Virtual Norms To Live By Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virtual Norms To Live By - Case Study Example The virtual world makes it possible to interact with each other without being physically present. The availability of email, chat rooms, video conferencing, texting and calling on mobile and landline phones makes virtual collaboration more convenient. As it is with groups working face-to face, virtual teams also need norms to live by. Karten (2003) explains that team norms should be formed in order for team members to be guided accordingly as to how they interact, communicate and conduct themselves as members of the team. It follows that such norms should be agreed upon and clearly understood and interpreted by all the members of the group. Norms are not really set in stone. Should some norms prove to be ineffective or unsuitable already to the group, then they may be amended. I have enumerated ten norms that I believe will work with virtual teams and help them work together better. Communication Norms 1. Be open to each other’s ideas. Give each other the chance to communicate them and listen well without judgment. Objectively listening to other people’s ideas can actually be an enriching experience. Richmond & McCroskey (2005) defines organizational communication as â€Å"the process by which individuals stimulate meaning in the minds of other individuals by means of verbal or nonverbal messages in the context of a formal organization.† (P. 20). ... When one sends a message to another team member, it may be possible that the recipient is not online to receive the message at that particular moment, so the sender needs to give allowance of time before his message is received and acknowledged. It must be considered that members are not online on a round-the-clock basis and is also living a life offline that is has no relation to the project. This should be clearly understood so that disappointments are avoided. If there is an urgent message to be expected, one should be informed by mobile phone right away so he can check his email. 3. Acknowledge receipt of messages. In relation to the previous communication norm, it is but polite to acknowledge the receipt of a message so that the sender is aware. If there is a question in the message, it needs to be answered by the recipient as soon as he can so there is less time wasted on waiting. 4. Ask questions if things are not clear. This is a very basic practice. Members should not be int imidated to ask questions because it is crucial that they are clear on what they should do. If one is unsure of what to do and just goes by what he just feels is right without clarifying with the others, he might end up doing it wrong, hence, repeating the whole process. Asking questions and getting the right answers for it saves the team a lot of time and effort. 5. Always be motivating to others. Members of a team should be constantly motivated and encouraged to go on with the tasks in order to achieve the set goals. Motivation may come in many forms - intrinsic motivation or the inner drive to learn which leads to personal fulfillment; extrinsic motivation, which consists of rewards or a prize for

Art and Culture issues in oxford cowley road Essay

Art and Culture issues in oxford cowley road - Essay Example The tradition of celebrating the Cowley Road Carnival started in 2001. It was a regeneration project. Before the Carnival project, the Cowley Road had a notorious image of crime. It was the local communities demand to cleanse the Cowley Road from the negative impact through East Oxford Action’s regeneration programme. Since then, the Carnival has become a regular practice for the regeneration of the area (seco). The Cowley Road has become a place for art and culture exhibition openly. According to Marcusen (2006), artists are not evenly scattered in cities, their distribution depends on their choices to live, employment opportunities in industries like media, advertising and publishing and keen interest taken by local authorities to support art work for its development. Artists add to the regional economic growth by exporting their art work and creating opportunities for import functions from other cities and areas to their city. Smaller performing art spaces also play a significant part in expansion of art work to other areas. A group of artists get formed in such urban spaces where local art flourishes and gets a place in economy of the region (p.1). It seems so true of the experience the Cowley Road Carnival of cultural show is giving to the ethnic communities there. The Cowley Road Carnival attends to local communities’ aspirations by contributing to specific themes and resolving of certain issues, which have become a priority. Issues and themes include: The carnival has become a symbol of local peoples’ tolerance of each other communities with the celebration of their feelings through the multicultural show. The carnival has become a raging success because of the collaborative support from the people, groups, schools and local organisations, representing art and culture but where from these artists come? (seco, 2010) In this context, it is argued by social theorists that artists are the soul of society, attacking aggressively

