Implications of Space and Time for Distributed Work Essay

The study conducted by Suprateek Sarker and Sundeep Sahay aims to understand the effects of differences in terms of space and time based on observations done on an information systems development (ISD) project conducted by a virtual team. To accomplish the task, the researchers and coordinators observed several US-Norwegian systems development teams and gathered communication logs from the teams observed, from which they identified both the associated problems and strategies in terms of time and space related issues involved in the function of virtual teams (Sarker and Sahay 7). In terms of space, the problems identified were difficulties in communication, connection, trust, culture adaptation, and issues related to technology (Sarker and Sahay 8, 11, 13). Of course, there were also various methods identified which were utilized by the members of the virtual teams to compensate for such problems. For one, problems in terms of communication, connection, and trust were minimized through the proper use of a chat program as well as work documentation shown by members (Sarker and Sahay 11). In terms of cultural differences, the members were able to minimize the conflicts by being culturally sensitive and building rapport (Sarker and Sahay 12). Lastly, problems based on technology related aspects such as differences in skills, language, and infrastructure were dealt with through compromises, alternative methods of representation, and positively taking diversity into context (Sarker and Sahay 14). As mentioned, not only was space taken into consideration in the study but time as well. In this sense, two general problems associated with time were identified. The first one was that differences in time zones resulted in confusion as well as varying levels of activity and productivity due to the differences in the biological clock of the members; this was addressed through time conversion methods, deciding upon a more efficient time for work, and task allocation (Sarker and Sahay 16). The second obstacle associated with time was that there were conflicts in archiving message logs. In response to these conflicts, the members utilized a common method of messaging, and some teams even used a single terminal for communication purposes (Sarker and Sahay 17). In general, the study conducted was successful in identifying several challenges and solutions utilized by virtual teams. The researchers, however, have pointed out that the members of the virtual teams in the studies were mainly students. Hence, they may not be a good representation of virtual teams in a corporate sense (Sarker and Sahay 18). Even so, given the lack of information regarding such details about the functional processes of a virtual team even with a generally praised concept (Sarker and Sahay 3), the findings derived in the study are definitely of importance especially for the further understanding of virtual teams. Work Cited Sarker, Suprateek and Sundeep Sahay. â€Å"Implications of Space and Time for Distributed Work: an Interpretative Study of US-Norwegian Systems Development Teams. † European Journal of Information Systems 13 (2004): 3–20.

Luca Signorelli and His Work at Orvieto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Luca Signorelli and His Work at Orvieto - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  every artist reveals a certain theme in any given work. From the works of Luca, themes such as strength of youths, the strict austerity of middle life, and the resolute seriousness of the old age were depicted. He showed dignity in appreciating human life. Among the remarkable works of Luca, only two were executed before Luca approached forty years. These are the Madonna and Flagellation. The execution of Flagellation though done skillfully, it depicted the strength in youths. This vital work inspired the youths and encouraged them to bring out the power in them.This study discusses that later works showed strict austerity in middle age, and the resolute seriousness of the old life. The theme of inspiration came out of all the work that Luca did. For example, in some of the decorations, in the Chapel, Luca showed several famous poets and scenes taken from their work; to clarify the theme of inspiration. In his work, in Orvierto, Luca portrayed them es chosen for decoration of the chapel. The main themes chosen were ruling of the antichrist, last judgment, redemption, damnation, and the resurrection of the dead. These themes helped other artists and readers to fathom the culture of Renaissance.  Luca is known to have done numerous paintings in different cities. It may not be possible to mention all the works that he did, but some of his principal works can be analyzed.... Luca worked in Cortona, where some paintings, which he painted, remains still. He began painting in the Cathedral of Perugia, then Monte Oliveto before being commissioned to undertake the decoration of Cappella Nuova in the Cathedral of Orvieto. In the Cathedral, he represented the prophetic series story of the Anti-Christ; End of the World; Resurrection of the body, Paradise; Inferno, and the Divine comedy (Henry 45). The inferno scenes about End of the World scene indicate tortures of Hell. This layout of work influenced many artists in the field of painting. His later work ended in Vatican, where he sacrificed to make way for Raphael’s work. Luca returned to his native land, Cortona, after the Vatican contract where he continued to do his paintings, but in small bits. His painting career ended in his native land of Cortona (Henry 46). Theology of Luca Signorelli Through the Church art work, an artist portrays religious views or teachings. Most of the art work done by Luca p ortrayed his views regarding Christian teachings. He seemed dedicated in knowing the truth about Christ’s teachings, and described the truth teaching through the paintings, which he created. His desire to enquire the truth about Christ can be seen when he got a contract to paint the Cathedral of Orvieto. In this contract, he sought theological advice from masters of theology. In most of his paintings, he created images representing the true view of the religious books. According to him, true representation of religious matters was a crucial aspect in helping people to discover the truth (Gilbert 55). He represented in art form, the consequences or the end results of preaching and embracing antichrists. In his paintings, he started with

