The Christian Tradition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Christian Tradition - Essay Example The moral issue regarding homosexuality is clear. Actually gays and lesbians are immoral people and do immoral acts, at least according to the Bible. Homosexuality violates many Christian principles. However, homosexuals should be loved and accepted even though we cannot accept their homosexuality. The issue regarding homosexuality is actually based on whether it is an individual’s choice or not. If it is an individual’s choice, then homosexuality is evil and the homosexual who practices it deserves to be criticized. However, if there is a reason that homosexuality is not an individual’s choice like it is genetic, then it means that homosexuality is not such a bad thing after all because it is beyond human control. According to a study by Allen and Gorski of the University of California in 1992, â€Å"The midsagittal plane of the anterior commissure in homosexual men was 18% larger than in heterosexual women and 34% larger than in homosexual men† (Allen & Gorski). This means that a part of the brains of homosexual men are actually larger than the brains of heterosexual men. A group of Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institute also had the same findings. According to the researchers, the brains of gay men have the same sizes as the brains of heterosexual women (Park). ... and should help solve the discrimination and hatred that homosexuals experience, especially that homosexual hate groups are usually based at the church. Therefore, the Church must begin the campaign to help homosexuals, and the Church should also remain open-minded at all times. After all, Jesus said, â€Å"Love your neighbor as yourself,† he particularly did not say, â€Å"Love your neighbor s as yourself† except if he is gay (Mt. 22:39, New International Version). Therefore, in following the footsteps of Christ, a Christian should therefore be the first to understand the grieving homosexual, because Christian love is supposed to be universal. However, even though some scientists and experiments say that homosexuality has a genetic basis and that it is not the homosexual’s fault to be homosexual, the Church maintains its opinion against homosexuality. According to the Book of Leviticus in the Bible, which says, â€Å"You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; it is a detestable act† (Lev. 18:22). God is advising a Jewish man here and so God does not agree that it is all right for a man to have sex with another man. The Book of Leviticus is the book of Law of Moses, and therefore it should be obeyed and followed. Homosexuality violates other passages of the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, the men of Sodom want to have sex with the male angels who accompany Lot. They ask him, â€Å"Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them?† (Gen. 19:5). Then, later on, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus, we assume that God destroys these cities because of their many moral violations including homosexuality. Another violation of homosexuality is against Romans 1:26-27: â€Å"Even

Monique and the Mango Rains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Monique and the Mango Rains - Essay Example The case of the Minianka women of Mali is an example of where society ranks the man above women prior to using stratification to develop a hierarchy of the women. There are several factors that are anthropologically linked to the existence of social stratification in society, and they include the family, division of labor, sex, economy, religion, and gender responsibilities among others. Depending on the nature of the society, the degree of stratification varies; thus communities are classified into hunters and gatherers, horticultural, pastoral, agricultural, job-specific, and industrialized, among others. Gender roles, family, and reproduction are factors that affect social stratification in the social context. Society is responsible for defining the roles and responsibilities of its members. The inequality that stems from the gender roles and responsibilities follows the anthropological view of the man being stronger to the woman. The men are burdened with the responsibilities of provision, security, and management of the family unit in the Malian community, common to most African societies. The society, supported by anatomy, accredits women to the growth of the family, and consequently society. The capability of the female gender to give birth is evaluated in most scenarios, with the blame of infertility being highly alleged as the woman’s fault. Although men have been established, by science, as the sex determinants and equally responsible for infertility, women bear the wrath of society. Conventionally, the woman is inherently responsible for the nurturing role in the famil y unit and society collectively. Beliefs of society, with regards to men versus women, contribute to the establishment of levels where the accomplishment of responsibilities set by society improves one’s position (Holloway & Bidwell 58). Stratification occurs in a social context under gender responsibilities, family, and reproduction, under different social groupings such as girls, ladies, mature women, married women, and mothers, just to mention but a few.

Organizational Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organizational Justice - Essay Example . For a manager to act justly, he has to read the codes of conduct of an organization first, this entails understanding all the words that are used in the code of conduct putting in mind both the spirit and intended meanings of the words. After understanding the codes of conduct, it is important to ensure that all the employees understand the codes of conduct, and in case of any misunderstanding, explanations are given to the employees. A manager who acts consistently with the codes of conduct is able to provide a foundation of trust in the organization, and there will be a good relationship with the employees at the work place. Becoming organizational members means we surrender some of our autonomy so that others can control us (Clegg, Kornberger and Pitsis 2008, p.252). The goal of a manager is to elaborate to the employees meaning of good ethical judgments and encourage all employees to bring forward any acts that they think is not appropriate. The result of these is that an organ ization will be able to monitor behaviours that are unethical before it gets out of control and stop it at the right time. Day-to-day decisions involve issues that are ethical from considerations of reasons for promotion, decision to discipline a particular employee fairly to treating other individuals in an organization. Treating employees in a just manner also involves tolerating behaviours of an individual that you would not tolerate in others and a manager must ensure he is able to handle all of these actions. Rational decision-making will assume the decision maker is well informed of organizational goals and the alternatives that are available (Denhardt 2010, p.82). There are times when being ethical will not answer the certain issues being confronted in an organization such as having an ethical line and legal conduct that can, in most times, are blurred. For instance, if a manager finds documents that have information about the products of his competitor, the illegal part woul d be if the manager steals it from the competitor’s premise. However, if the document is found in the streets, ethics allows the manager to use the information assuming an individual might have dropped the document by accident. For an organization to have justice, it is important, therefore, to offer training that involves more than just reviewing the rules of the company. Some behaviour is not acceptable in one organization, but is acceptable in another and vice versa, and it, therefore, does not mean that the behaviour should be tolerated at the company leaving the other company. The organization should be able to set standards that every individual

The Impact of British Colonization in India Essay

