Should the length of time for prescription drug patents be reduced to Research Paper

Should the length of time for prescription drug patents be reduced to encourage the entry of generic drugs If not, what would - Research Paper Example Industrialized countries usually have a high price of pharmaceuticals, so generic pharmaceuticals are used most frequently. Sales of generic drugs in Canada, the US, the UK, and Denmark is more than 40% of the total pharmaceutical sales (King and Kanvos, 2002). Patients are more likely to choose generic drugs as long as they get reimbursed for newer patented drugs whereas their savings are spent in making choices among the generic drugs. However, generic drugs have been heavily criticized for their substandard manufacturing and poor quality. Apart from the fact that they are not rigorously tested, problem also relates to poor compliance of the manufacturers of generics with the practice guidelines. The cost of general drugs is typically lesser than the branded drugs by 30% to 60% (Lewek and Kardas, 2010). Patients on generic drugs have increased tendency to continue therapy compared to patients who take branded drugs. Generic drugs are spared the expensive clinical trials that are a prerequisite for branded drugs to be approved which makes the quality and safety of general drugs questionable. Some legal loopholes which delayed the approval of generic drugs have been closed by The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (FDA, 2011). This is evident from the fact that the act does not allow for more than a 30-month stay of generic approval when a generic company is sued by an innovator company with respect to patent issues. A stay is delay in the approval of the generic drug which happens when a patent infringement lawsuit is filed by a branded drug company. The purpose of this delay is to allow time to solve issues regarding the infringement of a drug patent by a generic company. The generic drug is not approved by the FDA during the stay. 30-month stays is the limit established in line with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommendations (FDA,

In Civil Peace, How Does War Affect Society Essay Example for Free

In Civil Peace, How Does War Affect Society Essay In human history, especially in the ninetieth century and the twentieth century, there were many civil wars in different countries because of political, economic, religious, ethnic, and cultural conflicts, for example, the American Civil War between the United States and several southern slaves states from 1861 to 1865; the Korean Civil War between the Republic of Korea and Democratic people Republic of Korea from 1950 to 1953; the Chinese Civil War between the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China from 1927 to 1950, and the Nigeria Civil War between the Hausas Party and the Igbo Party from 1967 to 1970. Civil wars cause serious poverty and starvation for the people, kill tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and bring tragedies to many families. For instance, in the Korean Civil war, more than one million soldiers and civilians were killed, including over 40,000 American soldiers, 511,493 South Korean soldiers and civilians, about 400,000 North Koreans, and over 148,000 Chinese soldiers. Therefore, civil wars affect societies severely. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, the war causes terrible casualties of civilians and soldiers, results in fearful society instability, and destroys tremendous infrastructures and houses. In human history, especially in the ninetieth century and the twentieth century, there were many civil wars in different countries because of political, economic, religious, ethnic, and cultural conflicts, for example, the American Civil War between the United States and several southern slaves states from 1861 to 1865;[1] the Korean Civil War between the Republic of Korea and Democratic people Republic of Korea from 1950 to 1953;[2] the Chinese Civil War between the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China from 1927 to 1950, and the Nigeria Civil War between the Hausas Party and the Igbo Party from 1967 to 1970. 3] Civil wars cause serious poverty and starvation for the people, kill tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and bring tragedies to many families. For instance, in the Korean Civil war, more than one million soldiers and civilians were killed, including over 40,000 American soldiers, 511,493 South Korean soldiers and civilians, about 400,000 North Koreans, and over 148,000 Chinese soldiers. [4] Therefore, civil wars affect societies severely. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, the war causes terrible casualties of civilians and soldiers, results in fearful society instability, and destroys tremendous infrastructures and houses. First, most Nigerian civilians live in hunger and malnutrition, but more miserably, tens of thousands soldiers and civilians are killed during the devastating civil war. It is estimated that about 180,000 soldiers and civilians were battle deaths and non-battle deaths. [5] Contrary to Jonathan’s luckiness, such as â€Å"He had come out of war with five inestimable blessing-his head, his wife Maria’s head and the heads of three out of their four children†(Achebe 20), many parents lost all of their children and many other children lost their parents. They all live in extreme grief and sorrow of losing their family members. Furthermore, those children whose parents are dead can hardly survive in the extreme postwar poverty. A lot of people suffer life poverty and spiritual grief. Most important, civil war brings tragedies to many families. These tragedies will affect survivors forever. Secondly, civil war not only results in lots of corporations being closed down and many employees being unemployed, but also brings social instability. For example, most of Jonathan’s fellow ex-miners cannot find jobs. They cook meals that they scrounge together in Bournvita tins. Moreover, because a large number civilian population lacks food and money and they are always in starvation; some civilians are forced to make a living through robbery. These robbers bring people serious fear and pain. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, after Jonathan brings his ex-gratia award back home, a gang of robbers comes and threatens that they will break into the house at night if he doesn’t give them one hundred pounds. â€Å"Jonathan and his family were now completely paralyzed by terror. Maria and the children sobbed inaudibly like lost souls. Jonathan groaned continuously† (Achebe 23). At last, the thieves rob Jonathan twenty pounds. Therefore, the Civil War causes serious social instability and brings civilians more sorrows. Thirdly, in addition to life hardships and spiritual grieves, tremendous infrastructures and houses are destroyed in the war. Many people become destitute and homeless. For example, when Jonathan comes back Enugu, he is astonished to find that â€Å"Only two houses away a huge concrete edifice some wealthy contractor had put up just before the war was a mountain of rubble† (Achebe 22). Some ex-miners are sleeping out of the offices because their houses are ruined in civil war. It is well known that roads, bridges, railways, and rban water and electricity facilities are always heavily destroyed during wars. Civilians suffer starvations during the days and endure cold during the nights because their houses are damaged. Indeed, it is inconceivable how tough conditions people live in during the war. Jonathan is an extra-ordinarily lucky man, but most civilians’ lives are tragic. Without food, houses, money, families and jobs, many people almost collapse into near-madness. Therefore, civil war results in numerous houses and infrastructures ruined. In addition, civil war will severely block postwar national economic development. The governments need to invest lots of money to rebuild ruined national infrastructures. â€Å"Nothing puzzles God† says Jonathan (Achebe 25), but civil wars puzzle everyone. Most Nigeria civilians undergo poverty, homelessness, cold and sadness. Civil wars not only bring extreme poverty and starvation, but also cause severe casualties of soldiers and civilians. Moreover, numerous houses and facilities are terribly ruined. In addition, a lot of factories and corporations are forced to close down. Above all, the civil war contributes to severe social instability, brings families tragedies, and causes people deep sorrows.

Princely Power Essay -- Essays Papers

Princely Power Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince contains a very unique section entitled "Princely Virtues" in which Machiavelli takes on a how-to approach in regards to becoming a prince. The instructional qualities of the novel lead its reader to create in themselves an image of not the most virtuous, but in Machiavelli's eyes, the most effective prince. In the selections found in chapters 15-26, Machiavelli teaches his intended princely students the necessary political skills that a prince must possess in order to maintain his position on top. Machiavelli paints the illusionary portrait of the perfect prince. The prince must take great pains to keep up this virtuous front in order to maintain command as well as respect of his people. Even if the prince does not have a desired virtue, Machiavelli reasons that he must only appear to have certain virtues, and more importantly know when it is appropriate to display such virtues to benefit himself. The prince is obligated to put on the necessary front in order to disguise himself as the most effective prince in an effort to maintain control. Machiavelli may on the surface seem to argue that a ruler must focus on the positive end and employ whatever means necessary to achieve his desired result, maintaining power and control; however, he only argues this to a point, there are limitations on a prince’s power. Machiavelli begins his section on princely virtues by emphasizing why a prince must in actuality depart from being virtuous or good in order to avoid coming to ruin among other men who are evil; seeming to be good is more important than being so. To emphasize this point, he says: For there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live, th... ...tudes of men towards those in authority bring about an understanding of sorts, which leads to sympathizing with the deceitfulness of Machiavelli's prince. For a prince to lead men who are inherently evil he must think clearly about his actions, he will fail miserably, if he does not rise above his people's intelligence. Yet, a wise prince will not allow his greedy desires to rule his good judgment. Without a watchful eye, he may stand in the way of attaining his own goals. By Machiavellian logic, even if a prince obtains his goals through employment of what may seem like vices, he must always remember to keep up his good front. He cannot be justified in doing anything he pleases to maintain his power and control. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. "The Prince" in The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces (ed. Maynard Mack). New York: Norton, 2000. 1488-1497.

