Leveler by August Burns Red free essay sample

Released on June 21, 2011, the album â€Å"Leveler†, by August Burns Red, set new standards for the metalcore genre. The lyrics reflect the group’s desire to improve society. Their devotion to God is easily observed in this album, more so than their previous releases: â€Å"Thrill Seeker† (2006), â€Å"Messengers† (2007), and â€Å"Constellations† (2009). In â€Å"Leveler† there are literal relations to their faith instead of metaphorical references. The album is definitely their best work to date. Revolver magazine even stated, â€Å"They’ve set their own bar even higher on Leveler, and have done so for the whole scene in the process.† Although their previous albums have used the theme of self-improvement, Leveler takes that concept to a much higher level. Specifically, encouraging listeners to let go of the things holding them back. In the song, â€Å"Cutting the Ties†, vocalist, Jake Luhrs, belts out the words, â€Å"Break Free†, as the band lays down a heavy breakdown. The title itself explains the simple ideal of the band’s Christian belief of being broken down and renewed by Jesus Christ. We will write a custom essay sample on Leveler by August Burns Red or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The musical aspects of the album are phenomenal. Though there is an inspirational message behind the album, the band managed to include the heavy breakdowns and uplifting guitar riffs. The whole album, but also especially the song â€Å"Poor Millionaire†, features Matt Greiner’s paramount drumming skills in an intricate drum intro. JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler do an exceptional job on guitar with several detailed solos throughout the album. The uplifting guitar riffs from â€Å"Salt Light† are a fantastic addition to the bands arsenal of musical weapons. Dustin Davidson gives the album a perfect amount of heaviness through his bass. Jake Luhrs has soared to new heights in his vocal range with this album. From the highs in â€Å"Empire† and â€Å"Carpe Diem† to the lows in â€Å"Divisions† he has perfected some new octaves improving the band’s overall sound. The album begins with the song â€Å"Empire†, which in itself is a masterpiece. The track includes enormous breakdowns, speedy guitar riffs, complex drumbeats, and a slow vocals section. The track is a perfect example of the new and improved August Burns Red. This song alone could get a huge crowd moving. The album ends with the song â€Å"Leveler†, the namesake of the album. This song presents melodic lyrics discouraging people’s hypocrisy, betrayal and vengeance. Though these things are mentioned the song presents forgiveness as the theme. The song flaunts the band’s perplexing arsenal of speedy riffs, drum rolls, and deep vocals. The album ends with a positive note that forgiveness and love prevails. Though the album is based off of religion, any metalcore fan can listen and enjoy its sensational musical elements.