The Impact of British Colonization in India - Essay Example Traders were frequently engaged in hostilities with their Dutch and Portuguese counterparts in the Indian Ocean. A key event providing the Company with the favour of Mughal emperor Jahangir was their victory over the Portuguese in the Battle of Swally in 1612. Perhaps realizing the futility of waging trade wars in remote seas, the English decided to explore their options for gaining a foothold in mainland India, with official sanction of both countries, and requested the Crown to launch a diplomatic mission. In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe was instructed by James I to visit the Mughal emperor Jahangir (who ruled over most of the subcontinent, along with Afghanistan). The purpose of this mission was to arrange for a commercial treaty which would give the Company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. In return, the Company offered to provide to the emperor goods and rarities from the European market. This mission was highly successful. The company, under such obvious patronage, soon managed to eclipse the Portuguese, who had established their bases in Goa and Bombay (which was later ceded to England as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza). It managed to create strongholds in Surat (where a factory was built in 1612), Madras (1639), Bombay (1668) and Calcutta (1690). By 1647, the Company had 23 factories and 90 employees in India2. The major factories became the walled forts of Fort William in Bengal, Fort St George in Madras and the Bombay Castle. In 1634, the Mughal emperor extended his hospitality to the English traders to the region of Bengal (and in 1717 completely waived customs duties for the trade). The company's mainstay businesses were by now in cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter and tea. All the while, it was making inroads into the Dutch monopoly of the spice trade in the Malaccan straits. In 1711, the Company established a trading post in Canton (Guangzhou), China, to trade tea for silver3. In 1657 , Oliver Cromwell renewed the charter of 1609, and brought about minor changes in the holding of the Company. The status of the Company was further enhanced by the restoration of monarchy in England. By a series of five acts around 1670, King Charles II provisioned it with the rights to autonomous territorial acquisitions, to mint money, to command fortresses and troops and form alliances, to make war and peace, and to exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction over the acquired areas. The Company, surrounded by trading competitors, other imperial powers, and sometimes hostile native rulers, experienced a growing need for protection. The freedom to manage its military affairs thus came as a welcome boon and the Company rapidly raised its own armed forces in the 1680s, mainly drawn from the indigenous local population. By 1689, the Company was arguably a "nation" in the Indian mainland, independently administering the vast presidencies of Bengal, Madras and Bombay and possessing a formidable and intimidating military strength. From 1698 the company was entitled to use the motto "Auspico Regis et Senatus Angliae" meaning, "Under the patronage of the King and Parliament of England"4. The efforts of the company in administering India emerged as a model for the civil service system in Britain, especially during the 19th century. Deprived of its trade monopoly in 1813, the company wound up as a trading enterprise. In 1858, the Company lost its administrative functions to the British government following the 1857 uprising

Academic performance of disabled students and their general education peers Essay Example for Free

Academic performance of disabled students and their general education peers Essay Calls for the evolution of the educational system to maintain an inclusive program for mentally, financially and physically disabled students have been supported by the arguments that inclusion will greatly benefit the academic and social performance of children with disabilities. This is true since academic learning is enhanced when a program expecting higher output and reinforcing higher standards exists for students. These opportunities allow them to work and study harder as it exposes them to what many believe are normal real-life standards. Friendly and Lero (1993) stress that a motivation to keep up and progress without outside assistance is a driving force of enhancing performance. They also note that the labels in homogeneous or ability groupings negatively affect student potential. Contrastingly, although the effects of the inclusive system of education are favorable for non-general students, Brackett (1994) stresses that the opposite might take effect for general education students. These children might experience boredom due to the considerations given to disabled students in terms of pace and activities. Special or disabled children may also experience frustration as they try to keep up with the normal learning pace in a heterogeneous mix of students. Despite these contentions, several studies also note the positive effects of inclusion to the academic performance of both general education children and special needs education students. Hines and Johnston (1997) reported that disabled students in an inclusive set up showed academic progress and performance and improved their behavior as well. Schattman and Benay (1992) attribute this to the wide exposure of the disabled children, in an inclusive set up, to creative teachers and the nature of the inclusion strategies to expose the children to social interactions with other students. The marks and learning abilities of disabled students on specific subjects were also positively affected by being in inclusive classroom situations (Barbetta et al, 1991). The effect of inclusion to regular classroom students has been extensively studied and Staub and Peck (1995) list the general outcomes of the exposure of this group to this new learning environment. It has been noted that regular class students, after being exposed to an inclusive situation, become more aware of existence of human diversity and have reduced fear of human differences. They have more social interactions which results in a keener awareness of self knowledge. In addition, they also learned to develop their personal principles at an early age and the increased frequency of social relationships allowed them to create more friends. Hollowood et al. (1994) also answers a thriving concern about the imbalance of time allotment for students by teachers when exposed to an inclusive environment. It has been observed that the presence of special needs students in a class does not interfere with the allocated time of teachers to regular class students. And although, interruptions have been observed in some cases, the downtime did not significantly alter the average instruction hours when compared to general education classes. Similarly, in a study of primary and secondary schools that adopted inclusion, Idol (2006) reports that in a four-year study of four elementary and secondary schools, most students are generally not affected by the presence of students with disabilities in their classes. Statistics on these schools show that the elementary students surveyed registered a 68% approval rating on student performance and the respective elementary and secondary students show a 36% and 24% rating that student performance in inclusive situations was higher. 32% and 34% of elementary and secondary students also agree that academic abilities remained constant. In the four elementary schools considered, only 6% of the educators responded that there were negative reactions brought out by the presence of disabled students in class, while the statistics in the secondary schools surveyed did not vary much at 8%. The teachers also reported that a larger chunk ( 50% ) of the students increased or retained their statewide test scores. Requirements for an effective strategy Dugan et al. (1995) reviewed several studies which have been published regarding the methods and strategies used in inclusive education. According to this paper, improved academic performance is assured (Kamps et al. , 1992; Madden and Slavin, 1983; Noonan Hemphill, 1984; Shores et al. , 1993; Stainback et al. , 1981) if the program consists of a 1. method to encourage and guide interaction among students with disabilities and their peers; 2. scheme where teachers employ adaptive measures of instruction for students with disabilities; 3. program of study that enjoins both disabled and normal children to equally participate in activities; and 4. training to improve the social interactions and abilities of a child that prepares him for the real world environment. One aspect of inclusive education that employed cooperative learning groups is also effective in enhancing the performance of students. Johnson et al (1990) notes that cooperative learning results in improved academic performance of children from different cognitive levels to be in a heterogeneous educational environment that promotes the mediation of groups for maximal learning. Inclusive education programs and strategies like the cross-age tutoring also resulted in improved performance of both students with and without disabilities (Barbetta et al. , 1991) and increased the reading and comprehension abilities of both normal children and children with autism (Kamps et al., 1994). Kamps et al (1994) also note that because of the drastic improvement in the confidence of the children in a cooperative learning set up, the time for interactions and social activities between children with autism and their peers also increased and adds to their improved learning abilities. According to Dugan et al (1995) cooperative learning groups improved student interaction through increased frequency of social activities. The effectivity of student learning also increased due to tutoring events and research activities. Hawkins et al (2001) explained that early social interactions between children create a deeper bond that acts as a defense for behavioral