Being Eleven :: English Literature Essays

Being Eleven Yep! If you are reading this you’ve probably already conquered the tumultuous eleventh year of your life. However, if you are ancient you have probably forgotten all about being eleven, so here are the advantages and disadvantages. First of all, there are many advantages of being eleven. For instance my parents trust me more. My parents let me stay home alone instead of having a babysitter. They also let me go to movies without them leading me by the hand. My parents don’t act so paranoid about me staying in the yard to play. My next positive thing about being eleven is I can go more places with my friends. For example, I don't have to go to the family skate, I can go to the friday night skate with my friends. My parents can drop us off at the front of the movie theater and we can pick what movie to watch. I can also go to the mall with a group of my friends. My third positive reason is I can choose more sports or activities. For instance, I can play tackle football instead of touch or flag football. I have the choice to play girls basketball or softball. I can also go to the school dances. My final advantage is I have more privileges. I can enter better web sites such as www.bonus.com. I can have my own e-mail address instead of writing mail by hand. My parents let me stay on the phone longer. I can stay on for about an hour instead of thirty minutes. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages of being eleven. For example, I have more chores around the house. When I come home, I always have to do the dishes instead of playing. I also have to do the laundry at night on weekdays and weekends. I have to mow the lawn every time it grows. My next example is I have harsher punishments. When I get in trouble I am either grounded for a week or even two. I also have to do all the chores when I am grounded. Another thing is I can’t go outside, play on the play station or watch television. As another example, I don't get to vote. When election time comes I can’t have a say in who I want to run my country. Being Eleven :: English Literature Essays Being Eleven Yep! If you are reading this you’ve probably already conquered the tumultuous eleventh year of your life. However, if you are ancient you have probably forgotten all about being eleven, so here are the advantages and disadvantages. First of all, there are many advantages of being eleven. For instance my parents trust me more. My parents let me stay home alone instead of having a babysitter. They also let me go to movies without them leading me by the hand. My parents don’t act so paranoid about me staying in the yard to play. My next positive thing about being eleven is I can go more places with my friends. For example, I don't have to go to the family skate, I can go to the friday night skate with my friends. My parents can drop us off at the front of the movie theater and we can pick what movie to watch. I can also go to the mall with a group of my friends. My third positive reason is I can choose more sports or activities. For instance, I can play tackle football instead of touch or flag football. I have the choice to play girls basketball or softball. I can also go to the school dances. My final advantage is I have more privileges. I can enter better web sites such as www.bonus.com. I can have my own e-mail address instead of writing mail by hand. My parents let me stay on the phone longer. I can stay on for about an hour instead of thirty minutes. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages of being eleven. For example, I have more chores around the house. When I come home, I always have to do the dishes instead of playing. I also have to do the laundry at night on weekdays and weekends. I have to mow the lawn every time it grows. My next example is I have harsher punishments. When I get in trouble I am either grounded for a week or even two. I also have to do all the chores when I am grounded. Another thing is I can’t go outside, play on the play station or watch television. As another example, I don't get to vote. When election time comes I can’t have a say in who I want to run my country.

Sethu Sethunarayanan

1. Explain in detail what theories and concepts you learned in class are helpful to understand the case. The case discusses an entrepreneur named Sethu Sethunarayanan, who invented and marketed an innovative trap to help poor Irula people (an Indian tribe) catch rats more efficiently. He is the founder of the Center for Development of Disadvantaged People (CDDP) – one of a few recognized non-profit organizations in India. The case is an example how technological innovation and human capital can be used to improve the life for the poor.This rat-trap entrepreneurship was a social entrepreneurship because the inventor used the resources to cater to the needs of poor people. Prior to the innovation of the new trap, Irula villagers needed to use their mouths and their hands to catch the rats directly; their health was severely affected when touching the rats. After talking to a rat-catcher’s wife, Sethu realized that there was a problem and with the instinct of an entreprene ur, he knew that there would be an opportunity for him to solve the problem and improve the lives of Irula people.With the help of a mechanical engineer, Sethu developed a new trap to help people catch rats without contacting directly to the rats and the hot area of the trap. The values created from this innovation were a better health and a better income for rat-catchers. A concept test was implemented to fifteen rat catchers to see whether it worked. This was an important process to determine whether the entrepreneur needed to revise his innovation. After six iterations in eight months, the trap met most of the needs of the rat catchers. Sethu then applied for the grant from the World Bank to commercialize the innovation.It was a good choice of raising fund since social entrepreneurships usually do not attract numerous investors (because the aim is not for profit but for a better life of people). Sethu also planned various processes for the implementation of the project. Firstly, he identified the market which consisted of 1,500 neediest villagers and communicated the benefits of the new trap directly to this segment by visiting their villages. Secondly, Sethu created more values for customers by creating the women’s microcredit funds, which operated like loans and enabled women to afford a trap.These funds helped bring the traps to more villagers. Thirdly, he chose the right people to take care of the production. Since the young and unmarried women were selected to be the workers, the men and the boys were kept for catching the rats. Finally, he already thought of the exit strategy when the demand for the traps decreased. In such a situation, the factory would produce other steel products that were useful for Irula people. 2. What were crucial factors that determined success or failure? The success of the rat trap entrepreneurship was contributed by numerous factors.Firstly, it was due to the human capital: Irula people. Although Irula young women we re illiterate, they were able to produce the traps by themselves after being instructed. Selecting these women to operate the factory was a wise strategy because it made Irula people feel proud of their tribe. These workers might also persuade and instruct their relatives and neighbors to use the traps. As a result, the customer base for the business would be enlarged. Secondly, the technology innovation was also an important factor. It was the simplicity of the trap that made it usable for Irula people, 99% of whom were illiterate.Sethu and the mechanic engineer spent eight months inventing and testing the trap before it met all the needs of the rat catchers. If the trap was more complex, Irula people could not use it and the entrepreneurship would become a failure. Thirdly, the $98,500 grant from the World Bank served as the source for Sethu to implement his business plan. The plan included many costly processes such as health checks and treatments for the beneficiaries, building factory, training employees, and production. Without the fund of the World Bank laying the foundation, Sethu might not be able to start the business.Lastly, Sethu seemed to be the first one who addressed the problem in how Irula people catch rats, so he had the first-mover advantage. In addition, it was not likely that other social entrepreneurs would come and compete with Sethu in the near future. Hence, the Irulas did not have other choices but use Sethu’s new traps if they wanted to change the way to catch rats. 3. What characteristics of the entrepreneur enabled their success? Sethu had many characteristics of an ideal social entrepreneur. Among those characteristics, the thing distinguishing him from others may be his concern for the community.Being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi – the Father of the Nation, Sethu always thought of ways to bring a better life for the poor in India. This is probably the reason why he realized the problem of the old way of catching rats of the Irulas and did not stop thinking of a solution. In addition, Sethu obtained an appropriate education and experience in doing social entrepreneurship. Sethu studied in Gandhi’s school in India, where he was instructed to use Gandhi’s method to improve lives for the poor, solve human conflicts and introduce new ideas.After graduation, he worked for an NGO to accumulate experience before establishing his own NGO in 1998. His education and experience were the foundation for his innovativeness, which contributed to the invention of the rat trap. Finally, the most vital factor leading to the success of the entrepreneurship was Sethu’s risk-taking attitude. What would happen if the trap failed when applying to a large extend even though it was successful in the concept test; or if the Irula refused to use the trap anyway?In such a situation, Sethu would lose all the costs in health checking and treatment for the rat catchers, building the factory, training the e mployees and so on. More importantly, his prestige would be adversely affected since he was awarded the grant from the World Bank but failed to use it effectively. Despite all these risks, he still continued with the business because he believed in his idea and in the Irulas. 4. What were problems encountered by the entrepreneur and how did the entrepreneur deal with the problems? How did the entrepreneur overcome the problems?When implementing the project, Sethu did face some problems. Firstly, it was the resistance from the Irula people. They refused to meet Sethu and CDDP volunteers because they think Sethu and the volunteers were from some politic parties. Knowing that Irula people wanted to involve and did not like free things, Sethu triggered their interest by approaching them personally, explaining the serious health problems with the old trap and asking them whether they wanted to change their lives. The second problem was the selection of the workers for the factories.Becau se the men and the boys needed to catch rats while the wives and the old women were taking cooking roles in families, Sethu chose young, unmarried women to be the workers. He even transferred the ownership of the factory to these women so that they felt more motivated to control the production. The third problem was that Irula people were not be able to afford the trap at $25. CDDP solved this problem by launching the women’s microcredit collectives. In particular, a group of 12-15 women contributed money to form a fund.When a woman wanted to buy a trap but could only afford 50% payment, she received the trap and paid the rest to the microcredit fund. Such a fund made the traps become more affordable for the Irulas. Perhaps the most serious problem was that the business did not bring profit, at least in the recent future. The production cost per unit was $27 ($22 for raw materials and $5 for labor) but the selling price was only $25. To deal with this problem, Sethu used boot strapping as the financing method for the entrepreneurship when he tried to save unnecessary costs. For example, he asked the Irulas to return the trap if they did not use it.In addition, Sethu’s son successfully negotiated with the supplier to lower the material cost (from $28 to $25) and the cost savings was then reinvested in the factory. 5. Given the knowledge and skills you acquired in class, would you have done anything differently and if yes, what? There may be some alternatives to deal with the mentioned problems. Firstly, we can use the power of the influential group to persuade the Irulas to use the trap. By identifying some influential people, for example the tribal chief, in a village and convincing them to use the new trap, we can spread the benefits of the new trap to other villagers faster.It is because the Irula people still live with tribe culture, they will likely to follow what the tribal chief does. Secondly, instead of selling the traps to the Irulas peop le, we can employ them as our employees and pay them salaries. The salaries will have one fixed portion and one variable portion based on the number of rats a person can catch. We will receive money from the farm owners and distribute to the catchers. By employing the Irulas as our employees, we solve the problem that some Irula people wish to use but do not afford the new trap.What is more, when putting them in a company and considering them as our employees, we also help educate them and reduce their illiteracy. 6. What would be the next steps you would take to successfully proceed? To continue the success of the entrepreneurship, firstly, we must find ways to earn money because no business can maintain forever without profit. Initially, the selling price was at $25, which was $3 lower than the production cost. We can continue working with the supplier (the steel maker company, in this case it was Tata Steel) or even change to other suppliers to further reduce the cost.On the othe r hand, we could provide new complementary products/services to earn profits and help offset the losses in the rat-trap product line. Notice that the new trap helped catch rat 95% efficiency and helped doubled or even tripled their incomes, the Irula people would earn more money to spend for their living expenses. For instance, we could provide maintaining services for the traps and charge a certain level of money, depending on the current economic situation of the rat catchers. Or it might also sell hand sanitizers for the Irula people to wash their hands after using the trap.When the Irulas’ income increased, these complementary products were likely to be purchased widely because the Irula people cared more about their health. In addition, we can work with the owners of the farms to increase the payoffs for Irula people. The old method of catching rats is extremely inefficient, affects the plants on the fields and causes pollution. We will approach the farmers explain to th em the efficiency and the benefits of the new trap, and convince them to employ rat catchers who use the new traps. Lastly, a more efficient trap can be produced.The current new trap can only catch one rat at one time, which is very inefficient. We can apply new technology to catch many rats at one time. For example, rats are affected by certain electromagnetic waves. By putting some wave generators at the fields, the rats are hurt and will come out of their burrows. Then the Irulas might catch the rats more easily. Because the costs for such systems might be high, we will need to obtain a certain level of profits before trying the new technology. Furthermore, we can also seek funds from external sources.

