approximately 19% per annum in the next five years. Products and services related to high-end manufacturing and infrastructure that includes automobiles, automotive components, electronic components, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, textiles, real estate, and construction. The growth rate of this sector is expected to reach 19% annually in the next five years. The pie chart below gives an insight into the sector wise private equity investment trend in the past three years. The financial services received the highest foreign private equity funding totaling US$ 277.8 million that constitutes 19.8% of the total funds invested. The total funding in this sector including the domestic investment accounted for 32%. (Source: Thompson Financial) The next industry that received most funding in the private equity form was the consumer related sector totaling US$ 196.7 million. This was approximately 14% of the total foreign private equity financing. The overall financing in this sector was 23%. The Medical Health industry accounted for 16% of the total funding, with total foreign equity investment amounting to US$ 134.4 million, followed by construction accounting for 15% and the Internet related sector accounted for 14% of the total private equity investment including foreign and domestic sources. The graph below shows the breakup of domestic and foreign funds invested in the private equity market in India. As is evident from the graph the amount of foreign investment far exceeds domestic funds invested in the private equity market in India over the past five years. Private Equity investments in India – breakup of foreign and domestic investment over the past five years (Source: Thomson Financial) The private equity market is thriving due to the huge influx of foreign funds in the recent years. The appreciation of the rupee combined with a strengthening stock market and controlled inflation rates are responsible for the huge attraction that the Indian private equity market is having for foreign investments. Among recent activities in the private equity market in India is the acquisition of Hutchinson Essar Ltd, a cellular carrier by Reliance Communications facilitated by private equity players like Blackstone, Texas Pacific, and Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts with a funding of almost $10 billion. Private equity emerged as the single most largest investment segment in the year 2006 with private equity deals overtaking both foreign and domestic strategic investors. Private equity investment in India crossed the global average by 20 percent of investment as a proportion of total merger and acquisition deals accounting for 28 percent of total value of deals. 6. Problems Facing the Private Equity Market in India The rapid pace of economic growth in India has raised concerns regarding the stability of the economic environment. The economy poses certain risks and challenges to the emerging and developing market of private equity investment. The country’s population demographics present a confusing picture – 54% of its population is below 25 years of age that works in favor of the economic growth and development. But at the same time statistics reveal a large gap in income distribution. The economy is widely imbalanced in terms of income distribution. It has a large chunk of population still under the poverty lines and at the same time the number of high net worth individuals is increasing. Some of the important sectors of the economy like Information Technology and IT enabled services, telecom services, airlines services and construction services are experiencing shortage of skilled labors. Most of these sectors depend heavily on the human resource for survival and growth. With rising inflation and increasing wages the companies are finding it difficult to retain employees. Better pay packages are luring the skilled staff to hop companies and this has become a matter of grave concern for most organizations. Increasing attrition rates and rising wages are posing a serious challenge to existing companies and start-up business ventures. A few years back the economy was known for providing cheap and skilled labor but with rising inflation the wages have also gone up thereby increasing the cost to companies in addition to high levels of attrition. The rapid economic growth and rising GDP has resulted in increasing cost of commercial as well as residential property. The boom in real estate is reaping benefits for most landowners but the purchasing power of the people have not increased at the same rate. This might have a negative impact on the economy in the long run. The real estate prices will be forced to crash with lesser number of people being able to afford the rising prices. The crash in the real estate market will result in substantial losses for the investors. The Indian stock market is currently on a strong footage with number of companies listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange rising steadily. A market fluctuation might topple the stock market any time and this could lead to severe losses for the investors. Foreign investments in the Indian economy in the last four years have been on the rise and this is one of the major factors contributing to the overall development and progress. Short-term foreign institutional investors invested more than US$ 40 million in the country while long-term foreign direct investment was US$ 23 million in the last four years. The short-term investment can be pulled out in any moment of crisis and this could result in severe economic setback for the country. The rapid inflow of capital in the form of these short-term investments for purchasing equities and securities has no doubt strengthened the stock market, but an outflow of this capital will depress the stock market and cause the economy to fumble. The economy needs more of long-term foreign direct investment to stabilize growth. Lately the Indian rupee has appreciated by more than 10% with respect to the US dollar, 8% with respect to British pounds, 7% with respect to Euros and 11% with respect to Yen. On one hand this appreciation has benefited the economy by making imports cheaper and controlling inflation to a considerable extent. The price of crude oil has been kept in check in India due to this reason. On the other hand the valuation of exports has gone down and this has hit some of the small-scale exporters hard. Moreover the Indian goods have to compete with Chinese goods in the market that are relatively cheaper and has captured larger market share. Broadly the Indian economy presents high risks to investors in terms of possible depreciation of rupee, high inflation, policies adopted by the Indian government for further liberalization of the economy and the highly volatile nature of the Indian stock market. Since the markets present high risks to foreign investors in the Indian market, they expect higher returns as compared to investments made in other developed economies of United States and Europe. The private equity firms that invest in these developed countries for a period of five to seven years expect an average net annual return of 13% to 15%. But the private equity firms investing in India have a time frame of three to five years and expect an average net annual return of 25% to 27%. 