Implementing learning theories in a classroom

October 21, 2023

This article has been written by Manju Sharma pursuing Personal Branding Program for Corporate Leaders and edited by Shashwat Kaushik.

This article has been published by Sneha Mahawar.

Introduction

No two students are the same; their learning skills can be different. Every person’s brain is unique. Learning theory can be better explained by how the student receives the information, processes it and understands it. So there are five different learning theories that can be implemented by a teacher in their classroom.

Five learning theories:

Behaviorism
Cognitivism
Constructivism
Humanism
Connectivism

So let’s learn about each theory and its impact on our teaching.

Behavioural learning theory

This theory was founded by B. Watson in 1913. Behaviourism learning theory mainly focuses on how the student interacts with their environment and how they react to it. In this theory, we basically learn how their environment influences their behaviour. It also postulates that learning can be completed if any changes in their behaviour reflect that. Basically, every person is influenced by their environment and they behave according to that. People’s behaviour depends on the stimuli they get from their surroundings, and they respond according to that. According to the theory, a learner is born without influences. His behaviour can be influenced by positive or negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when a trainer wants a particular behaviour from the trainee and then provides a positive stimulus to prompt the particular behaviour. Negative reinforcement is when the trainer wants to stop a particular behaviour and then provides a negative stimulus to stop the behaviour.

Types of behaviourism

Classical conditioning

The concept of classical conditioning was first introduced by a Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov in his experiment on dogs’ digestive systems. He saw that in his experiment, the dog salivated whenever he saw the white coat of the lab assistant before being fed.

So according to classical conditioning, principal learning happens through the collaboration of natural stimulus and neutral stimulus occurrence. For example, in his experiment, Pavlov joined the natural stimulus food with the neutral stimuli sound of a bell. The dog started to salivate whenever he saw the food, but after some collaborations, the dog would start to salivate in response to the sound of the bell alone.

Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning, also called instrumental conditioning, is a behavior modified method used to shape the learner’s behaviour by giving positive or negative reinforcement. It was first introduced by Edward Thorndike in 1898 but later developed by the behavioural psychologist B.F. Skinner.

When a behaviour leads to a desirable outcome, it is believed that they will repeat the same behaviour in the future as well. If the action leads to negative consequences, it is most likely that the behaviour will not repeat itself in the future. We can implement operant conditioning in the classroom when we want a positive or negative outcome from the learner through repetition and want to stop negative behaviour. For example: when a student does his homework properly, neat and cleanly, the teacher can give him a very good grade and give him a star.

Observational conditioning

Albert wrote a book in 1977 “Social Learning Theory”. They believed that learning could not be possible without collaboration and direct reinforcement.

In place of this, they said learning is basically done by observation. Learners observe the acts of the people around them, like their parents, their siblings, or their friends and follow their behaviour. For example: when a 10 or 11 month baby sees his or her sibling saying bye to his parents while going somewhere, the baby watches and observes all the activities and copies them. When their parents ask the baby to say bye, he imitates. Observation happens in classrooms as well, like when a student observes how the teacher talks to him, the dressing sense of each teacher, and the behaviour of every teacher.

Strengths

Weakness

Students are positively reinforced to get that work done again and negatively reinforced to stop the task the teacher doesn’t want them to do and this is the key to behaviourism. For example, I give positive reinforcement, like giving some points for doing homework properly, and I deduct some points for not doing homework properly. So next time, students should get prepared to do their homework properly.Teachers also get satisfaction because they know how to manage the student’s behaviour by giving rewards or punishments. For example, if a teacher now knows what punishment to give to naughty students or super active students, he can say, “Okay, make five rounds of playground,” and then students will start behaving properly in class.Students get motivation when they get rewarded for their good work. For example, when a student does their assignment properly with all the rubrics following, the teacher says “Good Job” or writes “excellent work” on his assignment. Students get motivated by doing these small things

It is Teacher – centered as the teacher stimulates the student and gives a response according to that. For eg. If teacher says you have to do this work properly, otherwise you will not be allowed to attend sports activities, will follow teacher’s commands, whether it is positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement.Students’ thought processes and emotions are ignored as they practise what the teacher says. For example, if the teacher says to do this work ten times, otherwise you will not be allowed to sit with friend for next ten days, then he will do that work. In any case, no student’s emotions are taken care of.Students can get bored by repetitive reinforcement activities. For example, if a teacher rewards a student by saying “good job” every time the student gets habitual and starts getting bored, teachers need to change rewards.

Cognitivism learning theory

Cognitivism theory is basically focused on how information is received, organised, stored and processed by the mind. In this theory, our brain not only observes things but also analyses and processes them. It is basically a mental process. In this way, learners are actively involved in the way information is processed. Cognitivism rejects behaviourism; it says the complex behaviour of a person is the result of stimulus and response. Cognitive theory focuses on understanding the internal mental process. Cognitivism theory was developed as a reaction to behaviourism in the 1950s by John Piaget.