Capitalist Economy Essay Example for Free

Capitalist Economy Essay The right of private property means that productive factors such as land, factories, machinery, mines etc. are under private ownership. The owners of these factors are free to use them in the manner in which they like. The government may; however, put some restrictions for the benefit of the society in general; Freedom of enterprise: This means that everybody engages in any economic activity he likes. More specifically he is free to set up any firm to produce goods. Freedom of choice for the consumers: This means that people in a capitalist economy are free to spend their income as they desire. This is known as consumer sovereignty. Consumers are sovereign in the sense that producers produce only those goods which consumers are willing to buy. Profit motive: In a capitalist economy, it is the profit motive which forces or induces people to work and produce; Competition: Competition prevails among the sellers to sell their goods and among buyers to obtain goods to satisfy their wants. Advertisement, price cutting, discount etc., are found to be the normal methods of competition in any capitalist economy. Inequalities of incomes: There is generally a wide gap of income between the rich and the poor in the income which mainly arises due to unequal distribution of property in such economies. Merits of capitalist economy: The following are the merits of capitalist economy: 1.To attract the consumer, the producer is in a position to bring out newer and finer varieties of goods; 2.The existence of private property and the driving force of profit motive results in high standard of living; 3.Capitalism works automatically through the price mechanism; 4.The freedom of enterprise results in maximum efficiency in production; 5.All activities under capitalism enjoy the maximum amount of liberty and freedom; 6.Under capitalism freedom of choice brings maximum satisfaction to consumers; 7.Capitalism preserves fundamental rights such as right to freedom and right to private property; 8.It rewards men of initiative and enterprise; Country as a whole benefits through growth of business talents, development of research etc., Demerits of capitalism: The following are the demerits of capitalism: 1.In capitalism the enormous wealth produced is apportioned by a few. This causes rich richer and poor, poorer; 2.Welfare is not protected under capitalism, because here the aim is profit and not the welfare of the people; 3.Economic instability in terms of over production, economic depression, unemployment etc., is very common under capitalism; 4.The producer spends huge amounts of money on advertisement and sale promotion activities like fairs, exhibitions etc., 5.Class conflict arises between employer and employee and they will be paid low wages and this leads to strikes and lock outs; 6.Productive resources are misused under capitalism and they are used for the production on luxuries as they are bound to bring high profits; 7.Capitalism leads to the formation of monopolies and 8.There is no security of employment for the workers and employees under capitalism. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/economics-homework-help/

