Dangers of drunk driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dangers of drunk driving - Research Paper Example With the help of two informative articles, statistics and information on this very topic have been provided and discussed well within the confines of this paper in order for the reader to be able to gauge a better insight into the harmful effects that are caused by drunken driving. In the United States of America, the leading cause of deaths for people under the age of 24 has been branded as motor vehicle wrecks due to drinking and driving. It has been estimated that one American life is lost every 20 minutes due to a drunk driver on the road, or even drinking and driving. (Gieck, D, Joseph, and David M Slagle ) The main thing that most traffic policemen check is the blood alcohol concentration of a driver on the road. If this turns out to be about 0.10 or more, then the driver is seven times more likely to be involved in a car accident than a driver who is completely sober at the time of driving. Most college students and young adults form the population that undergoes these traffic related fatalities with respect to heavy episodes of drinking. Thus, the concept of a free ride was started in a number of states within the United States. The main aim of the free ride was to provide intoxicated drivers with a cheap mode of transportation so that they are able to reach home safely along with mitigating the chance of harming anyone else on the road. (Gieck, D, Joseph, and David M Slagle ) It is important for such programs to be effective all over and not just in parts of the world because according to harm theory, it has been suggested that most accidents due to the effects of alcohol happen due to secondary measures. This means that most people under the influence of alcohol cause harm on activities that they carry out rather than harming themselves directly. It is very important for people to be able to judge the level of alcohol that they have consumed before riding their vehicles on the

Effective Communication Essay Example for Free

Effective Communication Essay Effective communication is an essential part in any leadership position.   Communication is a two-way process that includes articulating your thoughts well and listening to the suggestions and information coming from other people involved.   Its through communication that other people in a company would be apprised of how a particular project is going. In the case of a lead project engineer for Cards4U, to effectively communicate to all people involve in the new card line, the team leader must have an intimate knowledge of the new project.    Once he has all the information he needs, the lead engineer should create a flowchart to ensure efficiency in the execution.   In response to the chief executives request, the flowchart will also help the lead engineer create a good proposal that would showcase the musical cards in the most favorable light. The specific skills that the lead engineer must have to perform the communication aspect of his job efficiently include: having a strong ability to get his message across; open-mindedness; and ability to listen actively. As a team leader for a creative venture, the lead engineer must be able to provide a clear explanation and reason for each of the musical card prototype.   If he cant, he wont be able to sell his ideas to his boss and to prospective clients.   In the same manner, the team leader must also be open-minded about criticisms regarding the new designs. Keeping an open mind would allow him to objectively assess the validity of each comment.   As for having the skill to listen, the lead engineer would greatly benefit if hell take note of verbal and non-verbal messages.   Blair adds that listening also involves asking questions and clarifications and putting yourself in the speakers shoes. References Blair, G. Conversation As Communication. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art7.html?http://oldeee.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerar d/Management/art7.html Fowler, K. Communication in Your Organization. Mind Tools Ltd. (1995-200). Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/CommunicatingInAnOrganization.htm Communication Skills Confidence (2005). Leadership Skills for Todays World. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.communication-skills-4confidence.com/leadership-skill.html

The Interference Of The Supernatural In Macbeth :: essays research papers

In Macbeth, there were many interesting sections which concentrate on the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions or the hallucinations, the ghost, and the apparitions are all key elements in making the concept of the play work also making the play rather interesting to the audience. In each act of the play you will notice that the supernatural is actaully a major factor on the play style. The use of the supernatural occurs at the beginning of the play, with three witches predicting the fate of Macbeth. This gives the audience a clue to what the future holds for Macbeth. "When the battles lost and won"(Act I, Scene I,) was said by the second witch. It says that every battle is lost by one side and won by another. This may be interrperated that Macbeths fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose mant things along the way possibly even including his soul and true personality. After the prophecies of the witches' revealed the fate of Macbeth, the plan in which to gain power of the throne is brought up. According to Lady macbeth and Macbeth the only way to gain power of the throne was for macbeth to murder King Duncan. was an easier plan. Lady Macbeth also relied on the supernatural by her soliloquy of calling upon the evil spirits to give her the power to plot the murder of Duncan without any remorse or conscience(Act I, Scene V, lines 42-57). Lady Macbeth has convinced her husband Macbeth to murder King Duncan. On the night they planned to kill Duncan, Macbeth is waiting for Lady Macbeth to ring the signal bell to go up the stairs to Duncan's chamber. He sees the vision of the floating dagger. The interest of the dagger is that it leads Macbeth towards the chamber by the presence of evil of the dagger being covered with blood. This part may come as a conffusion to the reader bceause one may not be entirely sure wether the murder has already taken place or if it is yet to come. Then the bell rings and Macbeth stealthily proceeds up the staircase to Duncan's chamber. Once the murder has been committed, some time later Banquo has his suspicions about Macbeth killing Duncan to have power of the throne.

Reflective Nursing Essay

Case Study One In this case study I will use Gibbs (1988) model of reflection to write a personal account of an abdominal examination carried out in general practice under the supervision of my mentor, utilising the skills taught during the module thus far. What happened During morning routine sick parade I was presented with a 21 year old male soldier experiencing severe acute, non specific, abdominal pain. Under the supervision of the medical officer (MO) I proceeded to carry out a full assessment and abdominal examination, using Byrne and Long’s (1976) model to structure the consultation. I requested the patients’ consent before conducting the examination, as is essential before commencement of any medical procedure, be it a physical examination or a critical surgical procedure (Seidal et al, 2006). The patient was quite agitated on arrival and appeared to be in a great deal of pain, and so before continuing with the physical examination I reassured him and made him comfortable in the treatment room. On examination his abdomen was soft, palpable with no tenderness, on auscultation bowel sounds where normal, vital signs normal, with cramping centralised pain. Feelings I was feeling confident in my ability to deal with the patient and perform the examination effectively as I had practiced this several times previously using the university resources and mock OSCE with my facilitator. As I am often solely responsible for the care and management of patients during out of hours (OOH) I felt comfortable assessing and triaging the patient. However, under normal circumstances I would assess the patient and refer them to the MO if I was concerned about their condition, in order for a decision to be made. I was also being closely monitored throughout which did increase the pressure to deliver the correct diagnosis and make appropriate decisions. However, by utilising the consultation model I feel I managed to keep a focused approach and ensure the correct questions where asked. Evaluation I feel I gained a good history from the patient by using the SOLER principles (Egan, 1990) taught in the history taking presentation. Thus allowing me to form a differential diagnosis and rule out certain causes, such as; constipation, and indigestion. Subsequently, the physical examination enabled me to confirm a diagnosis of acute abdomen. As the patient was not experiencing any worrying (red flag) symptoms associated with abdominal emergencies, such as; appendicitis or pancreatitis. However, I did forget certain aspects of the physical examination and had to be prompted by the MO. Although with more practice such incidence would be reduced. Analysis I was happy that I managed to rule out any distinct causes of the abdominal pain by performing the examination to collect data, analyse it, and use the results to make an appropriate decision (Schon, 1984). However, had I performed the examination without assistance I may not have gained all the information required to confirm diagnosis, as I did forget some aspects. Conclusion The MO seemed happy with my diagnosis and care plan, though he did highlight the importance of practicing the physical examination skills in order to become a more competent practitioner. Overall I feel gaining knowledge and skills in translating a patients’ history and physical examination results, has enabled me to become more confident in making a diagnosis and has improved my decision making skills. Action Plan In order to become a more capable and effective practitioner I must continue to perform physical examinations under the guidance of a more senior practitioner, and utilise their expertise during the decision making process. Additionally, I will continue to develop my consultation and history taking skills by using Byrne and Long’s (1976) consultation model to assist my practice and aid future development. References BYRNE, P, S., LONG, B, E, L. (1976) Doctors talking to patients. London: HMSO EGAN, G. (1998) The Skilled Helper: A problem-management approach to helping. 6th edn. Pacific Grove, London: Brooks/Cole. GIBBS, G. (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: further education unit, oxford polytechnic SEIDAL, H, M., BALL, J, W., DAINS, J, E., BENEDICT, G, W. (2006) Mosby’s Guide to Physical Examination. 6th edn. Philadelphia: Elsevier. SCHON, D. (1984) The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

Equality of conditions according to Tocqueville? Essay

In his Democracy in America, Toqueville states that equality of conditions â€Å"exercising domination over civil society as much as over the government it creates opinions, gives birth to feelings, suggests customs, and modifies whatever it does not create.† (p. 9) Clearly, to understand Tocqueville, one must understand what he means by equality of conditions. These conditions are common circumstances, origins, education, and mores. The settlers of America came primarily from England. They faced the same uncertainty with one another of what they would find upon arriving in the New World. They all had to deal with the harsh landscape and with doing without all the comforts of living in the developed countries they left behind. They came, not in search of greater political or financial opportunities, but for a place to freely exercise their religion. They shared religious beliefs (within each of the colonies). Therefore, they shared mores, which is reflected in the harsh penal codes they developed by vote of majority. They shared a common language, common goals. Most were well-educated and left behind comfortable lifestyles. There were no landowners when they arrived in the New World. There was no expectation of superiority, which always come with landed gentry. Freedom and equality are the very reasons most came to the New World. Each citizen was also equally responsible for social obligations. As a consequence American political and legal systems developed to protect freedom and equality. The result was more equality. This equality manifests itself, according to Tocqueville in a society where generations face greater and greater equality. As Tocqueville writes America’s equality in conditions creates â€Å"[a] nation as a body [which] would be less brilliant, less glorious, and perhaps less strong, but the majority of the citizens would enjoy a more prosperous lot, and the people would be pacific not from despair of anything better but from knowing itself to be well-off.†

Facebook an important weapon in the politics of Vietnam.