Queen Elizabeths Royal Visits to Canada

Queen Elizabeth's Royal Visits to Canada Queen Elizabeth, Canadas head of state, always draws crowds when she visits Canada. Since her accession to the Throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth has made 22 official Royal visits to Canada, usually accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and sometimes by her children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Queen Elizabeth has visited every province and territory in Canada. 2010 Royal Visit Date: June 28 to July 6, 2010Accompanied by Prince PhilipThe 2010 Royal Visit included celebrations in Halifax, Nova Scotia to mark the centennial of the founding of the Royal Canadian Navy, Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and a dedication of the cornerstone for the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 2005 Royal Visit Date: May 17 to 25, 2005Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended events in Saskatchewan and Alberta to celebrate the centennial of the entry of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation. 2002 Royal Visit Date: October 4 to 15, 2002Accompanied by Prince PhilipThe 2002 Royal Visit to Canada was in celebration of the Queens Golden Jubilee. The Royal couple visited Iqaluit, Nunavut; Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton and Ottawa, Ontario; Fredericton, Sussex, and Moncton, New Brunswick. 1997 Royal Visit Date: June 23 to July 2, 1997Accompanied by Prince PhilipThe 1997 Royal Visit marked the 500th anniversary of John Cabots arrival in what is now Canada. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited St. Johns and Bonavista, Newfoundland; NorthWest River, Shetshatshiu, Happy Valley and Goose Bay, Labrador, They also visited London, Ontario and viewed the floods in Manitoba. 1994 Royal Visit Date: August 13 to 22, 1994Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Halifax, Sydney, the Fortress of Louisbourg, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; attended the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia; and visited Yellowknife, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit (then part of the Northwest Territories). 1992 Royal Visit Date: June 30 to July 2, 1992Queen Elizabeth visited Ottawa, Canadas capital, marking the 125th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and the 40th anniversary of her accession to the Throne. 1990 Royal Visit Date: June 27 to July 1, 1990Queen Elizabeth visited Calgary and Red Deer, Alberta, and then joined the celebrations for Canada Day in Ottawa, Canadas capital. 1987 Royal Visit Date: October 9 to 24, 1987Accompanied by Prince PhilipOn the 1987 Royal Visit, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Vancouver, Victoria and Esquimalt, British Columbia; Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Canora, Veregin, Kamsack and Kindersley, Saskatchewan; and Sillery, Cap Tourmente, Rivià ¨re-du-Loup and La Pocatià ¨re, Quebec. 1984 Royal Visit Date: September 24 to October 7, 1984Accompanied by Prince Philip for all parts of the visit except ManitobaQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured New Brunswick and Ontario to participate in events marking the bicentennials of those two provinces. Queen Elizabeth also visited Manitoba. 1983 Royal Visit Date: March 8 to 11, 1983Accompanied by Prince PhilipAt the end of a tour of the U.S. West Coast, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Vernon, Kamloops and New Westminster, British Columbia. 1982 Royal Visit Date: April 15 to 19, 1982Accompanied by Prince PhilipThis Royal Visit was to Ottawa, Canadas capital, for the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982. 1978 Royal Visit Date: July 26 to August 6, 1978Accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, and Prince EdwardToured Newfoundland, Saskatchewan and Alberta, attending the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta. 1977 Royal Visit Date: October 14 to 19, 1977Accompanied by Prince PhilipThis Royal Visit was to Ottawa, Canadas capital, in celebration of the Queens Silver Jubilee Year. 1976 Royal Visit Date: June 28 to July 6, 1976Accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince EdwardThe Royal family visited Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and then Montreal, Quebec for the 1976 Olympics. Princess Anne was a member of the British equestrian team competing in the Olympics in Montreal. 1973 Royal Visit (2) Date: July 31 to August 4, 1973Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeth was in Ottawa, Canadas capital, for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Prince Philip had his own program of events. 1973 Royal Visit (1) Date: June 25 to July 5, 1973Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeths first visit to Canada in 1973 included an extended tour of Ontario, including events to mark the 300th anniversary of Kingston. The Royal couple spent time in Prince Edward Island marking the centennial of PEIs entry into Canadian Confederation, and they went on to Regina, Saskatchewan, and Calgary, Alberta to participate in events marking the RCMP centennial. 1971 Royal Visit Date: May 3 to May 12, 1971Accompanied by Princess AnneQueen Elizabeth and Princess Anne marked the centennial of British Columbias entry into Canadian Confederation by visiting Victoria, Vancouver, Tofino, Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, William Lake and Comox, B.C. 1970 Royal Visit Date: July 5 to 15, 1970Accompanied by Prince Charles and Princess AnneThe 1970 Royal Visit to Canada included a tour of Manitoba to celebrate the centennial of Manitobas entry into Canadian Confederation. The Royal Family also visited the Northwest Territories to mark its centennial. 1967 Royal Visit Date: June 29 to July 5, 1967Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Ottawa, Canadas capital, to celebrate Canadas centennial. They also went to Montreal, Quebec to attend Expo 67. 1964 Royal Visit Date: October 5 to 13, 1964Accompanied by Prince PhilipQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Visited Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Quebec City, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario to attend the commemoration of the three major conferences that led up to Canadian Confederation in 1867. 1959 Royal Visit Date: June 18 to August 1, 1959Accompanied by Prince PhilipThis was Queen Elizabeths first major tour of Canada. She officially opened the St. Lawrence Seaway and visited all Canadian provinces and territories over the span of six weeks. 1957 Royal Visit Date: October 12 to 16, 1957Accompanied by Prince PhilipOn her first official visit to Canada as Queen, Queen Elizabeth spent four days in Ottawa, Canadas capital, and officially opened the first session of the 23rd Parliament of Canada.

Free Essays on Palestine

PALESTINE. The region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that was known as Palestine changed its identity in May 1948. At that time most of the territory became the state of Israel. A portion adjacent to and west of the river was taken by Jordan, earlier known as Transjordan, in the 1948 war for Israel's independence. This area later became known as the West Bank. This division between Jordan and Israel reflects modern historical developments. Until World War I and its aftermath, Palestine was also considered to include lands east of the Jordan River. In 1921 Great Britain, which then administered Palestine, partitioned the area, creating the emirate of Transjordan on the east side of the river. It was this region, with the West Bank, that became known as Jordan in 1949. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel occupied the West Bank, a situation that continues. Palestine's significance has always been far greater than its size. Strategically located at the joining of Africa and Southwest Asia, Palestine was traditionally fought over by great powers in Egypt and Mesopotamia in ancient times. Later Christian crusaders from Europe occupied the area, seeking to remove the region from Muslim control. Finally the Zionist movement sought to restore Jewish rule over the region that was once part of the kingdom of Israel. Zionists gained British aid in these efforts. The new state of Israel is partly the result of both efforts that stemmed from the formation of Zionism as a major political movement in the late 19th century and worldwide horror at the murders of 6 million Jews during World War II. Palestine's geopolitical and historical significance is linked to its position in three major religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city of Jerusalem is especially significant to these religions. To Jews Palestine is the site of the ancient kingdom of Israel and the land traditionally promised to them by God.Jerusalem is t... Free Essays on Palestine Free Essays on Palestine PALESTINE. The region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that was known as Palestine changed its identity in May 1948. At that time most of the territory became the state of Israel. A portion adjacent to and west of the river was taken by Jordan, earlier known as Transjordan, in the 1948 war for Israel's independence. This area later became known as the West Bank. This division between Jordan and Israel reflects modern historical developments. Until World War I and its aftermath, Palestine was also considered to include lands east of the Jordan River. In 1921 Great Britain, which then administered Palestine, partitioned the area, creating the emirate of Transjordan on the east side of the river. It was this region, with the West Bank, that became known as Jordan in 1949. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel occupied the West Bank, a situation that continues. Palestine's significance has always been far greater than its size. Strategically located at the joining of Africa and Southwest Asia, Palestine was traditionally fought over by great powers in Egypt and Mesopotamia in ancient times. Later Christian crusaders from Europe occupied the area, seeking to remove the region from Muslim control. Finally the Zionist movement sought to restore Jewish rule over the region that was once part of the kingdom of Israel. Zionists gained British aid in these efforts. The new state of Israel is partly the result of both efforts that stemmed from the formation of Zionism as a major political movement in the late 19th century and worldwide horror at the murders of 6 million Jews during World War II. Palestine's geopolitical and historical significance is linked to its position in three major religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city of Jerusalem is especially significant to these religions. To Jews Palestine is the site of the ancient kingdom of Israel and the land traditionally promised to them by God.Jerusalem is t...

