Ideal school for international education

Ideal school for international education Before to start talking about international education, it seems appropriate to give a definition from experienced researchers in this sector: The interest in the field of international education has never been more intense a rapidly increasing number of schools world-wide have been established specifically to meet the demands of those parents who, through their own global professional activities, wish to have their children educated in programmes based on international values and often in contexts other than their home country. Such schools have embraced the promotion of international education as one of their major goals.(Hayden, Levy and Thompson 2007:1) We also want to draw the readers attention to the fact that another researcher named Skelton also defines international education and international curriculum in relation to international schools. This is obviously only one vision and one definition of international education but these are the ones we are interested in investigating with this assignment because we will analyze whether an international school, namely St Andrews International School Bangkok, is close to the ideal school for international education. Our School St Andrews International School Bangkok is, as stated in the first definition above, a school that is established (in Thailand) to meet the demand for expatriate parents and wealthy local families who want their children educated in programs based on international values. St Andrews International School Bangkok, offers the international IGCSE and IB Diploma programmes ( we will explain later what are these IGCSE and IB programmes), and has, as main purpose, to promote international education as its mission statement says: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We will, of course further analyze the mission statement in later chapters when we will speak about ideologies, values and global citizenship education. What will we analyze? We defined above our focus, which is The International Schools. With this starting point, we must look at what are the components of an international school. We will focus on the following: the Values and Ideologies, the Curriculum, The Students, The Teachers, The administrators, the Board and the role of English language and other languages; compare and criticize all these points with what is said in the literature and our own experience in the field. What we are going to analyze is, of course, not all the elements of an international school, but those most important to analyze, in order to answer our assignments question. The values and ideologies In the syllabus, we read that Watson and Ashton (1995) point out that Society does not wait for consensus before transmitting values, and neither do schools. They convey values every day, knowingly or unknowingly, both at the more explicit level of what is taught, and at the less openly acknowledged level of how the school is administered (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Education cannot be value-free. Indeed, we believe that the official curriculum and also the hidden curriculum (what happens in the classroom, the relationship between teacher and student and how they interact) will automatically transmit values. In our school, the IGCSE curriculum transmits, clearly, the values of the Western World and more specifically, Great Britain. Even if the IGCSE allows adaptation to the context, the curriculum is there, with the knowledge to be transmitted, and that knowledge comes from Great Britain. The values transmitted, are humanists as we can read in our syllabus: Humanism as an ideology places a high emphasis on knowledge. Some forms of humanism (think classical humanism, conservatism, traditionalism, academicism) advocate the restriction of high status knowledge to an elite minority: the selective grammar school/secondary modern school system of pre-1960s England, for instance, typifies a classical humanist approach. Other forms of humanism, such as liberal humanism for instance, while still placing a great emphasis on knowledge advocate that high status knowledge should be accessible to all. We find that, indeed, the IGCSE curriculum focuses generally on knowledge. We also feel that they want this high status knowledge (a knowledge that comes from Cambridge University) to be accessible, if not to all, to the biggest number of students, abroad, especially in International Schools. Regarding the IB curriculum, it also transmits values, the values of openness, world mindedness, the child is the center of his learning, the child must be knowledgeable, balanced, Inquirer, etc. (IBO website, learner profile) These values are clearly progressivist because we can read on the IBO website: Progressivism as an ideology is essentially child-centered, with the emphasis clearly on the individual child. Curricula such as the International Baccalaureates Primary Years Programme (2008) are examples of a progressivist (or constructivist) approach to education. (Syllabus) Although we still do not teach the PYP program, these values are the same in the IB Diploma and are implied throughout the schooling of students until they pass their diploma examinations. In the syllabus, we read: Halstead (1996), meanwhile, argues that The values of schools are apparent in their organization, curriculum and discipline procedures, as well as in the relationships between teachers and pupils. Values are reflected in what teachers choose to permit or encourage in the classroom, and in the way they respond to childrens contributions to learning. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Even the seating arrangements in a classroom convey certain values. It is true that this transmits values as well. In our school, students are always encouraged to ask questions and to come to find the teacher after class for further explanation. The students are sitting in the classroom in a circle, to allow the exchange during the class. It is clear that in this case, the teacher is not the master of knowledge delivered to the student, but the students are encouraged to take control over their learning and there is a form of trust and closeness between the student and the teacher, to allow an o ptimal construction of the knowledge. To conclude this point, we read the mission statement of our school: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We note that the school wants to be inclusive which shows we put a high value on the acceptance of others. The mission statement also says we want our students to be happy to learn and, when learning, they receive all the necessary support from the staff. This is a value our school wants to transmit to the students. We can finally see that we place a great importance on the individual and their learning, and we hope our students to become Global Citizens. This shows that we give importance to the individuals but also to the overall population, which gives an international perspective to the values we try to instill. The Students St Andrews International School has a student population of more or less 680 children. There are about 40 percents of Thai students, 15 percents of Japanese, 10 percents of Indians and a large German and French community. One of the advantages of the international schools is the teachers students ratio, which is 1:25 by schools policy. It allows space for individual care. Anyway, by the Thai law, in an International School, there cannot be more than 30 students per class. The Thai students Regarding the huge percentage of Thai students, they are mostly from rich families, the countrys elite families or possessing businesses. These families have the choice of National Education (which is not highly regarded because there is a huge disparity in terms of quality) and International Education, which is very popular with families of these elites, as they want their children to have access to foreign universities in order to have more chances of success in this globalized world. These children will have an advantage over other local children. Their parents put them in these schools as an investment for the future. Langford says concerning these students, that they may feel isolated and different, living on the local economy rather than enjoying the many benefits shared by their expatriate classmates. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) or they may dominate the community to the extent that the school has to adjust practices to suit their interests and the expatriates are made to feel outsiders. (2002:48) This is true in the sense the Thai students at St Andrews International School, live in Thailand and many of them have never lived abroad, unlike their friends who often have lived, in most cases, in more than two countries. On the other hand, the Thai students are so much in majority (40 percent) compared with other nationalities; that, indeed, this may be the expatriate students who feel like outsiders, especially those Thais students often come from very wealthy families. That said, after what I saw, it seems the Thais students and those from other nationalities mix well, talk and play together, through a family atmosphere which the Head of School, Mr Paul Schofield was able to install. It should also be noted that students from our school have been there at least 5-6 years and feel, with the time, part of a family. The Expatriate students The expatriate students are, in the vast majority, Globally Mobile Children that Eidse and Sichel define as having parents who are educators, international business people, foreign service attaches, missionaries and military personnel. The children shuttle back and forth between nations, languages, cultures and loyalties. They live unrooted childhoods. (2004:1) In our school, most students are from families as described above and I would add, in many cases, their parents work for NGOs or in embassies. These children are also often better adapted to the teaching style of international schools in general. They also learn languages more easily than Thais students due to the fact they have lived in several countries and had to learn local languages each time. The Special Needs students Another important facet of the population of students in our school is the Special Needs students. As our mission statement says, our school is an inclusive school inclusive where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential. We have a Special Needs student population of about 10 percents and we also have in place, a wonderful learning support program for these students, with qualified, dedicated teachers and coordinators for several different Key stages. The Special Needs students are divided into two categories, those with learning difficulties and those with physical problems or syndromes such as autism or Down syndrome. It should also be noted that each student has a Special Needs individual tutor who accompanies them in the mainstream classroom. Our philosophy is that every child has the right to education. At the same time, we must emphasize that to be accredited by a body such as the CIS (Council of International Schools), if accreditation is to be given, that provision is made for the initial identification of the learning needs of students and for the subsequent addressing those needs. Therefore, did the school really have a choice to implement such a program? It is clear that, from the beautiful philosophy of we accept everyone, even if they have learning needs and the reality, that, to be accredited, we must implement a program of Special Needs, there is a gap. The relationship between the two is not very healthy. We think there is a market issue because, nowhere else than St Andrews we can find a school with an inclusive policy. Looking at this, we realize that International Schools, in general, are businesses with the purpose of finding a market and making money. In the case of our school, for the special needs children, it is beneficial, but it is not always the case of other I nternational School focusing on making money and not caring the students well being. With regard to the Gifted Children, St Andrews International School has no program in place, which is, in my view, inconsistent with the mission statement saying that all the students must realize their full potential. How can a student with superior capabilities than others realize its full potential? We have only the differentiation as a tool to work with the brightest students. The transition for students, from one school to another Another area of concern for students in international schools is the transition from one school to another. Regarding our school, unfortunately there is no transitional program for students from other countries or other international schools. Only teachers of these students can help them to integrate successfully into their new environment with techniques inspired by the mission statement: our teachers are fully trained in teaching methods that promote an interactive approach to learning within a stimulating and structured environment where the highest premium is placed on self- discipline and motivation and our children are confident communicators where they realize their full potential in an atmosphere of calm cooperation, tolerance and understanding. The teachers At St Andrews International School, we have a population of teachers around 90 people. From these 90 teachers, 70 are from Great-Britain, six teachers are from New-Zealand and the remaining teachers from Japan, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Thailand etc. The reason there are so many British teachers is certainly related to the fact that St Andrews is a British school, following the British curriculum as well. These Britannic subjects are teaching the core subjects at the school, such as Math, Science, History and Geography while teachers of Japanese, French, and Swiss etc., teach their native languages. All the teachers though, British or from another nationalities must hold at least a Bachelors Degree, a teaching certificate with, usually, a minimum of a two years full-time teaching experience. British International School, British teachers? M. Hayden cites Richards (1998: 174) who highlights a good point about this subject in a passage from a promotional brochure of an international school. He wrote: Over 70 teachers share a broad international experience, coming from such countries as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Can we infer from the above, Richards asks, that no teachers are employed (or employable?) from so-called less developed regions of the world? Or merely that advertising such teachers would not be a positive selling point for the school? When Richards says no teachers from developing countries are hired, this is almost true in our school as well, as 80 percent of the teachers are from developed countries. Maybe if the school hired teachers in developing countries, it would not have a good image for the school because it is a British School. We think that one of the reasons is the parents from local families would not appreciate paying an expensive international school instead of a local school for teachers to be hired from less developed countries than theirs. At the same time, it is in contradiction with our philosophy of internationalism to show a good example of tolerance and openness. We teach our students to be people with a global vision of the world, tolerance and a world mindedness, and the school sets a poor example by discriminating against the hiring of teachers, choosing only teachers from so-called developed countries because it looks good. Others will say it is normal for a British school to hire a majority of British teachers and that is what parents expect. Both views can be justified but there should be a right balance between pragmatism and ideology. The expatriate overseas hired, the expatriates locally hired and the host national teachers Another point we want to address here is, at St Andrews, there is no segregation between the expatriate teachers hired overseas and expatriate teachers recruited locally. There is no difference in contract or salary, or extras such as return flights and health insurance, which does not create jealousy among teachers and we think it is a good thing. On the other hand, host country national teachers are paid two times less than teachers from other countries, which sometimes creates a feeling of injustice because they teach the same number of hours as teachers who are expatriates and they are paid less. Again, this is a pity to notice that we, as an International School should promote equality between citizens of the world and, in practice, we do not really do what we say. Some will say that if there was not an advantageous package for those expatriates, they would probably not leave their home country to come to teach abroad, when, for instance, host country national teachers do not ha ve to leave their families behind and the comfort of their own country. So, again, the two views can be justified. The penelopes I just wanted to add that, at St Andrews there are a lot of Penelopes (who have been at the school for more than seven years), as Hardman says they are those teachers who remain faithful to the country they have adopted. I think it is a good thing for the students as a gage of stability, where in some other International Schools in Thailand, teachers cannot stay more than seven years. The induction Speaking about teachers, we must also mention the phase of induction of new teachers when they arrive at an international school. M.Hayden said:  « Any teacher who moves from one school to another within the International Schools system could reasonably expect some form of induction in at least the early stages of a new appointment.  » (2006: 82) Regarding St Andrews International School, the induction is four days. The Head of School spends four whole days with new teachers, explaining all aspects of the school and the culture shock that awaits them from the Thai culture. This allows a smooth start in the new host country. However, the induction is not going further. Never again, ones organizes any meeting with new faculty to ensure that everything goes well. To conclude this point we cite here Hayden who says that The question of how best support new recruits in a new cultural environment is by no means an easy one to answer. (2006:83) The teachers appraisal Dimmock and Walker say Teacher appraisal is a contentious and divisive issue regardless of the context within which it operates (2005: 143). It is true there is no recipe to make a good appraisal, it is a difficult process to implement. At St Andrews, the appraisal system is fairly simple and does not put too much pressure on the shoulders of teachers. Once a year, the head of department comes to visit the classroom for two lessons. At the end of the observation the head gives his feedback to the teacher and they set two targets for the following observation, the year after. The head of school come to observe the teacher once per contract to give his consent for its renewal. The method is simple, do not stress too much the teacher, but at the same time, is it a good tool to evaluate the staff? Coming to observe a lesson and give two targets for next year means that everything else is not important; the teacher will focus only on one aspect of his teaching. The Turnover In our school, the latest statistics, which date back two years and cover a period of five years, show that teachers remain at St Andrews about five years. There are about four to five teachers, from a number of ninety, who leave each year. We think this is a good sign because if a teacher stays five years in a school, we think it shows he is happy to work there. Another factor may be that the teacher cannot find a job elsewhere or he is married to a Thai person and therefore has no choice but to stay at the school, but our experience and discussions with teachers at St Andrews have shown us that teachers are generally very satisfied with working at this place. To be more complete, we should conduct a survey on why teachers stay but it would be difficult to the lack of time. The Administrators At St Andrews, there is a British Head of School who administers the school of a budgetary standpoint and oversees other heads such as the Head of Keystage1, the Head of Keystage 2 and the Head of high school with his Deputy. These people belong to the so-called Senior Management. In the Middle Management, there are the heads of departments. Under the Thai law, the sole Head of School must be a Thai national. This is indeed the case at our school. There is a Thai Head whose role on paper is very different from its role in practice. On paper, she has to take academic and budgetary decisions but in reality she does only take care of the Thai teachers and the Thai curriculum. We find that it is not fair because the law states that a person in charge must be a Thai Head of School. Our school lies on paper to meet the Thai law and to meet the demand of parents who want to see a foreign Head of School. On top of that, the Thai Head is also paid as a local teacher, that is to say, four times less than the foreign Head. The Board Littleford writes Schools with healthy boards do not have crises, and we must agree with him regarding our school. In our school, the board is only composed of a family, Thai and very rich. They are the only ones to make big financial decisions for the school development. They always follow the recommendations of the Head of School and never intervene in the daily running of the school. There never was any crisis between the Board and the Head of School since the inception of the school and we welcome that fact. The Accreditation St Andrews is currently accredited by CIS (the Council of International Schools), the Thai Ministry of Education, and is in the process of being accredited by CFBT. The fact our school is accredited by the Ministry of the host country and by an internationally acclaimed body shows that we are in the standards of international education. We read on the website CFBT Accreditation with CfBT shows that your school demonstrates high standards of student achievement with an effective curriculum, good use of resources, a successful leadership team and strong partnerships with parents. CFBT therefore focuses on quality of student achievement, curriculum and relationships with parents. We may wonder whether the failure to look at the results of pupils is not just elitist. Should not International schools give students a chance to improve? Another aspect that CFBT looks at is the curriculum, which is normal, but they should also look at internationalism, the values, etc. The last point CFBT looks at is the relationship the school has with parents. In our school we have a very active group of parents who organize events of all kinds at school and are much supported by our Head of School. To return to accreditation with CFBT, we feel that our curriculum deputy encourages us to only look at the CFBT criteria to satisfy them. We can therefore ask whether the accreditation system is not a little hypocritical. Yet we do a great job, professionally, but we offer something completely prepared to CFBT, just to satisfy their criteria, which does not seem very ethical or honest. On the other hand, accreditation can be useful tool, to give us the time to reflect on our practices. The English as a Second Language and Mother-Tongue languages English as a Second Language Hayden says: Many International Schools offering an English-Medium education provide language support for non-native speakers of English () the extent and nature of support clearly vary. It is true that in our school, support comes down to putting these students in an ESL class a few times per week, while other students have classes in French or Japanese, and these ESL students follow the rest of the courses in mainstream class where they understand almost nothing. In my old school, Hanoi International School, we had ESL classes and on top of that, for mainstream courses, an ESL support teacher came into class to help students understand the instructions or what the teacher explained. We believe this latter approach is more effective because students receive constant support and feel less stressed towards the English language because there is always someone to help them understand what is said in class. After a while, of course, if the students made significant progress, they join the mainstream class, without any ESL support anymore. Mother-Tongues About the provision of other languages, Murphy is in favor of a greater provision of support for the childs first language in order to support cognitive development in that language, which would make the second language less difficult to acquire (Murphy, 2003: 36-7). That is exactly what our head of School think about the fact that a student cannot have a good cognitive development with a language he does not control at all if he does not master his own language. Children need intellectual development in their own language before they can grow intellectually in a different language. In our school, that is why we have an extensive program of mother-tongue language. It is obvious that such a program is not easy to implement, especially for smaller schools that have limited financial resources. Carder said: There are certainly scheduling and administrative problems in mother-tongue in finding teachers, and financial difficulties about whether to add it to the payroll or to the parents to pay extra. At St Andrews, it is certain that it is not easy to administer the program of mother tongue and foreign language as it creates a lot of clashes in the timetables. It is not easy either to find language teachers for French, Japanese and German in Thailand. From a financial standpoint, the school request parents wishing to enroll their children in the first language program, a supplement to the school fees of about 300 U.S. dollars. This program