Facebook an important weapon in the politics of Vietnam. Facebook was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberger. It was initially meant for students of Harvard University. Over the years, it grew to include all universities in Boston and presently it has become global (Phillips 3). There are no charges for registration on the site.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Facebook an important weapon in the politics of Vietnam. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Facebook generates its income from advertising (Phillips 4). It is the biggest site of its kind that focuses on education. Facebook’s management structure has Mark Zuckerberg as Chairman and principal executive officer. The company has operations in many countries around the globe. There are staff members that autonomously manage operations in these countries. The staff may be based in any part of the world because Facebook is Internet based. These people are responsible for daily decisions regarding Facebook operation s in the host country. Policy guidelines are laid out by the principal executive officer, and board of directors has to be considered for every decision. This method of management is quite effective. It allows individuals with knowledge on certain aspects of an economy to guide the business accordingly for achievement of objectives. One of Facebook’s objectives as a business is to connect all people who were part of a school, college or University. A key aspect in the success of any media platform in a country is knowledge of the spoken indigenous language (Kreitner 210). A country like Vietnam has its indigenous language as the official language. This means operation in that country has to be in Vietnamese, and that is what Facebook has done in Vietnam. Vietnam’s economy is growing at a very fast rate. This economic growth and development comes with increased use of certain services. One of these services is the Internet. Many people in developed and emerging economie s access information and disperse news through social media. The economy in South East Asia has not been left behind. There is a rampant use of social media use in Vietnam, and Facebook has the majority of users. Vietnam has become the leader in relation to Facebook users in the region. Users of Facebook in Vietnam are very aggressive in sharing information on political injustice. At the moment, 71.4% of all the people who use the Internet in Vietnam are registered (Thang 20).Advertising Looking for case study on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are about 32 million Internet users in this country going by the latest records. Facebook has around twenty two million users in Vietnam. These are many people by any standards. The rate at which these users increase is also fast. In 2012, there existed only 8.5 million registered users in Vietnam (Thang 20). Fourteen million new users joined Fa cebook in Vietnam within that time. Compare this with Six million users of Facebook who dropped its use in America in a period of one month. No other country in the world has this record of Facebook growth. Examining the two nations in terms of Facebook’s growth, they are the exact opposite when parameters like registrations and usage are considered. Such rates are encouraging to those keen on marketing their businesses in the Vietnamese economy. There is another good side to a population that is aggressive on Facebook. It is the ability to share opinions on issues. Facebook has empowered the people of Vietnam to share their opinion using Facebook. They are no longer afraid to air their opinion through social media (Do 2). The environment in Vietnam is not very conducive for the press. The Vietnamese administration uses a number of tactics to suppress members of the third estate. The targeted are people who raise questions about the conduct of government, and activists who in quire about state accountability on matters related to public finance. These methods of suppression are both physical and legal in their manner of orchestration. The legal means is misuse of permissible instruments meant for ensuring justice. Intimidation from the state has left very few options for dissenting voices. The only way to give one’s opinion on political issues without becoming a target is through the Internet. This is mostly done through social media and blogs (Freedom House 10). Three well known bloggers are under prosecution on charges made up by the government to silence their opinion. They have a good chance of being sentenced to two decades in prison. The charges are dubious and branded as influencing the Vietnamese population through propaganda against the government. The bloggers stirred up the wrath of authorities by questioning the unlawful acquisition of land by the state, and irregularly granting China territorial concessions (Borders (RWB) 4). The Inte rnational Federation for human rights (FIDH) had concerns with the way the Vietnamese authorities were unpredictable and lacked transparency on the topics that the bloggers were barred from covering.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Facebook an important weapon in the politics of Vietnam. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to FIDH, it was a way of intimidating the bloggers (Gaydazhieva 6). There has been an increase in the surveillance of bloggers in Vietnam. Ten years ago, bloggers were not under strict government surveillance. The government has realised that blogs are a â€Å"safe haven† for critics of its policies. It views these platforms as dangerous and capable of igniting a revolution (Thang 26). There is a unit under the ministry of Public Security that monitors Internet users who visit sites that cover politically sensitive issues. The government also perceives websites like Facebook as threats in dispersing information. It is in this regard that it has created its own social network platform. It probably plans to utilise this platform to fortify its Internet monitoring programs for the citizens (Opennet 5). Things are worse at the moment with the state’s enforcement of a Decree called 72. This was done in 1st of September 2013. This legislation is not very clear on issues concerning the media, and touches on certain aspects of bloggers and users of popular social media such as Facebook (J. Phillips 2). Under the legislation, there should be no discussions about political issues or any other information that is not personal in relation to the definition of the authorities in any form of media. It would be criminal to engage in the mentioned exchanges. The state claims that its aim is to protect citizens from becoming corrupt because of the influence of information streaming from other nations (Shubber 3). Most people registered on Facebook in Vietnam could n ot access it for a while because of government restrictions. There is some amount of truth in this belief because Vietnamese authorities believe Facebook has a hand in the social unrest that plagues the country. The conflict is about the high cost of living in a country whose economy used to be stable. Inflation is now over 10%, and the price of rice has considerably increased. The state believes that demonstrations witnessed recently are coordinated through this social media platform. The people of Vietnam are aware of other means to go around government restrictions on access of Facebook. Most of them can access their Facebook accounts through a trick from Google called Domain Name System (DNS). Previously, this go-around did not work. It was only possible to gain access through other advanced tools for bypassing the security checks such as HotpotShield, Tor and a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This troubled access has been on for about two years (Do 1).Advertising Looking for case study on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The method of blockage implemented by Vietnamese authorities does not guarantee that users are denied access compared to what happens in China. China blocks use of such sites from the Internet Service Providers (ISP). Using Internet service providers is more effective than Vietnam’s method (Clark 5). Facebook is the only means Vietnamese can use to share opinions on political matters. Close monitoring and stringent rules leave no other option. People in this country are scared of arrests by the police that results in long sentences or death in police stations (Great Britain Foreign and Commonwealth Office 166). The impact of Facebook in Vietnam cannot be underestimated. This was witnessed on October 4th 2013 with the death of independence hero Vo Nguyen Giap. Many Facebook users in Vietnam put his face in their profiles. Use of pictures without any words was a coded message that is political in nature. It is difficult to prosecute a person on the basis of a morally upright pi cture that has been posted on his profile. There was something similar when China and Vietnam were not in agreement over territorial ownership of some islands. Vietnamese posted pictures showing a Chinese naval officer guarding what was marked as Vietnam territory. Coded message was shared before the restriction on Facebook was imposed in Vietnam. It resulted in demonstrations against China that many Vietnamese believed was violating their country’s sovereignty. Obviously, many of them were not happy about the way their country was run. Citizens of Vietnam believe that there is no capable leader in their country. The only leader that the citizens saw was the late Giap because he liberated them from the colonialists. They find themselves colonised by a waning economy and corrupt leaders (‘’How a Facebook profile has become a political tool in Vietnam’’ 2). It is obvious that the state has noticed this trend. Another Facebook blockage would likely exp ose the leadership at this moment as undemocratic and against any reforms. This means that social media users have a chance to continue with their coded messages. In a country where media freedom is controlled by a regime keen on taming real democracy, this is the citizens’ only platform to express discontent. Vietnamese government has a number of times tried to control Facebook in the same way it does other formal media and blogs. This has not been easy because the Facebook servers used by Vietnam are not within its borders. It has on many occasions requested that Facebook maintains an office in the country. Facebook is reluctant because it wants to protect its revenue generated by users registered in the country. This gives Vietnamese another opportunity to continue sharing coded messages that are political. In Vietnam, the government controls the media directly or indirectly. Editors and many journalists employed in media houses are under a strong influence of the governme nt. In some cases, the Vietnamese government or a high-ranking state official is the majority shareholder of media companies. In addition, the government keeps media chiefs in check by holding regular meetings with them on the content they put out to the public. Foreign journalists are controlled by being given short government work permits. Foreign journalists who do not report favourably about the government will most likely have their work permits revoked (Nguyen 3). The media that lean on only one side of a political divide cannot be trusted to drive change that citizens of Vietnam yearn. In Facebook, users have the option of engaging one another even through the use of coded messages unlike other media controlled by the state. The Internet and Facebook have the ability to bring political change in a society. The Arab spring is a good example of how this feat is achievable. It can be concluded that it brings about liberation to the common man, whether real or imagined (Storck 4) . Facebook as an Internet tool is useful in convincing people about political opinions. This should not be overlooked by any person in power in today’s age. Facebook could become the genesis of involving people in the governance of their country. It can also be a useful way of communication between the government and its citizens (Bunyavejchewin 69). It can be used to propagate harmony in the society. Governments should harness this characteristic because it is a powerful media platform. The legislation proposed by the government of Vietnam cannot be implemented. Even if it is implemented, the costs involved will be so much for the government. Vietnamese administration is trying desperately to keep people from sharing opinions on how their country is governed. This is not the right approach in a world that is connected and full of tech savvy individuals. Vietnamese government should tackle issues of governance raised by its citizens through the same means. There is no use cre ating replica services that are expensive to run. A well-informed government can counter embarrassing demonstrations that it desperately tries to contain by using media professionals. The country stands to benefit from a government that allows media to operate in such a way through increased foreign investment in the sector. In this case, we see how the structure of this social network giant in management helps it in navigating an environment that is not very friendly. Its decision to host servers outside Vietnam has made it the only option for expression of political discontent in an ingenious and immune way. Facebook enables the leaders in Vietnam to realise that they cannot be fully in control of the way people express themselves. It is a simple case that depicts the impact of social media on governance and leadership of nations. Facebook and other social media have been use to bring down governments- case in point the Arab spring. The world is changing in term of the way informa tion is relayed. Governments will soon realise that silencing media platforms is not easy. People can voice their concerns through social media platforms like Facebook when the government gags the main stream media. Bunyavejchewin, Poowin. Internet Politics: Internet as a Political Tool in Thailand. Canadian Social Sciences. Vol 6, No. 3, 2010, pp. 66-72. Academia.edu. Web. Clark, Helen. Facebook in Vietnam: Why the block doesnt work. 5th May 2010. Web. minnpost.com/global-post/2010/10/facebook-vietnam-why-block-doesnt-work. Do, Anh-Minh. How a Facebook profile picture has become a political tool in Vietnam. 15th October 2013. Web. techinasia.com/facebook-profile-picture-political-tool-vietnam/?utm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+PennOlson+%28Tech+in+Asia%29. Do, Anh-Minh. Vietnams Facebook penetration hits over 70%, adding 14 million users in one year. 25th September 2013. Web. techinasia.com/vietnams-facebook-penetration-hits-70-adding-14-million-users-year/. Freedom House. Vietnam 2013. Web. freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2013/vietnam. Gaydazhieva, Stanislava. Media: Activists criticise Internet freedom in Vietnam – New Europe. 28th February 2013. Web. marietjeschaake.eu/2013/02/media-activists-criticise-internet-freedom-in-vietnam/. Great Britain: Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Annual report on human rights 2009. 2010. London: The Stationary Office. Print. Kreitner, Robert. Management. 2008. New York: Cengage Learning, Print. Nguyen, Giang. Vietnam. 1st January 2010. Web. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Media_Landscapes/Vietnam.pdf. Opennet: Vietnam 2012. Web. https://opennet.net/research/profiles/vietnam Phillips, Jak. ‘The Civil Disobedience of the 21st Century’: How Vietnamese Bloggers Evade Controls. 1st October 2013. Web. http://world.time.com/2013/09/30/the-civil-disobedience-of-the-21st-century-how-vietnamese-bloggers-evade-controls/. Phillips, Sarah. A brief history o f Facebook. 25th July 2007. Web. theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia. Reporters Without Borders (RWB). Special report: Crackdown on the media and dissent in Vietnam. 25th September 2013. Web. . Shubber, Kadhim. Vietnam to ban discussion of news on social media sites. 6th August 2013. Web. wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-08/06/vietnam-decree-72. Storck, Madeline 2011, The Role of Social Media in Political Mobilisation: a casestudy of the January 2011 Egyptian Uprising. PDF file. 20th December 2011. Thang, Nguyen Lang. Vietnams press freedom shrinks despite open economy. 19th September 2012. Web. http://cpj.org/reports/2012/09/vietnams-press-freedom-shrinks-despite-open-economy.php.

