Heritage of the Yoga Philosophy and Transcendental Phenomenology: The Interlocution of Knowledge and Wisdom across Two Traditions of Philosophy

Comparative philosophy has been subjected to much criticism in the latter half of the last century, though some of these criticisms were appropriate and justified. However, in our present cultural milieu, where traditions and culture transcend their geographical boundaries, seeping through the global network of views and ideas, it seems to be a legitimate enterprise to understand one’s own traditions and culture through the critical lens of the ‘other culture’. It is such cross-cultural understanding that paved the way towards legitimizing “human rights” as a universal discourse. So also, the discourse on “environmental ethics” has gained acceptance in a similar manner across cultures and traditions. The paper attempts at an understanding of “Indian Philosophy” as a theoretical practice by exemplifying the notion of “sādhanā” in the Yoga system of Indian Philosophy through a reading of the notion of ‘phenomenological reduction’ as espoused in the transcendental phenomenology of Husserl. Thus, we reject the claim that philosophy as a pure rational activity was unique to the West as proclaimed in some Eurocentric readings. It is pertinent to recall here that the Sāṅkhya philosophy, which the Yoga system accepts as an allied school of thought was atheistic in its origin and attempted to explain the universe in terms of an evolutionary theory—the “prakṛti pariṇāma vāda”

Directivity and spacing for the antenna elements

The optimum design choice for the MST radar antenna was considered. The following factors are required: directivity and gain; beam width and its symmetry; sidelobe levels, near and wide angle; impedance matching; feeder network losses; polarization diversity; steerability; cost effectiveness; and maintainability. The directivity and related beam forming aspects of various antenna elements and directivity aspects when such elements are formed into an array are discussed. Array performance for important variables, in particular, the spacing of the elements is considered

Role and relevance of business incubators in ICT led global educational system: case for eco-enterprise village

Following paper presents the case of Business Incubators (BIs) as future educational and learning centres. It explores the question of how feasible and relevant is this concept andt how they can be designed to deliver educational & training programmes that meet the requirement of knowledge economy by suitably preparing youth to face the challenges of the global market. Business Incubators are businesses aiming at nurturing and establishing other businesses. They are considered to be an excellent tool for Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) development. Targeted assistance at small entrepreneurs & start-up businesses- help them grow and graduate to mature enterprises. According to ILO estimates 300 million jobs have to be created world over in the next 5 years. As many as 45 million young people enter the job market annually, at a global level. There are three different kinds of BIs and they are public, private, and university based BIs and are commonly classified by ownership. In the IT-led global knowledge village, there are seamless potentials for study, earning a degree and education outside of the college campuses. Virtual campuses are the reality today. What are needed then would be centres for imparting practical lessons on commercialising the knowledge, innovative ideas, and technical skills. Also it is important to impart real training in starting, managing, making profit and pursuing the growth of enterprises & ventures that a youth entrepreneur could launch. In the knowledge economy, BIs can be real learning centres. Also, technological and academic oriented knowledge & literacy is not the only skill required for attaining success, set-up a business or getting a well-paying job in the new knowledge based global economy. But what is required are a set of skills called 21st century skills, which can be well delivered through BIs, when they are turned as educational centres. The paper also presents a BI model, which has an objective of building businesses with a strategic orientation towards environment and sustainable development. The BI design presented is called as Eco-Enterprise Village.Business Incubators; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Information & Communication Technology; Education and Training; Eco Enterprise Incubator

Adoption of Information and Communications Technology in Rural Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) : Case of MSEs in South Indian State of Kerala, India

ICT plays a significant role in the life of enterprises. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) have to be familiar and in tune with ICT applications, within the context of fast evolving global market dynamics. However, how far MSEs of rural India could address this challenge of adoption of ICT within their enterprise level? What are the challenges and opportunities that rural MSEs could accrue from ICT adoption?Micro and Small Enterprises; Rural Enterprises; India; ICT adoption

Role of rural business incubators in translating micro finance to sustainable micro enterprises

Present paper looks at how Rural Business Incubators (RBIs) & Enterprise Resource Centers (ERCs) together with Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) can contribute to inclusive growth. India’s informal sector has a very powerful presence of brilliant entrepreneurs, who can potentially contribute to India’s fight against poverty and have the potential for much more employment & income generation, if appropriate institutional mechanisms are created to provide needed & timely assistance. Here comes the role of RBIs & ERCs and MFIs. Approximately 93 percent of the enterprises are in the informal sector in India. Together with Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), informal sector contributes close to 60 percent to GDP and 40 percent or more to export trade. They create 95 percent of non-farm jobs. Informal enterprises are set-up by owners to alleviate their poverty condition. They could be termed as poverty alleviating enterprises (PAEs). Micro finance institutions need to reach out to such PAEs and empower them. Through the institutional mechanism called RBIs & ERCs, micro financiers can reach out to PAEs. Empowering PAEs and enabling their growth is indeed a challenging task. An institutional mechanism like RBI & ERC is a probable solution to poverty and unemployment. If an incubator & ERC can come up in each of the 6000 block panchayats, that would enable the creation of new enterprises in the formal sector as well as can contribute to empower PAEs in their growth & expansion. This would help create new jobs and alleviate poverty and generate employment. The paper ends with a model RBI & ERC. with a detailed description of service mix that can be delivered through this institutional mechanism.Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs); Rural Business Incubutors; Poverty Alleviation; Employment Generation; Rural Transformation; Information Needs of MSMEs