meets over the years, more and more success because kids love to speak their mother tongue at school, a few hours per week; and parents are reassured that their children can more easily reintegrate school in their home countries if they move back there. Écouter Lire phonà ©tiquement Dictionnaire Afficher le dictionnaire The Curriculum In the world, there are several international schools curricula. The most common are the British connoted IGCSE, and IB which claims to be more international. Before considering in more detail the two mentioned curricula, we will dwell a moment on some definitions of curriculum. Hayden cites Bulman and Jenkins in her book International Education, International Schools and their communities, which describes the curriculum, following three aspects: The academic curriculum or what is formally taught in schools, the pastoral curriculum which includes social skills, study skills, careers and counseling for the hidden curriculum that all these practices are not explicit in the official curriculum, such as teacher-student relationships, the rules in the classroom, the structures rewards etc. We will come back to these aspects later on this chapter. At St. Andrews, the academic curricula are the IGCSE and the IB. Our Head of School says that we teach the IGCSE in the middle school because it gives more importance to academic skills and therefore prepare well for the IB which has an approach to the whole child and preparing students for university and has a globalized world. To corroborate these claims, we will read what the IGCSE and IBO say on their websites: The IBO: On the IBO website, we can read: Our challenging Diploma Programme assessment is recognized by the worlds leading universities. The IB diploma is not recognized in all universities, but by the world leading Universities. Does that mean, as some people think that the IB is elitist? They also write: We encourage international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally-essential for life in the 21st century. At St Andrews, we encourage students to learn their culture and their first language. We have a large program such as First Language: Japanese, German, French and Thai, which allows these students to stay in touch with their languages and cultures within the international school. On the other hand, we do not provide first language courses for all nationalities, creating a division between the languages called important and others, which results in a risk of partitioning students between important and not important languages, which can cause frustrations. At the same time, all students, without exception, learn a second language. They can choose between Japanese, Chinese (very popular with Thai students), German, French and Thai. The range offered is wide enough for second language courses, allowing students to sample a different culture or language of their choice, enabling them, as stated by the IBO, to live, to communicate, to understand and to work with others, internationally. At St Andrews, we organize an international day, which allows students to see how their friends from other cultures dress (thanks to the international fashion show), what are the typical dishes of other countries (through the international buffet), which languages are spoken, and thus learn to know each other, which leads to some form of international friendship and tolerance. On that matter, we believe that our school reflects well the values of international IBO. On the IBO website we can also read: We encourage a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to reflect critically, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. We encourage community service because we believe that there is more to learning than academic studies alone. The curriculum is, as stated above, child-centered. The child is responsible for their learning, encouraged to ask questions, think critically, research, and to learn how to learn. All this forms the learner profile that the IBO tries to promote. This approach is progressivist, as described in the syllabus. The IBO also encourages community service through the program, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service), since the IBO says that academic studies are not enough and we have to consider educating the child as a whole, it is therefore, without a doubt, different from the IGCSE which just consider the academic side of the learning process. We personally believe that the CAS programme is beneficial for students because it allows them to be more open t

Renewable Energy in Brazil Essay

Brazil is the biggest country in South America with a population of roughly 200 million (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2008) and with abundant natural resources and land and water to use for renewable energy. With a high demand for energy and little supply, Brazil is the perfect place to conduct energy related businesses. In 1999, Brazil consumed 353. 7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity (Solarbuzz, 2008). With growing concerns about sources of energy nowadays, renewable energy is a booming business to enter since renewable energy use worldwide is expected to increase by 53% between 1999 and 2020 (ibid). Brazil has been reevaluating its plans to meet growing energy needs in the country after a crippling power shortage in 2001 and a change of government in 2003 (Aruvian Research, 2008). Reforms and privatizations have been undertaken by the Brazilian government to solve its power shortage and with the expected continuous climb in the country’s energy use in the coming years; the rising need for energy needs to be addressed (ibid). In addressing this problem and with the pervasive problem of global warming and environmental degradation, renewable energy is the way to go these days. Renewable energy in Brazil is classified into different business types: renewable energy export businesses and import businesses, renewable energy manufacturers, renewable energy non-profit organizations, renewable energy retail businesses, service businesses, and renewable energy wholesale suppliers (Momentum Technologies LLC, 2008). One of the companies in the energy business in Brazil is global company BP, which has just started its solar energy operations in the country in 2000 and recently brought biofuels to Brazil. A brief description of the company, its business variables and options for success will be given. The legal framework, target market and facilities will be mentioned together with the cultural, political and economic background of Brazil. The country’s laws regarding environmental businesses, banking systems, personnel management and investments will be stated. The economic and political risks and the security climate will also be stated to give further understanding on how to establish a business in Brazil. BP and the Brazilian Market BP is a century old global company that is into the exploration, production, refinement and marketing of various energy resources all over the world and carries the brands BP, Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm and Wild Bean Cafe. Its main product is oil and it targets various markets from the manufacturer to the distributor down to the consumer (BP, 2008). In Brazil, BP has been around for 50 years and they are involved in every stage of the oil business. It started with the Castrol lubricant and it has expanded ever since. They sell lubricants to the shipping industry and its Castrol Offshore supplies high-quality control fluids to the offshore oil and gas production market. Since 1998, BP Brasil Ltda has been involved in oil and gas explorations and in 2002 the company launched its Air BP in the country, which distributes aviation fuels and lubricants. In 2000, the company started its solar power business operation and in 2003 it completed its largest solar project in the history of the country by installing systems for 1,852 schools in remote off-grid communities across 11 different states in Brazil (ibid). Its Biofuels business is the latest to start in Brazil and participates directly in the growing market by building a commercial platform for the integration of the technology and bioscience research in the area. It makes use of ethanol production from cane sugar and will support the development of new low carbon fuels such as butanol, which has lower carbon emissions (ibid). The company in Brazil is currently based in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo with over 400 people in its workforce. It has also been involved in business ventures in the last five years in the exploration and production with state oil giant Petrobras, Shell, ENI, TFE and Exxon. With