Commonly Misspelled English Words Stop Your Common Grammar

Commonly Misspelled English Words Stop Your Common Grammar Even native speakers find it difficult to memorize all the words. What should we say about those for whom English is not the first language? They always seek for help and count on professionals. We could not stand away from the problem and decided to present you our top of the most commonly misspelled words in America, UK, Canada, and Australia if you travel there. You’ll find some tips about grammar and spelling improvement as well in your searches. The English language is one of the most active languages in the world. It develops and gets new words and concepts every day. The sources are numerous: intercultural writers; jargons and slangs; new technologies; new sciences; new culture happenings. The list can continue for ages. Of course, it is not algebra.  If we think closer, we'll check and understand that there is only our imagination that limits us in improving English. There is an even more important fact. All of these words appear naturally. There are no regulations, archetypes, and laws. With the appearance of the Internet, communication has reached an absolutely new gap. However, this liberty opens Pandora's box. Bad news: the number of errors and misspellings commitment is high. Professional Writing Help Most Frequently Misspelled Words in America and Other English Language Countries We cannot say if these words are the hardest to spell in the world, but this corpus is always on the top in similar articles and posts. Here they are: Accommodate Deduction Millennial Flabbergasted Oblivious Not only do these words get difficult spelling, but they are also pretty difficult to be understood on the average. They have several lexical meanings, many times a way too different from each other. Some of them are very surprising (like ‘flabbergasted'). Writing and speaking them correctly from the first try is like getting into the best and the most beautiful college in the USA or Oxford. You’ll never experience such success again. Of course, it is a yellow newsletter joke. If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know? Steven Wright Read Most Commonly Misspelled Word Classes Every person who is fond of English can understand that there is no sense to make a full list of commonly misspelled or spelled in a wrong way words one by one. It is a very subjective topic, and a full list of risks to be several kilometers long. It is better to indicate the groups of words you should pay attention to: Latin words. Since the very invention of homework words originated from Latin had been a grain of sand in every student’s eye. Despite this language being officially dead (nobody speaks it during regular live conversations anymore), there are a lot of English words connected with it. They tend to be used. Many people, even in the USA or GB misspell or do not know how to use popular Latin abbreviations and stable constructions (e.g., per se, et cetera, AD). French words. Histories and languages of England and France are related more than you can think. Did you know that French has been an official language of Albion for several hundred years? There is no surprise that a lot of words have stayed in English at the moment if these two languages are compared. And, of course, French words have saved their (sometimes) weird spelling and pronunciation. Dialect words. Every state, county, or city has got its own unique language set. Sometimes it may not be as understandable as it seems. Even local East Side Americans face difficulties when they move to California colleges. Should we say more about Australia or Liverpool and people lived there? Jargonisms and terms. Conduct a little experiment. Go to the building site and try to understand all the words workers shout to each other. We bet you'll not hear even a half of familiar words. Go to any online public forum and count the number of the slang words there. Without looking into a dictionary, you will not only misspell it. You will barely understand what is going on. Is there any way out? Are there any techniques that will help you to improve your spelling and pronunciation? We have at least three ideas for you. How Not To Make Common Mistakes In Difficult Words for The Rest of Life? Here are some ways of getting comprehension and grammar clarity instantly. Your best friend in expelling your spelling mistakes is a dictionary. There is no need to buy lots of expensive books. There are some perfect sites you can use every day. The first one is, of course, the Merriam-Webster dictionary (or Oxford’s dictionary).   It will give you all possible definitions of the word, correct spelling and pronunciation, and some examples with this word used in the context. If you need to dip into specific, slang or jargon words so common in modern English now, you need to visit Urban dictionary. It is the biggest dictionary of all slang and weird words. The dictionaries offer the variants of spelling. Are you a kind of artistic person with good imagination and image thinking? Then you can listen to favorite music and learn the words from there. Pay attention to some old American songs, and you’ll learn all difficult words immediately. Get Instant Writing Help Finally, the finest way to learn all misspelled words and save health is just learning them. You just have to make a process easier. For example, write down some lists with difficult words and hang them in the most common places in your house. Somewhere where you will not miss them by any means. On the other hand, you can make some little cards with words on each side (this version of studying was invented in Sorbonne University). Write down the words you have problems with and read them from time to time. No matter what you choose, the main trick is your persistence shown daily and monthly and habit development. Pick new words and learn them every day by heart. Soon (just in one month) you will notice that any searched English word is a piece of cake for you.

The Top 10 Secrets Nurses Never Tell Their Patients

The Top 10 Secrets Nurses Never Tell Their Patients Nursing is a tough job and doesn’t get enough credit. Nurses go through a lot and that doesn’t come without developing their own fair share of secrets. Here are 10 secrets nurses never tell their patients:

Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cash Flow - Essay Example It (comparison) also identifies the differences in timing between cash payments and expenses. Through the direct method of cash flows, reconciliation of the actual cash flows from operating activities with the accrual-based accounting net income can be done. The company’s stated profitability and its cash holding position is therefore clearly presented to its stakeholders in this manner. The indirect method of cash-flow preparation requires a well-established link between the balance sheet and the income statement. The statement users are therefore, able to systematically and logically view the company’s financial statements. The company’s current assets and liabilities reflected on the balance sheet are easily traced back to its operations summarized in the income statement. The use of indirect method makes it possible to disclose the company’s non-cash transactions. The statement users are therefore, in a better position to understand how non-cash transactions are not sources of cash flows but factors of net income. Direct method is an alternative to the indirect method of cash flows. The company’s cash payments and receipts with detailed categories are disclosed separately when using the direct method. Such a practice can make the financial statement to appear clustered. Auditors also tend to ask for an additional reconciliation schedule on cash flows and income from company’s using direct method. However, accounting rule-setting authorities allows companies to use indirect method by disclosing, in a simpler statement format, changes in current assets and liabilities. As a CFO I would prefer the indirect statement of cash flows method. The indirect method starts by identifying the companys net income or loss. Subsequently, any non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, amortization, loss provision for accounts receivable and any losses on the sale of a

The digital and online marketing strategies adopted by the main UK Essay

The digital and online marketing strategies adopted by the main UK grocery supermarkets - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that over time, aggregate demand generated for consumer use goods and services has substantially increased in major economies of the world. Higher demand has carved the way for increased production-oriented activities. Furthermore, higher production participation has enhanced the degree of market rivalry between profit-making commercial firms. At this juncture, without the essence of modern cost-efficient marketing activities, a company cannot achieve success in business. The researcher in this assignment is a marketing consultant, responsible for this report that summarizes online and digital marketing strategies implemented by grocery supermarkets of the U.K. The summary will include critical analysis of the strategies, based on a comparative analysis framework. In 2013, it was estimated that net worth of the U.K. grocery market was  £169.7 billion. The surplus value of the industry had increased by 3.7% from 2012 to 2013. It is forecas ted that by 2018, worth of the industry would be  £205.9 billion, along with an annual growth rate of 21.3%. Since the U.K. grocery supermarkets operate in an Oligopolistic market, they are exposed to cut-throat competition. Each profit making company undertakes decisions regarding price and output on the basis of strategic behavior. In the current epoch, the internet has helped in formulating new strategies and business models for firms across several industries. Online shopping or retailing approaches have substantially changed the U.K. supermarket retailing process. These changes are noted in channel coordination and development, business scope, central business model, core processes, buyers’ value creation and online partnerships related to firms. Tesco has started to conduct trade over digital marketplaces from 1994, which was named as â€Å"Tesco Direct†. Later in 2000, the company had launched its official website, Tesco.com. Tesco is considered to be the larg est online U.K. based grocery retailer in the world. The company had invested large sums of money for online marketing purposes. It had conducted advertisement campaigns for internet phones it had sold. The company promoted these internet phones by providing free call facility the owners. Tesco was also the first online grocery retailer, which had initiated home delivery facilities to customers. However, all activities of the company are highly sustainable to the environment.