Strength

Weakness

It increases the understanding of learners because of brain storming activities. For example, I give students some topics to research at home and allow them to ask questions.It develops problem-solving skills in students because they analyse things. For eg. If a student learns to write a C++ sum of two variables next time, he can also subtract two variables.It promotes long-term storage of understanding because students get the information, analyse it and store it. For eg. In our childhood, we learned alphabets, counting, and addition. We remember those things today as well.

The learner learns a way to complete a task best suited to him, which may not be best suited to him in all situations.For example: the process of logging into one computer may be different for another computer.Learners can start to learn the things that are not good for them. For example, when a learner learns cyber security or hacking, he can use that in negative way as well.

Constructivism learning theory

Constructivism theory says that learners construct their understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things, which they then relate to their prior knowledge and experience. According to this theory, the learner is not blank; he has some prior knowledge. Constructivism is somewhat similar to cognitive theory, but the difference is that cognitivism is when a teacher uses group activities or brainstorming to add on new knowledge or remove prior knowledge he has learned from somewhere and that is wrong.

Constructivism theory evolved in the 18^th century. Before that, behaviourism theory ruled the world. Giambattista Vico-coined the term “constructivist.”.

Strength

Weakness

Most remembering experience a learner gets Because learner learn by simulations For example: when I teach my students CPU, I show them CPU by opening a black box or by showing them videos of CPU working.Group involvement because group activities are performed by students. For example, I give students the opportunity to make a project in groups that they make in collaboration with each other and learn new ideas.Allows learners to draw on their own experiences and opinions. For example, when students are provided with problem solving activities, they do brain storming to solve the problem and do their research work. They also create their own experiences and draw their own opinions.

It is very difficult to relate to new subject if he has no prior knowledge. For example, when I have to teach my students any programming language, like JavaScript, they are unable to relate their own concepts to that new language.Some students may not have the ability to do work in groups. For example, when I make groups to do a JavaScript programme, some students sit still and just look at what is happening. Because not every student’s learning is same.It is very difficult for a teacher to control the whole class when they are in groups.

Humanism learning theory

The learning theory of humanism is closely related to constructivism. In humanism, the teacher is primarily concerned with the students’ self-actualization. Every person has some requirements and he functions under the hierarchy of these requirements. Self-actualization is at the top of this hierarchy of needs. It is the moment when he feels all his needs are full-filled then he feels at the top of self-actualization and they feel it is the best version of them. Everyone struggles with this, and the learning environment can move forward if it meets these needs or not.

Teachers can create environments for students to make them feel self-actualized. A teacher can help students fulfil their emotional and physical needs by giving them a secure and comfortable environment to learn in, plenty of food and the support they require to succeed.

Strength

Weakness

It focuses on the overall development of the learner instead of focusing on unconscious behaviour, their genes or their mind. Sometimes in my class, I ask students what they want to become in life; they share their thoughts, and they feel so important that the teacher wants to know about them.Unorthodox methods of learning-It highlight the importance of individualistic methods of learning. Teachers take care of every student’s emotions and practises. Like when my students practise on computers, I check every student’s progress by visiting everyone’s workstation.Learner centered counseling- learner feels more comfortable sharing his feelings in a counselling session.

A teacher has to take care of individual’s feelings and needs. It is time taking task. For example, to check my student’s progress, I will have to visit every student’s workstation.Limited solutions are generated as every learner presents their unique problem and gets only limited solutions because teacher may not have solution to everyone’s problem. For example, if I am teaching programmes in JavaScript and the student’s minds are clicking on different questions related to programme, then I will have to search for their answers sometime.It is considered unscientific because of lack of objective methods.

Connectivism learning theory

This learning theory focuses on the fact that students learn and grow by making connections with their environment. Today is the digital age; every person is connected through technology. If a teacher wants to search for a question, he can find it on Wikipedia, Google assistant or Alexa. If a person is in doubt about any concept, he can chat with his friends or colleagues. Today, every person is connected through the internet. It’s clear that a student not only learns from their teacher or their textbooks but also from technology. He has lots of options to solve his problems. In fact, a study from 2015 found that 87% of college students used their laptops for their schoolwork every week and 64% used their smartphones for schoolwork.

The increasing use of technology in teaching as an educational tool has changed the way people learn. The gap between traditional teaching and modern teaching methods has been filled by connectivism theory.

Connectivism was first launched by two theorists, George Siemens and Stephen Downes. Siemens article Connectivism: Learning as a Network was published online in 2004 and Downes’s article: An Introduction to Connectivism was published in the following years.