regard to its corporate social responsibility program, BP Brasil supports education in community schools through voluntary work, funding new facilities and by teaching computer skills to underprivileged children. Also, the company has been providing energy to remote villages by giving the diesel generators to produce no more than four hours of energy a day and by providing solar energy systems to the 800 residents of the village of Sucuriji (ibid). The company aims to bring new energy in everything they do in Brazil. One of the factors of success for BP Brasil is having the established global brand of Castrol. It also entered the Brazilian market during the years when the country was being industrialized; hence, it started early and entered the market ahead of other players. The company also had the financial backing of its mother company BP which was already global at that time. The vast oil resources in Brazil has also made it a great site for exploration and manufacturing for the company and since BP has been in the country for 51 years, it has benefited from the reforms of the energy policies of Brazil and has allowed the company to gain access to the oil resources in the past decade, which helped make Brazil move from a crude oil importer to exporter (Business Wire, 2008). In the renewable energy market, the company is succeeding because it identified early on the potential of Brazil in producing biofuels and it gave an option to the power crisis of the country by providing solar energy. It started the solar power business in 2000, which was one of the perfect solutions to the power crisis which struck the country in 2001. It gave an alternative and saw early on the problem in the country. It is also successful because it leads the joint ventures with other big companies; thus, saving on financial investments and allows them to use more resources. The global co-head of research at Allianz Global Investors says that â€Å"Alternative energy and solar energy are a very compelling growth opportunity†¦it’s going to be something on a par with volume growth of flat panel screens, PCs and handy phones† (Wynn & Kuehnen, 2008). This growth has been seen by BP and they have led in the research of alternative energy and are supplying solar energy to the country. They are supported by the Brazilian government and this is a very important factor for success. Governments in other countries even subsidize solar power as part of their fight against climate change (ibid). Solar energy prices have also declined in the market because of growing competition and increase in conversion efficiencies and manufacturing economies of scale because of the demand for solar panels (Solarbuzz, 2008). 20 million Brazilians live in remote communities and do not have access to reliable electrical power (Business Wire, 2008), and this is a big market for the solar business. The renewable energy market in Brazil is estimated at $25 billion and business opportunities here are limitless (ibid). Since the government cannot meet the demand for off-grid energy alone, resources that are available support highly-subsidized programs (ibid). Economic, Cultural and Political Situation of Brazil The government of Brazil stemmed from the overthrow of the Portuguese colonial power in the late 19th century and was replaced by a Republican military coup (infoplease, 2008). A dictatorial government took over in 1930 and was overthrown by a military coup d’etat in 1964 and the military forces remained in power until 1985. It was only in 1988 that a democracy was re-established and the Federal Constitution was promulgated during this year (Wikipedia, 2008). The Brazilian Federation is based on three autonomous political entities: the States, Municipalities and Federal District; power is divided into the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches which are all governed by the checks and balances system (ibid; infoplease, 2008). Government programs in the recent years have been targeted at increasing the exports of the country which led to the Export Culture Program 2004/2007 in the Brazil for Everyone Pluri-annual Plan (Brazilian Government, 2005). The program encourages the participation and support for the export potential of small businesses; skills training; tuition and guidance on the export business through Agent Network Project; edition and distribution of technical material guidance for export businesses. The government has also encouraged a culture of competitiveness by privatizing some government owned businesses. The Industrial, Technological and Foreign Trade Policy (PITCE) is also a government initiative that joins financial, technological, logistic, commercial and structural support programs for innovation and future projection (ibid). It was launched in 2004 and BP Brasil benefits from this program and the Law of Innovation of the Brasilian government since they are undergoing research for their biofuels and they are in a joint venture with state owned Petrobras. The law of innovation aims to provide a suitable environment for strategic partnerships between universities, technological institutions and businesses; to encourage the participation of science and technology in the innovation process; and to encourage innovation in businesses. This is all geared towards a competitive Brazilian market since in the past monopoly by state owned corporations where common. Being the 10th largest energy consumer in the world and the largest in South America, Brazil have made the National Alcohol Program, which is a nation-wide program financed by the government that replaces automobile fuels based from fossil fuels in favor of biofuels (Wikipedia, 2008). This has made Brazil a bio-energy superpower because of its ethanol fuel production, which has reduced the number of cars running on gasoline to 10 million and reduced the country’s dependence on oil imports (ibid). The country is also the third largest producer of hydro-electrical power in the world (ibid). The GDP-purchasing power parity of the country is at $1. 83 trillion, its per capita is at $9,700 and the services sector comprises 64% of the GDP, the agricultural sector 5%, and the industrial sector 31% (CIA, 2008). The economy is characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors; the country outweighs all the other South American countries and it is expanding its presence in the world market (ibid). In addition, the country has the largest and most diversified system of science, technology and innovation in Latin America, which is a result of the accomplishments of the country in the last 50 years that includes prospecting oil and the ability to build aircrafts (Brazilian Government, 2005). The demand for modernization and infrastructures are made urgent in the social agenda of the government and are accomplished through initiatives known as Public-Private Partnerships (ibid). The transport sector is investing and modernizing passageways, integrating airports, railways and waterways; R$61. 5 is also being invested in 65 airports in the country due to increasing tourism. Poverty in city centers such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are common and wealth is in the hands of a few but there is a big middle class in Brazil. The people are diverse and came from the waves of immigrants from all over the world but most are of Portuguese and African descent (IPACOM, 2008). Time is also a flexible concept for Brazilians and they are laid-back (ibid). The official language is Portuguese and is spoken by 97% of the population (de Noronha Goros, 2003) and it is the language to conduct business in, hence, global companies who open a business in Brazil have a Brazilian partner (Myers, 2003). They will conduct business in English if it is insisted since they recognize it is the international language for business but to be successful in Brazil, the national language must be spoken (ibid). First impressions are important for Brazilians and networking through word of mouth is very powerful in Brazil, especially in Sao Paulo; relationships are also valuable to Brazilians (ibid). Legal Framework and Business in Brazil Brazil is ranked as the 122 country in terms of ease in doing business and in starting a business (World Bank, 2007). Doing business in Brazil requires 18 procedures that take 152 days and costs 10. 