7. Future Trends in Private Equity Market in India Several factors have contributed to the growth and rise of private equity market in India. Among these the most prominent is the stable economic and political environment of the country that has triggered economic growth and prosperity in the past few years. The Indian economy is witnessing increasing number of high net worth individuals with increasing assets. The country has a large number of family-owned businesses that present excellent opportunities for investment and growth. Most of these businesses are changing their operational structure to accommodate new and better technology for higher returns. Tatas, Ambanis, Wipro (Azim Premji), Birlas,   Singhs (Ranbaxy) and Bajajs are all family-run business. The Bombay Stock Exchange lists 47 companies that are partially or fully family-owned businesses with a total market capitalization of US$ 345 billion in the year 2007. The changing faces of the traditional modes of conducting business have created huge scope for investment. The existing modes of operations require re-modeling and re-structuring requires adequate investment. The family-run businesses lack effective management and vision to expand in the domestic and global market. The infusion of appropriate capital funds with strategic management moves and planning can create a huge difference in this type of business ventures. An investment in such companies can prove mutually beneficial for both parties. This has created a huge demand for private equity investment. Rising disposable income in the middle and higher income group has led to significant changes in their lifestyle. This has created markets for new sectors of commerce. One of the sectors affected by the changing lifestyle of these classes is the growth in domestic flight service sector. The country currently has 325 airplanes on the domestic route but this figure is projected to reach 750 by the end of 2010 that is expected to generate annual revenue of US$ 12 billion. The rise in this sector has created the need for more airline maintenance companies that are so few in numbers currently. Likewise it has also created market need for airline certification companies that will certify and check the audit requirements of the airplanes and the airlines companies. This is just an illustration of how emerging economic trends have given rise to new service sectors that require financing. Similar trends are visible in the food and beverage industry sector. Rising demand for quality processed food and beverages are slowly making their presence felt with changing tastes and lifestyles. The automobile industry is yet another industrial sector witnessing immense market growth potential. Finer tastes and longing for world-class cars engineered with latest technological specifications is changing the face of this industry. This sector is expected to generate revenue of US$ 165 billion by the end of the year 2016. E-commerce is yet another avenue of potential growth and development. The sector being in its nascent stages has a long way to go in the Indian market. Industries are slowly realizing the revenue and growth potential of this medium and are revising their existing strategies to exploit the advantages of increased market share and global outreach. The need for skilled professionals for the rising industries and opportunities presented by the growing economy has driven the educational institutes to adopt new strategies and expansion models to cater to changing market needs. More and more companies are entering this sector to satisfy the growing market requirements. The real estate and hospitality service sectors are also experiencing widespread changes owing to changing lifestyle and increased disposable income. Investment in this sector needs to be carefully examined and studied since the real estate prices in India are overpriced as compared to other economies in Asia. A growth in market demand has resulted in subsequent rise in demand for capital investment. Favorable economic conditions have lured private equity investors both domestic and foreign to start operations in India. The country’s extensive pool of skilled labors has produced excellent managerial and entrepreneurial talent who has ventured into new and promising business ventures. The private equity market in the country is still in its initial phases of development and hence promises immense scope and potential in the near future. The increasing interest of global firms in the Indian market has overcome the challenge of attracting more funds into the private equity sector. The real challenge now lies in extracting maximum value from these investments and retrieve higher gains. Government policies have raised the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in various sectors to attract more funds. The retail sector now has 51 percent foreign investment limit while in the telecom sector the FDI limit has been raised from 49 percent to 74 percent. Absolute ownership of foreign firms is allowed in some selected infrastructure sectors like development of new airports, petroleum, mining of coal and lignite, natural gas pipelines and mining of diamonds and precious stones. 8. Conclusion The impact of private equity funding on the country’s economy has been quite significant since this financing sector has added new dimensions to the booming industrial and service sector in India. The financing alternative available to the firms has not only assisted them in improving financial and market valuations but has also provided them with the necessary backing to fulfill expansion and diversification strategies to the existing line of products or services. Max Calderon, a senior partner of Apex Partners Worldwide, which is a $20 billion firm is of the opinion that the â€Å"drivers of the private equity investment in the Indian market include consolidation in fragmented industries, international expansion, increasing domestic market spend, and continued growth in value added services. â€Å" It is only recently that the private equity funds have adopted segmentation and specialization strategies in acquiring investment portfolios. Some of the private equity firms target early stage investment in technology or matured stage investment in manufacturing. The strengthening stock market is witnessing increased volumes of trading and this has eased the exit process for private equity funds investors. Multinational financial institutions like Citigroup Venture Capital, Barings and Westbridge Capital, Warbug Pincus and Actis Partners have taken strong interest in this emerging market. Global private equity players like Blackstone and Goldman Sachs have established permanent operations in the country to reap the benefits of this promising market. The key factor to successful operations in this market will depend largely on one sole factor – the right leadership and availability of a strong team of professionals. The private equity market requires adequate managerial talent for designing effective business strategies for successful acquisitions made by the investors. It is therefore essential that the private equity firms focus on specific industry sectors to build their professional expertise and specialized areas of operations. This builds on the firms’ value and potential for higher rates of returns over their invested funds. The private equity firms hence not only need to look into the experience and skill sets of the professionals they hire but also need to train them on the finer aspects of the business requirements. The team of executives need to take overall responsibilities of entire operations and functioning within the company and think as owners while devising strategies and business plans. An in-depth knowledge of the business and market area is an essential asset for this venture. Experienced professionals are hence much in demand and a valuable asset for this market segment. The private equity firms also need to conduct extensive and in-depth market research and analysis activity before investing in any company. The Indian economy presents a diverse and variable growth indicators across the geographical boundaries. An understanding of the existing socio-cultural and political environment of the region helps to understand better the market and consumer behavior pattern. The investors across the globe are increasing fund allocations for the private equity market in India. It is boom time for this market segment and the trends of growth will continue over the coming years with the adoption of adequate government policies and measures to ensure a strong market performance.   The private equity market is reaping benefits on the one hand from expanding into overseas market through acquisitions and on the other hand investing into private equity assets managed by global fund managers. Reference: What PE firms look for in Private Companies – Financial Executive Journal from British Council, December 2007 Private Equity: How long can the perfect storm last? 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