The Process of Restructuring Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Process of Restructuring Business - Essay Example The several buyout funds that were interested in outright acquiring the firm would surely ensure a healthy payout to the shareholders however if these were sufficient to restructure the firm was unclear. Also, they would restrict the role of the founders. This led to a second option which was to attain leveraged recapitalization, as suggested by investment bankers. The downside of this option was the large scale of indebtedness and transactional complexity. This leads us to the most viable option for Fojtasek suggested in shape of a hybrid transaction by a private equity group from Boston, Heritage Partners; with the agreement leading to lower debt levels, control for the family, and majority ownership for existing shareholders. In July 1995, Randall Fojtasek—in partnership with Heritage Partners—undertook a considerable restructuring. The first step in this process of restructuring was acquiring Bishop Manufacturing, a vinyl window manufacturer in Northeast. This was seventeen months later sold to Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, a private equity firm in the United States that specializes in leveraged buyouts. At a 45% premium to the original purchase price the shareholder’s profited from the transaction and a small amount was reinvested into the firm. Heritage partners, also known as, Partners International (HPI) is a senior-level executive search and consulting firm that focuses on delivering superior work to a select group of clients globally in the life sciences industry. During the undertaking of the transaction, they were concentrating their efforts in raising follow-on funds of about 300 $ million. They were successful in their efforts and raised the amount from a variety of institutional investors such as Brinson Partners, the General Motors Investment Management Company, and the private equity arm of the Princeton endowment, Nassau Capital. It appears that Randall Fojtasek in the late 90’s had overcome the dilemma regarding the company he had faced in 95. Not only had he managed to remain CEO of the firm, now renamed to Atrium Companies but had also managed to retain a large equity stake in the firm.

Project Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Project Operations Management - Essay Example There are many definitions of the term operations management. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, operations management involves the aspect of design, product management, processing as well as management of the supply chain mechanism. The article on operations management also states that the term operations management encompasses a broad area that includes both strategic and tactical aspects of an organization. These include areas like layout, design, project management, sourcing, procurement etc as well as issues like quality control, monitoring and other aspects (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011). ‘Operations management is defined as a complete management of the entire activities of an organization that includes planning, co-ordination, handling and utilisation of resources in a manner that generates considerable competitive advantage for the organization. It also includes managing the quality and monitoring of the day to day routine activities of all the departments of the organizations so as to ensure optimum and efficient utilisation and management of resources’. As stated in the previous section operations management is a very broad term and includes an array of activities and their management. Operations management also assumes significance considering the fact that organizational excellence is directly related to operational expertise of an organization. Organizations like Wal-Mart and Toyota have their core competence based on operational aspects like cross docking and Total Quality Management (Shah, 2009, p.115). This calls for large scale responsibilities and efficiency on the part of the operations manager whose roles and responsibilities are listed below: The foremost direct responsibility of the operations manager involves a deeper understanding and analysis of the strategic objectives of the organization. This involves setting up a clear vision with

Considering meeting the needs of children of different year groups Essay

Considering meeting the needs of children of different year groups within the discipline policy - Essay Example This included sanctions, praise and clarification of the rules within each classroom. The findings showed the key elements of the discipline policy were constant through the school. However, variances were in evidence when it came to reward systems and sanctions and the execution of them. This led the author to think that maybe the whole school policy within a school may require an element of consideration towards the needs of children in different year groups. This study compares whole schools’ rewards’ and sanctions’ policy relative to student behaviour, the implementation of these policies and how they meet the needs of the children in specific year groups. This comparative study is justified from personal experiences working as a teaching assistant in several schools. There always appeared to be similar systems in place where children would earn some semblance of reward points and then choose a reward from the gift box at the end of the school day or week. Having moved within school year groups it became apparent that were variations on reasons, how many and why reward points were given to the children. From the perspective of national objectives on schools’ learning environment, it is desirable that classrooms are conducive to optimal learning and teaching techniques. Both rewards and sanctions system are important parts of creating a classroom conducive to learning and teaching at optimal levels. Researche rs have consistently argued that a rewards system engages students and thus enhances learning (McLean 2001). It has also been a major national concern that approaches to learning and teaching techniques are consistent across the school, so that all students reach their full potential. In this regard, a systematic approach to rewards and sanctions’ system is therefore important so that all students are receiving the same message relative to outcomes