Direct and Indirect Impacts on Health in New Zealand

Direct and Indirect Impacts on Health in New Zealand Nina Grace A. Martinez ASSESSMENT 2 This report is about the different direct and indirect impacts on health in New Zealand and in which these determinants will affect the inequalities in health. Determinant Factors In order to improve the health status of the population and reduce health inequalities in New Zealand, it is important to identify and understand the main factors that protect and promote good health. These factors are known as the determinants of health. Some of these factors are income and poverty, employment and occupation, education, housing, and culture and ethnicity. Social networking is also a factor and of increasing interest. There is now good evidence that social, cultural and economic factors are the most important determinants of good health. Demographic distribution There are 4,579,228 people in total here in New Zealand. It is estimated that there is an increase of one person every 5 minutes. Statistically, there is 1 birth in every 8 minutes and 49 seconds, 1 death in every 19 minutes and 2 seconds and a net migration in every 8 minutes and 25 seconds. For life expectancy, statistically more females live longer than males, approximately 83% females and 79% males. This is due to the higher number of males who are introduced early to smoking, alcohol and drugs. It happens even within the family, inside their own houses wherein, as narrated by you (Ms. Alma Villanueva), that a seven (7) year old child, if I’m not mistaken, was already been using drugs. Income Income is the most important determinant of health and is strongly related to health and well-being. On average, household income in New Zealand declined between 1981 and 1993, with single parent, Maori and Pacific households experiencing the greatest income reductions. The link between poverty and ill health is clear; with exemptions like the most financially incapable families experience the highest rates of illness and premature death. Greater income inequality within society may also be associated with increased overall mortality. Both poverty and income inequalities increased in New Zealand over the past decade. Having less income will lessen an individual or families access to health care. All other problems correlate with low income household. A person will be hesitant to seek for any medical treatment fearing what the cost might be. He or she is more concern on what to put on the table. Employment Employment also plays a particular part in health. Income and employment goes hand in hand as a determinant for health. When a person is unemployed, obviously he or she has a low income or none at all. This will be a factor for him or her to even sustain for him or herself more so with the access to health if he or she is ill. Employment not only affects a person’s physical health but also his or her mental health because being unemployed may bring depression and other psychological ailments due to lack of food and any means to sustain his or her health and well-being and limited or no access to health care services. Even though it is important to have jobs for good health, there are also some occupation related risks that can jeopardize an individual’s health and well-being like causing him or her injuries while at work. Education Low level of education is associated with poor health. Education goes alongside with income and employment as it determines one’s status in society and economy. Having good or higher educational level will make one more productive in terms of having a job and making more income thus more literate and are able to comprehend with any medical treatments needed for one’s well-being and health. Educated people can make healthier decisions in life about health-related habits such as diet and exercise. Statistically speaking, around 20% of New Zealand adults have poor literacy skills. Housing Houses here in New Zealand are very expensive. The high cost of houses is making it difficult for families with low income to budget their expenses for food, education, transport and health services. Because of the high cost of houses, families tend to overcrowd in one house thus making them more susceptible to diseases like respiratory infection or meningococcal disease. Culture and Ethnicity/Traditions/Religious beliefs Cultural factors have its positive and negative influence on health. Like for example, Maoris have a higher number of mortality rate than in New Zealanders because Maoris are more passive in their attitude towards health and most of them lack education and some have no jobs at all thus they have no access to health care services. Maori people experience more health problems thus their mortality and morbidity rates are higher compared to non-Maoris. These are all due to poor socioeconomic status. Some cultures also have their different ways of treating or dealing with any physical ailments. Like for example in my home country, the Philippines, we have different traditions or cultural practices in dealing with illnesses. One of which is consulting a â€Å"quack doctor† or faith healer wherein this particular faith healer is said to be an expert in curing any unexplainable illness. We Filipinos are believers of the supernatural beings in this world. Especially those who are on a below-average familial status, they are those that strongly believe in faith healers or the supernatural beings. For them, any illness is associated with â€Å"na engkanto† or witchcraft. That being said, any traditions or cultural practices has its impacts on health. Consulting faith healers or others with no medical background or knowledge will delay treatment or even cause further damage or worst, death, to patients because of malpractice. Another thing besides culture and tradition is religion. Religion plays a role in health as well. Some religious groups practice differently towards health. For example, Jehovah’s Witness people, they are not allowed to receive any blood transfusion, even if this will prolong the life of the person, still it is not allowed because it will be against their religious practice. Social Networking/Social Cohesion People with strong family, community and cultural ties have better health than people who are socially isolated. Socially isolated people are more prone to having mental or psychological problems. These people include single parent families, people with mental illness, people who are unemployed and those who are living alone and who are old. Being isolated from society or the community is depressing, making one vulnerable to any harm possible. Political Values Making policy that influence health is important. The New Zealand government is responsible for it. A policy about health and well-being of the community is very critical. These policies differ from country to country. One of the policies here in New Zealand is the National Drug Policy wherein its aim is to reduce or limit the supply and use of harmful drug related substances like alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. With this policy, the people of New Zealand are now more aware of its effects and consequences if they use or consume such harmful drugs or alcohol. This policy is pro health and enhancement of the people’s well-being. Public Attitudes on health Attitude is a person’s way of thinking or what he or she feels towards something or maybe even someone. An individual’s value is the backbone of his or her attitude. However he or she perceives health is completely because of how she or he views it. Behavior on the other hand is how that person acts or reacts to a particular situation. It is also influenced by the attitude that person has. It is known that New Zealand is a multicultural country. There is a mix of every race and ethnicity in New Zealand thus, each and every ethnicity, race or culture has its own beliefs and practices on health, and each has its own perception or attitude towards health. For example, the Maori people, majority of them are not educated; therefore most of them are illiterate thus making them unaware of what are the benefits of having access to health care services. Another example is the Pacific Islanders, wherein they believe that smoking cessation must come from within, meaning that there should not be any assistance from any programmes of the Ministry of Health to help someone, from the Pacific Islander group, to quit smoking. Others, however, are more aware of what illness and health is. Like the non-Maoris or other New Zealanders and even the migrants, because they are more educated and knowledgeable as to what illness can do to them and how important health is to all. Awareness is the key to good health and well-being of a person. However, for some who are aware, still there are hesitations to access health services because of the cost. Cost of the medical consultation and the medication. Another factor is the lack of availability or time to seek treatment. These are all due to the different determinant factors affecting health and well-being. The Maoris and Pacific Islanders or other ethnic groups that lack awareness should be taught of the importance of health. Make them aware of its effects and consequences if they do not access health care service when they are sick. Like for example the importance of immunization that provides protection from communicable diseases. Also the importance of screening programmes for Cancer for example. Screening is highly important to detect potential problems at an early stage especially with asymptomatic people. It can also provide or offer effective interventions. Awareness and prevention is key to a healthy well-being of a person. To access health, the people must first know that health services do exist. Health is strongly influence by a wide range of cultural, social, economic and environmental factors here in New Zealand. A person’s income, education, ethnicity, culture and social status can be very influential with his or her health and well-being. Without income and employment there will be issues concerning his or her basic needs, access to health, transportation and other needs. One must be educated to ensure jobs. Poverty and unemployment is rampant in New Zealand despite the booming outlook of its country. The government plays a vital role in formulating laws or policies derived from national and international laws that will then benefit or help the poor and unemployed people of New Zealand by subsidizing health services, providing free houses and free education for children of poor families. Prioritizing health on the agenda of the public policy will make the public more aware of the significance of health on the government and policy maker’s decisions. The participation of the public to the policy is a very strong factor to determine the success of the policy. Bibliography Health and Pacific Peoples in New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from Statistics New Zealand: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/pacific_peoples/pacific-progress-health/influences-on-health-well-being.aspx The National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability. (1998). The social, cultural and economic determinants of health in New Zealand: Action to Improve Health.