Tongue Twister - Definition and Examples

Tongue Twister s Tongue twister is an informal term for a word group thats hard to pronounce  properly. A form of verbal play, tongue twisters rely on a sequence of phonemes that are similar but distinct, and therefore difficult to articulate clearly and quickly. Examples and Observations We supply wristwatches for witchwatchers watching witches Washington wishes watched.(James Thurber, Lanterns and Lances. Harper, 1961)Top chopsticks shops stock top chopsticks.Chester chooses chestnuts, cheddar cheese with chewy chives. He chews them and he chooses them. He chooses them and he chews them. . . . those chestnuts, cheddar cheese and chives in cheery, charming chunks.(Singing in the Rain, 1952)Just about everything in this world is easier said than done, with the exception of systematically assisting Sisyphuss stealthy, cyst-susceptible sister, which is easier done than said.(Lemony Snicket, The Hostile Hospital. HarperCollins, 2001)Dr. Seusss Silly StuffTry to say this, Mr. Knox, please. . . .Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.Freezy trees made these trees cheese freeze.Thats what made these three free fleas sneeze.Stop it! Stop it!Thats enough, sir.I cant say such silly stuff, sir.(Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks. Random House, 1965) Betty BottaBetty Botta bought some butter;But, said she, this butters bitter!If I will put it in my batter,It will make my batter bitter.But a bit o better butterWill but make my batter better.Then she bought a bit o butterBetter than the bitter butter,Made her bitter batter better.So twas better Betty BottaBought a bit o better butter.(Carolyn Wells)The Best Tongue TwisterThe best tongue-twister is not Betty beat a bit of butter to make better batter. No. Nor is it Black bugs blood. Or Rubber buggy bumpers. No. And its not Of all the smells I have ever smelt, I never smelt a smell that smelt like that smell smelt. No, no, no. The best tongue-twister is A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper, wheres the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked? If you can come up with a better tongue-twister than this I will buy you blackberries, buttons, and a box of mixed biscuits.(Dr Sansoms Extreme Facts. The Guardian, November 3, 2007) Pad Kid Poured Curd Pulled ColdForget Peter Piper and his Peck of Pickled Pepperpsychologists have come up with what may be the worlds most frustrating tongue twister.It may not make much sense, but the phrase pad kid poured curd pulled cold completely defeated volunteers taking part in a U.S. speech study.Asked to repeat the phrase 10 times at a fast lick, many of the participants clammed up and stopped talking altogether, according to lead researcher Dr Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. . . .The tongue twister study, presented at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in San Francisco, was conducted to shed light on the brains speech-planning processes.(Can YOU Say Pad Kid Poured Curd Pulled Cold? The Daily Mail [UK], December 4, 2013)At a Minute or Two to TwoWhat a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two.’Tis a thing distinctly hard to say, and harder still to do.For they’ll beat a tattoo at twenty-to-two,A rat-a-tat, tat-a-tat, tat-a-tat, tat-a-tattoo,And the dragon will come when he hears the drum,At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two.(Author unknown) Who Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore?Mary Anning was one of the few women to make a success in paleontology and one of the fewer still whose success was not linked to that of a paleontologist spouse (or any spouse: she was single). She made five major fossil discoveries from 1811 to her death in 1847, and many lesser ones.Why then is she best known as the inspiration for the tongue twister She sells sea shells by the seashore?The answer lies in her gender, her poverty, her lack of formal education, her regional accentas it might even today.(Katherine Bouton, Tale of an Unsung Fossil Finder, in Fact and Fiction. The New York Times, February 1, 2010)Writing RiteA right-handed fellow named Wright,In writing write always wrote riteWhere he meant to write right.If hed written write rightWright would not have wrought rot writing rite.(anonymous)Assimilation[W]e have seen how one sound assimilates to another. As we pronounce words, our tongue moves toward one point in the mouth, but our ner vous system has already prepared itself to fire off another impulse for the next sound. In some cases, the impulses pile up and jumble the articulation, as when we try to repeat a tongue twister like rubber baby buggy bumpers or she sells sea shells by the sea shore.(Joseph M. Williams, Origins of the English Language: A Social and Linguistic History. Simon and Schuster, 1975)

Native son Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Native son - Research Paper Example In a time where racial discrimination was rampant, and the whites were the rich and the blacks poor in the social classification, a time where interracial dating was looked upon as impossible, a time when violence was rampant, a time when there were many uneducated black people, the story hence narrates the story of Bigger, a boy who grew up in this situation and shaped to become whom he turned to later (Sharma 89). The American culture shapes Bigger to become a vicious thief and murderer, fighting the authority, opposing white rule, and hating the whites for whom he becomes. In this essay, we shall be analyzing the theme of racial discrimination, social stratification and violence in relation to the character of Bigger and how they influenced his life events. Bigger’ character is as a result of racial discrimination that has been in existent in the American culture. Bigger believes that he is where he is because of the oppressive force placed on his by the white people. He fears and yet hates the white people as they control, how blacks move, live, interact and work in the society. Full of hatred, Bigger does not want in the first place to work for Mr. Dalton because he is white. He prefers to work with his fellow black people to steal from other black citizens. Bigger is intimidated by seeing white people, though he had never stolen from them because of the fear he had. According to Bloom (23) he describes Richard to have used Bigger to bring out the issue of racism just like it exists in American culture. Racism is rampant to a point where the children born from the white and black race, know it exists, and do everything possible to avoid being caught in between. Bigger has never had a white girlfriend all his life, and is shock ed when he sees other black activists, Jan, dating Mary, Mr. Dalton’s daughter. Racial relationship is something which is not accepted by the society in America based on the hatred between

Video Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video Games - Essay Example With this, the company is also armed with more significant information relative to its competitors. The company capitalizes on its patent-pending technology and a wide network of exclusive publishers and developers. Massive is also capitalizes on the capability and experience of its management team, wide network, innovative ideas, and technological capability. The announcement of Microsoft last May formalized its acquisition of the in-game advertising pioneer. With its being a subsidiary of Microsoft, this brand equity is further enhanced while also increasing its reach and scope. Weaknesses. Prior to the acquisition by Microsoft, the major weakness of Massive Incorporated lies in its financial capability. As a start-up, the company lacked the much-needed financing to back its research and development program. It was also hard to take the risk of releasing new products without the financial muscle to back it up. Relative to its competitors, Massive lacks the capability of customizing it product offerings like what is being offered by Double Fusion. As opposed to IGA Worldwide, Massive's products are only applicable on a single platform. Opportunities.

McDonald adapts culture difference between USA and INIDA Assignment

McDonald adapts culture difference between USA and INIDA - Assignment Example Henceforth, Ray Kroc purchased the whole chain from the McDonalds before proceeding to expand it further (Newcomb). Perhaps it is appropriate to mention that McDonalds commands presence in most states globally whereby the corporation, franchisees, and even the affiliates are responsible for running the various McDonalds restaurants (Dash 8). In this regard, the company has adapted a culture difference between USA and India in order to offer products which best resonates with the local population and in the process, maximizing on revenues (McDonalds). This paper therefore, compares the business models of McDonalds between USA and India in in term of products, services, advertisements. McDonalds’ Business Strategy Since the major sources of revenues for McDonalds include rents, royalties, and the fees collected from the franchisees (Hannon). In addition, the company draws huge income from restaurant-related businesses that take place within the company premises and it is worth n oting that in 2012 alone, the company made profits amounting to $5.5 billion in addition to collecting annual revenues totaling to $27.5 billion (McDonalds). When it comes to the major products offered by the company subsidiaries, there are wide range of fast foods from which customers around the world can choose from depending on their tastes and geographical location (Dash 12). These food products include hamburgers,  chicken,  cheeseburgers,  French fries,  soft drinks, breakfast  items, desserts, and milkshakes (Newcomb). Comparison between USA and India in the Business of McDonalds While USA is a nation whose citizens prefer junk food to lean foodstuffs, India is a more considerate nation when it comes to matters pertaining to food and the citizens revile the junk foods (Li). Since quality is the mirror through which all organizations gauge their performances, McDonalds has taken the quality of the foods offered in its subsidiaries very seriously (Newcomb). This means that while in America, the restaurants have to offer the foods that the Americans love and those McDonalds restaurants that operate in India do their very best at offering the Indian cuisine (McDonalds). Products and Services With a careful approach to product differentiation, the McDonalds chain of restaurants has regionalized every form of its menu to suit the local residents (Newcomb). In this respect, the competition is kept at bay as all the people who flood various McDonalds restaurants know the specific foods to find and consume at certain times of the day (Dash 8). The Unites States of America, being the headquarters of the McDonalds Corporation has restaurants and stored that specialize in the selling of ‘McGrilled’ sandwiches that are loved by many Americans (McDonalds). When it comes to the products offered by the chain in India, it is worthy to note that India is a strictly vegetarian country with a strong prohibition for beef mainly due to religious reason s (Li). In this regard, the major food products offers by the McDonalds in India include ‘McMasala’, Local flavors, Health conscious items, and vegetable products. This means that beef and pork products cannot fetch much profit in India as they do in the USA and the McDonalds chain of restaurants has considered this (Newcomb). Advertisements and Marketing Strategies Although it is common knowledge that the McDonalds Cor

Social networking is effecting students grades Essay

Social networking is effecting students grades - Essay Example The social networking regimes have therefore hurt the cause of education more than anything else and the ones who have been hit the hardest are the students themselves. This raises an interesting proposition altogether – why not regulate the usage of social networking by the students so they can concentrate more towards their studies and less on how to mingle with friends, acquaints and the like? There seem to be no answers to such issues. The students need to understand that the social networking elements and tools have been affecting their educational realms and now is the time to realize what is hurting them the most. The sooner they will wake up to such conclusions, the better it would be for their respective selves. However, what is unfortunate is the aspect of non-realization that social networking is providing them more worries than anything else, and now is the time to understand that they have to find a way to move ahead with the social linkages that they have develop ed over the Internet. What is even more worrying is the fact that these social networking tools have involved within them gaming elements that have literally taken away the concentration levels of the students, and given them an alternate path in the wake of spending their lives, their own way (Hitch, 2011). The social networking understandings within the students’ grades have been proven as true with the passage of time. The teachers, instructors and even parents have raised their voice against the tyranny that these social networking elements have created, which have literally impacted the students in more ways than one. There seems to be a great amount of anarchy within the related ranks, and the undue credit for the same does rest on the shoulders of the social networking websites, tools and programs. Since the social networking domains do not consider how the same would be taking charge of the students and their related folds, they are trying their best to introduce new and novel applications, programs and features. This will ensure that the social networking will remain as pivotal for the sake of the students, much more than what education does for their own good. This is a very unfortunate happening but it is taking place for a number of reasons that can be deemed as wrong more than anything else. The social networking does more harm than offering any solace to the young ones who are bound to go wrong in the face of severe competition that they receive at the hands of their colleagues and friends, as well as the technological mastery that the social networking websites and tools have to propose, day in and day out. Therefore how social networking is being manifested by the elders within the society is something to write home about (Sarachan, 2011). This has been made apparent through the different procedures that they have adopted to keep away the perils that come attached with the social networking elements and realms within the society. It is f or this reason that social networking is now being seen as a very dangerous metaphor within the terrains of the society as the students are the worst sufferers at the end of the day. In the end, it would be proper to state that the social networking issues should be tackled at the earliest. This will help resolve the disputes and conflicts that have come to the fore. It will also restore the confidence of the parents within their young ones who are

Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example This understanding enables them to not only make sense of the behaviour they witness in their workforce, but also to predict it before hand and sometimes even influencing it to reflect the desired level. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that organizational behaviour teaches one how to control human behaviour in an organization. However, it may be unreasonable to label this practice as exploitative, since the control is limited to an organizational setting, and the results are aimed to improving organizational performance, rather than exploitative practice of this knowledge. Organizational behaviour teaches a manager how to analyze and handle several different dimensions of an organization. One of the relatively well-known areas of expertise is the substantial and extensive knowledge of motivation that organizational behaviour has to offer. It offers dozens of theories on motivation, each tailored to specific situations as well as different findings in this area. These range from the classic theories such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory to the more controversial, contemporary theories such as Theory X and Y (Thompson and McHugh, 2002, pp. 10-48). Each of these motivational theories offers a unique insight into an employee’s mind, helping one understand what drives these employees to put effort into their work and then teaching one how to use these teachings to influence employees to exhibit desired behaviour. On the surface, it may seem like a euphemism for ‘manipulation techniques’ that teach a manager how to exploit a person’s predictability and use it to their organization’s advantage. However, the intentions behind organizational behaviour practices should be kept in sight before drawing such evaluations. Discussion Considering an organization with a de-motivated workforce may help one understand the ethical validation of this discipline. Such an organization would have paid employees who have each been designat ed specific tasks, each of which contribute to the organization’s performance and success. This is common amongst organizations that combine technology, creativity, and innovation in their operations. If the employees of such an organization lack motivation, their performance levels will be low, and predictably below the needed levels (Rashid, 2003, pp. 30-55). This would lead to failure of the organization, which could have several detrimental results, which could lead to employees losing their jobs and putting them at as much loss the organization. Thus, teaching a manager to remedy such a problem in a manner, which is beneficial for both the employee and the organization, is not exploitative. Furthermore, these theories do not try to manipulate an employee psychologically on a subconscious level. They do not aim to take advantage of the employee without realizing it, but rather offer this motivation at a conscious level, the influence of which is visible to the employees t hemselves. Other than Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning theory, most of the motivational theories operate on a conscious level and depend on the employees consciously reacting to the situation they are presented with (Huczynski and Buchanan, pp. 5-25). For example, bonus schemes are one of the most commonly used motivational techniques in a workplace. They offer the employee monetary and other similar forms of extra compensation for efficient and

Social networking is effecting students grades Essay

Social networking is effecting students grades - Essay Example The social networking regimes have therefore hurt the cause of education more than anything else and the ones who have been hit the hardest are the students themselves. This raises an interesting proposition altogether – why not regulate the usage of social networking by the students so they can concentrate more towards their studies and less on how to mingle with friends, acquaints and the like? There seem to be no answers to such issues. The students need to understand that the social networking elements and tools have been affecting their educational realms and now is the time to realize what is hurting them the most. The sooner they will wake up to such conclusions, the better it would be for their respective selves. However, what is unfortunate is the aspect of non-realization that social networking is providing them more worries than anything else, and now is the time to understand that they have to find a way to move ahead with the social linkages that they have develop ed over the Internet. What is even more worrying is the fact that these social networking tools have involved within them gaming elements that have literally taken away the concentration levels of the students, and given them an alternate path in the wake of spending their lives, their own way (Hitch, 2011). The social networking understandings within the students’ grades have been proven as true with the passage of time. The teachers, instructors and even parents have raised their voice against the tyranny that these social networking elements have created, which have literally impacted the students in more ways than one. There seems to be a great amount of anarchy within the related ranks, and the undue credit for the same does rest on the shoulders of the social networking websites, tools and programs. Since the social networking domains do not consider how the same would be taking charge of the students and their related folds, they are trying their best to introduce new and novel applications, programs and features. This will ensure that the social networking will remain as pivotal for the sake of the students, much more than what education does for their own good. This is a very unfortunate happening but it is taking place for a number of reasons that can be deemed as wrong more than anything else. The social networking does more harm than offering any solace to the young ones who are bound to go wrong in the face of severe competition that they receive at the hands of their colleagues and friends, as well as the technological mastery that the social networking websites and tools have to propose, day in and day out. Therefore how social networking is being manifested by the elders within the society is something to write home about (Sarachan, 2011). This has been made apparent through the different procedures that they have adopted to keep away the perils that come attached with the social networking elements and realms within the society. It is f or this reason that social networking is now being seen as a very dangerous metaphor within the terrains of the society as the students are the worst sufferers at the end of the day. In the end, it would be proper to state that the social networking issues should be tackled at the earliest. This will help resolve the disputes and conflicts that have come to the fore. It will also restore the confidence of the parents within their young ones who are

Public Adminstration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Adminstration - Essay Example However, this idea changes with a little exploration into the term and what it means. According to them, "Public means the citizens of a given area-the people of a town, county, state, or country. If an issue is considered in the public domain, information and discourse about that issue are available to the people and can be known to all. The word 'public' also refers to activities the state administers on behalf of the entire community" (Rouse & Berkley, 2003, pg. 4). Rouse and Berkley also let readers know that serving the people is the job of public administrators. "Organized collectives of citizens constitute a variety of public communities in the United States." These include national, state, and local governments, townships, state recreation areas, public utilities, school, sanitary, water districts, public libraries and parks, public defenders, public roadways, and public students (Rouse & Berkley, 2003, pg. 4). There is much debate regarding whether public administration should be considered a craft, art, or science. First it is essential to look at the definitions; a craft is "the skilled practice of a practical occupation or a skill in an occupation or trade" (Wikipedia, 2008, pg. 1). Art is a "skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation" (Wikipedia, 2008, pg. 1).

Family and the Sociological Theories Essay Example for Free

Family and the Sociological Theories Essay Since time immemorial, men have been petrified by sociology. The most basic definition of sociology is the study of human social behavior and grouping (Alexander, 1982). Sociology largely focuses on social relationships and the ramifications of these relationships on peoples’ behavior. There have been numerous attempts to understand and explain seemingly challenging situations in a society. These attempts constitute the various sociological theories which are geared towards giving explanations to the various phenomena in the society (Alexander, 1982). It is within the scope of this study to highlight on the impact of the sociological theories on the family institution. Introduction Sociological theories are sets of statements that endeavor to offer explanations to problems, phenomena, or human behavior (Alexander, 1982). Normally these theories are both explanatory and are versed with the ability to predict predictive on some occurrences in society. Essentially such a theory can assist in seeing the synergy among seemingly remote social phenomena (Turner, 2006). The family is the basic social institution and everyone belongs to one. The behaviors of the various family members in one family may be petrifying. There are various explanations of the various behaviors and phenomena in the family offered by the three sociological theories (Turner, 2006). The impacts of these behaviors as explained by the sociological theories are quite interesting and will be studied in this study. The sociological theories in mind are the functionalism, conflict, and interactionism theories. The events of the various members in the family can be sufficiently summarized by the explanations offered by these theories. It is from these events that the characteristics and roles of the various family members are based. This study will highlight the particular impact of each of theses theories on the family institution. Methodology Various relevant literary materials featuring research done on the subject of sociology and sociological theories are studied keenly in bid to reveal on the explanation of sociology and social behavior through the sociological theories. The data gathered and analyzed in the study is carefully studied to shed some light on the interesting history in the impact of the various theories on the occurrences witnessed in the family institution. The studies did not leave behind information which highlighted on the impact of these theories on the behaviors of individual family members and how they interact. The results are collected from these secondary sources, analyzed and presented using the trendiest of modern scientific methods. The interplay between the various sociological theories as they impact the family institution will be highlighted in the discussion part of this study. The conclusion part of the study will involve a recap of the issue of sociology and the sociological theories and the synergy between them. Literature Review Alexander (1982) portrays sociology as a very intricate area to comprehend as it has always being perceived by man. Sociology is perceived in the three major sociological theories. These theories postulate that the occurrences in the society can be summarized by the functionalism, conflict, and interactionism theories. Taking the case of the family institution, for instance, behaviors of the various family members and the phenomena in the family can be fully explained by the various sociological theories. According to the functionalism theory, the family is an anthology of interdependent parts which have a penchant toward a common goal. In the same institution there are functional necessities that must be met for it to survive (Alexander, 1982). The occurrence of some peculiar phenomena is for the purpose of serving a required function in the family (Turner, 1988). In this theory, society is likened to a living organism because both are made up of interdependent parts and systems which function in harmony for the overall functioning of the larger body. Most literary materials concur that each member of the family is pivotal in the ultimate of the successful family union. There are a number of criticisms of functionalism theory presented by some materials. There are several materials which view this theory as indistinct and lacking in sufficient methods. Despite the fact that there are a number of there a couple of materials offering criticism, this theory stands steadfast in explaining the phenomena (Turner, 1988). The conflict social theory contends that individuals and groups in a given society have various amounts of resources and that the more affluent social classes and individuals use their power to take advantage of groups with less power (Turner, 2006). This exploitation is largely through economics or by force. It is this disparity in the society which catalyses social disorder. In the family scenario, the theory is portrayed in the ensuing conflicts within the family members and its serves to offer explanation that this conflict is as a consequence of social conflicts in the family institution. There are a couple of materials which portray the family institution as revolving around the conflict perspective of sociology. In fact the essence of formation of the family is more often than not a function of the couples’ rebellion from the larger parent family (Turner, 2006). Interactionism is a sociological perspective in which human beings are surrounded by meaningful objects and symbols. These meaningful symbols include material things, events, fellow people, associations, and even plain symbols. These symbols are revered as superb and important in human communication. They carry with them common social meaning that is naturally understood and adored by all members of a society (Alexander, 1982). The case of the family presents such a situation where the members of the families are driven by the symbols known and respected by all in that family. The fact that the family as a social institution is made in the interactionism perspective makes the unit stronger and unwavering. For instance the children look up at the prowess of the parents and this fortifies the bond between them. Research Findings In summary the study revealed the following: first it was found that the various human behavior and phenomena are fully explained through the three major sociological theories (Alexander, 1982). In the family institution, functionalism theory is quite rife. It is the same theory which provides the essence of the various family members to continue being in the institution. Every member of the family is supposed to play some very vital role in the attainment of the common good of the family (Turner, 1988). The family life and phenomena is explained further by the social conflict theory. According to this theory the occurrences and events witnessed in the family are primarily caused by the struggles against conflicts in that family. This clearly defines the reserved feelings of each of the members of the family towards each other. Then there is the al important interactionism theory which defines largely the in built feelings of each family member. It is regarded that the family members have grounds of commonality which they look up to. Each one of the family members is deemed to be conversant with these unwritten laws governing the family. They al work and behave in manners likely to suggest that they are aiming at the same goals (Turner, 2006). Research Discussion This study has done tremendous work to highlight on the intriguing issue of unraveling the cause for sociology. In the family institution, the theory of functionalism makes the family come up together in the first place (Alexander, 1982). At some age one feels that they need to have the responsibilities expected of him in the family by marrying. Those who attempt to alter the norm of the duo in the institution by adopting the single parent euphoria at the end of the day find it quite difficult. This follows the coming up of children since the society expects that. The parents look at the children as very important now and in their future old age. The children depend on the parents largely for basic and other needs. This realization makes the two groups stay in harmony since they need each other (Alexander, 1982). According to the social conflict theory, the family comes up in the first place owing to the need of the couple to move away from shared resources (Turner, 1988). They start their own home and live happily. This perspective explains the trend in divorce and such other attempts of reversing the union. They are a consequence of the conflicts in the family. The conflicts between the children and parents define sour relations where the children in this case are said to be unruly and rebellious (Alexander, 1982). The society sees such groups as erroneous without knowing the epicenter of the situation. Interactionism explains a great deal the respect parents command from their children. These children perceive their parents as symbols of success and therefore form a liking for them. Â  This perspective also explains the parents’ initiatives of introducing the children to healthy social ethics and institutions like the church and school. It is from these places where the children will learn to be responsible by heeding those generally accepted symbols (Turner, 2006). Conclusions From the discussion in the study, the behaviors of members of the society are best explained by the sociological theories (Alexander, 1982). Therefore, it is in order to conclude the family institution is largely dependent on the perspectives of sociological theory. These theories clearly and sufficiently explain the occurrences and the behavior of the various members of the family. The failure of each member to participate in the expected duty is quite consequential in determining the satisfaction level derived from the institution (Turner, 1988). References Alexander J. (1982). Theoretical logic in sociology. Abingdon Oxford: Taylor Francis. Turner J. (1988). A theory of social interaction. Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press. Turner J. (2006). Handbook of Sociological Theory. New York: Springer.