Compare between contrast system software and application software Essay

Compare between contrast system software and application software - Essay Example The computer programming tools include, but are not limited to the debuggers, linkers, compilers, Microsoft software development tools and Java development tools. The document focuses only the system and application software and provides their detailed comparison. The initial section of the document contains a description of the system and application software, however, it proceeds with the comparison and contrast between the system software and application software. The system software is developed specifically for the computer systems so that the computer system starts and runs the application software. After successful installation of the system software in the computer systems is able to run separately as well as over the computer network. There are different types of system software include: operating systems, device drivers, firmware, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Middleware and free system software. Initially, the operating system(s) (type of system software) are installed on the bare hardware of the computer system to provide an interface to the computer users for provision of computer services. The prominent examples of the operating system include: the Microsoft Windows OS, LINUX, UNIX and Mac OS. Once even one of the operating systems is installed in the computer systems enable the computer user to install various computer utility software to fulfill particular requirements of the computer users. However, the Middleware (type of the system software) can also be installed in the computer system to get functionalities that are even not provided by the operating system. Usually, the Middleware system software is used by the software developers so that they can get an interface to communicate with the computer hardware. It is pertinent to mention here that overall the system software is used for the specialized purpose by the

Many MNEs may want to start operations in some foreign country Essay Example for Free

Many MNEs may want to start operations in some foreign country Essay Establishment mode means that the MNE starts its operations from scratch in the foreign country usually through a wholly owned subsidiary where as in entry mode; this can be accomplished by a subsidiary or through partnership with a local party which involves shared ownership. In this study the authors examine the effect of same variables on both these choices available to a company. They do it through a series of hypotheses. The first hypothesis measures the positive effect of greater institutional advancement on the choice that the company makes. Institutional advancement is defined in the study as pertaining to changes in formal institutions over a period of time. It is argued that regulatory forces are likely to be a big influence on a decision that an MNE makes with regard to its establishment or entry choice. Regulatory forces or rather Regulative forces as described in the study are not limited to laws and regulations only but also include political and other social factors. The authors conclude that institutional advancement has a positive effect on the choice to establish a subsidiary with shared ownership. The second hypothesis postulated by the authors’ measures the moderating effect of institutional advancement on the tendency of a technologically intense firm to either go for establishment mode or entry mode. It is argued that firms which are technology intense should go for establishment mode because their competitive advantages are embedded in their labor force skills and organizational practices so it is more efficient for them to start from scratch. They should hire and train the local labor force. Furthermore in case of a joint venture or share ownership of the subsidiary, protecting the intellectual rights can be an issue. Protection of such rights is dependent on the judicial system. In transition economics where the judiciary is corrupt and intellectual property rights are not respected, an MNE would be reluctant to transfer its technology. Therefore authors conclude that firm with advanced proprietary technology are likely to prefer establishment mode but level of institutional advancement has a positive moderating effect on such a firm going for entry mode. The third hypothesis measures the moderating effect of institutional advancement on a multidomestic MNE to either go for establishment of entry mode. Multidomestic firms are defined as those which pursue multidomestic strategy and want to establish a sustainable local market presence. For such MNEs acquiring a local company is a more attractive option because such acquisition can provide them with local brands, market knowledge, distribution channels and network relationships with the host country’s other businesses and government. How the restructuring and realignment of the acquired entity can be very challenging. The firms in the host country are likely to be following a different paradigm. But on the other hand if an MNE goes for shared ownership or entry mode, it can accomplish more without facing these difficulties. It is argues that a multidomestic MNE requires lesser control on the subsidiary. If this is so then subsidiaries in the host country can have considerable freedom and operate on their own fully leveraging their local expertise.Hence it is concluded institutional advancement has a positive moderating effect on a multidomestic MNE to go for entry mode. Finally the authors have used an international survey to gather the data to support their findings. The survey consists of a questionnaire with 33 open and close ended questions. Furthermore the MNE’s latest establishment mode choice or entry mode choice has been taken as the dependent variable. Critique This study is no doubt a valuable asset for managers and students alike in studying the behavior of MNEs in making their choices when it comes to Foreign Direct Investment but nevertheless it has a few shortcomings and weaknesses. But the biggest shortcoming of this study is the scope. The authors have primarily taken a sample of European MNEs. And the so called economies in transition are basically east European countries which were once under the iron curtain. Firstly we need to consider the fact that Europeans MNEs may be very different from Japanese or American MNEs and so forth. The establishment or entry mode choice for Japanese firms may be dependent on or moderated by variables other than the ones discussed here. Similarly an MNE whether European or Japanese may decide to invest in some country in Central Asia or North Africa or even South Asia. The market conditions in these countries are very different from those of the transition economies discussed by the authors. This means that the findings in this study are not universally applicable. Nevertheless it is a valuable addition to our knowledge regarding MNE behavior in making Foreign Direct Investment decisions. But for any researcher trying to consult this study, it is very important to keep the above mentioned limitations in mind.