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India and Israel relations, even though just three decades old, have subsequently progressed over the years, especially in the fields of defence and agri-tech. After lying dormant since the time India formally recognised the Jewish nation in September 1950; the international, regional and domestic geostrategic environment compelled New Delhi to establish diplomatic relations and to normalise its relations with Tel Aviv in January 1992. The normalisation not only earmarked the beginning of a full-fledged engagement between the two countries but also provided impetus to India's defence requirements.

Post-America's chaotic withdrawal and the resurgence of Taliban in Afghanistan, India's development and assistance prospects in the country demand stability under the interim regime. Likewise, New Delhi's Chabahar port development - an initiative along with Iran - seems to remain stalled until the situation in Afghanistan steadies down. With India not being invited (under Pakistani and Chinese objections) in any of the extended troika meetings initiated by Russia, it is imperative for India to develop a one-to-one discussion with the interim government as the country has invested over US$3 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction and development in various aspects. Towards the end of August, India initiated its first public meeting with the Taliban in Doha wherein Indian concerns on the continuation of its developmental efforts in Afghanistan, progress on Chabahar development (though the issue was not explicitly mentioned), and insistence on Taliban not supporting any terror outfits that may harm Indian national security were the prime areas of discussions amongst others. While Afghanistan remains important for India for a host of reasons, the latter's continued engagement is crucial in maintaining its relations with Iran with which India has had a tumultuous relationship of late owing to the American sanctions on that country.

The 18th Jordanian parliamentary election held on 20 September 2016 was unique in two respects: one, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) participated in it after boycotting two previous elections (2010 and 2013); and two, demand for economic and political reforms emerged as the most important issue cutting across ideological and political divides. The election was also a reflection of Jordan's social and political complexities and its extraordinary demography and identity-based politics. The electoral process was largely recognized as free and fair, a significant accomplishment in a region where elections are nothing more than a legitimizing exercise for the regimes. Intense pre-election debates, enthusiastic participation of women and minorities, and transparency came against the backdrop of low voter turnout of 36 percent thereby underlining the challenges facing democratization in Jordan.

This study investigates the factors that draw working professionals towards distance education programs, and the factors that sustain their distance education experience. The study is conducted in difficult terrains of Uttarakhand, a hilly state in India which helps us investigate the phenomenon in difficult geographies. Through interviews of ten working professionals in this difficult geography these factors are deduced and a conceptual model is then developed. We also tried to find theoretical linkages to the factors identified. The findings are of value to distance educators and students alike.

We examined the multidimensional concept of empowerment in the context of women primary school teachers in India. We conducted interviews and then a questionnaire survey. Using structural equation modelling, we found that empowerment has two components: one is 'latent empowerment' (consisting of meaning, competence and impact); and the other is 'action-oriented empowerment' or autonomy. In teachers' context, 'latent empowerment' affects both job satisfaction and innovative behaviour, whereas autonomy weakly influences only the innovative behaviour. 'Latent empowerment' mediates the relationship of workplace support with both job satisfaction and innovative behaviour. The role of information sharing in enhancing innovative behaviour through autonomy is weakly supported.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the expression of ambidexterity at the "between" projects level as well as the "within" project level in project-based information technology firms (PBITF). The research also provides a framework for the classification of specialised projects. This classification is essential to clarify the level of attention the project will receive with respect to the appropriation of resources and the requisite management bandwidth.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on a nine-month long field-based qualitative study and ensures a rigorous triangulation of the findings through an analysis of archival data and actual project artefacts.FindingsThe authors bring forth three critical implications for practice. First, strategizing ambidexterity at the level of "between" projects and "within" projects is heavily dependent on the interaction among distributed actors and partners. Second, routines and actions to deal with manpower constraints are completely different at these two levels. Lastly, the classification framework of specialised projects proposed here should enable firms to appropriately apportion resources to engagements that are strategic in nature.Originality/valueThe study extends the concept of ambidexterity to the "within" project level and finds it relevant at the lowest level in the project-based structure. Also, the framework for the classification of specialised projects that is provided will assist decision makers in PBIT firms to decide the organisational response to such projects.