Strengths

Weaknesses

It creates an association because learners learn from their peers by communicating their ideas and viewpoints and sharing their knowledge through their association.It entitles facilitator and learner, as it transfers the responsibility from trainer to trainee for how they acquire knowledge from their environment. Seize the divergence, as it supports the opinion of every learner and the divergence of their viewpoints.

Students are grouped according to their ability level and they feel distinguished from the others.All responsibilities are transferred to learners so they learn according to their level.Learners feel demoralised and alone according to their capabilities when they are divided into groups according to their abilities.

Impact of learning theories in the classroom

Behaviorism

The impact of this theory is that students remain positive and do their work enthusiastically. Giving them rewards encourages them to do their work to their full potential.

I use behaviourism in my classroom. I teach grade nine students. I appreciate the student in front of all students when he does good assignment work. By doing this, other students are encouraged to do good work next time. I use negative reinforcement for the students who do not do their homework regularly. I instruct them that if you do not do your work next time, you will not be allowed to visit on a school trip. Then they come with their complete homework for the next class and they do it neatly and cleanly. So it is good practise to use this theory in the classroom.

Cognitivism

The impact of implementing this theory in class is that by relating the topics to their prior knowledge, they better understand all concepts, and the knowledge remains for a longer period of time in their memory. Their confidence increases because when they see that the teacher is asking them questions personally, they feel their importance in front of the class.

I teach structure of computer system, like input and output devices, processors, storage devices, etc. I relate my topic to our body structure, like a computer processor, which is just like our brain because the brain manages each and every task of our body, like how to manage the workload in the morning, which task to do first, then second and so on. So the computer processor manages the multiple tasks it receives and completes them in proper sequence.

Humanism

When I enter the classroom, I start with some activities to relax them, like standing up and sitting down ten times, then they become more active and then concentrate on their topic in a better way. Even they start enjoying the class afterward. The learner observes everything in his classroom, from their teacher to their peers. The teacher should behave with students by considering their emotions, feelings, and self-esteem. A student’s behaviour is the reflection of their teacher, their parent, their neighbor and their peers. So teachers should behave like role models for them; they should speak politely .The impact of this can be seen in their behaviour.

Sometimes I give them a self –evaluation sheet after mid-term exam and ask them to evaluate themselves. This allows them to feel self-reflection on their performance and feel more confident. When we give them value, they give value to us. I don’t use harsh words for my students; I speak politely and my politeness reflects on my students.

Constructivism

Before starting a new topic, I start asking questions to check their prior knowledge, and then I teach them according to that. I use some activities like brainstorming and discussion, and I also conduct guest lectures to give them new knowledge and experience. For example, I give them some topics to research from home. The next day, they come with their answers and present their experience in front of the class through a presentation. So lots of brain storming happens in these kinds of activities.

The impact of this theory on students is that they get new ideas by doing brain storming activities and doing group discussions. The other impact of this theory is that sometimes it becomes difficult for a teacher to remove a student’s prior learning from their mind. Teachers have to put in lots of effort.

Connectivism

Connectivism is a learning theory in which learning is done through the inclusion of technology. Through technology, it has become possible to share thoughts, ideas, Google Forms, and other activities with people.

In my classroom, I teach 9th and 10^th grade students. To connect them with technology, I usually use PowerPoint presentations and YouTube videos to get them to connect with technology. I give them some questions to search for answers on the Internet and ask them in the classroom. I ask them to make an Excel sheet of your daily household expenses and use a formula to calculate total expenses.

The impact of implementing connectivism in the classroom is that students become more high-tech and explore new ideas. There is also a bad impact on students, like when they start to play games and use other websites, etc. So we have to take into account these aspects as well.