Free Essays on Beowolf

â€Å"Grendel vs. Beowulf† In the epic poem Beowulf, a battle occurs between two characters: Grendel and Beowulf. Grendel portrays the evil character that is believed to be the descendant of Cain, the first murderer of the Bible. Beowulf is the hero of the story, who fights to protect his people. Both Grendel and Beowulf were courageous. Grendel was courageous for the fact that he had the audacity to even enter Herot and kill all those people. He never one showed fear for any human being, not even Beowulf. Although, he wasn’t courageous in the method he went about in murdering. He murdered while the people were in their sweet slumber. This was such a cowardly act because the people were never presented the opportunity to defend themselves, which of course wouldn’t have served much purpose after seeing Grendel’s incredible strength and brawn. Beowulf was courageous because he stood up to such a monster even though he was just a mere human being himself, Although, he did acquire brute strength that defeated Grendel. He defended his people when there was no one else to rely on. But Beowulf courage stops at a certain point. In one way, he wasn’t courageous because he could have dealt with Grendel another way other than killing him. There may have been other methods in banishing Grendel. Regardless, Beowulf was still a hero to the Geats. Grendel and Beowulf both sought fame even if they weren’t aware of this themselves. Grendel was famous for his reputation for being this horrible creature that preyed on helpless humans. He never intentionally pursued this persona, but it came about after taking so many lives. Therefore it led to the intimidation of the people towards Grendel. They all feared for their lives. Beowulf was known as the savior of the people. He overpowered Grendel, whom the people thought could not be destroyed. He also defeated any of the others that followed Grendel, such as his mother and the dragon. Nob... Free Essays on Beowolf Free Essays on Beowolf â€Å"Grendel vs. Beowulf† In the epic poem Beowulf, a battle occurs between two characters: Grendel and Beowulf. Grendel portrays the evil character that is believed to be the descendant of Cain, the first murderer of the Bible. Beowulf is the hero of the story, who fights to protect his people. Both Grendel and Beowulf were courageous. Grendel was courageous for the fact that he had the audacity to even enter Herot and kill all those people. He never one showed fear for any human being, not even Beowulf. Although, he wasn’t courageous in the method he went about in murdering. He murdered while the people were in their sweet slumber. This was such a cowardly act because the people were never presented the opportunity to defend themselves, which of course wouldn’t have served much purpose after seeing Grendel’s incredible strength and brawn. Beowulf was courageous because he stood up to such a monster even though he was just a mere human being himself, Although, he did acquire brute strength that defeated Grendel. He defended his people when there was no one else to rely on. But Beowulf courage stops at a certain point. In one way, he wasn’t courageous because he could have dealt with Grendel another way other than killing him. There may have been other methods in banishing Grendel. Regardless, Beowulf was still a hero to the Geats. Grendel and Beowulf both sought fame even if they weren’t aware of this themselves. Grendel was famous for his reputation for being this horrible creature that preyed on helpless humans. He never intentionally pursued this persona, but it came about after taking so many lives. Therefore it led to the intimidation of the people towards Grendel. They all feared for their lives. Beowulf was known as the savior of the people. He overpowered Grendel, whom the people thought could not be destroyed. He also defeated any of the others that followed Grendel, such as his mother and the dragon. Nob...

The Effects Of A Greek Default On The Uk Economy Dissertation

The Effects Of A Greek Default On The Uk Economy - Dissertation Example With the passage of time, the issue of the sovereign debt crisis has been getting worse. There are several European Union countries who have taken loans in order to survive in these circumstances and strive to make their overall economic condition better. According to the researchers and analysts out of all these countries, Greece has the worst situation and there is high possibility that the country will default and will not be able to repay the loans. The implications of this possible Greek default will not only be on the respective country but also on the other countries in the European Union. It is important to acknowledge here that the increasing globalisation and changing global practices have resulted in generating more integrated and related economies. For this reason, no country can avoid the influence of the economic issued being faced by any other country or economy. Through international trade and other cross country connections the distances among the economies of the world. There has been increasing convergence in the economies and as a result all activities are directly related and inter connected. This connection and relation among the world economies have resulted in the events of Great Depression and the recent economic downturn. 1.2. Background to the Research Study: Researchers, analysts, and economists have been conducting several research studies in order to evaluate and explore the impact of one economy on other related economies. The events like Great Depression have forced the researchers and economists to think about the reasons behind the global imp act of default of one economy. Economists and theorists have provided different theories in this regard, and the most important reason behind this is the integration of the economies. It is not possible for any country to survive in isolation in this global world. After the recent economic recession, the analysts are considerate about the potential recession European Union countries are heading towards. Several countries in the region of European Union are facing the issues related to the relatively lower growth rate and ongoing debt problems. According to the analysts, the main reason behind this is the austerity plan and policies implemented by the Greece. The Greece is all set to default, as according to Moses (2011), there are around 98 percent chances that Greece will default owing to the worsening debt conditions in the European Union region. Different European countries, including Germany, United Kingdom, France, etc, are taking considerable preventive measures in order to av oid and reduce the impact of the Greek default on their economies. All of this results in calling for formulating effective and efficient strategies on the national level to avoid another worse recession. For this purpose, it is important to first identify and explore the reasons behind the potential Greek default and its implications on the other related countries. Secondly, it is important to acknowledge that the Greek default will directly influence the trade and bond market of other European countries also. Along with this it will also affect the exchange rate and value of Euro. 1.3. Rationale of the Research Study: The research study has been undertaken by the researcher in order to identify the causes behind the worsening economic and debt condition of Greek and to explore its impact on other European Union countries specifically United Kingdom. United Kingdom has direct trade relations with Greece, and if Greece is unable to repay the loans this will results in exposing the b anks in UK to the issues of the financial system in Greece. As, the banks and financial institutions in UK will have to write off assets because of the repayment failure on part of the Greece, and this in turn will influence the short term profits. Apart from this there are also several other negative implications associated with the default of Greece. It is important to understand the relationship between the fiscal policy and the country