Theory of Migration and Cultural Constructions of Home

Theory of Migration and Cultural Constructions of Home Defining the place called home has proven to be a challenge for many since it is highly subjective amongst individuals. Home is not merely the physical space occupied by the family members; it is a feeling. A mental and deep emotional connection of the physical space to the experiences and memories tied to the thought of home (Douglas). These are largely formed during the childhood years and needless to say, these remain to be a part of our lives forever more. Even with the creeping need to change areas of residence due to the dynamic nature of our lives today, to a large extent the place we found ourselves in the earliest days of our lives will almost always be home. Socially, the idea of home puts people in recognizable settings by associating them with certain social classes, certain religions, education levels and interests. Spatial or the geographic setting of home is the most outward. This usually refers to the city, town or area of residence. This is the kind of reference most people get when the term home is mentioned but there is a lot more to home than just the geographic location. However, this is relatable in circumstances whereby people are forcibly evicted not only from their homes but also from their locality. It can be argued that there lacks certainty of the perseverance of the natural settings of the so called home environs and the fact that boundaries can be shifted if and when need arises. However, forceful eviction from ones habitual place of residence is guaranteed to trigger the feeling of loss or oppression since it was not their call to move to a new area of residence. The fact that the shift from home is forced draws more conviction to the affected persons that they deserved to remain there. This is the case for refugees. Many being victims of civil wars, they are forced to run off to areas that are more peaceful and with access to conditions close to those they had in their homes before trouble erupted (UNHCR). Such individuals are forced to start life afresh against their will and intention. Adjusting to the life of being in makeshift structures or even if lucky to be provided with permanent areas of residence, is a challenge. This is because they have to tackle the issue of cultural adjustment in terms of language, religion, dressing and also the way of life. Such people never really get over the fact that they shall not return to their ancestral land and they stay alert to hear any opportunity for the return to their ancestral land. Inasmuch as they have the physical migration to what can be referred to as their new homes, their hearts will always remain in their ancestral land from which they w ere evicted (Kabachnik, Regulska and Mitchnek). Scientifically speaking, there is no connection between people and places. Even culture does not come naturally, it is acquired over time. Similarly, the emotional connection that people and their spatial homes develops over time. It is the repetition of daily practices over time that results to the deep connection. Over time, the achievements made, be it in terms of buildings and investments or simply career development. The milestones achieved from the inception of the unit called home create deep emotional connection that takes time to break off. As a matter of fact some of these ties cannot be broken however much time they put into forgetting their past and moving on. Massey(Massey), suggests that human beings understand space as a product of correlation. One that is constantly under construction that acquires meaning through the interaction of people with their places. This goes to show that home is not just a place, it is a journey through which the meaning is discovered and de ep ties are made making it the epicenter of the entire universe. The common misconception of home being the house you dwelt in arises from the fact that the house is the unit whereby the experiences were lived and relationships developed. Buildings have been said to bear the capacity to hold memories and therefore even with the thought of home being a culmination of the spatial locality and the specific place of residence, the latter tends to have more emotional affiliation with the individuals. Refugees have hence been known to tag along certain items that serve as a reminder of the place they called home. Some have persistently held onto their title deeds or keys to their houses perhaps to give themselves the hope that they shall return some day or for the mere solace of holding their memories close in the middle of the most uncertain of circumstances. Moving to start new lives, refugees like most other people attempt to recreate or come up with the closest imitation to what they had really known home to be. This could be spatial or in aspects c lose to what their house was. Women have particularly been shown to hold on to the idea of home as opposed to their male counterparts that would take a relatively   shorter time to adjust and get going with a new way of life. They tend to rearrange furniture in the same design that home was and attempt to purchase household items that are close to what was in their homes. This shows just how much effect the place called home has on us psychologically (Koser). Children are not left behind in the process of realignment. As a matter of fact, they suffer the kind of trauma they are at risk of tagging along with for the rest of their lives. Case in time are the children that are displaced from their homes during times of political unrest and are of age such that they already had their interaction with the environment and had formed unique likings of certain places and occurrences. Such children will always struggle to relive their old experiences. They could blame their parents for wit hdrawing them from their favorite playgrounds, taking away their friends or even changing schools. These fail to understand the intricacies of the surrounding occurrences hence may never get over the psychological trauma. They find trouble adjusting to the new home environment and it is not uncommon for such individuals to carry along certain psychological disturbances all along their lives. In future, such always try to go back to the drawing board in search of answers and to probably finish off the adventure they believe deserved to end and in a particularly remarkable way. In conclusion, home is a space that is dear to us all in our hearts. It is more than just the locality and the building of residence, rather it is a journey of events; constantly dynamic and albeit challenging at times, it is absolutely rewarding. With this in mind, it is possible to understand the struggle faced by refugees in their quest to adjust to new home environments. Home is almost irreplaceable but over time, with a focused mindset, it is indeed possible to adjust to new environment. References Douglas, M. The idea of home: A kind of space. 1991. Kabachnik, P, J Regulska and B Mitchnek. Where and when is home? Journal of Refugee (2010): 315-336. Koser, K. New Approaches to Migration? Transnational Communities and the Transformation of Home. London, 2002. Massey, D. For Space. London, 2005. UNHCR. The State of the Worlds Refugees: Human Displacement in the New. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

The Quantum Of Continuity :: essays research papers

<a href="http://philosophos.tripod.com">http://philosophos.tripod.com The problem of continuum versus discreteness seems to be related to the issue of infinity and finiteness. The number of points in a line served as the logical floodgate which led to the development of Set Theory by Cantor at the end of the 19th century. It took almost another century to demonstrate the problematic nature of some of Cantor's thinking (Cohen completed Godel's work in 1963). But continuity can be finite and the connection is, most times, misleading rather than illuminating. Intuition tells us that the world is continuous and contiguous. This seems to be a state of things which is devoid of characteristics other than its very existence. And yet, whenever we direct the microscope of scientific discipline at the world, we encounter quantized, segregated, distinct and discrete pictures. This atomization seems to be the natural state of things - why did evolution resort to the false perception of continuum? And how can a machine which is bound to be discrete by virtue of its "naturalness" - the brain - perceive a continuum? The continuum is an external, mental category which is imposed by us on our observations and on the resulting data. It serves as an idealized approximation of reality, a model which is asymptotic to the Universe "as it is". It gives rise to the concepts of quality, emergence, function, derivation, influence (force), interaction, fields, (quantum) measurement, processes and a host of other holistic ways of relating to our environment. The other pole, the quantized model of the world conveniently gives rise to the complementary set of concepts : quantity, causality, observation, (classic) measurement, language, events, quants, units and so on. The private, macroscopic, low velocity instances of our physical descriptions of the universe (theories) tend to be continuous. Newtonian time is equated to a river. Space is a yarn. Einstein was the last classicist (relativity just means that no classical observer has any preference over another in formulating the laws of physics and in performing measurements). His space-time is a four dimensional continuum. What commenced as a matter of mathematical convenience was transformed into a hallowed doctrine : homogeneity, isotropy, symmetry became enshrined as the cornerstones of an almost religious outlook ("God does not play dice"). These were assumed to be "objective", "observer independent" qualities of the Universe. There was supposed to be no preferred direction, no clustering of mass or of energy, no time, charge, or parity asymmetry in elementary particles.

Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince Essay -- Machiaveli Prince Power Essa

Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince examines the nature of power and his views of power are still somewhat in existence today. I'll discuss this in this essay, emphasizing the following theses. Machiavelli discusses power over the people, dictatorial power, and power with people, shared power. While it is possible for power with to attain greater prevalence in society, it will not completely eliminate power over. In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses two distinct groups of people, the political elite, including nobles and other princes, and the general public. Today in the United States, the first group, the political elite, includes political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders and the leaders of strong lobbying groups. The composition of the general public has changed little from Machiavelli's time. Machiavelli concentrates on relations between the prince and the political elite. He claims that ambition and dictatorial power drive most nobles and princes. A prince must act with dictatorial power in order to maintain his position. Machiavelli assumes that shared power will not be effective with nobles, since "whether men bear affection depends on themselves, but whether they are afraid will depend on what the ruler does" (Machiavelli, p.60-61). Since the nobles are unforgiving and greedy it would be dangerous if not downright suicidal for a prince to rely on their good will. Equally important, Machiavelli states that a prince, a political leader, has different concerns than the general public. For a prince personal actions, which would be considered immoral or unvirtuous, may save lives or help the prince's country. In this way a prince is not immoral, but instead acts with a morality different in nature from the general public. Machiavelli gives several examples of this. Miserliness is considered a fault. Yet, a miserly prince "will come to be considered more generous when it is realized that his revenues are sufficient to defend himself against enemies that attack him, and to undertake campaigns without imposing special taxes on the people" (p.56). Likewise, starting a war is considered an immoral act by many. Yet, a prince should not allow troubles "to develop in order to avoid fighting a war for wars can not really be avoided, but are merely postponed to the advantage of others" (p.11). Avoiding war may ... ... the ugly political process preceding the results has overshadowed positive results like a lower deficit and improved economy. Clinton is neither feared nor loved by his political opposition, making it difficult for him to produce results without great struggles. The one result remembered by many is that Clinton raised taxes, taking away their property. Thus, Clinton has had difficulty with both appearances and results. One might say that in addition to power, a prince in relations needs political skill with the public. For a politician weaving a good story of one's accomplishments is more important than the accomplishments themselves. Machiavelli's idea of power and how it should be handles as he describes in The Prince can still be used to examine the present. While it's possible to see only the negative uses of power, one can also see the potential for power to promote the common good. Machiavelli would argue that attending to the common good is in a prince's best interests, since it gains the support of the people, something more valuable than any fortress or other expression of power. Works Cited: Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. England: Penguin Classics, 1981.