problems and, thus, strengthens the relationships of students. Strategies for improved academic performance Academic performance in an inclusive set up uses contemporary schemes in order to teach the lessons to students. Learning is boosted through techniques such as teams games tournaments or TGT, which allows the teacher to teach the lessons to students through games. The teams cooperate and learn from other group members by peer tutoring in order to increase their chances of winning in the tournaments. Another scheme called student teams and academic divisions or STAD allows individual members of a team to score points by adding their individual written scores, like in a quiz for example, to the total accumulated team points (Slavin, 1990). Another inclusion strategy that shows very promising results in increasing the academic fervor of children involves the use of class wide peer tutoring (CWPT). In a study of the performance of heterogeneously grouped children under the subject of reading and reading comprehension, CWPT was observed to increase the ability of students to read and pronounce words accurately and answer reading comprehension questions correctly. The technique was also found to improve the cognitive skills of elementary students with autism. It was also a tool for social interaction and learning with their classmates and showed better reading proficiencies for most students because of the relative ease in adapting this program to a normal classroom set up (Kamps et al.,1994). CWPT can also be incorporated in a team games tournament (TGT) scheme and are collectively referred to as class wide student tutoring teams (CSTT). This method employs tutoring and tests individual learning progress by competitions where individual scores comprise team scores. Reading can also be taught to elementary students through a cooperative integrated reading and composition technique or CIRC. In this strategy, students are paired and are allowed to read stories to each other while practicing and honing their reading abilities (Jenkins et al., 1991). Johnson et al (1984) reports that role playing is also a learning strategy to be employed, this technique, called circles of learning, employs group dynamics and allows students to complete assigned tasks and evaluate their performance through worksheets. In addition, the competitive atmosphere is reduced because of the nature of the activity. These techniques have been shown to improve the academic performance of a heterogeneous mix of students with different baseline aptitudes. The case of employing inclusion to disabled children and high-level students with autism can also be employed to children who are sickly, obese or those with high risks of cardiovascular diseases. Van Sluijs et al. (2007) have observed that the method of inclusion to obese adolescents shows strong evidence of improvement and increased physical activity. The effective strategies employed actively involve the school, the community and the student’s family in order to improve the physical disposition of the individuals in the study. Studies show that a key factor in the improvement of students in inclusive setups is the competency of educators handling the classes. However, every teacher has his own techniques, experiences and teaching strategies that he has developed over time. This difference in experience is especially large between teachers who handle exclusively special classes for disabled students and those who handle general education. Thus, in an inclusive setting, in order to expand the exposure of students to different teachers, collaborative teaching has been developed as a strategy for effective learning. This method is a big deviation from the previous pull-out system for partial inclusive settings. In co-teaching, both teachers complement and co-teach both disabled students and their peers (Gerber and Popp, 2000). Rea et al (2002), in a study on the teaching practices of Enterprise Middle School which handles grade school students at levels 6 to 8, show that co-teaching is an effective strategy for educating students. This mechanism involves daily class rotations with different teachers. Co-teaching also requires careful and synchronized planning on the part of the educators. Teachers actively and regularly discuss their activities and lessons and share methods of evaluating the progress of students. This way, different instructional objectives are met although by different individuals. This is necessary to coordinate and pace teachers in their work and lessons with their students as well as to share information on student development. Different schemes characterize the co-teaching method. Rea et al (2002) note that interactive teaching or taking turns observing and lecturing may be employed. The class may also be divided for parallel sessions or one teacher may be assigned for catch-up classes for some students. Nonetheless, any form taken by the co-teaching scheme aims to provide for the needs of the children, supplied variation in teaching techniques, and was seen as a healthy environment for student growth and learning. Many researchers have expressed support to the principle of including disabled students in general education practice. Among them, Villa et al. (1996) have observed that educators preferred teaching disabled students along with their non-disabled peers. This factor may have contributed to the increased academic progress of students within the inclusive education set up. On the other hand, Thousand and Villa (2000) stressed that teachers are not the only major contributing factor to student progress. In fact, they highlight the observation that inter-student relationships while in the confines of the classroom play a big role during learning, emotional and social development. As the needs of the children in an inclusive set up are congruent to the skill that must be possessed by the educators handling the classes, teacher training (Porter, 2001) is an essential part of the process that makes an inclusive set up work. Daniel and King (1997) refer to this skill as training for inclusionary practices and is a characteristic of teachers that must be developed in order to function effectively in an educational system following heterogeneous groupings. It should, therefore, be apparent that these special skills allow educators to adapt to the wide needs of different types of students and allow them to be creative in forming strategies for an efficient and effective learning experience for both disabled students and their peers. However, the great demands of the inclusive educational practice oftentimes result in work pressure among teaching personnel. For example, studies on all elementary physical education instructors from Israel show that the episodes of burnout in faculty members are related to the number of special or disabled students in their classes and the amount of assistance they get conducting these classes (Fejgin et al. , 2005). This relates the demanding work that is put in by the educators in order to make an inclusive program work. This study also stresses the chief role played by government support in the educational system, where episodes of teacher burnout are also dictated by poor quality of the workplace and inadequacy of the institution to provide sports facilities for the needs of the students, especially the disabled or special cases. Despite episodes of burnout, most teachers have expressed their support for inclusion as an appropriate program to teach disabled children (Idol, 2006) the statistics is expected to improve if more educational personnel were available to answer to the needs of all students. The necessity for improved and evolving programs that would answer the needs of students in inclusion also requires the involvement of many organizations, individuals and different types of educators, resulting in interdisciplinary interactions to improve current conditions (Robertson and Valentine, 1998). This brings about an atmosphere of community and exposes the teaching skills of effective teachers and allows room for growth and improvement. Equally important to the instructors are the provision of adequate health care safety facilities for different types of students which should be provided by the government and their policy makers. It is consequently very crucial that an educational program should be backed-up by community and policy driven education reform for a successful advocacy. Porter (2001) expresses that there is a need for legislators who understand that an inclusive community school is a method of reform that should be supported. For cases of students with severe autism and retardation, however, further studies both on the effective procedures that should be employed and on the qualitative measures of investigating the effects of peer-mediated activities and cooperative learning also require continuous evaluation (Kamps et al. , 1994). Nonetheless, Kamps and Carta (1989) note that strategies are successful if these improve or maintain the skills of non disabled students without compromising the learning of their disabled peers.