Capacity Planning and Financial Appraisal Essay

Capacity Planning and Financial Appraisal - Essay Example 3. The utilization of the workcentres is assumed to be 100%. This assumption ignores any machine downtime for various reasons such as breakdown, power failure, lack of materials or labour, and planned maintenance. (Vorne industries, 2008) However, the actual number of machines planned for procurement is higher than the calculated number by a substantial amount in the case of each type of workcentre. This has occurred partly due to rounding off of fractional requirements. Where the rounding off involved marginal increases, as in the case of Workcentres A and C, the rounding off has been carried over to the next higher figure. Because of this, there is enough in-built cushion in the calculated figure to take care of lower utilization. 4. Interference or waiting times have been assumed to be zero. Interference and waiting times can arise because of unbalanced line in which some of the machines have less capacity than others causing a pile up at these centres. Waiting times can also occur when disparate products are being scheduled one at a time, and the schedules fail to take care of piling of jobs at the same time at a workcentre, causing some of the parts/products to wait. In the present case, there is a continuous production of five different products with the same processing times. Although this could lead to scheduling problems because of changeover from one product to another, in this particular case, it is unlikely to happen because all products take the same time to process. Moreover, there is sufficient cushion available in the capacities due to rounding off, to take care of any waiting time. The financial viability of the new plant is to be checked using the IRR method. The Operations Director (OD) has set a criterion for selection of projects based on the IRR of the project. According to this criterion, projects having an IRR of more than 30% are to be

Busines stratgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Busines stratgt - Essay Example SWOT analysis is a management tool that allows managers to view the company’s at a wider picture thus enabling them to designing both short-term and long-term plan that may improve business performance. The following SWOT analysis identifies the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In other words, the analysis tries to identify the company’s problems and recommends the best strategic moves for the company to remain competitive. Strengths One of the company’s greatest strength is its business model. The company sells its products directly to consumers. In other words, there are no intermediaries i.e. retailers and wholesalers. This has assisted the company in bringing down distribution cost significantly. Because of this, the company is able to charge lower prices than its competitors thus acquiring a competitive advantage. The time lag between the customers’ orders and delivery is less compared to competitors’ time. Th is is because of lack of wholesalers or retailers in the distribution channel. This has contributed a lot in strengthening the company’s relationship with its customers, as well as, enhancing the customer satisfaction. Additionally, the business model supports customization of the company’s products and services especially the personal computers. The direct contact between the company and the customers enables the company to tailor-make its products to meet the customers’ needs. The company is also able conduct the market research effectively thus focusing on enhancing the customer satisfaction. The company’s high stock turnover is, as well, its strength. Because of this, Dell Inc has a good relationship with its suppliers since it has a healthy liquidity that enables it to pay the suppliers as early as possible. Because of this, the company is able to obtain supplies at lower prices compared to if it would pay later, thus reducing the cost of manufacturi ng. The company’s other strength is that it does not only sell to individual consumers, but also to businesses and government organizations. Consequently, Dell is able to supply a large number of personal computes and other related products thus increasing the profitability. Another Dell’s strength s product differentiation that enables customers to simply identify the company’s products. Weaknesses One of the company’s strength, customization, is also its weakness. A customer would have to wait for more time before receiving his or her computer from a delivery than when he or she goes direct to a retailer store, buys a computer, and acquires it as soon as he or she pays. Additionally the customers are not given an opportunity to physically touch the products and test them before they purchase them. The customers should have an opportunity to go to the retail shop and compare different products before deciding the ones to purchase. For the case of Dell, t he company expects consumers to order their products direct from the company without comparing them with competitors’ products, in the market. Another weakness is that the company focuses more on businesses and government organizations as customers in expense of individual consumers. Jenster states, â€Å"every market segment is equally important for every business meaning that he focus should be on all customers (52)†. To eliminate the weaknesses the company should segment its