Comparison between all learning theories

	Behaviorism	Constructivism	Humanism	Cognitivism
Role of learners	In this theory, learners only respond to stimuli. Here, the learner is not active.	In this theory, the learner is in an active process because all focus is on the learner as new knowledge is constructed based on their prior knowledge.The curriculum is also designed according to learners’ requirements.	The learner is in an active process because, while making curriculum, they are kept in mind and their feelings and emotions are considered first. The teacher asks learners what they want to learn in the next session; assignments are also designed according to their level of understanding.	In this theory, learners receive, process and store the information, organise it and recall it whenever required.
Role of teacher	In this theory, the teacher is active because he facilitates stimulus to get a response from the child. For example: when teacher wants class to be managed, he can saying, “class be seated properly,” and then students will sit properly.	The role of the teacher here is to focus on making curriculum by considering the prior knowledge of learners and having to remove standardised curriculum.	The role of the teacher here is to create a threatening free environment so that children can learn with a positive mindset. The teacher has to take care of individual learner’s needs.Teachers make their learners perfect at self-reflection by providing them with a self-reflection worksheet. It is the responsibility of teachers to give proper guidance to their students for their development.	In this theory, the role of the teacher is to relate the students’ prior knowledge to the current concepts. Teacher give problem solving tasks or make their groups analyse any problem and do brain storming.
Key ideas	This theory stress only on observations but does not on internal mental processingIt is nothing more than to acquire new behaviours through conditioning.Conditioning is of two kinds:Classical conditioningIt is a natural response to a stimulus, like when we salivate when we see good food of our choiceOperant conditioningIt happens when a response is generated by reinforcement. Like when we want to make it a habit for our child to wash their hands, then we will instruct them again and again, and then it will become their habit.	A teacher plays an important role in guiding their students, motivating them and monitoring their activities.Learners themselves are the creators of their learning. The learner’s prior knowledge plays an important role in building their new concepts.	The role of the teacher here is to create a threatening free environment so that children can learn a positive mindset. A teacher has to take care of individual learner’s needs.Teachers make their learners perfect at self-reflection by providing them with a self-reflection worksheet.	This theory focuses on a person’s brain activity, how he is responding to any task, how our brain processes information and how it retrieves it when required. The focus is only on brain processing.For example computer program in C++ language , if we do not practice of writing, it will remain in our mind for short period.For example: counting is practised in our childhood multiple times, we can recall that instantly because we are memorising it regularly.

Judgements on learning theories

Behaviorism

By using behaviourism, a teacher becomes more confident because he knows how to manage naughty students and how to encourage them to do their work appropriately. The whole class gets managed as teachers take care of everything, like their behaviour with students, chart paper pasting on the classroom board and other factors. Because teachers know that students are learning from their environment, what they see, they observe and learn. The outcome of using behaviourism is awesome, because some students in my class showed a massive improvement in their performance and efforts.

Cognitivism

My judgement on using cognitivism in the classroom is that it is a good way to make learners understand all topics clearly. Teachers relate concepts to their prior knowledge to make learners understand the topic. For example, if my students are not understanding what input devices are in a computer system, I will try to find some real life examples for them. In our body, our hands, mouth, ears, and nose are all used to give input to our brain. Just like that, in a computer system, a keyboard, scanner, and webcam are used to give input to our computer system. From this example, my students will understand input devices in a clear manner, which they will store in their minds for future knowledge. But sometimes it becomes a time taking task to make students understand everything by connecting class teaching topics with their prior knowledge because it is very difficult to move with every student’s understanding.

Constructivism

My judgement on this theory is that students become more confident when teachers ask them questions related to their current lesson and they give the answer. For example, when I teach networking to my 10^th grade students, I ask them questions and sometimes I give them a pre assessment test to test their knowledge. By doing assessments, they come to know their level of understanding about the upcoming topic and they become more enthusiastic.

Humanism

My judgement on humanism is as follows:

Students feel more confident as teachers give them importance in selecting their topic for next session.
Students and teachers both enjoy their teaching and learning because teachers work according to children’s feelings and emotions and students follow the instructions of their teacher.
Students can analyse their performance using self-evaluation worksheets.
Students can select assignments according to their level, which makes them more energetic.

Connectivism

My views on connectivism are that it is a great idea to connect people through technology because people learn more by connecting them with their peers , friends , and technology. The main task of the teacher here is to guide them, determine which path they have to follow to complete their task, and determine what they should and should not do. So every teacher must include this theory in their teaching. But the cons of this theory are that the teacher must be familiar with technology and must be updated accordingly so that he can guide students in a proper way. The other drawback of using this theory is that the learner can become addicted to technology and he can try to use other useless tasks like playing games on his laptop or using other websites that are not of his or her use and then he can go deeper and deeper. So we have to monitor their activities.

References

Students of Lawsikho courses regularly produce writing assignments and work on practical exercises as a part of their coursework and develop themselves in real-life practical skills.

LawSikho has created a telegram group for exchanging legal knowledge, referrals, and various opportunities. You can click on this link and join:

https://t.me/lawyerscommunity

An insight into top 5 mergers in India

Sneha Mahawar

October 20, 2023

This article has been written by Peddada Sivadattha pursuing Diploma in M&A, Institutional Finance and Investment Laws (PE and VC transactions) and edited by Shashwat Kaushik.

This article has been published by Sneha Mahawar.

Table of Contents

Introduction

A merger is a strategic alliance between two companies where one of them gets submerged into another or they combine to form a new entity. Mergers have been an integral part of the Indian corporate landscape. The Indian corporate world has seen many mergers over the years that have had a significant impact on the companies merging, at a micro level, on the sector in which the concerned companies operate and also on the economy as a whole, at a macro level.