The Quest for Identity Essay Example for Free

The Quest for Identity Essay In some point of our lives, we all try to find our identities; try to find a place that we can fit in completely. Most people struggle, some does not. The question of identity is especially difficult for immigrants and their coming generations since they have different cultures and different views. In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the main character Gogol struggles with his cultural identity due to the ideological difference between him and his parents on the concept of name. According to Bengali naming traditions, everyone has two names, a pet name and a good name. The good name is for the public to use, the pet name is for family and friends to use in private places, it is also â€Å"a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated. They are a reminder, too, that one is not all things to all people† (26). Different traditions represent different cultures; In the United States, many people name their son after the father or the grandfather to honor the elders and also act as a symbol of heritage. On another hand in India, every name is sacred and cannot be inherited. Ashima and Ashoke decided to name their first child Gogol, this name doesn’t just represent the life of this child, it also represents the life of the father-Ashoke. However, this shapeless and weightless name has become a burden of Gogol’s life for a long long time. The first lesson that Gogol learns about his names is at the town’s public elementary school. At first, he does not want to go to kindergarten because his parents have told him that he will be call a new name-Nikhil at school which he does not want and does not understand. He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn’t know† (57). Of course, he is not the only one who doesn’t understand about the pet name and the good name. When Ashoke tries to explain to the principal Mrs. Lapidus about why they want her to call Gogol Nikhil, Mrs. Lapidus tries to understand, but ends up in confusion due to the cultural difference. â€Å"I’m not sure I follow you, Mr. Ganguli. Do you mean that Nikhil is a middle name? Or a nickname? Many of the children go by nicknames here† (58). She has never deal with this issue before, even with the other Indian students at school. And the big problem with this is that Gogol does not respond to the name Nikhil. Therefore, Mrs. Lapidus decides to ask Gogol about his own opinion towards this new name, Gogol shakes his head as his answer, so Mrs. Lapidus writes a note to Ashima and Ashoke telling them Gogol will be known as â€Å"Gogol† instead of â€Å"Nikhil† at school due to his preference. In here, Gogol is just a kid who doesn’t understand about his culture, but at the same time, the author is trying to hint us that even though Gogol is an Indian looking kid, he is Americanized; his thoughts are very different from his parents who are typical Indians. And in the United States, his parents’ thoughts are not so accepted which increases the gap between Gogol and his parents. As Gogol is getting older, he then realizes how unusual his name is. As an Indian-American, his name is neither Indian nor American, but Russian. He does not know about the story behind his name yet, all he knows is that he starts to hate his name. Before he goes to college, he decides to change his name to Nikhil officially. It seems like he believes that changing his name would make him who he wants to be. So he goes home and asks for his parents’ opinion and complaints about his name. â€Å"I don’t get it. Why did you have to give me a pet name in the first place? What’s the point? † â€Å"It’s our way, Gogol,† his mother maintained. â€Å"It’s what Bengalis do† (99). Until this point, Gogol still doesn’t accept this naming tradition because he feels inferior for his name. However, â€Å"The only person who didn’t take Gogol seriously, the only person who tormented him, the only person chronically aware of and afflicted by the embarrassment of his name, the only person who constantly questioned it and wished it were otherwise, was Gogol† (100). The conversation ends with a sentence by Ashoke, â€Å"In America anything is possible. Do as you wish† (100). This sentence sounds normal, but it is filled with helplessness and sadness. Ashima and Ashoke can’t change anything, they are just two Indians living in America, no one cares about them, not even their son. They have no choice but to give in† (60). Now, he is officially â€Å"Nikhil†, but â€Å"Gogol† is still like a splinter in his heart. He doesn’t want to touch it, doesn’t like to talk about it, but the dull pain inside his heart always reminds him that it’s there. After Ashoke’s death, he learns to seize the time with Ashima. But when he knows that Ashima is planning to move back to India, he suddenly realizes that â€Å"Without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist. Yet the thought of this eventual demise provides no sense of victory, no solace. It provides no solace at all (289). He finally realizes that as he gets mature, his love once are getting older too. His name will die just like the people. This shows that finally accepted himself as a whole, and this name is part of him. Maybe â€Å"Gogol† is not who he wants to be, but â€Å"Gogol† is who he really is. Ashima and Ashoke are the first generation immigrants, they consider themselves Indians, but learning to adjust their minds and live like Americans. Struggles are parts of their daily lives. Gogol, as an American born Indian, he has an Indian appearance, but growing up in America and getting American education make him a real American inside. â€Å"Living with a pet name and a good name, in a place where such distinctions do not exist-surely that was emblematic of the greatest confusion of all† (118). No wonder, the quest for identity is exhausting, but eventually, you will get to the destination. Open your mind, accepts who you really are, life is beautiful.