The Identifying Factor Of Azotobacter

The Identifying Factor Of Azotobacter It is all too easy to forget about the soil microorganisms that are so crucial to the health of the flora and fauna of an ecosystem. When speaking of soil microorganisms, this classification can be further broken down into three subcategories: fungi, protista and bacteria, with bacteria making up the largest portion of the microorganisms (Boyle et al., 2007, Pelczar et al. 1993). These soil microorganisms play a central role to the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients such as, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur; elements which are detrimental for the growth and life of organisms (Bastida et al., 2007). In addition to their role in nutrient cycling, soil microorganisms largely contribute to soil structures by breaking down and decomposing organic matters, and are also an important food source for other organisms such as earth worms and amoebae (Bastida et al., 2007). Considering the impact of soil microorganisms on the environment and ecosystem, it is easy to see how soil microorganisms also impact human lifestyle and economy. In recent times, a flood of research has been conducted on the importance of microorganisms on agriculture, with interests in the ability of nitrogen fixing bacteria to substitute for nitrogenous fertilizers (Cakmacki et al. 2006). This lab focused on the bacterial portion of soil microorganisms, specifically, the isolation and identification of a single bacterium from a local soil sample using a number of aseptic laboratory techniques and Bergeys Manual of Systemic Bacteriology (1984). Materials and Methods The following methods were taken from the Biology 203 Lab Manual (Robertson 2008). Two soil samples were taken, the first from forest soil and the second, a coarse woody debris, from compost. These two samples were serially diluted to make solutions from 10E-2 to 10E-7, and from each sample pour plates, slants, streak plates and broths were inoculated using aseptic technique. The colony morphologies were observed and recorded and each plate was enumerated. From these samples 4 bacteria were chosen and subcultured onto streak plates and slants. After preparing and Gram Staining the slides the cell morphologies of the bacteria were observed and noted. The colonies were again subcultured onto streak plates and tested for the ability to hydrolyze starch by adding Iodine. The colonies were also cultured into Sulfide, Indole and Motility (SIM) deeps to test for the presences of the Sulfur cycle and motility. In addition Peptone broths were inoculated and the cultures were tested for ammoni fication. Ammonium sulfate broths and nitrite broths were inoculated and nitrification was tested for as well denitrification was tested for by inoculating nitrate broths. Aerobic respiration was confirmed when catalase tests were carried out by adding H2O2 to a sample of bacterium. Finally cultures were individually exposed to each of several different temperatures, salinities and levels of pH in order to determine their optimal environmental conditions. A single colony of bacteria was chosen to be identified: bacteria 1 from soil sample 2. Results The colony morphology can be described as a glistening opaque white color with a flat and irregular shape. The growth was smooth and soft. The diameter of the colony approximated 15mm. Under 1000x magnification it was revealed that the cells were bacilli, singlet and had a diameter of approximately 2ÃŽ ¼m. The cells stained Gram negative. Table 1: Summary of Results for Unidentified Bacterium 1 of Soil Sample 2 Test Result Starch Hydrolysis Positive H2S reduction Negative Motility Negative Aerobic or Anaerobic Aerobic Ammonification Positive Denitrification (NO3- to NO2-) Negative Nitrification (NH3/NH4+ to NO2-) Positive Nitrification (NH3/NH4+ to NO3-) Positive Catalase Positive Optimal temperature 22Â °C Optimal pH 5 Optimal salt concentration 0% The results of the remainder of the tests biochemical and environmental are summarized by Table 1. It was concluded based on the Iodine and starch reaction that this bacterium hydrolyzed starch as a source of Carbon. The Sulfur cycle did not occur as there was no black precipitate from the combination of Iron and hydrogen sulfide found in the SIM deeps. The SIM deeps did reveal that these bacteria were non-motile, growing only on the stab line. The proteins in the peptone broth were degraded to ammonia signifying that this bacterium is an ammonifer. Nitrification was also confirmed with the bacteria oxidizing the NH3 and NH4+ in the broths to NO2- and NO3. Denitrification however, did not occur; NO3 was not reduced. The addition of H2O2 led to bubbling as it reacted with catalase present in the cells. Optimal environmental conditions were found to be 22Â °C, pH of 5 and 0% salinity. Between the temperatures of 4, 15, 22 and 54Â °C, growth was strongest at 22Â °C, then 15 and wea kest at 37 and 4Â °C . Growth at pH was only slightly stronger than at pH 7 but substantially stronger than at pH 3 and 9 (refer to table 2). Growth in salinity was best at 0% and decreased with .05%, 2% and 5% respectively. Table 2: Growth of bacterium 1 at various pH based on absorbance levels at 580nm pH Bacterial Growth 