Benefits of mergers

Increased market share: Mergers help companies increase their market share and expand their customer base.
Synergies: It means teamwork or alliance. Mergers allow companies to combine their resources and expertise and in turn, they can reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Diversification: Mergers enable companies to diversify their business and enter new markets and new industries, which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.
Financial benefits: Mergers provide increased revenue, higher profits and better access to capital.

Some other benefits of mergers include tax benefits, economies of scale, access to better personnel, etc.

In order to reap the numerous benefits that mergers provide, many companies have made mergers in India over the years and in recent times, this activity has even increased. In this article, we will look into the top 5 mergers in India. These mergers are big not only in terms of value but also in terms of the impact they have created on the industry and the economy.

Vodafone – Idea merger

It is the largest merger in the Indian telecom industry. Reuters reported that the Vodafone-Idea merger value was $23 billion. The reason behind the merger is the entry of Reliance Jio into the Indian telecom industry and the rise of Jio as a leader in the telecom sector in no time, putting behind veteran players in the industry like Airtel, Idea and Vodafone. To combat this situation, Vodafone and Idea came up with the idea of merging the companies to combine their resources and customer bases.

Idea and Vodafone had a successful deal, with Vodafone gaining a 45.1% stake in the merged company, the Aditya Birla Group holding 26% and the public holding the rest of the share. The integration of the two companies was completed when they unveiled their brand new identity, ‘Vi’, on September 7, 2020.

Situation of Vodafone-Idea post-merger

After the merger, ‘Vi’ became the market leader with a customer market share of 35% and a revenue market share of 40%, serving 400 million subscribers. However, its market share has now dropped to 15.4%, standing in third place due to various reasons.

‘Vi’ owes more than Rs. 44,000 crores to the government. It has been fighting legal battles over the issue of what adjusted gross revenue means and its regulatory-related dues. Despite its efforts to reconcile with the government for a moratorium of 2 years, the company could not resolve the issue.

Further, the company needed to keep up with its competitors by introducing new technologies and plans. Added to that, the long standing legal challenges have resulted in a more than 94% decrease in share prices. As of now, its share price on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) stands at a mere Rs. 7.45.

So, the companies got into a merger, thinking they could improve the situation but the situation seems to be deteriorating. Only time will tell whether ‘Vi’ can make a comeback.

Impact of the Vodafone-Idea merger on the telecom sector in India

The merger of Vodafone and Idea has caused a shift in the telecom market dynamics. Many smaller companies were forced to exit the market due to increased competition and adverse market conditions. Customers will have fewer options and must adhere to the prices set by the dominant players. Following the Vodafone-Idea merger, other companies such as Telenor and Reliance Communication were acquired by Bharti Airtel, while Tata Teleservices customers moved to Airtel’s network through Intra Circle Roaming. The merger has had a significant impact on the quality of service provided by various service providers in the telecom sector.

Zee Entertainment – Sony India meger

Zee Entertainment and Sony India, two of India’s largest media companies, plan to merge, creating a $10 billion combined entity. After the Walt Disney Group acquired Star India Media, it arose as a leader in the entertainment industry in both channel and OTT viewing. Zee was looking for funds to fuel expansion plans, while Sony was seeking an Indian partner to regain market share lost to Disney-Star. Zee had an extensive network viewership through regional channels where Sony needed more presence; the partnership just made perfect sense.

After the completion of merger formalities, Sony Pictures Limited will hold a 50.86% share, the Essel family (promoters of Zee) will hold a 3.99% share, and the other shareholders of Zee will hold a 45.15% share in the merged entity.

Benefits of the Zee-Sony merger

The merger of Sony and Zee is set to benefit both companies as they have complementary strengths, such as Sony’s substantial presence in sports broadcasting and Zee’s expertise in regional content. This will expand the current portfolio and channel offerings while having minimum overlap in terms of audience, channels and viewership. Zee’s wider pan-India footprint, particularly in rural India, and Sony’s stronghold in the urban market will allow both Zee and Sony to fill the white spaces in their respective portfolios. The combined entity will wield significant power in the film industry, with Zee’s influence in Bollywood and Sony’s reputation in Hollywood.

Impact of this merger on the entertainment industry in India

The merger of Zee Sony will create the largest diversified television network in India, straddling news, current affairs, sports, regional and Hindi entertainment. This benchmark merger will raise the stakes in India’s media and entertainment sectors, resulting in stronger competition. With a combined TV viewership share of 26.7% and an increased number of channels, the network will enjoy higher advertisement sales and better bargaining power with distributors and DTH operators, thereby resulting in higher prices or commissions or a refusal to deal with distributors and advertisers. This merger will be good for the media and entertainment industries as it will provide an impetus for growth in content generation and distribution both nationally and internationally, across TV and cinemas.