The City Of Bangalore Tourism Essay

The City Of Bangalore Tourism Essay The city of Bangalore is known as the silicon valley of India. It is a no brainer that IT companies play a significant role in Bangalores GDP (as well as Karnataka GDP). Nearly two decades of impressive growth in the sector has changed the face of Bangalore quite literally the landscape and the population have grown manifold. This unabated growth has put tremendous pressure on the limited and precious resources of Bangalore city like water, forestry, electricity etc. As natural fallout, the quality of life has been impacted. Whether its the congestion on roads, the irregular water supply (leave alone the quality of water), unprecedented shrinkage of water bodies, greater socio economic divide, Bangalore has seen it all! This project makes an earnest attempt to qualify and quantify some of the above trends. The inputs have been obtained primarily from secondary research Research reports, Government databases, Journals etc. We floated a survey among IT professionals to find out the level of sustainability initiatives in their companies, their own perceptions of day to day issues facing Bangalore city and the like. During the project, we have realised that data availability has been a major concern. The reasons have been manifold. For one, there are umpteen government agencies involved in recording various data that were necessary for the project. In some cases, when the needed data was available, it was either obsolete or did not capture the entire trend over the years or it was at a macro level (Karnataka state level as against Bangalore city level). Due to these barriers, it has been difficult for us to quantify some of the observations we have made in this report. We hope the drive by Karnataka Governments Directorate of Economics and Statistics to participate in Indian Strategic Statistical Plan, to centralize Government data (initiated in 2009) will prove a major step forward in this lacuna. We had to make approximations/estimates along the way to show how much of a positive or negative impact IT sector has had on Bangalore. The overall idea has not been to either praise or criticize IT sector for what Bangalore is today. Instead it has been the idea to present the growth of IT sector in Bangalore city and to see if there are any interesting trends that emerge when comparing with issues/challenges/positives that Bangalore city faces. While it might have been ideal to find solutions for many of the topics/issues we raise in this project, due to the paucity of time, the focus has been more on understanding the various aspects of Bangalore city keeping IT sector in mind. Where possible, we have provided recommendations and insights that we gathered during the project on how we can make Bangalore and IT sustainable. During this journey we studied various frameworks proposed by researchers/organizations on sustainability. We also studied the various sustainability initiatives undertaken by major IT companies like Infosys and Wipro. Considering the Linearity issues, given the cost arbitrage advantage waning away, these major companies have taken initiatives in this area to be leading examples for other companies to follow. We believe sustainability has received a critical following in the academic elite but is in a nascent stage in terms of co-ordinated implementation across business, government and society. We are hopeful of seeing a lot of seminal and creative activities happening in this area in the days ahead! Introduction India is experiencing rapid growth and a consequent increase in urban populations. In the western world, the development has been resource intensive. Over the past 200 years, economic development has depended on a shift from the use of renewable resources energy and materials that can be grown or harnessed from the daily energy of the sun to non-renewable resources dug out from deep underground. Understanding Sustainability Bangalores population growth coupled with an increased rate of resource consumption, and waste accumulation, will lead to environmental decay, and land, food, and water shortages in course of time. There are also significant changes in global environment such as climate change, increased waste and pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. Further when resource amenities are unevenly captured the rift in the society increases further polarizing communities and create disastrous outcomes Case in point are recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Also urban centers like Bangalore are not always healthy places and have a sizeable underclass of people who are poor, sick, unemployed or exploited. Given such a scenario we feel that business-as-usual scenario will bring great disasters to humankind, and is not sustainable. Sustainable Development is thus about mobilizing successfully international, national, community, and human intellectual resources in general, towards solving problems that are, overall, degrading the life support system, compromising the viability of local communities, and hurting the health and well-being of individuals. According to Jacobs, Gardner and Munro, (Okechukwu Ukaga, 2010) the five broad requirements of sustainable development are: integration of conservation and development satisfaction of basic human needs achievement of equity and social justice provision for social self-determination and cultural diversity Maintenance of ecological integrity Sustainability as 3 nodal areasAs we have seen already, sustainability is thus, a relational concept, referring to a series of practices and processes that ensure development does not exceed the ecological carrying capacity of the planet. A system based definition (Robinson J, 1997) considers three imperatives as follows The ecological imperative is to remain within planetary biophysical carrying capacity. The economic imperative is to ensure and maintain adequate material standards of living for all people. The social imperative is to provide social structures, including systems of governance, which effectively propagate and sustain the values and culture people wish to live by. In a broad sense Sustainable Development is expected to achieve the following as defined by World Bank economist Herman Daly (Daly, 2009) The rate of use of renewable resources not to exceed the rate of regeneration. The rate of use of nonrenewable resources not to exceed the rate of development of sustainable alternatives. The rate of emission of pollutants not to exceed the capacity of the environment to absorb them Why Sustainable Business Initiatives Business is held back by the same factors that keep individuals and communities in poverty: poor education and healthcare, environmental deterioration, and the absence of adequate infrastructure or an effective rule of law (WBCSD, 2010). Production of goods and services by business and industry also depends on a steady supply of raw materials. If certain elements of nature are being excessively extracted, the change in the balance of the life support systems may in turn also upset the human habitat, affecting the health and well-being of humankind. Therefore, the over-harvesting of nature for manufacturing materials will ultimately impact the quality of life of the human community. On the disposal side, both industrial waste and garbage are not part of Earths natural cycles and has to be tackled with sophisticated planning and technology as well as clear communication to future generations. The need is also for transparency, fairness, rule of law, reliability of institutions and access to legal remedy given the scale of change in our daily method of business that is foreseen to achieve