3 .227 5 .692 7 .510 9 .147 Discussion Each of these steps aided in the possible identification of the bacterium as Azobacteraceae Azotobacter a genera of bacteria found in soil, water and roots (Bergeys Manual, 1984). Due to the thinner layer of peptidoglycan surrounded by a phospholipid outer membrane as opposed to a thick external layer of peptidoglycan this bacterium stained Gram negative (Prescot, Harley and Klein 2005). Of vital importance for identification was the presence of catalase, an enzyme present in aerobic bacteria that breaks down the toxic byproduct of electron transport: H2O2 (Wang et al. 2008). The search to identify Bacterium 1 began with these two broad criteria: Gram negative and aerobic respiration. This particular bacterium was non-motile, the bacterium grew only along the stab line in the SIM deep rather than spreading throughout the medium. This turned out to be an important factor while identifying as it as Azotobacter which contains both motile and non-motile bacteria (Bergeys Manual, 1984). T hese three qualities alone pointed in the direction of Azotobacter; the biochemical and environmental tests served to confirm that Bacterium 1 was indeed Azotobacter by matching the characteristics of this particular genera to the bacterium. Nitrification was a common characteristic between the two and was confirmed to occur in Bacterium 1 when the ammonia broth was oxidized to nitrite and nitrite was oxidized to nitrate (Bergeys Manual, 1984). Denitrification however, did not occur the nitrate was left intact and un-reduced. Ammonification, the breakdown of nitrogen containing compounds to ammonia, was also a common characteristic of Bacterium 1 and Azotobacter (Bergeys Manual, 1984, Roberts, 2008). Although the test for motility in the SIM deep was positive, the sulfur cycle test in the SIM had a negative result. The sulfur containing compounds were not reduced by the bacterium to produce H2S and, this result even as a negative, was an important factor in identification because Azotobacter also does not reduce sulfur (Bergeys Manual, 1984, Roberts, 2008). Bergeys Manual (1984) classifies Azotobacter as a heterotroph and, similarly Bacterium 1 was identified as a heterotroph when Iodine was added to the streak plate con taining starch and no color change occurred in the area under and around the colony. This was an indication of the bacterium breaking down and metabolizing the starch. Finally, the optimal environmental conditions of both Bacterium 1 and Azotobactera were found to be very similar. The optimal conditions were stated as: pH of 4.8 8.5, temperature of 15 37ËÅ ¡C and low salinity (Bergeys Manual, 1984). Bacterium 1 had very similar environmental conditions of: pH of 5, 22ËÅ ¡C and salinity of 0% NaCl. Considering the nitrifying and ammonifiying qualities of the Azotobacter, this bacterium plays an important role in the nitrogen cycle by breaking down proteins and converting the nitrogen into a form that can then be used by other organisms (Butenschoen, Marhan and Scheu, 2007, Cakmakci et al. 2006). Azotobacter, as one of the more common nitrifying soil microbes, is known to produce a great amount of usable Nitrogen, and therefore is closely linked to plant growth and health (Cakmakci et al. 2006, Prescot, Harley and Klein 2005). Interestingly, although many nitrifying organisms hold a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, providing Nitrogen in exchange for nutrients, Azotobacter, in particular, does not (Prescot, Harley and Klein 2005). Azotobacter also carries out starch hydrolysis, and therefore aids in the decomposition of organic matter in soil and the mineralization process (Smith and Smith, 2001). The identification of Bacterium 1 as Azobacteraceae Azotobacter is not definite and several other tests would have required in order to prove this statement as true. One test which would have been very helpful would have been a test for cyst formation; a key characteristic of the Azotobacter (Bergeys Manual, 1984, Prescot, Harley and Klein 2005). The Azotobacter are not rhizobacteria and therefore it would have been appropriate if there were some way of observing the bacteria in their natural habitat. In addition, the tests that were carried out had limitations to the amount of information that could have been gleaned from the results. The nitrification, ammonification, and denitrification tests were based on a simple color change, and there was no way of telling the process by which these functions, if present, occurred, nor were the tests specific to the concentration of the compounds present. All of these tests and techniques could also have been subjected to error, for example, m easurement errors under the microscope, errors in serial dilutions and even, contamination of cultures. From a simple compost soil sample it was possible to isolate and subculture a single bacterium species. Using various biochemical tests such as, tests for nitrification, ammonification, denitrification and the sulfur cycle, it was possible to determine the characteristic metabolic functions of the organism. These results, in addition to observation of cell and colony morphology, especially Gram staining, enabled the identification of the bacterium as Azobacteraceae Azotobacter.