Arcelor – Mittal merger

The Arcelor-Mittal merger is the biggest merger ever for an Indian company, valued at $38.3 billion. The world’s largest steel company, ArcelorMittal, merged in 2006. The steel industry is highly fragmented, with the top 5 companies controlling only 20% of the business. The top players as suppliers of raw materials and buyers to these steel companies often control 70% of their respective industries, thereby causing exploitation for the steel companies. Hence, both companies viewed consolidation as the critical success factor for the global steel market. In the merged entity, Arcelor would hold 50.5% of the shares and Mittal Steel would hold the remaining 49.5%.

Situation of Arcelor-Mittal post merger

ArcelorMittal has emerged as one giant, standing at No. 1 position both in terms of producing values and revenues as well as in the global steel industry, with a steel making capacity of 120 million metric tonnes and a revenue of $105.2 billion a year. It produces almost 10% of the steel in the world. The company is a leader in the global market in various fields, including automobile construction, household appliances and packaging.

Impact of this merger on the steel industry

This merger is believed to contain the volatility of prices and is expected to bring price stability to the steel industry. It is also anticipated to alter the steel industry globally, prompting other players to pursue growth through mergers and acquisitions. ArcelorMittal, the resulting powerhouse from the merger, is hinting at growing not only horizontally but also vertically, from mining to distribution. It is therefore possible that there will be numerous hostile takeovers in the global steel market. Though mergers are current trend in the steel industry, in the future it could lead to imperfect market conditions such as oligopoly or skewed monopoly

Indus Tower – Bharti Infratel merger

Indus Towers is a joint venture between Bharti Infratel, UK-based Vodafone Group Plc, and Vodafone Idea, which merged with Bharti Infratel Limited on November 19, 2020, to create the world’s largest telecom tower company outside China. Bharti Infratel also had a 42% stake in Indus Towers before the merger. Post-merger, Bharti Airtel holds a 36.7% stake in Indus Towers, with Vodafone Group holding 28.12% and Providence Equity holding 3.1% and remaining with the public.

Benefits of the Indus Tower-Bharti Airtel merger

The merger will allow Indus Towers to offer a wider range of services to its customers, including 4G, 5G, and fibre optic connectivity. It will also help the company reduce costs and improve its operational efficiency. The combined entity possesses an extensive tower portfolio, estimated to exceed 163,000 towers. A larger asset base promotes economies of scale. The merger helps in collaboration between telecom infrastructure giants and will provide access to advanced technologies, infrastructure and financial support, allowing Indus Towers to stay at the forefront of the rapidly evolving telecommunications industry.

Impact of the Indus Tower-Bharti Airtel merger on the telecom industry

The merger is expected to have a significant impact on the telecom industry in India. It represents a significant step towards industry consolidation. As telecom operators in India continue to focus on profitability and streamlining operations, this consolidation may catalyse future mergers and acquisitions, leading to a more stable and efficient telecom sector. The merger’s impact extends beyond the telecom industry. By fostering better connectivity, the unified entity will contribute to India’s digital transformation, bolstering economic growth and supporting the government’s initiatives such as Smart Cities, Digital India, and Make in India.

HDFC – HDFC bank merger

The merger of HDFC Bank and HDFC Limited will create one of the largest financial institutions in India, combining the largest private bank and the largest housing finance company. This will result in the 63rd most valuable company in the world, valued at $190 billion, surpassing big names like Morgan Stanley with $153 billion and HSBC with $140 billion in terms of valuation. HDFC Bank is currently focused on retail banking, while HDFC is focused on housing finance. The merger is driven by the desire to achieve economies of scale and create a more diversified institution offering a wider range of products and services. Post-merger, HDFC Limited’s existing shareholders will own 41% of shares in HDFC Bank and the remaining 59% shall vest with the public shareholders.

Situation of HDFC Bank post merger

After the merger, the loan book of the combined HDFC entity will become more diversified, with a larger portion consisting of mortgages. The home loan segment in HDFC Bank’s loan book will increase from 11% to 33%. As a result, the merged entity will not only become the largest bank in India in terms of assets and market capitalization. Still, it will also have a dominating presence in the mortgage and retail banking sectors. Additionally, the merger will significantly strengthen the financial position of HDFC Bank, with a 50% increase in assets and a capital adequacy ratio exceeding 18%. This enhanced financial strength will give the bank greater flexibility to expand and grow its operations.

Impact of the HDFC-HDFC Bank merger on the banking industry

The merger of HDFC Bank is set to create a strong presence in the banking industry, challenging both public and private sector banks. HDFC Bank currently holds a dominant position in private banking and is the second-largest bank overall. This merger poses a significant threat to public sector banks, forcing them to improve efficiency and compete with large private banks. Along with the HDFC merger, the acquisition of Citi Bank’s consumer banking business by Axis Bank has contributed to the growth and share of private players in the banking industry. This trend may lead to more mergers and acquisitions as banks aim to expand and face increased competition. Overall, this merger and acquisition activity within the banking industry is expected to positively impact productivity and competition as players strive to enhance their offerings and stay relevant in the market.