The informal relationship between leader and subordinate and its Research Proposal - 1

The informal relationship between leader and subordinate and its effect to increase the performance through trust - Research Proposal Example Performance has a lot to do with the perfect and correct accomplishment of a certain task or project. If an employer or employee does their job well, they are termed as good performers because their performance was satisfactory. The three terms related to each other in different ways, Amirkhani, Zavari, and Piri, (2013), Gonzalez, Claro, and Palmatier, (2014), Harvey, Harris, Kacmar, Buckless, and Pescosolido, (2014) and Karahanna, and Preston, (2013). The extent to which employees and employers reinforce their informal relationship highly affects both parties’ performance through trust. In most organizations, ethics is what defines good business. However, there is more to ethics than is defined for most organizations. Ethics should entail treating other people, both employers and employees, in a fair and proper manner. This is where the issue of informal relationship comes in. when there is a good informal relationship with the employees, employers will definitely treat the employees well and that there will be trust and understanding among the two parties. Trust increases in that the employees are sure that their employer is honest about their relationship. In return the employees feel confident with their job hence have a satisfactory performance. Employees also need to understand that they need to treat each other well. This is especially where performance is measured through team work. If employees do not practice team work trust, then working will not be easy. Line managers, especially should uphold a good relationship between their followers and among the followers themselves. Performance through trust is also important in that employees treat the customers well. This means that if the employer treats employees well by having trustworthy informal relationship, they will eventually treat the company’s customers in a more friendly way. This way the employees perform their duties well as a way of

Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Information Technology - Essay Example The information by the author of the article has been retrieved from different sources. The general information indicating the results from the bid by the FCC was got from the FCC itself which validates it as being genuine. The other information is based on opinion from different analysts in the wireless communication network field and experts from various technology firms. An increase in the airwaves of mobile data means an expansion in the wireless communication field. Such a license to the AT&T will enables faster and continuous data streaming and faster downloads to the consumers. Many people are now bound to shift to the company due to its acquisition of a license which has immense significance. With the company bound to get an increase in its customer base due to the license acquisition from FCC, I would definitely like to be part of the group which will benefit financially and not as a customer but as a shareholder. I would definitely purchase the stocks from the company and do so immediately due to competition. Singer, N. (2015, January 28th). Regulators Crack Down on Marketers of ‘Unlimited’ Data Plans. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/regulators-crack-down-on-marketers-of- unlimited-data-plans/ The article discusses an increase in lies from the mobile phone providers when it comes to the issue of unlimited data. The latest culprit to be hunted down by the federal authorities is TrackFone Wireless which has been fined $40 million as a result of getting involved in the scheme. The scheme known as â€Å"throttling† involves announcing unlimited data for the consumers only for the data speed to reduce once a certain data usage limit is reached. The author retrieved this information from the Federal Trade Commission which announced about the fine and the throttling scheme. The

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Research paper - Essay Example Also, it is revealed that the support of the state to the relevant initiatives is not at the level required; the private sector has the key role in promoting schemes that can help to increase pedestrian safety but the necessary resources are often difficult to be retrieved. Thus, the effective cooperation between the state and the private sector is a key requirement for ensuring that pedestrians in cities will be safe no matter their financial or social status. According to a recent study, the number of pedestrians who lost their live because of their involvement in road accidents in USA in 2010 reached the 4,280 people, a number which is rather high if considering the development of technology and legislation related to road travel in USA (CDC 2013). On the other hand, the number of pedestrians who were killed in road accidents in 2001 has been higher compared to that of 2010 (Figure 1). Indeed, in 2001 in total 4,901 pedestrians lost their live after being involved in a road accident (Figure 1); by 2010 this number has been decreased at 4,280 (Figure 1). Also, it seems that the decrease of this figure has been continuous between 2001 and 2010 (Figure 1) a fact that implies the effectiveness of the initiative undertaken by the state and by the private sector in regard to this problem. It should be noted that age does not seem to be a critical factor in regard to the exposure of pedestrians to accidents: among the people mentioned above, i.e. the 4,280 people, only 19% have been found to be over 65 (CDC 2013). Children seem to be exposed to such risks at similar level: about 20% of the pedestrians who were killed in 2010 have been children (CDC 2013). On the other hand, it seems that there are certain factors that can increase the chances for road accident in which pedestrians are involved: for example, alcohol abuse has been found to be a key cause for fatal road accidents, at a

Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Information Technology - Essay Example The information by the author of the article has been retrieved from different sources. The general information indicating the results from the bid by the FCC was got from the FCC itself which validates it as being genuine. The other information is based on opinion from different analysts in the wireless communication network field and experts from various technology firms. An increase in the airwaves of mobile data means an expansion in the wireless communication field. Such a license to the AT&T will enables faster and continuous data streaming and faster downloads to the consumers. Many people are now bound to shift to the company due to its acquisition of a license which has immense significance. With the company bound to get an increase in its customer base due to the license acquisition from FCC, I would definitely like to be part of the group which will benefit financially and not as a customer but as a shareholder. I would definitely purchase the stocks from the company and do so immediately due to competition. Singer, N. (2015, January 28th). Regulators Crack Down on Marketers of ‘Unlimited’ Data Plans. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/regulators-crack-down-on-marketers-of- unlimited-data-plans/ The article discusses an increase in lies from the mobile phone providers when it comes to the issue of unlimited data. The latest culprit to be hunted down by the federal authorities is TrackFone Wireless which has been fined $40 million as a result of getting involved in the scheme. The scheme known as â€Å"throttling† involves announcing unlimited data for the consumers only for the data speed to reduce once a certain data usage limit is reached. The author retrieved this information from the Federal Trade Commission which announced about the fine and the throttling scheme. The

How parents participate in their children's education Literature review

How parents participate in their children's education - Literature review Example This research will begin with the statement that parent participation in children’s schooling and education is an essential ingredient in the children’s academic success. The study focused on facilitation of increased parental involvement in the education of their children in a multi-ethnic elementary school, California. The findings revealed that students whose parents got actively involved in their education scored better grades and showed more commitment to school work.   Suc involvement included regular discussion of child progress with the teacher, checking if the student did their homework, offering remedial work, and offering educational advice.The findings were supported by a later study by BECTA which reported that parents who paid little attention to their children’s education risked having their children perform below par academically. Notably, students who parents actively involved themselves in their academics scored and the average of 55% in contr ast to an average of 43.6 attributed to students who parents were less concerned about their progress in school. As a matter of fact, the study reported a positive correlation between parental involvement and children’s academic performance. Williams & Chavkin, on the other hand, deviated from conventional research which assesses level of parental involvement based on students' academic performance; rather, the researchers sought ways to which parents involve themselves in education of children

Digital Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

Digital Bangladesh Essay Bangladesh is a developing country. She achieved independence 42 years ago but still she depends on foreign helps regarding many issues. She is trapped in a lot of problems such as poverty, over population, unemployment, corruption, health hazard, food and accommodation crisis, illiteracy etc. But, the present government has promised and started taking steps to change the situation and has determined to build a â€Å"Digital Bangladesh†. The sense of Digital Bangladesh is not clear yet. We assume that the gov. wants to make Bd fully digitalized by the year of 2021 through application of third generation information and communication technology. It was an election manifesto(2008) of Awami League, one of the leading political parties of Bangladesh. The philosophy of Digital Bangladesh comprises ensuring people’s democracy and human rights, transparency, accountability, establishing justice and ensuring delivery of gov. services to the citizens through maximum use of technology with the overall improvement of the daily lifestyle of people of all classes. The government further emphasized on the four elements of DB Visions which are: human resource development, people development, civil services and use of information technology in all possible sectors. It is not only e-governance or e-commerce or e-banking or operating a country wide mobile phone network, it is a combination of all of them. It is a country-wide application of 3G ICT to institutionalize the best management practices in every sectors and sub-sectors. The scope of Digital Bangladesh is very wide. It includes the following substances: democracy and effective parliament, political framework, decentralization of power and people’s participation, good governance through establishing rule of law and avoiding political partisanship, corruption free society, empowerment and equal rights for women, economic development and initiative, infrastructural development, environment etc. To digitalize Bangladesh with 3G technology in 12 years is fairly ambitious. It needs strong commitment and strategic planning for sustainable Digital Bangladesh. The starting must focus on developing infrastructure in terms of hardware, software and manpower. Merely buying millions of computers and distributing among several thousand workstations in educational institutions, commercial and medical organizations will not digitalize Bangladesh. Local qualified manpower must be available to run the system without depending on foreign experts. To produce such human resources, government must assign highest priority to the  improvement of science, technology and management education and develop our own manpower. Unless we perform the basic terms, Digital Bangladesh will make Bangladesh highly vulnerable by making dependent on those nations that manufacture, control and distribute ICT. Sustainability is more imp than starting. If we fail to manage a sustainable digital Bangladesh with our own resources, Digital Bangladesh 2021 will harm rather than benefit the nation. But if we succeed, Bangladesh will achieve independence literally.