Sleep, What Is It? Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you lay down to bed at night, close your eyes, and loose conciseness, you fall asleep. Sleep is an everyday event, every human, every animal does it on a routine basis. There are many questions concerning sleep. This paper will try to answer three of them. Why do we sleep, at what routine do we sleep, and what happens to us when we sleep. There are several theories as to why we sleep. Some believe it’s a â€Å"time out† to recuperate, remove wastes from muscles, repair cells or recover abilities lost during the day. However wastes are removed without sleep with just a couple of minutes of rest. People who don’t sleep for 48 hours don’t need 16 hours to â€Å"catch up† all they need is one good nights sleep. Some believe sleep conserves energy, once it provided safety from predators in a secluded space. However we lose consciousness which would make us vulnerable to attacks from predators. Or maybe it serves the brain because only organisms with integrated bundles of central nervous tissue sleep. There are many theories as to why we sleep but no one really seems to know. People can go several days without sleep and still perform normally. However any longer can cause irritability, hallucinations, or delusions. In animals sleep depravation leads to death, it may also hold true for people as well. In one case a man at age 52 started losing sleep. He fell deeper and deeper into an exhausted stumper or lethargic state, always feeling tired but unable to sleep. He eventually developed a lung infection and died. An autopsy showed he had lost almost all of the large neurons in two areas of the thalamus. This suggests that sleep is caused and controlled by the thalamus. Most people sleep at night, so does this mean that our sleep cycle is dependent on night and day? It doesn’t seem so. There are people who sleep during the day and studies have shown that people run on their own sleep cycles. Volunteers put in isolation(they didn’t know what time it was) went to sleep on the average 49 minutes later every cycle. So in about 11 or 12 days one would go to sleep in the morning. Whenever we change our clocks(daylight savings time) our bodies eventually readjust to the time rather than how light or dark it is outside. People who live in the extreme north or south have darkness for six month at a... ...aks. It   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  will take a shaking motion to wake you and you   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  wont be happy about it. Sleep walkers and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  talkers walk and talk at this point. This process takes about 90 minutes then reverses(1-2-3-4-3-2-1). After you come back to one, instead of waking you go into REM(Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and this is were most dreaming occurs. The amount of time in REM sleep is usually random, but after REM sleep you start the process over again. Hopefully some questions about sleep you had before reading this paper are now answered. There still remains many questions about sleep. Since sleep is so connected with the mind, which is the biggest mystery in the universe humans know of sleep is difficult to understand. So it will be a long time before our questions will be answered. Bibliography Wade and Travis, Carole and Carol, Psychology, New York City, Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1990 http://www.shuteye.com