Conclusion

A substantial merger in any industry changes the dynamics of the whole industry. In particular, the biggest mergers like these have the ability to impact the market to a great extent, either positively or negatively, depending on the nature of the merger and the circumstances prevailing in the market. This article dealt with the top 5 mergers in India while looking into aspects like the reasons for the merger, the benefits of the merger and the impact of the merger on the industry. Most of these mergers had a positive impact, like improvements in efficiency and productivity, consolidation of resources, competition with rival companies, etc. However, sometimes it may result in adverse outcomes like monopolies or abuse of dominant positions.

References

Students of Lawsikho courses regularly produce writing assignments and work on practical exercises as a part of their coursework and develop themselves in real-life practical skills.

LawSikho has created a telegram group for exchanging legal knowledge, referrals, and various opportunities. You can click on this link and join:

https://t.me/lawyerscommunity

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Name of the Exam	Bihar Judicial Services Exam
Name of the exam conducting exam	Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC)
Official website of the conducting body	https://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/
Minimum qualification	Graduation in law from any college recognised by the Bar Council of India.
Nationality	Indian
Minimum age to appear in the exam	General category – 22 years Reserved category – 22 years
Maximum age to appear in the exam	General category – 35 years Reserved category – 40 years
Any bar on number of attempts	No, except for the maximum age as prescribed
Stages of the exam	3 stages – prelims exam, Mains exam and viva voice/interview
Designation of the post	Civil Judge
Total number of vacancies	155 (One hundred and fifty-five)
Official notification	https://bpsc.bih.nic.in/Advt/NB-2023-02-20-04.pdf
Date of notification issued	February 20, 2023
Date of opening of online application window (preliminary examination)	February 27, 2023
The last date to apply for the application (preliminary examination)	March 27, 2023
Correction window period for the online form	Till May 05, 2023
Date of admit card release	May 31, 2023
Date of prelims exam	June 03, 2023
Date of issuance of prelims exam result	September 26, 2023
Date of opening of online application window (Mains examination)	October 05, 2023
The last date to apply for the application (mains examination)	October 25, 2023
Date of Mains exam	November 25, 2023 to November 29, 2023 (tentative date)
Date of viva voice/personal interview	Yet to be declared
Date of issuing the final result	Yet to be declared
Registration fees (preliminary examination)	General and OBC category – 600 Rupees SC and ST category – 150 Rupees
Registration fees (mains examination)	Scheduled caste and scheduled tribes of Bihar, women residents of state of Bihar, PWD candidates – 750 Rupees General category and all other category candidates which are left – 200 Rupees
Mode of application	Online
Mode of examination	Offline (pen – paper based)
Types of questions in prelims exam	Objective (Multiple choice questions)
Negative marking in prelims exam	No
Types of questions in Mains exam	Subjective questions
Total number of papers in prelims exam	Two papers
Total number of papers in Mains exam	Five papers
Total number of optional papers	03 out of 05 options
State	Bihar
Credentials of the job	Bihar Government Job (Judiciary department)

Category of the Candidate	No. of seats	Seats reserved for women candidates’
General Category	61	23
OBC Category	30	10
SC Category	29	07
ST Category	02	01
EWS Category	15	04
BC Category	18	06
Total	155	51

Category of the candidates	Percentage of reservation
Other Backward Castes (OBCs)	27%
Scheduled Caste (SC)	15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST)	7.5%
Economically Weaker Section (EWS)	10%
Total	59.5%

	Paper 1	Paper 2
Syllabus	General studies and current affairs	Legal topics
Mode	Offline	Offline
Total number of questions/marks	100	150
Marks for the correct answer	01	01
Marks for incorrect/unattempted	00	00
Type of question	MCQ	MCQ
Time limit	1.5 hours (90 minutes)	2 hours (120 minutes)
Qualifying marks	40% for reserved categories and	45% for the unreserved category

S. No.	Subjects	Paper Code	Mode of Examination	Type of Questions	Time Limit	Max Marks
1.	General Knowledge and Current Affairs	01	Offline	Subjective	03 hours	150
2.	Elementary General Science	02	Offline	Subjective	03 hours	100
3.	General Hindi	03	Offline	Subjective	03 hours	100
4.	General English	04	Offline	Subjective	03 hours	100
5.	Law of Evidence and Procedure	05	Offline	Subjective	03 hours	150