38% of GNI per capita to start a business in the country (ibid). The normal procedures are: check company name, pay registration fees, register with Commercial Board, register for federal and state tax, confirm INSS enrollment, receive state tax inspection, get authorization to print receipts from state, register with Municipal Taxpayers’ Registry, pay TFE to Municipal Taxpayers’ Registry, get the authorization to print receipts from Municipal tax authority, get company invoices, obtain fire Brigade License, receive inspection, apply for operation license, open a FGTS accounts, register the employees in the social integration program, notify the Ministry the employment of workers and register with the Patronal Union and Employees Union (ibid). BP opened a company in Brazil by submitting an application to the Brazilian Government for approval, which is granted in the form of a decree of the federal executive branch (Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, n. d. ). Corporate entities are regulated by Law No. 10406 of January 11, 2002 and by Law No. 6404 of December 15, 1976 or the Corporation Law (ibid). Companies must have at least two partners, who do not have to be residents in Brazil but non-Brazilian residents must have an attorney-in-fact in Brazil with powers to represent as a partners. All partners, whether foreign or local must also be enrolled in the Federal Revenue Office, which regulates taxes (ibid). Taxes are based on the size of the company irrespective of the type of company (ibid) but normally it is computed at 15% on adjusted income and annual net income in excess of r$240,000. 00 is subject to a surtax of ten percent (Baker & McKenzie, 2006). A Social Contribution Tax on Net Income or CSLL is required from most companies and it is a true corporate income tax surcharge that is at nine percent, which makes the overall income tax rate at 34% and makes Brazil a country with one of the highest income tax rates (ibid). There is also no minimum corporate capital requirement in Brazil (Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, n. d). There are two reforms being undertaken by the Brazilian government in terms of businesses in its country and these are paying taxes and enforcing contracts (World Bank, 2007) because of the high income taxes (Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, n. d. ) and oral contracts are common in businesses because relationships are highly valued in the country (Myers, 2003). One of the reforms on tax is the contribution for the Intervention in the Economic Domain or CIDE; the CIDE on Fuels is assessed on imports and sales of oil and byproducts, natural gas derivatives and fuel alcohol and it is charged per cubic meter (Baker & McKenzie, 2006; Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, n. d. ) BP Brasil was the local office of BP Global and it initially involved importing Castrol to Brazil. Imports in Brazil are subject to government control from at least three levels of authority: the secretary of Foreign Trade, which supervises registration and licensing; the Central bank of Brazil, which approves payments for financed imports; and the Federal Tax Authorities who supervises valuation for customs purposes (Baker & McKenzie, 2006). Also, both the exportation and importation of crude oil and all its by-products should be performed in strict compliance with certain objectives and principles of the Petroleum Law such as the protection of the consumers and the Brazilian Treasury (ibid). Banking Systems in Brazil The main banking regulatory agencies in Brazil are the National Monetary Council (CMN), which is a policy-making and regulatory body that is responsible for establishing the credit and currency policy of the country, and the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) (ibid). All financial systems are regulated by the Brazilian Banking Law of 1964 and states that financial institutions shall only operate with permission from the Central Bank or by decree of the Executive Branch, if foreign (De Noronha Goros, 2003). Commercial banks’ transactions involves granting of loans, holding of checking and investment accounts, receipt of cash deposits, receiving and processing of payments and collection of drafts and other credit instruments; savings banks have similar roles to the commercial banks but are state-owned institutions (Baker & McKenzie, 2006). Investment banks in Brazil are primarily for conducting investments and for financing operations in medium and extended terms for the private sector (De Noronha Goros, 2003). Banks with multiple portfolios was also created under the 1988 financial system reforms and its main purpose is to enable a single financial institution to maintain different types of portfolios; almost all banks in Brazil are authorized to act as a multiple bank and the state-owned Banco do Brasil S. A. is the largest multiple bank (Baker & Mckenzie, 2006). Bank secrecy laws are strictly applied in Brazil and client information may only be revealed upon judicial order and the money laundering rules of 1998 lists all transactions that are defined as crimes (ibid). Employment in Brazil Labor laws is Brazil include the right to protection against arbitrary dismissal, unemployment insurance, maternity and paternity leave, occupational accident insurance, prohibition on employment discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race and marital status (De Noronha Goros, 2003). The maximum work hour in a week in Brazil is 44 hours and a 13th month salary is required by the government; the minimum wage varies depending on the category of the employee but generally it is R$280 or US$80 per month (ibid; Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, n. d. ). A formal agreement is also not required under Brazilian law; oral employment is fully valid but employment contract should be recorded in the Work and Social Security Card of the employee within 48 hours of employment. Overall, Brazil has one of the most numbers of processes and regulations that must be followed in starting a business and is ranked at 119 out of 130 countries with regard to benchmarks in labor laws (World Bank, 2007). Its energy market and financial systems are strictly governed by the government and state-owned companies such as oil firm Petrobras has monopoly in some areas however companies are allowed to have joint ventures with state-owned firms, which BP Brasil is leading in with Petrobras. Taxes in the country are high and numerous but the Brazilian market is very big and profitable. The renewable energy market in Brazil is a fast growing market and BP Brasil has expanded its operations in this industry and is taking advantage of it. Strict compliance with importation and exportation of products as well as with environmental laws is also needed to succeed in this area of business. The business culture of the Brazilians and their language must also be mastered to fully succeed in the market, which BP Brasil has done. Economic and political risks are also little in the country right now and it is the perfect time for establishing a business there. References Aruvian Research. (2008). Analyzing the Energy Industry in Brazil. UK: Report Buyer. Baker & Mckenzie. (2006). Doing Business in Brazil. Latin America: Baker & McKenzie. Brazilian Government. (2005). Economy and Business. Retrieved April 29, 2008from http://www. brasil. gov. br Business Wire. (2008, February 25). Brazil’s untapped potential to employ renewable energy such as biomass, solar, hydro and wind for electricity generation is tremendous. Business Network. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2008_Feb_25/ai_n24322116 BP. (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www. bp. com Central Intelligence Agency. (2008). Brazil. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br. html De Noronha Goros, N. (2003). Legal guide: Business in Brazil. Brazil: Observador Legal Editora LTDA. Infoplease. com. (2008). Brazil. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www. infoplease. com/ipa/A0107357. html IPACOM. (2008). People: Meet the Cariocas. Retrieved March 29, 2008, from http://www. ipanema. com Momentum Technologies LLC. (2008). Renewable Energy Businesses. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://energy. sourceguides. com/businesses/byGeo/byC/Brazil/byB/byB. shtml Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce. (n. d. ). Doing Business in Brazil. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from http://www. brazilian-consulate. org/secom/incs/DoingBusinessinBrazil. pdf Solarbuzz, LLC. (2008). Fast Solar Energy Facts. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://www. solarbuzz. com/FastFactsJapan. htm Wikipedia. (2008). Brazil. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Brazil World Bank. (2007). Doing Business in Brazil. Washington DC: World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Wynn, G. and Kuehnen, E. (2008, February 12). Is solar power facing a boom or a bust? The International Herald Tribune.