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

L 18 - Presentation Skills (1) Essays - Attitude Change, Free Essays

L 18 - Presentation Skills (1) Essays - Attitude Change, Free Essays L 18 - Presentation Skills (1) In academic culture, you need to express your views clearly on different issues relating to your subject area. These views are often based on a critical reading and evaluation of written texts. It is also important that you develop the language skills that will enable you to express your ideas most effectively. Preparing and planning a presentation There are a number of different situations in which you will need to communicate orally in English in your academic courses. The main situations are presentations, seminars and discussions. In some cases, you will give a short presentation about a topic in order to lead into a discussion. In other cases, you will present information or a summary of a text. In future situations, you may be giving a presentation based on your own work or research. Below is a list of suggestions you may find helpful. Stage 1: Find out what you need to do Make sure you know exactly what the topic is or, if you are choosing your own topic, what is expected of you. Check how long you have for the presentation. Think about your audience. How much are they likely to know about the topic? How much will you need to explain? If the presentation is being assessed, make sure you know what the criteria are. 491241730416500 Stage 2: Brainstorm ideas Task 1 - Arrange the following sentences in the correct order. ________ ________ ________ ________ Explain your ideas to a friend - this will help you to clarify them. Look at your list of ideas - what connections can you see between them? Are there particular ideas you could develop that would be of interest to your audience? Decide which ideas to use. Can each one be summarized in one sentence? If not, perhaps your ideas are not dear and specific enough. Make a list of anything you can think of related to your topic; you will not use all of these ideas, but will choose from them later. Stage 3: Do any necessary research Determine if there are any ideas about which you need to get more information. Gather any evidence you need to support your ideas, e.g., statistics. Think about how much information you can realistically convey to your audience. Keep your audience in mind, especially in relation to their level of relevant expertise. Stage 4: Organize your ideas Decide which point you should begin with. Think about how you can link one idea to the next. Do not include too much information - you want your audience to understand your key points clearly. Decide how you will begin and end your presentation. In the introduction you want to get the attention of the audience. The conclusion is the last part of your presentation, and probably what the audience will most remember. Prepare your PowerPoint slides or other visual aids. Remember: less is more '. Think of the key words you will use and check your pronunciation - there is nothing worse than listening to a presentation in which the presenter pronounces the title of the presentation incorrectly! Task 2 You are going to watch a youtube video entitled " What is a good academic presentation? " by ELC, PolyU . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3IiHsHuIA Take notes while you are watching and then complete the following blanks. Academic presentations What is the main difference between academic and secondary school presentations? Academic presentations include r_______________, which means you need to cite r_______________. Academic Style In academic style, you need to show authority and to establish that what you are talking about is r_______________, c_______________ and v_______________. Reference List You should choose references that are r_______________ and that also s_______________ your arguments p_______________. What are the two ways to cite your references? provide the reference in the s_______________ cite it o_______________ / v_______________, e.g. as John Chan points out in his article in 2010 Structure A good structure enables the a_______________ to follow the c_______________ very c_______________. Make sure each section of your presentation is o_______________ properly. What is Signposting? it is the outline at the beginning. it gives direction to where the presentation is leading. it is the use of citations.

Pink Mustache Delivers! Essays - Transportation Network Companies

Pink Mustache Delivers! Essays - Transportation Network Companies Anthony P. Moreno MKT/421 Instructor: Fritz Beiermeister December 21st, 2015 Pink Mustache Delivers! The company that I previously used was, Lyft, a ride within minutes. The new product that I would add to Lyft would be to branch out and become a delivery service. Within the Lyft app there would be another area that rather than asking for a lift, you can order anything you want and the Lyft driver would deliver it to wherever you needed it. The target market for this product would be adults ranging from 18 years old and older. The target market would need a smart phone; just like our normal Lyft consumers would use and would have to have a credit/debit card already inputted within the app. I think that this would appeal greatly to our market because you can have anything you want at anytime you want. We greatly encourage our target market to not drive when they are unable to, so this would branch off and help to keep unsafe drivers off the road even more. The first target market that we would aim towards would be adults 21-40 years old. We would target more of the late night after h ours groups of customers. This way we are still promoting safe driving while being able to enjoy themselves. Our drivers would still have our logo, the pink mustache, on their cars to let the customer know that it is our business who is delivering their products that they ordered. Geographically, how far of a distance would our consumer be able to order a product from? We would allow our consumer to only be able to choose from various stores, shops, restaurants, office buildings and other locations within a 15-mile radius from the driver to the consumer. Demographically, will my 15-year-old daughter be able to order alcohol? Anyone over the age of 18, with their credit/debit card inputted in the app and has a smart phone with our app on it. We will have restrictions through our app on certain items, such as alcohol, cigarettes and other items that have age restrictions. Psychographically, what if I dont want the driver to know where I live? The consumer is the person who lets the driver know where to meet. Our drivers can stand outside of their car and wait for you or if you prefer the drop off at doorstep option you choose how you want to receive your delivery. Will they be able to deliver on holidays? Yes, our drivers choose when they want to work, so we wil l always have drivers ready to work any day at anytime. Behaviorally, once I order the same thing over and over again, can I just get a personal driver to get me exactly what I want every time? No, we do not set anyone up with the same people on purpose every time. That doesnt give our other drivers opportunities at certain jobs. The methods we would conduct for our marketing research would be surveys and observation. We would conduct surveys after every Lyft ride to see if our consumers that are already using Lyft would use the delivery service. We would also have surveys on privacy and what would be appropriate for the consumer and driver interaction. We could send out surveys to our current e-mail lists with coupons on both of our services, if they complete the survey. The other method is observation, since there are already delivery service companies out there, we would conduct some observations about them. We would observe their prices, fees, delivery times, what areas are most populated and what has failed within their business. I choose these two methods because I feel that we have a large amount of available audience and a survey would be a quick and inexpensive way to get fast feedback. Observing other companies is a also a way to see what the competition is like in this field and what makes our comp any stick out from the rest. Observing the other delivery companies would help us start from a basis on where we should start from and then branch out to make our company unique and give it the Lyft touch. Once we have received feedback through our surveys