Positive Effects Of Social Networking Media Essay

Positive Effects Of Social Networking Media Essay The first type of social networking created was Email, which was invented in 1975 (Email). Since then social networking has advanced into a profile with numerous features that can be used and has integrated the use of email. Now social networking is changing the way the world interacts with people, and has provided many useful tools for the world to use. Still these social networks are continuing to advance to provide better features for users, and these popular sites will continue to grow in size. Even though social networks can have negative effects such as wasting time, it also affects people positively by allowing people to communicate and remain in contact with friends in a much easier way. In the article Are social networking sites good for our society? (2009) social networking is defined as an online community that allow people to develop profiles of their backgrounds and interests, communicate with friends and strangers, and share thoughts, photos, Internet links, music, and more (p.1). Once a social network is joined users are prompted to identify others in the system with which they have a relationship known generally as friends. Social networking sites vary greatly with the features they have to offer, and is what makes each site different from the other. Six Degrees was the first major social network, similar to social networking today, to be launched and was launched in 1997 (Bhutkar, 2009). Social networking as it is today did not become popular until 2003 when Friendster MySpace and LinkedIn were launched. Then in 2004 Facebook was launched but was only open to college students with a valid university email. Facebook remained a college only network for two yea rs before it opened to the general public in 2006. Since then Facebook has become the number one social networking site (Bhutkar, 2009). Social networking sites allow people to communicate and remain in contact with friends as well as meet new people. These sites allow people to find others with similar interests that they can create a relationship with and get to know one another. Groups can be joined or formed to meet people with similar interests, and views. Social networking allows for creative expression by using tools such as blogging and messaging to post ideas and stories (Are social networking sites good for our society, 2009). Users also share poems, interest in music, TV shows, hobbies, photos, and many other things (Jasson). Event invitations can be made and sent to friends rather than having to mail invitations and friends can also rsvp for an event on the site. Not only is it used to talk to friends, but it is also used to discuss educational topics. Social networking is said to increase a persons quality of life, and can reduce health risks. Many people report that they have not had any negative experiences with social networking, and schools are starting to look at it as an educational tool (Thelwell, 2006). The use of social networking helps improve technological skills of students, and exposes them to many diverse views about things. It also has helped with communication skills, and allows the learning of cultures from users all over the world. Also students use social networking to discuss homework topics with peers online, and to get help on assignments (Reid, 2009). Sixty percent of students on social networks have said that they talk about education, and 50 percent specifically talk about school work assignments. These students seem to have an extraordinary set of traditional and 21st century skills including communication, creativi ty, collaboration, and leadership skills and technology proficiency. Parents are expecting schools to take advantage of using online social networking to educate children, but to do so in a safe way. Some public schools have created a secure social network for its student to be able to communicate with other students, and to do so in a more safe way (National School Board Association, 2007). Social Networking does not just benefit individuals, but it also benefits businesses as well. These sites allow businesses to advertise and market services to a large audience, and a profile is free to set up (Gillin). Numerous businesses have created profiles that provide detailed information about the business to advertise in a low cost way (Roberts, 2008). Businesses will gain more attention on social networks because the business profile is available to for all users of the social network to see. Also businesses like to use social networks to learn what potential employees are like, and make decisions based on the information provided on the persons profile (Ellison, Steinfield, Lampe, 2007). Social networking has already completely changed the way people interact in the world, but also it is advancing more to make it easier to access. Now social networking is becoming mobile and can be accessed through the use of a cell phone. It is thought to be a great idea and would increase the use of social networking since a lot of people carry cell phones with them at all times. People can use mobile phones to update their status, post comments, upload photos, send messages, and update profile from just about anywhere (Kharif, 2006). This allows people to be able to get things done as well as take some time to log onto social networks. Making social networks accessible through cell phones is also expected to increase the number of users by a significant amount (Gillin). So far mobile social networking is being used more than social networking from pc computers. The top sites that are being visited using mobile phones are Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. Being able to access social net works from the cell phone unlocks the full potential of social network, and makes it more convenient for people to use. Since it is more convenient to use the number of users has increased and the mobile social networking has increased significantly (Hamblen, 2008). Social networking does have negative effects as well, but are nothing compared to the advantages of using it. These sites reduce the amount of face to face socializing and replace it with online interaction which is believed to result in low quality relationships with other people (Mikami, Szwedo, Allen, Evans, Hare, 2010). Teens over share information to the public that can hurt them in the future when trying to get a job, and deleting the information is not good enough. Cyber bullying occurs as well, which is bullying people online in a public way, but occurs at a small percentage. People that frequently use online social networking are also prone to social isolation which can lead to depression and decreased social skills (Mikami, Szwedo, Allen, Evans, Hare, 2010). A false sense of security leaves social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses. Identity theft can occur when a cybercriminal uses the network to gather personal information posted about people (University of the Pacific). It also has been said that social networking sites endanger children by allowing pedophiles to seek out children (Are social networking sites good for our society?). Also since they are becoming mobile it might encourage people to use cell phone to access these sites while driving just like text messaging was a popular thing to do while driving. Social networking becoming mobile use will increase cell phone use and the problem with that is that cell phones have been found to emit electromagnetic radiation that is absorbed by the brain and body. This absorption disrupts the brain sites for memory and learning and can cause confusion and forgetfulness (Thomas, 2004). It is also been reported that cell phones can cause cancer from the electromagnetic exposure to other parts of the body, but little emphasis has been placed on it. The cause of cancer in the brain has been the main health concern with cell phones, which social networking by mobile phone is not exposing the brain to the waves. Also, cell phones give small amounts of radiation off and would require a lot of use and over a long period of time for it to start to cause cancer. Research is needed to provide evidence to determine that actual health risk of cell phones. Social networking has its advantages and its disadvantages like everything else does. The sites are continuously advancing, and changing to fix the negative problems. One example would be accessing social networking sites using cell phones so that people can access the site on the go rather than sit at home on a computer. Most users have stated that they have had only positive experiences with social networking, and very few people experience cyber bullying. There are still problems that need to be fixed, but it seems that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects. Social networking is a very valuable tool that can be used to meet new people, and allow people to remain in contact with friends. Even though it can waste time, social networking positively affects the world by allowing people to communicate, and remain in contact with friends in an easy and convenient way.

Censorship :: essays research papers

Censorship My life has been nothing but censorship since the time I was born. When I was very young and lived in Chicago there were all sorts of interesting things around to play with. My parents physically censored me by putting me in "baby prison." They felt that certain things needed to be censored from me because of their potential danger. So I was kept out of harms way in the playpen or crib. As I grew older and was no longer watched by my parents 24 hours a day, I realized that I was censored by others. In school, it was constantly no to this and no to that. All that negativity is not good for children, all day long. It was always interesting to me as to why we recited the pledge of allegiance in school, what if you are not American? I also was not allowed to watch the news. My parents felt it was "real violence", and not appropriate for me, that was parental censorship. When I was old enough to go out with my friends I became confused when my parents said I could see an "PG-13" rated movie but the theater wouldn't let me in. When I argued that "my parents said I could go see it!!", the theater management always said things like I need to be 13 or must be accompanied by a parent and so on. I then proposed this question, my parents said I could see it, now why can't I see it? The answer to that question is the government doesn't think I am old enough. My mom said live with it, there is nothing you can do. I think that made me more inquisitive. That was just the beginning, I was too young to go on certain rides and too young to go into stores like Sharper Image and I was too young to purchase the music that I really enjoyed. When I was able to get my hands on a Compact Disc I had wanted, it sometimes had a "Explicit Lyrics" warning sticker on it. I would go home, listen and enjoy only to get lectured by my parents. They said things such as; you can't have anything that contains profanity, or any type of objectionable material. "Then again I am only going to encounter it in the real world!!!", I would reply. Obviously there are many different views to take on this issue, and I knew there was a long and difficult battle ahead of me until I was 18. I contend that censoring music is a necessary evil but, it should be

Constructivism Learning Theory Essay

Constructivism learning theory is a philosophy which enhances students’ logical and conceptual growth. The underlying concept within the constructivism learning theory is the role which experiences-or connections with the adjoining atmosphere-play in student education. The constructivism learning theory argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences. Two of the key concepts within the constructivism learning theory which create the construction of an individual’s new knowledge are accommodation and assimilation. Assimilating causes an individual to incorporate new experiences into the old experiences. This causes the individual to develop new outlooks, rethink what were once misunderstandings, and evaluate what is important, ultimately altering their perceptions. Accommodation, on the other hand, is reframing the world and new experiences into the mental capacity already present. Individuals conceive a particular fashion in which the world operates. When things do not operate within that context, they must accommodate and reframing the expectations with the outcomes. Bruner’s Theory on Constructivism Bruner’s theory on constructivism encompasses the idea of learning as an active process wherein those learning are able to form new ideas based on what their current knowledge is as well as their past knowledge. A cognitive structure is defined as the mental processes which offer the learner the ability to organize experiences and derive meaning from them. These cognitive structures allow the learner to push past the given information in constructing their new concepts. The learner, often a child, will take pieces of their past knowledge and experiences and organize them to make sense of what they know, then base further concepts and solve additional problems based upon a combination of what they already processed and what they think should be processed next. The teacher resources used should be focused on that of encouragement, aiding and allowing the student to uncover the main principles on their own. Communication between the learner and teacher is the key concept. Socratic learning is suggested as the best method of communication in this theoretical framework, as it allows the  teacher to actively note any study skills the learner verbalizes, their progression, their frustrations, and form a rubric of their current learning state based on the dialogue. Seeing as this theory takes known information and expounds upon it, any teacher lesson plans, teacher worksheets, or resources should in fact be constantly building the learner’s knowledge in a spiral manner. The four major principles of Bruner’s theory on constructivism encompass 1) a predilection toward learning. The second, how a grouping of knowledge is able to be constructed to best be understood by the learner. The third is effective manners for the teacher to present said material to the learner, with the fourth and final aspect being the progression of rewards as well as punishments. Piaget’s Theory of Constructivism Jean Piaget was a philosopher from Switzerland. He was also a natural scientist that was famous for the work that he did studying cognitive development and learning theories encompassed in his view of â€Å"genetic epistemology†. At the young age of eleven he attended high school at Switzerland Latin wherein one of his short pieces was the start of his scientific career. Piaget’s theory of constructivism impacts learning curriculum because teachers have to make a curriculum plan which enhances their students’ logical and conceptual growth. Teacher must put emphasis on the significant role that experiences-or connections with the adjoining atmosphere-play in student education. For example, teachers must bear in mind the role those fundamental concepts, such as the permanence of objects, plays when it comes to establishing cognitive structures. Piaget’s theory of constructivism argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experience s. Piaget’s theory covered learning theories, teaching methods, and education reform. Two of the key components which create the construction of an individual’s new knowledge are accommodation and assimilation. Assimilating causes an individual to incorporate new experiences into the old experiences. This causes the individual to develop new outlooks, rethink what were once misunderstandings, and evaluate what is important, ultimately altering their perceptions. Accommodation, on the other hand, is reframing the world and new experiences into the mental  capacity already present. Individuals conceive a particular fashion in which the world operates. When things do not operate within that context, they must accommodate and reframing the expectations with the outcomes. Vygotsky’s Theory on Constructivism Lev S. Vygotsky believed that culture is the principal determinant of cognitive progress. In Vgostsky’s theory on constructivism, knowledge leads to further cognitive development. The societal configuration of intelligence states that the individual growth could not be comprehended without indication to the societal and cultural context where the aforementioned evolution is entrenched mind development is continuous. Vygotsky focuses on the actual mechanism of the development. He excludes discernible stages of development as theories and assumptions. Vygotsky’s theory on constructivism does not adhere to the idea that a single abstract principle is able to explain cognitive development. As a substitute to Piaget’s constructivism, he argues that knowledge is internalization of social activity. Mediation refers to people intentionally interject items between their environment and themselves, so that they are able to modify it and gain specific benefits. Mediation is the key propoent of Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism. His theory offers a harmonizing viewpoint to the behaviorist view. Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism supports that the use of mediators helps the human to alter their environment, and this is her way of interacting with the nature. Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism also supports that the use of activity mediators provides a way in which people are able to interact with the nature. Mediation is also defined as the use of certain tools within socially organized activity. There were two phenomena which encompasses the mediated relationship of individuals to their environment. These are 1) Humans use language and physical signs to change social relations into psychological functions between their minds and their environment. The second thing was that higher intellectual progression will actually use symbolic mediation. Apart from learning theories, Piaget’s theory of constructivism addresses how learning actually occurs, not focusing on what influences learning. The role  of teachers is very important. Instead of giving a lecture the teachers in this theory function as facilitators whose role is to aid the student when it comes to their own understanding. This takes away focus from the teacher and lecture and puts it upon the student and their learning. The resources and lesson plans that must be initiated for this learning theory take a very different approach toward traditional learning as well. Instead of telling, the teacher must begin asking. Instead of answering questions that only align with their curriculum, the facilitator in this case must make it so that the student comes to the conclusions on their own instead of being told. Also, teachers are continually in conversation with the students, creating the learning experience that is open to new directions depending upon the needs of the student as the learning progresses. Teachers following Piaget’s theory of constructivism must challenge the student by making them effective critical thinkers and not being merely a â€Å"teacher† but also a mentor, a consultant, and a coach. Some strategies for teacher include having students working together and aiding to answer one another’s questions. Another strategy includes designating one student as the â€Å"expert† on a subject and having them teach the class. Finally, allowing students to work in groups or pairs and research controversial topics which they must then present to the class. Jonassen (1994) proposed that there are eight characteristics that differentiate constructivist learning environments: 1. Constructivist learning environments provide multiple representations of reality. 2. Multiple representations avoid oversimplification and represent the complexity of the real world. 3. Constructivist learning environments emphasize knowledge construction inserted of knowledge reproduction. 4. Constructivist learning environments emphasize authentic tasks in a meaningful context rather than abstract instruction out of context. 5. Constructivist learning environments provide learning environments such as real-world settings or case-based learning instead of predetermined sequences of instruction. 6. Constructivist learning environments encourage thoughtful reflection on experience. 7. Constructivist learning environments†enable context- and content- dependent knowledge construction.† 8. Constructivist learning environments support  Ã¢â‚¬Å"collaborative construction of knowledge through social negotiation, not competition among learners for recognition.† Jonassen’s eight characteristics would be supported by both social and cognitive constructivists. There is, however, a difference in the emphasis these two strands on constructivism place on each of those characteristics.