A Simple Change Altering the Face of the Game :: Essays Papers

A Simple Change Altering the Face of the Game Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today. Each day, it seems that I meet a new person who has never even seen it played, or in many cases, has never even heard of it. It is a sport that in some areas, such as the East Coast, is very popular and well-known. However, here in the West it is a sport that is growing quickly. As a Women’s Lacrosse player, as well as a referee of the game, I see two completely different perspectives of how it is played. In September of this year, a rule was added that creates hard boundaries and will drastically change Women’s Lacrosse. Throughout this paper, I will explain what has changed, how the game has been impacted, the effect on all of the people involved, and how I feel about the rule. The rule that has changed has to do with the hard boundaries, and I will explain what this means. Before I explain this rule, one must know about a rule that is unique to women’s lacrosse. This is that every time the referee blows a whistle, no matter where a player is, they must freeze in their tracks and they are not allowed to move until the whistle is blown again. Now, moving on, the original boundary rule in women’s lacrosse was that basically, there were no boundaries. Meaning that if the ball went â€Å"out of bounds,† it was whoever got to the ball first and the possession was the referee’s decision. When I say â€Å"out of bounds,† it signifies that if people were going to run into fans or if they were going to run into some near obstacles, such as fences. So the boundaries consisted of physical objects as opposed to lines. There has always been a line marking the boundaries, however, it was just a guideline, and if one went out of it, the referee would just have them bring it back in. Therefore, the difference is that a hard boundary is a set and definite line. If the ball goes out of bounds now, it is the opposite teams ball, for whoever causes it to go out of bounds or touches it last before it crosses the line is at fault. However, when a shot is taken wide, it is whichever team that gets there first who gains the possession.

Matelda ?a Lady Moved by Love? :: essays research papers

In Dante’s Divina Commedia, he takes on a journey with unforgettable characters, from the poets from antiquity, demons, giants, and finally too famous saints. Dante’s and the character interaction with them are what make this story. They are the legs on which this work was able to stand for so many years as a masterpiece. It was the characters that I most enjoyed it this work, you find yourself loving and hating the different shades you meet during Hell, the penitents of Purgatory and the saints of Heaven. The most developed characters we find in Commedia are Dante, Virgil and Beatrice. Yet there are several minor characters that if one looks more closely are just as interesting as our main stars. One such minor character is my favorite Matelda, and also a perfect example of Dante’s brilliance in characterization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matelda is a minor guide that helps Dante after Virgil disappears, and until Beatrice takes him to heaven (Cantos XXVIII- XXXIII). Although Matelda may look like a plain old static-stock character , her motives are pure, her actions consistent and she is plausible as a guardian angel type whose actions are moved by the Divine love in her. Dante the Character at this point in the story is about to leave the world literally and to meet his love Beatrice (who actually yells at him for his sin, before taking him to heaven). He has been left by his faithful guide, Virgil (which he doesn’t even notice at first has been gone for a few cantos) and finds himself in the hand of a loving and beautiful hands of Matelda.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matelda is a perfect guardian angel for Dante at this point in his journey, and faithful to helping him during this transition. Are her actions consistent? Yes. all are in line with Divine Love. We see this trough her actions. We first meet her she is the lovely creature that resides in the Garden of Eden. At Dante’s request she explains all of his questions. She guides him through the Garden and then washes him clean and helps him to drink from the rivers of memories, all after he gets reprimanded by Beatrice. All this is done out of Love, for it is ultimately Divine Love that motivates her, motives that are pure in guiding her charge. For example â€Å"Why are you so intent on looking only at those living lights? Have you no wish to see what comes behind?† This encouragement will help Dante to move forward to his goal. Yet I think it’s her purity of motives that make her a static character because