Response to &quot;Is the American Dream Over&quot; Essay

Response to "Is the American Dream Over" - Essay Example The primary question is â€Å"is the American Dream Over?† Whereas this question has been asked over and over by different scholars, there seems to lack a definite answer to this question. This is because different authors and scholars seem to have a different definition of the topic â€Å"The American Dream.† However, Cal goes on to explain define what American Dream is. He argues that American Dream simply means fulfilling one’s life objectives. However, he goes on to claim that the institutional frameworks of the American government have been so corrupted that it is impossible for the common American person to achieve the American Dream. The question â€Å"Is American Dream Over† is arguably a debatable question at issue. This is because the question brings about the room for debate on both sides of the issue. For example, in his work Cal actually points to the possibility of old and new definitions of American dream and then takes on the modern definition. He however goes on to explain why he believes that the American dream died long time ago because of the challenges facing the modern American citizen. This opens up room for debate because, a significant number of Americans are actually living a life of their dreams. Indeed, it can be debated that American dream has been achieved to some extent. However, the question at issue also overlaps as a controversial issue because it opens wide the room for criticizing the government for the failure of Americans to achieve the American dream The issue of American dream is a question at issue because it provides a good and fair basis in which both proponents and opponents can exchange intellectual fists. Indeed, the question of whether American dream is alive or dead has received equal measure of debate from both sides. In his side, Cal gives reason such as lack of â€Å"employment, overspending, overtaxing, and overregulating government† as some of the reasons why American

Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt - Essay Example This play revolves around the Common Man as he struggles for exploitation, dishonesty, adultery, treachery, and also his wakefulness and feverish nature in the characters of Steward Matthew, the Jailer and the Boatman. The Jailer is always trying to safeguard his own self but also takes no account of the well being of other people around him. The Common Man displays itself in the form of Steward, Boatman and Jailer as the voices of dishonesty, exploitation, and wakefulness and sometimes make a fool of himself in front of other people to protect his own self from distress and buries himself under his own umbrella where assisting others is a myth. (Bolt|1996) The dishonesty is embarked in his role of House Steward Matthew where he plots against his Master Sir Thomas and in this conspiracy reveals information about him. He believed his master to be a great one but also forefronts adultery with him. When Sir Thomas renounced his title, he asked Matthew if he will stay on the course with him with a little deduction in pay considering him to be loyal with him; but Matthew refused and proved his master otherwise. He back stabbed Sir Thomas regardless of the symphony he has done for him, and the trust Sir Thomas puts in him. Sir Thomas was tilted towards Matthew and even confronted in front of him that he will miss him but Matthew had other things on mind. Matthew was too busy being selfish that he did not care a bit about being unfaithful to his employer, his master who praised and liked him. Matthew was just greedy submersed by his own pity intentions that he could have cared less for his master, he could have live on a meager wage as he had no family and little expenses but he choose otherwise. This Common Man in the role of Steward is a disloyal employee, who like all servants of his own cluster, worries about his own self and pays no heed about loyalty or the affection others around him have for him. (Bolt|1996) As a boatman, his