Gujarat Development

Gujarat Governance for Growth and Development A preview of the book* Growth There is a remarkable lack of objectivity in discussing Gujarat and governance, growth and development there. The economics gets enmeshed in the politics and the politics gets entangled with the economics. While this is perhaps inevitable and unavoidable, this book is about the economics. What has happened in Gujarat? Is there a story there? Why has it happened? Is this is a story that can be replicated elsewhere in India? Is there a lesson for other States? The first broad-brush growth story is as follows.Compared to 1994-95 to 2004-05, from 2004-05 to 2011-12, real GSDP (gross State domestic product) growth rates have increased, from an all-India average of 6. 16% to an all-India average of 8. 28%. Second, with an increase from 6. 45% to 10. 08%, the increase has been more for Gujarat than for all-India. Third, since 2004-05, there are other States that have also grown fast and Bihar, Maharashtra, Sikkim, T amil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Delhi are examples. That growth story in other States is sometimes used as an argument against the Gujarat growth story and that’s a bit strange. After all, Gujarat accounts for a n estimated 7. % of Indian GDP. If all-India averages have gone up that much, it is unreasonable to expect growth has been pulled up by Gujarat alone. However, in making inter-State comparisons, t here is a legitimate question one should ask. Should small States be compared with large States? Should special category States be compared with non-special category States? Smaller States tend to * Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development, Bibek Debroy, September 2012. Published by Academic Foundation, New Delhi; hardcover, pages 166, all colour– includes maps and photographs; ISBN 13: 9788171889815; Rs 795; US $39. 5. www. academicfoundation. com 2 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development be more homogeneous, with relatively fewer back ward geographical regions and districts. Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry, Goa and Sikkim aren’t quite comparable with larger States. With that caveat, it is also true that there has been a growth pickup in Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand as well. There has been a discernible pick-up in Gujarat’s growth performance since the 10th Plan (2002-07), the five-year Plans being natural periods for breaking up the time-line.It’s tempting to argue that there is nothing exceptional in this. Gujarat grew fast during the 8th Plan (1992-97) too. While that’s true, one should accept that as development occurs, it becomes more difficult to sustain higher rates of growth. Among larger and relatively richer States like Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is more difficult to find sources of growth. Growth tends to taper off. Relatively poorer States like Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand find it easier t o catch up.Had historical trends alone provided the momentum for growth, Karnataka should have also grown extremely fast. Fifth, too often, discussions focus on growth trends alone. Moving to a higher growth trajectory is important. But reducing the volatility of growth is no less important. Growth rates in Gujarat have become much less volatile. Given Indian conditions, volatility is fundamentally a function of what has been happening to the agricultural sector. Equity In line with all-India trends, overall poverty and urban poverty have declined in Gujarat between 2004-05 and 2009-10.But the real story is in rural Gujarat, where there has been a very sharp drop in poverty, significantly more than all-India trends. In rural Gujarat, the benefits of growth have trickled down. Subject to all those problems a bout data and measuring inequality, there is no evidence that inequality has increased. Fiscal consolidation Elimination of deprivation requires public intervention and expenditu re, over and above a State’s role in providing an enabling environment for private entrepreneurship to bloom and flourish and ensuring rule of law. This requires public expenditure and fiscalGujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 3 consolidation. Historically, the problem has been with the revenue deficit, especially after 2008, both because revenue receipts have been lower and because revenue expenditure has been higher. However, since 2011-12, the revenue deficit numbers have also begun to look respectable and the deficit numbers are marginally better than what the 13th Finance Commission envisaged. One of the building blocks of the Gujarat model, so to speak, is to free up space for private sector expenditure in capital formation.One cannot expect capital expenditure, as a share, to increase overnight. The bulk (76%) of capital expenditure is developmental, with social services accounting for 55. 2%. Of the total expenditure, 66. 41% is also development al. 63. 2% of revenue expenditure is developmental. To the extent this reveals a prioritization a ccording to sectors, the major ones are education, sports, art and culture and water supply, sanitation, housing and urban development, in that order. The fiscal consolidation and fiscal space created has enabled Gujarat to plug the gaps in Central sector and Centrally sponsored schemes with State-level schemes.The story isn’t that much about increasing public expenditure. It is more about creating an environment for private expenditure. Apart from private expenditure, the story is about increasing the efficiency of public expenditure, more bang for the buck, so to speak. Physical infrastructure In the power sector, the background is partly the Gujarat Electricity Industry (Reorganization and Regulation) Act of 2003. This allowed the transfer of assets and liabilities of the former Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB).Generation assets were transferred to Gujarat State Electricity Cor poration Limited (GSECL). Transmission assets were transferred to Gujarat Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO). Four different distribution entities were formed – Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited (UGVCL), Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL), Pashchim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) and Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited (MGVCL). Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) had residuary functions, including that of power trading. GUVNL was the holding company.The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission had been set up in 1998 and was brought under the purview of the Electricity Act of 2003. Generation became exempt 4 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development from licensing, including through non-conventional sources. Open access was allowed to transmission and distribution and distribution f ranchisees were introduced for distribution zones like Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Vishwamitri, Lalbaug, Bharuch, Anand and Mehsana. Metering became manda tory. In 2001, Gujarat was a power deficit State, by roughly around 2,000 MW.By the end of 2012, Gujarat will have a power surplus, though expected increases in GSDP growth also increase the demand for power. However, the Gujarat success story isn’t just about the macro generation situation. It is also about reduction in T&D losses, down from 35. 90% in 2002-03 to 22. 20% in 2006-07. It is 20. 13% in 2010-11. This is partly because T&D losses aren’t actually transmission and distribution losses. They are also about theft and unmetered supply. Other than metering, theft of electricity became a criminal offence and the law was enforced, with distributors insulated from political pressures.There were special checking squads for checking installation, especially for HT connections, and ex-army personnel were roped in. In Sabarmati, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Baroda, there were special police stations for power theft. Provisions were made for sealed meters that were tampe r-proof. Through an e-Urja project, electronic billing and payment was introduced. Faulty meters were replaced. Unauthorized connections were regularized through one-time settlements. The Jyotigram Yojana (JGY) ensures 3-phase power supply to all villages. The key was a bifurcation of supply lines into dedicated agricultural feeders.For agricultural use, one would thus be ensured continuous power for 8 hours a day, at pre-determined times. For other rural loads (domestic, commercial and industrial), there would be 24/7 power. 24/7 3-phase supply was provided to JGY feeders. These then provided 8 hours of 3-phase continuous supply to agricultural feeders and 1-phase 24/7 power to other rural uses. The argument about people wanting subsidized power and refusing to pay higher tariffs is misplaced. People are prepared to pay, provided that the quality of power supply improves. It was no different for JGY.Once power at pre-determined hours was available, there was less of an incentive to divert subsidized power for agriculture to domestic household use. JGY helped reduce T&D losses. It also h elped reduce transformer failures. More importantly, it led to all villages being electrified, without load-shedding, and this had positive socio-economic multiplier benefits. Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 5 If power is important to better people’s lives, water is no less so. The overall picture is that Gujarat is a water scarce State. here are several strands in the water sector reforms – inter-basin transfer of water from surplus areas to deficit areas like north Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kachchh; the linking of canals; water conservation; participatory irrigation management; micro-irrigation; check dams and smaller dams (such as through the Sardar Patel Water Conservation Programme); deepening of ponds; cleaning and restoration of step wells; community management of water supply in villages through WASMO (Water and Sanitation Managem ent Organization); and the Sujalam Suphalam Yojana (SSY).Water has both a drinking water and an irrigation water component. Something like SSY covers both. While the State has certainly gained because of Sardar Sarovar, that wouldn’t have been possible without the State-wide water supply grid. In terms of affecting people’s lives for the better, roads are just as important as electricity and water. Compared to many other States, Gujarat has always had relatively better road infrastructure. 98. 27% of State Highways and 96. 93% of major district roads possess asphalt surfaces. 85. 63% of other district roads and village roads also possess asphalt surfaces. 98. 4% of villages are connected by â€Å"pucca† roads. Gujarat has also benefited from NHDP. Given the base, the focus has thus been more on upgradation and maintenance, improving access in relatively disadvantaged regions, while simultaneously tapping t he proposed dedicated freight corridor (DFC) between Del hi and Mumbai and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). In so far as relatively disadvantaged regions are concerned, the emphasis h as been on all-weather connectivity, particularly in coastal, tribal and border areas. There have been several PPP projects, sometimes externally-aided, with provisions for tolls.The Gujarat Highways Bill of 2007 facilitated PPP projects. There is also a Pragati Path Yojana, for improvement of State Highways, part of which has been completed. In addition, for major projects, third party inspection and monitoring h as been introduced. Maintenance guarantees of 3 to 5 years are i ncorporated in contracts. IT tools have been used for physical monitoring, registration of contractors, court cases and departmental enquiries. In high rainfall districts like Navasari and Surat, village roads have been constructed with cement/concrete. 