significant progress Although a huge challenge, sustainable development also provides a vibrant business opportunity given the need to develop the new policy frameworks, right technologies and better business models for all around development. Methodlogy Given that IT sector has a large footprint in Bangalore, we went about this complex exercise by putting together a mindmap which identifies the various touch points of IT sector in Bangalores economy, ecology and social fabric. (An enlarged view of the mindmap below is provided in Appendix). While the list identified might not be exhaustive, we think that this is a good starting point. It would have been ideal to traverse all the branches in this mindmap and make a comprehensive report on the effect of IT industry on Bangalore. Given the paucity of time and the lack of centralized data on Bangalore, we could only cover a limited portion of the same. Bangalore among fastest growing cities in India Bangalore is among the worlds fastest growing cities, a poster child of Indias growing economic prowess; a city whose employment generation and incessant growth in the past decade has made it both sought after as well as envied. Bangalore today is the chosen destination of both expatriates and educated middle class professionals as well as engineering graduates who are flocking to this city, which has turned into a hotbed of private investment in the IT and ITES sectors. These sectors have enormously contributed to this growth of Bangalore. The urban landscape of the Garden City has now been transformed into concrete jungle of chrome and glass facades, shopping malls and branded stores, high rise apartments and overcrowded streets full of traffic congestion. This unprecedented sharp growth in the city of Bangalore has led to rapid urbanization and has transformed the character of the city putting tremendous pressure on its infrastructure, resulting in an impact to quality of life in Bangalore. Bangalore city has grown from approximately 177km2 in 1977 to 775km2 in 2011. The city has seen a population growth of 48.93% in the last decade and has shown an average annual growth rate of 2.64%. In comparison India has shown an Annual growth rate of -2.97% in the last decade. According BDA estimates in 2007, 60% of Bangalores growth is natural, while 25% is through migrant population. The remaining 15% is attributed to integration of erstwhile rural areas to Bangalore Agglomeration (JNNURM, 2009). Over the last few decades, the economy of Bangalore has transitioned from a public sector based economy to a textile industry based economy to a cluster of high technology companies. IT industry has grown by a CAGR of 25%+ over the last 2 decades. Exports account for more than 75% of software production, and thus is attributed to the global outsourcing demand for software development at low cost locations with sufficient skilled labor. It can be conservatively estimated that close to 36% of all IT labor in India is located in Bangalore. Number of People employed in IT sector (in lakhs) Until mid-90s Bangalore was a middle class town with major public sector companies and educational institutions. These units attracted both skilled and unskilled labor with strong unionization. The lower end PSU employees could easily fit into the lower middle class of Bangalore and had access to Bangalores technical education. The rapid growth of knowledge sector attracted IT firms which grew rapidly on the eastern and southern outskirts of the city. Since the sector was driven by software exports, infrastructure was not seen a bottleneck in the initial stages of Bangalores evolution. (Basant, 2006) Bangalores transformation has been aided by an active support policy of the Govt. of Karnataka for IT sector, as well as, the inherent clustering advantages of the city in terms of availability of skilled people and reputed institutes of higher education. Growth of Software of exports from Karnataka (STPI Bangalore, 2010) IT sector in Bangalore is made of top tier IT services companies such as Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Satyam, IBM, Accenture, and other captive centers of large MNCs such as Cisco, Intel and Honeywell and other small and medium enterprises. The graphic below provides a view of changing composition of Bangalores GDP and a significant move away from manufacturing related sectors. The significant increase in Real Estates contribution to Bangalores economy also points to the fact of an existing real estate boom and increasing urbanization of the city. The graphic below shows a significant shift in the contribution of the various sectors towards Bangalores economy. The Tertiary sector which is consists of Transport, Storage and Communication Trade, Hotels and Restaurants Banking and Insurance Real estate, ownership of dwellings and Business services Public Administration Other services It is also seen that the while 66% are employed in the Primary sector, the 56% of per capita income is derived from the tertiary sector (Karnataka Government, 2010). Changing Profile of GDP contributors in Bangalores Economy But this substantial growth of Bangalore has also invited its fair share of issues positive/negative. A singular industry being a focal point, a powerful alliance between corporate elites of the city and the government has been criticized as equally responsible for the mishandling of urban growth. From various sources such as Department of Economics and Statistics, ZDNet IT Professionals Survey, we have arrived at the above figure which substantiates the fact that there is a growing economic disparity among the different sections of Bangalores workforce. From late 90s to early 2000s Bangalore started showing the strains of a fast growing mega-city with growing social inequality, mass displacement and dispossession of land, proliferation of slums and congested roads. Industrial areas in Bangalore Infrastructure Effects Bangalore has seen an explosion in the number of vehicles on some of its major arterial roads. The graphic below gives a sample of different category of vehicles that are seen. We see a large increase in private transport on Bangalore roads such as 2-wheelers and Cars/Jeeps/Multi-utility. Bangalores road infrastructure is today being seen as a big bottleneck in the economic growth and quality of life in Bangalore. The following exhibit provides a view of (See Appendix -A : Vehicle Growth in Bangalore) The growth of vehicles on Bangalore roads could be attributed to the following factors: High disposable income of IT employees: The salaries of IT employees grew at a healthy pace. Even in absolute terms, they outstripped the salaries of non-IT sector employees. Car companies, Financing companies and leasing companies were quite active in pursuing this sector. Employee friendly car lease policy: Companies leased the vehicles on behalf of the employees. Companies benefit due to the accounting principles of leased assets. An example of this could be understood from the calculations shown below (Crisil Research) Employees gained by way of tax benefits, reimbursement of operating costs, free insurance premiums and of course the upscale in social image of having purchased a four wheeler car. Whilst the above two factors show a win-win for both the company and the employee, it may not be such a good news for the Government and Bangalore roads. Government loses its tax revenues. Bangalore roads experience a bigger wear and tear (Bangalore is quite famous for the pot holes on the road!) and they are choked. Due to the traffic congestion that results, its not uncommon to sight a petty quarrel Easy availability of auto loans with teaser rates: The following graphic shows the