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The requirements of software industries are ever-changing following the advances in computer technologies. Hence, it is required to evaluate the students as per the industry expectations with the current trends. A change in the syllabus and examination system is needed. The purpose of this study is to determine the problems in the current syllabus and examination system of MCA course from the professors' perspective, thereby providing valuable suggestions for further improving and enhancing the standard of this course. This paper uses a questionnaire-based survey among professors of this course and their perception of these problems are analyzed. This study is limited to the University of Mumbai offering MCA course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precolonial and colonial discourses on/of gender have come to be reviewed in the aftermath of India's Independence in 1947. The spirit of rethinking the "given," originated mostly under the alien/ colonial influences, creates a postcolonial situation that espouses a nationalistic consolidation on the one hand and looks into the alternative discourses marginalized by such consolidation on the other. As a result, different lost or marginal voices have come to the fore. Indian theatre, after the independence, lends a voice to these unacknowledged zones of silence. Plays have begun to question sexuality and gender, redefining not only the issues themselves but also the thematic purview of Indian theatre and the audience reception. In this context, the present paper seeks to read three plays: Vijay Tendulkar's A Friend's Story and Mahesh Dattani's Seven Steps Around the Fire and On a Muggy Night in Mumbai. The paper examines how the plays challenge the conventional sex-roles through transgender identities and same-sex relations in a heterosexist society and how they trace the evolution of post-independence Indian theatre to be able to deal openly with taboo topics such as alternative sexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Mumbai, India, has always been represented in fictional narratives and mainstream Bollywood cinema as the land of endless opportunities, unfathomable surprises, and awe-inspiring success stories. The most educated migrants who come to the city from elsewhere (fortified by language and hope) aspire for a permanent address or a living space to call their own or to belong. And in fact, many of them do succeed in their aspirations and enterprises. However, the focus of this paper is on the scamper for space amongst the migrant middle class and particularly the process of appropriation and contestation for common spaces like corridor, terrace, and compound in the apartments. The paper argues as to how these acts of the migrants are orchestrated to inform and re-evoke their sense of being and identity. And this happens in cities such as Mumbai, as newer identities are being configured each day, resulting in complexities and threats of erasure. The argument is substantiated by the first author's own experiences and memories of the city. In addition, the paper also borrows from the narratives of Chandrima Pal, Gregory David Roberts, Vapu, and Rohinton Mistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stock markets use information to determine the intrinsic values of assets and stocks. Markets take time to assimilate information and use it efficiently. This paper attempts to analyze the intraday information usage and assimilation patterns in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) using the Generalized Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) approach. Using more than 53,000 time series observations of the BSE Sensex, the paper has empirically tested the information usage and assimilation in the BSE and found that during very short intervals of five minutes, markets give preference to new information. The markets then increasingly assimilate existing information and take around half-hour to assimilate the information adequately. The markets then once again start seeking new information for decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper gives a broad overview of the work carried out by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) in determining the post-seismic effect of the December 26, 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on the Indian plate, using space-based technology, the GPS. A GPS network established by the IITB along the western coast of the Indian peninsular was considered for this purpose, observed and analyzed thoroughly, in order to investigate the potential of GPS technology in studying Earth dynamics. To understand the pattern of movement of the Earth's surface to the effect of the large Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, the magnitude and, most importantly, the direction of deformation of the GPS network were estimated. The GPS-estimated deformations were thereby used as indicators to identify any change in the Earth surface movement due to the large external force caused by the 2004 earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a progressive country, internal peace and stability are more important so that a common citizen is able to live peacefully and perform his duties without any fear. But withering away of the authority of the government, religious cleavages, tribalism violence, overcrowding, crime, terrorism, desertification and deforestation, social failure and the repressive apparatus of the state security force will lead to increasingly anarchic conditions aggravated by the erosion of the nation state and the empowerment of the private armies. In this paper, an effort has been made to analyse the vulnerability of India's internal security that led to 26 November, 2008 Mumbai attack and the action taken by the security forces to tackle such type of attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annapurna Mahila Mandal (AMM) is a microfinance institution working for women empowerment in the urban areas of Maharashtra, India. It was founded in the early 1970s with the background of labor unrest in Mumbai. The first part of this paper deals with the factors responsible for the inception of AMM, the role of a social entrepreneur in its development, its objectives, its strategies, and its growth over the years. The second part deals with the assessment of economic and social empowerment of member beneficiaries due to this movement, by using the survey method. The survey reveals that while economic empowerment of members, in terms of income generation, asset creation and monthly expenditure, were marginal, it is significant in terms of savings. The survey also reveals that the members of AMM experienced a significant rise in self-esteem, self-respect and leadership qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the British ended slavery in India. It is generally believed that they abolished slavery and freed all slaves in India by passing Act V of 1843. What is not known is that there were many cases even during the latter half of the 19th century in which people were living together in a relationship recognized by both sides as of master and slave. By the joint operation of Act V of 1843 and the Indian Penal Code, the British did not free the slaves, but merely deprived slavery of all its legal incidents and placed the slave in a position that he may be free if he chose to exert his will. These legal provisions were made so that slavery in India would wither away in course of time. The model of 'gradual emancipation from slavery' was developed by the British in response to the political exigencies they faced in India. This paper explores the evolution of the model in the Bombay Presidency with reference to cases of runaway slaves. It tries to show how the vested interest and political convenience of the British influenced the making of British policy towards slavery in the Bombay Presidency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land is an important resource available to urban areas serving the dual purposes of production of economic goods as well as creation of infrastructure, which in turn provides consumption benefit as well as serves as intermediary resource. The development of most of the cities is determined by the location and organization of economic activities on urban land. Land and housing markets are important means of ensuring this, so long that they function efficiently. This paper analyzes the determinants of land and housing supply in Mumbai first and then discusses the demand factors of the same. The institutional framework as well as the emerging patterns of land use and housing are analyzed thereafter. Finally, the underlying constraints for efficient functioning of land and housing markets are critically reviewed, so that the reform agenda could be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retail banking is facing challenges because of economic uncertainties, rapidly changing technologies, tech-savvy, well-informed demanding customers and fierce competition. It is crucial for banks to understand changing customer expectations and comply with them. Service quality is the ability of a service provider to satisfy its customers efficiently, and it affects customer loyalty. The study aims to find out the important attributes of service quality in retail banking that can be used to assess the quality of service as perceived by customers and influences customer satisfaction. It includes the perceptions of 220 customers of all the three types of banks, namely, public sector, private sector and cooperative in Mumbai. After analysis, five dimensions of service quality emerged. It is found that ‘Service delivery’ has the maximum influence on customer satisfaction, followed by ‘Net banking’. This validates that a bank that focuses on providing excellent and genuine customer service will differentiate itself from its competitor and would be successful in improving the brand’s reputation and creating customer loyalty and trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]