Subjects	Books
General knowledge and current affairs	Lucent’s General Knowledge by Vinay Karna
Indian Contract Act	Indian Contract Act by R. K. Bangia
Indian Penal Code	Indian Penal Code by Ratanlal & Dhirajlal
Indian Evidence Act	Indian Evidence Act by Vepa P. Sarathi
Jurisprudence	Jurisprudence by J.G. Riddall
Hindu Law	Modern Hindu Law by Paras Diwan
Mohammedan Law	Mulla’s principles of Mohammedan Law
Constitutional Law	Constitution of India by MP Jain
CrPC	Criminal Procedure Code by R.V. Kelkar
Transfer of Property Act	Transfer of Property Act by S.N. Shukla
Practice papers	Singhal’s Multiple Choice Questions for Judicial Services

Subjects or areas	Books
Practice guide	Guide for Bihar Judicial Services (Mains) Examination by Rajiv Ranjan Sahay
Practice papers	Singhal’s Bihar & Jharkhand Judicial Service Examinations: Solved (Pre.) Papers Unsolved (Mains) Papers by Sandeep Kumar
General English	Wren & Martin High School English Grammar and Composition Book
General Hindi	Encyclopaedia of Samanya Vigyan (Hindi)
Elementary general science	General Awareness by Manohar Pandey

Category of the candidate	Application fees
FOR THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
General category and other category candidates	INR 600
Candidates belonging to the SC and ST communities	INR 150
Both reserved and unreserved category women candidates belonging to the Bihar domicile	INR 150
Physically handicapped students	INR 150
FOR THE MAINS EXAMINATION
General category and other category candidates	INR 750
Candidates belonging to the SC and ST communities	INR 200
Both reserved and unreserved categories of women candidates belonging to the Bihar domicile	INR 200
Physically handicapped students	INR 200

Category of the candidate	Expected cut-offs
General (male)	Around 180
General (female)	170 – 174
EWS	130 – 140
OBC	142 – 145
ST	Around 140
SC	131 – 135

Name of the Body	Bihar Public Service Commission
Website	https://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in
Email address	[email protected]
Office address	15, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg (Bailey Road), Patna, Bihar, 800 001
Contact number of IT (online) section	9297739013
Contact number of the inquiry section	2237999 and 8986422296
Office number of the secretary	2215187
Office number of the controller of examination	2215368

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References

All about Bihar judiciary exam

Overview of Bihar judiciary exam

What is Bihar judiciary exam

When is Bihar judiciary exam conducted

Where is Bihar judiciary exam conducted

How is Bihar judiciary exam conducted

Important details of Bihar judiciary exam

Brief details on the post of civil judge for Bihar judiciary exam

Designation

Salary and allowances after getting selected for Bihar judiciary exam

Tabular representation of Bihar judiciary exam 2023-24

Vacancies for Bihar judiciary exam 2023-24

Previous year vacancies in Bihar Judiciary

Vacancies in the year 2020

Vacancies in the year 2018

Vacancies in the year 2017

Criteria for reservation in Bihar judiciary exam

Some important points regarding reservation in Bihar judiciary exam

Eligibility criteria for Bihar judiciary exam

Eligibility criteria for the Unreserved category

Eligibility criteria for the reserved category

Stages of Bihar judiciary exam

Preliminary stage of Bihar judiciary exam

Tabular representation of the Bihar judiciary preliminary exam

Tabular representation of Bihar judiciary mains exam

Viva-voice or the personal interview stage

Syllabus of Bihar judiciary exam

Syllabus of Bihar judiciary prelims exam

Paper 1: General Knowledge and Current Affairs:

History

Geography

Polity

Economy

General Science

Paper 2: Legal topics

Syllabus of Bihar judiciary mains exam

Compulsory papers

Paper 1: General Knowledge and Current Affairs

Paper 2: Elementary general science

Paper 3: General Hindi

Paper 4: General English

Paper 5: Law of evidence and procedure

Optional papers

Paper 1 – Constitutional and administrative law of India

Paper 2 – Hindu law and Mohammedan law

Paper 3 – Transfer of property, principal of equity, law of trust, and Specific Relief Act

Paper 4 – Law of Contracts and Torts

Paper 5 – Commercial law

Marking scheme for Bihar judiciary exam 2023 – 24

For preliminary examination

For Mains examination

For viva voice or the personal interview

How to start your preparation for Bihar judiciary exam 2023-24

Bihar judiciary Preliminary exam 2023 – 24

For Paper 1

For Paper 2

Bihar judiciary Main exam 2023-24

Viva-voice or personal interview of Bihar judiciary exam

When to start your preparation for Bihar judiciary exam

For the Preliminary examination

For the Mains examination

For the viva voce or the personal interview

Important tips and tricks for Bihar judiciary exam

Tips for Bihar judiciary Preliminary exam

Tips for Bihar judiciary Mains exam

Tips for viva-voice or the personal interview

Mistakes to avoid while preparing for Bihar judiciary exam

Sources to refer for Bihar judiciary exam