trends in auto loans with majority of the disbursements of such loans going to the top cities of India. (Crisil) The blue circle identifies Bangalores traditional residential hotspots. The red circles identify the major IT concentrations in the city. There is a considerable commute that has to happen on a daily basis in Bangalore to cover the same.Lack of Public transportation : Due to lack of Mass Rapid Transportation system and the clustering of Software technology parks in certain pockets of the city, IT employees had to travel quite a distance (as provided in the figures below) to reach their destination. The data above helps us understand that there is a significant amount of population that travels across the city, and utilizes private transport such as two wheelers and cars for the trips. This not only adds to the congestion in the city but also increases vehicular pollution (Sudhir Gota, 2008). It is also interesting to note that there is a decreasing trend in terms of reported road accidents in Bangalore. This could be due to multiple reasons The average speed of driving in Bangalore is around 11km/h due to high traffic congestion. At such bumper-to-bumper traffic movement there could be lesser chances of accidents. Is this a blessing in disguise!! The trend could also denote the number of accidents that are going unreported in Bangalore, and if true will require a better way to track and report accidents in Bangalore. A common adage in Bangalore is the statement In India people ride on the left of the road, while people in Bangalore ride on whats left of the road. This adage we feel symbolizes the severe strain on the road infrastructure in this city. Social Effects on Bangalore Corruption Corruption has been rampant in Karnataka and especially in Bangalore, going by the statistics provided by  ipaidabribe.com website. Bangalore is home to water mafia, real estate mafia and the like. It is not uncommon to read the Lokayuktas activism in Bangalores newspapers. The Times of India article dated February 5th  2011 quotes Prof. G. Venkatasubbiahs presidential address at the 77th  All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelena as saying Now, Karnataka has earned the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt state in the country. From the statistics obtained from  ipaidabribe.com, Bangalore leads in the number of bribery cases reported! While it would be difficult to segregate the impact of IT sector on this issue, we can safely assume that corruption is one of the many manifestations of a greater socio economic divide. One could easily debate the accuracy of these metrics, yet it is not easy to ignore such statistics. Crime Bangalore has been considered by and large a safe city. But the growing influx of migrants, increasing urbanization, and a major part of the BPO workforce that work in night shifts are considered some of the concern areas for the increasing crime trend in Bangalore. According to the National crime Records Bureau which analyzed the crime statistics in 35 major cities in India for the year 2009, 9.4% of cognizable crimes across these cities have been reported from Bangalore. Bangalore is said to be second only to the capital of India, Delhi in the number of IPC cases registered (Kumar M. S., 2011). Health The sedentary lifestyle of IT/ITES employees results in poor health unless compensated for with appropriate active lifestyle. Multiple surveys have suggested that a sizable population of Bangalores corporate workforce is susceptible to various health ailments. Stress resulting due to: Catering to customers/clients spanning across different time zones of the globe. Exhaustion due to challenging software delivery schedules. Constant pressure to upgrade skills to make oneself relevant and employable.   Philips Health and Wellbeing Index Report-2011 (Philips India, 2011), a survey conducted by Philips Electronics India finds that 39% of Bangaloreans approach mental health professionals as against the national average of 9%. An good indication that Bangaloreans are the most stressed out!   In the personal interviews we had with middle managers of IT companies, we found that many of their team members/colleagues have revealed their plans to retire at an early age of 45 years. This could be a result of either a good wealth accumulation at an early age or the ill effects of a stressed out work life taking its toll on their mental and physical wellbeing. Ecological Effects on Bangalore Lakes Bangalore, the garden city once boasted of 81 lakes in the city limits and close to 200 lakes in around the city. Today among these hardly 31 show any signs of existence. Around 54% of the original lakes have been encroached upon for urban buildings (Kumar, 2011). The study finds 66% of lakes are sewage fed, 14% are surrounded by slums while 72% showed loss of catchment area. Furthermore, the lake bunds are used as dumping yard, significantly polluting the water source. In an article in Times of India (Nandi, 2011), the reporter states that Untreated Sewerage water allegedly from high rise apartments off Sarjapur road is the main root cause for high contamination and sinking oxygen levels of Iblur lake. Water Though being blessed with near normal rainfall in most of the years, Bangalore faces huge water shortages in peak summer. Bangalore has 20% to 40% dependence on groundwater (Vishwanath, 2009) which is being pumped out and used unscrupulously but is being counted among cities that are non-groundwater dependent. A recent report by BWSSB says, given a projected population of 7.5 million by 2011, Bangalore has a shortfall of 676 MLD of piped potable water which is nearly 42.8% deficit from the overall demand. The picture is even more glim when looking at the projections over the next 25 years 45% of water usage in Bangalore is counted under unaccounted for water category (UFW). Furthermore the significant reduction in water bodies across Bangalore has also resulted in increase in ambient temperature of Bangalore. We consider the following as some of the major points of consideration from various studieshttp://geoinformatic.org/sites/default/files/images/Greater-Bangalore_in73to06.jpg Discriminant waste generation Irrational behavior of substituting money for water. Sewage Treatment plants for large apartment complexes not working. Multiple governments departs overseeing the management of water. Rapid urbanization has resulted in deterioration in ground water table. Decrease in flora, fauna, and catchment areas, number of water bodies. Water bodies have disappeared and water quality has deteriorated, our survey with IT employees, reveals that this is not a major concern at all! Nalika Gajaweera, in her internship paper with Equations in March 2006 (Equitable tourism) writes about the growing inequality between the upper middle class IT employee who has the luxury of buying ground water through tankers as against the urban poor as follows Three women dwelling in the slums in the backyard of the IT Park are part of the maintenance crew for the IT park; but they have to walk 2km, past the steel and glass structures, to the nearest water source to fetch water for their personal use. While the lake that they reside besides smells of toxins and tainted green, the modernist architectural glass structures that tower over their slums are tinted black and carpeted with lush green grass LAND Michael Goldman in his paper on Speculative Urbanization (GOLDMAN, May 2011) provides the following view of the growing tussle for space and growth and the resultant rampant real estate growth. In the case of the expanding IT corridor on the southeast periphery of Bangalore, one  ¬Ã‚ nds villages such as Bellandur