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Purpose: This study aims to empirically validate the determinants of cloud adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India and examine its impact on their economic performance. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated theoretical model interplaying technological, organizational and environmental aspects were applied for analyzing the variation in factors. Using data from 317 Indian SMEs, we have applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results demonstrated that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, technology readiness, top management support and trust were the influencing drivers of cloud adoption in SMEs in India. Compared to previous studies, we did not find compatibility and competitive pressure as significant, suggesting that there was no single set of factors influencing technology adoption. Economic performance achieved by reduced transaction costs formed the basis of favorable adoption. Research limitations/implications: The integrated model can provide space for new dimensions based on the category and geography of the SMEs. The paper does not address the supply-chain perspective of cloud adoption. Practical implications: The study directs the firm owners to visualize business logic by creating a digital ecosystem. Further, the model guides the stakeholders, including cloud service providers, to contribute to the economic proficiency of the SMEs. Originality/value: The paper empirically validates a model integrating both the drivers and consequences of cloud computing adoption as a unique study. Findings indicate that the usage of metrics such as return on investment and system efficiency form a part of the technology system approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing the syllabus of a school subject could be a highly contested exercise given the fact that it must cater for the concerns of competing stakeholders and pressures to incorporate all possible aspects of that discipline. For geography, whose field of study is extremely vast, and its nature is not clearly defined, developing its syllabus is particularly challenging. This paper discusses some key issues concerning the status of the geography syllabus in the secondary schools in India. The central theme of the paper is built on the study of documentary sources, research works, as well as on the survey of schoolteachers and geography experts from some school boards. The paper concludes that the educational value of school geography can only be realized by incorporating both physical and human aspects of the Earth in the syllabus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses initiation of Bhoogol Vachaspati and Bhoogol Ratna Awards and provides citation of people who have won the award. The article provides a brief biography of the winners including Ram Nath Dubey, Harbans Lal Chhibber and Vadhiparthi Lova Surya Prakasa Rao in recognition for seminal contribution and distinguished services in promoting the cause of geography in India.

The article discusses a symposium on secondary and higher education in geography held by the Indian Institute for Geographical Studies (TIIGS) and the Association of American Geographers' (AAG) Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE) from March 12-16, 2012 in Banglore, India. Topics addressed include the symposium's focus on geography education in India, as well as case studies developed on topics such as water resources, transportation and manufacturing, and labor migration.

Abstract: The multi-level perspective (MLP) is a widely adopted framework for analysing stability, change and transitions in socio-technical systems. Key to explanations of change is the interaction between nested levels (niche, regime, landscape) constituting socio-technical systems over time. This paper proposes a second generation, multi-scalar MLP that explicitly incorporates a spatial scale. Recent developments in innovation studies and contributions from regional studies and geography are reviewed. We draw on notions of space as being relational, fluid and contested by institutionally situated actors. Dynamics in socio-technical systems are explained not only by interactions between modes of structuration and developments over time, but also by interactions between actors and institutions situated across different levels of spatial scale. The paper explores the kinds of insights that might emerge from adopting a second generation MLP to socio-technical systems with a case study of biomass gasification in India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article critically examines the recommendations of two major Indian education reports-NCFSE 2000 and NCF 2005-prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training in India. The NCFSE 2000 has recommended an integrated teaching of geography as one component of the social studies. The NCF 2005 has reverted to the pre-NCFSE 2001 framework, wherein all subjects under the banner of social studies would now be taught independently. These conflicting reports, and additional disagreement over the teaching of 'local' Indian versus 'world' geography, are investigated regarding their implications for teaching geography to Indian students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geography is among the late beginner subjects at higher education level in India. As revealed in scholarly writings, this discipline had been subjected to discrimination for colonial reasons and continues to lurch even today. There have been many academic writings on Indian geography. This paper is an attempt to look at the discipline from the people's side. Against the backdrop of a brief history of Indian geography and current debates therein, various issues are discussed as revealed by ordinary people during a questionnaire-based survey across different sections of society and also focused informal discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has been done on instructing student teachers by means of field studies in developing countries. Herein, I argue that sending geography students on such expeditions provides them with valuable perspectives, connections and improved knowledge, especially if they experience personal involvement and participation in addition to general observation. Based on field studies in India and Tanzania, I show that geography students can gain new geographical knowledge on a local as well as country level within given limitations. One critical issue in this form of fieldwork is not only gaining as much geographical knowledge as possible but also how personal contact, actual research and workplace experience in the field are more meaningful and valuable for students than field studies based primarily on observation. A further important issue is the actual interaction between students and host communities. I maintain that this type of field study provides a primary beneficial input for both students and hosts, but close interaction can generate local community expectations that are difficult to meet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents public opinion on issues related to education and the educational reforms needed in India. It suggests that the school curriculum should be designed in two parts, a first session and a second session. The government should reduce the volumes a student has to study in geography. It cites the factors that should be considered in designing the science curriculum.

The article discusses the school-linking project between Richard Bonington School in Nottingham, England and St. Anthony's High School in Goa, India. The link is part of a small-scale research and curriculum development project within the context of Nottingham Trent University's Initial Teacher Training Partnership Programme. Local schools were addressing global citizenship by establishing school-linking programs. The link has provided a variety of curriculum development and research opportunities including teacher exchanges and a student study visit.

This article presents information on the conditions of feminist geography in India. Within the Indian geography scenario, the emphasis is more on the physical elements such as flora, soil, weather and climate rather than the human element. The concern for women issues is confined to the miserable conditions of women in the Indian societies. Geographic study programs designed by most of the universities in India have very little scope for a separate research on women's issues. Some scholars have shown interest in this subject but these endeavors are not in the shape of a collective effort to produce a feminist perspective in geography. Feminism is not a very popular academic subject of discussion with Indian geographers. However some institutions have begun to focus on women's issues.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience in Bangaluru, India while attending the Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE) workshop.

The article reports on the reasons why teaching geography to students in colleges and universities in India is a crucial task for teachers. It states that one major reason is the fact that geography gets a lower priority from students since they are expected to concentrate more on mathematics and science. Other reason is the scarcity of time allocated for teaching geography.

There has been considerable research work on early South India, particularly early Tamilakam, using archaeological, epigraphical and literary sources. Earlier, studies on early Tamilakam was almost exclusively based on the early Tamil texts, called as heroic or bardic poetry. However, a wealth of material has been generated by archaeological exploration, that have unearthed a mass of material from paleolithic, mesolithic, neolithic and the iron age megalithic, bordering on the early historic ages. A number of Tamil Brahmi label inscriptions have also been discovered. However, the largest number of archaeological finds have been megalithic burial sites and habitation sites are only in the process of being discovered. There are also difficulties in corroborating archaeological and epigraphic material with the enormous corpus of early Tamil texts. As a result, there is a tendency to dismiss the early Tamil texts as not conducive to historical analysis. The present article argues that we will still be able to use the material of the early Tamil texts using the tools provided by human geography, and suggests a methodology for making use of the literary material for further explorations in the early history of Tamilakam.