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude Essay

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude to â€Å"London†, and commenting on the differences and similarities in the way they write. In this following essay I will be comparing, contrasting and analysing two poems written in the 19th Century by two poets. The two poems that I will be analysing are called â€Å"London† and â€Å"Upon Westminster Bridge† written by William Wordsworth and William Blake. William Wordsworth was an English poet painter, born on November 28th, 1757. Blake spent the majority of his quiet life on the Southern Coast of England from 1800-1803. The exception of which was a short visit to Felpham. He died in 1827 at the age of 70. Like Blake, Wordworth was an English Romantic poet. He was born on April 7th, 1770 Wordsworth spent most of his life in the Lake District. In â€Å"London†, Blake talks about his disgust for London and how he feels a certain amount of sympathy for its inhabitants. In the first stanza Blake says â€Å"I wander thro’ each charter’d street†. This gives the implication that the city is a hug maze of streets and alleys. By using the word â€Å"wander† to describe his journey, the implication this has is that it is as though he was walking aimlessly through the city. It makes the reader see London through the eyes of Blake. Using this with the pronoun â€Å"I† makes it so much more of a personal encounter, and as the reader sees it through his eyes it is for them too. The effect that all of this has on the reader is that they feel as though Blake thought that there was no-where in London that was worthwhile visiting, showing how negative his feelings were towards the city. The word â€Å"charter’d† is repeated, this is done to remind the reader of the commercial nature of the city in the way that everything is owned. This is also emphasised on the next line of the stanza when Blake says, â€Å"where the charter’d Thames does flow†. This is implying that even the river is owned. The river can be interpreted as a symbol-life. Following a path set out for us, but only he finds depression along his way, again, showing the reader that he has lost a certain amount of faith in the city. In the same stanza he says â€Å"And mark in every face I meet†, by this he means that he is able to see the depression in the city, caused by poverty, greed among other things, all of which are effecting the rich and the poor. He repeats the word â€Å"mark† to reinforce the point that everywhere he is looking he can see symbolic â€Å"marks†. The use of the term â€Å"mark† also has another meaning, one of impurity, sins and scars, (which can be linked with comments later on in the poem). In this Blake may be using his technique of language to tell how, in his opinion, everybody in London is to blame for the condition, which it is was in. He comes from a lower middle class background; the son of a hosier and the tone of this poem expresses his awareness of the poverty around him â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woes. By using repetition in the first stanza, Blake makes the reader feel that as he walks â€Å"thro’ each charter’d street† he is viewing images that sicken him. In the second stanza, Blake is reminding the reader how the depression is affecting â€Å"every man†. Again he uses the technique of repletion to emphasise the word â€Å"every† reinforcing the idea of collectiveness and blame for the whole city. This reminds the reader that nobody is able to escape the conditions of the depression. In this stanza Blake talks about â€Å"ever Infant’s cry of fear†. This is suggesting that the children are afraid of what they have been born into, and fearing that there is no hope whatsoever for the future. Blake goes on to talk about this when he says that they have an almost certain chance of becoming chimney sweeps or prostitutes, before the age of twelve. By describing it like this Blake succeeds in shocking and depressing the reader. It is here too that he plays on the concept of childhood innocence. By mentioning the children here he evokes the concept of innocence but it is ironic that this poem contains no innocence of it’s own, at all. This suggests to the reader how truly desperate the children are, Blake suggests and blames the citizens of London for the state that it is in. He describes, â€Å"mind forg’d manacles†. This means that the only thing that is preventing the people from living happy lives is their negative and depressive ways of thinking. In the third stanza, Blake makes reference to the â€Å"Chimney-sweeper’s cry†. At the time he wrote this poem, young children, especially young boys, were sent up chimneys to clean them. Many got trapped and died there. By reminding the reader of these conditions he makes the reader realise how horrific these events were. In this he tries to emphasise what a terrible place London was. Blake links the sweepers to the church when he says â€Å"Every black’ning Church apalls.† He is saying that the church is tainting themselves by not defending the chimney-sweepers. By involving the church in this whole affair Blake brings to sight how deep this chain of corruption went with regards to authority. The coupling of the words â€Å"church† and â€Å"apalls† also has a similar effect, as they are two contrasting words. Blake simply means that the church is no full filling its role to comfort the needy and is instead turning a blind eye on the suffering. Blake believes that the church was part of the reason London was in such a state.