caught in the eye of this storm. In 2002, many of Bellandurs small-landowning farmers refused the price set by KIADB, as their land was fertile, highly productive and alongside a large lake that supplied  ¬Ã‚ sh and irrigation water plentifully. Over time, many farmers living in the vicinity of the IT corridor being developed have sold off their farmland because of pressure from KIADB, and from the developers offering a better price to expedite the land acquisition process. Although as recently as a decade ago, Bellandur farmers pro ¬Ã‚ tably produced cauli ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ower, spinach, rice and coconuts for Bangalore city markets, the acute densi ¬Ã‚ cation of the area by IT  ¬Ã‚ rms has rendered its main water source the once majestic Bellandur lake (the largest in Bangalore) unusable for farm irrigation, contaminated by the untreated toxic industria l and household waste that  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ows into it. As the new IT thoroughfare cuts right through the villages farmland, and as individual plots of land were sold piecemeal to developers or the government in order to construct IT campuses, farming has become untenable With the sunset clause of  Ã‚  Software Technology Parks nearing , scamper for Special Economic zones will follow suit. This would be good news for the Real estate industry, but may not be a great news for Bangalore city and its environment. The silver lining would be the conscious efforts by IT industry to comply with LEED gold and platinum standards. Infosys and Wipro in their sustainability reports have clearly mentioned their support for such compliance in all their new campuses that are being constructed. E-Waste E-waste generation emanates due to the rapid technological obsolescence and the need for    companies to be at the forefront of technical superiority. The large usage of Electronic equipments by IT companies means that there is a lot of potential for generating E-waste. The State of Environment Report Bangalore 2008 has clearly mentioned the proactive measures taken by Karnataka Pollution control board to commission e-waste recyclers like   E-parisara and Ash Recyclers to segregate and recycle such waste.   IT companies for their part have also been able to identify the e-waste issue and have taken upon themselves to donate equipment which is no longer useful for corporate usage to the deserving public. Thus the concept of Reuse/Recycle/Reduce is clearly at play. It is classic case of sustainability initiative by the IT industry and the Government agencies working closely together. Thus it is a significant win-win for the society, the companies and the environment. Sustainability Initiatives by IT companies in Bangalore IT companies and its employees have an all-around impact on both the economic factors and socio-ecological factors. For example, the high disposable income of a typical IT employee could have potentially led to the economic growth in other organized and unorganized sectors in Bangalore. As a natural fall out, this could lead to high inflation, lower quality of life, higher corruption and increased socio-economic divide. Infosys/Wipro in 2008 declared that Bangalores infrastructure as a bottleneck. Today Bangalore is no more the largest center for Infosys. Major IT companies in India have large cash surpluses. It has been seen that these are not coming into Bangalore as investments in Reasearch or education but are being held as cash or being utilized in MA. This can be substantiated with more detailed analysis. Figure Typical IT companys Business interfacesIt is seen that Sustainability has been identified as a focus area in some of the top tier IT companies such as Infosys, Wipro and TCS. Below, we have provided a summary of sustainability initiatives of Wipro and Infosys. Sustainability initiatives of Infosys Infosys Technologies Limited founded in 1981 is arguably the poster boy of Indias Information Technology companies. Infosys has been active in taking sustainability initiatives. Stressing the importance of sustainability, its chairman and chief mentor Mr. N.R. Narayanamurthy states the following in the companys sustainability report of 2009-10: Our vision is to be a responsible, leading organization working towards the greater common good by setting global benchmarks for a sustainable tomorrow Infosys has identified sustainability as a focus area in its brand positioning as Infosys 3.0. It explains Sustainable tomorrow as follows: A sustainable tomorrow can come about only when we can say with confidence that we do not carry the burden of the past, or the guilt of the present. It is the ability to say yes. Yes, we are sustainable from the economic point of view Yes, as a conscientious global organization, we consumed natures resources only to the extent needed for the organization Yes, as integral part of the community, across geographies, we contributed to its social development. Yes, we are ready to stand up and be counted. The theme of sustainable tomorrow is broken down into three key focus areas: Social Contract Being ethical, practicing good corporate governance principles and engaging with all stakeholders to meet both Infosyss and clients sustainability goals. Resource Efficiency Improving resource utilization by monitoring usage of such resources like electricity at a granular level at all office locations. Green Innovation Collobarating with customers to offer solutions in smart grid, intelligent infrastructure and data centers, and helping customers achieve their sustainable goals. To make business sustainable, Infosys follows the PSPD model of Profitability, Sustainability, predictability and de-risking business. Infosys collaborates with global bodies like WBSCD, GTZ, TERI, WEF and UNGC by participating in their external forums. Sustainability initiatives of Wipro From its sustainability report 2008-09, Wipro identifies a number of megaforces that it predicts will impact the world in times to come. These are enumerated as: Climate change Looming water disaster Sustainable cities Universal education Diversity Inclusivity and human rights Transparency Sustainable food security Eliminating poverty Wipro believes that appropriate goal setting with quantifiable is the key to take the sustainability initiatives forward. By setting quantifiable metrics to monitor and adapt, it believes it can make progress in its sustainable journey. At the heart of its sustainability philosophy is the Mobius strip what Wipro calls as a metaphor for the multi-dimensional challenges of sustainability. What this essentially translates to is the fact that sustainability challenges do not have defined start and end points and there are no clearly defined boundaries between the economic, social and ecological dimensions of any problem. Wipro is operationalizing its strategic vision by clearly identifying and executing the following: Leadership backing for sustainability initiatives Prime Accountability of sustainability initiatives lies with a distinct group Acquiring commitment from key internal functions like finance, facilities etc. Create capacity and involvement at all levels of the organization Continuously learn and improve by partnering with external stakeholders Integrate into mainstream planning, budgeting and review processes Create a robust investment framework that provides guidelines for internal investment proposals on sustainability. A survey of IT Employees in Bangalore As part of our study we ran a survey across the PGSEM participants who we consider a good representative sample of the IT sector in Bangalore. We received 44 responses and we provide below, our analysis of the results of th