Venture Capital Funds Investing in Minority-Owned Businesses: Evaluating Performance and Strategy

Based on a survey of minority-oriented private equity funds, analyzes their performance between 2000 and 2006 compared to those of major stock indices. Looks at trends among minority-oriented funds and their investment strategies in economic downturns

Minorities and Venture Capital: A New Wave in American Business

Based on a survey and analysis of minority-oriented venture capital funds, assesses minority-owned businesses' access to venture capital, rates of return, the investment mix among industries, sources of funds, and outlook for minority-oriented investment

Elephant cognition in primate perspective

On many of the staple measures of comparative psychology, elephants show no obvious differences from other mammals, such as primates: discrimination learning, memory, spontaneous tool use, etc. However, a range of more naturalistic measures have recently suggested that elephant cognition may be rather different. Wild elephants sub-categorize humans into groups, independently making this classification on the basis of scent or colour. In number discrimination, elephants show no effects of absolute magnitude or relative size disparity in making number judgements. In the social realm, elephants show empathy into the problems faced by others, and give hints of special abilities in cooperation, vocal imitation and perhaps teaching. Field data suggest that the elephant’s vaunted reputation for memory may have a factual basis, in two ways. Elephants’ ability to remember large-scale space over long periods suggests good cognitive mapping skills. Elephants’ skill in keeping track of the current locations of many family members implies that working memory may be unusually developed, consistent with the laboratory finding that their quantity judgements do not show the usual magnitude effects.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Rural delinquency ; an empirical investigation of delinquency in a rural county, with an attempt at a typology of delinquency

Almost from the inception of American sociology, there has been serious work done in the investigation of juvenile delinquency, This can be seen, perhaps, most clearly in the work of the men of the Chicago school, such as W.I. Thomas, Clifford Shaw, Frederick Thrasher, and so on. From the work of Shaw, there arose a serious emphasis upon the interrelationship of the physical environment and delinquency. He tried to show that delinquency was a function of the urban environment. But he, and most of the other workers in the field, was working in an almost completely urban research field. There has been, in fact, little attempt to investigate the field of rural delinquency from the aspect of sociology. As a result of this, the work done by sociologists has been chiefly concerned with that type of delinquency which has been associated with the urban environment. In recent time, music of the impetus for research in delinquency has passed from the hands of the sociologist into that of the psychologist. This type of research should include the work of men like Fritz Redl, Carl Rogers, and David Abrahamsen. For these reasons, then, this paper will attempt to do three things. From the very existence of a study on rural delinquency, an attempt will be made to direct attention to the existence of rural delinquency and to reawaken study in the field. Secondly, a typology of delinquency will be delineated which will attempt to link the field of juvenile delinquency with the field of social theory. Finally, certain specific hypotheses about rural delinquency will be drawn from this theoretical framework and will be tested by a specific study in the area involved

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW-COMMERCE CLAUSE-STATE TAXATION OF INTERSTATE COMMERCE

Appellant, a Missouri corporation, was domiciled in Illinois and engaged in interstate trucking of commodities to and from Connecticut. The appellant had twenty-seven employees, office equipment, pick-up trucks and two terminals within Connecticut. Approximately one-third to one-half of appellant\u27s business originated in Connecticut, but a very small percentage of the total mileage traveled by its trucks lay within the state. Appellant was not engaged in intrastate commerce, nor had it been authorized to transact such business. Under the Connecticut Corporation Business Tax Act of 1935 appellant was assessed for taxes and penalties. The statute imposed a franchise tax upon certain corporations for the privilege of carrying on business within the state. The tax was computed by taking a percentage of the entire net income of the corporation, but detailed apportionment provisions related the amount collected to that part of a corporation\u27s business which was attributable to the taxing state. Appellant sought to enjoin collection of the tax. The state court found that the tax applied to the appellant although it was engaged exclusively in interstate business. The federal district court held the enactment unconstitutional. On appeal, the court of appeals reversed, holding that interstate commerce can be required to pay its share of ordinary governmental expense incurred in guaranteeing the privilege and protection which the state affords. The Supreme Court reversed. Held, the privilege of engaging in purely interstate commerce cannot be taxed by a state in the absence of Congressional consent. Spector Motor Service, Inc. v. O\u27Connor, 340 U.S. 602, 71 S.Ct. 508 (1951)

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW-CIVIL RIGHTS-DISCHARGE OF TEACHERS FOR SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY

An action was brought seeking a declaratory judgment as to the constitutionality of New York\u27s Feinberg law. The statute provided that the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York should list organizations found to be subversive. Membership in such organizations was made prima facie disqualification for the position of public school teacher. At the time of suit the Board of Regents had made no listing of subversive groups nor had any teacher been discharged under the provisions of this enactment. The supreme court of New York, special term, held the law unconstitutional; the appellate division reversed. Held, affirmed. The statute is not a denial of due process and does not constitute a bill of attainder, because the legislature has authority to prescribe conditions of employment and removal of public school teachers. Thompson v. Wallin, 301 N.Y. 476, 95 N.E. (2d) 806 (1950)

CORPORATIONS-VOLUNTARY REORGANIZATION UNDER THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 1935-VALUATION OF STOCK OPTION WARRANT

Appellant corporation submitted a voluntary reorganization plan to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to sections II(h)(2) and II(e) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. The plan consisted of two parts. The first proposed consolidation of three of the appellant\u27s subsidiaries into a newly formed operational company. The second part provided for dissolution of the appellant corporation, with the holders of securities therein being issued stock in the new corporation to the extent of the value of their interest in the appellant corporation. All the security holders of appellant were allowed participation in the securities of the new corporation except the holders of Class B stock option warrants, which, it was claimed, had no recognizable value. There were outstanding 497,191.5 of such option warrants, each of which entitled the holder to 1 1/6 shares of common stock upon the surrender of one warrant and payment of $50. Since 1932 the common stock had risen to a high of 18½ and had fallen to a low of % on the market. The high for the option warrants in the same period was 5 and the low was ¼. In 1949 the high option warrant market price was ¼ and the low, ¼. The SEC found there was no reasonable expectation that the holders of the option warrants would ever participate in the earnings of the appellant corporation; it approved the plan with minor modifications concerning other securities, and conditioned acceptance upon the order of the district court as allowed by statute. The district court ordered the plans carried out, but appellee, a holder of stock option warrants, secured review by the court of appeals under section 24(a) of the act. The court of appeals, holding that there was no substantial evidence to support the findings of the SEC in light of the market values, ordered the plan to be reconsidered. Held, on appeal to the United States Supreme Court, reversed. Niagara Hudson Power Corporation v. Leventritt, (U.S. 1951) 71 S.Ct. 341

A Comparison of The Klopfer-Kelly and Beck Methods of Rating Intelligence Level From The Rorschach Test

The problem in this investigation concerns the Klopfer- Kelley and the Beck methods of interpreting intelligence from the Rorschach Test . Stated generally, the problem is to find which one of these two methods of intelligence interpretation of the Rorschach Test is the more efficient in determining a true intelligence level, or, whether they are equally good. Specifically the problem concerns the determination of the degree of correlation of the results of each of these two methods with the Wechsler-Bellevue Adult Intelligence Scale. This problem is concerned primarily with height or degree of intelligence, excluding the type of intelligence