Multicultural Management in the Virtual Project Setting

MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT IN THE VIRTUAL PROJECT SETTING Carlos Galamba, University of Liverpool Introduction The Virtual Project Setting In today’s globalisation era, effective cross-cultural management of virtual teams is an emerging subject in international business literature and practice. Virtual teaming has a number of potential benefits; not only in terms of human resources flexibility but it can also reduce the operating costs of one organisation. On the other hand, the challenges of such environment should not be undermined. Many scholars have attempted to analyse the impact of virtual work in a number of factors such as communication, leadership, trust, decision-making and productivity (Symons and Stenzel, 2007), while others were particularly concerned with the management of geographically dispersed units and therefore addressed the challenges of working with time zone differences and culturally diverse groups (Ardichvili et al. , 2006). The findings are very interesting and the business literature appears to agree that the virtual project setting is somehow different from face-to-face working and more important it brings some unique challenges. This project will review the literature under these headings and explore the critical issues regarding cross-cultural management in the virtual project setting. Based on the theoretical framework for virtual teaming I will attempt to outline solutions and establish a set of best practices for effective international management of such environments. Managing the virtual environment Critical issues The emerging number of virtual teams is a reality in the global market place. The virtual project setting allows organisations to assign the most skilled individuals to projects across the globe, with less concern for travel or elocation expenses, which improves productivity (Rorive and Xhauflair,  2004). However the challenges of managing culturally and geographically diverse teams must not be undermined. Some of the problems and critical issues arise in different areas such as: communication, technology, synergy among team members, culture and time zone differences (Grosse, 2002; Kuruppu arachchi, 2009). In the next pages I will discuss these issues and review the current literature and theoretical framework to outline possible solutions. |COMMUNICATION | |ISSUE |In the bigger picture the most critical factor with regards to communication is the language barrier. Effective | | |communication can be affected when team members speak different native languages. For instance, Bakbone Software, a US| | |company faced communication problems when Japanese workers were employed in their virtual team, due to their flawless | | |English (Alexander, 2000). | |Nevertheless, some cultures prefer a more formal communication than others, and managers must pay special attention to| | |individual needs. There are a number of communication platforms available, such as phone, email, chat and | | |video-conferencing. Selecting the most appropriate method for a virtual project setting is critical for the project’s | | |success. Ardichvili et al. (2006) found significant differen ces in the preferred methods of communication of Russian | | |and Chinese team members. The former are comfortable with email communication whilst the second would rather prefer | | |face-to-face or phone calls. These findings seem to support the distinction between high and low-context cultures | | |established by Hall (1981). | |SOLUTION |A valuable strategy to deal with communication challenges can be achieved by understanding and identifying everyone’s | | |strengths and backgrounds. By recognising different levels of expertise, skills and experience among team members, | | |virtual team leaders can distribute the workload accordingly. | |Lipnack and Stamps (1999), posit three basic steps to overcome obstacles to communication: listening skills, respect | | |and patience. | | |TECHNOLOGY | |ISSUE |The available technology is another critical factor for virtual teams. It is essential that an equal access to | | |technology can be guaranteed to all team members, otherwise productivity can be compromised (Kuruppuarachchi, 2009). | |Broadband services are not ava ilable in every location and some regions may experience slower internet speed than | | |others or may have incompatible networks | |SOLUTION |Ardichvili et al. (2006) posit that the start of the project is crucial and moreover team leaders must choose the most| | |appropriate computer-mediated technology that best suits the needs of team members. One that can be readily available | | |to all users and therefore potential problems in the use of technology must be identified before the virtual project | | |takes place. | | |CULTURE | |ISSUE |Individualism-collectivism is one of the biggest dimensions of cultural variability. The findings by Gudykunst (1997) | | |and Hofstede (1980) suggest that team members from collectivist cultures are less ready to trust others than those | | |from individualistic cultures. | | |Chow et al. (2000) established that individualistic and collectivist cultures make a sharp differentiation between | | |in-group and out-group members, with regards to knowledge sharing. For example, Chinese managers are found to be more | | |reluctant in sharing knowledge with an out-group member when compared to Americans. |SOLUTION |With regards to culture, many scholars agree that cultural awareness is the most effective solution to minimize the | | |negative effects of cross-cultural differences (Mead and Andrews, 2009). Ardichvili et al. (2006) emphasise that | | |leadership must facilitate an environment of cultural adaptation in order to create a unique competitive advantage. | | |Therefore it is essential that managers have the ability to channel culturally-determined behaviours and d ifferent | | |expectations into rich outputs. | |SYNERGY | |ISSUE |To communicate across cultures it is essential that managers can foster an environment of trust and understanding. | | |Several factors, such as repeated interactions, shared experiences and shared social norms, have been found to | | |facilitate the development of trust (Mayer et al. 1995). Many scholars also argue that face-to-face encounters are | | |irreplaceable when it comes to building trust (Ardichvili et al. , 2006). |SOLUTION |Following Ardichvili et al. (2006) findings, it appears essential that virtual team leaders make personal meetings | | |possible, because face-to-face encounters are one of the most critical factors for trust building, particularly at the| | |beginning of the team’s existence. This has been found to be essential in many cases of virtual teams, like Ericsson | | |in China (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008) and the virtual project of the New South Wales police in Australia (Peters and | | |Manz, 2007). | |Nevertheless, in the virtual project setting, this synergy may be difficult to maintain and it is therefore important | | |that virtual organisations consider activities that indirectly create trust, such as group and individual feedback | | |(Walker et al. , 2002 cited in Ardichvili et al. 2006). | | |TIME ZONE DIFFERENCES | |ISSUE |The problem of working in distant geographical locations arises for example when certain activities need to be | | |synchronized or when real time communication is critical for the project. Due to time zone differences, users may not | | |be able to exchange information instantly. For example, the US company BakBone software, faced some challenges in the | | |coordination of its Israeli and US teams, because they have a 7 hour time difference between them (Alexander, 2000). | |SOLUTION |Precise coordination processes can help conquer time-related challenges and help increase production outcomes. | | |Planning of schedules and tasks appears to reduce repetition in discussion (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008). This | | |planning should also be organic, particularly if disruption of planned activities takes place. Additionally, virtual | | |team leaders must ensure that all team members are aware of time-zone differences so that they can plan ahead the best| | |time for communication. | | |Microsoft for example, has overcome some of these issues by using a 24 hour service in some of their virtual teams | | |(Alexander, 2000). | Ethical implications Lee (2009) describes e-ethics as the ethical leadership that is required in the virtual project setting. The need to address ethical issues in virtual teams has increased over the years and appears to be more important in the international business environment. The literature over this subject appears to agree that there is a clear distinction between the issues raised within this new virtual design when compared to more traditional organisations (Lee, 2009). Therefore, based on the problems and solutions identified before, for the multicultural management in the virtual project setting, I will now attempt to review the ethical implications of such issues. Based on the work developed by Lee (2009) I agree that ethic leadership is ultimately the responsibility of the project manager (p. 457). It is up to the leader to ensure that an ethical environment can be followed by the users at all times, and moreover that environment must be encouraged in the organisational design of the virtual project setting. Cranford (1996) highlights that the use of computers that are in different geographic locations can affect the communicative behaviour of the users involved. For instance, the absence of face-to-face interactions can encourage a more aggressive and disrespectful behaviour. Therefore it is up to the project leader to control this environment, and monitor any unethical behaviour as it can have a negative effect on trust and synergy among team members. Moreover, Lee (2009) agrees that it is essential that a code of ethics is available to all users, so that they understand what is acceptable or not in the virtual environment. Another issue identified in the literature regards the potential for social isolation in the virtual community (Lee, 2009), which in turn can affect motivation and commitment to the project. It is up to the project leader to ensure that all users are participative enough and avoid potential morale problems due to the lack of interaction. The latter has been found to be more noticeable in the virtual environment than in traditional organisations (Lee, 2009). There are a number of other ethical issues in the virtual environment, but the ones identified above appear to be those that are directly linked with working in cross-cultural virtual teams that lack face-to-face interaction. It is essential that leaders can effectively manage the unique ethical issues that arise in the virtual setting; in turn this will increase job satisfaction, efficiency and ultimately improve the service value. Case study BankCo Inc. as a result of a fusion of many multinational companies, as an attempt to create a global brand, with similar corporate identity and global standards. The virtual team members are based in many different countries and come from well distinct cultures, for example Greece, UK, Germany and Singapore. It has been suggested that any poor performance or project delays were not related to the virtual team itself, but mo reover were a result of cultural differences and communication problems (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008). For example, some groups considered the excessive number of conference calls to be unproductive and time-consuming. The critical issues Communication With regards to communication, the authors point out that the excessive number of emails, over a 100 per person per day, was seen as negative by many of the users, particularly in the Greek and UK teams problems (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008). It is suggested that this could be the result of a low-trust culture, where colleagues feel they have to preserve email communication if a dispute takes place, for example. The excessive number of emails also meant that they could not be fully tracked or even read sometimes. The company used video-conference as a replacement for face-to-face interaction, however staff felt that many of these conference calls were very long and unnecessary (over 8 hours in some cases). As suggested in the literature, the business language used can be a challenge for non native speakers, however this was not the case for the team in Singapore, due to their superior command of the English language. In the case of BankCo Inc. this was actually more problematic amongst Germany, Spain and Italy when they had to communicate in English. Also, despite the business language being English, BankCo Inc. as flexible enough to allow certain groups to discuss problems in their native language when interacting with each other, for example, in Singapore, this allowed easier explanation of concepts. Technology With regards to Technology, there were a number of tools available for communication. However, there were cases reported where users were not familiar with them. For example, with th e tool â€Å"Test Director†, created to identify and raise problems, many users were duplicating work, by using emails as a secondary way of raising these problems. The article by Lee-Kelley and Sankey (2008) emphasises that the challenges of technology could be resolved if managers addressed the training needs of the users involved, in a way to improve communication. Synergy among team members In the early stages of the project, it was reported that there was lack of clarity in responsibilities and roles, and therefore people were passing on the problems to others. Also, the authors pointed out that there was no obvious global project leader, which could have been seen by the users as lack of leadership and direction. The scholars highlight that cultural and temporal issues affected the building of trust. For example the UK and Greek teams showed some frustration by the East tendency to avoid answering a question fully. They also felt they could not rely on their Eastern counterparts to complete tasks, even if they were committed to do so. Senior management acknowledged the problem, and highlighted the need for more interaction and understanding. As a consequence, some positive steps were taken, for example by implementing more face-to-face meetings. Culture The authors pointed out that there was a difference in the work ethics between the West and the East, for example despite those in the West work very hard, the colleagues in the East worked longer and socially unaccepted hours. Another issue pointed out was the way that members in the team in Singapore would accept all change requests from senior management, even though they did not have the time to complete those tasks. They justified it as being part of their culture to not reject or disappoint any requests from someone higher in the hierarchy. However, the Western counterparts perceived this as inefficient and pointed out that â€Å"these guys are lying continuously† (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008, p. 60). Time zone differences With regards to this issue there were two different sides: some of the virtual team groups were working long hours, for example in Singapore to allow flexibility and problems to be picked up, even out of routine hours. On the other hand, the West assumed that they could then communicate with the East whenever they wanted to, and some problems arose when staff in Singapore was dealing with queries way past midnight. Conclusion By examining the critical issues regarding global virtual teams, this project offers significant insight to broaden our academic understanding of culturally and geographically distant virtual teams. An emergent perception that arises from this discussion is that the virtual project working has a set of unique characteristics that in turn create new challenges for international management. The findings in the case of BankCo Inc. also suggest that a variety of issues affect cross-cultural virtual teams, but on closer inspection, only cultural differences impacting on conflict and team elations, and time zones differences affecting coordination and communication, may be directly related with the temporal and geographical distance features of virtual teams. Lee-Kelley and Sankey (2008) highlight that the remaining factors, such as trust, technology, and communication are not unique to virtual teams, and can also be found in more conventional organisations. That being said, the ir presence should not be undermined, as it adds to the challenge found in the virtual project setting. For instance, communication as a traditional team issue can be magnified by cultural diversity and distance. Based on this discussion, I would consider the following as a set of best practices for the effective management of cross-cultural virtual teams: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ? Leaders must ensure that a functional language is adopted in the virtual project setting, one that fits the level of diversity of the virtual team. ? The organisation must provide guidelines for communication and adequate training with the relevant communication tools. ? Equal access to information must be assured for all members of one team. ? Recognise that technology is an enabler SYNERGY ? Encourage face-to-face encounters where possible, particularly at the beginning of the team existence. ? Good definition of roles. Leaders must clarify what is expected and what are the responsibilities of all team members and also ensure that members in one team are aware of each other’s responsibilities. ? Set clear, measurable and achievable goals ? Provide constructive feedback VIRTUALLY MINIMIZE TIME-ZONE DIFFERENCES ? Encourage the planning of schedules and tasks. ? Consider the possibility of 24h services. Ensure that all team members are aware of time-zone differences amongst fellow colleagues CULTURAL AWARENESS ? Understand the different backgrounds and distinct cultures of all team members. ? Leaders must be able to predict potential areas of conflict due to cultural differences and prevent them from happening. ? Foster one organisational culture that promotes listening skills, respect and patience among culturally diverse workers. ? Value diversity The fut ure This project identified key areas for cross-cultural management and it represents a step towards more research regarding global virtual teams. Also it provides a more profound understanding of the managerial implications in the virtual project setting. One can argue that the use of virtual teams contribute to a borderless world, however a new set of borders appears to emerge from this particular environment. One that is well distinct from other, more conventional multinational corporations. This project demonstrated that the durability and future of the virtual project setting relies heavily on both the organisational capabilities and the individuals, and moreover that organisations cannot depend solely on their members to attain the organisational goals. Future research is encouraged to address the unique challenges of such organisational design, and contrast the effective leadership styles when face-to-face contact is hardly present. References ? Alexander, S. (2000) Virtual Teams Going Global, InfoWorld, 22(46): 55-56. ? Ardichvili, A. , Maurer, M. , Li, W. , Wentling, T. & Stuedemann, R. (2006) ‘Cultural influences on knowledge sharing through online communities of practice’, Journal of Knowledge Management, 10 (1), pp. 94–107 ? Cranford M. (1996) ‘The social trajectory of virtual reality: substantive ethics in a world without constraints’. Technol Soc; 18(1):79–92. ? Jarvenpaa, S, & Leidner, D (1999), ‘Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams', Organization Science, 10, 6, pp. 791-815, ? Kuruppuarachchi, PR (2009), ‘Virtual team concepts in projects: A case study', Project Management Journal, 40, 2, pp. 19-33 ? Lee, M. R. (2009) ‘E-ethical leadership for virtual project teams’, International Journal of Project Management, 27 (5), pp. 456-463 ? Lee-Kelley, L, & Sankey, T (2008), ‘Global virtual teams for value creation and project success: A case study', International Journal Of Project Management, 26, 1, pp. 1-62 ? Mead, R. & Andrews, T. G. (2009) International management. 4th ed. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. ? Peters, L. M. , & Manz, C. C. (2007). ‘Identifying antecedents of virtual team collaboration’. Team Performance Management, 13(3/4), 117–129. ? Rorive, B. et Xhauflair, V. ,  (2004),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What binds together virtual teams? Some an swers from three case studies†, in Reddy, S. (Ed. ), Virtual teams: concepts and applications, India, ICFAI University Press, pp. 132-140. ? Symons, J. & Stenzel, C. 2007) ‘Virtually borderless: an examination of culture in virtual teaming’, Journal of General Management, 32 (3), pp. 1-17 ? Hall, E. T. (1981), Beyond Culture, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday. ? Lipnack, J. and Stamps, J. (1999), `Virtual Teams', Executive Excellence, Vol. 16, No. 5, pp. 14-15. ? Grosse, C (2002), ‘Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams', Business Communication Quarterly, 65, 4, pp. 22-38 ? Mayer, R. C, Davis J. H. , Schoorman F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organization trust. Acad. Management Rev. 20 (3), pp. 709- 734 ? Hofstede G. 1980), Culture's Consequence: International Diâ‚ ¬erences in Work-related Values, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. ? Gudykunst, W. B. 1997. Cultural variability in communication. Comm. Res. 24 (4) 327-348. ——à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ OPENING CASE: BANKCO INC. BankCo Inc. is a large consumer bank that is truly global, with branches in more than 100 countries (Lee-Kelley and Sankey, 2008). By being present in distinct geographic areas (Africa, Europe and Middle East), this is a great example of a virtual organisation that faced unique challenges and more important, it includes all of the critical issues identified above. Team relations and communication were affected by both time zone and more important, cultural differences. Also, I will use this case study as a reference for establishing a set of best practices for â€Å"management in the virtual project setting† for two reasons: 1. It incorporates cross-cultural management of geographically and culturally distant units. 2. The company achieved an outstanding level of success in terms of budget, time and value delivery.