6 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and DevelopmentA point was made earlier about Gujarat’s ability to pl ug gaps in Central schemes with State-level ones. In the context or urban planning, the relevant ones are the Garib Samruddhi Yojana (GSY) and the SJMMSVY (Swarnim Jayanti Mukhya Mantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana). While on the subject of urban planning, or planning in general, it is odd that one of Gujarat’s remarkable successes doesn’t get written about that much. This is the use of GIS maps in decision making. This is through the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and GeoInformatics (BISAG), a State-level nodal agency set up in 1997 and renamed BISAG in 2003.BISAG also conducts training programmes and workshops and is involved in delivering over the Gujarat SATCOM n etwork. But more importantly, it uses remote sensing and GIS to facilitate planning. These GIS maps with several layers have already been introduced in all the municipalities. Among other things, this is certainly one initiative that other States should replicate. Education In social infrastructur e, like education, some of Gujarat’s figures may not look that bad if comparisons are made with all-India averages. However, for an economically developed State like Gujarat, is an allIndia average the right benchmark to use?Or, in the area of education, should Gujarat be benchmarked against better States? Having said this, there are two additional points to be borne in mind. First, have there been temporal improvements over time and have remedial measures been taken? There has been a sharp decline in the number of out-ofschool children between 2006 and 2011. Those improvements also come across in National University of Educational Planning and Administration’s DISE (District Information System for Education) dataset. For example, the average number of classrooms per school has increased. The student/classroom ratios have also improved.The percentage of single-teacher schools has declined. Pupil/teacher ratios have improved. Physical infrastructure is also far better. Consequently, if one has an impression that Gujarat doesn’t do that well on school education, one should check the time-line. Many interventions are of recent vintage and dated data don’t show the improvements. One such intervention is â€Å"Praveshotsava† and â€Å"Rathyatra†, targeted at festivals of admission, particularly for girls. In 2002-03, a Vidya Laxmi Bond scheme was started, for girls, initially in rural areas, but also extended Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development lt; PREVIEW > 7 to urban BPL families. A sum of money is deposited at the time of admission (in Class I) and this is repaid with interest when the girl passes out of Class VII. Apart from this, there have been improvements in physical infrastructure, some of this under the Van Bandhu scheme f or tribal talukas and the Sagar Khedu scheme for coastal talukas, planning facilitated by the BISAG mapping mentioned earlier. Biometric monitoring of attendance has also been introdu ced. One should mention the Gunotsav programme, designed to improve quality in 34,000 primary government schools. HealthThe case for market failure is generally greater for health than it is for education. If there is a perception that Gujarat doesn’t do that well in social sectors, that’s truer of health than of education. As with education, there is a time-line issue there too. Since the public healthcare infrastructure is weak, the Chiranjivi Yojana taps the private sector, to employ private sector specialists in safe delivery. While the poor household doesn’t have to pay, the government pays the private sector specialist. The Chiranjivi Yojana was first introduced on pilot basis in 2005 and has picked up since then.The Bal Sakha Yojana has a similar PPP idea. It was launched in 2009 and covers all BPL households and tribal households, even if they happen to be APL. Neonatal care is provided by private enrolled pediatricians, who are then reimbursed by the St ate. Health-care has several dimensions. There is the preventive part, interpreted as clean drinking water, sanitation, sewage treatment and nutrition, be it through MDMS, ICDS, vitamin supplements or otherwise. There is also the preventive part, interpreted as immunization. The State government’s focus has clearly been on reducing neo-natal deaths and bringing down the IMR and MMR.That’s where the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) comes in, designed to shift poor women to institutional delivery. The percentage of institutional deliveries has sharply gone up from 55. 87% in 2003-04 to 93. 5% in 2011-12. Immunization coverage has also increased. There has been an IMNCI (Integrated Management of New Born and Childhood Illness), launched in 2005, combined with Mamta (Malnutrition Assessment and Monitoring to Act) initiatives, which effectively register a mother and child and track post-natal nutrition, health and immunization status. Perhaps the most interesting of all these e xperiments is the emergency < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development 108 number, which is not just for medical emergencies, but for police and fire emergencies too. This was launched in 2007 and is operated by GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI). Governance Gujarat’s economy has often been written about. Rarely have people written about governance, at least directly. But without talking about governance, it is difficult to appreciate what has happened in the State. E-governance is part of the answer, since it reduces the human interface.There have been several e-governance initiatives in Gujarat and e-governance has become functional in all municipalities and municipal corporations. Among the ones that have received awards are e-MAMTA, ICT solutions for planning and monitoring MGNREGS works, OASIS (on-line application and scrutiny of inter-State transactions), e-governance of mineral administration, e-governance initiatives and ICT initiat ives in the Chief Minister’s Office, on-line voting, e-dhara in the Revenue Department for computerization of land records, SWAGAT (State-Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology) in the ChiefMinister’s Office, the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), e-procurement by the Industry and Mines Department, Value Added Tax Information System (VATIS) in the Office of Commercial Taxes, the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) of the Health and Family Welfare Department, the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) in the Finance Department and ICT usage within the judiciary. A GSWAN (Gujarat State Wide Area Network) connects government offices, down to the level of talukas.The e-Gram Vishvagram project connects 13,716 gram panchayats and 6000 Common Service Centres. If awareness is the first plank of improved governance, elimination of discretion and monopoly is the second. In both education and health, instances have been given ear lier of moving away from traditional government monopolies in delivery. All district offices have Jan Seva Kendras and there are civic centres too, in municipalities and municipal corporations. At these, assorted certificates (caste, domicile, residence, birth, death), affidavits, driving licences and ration cards are issued the same day.Under the e-gram project, some of these have also been taken down to taluka and gram panchayats, facilitated by computerization of Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 9 land records. There has been third party audit of such Jan Seva Kendras too. The third element of improved governance is decentralization and participatory planning and there is a feedback loop from citizens to government, to suggest ideas to the government. Fourth, the decentralization has now gone down to the level of the taluka.Fifth, that improved governance is also a function of altered mindsets in the bureaucracy, which received a clear focus after the re habilitation work connected with the 2001 earthquake was over. The Chintan Shibirs, annual retreats of Ministers and senior bureaucrats, have been going on since 2003 and are illustrative. Other than the obvious synergies of such retreats, these ensured that government does not work in silos and departments and enabled cross-fertilization of ideas.For example, the idea of each officer at district and taluka levels taking up an innovative project, without financial constraints, emerged through such a Chintan Shibir. Kanya Kelvani, Praveshotsava, Gunotsava, Krishi Melas and p articipation in gram sabha meetings are other instances of taking bureaucracy down to the grassroots. Better formulation of schemes, and better implementation, have resulted. Within government, there is a database of employees and suggestions for better governance have been invited from employees. Transfers, postings and implementation have become more insulated from political interference.Sectoral issues In any discussion of any country or State’s economy, it is customary to discuss sectoral compositions of GDP or GSDP early on – primary/agriculture, secondary/industry, tertiary/services etc. In popular perception, at least in some quarters, Gujarat’s economic growth is about industry. Gujarat is about an investment destination for industries, about Vibrant Gujarat. It is about sectors like bio-tech a nd pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petrochemicals, engineering, a utomobiles and ancillaries, food and agri-business, gas, oil and power, gems and jewellery and IT.Industry isn’t just about large-scale industry. That’s a misconception. The 2009-10 survey of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) covered the entire factory sector. This shows an increase in the number of factories to 15,576 and 9. 8% of India’s factories are in Gujarat. At 13. 22%, the share is higher in net value added. In decreasing order of importance, these factories are in segments l ike chemical and chemical products, basic metals, machinery 10 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development and equipment, non-metallic mineral products, textiles, food products and harmaceuticals. Together, they provided employment of 1. 2 million. Provisional figures show an increase in the number of factories to 25,206 in 2010, with an employment of 1. 3 million. 0. 13 million MSME enterprises in Gujarat were in 369 clusters, a pattern also exhibited in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, cluster being defined as a concentration in manufacture of the same product group. This suggests that the positive externalities of cluster formation have tended to work and in all probability, many of these MSME enterprises perform an ancillary function.Also interestingly, at least for SSI, there has been a sharp increase in the number of registered units. Therefore, it is plausible to presume that transaction costs associated with registration have declined, there are greater benefits associated with registration and the tax enforcement machinery has improved. At the lower end of the industrialization spectrum are cottage and rural industries. There are cluster development schemes for khadi, handlooms, handicrafts and skill upgradation and market development schemes.Other than schemes like Sagar Khedu Yojana, Vanbandu Kalyan Yojana, Garib Samruddhi Yojana and even Garib Kalyan Melas, something like Mission Mangalam is also an attempt to integrate animal husbandry, agro processing, food processing, aquaculture, processing of forest products, handlooms, handicrafts, garments, bamboo and timber products into markets, through Sakhi Mandals, self-help groups (SHGs) and other communities of the poor. Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company Limited (GLPC) was set up in 2010 to implement Mission Mangalam.Part of this inclusion is a financial inclusion agenda. Gujarat is known as a State with a strong manufacturing base and in constant prices, the primary sector’s sha re in GSDP has declined from 19. 5% in 2004-05 to 14. 6% in 2010-11, a decline that was mentioned before. Agriculture’s share (this includes animal husbandry) has declined from 13. 2% in 2004-05 to 10. 9% in 2010-11. While the share has declined, the growth rate of Gujarat’s agriculture, especially s ince 2000, has been remarkable and has been commented upon.Gujarat’s agriculture has grown at more than 10%. In addition to water, electricity and roads, there have been other factors too. The Krushi Mahotsav programme was started in 2005 and is a month-long mass contact programme with farmers, including mobile â€Å"Krushi Raths†. Soil health cards are issued for every plot of land. The Gujarat Cooperatives Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 11 and Water Users Participatory Irrigation Management Act was passed in 2007 and participatory irrigation management introduced.Through the Sardar Patel Participatory Water Conservation Scheme, c heck dams are built with monetary contribution from beneficiaries, 20% in some cases and 10% in others. Animal health camps have been organized in several villages. The upshot has been agricultural diversification, higher productivity and growth. Of more recent vintage has been the Integrated Wadi and Agriculture Diversification Project (IWADP), started in 2009, though its pilot antecedents date to 2007. Interestingly, IWADP requires a participating entry free from BPL ST families who wish to participate. IWADP has two distinct strands.There is Project Sunshine strand for the dryland regions of north and central Gujarat, w here one tries to push crops like hybrid maize, potato, mustard, pigeon pea and Bt cotton in districts like Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, P anchmahal, Dahod and Vadodara. And there are Jeevika projects for water-intensive areas in south Gujarat, where one tries to push vegetables like tomato, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, okra, pointed gourd, parwal and turmeric and fru its like mango, banana, cashew in districts like Narmada, Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat and Dangs. STs and extremist violenceThe Planning Commission set up an Expert Group on development challenges in extremism affected areas and this submitted a report in 2008. The report mentions the development and governance deficits and deprivation problems among SCs/STs, issues of political marginalization, human rights violations, crimes and atrocities against SCs in rural India, lack of access to traditional resources among ST populations and inadequate grievance redressal through the judicial system. In the 2001 Census, 14. 