Psychology of Sex and Gender Essay

Discuss the claim there is a lot to gain from studying a topic in psychology from more than one perspective. Drawing on our understanding of language and meaning as well as the psychology of sex and gender. Different psychological perspectives lead to different theories providing diverse insights into the same issue i.e. language and meaning. They focus their enquiry in different ways and consequently have dissimilar objects of knowledge. Each perspective asks different questions, use different methods and data and produce therefore different theories. These perspectives can be complementary, conflicting and/or coexisting, whereby each perspective and theory provides a variety of ways of applying their findings to everyday psychological problems. By focusing on the social psychological perspective, this essay will evaluate the contribution of two central issues in psychology: language and meaning as well as the psychology of sex and gender. Social psychological perspectives emphasise the importance of investigating cognition by studying how meaning is created through participation and cultural practices and through language. The evolvement, acquisition and application of language used by humans, to express meaning and pursue goals, have been a topic of study amongst the various perspectives in psychology most notably evolutionary, cognitive and social perspectives. In researching language and the development of subsequent theories, language itself is used as a medium to investigate language. This methodological reflexivity is the source of conflict between social and cognitive perspectives on language when trying to determine to what extent, if any, the necessity of responding in language predetermines what is said. Social psychologists, more specifically discourse psychologists (i.e. Parker, 1992, as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, p. 105), claims that in using language individuals do so in a social and historic context, with an audience and for a purpose. Individuals therefore will make assumptions about the knowledge, understanding and requirements of their interlocutors in an experimental setting which is a primary method used by cognitive psychologists to study the separate cognitive and underlying thought processes language represents in communication with others or dialog with the self. The social constructionist perspective, on the other hand, uses evidence from actual language used in day-to-day communication and therefore appears to have more ecological validity. With the use of discourse analysis, they manage to describe how individuals organise their talk and use particular strategies such as the creation of subject positions or constructions of the world, to achieve particular ends. Wieder (1974 as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, pp. 104-105) illustrated the use of language to determine behaviour amongst newly released prisoners living in a hostel by employing a method called ethnomethodology (the study of how people do things) devised by Garfinkel (1967 as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, p.103). Wieder found that the language used amongst the individuals ‘The Code’ does not explain their behaviour but rather was used by them to actively construct their social world and take appropriate action within it. Social constructionists therefore base their un derstanding of language on the concept that language can be seen as a vehicle for the socially formed and the sustained meaning that operates between individuals, in groups and societies (Cooper & Kay, 2007, p. 113). Although it provides a viable explanation for the use of language, it does not explain how language evolved over time or how it is being processed individually. Evolutionary psychologists (Lorenz, 1952 as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, p. 78) offer an explanation about the evolution of language in claiming that language is an adaptive trait that has been acquired through the natural and sexual selection as well as being characterised by the ability of humans to create meanings through different ways of communication than that of other species. The complex interactive activation with competition (IAC) model devised by McClelland and Rummelhart (1981, as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, pp. 91-94) and other studies (i.e. Moss and Gaskell, 1998, as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, p. 93) is used by cognitive psychologists in formulating their perceptive that language is part of an information processing system that resides in the brain of an individual who creates meaning when hearing others s peak or when speaking themselves. The above three perspectives therefore provide an understandings of language based on their individual analysis being evolution, individual processing or social construction. Parker (1992, as cited in: Cooper & Kay, 2007, p. 105) described discourse as a set of symbolic meanings created through the use of language to construct an event or object in a particular way. This is apparent in the claim by social psychologists that individuals see the world as consisting of two basic types of people – women and men. This is partly accomplished through the social identity processes as theorised in the Social Identity Theory Tajfel (1919-82, as cited in Phoenix & Thomas, 2007, p. 62) whereby individuals develop descriptions which draw from the social group they see themselves belonging to, e.g. male or female. Individuals, according to SIT, then tend to make the most of the similarities to others in the same group (in-group) whilst minimising it with those outside the group (out-group) e.g. the notion of â€Å"opposite sex† (Hollway, Cooper, Johnston and Stevens, 2007, p. 151). Therefore Gender is one of the most important and powerful social categories by which individuals define themselves by. Bem (1981 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 153) proposed in the Gender Schema Theory (GST) that femininity and masculinity are socially and culturally constructed dimensions absorbed by individuals to produce an understanding of gender to make sense of themselves and their behaviour. Social constructionists however, argue that gender is not a set of characteristics or properties acquired by an individual but rather that gender identity is constantly established and re-established by experiences, behaviours including actions on both an individual and group level resulting in ongoing throu ghout the lifespan of an individual. The study of sex and gender is therefore concerned with the complex interaction of nature and nurture in shaping similarities and differences between men and women. In studying sex and gender as a psychological fact (e.g. Clark and Hatfield, 1989, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007) and biological (e.g. Fitch and Denenberg, 