Role and relevance of Business Incubators in ICT led global educational system: case for Eco-Enterprise Village

Following paper presents the case of Business Incubators (BIs) as future educational and learning centres. It explores the question of how feasible and relevant is this concept andt how they can be designed to deliver educational & training programmes that meet the requirement of knowledge economy by suitably preparing youth to face the challenges of the global market. Business Incubators are businesses aiming at nurturing and establishing other businesses. They are considered to be an excellent tool for Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) development. Targeted assistance at small entrepreneurs & start-up businesses- help them grow and graduate to mature enterprises. According to ILO estimates 300 million jobs have to be created world over in the next 5 years. As many as 45 million young people enter the job market annually, at a global level. There are three different kinds of BIs and they are public, private, and university based BIs and are commonly classified by ownership. In the IT-led global knowledge village, there are seamless potentials for study, earning a degree and education outside of the college campuses. Virtual campuses are the reality today. What are needed then would be centres for imparting practical lessons on commercialising the knowledge, innovative ideas, and technical skills. Also it is important to impart real training in starting, managing, making profit and pursuing the growth of enterprises & ventures that a youth entrepreneur could launch. In the knowledge economy, BIs can be real learning centres. Also, technological and academic oriented knowledge & literacy is not the only skill required for attaining success, set-up a business or getting a well-paying job in the new knowledge based global economy. But what is required are a set of skills called 21st century skills, which can be well delivered through BIs, when they are turned as educational centres. The paper also presents a BI model, which has an objective of building businesses with a strategic orientation towards environment and sustainable development. The BI design presented is called as Eco-Enterprise Village.Business Incubators; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Information & Communication Technology; Education and Training; Eco Enterprise Incubator

Application of organophilic clay

The overall goal of this project is to asses the feasibility of using clay to filter water contaminated with organic contaminants. The clays that were used were provided by the Union Carbide Corporation and the Industrial Mineral Ventures (IMV), a division of Floridin company. The organic contaminants that this project concentrated on were, naphthalene, 1,4-dioxane, and phenol. The feasibility studies were done by batch isotherm studies. The protocol for the batch studies were the same as the ones used previously for granular activated carbon. This project looked at a total of six Union Carbide clays and five IMV Floridin clays. The batch studies reduced the number of clays that could be used for the removal of organics by eliminating the clays that adsorbed the least amount of contaminants. This showed which of the clays were best for removing the contaminants. The batch studies showed that the IMV Floridin clays were the best for adsorbing the contaminants

Quality Perceptions of Private Label Brands: Conceptual Framework and Agenda for Research

Private Label brands had seen an impressive growth in past few decades. Though, initially private label brands had a low-priced strategy, retailers made efforts for serious quality improvements in recent years. However, they have continued to suffer from poor quality perceptions. Previous research dealing with quality perceptions of store brands did not adequately examine the ways to improve the quality perceptions of private label brands. The paper examines how retailers can influence the quality perceptions for private label brands by providing additional information cues to the customers. The nature of additional information cues may have differential impact on quality perceptions of private label brands vis-�-vis national brands. The paper proposes extrinsic high scope cues – in form of manufacturer’s name and public quality label – to improve the quality perceptions of private label brands. Furthermore, the familiarity of the product may influence the quality perceptions, consequently influencing the purchase decision. The paper also proposes differential impact of information cues across different product categories on quality perceptions of private label brands.

‘Are we being de-gifted, Miss?’ Primary school gifted and talented co-ordinators’ responses to the Gifted and Talented Education Policy in England

This is the accepted version of the following article: Koshy, V. and Pinheiro-Torres, C. (2013), ‘Are we being de-gifted, Miss?’ Primary school gifted and talented co-ordinators’ responses to the Gifted and Talented Education Policy in England. British Educational Research Journal, 39: 953–978. doi: 10.1002/berj.3021, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3021/abstract.Over a decade ago the UK government launched its gifted and talented education policy in England, yet there has been very little published research which considers how schools and teachers are interpreting and implementing the policy. By seeking the views of the gifted and talented co-ordinators (For ease of reference, the term gifted and talented (G&T) co-ordinator is used throughout the paper as a generic shorthand for the research participants who were either designated school gifted and talented co-ordinators or teachers or head teachers with responsibility for policy implementation) with responsibility for addressing the requirements of the policy, the study reported in this paper explored how primary schools in England responded to the policy. Drawing on data gathered using questionnaires with a national sample of primary schools as well as follow-up in-depth interviews with a sample of G&T co-ordinators, the authors report their findings. The study found that there was considerable unease about the concept of identifying and ‘labelling’ a group of pupils as ‘gifted and talented’. G&T co-ordinators found it difficult to interpret the policy requirements and were responding pragmatically to what they considered to be required by the government. Curriculum provision for the selected group of gifted and talented pupils was patchy. The paper concludes by identifying a need for further professional development for teachers and by challenging the policy's over-emphasis on identifying and labelling gifted and talented pupils. We posit whether the gifted and talented education policy would have been better introduced and enjoyed greater success by leaving the identification of pupils to one side and by placing greater emphasis on developing effective learning and teaching strategies instead