8% of Gujarat’s population was ST. For districts, the figures were 8. 2% for Kachch, 8. 2% for Banaskantha, 20. % for Sabarkantha, 27. 5% for Panchmahals, 72. 3% for Dohad, 26. 6% for Vadodara, 78. 1% for Narmada, 32. 4% for Bharuch, 28. 2% for Surat, 93. 8% for the Dangs, 48. 1% for Navsari and 54. 8% for Valsad. Gujarat is geographically contiguous with Madhya Pr adesh and Maharashtra, both States affected by extremist violence and districts like Panchmahals, Dohad, Vadodara, Narmada, Surat, Dangs, Navsari and Valsad are border districts too. With geographical proximity, negative spillovers are natural. If those spillovers haven’t 12 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development appened, that’s presumably because those developmental intentions have occurred in Gujarat and haven’t in other States. In other words, d eprivation does not automatically lead to Naxalite-type violence, since that deprivation can be addressed. The fact that Gujarat has been able to contain such extremist activity is an achievement that is no less remarkable than the growth miracle. What has Gujarat done that is different? The idea of Tribal Area Sub-Plans (TSPs) has been around since 1974, with financial allocations being made in proportion to shares of STs in total population, with a similar provision for SCs.However, in many insta nces and many States, these are just notional allocations in different line departments, though such funds are not meant to be diverted. When they are more than notional, they are frittered across a variety of schemes. The first element in Gujarat was thus more efficient usage of TSP funds. The planning and budgetary powers were handed over to the Tribal Development Department. In parallel with TSPs, the idea of ITDPs (Integrated Tribal Development Projects) has also been around for quite some time, with Project Administrators given some flexible funds for innovative schemes.Since 1997, discretionary funds have been given to every ITDP district. These are spent on programmes that cater to local needs, plugging gaps in existing schemes. They are thus based on decentralized planning. Chaired by the Project Administrator, Taluka Adijati Vikas Samitis have been constituted in talukas and schemes are approved and implemented by District Adjijati Vikas Mandals. Not only has this made expe nditure more realistic, delinked from templates designed from above, the decentralization has made the planning process more participatory and conveyed a sense of empowerment.This culminated in the Vanabandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY), launched in 2007, together with the Eleventh Five Year Plan. VKY has 10 components, all designed to mainstream ITDP blocks on the road to development: Natural resources that STs possess are primarily forest-based. 5,000 of Gujarat’s 18,000 villages have large forest areas and following the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest) Rights Act of 2006, Joint Forest Management (JFM) Committees have already been formed in 3,274 villages.This means that the forest areas are jointly managed by local communities, Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 13 together with the Forest Department. In addition to developing, conserving and protecting forests, this has the implication that local populations ha ve a share in the marketing of timber and non-timber forest produce (NTFP), especially the latter. The JFM villages have been grouped into 252 clusters and micro-entrepreneurship among tribals encouraged, with direct marketing links established between v illage-level JFM committees and marketing centres.However, better livelihoods cannot be based on forest produce alone. That has to come through better productivity of land, facilitated by minor irrigation facilities, and diversification into commercial agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy. There are already demonstrated successes in mangoes, strawberries and cashew, sometimes through the Wadi programme. In addition, there has been dairy and animal husbandry, with the additional benefit that it has improved nutritional standards of tribal population and corrected diet deficiencies. The environmentFor the environment, a Kuznets curve is sometimes postulated. T his simply means that, as economic development occurs, the environment d egrades. When economic development crosses a certain threshold, measured say by per capita income, greater attention is paid to the environment and indicators tend to improve. In other words, the relationship is in the form of an inverse-U. The empirical evidence for this relationship is often debated. It seems to work better for water and air pollution, less well for other measures of environmental protection.Without getting into details of that debate, Gujarat’s per capita income is roughly equal to the all-India average. With compulsions of growth and urbanization, one would have expected the State’s environmental indicators to be worse than they are, and for the environment to be less of a priority. Even for interesting is what empirical studies tend to find on the links between deforestation and economic development. Crosscountry, the threshold there is something like 5000 US dollars and Gujarat is far short of that.In terms of the Kuznets curve, Gujarat is thus a head of the curve. T he department of climate change was set up in 2009 and its priorities are – the promotion of green technologies and funding research in this, the earning of more carbon credits, power saving, the 14 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development preservation of groundwater, promotion of CNG networks, the increase of mangrove cover, the preparation of a multi-dimensional climate change policy, introducing curricula on climate change in educational institutes and creation of public awareness.Consider this. Despite the emphasis on industrialization, refineries and port-led development, there have been no major environmental disasters in Gujarat, along the coast, or elsewhere. Established in 2010, the Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) has implemented an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project in the Gulf of Kachchh, together with two other such projects in Odisha and West Bengal. There are several dimensions to protecting the environment – water, air, waste, forests, wild-life and so on.Institutionally, the Forests and Environment Department has four executing agencies – the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), the Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC), the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GIDE) and the Gujarat Environmental Management Institute (GEMI). GPCB has draft action plans for critically polluted areas like Ankleshwar, Vapi, Ahmedabad, Vatva, Bhavnagar and Junagadh. There has been an emphasis on cleaner production technologies in industries like dye and dye intermediates, chemicals and petrochemicals, p harmaceuticals, textiles, food and agro-based industries, fisheries and pulp and paper products.Defaulting industrial units have been served closure notices. Common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), sewage treatment plants (STPs), Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Stabilization and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs), Common Biomedical Waste Treatment, Stabilization and Disposal Facil ities (CBMWTFs) and common incinerators have been set up. 22 illegal hazardous dumping sites were identified and hazardous waste there shifted to TSDFs. The 2009 Industrial Policy includes environment management as part of infrastructure development and provides for these being developed on PPP basis in new industrial estates.Municipal townships and colonies also have sewage treatment plants. Municipal waste is treated and disposed of through common secured landfills and Gujarat Urban Development Company Limited creates the infrastructure for treatment, transportation and disposal. There are several Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, with certified emission reduction (CER) norms. There are plans for controlling air pollution in 7 cities and there is an ambient air quality monitoring programme for Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development < PREVIEW > 15 Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi, Bharuch and Rajkot.One should mention the Nirmal Gujarat Mission too, launched in 20 07, focusing on cleanliness, the environment and public health. This has several different components – managing waste in industries, transportation and hospitals; protecting water bodies, trees, green spaces and heritage buildings; capacity-building; creating public awareness; and bringing about behavioural changes. This isn’t only about urban Gujarat. For example, there are community-managed Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS), which also encourage local people in rural areas to build their own toilets, and there is also a campaign against open defecation.Given Gujarat’s growth, much more remarkable has been the increase in forest cover. Despite the extraction of timber, fuel-wood and bamboo, and commercial exploitation of NTFP and pressures of development and urbanization, this increase in forest cover is not something one would have expected a priori. In addition to traditional forests, 25,000 hectares of mangrove forests have been added in c oastal areas. These are carbon sinks and absorb an estimated 50 tons of carbon per hectare. The big picture is a simple one. With the emphasis on growth and industrialization, it would have been easy for Gujarat to pay scant attention to the environment.Especially since the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), this isn’t quite what has happened. There is increased attention to protecting the environment and sustainable development. If there is a trade-off between the two objectives, and that proposition can be contested, Gujarat hasn’t accepted the trade-off. In conclusion Is there a Gujarat story? Clearly, there is. That’s reflected in high GSDP growth since 2002 and is also reflected in poverty declines, with no significant increase in inequality, data constraints notwithstanding.Is this reflected in human development outcomes improving, especially i n backward geographical regions and backward segments of the population? The evidence suggests that there have been i mprovements, especially after the conscious focus on such regions and segments since the Eleventh Plan (2007-12). Therefore, if Gujarat is being criticized on inequitable development, the time-line of data points is important. Pre-2007 data are not pertinent and one must also remember that 16 < PREVIEW > Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development social sector outcomes often improve with a time-lag.At best, one can complain that these improvements are not yet reflected in northern and central Gujarat. If one accepts this Gujarat story, one can move on to the next question. What is the Gujarat model and what has happened? It is one of freeing up space for private initiative and enterprise and the creation of an enabling environment by the State. It is one of decentralization o f planning and empowering people. It is about targeted public expenditure through specific schemes, supplementing CSS-s with Statespecific schemes. It is one of bureaucratic empowerment and improving the ef ficiency of public expenditure.It is one of feedback loops from the government machinery to people and from people to the government machinery. It is one of delivering public goods (water, roads, electricity, schools, education). Stated thus, this is a standard development template that any State ought to adopt and implement. The difference is that not too many States have implemented the template. It is always difficult to disentangle the various factors that go into ensuring the successful implementation of the Gujarat model. First, there is a legacy factor and earlier Gujarat governments, prior to 2002, have left positive impact.Second, Gujarat has had a healthy tradition of private entrepreneurship and an equally healthy skepticism of government. Third, in sectors like water and roads, Gujarat has also benefited from favourable exogenous circumstances, as it has from negative push factors in other States, automobiles and auto ancillaries being an obvious instance. Fourth, the pr esent political leadership has also had a role in empowering the bureaucracy, clamping down on corruption, decentralizing planning and delivery and focused intervention for backward regions and segments.While disentangling is difficult, it would be uncharitable and unfair to deny this fourth element. The pride in â€Å"asmita† begins from the top. And if that is disseminated and successfully trickles down, quite a bit has been achieved. * Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development, Bibek Debroy, September 2012. Published by Academic Foundation, New Delhi; hardcover, pages 166, all colour– includes maps and photographs; ISBN 13: 9788171889815; Rs 795; US $39. 95. www. academicfoundation. com