1998 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 138) perspectives, give emphasis to the contribution of nature to the experiences of individuals by examining the biological and genetic structures relating to sex. Social constructionists acknowledge these influences but look at the importance of context and culture in constructing an understanding about gender whilst the psychoanalytic perspective incorporates biological differences as well as the social and cultural meanings. The difference between these approaches is demonstrated through conflict between them in relation to the social roles of men and woman and their personal relationships and behaviour. Biological and social explanations ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ expose a fundamental conflict whereby social perspectives echo the underlying principal of psychoanalysts questioning individual group in claiming that biological explanations, and most recently evolutionary explanations (e.g. Hilary and Rose, 2000, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 172), are extremely deterministic (Hollway et al, 2007, p. 171). Social constructionists explained that historical research underlines the fact that values inevitably underpin all knowledge; however, allowance should be made for new ideas incorporating change and cultural settings such as the role of women in society. Such methods used by various psychological perspectives in studying a specific psychological issue are often complimentary a s opposed to contrasting. In explaining gender social constructionists take historical and cultural situations of human beings into account focusing on the meaning-making activities of humans. In studying differences in the approach of sexual behaviour between men and woman at an American college, Clark and Hatfield (1989 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 146) concluded that women who accepted dating invitations were less prone to accept invitations for private meetings, at the house of a strange in addition to the majority of women refusing such invitations for sexual intercourse. The results were the same when women were first guaranteed of the trustworthiness of the stranger thus accounting for fear of potential danger as a confounding variable (Clark, 1990, as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p. 146). Clark and Hatfield claimed from an evolutionary perspective that the results are consistent with the arguments of evolutionary psychologists about evolved optimal reproductive style through natural and sexual selection processes. The findings of Clark and Hatfield underline from a social constructionist point of view, the notion that sexual behaviour of men and women is filtered through their own individual cultural lenses. Psychoanalytical psychologists (e.g. Benjamin, 1990, 1995, 1998 as cited in: Hollway et al, 2007, p.164) argue that these external influences (e.g. through discourse and discursive practices) are over emphasised by social constructionists and therefore does not explain the capacity for resistance and change by individuals. Each perspective provides a valuable point of view however none is able to give a complete explanation of the findings of the study as each perspective is concentrating on its own theoretical ground when analysing the findings of a study. In conclusion the social perspective has provided a rich understanding of language and meaning and sex and gender. Nevertheless, the focus is only on social influences such as other people and discourses. It therefore lacks a general understanding of a whole topic. In every case other perspectives are needed to see the full picture of both, sex and gender and language and meaning. In addition of the methodology the experimental approach could be helpful to support or disprove the results which are gained from the hermeneutic approach. Overall, in terms of social influences and discourses, the social perspective has contributed to a great body of knowledge which is very important to understand all aspects of any topic. The other side of the coin is that the focus is only on social influences, the social environment and social constructions which limit a full understanding of different processes involved in the same topic, such as meaning-making of language. References Cooper, T, & Kaye, H. (2007a). Language and meaning. In T. Cooper & I. Roth (Eds.), Challenging Psychological Issues (2nd ed). Milton Keynes: The Open University Buchanan, K., Anand, P., Joffe, H. & Thomas, K. (2007). Perceiving and understanding the social world. In D. Miell, A. Phoenix & K. Thomas (Eds.), Mapping Psychology (2nd ed). Milton Keynes: The Open University Hollway, W., Cooper, T., Johnston, A. & Stevens, R., (2007a). The psychology of sex and gender. In T. Cooper & I. Roth (Eds.), Challenging Psychological Issues (2nd ed). Milton Keynes: The Open University

The Curse Of A Vivid Dream - 915 Words

The curse of a vivid dream The hero’s journey is theory by Joseph Campbell. It states that all great stories include the same characters that have to undergo seven stages that are the hero, herald, mentor, threshold guardian, trickster, shapeshifter and shadow. In the story Young Goodman Brown was once a great man. Now he sees everyone as a sinful and bitter person, how did this come to be? It all began one night when Young Goodman Brown had a dream that changed his life forever. In his dream he saw his wife and the good people of his town attend a Witches’ Sabbath. This changes Young Goodman Brown`s perception of reality and how he perceives everyone around him to be devil worshippers. The changes Young Goodman Brown goes through mentally, affect his character and how people of the town look at him. He is despised by all around him for the actions he took against the people of his town. He died a very lonely and joyless man. Young Goodman Brown was a newlywed, religious and pious man, who was setting off on a journey at sunset into a forest, where apparently he had an errand. He leaves behind his wife, Faith; parting with a kiss, he set off on his journey. As he entered the gloomy wilderness of the darkening forest, he had a strange feeling of vulnerability towards being easily attacked by the devil. On this journey Young Goodman Brown met an old man who suspiciously looks like his grandfather, he was holding a stick that resembled a serpent that had a devil like features.Show MoreRelatedComparison Of The Son Of Neptune And The Titans Curse898 Words   |  4 Pages The Son of Neptune and The Titan’s Curse comparison essay The two books The Titan’s Curse (2007) and The Son Neptune (2011) are both interesting books. Both are written by Rick Riordan and are based on Greek Mythology, the books share many close similarities but some differences as well through style of writing, the themes and also the setting. 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